Blog Archives

CABIN FEVER

2/26/2015

With five successive winter storms in the past two weeks, those of us residing here in eastern Tennessee have endured what seems like an eternity of snow and ice. The last of these hit just last night, and dumped six more inches of frozen precipitation on us in the process.

As a result, like many people in these parts, I find myself going a little stir crazy. I realized what I probably needed was just a good laugh. Maybe you do as well. If so, then I thought you might enjoy these…

Oh well, at least we can expect things to change somewhat with the first of March looming this weekend...

SOURCE: Above cartoons courtesy of a Google image search for “cabin fever cartoon”: https://www.google.com/search?q=cabin+fever+cartoon&biw=1280&bih=603&source=lnms&tbm=
isch&sa=X&ei=pmruVInsI8GIsQTDtYDIBg&ved=0CAYQ_AUoAQ
#imgdii=_.

UNDER PRESSURE

2/23/2015

After what amounts to a brutal week of winter, most of eastern Tennessee is finally digging out from underneath piles of ice and snow. Sometimes, it takes all of this frozen precipitation melting to actually appreciate what all Mother Nature put us through. A case in point…

A couple of miles from where my wife and I live, a huge, magnificent old hardwood tree tangled with winter and lost. This enormous tree, well over 80 feet tall, literally split right down the middle, almost as if someone had unzipped its massive trunk, with one side toppling to the left and the other to the right. Now, it looks as if two gigantic trees have been cut down juxtaposed to one another, fanning out in two opposite directions across the ground.

One can only imagine the tremendous amount of weight presented by the freezing rain and ice that accumulated on its branches. The pressure was, quite literally, unbearable; and the venerable old tree, no doubt a veteran of many a winter, finally gave way.

And yet, all around that tree are any number of other trees of similar age and size that are still standing. I was intrigued by this, and sought to find out why this one tree had succumbed to the pressure when the others had not. The answer was soon obvious.

The grand old tree looked glorious on the outside. But a closer examination soon revealed that all was not well on the inside. In fact, the old tree had no inside, not for the first several, crucial feet up into its trunk. Apparently, over the process of time, it had developed a massive, gaping hole up right through its heart. At best, it was a mere shell of its former self, hiding a hollow, empty interior with a glorious but deceptive façade on the exterior.

What a lesson this presents us. And what a warning as well! Life is full of storms. It has well been noted that, at any given time, most of us are either entering a storm, in the midst of a storm, or just coming out of a storm. And when storms hit, they apply pressure! Moreover, they do this without respect to persons, coating each and every person equally in their misery.

Why then do some people weather the storms of life better than others do? Why do some survive the storms of life while others cave in under the pressure?

While there are probably many answers to that question, one of them most certainly is this: those who are best suited to withstand the storms of life are those who have substance on the inside! Pity the man (or woman) who attempts to stand up against the storms of life with nothing but emptiness on the inside! Almost invariably, the outcome will be the same. Down around them will come crashing the life they have built. And when it is over, all will see that (in the words of Jesus Himself in Matthew 7:27, KJV): “great was the fall of it.”

This very moment, here in East Tennessee, we are between winter storms. One has passed; but we have already been forewarned that others are coming. Perhaps now is the time, therefore, to be out making some inspections. If you are a homeowner, now is the time to ascertain whether the trees around your home literally have any substance. For later, when the storms hit, it will probably be too late to do so.

And the same is true for our lives. An open and honest examination of your heart will show whether or not your spiritual life has any substance - whether your heart is rock solid or whether your life is actually hollow on the inside.

Perhaps the most fitting way to close this short post is with the words of Jesus as recorded in the Gospel of Matthew (7:24-27, NIV):

“Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.”

Wind and rain or snow and ice – the point remains the same. Only a solid foundation can bear up under the storms of life. Otherwise, one will fall with a great crash.

WINTER WONDERLAND

2/19/2015

It’s been cold, Cold, COLD here in Tennessee these last few days. So cold, in fact, that we have gotten down to at or below zero for a couple of nights running. This has been compounded by sleet, snow, freezing rain, ice, and the like, all making for treacherous conditions on roadways, driveways, and parking lots and sidewalks.

