Books, books, books. I just came in from being in the warm and sunny outdoors. I enjoyed about 45 minutes of reading while lying on a blanket which was spread next to our fruit trees in the back yard. It was so nice and peaceful - a great place to spend the afternoon reading.
I am in the process of reading a book I checked out from the library: I was Born A Slave - classic slave narratives. It is a 764 page book. So far I have found it quite fascinating to read of the lives of these slaves. The book starts out with a story about a slave named James Albert Ukawsaw Gronnoisaw who was from the Coast of Guinea. I wish I would retype the entire story of his life onto this blog, but I will try to give you a short overview.
James, the youngest of six children and a grandson of the King of Bournou was a mischeivious kind of boy who was always curious and enjoyed asking many questions. One day some merchants came to his village. After talking with them and being invited to journey to another country with them he told his mother goodbye and set sail with the visiting traders. James was about 15years old at the time of his departure. He left his country, his home, his people and his family. Of course, as with the story of slaves goes you are right in assuming the rest of the story.... James was sold several times to various masters in London.
One very nice mistress gave him the book, Holy War by John Bunyan (author of Pilgrim's Progress) to read. James returned the book to her saying that he found the experience in the book similar to his own - it was about a man as bad as himself and didn't like it. His master then gave him Baxter's Call to the Unconverted to read. After reading that book James struggled with things that he had been told and had read- "I thought it was impossible He should recive such a sinner as me". Finally he realized that there was no way to be saved unless he came to Christ. He was gloriously born again and later baptized.
It was such a good story that I wish I could have shared it in its entirety. It was wonderful to read and feel this man's joy in being born again. He struggled saying that he was to bad a sinner to receive salvation. God's desire is that all man might be saved.
I have an uncle that thinks he is too bad for God to save him - why would God care about me. It breaks my heart to think of all the people I have heard say those words. God really loves them and would save them if they would only realize that they must come home by the way of the cross. My heart just about rips when someone says that they don't need God and that they are good and God will allow them to enter into heaven. It isn't true - the Bible says there is none good, no not one. There are others in this world that really don't care one way or the other about their eternity.
Just this week I was out browsing through a bookstore and my heart wept over the people I saw. I wanted to run out of the store, yet I wanted to stay and share the Lord with the people there. There were so many unsaved- so many sad faces, faces that had no idea what they are living for in life. Don't you wish sometimes that your arms were big enough to wrap around tons of people to tell them about the Lord and all He has done for you?!? There are so many hurting people within arms reach. Pray that God will lead you to someone today who is struggling and hurting, and perhaps ready to throw in the towel with their life. Throw out the life line.
People Need The Lord.
Here are the words to the song by Steve Green -
PEOPLE NEED THE LORD
Everyday they pass me by,
I can see it in their eyes.
Empty people filled with care,
Headed who knows where?
On they go through private pain,
Living fear to fear.
Laughter hides their silent cries,
Only Jesus hears.
People need the Lord, people need the Lord.
At the end of broken dreams, He's the open door.
James, the youngest of six children and a grandson of the King of Bournou was a mischeivious kind of boy who was always curious and enjoyed asking many questions. One day some merchants came to his village. After talking with them and being invited to journey to another country with them he told his mother goodbye and set sail with the visiting traders. James was about 15years old at the time of his departure. He left his country, his home, his people and his family. Of course, as with the story of slaves goes you are right in assuming the rest of the story.... James was sold several times to various masters in London.
One very nice mistress gave him the book, Holy War by John Bunyan (author of Pilgrim's Progress) to read. James returned the book to her saying that he found the experience in the book similar to his own - it was about a man as bad as himself and didn't like it. His master then gave him Baxter's Call to the Unconverted to read. After reading that book James struggled with things that he had been told and had read- "I thought it was impossible He should recive such a sinner as me". Finally he realized that there was no way to be saved unless he came to Christ. He was gloriously born again and later baptized.
It was such a good story that I wish I could have shared it in its entirety. It was wonderful to read and feel this man's joy in being born again. He struggled saying that he was to bad a sinner to receive salvation. God's desire is that all man might be saved.
I have an uncle that thinks he is too bad for God to save him - why would God care about me. It breaks my heart to think of all the people I have heard say those words. God really loves them and would save them if they would only realize that they must come home by the way of the cross. My heart just about rips when someone says that they don't need God and that they are good and God will allow them to enter into heaven. It isn't true - the Bible says there is none good, no not one. There are others in this world that really don't care one way or the other about their eternity.
Just this week I was out browsing through a bookstore and my heart wept over the people I saw. I wanted to run out of the store, yet I wanted to stay and share the Lord with the people there. There were so many unsaved- so many sad faces, faces that had no idea what they are living for in life. Don't you wish sometimes that your arms were big enough to wrap around tons of people to tell them about the Lord and all He has done for you?!? There are so many hurting people within arms reach. Pray that God will lead you to someone today who is struggling and hurting, and perhaps ready to throw in the towel with their life. Throw out the life line.
People Need The Lord.
Here are the words to the song by Steve Green -
PEOPLE NEED THE LORD
Everyday they pass me by,
I can see it in their eyes.
Empty people filled with care,
Headed who knows where?
On they go through private pain,
Living fear to fear.
Laughter hides their silent cries,
Only Jesus hears.
People need the Lord, people need the Lord.
At the end of broken dreams, He's the open door.
People need the Lord, people need the Lord.
When will we realize, people need the Lord?
We are called to take His light
To a world where wrong seems right.
What could be too great a cost
For sharing Life with one who's lost?
Through His love our hearts can feel
All the grief they bear.
They must hear the Words of Life
Only we can share.
People need the Lord, people need the Lord
At the end of broken dreams, He's the open door.
People need the Lord, people need the Lord.
When will we realize that we must give our lives,
For peo-ple need the Lord.People need the Lord.
When will we realize, people need the Lord?
We are called to take His light
To a world where wrong seems right.
What could be too great a cost
For sharing Life with one who's lost?
Through His love our hearts can feel
All the grief they bear.
They must hear the Words of Life
Only we can share.
People need the Lord, people need the Lord
At the end of broken dreams, He's the open door.
People need the Lord, people need the Lord.
When will we realize that we must give our lives,
For peo-ple need the Lord.People need the Lord.
1 comment:
Heather, don't be so hard on yourself. You really do a great job with both of your blogs! Keep up the great work!
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