The Blind Spies

The Blind Spies

Twelve men walked the length of Canaan for forty days spying the cities, the land and the people. They witnessed a place of great beauty and produce. One cluster of grapes had to be carried on a pole between two men. The land impressed them as a land that “flows with milk and honey” (Numbers 13:27). What troubled the hearts of most of the spies were the people that lived in this place of bounty. Of the twelve men sent to spy the land, ten feared the strength of the cities and the people. The cities seemed impregnable. The descendants of Anak (giants) filled the land. The ten spies reported they felt like grasshoppers in the sight of the people. By their words they discouraged the people of Israel (Numbers 13:28-29, 31-33).

Joshua and Caleb were the only spies who believed the land could be conquered. They begged the people to reject the counsel of the ten spies and go at once to take possession of the land (Numbers 13:30). With God’s power they did not need to fear the people because the Lord would fight for them. The seeds of doubt had settled in the hearts of the people and they refused to listen (Numbers 14:1-4). For their rebellion Jehovah God caused the people of Israel to wander in the wilderness for forty years (Numbers 14:34).

Why did ten men see fear and two men see victory? The ten spies did not see what Joshua and Caleb saw. Their hearts were blinded by what they saw with their eyes rather than what they could see with God’s power. Moses had instructed the twelve to see how strong the people were and how difficult the cities would be to conquer (Numbers 13:17-20). The twelve spies were leaders among the people yet ten were blinded to the things that had witnessed in the past few months. Had they forgotten the power of God in Egypt when the Lord brought the plagues upon Pharaoh? How could anyone fail to remember the crossing at the Red Sea? If the Lord was victorious over the nation of Egypt how difficult would it be to conquer this new land?

Joshua and Caleb saw the same giants and fortified cites the ten spies saw but they viewed them as weak because they knew what God could do. “If the Lord delights in us, then He will bring us into this land and give it to us, 'a land which flows with milk and honey.' Only do not rebel against the Lord, nor fear the people of the land, for they are our bread; their protection has departed from them, and the Lord is with us. Do not fear them" (Numbers 14:8-9).

We can be like the ten spies when we fail to see how God can work in our lives. The giants of doubt and fear will stand before us and we shrink back with worry and fear not believing that we can overcome. Paul reminds us that nothing is impossible for us if we trust in God. “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me … What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? … Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? … in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Philippians 4:13; Romans 8:31, 35, 37-39).

Focusing On The Famiy Audio Files

The audio files for "Focusing on the Family" with Max Dawson are being posted to our web site at www.trentonchurchofchrist.com

Brother Dawson has done a superb job of outlining the lessons with the family in mind. Here is a brief outline and overview:

Back to Eden - The pattern for marriage and the family is rooted in Heaven's truth. Jesus took the Jews back to Eden. We must take our children back to Eden. Those contemplating marriage must go back to Eden.

Five Power Points that will Bless your Family - The power of appreciation. The power of example. The power of love. The power of correction. The power of communication.

Helping your Kids become Responsbile Adults - The principle of reinforcement. The application of reinforcement in child rearing.

Five things your Parents must Teach You - You are God's special creation. Some things are absolutely right and absolutely wrong. Your choices have consequences. There is joy in serving Jesus. You are accountable to God.

Will the Real Me Please Stand Up? - Me number one: The me others think I am. Me number two: The me I think I am. Me number three: The me God says I am.

What Dads Teach their Kids about Marriage - You are teaching your kids about the permanence of marriage (or not). You are teaching your kids love and appreciation for a wife (or not). You are teaching your kids about sensitivity to family needs (or not). You are teaching your kids about the need for cooperation in the home (or not). You are teaching your kids about the need for support from other men (or not). You are teaching your kids about the need for God in your home (or not).

Your Fiftieth Wedding Anniversary - We never thought about quitting. We never let anybody mess with our marriage. We were good friends. We worked for harmony and knew our roles and how they worked together. We served God together.

The Autumn of Our Lives - The unchanging nature of God. The remarkable forsight of God. The wonderful blessins of God. The need for commitment to God.

CD's are available free of charge to anyone. Printed outlines and powerpoints can also be requested.

The Right Kind of King

The Right Kind Of King

The nation of Israel was born from a promise to Abram to make of his seed a great nation (Genesis 12:2). Established at Mt. Sinai, Israel would have a troubled beginning drifting forty years through the wilderness before crossing the Jordan to take their place in Canaan. It would be many more years before the first king would sit upon a throne and rule the nation. Only three men would rule over a united kingdom for a period of 120 years: Saul son of Kish, David son of Jesse and finally Solomon son of David. After Solomon’s death the nation of Israel would plunge into a chaos of disharmony and wickedness ending finally in the total destruction of the northern tribes by the hand of the Assyrians and bondage of the southern tribes in Babylon.