Needless to say, schools, churches, government offices, businesses and many other places have all been closed for most of the week. Indeed, many people have gone without electrical power for days on end.

Because psychologists tell us that extended periods of cold winter weather can lead to feelings of depression, I thought I would post something today that is designed to lift everyone’s sprits just a little. So, how cold was it? Well…

It Was So Cold That…

We had to stop eating with metal cutlery. Some people walked around for days with spoons or forks stuck to their tongues!

Hitchhikers were holding up pictures of thumbs!

Roosters were rushing into Kentucky Fried Chicken and begging to use the pressure cooker!

When I dialed 911, a recorded message said to phone back in the spring!

The optician was giving away free ice scrapers with every new pair of eyeglasses!

Pickpockets were sticking their hands in strangers' pockets just to keep them warm!

The squirrels in the park were throwing themselves at an electric fence!

I chipped a tooth on my soup!

My dad was wearing golfing gloves on both hands!

Starbucks was serving coffee on a stick!

Levi Strauss started manufacturing electric jeans!

The rats were bribing the alley cats for a snuggle.

We had to chop up the piano for firewood - but we only got two chords.

When we milked the cows, we got ice cream! When we milked the brown cows - we got chocolate ice cream!

Words froze in the air. If you wanted to hear what someone said, you had to grab a handful of sentences and take them in by the fire!

The dogs had to put jumper cables on the rabbits - just to get them running!

We pulled everything out of the freezer and huddled inside it to warm up!

The Husky Association was making emergency service calls to get the dog teams started!

When we parked the sled, we either had to plug in the dogs - or keep them running in place!*

If you live in the Eastern United States, you may appreciate these. In any event, I hope they helped to brighten your day somewhat. In the meantime, stay warm. And remember a couple of passages from God’s Word:

The first is from Genesis 8:22:

“As long as the earth endures, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night will never cease.”

This is God’s promise that Winter will always follow Fall, and that Spring will always follow Winter.

The second is form Isaiah 55: 9-13:

9“As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. 10As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater, 11so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.

12You will go out in joy and be led forth in peace; the mountains and hills will burst into song before you, and all the trees of the field will clap their hands. 13Instead of the thorn bush will grow the juniper, and instead of briers the myrtle will grow. This will be for the Lord’s renown, for an everlasting sign, that will endure forever.”

This is God’s promise that even the bleakness of Winter has its purpose. He uses the snow to prepare this old earth for its renewal in the Spring. So, as cold as it is, and as big a hassle as Winter can seem to be, just remember that even now the Lord is preparing to do something wonderful here in just a few short weeks!

In other words, this bitter cold will surely pass! The weather will get better. And so will the world, as it emerges from this difficult period. More importantly, what God can do in nature, He can and will do in a person's life.

So, if it is currently a bleak time in your life, take heart, my friend. For even now, God desires to achieve His purpose in your life; and no doubt, He is working to that end. Trust Him, and in due time, He will surely replenish your life in beautiful and wonderful ways!

SOURCE: *These were all taken from a collection found at: http://www.jokes4us.com/miscellaneousjokes/weatherjokes/winterjokes.html.

Also, the following link literally has over 400 (sixteen pages) of these silly one-liners: http://www.athropolis.com/jokes3.htm.

Scripture source: http://biblehub.com/niv/isaiah/55.htm.

PRESIDENTIAL MATERIAL

2/16/2015

Those who know me well know that I love history. I have often asked myself just why this is. In truth, there are probably multiple answers to that single answer. But there is one in particular which stands out in my mind. Given that today is President’s Day, I thought I would share it.

When I was a little boy growing up down in Georgia back in the early 1960’s, the death of John F. Kennedy was still a very recent thing. The impact of that one event upon the psyche of an entire generation of Americans is hard to describe. It can perhaps best be compared to how their parents felt back on December 7, 1941 when Pearl Harbor was bombed; or else to how their children felt when the events of September 11, 2001 later unfolded.

In any event, I remember one particular gift I received at Christmas time. After more than forty years, that gift has long since vanished. To this day, I have no idea where it wound up. And even if I still possessed it, I’m sure it would hold far more value sentimentally than monetarily.

