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The Minute Man
“I have found in my experience that the one who has been through the deepest tribulations, or who has been beset with the greatest limitations, when once he has risen above them, and has found an inner peace and calm, is invariably the one whose power is most far-reaching in prayer.”
From “I will Lift Up Mine Eyes”,
Published Nov., 1937
THE MINUTE MAN
by Glenn Clark
(typed for CFOI by Cara Groman, 2002)
On November 23, 1774 the Provincial Congress of the thirteen colonies authorized the organization of Volunteer Minute Men who should drill themselves and be prepared for action upon instant notice. Thus came into being the 16,000 Minute Men whose fame has gone down in history.
It was a time of extreme national danger. An insane monarch was on the British throne. The American Colonies were beset , on one hand by an arrogant government, on the other by savage Indians.
Little did anyone dream, when those Minute Men were formed, that they were destined to become the nucleus for successfully resisting the world’s greatest monarchy, and ushering into existence the greatest free government that the world has ever known
Today we are again in a state of great national and international danger. Insane militarism is in the saddle everywhere... Is it not the fitting time for a new band of Minute Men to be organized, who shall drill themselves and be ready for instant service whenever the duty calls?
But these new Minute Men are not to leave the plow for the gun. They are not to train themselves to shoot down their brothers, and destroy the lives of their fellow men. They are, rather, to prepare themselves to save the lives of their brothers and of their enemies and to save the souls of all. While the ancient Minute Men trained themselves to shoot straight and march in unison, the new Minute Men are to train themselves to think straight and pray in unison. While the former did their training in the secret places of meadow and lane, the latter are to do their training in the Secret Place of the Most High.
As the Minute Men of old pledged their unstinted loyalty and devotion to their country, the new Minute Men must pledge their unstinted loyalty and devotion to their God. The following prayer of Ignatius Loyola would make a splendid pledge for the Minute Men of the New Age:-
“Take, O Lord, and receive my entire liberty, my memory, my understanding, and my whole will. All that I am, all that I have, Thou has given me, and I will give it back to Thee to be disposed of according to Thy good pleasure. Give me only Thy love and Thy grace; withThee I am rich enough, nor do I ask for aught besides.”
Only a Minute Man could fulfill such a pledge because it could only be done by the faithful spending of several minutes each day. If one could set aside an entire hour each day for such drill, here would be a splendid way to employ it.
•Use fifteen minutes a day for giving your entire understanding to God by reading spiritual, inspiring literature.
•Use fifteen minutes a day for giving your entire memory to God by memorizing one chapter from the Bible each month.
•Use fifteen minutes a day in giving your entire liberty to God by stepping into the Silence, where you can be completely alone with Him, completely open to His guidance and His will.
•Use fifteen minutes each day for giving your entire will to God by being obedient to the calls for help from others.
A Drill Book or Manual of Arms for this new army of the Lord would consist of the following:
1) READING SPIRITUAL LITERATURE
The Kind of reading for developing true Minute Men of the Spirit is not the kind that talks of and about religion, valuable as that sometimes is. It is the kind of literature that releases one and immerses him in religion. Drummond’s “Greatest Thing in the World,” King’s “ Conquest of Fear,: Douglas’ “Magnificent Obsession,” are typical examples. Because literature of this kind is not found on all bookshelves, and because the need for it is very great, the books described in this folder have been written. If they can open the door to the deeper resources of the inner spirit for you, or for your friends, their object will have been attained.
2) MEMORIZING CHAPTERS FROM THE BIBLE
People today do not fully appreciate, as they did in the past, the full value of memorizing. To memorize, one must first understand what he is trying to memorize. Moreover, he must give his energy and his time and his attention to it. In short, he must give his entire liberty, his memory, his understanding and his whole will to the task.
Here is a suggested year’s program for memorizing that would make the Bible a living thing. The first eight chapters deal with the life of Christ. They contain the two most unique sermons of Jesus—the Sermon of the Mount from Matthew, and the Sermon at the Last Supper from John. They contain, also, the most unique parables from Luke, and the most unique experience of Jesus outside of the trial and crucifixion, from Mark. Add to these, the chapter on Love from Corinthians, and the three most precious Psalms, and one has the heart of the Bible.
