With joy will I lift up my head,
The Comforter is near;
Why should I be downcast,
I’ve nothing now to fear.
No longer held sin’s captive,
I am Captive to His mercy;
From the cross His tender grace
Flows measureless and free.
Nothing now can threaten
The security of my soul,
For I am hid with Christ on high
And will surely reach the goal.
While Jesus my Redeemer
Leads me through the race,
Darts are hurled from every side,
But I am fixed upon His face.
He urges me “Press on!”
He knows my every care;
As I struggle through the Way,
He helps my load to bear.
No trouble is too much for Him,
And in Him I can confide;
He has promised to remain with me
And in Him I’ll abide.
Such a gracious, loving Shepherd
Shall keep me to the end;
And my Savior, Master, Healer,
I may also call my Friend.
So why should I be downcast
My needs supplied as never before;
With joy will I lift up my head,
And gaze on the Risen Lord.
~A.L 6/23/09
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
Thursday, June 18, 2009
Zechariah 10:12
"I will strengthen them in the Lord, and in His name they will walk," declares the Lord.
Friday, June 12, 2009
God Meant it Unto Good (Genesis 50:20)
"God meant it unto good"--O blest assurance,
Falling like sunshine all across life's way,
Touching with Heaven's gold, earth's darkest storm clouds,
Bringing fresh peace and comfort day by day.
'Twas not by chance the hands of faithless brothers
Sold Joseph captive to a foreign land;
Nor was it chance that, after years of suffering,
Brought him before the Pharaoh's throne to stand.
One Eye all-seeing saw the need of thousands,
And planned to meet it through that one lone soul,
And through the weary days of prison bondage
Was working toward the great and glorious goal.
As yet the end was hidden from the captive,
The iron entered even to his soul,
His eye could scan the present path of sorrow,
Not yet his gaze might rest upon the whole.
Faith failed not through those long, dark days of waiting,
His trust in God was reimbursed at last,
The moment came when God led forth his servant
To comfort many, all his sufferings past.
"It was not you but God, that led me here,"
Witnessed triumphant faith in later days;
"God meant it unto good," no other reason
Mingled their discord with his song of praise.
"God means it unto good" for you, beloved,
The God of Joseph is the same today;
His love permits afflictions strange and bitter,
His hand is guiding through the unknown way.
Your Lord, who sees the end from the beginning,
Has purposes for you of love untold.
Then place your hand in His and follow fearless,
Till you the riches of His grace behold.
There, when you stand firm in the Home of Glory,
And all life's path lies open to your gaze,
Your eyes will see the hand that you're now trusting,
And magnify His love through endless days.
~Freda Hanbury Allen
Falling like sunshine all across life's way,
Touching with Heaven's gold, earth's darkest storm clouds,
Bringing fresh peace and comfort day by day.
'Twas not by chance the hands of faithless brothers
Sold Joseph captive to a foreign land;
Nor was it chance that, after years of suffering,
Brought him before the Pharaoh's throne to stand.
One Eye all-seeing saw the need of thousands,
And planned to meet it through that one lone soul,
And through the weary days of prison bondage
Was working toward the great and glorious goal.
As yet the end was hidden from the captive,
The iron entered even to his soul,
His eye could scan the present path of sorrow,
Not yet his gaze might rest upon the whole.
Faith failed not through those long, dark days of waiting,
His trust in God was reimbursed at last,
The moment came when God led forth his servant
To comfort many, all his sufferings past.
"It was not you but God, that led me here,"
Witnessed triumphant faith in later days;
"God meant it unto good," no other reason
Mingled their discord with his song of praise.
"God means it unto good" for you, beloved,
The God of Joseph is the same today;
His love permits afflictions strange and bitter,
His hand is guiding through the unknown way.
Your Lord, who sees the end from the beginning,
Has purposes for you of love untold.
Then place your hand in His and follow fearless,
Till you the riches of His grace behold.
There, when you stand firm in the Home of Glory,
And all life's path lies open to your gaze,
Your eyes will see the hand that you're now trusting,
And magnify His love through endless days.
~Freda Hanbury Allen
Monday, June 8, 2009
"I am on Your Side"
"When the servant of the man of God got up and went out early the next morning, an army with horses and chariots had surrounded the city. "Oh, my lord, what shall we do?" the servant asked. "Don't be afraid," the prophet answered. "Those who are with us are more than those who are with them." And Elisha prayed, "O Lord, open his eyes so he may see." Then the Lord opened the servant's eyes, and he looked and saw the hills full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha." 2nd Kings 6:15-17
When I feel frightened and alone,
Hemmed in before and behind,
You whisper “I am on your side.”
