Calvary Calls

watching the sunset from Coney Island

I could squandor my existence, live my life in search of ease, giving all my days to gaining men's applause. Thinking only of myself and all that pleases me, but Calvary calls, Calvary calls.
In the mumbling of a stranger, in the clamour of a crowd, I can hear the constant cry above it all. Sometimes it's just a whisper, at times it seems so loud - but Calvary calls, Calvary calls.
Calvary calls me to surrender, Calvary calls me to obey; and to a dying world it calls me to be a light along the way. For the cross demands allegiance, I'll give nothing less than all; I'll answer "Here am I" when Calvary calls.
If I see a brother broken by defeat and left to die, but no one comes to help him when he falls, let me be the arms of mercy reaching out in Jesus' name, when Calvary calls, Calvary calls.
Calvary calls me to surrender, Calvary calls me to obey; and to a dying world it calls me to be a light along the way. For the cross demands allegiance, I'll give nothing less than all; I'll answer " Here am I" when Calvary calls.

~ Looks Like Love by Tim, a CD produced from The Brooklyn Tabernacle. He sang this song as a special one Sunday while I was there. ~

Psalm 139

O Lord, thou hast searched me, and known me. Thou knowest my downsitting and mine uprising, thou understandest my thought afar off. Thou compassest my path and my lying down, and art acquainted with all my ways.
For there is not a word in my tongue, but, lo, O Lord, thou knowest it altogether. Thou hast beset me behind and before, and laid thine hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, it is high, I cannot attain unto it.
Whither shall I go from thy spirit? or whither shall I flee from thy presence? If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there, if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there. If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea; even there shall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me. If I say, Surely the darkness shall cover me; even the night shall be light about me. Yea, the darkness hideth not from thee; but the night shineth as the day: the darkness and the light are both alike to thee.
For thou hast possessed my reins: thou hast covered me in my mother's womb. I will praise thee, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvellous are thy works, and that my soul knoweth right well. My substance was not hid from thee, when I was made in secret, and curiously wrought in the lowest parts of the earth. Thine eyes did see my substance, yet being unperfect; and in thy book all my members were written, which in continuance were fashioned, when as yet there was none of them.
How precious also are thy thoughts unto me, O God! how great is the sum of them! If I should count them, they are more in number than the sand: when I awake, I am still with thee.
Surely thou wilt slay the wicked, O God: depart from me therefore, ye bloody men. For they speak against thee wickedly, and thine enemies take thy name in vain. Do not I hate them, O Lord, that hate thee? and am not I grieved with those that rise up against thee? I hate them with perfect hatred: I count them mine enemies.
Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: and see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.

the yellow taxis of times square

The steady and never-ending stream of taxis rush by with their passengers, anxious to get to yet another destination on the hectic daily schedule. Rushing, always rushing, without a moment's thought to the only things that matter, to the only things worth living for. Oblivious to all but the day's trials, tomorrow's headaches and yesterday's sorrows. Never stopping to see that they are but running headlong for sure destruction, throwing their gift of life away to temporary thrills and griefs.
A warning sounds out. Halt! Give you no thought to eternity? Care you not for your soul? Does not the condition of your heart before a holy God concern you? But alas they are too busy and harried to stop and consider, and with a mumbled word they push on to be lost again in the sea of people. There, yet another has thrown away their soul for a mere trifle here on earth.
But here stands the Gospel, deep and penetrating in its conviction and earnest in its call. Proclaim the truth loud and clear and leave to God the drawing of His own. To all men therefore let us send out the message that Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners, and plead with them to repent of their ways and seek Him while He might be found of them. With mercy and compassion mingled with prayer, let us share fervently the message of salvation, that they might see their need and turn from destruction.
For here, oh Christian, in the hurried and unheeding crowd you will find the one who will humbly and earnestly listen to your plea. Their hardened heart softened by the Spirit, with openness they will see God's grace in the sacrifice of His Son and believe in Him who is their only hope and salvation. Then you will know that your labour is not in vain for the Lord, for His compassions are new every morning and His mercy is limitless; and He delights in redeeming us to Himself.
Don't waste your life! Throw it not away with the mindless crowd and the day's amusements. Rather spend your life in abandonment for the cause of Christ, that the gospel may go forth to all the nations and His glory be spread abroad through all the earth.