It was a cardboard placard designed to hold both a Lincoln Penny and a Kennedy Half Dollar. It was titled “INCREDIBLE FACTS ABOUT JOHN F. KENNEDY – ABRAHAM LINCOLN”. As the name suggested, it then listed around a dozen and a half strange parallels between these two U. S. Presidents and their respective assassins.

I managed to find a picture of it on the internet and have posted it here.

While many of these strange coincidences have been called into question by more recent critics, certain others of them are indisputable.

Author Bill O'Reilly points out several such irrefutable parallels between these two men that are simply amazing:

1. Lincoln was first elected in 1860, Kennedy in 1960.
2. Both were assassinated on a Friday, in the presence of their wives.
3. Their successors were both southerners named Johnson who had served in the Senate.
4. Andrew Johnson was born in 1808, Lyndon Johnson in 1908.
5. Lincoln was elected to Congress in 1846, while Kennedy was elected to the House in 1946.
6. Both men suffered the death of children while in office.
7. The assassin Booth shot inside a theater and fled into a storage facility, while the assassin Oswald shot from a storage facility and fled into a theater.*

Alas! It appears that sometimes the truth really is stranger than fiction!

While the similarities between these two men and their respective deaths are debated, there is one thing that I can affirm with certainty:  each of these men was, in his respective generation, a capable and effective leader.

True, each one was cut down in the prime of life. But, each also died with the satisfaction that he had served the single greatest country in the history of the world and that he had served it well.

Specifically, each knew he had done his best to see that country through an extremely trying time – for one, that was the disastrous and costly United States Civil War; and for the other, that was the very brink of World War Three as a result of the Cuban Missile Crisis.

And these men are not alone. No doubt, every President the United States has ever had has each faced untold numbers of crises and decisions - ones that were unknown to the world at large; but that, having been made, went on to shape the future and the destiny of the world as we know it today.  Few of us can even begin to appreciate the strain of such a burden!

So, consider this a hardy “thank you” to all the men who have ever served this great country in the capacity as Chief Executive. At the very least, the vast majority of them deserve this one day out of the year as a time of recognition for a job, by and large, well done.

FOR FURTHER READING:

*Actually, Bill O’Reilly has recently published two books of relevance here: Killing Lincoln and Killing Kennedy. Each of these has sold well over two million copies and spent considerable time atop the New York Times bestsellers list (http://www.billoreilly.com/b/Bill-Dominates-NYT-Bestseller-List/59791646251
7528991.html).

They are both available at booksellers nationwide.

For a discussion of the validity of many of the supposed similarities of these two Presidents, see also:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lincoln%E2%80%93Kennedy_coincidences_urba
n_legend.

And lastly, my picture source is: http://disneycollectorsclub.com/kennedy-lincoln-facts.

A CHILD OF THE KING

2/12/2015

Fred Craddock is Bandy Distinguished Professor of Preaching and New Testament Emeritus in the Candler School of Theology at Emory University in Atlanta. He is also an ordained minister of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ). As such, he finished his distinguished career as Minister Emeritus of Cherry Log Christian Church in Cherry Log, Georgia.

According to the posted biography on Dr. Craddock on Cherry Log Christian Church’s website…

Much sought after as a lecturer, he has delivered the Lyman Beecher Lectures at Yale, the Scott Lectures at Claremont School of Theology, the Adams Lectures at Southeastern Baptist Seminary, The Schaff Lectures at Pittsburgh Theological Seminary, the Cole Lectures at Vanderbilt, the Westervelt Lectures at Austin Presbyterian Seminary, the Mullins Lectures at Southern Seminary and Earl Lectures at Pacific School of Religion. Dr. Craddock has traveled the World giving lectures in many Countries. Dr. Craddock has written a number of books and contributed articles to various journals.

Once, while delivering a lecture at Yale University, he told of an experience he had while having gone back one summer to Gatlinburg, Tennessee, to take a short vacation with his wife. In the book edited by Mike Graves and Richard F. Ward and titled Craddock Stories (Copyright: ChalicePress.com, 2001, pp. 156-157), Craddock’s own firsthand account is given.

