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THE MASTER AWAITS US

4/26/2012

The story is told of a sick who man turned to his doctor, as he was leaving the room after paying a visit, and said, "Doctor, I am afraid to die.  Tell me what lies on the other side."

Very quietly the doctor said, "I don't know." The man repiled, "You don't know? You, a Christian man, do not know what is on the other side?"

The doctor was holding the handle of the door; on the other side of which came a sound of scratching and whining, and as he opened the door a dog sprang into the room and leaped on him with an eager show of gladness.

Turning to the patient, the doctor said, "Did you notice my dog? He's never been in this room before.  He didn't know what was inside.  He knew nothing except that his master was here, and when the door opened he sprang in without fear.

I know little of what is on the other side of death, but I do know one thing: I know my Master is there, and that is enough. And when the door opens, I shall pass through with no fear, but with gladness."

The Bible tells us about a wonderful place called Heaven. We are given lots of little glimpses of this wondeful place. But alas, in I Corinthinas  2:9, the Bible also ultimately affirms that: "No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him."

I don't know everything that lies beyond death's door; but I know Heaven will be a wonderful place. And not so much because it has streets of gold and gates of pearl; but because the Master is there and waiting for those who love Him.

SHOES IN CHURCH

4/24/2012

I got quite a bit of positive feedback from my previous post. So I thought I would add one more short poem that speaks volumes to Christians. It is titled "Shoes in Church". I hope it speaks to you as much as it does to me.

SHOES IN CHURCH

I showered and shaved,
I adjusted my tie.
I got there and sat
In a pew just in time.

Bowing my head in prayer
As I closed my eyes.
I saw the shoe of the man next to me
Touching my own, and I sighed.

With plenty of room on either side
I thought, 'Why must our soles touch?'
It bothered me, his shoe touching mine,
But it didn't bother him much.

A prayer began: 'Our Father',
I thought, 'This man with the shoes, has no pride.
They're dusty, worn, and scratched.
Even worse, there are holes on the side!'

'Thank You for blessings,' the prayer went on.
The shoe man said a quiet 'Amen.'
I tried to focus on the prayer,
But my thoughts were on his shoes again.

Aren't we supposed to look our best
When walking through that door?
'Well, this certainly isn't it,' I thought,
Glancing toward the floor.

Then the prayer was ended,
And the songs of praise began.
The shoe man was certainly loud,
Sounding proud as he sang.

His voice lifted the rafters,
His hands were raised high.
The Lord could surely hear
The shoe man's voice, from the sky.

It was time for the offering,
And what I threw in was steep.
I watched as the shoe man reached
Into his pockets so deep.

I saw what was pulled out,
What the shoe man put in.
Then I heard a soft 'clink'
As when silver hits tin.

The sermon really bored me
To tears, and that's no lie.
It was the same for the shoe man,
For tears fell from his eyes.

At the end of the service,
As is the custom here,
We must greet new visitors,
And show them all good cheer.

But I felt moved somehow,
And wanted to meet the shoe man.
So after the closing prayer,
I reached over and shook his hand.

He was old and his skin was dark,
And his hair was truly a mess.
But I thanked him for coming,
For being our guest.

He said, 'My names' Charlie.
I'm glad to meet you, my friend.'
There were tears in his eyes.
But he had a large, wide grin.

'Let me explain,' he said,
Wiping tears from his eyes.
'I've been coming here for months
And you're the first to say 'Hi.''

'I know that my appearance
Is not like all the rest.
But I really do try
To always look my best.'

'I always clean and polish my shoes
Before my very long walk.
But by the time I get here,
They're dirty and dusty, like chalk.'

My heart filled with pain.
And I swallowed to hide my tears.
As he continued to apologize,
For daring to sit so near.

He said, 'When I get here,
I know I must look a sight.
But I thought if I could touch you,
Then maybe our souls might unite.'

I was silent for a moment,
Knowing whatever was said
Would pale in comparison.
I spoke from my heart, not my head.

'Oh, you've touched me,' I said,
'And taught me, in part,
That the best of any man
Is what is found in his heart.'

The rest, I thought,
This shoe man will never know.
Like just how thankful I really am
That his dirty old shoe touched my soul.

HEAVEN’S GROCERY STORE

4/22/2012

As I was walking down life's highway
Many years ago,
I came upon a sign that read
Heaven’s Grocery Store.

When I got a little closer
The doors swung open wide,
And when I came to myself
I was standing inside.

I saw a host of Angels.
They were standing everywhere,
One handed me a basket
And said 'My Child, shop with care.'

