FAIR SUNSHINE

The appointed passage for this Lord's Day, is taken from the Gospel of St. Luke, verses fifty-four through fifty-nine of the twelfth chapter. The night before found my mind in great distress, my thoughts so plagued by numbing distractions that I was sure to end empty in preparing a worthy exposition by daylight. Yet, through the Lord's great mercy, I continued to plead on my knees, and was at last enabled to begin the essential task of putting pen to paper. It was slow going, for the effort was multiplied by a crippled and painful finger that seemed to protest with each sentence.  By nine in the morning the message was completed, and the children's class had already started. I was granted a further pleasure by listening to the instructions given by the beloved teachers to the young ones. I must confess I was greatly warmed in my heart by the devotion and care shown in the lessons prepared by the teachers. And to observe the bright enthusiasm with which the little ones engag...

Journal Entry. 3:48AM. 23rd, October. 2025 To obey the commands of God, by itself, is truly simple. The actual difficulty, however, lies in the struggle and resistance of disobeying the desires of the self. For in the contest between God's will and your own, the one to whom you grant the greater affection will be, without fail, the law you choose to obey.

In January, 1741, at the town of Bala, Harris was savagely assaulted. The local clergyman, in what he called an effort 'to defend the Church' , opened a barrel of beer on the main street and used it to entice a mob to attack the evangelist.  The fury of the persecutors was such that one of them fell into a fit from the transport of his passion. Another was loud for hurling Harris from the top of a rock into the lake hard by. The women also were as fiendish as the men, for they besmeared him with mire, while their companions... belabored him with their fists and clubs... inflicting such wounds that his path could be marked in the street by the crimson stains of his blood. The enemy continued to persecute him... striking him with sticks and staves, until overcome with exhaustion he fell to the ground... They still abused him, though prostrate; until one of his persecutors... perhaps apprehensive of a prosecution for murder if the abuse were pro longed, became his rescuer and.....

Posting for the record, the pins of locations we have taken the message of the glorious Gospel to since 2017. The grayed out ones with numbers are the locations I am scheduled to visit. If the LORD wills, the chapters of my short life will close with this—my reason for existence, summarized in one insignificant google map. The LORD God of heaven and earth has been faithful and merciful, in keeping me from much harm, since I began lifting up His name (Psalm 40:11) . The great privilege given me as my life's work, was to proclaim the salvation of my LORD. I have told the glad news of deliverance in the great congregation; behold! I spared no words! O LORD, you know this is true.  Psalm 40:9  

I am diligently setting forth the boundaries of the list of municipalities wherein I purpose to deliver the divine Word in the coming months! Though the fields for the Gospel's sowing are vast beyond measure, I have, through prayerful consideration, confined my exertions to that which, by the Lord's grace, one man might possibly achieve. May the Almighty, in His boundless mercy, mercifully keep this unprofitable servant from the snares of ambition or self-deception.  This itinerary will require a span of somewhat beyond four months for its completion. I shall commence with four appointed locales in the first month, followed by a like number in the succeeding month, and so forth. My intention is to address the populace in two separate places each day, rotating my ministry amongst the designated locations on a daily, alternating rhythm. Seventeen new locations, and three to revisit. Two I am to revisit, with the exception of Obando, are considerably far from me. Going from one p...

This volume of two hundred and thirty pages, I must confess, is but the third such work I have been compelled to finish in a single sitting. The details contained within are simply too incomprehensible and exhausting for the soul to rightly process in slow measure. It describes a different, more severe brand of Christianity than that which we commonly know and tolerate today. It is not the type that reaches for Christ safely from a comfortable distance, but rather that which charges head-on into the fray of spiritual warfare. At times, it seems that the faithful Adoniram and his devoted wife, Ann, were utterly alone in their terrible labor. The difficulties, the severe sickness, and the relentless hand of death all continued to pile up one after the other in an unending and worsening fashion. Their mission wears on for long, agonizing years, and with every turn of the page, there is a fresh account of life-threatening danger or profound tragedy. Such a narrative serves as a stern and...

This morning was gloomy. Heavy with clouds, and was threatening to rain. Come afternoon we were granted a pleasant sunny weather.  The text for the sheep was on Luke 21:35-48 . How that we should always be watching in constant readiness, having a mindset of instant accountability when we are suddenly called to stand before the Master. It reminds us, that those who are blessed , are the ones whom his master will find so  doing when he comes. Christ, our Blessed Redeemer, is immeasurably gracious and bountiful to those servants who exhibit such faithfulness and vigilance, yet He is just as unsparing and severe in His judgment upon the unfaithful. Our mere profession of His name affords us no guarantee whatsoever of our standing. Many who believe themselves secure shall be utterly astonished when they are numbered amongst the unbecoming, and still greater shall be their consternation to behold the very heathen shown more clemency than themselves in their final punishment....

Journal Entry. 230AM. 12th, October. 2025 My mind is, alas, a whirling compass, traversed by a thousand considerations, the very least of which, I am ashamed to confess, concerns the surgery that now awaits me. The street meetings, however, must on no account be permitted to falter or cease, for we have most earnestly petitioned the Lord for His favor, and our very souls are expecting a glorious outpouring of His Spirit upon this darkened city. This last Lord's Day—a day consecrated to the joy of service—found me not in fellowship with the beloved brethren, nor engaged in the duties of ministry, but rather in the confines of the emergency room, receiving injections to abate severe pain. My sole distraction in that hour of physical duress was the profound fear regarding those souls whom I had invited to return the previous week. I was beset by the thought: What if they arrived, seeking the Word, and discounted my necessary absence as a breach of good faith, or a sign of insinceri...

