CHRISTIAN BIOGRAPHIES D-F

ABOUT DUNCAN CAMPBELL 

Duncan Campbell was blessed and used by God in Scotland in the early part of this twentieth Century. His chief desire was to see God work powerfully in the lives of His children. His father was a stonemason. His parents had been converted in 1901 when two young women from the Faith Mission visited their village. The Faith Mission, established by John Govan in 1886 in Glasgow, was to play a significant role in Duncan Campbell's life. The fifth of ten children, He was raised as a Christian from an early age. His early jobs including herding cows and working in a grocery store. He was also an accomplished piper who was often called upon to play for various events. It was while playing at a charity event that a deep sense of guilt and emptiness came over him. Leaving the concert he ran into another friend who was feeling the same conviction. Duncan determined to get right with God that very night. As he ventured home, he came along side a meeting hall where he heard his father praying. He entered a stayed for a while, but felt so convicted of his need that he had to leave. At home he found his mother was also praying. Promising God that He would come to him immediately if God would take him, the joy of salvation flooded his soul. The first result of his conversion was his whole-hearted support of the Faith Mission and the beginning of successful soul-winning work.

During WWI he served as a machine-gunner. Later he worked in the Cavalry, in which he was seriously wounded. Believing he was dying, he prayed M'Cheyne's prayer "Lord, make me as holy as a saved sinner can be," upon which he experienced a great power holding him up. As a result he was let out of the service.

Upon returning home he began his soul-winning endeavors again. His parents had hoped he would enter the ministry, but he was unwilling to devote so much time to study. Alternatively, he applied to the Faith Mission and the nine month Bible program offered there.

His first assignment upon graduation was working in Ireland. Later, however, he was transferred back to Scotland to conduct missions in the highlands and the islands. His mode of working was visiting homes, getting to know the people, gaining their trust by helping them in every day tasks, and then holding meetings in buildings close by. The work was not always appreciated, and he spent many nights in prayer for God's blessings upon his work. He preached with much boldness and won many individuals to Christ, even individuals who were considered challenging to reach.

Later he worked on the Island of Skye where a movement of the Holy Spirit took place that was so powerful that even people in the village were being affected by it. Later many revivals would take place on the Scottish Islands, including Barvas on the Island of Lewis where there was a great expectation of revival.

As a result of all of his work, he sometimes experienced difficulties with his health. Because of this, he was eventually given responsibility for the Bible College of the Faith Mission, and served there from 1956 to 1966.

He retired in 1956 and began going on extensive preaching tours. He died in 1971 following a trip to Lausanne, Switzerland.

Source: path2prayer.com/revival-and-the-holy-spirit/duncan-campbell-revivalist

QUOTES BY DUNCAN CAMPBELL

PREACHERS WHO PROCLAIM THIS GLORIOUS THRUTH  

"The preacher who will proclaim this glorious truth and magnify the cleansing power of the blood of Christ will find that his message of full deliverance touches life at every point. He is doing a disservice to his hearers and is dishonoring his God if he substitutes any other theme."  

- Duncan Campbell (1898-1972) Scottish Evangelist 

LIVE IN THE ENJOYMENT OF GOD'S FREE GRACE

"How easy it is to live more or less in the enjoyment of God's free grace, and yet not realize that we are called to fulfill a divinely appointed purpose."

- Duncan Campbell (1898-1972) Scottish Evangelist 

WE ARE CALLED TO FULFILL DIVINELY APPOINTED PURPOSE

"How easy it is to live more or less in the enjoyment of God's free grace, and yet not realize that we are called to fulfill a divinely appointed purpose."

- Duncan Campbell (1898-1972) Scottish Evangelist 

THE HEART SHOULD BE CLEANSED FROM SIN

All that God asks is that the heart should be cleansed from sin, full of love, whether it be the tender heart of a little child, with feeble powers of loving, or of the full-grown man."

- Duncan Campbell (1898-1972) Scottish Evangelist 

WE ARE CALLED TO FULFILL A DIVINELY APPOINTED PURPOSE

"How easy it is to live more or less in the enjoyment of God's free grace, and yet not realize that we are called to fulfill a divinely appointed purpose."

- Duncan Campbell (1898-1972) Scottish Evangelist 

THERE IS A GOSPEL BEING PROCLAIMED TODAY

"There is a kind of gospel being proclaimed today which conveniently accommodates itself to the spirit of the age, and makes no demand for godliness."

- Duncan Campbell (1898-1972) Scottish Evangelist 

DUNCAN CAMPBELL BOOKS AND SERMONS

Duncan Campbell: The Instruments of Revival

"The word we must preach with passionate, personal conviction. It is the word of the Cross, the word of separation, the word of cleansing and the word of judgment. Is there not a need today to proclaim the word of judgment?"

Duncan Campbell: Price and Power of Revival

Chapter 1 - An Unlimited Supernatural Resource

Chapter 2 - An Unlimited Capacity

Chapter 3 - Spiritual Quickening

Chapter 4 - The Unavoidable Gateway

Downloadable PDF

"Consecration is not sanctification, but there can be no sanctification apart from the yielding of self. Someone has said that the essential nature of sin is my claim to my right to myself. Consecration is my relinquishing of that claim. That yielding of myself in the presence of God leads me into the radical experience of what I like to term entire sanctification. So you have the Apostle writing: "Present your bodies a living sacrifice . . . and be not conformed to this world; but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind."

Duncan Campbell: A Divine Resolution

In this wonderful meditation on Caleb's call, "Let us go us," Campbell shows the power of godly resolutions!

Duncan Campbell: The Nature of a God-Sent Revival

"There was at least one man on that island who fulfilled the conditions of that one passage of Scripture, and because he fulfilled the conditions, God, being a covenant-keeping God, must be true to His covenant engagements. And God, to vindicate His own honor, had to listen to the prayers of the parish postman who knelt in a barn for a day. The principles that govern spiritual quickening…Oh, that God may find a people ready to fulfill and to comply with the governing principles relative to spiritual quickening." (Read the rest of Duncan Campbell"s The Nature of a God-Sent Revival)

Duncan Campbell: The Marred Vessel

"I would, however, point out that this life can only be entered through a full and uncalculated yielding of ourselves, without our yielding being hedged round by conditions. Is this the life you desire? If so, are you prepared to place every key in the hands of Christ? I know how possible it is to hand over every key but one, but it is that one held back which determines whether you accept the Lordship of Christ or not. Andrew Murray when addressing a meeting here in Scotland is reported to have said: "It is comparatively easy to win people to a cross, but to a cross that leaves them uncrucified." So I close by asking, are you conscious of failure? If so, will you come to the Saviour now and discover that He can make you again and organize glorious victory on the field of your defeat." (Read all of Duncan Campbell's The Marred Vessel)

God's Answer to the Human Problem

"One thing that surprises me in the life of Christ is the selective power that He manifested. He had no time to waste over things that were not vital. See about the thing that matters! Real strength of moral and spiritual character is both derived and conserved by the refusal of the unimportant. What was the important thing? Was it not to face the Cross? Here I would suggest that this man's difficulty was not in parting with his possessions, but the way in which the world would interpret his act. What would his associates say about the sanity' of a man who would follow an unpopular Leader, of whom it was true that He had nowhere to lay His head?" (Read more from God's Answer to the Human Problem.)