Everything a human needed
Was in that grocery store,
And what you could not carry
You could come back for more.

First I got some patience.
Love was in that same row.
Further down was understanding,
You need that everywhere you go.

I got a box or two of wisdom
And faith a bag or two.
And charity of course
I would need some of that too.

And then some strength
And courage to help me run this race.
My basket was getting full
But I remembered I needed grace.

And then I chose salvation,
For salvation was for free.
I tried to get enough of that
To do for you and me.

Then I started to the counter
To pay my grocery bill,
For I thought I had everything
To do the Master’s will.

As I went up the aisle
I saw prayer and put that in,
For I knew when I stepped outside
I would run into sin.

Peace and joy were plentiful,
The last things on the shelf.
Song and praise were hanging near,
So I just helped myself.

Then I said to the angel,
'Now how much do I owe?'
He smiled and said,
'Just take them everywhere you go.'

Again I asked 'Really now,
How much do I owe?'
'My child' he said, 'God paid your bill
A long, long time ago.'

THE COURAGE TO SPEAK THE TRUTH

4/16/2012

In his work, The Life of Andrew Jackson, Marquis James tells us of a Sunday morning in 1818 when Andrew Jackson, not yet President, but a General at that point in time, traveled from his home, the Hermitage, into downtown Nashville, Tennessee, to attend a Church conference. The famous circuit riding Methodist preacher, Peter Cartwright, was to speak that day.

The Pastor of the Church had invited Cartwright with some misgivings, because the evangelist was known to be a little unpredictable. However, interest had been high, and it seemed as if everyone in Nashville had come to church that Sunday to see the eccentric Cartwright. His text was Matthew 16:26: “What shall it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses his own soul?”

Cartwright had just read his text, and had paused for effect to let the words sink in, when General Andrew Jackson himself entered the church and slowly walked down the aisle. Every seat was taken; and he stood for a moment leaning against a pillar. Cartwright suddenly felt a tug at the tail of his coat. “General Jackson has come in,” the Nashville pastor whispered excitedly, “General Jackson has come in!”

The whisper was audible to most of the church. Cartwright’s jaw tightened, and he gave the pastor a look of scorn. “Who is General Jackson?” Cartwright suddenly thundered. “If he does not repent and have his soul converted, God will damn his soul to hell as quickly as any other unconverted pagan.”

After the sermon, because Jackson was known for his fiery temper and his deadly duels, Cartwright was advised by several people to leave town immediately. Cartwright shrugged them off and remained. Far from being angry, however, Jackson waited patiently outside to meet Cartwright. When they finally did meet, Jackson is reported to have said, "Sir, if I had a regiment of men like you, I could whip the world!"

He then invited the evangelist to dinner; and thereafter asked him to stay and continue preaching at a church near to the Hermitage so he could hear more.

Because of these events and what followed, we have hope that Andrew Jackson did indeed repent of his sins, and receive Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior. But if Peter Cartwright had not had the courage to take a stand and speak what he knew was the truth, then General Jackson certainly would not have had that opportunity, at least not on that particular day and at that particularly opportune time.

Sometimes, we must be willing to speak the truth - sweetented perhaps with a bit of love, but nonetheless the plain truth.

IN THE EYES OF GOD

4/12/2012

The story is told about a certain well-known speaker who started off his seminar by holding up a $20.00 bill. In a room of 200 people, he asked, "Who would like this $20 bill?" As anticipated, hands started going up all over the room. He said, "I am going to give this $20 to one of you but first, let me do this." He proceeded to crumple up the $20 dollar bill.

He then asked, "Who still wants it...?" Still the hands went up in the air. "Well," he replied, "What if I do this?" And he dropped it on the ground and started to grind it into the floor with his shoe. He picked it up, now crumpled and dirty.

"Now, who still wants it?" Still the hands went into the air. "My friends, we have all learned a very valuable lesson. No matter what I did to the money, you still wanted it because it did not decrease in value. It was still worth $20.

Many times in our lives, we are dropped, crumpled, and ground into the dirt by the decisions we make and the circumstances that come our way. We feel as though we are worthless. But no matter what has happened or what will happen, you will never lose your value. Dirty or clean, crumpled or finely creased, you are still priceless to God.

The worth of our lives comes not in what we do or who we know, but by WHOSE WE ARE. You are Special to God! So much so that He gave His Son Jesus Christ to die on a cross in order that you might be saved - don't EVER forget that."

How right he was! For God tells us in the Bible just how much He loves us. John 3:16 says: For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. And that proves just how much God loves us!

