Several years ago, in a book titled Fresh Illustrations for Preaching and Teaching (Baker Books, 1997), Paul Adams shared a wonderful illustration about the place of faith in the life of a Christian.

As we have been focusing on the Armor of God as listed in Ephesians 6:10-20 during our morning messages, I was reminded of that illustration.  I thought I would post it here.

The mighty Niagara River plummets some 180 feet at the American and Horseshoe Falls.  Before the falls, there are violent, turbulent rapids.  Farther upstream, however, where the river's current flows more gently, boats are able to navigate.  

Just before the Welland River empties into the Niagara, a pedestrian walkway spans the river.  Posted on this bridge's pylons is a warning sign for all boaters: "Do you have an anchor?" followed by, "Do you know how to use it?" 

Faith, like an anchor, is something we need to have and use to avoid spiritual cataclysm.

I trust each of us understands the true power of our faith in God.  For my own part, the anchor of faith has delivered me in many a difficult situation.  I hope you can say the same.
 
 
"FIRST THEY CAME” is a famous statement attributed to the German Theologian and Pastor Martin Niemöller.  This free verse poem is about the inactivity of the ordinary German people all during the rise to power of the Nazi party within their country throughout the 1920’s and 1930’s. 

Those who know history well enough will remember how the Nazis systematically purged their chosen targets, one group after another.  Niemöller’s chilling text reflects the regret of a man who spoke up almost too late in protest of the unfolding evil.  Here is his poem.

FIRST THEY CAME

First they came for the communists,
and I didn't speak out because I wasn't a communist.

Then they came for the trade unionists,
and I didn't speak out because I wasn't a trade unionist.

Then they came for the Jews,
and I didn't speak out because I wasn't a Jew.

Then they came for the Catholics,
and I didn't speak out because I was Protestant.

Then they came for me
and there was no one left to speak out for me.

Perhaps Paul had witnessed something similar in the ruthless rise of the ancient Roman Empire during his own lifetime.  In the face of mounting Roman persecution of the church, and while he himself was imprisoned (probably in the infamous Mamertine prison in the capital city of Rome sometime around 64AD), he was moved of God to write these challenging words to the Christians back at Ephesus:

10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power.  11 Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes.  12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.

13 Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.  14 Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, 15 and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace.  

16 In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.  17 Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.  18 And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests.  With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints. (Ephesians 6:10-18)

Within four years, Paul would take the ultimate stand.  He would be put to death by Caesar for his Christian convictions. 
1876 years later, on April 9, 1945, another Christian Pastor followed in Paul’s footsteps.   His name was Dietrich Bonhoeffer, and it was 67 years ago this week that he was sent to Buchenwald Concentration Camp, where he would learn the true cost of commitment to Christ.

This courageous man chose not to sit by idly and let Nazi atrocities unfold around him unchecked.  He chose to speak up.  He chose to take a stand.  Doing so ultimately cost him his life, as he was arrested, tortured, and put to death by the Gestapo, just one month before the Nazi regime fell to the Allied Armies. 

I post these thoughts here as a reminder of the world in which we now live.  For far too long, believers have had it rather easy here in America.  We have been able to go about our lives relatively unconcerned with the unfolding events around us. 

But perhaps we should now wake up and realize what is happening to our once great Christian nation.  Every single day, the news carries headline after headline about one form or another of the ongoing assault on the traditional Christian values in America.

(Examples of such abound in the news.  Here are some recent examples: 

1.  The U. S. Air force has removed now God from its logo. 

2.  Religious entities have now been required to provide certain benefits for employees even if providing those specific benefits violate their religious convictions. 

3.  School teachers were warned to hide from students if they choose to pray during a nationally organized prayer event.

4.  Middle school football coaches were reprimanded for bowing their heads during a post-game prayer.

5.  Christian prayers at Military funerals have been banned.

Perhaps the time has come for Christians to speak up when they sense that what they know in their heart to be true, right, and/or good is under attack.  If not, then no one should be surprised when those things which are known in his or her heart to be false, wrong, and/or evil will have been allowed to grow unchecked until they will have reached the point that they are no longer preventable.