Throughout the reigns of the kings who sat upon the throne of the northern kingdom of Israel not one man was righteous. Beginning with Jeroboam the Lord described the rule of the northern kings as evil.  “But you have done more evil than all who were before you, for you have gone and made for yourself other gods and molded images to provoke Me to anger, and have cast Me behind your back” (1 Kings 14:9). Nadab the son of Jeroboam “did evil in the sight of the LORD, and walked in the way of his father, and in his sin by which he had made Israel sin” (1 Kings 15:26).

“But there was no one like Ahab who sold himself to do wickedness in the sight of the Lord, because Jezebel his wife stirred him up” (1 Kings 21:25). All of the kings of Israel were characterized by the words “And he did evil in the sight of the Lord; he did not depart from the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who had made Israel sin” (2 Kings 15:24).

In contrast of the northern kings Judah would enjoy years of peace and prosperity when kings would rule who would follow in the way of God. Like their northern sister, Judah would have evil kings but men like Josiah would govern the nation who would do “what was right in the sight of the Lord, and [walk] in all the ways of his father David; he did not turn aside to the right hand or to the left” (2 Kings 22:1-2). The prophet Ahijah had warned Jeroboam the judgment of the king would be whether he would “heed all that I command you, walk in My ways, and do what is right in My sight, to keep My statutes and My commandments” (1 Kings 11:38).

David Lanphear observed, “The kings of Judah and Israel are described as either good or evil. The Scriptures don’t tell us much about where they stood on issues like defense, foreign policy, education, the economy, or national debt. Generally, they are described as good or evil because of their allegiance to God or approval of idol worship or sacrificing their children to Moloch… Nations were judged as penitent or wicked based on their obedience to God.” The wise man reminds us that “wisdom rests in the heart of him who has understanding, but what is in the heart of fools is made known. Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a reproach to any people” (Proverbs 14:33-34).

The right kind of king was one who had a view of God as Creator (Genesis 1:1) and Judge (Ecclesiastes 12:14). Paul exhorted that “supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men, for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence” (1 Timothy 2:2).

And Thank You Fathers For All You Do

A Successful Dad

(Selected)

 

I may never come to glory;

I may never gather gold;

Men may count me as a failure

When my business life is told;

But if he who follows after

Shall be manly, I’ll be glad,

For I’ll know I’ve been successful

As a little fellow’s Dad. 

It’s the one job I dream of,

It’s the task I think of most;

If I’d fail that growing youngster

I’d have nothing else to boast;

For though wealth and fame I’d gather

All my future would be sad

If I failed to be successful

As that little fellow’s Dad.

I may never be as clever

As my neighbor down the street;

I may never be as wealthy

As some other men I meet;

I may never have the glory

That some other men have had;

But I’ve got to be successful

As that little fellow’s Dad 

There are certain dreams I cherish

That I’d like to see come true;

There are things I would accomplish

Ere my working time is through;

But the task my heart is set on

Is to guide a little lad;

And to make myself successful

As That little fellow’s Dad.

 

Father

(Selected) 

• 4 years – My daddy can do anything
• 7 years – My dad knows a lot, a whole lot
• 8 years – My father doesn’t quite know everything
• 12 years – Oh well, naturally father doesn’t know everything
• 14 years – Father?  Hopelessly old-fashioned.
• 21 years – Oh that man is out of date. What did you expect?
• 25 years – He knows a little bit about it, but not much.
• 30 years – Must find out what dad thinks about it.
• 35 years – A little patience, let’s get Dad’s meaning first.
• 50 years – What would Dad have thought about it?
• 60 years – My dad knew literally everything
• 65 years – I wish I could talk it over with Dad once more.

A Father’s Prayer

(General Douglas MacArthur) 

Build me a son, O Lord, who will be strong enough to know when he is weak, and brave enough to face himself when he is afraid; one who will be proud and unbending in honest defeat, and humble and gentle in victory. 

Build me a son whose wishbone will not be where his backbone should be; a son who will know Thee – and that to know himself is the foundation stone of knowledge. 

Lead him, I pray, not in the path of ease and comfort, but under the stress and spur of difficulties and challenge.  Here let him learn to stand up in the storm; here let him learn compassion for those who fail. 

Build me a son whose heart will be clear, whose goal will be high; a son who will master himself before he seeks to master other men; one who will learn to laugh, yet never forget how to weep; one who will reach into the future, yet never forget the past. 

And after all these things are his, add, I pray, enough of a sense of humor, so that he may always be serious, yet never take himself too seriously.  Give him humility, so that he may always remember the simplicity of true greatness, the open mind of true wisdom, the meekness of true strength. 

Then, I, his father, will dare to whisper, “I have not lived in vain.” 

“And you fathers, do not provoke your children to wrath, but bring them up in the training and admonition of the Lord.”

Thank You Moms Every One

Before I Was A Mom

(Selected)

Before I was a mom I made and ate hot meals, had unstained clothing and  quiet conversations on the phone.

