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HOT PURSUIT

3/30/2017

 
We all know that March is typically the most windy month of the year.  As the old proverb puts it, March invariably enters like a lion and leaves like a lamb or else it enters like a lamb and leaves like a lion.  On occasion, it does both!  This year, the first week of March was quite breezy.  Today, as the month prepares to conclude, the wind was still blowing here in East Tennessee – averaging 15 mph all day, and at times gusting up to nearly 30 mph.

I thought today about when I was a child, and when my mother took my sister and myself to the Fox Theater in Atlanta, Georgia to see the Academy Award winning Walt Disney Production titled “Winnie the Pooh and the Blustery Day”.  As I remember it, poor Winnie spent a good portion of the film bearing up against the forces of nature on what he termed “Winds-day”.  And if memory serves me correctly, a fair portion of Pooh's eventful day was spent chasing valuable objects that were being wafted off by the strong breeze!  Which brings me to my point…

My wife and I decided to dedicate this evening to giving our lawn its first cutting and grooming of the season. Thus, this afternoon, I ran down to the local station to get gas for the lawnmower, weed-eater, blower, etc...  As I finished, I replaced all the caps and set the cans in the truck. I then turned to retrieve my receipt.

(Let me interject here that I am a stickler for proper record keeping.  For this reason, I fastidiously retrieve every single receipt and properly file them for future reference if ever needed.)    

However, as the dispenser produced the receipt, and as I reached to retrieve it, the wind intervened.  My receipt flew off in wind and was halfway across the parking lot before I even had a chance to react.  When I finally did grasp what had just happened, I caught a glimpse of my receipt just as it blended in with quite a few other pieces of paper that looked just like it – likely other receipts from earlier in the day!

But I was determined to retrieve what I valued.  With little or no thought, I was off.  Leaving behind my truck, my gas cans, my other concerns, I dashed off after the flotilla of paper swirling across the parking lot and, by then, even out into and across the adjacent street.  In retrospect, it must have been quite comical.  There I was, dashing here and there, first retrieving this sheet of paper, then that one, quickly scanning each in turn, before moving on to the next.

The first time, I was not successful. Nor the second.  Nor even the third.  But eventually, I did succeed.  By perseverance, I found my receipt.  I knew it was mine because it was for the amount I had just purchased and it had my time and date and identifying numbers.
 
Needless, to say, I was quite happy.  I rejoiced as I made my way back to my truck.  That which had been mine; that which was the result of my purchase and which validated the price I had paid; that which I highly valued; but also that which had been lost to me; that I had now found!  And I was exultant.

As I drove home, I could not help but think of the three stories Jesus once told, as recorded in the fifteenth chapter of Luke’s New Testament Gospel.  (You can read them here: 
http://biblehub.com/niv/luke/15.htm.)  Each of them, that of a lost sheep, that of a lost coin, and that of a lost son, all drive home the point that we are what God values above all else.  And even though we were lost to Him, He would not rest until He had found us!  And when He did find us, He rejoiced greatly because we had been lost, but then we had been found!

As the great English poet and Anglican clergyman John Newton put it in his classic 1779 hymn, “Amazing Grace”: 

Amazing grace! (how sweet the sound),
That saved a wretch like me!
I once was lost, but now am found,
Was blind, but now I see.


To this, no doubt, all who have been lost and saved rightfully say, "Amen!"


SOURCES: 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Winnie_the_Pooh_and_the_Blustery_Day;
http://biblehub.com/niv/luke/15.htm;
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amazing_Grace.

REPAIR AFFAIR

3/27/2017

 
It happened oh so quickly.  I sat down in a chair and caught my phone clip on the armrest in the process.  As I did, my body weight won out and my smart phone belt clip disintegrated.  Ok. Not entirely.  But it did split into three separate pieces.

Unwilling to spring for a new one, I decided to improvise.  You might say I “Macgyver”ed the situation!  After studying the matter intently, I gathered up some tongue depressors for use as splints, and then braced the back of the broken clip before reinforcing with black duct tape and finishing the whole process off with black electrical tape.  I will let you be the judge how it all looks now…

At least it is functional.  For now, that is.  You see, this is not the first time I have affected this repair.  In truth, I first repaired it a little over a week ago.  Only then, I failed to reinforce it with splints.  The result was a phone clip that looked good for about twenty four hours, but which then quickly gave way to flimsiness and eventually would no longer even hold my phone.  Hence the necessity of the repeated process of repair.

