Growing Old

Be with me, Beauty, for the fire is dying;
My dog and I are old, too old for roving.
Man, whose young passion sets the spindrift flying,
Is soon too lame to march, too cold for loving.
I take the book and gather to the fire,
Turning old yellow leaves; minute by minute
The clock ticks to my heart. A withered wire,
Moves a thin ghost of music in the spinet.
I cannot sail your seas, I cannot wander
Your cornland, nor your hill-land, nor your valleys
Ever again, nore share the battle yonder
Where the young knight the broken squadron rallies.
Only stay quiet while my mind remembers
The beauty of fire from the beauty of embers.

Beauty, have pity! for the strong have power,
The rich their wealth, the beautiful their grace,
Summer of man its sunlight and its flower.
Spring-time of man, all April in a face.
Only, as in the jostling in the Strand,
Where the mob thrusts, or loiters, or is loud,
The beggar with the saucer in his hand
Asks only a penny from the passing crowd,
So, from this glittering world with all its fashion,
Its fire, and play of men, its stir, its march,
Let me have wisdom, Beauty, wisdom and passion,
Bread to the soul, rain when the summers parch.
Give me but these, and though the darkness close
Even the night will blossom as the rose.

- John Masefield (1878-1967)

Link of the Week #20

Hello readers! I've struggled a bit to determine exactly what to post for our link this week. This wasn't because of the lack of good material, but rather because of its great abundance! However, after some thought I'd like to highlight two talks given by the eminent preacher, teacher, and pastor Dr. Sinclair B. Ferguson.

These talks were given in 2008 one week after Dr. Ferguson turned sixty. In these talks Dr. Ferguson gives some "Reflections at Sixty" by walking through his early life in Scotland and touching on various aspects of the gospel ministry along the way. For me, this was a very powerful and helpful use of my time. I've never heard Dr. Ferguson speak so comfortably and freely. It truly was a blessing to hear such a wise, and godly, man speak about what Christ has done in and through him over the years. I hope that it will be a blessing to you as well.

To listen to this week's link go here.

Link of the Week #19

Hello readers! You may have noticed that we've tried to branch out a bit with our weekly links to include more than just audio resources. In the past couple of weeks we've highlighted articles, websites, and podcasts in addition to our traditional sermon/lecture links. We're trying to create some variety and we're trying to offer something to those of you who may not have time to listen to an hour lecture every week. We hope that this is a help to you, but as with everything we do on this blog, we're open to comments and suggestions. If you like or dislike what we're doing here feel free to give us your feedback.

Well, in keeping with our (recent) tradition of non-lecture links, we'd like to highlight a resource that we have found to be quite wonderful (although it is a bit dangerous.) Allow me to explain. Every Friday, Ligonier ministries selects a handful of their resources and offers them for only $5 apiece. This includes books that normally retail for $20 dollars, cd's that usually cost $12 dollars, and even video conferences that would easily run you $60 or more! This is a wonderful way to build up a library or collection of solid reformed materials without breaking the bank. They post their selected resources every Thursday, then the 24 hour sale begins on Friday. We'd encourage you to take a look at this page every week and see if there is something from which you can benefit. Enjoy!

To view this week's link go here.

Stonewall Jackson on the Practice of Prayer

The following quotes are taken from pgs. 72 & 73 of Ted Baehr and Susan Wales book "Faith in God and Generals."

"Once a friend asked [Jackson] how he understood the Bible's command to "pray without ceasing." Jackson said that the habit of prayer had become like breathing with him: "I have so fixed the habit in my own mind that I never raise a glass of water to my lips without lifting my heart to God in thanks and prayer for the water of life. Then, when we take our meals, there is grace. Whenever I drop a letter in the post-office, I send a petition along with it for God's blessing upon its mission and the person to whom it is sent. When I break the seal of a letter just received, I stop to ask God to prepare me for its contents, and make it a messenger of good. When I go to my class-room and await the arrangement of the cadets in their places, that is my time to intercede with God for them. And so in every act of the day I have made the practice of prayer habitual."

I also found the following quote helpful, as Jackson perfectly describes the way that I pray:

"I find that it greatly helps me in fixing my mind and quickening my devotions to give utterance to my prayers, and hence I am in the habit of going off into the woods, where I can be alone and speak audibly to myself the prayers I would pour out to my God. I was at first annoyed that I was compelled to keep my eyes open to avoid running against the trees and stumps; but upon investigating the matter I do not find that the Scriptures require us to close our eyes in prayer, and the exercise has proven to me very delightful and profitable."

Link of the Week #18

Hello readers! One of the great joys of the Christian life is to grow in the knowledge of God through the study of His Word. As our minds are renewed and our vision is sharpened we begin to understand who God is and what He has done with increased clarity. The Word of God is truly a rich goldmine of doctrinal and devotional wealth for the Christian. But what do we do when our brothers in Christ read the same Scriptures we do yet come to completely different conclusions? What do we do when doctrinal differences and divisions arise within Christ's body? What should our reaction be to those who have a faulty understanding of the faith? How are we to respond to false teaching in the church? These questions are of pressing importance to everyone who cares for the purity and peace of Christ's church.

In this week's link, we'd like to highlight a letter written by the famed Reformed pastor (and hymn-writer) John Newton that deals with this very topic. In this letter, Newton provides us with helpful, and biblical, advice on the often sticky issues involved in doctrinal disagreement. We hope you enjoy this weeks link!

To read this week's link go here.

(For those of you who may be new to the blog, we've touched some on these issues before. Enjoy!)