Before I was a mom I slept as late as I wanted and never worried about how late I got into bed. I brushed my hair and my teeth everyday.

Before I was a mom I cleaned my house each day and never tripped over toys or forgot words to lullabies. I didn’t worry whether or not my plants were poisonous and never thought about imunizations.

Before I was a mom I had never been puked on, pooped on, spit on, chewed on, peed on or pinched by tiny fingers.

Before I was a mom I had complete control of my mind, my thoughts, my body and my money.

Before I was a mom I never held down a screaming child so that doctors could do tests or give shots. I never looked into teary eyes and cried. I never got gloriously happy over a single grin nor sat up late hours at night watching a baby sleep.

Before I was a mom I never held a sleeping baby just because I didn’t want to put it down. I never felt my heart break into a million pieces when I couldn’t stop the hurt. I never knew that something so small could affect my life so much.  I never knew that I could love someone so much. I never knew I would love being a mom.

Before I was a mom I didn’t know the feeling of having my heart outside my body nor how special it could feel to feed a hungry baby. I didn’t know the bond between a mother and her child that something so small could make me feel so important.

Before I was a mom I had never gotten up in the middle of the night every ten mintues to make sure all was okay. I had never known the warmth, the joy, the heartache, the wonderment or the satisfaction of being mom.

I didn’t know I was capable of feeling so much before I was a mom.

Focusing On The Family by Max Dawson

Focusing On The Family

The family is the basic nucleus of any community and how the family goes so goes the nation and the world. In the human factor the home has always been the beginning point of everything whether good or bad. The building blocks of life are established in the relationship of the home such as culture, language, disposition and character. As husbands and wives unions are formed that create the home and if blessed in this union children bring another sense of wonder to make a fuller family. One unique quality that everyone shares is they were brought into the world in the same fashion. However the home created in the union of two people is often very different.

How can we find answers for challenges faced in the home? As husbands and wives we struggle to maintain the fires of love and devotion to one another finding often the questions that cause us to look for better answers. The plight of children is a nagging demand to give them all they need without giving them everything they want. Is it possible to be married for life? Can a home be happy? Are children truly a blessing to the home? Where can we find the right answers?

Beginning Sunday October 7, the Trenton church of Christ will attempt to offer Biblical instruction as we focus together the needs of the home. Max Dawson from Beaumont, Texas begins a series of studies on the home that will focus on topics like “Back to Eden” where the home was first created. What better way to understand the home than going back to its beginning as God designed and intended the home to be.

Max will open the series with a study of “Five power points that will bless your family.” We all like to make things a little simpler in life and five points will be easy to remember and apply to make our homes be a place of security and love. He will direct a lesson Sunday night on “Helping your kids become responsible adults.” How important to see the vision of training our children to be complete adults. Many adults have never learned how to be happy because they did not have the early training in childhood.

Beginning Monday night lessons will include “Five things your parents must do.” The challenge of bringing up well-adjusted children is to understand the role parents play in the formation of those characters. Tuesday night is a special night for YOUNG PEOPLE – “Will the real me please stand up?” Often children today have an identity crisis and through God’s word we can learn how to give them hope for life. On Wednesday night a lesson will focus on “What dads teach their kids about marriage.” Someone said the most important thing a father can do for his children is to love their mother. Dads teach a lot about marriage to their children.

The home is an important place to find happiness in marriage even after the children leave. Thursday night the lesson will be “Your fiftieth wedding anniversary” concluding Friday night with “The autumn of our lives.” A successful marriage is not characterized by an absence of problems but the ability to solve those problems.

A warm welcome awaits you. You will not be asked for donations or embarrassed in any way. Our services are warm and inviting. Bring your family and enjoy an hour of thoughtful study of God’s word. We can do this together. Come! Sunday morning at 9:30am and then each evening Sunday through Friday at 7:30pm. See you then!

 

 

FOR MORE INFORMATION VISIT WWW.TRENTONCHURCHOFCHRIST.COM

 

Men of God Study Weekend

“Men of God” Study Weekend

 

“As iron sharpens iron, So one man sharpens the countenance of his friend”

Proverbs 27:17

 

The Quest for Holiness

Jody Broyles - Ocala, Florida

John Frazier – Trenton, Florida

Kent Heaton – Trenton, Florida

Jamey Hinds - Hollywood, Florida

Tommy Peeler – Temple Terrace, Florida

 

What:         A weekend devoted to the study of God’s Word intended to sharpen us as men of God and develop our leadership characteristics.

Where:      Florida Bible Camp (next to Oleno State Park near High Springs, Florida) Visit www.northfloridabiblecamp.com for map and pictures of the facilities

When:        Friday and Saturday, October 5-6, 2012

·       Check-in Friday     6 – 7 pm

·       Early Bird Session 4:30 pm on Friday

·       Check-out Saturday 3 pm

 

Cost is only $50.00 (helps pay for camp rental and food)
If you are a FC student, cost is $25.

