David Livingstone

“And they departed from the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for his name.” - Acts 5:41

“For my own part, I have never ceased to rejoice that God has appointed me to such an office. People talk of the sacrifice I have made in spending so much of my life in Africa […] Is that a sacrifice which brings its own blest reward in healthful activity, the consciousness of doing good, peace of mind, and a bright hope of a glorious destiny hereafter? Away with the word in such a view, and with such a thought! It is emphatically no sacrifice. Say rather it is a privilege. Anxiety, sickness, suffering, or danger, now and then, with a foregoing of the common conveniences and charities of this life, may make us pause, and cause the spirit to waver, and the soul to sink; but let this only be for a moment. All these are nothing when compared with the glory which shall be revealed in and for us. I never made a sacrifice.”
- David Livingstone

worship

worship—a response of gratitude due to the overflow of His grace which engages the mind, heart, body and soul.. because the beauty of the gospel compels you to—how does this arise? constant meditation and exploration of the Word, that is, pursuit for the tripartite knowledge of God (connaître, savoir, et savoir-faire)

Martin luther

"World, death, devil, hell, away and leave me in peace! You have no hold on me. If you will not let me live, then I will die. But you won't succeed in that. Chop my head off, and it won't harm me. I have a God who will give me a new one."

-- Martin Luther

Peace by Tim Keller

Peace by Tim Keller
Phillippians chap 4: 4-12
The Christian peace is not expelling negative thoughts - stop facing facts
BUT a triumphant power that transcends the facts = the peace of God (that transcends understanding)
-feel protected by God, sense of God's presence
to be completely poised under any circumstances (Paul)

discipline not talent
1. thinking - true, noble & right doctrine (putting things into perspective!)
2. thanking -dont be anxious but make requests to God with thanksgiving
3. loving
-redemption of the world (prime example of the good in the seemingly most terrible things)

loving mutable things wont bring peace
supremely loving the immutable - presence of God -where peace is not disturbed


The Confessions of Saint Augustine
But what do I love, when I love Thee? not beauty of bodies, nor the fair harmony of time, nor the brightness of the light, so gladsome to our eyes, nor sweet melodies of varied songs, nor the fragrant smell of flowers, and ointments, and spices, not manna and honey, not limbs acceptable to embracements of flesh. None of these I love, when I love my God; and yet I love a kind of light, and melody, and fragrance, and meat, and embracement when I love my God, the light, melody, fragrance, meat, embracement of my inner man: where there shineth unto my soul what space cannot contain, and there soundeth what time beareth not away, and there smelleth what breathing disperseth not, and there tasteth what eating diminisheth not, and there clingeth what satiety divorceth not. This is it which I love when I love my God.

if we love/live for anything more than God, our lives will be restless
the natural consequence of not centring one's life in God
Isaiah 57

20 aBut the wicked are like the tossing sea;

for it cannot be quiet,

and its waters toss up mire and dirt.

21 bThere is no peace,” says my God, “for the wicked.”

Jesus lost all peace so that we can have eternal peace



our identity is in God alone
not our gifts

rejection by the world & injury sldnt rip peace away from us

"Lord, Lord, What will tomorrow bring? Today, I felt an arrow stinging in a wound so deep, my eyes refused to weep. What will tomorrow bring?"

I GAVE MY LIFE FOR THEE

I gave My life for thee, My precious blood I shed, That thou might ransomed be, and raised up from the dead I gave, I gave My life for thee, what hast thou given for Me? I gave, I gave My life for thee, what hast thou given for Me? My Father’s house of light, My glory circled throne I left for earthly night, for wanderings sad and lone; I left, I left it all for thee, hast thou left aught for Me? I left, I left it all for thee, hast thou left aught for Me? I suffered much for thee, more than thy tongue can tell, Of bitterest agony, to rescue thee from hell. I’ve borne, I’ve borne it all for thee, what hast thou borne for Me? I’ve borne, I’ve borne it all for thee, what hast thou borne for Me? And I have brought to thee, down from My home above, Salvation full and free, My pardon and My love; I bring, I bring rich gifts to thee, what hast thou brought to Me? I bring, I bring rich gifts to thee, what hast thou brought to Me? -Franc­es Hav­er­gal

Gently, Lord, O gently lead us,
Thro’ this lonely vale of tears;
Thro’ the changes thou’st decreed us,
Till our last great change appears.

When temptations darts assail us,
When in devious paths we stray,
Let thy goodness never fail us,
Lead us in thy perfect way.

In the hour of pain and anguish,
In the hour when death draws near,
Suffer not our hearts to languish,
Suffer not our souls to fear.

And when mortal life is ended,
Bid us in Thine arms to rest,
Till by angel bands attended,
We awake among the blest.

- Anonymous 4's 'Gloryland' album

"God of my life, look gently down.
Behold the pain I feel;
But I am dumb before thy throne,
Nor dare dispute thy will.

Crushed as a moth beneath thy hand,
We moulder to the dust;
Our feeble pow'rs can ne'er withstand,
And all our beauty's lost.

I'm but a sojourner below,
As all my fathers were;
May I be well prepared to go,
When I the summons hear.

But if my life be spared a while
Before my last remove,
Thy praise shall be my business still,
And I'll declare thy love."

- Isaac Watts

"When the heart is hard and parched up, come upon me with a shower of mercy.

When grace is lost from life, come with a burst of song.

When tumultuous work raises its din on all sides shutting me out from beyond, come to me, my lord of silence, with thy peace and rest.

When my beggarly heart sits crouched, shut up in a corner, break open the door, my king, and come with the ceremony of a king.

When desire blinds the mind with delusion and dust, O thou holy one, thou wakeful, come with thy light and thy thunder."

- Rabindranath Tagore 

Death be not proud

One short sleepe past, wee wake eternally,
And death shall be no more; death, thou shalt die. -John Donne All that's between life and death, and, why not, a new life, is a comma, no semi-colons, no capital Ds, just that... a comma, a small stop...