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HARD TO SWALLOW!

3/31/2016

As long as I live, I will never forget that eventful morning in the late 1970s when WZGC Z-93, the leading pop rock radio station in Atlanta, Georgia at the time, and the one listened to by virtually everyone in my high school, just kept repeating the unbelievable news: the Beatles, the world's number one ever and best-selling band, had announced a reunion tour.

Yes, unbelievable as it seemed, John, Paul, Ringo, and George were going to do the one thing they had always said they would never do since their break-up back in 1970 - they were getting back together! Needless to say, we were all stunned. And excited. It was literally the talk of the school.

We were told that the details would be given out at noon in an all-important press conference. Accordingly, in a day and age before smart phones, everyone who possibly could dutifully gravitated to the parking lot at lunchtime, and switched on their car radios. Many of us, including me, skipped lunch entirely, breathlessly awaiting the forthcoming details surrounding this most significant of announcements.

Yet, to our surprise (and eventual dismay), the news lunch break came and went and nary a word of the supposed reunion was mentioned. Nor was it ever mentioned again. Neither by that radio station nor by any other media outlet.

Of course, it was about that time that one of our number pieced things together and reminded us what the calendar date was - April 1, 1978. And with this realization came much chagrin. For we suddenly grasped the fact that we had all been completely had!

Needless to say, at the time at least, that whole episode was hard to swallow! And yet, with the passage of time, it has become one of the most cherished memories of my formative years. To this very day, it brings a smile to my face every time I recall it!

Little wonder that, in one of my favorite Biblical verses, found in Proverbs 17:22 (KJV), the Word of God says: “A merry heart doeth good like a medicine: but a broken spirit drieth the bones.”

Given that we can all benefit from a good laugh now and then, as well as the fact that tomorrow is "April Fool’s Day", 2016, I thought I would post a humorous link today. The "Museum of Hoaxes" (Yes, there really is such a place!) operates a web site titled: “The Top 100 April Fool's Day Hoaxes of All Time”.

The link is here: http://hoaxes.org/aprilfool/P90. Be sure to peruse down to "number one", where you will find the video below, which has consistently been voted the best ever "April Fool’s" Joke. It was a three minute story broadcast on April 1, 1957 by the British Broadcasting Corporation's current-affairs program, Panorama, that purported to show a family in southern Switzerland harvesting ripe spaghetti from "spaghetti trees".

The hoax was so successful that a number of viewers actually contacted the BBC afterwards asking for advice on growing their own spaghetti trees! These viewers were apparently completely unaware that spaghetti is actually made from simple wheat flour and water.

Hopefully you will find your spirits lifted as you view this, the world's best ever "April Fool's Day" hoax:

SOURCE: http://hoaxes.org/aprilfool/P90.
YOU TUBE VERSION: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tVo_wkxH9dU.
SEE ALSO: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spaghetti-tree_hoax.
SCRIPTURE SOURCE: http://biblehub.com/proverbs/17-22.htmit.

THE PARTY’S OVER!

3/28/2016

I have a confession to make. As a child of the sixties, I lived for Saturday mornings! You see, it was the one morning of the week that I was allowed to sleep late; and yet, ironically, I was always up very early. The reason? Saturday morning cartoons!
I loved them all…

Popeye, The Flintstones, Davey and Goliath, Mister Magoo, Bugs Bunny and Friends, Yogi Bear, Huckleberry Hound, Hokey Wolf, Snagglepuss, Yakky Doodle, Deputy Dawg, The Jetsons, Touché Turtle, Wally Gator, The Mighty Hercules, Casper, Jonny Quest, Underdog, Kimba the White Lion, Adam Ant, Secret Squirrel, Hillbilly Bears, Precious Pup, Squiddly Diddly, Winsome Witch, King Kong, The Lone Ranger, Tarzan, Superman, Aquaman, Spider-Man, The Fantastic Four, Space Ghost, Speed Racer, The Pink Panther, George of the Jungle, The Banana Splits, Shazzan, The Arabian Knights…

The list is long and distinguished!

