Bearing Witness
True religion exists only so far as “the Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit that we are the children of God.” … It is not a special group of propositions but a special kind of insight and of trust. —John Baillie (1928)
Fine Tuning the Charge
In a recent classroom discussion, one student defined prayer as a charging of the battery of the soul through contact with the Infinite God. This figure has in it much of truth, but the class put it in second place when another student contributed his definition. “Prayer,” he said, “is a tuning-in of the radio … Read more
The Makings of the Master Teacher
When we recall what keen interest children take in all work with tools, how they follow eagerly each process, and what pleasure they derive from using chips, blocks, and shavings as playthings, we may be sure that however humble the carpenter’s shop of Joseph, it afforded inexhaustible delight to the child Jesus and his playmates. … Read more
Cosmic Allurements
Somehow, in all this, the significant destiny of man begins dimly to be seen—only dimly, indeed, for the ultimate destiny is doubtless beyond us. But dimly we can see man, the curious dreamer of dreams, casting his dreams ahead of him—catching up to them—and again casting them ahead. —H. A. Overstreet (1931)
No Bird Can Soar Except by Outstretched Wings
Vultures soar into the blue until they are invisible, mounting in a spiral, but never moving their wings. Their outspread wings, while motionless, are kept adjusted to the upper currents of air in such a way that they are lifted ever higher…. Prayer is adjusting the personality to God in such a way that God … Read more
The Quotient of a Lifetime
Renunciation really taught a great life-policy, though no one was aware of it. It is the method, in its refined form, of increasing life’s fraction by lowering the denominator of demands instead of striving always to increase the numerator of satisfactions. It comes to be one of the great life-philosophies. —Sumner & Keller (1927)
A Taxing Legacy
The boastful records of a Rameses III are worthy of credence. In a reign of thirty-three years, he had given to the various temples 113,433 slaves, 493,386 head of cattle, 88 barks and galleys, and 2,756 golden images. Further contributions were 331,702 jars of incense, honey, and oil; 228,380 jars of wine and drink; 680,714 … Read more
Ethical Prayer
Prayer is efficacious, never as a substitute for action, but as a guide and stimulus to action. —William Kelley Wright (1922)
The Many Health Benefits of Whole Grains
As the contents of the colon move at a better rate, there is thought to be less toxic exposure to the interior of the colon thereby reducing risk of developing colon cancer. British and Dutch researchers analyzed 25 studies that included a total of nearly 2 million people. Compared with the lowest levels of fiber … Read more
The Idea
“… The power of an idea lies, not in its certainty but in its vividness and in the number of people who believe in it …” —Sumner and Keller, quoting Lippert (1927)