My Ongoing Thoughts

WHO ‘S WHO?!

2/21/2020

As I approach retirement, I have begun to sort out the books in both my personal and preaching libraries. As I clearly cannot keep them all, I have made the painful decision that I will only retain certain ones; while I will give away and/or discard certain others.

The problem is that all of this calls for hard decisions. You see, books in a library are not unlike old friends; and many of the volumes in my collection have been my friends since my college days decades ago.

Among those works in my library that I will not be discarding are those by and about Billy Graham. This fellow Southern Baptist Minister had the singular distinction of preaching the gospel to more people in person than any individual in human history. I have blogged numerous times before about Dr. Graham and his influence. (To see these many posts, type in Billy Graham in the search line above.)

The late Paul W. Powell once told the following story about Dr. Graham. According to Rev. Powell, it seems that…

Billy Graham was once speaking in Florida; and they picked him up in a beautiful stretch limousine. It was the finest car he had ever seen. Following his speech, they were taking him back to the airport; and he said to the chauffeur, “Sir, this is the finest car I’ve ever seen in my life. Would you mind if I drive it?”

The man said, “Mr. Graham, this is a very expensive car, and I am responsible for it. I’m not sure.” Graham said, “I’ll be very careful if you will just let me try.”

So, the chauffeur got out, moved into the backseat, and let Graham behind the steering wheel. He got on the freeway; and his foot got a little heavy; and he was going 80 miles per hour when a patrolman pulled him over.

Approaching the limo with its darkly tinted windows, the patrolman asked to see the license of the driver, whereupon he quickly recognized that it was none other than Dr. Billy Graham.

Thereafter, he immediately went back to his car, radioed the dispatch office, and said to his superior, “Sir, I’ve got a very important person in a limousine pulled over, and I don’t exactly know what to do.”

The dispatcher asked, “Oh, is it Shaquille O’Neal?” (Who played for the Miami Heat at the time.) The man replied, “No.” The dispatcher said, “Well is it Jeb Bush?” (At the time, Governor of Florida.) The man replied, “No.” The dispatcher said, “Is it President Bush?” (At the time, President of the U.S.A.) The man replied, “No.”

He said, “Well, who is it?” The man replied, “I don’t know, sir. But it may well be Jesus Himself, because Billy Graham is his chauffeur!”

Obviously, this is a fictitious story, designed to evoke humor. (After all, Dr. Graham’s official autobiography, Just As I Am, which was published in 1997, eleven years before his death on February 21, 2018, certainly does not record any such occurrence.)

But that does not change the fact that the story implies that the one person on earth who was (and still is) viewed as the closest person to Jesus Christ by American society at large was (and still is) Billy Graham.

Now, for me, this raises a question. How will I personally be remembered? Will I be remembered as someone who was very close to Jesus Christ? Or when I am recalled, will Jesus Christ not even come to mind?

Rest assured that I am not alone here. For the same question might very well be applied to you also!

At this point, you may be wondering if you yourself would be remembered as having been close to God! I trust you would be. But if not, then consider these words from the New Testament Letter of James the Apostle to the members of the church at large:

7“Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. 8Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. 9Grieve, mourn, and weep. Turn your laughter to mourning, and your joy to gloom. 10Humble yourselves before the Lord, and He will exalt you.”

No doubt, this is exactly how Billy Graham chose to live his life. No doubt this is also why we still remember him the way we do! Of course, if you and I would be remembered as Billy Graham is remembered today, then we would do well to live our lives much as Dr. Graham did!

Who’s who in your life? More to the point – who should be?!

SOURCES:

JOKE:
Paul W. Powell Laugh and Live Longer: Good Humor to Brighten and Lighten Your Life (Self Published by Paul W. Powell, 5603 Elderwood Drive, Tyler, Texas 75703, 2008 A.D.).

AVAILABLE ONLINE AT:
https://www.baylor.edu/content/services/document.php/66830.pdf.

SEE ALSO:
https://billygraham.org/.

SCRIPTURE:
https://biblehub.com/bsb/james/4.htm.

"LAND 'A PLENTY!"

2/18/2020

Years ago, when I lived in south Georgia during my first pastorate, a wealthy man in the community (who owned more land than anyone else) was noted for how he had once responded when someone asked him if he wanted all the land in the world. His reply was “No! I just want to own every acre attached to what I already own!”

