Eternal Appraisals

Have you ever taken something that might have an unknown value to be appraised by a professional?  That old coin?  A piece of jewellry?  A classic book?  

Where do we go for an evaluation to determine what really counts in life?  What measuring stick do we use?

Without question, John Wesley's quote is worth considering:

Hardships

Have you being going through a rough period lately?  Hardships abound?  You don't know what God is doing?  Wondering when and where it will all end?  We've all been there at times.  Sometimes too often.  Maybe the sovereign, eternal God is preparing us for something significant.  A destiny we never imagined.  Trust Him!  He never fails!  Never failed yet...and never will!

"No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it." - Hebrews 12:11

Precious Memories

This article was written for the Peterborough Examiner many years ago.  I like to recall those "good ol' days".

My fond memories of my hometown, Peterborough, Ontario and my special neighborhood in East City: 

Over the years, when asked where I'm from, I've proudly stated that Peterborough, Ontario is my hometown. 

Yes, Peterborough is a special place for the Fisher family. Grandma and Grandpa Fisher immigrated from England in 1923 just after dad was born. Grandpa had come to Canada in 1907 but returned to England, married and began a family. Ashburnham, or East City, became "home" for the Fishers and continues to be so for some of us. 

My mother, Jean Fisher, still resides in the same home the family built in the mid 40's and Uncle Bill and Aunt Shirley have lived in their home on St. Lukes Street for as long as I can remember. My earliest memories center around our family, my grandparents, aunts,uncles and cousins. Fisher Gauge was founded by Uncle Bill 60 years ago and "the shop" as we fondly called it was right across the road from our grandparent's home on Sophia Street. The entire family lived within a block of grandma's house. I never dreamed that my cousin Howard, who lived next door, would become such a talented and hilarious musician, Washboard Hank. 

All of us, including Aunt Eileen, Uncle Bill, Uncle Frank and dad attended King George School, a short walk up the hill. Dad and I even had the same kindergarten teacher. Much of our summer vacation was spent at grandpa's "lot", a piece of land on Lansdowne Street West where Holy Cross School now sits. We enjoyed rides in the trailer, pulled by grandpa's Massey Harris Pony tractor. We had picnics, harvested strawberries, went on hikes and learned to drive the tractor. We'd often spend a hot, summer afternoon at the Lion's Pool on Burnham Street but usually we'd cool off in the Trent Canal, only a few steps from our home. That same canal became a great hockey rink every winter. 
Our allowance could be quickly spent on goodies at the Liftlock Candy Shop or an ice cream cone at Irwin's Drug Store (now Sullivans). Once a month we'd visit Jackson's Barber Shop until Cliff Jackson retired and Marty Martignetti set up shop. Many a summer evening was spent at East City Bowl watching the Lakefield Charltons play Georgie's Refreshments in a great softball rivalry. Our neighbourhood was the best! The kids did everything together. We had four natural boundaries, the Marble Works to the west, the Trent Canal on the east, the CPR tracks to the north and Little Lake on the south. Within those borders lived our "gang". The Groombridges, the Jackmans, the Stewarts, the Gooleys, the Joneses, the Shannons, the Wawrykows, the Hollings and, of course, the Fishers. Others would move in for awhile but the "gang" lived there forever it seemed.

Once a week mom hosted a Good News Club where kids would come after school to sing, have Bible quizzes and stories and get a homemade cookie. Many former attendees have expressed thanks to mom for the spiritual foundation laid during those formative years. One of those boys, Don Nicholson, who was one of my best friends, went on to become the minister at Edmison Heights Baptist Church. Our church, McDonnel Street Gospel Hall, was located where the police station now stands. In those days we attended church "twice on Sunday and once in the middle of the week". How I wish I could go back to that old church where I learned so many positive Christian values that would shape my life! We'd venture away from East City to attend hockey games in old (and cold) Civic Arena. As a teenager I attended Petes' games at the Memorial Centre on Thursday nights.

My most embarrassing recollection is the night the community honoured Wayne Connelly, one of the finest juniors ever to play here. Many businesses presented him with special gifts of lasting value. This young fan wrapped up a cheap tie from Kresge's and gave it to him. For seven long years I lived in Toronto but in 1994 we returned "home" to the Peterborough area. We live in Cavan but each morning I drive into Peterborough to grandma's house. We lived in the attic of grandma's house for six months after I was born and now, 59 years later, my office is there. Home again!