One of my particularly favorite characters was Mr. Peabody, an erudite dog who appeared in the animated series Rocky and Bullwinkle, produced by Jay Ward. Mr. Peabody himself (voiced by Bill Scott) starred in the "Peabody's Improbable History" segments created by Ted Key, wherein he would take an insufferably naïve boy named Sherman on wonderful trips back in time with the famed “WABAC” machine.  Together, they visited every time and place from ancient Rome to the American Revolution. (This all may help to explain my love for history that exists to this very day.)

In any event, the opening sequence for “Peabody’s Improbable History” always involved a big parade. At the end, a little janitor always came by, busily sweeping up the street. For some reason, that particular image has stuck with me for decades. As I have reflected on this, I have often wondered if it was because of what it symbolized for me.

You see, Saturday morning was always a fun time in my life, a time of lying around the living room and snacking and enjoying my cartoons at leisure. But as quickly as this time always came, it also ended - right around mid-day.

And I then had to get up and get moving. For, living on a farm, I had plenty of chores awaiting me. That usually started with turning off the television and cleaning up my immediate surroundings, then moving on to my room, and eventually, it  radiated out from there!

I share this memory for its special relevance on this Monday after Easter. You see, believers worldwide celebrated this past Sunday morning, as well we should have. For we remembered with joy the sacrificial and redemptive work of Jesus Christ of our behalf. But now that day has passed. The party has now ended; and the followers of Christ have work to do!

As tempting as it may be, we simply cannot stay on the Mount of Transfiguration, build our proverbial tents, and forever remain there beholding the glory of our Lord, as Peter longed to do in Matthew 17:1-9. Nor can we afford simply to stand around gazing up into the air looking for the return of Jesus, as the Disciples initially did at His ascension in Acts 1:10-11.

Rather we must embrace the demanding words of Jesus to His Disciples (in Matthew 28:16-20) just before He departed to the right hand of the Father:

Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

Here, Jesus stresses, nay, He demands, that we embrace three things…

The Submission (to His Authority) in v. 18,
The Commission (to evangelize the world) in v,v. 19-20a, and
The Provision (to be with us) in v. 20b.

And there we have it... Jesus’ parting words to His church - and our marching orders! Easter is wonderful! It is a great time of celebration. But Sunday has now given way to Monday. The parades, the parties, the festivities… all these things are now over. It’s now time to get up and go to work!

Let’s do this, church! For the day is already half over, and night is coming, when we can work no more!

CARTOON SOURCE: To take a trip down memory lane and to be reminded of the many wonderful animated television series of the 1960’s, visit: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_animated_television_series_of_the_1960s.

SCRIPTURE SOURCE: http://biblehub.com/niv/matthew/28.htm

LAST MAN STANDING!

3/24/2016

Chuck Colson, a gifted Christian communicator of a previous generation, once shared the following illustration:

It was May Day, 1990. The place, Moscow's Red Square. "Is it straight, Father?" one Orthodox priest asked another, shifting the heavy, eight-foot crucifix on his shoulder. "Yes," said the other. "It is straight." Together the two priests, along with a group of parishioners holding ropes that steadied the beams of the huge cross, walked the parade route.

Before them was passed the official might of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics: The usual May Day procession of tanks, missiles, troops, and salutes to the Communist party elite. Behind the tanks surged a giant crowd of protesters, shouting up at Mikhail Gorbachev. "Bread!...Freedom!...Truth!"

As the throng passed directly in front of the Soviet leader standing in his place of honor, the priests hoisted their heavy burden toward the sky. The cross emerged from the crowd. As it did, the figure of Jesus Christ obscured the giant poster faces of Karl Marx, Friedrich Engels, and Vladimir Lenin that provided the backdrop for Gorbachev's reviewing stand.

"Mikhail Sergeyevich!" one of the priests shouted, his deep voice cleaving the clamor of the protesters and piercing straight toward the angry Soviet leader. "Mikhail Sergeyevich! Christ is risen!"

Within six months, as most of us know, Communism had imploded. Of course, when it had first arisen, the leaders of the Communist movement had all proclaimed the birth of a new world order. And in that order, there was simply no room for the divine. For all intents and purposes, they arrogantly asserted, the God of the Bible was dead and gone.

Yet, it has now been more than a quarter of as century since that fateful spring in the Soviet Union; and it is Communism, not God, which has essentially been relegated to the dustbin of history.