Audio Sermons

Repairing the Wall MP3 Audio Sermon

Source: path2prayer.com/revival-and-the-holy-spirit/duncan-campbell-revivalist

Photo Credit: pbpress.org/blog/the-18th-essay-in-a-noble-company-volume-8-is-adoniram-judson-jr-17881850/

ABOUT EDMUND CLOWNEY

Edmund Prosper Clowney (July 30, 1917 – March 20, 2005) was a theologian, educator, and pastor.

Early life and education

Born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, he earned a Bachelor of Arts from Wheaton College in 1939, a Bachelor of Theology from Westminster Theological Seminary in 1942, a Master of Sacred Theology from Yale Divinity School in 1944, and a Doctor of Divinity from Wheaton College in 1966.

Ministry

Clowney was ordained in the Orthodox Presbyterian Church, and served as pastor for churches in Connecticut, Illinois, and New Jersey from 1942 to 1946. Westminster Theological Seminary invited him to become an assistant professor of practical theology in 1952. In 1966 he became the first president of that seminary, and remained so until 1984, when he became the theologian-in-residence of Trinity Presbyterian Church (part of the Presbyterian Church in America) in Charlottesville, Virginia. In 1990, he moved to Escondido, California where he was adjunct professor at Westminster Seminary California. In 2001 he began a full-time position as associate pastor at Christ the King Presbyterian Church in Houston, Texas. After two years in Texas, Clowney returned to Trinity Presbyterian Church as part-time theologian-in-residence, a position he held until his death in 2005.

Tim Keller has said that Clowney and J. Alec Motyer were "the fathers of my preaching ministry". 

In 1990 a Festschrift was published in his honor. Practical Theology and the Ministry of the Church, 1952-1984: Essays in Honor of Edmund P. Clowney included contributions from Jay E. Adams, William Edgar, Roger Nicole, J. I. Packer, Robert G. Rayburn, and Geoff Thomas.

Clowney married Jean Granger Wright (1920–2008) on August 30, 1942. They had five children.

Source: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edmund_Clowney

QUOTES BY EDMUND CLOWNEY

TRIALS CAUSE US TO DOUBT GOD'S FAITHFULNESS  

“Trials should not surprise us, or cause us to doubt God’s faithfulness. Rather, we should actually be glad for them. God sends trials to strengthen our trust in him so that our faith will not fail. Our trials keep us trusting; they burn away our self confidence and drive us to our Savior.” 

- Edmund Clowney (1917–2005) Theologian, Educator, and Pastor

NO WORTHY WORKMAN IN THE WORD CAN THE EFFORT IT REQUIRES

"Once the necessity and the fruitfulness of the method is recognized, however, no worthy workman in the Word can refuse the effort it requires. He is called as a scribe of the kingdom to bring forth treasures new and old, and any labor that issues in a fuller preaching of Christ has its reward."

- Edmund Clowney (1917–2005) Theologian, Educator, and Pastor

NEVER BEFORE HAS THE WORLD

"Never before has the world been so desperately asking for answers to crucial questions, and never before has the world been so frantically committed to the idea that no answers are possible."

- Edmund Clowney (1917–2005) Theologian, Educator, and Pastor 

GOD SPOKE IN DIVESE MANNERS HAS SPOKEN IN A SON

Yes, to Jesus we come, for with richness of figurative language, wealth of ethical insight, and depth of redemptive-historical grasp we are brought by the Scriptures to Jesus. God spoke in diverse manners has spoken in a Son. What focus in brought to our preaching in this approach."

- Edmund Clowney (1917–2005) Theologian, Educator, and Pastor

PREACHING CHRIST HAS ITS REWARD

"Once the necessity and the fruitfulness of the method is recognized, however, no worthy workman in the Word can refuse the effort it requires. He is called as a scribe of the kingdom to bring forth treasures new and old, and any labor that issues in a fuller preaching of Christ has its reward."

- Edmund Clowney (1917–2005) Theologian, Educator, and Pastor 

EDMUND CLOWNEY BOOKS AND SERMONS 

Preaching and Biblical Theology (ISBN 0-87552-145-2)

Called to the Ministry (ISBN 0-87552-144-4)

Christian Meditation (ISBN 1-57383-227-8)

Doctrine of the Church

The Message of I Peter: The Way of the Cross (The Bible Speaks Series, ISBN 0-8308-1227-X)

The Unfolding Mystery: Discovering Christ in the Old Testament (ISBN 0-87552-174-6)

Preaching Christ in All of Scripture (ISBN 1-58134-452-X)

The Church (Contours of Christian Theology, ISBN 0-8308-1534-1)

How Jesus Transforms the Ten Commandments (ISBN 978-1-59638-036-3)

In addition, he authored many articles, lectures and sermons, including the anonymous humor column "Eutychus and His Pin" (later renamed "Eutychus and His Kin") for the magazine Christianity Today from 1955-60, and Bible studies for the daily devotional Tabletalk.

Photo Credit: reformationanglicanism.blogspot.com/2014/07/30-july-1917-ad-edmund-p-clowney.html

ABOUT ELISABETH ELLIOT

Elisabeth Elliot (née Howard; December 21, 1926 – June 15, 2015) was a Christian author and speaker. Her first husband, Jim Elliot, was killed in 1956 while attempting to make missionary contact with the Auca people (now known as Huaorani; also rendered as Waorani or Waodani) of eastern Ecuador. She later spent two years as a missionary to the tribe members who killed her husband. Returning to the United States after many years in South America, she became widely known as the author of over twenty books and as a speaker. Elliot toured the country, sharing her knowledge and experience, well into her seventies. 

Elisabeth Elliot was born Elisabeth Howard in Brussels, Belgium on December 21, 1926; her family included her missionary parents, four brothers, and one sister. Elisabeth's brothers, Thomas Howard and David Howard, are also authors. 

Her family moved to the Germantown neighborhood of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in the U.S. when she was a few months old. In addition to Philadelphia, she lived in Franconia, New Hampshire and Moorestown, New Jersey. She studied Classical Greek at Wheaton College, believing that it was the best tool to help her with the calling of ultimately translating the New Testament of the Bible into an unknown language. It was at Wheaton where she met Jim Elliot. Before their marriage, Elisabeth took a post-graduate year of specialized studies at Prairie Bible Institute in Alberta, Canada, where a campus prayer chapel was later named in her honor. Jim Elliot and Elisabeth Howard went individually to Ecuador to work with the Quichua (or Quechua) Indians; the two eventually married in 1953 in the city of Quito, Ecuador. In January 1956, her husband Jim was speared to death along with four of his missionary friends while attempting to contact the Huaorani tribe. Their daughter, Valerie (born February 27, 1955), was 10 months old when her father was killed. Elisabeth continued her work with the Quechua for two more years. 

Two Huaorani women living among the Quichua, including one named Dayuma, taught the Huao language to Mrs. Elliot and fellow missionary Rachel Saint. When Dayuma returned to the Huaorani, she created an opening for contact by the missionaries. In October 1958, Mrs. Elliot went to live with the Huaorani with her three-year-old daughter Valerie and with Rachel Saint. 

The Auca/Huaorani gave Elisabeth the tribal name Gikari, Huao for "Woodpecker." She later returned to the Quichua and worked with them until 1963, when she and Valerie returned to the US (Franconia, New Hampshire). 

