THE BOOK OF MORMON?

            The first night of our recent trip to New York City, two went  to a live Billy Crystal performance, four went to see the show “Annie,” and I went alone to see “The Book of Mormon.” I had been warned that it might be over the top for me, but I had read so many rave reviews of this nine Tony Award winning musical, I wanted to check it out. It turned out to be the dirtiest, most sacrilegious thing I have seen or read in all my 78 years. Frankly, I would not have been comfortable watching it with anyone else, even my wife.  Jesus was, I trust, forgiving.It was FUNNY. My daughter, Kit, dared me to blog about it. So here goes.

            In the plot, Elder Price has prayed all his life that when time came for him to do his obligatory two year mission he would be assigned to Orlando, Florida, the land of Disney and sunshine. Instead, he was paired with a nerd, Elder Arnold Cunningham, and they were sent to a remote village in Uganda. Elder Price is devastated but tries to reach the natives with the Mormon message, but with no success. Elder Cunningham, who has never even read the Book of Mormon, however, is accepted by the natives as the spokesman and proceeds to teach them his own made up version of Mormonism. Rejected and disciplined by his supervisors, he is established by the natives as the true teacher and they produce “The Book of Arnold.”

            Now what positive, if anything, can I find in it? First, recognize that we will not receive everything for which we pray, no matter who we are. Second, acknowledge that anything we receive can be used positively by God for His purpose, if we will listen to and follow Him. Not like Elder Cunningham who made it up himself. Our promise, i.e. the promise to those who are following Jesus Christ, is that God is at work in all things to bring about good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. (Romans 8:28) 

Grace and Peace

IS GOD ON YOUR SIDE?

             I don’t know how many times recently I’ve heard someone say, “Surely God must be on Auburn’s side”, considering the “miraculous” last minute wins over Georgia and Alabama. Liz (Auburn fan) and I (Alabama fan) agree, however, that God does not favor any team above others, professional or amateur, in any sport. Instead we must look at ability, preparation, intensity and other factors. Also, some old fashioned luck must be included.

            We are taught in scripture that God is no respecter of persons, that he treats everyone the same. He plays no favorites. But for every person God is a helper. For every team He is a helper. “Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you. Yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.” (Isaiah 41:10) That promise is for every person and every team.

            I have no problem when a player points up to the sky or crosses himself after an extremely good play. He is giving praise to God for His gifting him with ability and for giving him the opportunity to make a play. He is not necessarily claiming special or exclusive favor from God. He is doing what we all need to do, giving God the glory. 

             And if Alabama can't be national champs, Auburn should be. We need to keep the championship in state for the fifth straight year. :-)

Grace and Peace

 

A MOMENT OF STUPIDITY

Saturday I had an accident. I was distracted looking down at a GPS in a curve, looked up and saw I was running off the road into a mud hole. I overcorrected, slid across the road and into some trees. The airbag deployed, but, unusual for me, I had failed to buckle my seatbelt. I evidently slid around the bag and into the windshield. The van was totaled. I have a broken left forefinger, a neck brace, a bloody face, forehead and scalp, and am sore all over my body. I was in the ER twelve hours, and missed the Iron Bowl. But now I am at home typing this on Monday Morning (December 2nd).

Some would say that I was lucky or fortunate that it was no worse. With a little more force it could have been fatal. But I was not lucky. I was surrounded. “The angel of the Lord encamps all around them that fear Him, and delivers them.” (Psalm 34:7) I have spoken often of our need to look for God’s hand in everything that happens. So I am praising God that it wasn’t any worse, and I know His hand was in that. I am praising God that no oncoming vehicle was in the other lane on a busy road, and God’s hand was in that. So I am grateful to God for life, for medical care and for healing.

Lastly, my stupidity proves once again the danger of distracted driving. 

Grace and Peace

MARRYING MAN

            I spoke with my grand niece this week. This is my brother Bill’s grandchild. I married her grandparents (my brother and his wife Evelyn) and then I married her parents (Peggy Jo and Donnie Helms). She wanted to know if I am still doing wedding ceremonies. She thought it would be special if I could also marry her and her fiancé, the third generation. Being a licensed minister in the state of Alabama, I still have the legal authority to preside at weddings and sign the marriage license. Also, as long as I can don my robe, stand up and speak, I can accomplish the task.

