"Whose soul was not stirred when we read how Maurice Anderson, an engineer on one of the ships that was torpedoed, when seven of the group got in a little life boat and the flaming oil was burning around him. He said all seven of them were enveloped in flame, and the captain said he would go down with the ship - that is the law of the sea. But Maurice ran over the deck, and it was covered with oil and finally his shoes caught fire, and his clothes. He kicked off his shoes, took off his burning clothes and plunged over the stern of that ship and for some thirty hours it was a battle between life and death and he swam around between two walls of fire. After a while a torpedo boat came to rescue him. He was too weak; he couldn't take hold of the rope, but the ensign plunged over and rescued him, and he is now in a hospital.
What did he say?
Is he complaining? Is he finding fault with the government? Is he finding fault with the hour? What does he say?
"Just as soon as I am able I want to go back and get on another ship."
That is the spirit of America! That is the spirit of Jesus Christ!
Oh, God, help us then that we should go out week after week and day after day, and stand for Him and when He comes we will have some service to show Him.
The revival is on. I am witnessing on every hand, in all sections. Never was it so easy to win souls. I never saw so many people seeking after God - all classes, banker and farmer, industrialist and laborer.
Revive thy work, O Lord."
~ J. Frank Norris
(Taken from one of Dr. Norris' sermons in 1941)
Roy Falls at Norris' gravesite
Sunday, January 29, 2012
"We Will Work!"
We'll Work Till Jesus Comes (the old hymn):
O land of rest, for thee I sigh;
When will the moment come,
When I shall lay my armor by,
And dwell in peace at home?
No transquil joys on earth I know,
No peaceful, sheltering dome,
This world's a wilderness of woe,
This world is not my home.
To Jesus Christ I fled for rest;
He bade me cease to roam,
And lean for succor on His breast,
Till He conduct me home.
I sought at once my Savior's side,
No more my steps shall roam,
With Him I'll brace death's chilling tide,
And reach my heav'nly home.
We'll work ... till Jesus comes,
We'll work ... till Jesus comes,
We'll work ... till Jesus comes,
And we'll be gathered home.
"I want you to notice this very important thing. When He came, what did they do? They anointed him. They gave Him their love. They clothed Him with the symbol of power. They said, "You will be king over us."
Oh, God, help us to say, with all we have, with body, soul, time, blood, sweat, tears, money and all, that we shall anoint Him as King of kings in our lives.
And then we won't have so many worries. We won't be so nervous. One of the great lessons and blessings that will come of this terrible hour, we will have new courage."
~ J. Frank Norris
(Taken from one of Dr. Norris' sermons in 1941)
O land of rest, for thee I sigh;
When will the moment come,
When I shall lay my armor by,
And dwell in peace at home?
No transquil joys on earth I know,
No peaceful, sheltering dome,
This world's a wilderness of woe,
This world is not my home.
To Jesus Christ I fled for rest;
He bade me cease to roam,
And lean for succor on His breast,
Till He conduct me home.
I sought at once my Savior's side,
No more my steps shall roam,
With Him I'll brace death's chilling tide,
And reach my heav'nly home.
We'll work ... till Jesus comes,
We'll work ... till Jesus comes,
We'll work ... till Jesus comes,
And we'll be gathered home.
"I want you to notice this very important thing. When He came, what did they do? They anointed him. They gave Him their love. They clothed Him with the symbol of power. They said, "You will be king over us."
Oh, God, help us to say, with all we have, with body, soul, time, blood, sweat, tears, money and all, that we shall anoint Him as King of kings in our lives.
And then we won't have so many worries. We won't be so nervous. One of the great lessons and blessings that will come of this terrible hour, we will have new courage."
~ J. Frank Norris
(Taken from one of Dr. Norris' sermons in 1941)
"We Will Watch!"
"Though the fires of hell be hot and shot and shells are falling, we will not be asleep like the three disciples in the one hour of all time. We will be watching. We will watch therefore.
Oh, can I forget it? When that old paralyzed preacher, couldn't walk a step, eighty-six years of age - many years ago a preacher took me out to see him. I thought, "What shall I say? He hasn't walked a step in twenty years." And I thought, "How pitiful!"