In 1969, Elisabeth married Addison Leitch, a professor of theology at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary in South Hamilton, Massachusetts. Leitch died in 1973. In the fall of 1974, she became an adjunct professor on the faculty of Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary and for several years taught a popular course entitled "Christian Expression." In 1977, she married Lars Gren, a hospital chaplain. The Grens later worked and traveled together.

In the mid-1970s, she served as one of the stylistic consultants for the committee of the New International Version of the Bible (NIV). She appears on the NIV's list of contributors.

In 1981, Mrs. Gren was appointed writer-in-residence at Gordon College in Wenham, Massachusetts.

From 1988 to 2001, Elisabeth could be heard on a daily radio program, Gateway to Joy, produced by the Good News Broadcasting Association of Lincoln, Nebraska. She almost always opened the program with the phrase, "'You are loved with an everlasting love,' – that's what the Bible says – 'and underneath are the everlasting arms.' This is your friend, Elisabeth Elliot..." Today re-runs of the program may be heard over the Bible Broadcasting Network.

In her later years, she and her third husband stopped traveling, but they continued to keep in touch with the public through email and their website.

Elisabeth Elliot died in Magnolia, Massachusetts on June 15, 2015 at the age of 88. Shortly after her death, Steve Saint, the son of Nate Saint who was killed alongside Elliot's first husband, posted on Facebook about her final victory over "the loss of her mind to dementia" and "her ten year battle with the disease which robbed her of her greatest gift." She was interred at Hamilton Cemetery in Hamilton, Massachusetts. She was survived by her third husband, Lars Gren, a daughter, Valerie Elliot Shepard and Valerie's husband Walter, and eight grandchildren.

Source: wikipedia.org/wiki/Elisabeth_Elliot

QUOTES BY ELISABETH ELLIOT

ON BEHALF OF FIVE WIDOWS

“We have proved beyond any doubt that He means what He says His grace is sufficient, Nothing can separate us from the love of Christ. We pray that if any, anyone is fearing that the cost of discipleship is too great, that they may be given to glimpse that  treasure in heaven promised to all who forsake.” 

– Elisabeth Elliot, on behalf of the five widows of slain missionaries to Ecuador, one year after their deaths Jan 7, 1957. 

HIS PROMISES COVER EVERY IMAGINABLE SITUATION  

"We have ample evidence that the Lord is able to guide. The promises cover every imaginable situation. All we need to do is to take the hand he stretches out."  

- Elisabeth Elliot (1926-2015) Christian Missionary and Writer

REMEMBER HOW HE ASKED FOR HELP IN PERFORMING MIRACLES

"Here lies the tremendous mystery - that God should be all-powerful yet refuse to coerce. He summons us to cooperation. We are honoured in being given the opportunity to participate in his good deeds. Remember how He asked for help in performing his miracles: Fill the waterpots, stretch out your hand, distribute the loaves."

 - Elisabeth Elliot (1926-2015) Christian Missionary and Writer

THE FACT THAT I AM A WOMAN

"The fact that I am a woman does not make me a different kind of Christian, but the fact that I am a Christian makes me a different kind of woman.”

- Elisabeth Elliot (1926-2015) Christian Author and Missionary

GOD HAS A PLAN AND PURPOSE IN ALL THINGS

"To the world at large this was a sad waste of five young lives. But God has His plan and purpose in all things... The prayers of the widows themselves are for the Aucas. We look forward to the day when these savages will join us in Christian praise. Plans were promptly formulated for continuing the work of the martyrs."

- Elisabeth Elliot (1926-2015) Christian Missionary and Writer

IF WE DO ANYTHING TO FURTHER THE KINGDOM

"If we do anything to further the kingdom of God, we may expect to find what Christ found on that road - abuse, indifference, injustice, misunderstanding, trouble of some kind. Take it. Why not? To that you were called. In Latin America someone who feels sorry for himself is said to look like a donkey in a downpour. If we think of the glorious fact that we are on the same path with Jesus, we might see a rainbow."

-  Elisabeth Elliot (1926-2015) Christian Missionary and Writer

WORRY IS THE ANTITHESIS OF TRUST

"Worry is the antithesis of trust. You simply cannot do both. They are mutually exclusive."

- Elisabeth Elliot (1926-2015) Missionary and Writer

EATING THE BREAD OF ANXIOS TOIL 

"It is in vain that you rise up early and go late to rest, eating the bread of anxious toil; for he gives to his beloved sleep."  

- Psalm 127:2

OUR VISION IS SO LIMITED

"Our vision is so limited we can hardly imagine a love that does not show itself in protection from suffering.... The love of God did not protect His own Son.... He will not necessarily protect us - not from anything it takes to make us like His Son. A lot of hammering and chiseling and purifying by fire will have to go into the process."

- Elisabeth Elliot (1926-2015) Christian Missionary and Writer

INVISIBLE REALITY OF THE PRESENCE OF GOD 

"To those of us who are not theologians, does it matter whether a thing is ordained or merely allowed? Are events that seem out of control caused by God? Or does He allow them to occur at the hands of human beings? You can spend a lot of time pondering that one and end up pretty much where you started. In either case, the purpose remains the same - our sanctification. God is in the business of making us walking, breathing examples of the invisible reality of the presence of Christ in us."  

- Elisabeth Elliot (1926-2015) Christian  Missionary and Writer

THE WORD OF GOD I THINK OF AS A STRAIGHT EDGE 

"The Word of God I think of as a straight edge, which shows up our own crookedness. We can't really tell how crooked our thinking is until we line it up with the straight edge of Scripture."  

- Elisabeth Elliot (1926-2015) Christian Missionary and Writer

WHERE DOES YOUR SECURITY LIE?

"Where does your security lie? Is God your refuge, your hiding place, your stronghold, your shepherd, your counselor, your friend, your redeemer, your Saviour, your guide? If He is, you don't need to search any further for security."  

- Elisabeth Elliot (1926-2015) Christian Missionary and Writer

SILENCE, AS SOMEONE SAID

"Silence, as someone has said, is the mother of prayer and the nurse of holy thoughts. Silence cuts down on our sins, doesn't it? We can't be sinning in so many different ways if we are being quiet before God. Silence nourishes patience, charity, discretion."

- Elisabeth Elliot (1926-2015) Christian Missionary and Writer

ONLY GOD CAN LOOK ON THE HEART

"The clothes we wear are what people see. Only God can look on the heart. The outward signs are important. They reveal something of what is inside. If charity is there, it will become visible outwardly, but if you have no charitable feelings, you can still obey the command. Put it on as simply and consciously as you put on a coat. You choose it; you pick it up; you put it on. This is what you want to wear."

- Elisabeth Elliot (1926-2015) Christian Missionary and Writer

JOY IS FOUND IN SELF-ABANDONEMENT  

"The world looks for happiness through self-assertion. The Christian knows that joy is found in self-abandonment. 'If a man will let himself be lost for My sake,' Jesus said, 'he will find his true self.'  

- Elisabeth Elliot (1926-2015) Christian  Missionary and Writer

WHEN I AM IN THE NEED OF REFRESHMENT

"Do you often feel like parched ground, unable to produce anything worthwhile? I do. When I am in need of refreshment, it isn't easy to think of the needs of others. But I have found that if, instead of praying for my own comfort and satisfaction, I ask the Lord to enable me to give to others, an amazing thing often happens - I find my own needs wonderfully met. Refreshment comes in ways I would never have thought of, both for others, and then, incidentally, for myself."

