Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence

Let all mortal flesh keep silence,

And with fear and trembling stand;

Ponder nothing earthly minded,

For with blessing in his hand.

Christ our God to earth descended, 

Our full homage to demand.

King of kings yet born of Mary,

As of old on earth he stood,

Lord of lords in human vesture,

In the body and the blood;

He will give to all the faithful

His own self for Heav'nly food.

Rank on rank the Host of Heaven,

Spreads its vanguard on the way.

As the Light of lights descended

From the realms of endless day,

That the powers of hell may vanish

As the darkness clears away.

At his feet the six-winged seraph,

Cherubim with sleepless eye,

Veil their faces to the presence,

As with ceaseless voice they cry:

Alleluia, Alleluia,

Alleluia, Lord most High.

Liturgy of St. James

5th Century

Art by Rembrandt

Life's Clock

"See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools 

but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil." 

--Ephesians 5:15-16

The clock of life is wound but once,

And no man has the power

To tell just where the hands will stop--

At late or early hour.

To lose one's wealth is sad indeed,

To lose one's health is more,

To lose one's soul is such a loss

As no man can restore.

The present only is our own,

Live for Christ with a will;

Place no faith in tomorrow,

For the clock may then be still.

beauty v2

"for there is no respect of persons with God." ~ Romans 2:11

"but if ye have respect to persons, ye commit sin, and are convinced of the law as transgressors." ~ James 2:9

In Greek mythology, Paris was called to judge which of three goddesses, Aphrodite, Hera, and Pallas Athene was the fairest. Eris, the goddess of discord, started the trouble when she appeared at a wedding and threw down a golden apple inscribed with the words "For the Fairest." The result of this action was a disrupted wedding and later a war, as Paris abducted Helen to Troy. The gods were unable to make the decision of who was the fairest and Paris' task was not easy. Hera offered him wealth and power to pick her, and Athene promised honor and glory. The ultimate bribe, however, came from Aphrodite, who guaranteed him the most beautiful woman on earth for his wife - Helen. Needless to say, Paris ended this beauty contest in favor of Aphrodite. 

Like the ancient Greeks, we moderns ascribe a high value to beauty and like them, we have been unable to determine the concept of beauty itself. Almost everyone is involved in the pursuit of beauty. Its significance for the individual can be judged by the time spent in the gym and in front of the mirror. To a great extent, advertising tells us who we are and who we should be. It tells us that the most important thing about women is how we look. We are surrounded with the image of the ideal female beauty so we all learn exactly how important it is for a woman to be beautiful and precisely what that will take. Technology has progressed so much that we are now able to retouch images and present us with ideals that are unrealistic, inhuman, and impossible to achieve. This "perfect beauty" is just an illusion yet young and old alike try to achieve this unachievable standard that our culture has imposed upon us. This has been happening throughout history and women have done some horrible things to themselves in order to fit into their culture's ideal of "beauty."

All throughout the olden days, women put their health at risk with many of their homemade cosmetics. In some cultures, for example, women used arsenic, lead, mercury, and even leeches to give themselves the pale appearance that was deemed beautiful in that point in time.

Japanese women in the 3rd century lacquered their teeth black with a blend of iron filings, oak apples, and sake or tea. Roman and Greek women reportedly soaked in bathes of crocodile feces and mud to achieve soft skin. The Greek physician Galen, who made the first cold cream, notes that "ladies dedicated to luxury" preferred a crocodile dung mask. The moulding of the skull and the practice of head flattening was common among Mayan society. The head was flattened by putting a newborn infant's head between 2 wooden boards, creating a mousetrap-like cradle that was held in place with bindings. The baby's soft skull slowly moulded to the cultural beauty ideal of flatness and after a few years, the boards were removed permanently. Elongated heads have also been as popular as flattened heads -- a Congo woman with an elongated head would be thought of as very beautiful by her people. A Chad woman would have had her lips supported and stretched by metal rings since early childhood and in adulthood, her stretched lips would express the ultimate beauty.

Georgian woman

Women of the Georgian High Society (England 1740-1830) looked beautiful in their satins and silks
but they hardly ever washed themselves. Because sanitation was still quite uncommon, they preferred to douse their clothes, bodies, and belongings in toilet waters and perfumes. They wore scented pomanders and carried small perfume bottles about in their person. False hair was commonly used and it took a long time to dress their hair exceedingly high. They expected it to last at least a week, preferably longer, and often slept sitting to keep the style in place. Since hygiene was poor, lice in their hair and everlasting headaches became a fact of life. They had false teeth, hair, bosoms, calves, and induced large eyes which they made to falsely dilate by using belladonna taken from the deadly nightshade plant. They were a walking deception.

victorian corset

Sometime later, Victorian women had to endure much pain and suffering because of an article of dress called the "corset." They "trained" their waist over a period of a few years by gradual increments of the lacing. Some went so far that they could only breathe with the top part of their lungs. This caused the bottom part of their lungs to fill with mucus and symptoms of this included a slight but persistent cough and heavy breathing that caused a heaving appearance of the bosom. It would take about a year of not wearing a corset for the internal organs to settle back to their normal positions.

