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"Helping Others Communicate"

NOW WE KNOW...

2/27/2020

 
I was struck by a recent February 03, 2020 news article published on www.foxnews.com by James Rogers.  It was titled “Diary from World War I Discovered in Barn, Recounts Bloody Battle of the Somme”.

As the title indicates, a British soldier’s battered World War One diary recounting the bloody Battle of the Somme has recently been discovered in a U.K. barn. The diary, which is set to be auctioned off on March 20th by Hanson’s Auctioneers, was written in pencil by Private Arthur Edward Diggens of the Royal Engineers.  It begins on February 13, 1916 and ends later that year on October 11th. The entry for July 1, 1916 describes the appalling first day of the infamous Battle of Somme.

"Something awful. Never witnessed anything like it before. After a bombardment of a week the Germans mounted their own trenches and the infantry reckon that every German had a machine gun. Our fellows were mowed down."

The battle, a massive joint operation between British and French forces that attempted to break through German defenses on the Western Front, lasted until November 18, 1916.  According to the Imperial War Museum in London, over the course of this single battle, more than one million British, French, and German troops were killed, wounded or captured in action.

The first day of the battle alone resulted in more than 57,000 British casualties, of whom 19,240 were killed. That equates to one soldier being killed every 4.4 seconds during the initial attack, making July 1, 1916 the bloodiest single day in British military history.

Diggens’ diary was inside a box found in a barn in Leicestershire, in England’s Midlands region. It was among numerous other unrelated military items also found in the box.  The auction house reports that the owner had no idea who any of the items related to or how they came to be assembled in the box.  All he knew as that his mother had been the recipient of some “old family heirlooms”.

As a result, no one can account for exactly how this Somme diary ended up in the Midlands of England, particularly as Diggens was born farther south down in London.  Nonetheless, everyone now involved is relieved that such an important piece of military history has been found and brought to light.

Given that the diary ends abruptly on October 11, 1916, one might fear the worst for Private Diggens.  But research proves otherwise.  It seems that the soldier in question not only survived the First World War, but also returned to his loved ones in England and became a husband and father.  He went on to marry his wartime sweetheart Alice (nee Phillips); and the two of them together produced a son in 1920, also called Arthur.

Now, what is truly amazing is that before he ever fought on the Western Front in France, this same soldier, Private Diggens, also took part in the Gallipoli campaign in Turkey.  This campaign was, of course, reminiscent of Alfred, Lord Tennyson’s poem about the infamous “Charge of the Light Brigade” which memorialized a suicidal charge by light cavalry over open terrain by British forces in the Battle of Balaclava (Ukraine) in the Crimean War (of 1854-56).
 
I say this because the Gallipoli campaign involved a series of relentless and futile attacks on Ottoman forts at the entrance of the Dardanelles in February of 1915, all of which failed.  These attacks were then followed by an amphibious landing on the Gallipoli peninsula in April of 1915 which was designed to capture the Ottoman capital of Constantinople (Istanbul).  It too failed miserably.  And, as a result, the allies suffered one their worst defeats of the entire First World War!

Now, what is amazing in all of this is that it seems that a Gallipoli diary was also penned and kept by this same Private Diggens. He appears to have fought in and kept a diary of this terrible conflict, which he then mailed home.  Unfortunately, it never arrived!  One can only imagine what horrors it recorded!

Even more amazingly, researchers also report that they now know why Private Diggens’ Somme diary ended so suddenly. His future wife Alice had apparently sent him a new address book, which he then used as another diary from October, 1916 onward.  Alas!  That second Somme diary, too, has been lost!

How frustrating! Three diaries; and only one survived!  And even that one was all but lost to posterity.  And yet, how perfectly indicative of the larger conflict this is!  For sadly, the events of World War Two were soon to overshadow the events of World War One.  And in the process, a fair portion of the events of World War One were all but forgotten to history! 

Thankfully, the recent centennial of World War One (2014-2018) has sparked a newfound interest in the original “War to End All Wars”.  The story of the Private Diggens’ diary comes on the heels of the release of the movie “1917”, which has also brought the horrors of the first great worldwide cataclysm to the attention of the public at large.  We would all do well to remember the sacrifices of that forgotten generation of World War One heroes who gave so much for the freedom of the world.

As the above referenced article points out, according to data from the British War Office, over 700,000 British troops were killed during World War I; and almost more 1.7 million were wounded. Around 6 million British troops were mobilized in the conflict.  In total, according to the Commonwealth War Graves Commission, the war resulted in the deaths of 13 million military personnel on both sides; and left another 21 million more wounded. Simply put, World War One is among the deadliest wars in all of history!

For my part, I have been amazed to discover that my own great grandfather had a brother who fought in the World War One Battle of Aisne-Marne just outside Paris from July 18-25, 1918.  This battle was significant in that the Allies repulsed the last great German offensive of the war.  Thereafter, the Germans retreated, until an armistice was eventually signed in November of that year. 

By then, my great uncle, James Walter Jackson, was home.  He had been gassed by the Germans in the Battle of Aisne–Marne. He made his way home with a medal hanging on the outside of his chest; and with scarred lungs on the inside.  Sadly, he would die 19 years later in a V.A. hospital of tuberculosis – a forgotten casualty of one of the quickest forgotten, and at the same time bloodiest, wars in all of human history.

How ironic, therefore, that the diary referenced above is only expected to bring between $390 to $521 at auction. To this very day, so few people seem to value what all that anonymous generation sacrificed, fought, and even died for.

Yet I, for one, will not forget!  Up until now, I might have been forgiven for overlooking such sacrifices.  After all, I was ignorant of this period of history and its significance.  But not now!  Not now that that I know about these sacrifices and the individuals who made them.  May God hold me accountable if I do! 