 

Send payments to NORTH FLORIDA BIBLE CAMP

c/o John Frazier 3539 SW 47^th Court, Bell, Florida 32619

or

Email John at chirofrazier@gmail.com with your name to register. If you are unable to send registration fee notify John you will pay upon arrival.

 

AC Cabins with bathhouse on site (bring what you need to spend one night at the camp including bedding and toiletry items) - bring your Bible and a great spirit for a wonderful two days together with men of God.

Satan Teaches God's Love

Satan Teaches God’s Love

As she looked at the fruit and noticed for the first time how beautiful it was and how delightful it would taste, her mind raced back to when God told her and Adam not to eat of the forbidden tree. Could a loving God be so forbidding that He could deny her the fruit from this tree in the midst of the garden? The serpent had made a good point when he suggested that it was not fair to be denied this fruit. Reaching forth her hand she decided that God loved her so much He would not care if she ate. Adam also ate of the forbidden tree believing in the encompassing love of a beneficent Creator.

By the time of Noah almost all of mankind had drunk deeply of the teaching of Satan that an all-knowing and all-powerful God could not be a loving God if He forbade the lusts of the flesh, the lusts of the eyes and the pride of life. God’s love would allow the freedom to enjoy every part of life in their own passions. There are no confining rules in love because love is such a splendid expression of independence and Satan was the proficient preacher of this kind of God’s love to all mankind.

The nation of Israel demonstrated time and again the teaching of God’s love as defined by Satan. Why would the Lord care if they built a golden calf, rebel at Kadesh-Barnea, murmur throughout the wilderness journey, take a piece of gold and Babylonian garment from Jericho, kill a great soldier to cover up adultery or worship Baal and Molech? God’s love would overlook all of this because God is such a loving and compassionate Creator - according to Satan.

Satan is the ‘father of lies’ (John 8:44) and is well versed in scripture. When tempting Jesus the devil quoted scripture (Matthew 4:1-10). James reminds us the demons believe that Jesus is the Christ and tremble (James 2:19). Satan does not always suggest that we deny the word of God but rather change our view of what God said. This is what he did with Eve in Genesis 3. “Has God indeed said” was the ploy that did not deny what God said but rather view what God said from a different feeling. Think of God’s love and how wonderful it is to take of that forbidden fruit succeeded in securing his hooks into man for his destruction.

God’s love is taught throughout the world by Satan as a universalist view that everyone goes to Heaven in death. Salvation is not limited to some narrow legalistic dogma because a loving God would not and could not punish anyone to a place of torment. This teaching has been a very effective tool for Satan to destroy the eternal souls of the majority of people who will stand before God in judgment (Matthew 7:13-14). Satan has served this Kool-Aid to an unsuspecting world knowing that his minions grow larger every day.

The true nature of God’s love is found in John 3:16. “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.”  Paul reminds us that God is a loving God and a severe God who will punish unbelief (Romans 11:22). The love of God is found in Jesus Christ to those who believe and obey Him. The love of God also includes His judgment upon those who refuse to believe and obey His Son; these will be punished. Satan convinces people that God’s love will not punish; God’s true love says He does (Hebrews 12:5-11). Salvation will depend on whose definition of love you believe: God or Satan.

Dead End

Dead End

A life unfulfilled is a life unlived. The greatest desire of man is to live with a purpose for his existence and finding happiness. Life must have meaning to give a sense of direction and set before the wanderer a promise of hope. From childhood the heart yearns for acceptance to be somebody. The drive of success fuels emotions to reach beyond the limits of expectation as the road of life stretches miles beyond the horizon. Nations rise from the ashes of lives spent building empires of power, wealth and prestige. The world revolves around the fevered pace of men racing through the highways and byways of pleasure seeking fortunes that fail as a mist in the early morning. Lost along these seemingly endless roads of life is the tattered sign of reality that reads, “Dead End.”

A life unfulfilled is a life unlived. When life is measured by the wisdom of man there can be no fulfillment. The efforts expended along this stretch of highway can only be characterized as a dead end. It has great promise but comes to nothing. There is nothing beyond. A dead end means the end is empty, without value and worthless. Legion is the lives of those who seek to find happiness in pleasure, power, wealth and wisdom yet the fulfillment they desire is lost. At the end of the road there is nothing to hold on to for the grave takes it all.

A life fulfilled is a life lived. The story is told of a man in the early days of the automobile that was stopped along the road trying to get his Model-T Ford running again. A wealthy man came by asking what the problem was. Being told the engine had quit the well-dressed gentleman went to work on the motor and in short time had the engine running. Asked how he knew how to fix the motor the gentleman replied, “I am Henry Ford. I know how to fix it because I built it.” Moses writes in Genesis 1:27 “So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.” Man is a created being by the hand of God and the only happiness and purpose to life man will ever find will come from the hand of his creator.

