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LOVED TO DEATH!

3/30/2018

Today is “Good Friday”. It is so named because this is the day our Lord and Savior willfully allowed Himself to be crucified on our behalf. Unfortunately, in our time, the word “crucifixion” does not always carry the same tremendous significance for us that it did for people of the first century.

For this reason, I thought it appropriate as we reflect on our Lord’s passion this day to be reminded of just what all He endured on our behalf. The following piece has been adapted from C. Truman Davis, M.D. in The Expositor's Bible Commentary, Volume Eight: Matthew, Mark, and Luke...

A medical doctor provides a physical description: The cross is placed on the ground and the exhausted man is quickly thrown backwards with his shoulders against the wood. The legionnaire feels for the depression at the front of the wrist. He drives a heavy, square wrought-iron nail through the wrist and deep into the wood. Quickly he moves to the other side and repeats the action, being careful not to pull the arms too tightly, but to allow some flex and movement. The cross is then lifted into place.

The left foot is pressed backward against the right foot, and with both feet extended, toes down, a nail is driven through the arch of each, leaving the knees flexed. The victim is now crucified. As he slowly sags down with more weight on the nails in the wrists, excruciating, fiery pain shoots along the fingers and up the arms to explode in the brain; the nails in the wrists are putting pressure on the median nerves. As he pushes himself upward to avoid this stretching torment, he places the full weight on the nail through his feet. Again he feels the searing agony of the nail tearing through the nerves between the bones of his feet.

As the arms fatigue, cramps sweep through the muscles, knotting them in deep, relentless, throbbing pain. With these cramps comes the inability to push himself upward to breathe. Air can be drawn into the lungs but not exhaled. He fights to raise himself in order to get even one small breath. Finally carbon dioxide builds up in the lungs and in the blood stream, and the cramps partially subside. Spasmodically he is able to push himself upward to exhale and bring in life-giving oxygen.

Hours of this limitless pain, cycles of twisting, joint-rending cramps, intermittent partial asphyxiation, searing pain as tissue is torn from his lacerated back as he moves up and down against the rough timber. Then another agony begins: a deep, crushing pain deep in the chest as the pericardium slowly fills with serum and begins to compress the heart.

It is now almost over; the loss of tissue fluids has reached a critical level; the compressed heart is struggling to pump heavy, thick, sluggish blood into the tissues; the tortured lungs are making a frantic effort to gasp in small gulps of air.

He can feel the chill of death creeping through is tissues... Finally he can allow his body to die. All this the Bible records with the simple words, "And they crucified Him." (Mark 15:24).

One cannot help but marvel at all of this! What wondrous love is this? That the God of all the universe would clothe himself in human flesh and come into this world in order to endure just such torment. He did not have to do this. Rather He chose to do this!

Little wonder the Apostle John was moved (in his First New Testament General Epistle, chapter 3, verse 1) to write these words: “Behold what manner of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God.”

SOURCE: The Expositor's Bible Commentary, Volume Eight: Matthew, Mark, Luke (Zondervan, 1984).

This illustration is also been reproduced in several places online. See, for instance: https://www.sermonsearch.com/sermon-illustrations/1279/crucifixion-described/.

SCRIPTURE SOURCE: http://biblehub.com/1_john/3-1.htm.

NOTE: For a much more extensive article of the process of crucifixion, check out the article titled “On the Physical Death of Jesus Christ” by William D. Edwards, MD of the Mayo Clinic Department of Pathology and Floyd E Hosmer, MS, AMI of the Mayo Clinic Department of Medical Graphics, Rochester, Minn. and the Homestead United Methodist Church, Rochester, Minn., and Pastor Wesley J. Gabel, MDiv of the West Bethel United Methodist Church in Bethel, Minn. It was first printed in JAMA - The Journal of the American Medical Association, March 21, 1986, Volume 256.

The complete article, with extensively detailed illustrations, has been reprinted here in pdf form: http://people.bethel.edu/~pferris/ot103/Jesus_Crucifixion.pdf.

“LOOKIE HERE!”

3/27/2018

Being laid up for a week or two while recuperating from surgery has both advantages and disadvantages. The rather obvious disadvantages have to do with the pain and discomfort. But they also include the sheer frustration that comes with being confined to a chair with one’s feet elevated.

In such a posture, it does not take long to get fidgety! And no matter how many times one shifts and re-shifts in the chair, after a while one simply begins to feel like a caged tiger! Not to mention the ordeal involved in simply trying to get up and transition to another room, etc… Suffice it to say that I am need of prayer as much for my attitude as for my convalescence.

Having said this, let me hasten to add that there are some benefits as well. I have gotten caught up on a lot of personal projects. For instance, I have done some writing. I have updated this very website. I have read a book or two. I have processed numerous e-mails. I have worked on some sermon planning. And I even finalized my tax returns.