- Elisabeth Elliot (1926-2015) Christian Missionary and Writer

THE SHEPHERD IS FAR MORE WILLING  

"Experience has taught me that the Shepherd is far more willing to show His sheep the path than the sheep are to follow. He is endlessly merciful, patient, tender, and loving. If we, His stupid and wayward sheep, really want to be led, we will without fail be led. Of that I am sure."  

- Elisabeth Elliot (1926-2015) Christian Missionary and Writer

THE TWO WILLS: MY WILL VS GOD'S WILL   

"The only basis of peace is the cessation of the conflict of two wills: my will vs God's."  

- Elisabeth Elliot (1926-2015) Christian Missionary and Writer

TO LIVE A LIFE OF RECKLESS ABANDON FOR THE LORD 

"I have one desire now - to live a life of reckless abandon for the Lord, putting all my energy and strength into it."  

- Elisabeth Elliot (1926-2015) Christian Missionary and Writer

YESTERDAY AND TOMORROW

"One reason we are so harried and hurried is that we make yesterday and tomorrow our business, when all that legitimately concerns us is today. If we really have too much to do, there are some items on the agenda which God did not put there. Let us submit the list to Him and ask Him to indicate which items we must delete. There is always time to do the will of God. If we are too busy to do that, we are too busy."

- Elisabeth Elliot (1926-2015) Christian Missionary and Writer 

ELISABETH ELLIOT BOOKS AND SERMONS 

Shadow of the Almighty: The Life and Testament of Jim Elliot, 1958, ISBN 978-0-06062213-8

Through Gates of Splendor, 1957, ISBN 978-0-84237152-0

These Strange Ashes, 1975, ISBN 978-0800759957

Quest for Love, ISBN 9780800723149

The Savage My Kinsman, 1961, ISBN 978-1569550038

Furnace of the Lord: Reflections on the Redemption of The Holy City, 1969, ISBN 978-0340105979

Twelve Baskets of Crumbs, 1977, ISBN 9780687427024

Let Me Be a Woman, 1977, ISBN 978-0842321624

The Journals of Jim Elliot, 1978, ISBN 978-0800758257

Passion and Purity: Learning to Bring Your Love Life Under God's Control, 1984, ISBN 978-0800758189

Discipline: The Glad Surrender, 1982, ISBN 978-0800731311

Love Has a Price Tag, ISBN 9780830736881

The Mark of a Man, 1981, ISBN 978-0800731328

Keep a Quiet Heart, ISBN 978-0800759902

A Chance to Die: The Life and Legacy of Amy Carmichael, 1987, ISBN 978-0800730895

Path Through Suffering: Discovering the Relationship Between God's Mercy and Our Pain, 1990, ISBN 978-0800724986

The Path of Loneliness: Finding Your Way Through the Wilderness to God, 2001, ISBN 978-0800732066

No Graven Image, 1966, ISBN 978-0891072355

Secure in the Everlasting Arms, ISBN 978-0800759933

The Music of His Promises: Listening to God with Love, Trust, and Obedience, ISBN 978-0800759919

The Shaping of a Christian Family, 1992,ISBN 978-0800731021

God's Guidance: A Slow and Certain Light, 1976, ISBN 978-0876808641

Taking Flight: Wisdom for Your Journey, ISBN 978-0801011801

Be Still My Soul, ISBN 978-0-80075989-6

Suffering Is Never For Nothing, ISBN 978-1-53591415-4

Photo Credit: csuitemind.com/biography/show/elisabeth-elliot

ABOUT  F. B. MEYER

Frederick Brotherton Meyer was a Baptist pastor and evangelist, born in England. He was involved in ministry and inner city mission work on both sides of the Atlantic.

He was the founder of Melbourne Hall in Leicester. He also founded the South London Missionary Training College. He was president of both the National and World Sunday School Unions, and the National Union of Christian Endeavour. He wrote over 75 books and many articles.

He was born in London. He attended Brighton College. In 1869 he graduated from the University of London. At Regent’s Park College he studied Theology.

He was part of the Higher Life movement, or Keswick movement, and often preached at the Keswick Convention. (Read notes on* Higher Life movement)

Frederick was known as a crusader against immorality. He preached against the social ills of drunkness, prostitution, unmarried mothers, and unwanted children. He was involved in the Blue Ribbon movement (prohibition).

In 1870 he began his first pastorate in Pembroke Baptist Chapel in Liverpool. In 1872 he pastored at Priory Street Baptist Church in York. It was at this time he began his long life friendship with the American evangelist D.I. Moody. He introduced Moody to English churches.

And since one main object of our union is to seek to evangelise the great masses of our population which is outside the ordinary Christian agencies, we desire that each member should as far as possible engage in some branch of Christian work. 23rd September 1978
The Hall was built in 1881 under his leadership- a centre of social and evangelistic activity. (Read notes on Melbourne Hall).

He spent the next 20 years between 2 churches in London.
Regent’s Park Chapel in London 1888-92 and 1909-15
Christ Church CC) in London 1892-1909 and 1915-21
He saw in 2 years the congregation at CC grow from 100 to 2,000.

In June 1916, with Hubert Peet, he visited British conscientious objectors in France. 42 resisting men had been forcibly deported there. 35 were to be court-martialled and formally sentenced to death. All were reprieved.

His evangelical tours included South Africa and Asia. He also visited the USA and Canada several times.

He wrote over 75 books - many are still in print today See’ Works’ for a few titles)

On his retirement he began to travel and preach at conferences and evangelical services. Aged 80 he went to North America. He died aged 81.

The New York Observer described him as a man of *international fame whose services are constantly sought by churches over the wide and increasing empire of Christendom. *

Frederick’s obituary in the The Daily Telegraph described him as *The Archbishop of the Free Churches."

Sources
Melbourne

ONE NIGHT THE FAMOUS TEACHER F. B. MEYER

One night the famous Bible teacher F.B. Meyer stood on the deck of a ship approaching land. As they guided the vessel in, he wondered how the crew knew when to safely steer towards the dock. It was a stormy night, and visibility was low. Meyer, standing on the bridge and peering through the window, asked “Captain, “How do you know when to turn this ship into that narrow harbor?”

“That’s an art,” replied the captain. Do you see those three red lights on the shore? When they are all in a straight line, I go right in!”

Later, F.B Meyer wrote, “When we want to know God’s will, there are three things which always need to line up, the inward impulse, the Word of God, and the trend of circumstances. Never act until these three things agree.”

Source tes.com/en-us/teaching-resource/f-b-meyer-1847-1929-12443314

QUOTES BY F. B. MEYER

I AM GOING HOME A LITTLE SOONER THAN I THOUGHT

"You will tell the others that I am going home a little sooner than I thought. Then tell them not to talk about the servant but to talk about the Savior."

- F. B. Meyer (1847-1929) Baptist Pastor and Evangelist  

WHEN WE ARE BORN AGAIN   

"When we are born again, a new life - the life of God - is put into us by the Holy Spirit. But the old self-life, which is called in Scripture the flesh, is not taken away. The two may coexist in the same heart. "The flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh."  

- F. B. Meyer (1847-1929) Baptist Pastor and Evangelist  

CANNOT BE SATISFIED WITH THE THINGS OF TIME

"God has set Eternity in our heart, and man's infinite capacity cannot be filled or satisfied with the things of time and sense."