A life fulfilled is a life lived. King Solomon tried to find his purpose in life with wisdom, power, and wealth and pleasure (Ecclesiastes 1-2). His conclusion was that life is a dead end if you do not live it with God. The message from Ecclesiastes is an examination of life from a man that was blessed with wisdom beyond the imagination of any man that has ever lived. Yet Solomon’s life could not be fulfilled any more than the lives of anyone else save through the knowledge of his Creator. The whole of man is to “fear God and keep His commandments” (Ecclesiastes 12:13). In reality life is not a dead end because there is life beyond the grave. Solomon reminds all men the fulfillment of life is not found in this life but the life that is to come. “For God will bring every work into judgment, including every secret thing, whether good or evil” (Ecclesiastes 12:14).

A life unfulfilled or a life fulfilled? A life unlived or a life lived? The choice you make will determine what view you have of life. To most people life is a dead end because there will be no happiness apart from the Creator (Matthew 7:13-14). For the few that find the narrow gate they will find life fulfilled in a relationship with the One who gave His only begotten Son and everlasting life (John 3:1-21).

Alan Jackson's 911 Song

Alan Jackson's song for 911 - powerful

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x1myz9_alan-jackson-where-were-you_music

New Book

Began a new book today. Reading TRUMAN by David McCullough - all 992 pages. Whew. Maybe finish it by 2014.

Food For Thought

To change and to change for the better are two different things.

 

By nature man hates change; seldom will he quit his old home till it has actually fallen around his ears.

 

A wise man changes his mind; a fool never will.

 

Everybody wants to do something to help, but nobody wants to be the first.

 

Not everything that is faced can be changed, but nothing can be changed until it is faced.

 

People can cry much easier than they can change.

 

Any change, even a change for the better, is always accompanied by drawbacks and discomforts.

 

You can’t do anything by doing nothing.

 

You will be happy in about the same degree you are helpful.

The heart of man

The Heart Of Man

 

There are four types of people in the world and only four. The large numbers of people in the world have a similar heart while many share the common characteristics of a second heart. The third heart is found by some and the fourth heart is possessed by few. Four hearts. Four types of people. One God.

"Therefore hear the parable of the sower: When anyone hears the word of the kingdom, and does not understand it, then the wicked one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart. This is he who received seed by the wayside. But he who received the seed on stony places, this is he who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy; yet he has no root in himself, but endures only for a while. For when tribulation or persecution arises because of the word, immediately he stumbles. Now he who received seed among the thorns is he who hears the word, and the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and he becomes unfruitful. But he who received seed on the good ground is he who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and produces: some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty" (Matthew 13:18-23).

The first heart is the most popular heart of all. It is driven by the desires of man (1 John 2:16) and is not subject to the law of God (Romans 8:7). Hearts of the wayside are governed by internal wisdom where man is his own god and worships himself rather than the Creator (Romans 1:21-25). One of the reasons the wayside heart is desired by most people is because it is the most fun. There are no concerns for consequences nor accountability to anyone but self. This heart is filled with self-indulgence (Romans 1:26-31). Life is about the here and now and death is only a passing into oblivion.

Hearts from the stony ground have some hope to them but have no hope of surviving. The innate goodness of man glimmers for a moment in the joy of finding truth and embraces the notion that happiness can be found outside the putridity of the wayside. But the call of the wayside is strong and having little foundation to resist the wiles of the flesh fall back into the old habits. Truth was a blessing but when the opposition from others challenged the life style of the stony hearts, weakness overtook the mind and defeat comes. Living for truth requires standing for truth. With little underpinning lives fall apart and the heart that began with promise ends without hope.

The third heart has good ground and will produce a crop. There is great promise in this heart as the truth of God’s love enfolds the lives of these precious souls seeking redemption in the blood of Christ. Progress is seen daily in their lives as the heart fills with the mind of God. Sprouts of truth flourish in the rows of life and the bounty of harvest is but a time away. Yet in the flurry of activity is lost the most precious treasure of truth and “choked with cares, riches, and pleasures of life” (Luke 8:14) the heart bears nothing. What began with promise ends in empty fields of wasted lives. Thorns are the painful reminder of a heart filled with the hollow call of the world.

Jesus said that only few will find eternal life (Matthew 7:13-14). This heart hears, understands and acts. In the rarified air of devotion this heart is unswerving in its obedience to the will of the Lord (Matthew 7:21-23). It is neither the most popular heart nor the easiest heart to possess (Luke 14:26-27; 1 Peter 4:12-16; 2 Timothy 3:12).

Accident Report

To Whom It May Concern

Accident Report

I am writing in response to your request for additional information. In block number 3 of the accident reporting form, I put “trying to do the job alone as the cause of my accident.” You said in your letter that I should explain more fully, and I trust that the following details will be sufficient.