I have also tried to relax a little. I have watched a few movies, as well as some online videos and DVDs. I have also caught up a little on television. How does one catch up on television? Well, I checked out some newer television shows that I had never seen before. And one of those shows in particular caught my attention.

The cable network known as "The Science Channel" (© Discovery Communications, LLC) has a show out titled "WHAT ON EARTH?". Begun in 2015, the series in now in its fourth season. The series examines and attempts to explain "strange satellite images" (terrestrial images taken from space satellites). Typically, about three or four such mysterious satellite anomalies are investigated per episode.

Let’s be honest. Many (perhaps most) of us fail to realize that over four thousand satellites now orbit the earth, looking down on us each and every hour (if not every moment) of our lives! This, of course, raises all kinds of questions – mostly about privacy and security (or the lack thereof).

But it also reminds me that even if there were no satellites, there would still someone looking down on me. When we were children, we used to sing a little song that contains these lyrics:

O be careful little eyes what you see…
O be careful little eyes what you see…
For the Father up above…
He is looking down in love…
So, be careful little eyes what you see!

Thereafter, successive verses contained similar admonitions to “be careful little ears what you hear”, to “be careful little hands what you do”, to “be careful little feet where you go”, and to “be careful little mouth what you say”! All for the same reason: because our Heavenly Father, up above, is looking down in love!

Years later, I encountered a song titled “Slow Fade” by the Contemporary Christian group known as Casting Crowns. The lyrics are:

Be careful little eyes what you see…
It's the second glance that ties your hands…
As darkness pulls the strings!”

Be careful little feet where you go…
For it's the little feet behind you…
That are sure to follow!”

It's a slow fade when you give yourself away…
It's a slow fade when black and white have turned to gray…
Thoughts invade, choice is made, A price will be paid…

When you give yourself away…
People never crumble in a day…
It's a slow fade, it's a slow fade...

All of this is to say that I have no idea just who all may be watching me from up above. I have no idea the extent to which prying eyes note where all I go and what all I do. But I do know that my God is watching me from above. As the Psalmist tells me (in the Old Testament book of Psalms, chapter 32, verse 8), God keeps his loving eye upon me.

And that is all the motivation I need to be careful what I see, what I hear, what I do, where I go, and what I say! For my Father up above is looking down in love! And I have no desire whatsoever to break His heart!

What is more, as Casting Crowns reminds us, little eyes down here below are also watching me, and little ears are listening to me, and little feet are willing to follow me, and little hands willing to mimic me, and little mouths willing to repeat me!

Not only do I not want to break the heart of God, neither do I want to cause anyone else, especially little ones, to stumble.

Rather, as God looks down upon me, I hope that He will be pleased with what he sees. And that my every action will meet with His everlasting approval.

LYRICS SOURCES:
http://childbiblesongs.com/song-12-be-careful-little-eyes.shtml and
http://www.metrolyrics.com/slow-fade-lyrics-casting-crowns.html.

NOTE: YouTube videos showing collections of strange sites seen on Google Earth have been around for quite some time. Just do a web search for “Google Earth anomalies” and you will soon find more such videos than you can hope to watch in one sitting.

Apparently, someone at Discovery Communications hit upon the idea of compiling such anomalies and presenting them in the form of a television series.  Given that the show is now in its fourth season, their idea seems to have been a good one.

According to Neil Laird, the Executive Producer of “WHAT ON EARTH?” over at:  http://blogs.discovery.com/inscider/2015/02/the-mysteries-of-what-on-earth
.html: The Science Channel’s motto has long been to “Question Everything” no matter how bizarre or strange, and put it under the bright glare of modern science to see what might be revealed. Your guesses about the mysterious satellite photos fit right into that philosophy—they are informed, thoughtful, surprising, and just as importantly, entertaining. We’re thrilled you love the mysteries we are able to bring you here on the web and even better, leave you questioning some of these provocative images along with the experts. Many of the world’s top archeologists, meteorologists, geologists and other experts are as stumped as you are!

Be advised, however. Not everyone is as enthused as the show’s producer. Several reviewers share the view that the show is more “edutainment” than actual science. (See, for instance: https://www.metabunk.org/what-on-earth-science-channel-fail.t7514/.)

By this, they mean that the show is not so much designed to inform as to entertain. The proof is that much more time is spent merely proposing conjecture and speculation (often from the very so-called experts who are supposed to be explaining the mysterious phenomena to begin with) than with giving definitive explanation.

Scientists with proper labels like volcanologists, geologists, oceanographers, etc... are interviewed, and seem to present unanswered questions as to the "mysterious images" being discussed. But often, many more interviews with non-experts presenting conspiratorial guesses are spliced in as well. Thus, the show ends up concentrating on the "mysteries" suggested by the satellite images, rather than actual explanations for the images. The end result is pretty much that most of the respective scientists’ "verbal on-air content" is spent describing the mystery, not giving the real explanation (or telling why it is not really a mystery after all)!

