Sunday.....Christianity.....In Youth We Learn.....

The last few blogs were written in the hope that some young people are visiting this site. If you are indeed a young person and your intellect is demanding exercise of some sort you should give the conversation at the White Horse Inn a try for this is their forte. Five hundred years ago, in a small Cambridge inn, it is said that the English Reformation began over beers and debate. Michael Horton and his cohorts have been broadcasting this radio program for over twenty years, just about all of which I and my family listened to faithfully on Sunday evenings at 8:30 on WORD 101.5 FM in Pittsburgh. I just left the radio and tonight's broadcast was on Christian youth in this culture. I think it would be worth your while to go to http://www.whitehorseinn.org/ and stream this program. As for today's blog, I have also mentioned, many times, a book that came into my life quite some time ago. John MacArthur offered it on his radio program for free, way back then, and I did not take advantage of his offer but later had second thoughts and went out and bought the book. It has been in my hands just about every day since then. The title is Valley Of Vision. It's a compilation of short Puritan prayers from authors such as Watson, Baxter, Bunyan, Watts and even 19th century English preacher Charles Haddon Spurgeon and is edited by Arthur Bennett. We use it for grace before dinner as I open it randomly and read the prayer that appears on the page. Tonight's prayer seemed to be particularly appropriate to my theme of the last few days which is an accentuation on the use of time we are given in this life. This book is listed below along with a book written by the White Horse Inn's guest tonight, Kendra Creasy Dean of Princeton Theological Seminary on the topic mentioned above.

O God of my delight,
Thy throne of grace
is the pleasure ground of my soul.
Here I obtain mercy in time of need,
   Here see the smile of thy reconciled face,
   Here joy pleads the name of Jesus,
   Here I sharpen the sword of the Spirit,
      annoint the shield of faith,
      put on the helmit of salvation,
      gather manna from thy Word,
      am strengthened for each conflict,
      nerved for the upward race,
      empowered to conquer every foe;
Help me to come to Christ
   as the fountainhead of descending blessings,
   as wide open a flood-gate of mercy.
I marvel at my insensate folly, that
   with such enriching favours within my reach
   I am slow to extend the hand to take them.
Have mercy upon my deadness for thy Name's sake.
Quicken me, stir me, fill me with holy zeal.
Strengthen me that I may cling to thee
   and not let go.
May thy Spirit within me draw all blessings
   from thy hand.
When I advance not, I backslide.
Let me walk humbly because of good omitted
   and evil done.
Impress on my mind the shortness of time,
   the work to be engaged in,
  the account to be rendered,
   the nearness of eternity,
   the fearful sin of despising thy Spirit.
May I never forget that
   thy eye always sees,
   thy ear always hears,
   thy recording hand always writes.
May I never give thee rest until Christ is
   the pulse of my heart;
   the spokesman of my lips,
   the lamp of my feet.