You see, my friend, all that has really occurred in the ensuing years is the inevitable crash of yet another failed world system. All the while, one entity alone still stands strong – the Church of Jesus Christ. And why is that? Because the Christian Church alone is the one organization that is built upon a solid and lasting foundation. As the Apostle Paul reminded young Timothy (in 2 Timothy 2:19), only “God’s solid foundation stands firm”.

And what is that foundation? The Apostle Paul tells us in his First New Testament Letter to the Corinthians (3:11): "For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ."

He then goes on (in verses 12-15) to admonish us to be certain that we have rightly built our lives upon the One Who is the only right foundation:

"If anyone builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, their work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each person’s work. If what has been built survives, the builder will receive a reward. If it is burned up, the builder will suffer loss but yet will be saved - even though only as one escaping through the flames."

In so doing, Paul is most assuredly alluding to the words of Jesus, Himself, in His famed "Sermon on the Mount" in Matthew 7:24-27:

"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."

And that is why I praise the Lord for what Christians everywhere will celebrate this coming Easter Sunday, when we will again boldly proclaim what that brave Russian Priest boldly declared: “Christ is risen!” And throughout the ages, myriads of other believers have also bravely joined with him and asserted that very same message.

Whether it was celebrated under the oppression of the vaunted Roman Empire, the Barbarian hordes, the Mongols, the Byzantines, the (un)Holy Roman Empire, the Ottomans, the Victorians, the Nazis, the Communists, or any of a score of other so-called Superpowers in human history, the defiant cry of Easter has always been, is now, and always will be: “Christ is risen!”

And on that Solid Rock alone we stand! For all other ground is sinking sand! I leave you with the words of the acclaimed hymn writer Alfred Ackley, who penned these memorable lines:

I serve a risen Savior, he's in the world today;
I know that he is living, whatever others say;
I see his hand of mercy, I hear his voice of cheer,
and just the time I need him, he's always near.

Refrain:
He lives, he lives, Christ Jesus lives today!
He walks with me and talks with me along life's narrow way.
He lives, he lives, salvation to impart!
You ask me how I know he lives?
He lives within my heart.

In all the world around me, I see his loving care,
and though my heart grows weary, I never will despair;
I know that he is leading, through all the stormy blast,
the day of his appearing, will come at last. [Refrain]

Rejoice, rejoice, O Christian, lift up your voice and sing
eternal hallelujahs, to Jesus Christ the King!
The hope of all who seek him, the help of all who find,
no other is so loving, so good and kind. [Refrain]

NOTES:

ORIGINAL STORY SOURCE: Charles W. Colson, The Body (Word Publishing, 1992), p. 231.

THIS STORY IS CITED IN NUMEROUS PLACES ON INTERNET: http://www.christianity.com/devotionals/the-connection-devotional-skip-heitzig/the-connection-devotional-week-of-april-6.html?utm_source=next
ArticleBox&utm_medium=link&utm_campaign=next-article-box

SEE ALSO: https://bible.org/illustration/red-square

THE ORIGINAL NY TIMES STORY CAN BE FOUND AT: http://www.nytimes.com/1990/05/02/world/evolution-in-europe-gorbachev-jeered-at-may-day-rally.html

SCRIPTURE SOURCE: http://biblehub.com/niv/

HYMN SOURCE: http://www.hymnary.org/text/i_serve_a_risen_savior

FOR BARBARA...

3/21/2016

IN GOD’S HANDS!

3/18/2016

I am a little late with my normal Thursday blog posting. As many of you know by now, my sister was diagnosed this week with lung cancer. Let me say up front just how much we appreciate the many calls, notes, texts, e-mails, etc…, and especially the prayers. They have meant a great deal! Also, since many of you have been asking, I have sought and been granted permission by my sister to share the following summary.

To begin with, we have no history of cancer in our family; and my sister has never smoked a day in her life. This is what has us all so puzzled. The good news is that she has now been through an entire series of tests; and the cancer itself appears to be nowhere else in her body. By the grace of God, it has clearly been caught early!

The doctors have also found no appreciable mass in her lungs. But she did have fluid in her chest cavity, which had originated from her lung. (The discomfort she had as a result of this is what made the doctors so suspicious.) This fluid contained active cancer cells. The technical diagnosis is non-aggressive "Adenocarcinoma non-small cell" cancer.