That being said, I personally found the program not only entertaining, but also quite informative. One can easily glean enough information of substance to learn more about the subject at hand. But perceptive eyes and ears can also garner information that leads to the study of other mysteries as well. To watch the show is to realize that for every mystery solved, there are many more that remain to be pondered.

STEPPING UP!

3/24/2018

To employ an old proverb, my blog post today is a day late and a dollar short. But this is not without good reason. I have spent the last few days recuperating from minor surgery. Speaking of proverbs, it is often said that the third time around is a charm! I’m still trying to decide on that one!

The first surgery I ever had was back when I was a child. My sister and I went into the hospital and had our tonsils removed at the same time. Pretty much all I remember, apart from lots and lots of ice cream, is waiting until night time when the hallways were empty and then running down the length of the slick hallway floors and sliding sideways and backwards in our socks. (Sort of like Tom Cruise in Risky Business.)

The second time was when I had a hernia repair in my thirties. I owe that one to trying to prove how much I could bench press, squat, and deadlift while in my twenties!

This last surgery was the result of something else I did in my twenties. My neighbor and I both lived in houses owned by the church where we were employed. One night, a powerful storm came through and blew over a tree in his yard. While helping him cut up that tree, I managed to strike a glancing blow against a limb with the ax I was wielding. In the process, I split my big toe on my left foot open lengthways, much like a hot dog bun.

Even though it was stitched back together at the time, the damage had been done. Thus, unbeknownst to me, for decades now, I have been compensating for the weaker big toe by using the second toe of my left foot to push off with each step I have taken. The result was that the ligaments holding my second toe in place eventually tore loose and had to be re-attached surgically.

The good news is that the doctor seemed to know exactly what my problem was from the time he saw my foot. And according to him, all went well in the procedure he later performed. As a result, after a week or two, I should be back to normal and walking just fine.

I share all of this for a reason. I have always prided myself on being fairly self-sufficient. Like a lot of people, I try not to be a burden to others. Normally, therefore, if I have problem, I just address it on my own. But when incidents like this periodically come my way, they serve to remind me that I cannot solve every single issue in life on my own. Simply put: there are times when I need other people.

The same is true of all of us. While it is commendable to be self-sufficient, God did not make us to live all alone. He made us to live interdependently with others. We were meant to be part of a community. And in this community, there will be times when my neighbor needs me just as there will be times when I need my neighbor.

I am thankful that during my hour of need, others have risen up to assist me. From doctors to nurses to family and church members, others have used their respective skillsets to help me get better. And in turn, I know that God has equipped me with certain gifts that I must employ whenever my neighbors may find themselves in need.

It is likely that the Apostle Paul had just such things in mind when he told the Galatian Christians (in chapter 6, verse 22): “Help carry one another's burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.”

In the future, whenever I find my neighbor in need, I pray that I will be as faithful to step up and help to meet his or her need as others have been for me in this, my own time of need!

And may Jesus Christ be glorified in the process!

SCRIPTURE SOURCE: http://biblehub.com/galatians/6-2.htm.

NO GREATER LOVE

3/19/2018

In his book Written in Blood: A Devotional Bible Study of the Blood of Christ, Robert Coleman tells a powerful story of a little boy who became the donor for his sister’s blood transfusion. According to Dr. Coleman…

The doctor explained that she had the same disease the boy (her brother) had recovered from two years earlier. Her only chance for recovery was a transfusion from someone who had previously conquered the disease. Since the two children had the same rare blood type, the boy was the ideal donor.

"Would you give your blood to Mary?" the doctor asked. Johnny hesitated. His lower lip started to tremble. Then he smiled and said, "Sure, for my sister." Soon the two children were wheeled into the hospital room--Mary, pale and thin; Johnny, robust and healthy. Neither spoke, but when their eyes met, Johnny grinned.

As the nurse inserted the needle into his arm, Johnny's smile faded. He watched the blood flow through the tube. With the ordeal almost over, his voice, slightly shaky, broke the silence. "Doctor, when do I die?'

Only then did the doctor realize why Johnny had hesitated, why his lip had trembled when he'd agreed to donate his blood. He's thought giving his blood to his sister meant giving up his life. In that brief moment, he'd made his great decision.

Dr. Coleman then concludes his story with this insightful application:

Johnny, fortunately, didn't have to die to save his sister. Each of us, however, has a condition more serious than Mary's, and it required Jesus to give not just His blood but His life.

As Easter approaches, I am reminded that the Bible tells us (in the New Testament Book of Hebrews, chapter 9, verse 22) that because the Law of God in the Old Testament required sacrifice for the cleansing of sin, then without the shedding of blood, there can be no forgiveness for sin.

Enter Jesus Christ, the One and Only Son of God! Knowing that we were suffering under the deadly curse of sin, the Bible tells us (in the New Testament Book of Romans, chapter 5, verse 8) that “God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners!”