            To be sure, I still have my robe; and also my baptismal trousers. But serving at Central Park Baptist with the few members being median and senior adults, in these four years I’ve neither married someone in the church nor baptized anyone into the church. I have done a number of weddings, however, for relatives and former church members or their children. So I assured Katie that I would be delighted to preside at her wedding in May.

            For the first several decades of my ministry I could claim that of the persons at whose weddings I had presided, none had divorced. Alas that ended some years ago. Tragically, many now go through the heartache and trauma of divorce, including any children involved.

            The vows repeated verbally in a ceremony are of no value unless there is a prior commitment of the will. A commitment to the spouse but also, for believers, the vow is a commitment to God. God is a party to the union. Jesus said, “What therefore God has joined together, let not man put asunder.” (Mark 10:9) 

Grace and Peace

GROWING OLD(ER)

             This Friday Liz and I will attend the “Golden Bulldog Lunch” at Samford University. As the name implies, the lunch is for Samford (Howard) graduates who finished their degree fifty or more years ago. The truth is, I finished fifty-six years ago and Liz finished fifty-four years ago. I rejoice to attend and fellowship with some other old people. But being eligible to be a part of the lunch affirms once again that we are getting old(er).

            Growing older has its own positives, but this occasion will provoke the memories of how great it was to be a college student in the 1950’s. It was a relative innocent time and peaceful time. The Korean conflict was ending and the Vietnam War was not yet on the radar. The post World War II boom was still progressing. Most of us were far from rich, but we had all we really needed. And most were experiencing upward mobility.  Rock and roll music was bursting on the scene with Elvis, Buddy Holley, Fats Domino, and others. There were the great experiences unique to the college, the A Capella Choir, the classes, preaching trips for H-Days, even the hour long trolley ride going to and coming from campus.

            We cherish that time but also cherish each part of life. Wise King Solomon said, “To everything there is a season, a time for every purpose under heaven.” (Ecclesiastes 3:1) Also, “He has made everything beautiful in its time.” (3:8) Our task is to find the beautiful in every season, at every age.                                                                                                                  

Grace and Peace

LITTERBUGS

 Last year when we moved into our new home in the Oaks on Parkwood, we were very pleased with the manicured lawns and roadways of the complex. But I was shocked by the amount of litter on the approach road, Parkwood.  When it became apparent that the county would not be picking up litter on the roadway, I decided to informally adopt the roadway from Highway 150 to the entrance of the Oaks, a one man litter patrol. I bought a grappler and spend an hour or two each week picking up litter. I haven’t covered the whole stretch yet, because each week a bag full of new litter appears on the areas I have already worked. Alabama, like all other states, has a law against littering, but such laws are hard to enforce.

This experience has caused me to reflect on the character of people who throw trash out of a vehicle’s window. Liz has wished for a sign that says “Please Do Not Litter.” Such a sign would do no good with people who have no problem with littering. Not knowing who these people are, I have a strong opinion on what they are. First, they have no respect for the law. Second, they do not care for their neighbors or for others, else they would not foul the environment. Third, they are very self centered doing what they want to do regardless of the result. I don’t make assumptions about their religious condition. But if they are Christians they have forgotten the “Golden Rule” of Jesus; “Do to others as you would have them do to you.” (Luke 6:31) I wonder how these would feel if someone could gather all the litter they have ever thrown out of a vehicle window and dump it in their yard.

So, please, put it in a trash can, a litter barrel or take it home with you. 

Grace and Peace

LIFE IS LIKE A VAPOR

James, in his letter, gives us a perspective on life. In James 4:13-14 he writes: “Come now, you who say, ‘Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, spend a year there, buy and sell, and make a profit; ’whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away. Instead you ought to say, ‘If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.’” We need to live each day with the awareness that that day may be our last.

A friend and fellow church member was going to visit his mother on his motorcycle. He had in mind where he would go after that. He probably had in mind tentative plans for the next day, and the next week. But someone pulled an automobile into his path and the collision took his life. I feel certain that John Veazey had his life and his spirituality in order and was ready to be ushered into the next life. But I doubt he expected it to be on Friday. Our sympathy goes out to his family. And though he surely sorrows to be parted from them, I know that his life beyond life is one of rewards and joy.