Before the Cross

My Saviour's sacrifice paid for all my sin
So in my suffering I look to the cross again
No need, no want, no trial, no pain
Can compare to this
The wrath of God, once meant for me
Was all spent on Him

Before the Cross, I humbly bow
I place my trust in the Saviour
Your finished work captures my gaze
You bore the wrath, I know the grace

In my darkest hour, Your presence is my peace
In my days of joy, Your grace carries me
Jesus, my Great High Priest
The One who pleads for me
My heart is filled with faith in You
Here at Calvary on my knees

Before the Cross I humbly bow
I place my trust in the Saviour
Your finished work captures my gaze
You bore the wrath, I know the grace

~ Before the Cross ~ Jon Payne

How deep the Father's love for us

How deep the Father's love for us,
How vast beyond all measure
That He should give His only Son
To make a wretch His treasure

How great the pain of searing loss,
The Father turns His face away
As wounds which mar the chosen One
Bring many sons to glory

Behold the Man upon a cross,
My sin upon His shoulders
Ashamed I hear my mocking voice,
Call out among the scoffers

It was my sin that held Him there
Until it was accomplished
His dying breath has brought me life
I know that it is finished

I will not boast in anything
No gifts, no power, no wisdom
But I will boast in Jesus Christ
His death and resurrection

Why should I gain from His reward?
I cannot give an answer
But this I know with all my heart
His wounds have paid my ransom