It was Jesus Himself Who said (in the New Testament Gospel of John, chapter 15, verse 13): “Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.” By God's grace, not only did Jesus preach this; He also practiced it!

May we always remember the great love that drew God’s Son to earth! May we always honor Him for His great sacrifice on our behalf! And may we forever worship his Holy Name!

SOURCE: Coleman, Robert E. Written in Blood: A Devotional Bible Study of the Blood of Christ (Grand Rapids: Fleming H. Revell Publishing, 1972). Dr. Coleman is Distinguished Professor of Evangelism and Discipleship at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary. He also served as dean of the Billy Graham International Schools of Evangelism as well as Director of the Billy Graham Center Institute of Evangelism at Wheaton College. The work for which he is best known, The Master Plan of Evangelism, has sold over three million copies.

ALSO AVAILABLE WIDELY ONLINE: See, for instance: https://christypovolish.wordpress.com/2011/12/01/we-need-a-transfusion/.

SCRIPTURE SOURCES: http://biblehub.com/hebrews/9-22.htm; http://bible
hub.com/hebrews/9-22.htm, and http://biblehub.com/john/15-13.htm.

GOING GREEN

3/15/2018

This weekend, parades will unfold all over the Christian world in celebration of Saint Patrick’s Day. In the context in which I was raised (Southern Baptist), we were taught not to venerate individual Christians as saints. Nonetheless, every year when March 17th rolled around, I made certain to deck myself out in shamrocks, green clothing, and/or green accessories. If I did not, I knew I was destined to spend the day getting pinched at every turn.

We also made green cookies and green Kool-Aid and even decorated our front doors and dining rooms with leprechauns, four leaf clovers, and similar such trappings. And yet, our customs paled in comparison to those undertaken in places such as Boston, Chicago, and New York, where large numbers of Irish immigrants historically settled. St. Patrick’s Day is even a legal holiday in Suffolk County, Massachusetts.

In these places, parades and similar celebrations abound. Indeed, streets are filled with people decked out in green costumes, pubs are filled with green beverages inducing revelry, and fountains and entire rivers are filled with green die.

Of course, it is easy in the midst of all the celebrations to overlook the individual for whom the holiday was named. Technically, Saint Patrick's Day is the “Feast of Saint Patrick”. Held on March 17th of each year, it is a cultural and religious celebration the traditional death date of Patrick (c. AD 385–461), the foremost patron saint of Ireland. More commonly, it commemorates the missionary work of Saint Patrick, which resulted in the arrival of Christianity in Ireland.

What, if anything, do we know about Saint Patrick? John W. Cowart, in his book titled People Whose Faith Got Them into Trouble: Stories of Costly Discipleship, gives us a summary of Saint Patrick’s life…

We know about the real St. Patrick (or Magnus Sucatus Patricius) because he wrote a record of his life called Confessions. As a young boy Patrick lived a comfortable life near an English coastal city where his father was a deacon in their church. But at the age of 16, his comfortable life unraveled. Irish pirates attacked his village, abducting Patrick and many of the household servants. After arriving in Ireland, Patrick was sold as a slave to a Druid tribal chieftain who forced Patrick to work with a herd of pigs.

In the midst of the squalor of pig filth, God began to transform Patrick's heart. In his Confessions he wrote, "I was sixteen and knew not the true God, but in a strange land the Lord opened my unbelieving eyes, and I was converted." Patrick became convinced that the kidnapping and homesickness were actually opportunities to know Christ better.

"Anything that happens to me," he wrote, "whether pleasant or distasteful, I ought to accept with [serenity] giving thanks to God … who never disappoints." Knowing that this serenity didn't come from his own strength, Patrick wrote, "Now I understand that it was the fervent Spirit praying within me."

After serving as a slave for six years, Patrick escaped, boarded a boat, and found his way back home. At long last, he was on British soil, warmly embraced by his family and his community. In his own mind Patrick was done with Ireland for good. According to Patrick, "It is not in my nature to show divine mercy toward the very ones who once enslaved me."

Once again, God would change Patrick's heart. Partially through a dramatic dream, Patrick knew that God had called him to return to Ireland—not as a slave, but as a herald of the gospel. His family and friends were understandably horrified by his decision. "Many friends tried to stop my mission," Patrick wrote. "They said, 'Why does this fellow waste himself among dangerous enemies who don't even know God?'"

Despite these objections, in A.D. 432 Patrick used his own money to purchase a boat and sail back to Ireland. Patrick spent the rest of his life preaching the gospel in Ireland, watching many people come to Christ. He also passionately defended the human rights of slaves. Besides his Confession, his only other remaining written work is the Letter to the soldiers of Coroticus, a scathing protest sent to King Coroticus and his soldiers after they raided a village, slaughtering the men and selling the women into slavery.