Yes, I have many fond memories of Peterborough, a very Special Place! 

Note: This story was entered in a writing contest sponsored by our local paper, The Peterborough Examiner. It did not win first prize but it was published at least. - David W. Fisher

Power vs. Tenderness

Which would you choose?

Power or tenderness?

Happy Soul

Over the years I've been blessed and encouraged by the hymns written by Fanny Crosby, the blind poet and composer.

This poem (in the graphic), penned by her early in her life, has always been so powerful in my own life.

What a contented woman she was!

Oh that I might be able to have that same attitude.

Thank you, Father, for Fanny Crosby!

Not Long or Loud but our Heart's Cry

So true!  THANK YOU, Charles Haddon Spurgeon, for explaining this so profoundly and yet so simply.

God's Remedy for Our Anxiety

My good friend Vince Nauss from Baseball Chapel introduced me to this verse many years ago and I'm so grateful.  God knows our anxious hearts and is ever present to give us His joy and endless compassion.  THANK YOU, Father!  You ALWAYS know what we need!

Oh Lord, You're Beautiful

This morning my good friend Pete Gauthier visited me in my office at FRIENDS Peterborough and we got talking about Keith Green's ministry before his life was tragically taken in a plane crash in 1982.  

Keith's wife, Melody Green, wrote some powerful lyrics that continue to be sung in churches.  There is a Redeemer and Oh Lord, You're Beautiful are two such songs.

A bridge, in bold type below, is often excluded when we sing this song but the lyrics are so powerful.  Rather than seeking a crown or any earthly recognition the only reward we should seek is the opportunity to bring glory to the Lord...our Redeemer.

Oh Lord, You're Beautiful

Oh Lord, you're beautiful,
Your face is all I see,
For when your eyes are on this child,
Your grace abounds to me

I want to take your word and shine it all around
But first help me to just, live it Lord
And when I'm doing well, help me to never seek a crown
For my reward is giving glory to you.

Oh Lord, please light the fire
That once burned bright and clean
Replace the lamp of my first love
That burns with holy fear

I want to take your word and shine it all around
But first help me to just, live it Lord
And when I'm doing well, help me to never seek a crown
For my reward is giving glory to you.

Oh Lord, you're beautiful,
Your face is all I see,
For when your eyes are on this child
Your grace abounds to me

- Melody Green

Meeting God in the Morning or...Running from Him

I Met God

by Ralph Cushman

I met God in the morning,

when my day was at its best.

And His Presence came like glory,

a sunrise in my breast.

All day long His Presence lingered,

all day long He stayed with me…

And we sailed in perfect calmness,

O’er a very troubled sea.

Other ships were blown and battered;

Other ships were sore distressed.

But the winds that seemed to drive them,

Brought to us such peace and rest.

Then I thought of other mornings,

With a keen remorse of mind.

When I too had loosed the moorings,

with the Savior left behind.  

So I think I know the secret,

learned from many a troubled way…

You must seek God in the morning,

if you want Him in the day

True Worship

The graphic says it all.

Short in Length...Long in Praise

Psalm 117 is the shortest psalm of only two verses.

Praise the Lord, all nations! Extol him, all peoples! For great is his steadfast love toward us, and the faithfulness of the Lord endures forever. Praise the Lord!

This little psalm is bursting with praise to the Lord. As Spurgeon says in his Treasury of David, “This Psalm, which is very little in its letter, is exceedingly large in its spirit; for, bursting beyond all bounds of race or nationality, it calls upon all mankind to praise the name of the Lord.” Three times the psalmist calls us to praise or extol the Lord.

A Call for Plodding Bloggers

This post was taken from Tim Challies' excellent blog...found here.

I believe that blogs have been a blessing to the church in the twenty-first century. Maybe I have to believe this since I have blogged nearly every day of the century. Still, with every bit of objectivity I can muster, I say it and believe it: For all their problems and all their shortcomings, blogs have been a blessing. They have served the church and the cause of the church.