Moreover, it is categorized as Stage 4 by definition, as it had technically left one organ (the lung) in order to begin migrating to other places. Thankfully, though, it had not yet metastasized to any other organ. Nonetheless, 5 or 6 lymph nodes had become infected with these active cancer cells in the process.

As we understand it, the plan at this point is to undertake genomic testing to isolate the particular gene causing the cancer within the cells. This gene will then be treated with targeted therapy designed to shut down its faulty behavior, theoretically stopping the cancer cells in their tracks.

This whole ordeal began with an attack of appendicitis that my sister had right after Christmas. And yet, the official medical opinion is that the appendicitis itself was entirely unrelated and therefore only coincidental to the discovery of cancer in her lung. But we will always believe that this was God's way of allowing the cancer to be found early, as it would likely have not been detected otherwise.

(According to the medical professionals, the lungs have no nerves; therefore, cancer can often grow there with no one knowing anything about it until it is too late to treat it. For this reason, lung cancer is often called "the silent killer".)

Thank you for your prayers during this time. We are simply choosing to trust in God and believe that He now has, He always has had, and He always will have us in His hands. And as the apostle Paul states in his Second New Testament Letter to Timothy (1:12, KJV):

“I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day!”

On behalf of my sister and my entire family, let me say thank you again for your continued prayer and concern.

“KEYS, PLEASE!”

3/14/2016

Early this morning, I dutifully reported to my gastroenterologist for my regularly scheduled colon screening. This was not my first rodeo, so to speak; and therefore, I pretty much knew what to expect. Those of you who have already had your own colon screenings will appreciate the magnitude of the previous two sentences. Those of you who have not yet had the pleasure will in due time!

On a serious note, I highly recommend this procedure to everyone. Colon cancer is one of the most treatable forms of cancer if it is caught early. The trick is early detection; and one or two days of inconvenience every few years for prepping and procedure is a small sacrifice for good health and peace of mind.

In any event, colonoscopy patients are not allowed to undergo anesthesia unless they have a designated driver to transport them home. Mine was my precious wife. As might be expected, when I robed up for the procedure, I had to leave all my belongings with her. When cleaning out my pockets, that which I found myself the most reluctant to let go of was my ring full of keys. I hesitated; but eventually passed them along.

As I did, my wife retorted… “And now… hand over that wallet as well!” We laughed together. But as I have spent the day recovering, I have been pondering what it was that so distressed me about having to hand over, not my wallet, but my keys.

Why do keys matter? I suppose it is because of what they symbolize. They represent power. Simply put, giving up my keys meant I was no longer in control of anything – at least for the rest of the day. You see, at that point, I had signed papers granting others permission to have complete control over me for the next few hours.

Thereafter, giving the keys and wallet to my wife meant that even after the procedure, I would be still be completely at the mercy of another person to find my way home. On my own, I could not crank a vehicle to transport myself anywhere. And assuming I did get back home, I could not enter the house. I would be locked out. My destiny was completely under someone else’s control.

Thank God, therefore, that the one who had control of the keys chose to use them for my benefit. Which leads me to my point. In the sixteenth chapter of the New Testament Gospel of Matthew, Jesus and His disciples are in the northern part of Galilee at a place called Caesarea-Philippi (modern day Banias).

In this place, a giant natural cave had been overlain by the Romans with a group of temples dedicated to various emperors and gods, collectively known as the Temple of Pan. (Pan of course, means many - as in the "Pantheon" or temple to all gods in the city of Rome.)

It was at this very spot, with men and women coming and going from their various acts of worship at the numerous temples, that Jesus asked His disciples who people were saying that He was. They replied that some were saying that he was Elijah or Jeremiah or one of the other prophets. And still others were saying that He was John the Baptist.

He then asked just exactly Who they thought He was. Peter affirmed that Jesus was the Christ, the Son of the Living God. It is apparent from the context that Peter was implying that all the other gods on display were non-living and therefore, false gods. Jesus affirms Peter for both his perception and his faith.

Then, in verse 19, Jesus makes this strange statement: "I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven."

The Sea of Galilee lies just south of Banias. It is arguable that the amount of ink spilled by theologians over the ensuing centuries in their attempt to explain this single statement might very well fill that small inland sea. But at the end of the day, given the context, it appears that Jesus’ intent is self-evident.