NOTE:  You can read more about Bonhoeffer and his experience here on Chrsitian history's website:
http://www.christianity.com/ChurchHistory/11630780/?utm_source=This%20Week%20in%20Christian%20History%20-%20Christianity.com&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=02/10/2012/.
 
 
This past Sunday evening, after church, we had our annual Senior Adult Valentine’s Day Banquet.  Our theme this year was “A Redneck Valentine’s Day”.  As part of the program, the following humorous piece of poetry was read aloud.  I share it here to brighten your day.

REDNECK VALENTINE’S DAY POEM

Collards is green,
my dog's name is Blue
and I'm so lucky
to have a sweet thang like you. 

Yore hair is like cornsilk
a-flapping in the breeze.
Softer than Blue's
and without all them fleas. 

You move like the bass,
which excite me in May.
You ain't got no scales
but I luv you anyway.

Yo're as satisfy'n as okry
jist a-fry'n in the pan.
Yo're as fragrant as "snuff"
right out of the can.

You have some'a yore teeth,
for which I am proud;
I hold my head high
when we're in a crowd.

On special occasions,
when you shave under yore arms,
well, I'm in hawg heaven,
and awed by yore charms.

Still them fellers at work,
they all want to know,
what I did to deserve
such a purdy, young doe. 

Like a good roll of duct tape
yo're there fer yore man,
to patch up life's troubles
and fix what you can. 

Yo're as cute as a junebug
a-buzzin' overhead.
You ain't mean like those far ants
I found in my bed.

Cut from the best cloth
like a plaid flannel shirt,
you spark up my life
more than a fresh load of dirt.

When you hold me real tight
like a padded gunrack,
my life is complete;
Ain't nuttin' I lack.

Yore complexion, it's perfection,
like the best vinyl sidin'.
despite all the years,
yore age, it keeps hidin'. 

Me 'n' you's like a Moon Pie
with a RC cold drank,
we go together
like a skunk goes with stank.

Some men, they buy chocolate
for Valentine's Day;
They git it at Wal-Mart,
it's romantic that way. 
 
Some men git roses
on that special day
from the cooler at Kroger.
"That's impressive," I say.

Some men buy fine diamonds
from a flea market booth.
"Diamonds are forever,"
they explain, suave and couth.

But for this man, honey,
these won't do.
Cause yor'e too special,
you sweet thang you.

I got you a gift,
without taste nor odor,
more useful than diamonds...
IT'S A NEW TROLL'N MOTOR!!

Source:  http://www.catsprn.com/redneck_valentine_poem.htm
 
 
In my last post, I talked about all the technological changes we are experiencing in the modern age.  I thought I would follow it up with little piece that I recently encountered.  Enjoy.

It all began with an iPhone.

March was when my son celebrated his birthday; and I got him an iPhone.

He just loved it.  Who wouldn't?

I celebrated my own birthday in July; and my wife made me very happy when she bought me an iPad. 

My daughter's birthday was in September; so I got her an iPod Touch.

Thus, when December came around, and it was my wife’s birthday, I decided to do the next logical thing.  So, I bought her an iRon.

It was around then that the fight started.

For some reason, my wife failed to appreciate my perspective on this sensible gift.  She did not seem to recognize how practically the iRon could be integrated into the home network, right along with the iWash, the iCook, and the iClean. 

Unfortunately, iFailed to appreciate her perspective as well.  Regrettably, the whole process activated the iRate button. 

This, of course, sent me off to the iHospital.  And by the way, iHope that iGet out on Saturday! 

NOTE:  iAssure you that iHave more sense than to do something like this in real life.  Down through the years, iHave learned from experience!
 