Of course I know in my heart that the clip is still broken.  I also know that there no real fixing it.  Rather, what it needs is to be completely replaced with a whole new one.  If I would be honest, I suppose I am just not willing to pay the price.  And yet, I know deep down inside that only when I actually ante-up and replace it, affecting a real and permanent solution, will the insufferable process of re-bracing and re-taping actually come to an end.

All of this reminds me of what the writer of the New Testament Book of Hebrews had to say (in chapter 9, verses 19-28):


19When Moses had proclaimed every command of the law to all the people, he took the blood of calves, together with water, scarlet wool and branches of hyssop, and sprinkled the scroll and all the people. 20He said, “This is the blood of the covenant, which God has commanded you to keep.”

21In the same way, he sprinkled with the blood both the tabernacle and everything used in its ceremonies. 22In fact, the law requires that nearly everything be cleansed with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.


23It was necessary, then, for the copies of the heavenly things to be purified with these sacrifices, but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these. 24For Christ did not enter a sanctuary made with human hands that was only a copy of the true one; he entered heaven itself, now to appear for us in God’s presence.

25Nor did he enter heaven to offer himself again and again, the way the high priest enters the Most Holy Place every year with blood that is not his own. 26Otherwise Christ would have had to suffer many times since the creation of the world. But he has appeared once for all at the culmination of the ages to do away with sin by the sacrifice of himself.

27Just as people are destined to die once, and after that to face judgment, 28so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him.


His point is that the vicarious sacrifice of animals was not sufficient to remove the sins of men and women.  This is because these were not permanent, but temporary in nature.  Thus they had to be repeated over and over again.  What God did for us in the sacrifice of His one and only Son on an old rugged cross was to offer up a permanent sacrifice, once and for all, for our sin nature.

In so doing, Jesus Christ redeemed us – literally, bought us with a price - and now, as a result, we are finally and forever new creations in Christ Jesus! 

And that repair job, real and permanent, looks just fine, not only in my eyes, but also in those of the Lord!


SCRIPTURE SOURCE: 
http://biblehub.com/niv/hebrews/9.htm.

MAXED OUT

3/24/2017

 
As I referenced in my last blog post, I just returned from an eleven day trip to Turkey.  Exceeded only by Israel and Jordan in the number of Biblical sites it contains, Turkey is replete with places visited by the early Apostles, most notably John and Paul.

As we trekked along in the footsteps of these early believers, I snapped pictures until my fingers were sore!  In fact, I snapped so many pictures that my phone ran completely out of storage. And the effects were noticeable.

Not that I did not have plenty of warning.  Each day, toward the end of the trip, my Android device would politely remind me that it was nearing its capacity.  And each day in turn, I dutifully ignored these warnings and kept piling up the pictures.

By the time I had arrived back in the good old USA, my phone told me in no uncertain terms that it had had enough!  After notifying me that my storage was full, I then told me that certain functions had been disabled and would not resume capability until I got rid of some of the load of data (meaning pictures) that I had stored up.

For my part, I again dutifully ignored these warnings.  But in short order, I realized my phone meant business.  For all intents and purposes, it reverted to a dumb phone rather than a smart phone.  It placed numerous apps on hold, ceased processing e-mails, and even notified me that texting was suspended!

Needless to say, at this point, it got my attention!  As quick as I could get the chance, I unburdened myself of thousands and thousands of photos by moving them over to my laptop and then onto an external hard drive.
 
The result?  Instantaneously, the phone rebounded!  Unburdened by the excess of baggage it had been forced to carry, it sprang to life again!  Apps, e-mails, text messages – they all began to function at normal levels once again!

As I have reflected on these things, I have been reminded of the admonition of God’s Word as found in Hebrews, chapter 12, verses 1-3:

1Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, 2fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. 3Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.

In truth, if we are not careful, the process of living life can slowly but surely fill our hearts and minds with excess burdens that begin to weigh us down and hamper our ability to function as productively as God intends.  On occasion, therefore, it behooves us to take a little time to unburden ourselves by clearing out the clutter and freeing ourselves up!

My little experience with my phone has reminded me that it may be time for some spring cleaning - not only for my house, but for my life!  And I intend to spend some time re-prioritizing and simplifying as a result.