~Stuart Townend~

A day on the streets of NYC

The day started at 7 am with a shower to wake up before going downstairs to help prepare breakfast for 25 people. Considering how many people we fed, preparation was relatively easy and clean-up was made simple by using paper dishes. After an enjoyable breakfast of good food with great conversation, the group headed upstairs to watch a sermon on prayer by Mr. Symbala, as Tom prefers not to take groups on the street until lunchtime. Then we spent some time in prayer, for prayer is the backbone of the work and we depend on the Holy Spirit to open the hearts of those we talk to.
The group piled in the van and we headed to downtown Brooklyn and set up outside the Brooklyn Tabernacle.
Take a deep breath, smile genuinely, prepare for rejection, and approach someone with a tract. Repeat. Witnessing is hard work! For every one person you share in depth with, 20 pass by and another 5 will reject you. Often the person hearing the gospel listens to you politely and agrees but with their next sentence reveals that they are trusting in their own goodness to attain heaven in spite of everything they just acknowledged.
One of the people who did that very well was Craig. Craig was one of the salesmen who parade on the street corner loudly advertising cellular phones; these salesmen are amazing - they even tried to sell to us as we are walking around evangelizing! We established that he was a sinner in need of a Saviour and that he needed to repent etc. Craig was frustrated and said that he tried to live a good life, and prayed in repentance every day yet still fell into the same sins; he hoped that God would accept him because of his efforts. We went in circles for quite a while discussing all of this, with me having to politely but firmly get the conversation back on the topic several times until Dennis came along and helped out. A man who was sitting nearby came up when we were finished and gave Craig some contact information, stating that he was a Christian and would be happy to talk to him anytime he wanted.
A few rejections later I started good conversations with sidewalk vendors but was interrupted due to customers. An older lady was sitting on the wall around one of the trees, I sat down beside her and engaged her in conversation. She was very friendly and openly said she didn't know where she was going when she died, yet had no desire to talk further with me about it. Instead she seemed more interested in someone willing to listen to her brag about her children's accomplishments and her life in the city.
A while later when I offered a tract to an older guy and struck up a conversation, he showed no interest at all in God but a lot in me. When he would not cease his brazen hitting on me, I simply told him I was there to talk to him about eternal life, not Bf's, and walked back to the group. Mildly annoying, but all types are encountered in this type of evangelism.
At the door to Wendy's a woman with two little girls asked everyone that walked by for a dollar, as one of her daughters tugged on her sleeve wanting ice cream. She was given a tract along with the dollar. Inside, the very friendly young man behind the counter accepted a tract with a smile and nod.
In summation, street evangelism is very draining since you are walking in the hot sun and it is hard work talking of spiritual things with the blind. But if you keep praying and have a genuine concern for the lost, and can be friendly, warm, and caring you will love it.
After several hours on the streets, we headed over to Central Park. The entrance we used was crowded and noisy and the air was thick with cigarette smoke and the smell of horses. The broad sidewalk was filled with young aspiring artists and their modern art, as well as hot dog vendors and the never ending purse displays with bored looking attendants. The Park itself is so very beautiful, with rolling hills, winding paths, stately trees, gentle waterfalls over rock cuts, ponds, and flower gardens. The paths are lined with benches and the occasional enterprising painter displaying their work and calling out as you walk by, or a musician with open hat close at hand. The well-kept lawns are covered with an amazing diversity of the human population; sadly, immorality is prevalent here both in the clothes women wear, and the actions of couples. But you also might see a couple playing with their baby, a group of teens playing Frisbee, a lady studying with pen in hand, a young man lying asleep on the grass, or a hippie reclining against a tree trunk as he observes the people around him.
The park also has a good deal of semi-tame wildlife including squirrels, turtles, fish, geese, sparrows, chipmunks, and pigeons. The squirrels and pigeons especially are so used to the steady stream of people that at times you almost step on them before they scramble out of the way.
After a pleasant stroll through a section of the park, we went back to the van and drove to Ground Zero. Here too, the fallenness of mankind is evident in the sidewalks lined with those attempting to make money off the throngs of tourists coming to remember at the site of a tragedy. The site itself is at present under construction and surrounded with a high fence that hinders views inside. They have rebuilt the WTC subway station, and on that side they have made it possible to view the area; which shows that it is still in the beginning processes of building. Also here is a wall covered with the artwork of children paying tribute to their fathers who as firefighters or policemen, gave their lives in trying to save others. It is so very strange to study the paintings and loving words, being moved almost to tears, while behind you is a constant flow of people in and out of the subway, going about their day to day lives in normality. To visit Ground Zero is not the same as visiting a memorial, but it is sobering enough in its own way and is a good reminder of the fragility and preciousness of life.
A quiet ride back home where we enjoyed putting together a delicious taco supper and after cleaning up, everyone meandered their way to the beach as the sun began its descent. After the clamour of the city it was so peaceful and quiet, with the sound of the tide coming in mixed with the quiet conversation of those fishing from the rocks. We pulled off our sandals and enjoyed the feel of the cool sand on our aching feet, though the bitterly cold water kept us back from the reach of the tide. Some of the crazier ones decided to brave the temperatures, and dared each other in how far into the waves they would wade, to the amusement of those of us who were more 'sane'. The children with their endless energy soon had several of us chasing them around and through the water, squealing and laughing. Denver somehow ended up holding every one's cameras, so he entertained himself by taking random pictures with them all. Eventually it grew too dark to see very well and people started to head toward home, pausing to take in the lovely view of the Manhattan skyline lite up, with a bright moon overhead revealing scattered clouds, and gentle waves just visible against the sand.
Truly New York City is beautiful, yet desperately in need of a Saviour.

Praise You in this storm

I was sure by now,God, that You would have reached down and wiped our tears away, stepped in and saved the day. But once again, I say amen and it's still raining. As the thunder rolls I barely hear You whisper through the rain, "I'm with you" ; and as Your mercy falls I raise my hands and praise the God who gives and takes away.
And I'll praise you in this storm, and I will lift my hands, for You are who You are no matter where I am; and every tear I've cried You hold in your hand. You never left my side and though my heart is torn I will praise You in this storm.
I remember when I stumbled in the wind, You heard my cry to You and raised me up again.My strength is almost gone - how can I carry on if I can't find You? And as the thunder rolls I barely hear You whisper through the rain "I'm with you" ; and as Your mercy falls I raise my hands and praise the God who gives and takes away.
I lift my eyes unto the hills where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the maker of heaven and earth. I lift my eyes unto the hills where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the maker of heaven and earth.

~ Casting Crowns ~