The text makes plain that, from that day forward, Jesus took His disciples and headed south to Jerusalem, explaining to them as they went about the process of redemption soon to unfold, one that would result in His death on the cross.

As verse 21 states: "From that time on Jesus began to explain to his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life."

So Jesus’ point is that He, as the Christ, the son of the Living God, was going to His death and eventual resurrection in order to pay the sacrificial price for Mankind’s sin and to make a way for people to go to Heaven. For this to happen, people would then need to have the same faith in Him, as the Christ, that Peter had just displayed.

And of course, Jesus knew that after His resurrection, He would ascend to Heaven to be seated as the Son of God at the right hand of the Living God. How, therefore, were people to believe in Him if they had not known Him while He was here on earth? And how were they to hear of Him and His atoning love if they were not told? And who was there to tell them if not disciples who had faith like Peter?

Little wonder then that the Apostle Paul would go on to quote from the Prophet Isaiah when he wrote in his New testament Letter to the Romans (14:21): "How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? And how can anyone preach unless they are sent? As it is written: “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!"

If you are a believer, remember the awesome responsibility with which you have been entrusted. By sharing the message of the gospel with people, you unlock both the path and the door to heaven for them. Conversely, keeping quiet when you have the opportunity to be a witness is tantamount to closing and locking that door!

And that is the power of the keys! Please don’t take it lightly.

READ MORE: http://www.biblewalks.com/Sites/BaniasTemples.html.
SEE ALSO: http://www.bible-history.com/biblestudy/caesarea-philippi.html.
SCRIPTURE SOURCE: http://biblehub.com/niv/matthew/16.htm.

THAT FULL FEELING!

3/10/2016

I love the story about a guy who goes to the house where he grew up and knocks on the door. Because he hadn't been there for 20 years, he finds himself getting sentimental. He asks the owners if he can walk through the house, and they let him.

While in the attic, he finds an old jacket of his. He puts it on, reaches into the pocket, and pulls out a stub. It's a receipt from a shoe repair shop. He realizes he had taken a pair of shoes there twenty years ago, and in the midst of the move, he had never picked them up. On a whim he decides to go to the shoe repair shop.

Just to be funny, he takes the receipt out and hands it to the guy behind the desk, saying, "Are my shoes ready?" The guy goes back to the workroom for a minute, comes back to the counter, and says, "Come back a week from Thursday."

My apologies to shoe repair personnel everywhere; but this well-known story is most often related with the intent of illustrating a lack of diligence. In fact, once, having first told this story, Dr. John Ortberg then observed, “That's the mind of the sluggard; they're always saying, ‘A week from Thursday.’”

The Bible also has much to say about sluggards. Wise old King Solomon, especially, gives us their characteristics.

“I passed by the field of the sluggard and by the vineyard of the man lacking sense, and behold, it was completely overgrown with thistles; its surface was covered with nettles, and its stone wall was broken down.” (Proverbs 24:30-31)

“A lazy man does not roast his prey, but the precious possession of a man is diligence.” (Proverbs 12:27)

“The sluggard buries his hand in the dish, but will not even bring it back to his mouth.” (Proverbs 19:24)

“As the door turns on its hinges, so does the sluggard on his bed.” (Proverbs 26:14)”

And the funny thing about slothfulness is this: the more we practice it, the more we rationalize it. Solomon was well aware of this fact as well. He obviously witnessed this process first-hand.

The sluggard says, ‘There is a lion outside; I will be killed in the streets!’" (Proverbs 22:13)

And similarly, in Proverbs 26:13:

“The sluggard says, ‘There is a lion in the road! A lion is in the open square!’"

And there's obviously no sense in arguing with a lazy person either. For...

“The sluggard is wiser in his own eyes than seven men who can give a discreet answer.” (Proverbs 26:16)

More significant than these things, however, the Bible presents us with multiple consequences of such a lifestyle.

