Quote on Prayer
J. Oswald Sanders, from "Spiritual Leadership"

All Christians need more teaching in the art of prayer, and the Holy Spirit is the master teacher. The Spirit's help in prayer is mentioned in the Bible more frequently than any other help He gives us. All true praying comes from the Spirit's activity in our souls. Both Paul and Jude teach that effective prayer is "praying in the Spirit." That phrase means that we pray along the same lines, about the same things, in the same name, as the Holy Spirit. True prayer rises in the spirit of the Christian from the Spirit who indwells us.

To pray in the Spirit is important for two reasons. First, we are to pray in the realm of the Spirit, for the Holy Spirit is the sphere and atmosphere of the Christian's life. In this we often fail. Much praying is psychical rather than spiritual, in the realm of the mind alone, the product of our own thinking and not of the Spirit's teaching. But real prayer is deeper. It uses the body, requires the cooperation of the mind, and moves in the supernatural realm of the Spirit. Such praying transacts its business in the heavenly realm.

Second, we are to pray in the power and energy of the Spirirt. "Give yourselves wholly to prayer and entreaty; pray on every occasion in the power of the Spirit" (Ephesians 6:18, NEB). For its superhuman task, prayer demands more than human power. We have the Spirit of power as well as the Spirit of prayer. All the human energy of heart, mind, and will can achieve great human results, but praying in the Holy Spirit releases supernatural resources.

"My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?"
"My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?"

My King of glory laid His life down on the altar for me.
The Prince of Peace traded Heaven for nails in His hands and feet.
The Greatness of Mercy and Love,
Mingled down with His Precious Blood

He is my King, He is my Saviour
He is the One I'll follow forever.
Sacrificial Lamb, the One who was broken
Now I can see Your Love was a token to set me free.

My Jesus opened up the curtain so I might enter in to Heaven,
Along with every nation, people, language and tribe of men to Heaven.
And we will sing Worthy is He
To receive our Everything.

For He is our King, He is our Saviour
He is the One We'll follow forever.
Lamb who was slain, Now in His glory
He's taken our shame and we'll tell the story

That He is our King, He is our Saviour
He is the One We'll follow forever.
Sacrificial Lamb, the One who was broken
Now we can see Your Love is a token to set us free.

My King of Glory laid His life down on the altar for me.
With His last breath cried "It is finished" setting this lost heart free.

He has done it.
He has done it.
Jesus paid the highest price for me.

He has done it.
He has done it.
"It is finished," and now I am free.

Unreserved readiness to change is an indispensable precondition of the conception (formation) of Christ in our souls and it must endure with undiminished vigor all along the path of our transformation. THe significance and the value of such an attitude also appear from the fact that the better a man's inward condition and the more he feels touched by God, the wider the doors of his heart will be opened and the readier he will show himself for being changed.

Oh blesséd state my heart to be
Where the only face I 'er can see
Is the glorified Christ who died for me
Who came and touched and set me free

The Voice from Heaven, His Word to send
His Son, the Light, with Life to lend
To those who believe, broken hearts to mend.
So before His glory, knees and heart I bend.

For some strange reason I thought I might
Lift my pen this holiday and write
A poem. And so herein lies my aim
To make my thoughts, feelings and words the same
And run within art's free-flowing banks
In order to express the power of giving Thanks.

Yes, Thanksgiving musters the use of my pen
And my creative prowess together to lend
Voice to a message I want you to hear.
My intention is not to merely tickle your ear
For more preacher than poet I seek not to impress
But rather to bring to Light that which is best.

So with rhyming words and measured lines
I hope to within poetry's confines
Celebrate Thanksgiving along with you
Through blessings and stories and biblical truth.
Lord, take now this effort, our hearts and our minds
Guide us into Your presence, Your glory to find.

Thanksgiving is defined as gratitude for blessing
And we're not just speaking of turkey and dressing.
Gratitude for blessings through the gift of God's Son,
For the character of God and the things that He's done.
Gratitude like this yields another name.
This gratitude and worship are nigh unto the same.

Gratitude and worship: Thankfulness seen
In our response to the Great and Benevolent King.
Let's now explore Thankfulness according to
How it's described in the Bible, Old Testament and New.
From noble King David to the Apostle Paul
Thanksgiving and worship are applied to us all.

Psalm 116 records the cry of a man
Who is desperately reaching for the merciful hand
Of God. He calls on the LORD, "O LORD, save me!"
And God delivers him in his time of need.
He asks, "How can I repay the LORD for his goodness? What would suffice?
I will offer up Thanksgiving as my sacrifice!"

Job was a man who knew well to be Thankful
Though much in his life had proven quite painful.
God gave and He took, things big and things small,
And God's servant Job learned to give Thanks through it all.
He learned in good times and tough times to say
Blessèd Lord, Blessèd be Your Most Holy Name.

2Thessalonians, Paul speaks of salvation
And it causing Thankfulness out of holy elation.
"We are bound to give Thanks to the God of the nations" (Paul says)
"Who through the Spirit works your sanctification."
Compelled to give Thanks for salvation of souls!
This kind of Thanksgiving should never get old.

Philippians reveals a "Thanks" spontaneous in nature
That produces joy and prayers from Paul, the Preacher.
"I Thank my God," he says, "every time I think of you,
As partners in the gospel and sharing in grace, too."
What a great lesson, to Thank on mere thought
Of our brothers and sisters, redeemed and blood bought.

