The Prince of Preachers

Charles Haddon Spurgeon, a preacher who stands out amongst many and one who I’ve enjoyed gathering books by lately. He was born in Essex, England in 1834. He was born again in 1850 at the age of fifteen. At the age of 16 he was known as “The Boy Preacher.”

He preached his first sermon at the age of sixteen. He became a pastor at the age of eighteen. In 1854 he became the pastor of New Park Street Chapel in London. He married in 1856. He had twin boys who later entered the ministry.

He often preached to congregations of more than ten thousand. The Metropolitan Tabernacle was built in 1861 to accommodate the large numbers who came to hear him preach. The Prime minister of England and members of the royal family were among those who came to hear him preach.

He went from the title of “The Boy Preacher” to be called “Prince of Preachers”.  Charles Spurgeon died in 1892 and was mourned by many.

From “A Passion for Holiness in a Believer’s Life” by Charles Spurgeon:

There is a way to God…

What that “way” is we learn from John 14:6, “Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life; no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” Believing in Jesus, we enter upon the way; receiving His Spirit into our hearts, we stand in the way; following our Redeemer’s footsteps, we walk in the way; holding fast to His leadership, we reach the end of the way. When we find Jesus, we find the way of truth, the way of life, the way of holiness. He is not only the way but also the end to all those who put their trust in Him. There is but one Christ, and therefore but one way of salvation. He is the same yesterday, today and forever; and those who pretend that He changes with the centuries talk as idle dreamers, knowing nothing of the matter. God has given us a way to Himself in the person of His Son Jesus Christ. Why should he give us another? What other can there be?

Psalm 1:1-3:

Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the path of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; 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 that yields its fruit in season, and its leaf does not wither. In all he does, he prospers.

I took these photos of Mount Rainier in Washington State from the plane I was on traveling from Seattle to Spokane on Wednesday the 13th of November. It was nice to see this majestic (volcano) mountain clearly instead of shrouded by clouds. Rainier is a mountain in Washington state that stands out amongst the rest of the mountains so I thought it appropriate to add photos of it with this post about Spurgeon and one of his many quotes.

Here we are halfway into November. I’m getting settled back into the daily routine of country life after being exposed again to city life. I’ll have more catch up posts of my time on the “Coast”. So good to be around all our kids but one. It’s nice to have two more weekends before Thanksgiving weekend to get organized. We are not hosting on Thanksgiving Day this year. We will still make a Thanksgiving meal with all the trimmings on Saturday of the long weekend. Having the aromas of a traditional Thanksgiving meal in our own home is part of Thanksgiving we don’t want to miss out on. Are you hosting?

HT: The facts about Spurgeon that I shared above I read in a book I’m beginning to read (Six books in one) called Spurgeon on Prayer and Spiritual Warfare.

Before She Hides…

When our daughter-in-law and I arrived at the University of Washington a couple of weeks ago to see the cherry blossoms we first looked towards the Drumheller Fountain and the Rainier Vista beyond it. We were very excited to see that Mount Rainier was not shrouded in clouds as is the case on many days.

I’m glad we stopped to take photos before we continued to the Quad to see the blossoms.

When we were done with the blossoms and headed back to the parking garage, Rainier was hiding but all the students were out in full force! I took a couple more photos on the way to the parking garage.

It was a photo fun day at the University of Washington.

It’s time for me to admit that the days are getting away from me in this Easter season and with the short amount of days until our wee grandson makes his appearance. We’ve had a few more babysitting times so Mommy can get all her doctor visits in and mommy and daddy need to go out for a special date before they have a toddler and a newborn. Our Coast kids are arriving soon to be here for BBB’s delivery. And then there’s Spring cleaning, especially on our property. So if you don’t see much from me or you don’t see comments on your blogs from me you will know why. The times they are a changing and it seems changes are something we can depend on more and more at this stage of life.

Some things don’t change and the one thing I depend on a lot and one of my favorite verses in the Bible is this one:

Hebrews 13:8 (ESV) ~Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.

And then speaking of changes…

Daniel 2:20-22 English Standard Version (ESV)

20 Daniel answered and said:

“Blessed be the name of God forever and ever,
    to whom belong wisdom and might.
21 He changes times and seasons;
    he removes kings and sets up kings;
he gives wisdom to the wise
    and knowledge to those who have understanding;
22 he reveals deep and hidden things;
    he knows what is in the darkness,
    and the light dwells with him.

Seattle Treasures…

memorial 020

All these shots of the Seattle waterfront and other views of quintessential Seattle were taken from two Bainbridge Ferry Runs across the Puget Sound on August 28th.

memorial 019

memorial 018

memorial 016

memorial 022

The rounded tops are of Century Link Stadium where the Seahawks and the Sounders play and the further one is Safeco Field where the Seattle Mariners play.

P1060597

Mount Rainier is always a treat to see even though it’s a dormant volcano and if she blows we’ll all be toast!

P1060602

Linking up for Tuesday’s Treasures with Tom at The Backroads Traveler.

We are wrapping up our Labor Day with some relaxation. Dear trouble shot an electrical problem in our basement and all is well again. A handy man is a treasure to have around the house!

L is for Lofty!

Time for ABC Wednesday and we are on the letter L.

Thank you to the founder of this meme, Mrs. Nesbitt and her now trusty crew that keep the meme going.

A few weeks ago I was on an airplane flying out of Seattle and I was treated to some lofty views of downtown Seattle, Mount Rainier and the Columbia River.

P1050626

P1050631

P1050634

P1050639

P1050642The Columbia river where it divides the State of Washington from Oregon.

This Saturday flight on September 13th was a nice flight and time to have a window seat. I most always choose an aisle seat.