But I soon forgot that I was going to say a word to him, for as the old white haired preacher, waiting there in his arm chair, looked at me he said, "Brother Norris, you know every morning at four o'clock the year around, I crawl out of bed and put a blanket around me and get in this chair and roll out on the east veranda." Then he stopped, and then with a little quiver in his voice, but with confidence, he said, "You know why I go to the east veranda instead of the west?" I said "No."
He said, "One of these mornings I am going to see the Day Star, and I want to be awake when He comes."
I forgot that he was a paralyzed man, and before I knew it this preacher who took me out there - his name was Hinson, a Methodist preacher - we both knelt; one on one side and one on the other. We felt the tender touch of the emaciated hand of the old soldier as he laid his hand on our heads and prayed like Jacob on Ephraim of Manasseh. I felt the strength of God in his hands.
Oh, he was watching. He expected to see something. He expected to see the Morning Star.
Oh, God, forgive us. Sometimes we don't even look at the stars. We don't even think of them."
~ J. Frank Norris
(Taken from one of Dr. Norris' sermons in 1941)
Oh, can I forget it? When that old paralyzed preacher, couldn't walk a step, eighty-six years of age - many years ago a preacher took me out to see him. I thought, "What shall I say? He hasn't walked a step in twenty years." And I thought, "How pitiful!"
But I soon forgot that I was going to say a word to him, for as the old white haired preacher, waiting there in his arm chair, looked at me he said, "Brother Norris, you know every morning at four o'clock the year around, I crawl out of bed and put a blanket around me and get in this chair and roll out on the east veranda." Then he stopped, and then with a little quiver in his voice, but with confidence, he said, "You know why I go to the east veranda instead of the west?" I said "No."
He said, "One of these mornings I am going to see the Day Star, and I want to be awake when He comes."
I forgot that he was a paralyzed man, and before I knew it this preacher who took me out there - his name was Hinson, a Methodist preacher - we both knelt; one on one side and one on the other. We felt the tender touch of the emaciated hand of the old soldier as he laid his hand on our heads and prayed like Jacob on Ephraim of Manasseh. I felt the strength of God in his hands.
Oh, he was watching. He expected to see something. He expected to see the Morning Star.
Oh, God, forgive us. Sometimes we don't even look at the stars. We don't even think of them."
~ J. Frank Norris
(Taken from one of Dr. Norris' sermons in 1941)
Friday, January 27, 2012
"We Will Wait!"
"We will not sit down till He comes. And while we wait:
We will not stand idle all day. We will not sit down on the stool of do-nothing. We will not be just bench-warmers. We will not go around talking about a revival meeting and stand around the wall and never bring a soul to Christ.
We will go into the homes with the Word of life.
We will tell the poor fellow who has gone down in sin, "He will lift you from the depths of hell to the heights of glory by His grace."
We will tell the sinning woman that "Jesus wrought forgiveness, and that her name can be written with Mary Magdalene in the book of life."
We will tell the people, "Don't put your faith in uncertain riches, but in the power of Jesus Christ to save."
We will not let weeks and weeks go by and never take the written and living Word to a lost world.
We will not hide behind our preacher or ministerial students.
We will sing it; we will preach it, like the Apostle Paul, with tears.
We will never complain of the crisis. We will rejoice to get under the burden with Him who bore it for us.
We will not sit down!
We will not sit down!"
~ J Frank Norris
(Taken from one of Dr. Norris' sermons in 1941)
We will not stand idle all day. We will not sit down on the stool of do-nothing. We will not be just bench-warmers. We will not go around talking about a revival meeting and stand around the wall and never bring a soul to Christ.
We will go into the homes with the Word of life.
We will tell the poor fellow who has gone down in sin, "He will lift you from the depths of hell to the heights of glory by His grace."
We will tell the sinning woman that "Jesus wrought forgiveness, and that her name can be written with Mary Magdalene in the book of life."
We will tell the people, "Don't put your faith in uncertain riches, but in the power of Jesus Christ to save."
We will not let weeks and weeks go by and never take the written and living Word to a lost world.
We will not hide behind our preacher or ministerial students.
We will sing it; we will preach it, like the Apostle Paul, with tears.
