Inspirational People

Fanny Crosby: Songbird in the Dark

Kaylene — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 03:10:38 +0000


Fanny Crosby
I love to be out on my back porch just before daylight. Just before the sunrise, I often hear songbirds welcoming a new day. Despite the darkness, we know that the bright light of the sun will soon appear.
Fanny Crosby has been called “The Songbird in the Dark.” When she was only 6 weeks old, faulty treatment of an eye infection resulted in lifelong blindness. She wrote hymns that inspirationally envision our future reunion with Christ. Early in her life, Fanny had a dream in which she saw the panorama of a glorious heaven, and many of her songs reflect that theme. By age 8, having fought and won over discouragement, she wrote this poem:
Poem:
Oh, what a happy soul am I! Although I cannot see,
I am resolved that in this world contented I shall be.
How many blessings I enjoy that other people don't.
By the time of her death, she had penned at least 8,000 hymns. Songs such as “Tell Me the Story of Jesus” and “To God Be the Glory” are still popular today.
This lady touched my life in a powerful way through the songs that she wrote. Songs that I have sang over my lifetime growing up in church. Here are some of my favorite ones that she wrote. I'm sure you will recognize some of them:
All The Way My Saviour Leads Me
Blessed Assurance
He Hideth My Soul
Near The Cross
Tell Me The Story of Jesus
To God Be The Glory


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J. C. Penny

Kaylene — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 17:15:23 +0000

J C Penny

When I was just a very young child my parents taught me the importance of reading good books. They would read to me each night until I learned to read for myself. They always critiqued my books before I read them! Much of my free time was spent with a good book as my company!

One of the first biographies I remember reading was the life of J.C. Penny! He was a successful retail businessman from Missouri, the 7th of 12 children, and was raised to believe in the Golden Rule. J. C. Penny’s parents also taught him to tithe the first 10% of all his money and he did that throughout his entire life.

The first J. C. Penny store opened in April of 1902. He accepted “cash only” for his goods – no credit! Penney’s store was successful because his customers liked the merchandise and good service! The J. C. Penny Company flourished under the motto: “Honor, Confidence, Service and Cooperation.”

James Cash Penny died in 1971 at the age of 95. In 2002 J. C. Penny company celebrated 100 years of service and is still today one of American’s largest retailers!

I am thankful that my parents instilled in me a desire to read! They also taught me at a young age to practice Malachi 3:8-10 and I have never regretted that practice!
I am thankful for Christian parents!

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Amanda Smith: God’s Image Carved in Ebony

Kaylene — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 00:52:08 +0000

I remember reading the life story of Amanda Smith when I was a teenager. Her life impacted mine in several ways. Primarily the way that

Amanda Smigh

she overcame prejudice, poverty, & religious bigotry. I have not encountered very many people who have even heard of her. So I’ve chosen her as the subject of this blog post & trust that you will be enticed to read more about her remarkable life & contribution to American culture.

Amanda Berry Smith (January 23, 1837 – February 24, 1915) was a former slave who became an inspiration to thousands of women both black and white. She was born in Long Green, Maryland, a small town in Baltimore County. Her father’s name was Samuel Berry while her mother’s name was Mariam. Her father, a slave, worked for years at night and after long days of field labour, he had to make brooms and husk mats to pay for freedom for his whole family of 7.

Amanda taught herself how to read by cutting out large letters from newspapers and asking her mother to make them into words. When she was thirteen, only having three and a half months of formal schooling, Amanda went to work near York, Pennsylvania, as the servant of a widow with five children. While there, she attended a revival service at the Methodist Episcopal Church.

She worked hard as a cook and a washerwoman to provide for herself and her daughter after her husband was killed in the American Civil War. Prayer became a way of life for her as she trusted God for shoes, the money to buy her sisters freedom and food for her family. She became well known for her beautiful voice and hence, opportunities to evangelize in the South and West opened up for her. Wherever she travelled, she wore a plain poke bonnet and a brown or black Quaker wrapper, and she carried her own carpetbag suitcase.

In 1876, she was invited to speak and sing in England travelling on a first class cabin provided by her friends. The captain invited her to conduct a religious service on board and she was so modest that the other passengers spread word of her and resulted in her stay in England and Scotland for a year and a half. After her trip, she returned to her homeland and eventually founded the Amanda Smith Orphans’ Home for African-American children in a suburb of Chicago. She continued to visit various nations and gained a reputation as “God’s image carved in ebony.”