- F. B. Meyer (1847-1929) Baptist Pastor and Evangelist

A PLAN DEVELOPING IN OUR LIVES 

"A providence is shaping our ends; a plan is developing in our lives; a supreme and loving Being is making all things work together for good."  

- F. B. Meyer (1847-1929) Baptist Pastor and Evangelist  

FAILURE DISCOVERED IN ONE THREE HIDING PLACES

"If there be, therefore, perpetual failure in your life, it cannot arise from any weakness or impotence in the Mighty God; but from some failure on your part. That failure may probably be discovered in one of three hiding places--imperfect surrender, deficient faith; or neglected communion. But when the intention of the soul is right with God, without doubt He will save."

- F. B. Meyer (1847-1929) Baptist pastor and Evangelist

CANNOT BE SATISFIED WITH THE THINGS OF TIME     

"God has set Eternity in our heart, and man's infinite capacity cannot be filled or satisfied with the things of time and sense."  

- F. B. Meyer (1847-1929) Baptist Pastor and Evangelist 

FALL ON YOUR KNEES AND GROW THERE

"Fall on your knees and grow there. There is no burden of the spirit but is lighter by kneeling under it. Prayer means not always talking to Him, but waiting before Him till the dust settles and the stream runs clear."

- F. B. Meyer (1847-1929) Baptist Pastor and Evangelist 

UNTIL YOU HAVE SEEN THE FACE OF GOD

"Watch the morning watch. Do not see the face of man until you have seen the face of God. Before you enter on the day with its temptations, look up into His face and hide His Word in your heart."

- F. B. Meyer (1847-1929) Baptist Pastor and Evangelist 

CHARACTER BEING CORRODED BY UNFAITHFULNESS  

"It is impossible to be our best at the supreme moment if character is corroded and eaten into by daily inconsistency, unfaithfulness, and besetting sin."  

- F. B. Meyer (1847-1929) Baptist Pastor and Evangelist

CANNOT BE SATISFIED WITH THE THINGS OF TIME

"God has set Eternity in our heart, and man's infinite capacity cannot be filled or satisfied with the things of time and sense."

- F. B. Meyer (1847-1929) Baptist Pastor and Evangelist

ABIDE IN CHRIST WITH HEART OPEN

"Let each of us learn to abide in Christ with the heart open to Him on the one hand, and open to men, women and children on the other."

- F. B. Meyer (1847-1929) Baptist Pastor and Evangelist  

SENSUAL INDULGENCE IS THE SUREST WAY TO NATIONAL RUIN

“There is no sin [unchastity] which will sooner bring  about a nation’s fall. If history teaches anything, it teaches that sensual indulgence is the surest way to national ruin. Society, in not  condemning this sin, condemns itself.” 

- F. B. Meyer (1847-1929) Baptist Pastor and Evangelist

THEREFORE IF THERE BE PERPETUAL FAILURE IN YOUR LIFE

"If there be, therefore, perpetual failure in your life, it cannot arise from any weakness or impotence in the Mighty God; but from some failure on your part. That failure may probably be discovered in one of three hiding places--imperfect surrender, deficient faith; or neglected communion. But when the intention of the soul is right with God, without doubt He will save."

- F. B. Meyer (1847-1929) Baptist Pastor and Evangelist

F. B. MEYER BOOKS AND SERMONS

• Meyer, F. B. (Frederick Brotherton), 1847-1929: Israel, a Prince With God: The Story of Jacob Retold (New York and Chicago: F. H. Revell, Co., ca. 1891) 
• Meyer, F. B. (Frederick Brotherton), 1847-1929: The Secret of Guidance (HTML at CCEL)
• Meyer, F. B. (Frederick Brotherton), 1847-1929: The Way into the Holiest: Expositions of the Epistle to the Hebrews (multiple formats with commentary at CCEL)
• Meyer, F. B. (Frederick Brotherton), 1847-1929: Abraham; or, The obedience of faith. (New York, F. H. Revell Co., [189-?]) (page images at HathiTrust)
• Meyer, F. B. (Frederick Brotherton), 1847-1929: Back to Bethel : separation from sin, and fellowship with God / (Chicago : Bible Institute Colportage Asso., c1901)
• Meyer, F. B. (Frederick Brotherton), 1847-1929: The bells of Is, or, Voices of human need and sorrow : echoes from my early pastorate / (New York : Fleming H. Revell, c1894)
• Meyer, F. B. (Frederick Brotherton), 1847-1929: Calvary to Pentecost / (New York : Revell, [1894?]) (page images at HathiTrust)
• Meyer, F. B. (Frederick Brotherton), 1847-1929: A castaway, and other addresses, (Chicago, The Bible institute colportage association, [c1897]) 
• Meyer, F. B. (Frederick Brotherton), 1847-1929: Cheer for life's pilgrimage (New York : Fleming H. Revell, c1897) (page images at HathiTrust)
• Meyer, F. B. (Frederick Brotherton), 1847-1929: Christ in Isaiah : expositons of Isaiah XL-LV / (New York ; Chicago : F.H. Revell, 1895) (page images at HathiTrust)
• Meyer, F. B. (Frederick Brotherton), 1847-1929: Christian living. (New York Chicago, F.H. Revell company, [189-?]) (page images at HathiTrust)
• Meyer, F. B. (Frederick Brotherton), 1847-1929: Christian living / (London : Morgan and Scott, [1902?]) (page images at HathiTrust)
• Meyer, F. B. (Frederick Brotherton), 1847-1929: Clean and strong; a book for young men, (Boston, United Society of Christian Endeavor, [c1909]), also by Elisha Alonzo King 
• Meyer, F. B. (Frederick Brotherton), 1847-1929: David, shepherd, psalmist, king; (New York, Chicago [etc.] Fleming H. Revell company, [c1895]) (page images at HathiTrust)
• Meyer, F. B. (Frederick Brotherton), 1847-1929: "Der Herr ist mein Hirte" : der Hirten-Psalm / (Berlin n. : Deutsche Evangelische Buch- und Traktat-Gesellschaft, [190-?]) 
• Meyer, F. B. (Frederick Brotherton), 1847-1929: The directory of the devout life; meditations on the Sermon on the mount, (New York, Chicago [etc.] Fleming H. Revell company, [1904]) (page images at HathiTrust)

Source: onlinebooks.library.upenn.edu/webbin/book/lookupname?key=Meyer%2C%20F%2E%20B%2E%20%28Frederick%20Brotherton%29%2C%201847%2D1929

Photo Credit: christianfocus.com/contributors/254/f-b-meyer

ABOUT FANNY CROSBY

FRANCES JANE CROSBY, the daughter of John and Mercy Crosby, was born in Southeast, Putnam County, N.Y., March 24, 1820. She became blind at the age of six weeks from maltreatment of her eyes during a spell of sickness. When she was eight years old she  moved with her parents to Ridgefield, Conn., the family remaining there four years. At the age of fifteen she entered the New York Institution for the Blind, where she received a good education. She became a teacher in the institution in 1847, and continued her work until March 1, 1858. She taught English grammar, rhetoric, Roman and American history. This was the great developing period in her life. During the vacations of 1852 and 1853, spent at North Reading, Mass., she wrote the words to many songs for Dr. Geo. F. Root, then the teacher of music at the blind institution. Among them were “Hazel Dell,” “The Honeysuckle Glen,” “Rosalie, the Prairie Flower,” “Music in the Air,” “Proud World, Goodbye, I'm Going Home,” “All Together,” “Never Forget the Dear Ones,” and others. Subsequently she wrote the words for the cantatas of “The Flower Queen” and "The Pilgrim Fathers,” all of which were very popular in their day, though it was not generally known at the time that she was the author.