For the rest of his life, Patrick would remain captivated by the grace of God. In his Confessions he wrote: "And I am certain of this: I was a dumb stone lying squashed in the mud; the Mighty and Merciful God came, dug me out and set me on top of the wall. Therefore, I praise him and ought to render him something for his wonderful benefits to me both now and in eternity."

These days, I rarely purpose to "go green" on Saint Patrick’s Day. (I've learned that few, if any, people want to pinch an ornery old codger!) But the annual celebrations of March 17th do remind me that I am to "go" in another way. Following the example of Saint Patrick, as well as the command of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ (in the New Testament Gospel of Matthew, chapter 28, verse 19-20), I am to…

“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.”

May I, like a man named Sucatus Patricius of so long ago, be found faithful in this calling!

STORY SOURCE: John W. Cowart, People Whose Faith Got Them into Trouble: Stories of Costly Discipleship (InterVarsity Press, 1990), pp. 31-42. NOTE: And expanded edition of this book was released by John W. Cowart under the title of Strangers on Earth: A Collective Biography of People Whose Faith Got Them Into Trouble (Jacksonville, Florida: Bluefish Books, 2005).

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

DESTINED FOR VICTORY!

3/12/2018

A couple of years ago, Hollywood released a remake of the classic historical epic titled “Ben-Hur”. This 2016 version was actually the fourth time Tinseltown has tackled a motion picture rendition of (former U.S. Civil War General) Lew Wallace’s 1880 fictional masterpiece: Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ.

Wildly popular from the day it was first published, Wallace’s novel reamined the highest selling work of fiction in the U.S. until Margaret Mitchell’s Gone with the Wind was released in 1936.

The first motion picture version of Wallace's novel was actually produced way back in 1907. It was what is known as a “short” as it is only 15 minutes in total length. By contrast, the 1925 version was a feature-length adaptation and is considered a classic of the silent film era. It is the 1959 version, however, which is universally considered the best of the bunch.

Everything about the 1959 film was over the top - from the use of 200 camels to 2500 horses to 10,000 human “extras”. The c. $15 million price tag (unheard of at the time) paid off handsomely, however. In its initial release alone, it took in nearly $150 million (or ten times what it cost to make).

More to the point, it was nominated for twelve Oscars from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, and took home an astounding eleven Academy Awards. At the time, this was simply unprecedented. The film also garnered numerous Golden Globe, BAFTA, and similar awards.

Those familiar with the story line of either the novel or the movie know that the crucial point of the plot is the famed chariot race between Judah Ben-Hur, played by Charlton Heston, and a Roman officer named Messala, played by Stephen Boyd.

The race itself consumes over nine minutes of film time in the 1959 release. To this day, it lives in the annals of Hollywood as perhaps the finest example ever to result from using a motion picture camera in order to record an action sequence.

Many stories have emerged from the filming of this one scene alone. One claims that a stuntman died during the filming. This appears to have actually happened in the 1925 version; but not in the 1959 version. Another story is that Charlton Heston’s wristwatch can be seen while he is driving the chariot. But careful scrutiny shows that he has on leather bracers up to the elbow.

Yet another story has emerged involving a supposed conversation between Charlton Heston and Director William Wyler. Bryant Wright of “Right from the Heart” Ministries recounts a popular version of this story:

During the filming of the old classic movie, Ben Hur, Charlton Heston had a terrible time learning to drive the chariot.

When it came time to film the key sequence of the chariot race, Heston told the director, “I think I can drive the chariot, but I don’t think I can win the race.”

The director replied, “You just drive, and I’ll see to it that you win.”

Dr. Wright then adds these thoughts:

Wouldn’t it be great if we could be assured of victory in life? Wouldn’t you like to know that, even though the circumstances don’t always seem to be in our favor, the ultimate outcome would be positive?

I have good news for you. This principle does hold true. Those who place their trust in Jesus Christ, who seek to follow His guidance and direction for living, can be sure of ultimate victory through eternal life. Live life God’s way. He assures the victory.

How right Dr. Wright is! The business of driving a four-horse chariot was likely all-consuming for actor Charlton Heston. But that was his only job. The matter of winning the race was up to a greater authority – the one who wrote the script.

In a similar way, the Bible is full of examples of men and women who learned that all they needed to do was to stay faithful in the midst of the struggle of life. That was all they were called to do. It was God Who would turn their faithfulness into victory.

This was true of David in the Old Testament struggling against lions and bears and a giant named Goliath and a king named Saul and whole Philistine armies. It was also true of Paul in the New Testament struggling against Jewish believers who did not trust him, Roman authorities who did not tolerate him, and Gentile prospects who did not know what to make of him and his message.

To their credit, both men remained faithful in their respective struggles. And both men were eventually rewarded with victories that exceeded their wildest expectations! The same holds true for you and me. If we will only stay faithful in the small things, God will then handle the big things. If we will only do our part, God will certainly take care of the rest.

