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SWEATING IT OUT!

1/29/2024

One of my favorite movies is the star-studded 1976 classic, "Midway", which recounts the historical World War Two battle of the same name. If you are unfamiliar with either the film or the battle, the U. S. Navy has intercepted and decoded the Imperial Japanese Navy’s secret code.

As a result, the U.S. knows that Japan plans to attack and invade the island of Midway, and use it and its airstrip as a staging base to attack the U.S. Pacific Fleet – specifically the aircraft carriers which were at sea and thus missing when Japan had earlier attacked Pearl Harbor.

Little does Japan know that the very U.S. aircraft carriers she desires to lure out and sink have actually positioned themselves northwest of the island of Midway, and are in fact lying in wait to ambush the attacking Japanese fleet.

My favorite scene in that movie is the one in which the officer in tactical command of U.S. carrier forces, Rear Admiral Frank J. 'Jack' Fletcher (played by Robert Webber), is sitting in the bridge of the U.S. Carrier Yorktown, anxiously looking out over the ocean as he awaits the crucial battle to unfold when he suddenly states: "I'd give my retirement pay to know what Nagumo is up to now."

He is referring to Vice Admiral Chūichi Nagumo (played by James Shigeta), who is the Japanese officer in charge of the Japanese carrier strike force about to attack the island of Midway.

Thereupon, a subordinate officer, Lieutenant Matt Garth (played by Charlton Heston), responds by saying: "Same thing we are, Admiral… Sweating it out!"

Who among us cannot relate to Lieutenant Garth’s assertion? Who among us has not spent many an hour sweating out some unfolding event and/or impending incident?! I know I have. Whether that involved the release of a report card in grade school or the answer to a love note in middle school or the response to an invitation to a date in high school, the dread was always the same.

Later in life, the sweating continued, only with far greater consequences. These included the reply to a job application, the answer to a marriage proposal, the approval of a mortgage request, the pronouncement of a healthy childbirth, etc., etc…

All of this brings me to my point. "Sweating it out" is a perfect metaphor for where I find myself once again this day, and for how I feel right now. You see, at 7:15 am this morning, I walked into my doctor’s office to have my blood drawn for analysis in preparation for my upcoming annual physical.

Now, to be sure, in anticipation of this day, I’ve done just about all I know to do to prepare. I’ve cut back on the carbs; I’ve dutifully watched what else and how much I have eaten; I’ve faithfully taken my prescription medicines along with a whole host of supplements; I’ve walked each and every day; and gone to the gym with reasonable faithfulness. Still, I’d just about give my retirement pay to know what the folks at the lab plan to throw at me in response!

The famed American Comedian, Mark Twain, is purported to have once quipped: "Some of the worst things in my life never happened." This quotation is variously reported as: "I've lived through some terrible things in my life, some of which actually happened." But either way, the intent is the same. That is why I prefer a similar version of this quote equally attributed to Twain: "I've had a lot of worries in my life, most of which never happened."

As I look back on my life, I realize that the vast majority of things I fretted and worried over never even materialized! The report card never said “Failed”. The love note, when answered, was reciprocal (and indeed, when not answered, was, as another Garth [Brooks, this time] asserted, an unanswered prayer for which to thank God!) The same is true for high school dates; just as it was for college and job applications.

More to the point, my one and only wedding proposal was met with a resounding yes. As was the affirmation of the doctor on three occasions for a healthy child, and on seven occasions for a healthy grandchild!

In light of this, what is a little blood work and an annual physical? After all, I have traveled this very same road with this very same doctor each and every year for over a decade now. And every time I have fretted, I have found it all for naught.

All of this has again brought to mind the words of Jesus in the New Testament Gospel of Matthew, chapter 6, verses 25-34. Here, we read:

"Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?

And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?’'

For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own."

No less than five times in these ten verses, Jesus admonishes us not to worry. Little wonder, for while it behooves us to be prudent and to do all we can to prepare for tomorrow, we can never be in complete control of the future. That prerogative, my friend, belongs to God, and God alone.

By the way, that same God made a promise to us through the prophet Jeremiah (chapter 29, verse 11) when he said: “For I know the plans I have for you,” says the LORD. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.”

My strong suspicion is that those to whom President Franklin Delano Roosevelt referred to as “the American people in their righteous might” would have found this particular verse of scripture very apropos.