“The sluggard does not plow after the autumn, so he begs during the harvest and has nothing. (Proverbs 20:4)

“The soul of the sluggard craves and gets nothing, but the soul of the diligent is made fat.” (Proverbs 13:4)

“The way of the lazy is as a hedge of thorns, but the path of the upright is a highway.” (Proverbs 15:19)

“The hand of the diligent will rule, but the slack hand will be put to forced labor.” (Proverbs 12:24)

“Laziness casts into a deep sleep, and an idle man will suffer hunger.” (Proverbs 19:15)

“In all labor there is profit, but mere talk leads only to poverty.” (Proverbs 14:23)

Even worse, Proverbs 21:25 tells us that:

“The desire of the sluggard puts him to death, For his hands refuse to work; All day long he is craving, While the righteous gives and does not hold back.” (Proverbs 21:25-26)

Hence the following fairly famous admonitions from God’s word:

“How long will you lie down, O sluggard? When will you arise from your sleep?” (Proverbs 6:9)

“A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest - your poverty will come in like a vagabond and your need like an armed man.” (Proverbs 6:10-11)

“Do not love sleep, or you will become poor; open your eyes, and you will be satisfied with food. “ (Proverbs 20:13)

Wow! That’s a lot of admonition in one single Biblical book on a single subject. And yet, how relevant all of this admonition is. I have been reminded of these things recently in the actions of my precious wife.

She has apparently had enough of being cooped up over the winter. Spring fever boiled has over in her; and as a result of the recent warm weather snap, she has exploded in a flurry of activity.

To wit, the Jackson house has now been thoroughly cleaned! (And I mean deeply cleaned!) The closets and wardrobes have all been changed out. She has also rearranged and redecorated several rooms. And even now, she is turning her attention to the outside.

For my part, as soon as I realized what was unfolding, I did the only logical thing I could do. I immediately ran and hid – in the garage, in the basement, at the office, anywhere it was reasonably safe! I went out of my way to avoid being contaminated by this sudden contagion of spring fever. But alas, I could only hide for so long. Soon enough, I too became infected.

As a result, I too found myself becoming more industrious with each passing day, eventually even to the point of fever pitch. The more I got into, the more I found to do. And the more I did, the more I wanted to do. And the more I finished, the better I felt. Especially at the end of the day did I feel that way, as I would put my head on the pillow with a sense of satisfaction over my new found industriousness and its resultant level of achievement.

I then got to wondering if that sweet feeling of accomplishment that I was currently sensing could be sustained. And I realized that this was entirely up to me. When I arose on the next day, I could either plan to hit the proverbial floor with my feet running and attack my “to do” list, or as Solomon says, I could simply roll over, fold my hands, and return to sleep.

Either approach was entirely within my purview. And either would produce results. I would just have to be prepared to live with the consequences, whichever way I chose to go.

Leonardo da Vinci once said “Just as a well-filled day brings blessed sleep, so a well-employed life brings a blessed death.” For my part, I want to come to the end of my days with that sense of satisfaction that only comes from knowing one has spent his or her time on earth in a well-employed manner.

And while, when that day comes, I do not necessarily want to know that I will have lived my life in poverty; this is not he real reason I want that feeling. Rather, I can only hope that the diligence I will have displayed along the way in life will have brought glory and honor to God in the process.

JOKE SOURCE: Available widely in differing versions on the internet. See, for instance, http://www.cybersalt.org/clean-jokes/lazy-cobbler.

SCRIPTURE SOURCE: http://bible.knowing-jesus.com/topics/Sluggards.

BELIEVE IT OR NOT!

3/7/2016

March is finally here; and, thankfully, the winter season is fast approaching its end. Most pastors do not like to see winter extended any longer than necessary. To begin with, the cold weather often hampers church attendance and participation.

More significantly, winter often impacts the health of individuals. And in truth, most pastors soon recognize that winter can take its toll on life. Indeed, more people die in the winter months than in any other season.

I have had these thoughts on my mind as of late due to having just lost three wonderful church members to death. Accordingly, I have also been thinking a lot about Heaven. For these reasons, I wanted to post a piece today that is taken from Dr. Robert Petterson, Senior Pastor of Covenant Presbyterian Church in Naples, Florida.

In a message titled "All Things New: Our Eternal Home", first preached on November 8, 2009, Dr. Petterson shared the following about an obscure young man from Venice.

His Italian mother named him after the gospel writer Mark in the hopes that he too would tell the gospel truth. But 13th Century Europeans found it impossible to believe Mark's tales of faraway lands. He claimed that, when he was only seventeen, he took an epic journey lasting a quarter of a century, taking him across the steppes of Russia, the rugged mountains of Afghanistan, the wastelands of Persia, and over the top of the world through the Himalayas. He was the first European to enter China.

