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    Food for Thought
    Food for Thought
    Food for Thought
    Ebook204 pages2 hours

    Food for Thought

    By Merrill Phillips

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    About this ebook

    FOOD FOR THOUGHT is a collection of short articles pertaining to different aspects of life. Hopefully one can get some comfort from FOOD FOR THOUGHT and encouragement to turn to God in good times as well as bad.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherTrafford Publishing
    Release dateFeb 6, 2014
    ISBN9781490726335
    Food for Thought
    Author

    Merrill Phillips

    Born September 16 1926. Son of Freeman W. and Emma P Phillips, Chatham Mass. Graduated Chatham High School. Served during WW11 in the Army Air Corp as aircraft mechanic .Married in 1949, three children, Lysbeth, Pauline, and Peter. Worked in the plumbing trade for thirty eight years. Had my own plumbing business for fifteen years in New Hampshire. Lived in many different state and now reside in Barton, Mississippi. Have three books published, MY CALLING, TELL ME AGAIN GRAMPA, and PRICE OF FREEDOM. All published through Trafford Publishing. At 87 I have committed to publish seven more books. Being a called writer has been the highlight of my life.

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      Book preview

      Food for Thought - Merrill Phillips

      © 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)

      Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

      Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Thinkstock are models,

      and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

      Certain stock imagery © Thinkstock.

      Trafford rev. 02/03/2014

      22970.png

      www.trafford.com

      North America & international

      toll-free: 1 888 232 4444 (USA & Canada)

      fax: 812 355 4082

      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

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