Perhaps the most horrible of all these evils was foot binding. In China, until about a century ago, small dainty feet were considered beautiful. The desire to be be beautiful went so far as to break and bind the feet of their baby girls with meters of cloth to stop them from growing so they would resemble a "three-inch golden lotus" at a time when normal big feet were considered alien to feudal virtues. The process was started before the arch of the foot had a chance to develop fully, usually between the ages of two and five. To enable the size of the feet to be reduced, the toes on each foot were curled under and pressed with a great force downwards and squeezed into the sole of the foot until the toes broke. The broken toes were held tightly against the sole of the foot while the foot was then drawn down straight with the leg, causing the arch to be forcibly broken. This was all carried out without the use of any method of pain relief and was thus extremely painful for the girl being bound. The actual binding of the feet was then

chinese women's shoes

begun -- the bandages were repeatedly wound in a figure-eight movement, starting at the inside of the foot at the instep, then carried over the toes, under the foot, and around the heal, the freshly broken toes being pressed tightly into the sole of the foot. When the binding was completed, the girl was required to stand on her freshly broken and bound feet to further crush them into shape. The girl's broken feet required a great deal of care and attention and would be unbound regularly. Whilst
unbound, the girl's feet were often beaten, especially on the soles, to ensure that her feet remained broken and flexible. This unbinding and rebinding ritual was repeated as often as possible. For the rich at least once daily, but, for poor peasants two or three times a week.
The most common problem with bound feet was infection. Despite the amount of care taken in regularly trimming the toenails, they would often in-grow, becoming infected and causing injuries to the toes. Sometimes for this reason the girl's toenails would be peeled back and removed altogether.  If the infection in the feet and toes entered the bones, it could cause them to soften, which could result in toes dropping off — occasionally, this was seen as a positive, as the feet could then be bound even more tightly. Girls whose toes were more fleshy would sometimes have shards of glass or pieces of broken tiles inserted within the binding next to her feet and between her toes to cause injury and introduce infection deliberately. Disease inevitably followed infection, meaning that death from septic shock could result from foot-binding, but a surviving girl was more at risk for medical problems as she grew older.

The standards of beauty have changed over time, based on changing cultural values. What is considered beautiful in the eyes of one race may be thought absolutely shocking in the next. The question that comes to mind is "why?" Why do women suffer so for the sake of beauty? Why do they do just about anything and everything to fit into their culture's idea of beauty? Could it be because we react more favorably to physically attractive people (according to our understanding of attractiveness)?
Studies do show that attractive people have distinct advantages in their communities. In our society, attractive children are more popular among classmates and teachers alike. Teachers give a higher evaluation to the work of more attractive children, and attractive applicants have a better chance of getting jobs and receiving higher salaries. In court, attractive people are found guilty less often and when found guilty, receive less severe sentences. This is showing favoritism and it's so easy to fall into judging others solely on their outward appearance, treating them according to that.

It's so easy to just look outwardly and be partial, putting everyone into some kind of category and ranking ourselves based on our looks, wardrobe, and material possessions. All of these things are of no consequence to God and of no significance at all. He is absolutely and totally impartial in His dealings with humanity.
And that is how we should be also.

(part two of the reposting the somethings I wrote about beauty when I was 11.)

History of Medicine Part I

Throughout human history, medicine and medical care has been critical for many civilizations. The first known doctor is Imhotep.

He is also credited with being the founder of ancient Egyptian medicine. He was  known as a politician, astronomer, architect, and physician. He also designed the 1st pyramid for a 3rd dynasty Egyptian Pharaoh -

Imhotep was considered so important, that after his death, he was worshipped as the god of healing.

 The primary duty of an Egyptian doctor was to prepare bodies for the afterlife. Ancient Egyptian doctors and priests believed that disease was caused by spiritual beings.When no-one could explain why someone had a disease, spells and magic potions were used to drive out the spirits. The ancient Egyptian physicians took more care in preserving the body, and keeping it free from decay, more than keeping it from diseases during life.  Although Egyptian medicine, to a good extent, dealt with the supernatural, it eventually developed a practical use in the fields of anatomy, and public health. Herodotus, known as the “Father of History,” described the Egyptians as “Healthiest of all men” due to the dry climate and the notable public health system that they possessed.

