Abraham Lincoln was born in Harding County, Kentucky, on February 12, 1809. I'm no Lincoln scholar but best I can tell he was a "still waters run deep" person. And deep down in his still waters ran the Bible.
James Humes passes along this story. "At a White House reception where the guests were ushered past the President and not allowed to come too close, an old man, disappointed at not having shaken hands with the President, waved his hat and called out, 'Mr. President, I'm from up in New York State where we believe that God Almighty and Abraham Lincoln are going to save our country.' Hearing that remark, Lincoln smiled and nodded. 'My friend,' he said, 'you're half right.'" (p. 130)
Here's a second story from the Humes book, "The Wit and Wisdom of Abraham Lincoln." "During the Civil War, a delegation of Methodist clergymen called on the White House. The spokesman of the group intoned, 'Mr. President, our cause will prevail, because the Lord is on our side.' 'Gentlemen, the question we should always ask ourselves is: 'are we on His side?'" (p. 155)
In our day we go to the Christian bookstore and pick up sound-byte books to get us through life. Lincoln would probably offer a wry smile. How deep do your waters run?
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