By the way, while it was a fierce and costly fight, the U.S. prevailed in the Battle of Midway. Just as they eventually did in the island hopping campaign, in the overall Pacific Theatre, and ultimately, in World War Two itself!

In light of all this, I leave you with the immortal words of Mad Magazine’s Alfred E. Newman: “What, me worry?”

SOURCES:

MIDWAY MOVIE:

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0074899/;

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Midway_(1976_film).

https://clip.cafe/midway-1976/same-thing-are/.

MARK TWAIN QUOTE:

https://thephilosophyforum.com/discussion/10581/some-of-the-worst-things-in-my-life-never-happened;

https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/31860-i-ve-lived-through-some-terrible-things-in-my-life-some;

https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/201777-i-ve-had-a-lot-of-worries-in-my-life-most.

SCRIPTURES:

https://biblehub.com/niv/matthew/6.htm;

https://biblehub.com/jeremiah/29-11.htm.

FDR’s DAY OF INFAMY SPEECH:

https://www.ushistory.org/documents/infamy.htm.

SEE ALSO:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alfred_E._Neuman.

AFFORDABLE HOUSING!

1/25/2024

The news has been abuzz this week with reports of a woman who found a Taco Bell receipt from 2012 and then posted a TikTok video about it as a reminder of a time before inflation made things so much more expensive.

According to Fox Business News…

Aspiring rapper and TikTok user LovelyOcean posted a video on Tuesday of her finding a Taco Bell receipt from 2012. The receipt showed that the price for two beefy five-layer burritos cost just $2.59.

"Can you even get anything from Taco Bell for $2.59," she asked. "Where did we go wrong?" The video was also tagged, "Im so upset. I can’t even justify going to #tacobell anymore. #inflation." The video has garnered over 647,000 views.

For perspective, the article goes on to state that…

Currently, the cost of one beefy five-layer burrito at Taco Bell is approximately $3.69, though prices differ depending on state. A bean burrito, a chicken enchilada burrito and a cheesy bean and rice burrito are the only burritos that cost less than $2.59 according to its website.

Wow! The cost of two burritos has gone from $2.59 to $7.38 in a little over a decade! But if you think that one stings, try this next story recently in the news on for size.

In another Fox Business News article from a week and a half ago (January 16, 2024), it seems that the increases in the cost of housing are even more painful.

According to this article, the cost of American homes has skyrocketed over the past 80 years due to inflation. It seems that, in the 1940s, the average cost of a home was $2,938. Adjusted for inflation in 2024 dollars, that is equivalent to $64,372.84 today. This means that, when compared to 1940, today's prices are 21.91 times as high as the average price 80 years ago!

To complete the picture, the average cost of a home in 1950 had jumped to $7,354. That equals $93,602.08 today as adjusted for inflation. This means that, housing prices in 2024 have increased 12.73 times since 1950.

And now we come to 1960, when homes cost $11,900, or $123,320.18 today when adjusted for inflation. But once 1963 arrived, the average cost of a home hit $19,300, which equates to $193,470.52 in today’s dollars. Then, from 1963 to 1970, the average cost of a home jumped from $19,300 to $27,000. By the end of the decade, houses were costing Americans $27,000, which is $213,457.27 adjusted for 2024 inflation.

Between 1970 and 1975, the average price of a home jumped from $27,000 to $40,900 - which would be $213,457.27 and $233,195.38 in 2024, respectively. And the increases weren’t done yet. The largest jump occurred at the end of the decade as prices reached $74,200 in 1979, or $313,506.24 in today's inflation-adjusted dollars.

If you think that was something, hold on! One of the biggest surges ever in home prices occurred in the 1980s, in terms of the numbers at the start of the decade compared to the numbers in the transition to the 1990s. Over the course of 10 years, from the start of the decade to the end of it, the average cost of a home jumped from $73,600 to $151,200. The largest hike occurred between 1984 and 1988, with average home prices increasing by more than $40,000!

I could go on and on; but you get the point. The cost of a home in America has simply skyrocketed over the past 80 years. Should the Lord tarry in His return, one can only wonder what the next 80 years will entail!

Back in the day, we were taught that the three basic needs of men and women were food, clothing, and shelter. My strong suspicion is that any examination of the increase in the costs of clothing would indicate similar results as those in the two articles summarized above have with regard to food and housing. The price of all three has risen astronomically.