Over my years of reading and writing blogs, I have seen thousands of blogs and bloggers come and go. There are many reasons people have stopped writing: Some have had life’s responsibilities overwhelm the time they would otherwise dedicate to writing, some have had to refocus on family or local church, some grew weary of critics and criticism, some have simply run out of things to say. But I think the most common reason people have given up is that they grew tired of the plodding. Over time they grew discouraged by the distance between the effort and the reward, between the investment and the result.

And let’s not kid ourselves: Blogging is hard work. Far more often than not, it is mundane, unglamorous, thankless work. In that way blogging is a lot like most of what we do in this world. It takes time, it takes effort, it takes skill, and at the end of it all you wonder if it has made any difference to you or to anyone else.

Today I want to put out a call for plodding bloggers. I’m taking my cue from Scott Slayton who recently put out a similar call to plodding church planters. In that article he pointed out that many church planters delude themselves into thinking that they will move to a new town, start a new church, and see immediate, overwhelming results. But in reality, most move to that new town, start the new church, and see only very ordinary results. Unless they are plodders they will be tempted to give up.

And in much the same way, many bloggers set out with grandiose dreams of writing a few articles and witnessing an explosion of readers, of receiving mountains of grateful feedback, maybe even of seeing publishers waving book contracts. But the reality is far different. They publish a few articles, see little response, and find themselves tempted to give up. Or perhaps, even worse, they publish an article, see it explode in popularity, and then never again come close to matching that one. And soon the daily blogging becomes weekly blogging becomes occasional blogging becomes abandoned blogging.

Slayton says,

The man who plants [a sound, faithful church] must be willing to do work that doesn’t make for interesting tweets. He must be a man who cultivates his relationship with Jesus, his wife, and children each and every day. He has to be willing to spend hours glued to his chair with his head in the Bible so he can faithfully teach it to others. This man will dedicate significant time each week to purposeful conversation with other Christians, helping them to understand how to follow Jesus.

The task of the Christian blogger is different but the same. He, too, needs to do a lot of living that will never turn into tweets or blog posts. She, too, must first cultivate relationships with her Savior and her family. He, too, must be constantly learning and growing through the Word. She, too, must put aside desires for other visions of success in favor of the simple joy of helping others understand how to follow Jesus. And what a joy that is! And what a blessing that blogs make it possible.

Are you blogging to build yourself a platform, so you can be known and admired? No platform will ever be high enough and no amount of fame or admiration will ever satisfy. Are you blogging as a kind of necessary evil on the way to a book contract and a conference stage? You will forsake authenticity and true substance in favor of manipulative click-bait headlines. But if you are blogging out of a desire to glorify God by doing good to those who are created in the image of God, now you are in the spot where God can and will use you, even if he uses you in small ways and ways that are hard to detect. When I bump into readers of my blog and they tell me about articles that have been helpful to them, almost invariably these are the small articles that I would have deemed unsuccessful. They are the minor articles that barely registered. And yet the Lord chose to use them to encourage one of his people. Hearing this blesses and strengthens me every time.

I believe we are living in a golden age of writing, where any Christian with a heart for the Lord and the Lord’s people can have a voice of edification and encouragement. This is a tremendous blessing! We have thousands and tens of thousands of Christians eagerly using this new medium to tell others about what Jesus has done in them and for them. We are all the grateful beneficiaries.

So my message for my fellow bloggers is this: Plod on! Be content to be a plodding blogger and trust that God is glorifying himself and blessing his people through your faithfulness.

Wonderful Peace

One day while seated in the tent, Mr. Cornell, following a period of deep introspection, wrote down the thoughts with which his mind had been busied. They later proved to be parts of this hymn, Wonderful Peace. Sinking again into introspective rumination, he arose, unwittingly dropped the written verses on the tent floor and went out. When Mr. Cooper entered the tent an hour or two later he discovered the paper. He was fascinated by the theme and the accompanying verses. It so fitted his own thinking that he filled in and completed the poem. Then sitting down at the organ he composed the melody as it has since been sung.

WONDERFUL PEACE

Far away in the depths of my spirit tonight
Rolls a melody sweeter than psalm;
In celestial-like strains it unceasingly falls
O’er my soul like an infinite calm.

