VERSE:
Lord, you have my heart
And I will search for yours
Let me be to you a sacrifice
Lord, you have my heart
And I will search for yours
Let me be to you a sacrifice

CHORUS:
I will praise you, Lord
And I will sing of love come down
And as you show your face
We'll see your glory here

To the Name above every Name, the Name of Jesus
By Richard Crashaw (?1613–1649)

This hymn is quite lengthy, so I am just sharing the latter portion of it. The numbers to the right indicate
line numbers - It begins with:

I SING the Name which None can say
But touch’t with An interiour Ray:
.....................

How many unknown Worlds there are
Of Comforts, which Thou hast in keeping! 190
How many Thousand Mercyes there
In Pitty’s soft lap ly a sleeping!
Happy he who has the art
To awake them,
And to take them 195
Home, and lodge them in his Heart.
O that it were as it was wont to be!
When thy old Freinds of Fire, All full of Thee,
Fought against Frowns with smiles; gave Glorious chase
To Persecutions; And against the Face 200
Of Death and feircest Dangers, durst with Brave
And sober pace march on to meet A Grave.
On their Bold Brests about the world they bore thee
And to the Teeth of Hell stood up to teach thee,
In Center of their inmost Soules they wore thee, 205
Where Rackes and Torments striv’d, in vain, to reach thee.
Little, alas, thought They
Who tore the Fair Brests of thy Freinds,
Their Fury but made way
For Thee; And serv’d them in Thy glorious ends. 210
What did Their weapons but with wider pores
Inlarge thy flaming-brested Lovers
More freely to transpire
That impatient Fire
The Heart that hides Thee hardly covers. 215
What did their Weapons but sett wide the Doores
For Thee: Fair, purple Doores, of love’s devising;
The Ruby windowes which inrich’t the East
Of Thy so oft repeated Rising.
Each wound of Theirs was Thy new Morning; 220
And reinthron’d thee in thy Rosy Nest,
With blush of thine own Blood thy day adorning,
It was the witt of love óreflowd the Bounds
Of Wrath, and made thee way through All Those wounds.
Wellcome dear, All-Adored Name! 225
For sure there is no Knee
That knowes not Thee.
Or if there be such sonns of shame,
Alas what will they doe
When stubborn Rocks shall bow 230
And Hills hang down their Heavn-saluting Heads
To seek for humble Beds
Of Dust, where in the Bashfull shades of night
Next to their own low Nothing they may ly,
And couch before the dazeling light of thy dread majesty. 235
They that by Love’s mild Dictate now
Will not adore thee,
Shall Then with Just Confusion, bow
And break before thee.

What if His People Prayed - Casting Crowns

What if the armies of the Lord
Picked up and dusted off their swords
Vowed to set the captive free
And not let satan have one more

What if the Church, for heaven's sake
Finally stepped up to the plate
Took a stand upon God's promise
And stormed hell's rusty gates

Chorus I:
What if His people prayed
And those who bear His name
Would humbly seek His faith, yeah
And turn from their old ways

And what would happen if we prayed
For those raised up to lead the way
Then maybe kids in school could pray
And unborn children see light of day

What if the life that we pursue
Came from a hunger for the truth
What if the family turned to Jesus
Stopped asking Oprah what to do

Chorus I:
What if His people prayed
And those who bear His name
Would humbly seek His face yeah
And turn from their own way
Chorus II:
He said that He would hear
His promise has been made
He'll answer loud and clear, yeah
If only we would pray

Bridge:
If My people call by My name
If they'll humble themselves and pray
If My people call by My name
If they'll humble themselves and pray

Choruses:
What if His people prayed
And those who bear His name
Would humbly seek His face, yeah
And turn from their old ways
He said that He would hear
His promise has been made
He'll answer loud and clear yeaah
If only we would pray

Psalm 23
~~ Author Unknown ~~
(Psalm 23 found at bottom of page)


There once was a Shakespearean actor who was known everywhere for his one-man shows of readings and recitations from the classics. He would always end his performance with a reading of Psalm 23.

Each night, without exception, as the actor began his recitation--"The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want" ... the crowd would listen attentively. And then, at the conclusion of the psalm, they would rise in thunderous applause in appreciation of the actor's incredible ability to bring the verse to life.

But one night, just before the actor was to offer his customary recital of Psalm 23, a young man from the audience spoke up. "Sir, do you mind if tonight I recite Psalm 23"?

The actor was quite taken aback by this unusual request, but he allowed the young man to come forward and stand front and center on the stage to recite the Psalm, knowing that the ability of this unskilled youth would be no match for his own talent.

With a soft voice, the young man began to recite the words of the Psalm. When he was finished, there was no applause. There was no standing ovation as on other nights. All that could be heard was the sound of weeping. The audience had been so moved by the young man's recitation that every eye was full of tears.

Amazed by what he had heard, the actor said to the youth, "I don't understand. I have been performing Psalm 23 for years. I have a lifetime of experience and training-but I have never been able to move an audience as you have tonight. Tell me, what is your secret?"

The young man quietly replied, "Well sir, you know the Psalm....I know the Shepherd."



PSALM 23
NIV

A Psalm of David.

"The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not be in want. He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he restores my soul. He guides me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of mine enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever."

Have you ever wondered why Psalm 23 is popular with so many people?

At the outset it seems like it is all about a shepherd and sheep, not many people have much contact with sheep or shepherds anymore. Psalm 23 seems to belong in a bygone era.

When one thinks about it, in todays world when one is encouraged
to do it their own way, why would we want much to do with a psalm that talks about being led by others .