Now, food, clothing, and shelter may well comprise our basic needs in this world. Some assert that we need to add two more to these in the modern era: transportation and communication. Either way, I would assert that whatever basic needs we have it this world are surpassed by those we have in the world to come.

Thankfully, the Lord knows this. In the New Testament Gospel of John (chapter 14, verses 1-6), the Bible records the following conversation between Jesus and His disciples:

“Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me. My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. You know the way to the place where I am going.” Thomas said to him, “Lord, we don’t know where you are going, so how can we know the way?” Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

Here, Jesus affirms that He Himself has provided us with a home for all eternity. He also affirms that He will provide the transportation we need to get to that home. In other places in the New Testament, Jesus further tells us that He will clothe us in new raiments once there; and that He will also nourish us there around His table. In other words, He Himself will see to it that our most basic needs are met there for all eternity!

Of course, all of this comes at a cost. And that cost is immense. So much so that we ourselves could never even hope to afford it. But that does not matter; for Christ has already paid the price in full! He alone could afford the bill; and He alone paid the bill in full!

In his New Testament Letter to the Galatians (chapter 3, verse 13), the Apostle Paul tells us this very thing. Both the AMPLIFIED BIBLE and the WEYMOUTH NEW TESTAMENT say here that “Christ purchased our freedom…”. The GOD’S WORD Translation says “Christ paid the price to free us…”

As the above articles illustrate, the cost of meeting a person’s needs in this life is exorbitant. And it only grows higher with each passing day. But the cost of meeting one’s needs throughout all eternity is simply incalculable. Praise God, therefore, that God’s One and Only Son has already paid that price on our behalf in full!

And now, He offers each and every one of us the security of an eternity with our needs forever met. All we must do is accept His gracious and generous proposal. Thus it is that the Apostle John, in chapter 20, verse 31, tells us that if we believe in Jesus and accept Him as our personal Lord and Savior, we will then have life, eternal and abundant, though His powerful name.

For my part, I have secured eternal security through Jesus Christ. I hope you have as well.

STORY SOURCES:

https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/other/2012-taco-bell-receipt-reminds-the-internet-how-cheap-things-were-before-inflation/ar-BB1h45IT;

https://www.foxbusiness.com/lifestyle/average-cost-american-home-decade-born.

SCRIPTURES:

https://biblehub.com/niv/john/14.htm;

https://biblehub.com/galatians/3-13.htm;

https://biblehub.com/john/20-31.htm.

AN EVEN KEEL…

1/21/2024

The old folks used to say that if snow ever lay on the ground for three days, it was awaiting more. Such was definitely the case this past week here in east Tennessee. The initial blanket of snow we received seven days ago is still with us - only it is now buried under a second layer of ice and snow that arrived three days later.

What was originally a wonderful adventure (as per my previous post) quickly deteriorated into a bit of cabin fever. But after five days, we were finally able to venture forth from the house and get to the store to replenish our dwindling supplies.

By day six, we grew even bolder. My son, who lives next door, called and asked if we would like to try and take all the grandsons south into the next county where a famous cave is located. Seeing that the roads had been well salted, and that all we had to do was to navigate our icy driveway to access them, we jumped at the chance.

Two hours later, a party of twelve pulled into the parking lot and made our way into “The Lost Sea”, formerly known as Craighead Caverns, a few miles outside of Madisonville, Tennessee. We enjoyed a one hour and fifteen minute trip through the caverns, culminating in a boat trip on the United States' largest (and the world's second largest) non-subglacial underground lake.

At 800 feet long, 220 feet wide, the 4.5 acre lake is quite impressive. It sits some 140 feet below the earth’s surface. Moreover, above the level of the lake, several other caverns also exist. These have yielded an abundance of archaeological data, pointing to the cave’s habitation by prehistoric beasts, Native Americans, Civil War soldiers, and Depression Era moonshiners. I highly recommend the tour.

But what struck me the most was the solitude of the place. At one point in the tour, the guide asked us to stand still. Then she turned off the electric lights. Thereupon, we experienced the darkest blackness imaginable. Not only was there no light; there was absolutely no sound whatsoever. It was the epitome of solitude.

But what impressed me the most was the temperature. It was 58 degrees. Now, while that might sound a bit chili, remember that when we existed our vehicles in the parking lot to walk into the visitor’s center, the thermometer was hovering right around 18 degrees, with a wind chill of around 7 degrees.