While teaching at the institution she met Presidents Van Buren and Tyler, Hon. Henry Clay, Governor Wm. H. Seward, General Winfield Scott, and other distinguished characters of American history. Concerning Mr. Clay, she gives the following: “When Mr. Clay came to the institution during his last visit to New York, I was selected to welcome him with a poem. Six months before he had lost a son at the battle of Monterey, and I had sent him some verses. In my address I carefully avoided any allusion to them, in order not to wound him. When I had finished he drew my arm in his, and, addressing the audience, said through his tears: ‘This is not the first poem for which I am indebted to this lady. Six months ago she sent me some lines on the death of my dear son.’ Both of us were overcome for a few moments. Soon, by a splendid effort, Mr. Clay recovered himself, but I could not control my tears.” In connection with her meeting these notable men, we might add that Miss Fanny Crosby had the honor of being the first woman whose voice was heard publicly in the Senate Chamber at Washington. She read a poem there on one occasion. 

In addition to the thousands of  hymns that she has written (about eight thousand poems in all), many of which have not been set to music, she has published four volumes of verses. The first was issued in 1844, and was entitled The Blind Girl, and Other Poems; a second volume, Monterey, and Other Poems, followed in 1849, and the third, A Wreath of Columbia’s Flowers, in 1858. The fourth, Bells at Evening and Other Verses, with a biographical sketch by Rev. Robert Lowry, and a fine half-tone portrait, in 1897, the sales of which have reached a fourth edition. The book is published by The Biglow & Main Co., New York. Though these show the poetical bent of her mind, they have little to do with her world-wide fame. It is as a writer of Sunday-school songs and gospel hymns that she is known wherever the English language is spoken, and, in fact, wherever any other language is heard.

Fanny was married March 5, 1858, to Alex Van Alstyne, who was also a scholar in the same institution in which she was educated.

She began to write Sunday-school hymns for Wm. B. Bradbury in 1864. Her first hymn, “We are going, we are going / To a home beyond the skies,” was written at the Ponton Hotel on Franklin Street, New York City, on February 5th of that year. This hymn was sung at Mr. Bradbury’s funeral in January, 1868. Since 1864 she has supported herself by writing hymns. She has resided in New York City nearly all her life, where, she says, she is “a member of the Old John Street Methodist Episcopal Church in good standing.” She spends regular hours on certain days at the office of The Biglow & Main Co., the firm for which she does most of her writing, and for whom she has composed over four thousand hymns. Her hymns have been in great demand and have been used by many of our most popular composers, among whom may be mentioned Wm. B. Bradbury, Geo. F. Root, W.H. Doane, Rev. Robert Lowry, Ira D. Sankey, J.R. Sweney, W.J. Kirkpatrick, H.P. Main, H.P. Danks, Philip Phillips, B.G. Unseld, and others. 

She can compose at any time and does not need to wait for any special inspiration, and her best hymns have come on the spur of the moment. She always composes with an open book in her hand, generally a copy of Golden Hymns, held closely over her eyes, bottom side up. She learned to play on the guitar and piano while at the institution, and has a clear soprano voice. She also received a technical training in music, and for this reason she can, and does, compose airs for some of her hymns. One of these is, “Jesus, dear, I come to Thee, Thou hast said I may,” both words and music of which are wonderfully sweet. “Safe in the arms of Jesus,” probably one of her best known hymns, is her own favorite. 

Fanny loves her work, and is happy in it. She is always ready either to sympathize or join in a mirthful conversation, as the case may be. The secret of this contentment dates from her first composition at the age of eight years. “It has been the motto of my life,” she says. It is:

O what a happy soul am I!

Although I cannot see,

I am resolved that in this world

Contented I will be;

How many blessings I enjoy

That other people don’t!

To weep and sigh because I’m blind,

I cannot, and I won’t.

This has continued to be her philosophy. She says that had it not been for her affliction she might not have so good an education, nor so great an influence, and certainly not so fine a memory. She knows a great many portions of the Bible by heart, and had committed to memory the first four books of the Old Testament, and also the four Gospels before she was ten years of age.

Her scope of subjects is wide, embracing everything from a contemplation of heaven, as in “The Bright Forever” and “The Blessed Homeland,” to an appeal to the work of this world, as in “To the Work” and “Rescue the Perishing.” The most of Fanny’s published hymns have appeared under the name of Fanny J. Crosby or Mrs. Van Alstyne, but quite a large number have appeared under the nom de plumes of Grace J. Frances, Mrs. C.M. Wilson, Lizzie Edwards, Ella Dale, Henrietta E. Blair, Rose Atherton, Maud Marion, Leah Carlton, nearly two hundred different names.

Among her most widely-known hymns may be named the following: “There’s a cry from Macedonia,” “I feel like singing all the time,” “Never be afraid to speak for Jesus,” “Lord, at Thy mercy seat,” “Jesus the water of life will give,” “‘Give,’ said the little stream,” “We are marching on with shield and banner bright,” “Pass me not, O gentle Saviour,” “Jesus, keep me near the cross,” “Rescue the Perishing,” “Sing with a tuneful spirit,” “Praise Him, Praise Him,” “To the work, to the work,” “The Bright Forever,” “Blessed Assurance,” “Close to Thee,” “Blessed Homeland,” “Saved by Grace,” “Thy word is a lamp to my feet, Lord,” “Hast thou trimmed thy lamp, my brother?” “Never say good-bye.”

Mr. Van Alstyne (her husband) was said to be a good musician. He died in 1902. Fanny is extremely young for her age, and she laughingly avers that she “will live to be 103.” When her time comes to pass into the glory-world, her eyes will be opened, and she “shall see Him face to face, and tell the story—Saved by grace.”

by J.H. Hall

Biography of Gospel Song and Hymn Writers (1914)

Source: hymnologyarchive.com/fanny-crosby

QUOTES BY FANNY CROSBY

Though blind­ed by an in­com­pe­tent doc­tor at six weeks of age, she wrote ov­er 8,000 hymns. About her blind­ness, Fan­ny said:

THE BLESSED PROVIDENCE OF GOD

"It seemed in­tend­ed by the bless­ed pro­vi­dence of God that I should be blind all my life, and I thank him for the dis­pen­sa­tion."

- Fanny Crosby (1844-1915) American Mission Worker  

IF PERFECT SIGHT WAS OFFERED TO ME TOMORROW

"If per­fect earth­ly sight were of­fered me to­mor­row I would not ac­cept it. I might not have sung hymns to the praise of God if I had been dis­trac­ted by the beau­ti­ful and in­ter­est­ing things about me."

- Fanny Crosby (1844-1915) American Mission Worker  

OH WHAT A HAPPY SOUL I AM ALTHOUGH I CANNOT SEE

"Oh what a happy soul am I although I cannot see, I am resolved that in this world contented I shall be. How many blessings I enjoy that other people don't. To weep and sigh, because I'm blind? I cannot and I won't."