Nettie and I had returned from Oklahoma to one of our favorite vacation spots, The Great Smoky Mountains. We were at dinner in a restaurant out from Gatlinburg near the small community of Cosby. We were in a rather new restaurant called the Black Bear Inn. It was very attractive and had an excellent view of the mountains.

Early in the meal, an elderly man approached our table and said, "Good evening.” I said, "Good evening." He said, "Are you on vacation?" I said, "Yes," but under my breath I was saying, “It's really none of your business.” "Where are you from?" he asked. "We're from Oklahoma." "What do you do in Oklahoma?"

Under my breath, but almost audible, I was saying, “Leave us alone. Were on vacation, and we don't know who you are.” I said, "I am a Christian minister." He said, "What church?" I said, "The Christian Church."

He paused a moment and said, "I owe a great deal to a minister of the Christian church," and he pulled out a chair and sat down. I said, "Yes, have a seat." I tried to make it seem like I sincerely meant it, but I didn't. Who is this person?

He said, "I grew up in these mountains. My mother was not married, and the whole community knew it. I was what was called an illegitimate child. In those days that was a shame, and I was ashamed. The reproach that fell on her, of course, fell also on me. When I went into town with her, I could see people staring at me, making guesses as to who was my father. At school, the children said ugly things to me, and so I stayed to myself during recess, and I ate my lunch alone.

"In my early teens I began to attend a little church back in the mountains called Laurel Springs Christian Church. It had a minister who was both attractive and frightening. He had a chiseled face and a heavy beard and a deep voice. I went to hear him preach. I don't know exactly why, but it did something for me. However, I was afraid that I was not welcome since I was, as they put it, a bastard (sic). So I would go just in time for the sermon, and when it was over I would move out because I was afraid that someone would say, 'What’s a boy like you doing in a church?'

"One Sunday some people queued up in the aisle before I could get out, and I was stopped. Before I could make my way through the group, I felt a hand on my shoulder, a heavy hand. It was that minister. I cut my eyes around and caught a glimpse of his beard and his chin, and I knew who it was. I trembled in fear. He turned his face around so he could see mine and seemed to be staring for a little while. I knew what he was doing. He was going to make a guess as to who my father was.

A moment later he said, 'Well, boy, you're a child of…' and he paused there. And I knew it was coming. I knew I would have my feelings hurt. I knew I would not go back again. He said, 'Boy, you're a child of God. l see a striking resemblance, boy. Then he swatted me on the bottom and said, ‘Now, you go claim your inheritance.’ I left the building a different person. In fact, that was really the beginning of my life."

I was so moved by the story I had to ask him, "What's your name?" He said, ‘Ben Hooper.’ I recalled, though vaguely, my own father talking when I was just a child about how the people of Tennessee had twice elected as governor a bastard (sic). Ben Hooper.

Now, I recognize that it has become somewhat fashionable in today’s world to question the validity of any such “preacher” story. Because Governor Hooper’s official biography does not specifically mention the account, the veracity of Dr. Craddock’s experience is often called into question.

For my part, I will choose to accept the personal testimony of such a learned, accomplished, and respected individual as Dr. Fred Craddock over the conclusions of the many self-appointed pundits who presume to have the final word on such matters.

More to the point: isn’t it just like God to do such a thing?! Isn’t it just like God to surprise us all by first sending an obscure preacher across the path of an as yet unheard of, would-be Governor?! And then to have that same Governor, years later, cross paths with a young professor - so the story could be shared and the world would hear?!

Besides, as I read this story, I thought about another young man born into a quite similar context. The New Testament begins with the account of a young man who grew up in a small town and who was almost certainly chided and excluded by others because of his parents’ questionable relationship. And yet, that very young man, Jesus Christ, went on to change history - not just of a single province or of a region, but of the entire world!

As follower of Jesus Christ, I have heard His story. And I am now compelled to tell it. Because it is essentially the same one told to young Ben Hooper. We do all have worth. For we have all been created in the image of Almighty God. And we have also been redeemed by that same God through His Son, Jesus Christ!

As the Bible says (in the Gospel of John, 3:16-18a), “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned…”

And again (John 1:12-13), “Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God - children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.”