We all need to make plans, keep a calendar, and honor future commitments. Life would be chaotic without so doing. But the question for all of us is, do our plans for our activities have a place for interruption? For one day, hopefully far into the future, we shall transition from this life into the next, some gradually and some suddenly. We need to be sure we are in the Lord’s hands when it happens. 

Grace and Peace

PLEASE GOVERNOR BENTLEY

                During 55 years of service as the pastor of Baptist churches I have sought assiduously to avoid politics in my preaching and writing, whether local, state or federal. I have never had anyone’s bumper sticker on my auto or sign in my yard. I have had my opinions and faithfully voted in all elections. But I did not want politics to interfere with ministry to any person or group. (This was doubly true when members of the same small town church ran against each other in a local election.)

 There is a current issue, however, that demands that I speak out. As a part of healthcare reform, the federal government is offering to expand Medicaid in each state, providing 100% of the cost of such expansion for the first years and the bulk of the cost in following years. Such an expansion in Alabama would provide more than 300,000 Alabamians with healthcare coverage who are not now covered. There is one person who can say “yes” or “no” to such an expansion. That one person is the Governor of Alabama, Dr. Bentley, who has indicated that he will say “no,” thus depriving these many citizens of healthcare coverage.  

Although I do not know Governor Bentley personally, I believe him to be a good man. He is an active member of a Baptist church in Tuscaloosa. He is therefore my brother in Christ. I do not intend any disrespect for him as a person, nor as our Governor. But I appeal to him to change his mind on this issue. He has given reasons for rejecting this benefit for the people, such as Medicaid in the state being “broken” and needing to be fixed. I know nothing of these things. I suspect his position has much to do with politics and resistance to the President. But whatever informs his thinking, I would, as a fellow Christian, like to remind him of our responsibility in Christ. May it also inform his thinking.   

In Matthew 25 Jesus speaks of His judging of the nations. The criteria He will use will be how we treated the needy among us, the hungry, the thirsty, the stranger, the naked (i.e. the poor), the sick and the prisoner. Is it too farfetched to imagine Him saying “I was sick and you denied me healthcare?” “Lord, when did we deny you healthcare?” “Inasmuch as you denied it to the least of these, you denied it unto me.”

If I were the sole person in the state of Alabama who must decide to give or deny healthcare to hundreds of thousands of Alabamians, pushing aside all “reason” and “politics,” I would certainly opt to provide this healthcare. I would not like to live out my life and go into eternity with a“NO” on my record. 

Grace and Peace

KILLING CHILDREN

            The world was shocked by the use of gas to kill an estimated 1400+ in Syria, many of them babies and children. As I write this the U.S. Congress debates what, if any, response the U.S. should make to such an atrocity. But, think about this - Jehovah, God of the Israelites, is guilty of something very similar. He commanded the Israelites to wipe out the nations completely. They were to kill the men and women, the children and little babies, as well as the animals. The babies were dashed against rocks or on the ground and they were just as dead as those gassed in Syria.

            On Wednesday evenings we have been studying the books of Moses, and I have confessed to those present that I have a difficult time with this God. I do believe that Jehovah of the Old Testament and Jesus of the New Testament are God, and with the Holy Spirit comprise the Trinity, the three in one, a concept difficult for people to comprehend.  The July/August issue of Christianity Today has three articles which seek to reconcile God in the Old Testament with God in the New Testament. For me they failed. No commentator I have ever read has successfully done so.

            Many reasons have been suggested as to why God was such a terrible and fearful God in the Old Testament, but none fully explain it. Some claim God is sovereign over all things and does not need to justify Himself to us. I agree.

            Some say the Trinity is a mystery that we must accept by faith. I say the same thing about the God of the Old Testament. He is a mystery that we accept by faith. I have hope that He will explain some of these things to us in heaven. That may not be necessary, however. We may just know by then. As Paul says in 1 Corinthians 13:12 “For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known.” 

Grace and Peace

LABOR DAY

            As a child, Labor Day was a big deal. We lived blocks from the steel mills and in their nighttime illumination. It seemed most of the men worked in the steel mills and were members of a labor union. Labor Day celebrated working people with parades and speech filled gatherings. It was a really big deal.

            Today Labor Day is just another holiday. There are still a few parades and other activities. (In Tuscumbia you can go to the Coon Dog Cemetery celebration.) Most of society sees it as the last long weekend of summer.

