Sacred

Albert W.T Osborn

KennethLeave a comment

Albert Orsborn (4 September 1886 – 4 February 1967) was the 6th General of The Salvation Army (1946-1954).

Born Albert William Thomas Orsborn, he became an Officer of The Salvation Army in 1905. Albert served as a Corps Officer and in divisional work in the British Territory of the Army. In 1909, he married his first wife, Captain Evalina Barker.

In 1925, he was sent to serve as Chief Side Officer at the International Training College. In 1933, he was farewelled to New Zealand as Chief Secretary. He then became Territorial Commander of Scotland and Ireland in 1936. In 1940, he became British Commissioner.

Albert Orsborn’s first wife, Captain Evalina Barker, died in 1942. This was a very hard time for him. Two years later, in 1944, he married his second wife, Major Evelyn Berry. They were married for just a year when she died.

In 1946, the High Council of The Salvation Army elected Albert to become the General of The Salvation Army. He married his third wife, Commissioner Mrs Phillis Taylor (a daughter of General Higgins), in 1947.

General Orsborn served as General for eight years. He was the author of The House of My Pilgrimage. He retired on 30 June 1954.

General Albert Orsborn died at the age of 80 years and 5 months.

Throughout the course of his Salvation Army life Albert wrote many wonderful songs and books.

One of the songs he wrote was In the secret of thy presence

Showing Hospitality

KennethLeave a comment

Hebrews 13 New International Version

Concluding Exhortations

13 Keep on loving one another as brothers and sisters. 2 Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers, for by so doing some people have shown hospitality to angels without knowing it. 3 Continue to remember those in prison as if you were together with them in prison, and those who are mistreated as if you yourselves were suffering.

4 Marriage should be honoured by all, and the marriage bed kept pure, for God will judge the adulterer and all the sexually immoral. 5 Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said,

“Never will I leave you;
    never will I forsake you.”[a]

6 So we say with confidence,

“The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid.
    What can mere mortals do to me?

Or as the King James Bible puts verse two

2 Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels unawares

Have you ever had a stranger come to your door and let him or her in and shown them hospitality to them.

In my case it’s quite often workmen for our local housing partnership. You never know You or I may have let ‘Angels in’ with some of these strangers

Having said that, nowadays we have to be careful who we let in to our homes

If they are workmen we should always make sure they carry an identity badge.

We must also put our trust in God in times like this.

Keeping us safe

Kenneth1 Comment

Psalm 31 King James Version 

15 My times are in thy hand: deliver me from the hand of mine enemies, and from them that persecute me.

16 Make thy face to shine upon thy servant: save me for thy mercies’ sake.

17 Let me not be ashamed, O Lord; for I have called upon thee: let the wicked be ashamed, and let them be silent in the grave.

18 Let the lying lips be put to silence; which speak grievous things proudly and contemptuously against the righteous.

19 Oh how great is thy goodness, which thou hast laid up for them that fear thee; which thou hast wrought for them that trust in thee before the sons of men!

20 Thou shalt hide them in the secret of thy presence from the pride of man: thou shalt keep them secretly in a pavilion from the strife of tongues.

21 Blessed be the Lord: for he hath shewed me his marvellous kindness in a strong city.

22 For I said in my haste, I am cut off from before thine eyes: nevertheless thou heardest the voice of my supplications when I cried unto thee.

23 O love the Lord, all ye his saints: for the Lord preserveth the faithful, and plentifully rewardeth the proud doer.

24 Be of good courage, and he shall strengthen your heart, all ye that hope in the Lord.

Saved from Troubles

KennethLeave a comment

Image result for saved from troubles

Psalm 138

Of David.

1 I will praise you, Lord, with all my heart;
    before the “gods” I will sing your praise.
2 I will bow down toward your holy temple
    and will praise your name
    for your unfailing love and your faithfulness,
for you have so exalted your solemn decree
    that it surpasses your fame.
3 When I called, you answered me;
    you greatly emboldened me.

4 May all the kings of the earth praise you, Lord,
    when they hear what you have decreed.
5 May they sing of the ways of the Lord,
    for the glory of the Lord is great.

6 Though the Lord is exalted, he looks kindly on the lowly;
    though lofty, he sees them from afar.
7 Though I walk in the midst of trouble,
    you preserve my life.
You stretch out your hand against the anger of my foes;
    with your right hand you save me.
8 The Lord will vindicate me;
    your love, Lord, endures forever—
    do not abandon the works of your hands.

Busy lives

KennethLeave a comment

See the source image

Psalm 37:7 English Standard Version

7
Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him;
fret not yourself over the one who prospers in his way,
over the man who carries out evil devices!

Most of us have Busy lives and it can be quite easy to set aside that quiet time in the day for our time with God, and before you know it the day is over. I have to admit I’ve done that several times, which in a sense is one of the reasons for starting the blogs.

We must remember to spend time with God each day.

The words associated with this tune are below: which is an arrangement of the American folk tune Shenandoah.

‘Mid all the traffic of the ways,
Turmoils without, within,
Make in thy heart a quiet place,
And come and dwell therein

A little shrine of quietness,
All sacred to Thyself,
Where Thou shalt all my soul possess,
And I may find myself.

Come, occupy my silent place,
And make thy dwelling there!
More gracious is wrought in quietness
Than any is aware

The Saviour is mocked

KennethLeave a comment

Matthew 27New International Version

The Soldiers Mock Jesus

27 Then the governor’s soldiers took Jesus into the Praetorium and gathered the whole company of soldiers around him. 28 They stripped him and put a scarlet robe on him, 29 and then twisted together a crown of thorns and set it on his head. They put a staff in his right hand. Then they knelt in front of him and mocked him. “Hail, king of the Jews!” they said. 30 They spit on him, and took the staff and struck him on the head again and again. 31 After they had mocked him, they took off the robe and put his own clothes on him. Then they led him away to crucify him.

The following words can only be sung to one tune, that is a tune which I hate to hear. The tune is called Passion Chorale

Then you added these powerful words to it that sheds a different light on things.

O sacred head, once wounded
With grief and pain weighed down
How scornfully surrounded
With thorns, Thine only crown!
How pale art Thou with anguish
With sore abuse and scorn!
How does that visage languish
Which once was bright as morn!


O Lord of life and glory
What bliss till now was Thine!
I read the wondrous story
I joy to call Thee mine
Thy grief and Thy compassion
Were all for sinners' gain
Mine, mine was the transgression
But Thine the deadly pain


What language shall I borrow
To praise Thee, heavenly Friend
For this, Thy dying sorrow
Thy pity without end?
Lord, make me Thine for ever
Nor let me faithless prove
O let me never, never
Abuse such dying love!




Be near me, Lord, when dying
O show Thyself to me
And for my succour flying
Come, Lord, to set me free
These eyes, new faith receiving
From Jesus shall not move
For he who dies believing
Dies safely through Thy love