We will never complain of the crisis. We will rejoice to get under the burden with Him who bore it for us.
We will not sit down!
We will not sit down!"
~ J Frank Norris
(Taken from one of Dr. Norris' sermons in 1941)
Tuesday, January 24, 2012
Personal Collection - Photo 23
"The leading stores closed their doors and called all their employees together to hear the Gospel message by Dr. Norris. The above picture is of the Monnig Dry Goods Company (downtown Fort Worth, Tx.), several hundred employees listening to Dr. Norris." (photo taken in 1940)
Friday, January 20, 2012
Tuesday, January 17, 2012
Personal Collection - Photo 21
The Norris Bible Class (Fort Worth, Texas) is the largest Men's Bible Class in America. It has a membership of over 600. Photo was taken in 1917.
Personal Collection - Photo 20
The Ladies' Bible Class (Fort Worth, Texas) ... taught by Mrs. J. Frank Norris. Photo was taken in 1917.
Monday, January 16, 2012
Thursday, January 12, 2012
Thursday, January 5, 2012
The Story of 'MOTHER SWEET"
CLICK PHOTO TO ENLARGE
Dr. Norris Held Meeting in Shanghai, China.
China Missions were an Integral part of Norris' ministry.
(In this photo we have highlighted, left to right: Mrs. Norris, "Mother Sweet", Dr. Norris)
It is both a romantic and heroic tale worthy of historic preservation. “Mother Sweet”, as she was affectionately known among her many admirers, was engaged to be married to Dr. W. S. Sweet. And to hasten the story so that you may know the rest of the story, as Paul Harvey used to say, Dr. Sweet and "Mother Sweet" indeed became husband and wife and spent the better part of their life as missionaries to China. But before the wedding was consummated, William, confided to his soon to be bride, that his life-long desire to answer the “call” as a missionary, was asking too much of a sacrifice to ask of his bride-to-be, knowing of the rigors which lie ahead.
Upon hearing of his explanation to cancel their engagement, “Mother Sweet” said she had been thinking of doing the very same thing and she herself was planning to call off the marriage. The rest of the story was a life of dedication enduring for over 40 years until the passing of “Mother Sweet” in the mid 1940’s.
In the mid 1930’s, “Mother Sweet” severed relationship with her home missions support (up north) due to the encroachment of modernism that was infiltrating the churches during this period. She then became aware of the ministry of J. Frank Norris from whom she received support, joining forces with two young missionaries, who joined her in the mid 1940’s.
The heroics of “Mother Sweet” happened in 1937, long after the death of her husband. Prior to the outbreak of World War II, the Japanese empire had already begun a merciless bombardment of the coastal region in and around the city of Hangchow. Through it all, “Mother Sweet” refused offers of evacuation, choosing to suffer along-side the people she had learned to love. True to her faith, “Mother Sweet” positioned herself on the out-skirts of the city, with her bible in hand and her eyes toward heaven, she was an easy target for the Japanese pilots. When word reached the Japanese headquarters inquiring about this “strange woman”, orders were given to cease the bombing of Hangchow.
Two other persons of interest are an integral part of the “Mother Sweet” story. The name John Birch received prominence by virtue of the “John Birch Society”, named so in memory of John Birch. But the “real” John Birch began with his association with “Mother Sweet”. He, along with Rev. Oscar Wells, sailed from the U.S. in July 1940. Had it not been for the outbreak of World War II, the mission efforts in China would have had a more happy ending.
On another video, I have told in brief the “real” John Birch story. While his missionary efforts were curtailed to a great extent, John Birch’s remaining years were spent as an intelligence officer for the famous Flying Tigers. Dr. John Rawlings is quoted by saying General Claire Chennault claimed John Birch, was more responsible than any one man in winning the war in the Pacific. His true life-story is yet to be told.
Rev. Oscar Wells remained with “Mother Sweet”, refusing to accept evacuation from the warfare. However, those two were later interned by the Japanese. Working with the State department, J. Frank Norris aided in a release and final departure from China. Dr. Oscar Wells, now deceased, is the father of Shannon (Wells) Lucid. She is the lady astronaut who spent 6 months in space about 10 years ago.
