Around the year 1904, a woman named Civilla D. Martin was at home confined to bed due to illness.While her husband was away one day preaching, she wrote the hymn God Will Take Care of You. When he returned home, she gave the words to him. He sat down at his organ and wrote the music. I’m sure this hymn has impacted many lives, and to this day still does, including my own. One man in particular, about 25 years or so after this was written (1930), was hospitalized with a severe care of shingles. Prior business deals had failed, he was in physical pain as well as emotional pain, filled with despair and little hope. One morning while in his hospital bed, he heard this hymn coming from the hospital chapel. Be not dismayed whate’er betide, God will take care of you; Beneath His wings of love abide, God will take care of you. God will take care of you, Through every day, over all the way; He will take care of you, God will take care of you. The man followed the music into the chapel and as he listened, he felt his burdens lift. All worries left him, as he realized just how much God loved him. He later recalled those moments in the chapel as the most dramatic and glorious twenty minutes of my life. Who is this man who was so filled with despair? Mr. James C. Penney, founder of the American Department store chain, J.C. Penney. Thanks for visiting today. Whatever your circumstances, know that you can look to God for your strength and help. I take comfort I can claim the words of this hymn as my own. Fear not, for I am with you; Be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, Yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand. Isaiah 41:10 This post may be shared with some or all of the following link-ups. TellHisStory, The Art of Home-making Mondays, Mondays Musings, Roses of Inspiration, Growing in Grace Thursdays, Word Art Wednesdays, Counting My Blessings,

Augustus Toplady was born in England in 1740. His father was a Royal Marine and died on duty soon after his son’s birth, leaving the boy to be raised by his mother. Toplady had an interest in…

The Hymn "At Calvary" was written by William Newell in 1895. At the time he was Assistant Superintendent at Moody Bible Institute. He wrote the lyrics on the back of an envelope between classes. Newell passed the lyrics off to Daniel Towner, music director at Moody. Towner went in a music room and worked out the music. Within an hour, the two friends were singing and playing this robust hymn of praise. It is one of my favorite hymns to play on the piano and have our church family sing. I hope you've enjoyed learning about how this great and timeless hymn was written. How two gifted friends, listened to what God had laid on their heart. Little did they know at the time, their hymn would still be sung over 100 years later. God knew . . as He sees each of our paths laid out in front of us. Listen for what He might be asking you to do. Have a blessed day dear ones.

This beautiful song was written around 1970 by Dottie Rambo. Dottie felt inspired to write a song about the grace of God, but had been unable to finish the song. After a concert, she visited her brother who was dying of cancer and given only weeks to live. She prayed for him and encouraged him to give his […]

Onward, Christian Soldiers” was written in 1865 with no intention of ever being published, especially in adult hymn books. Rev. Sabine Baring-Gould, its author, was at that time the curate of…

Praise, My Soul, the King of Heaven was written by Rev. Henry Francis Lyte. The text is based on Psalm 103 which begins with “Bless the LORD, O my soul: and all that is within me, bless his holy name.” He first published the song in his 1834 The Spirit of the Psalms and remains a popular hymn in some […]

Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord;He is trampling out the vintage where the grapes of wrath are stored;He hath loosed the fateful

Sharefaith Reviews See why 120,000 churches have used Sharefaith over the last 14 years! Customer Reviews Sharefaith Reviews contains a current list of actual user reviews on Sharefaith, it’s products, services and support as well as well as web hosting reviews for churches. Over the last 14 years, Sharefaith has served nearly 120,000 churches globally, […]

Frances Ridley Havergal (1836-1879) was an unusually gifted and passionate saint. The daughter of a church rector, she was raised in Worcester, England and attended schools in England and Germany. …

It was a daring move when, in 1707, Isaac Watts published his first book of hymns. At that time it was the practice of almost every congregation of the Church of England to sing only Old Testament …

"We read to know we are not alone.” - C.S. Lewis

Are you planning to submit an original hymn to the Church's new Hymnal? Are you struggling to know if your hymn is good enough to rise to the top of the submissions pile? The announcement of the new hymnal made me think about the thousands of members who want to write and submit their hymns and songs.

“Critical thinking without hope is cynicism. Hope without critical thinking is naïveté.”

