D.L. MOODY - "The Way to God"

"THERE is no portion of Scripture I read so often as John 14.; and there is none that is more sweet to me. I never tire of reading it. Hear what our Lord says, as He pours out His heart to His disciples':

"At that day ye shall know that I am in My Father, and ye in Me, and I in you. He that hath My commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth Me: and he that loveth Me shall be loved of My Father" (14:20,21).

Think of the great God who created heaven and earth loving you and me...

"If a man love Me, he will keep My words; and My Father will love him; and We will come unto him, and make Our abode with him" (14:23).

Would to God that our puny minds could grasp this great truth, that the Father and the Son so love us that They desire to come and abide with us. Not to tarry for a night, but to come and abide in our hearts. We have another passage more wonderful still in John 17:23.

"I in them, and Thou in Me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that Thou hast sent Me, and hast loved them, as Thou hast loved Me."

I think that is one of the most remarkable sayings that ever fell from the lips of Jesus Christ...
He says that if we are trusting in Christ, the Father loves us as He loves the Son. Marvelous love! Wonderful love! That God can possibly love us as He loves His own Son seems too good to be true. Yet that is the teaching of Jesus Christ."

-from "The Way to God" by D. L. Moody

D.L. MOODY - "The Way to God" And How to Get There

"After the battle of Pittsburgh Landing I was in a hospital at Murfreesboro.

In the middle of the night I was aroused and told that a man in one of the wards wanted to see me. I went to him and he called me 'chaplain'- I was not the chaplain- and said he wanted me to help him die.

And I said, 'I would take you right up in my arms and carry you into the kingdom of God if I could; but I cannot do it. I cannot help you die!'

And he said, 'Who can?'

I said, 'The Lord Jesus Christ can- He came for that purpose.'

He shook his head, and said, 'He cannot save me; I have sinned all my life.'

And I said, 'But He came to save sinners.'

I thought of his mother in the north, and I was sure that she was anxious that he should die in peace; so I resolved I would stay with him. I prayed two or three times, and repeated all the promises I could; for it was evident that in a few hours he would be gone.

I said I wanted to read him a conversation that Christ had with a man who was anxious about his soul. I turned to the third chapter of John. His eyes were riveted on me; and when I came to the 14th and 15th verses- the passage before us- he caught up the words,

'As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up; that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have eternal life.'

He stopped me and said, 'Is that there?'

I said 'Yes.' He asked me to read it again; and I did so.

He leaned his elbows on the cot, and clasping his hands together, said, 'That's good; won't you read it again?'

I read it the third time; and then went on with the rest of the chapter. When I had finished, his eyes were closed, his hands were folded, and there was a smile on his face. Oh, how it was lit up! What a change had come over it! I saw his lips quivering, and leaning over him I heard in a faint whisper,

'As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up; that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have eternal life.'

He opened his eyes and said, 'That's enough; don't read any more.' He lingered a few hours, pillowing his head on those two verses; and then went up in one of Christ's chariots to take his seat in the Kingdom of God." --D. L. Moody

Dwight Lyman Moody

Dwight L. Moody
1837-1899
American evangelist

Some day you will read in the papers that D.L. Moody of East Northfield, is dead. Don't you believe a word of it! At that moment I shall be more alive than I am now; I shall have gone up higher, that is all, out of this old clay tenement into a house that is immortal- a body that death cannot touch, that sin cannot taint; a body fashioned like unto His glorious body.

I was born of the flesh in 1837. I was born of the Spirit in 1856. That which is born of the flesh may die. That which is born of the Spirit will live forever.

SAYINGS OF D.L. MOODY

"A man can counterfeit love, he can counterfeit faith, he can counterfeit hope and all the other graces, but it is very difficult to counterfeit humility."

"The world does not understand theology or dogma, but it understands love and sympathy."

"The tendency of the world is down - God's path is up."

"The Christian on his knees sees more than the philosopher on tiptoe."

"I believe Satan to exist for two reasons: first, the Bible says so; and second, I've done business with him."

"I have more trouble with D. L. Moody than with any other man I ever met."

"When a man has no strength, if he leans on God, he becomes powerful."

"Those who say they will forgive but can't forget; bury the hatchet, but they leave the handle out for immediate use."

"I prayed for faith and thought that some day faith would come down and strike me like lightning. But faith did not seem to come. One day I read in the tenth chapter of Romans, 'Faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God.' I had up to this time closed my Bible and prayed for faith. I now opened my Bible and began to study, and faith has been growing ever since."

"A holy life will produce the deepest impression. Lighthouses blow no horns; they only shine."