When my faith is all but gone,
And my soul is tested and tried,
You whisper “I am on your side.”
When the forces of darkness crowd,
And seek my soul to smite,
You whisper “I am on your side.”
When the battle rages loud,
And I cannot see the light,
You whisper “I am on your side.”
When my heart needs it most,
You lift the curtain from my eyes,
And whisper “I am on your side.”
Then I see the mighty host,
And all my fears subside,
As you whisper “I am on your side.”
When I recall Elisha’s day,
I can almost hear the sound,
As you whisper “I am on your side.”
When evil is held at bay,
And the light is gaining ground,
You whisper “I am on your side.”
When forces press and try,
I now no longer will alarm,
For you whisper “I am on your side.”
When on your strength I rely,
I am safe from any harm,
He has promised “I am on your side.”
~A. Leiter, 06/08/09
When I feel frightened and alone,
Hemmed in before and behind,
You whisper “I am on your side.”
When my faith is all but gone,
And my soul is tested and tried,
You whisper “I am on your side.”
When the forces of darkness crowd,
And seek my soul to smite,
You whisper “I am on your side.”
When the battle rages loud,
And I cannot see the light,
You whisper “I am on your side.”
When my heart needs it most,
You lift the curtain from my eyes,
And whisper “I am on your side.”
Then I see the mighty host,
And all my fears subside,
As you whisper “I am on your side.”
When I recall Elisha’s day,
I can almost hear the sound,
As you whisper “I am on your side.”
When evil is held at bay,
And the light is gaining ground,
You whisper “I am on your side.”
When forces press and try,
I now no longer will alarm,
For you whisper “I am on your side.”
When on your strength I rely,
I am safe from any harm,
He has promised “I am on your side.”
~A. Leiter, 06/08/09
Lozi Mission Update, Zambia
Dear family and friends,
“And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled only to those who are perishing. In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ…” 2 Corinthians. 4:3-4
We’re back from our third trip to the bush in three weeks. I’m so far behind in admin work and answering emails; not sure when I’ll ever get caught up. It has been a joy having the company of dear American friends, Terry & Cindy Hammock, for the past week.
While in the bush, we taught sessions on God’s holiness and true conversion. Two sessions were in sub-villages of Ilwendo where we had never taught before. At the close of the first of these sessions, the Lord provided a special word of encouragement for us. One older woman asked, “Since you were chosen in America by the Lord to come and find lost sheep, when will you come teach in our village again?” How many times have we heard that question? What touched us most was her wording, “chosen to come find lost sheep.” In that moment, all the hard hours driving and setting camp seemed insignificant.
Our session in Makanda village produced a lengthy discussion on the place of keeping the law in salvation. Shannon was also visited at camp one morning by a young man, and spent a couple of hours debating salvation by grace through faith verses the works of the law. We are seeing like never before the reality of 2 Cor. 4:3-4, that our gospel is veiled to those who are perishing and Satan has blinded their eyes to the glorious gospel of grace in Christ. The older Lozi generation is blinded by ancestral traditions and witchcraft. The younger Lozi generation is blinded by works-based religion. We can spend 2 hours walking them through Galatians 2-3, Romans 3, and Ephesians 2, showing that no man is justified by the works of the Law, and they will immediately return to speaking the language of works rather than grace.
Even with the most curious, eager, and genuinely hungry, we are seeing that just because we teach something once or twice does NOT mean that they “get it.” We are just beginning to see the depth of hard spiritual labor that will be required to establish even one biblical church in this area. Those of you who’ve walked this road before us are laughing and saying, “Welcome to reality.” As a result, my vision for the Lozi work is actually growing 'smaller,' or perhaps I should say more sharply focused.
Let me use this example. The first time I visited Bass Pro Shops, it was overwhelming. So many departments to see – gun-hunting, archery, fishing, fly-fishing, camping, clothing/shoes, art gallery, etc. One wanders in frustration – there’s no way to see it all in the time available. But when I moved to the Ozarks, my trips to Bass Pro became more sharply focused. I knew what I needed, and rather than wandering through the store in a daze, I headed straight for the fly shop or archery department.