Another picture of Thanks, in Ephesians 1:16
Is of Paul giving example of just what we mean
When we say give Thanks continually in the Name of Christ Jesus,
For our faith in Him and love for the saints both frees and completes us.
In addition to Thanks, Paul asks of the Father
For the Spirit to give wisdom and revelation to know Him better.

Speaking of Revelations I want you to know
About the theme and nature of the place where we'll go.
Where we who believe in Christ will find ourselves,
Where wrapped in heavenly Light we'll find ourselves.
In heaven Thanksgiving is a major theme,
And the Bible records a song that we'll sing.

We'll sing together with angels as before the throne we'll stand
Proclaiming, "Salvation belongs to God and unto the Lamb."
We'll shout in praise of His Glorious Name,
And declare for all ages, His Infinite Fame.
Then will boom the theme of heaven as all creatures join in:
Praise, glory, wisdom and THANKS, honour and power and strength be to God forever
and ever AMEN!

And so we see "Thanksgiving" at the end of all things-
Or at the beginning of forever-but you know what I mean.
Reflecting on heaven unveils a great key
To Thankfulness for us that I hope you'll see
For heaven is a blessing that not all will receive;
It is that for which we are Most Thankful, we who believe.

We believe in Jesus, because we know that on our own
We deserve nothing more than an unfortunate home
In hell. We don't deserve to stand
Before a Holy God with our sin-stained hands.
But Thankfully our God is a Most Merciful King
Who offers forgiveness freely completely, not costing a thing.

Free Mercy and Kindness,
Grace and God's Goodness,
Eternal Blessings inciting a joyous flow
Of intense worship, our gratitude shown.
So this is the challenge to you this holiday,
That you would deliberately find a way

To connect with these blessings given to you
In Christ. And after connection let ensue
A torrent of gratitude for all that you have
For hope of eternity, for life's goods and bads.
Gratitude, heartfelt worship, and laud,
These form Thanksgiving that honours our God.

Now I'd like to take a moment and share
That for which I am Thankful, laid open, laid bare.
For learning about gratitude is only a part.
The rest is found expressed in one's heart.
So here are my Thanksgivings, not all, but a few
Things to honour my God and to encourage you.

I'm Thankful for Jesus, my friend and my Saviour
Whose presence and guidance I'll always adore.
He gives me strength for today and hope for tomorrow,
Gives me more love and compassion than I'd hope to borrow.
To Jesus I want to forever cling,
To Him who gave so much, I offer my everything.

Next I'd like to Thank God for the lady
Who makes my eyes sparkle and completes my life daily.
Her genuine love and humble character
Move me to cherish and desire to serve her.
And now all the more as a child we raise,
I burn to give her and to give God, honour and praise.

I Thank God for my church, especially its people,
Regardless of whether we have a constitution or a building with a steeple.
I'm Thankful for greeters and singers, and the guys in the back,
For BreakOut Group leaders who fill up what I lack.
I'm Thankful for students and the richness they bring
And for folks like Ashley Bradley who can do just about anything.

Gratitude flows from my heart for the prayer team,
Who faithfully lift up our church when things seem
Sad or uncertain, scary or blue,
And they faithfully lift up our praises, too.
I'm Thankful to God for everyone who
Diligently labours for God, for me, and for you.

I could go on and on in my Thanks for others,
For the obedience seen in my sisters and brothers,
For the people who have found salvation in Christ's Name,
And for our friends who we pray will yet do the same,
For the ways that we've grown, for comfort in sorrow,
For newly married couples, and for bright tomorrows.

I might continue on, but instead I'll stop,
For I maybe a preacher, but a good poet I'm not.
With time as my rein and rhyme as my bridle,
I'll close in order to not become idle.

I sincerely hope that as long as you're living
You'll do so in Gratitude, Worship, and                     Thanksgiving.

Does that lamp still burn in my Father's house,
   Which he kindled the night I went away?
I turned once beneath the cedar boughs,
   And marked it gleam with a golden ray;
   Did he think to light me home some day?
Hungry here with the crunching swine,
   Hungry harvest have I to reap;
In a dream I count my Father's kine,
   I hear the tinkling bells of his sheep,
   I watch his lambs that browse and leap.
There is plenty of bread at home,
   His servants have bread enough and to spare;
The purple wine-fat froths with foam,
   Oil and spices make sweet the air,
   While I perish hungry and bare.
Rich and blessed those servants, rather
   Than I who see not my Father's face!
I will arise and go to my Father:-
   "Fallen from sonship, beggared of grace,
   Grant me. Father, a servant's place."

"Now when we had discovered Cyprus, we left it on the left hand."-Acts xxi. 3.
"We sailed under Cyprus, because the winds were contrary. "-Acts xxvii. 4.

St. Barnabas, with John his sister's son,
  Set sail for Cyprus; leaving in their wake
  That chosen Vessel, who for Jesus' sake
Proclaimed the Gentiles and the Jews at one.
Divided while united, each must run
  His mighty course not hell should overtake;
  And pressing toward the mark must own the ache
Of love, and sigh for heaven not yet begun.
For saints in life-long exile yearn to touch
  Warm human hands, and commune face to face;
  But these we know not ever met again:
Yet once St. Paul at distance overmuch
  Just sighted Cyprus; and once more in vain
  Neared it and passed; - not there his landing-place.