I am a bricklayer by trade. On the day of the accident I was working alone on the roof of a new six story building. When I completed my work, I discovered that I had about 500 pounds of brick left over. Rather than carry the bricks down by hand, I decided to lower them in a barrel by using a pulley which fortunately was attached to the side of the building at the sixth floor.

Securing the rope at ground level, I went up to the roof, swung the barrel out and loaded the brick into it. Then I went back to the ground and untied the rope, holding it tightly to insure a slow descent of the 500 pounds of bricks. You will note in block number 11 of the accident report form that I weigh 135 pounds.

Due to my surprise at being jerked off the ground so suddenly, I lost my presence of mind and forgot to let go of the rope. Needless to say, I proceeded at a rather rapid rate up the side of the building.

In the vicinity of the third floor, I met the barrel coming down. This explains the fractured skull and broken collarbone.

Slowed only slightly, I continued my rapid ascent, not stopping until the fingers of my right hand were two knuckles deep into the pulley.

Fortunately, by this time I had regained my presence of mind and was able to hold tightly to the rope in spite of my pain.

At approximately the same time, however, the barrel hit the ground and the bottom fell out of the barrel. Devoid of the weight of the bricks, the barrel now weight approximately 50 pounds.

I refer you again to my weight of 135 pounds in block number 11. As you might imagine, I began a rapid descent down the side of the building.

In the vicinity of the third floor, I met the barrel coming up. This accounts for the two fractured ankles and the lacerations of my legs and lower body.

The encounter with the barrel slowed me enough to lessen my injuries when I fell onto the pile of bricks and fortunately, only three vertebrae were cracked.

I am sorry to report, however, that as I lay there on the bricks – in pain, unable to stand up, and watching the empty barrel six stories above me – I again lost my presence of mind: I let go of the rope.

Sincerely.

Faith Still Comes By Hearing

Faith Still Comes By Hearing

The basic principle of a relationship with God is faith. In Hebrews 11:6 the writer describes the need for faith to be pleasing to God and without faith there is no pleasing Him. Three elements of this faith are outlined: faith is the knowledge that God is and faith is the hope that through the knowledge of God comes a promise of reward. The third part of faith is found when the person seeks Him. Without these three elements faith is dead. The challenge is how man views the pursuit of faith and what the basis of his faith in God is. Often man is satisfied to have a faith in God apart from knowing Him and not actively seeking Him. This kind of faith will only be a dead faith.

Paul describes the first knowledge of God as the “invisible attributes … clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse” (Romans 1:20). Faith does not come from this kind of knowledge because God is still unknown. An understanding of God in His fullest sense only comes from the mind of God revealed to man. “God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, has in these last days spoken to us by His Son” (Hebrews 1:1-2). Through the word of God man will be able to know the character of God and this is where faith will come.

To the church at Rome Paul said, “So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God” (Romans 10:17). Hearing the word of God will fulfill all three of the requirements of Hebrews 11:6. The knowledge of who God is begins in Genesis 1:1 and remains the constant theme until Revelation 22:21. His personality is painted throughout the generations of man in His goodness and severity (Romans 11:22). Without the written word man would have no knowledge of who God is.

Found also within the pages of the Bible is the promises of God to reward the faithful. The grace of God was planted in Genesis 3 and fulfilled in the redemption through the blood of Christ on Calvary. He rewarded the faithful and punished the unfaithful. Reading the scriptures and hearing the message of the word of God instills faith in the heart that as God spoke in the long ago He will speak the same promise today.

The psalmist declared, “Blessed are the undefiled in the way, who walk in the law of the Lord! Blessed are those who keep His testimonies, who seek Him with the whole heart” (Psalms 119:1-2). Being faithful to the Lord is to walk in the law and seek the Lord with the heart. One cannot know how to walk in the law unless they read and understand the law. The heart cannot seek what it does not want to know. Without time spent in the meditation and study of the word of God, faith will die.

When people struggle in their lives to overcome sin the symptom can be found in the lack of “hearing the word of God.” Weakened faith is found in those who nibble at the manna of God’s word. Knowledge is power and without the sword of the Spirit which is the word of God you might as well be fighting Satan with a toothpick. Faith still comes by hearing and that hearing must be by the word of God. Coupled with prayer (Ephesians 6:18) Satan will never win. Faithless people are not people of the book. Faithful people are people of the book who love the law of God. “Oh, how I love Your law! It is my meditation all the day” (Psalms 119:97). Now that is faithfulness!