  A more famous ancient physician is, Hippocrates. A Greek, born in 460 B.C., in the island of Kos. He needed all the boldness he could get, to change how doctors practiced medicine. Other doctors based their healing art, upon the belief that evil spirits, hateful demons, and vengeful gods, struck people with diseases. Invisible arrows, shot by the Greek god, Apollo, were thought to have caused pain. One treatment for disease required the victim to travel to one of the many pagan temples, and offer a sacrifice. Then, he had to sleep there, to dream away the sickness.  Hippocrates visited Egypt, and there he studied medicine. Eventually, he returned home, and began a school of medicine in Kos. Hippocrates taught methods that seemed strange to other doctors, who treated their patients with chanting and magic potions. He believed every disease had a natural cause. He gained the confidence with patients and put their mind at ease, by instructed students to find as much as possible about them. The older doctors did not agree with that - they expected  patients to sacrifice to greek gods and goddesses at the many pagan temples

“The gods will be angry” They warned. “The gods will punish doctors and patients that dared to defy them.” Hippocrates also made changes in how physicians looked upon their profession.  During his time, a doctor was sometimes bribed to see that a patient died, or asked to prepare poison to kill an enemy. Hippocrates taught against such improper conduct. He taught his students to treat everybody the same - friends and enemies, rich and poor. “Sometimes give your services for free,” He urged. “For were there is love of man, there is also love of medicine.” He drew up a statement describing proper conduct. The Pledge, was called the Hippocratic oath, and medical students still take it upon completion of their course of training. Hippocrates, the remarkable physician of Kos, is still considered the greatest physician the world has ever known. His advice to doctors is still taught in medical schools today. He is rightly called the “Father of modern Medicine.”

The Garden on the Sand

Once on a time some little hands 

Planted a garden on the sands;

And with a wish to keep it dry,

They raised a wall five inches high.

Within the wall and round the walks;

They made a fence of slender stalks;

And then they formed an arbour cool,

And dug in front a tiny pool.

Their beds were oval, round and square,

Thrown up and trimmed with decent care.

In these they planted laurel twigs,

And prickly holly, little springs

Of ash and poplar, and  for show,

Bright daffodils, and heart's ease low;

With pink-edged daisies by the score,

And buttercups and many more.

One rose they found with great delight,

And strack it in with all their might.

This finished, then they went away,

Resolved to come another day.

The sea, meanwhile, with solemn roar,

Approached and washed the sandy shore;

But all this time it did not touch

The little spot they loved so much;

And many strangers passing by,

The garden spied with smiling eye,

But no one ventured to disturb

A single plant, or flower, or herb.

Still, when the children came again, 

They found their labour all in vain;

The flowers were dropping side by side;

The rose and heart's ease-all had died;

No one could make them grow or shoot,

Because they had not got a root;

And then the soil it was so bed,

They must have withered if they had.

Now so it is that children fail,

Just like the garden in my tale;

They have good wishes, pleasant looks;

Are busy with their work and books;

Their conduct often gives delight,

And you may fancy all was right:

But by-and-by, with sad surprise,

We see how all this goodness dies;

Instead of being rich with fruit

They fade away for want of root.

Oh, pray, that He who only can

Renew the heart of fallen man,

May plant you in His pleasant ground,

Where trees of righteousness abound.

So, shall ye be, in early youth,

"Rooted and grounded in the truth!"

ANON

Life's Path

Many go down life's path with lofty plans

To amass a great fortune of houses and lands

And to live a life of pleasure and ease, 

Thinking happiness can be found in these.

Others pursue power and worldwide fame

To be known by all and win their acclaim.

But those without God who attain these goals

Soon find emptiness remains in their souls.

They could not find true happiness

For life's void cannot be filled with this.

If only they realized this will not last

Since life is fleeting and will soon be past.

Wealth, worldly pleasure, fame, and power

Will all be gone at death's dark hour.

And beyond the grave when eternity begins

Those unsaved will be judged for their sins!

If only they would believe in God's Son

And repent of the sinful deeds they've done,

Then they could go down life's path

Not needing to worry about God's wrath.

They would have the joy they longed for,

Inner peace, contentment, and much more

For when their lives on earth shall end

Heavenly bliss would at once begin!

