Tag Archives: Mark Twain

Presidential Prayer Team

Presidential Prayer Team; J.R. – Grub Gratitude

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In his entertaining memoir Roughing It, writer Mark Twain described the meal he received while traveling by stagecoach through the old west. “The station-keeper upended a disk of last week’s bread…and carved some slabs from it which were as good as Nicholson pavement, and tenderer. He sliced off a piece of bacon for each man, but only the experienced old hands made out to eat it, for it was condemned army bacon which the United States would not feed to its soldiers in the forts…then he poured for us a beverage which he called ‘Slum gullion,’ and it is hard to think he was not inspired when he named it. It really pretended to be tea, but there was too much dish-rag, and sand, and old bacon-rind in it to deceive the intelligent traveler.”

He provides food for those who fear him; he remembers his covenant forever.

Psalm 111:5

Though you may “say grace” before meals, it is easy to forget what a blessing it is to have plentiful and good food – a luxury far from certain in most of the world.

As you pray for America and celebrate your freedom today, take the time to express sincere and thoughtful gratitude to God for His generous and continuous provision in your life.

Recommended Reading: I Corinthians 10:23-33

Greg Laurie

Greg Laurie – Another Kind of Courage

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Be on guard. Stand firm in the faith. Be courageous. Be strong. —1 Corinthians 16:13

What is courage? Courage has been defined as bravery. It also has been defined as fear that has said its prayers. Mark Twain said, “Courage is the mastery of fear, not the absence of fear.” A courageous person is not someone who is fearless. (That is, effectively, a stupid person.) A courageous person is someone who can control his or her fear and then do the right thing. It is overcoming the fear that we naturally have.

We no doubt see courage on display among those who are first responders. Certainly the brave soldiers serving our country display courage every day. And we read periodically of acts of heroism, although I wish we could read more often about them because they happen all the time.

But there are other kinds of courage too. There is moral courage, which is the ability to do right in the face of opposition or discouragement. Having moral courage means being an honest person. It means having integrity. It means that you don’t cheat on the test. You don’t cheat on your taxes. And you don’t cheat on your spouse. Moral courage is honoring the vows you made to your wife or your husband when you said, “For better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish. . . .”

It also takes courage to follow Jesus Christ. We are living in an ABC culture today: anything but Christ. People are fine with whatever you believe, until you say, “I believe in Jesus Christ, and I believe the Bible is the Word of God.” At best you become persona non grata. At worst you are public enemy number one. It takes courage to stand up for Jesus Christ, wherever you are. We need more moral courage today.