"It is sad to think how many go away from sermons with the word of grace in their ears, but not the work of grace in their hearts."~Matthew Henry, Matthew Henry's Commentary, pg. 1271
(This is my entry for the first part of my project for my New Learning course that I am taking.) Introduction Corn Fields in Illinois I have lived the majority of my life in the Midwest: mid-state Illinois to be specific. Where I live, farming is everywhere. My grandparents and great-grandparents on both sides of my family were farmers. My dad grew up on a farm and owned farmland, well into my own adulthood. But, even if it wasn’t in the family, I still would have been surrounded by farming. You can’t go more than a mile outside of my city’s limits without encountering miles and miles of fields. Most of our highways, and even interstates, are located between acres of farmland.
Great quote. Having a prepared & open heart. Thanks. Reminds me of this story: Presbyterian minister Fred Rogers, creator
ReplyDeleteand host of television's "Mr. Roger's Neighborhood,"
once gave an address describing the time he
was a student at Pittsburgh Theological
Seminary and attended a different church
each Sunday in order to hear a variety of preachers.
One Sunday he was treated to "the most
poorly crafted sermon (he) had ever heard."
But when he turned to the friend who had
accompanied him, he found her in tears.
"It was exactly what I needed to hear," she
told Rogers.
"That's when I realized," he told his audience,
"that the space between someone doing the
best he or she can and someone in need is
holy ground. The Holy Spirit had transformed
that feeble sermon for her--and as it turned
out, for me too."
That is an awesome story. Thanks so much for sharing it.
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