I continue to find the things that I read and watch while working on my book What Jesus Learned From Women fascinating, and the new things that jump out

Gertrude von Le Fort (1876-1971) Gertrud von Le Fort, a German mystic, writer and convert to Catholicism at the age of fifty, has recently captured my attention and deeply moved my heart with her magnificent poetry. She published over 20 books of poetry, essays, short stories and novels and was known as the "greatest contemporary transcendent poet." In her book, Hymns to the Church, published in 1938 by Sheed and Ward, she beautifully captures the liturgical cycle with uplifting words that soar and sweep across the heart. I was fortunate to find a copy of Hymns to the Church at the public library, because the only copy listed for sale on Amazon was offered for $500.00! What a treasure these words are that a used book would be so highly valued! In keeping with the season of Lent, here is one of my favorites: Passion I Your voice speaks to my soul: Be not afraid of my golden garments, have no fear of the rays of my candles, For they are all but veils of my love, they are all but as tender hands covering my secret. I will draw them away, weeping soul, that you may see I am no stranger to you. How should a mother not resemble her child? All your sorrows are in me. I am born out of suffering, I have bloomed out of five holy wounds. I grew on the tree of humiliation, I found strength in the bitter wine of tears. I am a white rose in a chalice full of blood. I live on suffering, I am the strength out of suffering, I am glory out of suffering: Come to my soul and find your home. II And your voice speaks: I know of your shuddering at joy, I know how you go pale before the hours that are clad in purple. I know your terror before the beakers of fullness, I know too how you tremble before the soul of the best beloved! For your depths are wounded by gladness; it reaches down into you with cold hands, It quenches all your desires like a great hesitation. It sinks on your senses like stones of guilt. It falls on your soul like the reek of wilted herbs. It wraps you in pain from head to foot, then you are sheltered from joy by joy- Then all your grief becomes eternal. III And your voice speaks: I will read the secret of your sorrow, O tender one, timid one, kin to my soul, beloved: It is I who weep in the depths of you! I have fashioned you for a thousand years and longer, I blessed all your fathers and mothers with the cross. You have cost me griefs and wounds, among thorns have I released your hands from the world. You have cost me solitude, you have cost me dark silence through many generations. You have cost me goods and chattels, you have cost me the ground under my feet, you have cost me a whole world! You have grown subtle, soul, you have become like a silky flax that it has taken long to spin: You have become like a thread, so fine that it no longer holds. See, you float away lightly over the meadows of life, you float away over the flowering lands, But not one of them can hold you, homeless one, wandering soul of my sorrow. IV And your voice speaks: I will sing a Gloria that shall fill the top of my towers with the clangour of their bells. Praise the Lord all sorrow of the earth! Let the impoverished praise Him, and those who are in exile, let the disappointed praise Him, and the disinherited, let Him be praised by all whom nothing satisfies. Be he praised by the bright torment of the spirit, and by the dark torment of nature. Be He praised by the holy torment of love. Be He praised by the solitude of the soul and by the soul's captivity. Be He praised by the sorrow of sin and by the woe that all things perish, Be He praised also by the bitter anguish of death. See, I strip my altars of all adornment, all their fine linen must fade like the loveliness of flowering fields. All the images on them must hide their faces. I will take away my last consolation, I will remove the Lord's Body, that my soul may become deep night. For the sorrow of the world has become blessed, because it has been loved. Behold the wood of the Cross on which hung the Salvation of the world. For more, visit this link to read/pray von Le Fort's magnificent Litany for the Feast of the Most Sacred Heart from Hymns to the Church.

“I Scarce Can Take It I” opens at Yards Project, Cleveland Ohio. Works by Misty Lindsey, Martha Cliffel, Gadi Zamir, and Reverend Albert Wagner Opening reception Thursday, Sept 13th 6PM – 9PM. On view through November 24th I SCARCE CAN TAKE IT IN is a line from the lyrics of the gospel song How Great Thou […]

You'll have so much fun teaching Have I Done Any Good (archives) to your Primary children this year as part of either the Book of Mormon Song List or for the

Welcome to the Blog Tour for Lovin’ On Red by Mary Pat Johns,hosted by JustRead Publicity Tours! About the Book Title: Lovin’ On RedSeries: Romance in Valiant #2Author: Mary Pat JohnsPu…