When one first surveys the spiritual need among the Lozi it is overwhelming. The Gospel is needed everywhere! There is a glamorous attraction to pushing deeper and deeper into the bush, preaching to unreached areas. But now that I’m here, reality is setting in. If our time and energy is consumed with trying to teach everyone, then no one will receive adequate teaching. God only called one David Livingstone, and I’m not him. During this last week in the bush, I resolved in my heart to focus on the field where God has sovereignly placed us, and do the hard labor of plowing the same field with the Word over and over again. If we leave Zambia someday with one biblical church established among the Lozi of Ilwendo village, it will be a life well spent and I will be pleased. If the Lord would allow us to establish three biblical churches – Ilwendo, Makanda, Imbwae – I will be ecstatic! Those of you who’ve walked this road before us are smiling and nodding, aren’t you?
Please pray. . . .
-That the Spirit will give us a clear vision for the work
-That God will speak the light of the Gospel into Lozi hearts.
-For progress in learning the language (we’re still in the helpful phrases stage)
-For the Lord of the harvest to send more workers into His field
“And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled only to those who are perishing. In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ…” 2 Corinthians. 4:3-4
We’re back from our third trip to the bush in three weeks. I’m so far behind in admin work and answering emails; not sure when I’ll ever get caught up. It has been a joy having the company of dear American friends, Terry & Cindy Hammock, for the past week.
While in the bush, we taught sessions on God’s holiness and true conversion. Two sessions were in sub-villages of Ilwendo where we had never taught before. At the close of the first of these sessions, the Lord provided a special word of encouragement for us. One older woman asked, “Since you were chosen in America by the Lord to come and find lost sheep, when will you come teach in our village again?” How many times have we heard that question? What touched us most was her wording, “chosen to come find lost sheep.” In that moment, all the hard hours driving and setting camp seemed insignificant.
Our session in Makanda village produced a lengthy discussion on the place of keeping the law in salvation. Shannon was also visited at camp one morning by a young man, and spent a couple of hours debating salvation by grace through faith verses the works of the law. We are seeing like never before the reality of 2 Cor. 4:3-4, that our gospel is veiled to those who are perishing and Satan has blinded their eyes to the glorious gospel of grace in Christ. The older Lozi generation is blinded by ancestral traditions and witchcraft. The younger Lozi generation is blinded by works-based religion. We can spend 2 hours walking them through Galatians 2-3, Romans 3, and Ephesians 2, showing that no man is justified by the works of the Law, and they will immediately return to speaking the language of works rather than grace.
Even with the most curious, eager, and genuinely hungry, we are seeing that just because we teach something once or twice does NOT mean that they “get it.” We are just beginning to see the depth of hard spiritual labor that will be required to establish even one biblical church in this area. Those of you who’ve walked this road before us are laughing and saying, “Welcome to reality.” As a result, my vision for the Lozi work is actually growing 'smaller,' or perhaps I should say more sharply focused.
Let me use this example. The first time I visited Bass Pro Shops, it was overwhelming. So many departments to see – gun-hunting, archery, fishing, fly-fishing, camping, clothing/shoes, art gallery, etc. One wanders in frustration – there’s no way to see it all in the time available. But when I moved to the Ozarks, my trips to Bass Pro became more sharply focused. I knew what I needed, and rather than wandering through the store in a daze, I headed straight for the fly shop or archery department.
When one first surveys the spiritual need among the Lozi it is overwhelming. The Gospel is needed everywhere! There is a glamorous attraction to pushing deeper and deeper into the bush, preaching to unreached areas. But now that I’m here, reality is setting in. If our time and energy is consumed with trying to teach everyone, then no one will receive adequate teaching. God only called one David Livingstone, and I’m not him. During this last week in the bush, I resolved in my heart to focus on the field where God has sovereignly placed us, and do the hard labor of plowing the same field with the Word over and over again. If we leave Zambia someday with one biblical church established among the Lozi of Ilwendo village, it will be a life well spent and I will be pleased. If the Lord would allow us to establish three biblical churches – Ilwendo, Makanda, Imbwae – I will be ecstatic! Those of you who’ve walked this road before us are smiling and nodding, aren’t you?
Please pray. . . .
-That the Spirit will give us a clear vision for the work
-That God will speak the light of the Gospel into Lozi hearts.
-For progress in learning the language (we’re still in the helpful phrases stage)
-For the Lord of the harvest to send more workers into His field
~Sean Reece, HeartCry Missionary Society
Sunday, June 7, 2009
Zephaniah 3:17
"The LORD your God is with you, He is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, He will quiet you with His love, He will rejoice over you with singing."
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