The Brightest Colors
by Mrs. Charles E. Cowman

"It is good for me that I have been afflicted" (Ps. 119:71).

It is a remarkable circumstance that the most brilliant colors of plants are to be seen on the highest mountains, in spots that are most exposed to the wildest weather. The brightest lichens and mosses, the loveliest gems of wild flowers, abound far up on the bleak, storm-scalped peak.

One of the richest displays of organic coloring I ever beheld was near the summit of Mount Chenebettaz, a hill about 10,000 feet high, immediately above the great St. Bernard Hospice. The whole face of an extensive rock was covered with a most vivid yellow lichen which shone in the sunshine like the golden battlement of an enchanted castle.

There, in that lofty region, amid the most frowning desolation, exposed to the fiercest tempest of the sky, this lichen exhibited a glory of color such as it never showed in the sheltered valley. I have two specimens of the same lichen before me while I write these lines, one from the great St. Bernard, and the other from the wall of a Scottish castle, deeply embossed among sycamore trees; and the difference in point of form and coloring between them is most striking.

The specimen nurtured amid the wild storms of the mountain peak is of a lovely primrose hue, and is smooth in texture and complete in outline, while the specimen nurtured amid the soft airs and the delicate showers of the lowland valley is of a dim rusty hue, and is scurfy in texture, and broken in outline.

And is it not so with the Christian who is afflicted, tempest-tossed, and not comforted? Till the storms and vicissitudes of God's providence beat upon him again and again, his character appears marred and clouded; but trials clear away the obscurity, perfect the outlines of his disposition, and give brightness and blessing to his life.

Amidst my list of blessings infinite
Stands this the foremost, that my heart has bled;
For all I bless Thee, most for the severe.
--Hugh Macmillan

I took my light saber test and my color is....


You have earned the Purple Lightsaber. You have
gained a high positon on the Jedi councel, and
others look up to you. You are well skilled in
the ways of the Jedi, and the force is very
strong with you.

Which Star Wars Lightsaber Should You Have?
brought to you by Quizilla

UPDATE on the GMail invite give away. 
Since my purpose in doing this is to get to know all of you better I have decided to extend the deadline for entry submissions from today until next Saturday (Sept 25).  I hope to here how God has used you in the lives of others either directly or indirectly.
Godspeed,
Wesley

 I was thinking that one of my readers may not as of yet have a GMail* account and since I have an invite why not give it away. So I am thinking of a number between 1 and 1 Google.  Nooooo!!!! I am kidding! Not about the give away but about the number guessing. From today, Saturday, Sept 18, 2004 @ 4pm EST until Saturday, Sept 25, 2004 @ 3:59pm EST I am running a contest to give away this one GMail invite. 

So what do you need to do to get this invite? Leave one post of 20 words or less telling me of your greatest ministry experience. When I say minstry I not only want to include those who are employeed in minstry postions, but also anyone who minsters to others for the glory of God. This should include all believers who profess to be born again through the death, burial, and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ alone (Eph 2:8-9). So tell me how God has used you to impact the lives of others for the Glory and Kingdom of God . Then I will choose a RANDOM blog post to be the winner. I have decided to use "LOTS" to choose the winner because God is a better judge than I. Once I have read all of the posts I will shortly thereafter notify the winner and leave a blog letting all know whom the winner is.

Also be on the look out for other similiar contests for GMail accounts to come.

Godspeed,
Wesley

* For those of you not familiar with GMail it is Googles Version of Email. They offer 1GB (1000MB) of email storage to it's users.  Currently most email providers offer 2-10MB and some have moved to 100-250MB. The one thing Google does is show ADs on your WebMail as you view it online. The choose ADs based on the word content of your emails. So there is some type of email analyzation that occurs, but most email providers can do this already if they want to or are ordered by the Law. Even you place of buisness has the right to look at each and every email you send using the Coporate email system or the through the Coporate provided internet. So a word of caution. ALWAYS treat email as if you are sending a postcard to someone.