I know, working out twice per day sure doesn’t sound like a way to save time…But bear with me. This scheme has been working wonderfully well for me for months now. Months ago, I started incorporating Ben Patrick’s ‘Knees Over Toes’ exercises into my routine. If you haven’t started doing his revolutionary exercises of strengthening throughout the entire range of motion to restore and enhance function, it’s time to start! I have worked out religiously since about age 20 for my entire life. I have no back or joint issues, despite working out heavily and having turned 70 recently. Then, I watched some of Ben’s amazing videos on YouTube, about how he almost destroyed his body playing basketball in his youth. He could barely hobble around, and after various surgeries he was told he would never play basketball competitively again- not good news for someone in his early 20’s! But Ben persisted, and with the guidance of mentor Charles Polaquin the strength coach, rebuilt himself from the ground up. It is inspiring, to say the least to watch what he can do in terms of jumping and flexibility after having rebuilt himself. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1a6nfG69c9g I have already made significant progress in lower body flexibility and functional strength. For me, as I suspect it is for most, it’s not about increasing jumping ability and sprint speeds so much, as it is about dramatically strengthening my knees, ankles and other joints, along with greatly enhanced flexibility. And in this I am being very successful. Using tibialis raises, which I actually discovered long ago, I cured my plantar fascitis completely. I have always stretched, but now, by stretching under load I am greatly strengthening my weak points- I work my hamstrings with ‘reverse squats’, attaching dumbbells to my feet and lifting upwards for high reps, one leg at a time. Sled drags, done backwards, are his preeminent overall lower body exercise, as they work the feet and toes, along with the entire lower body and joints, very protectively. If you do nothing else of his, do backwards walking! Sled or not, this is the number one way to avoid knee surgery. Lately, the idea of walking backwards against the resistance of a band was recommended- this works amazingly well! Just loop a long resistance band around your power rack support, or a post or other strong point of resistance. Step inside it, and walk backwards with it about your hips, feeling each step and its resistance. Walk forward, and repeat for a few minutes- you are done! Make it your daily workout warmup, and your joints and the many tendons of your lower body will thank you for your entire life. I slowly worked the ATG (ass to grass) split squat- for now with only body weight, but gradually adding resistance. This is a very protective and productive movement; one which I needed to progress with assistance within a power rack to fully achieve at first, even though I had squatted my whole life! This ability is probably the single most protective and powerful thing you can do to transform your entire lower body! Jefferson curls, done from a platform and slowly lowering a weighted bar as low as you can below your toes, coupled with nordic curls; where you curl your upper body up backwards with your legs held down, work your hamstrings and lower back better than anything. I suggest you watch the ‘Knees over toes guy’ videos repeatedly- subscribe on YouTube, as he is always refining what he does. Ben Patrick is an excellent coach. In fact, you can hire him to coach you for a monthly fee. But frankly: he puts it all on line for free, so you can simply copy what he offers! And so- that is how my workouts have changed. The knees over toes workouts come in the afternoon, and only take 20 or 30 minutes. (They are that intense). Monday, in the morning- first thing in the morning- I do my mainstay workout, which is stretching, along with virtual resistance (resisting within my own body’s musculature as I flex dynamically), and using calisthenics and isometrics as well. I do this as I watch TV. I often do rebounding as well. The whole process is invigorating, and works my body from head to toe. Then I will do lower body in the afternoon. All my lower body Knees over Toes work. Then, (and here is how I save time and central nervous system energy)- I take the next day off! Well, I usually do the morning workout since I enjoy it and profit so much from it, but I take the afternoon OFF! Then, the next day, I do the morning workout as always, and do the afternoon UPPER BODY workout for 30 minutes or less. Nowadays, it is mostly gymnastics rings that dominate the workout, since I believe that gymnastic rings, suspended from the rafters in my basement, afford a far better, more protective workout for the upper body than barbells or dumbbells. The rings are like Ben’s lower body exercises, in that they strengthen the tendons and ligaments of the upper body throughout their full range of motion, as well as the musculature. The resistance is also infinitely variable; step forward and a pushup is easier; step back, and even onto an elevation- infinitely more difficult! And then- I take the next afternoon OFF! Sometimes, I’ll take two afternoons off. When you are 70, you need to ‘feel’ your body- your recovery is not as bulletproof as it was in your 20’s! But, it’s still all there, pardner. You just need to pay attention. As you do your daily “greet the day” workout, stretching on your mat on the floor and flexing on your rebounder; pay attention to your body. Do you need deep muscle stimulation this afternoon? Or is your body still recovering? Remember, it’s not a race. This is lifelong improvement. Getting ahead of yourself, or reaching a high state of fitness is just momentary. Keep it up. Keep getting better, slowly. Victory is in the steady ascent. Not in momentary greatness, and then slacking… That is defeat.

Weird News Today brings you the most bizarre stories on the internet. These weird but true stories will have you questioning reality.

The inspiring survivor story of the blind poet & activist, Fanny Crosby. She made history with her words, but was she battling depression & illness?