And that makes any one of us who believes exactly what that old preacher said to young Ben Hooper: a child of the King, complete with one impressive inheritance!

SOURCE: https://books.google.com/books?id=j-Jo9tpv3yoC&p
g=PA157&lpg=PA157&dq=fred+Craddock+ben+hooper&source
=bl&ots=Gsx_hKtjG3&sig=wG6pObSrVDD88MgpzvIVIgRKckE&
hl=en&sa=X&ei=x8rcVM-aGoHfggTytoCgBw&ved=0CEwQ6AE
wBw#v=onepage&q=fred%20Craddock%20ben%20hooper&f=
false.

NOTE: The much ballyhooed trek of this story via e-mail and social media is discussed extensively across the internet. Cf.: http://www.snopes.com/glurge/hooper.asp.

KEEP ON TRUCKIN’!

2/9/2015

Growing up back in Georgia, I was blessed with two wonderful sisters. But I was an only son. The Lord did not see for to give me a biological brother. But He did give me the closest thing I ever had to a brother: a best friend named Anthony with whom I spent a significant amount of time.

Down through the years, we were classmates, teammates, groomsmen, and hunting and fishing buddies. Prior to all of that, our two fathers were friends as well. I still have pictures of the two of them together back when they were teens growing up in the 1950s.

My own dad passed away back in the January of 2000. Now, a little over fourteen years later, his friend, and Anthony’s father, has also passed on. Mr. Wayne Richards was a loving, faithful husband, father, grandfather, and great-grandfather, who was found by his family in his bed, where he had apparently died peacefully in the night. He will be missed by many.

According to his obituary, after leaving high school, Mr. Richards served in the United States Navy for several years before marrying Miss Jean Babb, the love of his life, in 1960 down in Fayette County, Georgia. He then drove for Brown Transport and several other trucking companies throughout a long and extensive career as a truck driver, where he was considered by all who knew him "a walking road map of the United States and Canada".

I thought I would post two pieces today in honor of this very special man:

The first is titled What is a Trucker? I believe it aptly describes the heart of Mr. Richards.

Truckers are found on highways, in truck stops, in service bays, on loading docks, on bush roads at fuel stops and often they are the first at the scene of an accident. Their wives help them. Little boys follow them. Relatives don’t understand them. Meals must wait for them. Weather can delay them. But nothing can stop them.

A trucker is a paradox. He is a blue-jeaned executive with his office in the cab. He is a scientist who hauls dangerous chemicals and explosives, a purchasing agent in a baseball cap, a personnel director with grease under his fingernails, a poor eater with fondness for burgers and fries, a student of geography and a weather watcher.

He likes sunshine, children, smooth pavement, good traction, clean loads, dinner at home, weekends with his family, an unbuttoned shirt collar and country music. And there is a special place in his heart for his rig.

He's not fond of city traffic, tourists who are rotten drivers, fuel prices, dispatchers, snarly receivers, kids in high powered cars and least of all drunk drivers. Nobody else gets as much satisfaction out of talking about trucks, truckers, good weather, homemade pie, strong coffee, kids, wives, sweethearts, and the price of fuel.

He is your friend and customer. He is your source of food, clothing, petroleum and natural resources. In fact, nearly everything in your life arrived in his truck.

The second is titled A Truckers Prayer. I am quite sure that, not only had he heard it, but also that he had prayed it himself many times.

Dear God above, bless this truck I drive
and help me keep someone alive

Be my mortal sight this day
on the street where little children play

Bless my helper fast asleep
when the night is long

And keep my cargo safe and sound
through the hours big and round

Make my judgment sound as steel
and be my hands upon the wheel

Bless the traveler going past
and teach them not to go so fast

Give me strength for every trip
so I may care for what they ship

And make me mindful every mile
that life is just a little while....Amen

Amen, indeed!

SOURCES:

http://www.angelfire.com/tx/longhauler/truckersprayer.html.

http://www.allthelyrics.com/lyrics/red_sovine/truck_drivers_prayer-lyrics-219009.html#ixzz3RGyTCe8k.

