This blog collects together various maxims and sayings and facts about words, etc, of interest to me and hopefully to you.
20120519
Living and learning
You live and learn ... well, you live anyway.
(I've been saying this for years and was quite prepared to believe that I'd thought it up myself. Checking it on Google, though, I find some references to the phrase or similar so either I picked it up from elsewhere without realising or great minds think alike)
(I've been saying this for years and was quite prepared to believe that I'd thought it up myself. Checking it on Google, though, I find some references to the phrase or similar so either I picked it up from elsewhere without realising or great minds think alike)
20120517
Outward and inward
In this life, often it's true,
Our outward and inward lives do not match up.
It's only up in heaven,
When the inward life will rule, we'll finally catch up.
Our outward and inward lives do not match up.
It's only up in heaven,
When the inward life will rule, we'll finally catch up.
Mundane focus
It is staggering to think of the extent to which our lives
focus on men and what they think
rather than on God and what he thinks.
focus on men and what they think
rather than on God and what he thinks.
Observation by Joni Mitchell
Don't it always seem to go that you don't know what you've got 'til it's gone (as in her song Big Yellow Taxi)
20120515
The poor
There should be no poor
There could be no poor
There would be no poor
If not for sin in this world.
But while it remains there will be people who are poor.
There could be no poor
There would be no poor
If not for sin in this world.
But while it remains there will be people who are poor.
20120514
When other men laugh
When other men laugh at what you hold dear
It fills you with wrath and dreadful fear.
It fills you with wrath and dreadful fear.
Reading and Prayer
Reading is feeding
And prayer is air.
Miss one you're bleeding,
Miss both, you're in a snare.
And prayer is air.
Miss one you're bleeding,
Miss both, you're in a snare.
20120512
20120510
A difficult chair
I have a chair that's difficult.
Difficult - why difficult?
It's wooden - not soft but rather hard,
Not an easy chair at all.
Difficult - why difficult?
It's wooden - not soft but rather hard,
Not an easy chair at all.
The Book of Genesis
Ignorance of the Book of Genesis
Is worse than ignorance of your own family history.
Not to get to know its teaching
Is like tying both hands behind your back.
20120507
Before and after worship
What to do immediately before or after corporate worship
It is not easy to know.
It is worth giving thought to, nevertheless.
The means of grace
When we feel dead in making use of the means of grace*
That is the very time when we should especially seek to make use of them.
* ie prayer, Bible reading, the Lord's Supper, etc
That is the very time when we should especially seek to make use of them.
* ie prayer, Bible reading, the Lord's Supper, etc
20120505
Temptation
From temptation you'll not be free.
Better, temptations will vary
Both in type and degree.
20120504
Bible reading
How vital to persist
In the daily reading of the Word.
No, no, never desist
From the daily reading of the Word.
In the daily reading of the Word.
No, no, never desist
From the daily reading of the Word.
Preaching a dialogue
True preaching is, at least to some extent, a dialogue.
The preacher must be responsive to his congregation.
Priorities
Doing what is worthwhile is often a matter of narrowing down -
Not doing certain things as much as you do others
Not doing certain things as much as you do others
20120503
Dogmatism
Don't be automatic about being dogmatic.
Where dogmatism is unnecessary
Be less dogmatic, be a little less emphatic.
Cowardice, procrastination
Cowardice, procrastination -
Both of these bring real temptation.
They store up trouble for another day
They do not make the trouble go away.
Both of these bring real temptation.
They store up trouble for another day
They do not make the trouble go away.
20120502
Busyness
Rushing off here and there
The things that go, sadly,
Are the quiet and solitary
Like planning, thinking, reading, prayer.
20120501
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