Refrain

Peace, peace, wonderful peace,
Coming down from the Father above!
Sweep over my spirit forever, I pray
In fathomless billows of love!

What a treasure I have in this wonderful peace,
Buried deep in the heart of my soul,
So secure that no power can mine it away,
While the years of eternity roll!

I am resting tonight in this wonderful peace,
Resting sweetly in Jesus’ control;
For I’m kept from all danger by night and by day,
And His glory is flooding my soul!

And I think when I rise to that city of peace,
Where the anchor of peace I shall see,
That one strain of the song which the ransomed will sing
In that heavenly kingdom will be:

Ah, soul are you here without comfort and rest,
Marching down the rough pathway of time?
Make Jesus your friend ere the shadows grow dark;
O accept this sweet peace so sublime! 

Fanny Crosby...Heavenly Vision

The old hymns hold a special place in my heart! I’ve always enjoyed reading the biographies of the great hymn writers from a bygone day, writers like Isaac Watts, William Cowper and Fanny Crosby. 

I marvel at the lyrics penned by Fanny Crosby who lost her sight when she was only six (6) weeks old. When she was only eight (8) she wrote the following poem:

"Oh 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."

What a positive attitude! She has written meaningful words to close to 9,000 hymns. Many of them have references to seeing, sight, etc.

Here are just a few examples that reveal Fanny Crosby’s deep-seated faith that one day she would see Jesus face to face:

“My Savior First of All”:

“When my life work is ended and I cross the swelling tide,
When the bright and glorious morning I shall see.”

“Oh the soul thrilling rapture when I see His blessed face
And the luster of His kindly beaming eye.”

“To God Be the Glory”:

“But purer and higher and greater will be
Our wonder, our transport, when Jesus we see.”

“Tell Me the Story of Jesus”:

“Love in that story so tender, clearer than ever I see.
Stay, let me weep while your whisper, Love paid the ransom for me.”

“Near the Cross”:

“Near the cross! O Lamb of God, bring its scenes before me;
Help me walk from day to day, with its shadows o’er me.”

“Redeemed”: 
“I know I shall see in His beauty, the King in whose law I delight;
Who lovingly guardeth my footsteps and giveth me songs in the night.”

“Give Me Jesus”:

“Take the world but give me Jesus; let me view His constant smile.  
Then thro’-out my pilgrim journey, light will cheer me all the while.”

“Blessed Assurance”:

“Perfect submission, perfect delight! Visions of rapture now burst on my sight; 
Angels descending bring from above, Echoes of mercy, whispers of love.”

“He Hideth My Soul”:

“A wonderful Savior is Jesus my Lord, a wonderful Savior to me;  
He hideth my soul in the cleft of the rock, where rivers of pleasure I see.”

“All the Way My Savior Leads Me”:

“Tho my weary steps may falter, and my soul athirst may be,
Gushing from the Rock before me, Lo! A spring of joy I see.”

What a glorious faith Fanny Crosby possessed! One day we will see Jesus face to face. Until then, let’s revel in His love and rejoice in His provision. - David W. Fisher 

Grace...What It Is and What It Isn't

My Rest, My Salvation, My Rock and My Fortress

Such comforting words from the Psalmist!!!

Travel Guide

I dug into the Pilgrim Scribblings archives again today.  I was getting itchy feet and looking for a place to go.

PLACES I'VE BEEN...

I have been in many places, but I've never been in Cahoots.  Apparently, you can't go alone. You have to be in Cahoots with someone.

I've also never been in Cognito. I hear no one recognizes you there.

I have, however, been in Sane. They don't have an airport; you have to be driven there. I have made several trips there, thanks to my friends, family and work.

I would like to go to Conclusions, but you have to jump, and I'm not too much on physical activity anymore.

I have also been in Doubt. That is a sad place to go, and I try not to visit there too often.

I've been in Flexible, but only when it was very important to stand firm.

Sometimes I'm in Capable, and I go there more often as I'm getting older.

One of my favorite places to be is in Suspense! It really gets the adrenalin flowing and pumps up the old heart! At my age I need all the stimuli I can get!

I may have been in Continent, and I don't remember what country I was in. It's an age thing.