Perhaps you could benefit from a similar process.  If so, then remember, my friend:  it’s entirely okay on occasion to hit the delete key and send something to the recycle bin!  Trust me; I've already been doing it.  And believe me, it feels good!  So why not try it?  You might just be glad you did!

SCRIPTURE SOURCE: http://biblehub.com/niv/hebrews/12.htm.

DUG IN!

3/20/2017

 
In his 2017 February 2017 SeminaryPLUS Newsletter, Dr. Brian Harbour writes the following:

For baseball fans, the name Ty Cobb immediately strikes a chord of recognition for he is one of the all-time great players. His life time batting average of .367 tops the list of all time players. He set ninety Major League Baseball records during his career with the Detroit Tigers. He won eleven batting titles and received the most votes on the initial Baseball Hall of Fame ballot. 

Yet, we would never have heard of Ty Cobb’s name had he not possessed an extraordinary amount of perseverance. After several years of semi-pro ball, young Cobb signed with the Detroit Tigers in 1905. He had finally made the major leagues, but his problems had only begun. 

In 1906, the more experienced players on the team, led by an outfielder who feared Cobb might take his position, initiated a hazing campaign against him, attempting to run him out of baseball. They mocked his southern accent. They smacked him in the back of the head with soggy wads of newspaper on train trips. They ostracized him in the dugout. They did everything they could to run him off.  It was inarguably a difficult time for Cobb as he tried to find his place. He even spent some time in a sanatorium to get his life together, but what he did not do is QUIT!

Instead, he responded to their opposition by performing well on the field and by leading the team in batting in 1906. At that point, his baseball career took off, and, as they say, the rest is history.
   

Life is not easy for any of us. No one goes through life without facing opposition and confronting obstacles. Don’t whine! Don’t retaliate! And above all, DON’T QUIT!*

I share this today because I have just returned from an eleven day trip to the nation of Turkey. In Biblical days, modern Turkey was known as Asia Minor, a province of the Roman Empire. There, one can find a great many sites visited by the Apostle Paul, as well as the famed cities of the seven church of Revelation.

One place we visited in particular stands out.  That place is called Cappadocia.  It was here that a group of Christians led by the famed Cappadocian Church Fathers lived in caves during the time of the official Roman persecutions of the early church.

As I toured this amazing place, where the remains of entire cites, as well as monasteries churches, and individual homes, are still intact in caves and underground, I was reminded of chapter 11, verses 32-38, of the New Testament Book of Hebrews, where the writer speaks of those who “through faith” did the following: 

“conquered kingdoms, administered justice, shut the mouths of lions, quenched the fury of the flames, escaped the edge of the sword, endured torture, faced jeers and flogging, and even chains and imprisonment, were put to death by stoning, were sawed in two, were killed by the sword, went about in sheepskins and goatskins, destitute, persecuted and mistreated, wandered in deserts and mountains, living in caves and in holes in the ground”.

I stood in awe of the faithfulness displayed by entire generations of early Christians in the face of what all they were called upon to endure.  And I could not help but be thankful for the faithfulness of these ancient believers who chose to remain steadfast and not to give up on their faith, despite being hounded and harassed mercilessly by the world.

What is more, I find myself being reminded that one day, out there in the future, should the Lord tarry His coming, succeeding generations may well follow in my footsteps even as I follow in those of such earlier Christians. I can only hope that they will look upon me and my time in this world with equal appreciation, being able to conclude that I was faithful to stand up for what I believed in, no matter what the cost.

Beyond this, I find myself looking forward to that day when, hopefully, I will meet these faithful early Christians in a place called Heaven.  And there, to tell them myself just how thankful I am that they dug in and did not quit!
 
*SOURCE:  SeminaryPLUS is a monthly subscription newsletter of Brian L. Harbour, PhD, 5805 Sweetbriar Dr, Richardson, TX 75082.  If interested, one can contact him at
brian@seminaryplus.org or (972) 977-3704 to sign up.

DON’T BET ON IT!

3/6/2017

 
Perhaps you may have seen the following story in the news…

DATELINE:  MIDDLE EAST.  A certain archaeologist was digging in the Negev Desert in Israel and came upon a sarcophagus containing a mummy. After examining it, he called the curator of a prestigious natural-history museum.

"I've just discovered the 3,000-year-old mummy of a man who died of heart failure!" the excited archaeologist exclaimed.

The curator replied, "Bring him in. We'll check it out."