Whenever I think of this, I am reminded of a story that the famous Russian writer Leo Tolstoy once wrote about a successful peasant farmer who was not satisfied with his lot. He too wanted more of everything.

One day he received a novel offer. For 1000 rubles, he could buy all the land he could walk around in a day. The only catch in the deal was that he had to be back at his starting point by sundown.
Early the next morning he started out walking at a fast pace. By midday he was very tired, but he kept going, covering more and more ground.

Well into the afternoon he realized that his greed had taken him far from the starting point. He quickened his pace and as the sun began to sink low in the sky, he began to run, knowing that if he did not make it back by sundown the opportunity to become an even bigger landholder would be lost.

As the sun began to sink below the horizon he came within sight of the finish line. Gasping for breath, his heart pounding, he called upon every bit of strength left in his body and staggered across the line just before the sun disappeared. He immediately collapsed, blood streaming from his mouth. In a few minutes he was dead.

Afterwards, his servants dug a grave. It was not much over six feet long and three feet wide. The title of Tolstoy's story was: “How Much Land Does a Man Need”?

Jesus Christ also has a lot to say to us about the dangers of greed. Consider the teachings in His famed “Sermon on the Mount” in the New Testament Gospel of Matthew chapters 5-7.

But this is not the only place He cautions against cupidity. He warns His disciples not to be like the Rich young Ruler who went away saddened by Jesus’ challenge to sell all he had because his love for his many possessions was interfering with his pursuit of eternal life (Matthew 19:16-30; Mark 10:17-31; Luke 18:18-29).

Elsewhere, in the Gospel of Luke (chapter 12, verses 13-21), He relates “The Parable of the Rich Fool”:

13Someone in the crowd said to Him, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.” 14But Jesus replied, “Man, who appointed Me judge or executor between you?” 15And He said to them, “Watch out! Guard yourselves against every form of greed, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.”

16Then He told them a parable: “The ground of a certain rich man produced an abundance. 17So he thought to himself, ‘What shall I do, since I have nowhere to store my crops?’ 18Then he said, ‘This is what I will do: I will tear down my barns and will build bigger ones, and there I will store up all my grain and my goods. 19Then I will say to myself, “You have plenty of good things laid up for many years. Take it easy. Eat, drink, and be merry!”’

20But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life will be required of you. Then who will own what you have accumulated?’ 21This is how it will be for anyone who stores up treasure for himself but is not rich toward God.”

In light of these things, I echo Tolstoy’s piercing question... “Just how much does a person really need to possess in this world?” The answer is likely to be: “Far less than we are initially inclined to think!”

STORY SOURCE: Tolstoy’s story is available widely online. See for instance:
http://www.gutenberg.org/files/6157/6157-h/6157-h.htm. Scroll down to a little beyond halfway down the page.

NOTE: My immediate source for this story is the November, 1991 print edition of Bits & Pieces Magazine.

SEE ALSO: https://bitsandpieces.biz/; and https://motivateandinspire.com/.

SCRIPTURE SOURCES: https://biblehub.com/context/matthew/19-16.htm;
https://biblehub.com/context/mark/10-17.htm;
https://biblehub.com/context/luke/18-18.htm; and
https://biblehub.com/context/luke/12-13.htm.

WRITE ON!

2/13/2020

This week marks ten years since I started this communications website and first undertook blogging. I keep a small poster in my study that says "Keep calm and Write On!" Over the last decade, I have faithfully tried to do just this, writing and posting at least two blogs a week. Altogether, these now amount to an average of over 100 posts per year, for a total of well over 1000 posts to date.

Naturally, ten years marks a significant milestone for any endeavor. Over these many years, I have been dumfounded at the amount of feedback I have received with regard to my website. This has included literally hundreds of responses from all over the world. While some of this has been negative and even critical, the vast majority has been quite positive and affirming.

Part of my purpose in undertaking the discipline of producing semiweekly blog posts to begin with was to prepare myself for one day becoming a writer. That day has now come.

As some of you may know, I will be retiring from my position as Senior Pastor in a local Baptist church this coming March. I surrendered to the ministry when I was 17 years of age, preached my first sermon when I was 18, was licensed to the ministry at age 20, and began working on staff in a local church at age 21. I have since been in the pastoral ministry for over 40 years. Along the way, I have written and delivered more than 3000 sermons.

