Food for Thought

© Copyright 2014 Merrill Phillips.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the written prior permission of the author.

isbn: 978-1-4907-2632-8 (sc)

isbn: 978-1-4907-2633-5 (e)

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Contents

A GIFT FROM GOD

A GUIDE TO WRITE BY

A LIGHT UNTO THE WORLD

A NEW GENERATION

A THOUGHTFUL CHRISTIAN

A TIME TO GRIEVE

A WAY OF LIFE

ADDICTION

AGAINST THE ODDS

ARE YOU A TRUE CHRISTIAN

BE STILL AND KNOW

BEAUTY OF THE NIGHT

CALLED

CHANGES FOR THE BETTER

COME

COMFORTER

CONFLICT

DEATH

DECEIT

DECISIONS

DECISIONS ABOUT GOD

DEEP WITHIN

DYING

ETERNAL DESTINY

FEAR IS NOT OF GOD

FINAL VICTORY

FREE

FREEEDOM

FROM THE CRADDLE TO THE CROSS

GIVE ME LIST

THE GLORY OF THE LORD SHONE ROUND ABOUT

HE CAME AS HE SAID HE WOULD

HE DIED FOR ME

HEADSTONES

HIGH ABOVE

HOPE

IN AWE

JESUS’ CREATION

JOIN HANDS IN A CIRCLE OF LOVE

KEY TO VICTORY

LETS ALL FOLLOW JESUS

LOVE

MAKE ROOM FOR JESUS

MASTER BUILDER

SACRIFICAL LAMB

SATAN, THE SOURCE OF ALL EVIL

SAVED BY THE GRACE OF GOD

THE TRUE CHURCH

THE LIGHT THAT HEALS

THE TWELVE

IN THE TWILIGHT OF LIFE

THIS GREAT LAND CALLED AMERICA

TO THE GLORY OF GOD

TO THOSE WHO FOLLOW

TRIUMPH

TRUE FREEDOM

TWO CHOICES

UNCONDITIONAL LOVE

WALKING A FINE LINE

WHERE ONCE I WAS BLIND NOW I SEE

WHICH DOOR WILL YOU OPEN

WHY

WILL YOU ANSWER YOUR CALLING

A BEACON

ENCOUNTER

A COMPASS

A DIFFERENT VIEW

A FRIEND

A GIFT

A GIFT TO THE WHOLE WORLD

A GUIDING HAND

HIGHER CALLING

A MOST LOVING GOD

A MOTHER’S VIGIL

A NEW FOUND FRIEND IN CHRIST

A NEW LIFE

A NEW DAY

A NOTE OF THANKS

A QUIET PLACE OF REST

RAY OF HOPE

A TIME FOR ALL FLESH

A TOOL OF SATAN

ALL ARE SINNERS

ALL BELONGS TO GOD

AS FOOD NOURISHES THE BODY

SO DOES THE WORD OF GOD

NOURISH THE SOUL.

Merrill Phillips

A GIFT FROM GOD

There are so many talented people, well educated and of high degree.

I am but a poor soul trying to make a go; I work all week at seventy-three and do not have time to travel or the money to get about.

That which I do for God is no burden, this I do with delight, and feel as though I do not do enough.

Workdays are long and pleasures are few, but when I write everything becomes al-right.

It is a pleasure and it is relaxing too, to write without thought for self.

Perhaps someday what I have penned will be published for many to read.

If I help but one poor soul to cope with the tasks of life the whole effort will be well worth the sleep deprived nights.

Writing to me is a labor of love, never demanding or causing a burden, it is a pure delight.

God started preparing me for this endeavor when I was very young, I can look back and see His hand guiding me as through life I stumbled.

The trials and tribulations at the time were very upsetting and caused many a fright.

After they were through, I stood alone one day and heard Him say Take pen and paper and write.

Dear Lord I cannot write I declared, I cannot even spell, English in school was my worst subject, and You want me to write?

He answered me not; He just left me alone with my thoughts.

As time passed, I did take up pen and paper and write, things went slow at first, but now some twelve years or more later I delight in doing what I thought was impossible for me to do.

He awakes me at night and tells me things that He wants me to express, most of the time I obey and when I am through, I sleep until dawn.

The loss of sleep is a small price to pay to do the will of God, and even that is not a burden, for I am never tired from the lack of it.