Comment accéder à la connaissance spirituelle ? La plupart des gens répondront que la source de la connaissance spirituelle est en nous. Il faut plonger en soi. Mais ce que nous entendons pas là diffère : pour les uns, il s'agit de "voyager dans l'Astral", de se connecter à des entités omniscientes ou de se fier à son impression du moment. Pour d'autres, plus rares, cela signifie se reconnaître comme présence impersonnelle, ou entrer en relation avec l'essence intime qui est aussi l'essence universelle. Autrement dit, la majorité des gens se tourne vers des entités, principalement des humains, des gourous, des maîtres, des guides, comme source de la connaissance. Dont des livres, qui sont les paroles de telles entités. Or, j'ai remarqué une chose : parmi ceux qui lisent des livres, il y a ceux qui lisent des livres "sur x", par exemple le Tantra ; et il y a ceux qui lisent des livres "de x", par exemple des textes de la tradition du Tantra. C'est la distinction entre littérature ou secondaire, "les livres sur la Gnose", et la littérature primaire, les textes gnostiques eux-mêmes. Ou les livres sur l'alchimie, et les textes alchimiques eux-mêmes. Ce sont là deux sortes de sources très différentes. Mon expérience, de longue date, est que la littérature secondaire est un mauvais choix. En surface, elle semble certes plus facile d'accès, plus familière ; les sources primaires semblent plus exotiques, plus difficiles. Mais c'est négliger le fait que la littérature secondaire est... secondaire. Elle est une copie, au mieux relativement fidèle. Un dérivé, un reflet, une imitation. Un écho. Or, comme dans le jeu du "téléphone arabe", il suffit de quelques copies pour que l'original devienne méconnaissable. De plus, pourquoi passer par des intermédiaires ? "Mieux vaut s'adresser au bon Dieu qu'à ses saints". Remonter au plus près de la source. La littérature secondaire est donc une perte de temps. Au pire, elle est source d'erreur. Et, parmi les sources secondaires, les moins mauvaises sont celles qui laissent le plus parler ceux dont elle parle. Voilà pourquoi je préfère les anthologies, au pire les résumés. Quant aux informations contextuelles, le format wikipédia est idéal. Rester concis, s'en tenir à l'essentiel. Les commentaires critiques doivent, dans la mesure du possible, être clairement placés à part. Les livres que j'ai lu sur Platon étaient plein de préjugés, voire de mensonges. Même constat pour les ouvrages sur la Gnose, les "introduction", etc. Les livres sur le Tantra m'ont transmis des idées néfastes. Par exemple, le livre de Van Lysbeth a fait la propagande du cliché des "méchants aryens" contre les "gentils dravidiens", les vils pasteurs patriarcaux contre les doux agriculteurs matriarcaux. Cela m'a fait perdre du temps - le temps nécessaire pour réaliser par moi-même que cette affirmation était fausse. De même sur l'hindouisme, le bouddhisme, et ainsi de suite. Rien ne vaut l'accès aux sources primaires. Et ce qui a été décisif, à chaque fois, c'est cet accès à la littérature primaire. Les sources, comme on dit à juste raison. Les textes, dans la langue originale ou, à défaut, dans une assez bonne traduction. Bien évidemment, je ne connais pas le tibétains, par exemple. Mais je connais le vocabulaire du dzogchen, les expressions principales. Je m'intéresse toujours à la langue. Remonter au plus près de la source. D'où l'apprentissage du sanskrit. On me demande régulièrement ce qui m'a poussé vers la pratique de cette langue si difficile. Eh bien, c'est le désir de me rapprocher des sources. Il en va comme dans le commerce : il est prudent de se passer d'intermédiaires, de traiter le plus directement possible avec le producteur. Voilà pourquoi je suis devenu sanskritiste. Et je ne l'ai jamais regretté depuis. Les textes. Aller aux textes. La tradition, c'est la transmission ; or la transmission, c'est la transmission à travers les textes. N'est-il pas frappant que toutes les traditions dignes de ce nom soient fondées sur des textes, des discours, des paroles, des soûtras, des aphorismes, des commentaires, des commentaires de commentaires ? Là aussi, nous retrouvons certes le phénomène d'imitation. Mais dans une forme vivante, dirai-je. Alors que, la spiritualité contemporaine se caractérise par l'imitation mensongère, par le plagiat. Regardez la plupart des vendeurs de méthode "quantique", "chamanique", "hydraulique" et pataphysique : ils plagient, et ils cachent soigneusement leurs sources véritables. Ainsi, le