I leave you with the words of the Apostle Paul, who in his Second New Testament Letter to Timothy (chapter 4, verses 7 and 8) said:

7I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. 8Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day...

Amen!

STORY SOURCE: http://rightfromtheheart.org/devotions/the-assurance-of-victory/.

INFORMATION SOURCES: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ben-Hur_(1959_film)
#Cast and https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0052618/.

NOTE: This exchange is often erroneously attributed to leading man Charlton Heston and famed Hollywood director, Cecil B. DeMille. See, for instance, http://www.sermonillustrator.org/illustrator/sermon15/making_sure_we_win.htm. (Multiple accounts cite "a book by Mary Hollingsworth" as the original source of this illustration without ever giving the actual title; but I have been unable to ascertain exactly what book this is.) More to the point, Cecil B. DeMille did not direct the movie. Perhaps for this reason, the historicity of the very conversation has oftentimes been called into question (cf.: http://message.snopes.com/showthread.php?t=3113).

Nonetheless, in a 2007 Esquire Magazine article by John H. Richardson posted
online at https://www.esquire.com/news-politics/a929/esq0701-july-heston-rev-3/, Charlton Heston himself affirms that the conversation did indeed occur. However, he states that the conversation actually unfolded between him and his stunt double, and not the movie's director.

SCRIPTURE SOURCE: http://biblehub.com/niv/2_timothy/4.htm.

GROWING FAMILY

3/9/2018

Elsewhere on my website, I have listed a little of my personal background, including my family history. Being a lover of history, I suppose, is what led to genealogy becoming a personal passion of mine – one that I share with my sisters. I (we) often wonder what life was like in days gone by, and how living in those times impacted my (our) own forebears.

Recently, I made some updates to the portion of my website that contains information about my ancestors. This came about as a result of a contact I received though the “contact response form” on this website.

Now, over the years, I have received literally hundreds of responses from people from all over the world some positive and appreciative of what I provide and some not. This might well be expected for any website in the modern era. But this one response was unique.

A previously unknown “long lost cousin” of mine stumbled across my information while doing his own genealogical research. As a result, he contacted me with information about our shared ancestry. It turns out that the information he provided me allowed me to jump back two generations and nearly a century into the 1600s.

Suffice it to say that I am ecstatic with this new discovery. And my sisters and I are now on a mission to discover all we can about these new ancestors of ours.

What amazes me most is that all of this information appears to have been available all along. I was just unaware of it. Of course, now that I am aware of it, I am determined to investigate it thoroughly. But I am also reminded that I have spent my entire life up until now completely unaware of who these additional ancestors of mine were.

As is the case for so many people, while growing up, at best I knew who my parents, my grandparents, and my great grandparents were. Beyond that, I was simply oblivious as to my family tree. And what was true for me was most likely true for each preceding generation of my family. Most of them lived out their entire lives never knowing from whom and from where they had come.

I do not in nay way say this to be derogatory. It is just that, given that there was no internet, and that most of my ancestors (like the majority of people in those days) were simple farmers who were geographically isolated from major metropolitan areas and therefore with little access either to education or accumulated stores of information, this is simply not surprising.

For many, no doubt, apart from such records as were written in family Bibles and/or inscribed on headstones, critical genealogical information likely slipped slowly away from the collective memory with the passing away of each older member of the family.

Fortunately, a lot of that has now changed. Many once obscure documents and/or public records (census, military, legal, and social) have been duly cataloged, published, and, increasingly, made available online. My generation is the recipient of much of this material. As a result, genealogical research, once costly and time consuming, is now relatively easy. It just takes a little commitment.

For my part, I now want to take advantage of this tremendous body of accumulated material and distill from it as much information about my own family's history as I can. I then hope to pass on to my descendants a reasonable account of their heritage.

I am compelled to do this because I cannot help but feel like I have been entrusted with something of great significance for them. One day, perhaps, the record of their family's long history will help to give them a sense of their own identity in the world in which they live. In this sense, at least, I now view myself as somewhat of a custodian. I pray I will be found faithful in my task.

And yet, I accept this mantle knowing that I will likely go to my own grave still unaware of so much more of my family’s history that is even now available. Alas, if I just knew where to find it!

But at least I can assemble what records I can find. And who knows? Perhaps one day, my own children and grandchildren will uncover portions of that additional information that I never even knew about. If and when they do, then they can further complete the picture of those who came before them, including me.

If I may be candid, I find myself almost envious of my future descendants in anticipation of what all they will one day be able to learn about our common ancestry.

Nonetheless, I am thankful for what all I have been privileged to discover. And I live with the hope that I shall uncover even more as the days go by.

I leave you with this thought.

The above referenced contact from my newly discovered “long lost cousin” contained this sentence as its last line: “As I am a brother in Christ, we are related in eternity.” I share this affirmation. And it is for this reason that I rejoice in every baptismal certificate and/or record of church membership that I come across in my family history.