We had been warned ahead of time not to take coats, as we would likely wind up shedding and carrying them. And the guide was right! By the end of the tour, I was down to a shirt and was quite comfortable.

It was explained to us in the large cavern known as “The Council Chamber” that Chief Craighead and other Cherokee Nation chiefs used the room year round for councils and rituals. That was because, no matter how cold it got outside (and that has been recorded be as low as minus 25 degrees), it stayed warm inside. Likewise, no matter how hot it got outside (which has been recorded as high as 106 degrees), it always stayed comfortable inside. Compared to -25 degrees and +106 degrees, 58 degrees is sitting pretty!

The more I thought about this, the more I realized that it was really a metaphor for life. After all, Shakespeare had Prince Hamlet bemoan “the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune” that so often form “a sea of troubles” with which we must each contend all throughout life.

How right he was! For who among us does not suffer the vagaries and vicissitudes of life? Whether it be the white hot heat of some person we have inadvertently offended or the bitter coldness of some other individual whose expectations we have unfortunately failed to meet, we very often find ourselves exposed to the excessive and varied extremes with which others can treat us.

Little wonder, then, that that the words of Rudyard Kipling, in his well-known poem, “IF”, also came to mind…

If you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you,
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,
But make allowance for their doubting too;

If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
Or being lied about, don’t deal in lies,
Or being hated, don’t give way to hating,
And yet don’t look too good, nor talk too wise:

If you can dream—and not make dreams your master;
If you can think—and not make thoughts your aim;
If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster
And treat those two impostors just the same;

If you can bear to hear the truth you’ve spoken
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken,
And stoop and build ’em up with worn-out tools:

If you can make one heap of all your winnings And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss, And lose, and start again at your beginnings
And never breathe a word about your loss;

If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew To serve your turn long after they are gone, And so hold on when there is nothing in you
Except the Will which says to them: ‘Hold on!’

If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
Or walk with Kings—nor lose the common touch,
If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you,
If all men count with you, but none too much;

If you can fill the unforgiving minute With sixty seconds’ worth of distance run,
Yours is the Earth and everything that’s in it And - which is more - you’ll be a Man, my son!

Apt advice from a wise sage! For here, we have even more wisdom from one who, as a part of prior generations, can be considered one of “the old folks”.

After all, is not the phrase “If you can keep your head when all about you are losing theirs” perfectly pictured by remaining a consistently cool 58 degrees inside when temperatures in the world all around you are fluctuating back and forth between tremendous extremes?!

Of course, Kipling is not the only member of previous generations to recognize this. Nor was he the first. Consider, for instance, the wisdom proffered by the writer of the Old Testament Biblical Book of First Kings, who tells us about the Prophet Elijah.

Like the Patriarch Moses before him, he found himself entrenched in a fissure within the rock upon Mt. Horeb in Sinai. Thereafter, there occurred, first a strong wind, then an earthquake, and finally an intense fire, all outside. And yet, in all of these things, he was safe and secure and unharmed.

More to the point, he was reminded by all these things that he was serenely ensconced within the protective hand of Almighty God!

Given all this, I have concluded that being invisible and obscure 140 feet below ground with God is a far, far better thing than being visible and observable above ground in the eyes of the world! For while the world makes its conclusions about us based on mere surface observations, it is God, and God alone, Who judges us solely on our innermost selves.

And surely, He Who is “the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow” values an “even keel” over an “all-over-the map” approach to life!

One last thought… Back in the day, the so-called “Book of World Records” listed the “Lost Sea” not only as the world’s largest underground lake, but also as bottomless! In the day and age of the internet, both of these claims have since been disproven. At its deepest point, the Lost Sea is now known to be 75 feet deep. More to the point, it is not the world’s largest underground lake. It seems that one in Dragon's Breath Cave, in Namibia, Africa rightfully holds that title.

Still, the Lost Sea is a significant entity. And its truths are evident. What is more, I, for one, am so glad that my family and I dropped in!

POEM SOURCE:

https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/46473/if---.

ATTRACTION SOURCES:

https://thelostsea.com/;

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Craighead_Caverns.

SEE ALSO:

https://www.plantmaps.com/en/us/climate/extremes/f/tennessee-record-high-low-temperatures;

https://poets.org/poem/hamlet-act-iii-scene-i-be-or-not-be.