A week later, the amazed curator called the archaeologist. "You were right about the mummy's age and cause of death. How in the world did you know?" he asked.

The archaeologist replied, "Easy. There was a piece of paper in his hand that read, '10,000 shekels on Goliath.'"


All jokes aside, I myself am not a betting man.  I have never placed a bet, been to a horse or dog race track, or even bought a lottery ticket.  In truth, what little resource I have accumulated has been fairly hard earned; and as a result, I do not cherish the idea of losing it to any game of chance.

But if I were a betting man, and if I had lived in the days of Goliath, and if I had been present on the day when he went up against a little lad named David on the battlefield on the border between the lands of the Philistines and the Israelites, you can rest assured that I would have never bet against a righteous young man standing on the authority of Almighty God, no matter how out-matched he might have appeared to been!

For you see, my friends, God’s enemies will always taunt God’s people.  But whenever God’s people trust in God’s power, then God’s power will always triumph over God’s enemies.  And having that assurance is better than having a whole pocket full of cash!  You can bank on that!

SOURCE:  This humorous piece is available widely on the internet.  My immediate source is an unreferenced paper clipping from one of my sermon illustrations files.

OOOPS!!!

3/3/2017

 
For the second time in as many years, a prestigious international awards show has been upstaged by a stupendous gaffe! 

In December, 2015, American celebrity Steve Harvey was emceeing the Miss Universe contest in Las Vegas when he mistakenly announced the first runner up, Miss Colombia, as the winner.  After realizing his blunder, he then correctly awarded the crown to Miss Philippines.

To make matters worse, he then sent out a tweet apologizing to both contestants, only to incorrectly spell Colombia (as Columbia) and Philippines (as Philippians) in the process!  For months to come, Harvey was scorned and ridiculed.  Clearly, few people thought such a blooper could ever be out done.

And then came this year’s Academy Awards!  In February of 2017, Faye Dunaway and Warren Beatty were presenting the Oscar for the Best Picture when they read the name of the movie, “La La Land”.  The problem was that they had been accidentally handed the envelope containing the winner for best actress in a leading role.  (This was later confirmed by photos.)

Producers immediately stepped in and clarified the slip-up, correctly awarding the Best picture Oscar to the movie, “Moonlight”, instead.  All in all, it was an epic mistake!

The Accountancy firm PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) has handled the Academy Awards for 83 years. Before, it was all done, the two PwC employees who had handed out the wrong envelope had received death threats on social media and had photos of their homes had been posted online.  As a result, PwC had to provide security at their homes. 

Later, under pressure, it was announced that these same two employees would remain partners at PwC, but would no longer be on the firm's team working for the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.  It remains to be seen whether they will be terminated.

All of these things are embarrassing at least and injurious at worst.  In truth, millions and millions of dollars are at stake on nights like these.  Even more significant, entire careers are made and/or destroyed as a result of winning and/or losing such prestigious awards.  Accordingly, one’s joy for those who won is always somewhat tempered by the feelings one has for those who lost out.

And yet, even the magnitude of having first won and then lost either an Academy Award or an international beauty contest such as the Miss Universe Pageant pales in comparison to the significance of what the Bible tells us that men and women first had and then lost in the Garden of Eden.

For it was here, as is recorded in Genesis, chapter 3, that Adam and Eve had paradise within their grasp.  Be it ever so briefly, they lived in a perfect state in a perfect world.  Life was as God intended it to be. 

Unfortunately, the tempter soon entered the Garden and proffered the forbidden fruit, enticing men and women to disobey God.  And in that moment, mankind lost the greatest of all blessings, as men and women fell under the curse of sin, which was and is a death sentence for having violated God’s commands.  And that, my friends, is the most epic mistake ever made!

And yet, the good news is that God did not leave us to our just deserts.  Rather, He allowed His one and only Son, the perfect, spotless Lamb of God, Jesus Christ, to be vicariously sacrificed on our behalf.  As a result, God’s justice was satisfied and men and women were allowed to remain a part of His family as His children for all eternity.

Epic mistake?  Yes!  Epic correction?  Even more so!
 
As the Bible says in the New Testament Gospel of John, chapter 3, verses 16-18:


16For 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. 17For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. 18Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.

Epic problem.  Even more epic solution!  Amen and Amen!

SCRIPTURE SOURCE: 
http://biblehub.com/niv/john/3.htm.

    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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