Oh, and by the way, you too now know of some of these sacrifices.  As a result, you too are now accountable.  I trust, therefore, that you, like me, will find some way to honor the memory of those who gave so much on our behalf!

SOURCE: https://www.foxnews.com/science/world-war-i-diary-discovered-barn-battle-of-the-somme.

The author, James Rogers, can be followed on Twitter @jamesjrogers.

GASKET CASE!

2/25/2020

 
Don’t worry!  You did not misread the title above.  Nor is it a misspelled word on my part.  Let me explain. You see, we have a select few words in English that end in the letters “asket”.  Among them are “basket”, “casket”, “gasket”, and “tasket” (as in “a tisket, a tasket, a green and yellow basket”).  There may be more; but these are the common ones. 

We also have a select few phrases in English that involve these words.  Among them is the phrase “basket case”.  But for my purposes in this post, I definitely mean “gasket case”.

Of course, the more popular phrase involving “gasket” has to do with “blowing a gasket”.  A literal blown gasket is what happens when either a valve cover, intake valve, or head on an engine block springs a leak.  And this is precisely what is driving this whole blog post. 

My wife’s car recently began smelling hot every time she parked it. If you have ever smelled a hot engine, then you know what I mean when I say that it smelled terrible!  Something was clearly wrong; and I knew it.  The smell confirmed it!

Now, as we had just had the oil changed, I initially passed it off as oil residue accidentally spilled on the engine block during the refill. This had happened before. But I soon realized that there were problems with this conclusion.  To begin with, there never seemed to be any oil leak wherever she parked.  More to the point, the smell did not go away, as would be the case once the heat of the engine should have burned any residual oil spillage off the engine block. 

So, I took the car back to the repair shop for a second opinion.  And sure enough, the engine in her car had indeed blown a valve cover gasket.  Barely one full day and one repair bill later, the whole problem has now been resolved; and all is back to normal. 

Of course, engines aren’t the only things that can blow a gasket.  In a figurative sense, we often speak of persons doing the same thing.  Whenever any individual becomes overly angry, loses his or her temper, and “unloads” pent up frustrations upon another, he or she can be said to have “blown a gasket”.

Now, as long as engines have been in existence, gaskets have been subject to be blown. Similarly, as long as human beings have been on this planet, they have had a tendency to lose their temper and “blow a gasket”, as it were. 

Such things are fairly regular occurrences in life.  So much so that it will be hard for most of us to get through life and not have at least one engine in one automobile we own undergo this.  Likewise, it will be virtually impossible for most of us to get through life without blowing a gasket ourselves ever so often!

The real question is what we do when this happens.  In the case of my wife’s car, we could not just ignore the matter and pretend like it did not need attention.  Far too much was at stake; and therefore, the engine simply had to be fixed.  Repairs were thus necessary if we wanted the engine to keep working properly. 

​In much the same way, whenever you and I as human beings lose our temper and blow a proverbial gasket, we cannot then just proceed as if nothing has happened.


Rather, we must stop, assess the damage, and ascertain how much repair work we may need to undertake.  Otherwise, we may well find ourselves in a position where, at the very least, we lose valuable friends; and at the worst, we lose much more in terms of the future.

To be angry on occasion is natural. Even Jesus was angry periodically.  All four of the New Testament canonical Gospels tell us that Jesus cleansed the temple of the money changers.  One senses that He had some righteous indignation at the time; though we are not actually told that He was angry. 

However, in other places in the Gospels, we are indeed told that Jesus was angry.  For instance, in Mark’s Gospel (chapter 3, verses 1-6), we read:


1Once again Jesus entered the synagogue, and a man with a withered hand was there. 2In order to accuse Jesus, they were watching to see if He would heal on the Sabbath.

3Then Jesus said to the man with the withered hand, “Stand up among us.” 4And He asked them, “Which is lawful on the Sabbath: to do good or to do evil, to save life or to destroy it?”  But they were silent.

5Jesus looked around at them with anger and sorrow at their hardness of heart. Then He said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” So he stretched it out, and it was restored.

6At this, the Pharisees went out and began plotting with the Herodians how they might kill Jesus.


Thus, the Bible can elsewhere affirm (in the New Testament letter to the Ephesians, chapter 4, verse 26) that we can “be angry, and yet sin not”.  Indeed, as the New Living Translation of this verse affirms, anger becomes sinful only when we let it “control” us.

Perhaps this is what Jesus had in mind in Matthew (chapter 5, verses 23 and 24, and again in chapter 18, verse 15) when He admonished us to make certain that all was well between us and our brothers and sisters in Christ here on earth before we ever set out to worship the Father Who is up in Heaven!

And so, my friend, if you, like me, have on occasion “blown a gasket”, then rest a little easier tonight.  We all do this on occasion.  That is simply part of being human.  The important thing is what you do afterwards.  If you have not yet done so, therefore, get busy and repair the damage as soon as possible. 

To prolong the matter is only to invite real and lasting damage!  To address it is to fix the problem before it does further harm or injury. And trust me, each and every day thereafter, no matter where you park, the smell will be a lot better too!

SCRIPTURE SOURCES:  cf.:  www.biblehub.com/. Specifically, search Matthew 21:12-17; Mark 11:15-19; Luke 19:45-48; and John 2:12-25, as they record the story of Jesus cleansing the temple.
 
SEE ALSO: https://biblehub.com/bsb/mark/3.htm;
https://biblehub.com/ephesians/4-26.htm;
https://biblehub.com/niv/matthew/5.htm;
and https://biblehub.com/matthew/18-15.htm.

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

 
Picture
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”.

Picture
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.

    Cleo E. Jackson, III

    Occasionally I will add
    a few thoughts to my blog. If you find them inspirational, I will be
    honored.

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