SCRIPTURES:

https://biblehub.com/niv/1_kings/19.htm.

https://biblehub.com/niv/exodus/33.html;

https://biblehub.com/hebrews/13-8.htm;

https://www.openbible.info/topics/being_calm_under_stress.

48 HOURS!

1/16/2024

Like many of my readers, I once laughed my way through the 1982 Eddie Murphy comedy film titled “48 Hrs.” Since then, I have also tuned in to more than one episode of the long-running CBS News/Documentary series titled “48 Hours”. On occasion, I have also lived a remarkable 48 hours on my own. One such example unfolded over the last two days.

We had been hearing for a week that snow was coming. But given that we had been burned by local weather forecasters and all the accompanying hype that comes with their prognosticating in the past, we did not initially put much stock in their recent predictions.

But when schools and businesses began to announce closings, it quickly became apparent that “Snowmageddon 2024” was indeed about to hit here in East Tennessee. So, we quickly made a trip to the store to garner what was left on the shelves. Thereafter, we primed the generator and battened down the hatches. Shortly after this, our children, their spouses, and their children joined my wife and me to hunker down and wait out the storm.

But as nature did her thing, and as the snow piled up, our sequestering soon turned into a blessing. In the daylight hours, we ventured forth into the snow and spent hours sledding and building snowmen (which were then assaulted with baseball bats as per a piñata), before finishing off the days with wicked snowball fights. In the evening hours, we played “Trouble”, “Concentration”, “Aggravation”, and “Spades”. We also built Legos, played with Hot Wheels and Match Boxes, and colored amazing pictures of superheroes.

And then, to top it all off, we watched every King Kong movie ever made while scarfing down voluminous amounts of waffles, bacon, strawberries, blueberries, popcorn, Doritos, Dill Pickle chips, Slim Jims, cheese sticks, cookies, powdered doughnuts, cupcakes, sour gummy worms, hot dogs, chicken nuggets, and french fries, all of which was washed down with copious amounts of Danimals Smoothie Yogurts and Dr. Pepper!

Of course, all of this was a major imposition of “Yours Truly’s” plans! You see, even in my retirement, my propensity is to plan, to plan, and to plan. And then to do, to do, and to do! I cannot help it. It is my nature! And thus it was that I had a long list of things I had originally intended to accomplish over the last 48 hours.

But on occasion, the Lord steps in and supersedes my well-laid plans. It seems that He never intended for me to complete my list of “To Do” items over the last two days. Instead, He intended for me to spend this time with my family. And I am quite glad He did!

In the Old Testament Book of Proverbs (chapter 16, verse 9), the Bible tells us that “We can make our plans, but the LORD determines our steps.” This is tantamount to saying that the Lord knows infinitely more what we need to experience and accomplish than we ever could.

In this particular case, I’m sure glad He did. I shudder to think what all I would have missed out on otherwise!

As I pen these words, I am mindful of the wisdom proffered by my forebears, who said that if a snowfall ever lay on the ground for three days, it was certain to come again. Right now, heading into the last trimester of this most recent 72 hour period, this aphorism appears to have genuine significance. Already, the prognosticators are calling for more snow in two days.

Given this, I so look forward to yet “Another 48 hours”!”

SCRIPTURE:

https://biblehub.com/proverbs/16-9.htm.

SEE ALSO:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/48_Hours;

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Another_48_Hrs.

CF.:

https://photos.google.com/share/AF1QipOVlwnBqxd6IvFmREmzEUeR3U_sS5IBxpa4I141y2_5l7HoxKkvVugpBo8A6RVwug/photo/AF1QipPx3XJ10IMJXo86TDVutj_fsaoVQ4M5eT3milxw?key=N002U1l3cTI0eUhRcElBNDItSERDZ0U1Vzd2VWpR.

A DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVE

1/12/2024

My grandfather was an old school “hard shell” Baptist preacher who never went to college or seminary. Nonetheless, he was ardent in the pulpit, and as a result, had a reasonably successful and lengthy ministry career. He spent a good deal of time railing against the evils of his day - playing cards, attending movie theaters, dancing, women wearing pants, etc…

Still, he was passionate about preaching the gospel and reaching those who were lost apart from Jesus Christ. For my part, I feared my grandfather for the former and loved him for the latter.