Her firsthand information, no doubt could add much in detail about these past episodes.
Roy Falls
January 5, 2011
Personal Collection - Photo 19
Dr. Norris Held Meeting in Shanghai, China.
China Missions were an Integral part of Norris' ministry.
(Dr. Norris with white suit and the number 4 hand written on suit. To Norris' right is "Mother Sweet" (white hair), missionary to China. Her assistants were Oscar Wells and John Birch.)
Personal Collection - Photo 18
A part of the crowd attending revival led by Dr. J. Frank Norris in five-pole tent at Oakman Boulevard and Grand River Avenue, Detroit, Michigan. The tent covered 45,000 square feet and seats over 8,000.
Personal Collection - Photo 17
20,000 hear Dr. Norris on his return from one of his trips around the world, Oct. 1, 1939
Personal Collection - Photo 16
J. Frank Norris baptizing at Lake Worth, Fort Worth, Tx. in 1938
Sunday, January 1, 2012
TOTAL HITS - From our conception, August 2010, through December 31, 2011 ... (YouTube & Blog)
From time to time we will post the total number of hits on YouTube and our Blog.
The total number of countries that have responded at this time is 65.
YouTube - 10,203 hits - thru the end of December 31, 2011
Blog - 6,166 hits - thru the end of December 31, 2011
TOTAL HITS: 16,369 - thru the end of December 31, 2011
The total number of countries that have responded at this time is 65.
YouTube - 10,203 hits - thru the end of December 31, 2011
Blog - 6,166 hits - thru the end of December 31, 2011
TOTAL HITS: 16,369 - thru the end of December 31, 2011
TOP 10 COUNTRIES - As of the end of December 2011
United States 5,462
Russia 269
Germany 139
Latvia 74
Ukraine 56
United Kingdom 44
Philippines 40
China 34
Canada 26
Thailand 22
OUR BLOG AUDIENCE ... (66 countries thru the end of December 2011)
From time to time we will post our audience listeners:
United States (Beginning August 2010)
Russia
Canada
Croatia
Philippines
South Korea
Hungary
Burkina Faso
Iran (new in February 2011)
Brazil (new in February 2011)
Guatemala (new in February 2011)
Singapore (new in February 2011)
Uruguay (new in February 2011)
Germany (new in March 2011)
United Kingdom (new in March 2011)
Thailand (new in April 2011)
Belarus (new in April 2011)
Denmark (new in April 2011)
Saudi Arabia (new in April 2011)
Spain (new in April 2011)
India (new in April 2011)
Australia (new in April 2011)
Uzbekistan (new in April 2011)
Netherlands (new in April 2011
Egypt (new in April 2011)
Latvia (new in May 2011)
Ukraine (new in May 2011)
Czech Republic (new in May 2011)
Bermuda (new in May 2011)
Portugal (new in May 2011)
China (new in May 2011)
France (new in June 2011)
Liberia (new in June 2011)
Romania (new in June 2011)
Kenya (new in June 2011)
United England (new in June 2011)
Taiwan (new in June 2011)
Nigeria (new in June 2011)
Ireland (new in July 2011)
Japan (new in July 2011)
Mexico (new in July 2011)
Costa Rica (new in August 2011)
Pakistan (new in August 2011)
Hong Kong (new in August 2011)
Malaysia (new in August 2011)
Zambia (new in August 2011)
South Africa (new in August 2011)
Israel (new in September 2011)
Sweden (new in September 2011)
Indonesia (new in September 2011)
Vietnam (new in September 2011)
Fiji (new in September 2011)
Serbia (new in September 2011)
Honduras (new in September 2011)
Finland (new in October 2011)
Greece (new in October 2011)
Belize (new in November 2011)
New Zealand (new in November 2011)
Venezuela (new in December 2011)
Lithuania (new in December 2011)
Moldova (new in December 2011)
Italy (new in December 2011)
Bulgaria (new in December 2011)
Palestian Territories (new in December 2011)
Dominican Republic (new in December 2011)
Georgia (new in December 2011)
El Salvador (new in January 2012)
Cyprus (new in January 2012)
U.S. Virgin Islands (new in January 2012)
Poland (new in January 2012)
Argentina (new in January 2012)
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