The origin of "Footprints"?

Was Spurgeon the Original Inspiration for the “Footprints” Poem? The opening paragraph of a Spurgeon sermon from 1880: Were you ever in a new trouble, one which was so strange that you felt that a similar trial had never happened to you and, moreover, you dreamt that such a temptation had never assailed anybody else? I should not wonder if that was the thought of your troubled heart. And did you ever walk out upon that lonely desert island upon which you were wrecked and say, “I am alone—alone—ALONE—nobody was ever here before me”? And did you suddenly pull up short as you noticed, in the sand, the footprints of a man? I remember right well passing through that experience—and when I looked, lo, it was not merely the footprints of a man that I saw, but I thought I knew whose feet had left those imprints. They were the marks of One who had been crucified, for there was the print of the nails. So I thought to myself, “If He has been here, it is no longer a desert island. As His blessed feet once trod this wilderness-way, it blossoms now like the rose and it becomes to my troubled spirit as a very garden of the Lord!” —Charles Haddon Spurgeon, “The Education of the Sons of God” (Metropolitan Tabernacle: June 10, 1880).

The Suffering of the Innocent

"The suffering of the innocent is less of a problem to me very often than that of the wicked. it sounds absurd: but I've met so many innocent sufferers who seem to be gladly offering their pain to Christ as part of the Atonement, so patient, so meek, even so at peace, and so unselfish that we can hardly doubt they are being, as St. Paul says, 'made perfect by suffering.' On the other hand, I meet selfish egoists in whom suffering seems to produce only resentment, hate, blasphemy, and more egoism. They are the real problem." -C.S. Lewis

Tragedy Talking Points

God made a perfect world. Sin and evil are not God's will. People have chosen to rebel and live their own way. Some even believe there is no right or wrong. We need to pray for the healing of our broken world.

Prayer of Thanksgiving

O My God, You fairest, greatest, first of all objects, My heart admires, adores, loves You, For my little vessel is as full as it can be, And I would pour out all that fullness before You in ceaseless flow. When I think upon and converse with You Ten thousand delightful thoughts spring up, Ten thousand sources of pleasure are unsealed, Ten thousand refreshing joys spread over my heart, Crowding into every moment of happiness. I bless You for the soul You have created, For adorning it, for sanctifying it, Though it is fixed in barren soil; For the body You have given me, For preserving its strength and vigor, For providing senses to enjoy delights, For the ease and freedom of limbs, For hands, eyes, ears that do Your bidding; For Your royal bounty providing my daily support, For a full table and overflowing cup, For appetite, taste, sweetness, For social joys of relatives and friends, For ability to serve others, For a heart that feels sorrows and necessities, For a mind to care for my fellow-men, For opportunities of spreading happiness around, For loved ones in the joys of heaven, For my own expectation of seeing You clearly. I love You above the powers of language to express, For what You are to Your creatures. Increase my love, O my God, through time and eternity. -from The Valley of Vision

Hello, my name is DRUGS...

I destroy homes and tear families apart; I live all around you; down the street and maybe next door. If you try me, you may never break free. I’m eager to give you a life-sentence; I’ll own your soul. When I have you, you’ll steal and lie, you’ll do whatever it take to get high. You’ll forget the values you were taught because I’ll now be your conscience and guide; I’ll teach you my ways. I’ll take you from your parents, your friends, I’ll even take you from God; in fact, I will replace God in your life. When you see the tears of your parents you won’t even feel sad--you’ll justify your actions and act like a victim. I’ll take away your looks and pride, your purpose, and especially your future. You’ll lose everything—your family, your career, your money—and then you’ll be all alone. I’ll ravish your body, destroy your health, control your mind…I’ll own you completely. I’ll have nightmares waiting for you in bed, and sweats, shakes, visions of damnation. You’ll regret that you tried me, but you came to me, not I to you. You knew this would happen, you could’ve walked away. I can bring you more misery that words can express. Come take my hand and let me lead you to Hell.

Political considerations, by Kevin DeYoung

Imagine your life were an open book. Every conversation recorded. Every errant word written down. Every gaffe broadcast before all. What if everything you ever did was fair game? What if every action and every decision were held up to the severest scrutiny? What if all your last minute apologies failed to satisfy? How would you feel to realize someone knew everything about your past? And someone was chronicling everything about your present? How would you like to face a barrage of questions for every inconsistency in your life? What a fearful proposition: anything you ever say or ever do can, and often will, be held against you. If an adversary so desired, he could paint an ugly picture of any of us. And without resorting to lies. It’s a scary thought to think that your whole life could be an open book. With defenses that do not hold, and sorry’s that do not stick, and excuses which only make things worse. That’s politics. And that’s the day of judgment without the blood of Christ.

Church History

In seminary my favorite subject was Church History, for two reasons: it was fascinating, and totally new to me. I didn't know a thing about what had happened in the Church since the Book of Acts. I wasn't alone in my ignorance; most Protestants know little about the heroes of church history. If you're Lutheran, you likely know about Luther; if you're Presbyterian, you've likely heard of John Calvin; if you're Baptist, Spurgeon's name should sound familiar. But for the most part, I've found that church people don't know church history. Our Catholic friends have the saints, which gives them an awareness of what's gone on...but since we don't venerate people, we've neglected to talk about them. I've tried to correct this by having books on church history here in my church library, and to occasionally preach a biographical sermon on a significant figure in church history. And I don't limit the list to Congregationalists. Over the 13 years that I've been here I've given bio sermons on: George Whitfield, John Knox, David Livingstone, Eric Liddle, Joshua Lawrence Chamberlin, C.S. Lewis, John Calvin, William Bradford, St Francis, St Patrick, St Augustine, St Nicholas, Martin Luther, Adonirum Judson, Charles Spurgeon, John Bunyan, J.S. Bach, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, John Newton, John Bunyan, Suzanna Wesley, D.L. Moody, Jonathan Edwards, and the Four Chaplains of the Dorchester...and I hope to do more in the months & years to come. The lives of these anointed individuals are inspiring and instructive.