Her autobiography was published in 1893.
Read Amanda’s Autobiography Online

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Charles Haden Spurgeon

Kaylene — Wed, 13 Jan 2010 04:27:36 +0000

As you have probably noticed by now I enjoy reading and writing about men & women who have made a difference in the lives that they

: Charels H. Spurgeon

touched! Wouldn’t it be wonderful if we could all make a positive difference for Christ in the lives that we touch each day!

Charles Spurgeon was a ‘man who made a difference’ in the lives that he touched! He was a great British pastor in London! I love his story of ‘raising money for the orphans’. He went to Bristol hoping to raise £300, which was a huge amount of money in those days, for the homeless children of London. At the end of the week his financial goal had been met!

That night, as he bowed in prayer, Spurgeon was clearly prompted to give the money to a co-laborer of Christ named George Mueller. “Oh no, Lord,” answered Spurgeon, “I need it for my own dear orphans.” Yet Spurgeon couldn’t shake the idea that God wanted him to part with it. Only when he said, “Yes, Lord, I will,” did he go to sleep.

With great peace, he made his way the next morning to Mueller’s orphanage and found the great man of prayer on his knees. The famous minister placed his hand on Mueller’s shoulder and said, “George, God has told me to give you the £300 I’ve collected.” “Oh, my dear brother,” exclaimed Mueller,” I’ve just been asking him for exactly that amount!” The two servants of the Lord wept and rejoiced together.

When Spurgeon returned to London, he found an envelope on his desk containing more than £300. The Lord had returned the £300 he had obediently given to Mueller, with 300 shillings of interest!

Charles Spurgeon truly made a difference in the lives he touched that week in Bristol!

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What kind of prop can I bring in to represent Women's History Month/Famous Women in History?

Kaylene — Mon, 29 Mar 2010 04:21:53 +0000

I have an oral presentation I need to do where we read off note cards and talk about a topic. My topic is Women’s History Month/Famous women in history. I need 3 props. I am bringing in pictures, but I dont know what else to bring in.

Margaret Thatcher?

Kaylene — Thu, 01 Apr 2010 15:21:32 +0000

Anyone know where to find information on Margaret Thatcher?

Charles H. Spurgeon ~ Repentance

Kaylene — Sat, 31 Jul 2010 08:43:09 +0000

Watch in HD for clarity of text. Charles Haddon Spurgeon ~ RepentanceCharles Haddon Spurgeon (1834-92) was England’s best-known preacher for most of the second half of the nineteenth century. In 1854, just four years after his conversion, Spurgeon, then only 20, became pastor of London’s famed New Park Street Church (formerly pastored by the famous Baptist theologian John Gill). The congregation quickly outgrew their building, moved to Exeter Hall, then to Surrey Music Hall. In these venues Spurgeon frequently preached to audiences numbering more than 10000—all in the days before electronic amplification. In 1861 the congregation moved permanently to the newly constructed Metropolitan Tabernacle. ~~~~~~~~~~~ Copyright Disclaimer Under Section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976, allowance is made for “fair use” for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research. Fair use is a use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing. Non-profit, educational or personal use tips the balance in favor of fair use.

Abraham Lincoln: Tyrant

Kaylene — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 14:31:36 +0000

When Abraham Lincoln launched his military invasion of the Southern States to prevent their peaceful and democratic assertion of independence, he ushered in a radically different Union than the one the Founders intended. Whether it was slavery, tariffs, or a redefinition of Federal powers matters little. The question of whether we live in a voluntary government or a compulsory one, enforced at gunpoint, was answered with the death and maiming of almost a million Americans from 1861 to 1865. At the heart of the ever-encroaching State that we find ourselves living under is the legacy of Abraham Lincoln. Every tyrant, from Karl Marx to Woodrow Wilson, FDR to Adolf Hitler, George W Bush and Barack Obama, have embraced the Lincoln mantle in both their writings and their actions. For Liberty to reemerge, the Lincoln myth must be shattered and exposed. Thanks for watching.

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Who is your most inspirational teacher and why?

Kaylene — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 13:50:34 +0000

I’m training to be a teacher and thought it would be a good idea to collect examples of how teachers have made a huge impact on people’s lives when they were at school. Tell me about an inspirational teacher to you and why they were so great!

Thank you!
Thanks for all your responses so far! its great to have a variety!

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Jeremy Hurteau Commemorative Speech Charles Spurgeon

Kaylene — Sun, 25 Jul 2010 20:35:38 +0000

Jeremy Hurteau Commemorative Speech Charles Spurgeon