Sound Pulpit | Ministry of Craig Houston

Archive for March, 2010

Overwhelmed? Go to the Rock!

Wednesday, March 24th, 2010

Overwhelmed! This is probable the best word that I could think of to describe the season of Pastoral Ministry that I have been through. I am so thankful that Psalms 61 is in the Bible which tells us that when our heart is overwhelmed we are to go to the Rock that is higher then we are.

PSALM 61

To the chief Musician upon Neginah, A Psalm of David.

¹ Hear my cry, O God; attend unto my prayer. ² From the end of the earth will I cry unto thee, when my heart is overwhelmed: lead me to the rock that is higher than I. ³ For thou hast been a shelter for me, and a strong tower from the enemy. ⁴ I will abide in thy tabernacle for ever: I will trust^a in the covert of thy wings. Selah.

⁵ For thou, O God, hast heard my vows: thou hast given me the heritage of those that fear thy name. ⁶ Thou wilt prolong the king’s life: and his years as many generations. ⁷ He shall abide before God for ever: O prepare mercy and truth, which may preserve him. ⁸ So will I sing praise unto thy name for ever, that I may daily perform my vows.

Beloved you must always remember that no matter your circumstances are in life, when you are overwhelmed Jesus is waiting to be your ROCK!

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Tags: Depression, Spiritual Restoration

Churchill by Paul Johnson is a must read!

Wednesday, March 10th, 2010

I just finished reading Churchill by Paul Johnson. This was my first biography of the life of Sir. Winston Churchill who was by all human accounts the leader who saved the British Empire from the Nazi regime. The book is superbly written and was highly recommended by R. Albert Mohler who has read many volumes on Churchill and said that Johnson’s volume which is under 200 pages did a tremendous job presenting Churchill in a fair and balanced light.

I enjoyed turning every page and would highly recommend those interested in history, interesting people and especially leadership to pick up a copy and enjoy. There was a very small number of curse words, which parents may want to cross out before having their children read the book. These words were direct quotes of Churchill and were obviously retained to show his frustration during different times of his tenure as Prime Minister.

Churchill was not a Christian, in fact he at one season in his life rejected God due to reading a book by a well known atheist while serving in India. Only later after serving several times in the heat of battle did Churchill acknowledge a belief in some form of higher power.

Besides getting a better grasp on the historic events during Sir. Winston’s era the book was a valuable treasure of leadership principles applicable in any setting. Strong leaders must persevere through much difficulty and Churchill did just that over and over again.

The epilogue was worth the price of the book, in which Paul Johnson summarizes Churchill’s strength in five lessons from his life.

1.Always aim high. (Even when you are put down.)

2. There is no substitute for hard work.

3.Never allow mistakes, disaster-personal or national accidents, illnesses, unpopularity, and criticism to get you down.