Now, however, I am transitioning to a different form of ministry. I have been sensing the Lord’s leadership for some time to become a writer. To this end, I have been preparing myself for the day when the Lord would bring this about. The time has finally come for me to begin this new chapter in my life and ministry. My wife and I earnestly covet your prayers for both of us as we undertake this significant life transition.

For my part, I have ideas for close to two dozen books. The Lord willing, these will include books of devotions, works on ministry and leadership, and sermonic and illustrative materials. Above all, however, I feel led to pursue writing fiction. My conviction is that the vast majority of Americans simply do not attend church.

Thus, they never hear the sermons so many of Pastors write and deliver, no matter how faithfully we do so. Yet, many of these same people do read novels; and they certainly watch movies.

There is no greater proof of this than the fact that virtually everyone is aware of a certain fedora wearing, bull-whip carrying, and wise-cracking fictional archaeologist who bears the name of a specific Midwestern U.S. state. His globe-trotting adventures have brought to the attention of film goers everywhere a hitherto largely unknown and misunderstood biblical artifact known as the Ark of the Covenant. Hence, the power of cinema both to inform and educate people.

Sadly, however, much of the world’s current theological perspectives suffer from confusion for pretty much the same reason. The same fictional archaeologist referenced above has also discovered sacred Hindu lingam stones, extraterrestrial crystal skulls, and even the famed but fictional Holy Grail. Along the way, each of these have been given every bit as much credence as the historical Ark of the Covenant.

Moreover, additional fictional works on secret societies and codes peopled by no less than the likes of Leonardo da Vinci have now sold hundreds of millions of copies each upon their publication.

While making for entertaining reading, such novels do little to advance truly historic Christian perspectives. Hence, my own desire to write fiction, and to do so in a way that is redemptive in that it not only entertains but also confronts people with the reality of the claims found within Christian scriptures.

To this end, I currently have several novels underway. Some are these, admittedly, are designed more to entertain the reader. But others are designed to challenge and confront the reader with the authentic claims of God’s Word. In effect, my sincere hope is that the Lord is about to give me the opportunity to speak to a much larger congregation than any I have in the past. When He does, I hope to be found faithful to speak a word on His behalf.

What does all of this mean for my website? The short answer is not much, at least not in the near future. I plan to keep my website up and running and write on! Thus, I will certainly keep blogging for the foreseeable future. Thereafter, we will see what the Lord has in store.

In the meantime, thank you to those of you who faithfully log on and read my material. I trust it has been as much of a blessing for you to receive as it has been for me to deliver.

extra-ordinary matters

2/10/2020

I have no idea where I first came across it. I just know it has stood in the corner of my inner office for quite some time now. At first glance, it appears to be a regular yardstick. But upon closer examination, what should be a three foot long yardstick is in fact a four foot long yardstick.

It is emblazoned with this quote: “PITTSBURGH PAINTS GOES TO EXTRA LENGTHS TO SERVE YOU BETTER”.

Now, I am not necessarily promoting Pittsburgh Paints. Nor am I in any way denigrating them. Not being a painter by trade, I can only speak to what I have heard regarding them. And based on their reputation, I assume that they do indeed offer quality products as well as service to their customers.

More to the point for the purposes of this blog post, I am impressed by their ability to demonstrate their marketing slogan in such a concrete way. The extra foot of length in the measuring stick they have provided aptly but succinctly conveys their message that they desire to go to extra lengths to serve their customers.

I am also reminded of what Jesus Christ had to say to His followers in the New Testament Gospel of Matthew (chapter 5, verses 38-48):

38You have heard that it was said, ‘Eye for eye and tooth for tooth.’ 39But I tell you not to resist an evil person. If someone slaps you on your right cheek, turn to him the other also; 40if someone wants to sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well; 41and if someone forces you to go one mile, go with him two. 42Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you.

43You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ 44But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. 46If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Do not even tax collectors do the same? 47And if you greet only your brothers, what are you doing more than others? Do not even Gentiles do the same?

48Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.”

Jesus is clearly calling those of us who would follow Him to “go the extra mile” with regard to how we treat others. Specifically, He is talking about how we respond to others who mistreat us.

The context behind these words has to do with local Galileans and/or Judeans being impressed into service by Roman authorities. In any territory under Roman control, a Roman soldier could force a local citizen to carry his gear for one Roman mile. Jesus is saying that whenever this happens to one of His followers, he or she should go above and beyond and carry the load for two miles!

