07-01-2008, 11:20 PM
July 2008 Signs of the Times Email Newsletter
The Signs of the Times newsletter is a collection of stories and quotes from past issues of Signs and These Times.
***************************
In her book, “Sky Pilot”, Fern Owens tells of a missionary who on a stormy night felt impressed to place his lamp near a certain window in his house, and leave it there after retiring. Outside, an arctic blizzard howled, and a traveler lost his way. As he was about to give up the struggle, he saw the light gleaming in the distance and reached the missionary’s door and safety.
N.P. Banks once described a rescue attempt by a group of factory hands working near the Merrimack River. They saw a man near the middle of the stream struggling among the broken cakes of ice. Hurriedly they seized a plank and threw it to him, but he slipped from it. They threw it again, and again he slipped. It seemed that the third time must be the last possible chance; but as he slipped from the board again he shouted, “Give me the wooden end!” “We had been giving him,” said Banks, “the icy end.” How often attempts to save men from sin are crusted with ice!
Like Jesus, the heavenly “Good Samaritan,” let us hold out a helping hand to all in need.—By James H. Stirling, Signs of the Times, May 20, 1952.
Quote: “We are happy in proportion as we are kind.”—By Charles G. Bellah, Signs of the Times, October 29, 1929.
***************************
Don't miss the August 2008 issue of Signs of the Times: “Salvation by Obedience?”, “The Hope of Judgment”, “Why Can’t I Lose Weight?”, “Immortality When?” and other important articles. To order Signs, call: 1-800-765-6955 or online at http://www.AdventistBookCenter.com
***************************
A ragged boy with a violin under his arm once roamed the streets of a great European city. Because he had no home or family, he wandered from place to place for food and shelter.
This urchin had a strange gift for music. He had somehow gotten hold of a violin, and he would stand on the street corners and play for the passing crowd. They were entranced by what they heard and would gather around to listen. When he had finished playing, they would toss some coins at his feet. In this way he made an honest but meager living.
In the same city was a famous musician. One day he happened to pass by the place where the ragged boy was playing. His attention was arrested by the unusual quality of the music. He lingered until the crowd had passed on and then said to the little violin player, “Son, to whom do you belong?”
“I don’t belong to anybody,” the boy answered.
“Well, where do you live?” was the next question.
“I don’t have any place to live. I just sleep on the streets and wherever I can.”
The man thought for a moment and then said, “How would you like to be my boy and come to live with me? I’ll teach you all I know about how to play the violin.”
The boy’s eyes sparkled through the dirt and grime, and he said, “Mister, I’d love it!”
So the great musician took him to his own home. He had him cleaned up and dressed up, and he became like a father to him. For several years he poured into the eager young mind and heart all that he knew about playing the violin.
Finally the boy was ready for his first public recital, and the word went out that a great new musical prodigy was about to appear on the concert stage. On the night of the performance the house was filled to capacity; even the balcony was packed.
At last the boy came out, put the violin beneath his chin, and began his concert. He played such music as the crowd had never heard before. At every pause there was deafening applause.
For some reason, however, the boy did not seem to pay any attention to the ovation. He kept his eyes turned upward and played on and on. The audience was mystified by his strange manner. Finally one of the persons present said, “I don’t understand why he is so insensible to all this thunderous applause. He keeps looking up all the time. I’m going to find out what is attracting his attention.”
Moving about in the concert hall the observer found the answer. There in the topmost balcony was the old music master, peering over the banister toward his young pupil. He was nodding his head and smiling, as if to say, “You are doing well, my boy; play on!”
And the boy did play on, not seeming to care whether the audience laughed or applauded. He kept his gaze upward. He was playing to please the master only.
Is not this story a vivid reminder that we Christians ought to live so as to please Christ only? He is our Master, the One to whom we should look for approval.—By James R. Webb, These Times, November 1965.
Quote: “A man is rich in proportion to the number of things which he can afford to leave alone.”—By Thoreau, These Times, September 1961.
***************************
NEW from Pacific Press—Passionate Prayer Promises by Brenda Walsh and Kay Kuzma. Discover more than 100 prayers and Bible promises to strengthen and encourage you in your daily walk. From anxiety to wisdom, criticism to witnessing, and blessings to trials—there’s sure to be a prayer and a promise for you in this book.
