J.C. RYLE OF LIVERPOOL- 1816-1900

Another influence on me, and a writer I enjoy reading and quoting is John Charles Ryle. His influence was the greatest later in his life when he became the Anglican bishop of Liverpool, England. He was a strong leader and stood against ritualism, and for the pure gospel. He was a rare and godly man. Like Charles Spurgeon (who regarded him highly), he being dead, yet speaks through his many books. See the latest cybermeditations for excellent quotes by him.

THE MAYFLOWER IN PLYMOUTH HARBOR- 1620

The Pilgrims first landed at what was to become Provincetown, on Cape Cod, on November 21, 1620. A small party of men, led by Myles Standish, went ashore to explore. They found a place where Native People had stored corn underground and confiscated it to use for seed. Due to lack of fresh water and poor soil, they decided to move on.

...Now was the heart of winter and unseasonable weather was come upon us...it was in the end concluded to make some discovery within the bay.

The Mayflower’s pilot, Robert Coppin, remembered the bay from a previous visit. The area was called Patuxet by the Natives and Plymouth by the English, from an earlier map drawn by the explorer Captain John Smith. The Mayflower passengers may have also known from an account of a recent exploration that the area had been depopulated.

An exploring party set out in the shallop : ...though it was very dark and rained sore, yet in the end they got under the lee of a small island [Clark's Island] and remained there all that night in safety... And this being the last day of the week, they prepared there to keep the Sabbath.

On Monday they sounded the harbor and found it fit for shipping, and marched into the land and found divers cornfield, and little running brooks, a place (as they supposed) fit for situation. We Must Not Forget Our History! Dear God! Perhaps We Already Have!

ONE OF MY GREATEST INFLUENCES

No doubt if you have read much by me, or other writers that I publish, you can (at least faintly I hope), see the influence of this gifted preacher, Charles Haddon Spurgeon. Enough accolades have been given to him, such as "Greatest preacher since the Apostle Paul" and the like. If he were alive today, he would scold those who said that, for with all his ability and fame, he was still a humble man -- a "John Ploughman" as he would say. He left us a wealth of material in his balanced sermons. Read them and be blessed! I have links on my main blog to a large collection of his sermons through the Spurgeon Archive, and also, Pilgrim Publications. Simply access the featured sermons and look for other links to more sermons. Blessed reading!

THE PRODIGAL SON RETURNS

I am not so fond of all religious art, especially pictures of Christ, since we do not really know what He looked like. Some religious art helps to enhance a Bible story such as this depiction of the prodigal son by Spanish artist Bartolomé Esteban Murillo, 1617 - 1682 titled
The Return of the Prodigal Son, 1667/1670. I don't know about you, but this I like.

IN UNDERGROUND ATLANTA- ABT 1980

It has had its ups and downs as a tourist attraction, but it is interesting because it shows that modern downtown Atlanta, by using viaducts and bridges, was built over the old city in several areas. The old city itself was hurridly rebuilt after the Civil War ended in 1865.