Believers behaving in this way will show those who mistreat them that love is more powerful than hate. And in the process, it may well touch the heart of those who oppress in such a way as to bring about positive change within them.

More to the point, it demonstrates that we are indeed children of a loving Heavenly Father, Who Himself has chosen to go the extra mile in His own dealings with us!

In light of these things, I challenge you to join with me and ponder way in which you can find to go the extra mile in your treatment of and response to others. Perhaps our combined efforts at such behavior undertaken as followers of Jesus Christ will eventually grab the attention of others, even as a simple but powerful four foot measuring stick did when I first saw it!

SCRIPTURE SOURCE: https://biblehub.com/bsb/matthew/5.htm.

THE LIFE ABOVE!

2/6/2020

There is a sense in which today’s post is a continuation of my previous one (ON THIS DAY? 2/3/2020). That post had to with the indignity of spending one’s life without ever truly having accomplished anything worthwhile, commendable, or praiseworthy.

I had barely penned these thoughts when I came across the following article in the news: “Rare Cave Salamander Remained in Same Spot for 7 Years”.

According to an article published in the January 28, 2020 edition of the prestigious Journal of Zoology, researchers have been studying a rare type of cave-dwelling European salamander known as the “olm” that can up to one hundred years.

It has been determined that one particular specimen studied did not budge for 2,569 days! According to lead scientist, Gergely Balázs, who along with his colleagues at Eötvös Loránd University in Hungary came across the amphibian inside a cave in Bosnia and Herzegovina, “They are hanging around, doing almost nothing.” Suffice it to say that this may be the understatement of the year!

In their inactivity, olms can literally go years without eating. They also do not appear to enjoy socializing. In fact, according to the study, the reclusive little olms are so sedentary that they only tend to move whenever they need to find a mate. And even this only happens roughly once every 12 years or so throughout their century long life span.

Now, for my part, I grant that such behavior might somehow be advantageous in the cold, dark, lonely, undergrown world which this hapless little creature inhabits. But surely this is not true for you and me as human beings, who are designed to live above ground in a world of light and warmth and constant interaction.

The question I would thus pose is this. Why, then, do so many people choose to live a life more patterned upon that of this lonely salamander than that of men and women?

What good is even a long life if it is spent in the cold dark world of seclusion from others? We are not meant to be reclusive creatures of the dark, hiding out in utter isolation and inactivity.

Rather, we are meant to be people of the light. We are meant to live our lives in the accompanying warmth of fellowship that comes with having a relationship with a Heavenly Father, and with others who, like us, are also His children.

In the New Testament Gospel of John (chapter 11, verses 1-43), we find the story of Lazarus. He grew sick and then died, whereupon his sisters sent for Jesus. When our Lord arrived, He comforted these ladies and then stood before the cold, dark chamber where Lazarus lay alone in a world of death.

After praying, Jesus called out in a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!” The Bible then affirms that the dead man did just that – he came out, his hands and feet wrapped with strips of linen, and a cloth around his face.

The words Jesus next uttered are profound: “Take off the grave clothes and let him go.” Some Bible translations say: “Loose him, and let him go!”

My challenge to anyone trapped in a cold dark isolated domain today is to come forth in the name of Jesus Christ! Come forth from a world that is only fir for the dead! Come forth and join the living!

Come out and live your life as it was intended for you to live it by your Creator. Come forth and live life as it can be lived in the power of Jesus Christ! Come forth and experience what Jesus promised us in that same gospel of John (chapter 10, verse 10) when He said: “I have come that people may have life, and have it to the full!”

So, get up, get moving, and get involved in life. As you do, get all you can out of life! And along the way, get all the blessings God intends you to have in life! You might just find out how preferable it is to live “The Life Above”!

SOURCE: https://www.foxnews.com/science/rare-cave-salamander-remained-in-same-spot-for-7-years as reported by Christopher Carbone, February 05, 2020.

SCRIPTURE SOURCES: https://biblehub.com/niv/john/11.htm and
https://biblehub.com/john/10-10.htm.

ON THIS DAY?

2/3/2020

An interesting article caught my eye this morning as I perused the headlines on www.FoxNews.com. It was titled “This Day in History: Feb. 3”; and it went on to observe that this was “The Day the Music Died”. For it was on this very day, February 3, back in 1959, that rock-and-roll stars Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and J.P. (a.k.a “The Big Bopper”) Richardson all died in a small plane crash near Clear Lake, Iowa.