— Perry Boardman

George Müller

George Müller was born on September 27, 1805, in Kroppenstaedt, Prussia (Northern Germany). His father was a tax collector. George and his brother learnt many worldly principles from him. Because of this, they slipped easily into many sins. Before George was 10, he had repeatedly stolen governmental money, and forced his father to pay for the loss. When he was 11, his father wanted him to become a clergyman. Not that he would serve God in doing so, but that he would lead a comfortable and luxurious life. He was then sent to Cathedral school in Halberstadt to prepare for study at the University. He mastered six languages, including Latin and Greek. When George was 14, his mother suddenly died while he was drinking and gambling. Her death made no lasting impression on him, instead he grew worse.

Three days before his confirmation and communion, he was guilty of gross immorality, and lied to the priest rather than confess his sins.

Studying, reading novels, and indulging in sinful practices were his favorite pastimes.

On one occasion, George saw one of his former classmates - Beta. It appeared wise to him to chose him as a friend, thinking that this friendship will improve his conduct. But Beta was a backslider, who wanted to enjoy the world.

Sometime later Beta told him that he started attending a Christian home study, were they sang, prayed, read the Bible, and a printed sermon. When George heard that, he felt as if he found the  treasure he’d been looking for all his life. He attended the next meeting, and before it was  over, Mr. Kayser, a missionary in Africa, knelt and prayed. George was amazed! He had never seen such humility! For the first time in his life, he saw someone pray, not reading from a book, but kneeling as before a king, eyes closed and head bowed, praying from the heart.

A happy, changed, Christian young man walked home that night. This decision changed his life drastically. All his pleasures could not compare with that evening. God began a work of grace in him, and that was the turning point of his life. Although he did not give up all his sins at once, his life became very different. He started reading  missionary newsletters, and was inspired to become a missionary himself.

A few months later, he met a well-educated and wealthy man, who chose to work in Poland among  the Jews as a missionary, rather than live comfortably in his fatherland with his family. His example made a deep impression on  Mr.Müller, and for the first time he was able to give his life to God fully without any reservations.

He wrote to his father and brother to tell them how happy he was and to encourage them to seek the Lord. But to his great surprise, they replied  with angry letters.

Later when his former desire to give himself to Missionary service returned, he went to his father to ask his permission. His father was greatly displeased, and reproached him, saying that he had spent so much money on his education hoping to spend his old days with him in comfort. He wept and begged him to change his mind and even went as far a to say that he no longer considered him a son.

One big obstacle stood in the way of George Muller leaving Prussia (to fulfill his dream to become a missionary) - every male Prussian was obligated to serve in the army for 3 years. Those who completed their  studies at the university had only serve one year. There was absolutely no way he could obtain a passport out of the country until he had either served his time or been exempted by the king himself. He hoped that he would be exempted by the king.

Soon, it seemed that the only way would be to become a soldier. But God had his plans. George, being weakened by a former illness, thought he was not fit for military service. The doctors examined him, and agreed. The Chief General himself signed the papers, and George got complete dismissal for life from all military duty.

When he finally reached England (as a missionary) he became ill. After 2 weeks of suffering he recovered.

Towards the close of 1829, he began to doubt whether it was right for him to be supported by the LMS (London Missionary Society).  It seemed unscriptural to him for a servant of Christ to put himself under the control and direction of anyone but the Lord. He then decided to be supported by God alone. George and the LMS exchanged letters upon this subject, and in complete kindness and love, dissolved the relationship. He was now free to preach the gospel wherever the Lord opened a way. More opportunities arose and he rejoiced to serve the Lord Jesus Christ.

When George moved to Teignmouth, he was expecting to preach there for 10 days. During the first evening, a young woman came to know Jesus Christ personally as her savior. This was a very encouraging to him, because the elders didn’t like the sermon. How differently the Lord judges from man.

The next week, after preaching daily at the chapel, the people asked him to stay and be their pastor. So, George decided to stay until he was formally rejected. He preached again on Sunday, although many people didn’t enjoy the sermon. Some left and never returned. Others came who had not been in a habit of attending before. People started searching the scripture, wanting to know whether the things he said were true. George wasn’t a people-pleaser. He wanted to please God, and preach strictly from the Word of God. Explaining the scriptures encouraged the congregation to bring their Bibles to church, and value its importance. George believed that “Simplicity in expression is of utmost importance.” He preached in such a way that even children and people who cannot read can understand. During his time as the pastor of the church, he refused a regular salary, believing that the practice could lead to church members giving out of duty, not desire. He also eliminated the renting of church pews, arguing that it gave unfair prestige to the rich.


Same time later after much prayer, and full conviction that it is better for him to be married, he was  united in marriage to a godly Christian young lady by the name of Miss Mary Groves, on October the 7th, 1830.