It was doubtless out of his genuine concern for lost people that his favorite Bible verse was from the Gospel of John (chapter 3, verse 16): “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”

While this was his favorite Bible verse, his favorite Bible passage was different. It was the story of the Philippian jailer as found in chapter 16 of the New Testament Book of Acts, verses 23-33:

After they had been severely flogged, they were thrown into prison, and the jailer was commanded to guard them carefully. When he received these orders, he put them in the inner cell and fastened their feet in the stocks.

About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them. Suddenly there was such a violent earthquake that the foundations of the prison were shaken. At once all the prison doors flew open, and everyone’s chains came loose. The jailer woke up, and when he saw the prison doors open, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself because he thought the prisoners had escaped. But Paul shouted, “Don’t harm yourself! We are all here!”

The jailer called for lights, rushed in and fell trembling before Paul and Silas. He then brought them out and asked, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?”

They replied, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved—you and your household.” Then they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all the others in his house. At that hour of the night the jailer took them and washed their wounds; then immediately he and all his household were baptized.

So it was quite natural when, this past Sunday morning, as the pastor at the church where my wife and I attend (who is currently preaching a series on the life of the Apostle Paul) came to Acts, chapter 16, that my ears quickly perked up.

In Acts 16, the Philippian jailer is but 1 of 3 individuals in rapid succession that we see confronted with the gospel and converted to Jesus Christ. It is worth noting that the Philippian jailer is a Gentile of great significance. It is also worth noting that the first convert, Lydia, is a Gentile who is also a woman of some significance. And lastly, it is also worth noting that the third individual is a slave girl of little significance.

The first convert, Lydia, was a Gentile woman who was a “Godfearer”, meaning that she respected the God of the Jews, but did not know Him personally. (As such, she was technically the very first European convert to Christianity.) The second convert, the slave girl, was just that - a Gentile slave girl, who feared the ones who were busily trafficking her as an oracle.

The third was the Philippian jailer. He too was a Gentile. But the only thing he feared was the might of Rome, and what would happen to him as a result if any of the prisoners he was in charge of escaped as a result of an earthquake.

Almost as an afterthought, the pastor closed his sermon out with a reference to the centuries-old Talmudic prayer of the second-century sage, Rabbi Judah bar Ilai, who once famously prayed: “I thank thee that thou didst not make me a woman a slave or a Gentile.” Such a prayer, as sincere as it may have been when initially uttered, nonetheless tells us several things about ancient Jewish men.

First of all, it tells us that they were very religious. Next, it tells us that they were sincere in their approach to the religion that they practiced. For these things, we must give them credit. However, it also tells us that, in many cases, the approach they had was self-serving; for it was as much intended to bolster and fortify their own position in society as it was to glorify the God they purported to serve.

And this is where the story gets interesting. For the apostle Paul was just such a man himself! After all, prior to his conversion, Saul of Tarsus was, by his own testimony, a “Hebrew of Hebrews”. He tells us this in his letter to the Philippians, verse 5-6, he was “circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; in regard to the law, a Pharisee; as for zeal, persecuting the church; as for righteousness based on the law, faultless.”

As his story unfolds, he makes it his business, not only to look down upon others but also to use force to suppress anything and anyone that is a threat to his belief system. And yet, when we come to Acts, chapter 9, we find that the apostle Paul, who is on his way to Damascus to persecute these people who threatened his perspective, is gloriously converted to Jesus Christ.

Shortly thereafter, in Acts, chapter 16, he is on a mission trip to share the very message of Christ that he earlier attempted to squash. Do not miss the irony, then, of Acts, chapter 16...

The very first convert in all of Europe to Christianity is a woman. The second convert is a slave; and the third is a gentle! Those are the very people that the apostle Paul had earlier been taught to look down upon, to disdain, to devalue, and even to abhor, even to the point of taking their very lives.

Yet, these are the very people for whom the Paul was now willing to be beaten, to be arrested, and even to be imprisoned!

Why? Precisely because he knew what the Gospel had done for him in his own life! And therein, he knew what the Gospel could do for these people in their lives as well.

Do not miss this. The very same Apostle Paul who once boasted in his exalted position in religious society would later go on to say that he now viewed himself as the chief of sinners! So much so that if, he boasted in anything, it would not be in any of his own accomplishments, but only in the grace of God's Son, Jesus Christ!

