The Ridley Hall Quad I will come in to him. Revelation iii.20 Come in, O come! The door stands open now; I knew Thy voice; Lord Jesus, it was Thou; The sun has set long since; the storms begin; 'Tis time for Thee, my Saviour; O come in! Come, even now. But think not here to find A lodging, Lord, and converse, to Thy mind: The lamp burns low; the hearth is chill and pale; Wet through the broken casement pours the gale. Alas, ill-order'd shews the dreary room; The household-stuff lies heap'd amidst the gloom; The table empty stands, the couch undress'd; Ah, what a welcome for the Eternal Guest! Yet welcome, and to-night; this doeful scene Is e'en itself my cause to hail Thee in; This dark confusion e'en at once demands Thine one bright presence, Lord, and ordering hands. I seek no more to alter things, or mend, Before the coming of so great a Friend: All were at best unseemly; and 't were ill Beyond all else to keep Thee waiting still. Then, as Thou art, ...

Entrance to Durham Castle Bishop H. C. G. Moule wrote some beautiful and very edifying hymns. Sadly, there are none in the 1940 Hymnal! I wish to share some of these gems with you, starting with the following. Yield yourselves . Romans 6:13 My glorious Victor, Prince divine, Clasp these surrender'd hands in Thine; At length my will is all Thine own, Glad vassal of a Saviour's throne. My Master, lead me to Thy door; Pierce this now willing ear once more: Thy bonds are freedom; let me stay With Thee, to toil, endure, obey. Yes, ear and hand, and thought and will, Use all in Thy dear slavery still! Self's weary liberties I cast Beneath Thy feet; there keep them fast. Tread them still down; and then, I know, These hands shall with Thy gifts o'erflow, And pierced ears shall hear the tone Which tells me Thou and I are one. Image: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Image:Durham_Castle_Eingang.jpg

Update from a former YWAM'er: Thanks for your concern for the India YWAMers. There is an email currently circulating about YWAM India, but it is not actually written by YWAMers or about YWAMers, so we haven't been able to verify the specific details of that email. However, the persecution is very real, and we do know that about a dozen of our staff have been physically assaulted, and both private and ministry property belonging to our teams has been damaged or destroyed. One couple had their house burned down. In addition, though over 50 believers have been killed, and 50 churches damaged or destroyed, so the issue is much bigger than YWAM; in fact our staff specifically asked that the whole body of Christ there, particularly in Orissa and Karnataka state, be lifted up in prayer. The best resource for up-to-date information on this situation can be found on the website of the Evangelical Fellowship of India ( www.efionline.org ). Thanks again for praying for this issue, and if...

Washington Post, Sunday, October 19, 2008; Page B07

There is an "exceptionalism" about these United States, but, at the same time, there is really nothing exceptional about how the country is deteriorating along with the rest of the West. However the upcoming election pans out, it will be business as usual as far as history is concerned. The principles of freedom will still exist and they will still work. God will still reward righteousness with its precious fruits. But men, because of their evil hearts, will turn their backs upon them. Men with little responsibility in this world will harm little more than themselves. Men with great responsibility in this world will harm multitudes. I, along with others, keep thinking about the 1930's. I keep hearing Churchill's words ringing in my ears. Such words as, "So we go on preparing more months and years - precious, perhaps vital, to the greatness of Britain - for the locusts to eat." [Nov. 12, 1936] The same kind of selfish and foolish actions of politicians in hi...

Our hope is critical for our survival and our effectiveness, usefulness, and testimony. We must recognize our hope as not in a hopeful frame of mind. It is a Person, unchangeable, and He is in us. Our Hope is always, therefore, with us, though all other hope is gone. So, we rejoice, yes, and will rejoice (Hab. 3:17,18). The reality of our joyous hope displaces an idolatrous obsession with unhappy things in our life, enabling a more wholesome reflection upon the affairs of life in general, with the varied benefits obtained thereby.