Through an amazing set of circumstances, he became a favorite of the most powerful ruler on planet earth, the Kublai Khan. Mark saw cities that made European capitals look like roadside villages. The Khan's palace dwarfed the largest castles and cathedrals in Europe. It was so massive that its banquet room alone could seat 6,000 diners at one time, each eating on a plate of pure gold.

Mark saw the world's first paper money and marveled at the explosive power of gunpowder. It would be the 18th Century before Europe would manufacture as much steel as China was producing in the year 1267. He became the first Italian to taste that Chinese culinary invention, pasta. As an officer of the Khan's court, he travelled to places no European would see for another 500 years.

After serving Kublai Khan for 17 years, Mark began his journey home to Venice, loaded down with gold, silk, and spices. When he arrived home, people dismissed his stories of a mythical place called China. His family priest rebuked him for spinning lies. At his deathbed, his family, friends, and priest begged him to recant his tales of China. But setting his jaw and gasping for breath, Mark spoke his final words, "I have not even told you half of what I saw."

Though 13th Century Europeans rejected his stories as the tales of a liar or lunatic, history has proven the truthfulness behind the book he wrote about his adventures—The Travels of Marco Polo. 1300 years before Marco Polo wrote about China, another man, the Apostle John, went on an amazing journey to heaven itself. At times we jaded postmoderns shake our heads in disbelief at the Apostle John's vision and other biblical witnesses to the glory of heaven.

But the biblical writers who describe heaven would declare to us, "I have not even told you half of what I saw. Heaven is more joyful, more glorious, and more beautiful than you could ever imagine." May their God-inspired testimonies and descriptions move us to long for God's gift to us in Christ—the glory of heaven.

The Apostle Paul, like the apostle John, had a first-hand glimpse of Heaven. He relates this in his Second New Testament Letter to the Corinthians (12:2-4). Here, the words Paul uses to describe what he saw are “inexpressible things”. The Koine (or Common) Greek term used here is “arretos”, meaning “unspeakable”. It comes from a combination of two terms: from “a”, the negative particle in Greek translated as "not" and “rhetos”, meaning "speakable". (The English word “rhetoric” is a derivative.)

Little wonder than that Paul (in First Corinthians 2:9) quotes the Prophet Isaiah to describe the place of eternal reward for believers: “… no eye has seen, … no ear has heard, and … no human mind has conceived … the things God has prepared for those who love him.”

Better yet, the words of Jesus Himself as recorded in the New Testament Gospel of Matthew (25:23, KJV) are thus: "Well done, good and faithful servant; thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord."

May all who have lost loved ones be comforted by these wonderful words about a glorious place called Heaven!

SOURCE: Dr. Petterson’s exceptional illustration is available widely online. See, for instance: http://www.lollutheran.org/sermonnotes/November_18__20
12.pdf as well as

http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&frm=1&source=web&cd=
5&ved=0ahUKEwio0K_wp6_LAhVJvoMKHXwUClYQFggvMAQ&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.wisdomonline.org%2Ffiles%2F1911%2FHeart%2520to%2520Heart%2520Part%25202.pdf&usg=AFQjCNG4Z2qZfx_39h_l5Bhe70
uy4DiyFw.

Dr. Petterson’s actual bio is here: http://www.covenantnaples.com/Pastors.

SCRIPTURE SOURCES:
http://biblehub.com/text/2_corinthians/12-4.htm.
http://biblehub.com/niv/1_corinthians/2.htm.
http://biblehub.com/matthew/25-23.htm.

“I’M BACK!”

3/3/2016

United States Astronaut Scott Kelly returned to Earth early Wednesday of this week in a Soyuz Spacecraft, culminating an unprecedented year-long mission in space. Kelly and a roommate, Russian cosmonaut Mikhail Kornienko, had been aboard the International Space Station for the past 340 days.

Kelly has spent more cumulative time in outer space than any other American - 520 days over the course of four missions. In this latter mission alone, Kelly spent 125 more days in space than the closest U.S. Astronaut contender.

In all, the nearly year-long trip involved 144 million miles through space, as it circled the world 5,440 times, experiencing 10,880 orbital sunrises and sunsets. Along the way, thirteen other U.S., Russian, European and Japanese space fliers came and went to the space station during the past year.