HEAVEN FORBID

2/5/2015

Most of the pastors I know are avid readers. This is especially true of those who have been blessed with either a college or a seminary education. For my part, I too like to read. The various members of my congregation know this and, as a result, I am regularly given books to read.

I will admit that I am more selective in my reading these days. This is partly due to trying to be a better steward of my time. But I have also lived long enough to recognize that not everything that gets published is actually worth reading. In fact, some of it is genuinely without value.

In 2010, two separate books were published, each purporting to tell the story of a different little boy having died and gone to Heaven and then having returned to tell his story of what all he had seen and experienced. Last week, one of those boys who had supposedly had the experience of going to Heaven and returning to earth fully recanted his story.

In an open letter to nationwide Christian book retailers, he stated the following:

"I did not die. I did not go to Heaven. I said I went to heaven because I thought it would get me attention. When I made the claims that I did, I had never read the Bible. People have profited from lies, and continue to. They should read the Bible, which is enough. The Bible is the only source of truth. Anything written by man cannot be infallible."

He astutely concluded, "Those who market these materials must be called to repent and hold the Bible as enough."

Now I will confess that I chose to read neither of these books, either when they first came out or when they were recommended to me. And here is my reasoning.

In his Second New Testament Letter to the Corinthians (12:1-10), while defending his own Apostleship, the Apostle Paul states the following:

1I must go on boasting. Although there is nothing to be gained, I will go on to visions and revelations from the Lord. 2I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago was caught up to the third heaven. Whether it was in the body or out of the body I do not know—God knows. 3And I know that this man—whether in the body or apart from the body I do not know, but God knows— 4was caught up to paradise and heard inexpressible things, things that no one is permitted to tell.

5I will boast about a man like that, but I will not boast about myself, except about my weaknesses. 6Even if I should choose to boast, I would not be a fool, because I would be speaking the truth. But I refrain, so no one will think more of me than is warranted by what I do or say, 7or because of these surpassingly great revelations.

Therefore, in order to keep me from becoming conceited, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. 8Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. 9But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. 10That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

Now, two things are of note here. First, Paul, like all of the ancients of his day, understood that there were three Heavens: the sky immediately above us where birds fly; the heavens above that where the sun and moon and planets reside; and then, the third Heaven above that, where God Himself abides.

But according to verse 4, the point is that whomever it was that Paul was speaking of that was caught up to “Paradise” or “the third Heaven” (even if himself), that individual was not permitted by God to speak of what all he had seen. Second, even if he had been permitted, Paul considered it wrong for that person to boast of any such experience.

How interesting is it is, then, that there are certain people today who presume to have had such an experience; and that they would then go on to print it, package it, promote it, and sell it!

Besides, the words of Jesus Himself in the third chapter of the Gospel of John (3:11-13) are quite apropos here:

11Very truly I tell you, we speak of what we know, and we testify to what we have seen, but still you people do not accept our testimony. 12I have spoken to you of earthly things and you do not believe; how then will you believe if I speak of heavenly things?

He then concludes his thoughts with these very significant words:

13No one has ever gone into heaven except the one who came from heaven—the Son of Man.

Wow! The only person who ever experienced Heaven and then came to earth was Jesus Himself! And He was apparently far more concerned that we focus on the relevance of His message for living in this world than in the world to come!

The truth is that all we need to know about Heaven has been revealed to us in the Bible. (If we had needed to know more, then God would surely have reveled more to us.) The rest will all be revealed to us when we finally get there. And I, for one, am okay with that.

Because of this, no matter how snappy the title, I will most likely not be spending any money or time, not even “90 minutes”, reading about anyone else’s purported trip to Heaven. For the Word of God itself tells me all I need to know about Heaven; and because of that alone, I already know that “Heaven is for real”!

SOURCES:

http://pulpitandpen.org/2015/01/13/the-boy-who-came-back-from-heaven-recants-story-rebukes-christian-retailers/

http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2015/01/15/377589757/boy-says-he-didn-t-go-to-heaven-publisher-says-it-will-pull-book

http://biblehub.com/niv/2_corinthians/12.htm

http://biblehub.com/text/2_corinthians/12-4.htm

ADDITIONAL NOTE:

One of the most prolific Christian writers of all time was Thomas Aquinas (1225–1274). One of only thirty five individuals to achieve the title of “Doctor of the Church”, Aquinas is known for the extensive list of theological and philosophical works that he produced.

