Resources by Charlie Wingard
“There is a third category [of hearers in the Parable of the Sower]. It is made up of those who not only hear the Word but also ‘hold it fast in an honest and good heart, and bear fruit with patience’ (Luke 8:15). Hearing the Word is not hard; holding it fast is a different matter. Here are the people who cut their lives to its truths, who hear in its words the voice of eternity, indeed the voice of their incarnate and resurrected Savior speaking. “In fact, there is nothing quite so cheering, so invigorating, as to be with people like this. They are people whose eyes are wide open to the shadows and pains of life, but they…
Read MoreEncouraging words from Herman Bavinck on faith: “[Faith] opens our heart to the grace of God, to communion with Christ, to the power of the Holy Spirit, and thereby enables us to do great things. Faith breaks all self-reliance and fastens on to God’s promise. It allows the law to stand in all its grandeur and refuses to lower the moral ideal, but also refrains from any attempt, by observing it, to find life and peace; it seizes upon God’s mercy and relies on the righteousness and holiness accomplished in Christ on behalf of humans. It fosters humility, dependence, and trust and grants comfort, peace, and joy through the Holy Spirit; it generates gratitude in our hearts for the benefits…
Read MoreAlexander Whyte on prayer: “When reading and meditation and prayer do once begin to come in on a man, they make great inroads both upon his hours of work, and his hours of recreation, and even upon his hours of sleep. It is not that the Hearer of prayer has any need of our hours… He has always plenty of time. He inhabits eternity. He is always waiting to be gracious. It is we who need time to prepare our hearts to seek God. And it takes some men a long time, and a retired, and an uninterrupted time to get their minds and their hearts into the true frame for prayer and for the presence of God… As life…
Read MoreLORD’S DAY 5 Question 12. Since then, by the righteous judgment of God, we deserve temporal and eternal punishment, is there no way by which we may escape that punishment, and be again received into favour? Answer: God will have his justice satisfied: and therefore we must make this full satisfaction, either by ourselves, or by another. Question 13. Can we ourselves then make this satisfaction? Answer: By no means; but on the contrary we daily increase our debt. Question 14. Can there be found anywhere, one, who is a mere creature, able to satisfy for us? Answer: None; for, first, God will not punish any other creature for the sin which man has committed; and further, no mere creature…
Read More“O GOD, who knowest us to be set in the midst of so many and great dangers, that by reason of the frailty of our nature we cannot always stand upright; Grant to us such strength and protection, as may support us in all dangers, and carry us through all temptations; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.” -1928 Book of Common Prayer
Read More“A final don’t: Don’t tolerate discourtesy. Since the beginning of the world, young people have resented good manners as dishonesty. They think manners are substance. If you say ‘Good morning’ while it rains outside, you are a hypocrite. But there is a law of nature that where moving bodies are in contact with one another, there is friction. And manners are the social lubricating oil that smooths over friction. Young people always fail to see this. The only difference is that in my youth you got slapped if you were not courteous; but we didn’t feel like being courteous either. One learns to be courteous – it is needed to enable different people who don’t necessarily like each other to…
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