- Fanny Crosby (1844-1915) Blind American Mission Worker, Poet 

FANNY CROSBY BOOKS AND SERMONS

[Carleton, Will]. Fanny Crosby's Life-Story. New York, NY: Every Where Publishing Company, 1903.

Memories of Eighty Years. Boston, MA: James H. Earle & Company, 1906.

Keller, Cozette; Fanny Crosby, and William Howard Doane. Safe in the Arms of Jesus: Illustrated Pantomimed Hymn. Edgar S. Werner, 1917.

This is My Story, This Is My Song, 1906. ISBN 978-1-898787-41-9.

Books of poetry

The Blind Girl. Wiley & Putnam, 1844.

Monterey and Other Poems. R. Craighead, 1851.

A Wreath of Columbia’s Flowers. H. Dayton, 1858.

Bells at Evening and Other Verses; with Biographical Sketch by Robert Lowry. New York, NY: Biglow & Main, 1897; 3rd ed., New York, NY and Chicago, IL: Biglow & Main, 1899.

Photo Credit: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fanny_Crosby

ABOUT FRANCIS OF ASSISI

The patron saint of Italy, Francis of Assisi was a poor little man who astounded and inspired the Church by taking the gospel literally—not in a narrow fundamentalist sense, but by actually following all that Jesus said and did, joyfully, without limit, and without a sense of self-importance.

Serious illness brought the young Francis to see the emptiness of his frolicking life as leader of Assisi’s youth. Prayer—lengthy and difficult—led him to a self-emptying like that of Christ, climaxed by embracing a leper he met on the road. It symbolized his complete obedience to what he had heard in prayer: “Francis! Everything you have loved and desired in the flesh it is your duty to despise and hate, if you wish to know my will. And when you have begun this, all that now seems sweet and lovely to you will become intolerable and bitter, but all that you used to avoid will turn itself to great sweetness and exceeding joy.”

From the cross in the neglected field-chapel of San Damiano, Christ told him, “Francis, go out and build up my house, for it is nearly falling down.” Francis became the totally poor and humble workman.

He must have suspected a deeper meaning to “build up my house.” But he would have been content to be for the rest of his life the poor “nothing” man actually putting brick on brick in abandoned chapels. He gave up all his possessions, piling even his clothes before his earthly father—who was demanding restitution for Francis’ “gifts” to the poor—so that he would be totally free to say, “Our Father in heaven.” He was, for a time, considered to be a religious fanatic, begging from door to door when he could not get money for his work, evoking sadness or disgust to the hearts of his former friends, ridicule from the unthinking.

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But genuineness will tell. A few people began to realize that this man was actually trying to be Christian. He really believed what Jesus said: “Announce the kingdom! Possess no gold or silver or copper in your purses, no traveling bag, no sandals, no staff” (Luke 9:1-3).

Francis’ first rule for his followers was a collection of texts from the Gospels. He had no intention of founding an order, but once it began he protected it and accepted all the legal structures needed to support it. His devotion and loyalty to the Church were absolute and highly exemplary at a time when various movements of reform tended to break the Church’s unity.

Francis was torn between a life devoted entirely to prayer and a life of active preaching of the Good News. He decided in favor of the latter, but always returned to solitude when he could. He wanted to be a missionary in Syria or in Africa, but was prevented by shipwreck and illness in both cases. He did try to convert the sultan of Egypt during the Fifth Crusade.

During the last years of his relatively short life, he died at 44, Francis was half blind and seriously ill. Two years before his death he received the stigmata, the real and painful wounds of Christ in his hands, feet and side.

On his deathbed, Francis said over and over again the last addition to his Canticle of the Sun, “Be praised, O Lord, for our Sister Death.” He sang Psalm 141, and at the end asked his superior’s permission to have his clothes removed when the last hour came in order that he could expire lying naked on the earth, in imitation of his Lord.

Reflection

Francis of Assisi was poor only that he might be Christ-like. He recognized creation as another manifestation of the beauty of God. In 1979, he was named patron of ecology. He did great penance—apologizing to “Brother Body” later in life—that he might be totally disciplined for the will of God. Francis’ poverty had a sister, Humility, by which he meant total dependence on the good God. But all this was, as it were, preliminary to the heart of his spirituality: living the gospel life, summed up in the charity of Jesus and perfectly expressed in the Eucharist.

Saint Francis of Assisi is the Patron Saint of:

Animals

Archaeologists

Ecology

Italy

Merchants

Messengers

Metal Workers

Source: franciscanmedia.org/saint-of-the-day/saint-francis-of-assisi/

QUOTES BY FRANCIS OF ASSISI

BE PRAISED, MY LORD THROUGH ALL YOUR CREATURES

"Be praised, my Lord, through all your creatures, especially through my lord Brother Sun, who brings the day; and you give light through him. And he is beautiful and radiant in all his splendor! Of you, Most High, he bears the likeness."

- Francis of Assisi (1181-1226) Founder of all Franciscan Orders 

LET EVERY MAN ABIDE

Let every man abide in the art or employment wherein he was called. And for their labor they may receive all necessary things, except money. ... Let none of the brothers, wherever he may be or whithersoever he may go, carry or receive money or coin in any manner, or cause it to be received, either for clothing, or for books, or as the price of any labor, or indeed for any reason, except on account of the manifest necessity of the sick brothers. For we ought not to have more use and esteem of money and coin than of stones. And the devil seeks to blind those who desire or value it more than stones. Let us therefore take care lest after having left all things we lose the kingdom of heaven for such a trifle. And if we should chance to find money in any place, let us no more regard it than the dust we tread under our feet."

- Francis of Assisi (1181-1226) Founder of all Franciscan Orders

IT IS IN DYING WE ARE BORN TO ETERNAL LIFE

“Instrument of Your Peace Lord, make me an instrument of your peace. Where there is hatred, let me sow love; where there is injury, pardon; where there is doubt, faith; where there is despair, hope; where there is darkness, light; and where there is sadness, joy. O Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console; to be understood as to understand; to be loved as to love. For it is in giving that we receive; it is in pardoning that we are pardoned; and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life. Amen.”

- Francis of Assisi (1181-1226) Founder of all Franciscan Orders

WE HAVE A HIGHER MISSION BRETHERAN

“Not to hurt our humble brethren is our first duty to them, but to stop there is not enough. We have a higher mission, to be of service to them whenever they require it.”

- Francis of Assisi (1181-1226) Founder of all Franciscan Orders

GRACE OF GOD TO THE END

“So St Francis, on the first founding of his Order, chose twelve companions, all lovers of poverty. And even as one of the twelve Apostles, being reproved by Christ, hanged himself by the neck, so among the twelve companions of St Francis was one, called Brother John della Capella, who apostatised, and finally hanged himself by the neck. This should be for the elect a great example and cause of humility and fear, when they consider how no one is certain of persevering in the grace of God to the end.”

- Francis of Assisi (1181-1226) Founder of all Franciscan Orders

FRANCIS OF ASSISI BOOKS AND SERMONS

Francis of Assisi in His Own Words: The Essential Writings (San Damiano Books)

The Life of St. Francis of Assisi (Tan Classics)

The Little Flowers of Saint Francis (Dover Thrift Editions)

The Life of St. Francis (Harper Collins Spiritual Classics)

Francis: The Poor Man of Assisi (Life of a Saint)

St. Francis and the Animals: A Mother Bird's Story (San Damiano Books)

Mother Bird tells her son stories of St. Francis of Assisi.