I will continue to do what God has appointed me to do until in my grave I lie.

Whether published now or after I am gone is immaterial to me, for I know that the work of God will never go unnoticed or unread.

I can only say that it is a privilege to serve the One who gave me life and set me free from a past that was not pleasing to Him.

Thank You God for the privilege of being one of those who You chose to help spread Your word to my fellowman.

A GUIDE TO WRITE BY

As a Christian writer, I pledge to uphold the dignity of being a Christian.

I pledge to maintain an open mind and present both sides of a story without prejudice.

I pledge to never write anything that could lead someone to stray from pursuing the truths as revealed in the Bible, or to write anything with expectation of self-glory. Whatsoever I write will be written in such a manner that all glory is directed to God.

I will endeavor to avoid telling just half-truths and pledge to uphold a standard of writing that will be pleasing to God.

I will avoid using explicit metaphors if and when I write about encounters with the opposite sex, just to show that sex can be written about in a Christian way.

I will listen for and adhere to that inner voice that I have come to know is from the Holy Ghost, for I believe that inspired writings come from God through the Holy Ghost.

It is indeed a privilege and an honor to have been given the gift of writing and I pledge to exercise my God given gift to the glory of God.

The penned word from God can be and has been preserved for generations far beyond the life of the author.

As God has always done, he has selected people from every generation to write for him without expectation of personal gain.

If my feeble attempt at writing is pleasing to God, then, I too will join the ranks of His chosen authors, if not my efforts will fall by the wayside and never be brought to light.

Either way I have gained a deeper respect and love for the one who created me, God.

With the signing of this document, I pledge to never disgrace the writing profession by producing writings that do not glorify God.

I affix my name

This day in the year of our Lord

A LIGHT UNTO THE WORLD

It was a night much as this many long years ago that God came to Earth to save man from himself.

The heavens opened and low and behold, he came to Earth in the form of a living soul.

He entered his own creation as Mary gave birth to our Lord and Savior here on Earth.

Jesus never came in pomp and splendor, nor was he born just for the rich and powerful; he came meek and mild, born in a lowly manger, born of a virgin who never knew a man.

It was a night for the whole world to remember, because from that day until this Jesus has changed every willing heart.

He never sought power of his own; he only fulfilled the good news of the prophets of long, long ago.

Though he had the power of the whole universe in his hands, he only came to Love and save fallen man.

And Love he did, he opened the door to heaven above and stood as a teacher and guide for all who would listen and bend their knee before the throne of God.

He lined the way with encouraging words from his Father above.

Though his mission was one of a Savior, he came to disrupt the accepted ways of those who ruled.

Born of a virgin through a virgin birth he was sinless and represented purity here on earth.

His Father’s will he came to fulfill that night of nights long, long ago.

Never before nor never again will Jesus come as he did, his second coming will be nothing like his first, this time he will come and rule with power never before displayed.

The faithful will greet him with open hearts, the rebellious will flee and hide and will still want to rule over all the earth, but they will find their desires just folly and unfulfilled.

For Jesus shall speak and the whole world shall shake and cause the ungodly to quake.

Where the faithful shall hear a soft and gentle voice, the unruly shall hear a roaring lion and flee from before his face.

This will be the time of the harvest, the wheat shall be separated from the chaff and the chaff shall be cast into the fires of hell.

As the world convulses and burns with fervent heat the saved will turn their backs and follow their Shepherd through the pearly gates.

A NEW GENERATION

Another child has been born, the fourth generation since my own birth. Just as my great grandparents celebrated my birth as a fourth generation, so do we celebrate the birth of one of our great grandchildren.

The trip to see our great grandchild was long and tiresome, but it isn’t everyday that we get to witness the succession of life expressed in this manner.

We as great grandparents feel privileged indeed to share in the birth of a new generation. What lies ahead for this new generation is in the hands of God.

Like all previous generations, Hanna will have the free choice as to how she wants to live her life. We of the older generation can only advise and pray that Hanna will make the right choices.

She like all previous generations will have to face the same basic problems that all generations have had to face since Adam and Eve, mainly the temptations of sin.

With proper guidance and schooling in the ways of God will save Hanna and all of the rest of the Hanna’s of this world much heartache and grief.

This is not an easy world to live in. It takes a lot of self-discipline and love of God to successfully