This occurrence was then followed by a long list of others that have also happened over the years on this particular day in history. Among them are:

1690: The first paper money in America is issued by the Massachusetts Bay Colony to finance a military expedition to Canada.

1913: The 16th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, providing for a federal income tax, is ratified.

1930: William Howard Taft, the 27th president of the United States, resigns as chief justice for health reasons. (He would die just over a month later.)

1943: During World War II, the U.S. transport ship SS Dorchester, which is carrying troops to Greenland, sinks after being hit by a German torpedo in the Labrador Sea; of the more than 900 men aboard, only some 230 survive.

1966: The Soviet probe Luna 9 becomes the first man-made object to make a soft landing on the moon.

1994: The space shuttle Discovery lifts off, carrying Sergei Krikalev, the first Russian cosmonaut to fly aboard a U.S. spacecraft.

1995: Discovery blasts off with a woman, Air Force Lieutenant Colonel Eileen Collins, in the pilot’s seat for the first time in NASA history.

2002: Super Bowl XXXVI: The New England Patriots beat the St. Louis Rams 20-17 at the Louisiana Super Dome in New Orleans.

2008: Super Bowl XLII: The New York Giants beat the New England Patriots 17-14 at the University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Ariz.

2009: Eric Holder becomes the first black U.S. attorney general as he is sworn in by Vice President Joe Biden.

2013: Super Bowl XLVII: The Baltimore Ravens beat the San Francisco 49ers 34-31 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in New Orleans.

2019: Super Bowl LIII: The New England Patriots beat the Los Angeles Rams 13-3 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.

As I read this article, I could not help but think of a humorous plaque someone had once mounted on the side of a building in a town where my wife and I had previously lived. It read simply: “ON THIS SITE, SEPTEMBER 5, 1782, NOTHING HAPPENED”.

How’s that for contrast?! In truth, all throughout history, a lot has happened on September 5. In all likelihood, every bit as much has happened on September 5th as has happened on February 3. There are websites that track such facts and will readily verify this.

Of course, the fact that others have been busy making history does not necessarily imply that you or I have been. Rather, it is incumbent upon each and every one of us on each and every day to get up, get going, get busy, and get things done. And if we do, then we too can leave a legacy of accomplishments for the various days of our lives.

But if not, then we stand to leave only a sad testimony to a wasted life. And I can think of few things sadder than coming to the end of my life only to look back and have to say that on most of the days I lived, nothing happened!

In his New Testament Epistle to the Ephesians (chapter 5, verse 16), we are admonished by the Apostle Paul to “make the most of every opportunity”. The same Apostle reminds us in his Epistle to the Romans (chapter 13, verse 11) to consider just how swiftly time is passing, and, as a result, to wake up and get busy.

No doubt Paul had in mind the words of wise old King Solomon so long before, who included this admonition in the Old Testament Book of Ecclesiastes (chapter 9, verse 10): “Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might. For when you go to the grave, there will be no work or planning or knowledge or wisdom.”

In short, we only go around once in this world. This means we only get one shot at life, and only one shot at making a difference.

In light of this, may every single one of us take every single advantage of every single opportunity to do just that!

SCRIPTURE SOURCES: https://biblehub.com/ephesians/5-16.htm;

https://biblehub.com/romans/13-11.htm; and

https://biblehub.com/ecclesiastes/9-10.htm.

ARTICLE SOURCE: https://www.foxnews.com/us/this-day-in-history-feb-3.

SEE ALSO: https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history.

AS WELL AS: https://www.onthisday.com/.

FINAL NOTE: For those humorously inclined, the above referenced plaque can be readily found online and is available for purchase.

SALT AWAY!

1/30/2020

In his book, Led By The Carpenter, D. James Kennedy tells the following story:

A man walked into a little mom-and-pop grocery store and asked, "Do you sell salt?"

"Ha!" said Pop the proprietor. "Do we sell salt! Just look!" And Pop showed the customer one entire wall of shelves stocked with nothing but salt - Morton salt, iodized salt, kosher salt, sea salt, rock salt, garlic salt, seasoning salt, Epsom salts, every kind of salt imaginable.

"Wow!" said the customer.

