A dear sister shared a song she would like played at her funeral. This is a song I would like to be shared at mine...

ALL OF THIS FROM A HOLY PLACE

The sunsets in the early morn,
The choir of birds chant to their unborn.
The warm breeze whips across my face
All of this, from a Holy Place.

The sky is blue with snowy clouds,
The city streets laden, with crowds.
A sinner is drawn, now full of grace
All of this, from a Holy Place.

The dying man, the sickly child,
A church full of Saints, all compiled.
Man and woman from a different Race
All of this, from a Holy Place.

The sea, so blue, breathtaking to the eye,
The quiet bayou, where Cranes fly.
The Desert sand, unending space,
All of this, from a Holy place.

A sinner lost, a cross bore Christ,
His blood was shed, that was the price.
we all deserve hell, but some are given grace.
All of this, from a Holy Place

ARE YOU TRULY HAPPY?

I found this quote at "Grace Gems". The title of this site suits it so much, everything I find there is a "Gem". Everything I have read there has touched me and spoke to me about myself and my walk and it is such an encouraging site. It is such a blessing to me.

http://www.gracegems.org/

The Happy Man

The happy man was born in the city of Regeneration
in the parish of Repentance unto Life. He has a large
estate in the county of Christian Contentment.

He was educated at the School of Obedience
—and often does jobs of Self-denial.

He wears the garment of Humility, and has
another suit to put on when he goes to Court,
called the Robe of Christ's Righteousness.

He is necessitated to travel through the world on
his way to heaven—but he walks through it as fast
as he can. All his business along the way—is to
make himself and others happy. He often walks
in the valley of Self-Abasement, and sometimes
climbs the mountains of Heavenly-mindedness.

He breakfasts every morning on Spiritual Prayer,
and sups every evening on the same. He has food
to eat, which the world knows nothing of—and his
drink is the sincere milk of the Word of God.

Thus happy he lives—and happy he dies.

Happy is he who has . . .
Gospel submission in his will,
the love of God in his affections,
true peace in his conscience,
sincere Divinity in his breast,
the Redeemer's yoke on his neck,
the vain world under his feet, and
a crown of glory over his head!

Happy is the life of that man who . . .
believes firmly,
prays fervently,
walks patiently,
labors abundantly,
lives holily,
dies daily,
watches his heart,
guards his senses,
redeems his time,
loves Christ, and
longs for glory!

"Happy is the man who does not walk in the
counsel of the wicked, or stand in the way of
sinners, or sit in the seat of mockers. But his
delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his
law he meditates day and night. He is like a
tree planted by streams of water, which yields
its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither.
Whatever he does prospers." Psalm 1:1-3

-Lachlan MacKenzie

TRUE REPENTANCE

Sin is a plague, yea, the greatest and most infectious plague in the world; and yet, ah! how few are there that tremble at it, that keep at a distance from it!

—Thomas Brooks

How often do we weep for the sin in our lives? Does it bother us as much for the small sins or the more visable and big sins? Sin is sin no matter how big or small it is. We sometimes take granted what the Lord did on the cross, we tell a little white lie and that's seems to be ok for some, yet Jesus died for that little white lie. We say we have christian liberties, but to be truthful do we really need to have them, I am speaking to myself too. Do we weep for our sins, do we go before the throne and cry out to our Lord for forgiveness and do we repent. Some say we do not need to repent when we get saved. I say hogwash! When the Lord opens your heart you see your heart and how filthy and dirty and depraved it is and the first thing you do is repent, how can you not? You say What a wretched man am I! Lord forgive me. There should be tears of joy and tears of sorrow because you see the wretchedness in you and at the same time you see the joy of your salvation.

Sin is a turning the back upon God--and the face
towards hell. Repentance is a turning the back
upon sin--and a setting the face towards God!
True repentance includes . . .
a true sense of sin,
a deep sorrow for sin,
a hearty loathing of sin, and
a holy shame and blushing for sin.

To repent is to make . . .
a clean head and a clean heart;
a clean lip and a clean life.

To repent is for a man to loathe himself, as well as his sin.
Is this easy for man, who is so great a self-lover, and so
great a self-exalter, and so great a self-admirer—to
become a self-loather? To repent is to cross sinful self,
it is to walk contrary to sinful self, yes, it is to revenge
a man's self upon himself.

True repentance lies in a daily dying to sin, and in a
daily living to Him who lives forever.


Thomas Brooks