            To us children, Labor Day meant other things. Labor Day was the day the local swimming pool in Ensley closed for the season, a real downer. But more of a downer was the beginning of school. School always commenced the day following Labor Day. Also, the minor leagues were winding up their seasons. Needless to say Labor Day was a melancholy time for us.         

             As we grew into adulthood, however, we recognized that every time and season had its own pluses. Still left in the year were football, Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas. Also we saw the changing seasons as a reminder of God’s promise, His assurance of the consistency in this world we occupy. God’s promise in Genesis 8:22 is , “While the earth remains, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, Winter and Summer, and day and night shall not cease.”

 

Grace and peace.

IN CHRIST ALONE

             A debate over the lyrics of a gospel song, “In Christ Alone,” was reflected editorially in the last two issues of The Alabama Baptist. The focus is over changing the words “Till on that cross as Jesus died/The wrath of God was satisfied” to “Till on that cross as Jesus died/The love of God was magnified.”  The basic question concerns the nature of God. Was God at the cross pouring out his wrath upon Jesus, who bore our sins, or was God at the cross manifesting his love for us, through giving Jesus to die to save us?

            We know in the Bible that God hates sin and sin will be punished. The wrath of God against sin is beyond doubt. And the Bible tells us that “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” (Romans 3:23) All of us deserve punishment.

            But the Bible also tells us that, “God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son that whosoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” (John 3:16) The reason Jesus was on the cross was the love of God. Otherwise this passage would need to read, “for God was so angry at or wrathful toward the world that he gave his only begotten Son.”

            So the basic question is, what was on God’s mind as Jesus hung on the cross? Was He full of wrath or full of love? Or was it a combination of both. It does not challenge the truth that He is a wrathful God to imagine that at that particular time He was concentrating on His love for mankind and for Jesus who had become our sacrifice for sin.

            That people disagree on that question should not question anyone’s belief in the substitutionary atonement. Jesus died for us, as our substitute, to satisfy the holiness of God.

 

Grace and peace. 

JUST A LITTLE BABY

             The eyes and ears of the world were trained on Great Britain as a new prince, Prince George, was born. Prince George is now third in line for the throne, behind both his father, William, and grandfather, Charles. Coverage of his birth by the media exceeded any such coverage of any other birth, recent or ancient.Everyone knows his name, who he is and what he can become.

            How different this is than when Jesus came into the world. The angels announced his birth to the shepherds. The wise men knew of it in their readings of heavenly bodies and they informed Herod the King. Otherwise, Jesus snuck into the world unnoticed. Yet, He is the one who already was and has become Lord of Lords, and King of Kings. Because of his life, death and resurrection, and because of his followers spreading the gospel through the years, His name is now known in the entire world. Very few remote villages in remote jungles or isolated islands have not heard his name. With the advent of computers and the internet, more and more people have access to his story and his followers. This reality prevents nations who want to suppress Christianity from doing so. Anyone in their country with access to the internet can read of Him and His followers. Indeed, the gospel has been made known in all the world.

            But knowing His name and knowing the gospel are not sufficient. How we respond to this knowledge is of utmost importance.  A simplistic instruction is: “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved.” (Acts 16:31) But a reading of the New Testament demonstrates that simple believism is not sufficient for salvation. A real and committed walk with Jesus is demanded. I hope your walk is going well.           

Grace and peace. 

WHO NEEDS PROOF?

I just finished a new book by neurosurgeon Eben Alexander. The name of the book is Proof of Heaven. Alexander is well trained, teaches neurosurgery and has operated on the brains of thousands of people. He formerly dismissed the idea of the “soul” as merely the product of brain chemistry. Near Death Experiences, although seeming real to the persons who are having them, are simply fantasies produced by brains under extreme stress. This is what he believed until it happened to him.

In 2008 he suffered severe undiagnosed pain and seizures and lapsed into a coma. His brain was being attacked by an extremely rare illness. The part of his brain that controls thought and emotion, which in essence makes us human, shut down completely. It wasn’t that his brain was malfunctioning, it wasn’t functioning at all. He lay immobile, in a deep coma for seven days. The neurosurgeons who attended him concluded that he would not survive and after these seven days were preparing to pull the plug on all the systems which were helping his physical body survive. But then he awoke, a true medical miracle.