For these things all remind me that even though I find myself separated in time and space from those of my own family who came before me (as well as those who will come after me) in this world, there will surely come a day when we will all be introduced and allowed the blessing of dwelling together for all eternity.

And that has all been made possible by the One Whom our Bible tells us (Romans 8:16-17, 8:29, Hebrews 2:11) is our Older Brother, Jesus Christ, and by Whose completed work of redemption we can all be adopted into the eternal family of God!

SCRIPTURE SOURCES: http://biblehub.com/niv/romans/8.htm and http://biblehub.com/niv/hebrews/2.htm.

TRACKING OUR LOCATION

3/5/2018

Among numerous other responsibilities, Dr. Timothy Paul Jones serves as Professor of Christian Apologetics at the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky. In his work, Four Views of the End Times, he shares the following personal anecdote form his childhood.

As children are prone to do, whenever he would set off on various road trips with his family as a child, he would inevitably get around to asking, “Are we there yet?” Almost invariably, the reply from his father or mother in the front seat would be something like this: “We’ll be there when we get there!”

In due course, though, Dr. Jones’ father decided on another approach. In response to his son’s ever predictable request, he gave him a road map, which had been marked with both the starting point and the ending point of their journey together.

The accompanying assignment was simple. Young Timothy was to follow the progression of their trip by looking at the map and hunting signposts and other such markers that would help him to have a general sense of where they were on their journey. These markers would also help him to approximate how much longer they might be expected to travel.

These days, Dr. Jones uses this story as a way of summarizing his thoughts on the second coming of Jesus Christ. As children of the Heavenly Father, we know that we are on a journey through time. There will certainly come a day when this journey will be concluded, as the events surrounding the end of time itself come to pass.

Along the way, however, we often grow impatient. As a result, we are often inclined to ask, “Are we there yet?” And if the answer is “Not yet!” (as it has obviously always has been), then, almost immediately, we are inclined to ask: “Then how much further?”

Now, our Heavenly Father could easily give us the exact answer to these questions. It is solely His prerogative either to do so or not to do so. And He chooses not to do so. Why is this? Ultimately, of course, the reasons for this are known only to Him.

Perhaps, however, His reason is so that we will be made to continue to walk by faith, as He desires, and not by sight, as we might prefer.

Instead, He gives us a map that helps us to get a sense of where we are along this journey. This map is His Word (or the Bible); and it gives us markers along the way for which we must be on the lookout. When we see these, we know that we are getting close. As Jesus says (in the New Testament Gospel of Luke, chapter 21, verse 28): “When these things begin to happen, stand up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near."

As a believer, I know what it is like to cry out in my heart and say, “Are we there yet?!” “If not, then how much further?!” I see the wickedness in this world and I long for the culmination of human history and the fulfillment of God’s promise of redemption.

And yet, it is this very wickedness, recurring as it now does in so many places and at such a frequent rate, which assures me that we are indeed getting close. For this reason, these days, I find myself less looking down in despair and more looking up in joyful anticipation, knowing that our redemption surely is drawing near!

“Even so, come quickly, Lord Jesus!”

SOURCES:

AUTHOR: Dr. Timothy Paul Jones resides in Louisville, Kentucky, where he serves as a Professor and Associate Vice President at one of the largest seminaries in the world, The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. According to his official bio, “Here, I invest my time in mentoring a rising generation of God-called ministers of the gospel.” He also serves as a pastor at the Midtown congregation of Sojourn Community Church. He has written extensively in the fields of Christian Apologetics and Family Ministry.

WEBSITE: Dr. Jones own personal web site can be found here: http://www.timothypauljones.com/.

SEE ALSO: http://www.sbts.edu/academics/faculty/timothy-paul-jones/.

STORY: Dr. Timothy Paul Jones, Four Views of the End Times (Peabody, MA: Rose Publishing, 2010). Dr. Jones has produced a six volume DVD set on this topic. The complete kit includes the DVD teaching sessions, as well as leader’s and participant’s guides. As is the case with so much of Dr. Jones’ material, a parallel printed work has also been written.

Cf.: https://www.hendricksonrose.com/four-views-of-the-end-times/978159636
4240/pd/364240?event=ESRCG#CBD-PD-Description.

NOTE: Dr. Jones has two other significant works: "How We Got The Bible" and "Christian History Made Easy" - both available through Rose Publishing in DVD and companion book formats. I highly recommend each of these two items.

SCRIPTURE REFERENCE: http://biblehub.com/luke/21-28.htm and http://biblehub.com/revelation/22-20.htm.

BIBLICAL (IL)LITERACY

3/1/2018

Long-time Texas Pastor, Dr. Paul W. Powell, was fond of telling the following story:

A certain pastor was concerned that the children in his Sunday School were not receiving the Bible knowledge they needed. So, while walking down the halls of the church, he met little Johnny and asked him, “Johnny, who knocked down the walls of Jericho?”