"You think that's something?" said Pop with a wave of his hand. "That's nothing! Come look." And Pop led the customer to a back room filled with shelves and bins and cartons and barrels and boxes of salt. "Do we sell salt!" he said.

"Unbelievable!" said the customer.

"You think that's something?" said Pop. "Come! I'll show you salt!" And Pop led the customer down some steps into a huge basement, five times as large as the previous room, filled wall, floor, to ceiling, with every imaginable form and size and shape of salt, even huge ten-pound salt licks for the cow pasture.
"Incredible!" said the customer. "You really do sell salt!"

"No!" said Pop. "That's just the problem! We never sell salt! But that salt salesman, Hoo-boy! Does he sell salt!"

Dr. Kennedy goes on to make the point that salt that stays on the shelf doesn't do any good at all. In his famed Sermon on the Mount on the New Testament Gospel of Matthew (chapter 5, verses 13-16), Jesus Christ calls those of us who follow Him to be the salt of the earth:

13You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its savor, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men.
14You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. 15Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a basket. Instead, they set it on a lampstand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. 16In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.

As such, our job is to find a way to get off the shelf and out and into people’s lives! May we be faithful to do so!

STORY SOURCE: D. James Kennedy, Led By The Carpenter (Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1999), p. 46.

SCRIPTURE SOURCE: https://biblehub.com/bsb/matthew/5.htm.

FOR THE RECORD…

1/27/2020

As is the case for many Americans, each year in January, two important documents come my way. The first is the standard W-2 form I receive from my place of employment. As a Minister of the Gospel, I receive this from the office of the local church where I serve as Pastor. This is office also generates a second important form as well – the record of contributions my wife and I have made over the previous year.

The obvious significance of these documents lies in their relationship to our income tax return, which, along with other citizens, we must file before the April 15th deadline. As I gather my records, one is used for income purposes; and the other is used for expense purposes.

As I have been busy assembling these and other documents together in order to have my tax return prepared, I have been reminded that we all leave behind us a record of our various activities in this world. My wife and I each spent the previous calendar year engaged in useful and rewarding employment. We now have a record of that.

We also spent the previous year contributing to organizations whose purposes and activities are those in which we greatly believe. And while we did not necessarily do it for this reason, now we have a record of our contributions to those entities as well.

If you think about it, what is true of the previous year is actually true of our whole lives here in this world. From the time I entered preschool, I myself have left a trail of records documenting most all of my various activities in life. The trail has followed me though school and on into my working life. In many respects, it has also followed me in most every other area of my life as well.

Similarly, I have also left a trail of contributions behind me. At times, these contributions have been financial. At other times, they have more involved the contribution of time or of talent or of effort. But either way, my life, like every other person’s, has left in its wake a clear testimony to what my priorities have been.

At the conclusion of each year, as I prepare for my tax return, I can sit down and see with my own eyes how and what I have been employed with over the previous twelve months. I can see what I have labored away at for all that time. I can also look back and see what I chose to do with a significant portion of the resources I was granted in exchange over that period of time.

I am reminded in all of this that there will come a day when this life itself is over; and I will have occasion to reflect on how I spent my time and what all I accomplished in this world. Equally as important, I will have opportunity to be reminded of how I used the resources I with which I was entrusted during my time on earth.

These days, I go through this process with an accountant. In that day, I will go through the process with my Creator! As a follower of Jesus Christ, I trust that when I do, I will hear those words He once spoke in the New Testament Gospel of Matthew (chapter 25, verse 23): “Well done, good and faithful servant; you have been faithful… Enter now into the joy of your lord.”

SCRIPTURE SOURCE: https://biblehub.com/matthew/25-23.htm.

MARK THAT MAN!

1/23/2020

It was exactly twenty years ago tonight, at approximately 8:30 pm, that a single phone call changed my life forever. My family and I had just arrived home from evening services at church when my sister called. She asked if I was sitting down. I responded by inquiring what was wrong – to which she managed to utter, “He’s gone!” before falling into prolonged sobs. My father, Cleo Eugene Jackson, Jr., had just died.

Psalm 37:37 says, “Mark the blameless man, and behold the upright; for the man of peace will have a posterity.” Tonight, in this short post, I would like to take time to mark and honor my father, who was just such a person.

It is hard to believe that it has now been twenty long years since this man, who had a greater impact upon my life than any other person I ever knew, passed away. I think about him often; and, along with my sisters, I have done so a lot throughout this day in particular.