 
Ever so often, I come across a piece of information that really challenges me in regard to my perspective on the world at large.  Recently, just such a piece was brought to my attention.  It is titled “Nine Things That Will Disappear In Our Lifetime”.

The original appears to have been posted on March 11, 2011 by Charles Scott Kimball, aka: the “xenohistorian”, on his website at: http://xenohistorian.wordpress.com/2011/03/11/9-things-that-will-disappear-in-our-lifetime/.

If you are like me, it will probably make you stop and think about both the amount and the pace of change that is occurring in the world in which we live.  I re-post it here for your consideration.  Mr. Kimball writes:

NINE THINGS THAT WILL DISAPPEAR IN OUR LIFETIME 

I have talked before about how society is changing faster than ever, to the point that we can no longer expect one generation’s lifestyle to be much like those before and after it.  For example, I remember the time when I told my daughter what television used to be like:  we had a black and white TV, which only had three channels if you didn’t count the occasional UHF station.  Cartoons were mostly confined to Saturday morning, and because we didn’t have remotes, we had to walk all the way across the room to change the channel.  Alas, my daughter didn’t have much sympathy for my plight. 

Anyway, in previous messages (May 28, 2009, December 15, 2009, and January 7, 2011), I posted lists of things that are disappearing fast, and will probably be gone in our lifetime.  Now here’s a fourth list, which I’m sharing because most of the items did not appear on the others.  Unfortunately I couldn’t find out who wrote it; if you’re like me, you will find some of these disappearances disturbing. 

9 Things That Will Disappear In Our Lifetime…

Whether these changes are good or bad depends in part on how we adapt to them. But, ready or not, here they come.

1. The Post Office. Get ready to imagine a world without the post office. They are so deeply in financial trouble that there is probably no way to sustain it long term. e-mail, Fed Ex, and UPS have just about wiped out the minimum revenue needed to keep the post office alive. Most of your mail every day is junk mail and bills.

2. The Check. Britain is already laying the groundwork to do away with checks by 2018. It costs the financial system billions of dollars a year to process checks. Plastic cards and online transactions will lead to the eventual demise of the check. This plays right into the death of the post office. If you never paid your bills by mail and never received them by mail, the post office would absolutely go out of business.

3. The Newspaper. The younger generation simply doesn’t read the newspaper. They certainly don’t subscribe to a daily delivered print edition. That may go the way of the milkman and the laundry man. As for reading the paper online, get ready to pay for it. The rise in mobile Internet devices and e-readers has caused all the newspaper and magazine publishers to form an alliance. They have met with Apple, Amazon, and the major cell phone companies to develop a model for paid subscription services.

4. The Book. You say you will never give up the physical book that you hold in your hand and turn the literal pages. I said the same thing about downloading music fromiTunes. I wanted my hard copy CD. But I quickly changed my mind when I discovered that I could get albums for half the price without ever leaving home to get the latest music. The same thing will happen with books. You can browse a bookstore online and even read a preview chapter before you buy. And the price is less than half that of a real book. And think of the convenience! Once you start flicking your fingers on the screen instead of the book, you find that you are lost in the story, can’t wait to see what happens next, and you forget that you’re holding a gadget instead of a book. 

5. The Land Line Telephone. Unless you have a large family and make a lot of local calls, you don’t need it anymore. Most people keep it simply because they’ve always had it. But you are paying double charges for that extra service. All the cell phone companies will let you call customers using the same cell provider for no charge against your minutes.

6. Music. This is one of the saddest parts of the change story. The music industry is dying a slow death. Not just because of illegal downloading. It’s because innovative new music isn’t being given a chance to get to the people who would like to hear it. Greed and corruption is the problem. The record labels and the radio conglomerates are simply self-destructing. Over 40% of the music purchased today is “catalog items,” meaning traditional music that the public has heard for years, from older established artists. This is also true on the live concert circuit. To explore this fascinating and disturbing topic further, check out the book, “Appetite for Self-Destruction” by Steve Knopper, and the video documentary, “Before the Music Dies.”