If the chapters from the life of Jesus are too many or too difficult, substitute your favorite psalms or any other chapters you love. Psalm 139, or Psalm 46 or Job 28 are favorites of many.
For convenience the longer chapters are here divided into four sections each for weekly study.
Months Chapter Week 1 Week 2 Week 3 Week 4
Verse Verse Verse Verse
1 Matt. V 1-16 17-26 27-37 38-48
2 Matt VI 1-8 9-18 19-26 27-34
3 Matt VII 1-6 7-14 15-20 21-39
4 Luke XV 1-7 8-16 17-24 25-32
5 Mark IX 2-13 14-20 21-29 30-41
6 John XIV 1-7 8-14 15-24 25-31
7 John XV 1-8 9-17 18-22 23-27
8 John XVII 1-8 9-13 14-19 20-26
9 I Cor. XIII 1-3 4-7 8-10 11-13
10 Psalm 91 1-4 5-8 9-12 13-16
11 Psalm 121
12 Psalm 23
3) PRAYER AND MEDITATION
The most effective prayer is the kind that is divided into three stanzas. “The first stanzas,” if we quote from The Song of the Souls of Men,” “is the Prelude or Meditation. The second stanza is the Strophe or Talking with God. The third stanza is the Antistrophe or Listening to God. The third stanza should end with a period of complete stillness. This stillness will be a perfect culmination of the prayer if into it comes peace.
“This Peace should not be a barren, emotional thrill, but a creative experience of one’s entire being. The Peace that comes when one is listening to God is the Peace that passeth all understanding. Out of such a Peace, based upon union with the Father, comes healing of mind, soul and body, both for oneself, and for those who are en rapport with the one praying. Out of this Peace comes a great clarifying of one’s purposes and objectives in life—and out of this clarifying comes perfect guidance. Occasionally, but not always, the culmination of this Peace is an experience of deep ecstasy or sense of bliss in the realization of Union with the Father.
“Meditation alone may be barren; prayer alone may never reach beyond the ceiling; but meditation and prayer and listening combined together in unified sequence becomes one great symphony that is heard in heaven. This is the Song of the Souls of Men. The mistake of most people is in thinking that his Song is a mere preparation for the deed. Jesus and the prophets knew better. They knew that this Song of the Souls of Men is the deed. Sing this song sincerely and you will naturally follow it with ‘works’. But it will not be you working, but your heavenly Father that worketh in you. You will find yourself walking through meadows that already have the dew of heaven upon them.”__ “The Song of the Souls of Men.” pp.3,4.
4) FINALLY, FIFTEEN MINUTES OR MORE EACH DAY OF SERVICE TO OTHERS
This “good deed” for others may be spiritual, such as prayer or religious counseling, or it may be as simple a thing as giving a cup of cold water to one of the least of these.
What this service is depends upon what you are qualified to give, what you are guided to give, and what the need is that calls you.
November 23, 1937 __Glenn Clark
THE PRAYER OF THE MINUTE MAN
OUR FATHER,
Knowing that Thou art the God of Love, giver of every good and perfect gift, and trusting to the promise that where two or three agree together asking anything in the Love and Spirit of Jesus Christ that their prayer will be granted, we agree together in putting our nation and our world utterly and completely into Thy hands for the perfect solution of our needs in accordance with Thine infinite Wisdom and Thine infinite Love.
I. We pray for the spirit of Christ’s Love to take control of the hearts of all men.
II. We pray for the establishing of world peace upon a basis of universal justice, fairness, harmony and good will to all.
III. We pray for prosperity in the nation and the world through the practical expression of this love and peace and harmony in the economic affairs of men.
IV. We pray that there will be raised up men of vision in places of power who will bring the spirit of Christ into the councils of nations, into the affairs of state, into the field of education and into the realms of business.
V. We pray for every leader in the world today …knowing that only as we love all leaders and then relinquish them utterly to Thee do we give Thee the free hand to give each the guidance, the discipline, the withholding or the fulfillment that is in the Divine Plan for each.
Glenn Clark also started the Camps Farthest Out: “which are dedicated to the purpose of discovering the wholeness of that abundant life which Christ promised, that life which is our rightful heritage whenever we dedicate our body ,mind and soul completely to God through play, work and worship.” –G.Clark
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