Verse 4 of psalm 23 does not talk about passing into the valley of death but refers to walking through the valley of the shadow of death. The shadow reminds us of where we are all headed. Psalm 23 starts out with images of green pastures, still waters, life seems very tranquil. The element of realism lies in the center of the psalm. The constant in life needs to be the presence of the Good Shepherd. What kind of a shepherd is our God? The one in whose presence we will never
finally be lacking. In his presence and under his guidance, we'll never be alone, never be abandoned, never travel down a path where he cannot follow in his goodness and love. So what is it you will not lack? You'll never lack for a God who loves you, who cares for you, and who has prepared a place for you.
That is who your shepherd is.

"I am the good shepherd and my sheep know my voice."

Hi Britty,

I love your insight into the psalm.


Now ....

to change the subject a bit and address the trouble in the valley here in this thread.

What is going on with the management of this site with regards to oversight, in good manners and good faith and will, regarding the ads in the Christian Coffeehouse?

A Dating Site for meeting lonely married women? Look up two clicks!?!?!?!?!?

Does somebody think it is humorous?

Is anybody appalled by it?

Does anyone else deem it an inappropriate ad?

Am I being dissimulative with bringing it up?

Has anyone else noticed the content of the ad and thought it out of place?

Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I shall fear no evil.........


Geeorge Carlin and Robin Williams couldn't have laughed it off better!

As one of my favorite Country Comedians puts it,

"here's your sign!"



comments? let's hear them here first....

this link appears after the first four posts on every page....

hmmmmmm.......

I noticed the ads, not very nice, definately out of place.

The ads and the people they are catering to have driven me away.
I came back Just to Say Hi, and to read what had been posted about the 23rd psalm, one of my most favortie passages. I feel like the chapter has been well treated here.
The ad and the people they cater to are an abomination unto the Lord.

Thanks JB, glad you enjoyed the psalm.

You sure don't mince words, eh?

I liked the pic with the baby cows.

Take care, God bless, thanks for the chat, by the way
it's been somewhat of a tough weekend.

CASTING CROWNS
"If We Are The Body"

It's crowded in worship today
As she slips in trying to fade into the faces
The girl's teasing laughter is carrying farther than they know
Farther than they know

But if we are the body
Why aren't His arms reaching?
Why aren't His hands healing?
Why aren't His words teaching?
And if we are the body
Why aren't His feet going?
Why is His love not showing them there is a way?
There is a way

A traveler is far away from home
He sheds his coat and quietly sinks into the back row
The weight of their judgemental glances
Tells him that his chances are better out on the road

Jesus payed much too high a price
For us to pick and choose who should come
And we are the body of Christ

Jesus is the way

Good morning to you Britty, hope you have a wonderful day

Good Morning people.......hope this fine Monday rings you all happy and well.

I had a fundraiser this weekend for Teen Challenge.....It was awesome as usual. I am helping a gal named Cindy who was a crack addict for the last 10 years. I brought her to this event to listen to othere addicts who through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ have been able to finally kick the habit. I am in awe of how well this program works. But we all know that having Christ at the center of your life makes all good. I was able to see the healing within Cindy and her daughter Breana. Especially when the mom and daughter spoke who also were torn apart by drugs.....It was amazing to be a witness.


I love you all


Debbie

WOW that's great! It's amazing to me how if we let God use us he will at times let us see the results and that can be so rewarding. I will keep them in my prayers.

Thank you sweet Lynn I would greatly appreciate that.



ALSO PEOPLE IF YOU COULD PLEASE RESPOND THE CAKE ANYONE THREAD.....THE NERVE OF REDY ASSUMING THAT CHRISTIANS DON'T GIVE OR HELP OTHER HUMAN BEINGS....THIS ONE JUST REALLY BUGGED ME...

http://www.justsayhi.com/topic/show/87398

LOVE YOU GUYS


DEB

Thank you sweet Lynn I would greatly appreciate that.



ALSO PEOPLE IF YOU COULD PLEASE RESPOND THE CAKE ANYONE THREAD.....THE NERVE OF REDY ASSUMING THAT CHRISTIANS DON'T GIVE OR HELP OTHER HUMAN BEINGS....THIS ONE JUST REALLY BUGGED ME...

http://www.justsayhi.com/topic/show/87398

LOVE YOU GUYS


DEB

When we’re facing a decision
And we’re feeling so unsure
We need to pray for godly guidance
And the wisdom of the Lord

We need to wait with confidence
That God will show the way
And open doors we must go through
Giving peace when we pray

Show us your ways, O Lord
And where we need to walk
Guide us to where you want us
Help us pray as we ought

Equip us with power and strength
To tread upon new ground
To go where we’ve not been before
Where your blessings shall abound

For we shall never know how much
You long to bless our lives
Unless we take that step of faith
And follow the steps of Christ

To be where we can grow in you
And become more mature in faith
To live in the wisdom that you've given
To be immersed in your saving grace

To know your will for our lives
We but only need to ask
You long to show us what to do
All we need is obedient hearts

Thank you Debs, for the verse.

and for sharing.

Welcome Lynn, great to see you here.


"Ephesians 1:11-12, "In him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will, in order that we, who were the first to hope in Christ, might be for the praise of his glory."

Sweet Britty if your around please im me......Love you madly everyone.

Regarding the ads......When they first started coming out on the threads. I e-mailed Mike....I was not happy with it at all...I told Mike I would rather he collect $5.00 from each person here and get rid of the ads....I think he would of gone for it....but it was kinda dropped after that.

Wilhelm Lütgert (1938):
“Therefore love can only be commanded by someone who can awake this love. Love is first something given before it is something commanded. Love is a gift before it becomes a task. It is granted before it is decreed. It can only have its origin in love, it is always love in return. For this reason it only can
be the love of the creator, an echo of His love. As the love of the creator himself this love will be creative. Concerning love the rule of Augustine is valid: 'Give what you command and then command whatever you want'.”