F. B. Meyer once asked D. L. Moody, 'What is the secret of your success?' Moody replied, 'For many years I have never given an address without the consciousness that the Lord may come before I have finished.' This may well explain the intensity of his service and the zeal of his ministry for Christ."

PREHEAT THE WOK

When the recipe tells you to "preheat the wok" I am not altogether sure whether they are talking about the temperature of the burner or what, but I've found it best done with a combination of jalapenos, crushed, and whole chile peppers. Beautiful isn't it?

TOO HOT FOR YOU

I had a few friends over for a little of my cooking. Everyone says it is very good and seems to enjoy it, yet is it normal for the meal to begin with coughing and leaving of the table for a bit. They always come right back and dig in again, yet usually while crying and much use of the hanky for it seems that their noses always seems to choose to run at that time. Most of my friends drink a lot. No, I do not mean that they drink the alcoholic kind, I just mean that THEY DRINK A LOT! Water, tea, soda, milk; it doesn't seem to matter; they just can't seem to keep out of the liquid. Anyway, I like finding new recipes and trying them out. For whatever reason I'm drawn to the kind with lots of red flecks in the pictures. And if the pictures don't seem to have enough, I make sure I get them in mine. This kind seems to work out well for me. The following is a few snapshots after the meal. My friends are varied in looks, sizes, shapes, skin color, personalities, yet when we sit around the table I have noticed that they still look somewhat similar. When we come to the close of the meal they all seem to end up with the same expression. Maybe I should have told them I like a little pepper. . . .

"THINGS TO PONDER ON"

I dream of a better tomorrow, where chickens can cross the road and not be questioned about their motives.
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If in need, always borrow money from a pessimist. He never expects it back.
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He who laughs last probably does not get the joke.
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Ninety-nine percent of lawyers give the rest a bad name.
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If a wolf can take down a deer from either flank, does that make him bambidextrous?
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The noblest of all dogs is the hot dog; it feeds the hand that bites it.

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I used to eat a lot of natural foods until I learned that most people die of natural causes.
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Just because you're not paranoid doesn't mean they're not out to get you.

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The early bird gets the worm, but have you noticed it's the second mouse that gets the cheese?
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He who believes that the past cannot be changed has not yet written his memoirs.

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How come there is only one Monopolies Commission?
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Before you insult a man, walk a mile in his shoes. That way, when you insult him, you’ll be a mile away, and have his shoes.

PEANUT BUTTER NOODLES

The combination of peanut butter and pasta seems a little odd but it is delicious. This recipe is cheap to make, tastes good, and easy. It is similar in taste to the Thai peanut chicken, except of course you have the pasta added. I added a little bit of crushed red Chiles (and some blackened whole ones to add to give more eye appeal). I'm sure some brocolli florets would be a good vegetable to add as well. I think you will be surprised how much you like it. I’ve got most of these recipes off of Blogchef.net and have found his recipes to be very good.

Ingredients:
2 cooked boneless skinless chicken breasts (sliced or shredded, optional)
8 ounces pasta (such a spaghetti, linguini, or vermicelli)
¼ cup peanuts
¼ cup green onions (chopped)

Sauce-
½ cup chicken broth
1 ½ tablespoons ginger root (minced)
3 tablespoons soy sauce
3 tablespoons peanut butter
1 ½ tablespoons honey
2 teaspoons hot Chile paste (optional)
3 garlic cloves (minced)

Cooking Instructions:
Step 1: Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add noodles and cook according to package directions. Drain.

Step 2: While noodles are cooking in a medium saucepan combine chicken broth, ginger, garlic, soy sauce, peanut butter, honey, and Chile paste. Cook over medium heat while stirring until the peanut butter melts and mixture is smooth and well blended.

Step 3: If you want a little spice heat oil in a wok and add a couple tablespoons of crushed red Chile peppers. Cook until slightly darkened. (If you don’t desire the heat, just stir fry the chicken). Add the two cooked chicken breast that have been thinly sliced. Cook until white.

Step 4: Add noodles into a large serving bowl, add chicken, pour the sauce over the noodles and toss to coat. Garnish with green onions and peanuts.

(Makes 4 Servings)

A FEW MORE CAMP PICTURES

Kenny and Shirley Filsinger

Tammy Williams, Dora (General or Dollar General, according to who you ask) Presley, & Rubena Cox enjoying a good meal.

Rubena trying to get out of the picture but Tammy pulling her on in.

The children did a great job helping out in the kitchen and had a lot of fun too.