But, best of all, I’m now “in Christ” thanks to His death, burial and resurrection and the faith I have placed in Him.  Of all the places I’ve been this is the best and an added bonus is that I’ll be in Heaven when He comes to take His own.

Where have you been, where are you now and...where are you going?

The Bible - # 2

The Bible

The Keyboard King

The Keyboard King

My tribute to Jeff Stewart

My dear friend Jeff Stewart passed away from a drug overdose recently.

Jeff would come into my office at FRIENDS Peterborough and play my

keyboard.  I miss his smiling face.  Rest in peace, my friend!

Hey Jeff I never thought I’d have to say goodbye this way,

Recalling all those special times when you’d drop in to pray;

It’s so sad to think you left us all so suddenly that day

But today I’ll tell you this, “I love you, man!”

So I guess I’ll never see you walking down George Street again,

With that toothless grin and impish wave, I’ll sure miss you, Jeff, my friend;

My keyboard will sit silent ‘til that day…I know not when…

When we play together in God’s heav’nly band.

I trust you’ve finally found the peace you sought for oh so long,

Trying to block out harmful thoughts each time you played a soulful song;

As we say our last goodbyes today it all seems oh so wrong,

But now God holds you close my dear lost friend.

So I guess I’ll never see you walking down George Street again,

With that toothless grin and impish wave, I’ll sure miss you, Jeff, my friend;

My keyboard will sit silent ‘til that day…I know not when…

When we play together in God’s heav’nly band.

David Fisher

April 16^th, 2018

Darkened Pathway

Journeys down a path not chosen

Fraught with heartache, grief and pain

Oft are long, unplanned and lonely

Fleeting chance of hope or gain.

As you walk the darkened pathway

Friends appear to walk with you

Soon you find you're not alone there

Others face these struggles too.

Take the hand of One who's been there

Stumbling up dark Calv'ry's hill

Jesus knows your every problem

And He whispers, "Peace be still!"

David Fisher - April 27th, 2017

Reaching the Goal of £300

From the Pilgrim Scribblings archives:

Recently I was encouraged as I read Joseph Stowell's account of a moving story from the 1800's in his excellent devotional book, Strength for the Journey.

He related how the Prince of Preachers, Charles Haddon Spurgeon, had been preaching a series of meetings in Bristol, England hoping to raise money for his orphanage back in London.

The week was drawing to a close and Spurgeon had already reached his goal of £300.  He was thrilled with the response but couldn't sleep that night.  God prompted him to give the money to George Muller to help with his orphanages right there in Bristol.  "But Lord?"  No, Spurgeon felt he must go to see Muller.

Arriving at Muller's home he found George on his knees in prayer.  Spurgeon handed over the £300 and Muller acknowledged that he had been seeking God for that exact amount.  They embraced and marvelled at the provision of God.

Upon his return to London, Spurgeon found an envelope containing £300 plus 300 shillings.  God had provided what Spurgeon had passed on to Muller...with interest.

As another great servant of God once said, "I shovel out and God keeps shoveling back but God has a bigger shovel."

Why do we doubt God's promises to provide?  He is Jehovah-Jireh...our Provider.

Our Traveling Companions

For the last week Carol's and my traveling companions have been Charles Haddon Spurgeon and Sheila Walsh.  Two excellent writers!  Two compelling speakers!  Spurgeon was from England, Walsh from Scotland. Spurgeon has been called "The Prince of Preachers".  Walsh was a featured speaker at Women of Faith for years.  Both have battled depression throughout their lifetimes.  Spurgeon lived in the 1800's, Walsh is still making a difference in our world, impacting many through her books and speaking ministry. 

Carol has been reading Spurgeon's sermon entitled "My Times are in Thy Hands" to me when we've been driving.  This afternoon she read two short chapters from Walsh's book "5 Minutes with Jesus".  Both writers living in different centuries made a profound impact on both of us.  Just what we needed.  God's has used these writers' pens mightily.

We are so grateful that our times are in the hands of a mighty, sovereign God.  He holds us in His loving hands.  

So pleased to have these companions with us.