(Unquote:  No wonder my home town doesn’t have a top 40 station.  However, the University of Kentucky has two radio stations playing artists you don’t hear elsewhere, and that gives me a spark of hope.  And some new artists are turning to nontraditional sources to get their music out, like YouTube.  Did you hear how the band Journey picked up a new member that way, out of a slum in the Philippines?) 

7. Television. Revenues to the networks are down dramatically. Not just because of the economy. People are watching TV and movies streamed from their computers. And they’re playing games and doing lots of other things that take up the time that used to be spent watching TV. Prime time shows have degenerated down to lower than the lowest common denominator. Cable rates are skyrocketing and commercials run about every 4 minutes and 30 seconds. I say good riddance to most of it. It’s time for the cable companies to be put out of our misery. Let the people choose what they want to watch online and through Netflix.

8. “Things” That You Own. Many of the very possessions that we used to own are still in our lives, but we may not actually own them in the future. They may simply reside in “the cloud.” Today your computer has a hard drive and you store your pictures, music, movies, and documents. Your software is on a CD or DVD, and you can always re-install it if need be. But all of that is changing. Apple, Microsoft, and Google are all finishing up their latest “cloud services.” That means that when you turn on a computer, the Internet will be built into the operating system. So, Windows, Google, and the Mac OS will be tied straight into the Internet. If you click an icon, it will open something in the Internet cloud. If you save something, it will be saved to the cloud. And you may pay a monthly subscription fee to the cloud provider. In this virtual world, you can access your music or your books, or your whatever from any laptop or handheld device. That’s the good news. But, will you actually own any of this “stuff” or will it all be able to disappear at any moment in a big “Poof?” Will most of the things in our lives be disposable and whimsical? It makes you want to run to the closet and pull out that photo album, grab a book from the shelf, or open up a CD case and pull out the insert. 

9. Privacy. If there ever was a concept that we can look back on nostalgically, it would be privacy. That’s gone. It’s been gone for a long time anyway. There are cameras on the street, in most of the buildings, and even built into your computer and cell phone. But you can be sure that 24/7, “They” know who you are and where you are, right down to the GPS coordinates, and the Google Street View. If you buy something, your habit is put into a zillion profiles, and your ads will change to reflect those habits. And “They” will try to get you to buy something else. Again and again.

All we will have that can’t be changed are memories.

This piece has circulated fairly widely on the internet and by e-mail.  It has sparked considerable discussion over the unfolding future.  For my parts, I do not know all tomorrow holds.  Nor do I know how comfortable I will be living in that brave new world.  But I do know Who holds tomorrow. 

And I am confident that, as long as He delays His coming, the world will go on, and it will continue to change.  As long as it does, the church must ever find ways to adapt her techniques for reaching people.  In short, our METHODS must always change because the world always changes.  What stays the same, however, is the MESSAGE.  It does not and must not change.

As Paul said in I Corinthians 9:22-23:  “I have become all things to all men so that by all possible means I might save some.  I do all this for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its blessings.”  We hold fast to our message:  the gospel.  We readily adapt and change our methods:  all things to all men.  And we must be willing to do this for one reason above all others:  that some may be saved!
 
TALKING WITH GOD 01/26/2012
 
We are continuing our study of Genesis on Wednesday night.  One can only wonder what it would have been like to be present and witness God creating this vast universe.  One day, when I am in Heaven, I know that there are lots of questions I will want to ask God about that marvelous event.

Recently, I received the following poem via e-mail.  It is about a man who dreamed he was given the opportunity to interview God.  While I recognize that it is always a bit presumptuous to speak on behalf of God, the poem is nonetheless thought provoking.

I post it here for your reflection.

THE INTERVIEW WITH GOD

I dreamed I had an interview with God.