Now it goes without saying that all of this raises questions for me - about how I view myself, how I view others, and above all, how I view (and am viewed by) my Heavenly Father. Surely it does the same for you, my friend.

After all, does this not make us ask questions about how we look upon ourselves? And about how we look upon others? Should we not, as a result, look upon ourselves only as Christ looks upon us? And should we not look upon others only as Christ looks upon them?

For only then will we see ourselves as we truly are; and only then will we realize what we truly need; and only then will we see others for who they truly are and only then we will realize what they too truly need - or rather who they need - which is God's One and Only Son Jesus Christ!

Let's be honest here. Should we ever truly view ourselves and others from such a perspective, would not our attitude toward sharing the gospel be changed as well? Would we, too, like the Apostle Paul, not be willing to be inconvenienced, not be willing to go out of our way, not be willing perhaps even to suffer in some form or fashion in order to see that the message of the gospel is proclaimed to those who are lost and dying without him?

I trust you now see the choice of a title for my blog post today. The Apostle Paul had a different perspective after he was converted than he had before. Lydia, the slave girl, and the Philippian jailer each had a different perspective after they met Christ. I myself also had a different perspective.

Can you say the same?

SCRIPTURES:

https://biblehub.com/john/3-16.htm;

https://biblehub.com/niv/acts/16.htm;

https://biblehub.com/niv/philippians/3.htm;

https://biblehub.com/niv/2_corinthians/11.htm.

SEE ALSO:

https://www.myjewishlearning.com/article/who-has-not-made-me-a-woman/.

BEHIND THE “SEEN”S

1/8/2024

Grandsons are a hoot! I, myself, am a cougar! And you are most likely confused! So, I’ll try to explain...

Two days ago, we had a man out to cut down several trees and trim numerous others. He came back today to grind the stumps. Now, it just so happened that my son, who lives next door, was off work today. So, recognizing that a man was here to grind stumps, he decided to alter his agenda and cut down a tree or two so as to get their respective stumps ground while the opportunity presented itself.

Thus it was that the two of us spent the bulk of the day cutting down and then sawing up unwanted trees. As we did, my wife babysat our two young grandsons, ages 4 and 2. Around 3:30 pm, the two of them awoke from their nap and came outside. As they did, they encountered a roaring fire down in the woods by the creek, where my son and I had spent several hours transporting four pick-up truck loads of cut-up tree branches, limbs, and logs.

However, with the fire blazing and well fed, it just so happened that I had stepped up to the driveway to meet the postal carrier, who had just arrived to deliver several packages. When I returned fifteen or twenty minutes later to the fire, I was immediately accosted by my two grandsons, who were then busy feeding the blazing fire, and accused by them of being a “Cougar”.

When I asked what they meant, I discovered that my wife (and their grandmother) had urged them to call me “Cougar”, because earlier in the day, she and they had watched the movie “Top Gun” wherein a character named “Cougar”, who was a pilot, had turned in his wings and quit the Air Force. In essence, they were accusing me of being a quitter!

Of course, I took the ribbing in good stride. From their perspective, my two grandsons had awakened from their nap, had consumed a snack, and had then dressed and come outside, ready to go to work. It mattered little to either of them that, while they had played, watched a movie, napped, and eaten, I had been busy slaving the day away cutting down multiple trees, sawing them up, loading them on the truck, and hauling them down to the fire.

Apparently, even after all this, after waking, snacking, coming outside, finding a roaring fire, and beginning to feed it with sticks and branches from a nearby pile, it never occurred to them to inquire who had piled up the sticks and branches and logs. Or, for that matter, who had built the fire in the first place!

Sadly, in all of this, I cannot help but see a parallel between my grandsons and me on the one hand and my Heavenly Father and me on the other.

After all, how many times have I lounged my way through life, “eating, drinking, and being merry”, all the while blissfully oblivious to what all my Heavenly Father has been busy doing behind the scenes on my behalf?!

Obviously, there will come a day when my grandsons grow and mature, and eventually recognize what all their grandfather and father have done on their behalf. It is enough for me this day to know that that day will one day come.

By the same token, I trust that it will be enough for my Heavenly Father that He knows that the day will come when I will finally see and appreciate all He has been busy doing on my behalf while I have lounged my way through this life.

In the Old Testament Book of Job, chapter 34, verse 20, we read: “We know God is working behind the scenes”. No matter what we face, no matter what we discover, no matter what we encounter, God is at work! He always has been, He is now, and He always will be!

