“Man’s dignity rests in God who assigns an inestimable worth to every person. Man’s origin is not an accident, but a profoundly intelligent act by One who
has eternal value; by One who stamps His own image on each person. God creates
men and moves heaven and earth to redeem them when they fall. Our origin is in
creation and our destination is for redemption. Between these two points every
human heartbeat has value. The future of our race is not grim as long as a Creator-Redeemer
runs the universe. We are not a lost planet wandering aimlessly in space; we
are a visited planet with a glorious destiny.” R. C. Sproul, The Hunger
for Significance.
Chalet L’Abri, Sept 2005, Measuring My Days…acg
Yet once more Summer fades into Autumn here on the eastern
slopes of the Massanutten. An abundance of pinecones and acorns falling from
my trees mark these early September days, industrious squirrels having plucked and shaken them from their fragile moorings. Crickets of all sizes and Japanese beetles garbed in iridescence have invaded my garden
and crepe myrtle -- a reminder of how fragile their life and how brief their hour upon the stage. Darkness comes earlier each evening now and fireflies illumine my front lawn in greater numbers at dusk. A young groundhog appears in my back yard now almost every evening to partake
of sustenance for a long winter’s nap. Deer surreptitiously roam these precincts as darkness falls and nibble ravenously
on my tender tasty impatiens. Golden rod was in bloom at mid-August up in the
Shenandoah National Park just nine miles from here; now the rich vibrant gold tinges the byways of our valley floor. Flyovers of wild geese are making duration runs in anticipation of an eminent departure
for distant points south. So I observe these faithful, dependable cycles of nature
as evidence of a Beneficent Intelligence that governs our fragile planet and entreats my gratitude for all events passing
in review. From Ecclesiastes and somewhere deep in the recesses of my soul
comes the reminder and assurance: “To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven.”
-------------+---------------
“Anyone
who ventures to look the historical Jesus straight in the face and to listen for what He may have to teach him in His powerful
sayings, soon ceases to ask what this strange seeming Jesus can still be to him. He
learns to know Him as One who claims authority over him….The true relation to Him is to be taken possession of by Him…I
let my Quest for the Historical Jesus end with these words: “As
one unknown and nameless He comes to us, just as on the shore of the lake He approached those men who knew not who He was. His words are the same: “Follow
thou Me!’ and He puts us to the tasks which He has to carry out in our age. He
commands. And to those who obey, be they wise or simple, He will reveal Himself
through all they are privileged to experience in His fellowship of peace and activity, of struggle and suffering, till they
come to know, as an inexpressible secret, Who He is.” Albert Schweitzer, Out of My life and Thought