Read the first chapter of this book online at http://www.AdventistBookCenter.com Order online or from your local Adventist Book Center--1-800-765-6955.
***************************
Peter Harvey, in relating episodes in the life of Daniel Webster, recalled a particular time when Webster was Secretary of State. Some twenty statesmen in high positions in Washington went to New York to a meeting at the Astor House. In the course of the meeting they noticed that Webster was particularly reticent, holding himself aloof from the run of conversation. In an effort to draw him out, one man asked, “Mr. Webster, can you tell me what is the most important thought that ever occupied your mind?”
Mr. Webster passed his hand over his forehead and said in a low voice, “Is there anyone here who does not know me?”
“No, all these here are your friends,” said the man.
Then Webster responded, “The most important thought that ever occupied my mind was that of individual responsibility to God.” And he spoke to his colleagues on individual responsibility as relates to a future day of judgment.
The Scriptures tell us that “we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ.” Romans 14:10. If this is a fact, is it not essential for us to give attention to a day of reckoning?—By Arthur L. Bietz, Signs of the Times, December 6, 1949.
Quote: “A wit once asked a peasant what part he performed in the great drama of life. “I mind my own business,” was the reply.”—Unknown, Signs of the Times, April 15, 1886.
***************************
Place this in your church bulletin or newsletter: Would you like to win that friend or neighbor to Jesus? Try sending them Signs magazine. It will reach out to them all year long. Order from your Adventist Book Center. To order call: 1-800-765-6955 or online at: http://www.AdventistBookCenter.com
***************************
Dr. M. D. Hoge tells of two Christian men who “fell out.” One heard that the other was talking against him, and he went to him and said, “Will you be kind enough to tell me my faults to my face, that I may profit by your Christian candor and try to get rid of them?”
“Yes, sir,” replied the other, “I will do it.”
They went aside, and the former said: “Before you commence telling what you think wrong in me, will you please bow down with me and let us pray over it, that my eyes may be opened to see my faults as you will tell them? You lead in the prayer.”
It was done, and when the prayer was over the man who had sought the interview said, “Now proceed with what you have to complain of in me.”
But the other replied, “after praying over it, it looks so little that it is not worth talking about. The truth is, I feel now that in going around talking against you, I have been serving the devil myself, and have need that you pray for me and forgive me the wrong I have done you.”
Here and there in almost every community is a man or woman who might profit by this incident.—Selected, Signs of the Times, July 1, 1886.
Quote: “The wise man is not quick to take offense. It is better to be deaf and blind to an intended insult than to be swift to resentment.”—Western Christian Advocate, Signs of the Times, July 1, 1886.
***************************
Discouraged people are all around you. They are desperately looking for peace and hope. You can bring encouragement to them by sharing the BRAND NEW Pocket Signs, Someone Cares About You. The reassuring words and Scripture promises are guaranteed to quiet the troubled heart. Begin sharing right away by visiting http://www.AdventistBookCenter.com or phoning 1-800-765-6955.
***************************
Someone has suggested that our problem is a little like that of a fly crawling across a Raphael masterpiece. The fly knows that there are rough places and smooth places, light places and dark places. But not in ten thousand lifetimes could the fly ever understand the picture or the purpose of the artist. And the trouble, of course, is not with the artist or the picture but with the fly’s limited vision and total inability to understand.
A faulty illustration. Yes, very. For we are not flies crawling around on God’s picture. Rather, we have been made in God’s image. And we are invited to know the Artist, to fellowship with Him. Our minds, chained as they are to clocks and calendars, may not always immediately understand the purposes of the eternal God. But we can know the character of the Divine Artist. And that can be enough!
We know that the Lord Jesus Christ holds in His strong, pierced hands the swinging pendulum of the centuries. Somebody is looking after us. And we know who it is. So why worry?—By George Vandeman, These Times, December 1979.
Quote: “A silent witness guards every soul that lives, seeking to draw that soul to Christ. As long as there is hope, until men resist the Holy Spirit to eternal ruin, they are guarded by heavenly intelligences.”—By E. G. White, These Times, June 1962.
***************************
Compiled by Dale Galusha. Please pass this newsletter on to others. If this FREE newsletter was forwarded to you by a friend, and you would like to receive it directly on a monthly basis, email: join-signsnews@lyra.pacificpress.com
The Signs of the Times newsletter is a collection of stories and quotes from past issues of Signs and These Times.
