without prophecy, without divine revelation or vision, people will cast off all restraint. They will run wild because they have no guidance—no vision. The Word of God—His law—provides vision and guidance for living, and those who follow it are blessed. All people need a vision to sustain them in life.

The Broken Vessel Have you ever been scorched by the hot words of Jesus? Has He ever spoken something so deep into your heart that you were cut to the very core of your being? I think this is exactly what happened to John in the passage below. I believe he was pierced by God in his fleshly strength, never to recover. When His disciples James and John saw this, they said, "Lord, do You want us to command fire to come down from heaven and consume them?" But He turned and rebuked them. Luke 9:54—55

I am most interested in encouraging Christians to think and read well. Christians, of all people, should reflect the mind of their Maker. Learning to read well is a step toward loving God with your mind. It is a leap toward thinking God's thoughts after Him.

Use this time to make mistakes without the whole world hearing about them. Keep tweaking. Work out the kinks. Test random ideas. Try new things. No one knows you, so it's no big deal if you mess up. Obscurity helps protect your ego and preserve your confidence.

as usual, kept the fire alive and the lamp trimmed; and the room, with its rows and rows of books

The more you read Scripture, the more you actually talk to God rather than think about fear.

God's self-revelation is a higher authority than our feelings.

The key to learning the fear of the Lord is to stay in Scripture. When you are in the Scripture, pray that God would teach you that he is the Holy One.

One recognizes one's course by discovering the paths that stray from it.

The highest principles for our aspirations and judgements are given to us in the Jewish-Christian religious tradition. It is a very high goal which, with our weak powers, we can reach only very inadequately, but which gives a sure foundation to our aspirations and valuations.

Encourage your children to read more and watch television less.

I do not concern myself much with reading long commentary volumes designed to enlarge at length upon that which is found in the scriptures. Rather, I prefer to dwell with the source, tasting of the unadulterated waters of the fountain of truth - the word of God as he gave it and as it has been recorded in the books we accept as scripture.