Little Johnny shot back, “Preacher, I don’t know. But I sure didn’t do it.” The pastor thought, “This is terrible. Johnny’s been in Sunday school for years and he still doesn’t know who knocked down the walls of Jericho. I need to talk to his Sunday school teacher.”

So the pastor approached Mrs. Brown and said to her, “Mrs. Brown, I stopped Johnny in the hall and asked him who knocked down the walls of Jericho. He told me he didn’t know, but he sure didn’t do it.” Mrs. Brown replied, “Pastor, Johnny is one of my best pupils. He is always present. And, he comes from one of the best families in our church. If Johnny says he didn’t do it, I believe him.”

The pastor then thought, “This is really terrible. Not only does Johnny not know who knocked down the walls of Jericho, neither does his teacher. I need to talk to the deacons about this.” So, the pastor contacted the chairman of the deacons and told him the whole story.

He told how he had stopped Johnny in the hall and asked him who knocked down the walls of Jericho and Johnny had responded he didn’t know but he sure didn’t do it. Then he explained how he confronted Mrs. Brown and she apparently didn’t know who knocked down the walls of Jericho because she said she believed Johnny.

The pastor then said to the chairman of the deacons, “Brother Smith, this is terrible. Nobody seems to know who knocked down the walls of Jericho.” Deacon Smith responded, “Pastor, I think you’re making a mountain out of a molehill. Why don’t you just tell us what these walls cost, we’ll pay for them, and forget about it.”

Of course, the above story is only humorous if one actually knows the stories of the Bible. Otherwise, one cannot appreciate just how woefully ignorant of the Bible’s content the various members within this story are!

And yet, if one does know his or her Bible, the humor of the story is quickly negated by how closely it now hits home. Sadly, study after study now indicates just how increasingly ignorant the average American is of the Bible and its content.

Dr. Albert Mohler, President of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky, recently commented on the sad state of Biblical literacy (or illiteracy) in America today. In a 2016 blog post titled “The Scandal of Biblical Illiteracy: It's Our Problem”, he observed the following:

While America's evangelical Christians are rightly concerned about the secular worldview's rejection of biblical Christianity, we ought to give some urgent attention to a problem much closer to home--biblical illiteracy in the church. This scandalous problem is our own, and it's up to us to fix it.

Researchers George Gallup and Jim Castelli put the problem squarely: "Americans revere the Bible--but, by and large, they don't read it. And because they don't read it, they have become a nation of biblical illiterates." How bad is it? Researchers tell us that it's worse than most could imagine.

Fewer than half of all adults can name the four gospels. Many Christians cannot identify more than two or three of the disciples. According to data from the Barna Research Group, 60 percent of Americans can't name even five of the Ten Commandments. "No wonder people break the Ten Commandments all the time. They don't know what they are," said George Barna, president of the firm. The bottom line? "Increasingly, America is biblically illiterate." [see Barna Group’s web site].

Multiple surveys reveal the problem in stark terms. According to 82 percent of Americans, "God helps those who help themselves," is a Bible verse. Those identified as born-again Christians did better--by one percent. A majority of adults think the Bible teaches that the most important purpose in life is taking care of one's family.

Some of the statistics are enough to perplex even those aware of the problem. A Barna poll indicated that at least 12 percent of adults believe that Joan of Arc was Noah's wife. Another survey of graduating high school seniors revealed that over 50 percent thought that Sodom and Gomorrah were husband and wife. A considerable number of respondents to one poll indicated that the Sermon on the Mount was preached by Billy Graham. We are in big trouble.

In his first New Testament Letter (chapter 3, verse 15), the Apostle Peter tells us as believers that we are to: “Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have.”

To do this, it is imperative that we have a basic knowledge of the Bible and its contents. Otherwise, how can we ever hope either to articulate or to defend our basic Christian convictions?

For these very reasons, the Apostle Paul, in his Second New Testament Letter to his young protégé Timothy (chapter 2, verse 15, KJV), gave him the following admonition: “Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.”

The Bible is essential to the Christian faith. Therefore, it behooves all who follow Jesus Christ to read and reflect upon its message regularly. Otherwise, when the world presses us as to the substance and basis of our faith, which it surely will, we may well find ourselves without a foundation upon which to stand.

JOKE SOURCE: Paul W. Powell, A Funny Thing Happened On the Way to Retirement: 45 Years of My Best Jokes (Dallas: Texas Baptist Leadership Center, 2000), pp. 71-71.
Available Online at: https://www.baylor.edu/content/services/document.php?id=146507.
MOHLER ARTICLE: https://albertmohler.com/2016/01/20/the-scandal-of-biblical-illiteracy-its-our-problem-4/.
SCRIPTURE SOURCES: http://biblehub.com/1_peter/3-15.htm and http://biblehub.com/2_timothy/2-15.htm.