The failure of my naïve little grandsons to recognize what all I had been doing behind the scenes can be understood and forgiven. But the failure of my own recognition of what all my Heavenly Father has been busy doing on my behalf behind the scenes is neither so understandable nor so forgivable.

It’s easy to see what is seen. It's not so easy to see what is unseen. But the latter often supersedes the former. The unseen
often surpasses the seen.

In light of this, may I forever be sensitive to what all God has and is doing in my interest and on my behalf “behind the scenes”.
And may the same be true for you!

SCRIPTURE SOURCE:

https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Job%2034%3A19-20&version=MSG.

THE ONCE AND FUTURE KING

1/4/2024

With an apology to T. H. White, my thoughts today center on the notion of a king who not only once was, but is now set to appear again. No, I’m not referring to King Arthur of so long ago, but rather to the King of Rock and Roll, Elvis Presley.

It seems that through the magic of artificial intelligence and a plethora of photos and film, the king himself is now set to appear “live” as a hologram in a concert this fall in London. The top-selling solo artist of all time was recently surpassed by Taylor Swift. But it appears that he is soon to regain his throne, as a whole new generation is set to experience him in concert.

Imagine that… Elvis alive. Elvis dead. And now Elvis alive once again! Long live the king!

And yet, the king is not really the king. For a hologram is not really a human being, but rather a mere representation of one. And artificial intelligence is just that - artificial!

By contrast, there is another “Once and Future King”, One Who was at one point quite alive, and then was quite dead, and then, was quite alive again! What is more, one day, not long hence, this “Once and Future King” will be front and center on the stage of history once again!

And just Who is this king? Not merely the king of a given music genre, or of a given nation, or of even a given epoch of history, He is in fact the one true “King of Kings”. And His name is Jesus Christ.

In the New Testament Gospel of Mathew (chapter 27, verse 37), the Bible tells us that when Jesus was crucified, His accusers nailed a plaque on the cross above His head mockingly referring to Him as the “King of the Jews”. And yet, even as they did so, they unwittingly placed Him in the position to justify Himself and His claims. For as the one, true, once and future King, He was destined by His resurrection to prove Himself not only the King of the Jews but of all peoples in all times and in all places.

But this one, true King did not just reappear for a short time after His physical resurrection. This He did, but then (according to the New Testament Gospel of John, chapter 14, verses 1-6), He went away in order to go away and prepare a place for those who chose to follow Him.

And now, He is set to appear again, live and in person! For the same Bible that tells us that He came the first time also tells us that He will soon come again the second time. Only He will not come as a hologram; but rather live and in person!

According to the New Testament Book of Acts (chapter 1, verses 1-11), when Jesus ascended into Heaven, two individuals (presumably angels) from Heaven, suddenly appeared next to Jesus’ disciples and said to them, “Men of Galilee … why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven.”

I, for one, long for the return of the “Once and Future King”. Only it is not for the long forgotten Arthur of Camelot, nor is it for the more recently departed Elvis of Graceland. Instead, it is for the sure to be manifested Jesus of Nazareth!

Do you long for the return of the King? If so, my friend, then get ready. For soon, and very soon, we are going to see the King!

STORY SOURCE:

Available widely on the internet. See, for example:

https://www.theguardian.com/music/2024/jan/04/elvis-evolution-hologram-show-london-premiere.

SEE ALSO:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Once_and_Future_King.

SCRIPTURE SOURCES:

https://biblehub.com/matthew/27-37.htm;

https://biblehub.com/niv/john/14.htm;

https://biblehub.com/niv/acts/1.htm.

LASTLY, ENJOY THE FOLLOWING:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lmGiu9JfbIs.

SWEATING IT OUT!

AFFORDABLE HOUSING!

AN EVEN KEEL…

48 HOURS!

A DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVE

BEHIND THE “SEEN”S

THE ONCE AND FUTURE KING

Cleo E. Jackson, III

Archives

Categories

​SWEATING IT OUT!

AFFORDABLE HOUSING!

AN EVEN KEEL…

​48 HOURS!

A DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVE

BEHIND THE “SEEN”S

THE ONCE AND FUTURE KING

Cleo E. Jackson, III

Archives

Categories

SWEATING IT OUT!

48 HOURS!