Müller moved to Bristol in 1832 to begin working at Bethesda Chapel. Along with Henry Craik, he continued preaching there until his death, even while devoted to his other ministries.

In 1834, he established the Scriptural Knowledge Institution, for the spread  of the Gospel at home and abroad.  The goal he was working toward was for the whole world to be eventually be converted. By the end of February 1835, there were five Day-schools - two for boys and three for girls.

The work of Müller and his wife with orphans began in 1836 with the preparation of their own home for the accommodation of thirty girls.Soon after, three more houses  were furnished, growing the total of children cared for to 130. In 1845, as growth continued, George decided that a separate building designed to house 300 children was necessary, and in 1849 the first  home opened.

By 26 May 1870, 1,722 children were being accommodated in five homes. Every morning after breakfast there was a time of Bible reading and prayer, and every child was given a Bible upon leaving the orphanage, together with a tin trunk containing two changes of clothing. The children were dressed well and educated - Müller even employed a schools inspector to maintain high standards. In fact, many claimed that nearby factories and mines were unable to obtain enough workers because of his efforts in securing apprenticeships, professional training, and domestic service positions for the children old enough to leave the orphanage.

Through all this, Müller never made requests for financial support, nor did he go into debt, even though the five homes cost over £100,000 to build. Many times, he received unsolicited food donations only hours before they were needed to feed the children, further strengthening his faith in God. For example, on one well-documented occasion, they gave thanks for breakfast when all the children were sitting at the table, even though there was nothing to eat in the house. As they finished praying, the baker knocked on the door with sufficient fresh bread to feed everyone.

In 1875, at the age of 70 and after the death of his first wife in 1870 and his marriage to Susannah Grace Sanger in 1871, Müller and Susannah began a 17 year period of missionary travel.

George prayed about everything and expected each prayer to be answered. By prayer alone he provided the food, clothing, housing, and schooling for these children whose parents had died. They experienced both times of plenty and times of poverty, but always they trusted God to be a "Father of the fatherless."  His faith in God strengthened day by day and he spent hours in daily prayer and Bible reading.- indeed, it was his practice, in later years, to read through the entire Bible four times a year.

He once said, "Brethren and sisters, we should live so as to be missed." George Müller died on Wednesday, March 10th, 1898 at the age of 92. The whole city of Bristol was closed for the funeral. Over 2000 orphans marched in the funeral line. People all over the world felt the loss of this dear man.

Here is one more, from his own writing. "I know what a lovely, gracious, bountiful Being God is from the revelation which He has been pleased to make of Himself in His Holy Word . . . Therefore I was satisfied with God, I delighted myself in God; and so it came, that He gave me the desire of my heart." (Psalm 37:4)

beauty v1

"charm is deceitful and beauty is vain, but a woman who fears the Lord will be praised." ~ Proverbs 31:30

What is beauty? What does it mean to be beautiful?

God created us to admire, love, and appreciate beauty. We want beautiful homes and gardens, we want to go to beautiful places, smell beautiful flowers, and ultimately over all, we want to be beautiful.

In the short time I have lived, I have noticed that beauty has tremendous meaning and value to the women in our day. They paint, powder, and dust themselves until they think they look truly beautiful, or rather, until they fit into Hollywood's standards of beauty. Despite how absorbed our culture is with all things beautiful, we often mistake what real beauty is. Too often, we are influenced by the images we see in the media and in the world at large and allow these images to determine for us what is or is not beautiful. 

To desire beauty is not unwomanly but real beauty does not come from the face, but from the heart. There is a beauty that is so deep and lasting that it will shine through the plainest face. A godly, caring, loving character will make any girl beautiful and this is the beauty to be sought and desired. In Proverbs 31:30 God says "charm is deceitful and beauty is vain, but a woman who fears the Lord will be praised."

Let us remember that beauty does not recommend us to God, nor does it show wisdom or goodness. Rather, it is a fickle thing that can be deceitful and even God-given outer beauty can expose the soul to such temptation that it will eventually ruin its virtue. Sometimes beauty can become an object of idolatry. The meaning of "beauty" in Koine Greek was associated with "being of one's hour." A ripe fruit (of its time) was considered beautiful and a young girl blossoming into womanhood is beautiful (in her own time). Consequently, a young woman who is trying to appear older or an older woman trying to appear younger will not be beautiful. 

Beauty is not permanent -- it can be destroyed by various diseases, it will certainly wither with old age, and eventually it will perish. Real beauty, however, will never die, and we should remember that the fear of God reigning in the heart is the real beauty of the soul.