***************************
In her book, “Sky Pilot”, Fern Owens tells of a missionary who on a stormy night felt impressed to place his lamp near a certain window in his house, and leave it there after retiring. Outside, an arctic blizzard howled, and a traveler lost his way. As he was about to give up the struggle, he saw the light gleaming in the distance and reached the missionary’s door and safety.
N.P. Banks once described a rescue attempt by a group of factory hands working near the Merrimack River. They saw a man near the middle of the stream struggling among the broken cakes of ice. Hurriedly they seized a plank and threw it to him, but he slipped from it. They threw it again, and again he slipped. It seemed that the third time must be the last possible chance; but as he slipped from the board again he shouted, “Give me the wooden end!” “We had been giving him,” said Banks, “the icy end.” How often attempts to save men from sin are crusted with ice!
Like Jesus, the heavenly “Good Samaritan,” let us hold out a helping hand to all in need.—By James H. Stirling, Signs of the Times, May 20, 1952.
Quote: “We are happy in proportion as we are kind.”—By Charles G. Bellah, Signs of the Times, October 29, 1929.
***************************
Don't miss the August 2008 issue of Signs of the Times: “Salvation by Obedience?”, “The Hope of Judgment”, “Why Can’t I Lose Weight?”, “Immortality When?” and other important articles. To order Signs, call: 1-800-765-6955 or online at http://www.AdventistBookCenter.com
***************************
A ragged boy with a violin under his arm once roamed the streets of a great European city. Because he had no home or family, he wandered from place to place for food and shelter.
This urchin had a strange gift for music. He had somehow gotten hold of a violin, and he would stand on the street corners and play for the passing crowd. They were entranced by what they heard and would gather around to listen. When he had finished playing, they would toss some coins at his feet. In this way he made an honest but meager living.
In the same city was a famous musician. One day he happened to pass by the place where the ragged boy was playing. His attention was arrested by the unusual quality of the music. He lingered until the crowd had passed on and then said to the little violin player, “Son, to whom do you belong?”
“I don’t belong to anybody,” the boy answered.
“Well, where do you live?” was the next question.
“I don’t have any place to live. I just sleep on the streets and wherever I can.”
The man thought for a moment and then said, “How would you like to be my boy and come to live with me? I’ll teach you all I know about how to play the violin.”
The boy’s eyes sparkled through the dirt and grime, and he said, “Mister, I’d love it!”
So the great musician took him to his own home. He had him cleaned up and dressed up, and he became like a father to him. For several years he poured into the eager young mind and heart all that he knew about playing the violin.
Finally the boy was ready for his first public recital, and the word went out that a great new musical prodigy was about to appear on the concert stage. On the night of the performance the house was filled to capacity; even the balcony was packed.
At last the boy came out, put the violin beneath his chin, and began his concert. He played such music as the crowd had never heard before. At every pause there was deafening applause.
For some reason, however, the boy did not seem to pay any attention to the ovation. He kept his eyes turned upward and played on and on. The audience was mystified by his strange manner. Finally one of the persons present said, “I don’t understand why he is so insensible to all this thunderous applause. He keeps looking up all the time. I’m going to find out what is attracting his attention.”
Moving about in the concert hall the observer found the answer. There in the topmost balcony was the old music master, peering over the banister toward his young pupil. He was nodding his head and smiling, as if to say, “You are doing well, my boy; play on!”
And the boy did play on, not seeming to care whether the audience laughed or applauded. He kept his gaze upward. He was playing to please the master only.
Is not this story a vivid reminder that we Christians ought to live so as to please Christ only? He is our Master, the One to whom we should look for approval.—By James R. Webb, These Times, November 1965.
Quote: “A man is rich in proportion to the number of things which he can afford to leave alone.”—By Thoreau, These Times, September 1961.
***************************
NEW from Pacific Press—Passionate Prayer Promises by Brenda Walsh and Kay Kuzma. Discover more than 100 prayers and Bible promises to strengthen and encourage you in your daily walk. From anxiety to wisdom, criticism to witnessing, and blessings to trials—there’s sure to be a prayer and a promise for you in this book.