Weddings And Situation Ethics

Weddings and Situation Ethics

  

When the Lord first brought the woman to the man in the garden, Adam recognized the significance of two beings becoming one. In a paradise on earth surrounded by the newness of God’s creation, Adam and Eve began the long line of unions that would flow from the first covenant to an untold myriad of promises spanning cultures and traditions that remain to this day. A marriage union begun with a ceremony of pomp and circumstance is an occasion of beauty and love as the bride is presented to a man in union of marital blessings. With the exception of the covenant made with God through the blood of Christ uniting the spirit of man with the redemptive grace of salvation, no other decision is of greater importance. With great fanfare a wedding is planned with a frenzied pace, and details are examined closely to ensure the memories of the wedding day reflect as much joy and happiness as possible – and most of the time it turns out like everyone wants it too. A wedding is an experience to say the least.

One of the great joys of being part of a wedding is when people of God come to unite their hearts in one with the promises not only of the marriage bond but the union they share with Christ. The bride and groom seem to radiate a deeper tone of love when they come together as one in Christ to become one in life. This time of uniting two hearts is a wonderful opportunity, not only witness the blessings of marriage, but to also show the example of Christ in the lives of those being married.

As children of God we share our faith by our lives and by our example reflecting to the world the values that separate us from the trivial pursuits of a careless world. Paul admonished the Corinthians to be different from the world. “Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. For what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? And what communion has light with darkness? And what accord has Christ with Belial? Or what part has a believer with an unbeliever? And what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For you are the temple of the living God. As God has said: ‘I will dwell in them and walk among them. I will be their God, and they shall be my people.’ Therefore ‘Come out from among them and be separate,’ says the Lord. ‘Do not touch what is unclean, and I will receive you. I will be a Father to you, and you shall be My sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty’" (2 Corinthians 6:14-18). This separation makes us distinct in our character in every way. We are special people. Our lives are governed by the relationship we share with the Lord as He dwells in us as temples of the living God.

To the church at Ephesus Paul exhorted the Christians to “be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness” (Ephesians 4:23-24). The spirit of the child of God is measured by true righteousness and holiness. The apostle goes on to describe how the “new man” puts away lying, anger, stealing, corrupt communication and so forth (Ephesians 4:25-32) and becomes a “follower of God as dear children” (Ephesians 5:1). These principles guide every decision for the child of God so their conduct of life is evident to all as one showing forth the holiness of God. “As obedient children, not conforming yourselves to the former lusts, as in your ignorance; but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, because it is written, ‘Be holy, for I am holy’" (1 Peter 1:14-16).

The wedding of a Christian is a time when all of these principles of holiness can be shown to a world that cares little for holiness. Yet it is often a time when situation ethics becomes the driving force instead of showing the distinct nature of Christ. In a world given over to fleshly exaltation, the dresses for brides and bridesmaids evidence the provocative and sensual nature of a careless world. Very revealing dresses have become almost common place in the weddings of many Christian women. Shoulders are laid bare that pale in comparison to the open backs and exposed cleavage in not only the brides but their attendants. The ethics of the situation is such that the bride (and maids) might wear a dress for the wedding they would never wear anywhere else – especially to a worship service for the Lord. Because it is a wedding, an argument is made for the difficulty of finding a “modest” dress and the bride presents herself in attire that is immodest.

Peter warned the woman in 1 Peter 3:3-4 – “Do not let your adornment be merely outward; arranging the hair, wearing gold, or putting on fine apparel; rather let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the incorruptible beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is very precious in the sight of God.” The impact of this verse is not addressing the lack of clothing but the problem of too much clothing exalting the woman in the outward apparel instead of the inward. While this principle can be applied to a wedding the lesson of modesty should not be lost on the immodesty of most wedding dresses today. A wedding is a special time for a woman of God to show her inward beauty and not flirt with the passions of the world. It is a time when a woman radiates the true character of God’s love in showing her life in harmony with the principles of Jesus Christ.

Just because it is a wedding should we allow an exception on how we dress? Should a Christian woman (or man) allow the fashion styles of the world to determine their example of faith in how they dress? Modesty is not ruled by the word of man but the word of God. The body should be used for the glorification of God not man. If a bride cannot find a wedding dress that is modest, then she should show her example of faith by wearing a dress that is modest and according to holiness. If fathers want to give their daughters away in holiness, they should exercise wisdom in what their daughter is wearing on her wedding day. Mothers should not enable the material desires of their daughters by helping them have a wedding that is based upon the fleshly rites of the latest fashion magazine. Young people who want to show the world their home is built on Jesus Christ should make certain the apparel for that wonderful day is something the Lord Himself would be pleased with.

The influence of the world has ingratiated itself in the weddings of Christians by suggesting that champagne toast and dancing are permissible and acceptable. Seeking to be different from the world is less the motive in weddings fully embracing the raucous nature of the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eye and the pride of life (1 John 2:16). Sanctification to God in the holy bond of marriage is more than words spoken to one another. It is the heart committed to showing the world the home established by those words of fidelity are founded upon the example of faith in the wedding ceremony.