Prayer of St. Francis, The

Brother Francis of Assisi

Trekking The Way of St Francis: From Florence To Assisi And Rome (Cicerone Guides)

Works of the Seraphic Father St. Francis of Assisi

The Story of St. Francis of Assisi: In Twenty-Eight Scenes

A new edition of Chesterton's classic biography of the beloved Roman Catholic saint, originally published in 1924.

The Lessons of Saint Francis: How to Bring Simplicity and Spirituality into Your Daily Life

St. Francis of Assisi: His Life, Teachings, and Practice (The Essential Wisdom Library)

St. Francis of Assisi: A Biography

Photo Credit: commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Philip_Fruytiers_-_St._Francis_of_Assisi.jpg

ABOUT FRANCIS R. HAVERGAL

Frances Ridley Havergal (14 December 1836 – 3 June 1879) was an English religious poet and hymnwriter. Take My Life and Let it Be and Thy Life for Me (also known as I Gave My Life for Thee) are two of her best known hymns. She also wrote hymn melodies, religious tracts, and works for children. She did not occupy, and did not claim for herself, a prominent place as a poet, but she carved out a niche for herself. 

Frances Ridley Havergal was born into an Anglican family, at Astley in Worcestershire, 14 December 1836. Her father, William Henry Havergal (1793–1870), was a clergyman, writer, composer, and hymnwriter. Her brother, Henry East Havergal, was a priest in the Church of England and an organist.

When she was five, her father moved to the Rectory of St. Nicholas, Worcester. In August, 1850, she entered Mrs. Teed's school, who had a strong influence on her. In the following year she says, "I committed my soul to the Saviour, and earth and heaven seemed brighter from that moment." A short sojourn in Germany followed.In 1852/3, she studied in the Louisenschule, Düsseldorf, and at Oberkassel. Havergal's scholastic acquirements were extensive, embracing several modern languages, together with Greek and Hebrew. On her return to England, she was confirmed in Worcester Cathedral, 17 July 1853. 

In 1860, she left Worcester upon her father resigning the Rectory of St. Nicholas, and resided at different periods in Leamington, and at Caswell Bay, Swansea, broken by visits to Switzerland, Scotland, and North Wales. It was during this time—1873—that she read J. T. Renford's little booklet All For Jesus, which "lifted her whole life into sunshine, of which all she had previously experienced was but as pale and passing April gleams, compared with the fullness of summer glory." She led a quiet life, not enjoying consistent good health. She supported the Church Missionary Society.

Havergal's hymns were frequently printed by J. & R. Parlane as leaflets, and by Caswall & Co. as ornamental cards. They were gathered together from time to time and published in her works as follows:— Ministry of Song, 1869;  Twelve Sacred Songs for Little Singers, 1870;  Under the Surface, 1874;  Loyal Responses, 1878;  Life Mosaic, 1879; Life Chords, 1880; and  Life Echoes, 1883. 

About fifteen of the more important of Havergal's hymns, including “Golden harps are sounding,” “I gave my life for thee," “Jesus, Master, Whose I am,” “Lord, speak to me,” “O Master, at Thy feet,” “Take my life and let it be,” “Tell it out among the heathen," &c., are annotated under their respective first lines. The rest, which are in collections, number nearly fifty. These are noted here, together with dates and places of composition, from the Havergal manuscripts and the works in which they were published. Those which were printed in Parlane's Series of Leaflets are distinguished as (P., 1872, &c.) and those in Caswall's series (C., 1873, &c). 

Most of these hymns are given in Snepp's Songs of Grace and Glory, and many of them are also in several other hymn-books, including Hymns Ancient and Modern, Hymns and Sacred Lyrics, Church Hymns, The Hymnal Companion, and some of the leading American collections.

Death 

Havergal died of peritonitis near Caswell Bay on the Gower Peninsula in Wales at age 42. She is buried in the far western corner of the churchyard at St Peter's parish church, Astley, together with her father and near her sister, Maria Vernon Graham Havergal. 

Her sisters saw much of her work published posthumously. Havergal College, a private girls' school in Toronto, is named after her. The composer Havergal Brian adopted the name as a tribute to the Havergal family.

Source: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frances_Ridley_Havergal

QUOTES BY FRANCIS R. HAVERGAL

IN PERPLEXITIES-WHEN WE CANNOT TELL WHAT TO DO

"In perplexities-when we cannot tell what to do, when we cannot understand what is going on around us, let us be calmed and steadied and made patient by the thought that what is hidden from us is not hidden from Him."

Frances Ridley Havergal

HIDDEN IN HALLOW OF HIS BLESSED HAND

"Hidden in the hollow Of His blessed hand, Never foe can follow, Never traitor stand; Not a surge of worry, Not a shade of care, Not a blast of hurry Touch the Spirit there."

Frances Ridley Havergal

SHOW THEM TO MY HEART TODAY 

"CHRISTMAS DAY Jesus came! - and came for me. Simple words! and yet expressing Depths of holy mystery, Depths of wondrous love and blessing. Holy Spirit, make me see All His coming means for me; Take the things of Christ, I pray, Show them to my heart today."

- Francis R. Havergal (1836–1879) English Religious Poet, Hymnwriter 

POETRY IS THE SECOND TRANSLATION OF THE SOULS FEELING

"Poetry is a second translation of the soul's feeling; it must be rendered into thought, and thought must change its nebulous robe of semi-wording into definite language, before it reaches another heart. Music is a first translation of feeling, needing no second, but entering the heart direct."

- Francis R. Havergal (1836–1879) English Religious Poet, Hymnwriter 

EARTHLY JOY CAN TAKE BUT A BAT-LIKE FLIGHT

"Earthly joy can take but a bat-like flight, always checked, always limited, in dusk and darkness. But the love of Christ breaks through the vaulting, and leads us up into the free sky above, expanding to the very throne of Jehovah, and drawing us still upward to the infinite heights of glory."

- Francis R. Havergal (1836–1879) English Religious Poet, Hymnwriter 

FRANCIS R. HAVERGAL BOOKS BAND SERMONS

• Ministry of Song (1870)
• Take My Life and Let It Be (1874)
• Under the Surface (1874)
• The four happy days (1874)
• Like a river glorious is God's perfect peace (1876)
• Who Is on the Lord's Side? Who will Serve the King? (1877)
• Royal Commandments (1878)
• O Merciful Redeemer
• Loyal Responses (1878)
• Kept for the Master's Use (1879) memoir
• Life Chords (1880)
• Royal Bounty (1877)
• Little Pillows, or Goodnight Thoughts for the Little Ones (1880)
• Morning bells, or, Waking thoughts for the little ones (1880)
• Swiss Letters and Alpine Poems (1881) edited by J. M. Crane
• Under His Shadow: the Last Poems of Frances Ridley Havergal (1881)
• The Royal Invitation (1882)
• Life Echoes (1883)
• Poetical Works (1884) edited by M. V. G. Havergal and Frances Anna Shaw
• Coming to the King (1886)
• Jesus, Master, Whose I am Hymns of the Christian Life 1936
• My King and His Service (1892)
• Forget Me Nots of Promise, Text from Scripture and verses by Frances Ridley Havergal, Marcus Ward&Co.

Photo Credit: hymnologyarchive.com/frances-ridley-havergal