Ring His Bell

Big Joe






It's a steep, dusty climb up century-old wooden steps that ascend this way then that, zigzagging ever heavenward inside the 260-foot German Gothic steeple of St. Francis de Sales Church in Cincinnati, Ohio. Up, up, up, until you're almost intruding on the pigeons. In front of you hangs the largest bell ever cast in the USA. “Big Joe” has a 9-foot in diameter at its base, measures 7 feet from its rim to its crown and weighs in at 37,000 pounds. According to a legend, ''Big Joe'' was swung in its steeple just once, in January 1896. It responded with a serious E flat in the third octave below middle C. At that moment, every window facing the church for several blocks is said to have been blown out of its frame. The peal of the bell could be heard for fifteen miles. So the story says that it was decided that the big bell must never swing again. This is called a legend because in this century the condition of the bell and the known facts do not support the story. But for the purposes of this devotional I’m going with the legend.

A Pearl to String: How very sad to be a big beautiful bell and only be swung once. Oh my, do I have a bell for you. It came in my e-mail this morning. It’s a big beautiful bell you can swing for eternity.
(Note: If you copy and paste this half bell into word and center it you will have a whole bell - sorry I'm blog challenged and can't get this singularly centered)

THE BELL
I KNOW WHO I AM
I am God's child (John 1:12)
I am Christ's friend (John 15:15)
I am united with the Lord(1 Cor. 6:17)
I am bought with a price(1 Cor. 6:19-20)
I am a saint (set apart for God). (Eph. 1:1)
I am a personal witness of Christ (Acts 1:8)
I am the salt & light of the earth (Matt.5:13-14)
I am a member of the body of Christ(1 Cor 12:27)
I am free forever from condemnation (Rom. 8: 1-2)
I am a citizen of Heaven. I am significant (Phil.3:20)
I am free from any charge against me (Rom. 8:31-34)
I am a minister of reconciliation for God(2 Cor.5:17-21)
I have access to God through the Holy Spirit (Eph. 2:18)
I am seated with Christ in the heavenly realms (Eph. 2:6)
I cannot be separated from the love of God(Rom.8:35-39)
I am established, anointed, sealed by God (2 Cor.1:21-22)
I am assured all things work together for good (Rom. 8: 28)
I have been chosen and appointed to bear fruit (John 15:16)
I may approach God with freedom and confidence (Eph. 3: 12)
I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me (Phil. 4:13)
I am the branch of the true vine, a channel of His life (John 15: 1-5)
I am God's temple (1 Cor. 3: 16). I am complete in Christ (Col. 2: 10)
I am hidden with Christ in God (Col. 3:3). I have been justified (Romans 5:1)
I am God's co-worker (1 Cor. 3:9; 2 Cor 6:1). I am God's workmanship (Eph. 2:10)
I am confident that the good works God has begun in me will be perfected (Phil. 1: 5)
I have been redeemed and forgiven (Col. 1:14). I have been adopted as God's child (Eph 1:5)
I belong to God
Do you know
who you are?



May the LORD bless you and keep you;
May the LORD make His face shine upon you and be gracious to you;
May the LORD turn His face toward you and give you peace.
Numbers 6:24-26

Lyndi