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The Fifth Sparrow

This is an illustration I read years ago. It shows how the Lord values each one of us. When you are feeling worthless or of little value, remember to Him you are like this fifth sparrow! The Fifth Sparrow Matthew 10:29 Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing? and one of them shall not fall on the ground without your Father. Luke 12:6-7 Are not five sparrows sold for two farthings, and not one of them is forgotten before God? But even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not therefore: ye are of more value than many sparrows. I ran across a short story that illustrates well the truth of these verses. It’s about a poor Spanish boy who became a devoted Christian. A man asked how he had become converted, and the boy replied, “It was all because of the odd sparrow.” When the man asked what he meant, the boy explained, “A gentleman gave me a New Testament. I read in one Gospel that two sparrows are sold for a farthing. I read in another Gospel that five sparrows are sold for ...
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All My Blogs

  I wanted to try something new, so I created two new blogs. One new blog, called  The Substance Of Things Hoped For (Faith-based Stories and Illustration) , was created for a place for me to be able to quickly repost all the stories and illustrations that Angela Trenholm (my webpartner) had on her family site (Trenholms Of Kelowna).  EarnestlyContending.com  (our domain and the central hub for all our personal sites) got repeatedly hacked a little over two years ago and we lost all the content and had to rebuild from scratch. It is a lot of work trying to repost articles, stories, songs, etc. that were posted from approximately 21 years ago onwards, but I am making a valiant effort. Doing it in a blog format also gives me the opportunity to easily add new content. The second blog is for posting Daily Devotionals once again - devotionals and poems. I had done that for several years back in 2004 onwards, but eventually it became too much work to keep doing that projec...
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To Sacrifice A Son - An Allegory

To Sacrifice a Son - An Allegory by Dennis E. Hensley There was once a bridge which spanned a large river. During most of the day the bridge sat with its length running up and down the river paralleled with the banks, allowing ships to pass through freely on both sides of the bridge. But at certain times each day, a train would come along and the bridge would be turned sideways across the river, allowing a train to cross it. A switchman sat in a shack on one side of the river where he operated the controls to turn the bridge and lock it into place as the train crossed. One evening as the switchman was waiting for the last train of the day to come, he looked off into the distance through the dimming twilight and caught sight of the train lights. He stepped onto the control and waited until the train was within a prescribed distance when he was about to turn the bridge. He turned the bridge into position, but, to his horror, he found the locking control did not work. If the bridge was no...
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Make It Better

Make It Better His name was Isaac, and he lived over 300 years ago in London, England. He was a very smart young man. By the time he was five years old, he had learned Latin; by the age of nine years old, he had learned Greek; by twelve years of age, Isaac had mastered French and Hebrew. He was gifted musically and showed great potential. As a teen, he became dissatisfied with the music in his home church. Keep in mind that this was 300 years ago in England. His family attended the very formal Church of England where almost all of the music consisted of high church anthems. Isaac felt like they should sing songs about Christ and the cross. He thought that salvation and redemption should also be emphasized in the music. One day, he complained to his father, a deacon in the church, about the dead, dry, starchy service that they had just sat through. His dad rebuked him by saying, "Son, that's the way we have always sung, and if you think you can do a better job, then do it. Why ...
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Unlikely Hero

Unlikely Hero John Harper [a Baptist pastor from Glasgow, Scotland] had... spent three months ministering at Moody Church in Chicago, during which time the church had experienced "one of the most wonderful revivals in its history." He had not been back in Britain long, however, when he was asked to return and continue his ministry. Harper quickly made arrangements for himself and his six-year-old daughter, Nana, to travel back to America on board the Lusitania but decided to delay their departure for one week so that they could sail on a new ship which was about to make its maiden voyage - the Titanic. The Titanic struck an iceberg at 11:40 pm on April 14, 1912. As the call was issued for passengers to vacate their cabins, Harper wrapped his daughter in a blanket, told her that she would see him again one day, and passed her to one of the crewmen. After watching her safely board one of the lifeboats, he removed his life-jacket and gave it to one of the other passengers. One s...
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Table Of Contents

Table Of Contents Here is a list of all illustrations and stories posted on this blog, in Alphabetical Order: A-E A Guy Named Bill All That He Had To Offer A Speeding Ticket At The Window Before They Call, I Will Answer Christmas Love Cling To The Only Lifeline Conversion Of William Paton MacKay (Songwriter) F-J I Found Jesus There Important Recall Notice Impromptu Visit Just One More Knock K-O Learning From Gilbert Make It Better (Isaac Watts, Songwriter) P-T Scarred Hands Taking Aim Thank Him For The Thorns The Scars Of Love The Cleansing Blood The Cost Of A Miracle The Eye Of Faith (George Mueller) The Fifth Sparrow The Matchless Pearl The Room The Shadow Of The Cross The Silversmith's Reflection This Is Jim, Checking In Things To Think About Tools For Sale To Sacrifice A Son - An Allegory U-Z Unfolding The Rose Unlikely Hero
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Impromptu Visit

  Impromptu Visit It was a cold winter's day that Sunday. The parking lot to the church was filling up quickly. I noticed as I got out of my car that fellow church members were whispering among themselves as they walked to the church. As I got closer I saw a man leaned up against the wall outside the church. He was almost laying down as if he was asleep. He had on a long trench coat that was almost in shreds and a hat topped his head, pulled down so you could not see his face. He wore shoes that looked 30 years old, too small for his feet with holes all over them, his toes stuck out. I assumed this man was homeless, and asleep, so I walked on by through the doors of the church. We all gathered for fellowship for a few minutes, and someone brought up the man laying outside. People snickered and gossiped but no one bothered to ask him to come in, including me. A few moments later church began. We all waited for the Preacher to take his place and to give us the Word, when the doors to...
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