The greater miracle was his memory of those seven days. While in the coma his spirit journeyed beyond this world and encountered an angelic being who guided him into the deepest realms of super-physical existence. He traveled with this angelic being between different realms of heaven.

Reading his story reminded me of someone who had a like experience, the apostle Paul. He claimed he knew a man (conceded by Bible scholars to have been Paul himself) “who was caught up to the third heaven.” (2 Corinthians 12:2) Interesting is the report of Dr. Alexander that he experienced three levels of heaven.

His is a marvelous account, but those of us who believe the Bible need no proof of heaven. 

Grace and peace. 

ON BEING A FANATIC

            An article in the newspaper a few weeks ago noted the passing of Dick Coffee, Jr. of Birmingham at age 91. He merited an article in the newspaper because as a University of Alabama graduate and football fan, he had not missed a single Alabama football game since November 1946, both home and away games, for a total of 781 consecutive games. Now he was a truly dedicated fan.

            I noted also that he was an active member of the Methodist church. The thought occurred to me; was he as faithful to his church as he was to Alabama football? I remember some Sunday Schools which awarded “Perfect Attendance” pins to those who didn’t miss a Sunday all year and would award bars to fasten under the pin for each additional year of perfect attendance. I remember seeing photos of people with perfect attendance pins for 20 or 30 straight years.

            I could list dozens of reasons a person needs to be a consistent, if not perfect, attender at Sunday School or church worship. But I’ll name only one. By doing so we declare that we are a dedicated fan of Jesus Christ. By being regular at church/Sunday School, we demonstrate who we are. In fact, it would be nice to be known as a “fanatic.”  The dictionary defines a fanatic as “one marked by excessive enthusiasm and often intense uncritical devotion.” Truly, I would welcome being remembered as a fanatic for Jesus.

            So, “let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together.” (Hebrews 10:24-25)

Grace and peace. 

LOVE THAT FLAG

From to time I hear or read of a Baptist pastor removing the flag of the United States from a church’s worship center. They sometimes declare their motive. A Christian church worships Jesus and not the United States. Or they rationalize an overzealous understanding of the separation of church and state.

Seventy years ago in Vacation Bible School we pledged allegiance to the United States flag, to the Christian flag and to the Bible. No one of my limited knowledge challenged the appropriateness of the practice. And in our minds there was not a problem. We knew Jesus was Lord, and allegiance to our nation was important, particularly in those years of the Second World War.

We sing the “Star Spangled Banner” at sporting events and pledge allegiance to the flag at various clubs, conferences and other gatherings. Doing so in church mimics the patriotism of the society and does not compromise the core meaning of the service. The focus is still on Jesus Christ.

We live in a country where we have freedom to worship as we please. This is a privilege people in many parts of the world do not have. A flag in the room where we worship should remind us of the freedom the church enjoys because we live in the United States.

We are indeed blessed to live in a nation where we can worship freely. And all who worship are a blessing to our nation because “Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord.” (Psalm 33:12) 

Grace and peace. 

DRIVING ALERT

            Oldest grandson, Graham, celebrated his fifteenth birthday June 22^nd. As all other children of this generation, the first order of business was to secure his learner’s permit which will allow him to legally drive the roadways in Alabama. In our day there was no such thing as a learner’s permit. And today’s kids find it amazing that I was eighteen and a high school graduate when I finally got a driver’s license. (Big family and one automobile.)

            I rejoice in seeing Graham mature and move into more liberties and responsibilities. But I am also quite concerned with this new step. Traffic accidents are the leading cause of teen age deaths. Seven teens ages 16 to 19 die every day from motor vehicle injuries.

            I trust Graham completely. He is responsible, he does not use drugs or alcohol and, I think, he has enough sense to not let his smart phone distract him. But your experience and my experience teach us that the roadways are treacherous. We can’t control what other drivers do and there are plenty out there who are not responsible.

 So I will pray an umbrella of divine protection for him, as I have always prayed, but particularly now when he is behind the wheel. And we have the biblical promise, “He shall give His angels charge over you, to keep you in all your ways.” (Psalm 91:11)  As I write this I remember an old rhyme from the “Burma Shave” signs along the highways: “The angels who guard you while you drive usually retire at fifty five.” I guess in this day of the interstates we need to revise it to “seventy five.”

Grace and peace.