The Pilgrim Couldn't Log In

For almost two years I was unable, for some unknown reason, to log in to my Pilgrim Scribblings blog.  I sought help from many sources and was ready to give up.  A friend from Chicago was working to find a solution recently when, suddenly, Google allowed me to log in.  I was ecstatic because I like to post my Scribblings from time to time.  Over the years I've posted over 2,000 times and these posts will form the basis of an upcoming book.

Now that I'm back on I hope you'll check in from time to time.  Thanks for your patience while I was away.

I'm glad to be back and very thankful to God that I can scribble again.

God is good...all the time!

The Pilgrim is Finally Able to Scribble Again!!!

Hallelujah I'm back after all this time!  I'll post all about it tomorrow!

Such GOOD NEWS!

David

The Pilgrim is Still Plodding

Fellow pilgrims, as I've mentioned before here on Pilgrim Scribblings, I have been lax in posting my scribblings here.  Most of my postings have been on Facebook over the past year.

Please check out my DAVID FISHER Facebook page.

God bless you and make you a blessing to others.
 

HELP!!! PLEASE!!!

This may seem like an unusual post but I need help with a BLOGGER blog and I cannot find anyone to assist me.

I have a FRIENDS Peterborough blog which I administer.  The site is www.friendspeterborough.com

Regardless of what I've tried, I cannot bring up the Dashboard page that allows me to add new posts.  I've been trying to update the blog for a year and a half but I can't access a Dashboard that allows me to add new posts.

The only Dashboard I get is a page showing my recent posts...which, I regret, aren't so recent anymore.

Can anyone help me with this troubling dilemma?  PLEASE!!!

THANK YOU!

David Fisher

Questioning Trials

As Spurgeon once said so eloquently, "When you can't trace God's hand, trust His heart."

Trials are sent for a purpose.  We may not understand why but we will in a coming day.

Trust the One who knows best!

Check out the Pilgrim's Facebook Page

My posts here have been very sporadic for the past year.  This Pilgrim Scribblings blog with over 2,000 posts will always be available and I will continue to post things from time to time

In the meantime please check out my Facebook page which I update on a daily basis.

Here's the link.

Thank you for checking in from time to time and may God bless you as you journey through life as a fellow pilgrim.

David W. Fisher

HOPE...An Anchor for the Soul

A good friend shared the following insights with me recently.  Very profound!  Very true!

No need to despair. We know how it'll all end. God's on our side; we're on His; He can't lose. Now is not the time to surrender the battlefield to His enemy. Now is not the time to give up on those still embroiled in the battle. God's victory is ours. Ours to share. Hope of, and faith in, that victory is a powerful weapon against His enemy. 

Hope and faith infuriate God's enemy because he knows their power. The enemy will always seek to extinguish it in its infancy, because it will overwhelm him when it catches fully amongst God's children. Those of us who have faith and trust in God's victory are called on, not to rest lazily in our blessed assurance, but to fan the flames of hope and faith. To beat back the enemy who would dare extinguish the first flickerings of it in the darkest places. 

We need to wield those powerful weapons of hope and faith on behalf of those who have yet to confidently lay claim to their share of God's victory. Hard as it is, and hard as it may yet be, to surrender our hope and faith is to drop two of the most powerful weapons we have against God's enemy. God can't lose, but we can. We must be committed to leaving none on the battlefield.

Looking Back Over 38 Years

Recently I had the pleasure of being a guest on the John Badham Show on one of our local radio stations, Extra Talk Sports 90.5

John, an excellent interviewer, took me back to the early days when Epistle Sports Ministries was founded in 1976.  We spoke of my involvement in sports chaplaincy with NHL, OHL, NBA, CBA, MLB, NASCAR and LPGA sports chapels.

The station sent me the link for the interview that I'll share with you.  Thought you might enjoy listening.

Thanks for your support and encouragement over these many years.

Here's the link!

The Great Transfer

This is another of my favourite scripture verses.  He took us from a bad, dark, desolate place and transferred us to His kingdom where Jesus, the Lamb, is Himself the Light and everything is good.  

Thank you Lord for this Great Transfer!

The Lord is Good

My Grandma Fisher taught me this verse when 

I was a young boy.  I've never forgotten it.

A Fresh Start

What a Mighty God We Have!