Newsletter Issue 3808

Issue	Living Water Newsletter for , 2008	SOME THOUGHTS ABOUT GOD
		The fool has said in his heart, "There is no God" (Psalm 14:1). God loves you the way you are, but sometimes He doesn't love the way you are. "People can have two kinds of love for God: the love of gratitude, or the love of excellence." (A. W. Tozer) Without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to Him must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who earnestly seek Him. (Hebrews 11:6) If we are what we should be, we need never know anything but God's good. "I told God that I had done all that I could and that now the result was in His hands; that if this country was to be saved, it was because He so willed it! The burden rolled off my shoulders. My intense anxiety was relieved and in its place came a great trustfulness!" (Abraham Lincoln) "Some of my friends praise God always in the minor key, or in the deep, deep bass; they cannot feel holy till they have the horrors." (Charles Haddon Spurgeon) The Bible assumes that every rational human being knows of the existence of God, therefore it simply states in its opening line: "In the beginning God . . ." "The very last thing God desires is to have shallow-minded and worldly Christians bragging on Him. (A. W. Tozer) "Beauty is but the sensible image of the Infinite. Like truth and justice it lives within us; like virtue and the moral law it is a companion of the soul." (Bancroft) Only to sit and think of God Oh what a joy it is! To think the thought, to breathe the Name; Earth has no higher bliss. Father of Jesus, love's reward! What rapture it will be, Prostrate before Thy throne to lie, And gaze and and gaze on Thee! (Frederick Faber) "We leave our places of worship and no deep and inexpressible wonder sits upon our faces—when we get out into the streets our faces are one with the faces of those who have left the theaters and music halls. There is nothing about us to suggest that we’ve been looking at anything stupendous and overwhelming. "Far back in my boyhood I remember an old saint telling me that after some services he liked to make his way home alone by quiet by-paths, so that the hush of the Almighty might remain on his awed and prostrate soul. That is the element of God in our services that we are losing." (John Henry Howett) "Time was when people went to church to meet God. Now they go to hear a sermon about Him. If the Lord in His risen majesty appeared in some church groups, there would be a stampede for the door." (Leonard Ravenhill) No Christian has a right to be depressed or dejected; to be so is to say that God is not doing what He's supposed to be doing.
A Politically Correct Christmas Story
And Joseph went up from Galilee to Bethlehem with Mary, his espoused wife, who was great with child. And she brought forth a son and wrapped him in swaddling clothes and laid him in a manger because there was no room for them in the inn. And the angel of the Lord spoke to the shepherds and said, "I bring you tidings of great joy. Unto you is born a Savior, which is Christ the Lord." (Luke 2:4-11) "There's a problem with the angel," said a Pharisee who happened to be strolling by the stable. As he explained to Joseph, angels are widely regarded as religious symbols, and the stable was on public property where such symbols were not allowed to land or even hover. "Besides," said a Sadducee who was with him, "there are no such things as angels, and telling a child that they're real will only hinder the child's emotional development." "And I have to tell you," said the Pharisee, "this whole thing looks very much like a Nativity scene. That's a no-no, too." Joseph had a bright idea. "What if I put a couple of reindeer over there near the ox and ass?" he said, eager to avoid sectarian strife. "That would definitely help," said the Pharisee, who knew as well as anyone that whenever a savior appeared, judges usually liked to be on the safe side and surround it with deer or woodland creatures of some sort. "Just to clinch it, throw in a candy cane and a couple of elves and snowmen, too," he said. "No court can resist that." Mary asked, "What does my son's birth have to do with snowmen?" "Snowpersons," cried a young woman, changing the subject before it veered dangerously toward religion. Off to the side of the crowd, a Philistine was painting the Nativity scene. Mary complained that she and Joseph looked too tattered and worn in the picture. "Artistic license," he said. "I've got to show the plight of the haggard homeless in a greedy, uncaring, society in winter." "We're not haggard or homeless. The inn was just full," said Mary. "Whatever," said the painter. Two women began to argue fiercely. One said she objected to Jesus' birth "because it privileged motherhood." The other scoffed at virgin births, but said that if they encouraged more attention to diversity in family forms and the rights of single mothers, well, then, she was all for them. "I'm not a single mother," Mary started to say, but she was cut off by a third woman who insisted that swaddling clothes are a form of child abuse, since they restrict the natural movement of babies. To Be Continued Next Week

King James Version on DVD Narrated by Alexander Scourby "The Voice of the Bible" DVD 70 Hours Usually ships within 24 hours Retail Price: ~~$29.95~~ Your price: $23.95 Hear and see God's word in a brand new way with this King James Version Bible on DVD narrated by Alexander Scourby. With over 70 hours of powerful word-for-word narration and synchronized on-screen text, this Complete KJV Bible On DVD brings the Scripture to life with Alexander Scourby's expressive and inspiring voice. More . . .

Bible Trivia Just for Fun
Q. Which Bible character was the most flagrant lawbreaker of all times? A. Moses: he broke all Ten Commandments at once. Q. Who was the greatest female financier in the Bible? A. Pharaoh's daughter. She went down to the banks of the Nile and drew out a little prophet. Q. What make of car is mentioned in the Garden of Eden? A. It's written that God drove out Adam and Eve in a Fury. Q. Who was the greatest comedian in the Bible? A. Samson: he brought the house down.

New King James Version on DVD Narrated by Stephen Johnson Usually ships within 24 hours Retail Price: ~~$29.95~~ Your price: $23.95 The New King James Version of the Bible is fast becoming today's most requested Bible translation. Embraced by scholars, pastors and lay leaders, it is impacting lives in a real way, and is now brought to life on DVD. The Holy Bible, New King James Version®, offers accuracy, beauty, and ease of understanding, and is the preferred translation of thousands of today's most prominent Christian leaders. More . . .

In the Works
Well, I finished The Amazing Works of John Newton and it's off to the publishers. Cover is already designed and it looks great. Should come out in Bridge-Logos's Pure Gold Classics series in January, God willing and the creek don't rise. Will present it this newsletter soon as we have it in stock. Bev is finishing up R. A. Torrey's book on Prayer, tentatively titled, The Power of Prayer and Praying with Power. It's based on Torrey's evangelistic campaigns all around the world, and the power that he experienced when people prayed for him. Also contains most of his teachings on prayer at the Moody Institute and at his church in Los Angeles. It's a great book. I first read it about 30 years ago, and read it several times since then. Recommended it to Bridge-Logos for a good ten years, and they finally decided to publish it. Hallelujah!

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