A smack in the face

In this journal entry, I take a brief excursion away from Psalm 22 to speak about a sermon preached that night at church. Every year we have a sermon series at church called "At the Movies", where snippets from a movie are used to illustrate biblical truths. This was from the final movie used in the series this year. I also reference a devotional I read. Not sure why I read a devotion from another day. Nevertheless its the results of the reading that are important (i.e. what I was reminded of)

August 2, 2015

Worship: Like a River Glorious; The Way

Like a River Glorious - by  Frances Havergal

Hymn Story:

When Frances Havergal was vacationing in the south of Wales, 1876, she caught a severe cold, accompanied by inflammation of the lungs. Hearing how ill she was, and that she might die, she replied, "If I am really going, it is too good to be true." Her friends were amazed at how peacefully she received this information. She did survive that illness, and later that year, she wrote the hymn "Like a River Glorious" in which she pointed to the source of her perfect peace: "Stayed upon Jehovah, hearts are fully blessed, finding, as He promised, perfect peace and rest."

         Like a river glorious

Is God's perfect peace,

Over all victorious

In its bright increase;

Perfect, yet it floweth

Fuller ev'ry day,

Perfect, yet it groweth

Deeper all the way.

         Ev'ry joy or trial

Falleth from above,

Traced upon our dial

By the Sun of Love;

We may trust Him fully

All for us to do—

They who trust Him wholly

Find Him wholly true.

          Chorus           

         Stayed upon Jehovah,

Hearts are fully blest—

Finding, as He promised,

Perfect peace and rest.

Logos Hymnal. (1995). (1st edition.). Oak Harbor, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc.

The Way - by Worship Central

I was nowhere; You came to my rescue

From the grave, I've been raised

When I needed a Savior to save me Jesus,

You made a way

You are the way

You are the way

Lost and dead, but your love came to find me Jesus,

You are the way

You are the way

You are the way

You're the light shining bright in the darkness Jesus,

You are the way Jesus, the only way

All my days are secure in Your promise

Never standing alone

You're the Truth,

You're the Life,

You're my future Jesus,

You made a way

Personal: The devotion from 7-16-2015 smacked me in the face and reminded me of my declaration of my trust in my Father to fight for me and deliver me. Not enough sleep today. Falling asleep even as I type. Not much from Pauline. Brief exchange. Then I messaged her the verse and devotion for today—silence after that. Lord grant me patience in this trial.   

Word: This was the last in the "At the Movies" series. Based on Ecc. 4:9-10

⁹ Two people are better off than one, for they can help each other succeed. ¹⁰ If one person falls, the other can reach out and help. But someone who falls alone is in real trouble.

Holy Bible, New Living Translation ®, copyright © 1996, 2004 by Tyndale Charitable Trust. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers. All rights reserved.

The movie was McFarland, USA. Pastor Craig used snippets from this movie to illustrate this principle (i.e., Ecc. 4:9-10). The coach in this story had been a Football coach but was kicked out when he got in an altercation with one of his players and threw a football cleat at him. He and his wife and children move to the town of McFarland, where he gets a job as a Life Science/PE/Football Coach. He ends up coaching, of all things, a cross-country team as well. It is the cross-country team that becomes the focus of the movie.  From this movie and the scripture, our pastor illustrated three things we can learn. These principles are:

1.  We all need someone to do life with

2.  We need someone to invest in

3.  We need something to stay for

Put in biblical terms, as I see it, these three principles boil down to:

1.     Fellowship

2.     Discipleship

3.     Calling

I have to go into work early tomorrow for some training. So I am going to bed.