“So you would like to interview me?” God asked.

“If you have the time” I said.

God smiled. “My time is eternity.”
“What questions do you have in mind for me?”

“What surprises you most about humankind?”

God answered...
“That they get bored with childhood,
they rush to grow up, and then
long to be children again.”

“That they lose their health to make money...
and then lose their money to restore their health.”

“That by thinking anxiously about the future,
they forget the present,
such that they live in neither
the present nor the future.”

"That they live as if they will never die,
and die as though they had never lived.”

God’s hand took mine
and we were silent for a while.

And then I asked...
“As a parent, what are some of life’s lessons
you want your children to learn?”

“To learn they cannot make anyone
love them. All they can do
is let themselves be loved.”

“To learn that it is not good
to compare themselves to others.”

“To learn to forgive
by practicing forgiveness.”

“To learn that it only takes a few seconds
to open profound wounds in those they love,
and it can take many years to heal them.”

“To learn that a rich person
is not one who has the most,
but is one who needs the least.”

“To learn that there are people
who love them dearly,
but simply have not yet learned
how to express or show their feelings.”

“To learn that two people can
look at the same thing
and see it differently.”

“To learn that it is not enough that they forgive one another,
but they must also forgive themselves.”

"Thank you for your time," I said humbly.
"Is there anything else
you would like your children to know?"

God smiled and said,
“Just know that I am here... always.”

This poem can be viewed in an animated form by clicking here: "The Interview with God".
 
 
In Ephesians 6:14, Paul challenges us to put on the “belt of truth”.  He had in mind what Jesus referred to in His great High Priestly prayer in John 17.  Here, Jesus prayed for His followers:  “Sanctify them by the truth…”  As He did, He affirmed the truth of the Bible; for He also said (to God the Father), “Your word is truth.”

Here we clearly see The Living Word of God, Jesus Christ, giving affirmation to The Written Word of God, the Bible.  Thus, we can have full confidence in the Bible as the truth, for the One Who said “I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life” also said the Bible is the Truth of God given for our benefit.

In the Bible, therefore, we have the authoritative standard for our lives, which will last for all eternity.  Many years ago, this fundamental truth was captured in a beautiful poem written by a man named John Clifford.  I post it here for your consideration.

The Anvil of God’s Word

“Last eve I paused beside the blacksmith’s door,
And heard the anvil ring the vesper chime;
Then looking in, I saw upon the floor,
Old hammers, worn with beating years of time.

“‘How many anvils have you had,’ said I,
‘To wear and batter all these hammers so?’
‘Just one,’ said he, and then with twinkling eye,
‘The anvil wears the hammers out, you know.’

“And so, I thought, the Anvil of God’s Word
For ages skeptic blows have beat upon;
Yet, though the noise of falling blows was heard,
The Anvil is unharmed, the hammers gone.”*

As Peter said in first epistle (I Peter 1:23-25):

23 For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God.  24 For, "All men are like grass, and all their glory is like the flowers of the field; the grass withers and the flowers fall, 25 but the word of the Lord stands forever." And this is the word that was preached to you. 

Amen!

*Source: http://thebiblestands.org/poetry/anvil.html
 
THERE IT STANDS 01/19/2012
 
We recently began a study of Genesis on Wednesday nights at our church.  As we did, I underscored the fact that we can be thankful for certain traits that the Bible has.  Among them are it's simplicity, it's accuracy, and it's reliability.

In the process, I quoted a poem that I had once encountered.  It is titled “The Bible: There It Stands”.  My copy comes from R. G. Lee’s book, A Charge to Keep, where he cites the original author as Congregational Pastor A. Z. Conrad.  I post it here as many people have requested of me.