néo-yoga, le néo-tantra, le néo-advaita, le néo-vipassana, tendent à passer sous silence les sources indiennes, au motif que "c'est intellectuel". Ben voyons. Des plagieurs, des affabulateurs, des imposteurs, des imitateurs. Au mieux. Aujourd'hui, combien d'"éveillés" pompent les textes gnostiques, mais sans le dire ? Le "Secret" est une imitation d'œuvres des années 1920. Le New Age imite la New Thought, qui elle-même imite le transcendentalisme, qui lui-même imite le romantisme, qui lui-même... D'autre plagient le dzogchen. D'autres encore, pour mieux occulter leurs sources, prétendent enseigner le shivaïsme du Cachemire, mais n'ont dans la bouche qu'une énième copie de la rhétorique new age. Ou d'une psycho-thérapie des années 70. Sans oublier tous ces clones qui s'imitent les uns les autres, à l'infini. Un jeu de miroir qui évoque les rayons d'un supermarché. Alors quoi ? Les textes. Revenir aux textes. Revenir à la parole, au plus près de l'acte créateur. Pour apprendre et pour se nourrir. Au reste, toute lecture n'est pas condamnée à être seulement analytique. Il y a aussi la lecture divine : lire, méditer, prier et contempler. Comme, en Inde, il y a l'écoute, la méditation et la contemplation, shravana, manana et nididhyâsana. Autrement dire, l'étude des textes est une méthode, et non un simple gadget anecdotique. C'est la voie traditionnelle, la voie de la transmission, la voie de la réalisation. C'est une manière de vivre, une discipline, une école de chaque jour. Les gens parlent de "tradition orale", "d'au-delà des concepts", etc. Mais, le plus souvent, ce ne sont là que des justifications commodes pour rester les bras ballants, dans une attitude passive, consumériste à tous égards, tels des chamallows qui se laissent dissoudre par l'humidité ambiante. Certes, il fait aller au-delà des textes, par-delà la lettre. Mais pour cela, il faut d'abord passer par les textes. Et surtout, une lecture "divine" nous conduit d'elle-même à son propre au-delà. Telle est la beauté de la lecture. Lire et relire. Un travail d'artisan, et non d'employé. Une œuvre d'adulte qui se tient debout, et non d'adolescent mou du genou. Une quête en compagnie, non une soirée sextoy. Donc, aller aux textes plutôt qu'à des livres ou à des enseignements secondaires. Et, de là, à la Source ultime. Au plus près, au plus intime. Voilà pourquoi, dans mes billets de blogs, mes livres et mes vidéos, je m'efforce d'inclure des textes, au moins des extraits. C'est la méthode que j'ai adoptée. Après plus de trente années, elle m'a convaincu, elle a fait ses preuves, elle est fiable. La lecture des textes, des sources primaires, est une pratique spirituelle. Lire ainsi et se laisser relier. Lire comme on se laisse masser. Lire comme un chasseur. Lire en entier, en restant entier, tout entier. Lire attentif à l'onction, à l'esprit, au souffle. Lire en se posant. Lire comme une rencontre. En se reposant. Lire avec attention. Lire en intégrant l'articulation des mots avec le fond cordial vibrant. Enoncer les mots sur fond de silence vivant. Constater, encore et encore, leur harmonie. En éprouver une joie sans pareil. Découvrir, approfondir. Depuis longtemps, je lis les mêmes textes. Lire, oui, mais encore plus, relire. Encore, et encore, et encore. Lire comme on respire. Cultiver. Se cultiver. Laisser les mots, les phrases, les tournures, les discours, œuvrer en nous comme des graines dans une bonne terre. Vivre en accord avec ce que la lecture exige de discipline, de concentration, de mémoire, de souplesse, de précision, de force intellectuelle. Lire est une pratique, une expérience, lire, c'est faire, c'est déjà faire, c'est faire, peut-être, ce qui est toujours déjà en train de se faire en nous. Lire, c'est écouter. Lire, c'est se taire. Lire, c'est se laisser faire. Lire, c'est apprendre à laisser faire. Lire, c'est donner du temps, de l'espace, pour un autre en nous. Lire, c'est sortir du bavardage. Lire, c'est s'exposer à des objections, des ruptures, des surprises, des défis. Lire, c'est voyager. Lire, c'est s'élever sans bouger. Le monde est un livre : Shiva est le sens, Shakti est le texte. La Nature est un livre : la lecture d'un livre me prépare à cette autre lecture. Lire m'apprend à relier, me rend sensible à tous les signes, aux paroles sans mots, aux chants animaux, derrière les activités humaines. Lire apprend à parler à propos. Lire harmonise, rétablit, guérit, guide, vivifie, repose le corps. Lire est tout, est cheminer vers le Tout.