Without Armor or Sword

Without Armor or Sword
David, a young man of nineteen,
Fought the biggest man he’d seen.

Goliath cursed with his gods
Not realizing the terrible odds
Of victory against him would be.

For David, without armor or sword,
Trusted the might of His Lord,
And felled him with a rock from the stream.

By Bart W. Newton ©2009

Three Nails

Three Nails
The church service today was meaningful:
Christ is Eternal King Beautiful!

We are His subjects and heirs;
He? The Ruler who cares.

We are nothing without Him.
We are everything with Him,
That He wills.

He never faults or fails.
We are made secure by three nails—
That He endured,
Through which He cured
Our sin that apart from Him prevails!

By Bart W. Newton ©2009

Not with Pen & Ink

Believe it or not, there is a time when pen & ink just don't get the job done:

"I have much to write you, but I do not want to do so with pen and ink. I hope to see you soon, and we will talk face to face. " --Apostle John, 3 John 1:13-14 (NIV)

"The only letter of recommendation we need is you yourselves. Your lives are a letter written in our hearts; everyone can read it and recognize our good work among you. Clearly, you are a letter from Christ showing the result of our ministry among you. This “letter” is written not with pen and ink, but with the Spirit of the living God. It is carved not on tablets of stone, but on human hearts.

"We are confident of all this because of our great trust in God through Christ." --Apostle Paul, 2 Corinthians 3:2-4 (NLT)

Fountain Pen Inks Currently in Rotation

The following inks are loaded & in use:

• Noodler's Bulletproof Black in Lamy Safari (EF) & Parker 88 Place Vendome (M)


• Private Reserve American Blue in Mont Blanc 144 Classique (F cursive italic)


• Private Reserve Copper Burst in Dollar 717i Clear Demonstrator (F-M)


• Private Reserve Dakota Red in Pilot 78G (B stub/italic)

Current Fountain Pen Collection

Fountain pens currently in my possession:

• Cross Century Classic, gray matte, extra-fine nib (gift from wife in early 1990s)
• Parker 88 Place Vendome, beige & burgundy, medium nib (gift from colleague in early 1990s)
• Mont Blanc 144 Classique, fine cursive italic nib (A "too good to be true" clearance buy at Office Depot that was true! Purchased sometime around 2004 +/-. )
• Lamy Safari, charcoal, extra-fine nib ("daily workhorse")
• Pilot 78G, cinnabar red, broad (western light medium) stub/italic nib (Mainly for letters/notes to my wife.)
• Dollar 717i, piston fill clear demonstrator, western fine nib (Main use is for underlining text & writing margin notes with Private Reserve Copper Burst ink.)
• Cross Century II, classic black, extra-fine nib (Received as warranty replacement for Cross Century Classic listed above that developed a loose feed. Plan to send Classic to a repair shop.)
• Sailor Profit Superscript, specialty 3-in-1 calligraphy nib (Use for highlighting with Noodler's Firefly ink.)

Raising the Next Generation of Believers

"And all that generation also were gathered to their fathers. And there arose another generation after them who did not know the LORD or the work that he had done for Israel." Judges 2:10 (ESV)

"There is just one way to bring up a child in the way he should go and that is to travel that way yourself." --Abraham Lincoln