Journal Entry. Late Morning. 8th, October. 2025 Studied the region of Norzagaray and created a new route that would include all the major thoroughfares of each barangay. I still have three urban locations to scout: Tigbe, San Lorenzo, and Friendship Village Resources. It is a huge undertaking considering this is just one municipality alone (there are 13) . I am seeing this will take a month's worth of persistent work (per municipality) . How many public pleadings per week I still do not know. I confess I am beside myself with a holy trepidation as I contemplate the road ahead. My soul is often afflicted by the foreknowledge of the physical strain, considering my present infirmities; the dangers inherent in traversing the lonely road; and the profound uncertainties of engagement with the souls I am sent to reach. Yet, I take solace and courage in this blessed certainty: The LORD is my stay. There are grave matters of strategy and circumstance that must be brought before the thro...

Journal Entry. Evening. 6th of October. 2025 My thoughts are continually exercised and greatly afflicted by the remembrance of the street meeting we were constrained to forego by reason of my current ailment. My spirit finds itself in a sincere and arduous wrestling with the conviction that but a single public assembly per week may fail to bear the abundant fruit that the Lord desires. The soil is hard-packed, and the seeds must be scattered often and with great persistence! A thought, aligning precisely with the earnest desire that the Holy Spirit has been stirring in my innermost heart for a full month's span, has now been laid bare before my mind’s eye. Yet, I am taking diligent heed not to rush forward in the flesh, lest I enter into a rash vow or a commitment made without a true and abiding dependence upon Divine Providence and enablement. I await the clear shining of the Lord's countenance upon this proposal. Whitefield's activities in Scotland supply further evidence...

This new book has arrived, late, but perfectly timed for my reflection. It is the second volume by Mr. Arnold Dallimore, and it speaks plainly of the failings of truly great men. He recounts the saddening loss of Howell Harris and the contention between the prideful Wesley brothers and the dear, good-hearted Mr. George Whitefield. The contents of this volume are far more explicit than the first. In truth, some parts are so shocking that I struggle to believe them. It is a terrible reminder: even when men of faith are mightily used by God, they remain only men, full of wretchedness and sin. I had painted them in my mind as "Men of God" without blemish, but this book shows them in full light—their humanity, their struggles, and their arguments. Though I shall never reach their heights of usefulness in ministry, I am now better reminded to look inward, to keep up a constant self-examination, and to strive for faithfulness with the very little that has been entrusted to my care. ...

The bulk of the clergy was no longer favourable to him, and regarded him with suspicion as an enthusiast and a fanatic. They were especially scandalized by his preaching the doctrine of regeneration or the new birth, as a thing which many baptized persons greatly needed! The number of pulpits to which he had access rapidly diminished. Churchwardens, who had no eyes for drunkenness and impurity, were filled with intense indignation about what they called “breaches of order.” Bishops, who could tolerate Arianism, Socinianism, and Deism, were filled with indignation at a man who declared fully the atonement of Christ and the work of the Holy Ghost, and began to denounce him openly. In short, from this period of his life, Whitefield’s field of usefulness within the Church of England narrowed rapidly on every side.   The step which at this juncture gave a turn to the whole current of Whitefield’s ministry was his adoption of the system of open-air preaching. Seeing that thousands ...

It was by the unmistakable leading of Divine Providence that I chanced upon this most precious recommended read, offered by a dear missionary brother laboring faithfully in the distant fields of Peru. Upon searching out the title and reading a small measure of its testimony, I was immediately moved to commit the last of my earthly savings to secure the digital volume. So deeply convicting was the very narration of that faithful servant, Bruce Olson, that my spirit could not lay the book aside; I was compelled forward, finishing the content in the brief span of three hours. In that reading, I found a profound and glorious realization that God had, in His tender mercy, already wonderfully steered my uncertain steps in the right direction from the very genesis of this work. I had long poured out my soul, seeking the mercies of God for a clearer and more definite vision, and with this timely message, the long-sought assurance was settled upon my heart as a blessed certainty. I commend this...

An Account of the Third Public Pleading, and the Mercies Granted Our third street meeting took place on the promenade of the town proper's municipal hall. By a sad necessity, owing to violent unrest and protests that transpired in the region of Metro Manila, the local administration saw fit to shut the park down, intending to shield the area from the grievous vandalism. The preceding Sabbath saw a similar disappointment, as the site was closed for a night market, forcing us to retire to a nearby diner, where we might share a frugal meal and yet continue our fellowship with the message of the chronological events in the life of our Blessed Christ. Despite the rain throughout the first two of our public pleadings, we persisted in the work. And this past Sabbath, we were favored with a beautiful and serene weather, a gift sent directly from the hand of providence.  It is with humble gratitude that I record the favor shown by the civil authorities, who informally permitted us to cond...

A year went by. Hudson read his Bible through for the fortieth time. He wrote hundreds of letters and prayed constantly for China and the missionaries who served there. The news that Jennie had cancer hardly changed their lives at all. Both of them were already living in the light of eternity. Although she was thin and weak, she told a friend, "I couldn't be better cared for or happier. I'm nearly home. What will it be to be there! The Lord is taking me slowly and gently." And so He was. On July 29, 1904, Jennie died with Hudson at her bedside. Hudson was now seventy-two years old and badly wanted to go back to China. There were so many people to encourage there and so many people to thank. So, in the spring of 1905, he and his son Howard, now also a medical doctor, and Howard's wife, Geraldine, set off on Hudson's eleventh journey to China. And what a trip it was. Hudson was able to visit many areas by train now. Trains were much more comfortable than the whe...