One other thing about Kelly is significant. His identical twin, retired astronaut Mark Kelly, volunteered back here on earth to serve as a medical guinea pig in order to allow researchers to study the differences between the genetic doubles, one in space and the other on the ground.

Comparisons of blood, saliva and urine samples, ultrasounds, bone scans, etc… all helped to establish the effects of extended space travel on the human body. Armed with this data, NASA Scientists are hoping for to gear up for human expeditions to Mars in the 2030s.

Already, they know that radiation will be a serious challenge. Equally as worrisome are the body’s and mind's respective durability over what will be a 2½-year round trip journey to the Red Planet. As Scott Kelly’s experiences will go a long way toward helping to solve these mysteries, his contributions will be long remembered.

Such is the essence of most every news article on the return of Scott Kelly to Planet Earth this week. But there is another question equally as troublesome as that of what has happened to Astronaut Kelly in his year of absence. And that question is this: what has happened here on earth during this same year of his absence?

Easter is on the horizon. At that time, billions of believers worldwide will celebrate the death, burial, and glorious resurrection of God’s Son, Jesus Christ. But Biblically, even the resurrection is not the end of Jesus’ story. Forty days later, He ascended into Heaven to be seated at the right hand of the Heavenly Father. And at the appointed time, He will one day return to Earth to reclaim His followers and to bring judgment on non-believers.

During His time on Earth, Jesus posed the following question (as recorded in the Gospel of Luke 18:8):

“When the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?”

The context for this question is the parable Jesus had just told about a persistent woman who kept coming back to a judge in her city in order to get justice for a wrong done to her. That parable itself had been set up by this sentence in Luke 18:1:

Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up.

In the Gospel of Matthew (24:3), the Bible says:

As Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately. “Tell us,” they said, “when will this happen, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?”

Notice the answer Jesus gave in verses 4-14:

“Watch out that no one deceives you. For many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am the Messiah,’ and will deceive many. You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. All these are the beginning of birth pains.”

“Then you will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of me. At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other, and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people. Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved. And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.

Note especially the two phrases I have underlined:

“At that time, many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other” and “the love of most will grow cold”.

Later, commenting on this very theme, the Apostle Paul made this statement in his Second New Testament Letter to the Thessalonians (2:3):

“Don’t let anyone deceive you in any way, for that day will not come until the rebellion occurs…”

The King James translation puts it this way:

“Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first…”

The original Koine (or common) Greek term Paul used here is the word “apostasia”, from which we get “apostasy” in English. The technical definition is “a defection, a departure (implying desertion)”; literally, "a leaving, from a previous standing." It derives from another term: “aphistemi”, meaning “to leave, to depart", which is itself derived from a combination of two other words: “apo”, meaning "away from" and “histemi”, meaning "to stand").

Thus, the Bible clearly foretells a time when there will be a great apostasy, or abandoning of the Christian faith by many. As a consequence of this, many will grow unloving and even uncivil toward others.

There can be little doubt that we live in such times. In recent years, especially, it seems that orthodox Christian faith and its resultant practices have both been less and less embraced by society. Along the way, despite our twin cultural emphases on tolerance and acceptance, we have become increasingly divided, and arguably downright hostile toward one another.

In 1968, the nightmarish vision of Pierre Boulle’s novel was introduced to most of the world when a movie was released about an American Astronaut (portrayed by Charlton Heston) who returned to Earth to discover that a planet once inhabited by civilized men and women was now inexplicably under the control of brutes who behaved far more animal than human. One wonders just how much of the present is reflected in that fictional if fairly prophetic tale.

If civility has deteriorated this much in the few years since Planet of the Apes was released, one wonders what will happen in next few years! Indeed, had Scott Kelly stayed in space for a decade rather than a year, the question is this: “Would he even recognize the world he had left behind?”

Little wonder, then, that Jesus asked the question He did. He knew full well He likely would not!

SOURCE: http://www.foxnews.com/science/2016/03/02/astronaut-scott-kelly-back-on-earth-after-yearlong-space-mission.html.
SCRIPTURE SOURCE: http://biblehub.com/niv/matthew/24.htm and http://biblehub.com/text/2_thessalonians/2-3.htm.