“Finally then, brethren, we urge and exhort in the Lord Jesus that you should abound more and more, just as you received from us how you ought to walk and to please God; for you know what commandments we gave you through the Lord Jesus. For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you should abstain from sexual immorality; that each of you should know how to possess his own vessel in sanctification and honor, not in passion of lust, like the Gentiles who do not know God; that no one should take advantage of and defraud his brother in this matter, because the Lord is the avenger of all such, as we also forewarned you and testified. For God did not call us to uncleanness, but in holiness. Therefore he who rejects this does not reject man, but God, who has also given us His Holy Spirit” (1 Thessalonians 4:1-8).

Sherman And The Red Sea Crossing

Lee Kennett writes in his book "Sherman, A Soldiers Life" the president of Columbia College writing General Sherman asking his military judgment "on the feasibility of the Israelites' miraculous flight across the Red Sea as described in Exodus. It was the commanding general who answered his query in precise, mathematical terms: assuming that each man, woman, or child in the act of walking took up a space of two feet by three, and each ox three feet by nine, then two million Israelites with a million head of cattle 'could be compressed into a space half a mile broad and six miles long.' If they could maintain a speed of one to two miles per hour they could easily pass through a half-mile wide defile in the space of six to nine hours. 'Of course the Israelites were not organized or compact as an army,' the general noted, 'but rather resembled a stampeded crowd'; even so, he felt that with Pharaoh's host at their heels they would have moved along at ample speed." (page 324).

Interesting analysis from a military perspective.

Current book reading

About to finish the book, "Sherman - A soldier's life" by Lee Kennett. It is an interesting story of a man who became more famous for his "March through Georgia" than any other part of his life. A West Point grad he tried a lot of things in life - soldier, banker, investor, superintendent of what is known today as LSU and lawyer. When the Civil War broke out he entered the Army again and while did not distinguish himself in the early days as much seemed to redeem his ability in the battle at Chattanooga. He was a man with great conflict within himself and left a legacy that is a challenge to decide if he was insane (as some charged) or a man who struggled to maintain a career of solid leadership. Often he vacillated; sometimes he was clear in his leadership. After the war ended he was in charge of the "Indian problem" and exercised the same characteristics as during the war. Villified by some and hailed by others. History shows him to be both.

What is history?

History was a trash bag of random coincidences torn open in a wind. Surely, Watt with his steam engine, Faraday with his electric motor, and Edison with his incandescent light bulb did not have it as their goal to contribute to a fuel shortage some day that would place their countries at the mercy of Arab oil. ~Joseph Heller, Good as Gold

History is a kind of introduction to more interesting people than we can possibly meet in our restricted lives; let us not neglect the opportunity. ~Dexter Perkins

History never looks like history when you are living through it. ~John W. Gardner

History is the sum total of the things that could have been avoided. ~Konrad Adenauer

Each time history repeats itself, the price goes up. ~Author Unknown

Take from the altars of the past the fire - not the ashes. ~Jean Jaures

To remain ignorant of things that happened before you were born is to remain a child. (Cicero)

Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it. (George Santayana)

We cannot escape history. (Abraham Lincoln)

Not so loud

The Bible is a most fascinating book. Within its pages we find the mind of God revealed to man in the wonderful message of redemption. History opens from the beginning of time unfolding the creation of man and his continued battle with himself and one another. Nations are painted on the canvas of time rising and falling. The climax of the Bible story is found in the life of Jesus and the door of salvation opened on the day of Pentecost. Revelation completes the message with a symphony of hope and praise with the gathering of God's people surrounding His throne in Heaven.

And then you read Proverbs 27:14 - He who blesses his friend with a loud voice, rising early in the morning, it will be counted a curse to him.

The wisdom is thinking of others in this passage. While there are many deep theological teachings in scripture, often the Lord places tidbits of common sense applications in our relationships with others. Paul reminds us to "look out not only for [our] own interests, but also for the interest of others" (Philippians 2:4). The apostle also reminds us to "be kind to one another" (Ephesians 4:32) and it would be a kind thing to be mindful of others in the early morning.

Did you ever have a college roommate that woke up happy and you were still in la-la land? What about the spouse who jumps out of bed excited and ready to meet the world and you have not even turned on the coffee pot yet? The morning is made for quiet and calm and those folk who just want to get so excited early in the morning can "be counted a curse" (in a nice way of course). So is there a lesson about being mindful of the sleepy people in the morning? Maybe the Lord has a good message about being kind to people in the early morning.

A deeper lesson from Proverbs 27:14 is the boastful action of those who would tend to seek self-glorification from their neighbors. Adam Clarke wrote, "He who makes loud and public protestations of acknowledgments to his friend for favors received, subjects his sincerity to suspicion; and remember the Italian proverb elsewhere quoted: - 'He who praises you more than he was wont to do, has either deceived you, or is about to do it.' Extravagant public professions are little to be regarded."

Here is the danger when we receive great praise from those who do so with insincerity. Nor should we take opportunity to do the same. Especially in the early morning.