DON'T BLAME GOD

Over the past few weeks Oklahoma has been a true “tornado alley.” Wildfires are ravaging Colorado. Floods have inundated homes and businesses. Multiple storms have buffeted various areas causing loss of life and unimaginable destruction. One reporting service counts seventy five natural disasters (earthquakes, hurricanes, tornadoes, wildfires, sinkholes, avalanches, landslides, drought, floods, etc.) in our country in the first five months of the year, not including those this month or the many which have occurred around the world.

How are we to reconcile such disasters with God? One’s theology shapes his understanding of natural disasters. Some believe that God in His sovereignty causes everything that happens. God is in control of everything and sends disasters. Others believe that God in His sovereignty is in control of everything but allows or permits things to happen that He does not approve. He uses such events in ways that add to His glory. He blesses some within the storm. But He does not cause the storm.

Before any creation, God had complete foreknowledge of all things that would happen in human history. Yet he gave Adam and Eve free will, knowing they would use it to sin. And knowing that through them sin would enter all mankind and even infect the natural order of things. But He also foreknew that he would redeem mankind and the whole natural order. Paul summarizes this expectation in Romans 8:21-22; “the creation itself also will be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation groans and labors with birth pangs together until now.”

We certainly need to pray that God will end the drought or divert the storm. He can certainly do so. But He did not cause them. 

Grace and peace. 

WHAT A CHRISTIAN FATHER WANTS

Around the breakfast table we old preachers were sharing the circumstances and impact of our call into the ministry. Mentioned by more than one of us was the concern of our fathers that we would not have the material rewards and riches they wished for us. Mine was one of them. Raising five children in the midst of the great depression, he fretted over having enough food on the table or enough resources for other needs. Indeed he was in debt his entire adult life and was still in debt at his death. His desire for his children was for them to have more than he had. Indeed, the only question he raised when I revealed my call into the ministry concerned material needs.

Of course, going in, we budding preachers knew our theme could be that of a 1940’s movie and 1950’s TV comedy “You’ll Never Get Rich.” But we had confidence our Lord through His churches, would take care of us.

As a father, I am grateful that our children are doing well vocationally and materially. Indeed, they are earning more than their preacher daddy ever earned (even adjusted for inflation). But a father’s concern for his children should involve much more than material prosperity. First priority is for them to have a relationship with Jesus Christ. Such a relationship will help them to “set (their) affection on things above, not on things on the earth” (Colossians 3:2). The words penned by George Beverly Shea (who died recently at age 104) capture that relationship. “I’d rather have Jesus than silver or gold, I’d rather be His than have riches untold.”

Happy is the father whose children belong to Jesus. 

Grace and peace. 

THANKS FOR THE MEMORIES

I have this account on Facebook, the social networking system available on the internet. I seldom post anything on Facebook. If I do, most often it will be a blog. I do keep up with what others have posted, particularly our children, but also friends from over the years, many of them from churches I have served as pastor.

A couple of weeks ago I was inundated with Facebook greetings wishing me a happy birthday and responding to pictures my girls had posted on their sites. So many greetings were sent that I can’t begin to respond to each one.

Each one was received with gladness but some were special. At rare times I wonder if my 55 years of ministry has accomplished anything, has fulfilled the calling I have in the Lord. Messages thanking me for the impact I had on that person’s life remind me of the numerous youth I’ve been privileged to lead in their formative years, of the

many instances I have been able to walk with someone through troubled times, of times I was able to help get a marriage back on track, times God used me to lead someone into a relationship with Christ, or helped them move closer to Christ. And these memories lead to others where we helped churches make some significant decisions.

            I thank all of you, my friends, for remembering me and helping me to remember. “I thank my God upon every remembrance of you, for your fellowship in the gospel from the first day until now.” (Philippians 1:3-4) 

Grace and peace. 

 

 

 

MEMORIAL DAY

             As I grow older I become ever more aware that memory is fleeting. Our grandson was working on a school project which examined the impact of World War II on those who lived through it. Both Liz and I were children during that war. I was six when it began and ten when it ended. We dug into our memories for ways the war impacted us. We thought of things we haven’t thought of in years. And the more we thought, the more memories popped up. But it is amazing how much we cannot remember. This is evident also when we look at pictures from thirty, forty or fifty years ago. Looking at those pictures, we recapture memories that left us in the intervening years. And some pictured events we still cannot remember.