He did not get to live long enough to see me move to my present place of service, where I have been for almost two decades. Nor did he survive long enough to see my three kids grow up, graduate high school and college, get married, and start families of their own. I would love for him to have lived to see his great grandchildren.

And yet, I like to think that somehow, perhaps, he passed on with the peace of knowing that he had glorified God as a follower of Jesus Christ by living a good life, by loving and providing for his family, and by leaving a significant mark upon those who knew and loved him. And even though he never got to meet the spouses of his grandchildren or those great grandchildren who would become his legacy, I am confident that he will do so one day in the hereafter.

For my part, I hope that he would be pleased with me as his son. I hope that he would be proud of who I am, of what I stand for, and of how I have chosen to live my life. All of these things have truly been done in good part because of his stamp upon me. As a man so marked, I trust that I have borne not only his name, but also his imprint well.

What is more, I can only hope that, when the time comes that I myself follow him into eternity, I too will have glorified God by my life, and have left a similar imprint upon my own children and grandchildren. With God’s help, I am attempting to do these very things.

SCRIPTURE SOURCE: https://biblehub.com/psalms/37-37.htm.

LOW SODIUM!

1/21/2020

In His famed “Sermon on the Mount” in the New Testament Gospel of Matthew (chapter 5, verses 13-16), Jesus Christ makes the following statements to those of us who follow Him as our Lord and Savior:

13“You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot.

14“You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. 15Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. 16In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.

Scholars tell us that salt had many uses in ancient times. While these included culinary, medicinal, and even economic applications, the chief use of salt prior to refrigeration seems to have been for preservation.

Perhaps, therefore, what Jesus is telling us is that we live in a world that is rife with decay and darkness; and that our job as His followers is to find ways to counter these forces in the lives of the people we meet by being salt and light for Him.

As this is our job as believers, if we do not do it, then the question becomes “Who will?”

To illustrate the importance of fulfilling our God-given task to be the salt of the earth, I share the following story with you today.

Dr. Dennis Kinlaw, former Asbury Seminary professor and Asbury College president, tells a story about growing up in rural Lumberton, North Carolina, during the depression. It was Dennis’ job, as a young boy, to rub salt into the meat his father brought home from hunting. He would rub salt into the meat until his young muscles were sore. Finally, when it was thoroughly salted, he would hang it up in the storehouse.

One day company arrived, so Dennis’ mother asked him to get a ham out of the storehouse. Dennis ran out, got a big ham off of a hook, and brought it into the kitchen. He laid it on his mother‘s cutting board and left. He was just about out the front door when heard his mother yell, “Dennis!”

Young Dennis knew from experience that whenever his mother screamed his name like that he was in trouble, so he slunk his way to the kitchen and stood in the doorway, afraid to go in.

Looking up at his mother from the doorway, he noticed she was not glaring at him but rather staring down at the meat. Dennis looked and noticed something unusual. He would say that it was the first time in his life he ever saw meat move. Stepping closer, he noticed maggots pouring out of the slice his mother had made into the pork.

Dennis thought for sure he was going to get it. But all Mom said was, “Not enough salt, Dennis. Not enough salt.”

Many believers bemoan the state of our culture today. But while it is easy to want to blame Hollywood, or television or Madison Avenue, or liberal schooling, or even the government for the decay of our culture, maybe, just maybe, the real problem is “not enough salt” among ourselves. If we feel the world is decaying around us, the problem may very well be “not enough salt.”

In light of this, may we be faithful at every opportunity to be the salt and light that Jesus calls us to be!

SCRIPTURE SOURCE:

https://biblehub.com/niv/matthew/5.htm.

STORY SOURCE:

Available widely on the internet. Monty Leavell, of First united Methodist Church in Artesia, New Mexico, appears to have actually heard Dr. Kinlaw tell this story firsthand.

Cf.: https://s3.amazonaws.com/mychurchwebsite/c2058/nl11-6-19.pdf;

Other sources include:

https://culturecampaign.blogspot.com/2008/06/inactive-rudderless-church.html;

http://www.southeastsun.com/lifestyles/church/article_5c6faaf8-6fbb-11e6-b4aa-e75a423318b3.html;

and https://www.andalusiastarnews.com/2016/09/03/we-must-be-the-salt-to-preserve-values/.

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