Personal Salvation

I read this week of a couple individuals who loved each other dearly. One was a young girl who's name was Ellen; the other was an elderly relative who was sick. Ellen had seen this individual decline for some time and anxiously waited and hoped for recovery. Every day she gingerly nursed her elderly friend back towards health. Ellen loved him so much she felt she would do almost anything for him. The feeling on his side was mutual. One day as she cared for him, he called her to his side: “Ellen, it is time for me to take my medicine, I think. Will you pour it out for me? You must measure just a table-spoonful, and then put it in that wine-glass close by.” Ellen did so quickly, and brought it to his bedside; but, instead of taking it in his own hand, he quietly said: “Now, dear, will you drink it for me?” “I drink it! What do you mean? I am sure I would, in a minute, if it would cure you all the same; but you know it won’t do you any good unless you take it yourself.” “Won’t it, really? No; I suppose it will not. But, Ellen, if you can’t take my medicine for me, I can’t take your salvation for you. You must go to Jesus, and believe in Him for yourself.” In this way he tried to teach her that each human being must seek salvation for himself, and repent, believe and obey for himself. How simple really; none need be without the cure. How we want our loved ones well. There is a "Balm in Gilead" (Jeremiah 8:22)and his lovely name is JESUS.

“When you’re down in that ole valley,
Prayer is all I can offer you.
When our Lord sends deliverance and
He strengthens you.
When you get up on God's mountain
And look behind you
And see me struggling
trying to make it alone,
Just lift my name up to Jesus .
Let’s help each other make it home.”

The Quartette

On a steamer upon the Mediterranean we saw a quartette draw a great crowd from all over the ship to their neighborhood by their vocal and instrumental performances. In the faces lined and clustered out in the shadow of the night we beheld every variety of temperament, as well as character, both sexes, all ages, and a dozen different nationalities. Very manifest also were the impressions made upon the audience. Every countenance, whether coarse or refined, whether stamped with heavy browed ignorance or bright with intellectual light, yet showed the power of the melody upon them as the strains of The Last Rose of Summer, Auld Lang Syne, Ben Bolt, Sweetest Story Ever Told, Home, Sweet Home, and Sweet By and By stole out upon the night and floated clearly over the vessel, in spite of the throb of the machinery and the solemn, deep-toned wash of the waves.

We believe that it was the harmony of the singing that held the crowd spellbound. A loud mouth discord might have first drawn a congregation in curiosity, but could not have kept them. Rather would the clamor have driven most of the hearers away. The melody drew, and then bound to their places the ever-increasing group of listeners.

We learned a lesson that night that we have never forgotten viz., that it is the harmony of the Christian life and character, and the sweet melody heard and felt in Christian love that will draw the people to us and to the God who put the music in our souls.

If we lose the real Gospel strain the people will not seek to stay with us. A clamor, racket and noise may draw some in a kind of wondering spirit to see what is going on; but they will not remain to tabernacle with what is felt to be discord. Scolds are never reformers. Fussers and abusers are soon left without a following; and this holds good in every realm of life.

The world with an aching heart, burdened breast, distracted mind, and restless soul and life, will never be drawn from its misery by jangling and wrangling. It has already had its surfeit of vinegar and gall. It has had discord in itself in superabundance. If ever drawn and held a willing captive, it will be by the sweet music of a loving Christian heart and life. The melody of the Gospel is the only power we know of that can make the passengers of every age, color and social grade, leave every part of life’s ship and stand thrilled, softened, melted and unified, shoulder to shoulder and heart to heart, as the machinery of the world clanks on, and the waves of the rolling years rise and fall in a solemn, deep-toned wash all about us. The company of hearers is a great one. How we wish the band of singers could be increased. There are so many scolders, fussers, abusers, bangers and screamers. How we crave and sigh and pray for more singers. It is real Christian love, and genuine Gospel kindness and harmony that the world wants to see and hear. - B. Carradine

RITCHEY CHURCH NEWSLETTER

For some time Pam (Cox) Ramsey has been writing a monthly church newsletter for our congregation in Ritchey, Missouri. Our church is small and has that family feel to it. Pam has found a way to help in making it all the more personable with her writing of the newsletter. Everyone here looks forward to its coming the first Sunday of the month although you may hear a groan here and there when one has been on the receiving end of one of her witty cracks or been caught in a photograph not so becoming (just ask Gary Ankney!) One will usually find something in it to give you a smile, something in it to make you think, and (unusual to most church newspapers) rumours, innuendo, and gossip. Even I, their dear pastor, have had things printed of me that I know were nothing more than hearsay. Even though this newsletter was at first only meant for us, it has been thought by some that others might enjoy its reading. I have posted a link to the monthly newsletter on the side of the blog for anyone who might want to catch up on the latest here at Ritchey. If you enjoy reading it, you might pass on your comments to Pam. A link to her blog is on the side, as well.