            Some memories stay with us better than others. These are the precious memories about which the gospel song speaks. “Precious memories, how they linger, how they every flood my soul.”

            But to help preserve memories we erect memorials. And for that purpose we observe Memorial Day, a day begun to honor and remember those killed in the civil war, but which now encompasses all those who have gone from our midst. It became “Decoration Day” for many rural cemeteries.

 In Proverbs (10:7) Solomon says “The memory of the righteous is blessed.” I would paraphrase that to say it is a blessing to us when we remember those who have departed. 

Grace and peace. 

Mel

MONDAY'S CHILD

             I eat breakfast with a group of old(er) ministers every Thursday morning at a local Cracker Barrel. As most of you know, all the Cracker Barrel restaurants have antiques or replicas of antiques on the walls. One morning I noticed on the wall a calendar from the year 1935 and it was open to the months of March, April and May. Having been born in May of 1935 I looked for the 20^th (my birth date) and saw that it fell on a Monday.

            “Monday’s Child” is a song or rhyme that dates back more than 200 years. It starts “Monday’s child is fair of face.” Now that’s nice. But it is up to others to decide if this Monday child is fair of face. I’d rather be like Tuesday’s Child who is “full of grace.” One definition of “grace” in the dictionary is “unmerited divine assistance given humans for their regeneration and/or sanctification.” Such grace is reflected in character and lifestyle.

What is inside a person is more important than what is on the outside. In our society, which makes much to do over looks, we need to remember, “the Lord does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”(1 Samuel 16:7)

             If you are not familiar with the rhyme it is;

“Monday’s child is fair of face,

 Tuesday’s child is full of grace,

 Wednesday’s child is full of woe,

 Thursday’s child has far to go,

 Friday’s child is loving and giving,

 Saturday’s child works hard for a living,

 But the child who is born on the Sabbath Day

 Is bonny and blithe and good and gay.”

Of course, this ancient rhyme has nothing to do with reality. 

Grace and peace. 

Hello Again

     It has been four months since my last post. For thirty days I was in South Africa with my son-in-law Todd Heifner and my grandson Deason. When I arrived back home in the middle of February it took a month to get things back together. And it is so easy to put off something not required like a blog. But I hope now to be a regular blogger.
    It was a treat to spend a month on mission and traveling with two really neat guys. I was blown away by the vastness of the country and its beauty. South Africa is full of prairies, rolling hills, mountains, rivers and beaches. South Africa has become a modern nation with large cities and a strong economy. But also poverty is everywhere, in the cities and out in the countryside.
     Our mission was to some of the poorest people I have encountered, although I understand that conditions are worse in some other slums around the world. Most of these people are locked into poverty with little hope of escaping it. But despite the conditions in which they live, the children were like children elsewhere. The were full of life and laughed easily. Working with them was a joy.
     Bolstered also was my admiration for missionaries who leave the comforts of the U.S. to work in some of the most difficult situations. These, and those that came before them, are the reason that Christianity is growing faster in Africa than anywhere else in the world. May God bless them and their work.

Grace and Peace

HAPPY NEW YEAR

            Welcome to the New Year, 2013. As the old year drew to a close there were dire things predicted. First was the widespread publicity concerning the Mayan calendar.  A lot of people believed that the world would end on December 21st, because the 5,000 year old calendar ended on that date. I was not concerned. We know the world will end, or our world will end someday. And we will be translated to heaven to live a blessed and eternal life in the presence of Jesus. My trust in Jesus and His lordship in my life convinced me that, according to scripture, this was the future. I had no fear of the end of the world.

            Then there was the “fiscal cliff.”  The specter of economic upheaval and worsening recession was held before us. This did not trouble me either. I know that tough times come and go. We do not like to struggle financially. But, as one money manager whom I know put it, life will go on. Sometimes we have valleys to negotiate and problems of many kinds confronting us. But this I know. We do not face them alone. We can still claim the promise God made through Isaiah, “When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow you.” (Isaiah 43:2)    

            None of us can predict what will transpire this year in the world or in our personal lives. But whatever may come, we can get through it and rejoice in it because we know that Jesus is with us. He promised His disciples, “Lo, I am with you always.”  Talk of victory, in Him we will have victory in all things.

            So with confidence I wish you a Happy New Year.

Grace and peace.