His writings include:
three theological syntheses, or Summas,
nine treatises in the form of academic disputations,
twelve quodlibetal disputations,
nine exegeses of Scriptural books,
a collection of glosses from the Church Fathers on the Gospels,
eleven expositions of Aristotle’s works,
two expositions of works by Boethius,
two expositions of works by Proclus,
five polemical works,
five expert opinions, or "responsa",
fifteen letters on theological, philosophical, or political subjects,
a liturgical text,
and two very famous prayers.

Of these, his most famous work is the Summa Theoligica (sometimes spelled Theoligiae), or Summary of Theology. Written as a basic theological textbook for students, it consists of over 3,500 pages. And yet it is unfinished. Why?

According to Butler’s Lives of the Saints, Aquinas was in church one day (December 6, 1273) when he had a vision of Heaven “that so affected him that he wrote and dictated no more, leaving his great work the Summa Theologiae unfinished. To Brother Reginald’s (his secretary and friend) expostulations he replied, ‘The end of my labors has come. All that I have written appears to be as so much straw after the things that have been revealed to me.’ When later asked by Reginald to return to writing, Aquinas said, ‘I can write no more. I have seen things that make my writings like straw.’”

One would hope that the implications of this story are self-evident when it comes to this business of desiring to be known as someone who somehow has insider information on Heaven!

THAT EMPTY FEELING

2/2/2015

Several years ago, J. Wesley Bready wrote an article for Good News Magazine titled "The Passing of a Prophet". In it, he pointed out how faithfully witnessing to the sacrificial love of God was always on the mind of famed Methodist preacher, John Wesley, even in death.

Throughout his earthly life, Wesley strived hard to proclaim the gospel. For instance, in his eighty seven years, Wesley:

-preached more than 45,000 sermons,
-traveled on horseback a distance equivalent to nine times around the world,
-wrote 233 books and pamphlets,
-and helped with the writing of 100 more.

But all of this was not enough- not for John Wesley. He went beyond this and found ways to witness to the love of God even in his death.

We are told that, among Wesley's funeral instructions was the request that his body be buried in nothing more costly than wool. There was to be no silk or satin adorning the corpse from which his spirit had fled.

More importantly, his last will and testament gave final seal to the gospel he had so long and courageously preached. In it, he directed that "whatever remains in my bureau and pockets at my decease," was to be equally divided among four poor itinerant preachers who had served under him.

He also specifically requested that neither a hearse nor a coach take any part in his funeral. Instead, he desired that “six poor men in need of employment” be given a pound each to carry his body to the grave.

When I read this article, I could not help but be reminded of the New Testament Bible verse from the Apostle Paul’s letter to the Philippians (2:1-11). The English Standard Version states:

1So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, 2complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. 3Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. 4Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. 5Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, 6who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. 8And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. 9Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, 10so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Perhaps the most important word here is the word “emptied” from verse seven. In the original Koine Greek language if the New Testament, the word is “ekenosen”. It means “to completely empty out, to deprive of content, to make void”. And that is exactly what Jesus did for us. He gave all He had to give.

Equally as important, Paul is contending that we should be prepared as followers of Christ to do the same for others – to empty ourselves out on behalf of others. To Paul’s credit, church historians tell us that he followed the example of Christ and died a martyr for his faith.

All of this raise the question of just how willing you and I are to empty ourselves out for others? Wesley emptied his pockets, to be sure. But his life shows us that he did far more than this. He emptied himself. He gave up all earthly pursuits for the sake of the gospel. Family, career, wealth – and many of the other things we all tend to value.

I am humbled by his example; as I am by that of Paul. Above all, I am humbled by the example of Jesus. And I pray that I will always be willing to live a life of sacrifice in obedience to His will. I trust all believers everywhere do the same. What a difference that might make- both in this world and in the world to come!

SOURCES:

J. Wesley Bready, "The Passing of a Prophet," Good News Magazine (July/Aug 1991).

Word Study from: http://biblehub.com/text/philippians/2-7.htm.