The Precious Moments Chapel near Carthage, Missouri, is a unique place. It offers visitors an opportunity to experience a moving message from the heart of an artist. It is a message of love, hope, and inspiration. The results of Sam Butcher’s dream that originated almost 40 years ago has blessed many lives since the Precious Moments Chapel opened almost 30 years ago.
I hope you will visit online at preciousmomentschapel.org to see photos, to learn about the artist, and to understand the history of this special place. Even better, visit in person to experience firsthand the chapel, the museum, and the beautiful grounds. Enjoy the figurines, murals, fountains, statues, and more. Go, and allow your heart to feel loved, hopeful, and inspired.
Sharing more than his dream and artwork, Sam Butcher shared his faith and this prayer: “It is my prayer that through my work in the Chapel, I might share my faith with others and that the Spirit of God might touch the visitors’ hearts and bring them to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ, our Lord.”
I am thankful for Sam’s beautiful testament that is a place where precious moments truly abound.
IN CHRIST ALONE: MY HOPE IS FOUND
In 2001 Keith Getty and Stuart Townend wrote a song, “In Christ Alone,” that explains the life of Christ. It’s a beautiful song that is full of hope.
In 2005 it was named the 9th best loved hymn of all time by BBC Songs of Praise survey and in their 2010 survey was named 2nd best hymn of all time. It ranked number one on the UK CCLI charts in 2006, 2007, 2008, and 2009, number two in Australia, number seven in Canada, and number 15 in the United States. It was nominated by British Hymn Society as one of the top 5 hymns of all time and as a top 10 hymn in 2012 by BBC One’s Song of Praise.
IN CHRIST ALONE
“In Christ alone, my hope is found. He is my light, my strength, my song.
This Cornerstone, this solid ground,
Firm through the fiercest drought and storm.
What heights of love, what depths of peace;
When fears are stilled, when strivings cease.
My Comforter, my All in All,
Here in the love of Christ I stand.
In Christ alone, Who took on flesh,
Fullness of God in helpless babe.
This gift of love and righteousness,
Scorned by the ones He came to save.
‘Til on that cross as Jesus died,
The wrath of God was satisfied,
For every sin on Him was laid.
Here in the death of Christ I live, I live.
There in the ground His body lay,
Light of the World by darkness slain,
Then bursting forth in glorious Day,
Up from the grave He rose again,
And as He stands in victory,
Sin’s curse has lost its grip on me.
For I am His, and He is mine,
Bought with the precious blood of Christ.
No guilt in life, no fear in death,
This is the power of Christ in me.
From life’s first cry to final breath,
Jesus commands my destiny.
No power of hell, no scheme of man,
Can ever pluck me from His hand.
Till He returns or calls me home,
Here in the power of Christ I’ll stand, I will stand, I will stand.
All other ground is sinking sand,
All other ground, all other ground
Is sinking sand, is sinking sand,
So I’ll stand.”
(Keith Getty and Stuart Townend)
CHUCK COLSON: FREEDOM, MEANING, and HOPE
I remember 1973 when Watergate was a daily news topic. It proved to be an interesting time to be a college student in Dr. Robert McChesney’s political science class.
Fast forward 20 years to 1993 in Pittsburgh at a Billy Graham Crusade. Chuck Colson was invited to share his testimony 20 yrs after Watergate and more importantly 20 years after his surrendering his life to Jesus Christ.
Chuck Colson had been heavily involved with illegal Watergate thefts and had fallen from high political power and influence to a low of incarceration in prison.
Colson’s words brought hope then and still do now. His message: “I thank God for Watergate, and I thank God for prison, because through that experience I came to know what it is to have a day-in and day-out relationship with the Living God, Jesus Christ. And I’ve discovered, over these last 20 years as I reflect back on it, the three most important things have come from it: Freedom, Meaning, and Hope.“
Colson explained those three lessons. Freedom from guilt and sin was more important than freedom from prison. Meaning is not what you do but what Sovereign God chooses to do through you that matters in life. Real hope is not in government but in the power of God working in the hearts of people.
He related, ” I wouldn’t trade the worst day of the last 20 years for the best day of the 40 years preceding it, because I know Jesus Christ is true.”
According to this former marine, fallen top White House aide, ex-felon, best-selling author, founder of Prison Fellowship Ministries, and hopeful born-again Christian, you, too, can experience freedom from guilt and sin, meaning when you surrender yourself to God, and “hope in One Who was raised from the dead and Who lives today, the Hope of Glory, Jesus Christ.” (CC)
(Visit prisonfellowship.org for info about Prison Fellowship Ministries, which now serves in 117 countries. To learn more about Chuck Colson’s life and beliefs, read BORN AGAIN or any of his many books.)