bob robbins

The Door - part 7

As for me, I shall take my old accustomed place, near enough to God to hear Him, and know He is there, but not so far from others as not to hear them, and remember they are there, too.

Where? Outside the door - thousands of them, millions of them. But - more important for me - one of them, two of them, then of them, whose hands I am intended to put on the latch. So I shall stand by the door and wait for those who seek it. 'I had rather be a door-keeper...' So I stand by the door.

Samuel Moor Shoemaker

The Door - part 6

I admire the people who go way in. But I wish they would not forget how it was before they got in. Then they would be able to help the people who have not yet even found the door, or the people who want to run away again from God. You can go in too deeply, and stay in too long, and forget the people outside the door.

Samuel Moor Shoemaker

The Door - part 5

There is another reason why I stand there. Some people get part way in and become afraid lest God and the zeal of His house devour them; for God is so very great, and asks all of us; and these people way inside only terrify them more. Somebody must be by the door to tell them that they are spoiled for the old life, they have seen too much: once taste God, and nothing but God will do any more. Somebody must be watching for the frightened who seek to sneak out just where they came in, to tell them how much better it is inside.

The people too far in do not see how near these are to leaving - preoccupied with the wonder of it all. Somebody must watch for those who have entered the door, but would like to run away. So for them, too, I stand by the door.

Samuel Moor Shoemaker

The Door - part 4

Go in, great saints, go all the way in - go way down into the cavernous cellars, away up into the spacious attics - it is a vast, roomy house, this house where God is. Go into the deepest of hidden casements of withdrawal, of silence, of sainthood. Some must inhabit those inner rooms, and know the depth and heights of God, and call outside to the rest of us how wonderful it is. Sometimes I take a deeper look in, sometime venture in a little farther; but my place seems closet to the opening... so I stand by the door.

Samuel Moor Shoemaker

The Door - part 3

The most tremendous thing in the world is for people to find that door - the door to God. The most important thing anyone can do is to take hold of one of those blind, groping hands, and put it on the latch - the latch that only clicks and opens to that person's touch. People die outside that door, as starving beggars die on cold nights in cruel cities in the dead of winter - die for want of what is within their grasp. Others live, on the other side of it - live because they have found it, and open it, and walk in, and find Him... So I stand by the door.

Samuel Moor Shoemaker

The Door - part 2

And all that many ever find is only the wall where a door ought to be. They creep along the wall like blind men, with outstretched, groping hands, feeling for a door, knowing there must be a door,

Yet they never find it... so I stand by the door.

Samuel Moor Shoemaker

The Door

Over the next few days I am going to post several short writings about this door from Samuel Moor Shoemaker. Read these and think about the implications - this is powerful stuff.

I stand by the door. I neither go too far in, nor stay too far out. The door is the most important door in the world - it is the door through which folk walk when they find God. There's no use my going way inside and staying there, when so many are still outside, and they, as much as I, crave to know where the door is.

Samuel Moor Shoemaker

Cool Prayer

I came across a prayer of Charles de Foucauld today and I thought I would share it.

You are powerful over Your creatures, You can do all things in me. Give me a right mind, give me the wisdom that You promise to all who ask for it. Convert my heart and let me glorify You to the utmost till my last breath and through all eternity. I ask this in the name of our Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen.

"Give me a right mind and wisdom."  I don't know about you but that sounds like something I need and something I will only get if it comes from God because that is not going to happen by me own strength.

Conference

I just wanted to let everyone know that I was at a conference all day today and I did not get a chance to post anything. I will have something new on Wednesday morning. Thank you to all who visit my blog - tell you friends, family, pets and whoever. I am trying to get my hits up.

Funny Monday - Part 8.1

I have had some complaints that the peanut butter jelly song was not funny. You may have not thought it was funny but I bet you were singing that song for a long time. You just don't remember what it was like to be in the 5th grade.

A good friend just sent me this thing about getting old so I thought I would ad it.

Do you realize that the only time in our lives when we like to get old  is when we're kids? If you're less than 10 years old, you're so excited about aging that you think in fractions.

"How old are you?" "I'm four and a half!" You're never thirty-six and a half. You're four and a half, going on five! That's the key.

You get into your teens, now they can't hold you back. You jump to the next number, or even a few ahead.

"How old are you?" "I'm gonna be 16!" You could be 13, but hey, you're gonna be 16! And then the greatest day of your life . . you become 21. Even the words sound like a ceremony . . YOU BECOME 21. YESSSS!!!

But then you turn 30. Oooohh, what happened there? Makes you sound like bad milk! He TURNED; we had to throw him out. There's no fun now, you're Just a sour-dumpling. What's wrong? What's changed?

You BECOME 21, you TURN 30, then you're PUSHING 40. Whoa! Put on the brakes, it's all slipping away. Before you know it, you REACH 50 and your dreams are gone.

But wait!!! You MAKE it to 60. You didn't think you would!

So you BECOME 21, TURN 30, PUSH 40, REACH 50 and MAKE it to 60.

You've built up so much speed that you HIT 70! After that it's a day-by-day thing; you HIT Wednesday!

You get into your 80s and every day is a complete cycle; you HIT lunch; you TURN 4:30; you REACH bedtime. And it doesn't end there. Into the 90s, you start going backwards; "I Was JUST 92."

Then a strange thing happens. If you make it over 100, you become a little kid again. "I'm 100 and a half!" May you all make it to a healthy 100 and a half!!