Read the first chapter of this book online at http://www.AdventistBookCenter.com Order online or from your local Adventist Book Center--1-800-765-6955.
***************************
Peter Harvey, in relating episodes in the life of Daniel Webster, recalled a particular time when Webster was Secretary of State. Some twenty statesmen in high positions in Washington went to New York to a meeting at the Astor House. In the course of the meeting they noticed that Webster was particularly reticent, holding himself aloof from the run of conversation. In an effort to draw him out, one man asked, “Mr. Webster, can you tell me what is the most important thought that ever occupied your mind?”
Mr. Webster passed his hand over his forehead and said in a low voice, “Is there anyone here who does not know me?”
“No, all these here are your friends,” said the man.
Then Webster responded, “The most important thought that ever occupied my mind was that of individual responsibility to God.” And he spoke to his colleagues on individual responsibility as relates to a future day of judgment.
The Scriptures tell us that “we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ.” Romans 14:10. If this is a fact, is it not essential for us to give attention to a day of reckoning?—By Arthur L. Bietz, Signs of the Times, December 6, 1949.
Quote: “A wit once asked a peasant what part he performed in the great drama of life. “I mind my own business,” was the reply.”—Unknown, Signs of the Times, April 15, 1886.
***************************
Place this in your church bulletin or newsletter: Would you like to win that friend or neighbor to Jesus? Try sending them Signs magazine. It will reach out to them all year long. Order from your Adventist Book Center. To order call: 1-800-765-6955 or online at: http://www.AdventistBookCenter.com
***************************
Dr. M. D. Hoge tells of two Christian men who “fell out.” One heard that the other was talking against him, and he went to him and said, “Will you be kind enough to tell me my faults to my face, that I may profit by your Christian candor and try to get rid of them?”
“Yes, sir,” replied the other, “I will do it.”
They went aside, and the former said: “Before you commence telling what you think wrong in me, will you please bow down with me and let us pray over it, that my eyes may be opened to see my faults as you will tell them? You lead in the prayer.”
It was done, and when the prayer was over the man who had sought the interview said, “Now proceed with what you have to complain of in me.”
But the other replied, “after praying over it, it looks so little that it is not worth talking about. The truth is, I feel now that in going around talking against you, I have been serving the devil myself, and have need that you pray for me and forgive me the wrong I have done you.”
Here and there in almost every community is a man or woman who might profit by this incident.—Selected, Signs of the Times, July 1, 1886.
Quote: “The wise man is not quick to take offense. It is better to be deaf and blind to an intended insult than to be swift to resentment.”—Western Christian Advocate, Signs of the Times, July 1, 1886.
***************************
Discouraged people are all around you. They are desperately looking for peace and hope. You can bring encouragement to them by sharing the BRAND NEW Pocket Signs, Someone Cares About You. The reassuring words and Scripture promises are guaranteed to quiet the troubled heart. Begin sharing right away by visiting http://www.AdventistBookCenter.com or phoning 1-800-765-6955.
***************************
Someone has suggested that our problem is a little like that of a fly crawling across a Raphael masterpiece. The fly knows that there are rough places and smooth places, light places and dark places. But not in ten thousand lifetimes could the fly ever understand the picture or the purpose of the artist. And the trouble, of course, is not with the artist or the picture but with the fly’s limited vision and total inability to understand.
A faulty illustration. Yes, very. For we are not flies crawling around on God’s picture. Rather, we have been made in God’s image. And we are invited to know the Artist, to fellowship with Him. Our minds, chained as they are to clocks and calendars, may not always immediately understand the purposes of the eternal God. But we can know the character of the Divine Artist. And that can be enough!
We know that the Lord Jesus Christ holds in His strong, pierced hands the swinging pendulum of the centuries. Somebody is looking after us. And we know who it is. So why worry?—By George Vandeman, These Times, December 1979.
Quote: “A silent witness guards every soul that lives, seeking to draw that soul to Christ. As long as there is hope, until men resist the Holy Spirit to eternal ruin, they are guarded by heavenly intelligences.”—By E. G. White, These Times, June 1962.
***************************
Compiled by Dale Galusha. Please pass this newsletter on to others. If this FREE newsletter was forwarded to you by a friend, and you would like to receive it directly on a monthly basis, email: join-signsnews@lyra.pacificpress.com