A ROCKY FOUNDATION

  Once there were two men in the same room  of a great hospital, both seriously ill. The room was quite small, just enough for two beds. There was a door opening on the hall and one window looking out on the world. One of the men, as part of his treatment was allowed to sit up in bed for an hour in the afternoon and his bed was near the window. But the other man had to spend all his time flat on his back. Both of them had to be kept quiet and still which was why they were in the small room by themselves. They were grateful for peace and privacy. Of course one of the disadvantages of their condition was that they were not allowed to do much: no reading, no radio, certainly no television- they just has to keep quiet and still, just the two of them. They used to talk for hours and hours about their wives, their children, their homes , their former jobs, their hobbies, their childhood etc. Every afternoon when the man in the bed next to the window was propped up for his hour, he wo

                  Cameron Townsend was a young man fresh out of college when he went to Central America as a short-term volunteer. At that time, selling books, including Bibles, was a way Protestants could get by doing evangelistic work in Latin America. So, in order to "fly under the radar" and not run afoul of the authorities, Townsend became a traveling bookseller or what was then called a "colporteur." After his return to the U.S, he felt called to go back to Guatemala as a   colportage evangelist. One day, in a village market, a man whose mother tongue was Kaqchikel came by Townsend's book stand. Townsend wound up trying to sell the man a Bible in Spanish. Finally, the Kaqchikel speaker   asked, “If your God is so great, why doesn’t he speak my language?” That simple question led to the formation of a mission agency dedicating to translating God’s Word into every language on earth. At that point in time, Kaqchikel was an unwritten language. So, Townse

               Few men have had a life of prayer such as David Brainerd. His work among the American Indians has long been remembered. Brainerd diary reads like pages from the heavenly record of angels, who note the answers to the prayers through the centuries. On one occasion during a severe storm, Brainerd crept into a hollow log for shelter. While waiting there he spent his time praying for the Indians. When mealtime came David was startled when a little squirrel at the opening of the log chattered a moment, left some nuts and disappeared. David ate those nuts. For three days the storm continued unabated, he remained in the log. God sent the squirrel daily to feed this man of such faith and trust. In Psalm 37, David wrote “a little that a righteous man has is better than the riches of many wicked” (Ps.37:15-16). The little of one good man is contrasted with the riches of many wicked. Righteousness is of far greater value than all other riches combined. While it might seem li