Stanley M Horton's writing process

I found these old pictures of my dad and put them together in this small collage. In his older years he did a lot of research on his computer but the process remained the same.

Stanley Horton's last blog entry

This is the last blog entry that Stanley M Horton wrote.  He dictated it to his daughter Faith just before he began being sick in May 2014.

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 A Facebook friend private messaged me and asked this question:

"Dear Bro. Horton. Ref the disciples hauling in the great catch of fish that numbered 153, I once read that this number referred to what was known as “The 153”, the mathematical sum of the letters, “I am the Lord thy God.” Is this correct?"

Here is my answer:

Working with numbers like that is not important.  The important thing is that Peter was convinced that the resurrected Jesus was the same one who had called him and given him the fish before (Luke 5:5,6).  Peter was finally ready to give a sermon like he did on the Day of Pentecost because he fully believed.

Down through history there have been people who tried to make something of different numbers in the Bible.  I believe this draws attention away from the truths being taught.  In this case when Peter threw a net over and caught 153 fish it wasn't the number that was significant but that it drew attention to the fact there were a great many fish in the net.  The Bible wants people to see it wasn't just 3 or 4 fish that were pulled up.  It was the same Jesus.

The point is the power of the risen Jesus and how he went out of his way to help one man's faith.

God wants to use the risen power of Jesus to strengthen your faith today too.

The Last 40 days of Jesus

Jesus became known as Jesus of Galilee during his ministry. He spent a great deal of time in the villages of Galilee so after his resurrection he must have wanted those people to know he was alive. A good part of his last 40 days were spent there as Paul indicates in 1 Corinthians 15.

At the empty tomb Mary Magdalene and the other Mary were told by the angel in Matthew 8:7, “And now, go quickly and tell his disciples that he has risen from the dead and he is going ahead of you to Galilee. You will see him there. Remember what I have told you.”

Luke 24:12 Peter went to the tomb to look but after seeing the empty linen wrappings he went home again, wondering what had happened instead of being filled with belief and heading for Galilee as the angel had instructed.

John 20:8 John however saw the empty wrappings and the head piece still intertwined and he understood Jesus had risen through the wrappings and left them behind(which didn't happen with the raising of Lazarus who came out of the grave still in burial wrappings and had to be freed.)

When the men Jesus met on the road to Emmaus went back to the disciples to tell them it was a point where the disciples began to believe that Jesus was alive. It was probably hearing this that started them in the direction of Galilee.

When Peter sees the Sea of Galilee he decides to go fishing. He was still struggling with believing at this point. He catches no fish. He sees Jesus on the shore fixing a meal for them but Peter doesn't recognize him. Jesus tells them to throw out their net on the right side of the boat. They get a big catch of fish and Peter realizes that this is Jesus and he is indeed alive.

After this they went on into the villages of Galilee where Jesus blessed the people where he had ministered before. Jesus was faithful to his friends in Galilee until it was time to go back to Jerusalem and ascend from the Mount of Olives.

During most of the 40 days Jesus was encouraging the faith of the people and preparing them to become part of the church (as seen in the book of Acts.)

Jesus was especially concerned that ordinary people he ministered to would see him alive and believe.

He went to Galilee because he was just as concerned that each person would believe not just the future leaders of the church.

Your faith and belief are that important to him too.

May 4th Greeting from Dr Stanley M Horton

Update from Dr Stanley M Horton on May 3rd 2014

Thank you all for your prayers.

 I can feel my strength returning 

each day.

 The exercise I am doing with the 

physical therapist is helping.

  My daughter Faith read your 

comments from Facebook to me and

 I was praising God for each one! 

Stanley M Horton view on the Blood Moon

Since so many people have asked for opinion about the four blood moons in April 2014 here it is:

What about Church Music?

What about Church Music?

by Dr. Stanley M. Horton Th.d

(An update of a paper I wrote in 1943)

Over time people get stuck in particular ways of worship. 

In non-Christian religions the forms become sacred and the

ritual and music fixed.

Christianity, as it lost its spiritual power, fell into the same rut,

and produced such things as the Roman Catholic Mass.

But the spiritual power of the Christian Church could never

remain dormant.  It has constantly reasserted itself and brought

with it new expressions of worship in word and song.

Naturally, hymns that have blessed us in the past will be

cherished and newer music not always be appreciated.  I

imagine that lovers of Gregorian chant were horrified when

hymns became popular in worship.  And I feel quite certain

that many were sure that those "frivolous little ditties," as

they were called by his contemporaries, but which Watts (early

church song writer) and his friends called hymns, could never

replace their beloved metrical Psalms which were so stately

and worshipful.  We are seeing that the gospel hymn is

changing in the same way.

There is no doubt that change is the rule in the music of a

living Christian church.  I think there is a reason.   Real

Christianity can use the best from the past but it should never

become lost in the encrustments of time.  The power of the

Holy Spirit keeps it a living, vital thing, and keeps it a

religion of the heart instead of focusing on the externals.

Here, I think, we have the secret.  Whatever reaches the heart,

touches every part.  Christianity reaches into all of life and

becomes a part of everything we do.  And because Christianity

is so closely interwoven with experience, its expression

changes and is molded to fit the needs of the time even though

its basic Truth does not change.

Back in the eleventh and twelfth century came the type of song

called the discantus.  Two sets of words and tunes were

adapted to each other.  It created a pleasing effect and did much

to raise the interest in music.  In fact, it was so popular that

there weren't enough of the old religious tunes; so they took

folk songs, secular music, and set religious words to them. 

They did not bother to adapt the music of the secular piece to

the atmosphere of the church.  Due to their nature, they could

not last, and it would seem that they were merely a passing

blotch on the history of music. However, they were from the

experience and lives of the people, as folk music really is.

Once church music had touched the lives of the people, it was

hard for them to remain unmoved.  We owe much of the rapid

progress of measured and harmonic music from that time on

to this "secular" influence.

Church music will live only as it touches the lives and meets

the needs of the people.  There is some music that has come

out of a deep and timeless human experience.  That will

remain.  Much of the rest will only remain as it continues to

fill a need in the lives of the people.  Just what is permanent

of contemporary music would be extremely difficult to say.

John Wesley wrote hundreds of songs and set them to all kinds of
 music to share Bible truth and worship God.  Luther and Wesley
 could not have predicted which of their hymns would endure
(and they all wrote a lot of hymns that did not endure),
 and it is probable that those which did the greatest service
 in their day are now forgotten.

Today's choruses, which are sung because of the easy way to

learn a message and a catchy tune, fit in the lives of people

and are a part of the atmosphere of this age of speed and

communication. 

We must use the best of today's music to reach and teach the

people.  We must use the best of the past and present for

heartfelt worship of God.

  ©2014 Dr Stanley M. Horton Th.d