The Bible - There It Stands.     
Century follows century - There it stands.
Empires rise and fall and are forgotten - There it stands.
Dynasty succeeds dynasty - There it stands.
Kings are crowned and uncrowned - There it stands.
Despised and torn to pieces - There it stands.
Storms of hate swirl about it - There it stands
Atheists rail against it - There it stands.
Agnostics smile cynically - There it stand
Profane prayerless punsters caricature it - There it stands.
Unbelief abandons it - There it stands.
Higher critics deny its claim to inspiration - there it stands.
Thunderbolts of wrath smite - There it stands.
An anvil that has broken a million hammers - there it stands.
The flames are kindled about it - There it stands.
The arrows of hate are discharged against it - There it stands.
Radicalism rants and raves against it - There it stands.
Fogs of sophistry conceal it temporarily - There it stands.
The tooth of time gnaws but makes no dent in it - There it stands.
Infidels predict its abandonment - There it stands. 
Modernism tries to explain it away - There it stands.
Devotees of folly denounce it - there it stands.

Amen.  Praise God for the dependability of His Word!
 
TAKING A STAND 01/16/2012
 
Today is the day in which we rightfully recognize the life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.  The reason we do this, as a nation, is that this man decided to take a stand against the wrong he knew was being perpetrated in his culture.  He worked hard to undo the injustice that was entrnched toward his own people.  Ultimately, he even gave his life for the cause in which he believed so deeply.

Dr. King is obviously named after his father, Rev. Martin Luther King, Sr.  Both of them, however, share a common namesake.  They are each named for the famed reformer of the sixteenth century:  Martin Luther. 

Few people today know much about Martin Luther, other than perhaps that the Lutheran church is named after him.  Martin Luther was a sixteenth century monk who lived in Germany. He concluded that the doctrines and practices of the Catholic Church of which he was a part were not correct.

As a result, he decided to take a stand against what he saw as a religious (and a resultant political) system that was ill founded and corrupt.  History records that he drew up 95 theses and posted them to the door of the church in Wittenberg, inviting public debate with anyone over the validity of such things as the sale of indulgences, the existence of purgatory, the necessity of the priesthood for an individual’s salvation, etc…

As he anticipated, his actions incited violent opposition from many within the status quo of his day.  He, himself, was jailed and faced both prosecution and persecution.  Nonetheless, he believed in the principles upon which he chose to take his stand.  In fact, he drew up his defense under the title of “Here I Stand”. 

Thankfully, his courage in doing so eventually brought about much needed changes in the religious and political situation of Europe in the sixteenth century and beyond, and resulted in what we know today as the “Protestant Reformation”.

How fittingly, then, that his namesake hundreds of years later, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., would follow a similar path.  Both men believed it was important to take their stand, even if they appeared at first to stand alone (or at best, in the minority).  Fortunately, they both soon realized that they did not stand alone, but that a whole lot of people stood with them.  They also realized that in standing for what they knew to be right, they could make a difference and affect change.

I trust in these two examples we will see the importance of taking a stand whenever we know that what is happening around us is clearly in the wrong.  Yes, it takes courage to take a stand.  Nevertheless, change can never occur unless and until we are willing to stand in the face of evil.

As Paul says in Ephesians 6:10-20:

10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power.
11 Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes.
12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.
13 Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.
14 Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place,
15 and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace.
16 In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.
17 Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
18 And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.
19 Pray also for me, that whenever I open my mouth, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel,
20 for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it fearlessly, as I should.
 
 
We have begun a study of Genesis on Wednesday nights.  I thought I would post a humorous little story from my files that I came across in preparation for this series of studies.  Enjoy.

A little boy came home from Sunday School and went into his room to change his clothes.  

It was obvious that he had been paying attention to the lesson for that day, which was on Genesis 3:19:  “In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return.”

When he emerged, he asked his mother, “Is it true we come from dust?”  “Yes dear,” replied mother.  

“Is it true that when we die we go back to the dust?”  “Yes dear, that's right.” 

The little boy ran into his room once again and came out all excited.

“Mom,” he announced, “I just looked under my bed; and there's someone either coming or going!!!”