ALIVE AND WELL

4/10/2012

Last Friday was a tough day. We had known it was coming for some time. We had been told to expect it. Our server at the church was on its last leg. It had to mercifully be put down! At the same time, my old Dell Inspiron Laptop was on life support and the decision was made to end its suffering at the same time!

So, I suddenly found myself without a computer. But not only with no computer, but also with no access to the internet, and no e-mail either. It was a dark day indeed! I must admit that I was a pitiful thing all weekend long. I even found myself feeling somewhat awkward as I preached on Sunday morning, with limited power points and no visuals to use for my illustrations.

Of course, it is no small coincidence that this all happened on Good Friday. It also no small coincidence that three days later my world was turned upside down! I suddenly find myself up and running again. We have a brand new Exchange Server at the church office. This means I now have the Internet back! Only twice as fast! And I have access to my e-mail! And I can blog again! Yes!

These things that are so essential to my life and that had been taken from me have now been given back. And that’s not all! I now have a brand new computer: a powerful new Dell Vostro that has a 750GB hard drive that is literally lightning fast, processing a second generation Intel Core i5-2450M at 2.50GHz with 6GB of memory! What does that mean? Just that it virtually runs circles around my old machine! Ah, Life is good!

And when did all this come to me? Three days later! Headed into Good Friday I was all but bummed out. But immediately after Easter Sunday, I am on top of the world! Maybe God had me go through this when I did as a subtle reminder of what makes Easter so special! The disciples were all bummed out on Good Friday. They lost all that was dear to them. It was hard for them to carry on.

But, oh what a difference Easter Sunday made! Everything they treasured was suddenly restored to them. And they suddenly found themselves imbued with more power than they had ever dreamed. They could now run circles around what they could do before! Why? Because their Lord proved His power when He rose from the dead. And in so doing, He changed their lives forever.

And their Lord is our Lord! And what He did for them, He has also done for us! Praise God for the difference three short days has made! Praise God for new life and new power! Praise God for Easter!

GOING IN AND COMING OUT

4/5/2012

Joel Pankow, Pastor of Beautiful Savior Lutheran Church in Topeka, Kansas has a wonderful communication style. He speaks about the gospel in ways that common people, just like me, can easily understand. I love the following story he tells in reference to what Christ has done at Easter.

I have heard that possums are smart animals. You wouldn’t think so because you hardly ever see one except when it’s dead on the road. There’s a joke that goes, “Why did the chicken cross the road? To prove to the possum that it could be done!”

But possums, it turns out, are smart. They won’t enter a hole if there’s just one set of tracks going into it. They know there’s something in there. But if there are two sets of tracks. The possum will enter and not be afraid.

The message of Easter is that we can enter the grave - we don’t have to fear death because there are tracks leading out of the tomb! Paul preached the proclamation of Easter: "Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?" This is the message that we need to hear this Easter: Jesus is risen!

Amen, brother! Well said! Tomorrow is Good Friday: the day we commemorate the death of Jesus on the cross. Ours would be a sad lot indeed if all we knew was the death of Jesus. Our faith would be no more hopreful than that of any other people who have followed a religious leader only to see him succomb to the power of death.

But, alas, there is more! We look forward to the celebration of Easter this coming Sunday morning, as we know that our Savior not only went down into the tomb, but He also came right back out! And because of this, we do not fear the grave!

Perhaps Bill Gaither said it best:

Because He lives, I can face tomorrow.
Because He lives, All fear is gone!
Because I know He holds the future
And life is worth the living just because He lives!

IF I WERE THE DEVIL

4/1/2012

When I was a younger man, one of the highlights of my day was listening to legendary broadcaster Paul Harvey (1918-2009) each day at lunch. He would report the latest national and international news and often add running commentary.

He was extremely popular, known best for his broadcast titled News and Comment, that aired in an abbreviated version on weekday mornings and in full at mid-days, and again at noon on Saturdays. He also had a popular program called The Rest of the Story. The latter programs, consisting of short, often surprising segments of historical trivia, were later collected and sold in two very popular books.

At his peak, he was heard on 1,200 radio stations and 400 Armed Forces Network stations, and also carried in 300 newspapers. In fact, we are told that his broadcasts and newspaper columns have been reprinted in the Congressional Record more than those of any other commentator. An estimated 24 million people a week tuned in for his broadcasts.

Only a few of his thousands of recordings are available online today. I hope the time will come when they will all be posted. In the meantime, at least Paul Harvey's books are still available. A quick online search will reveal where these can be acquired.

Today, I thought I would post one of his more notable broadcasts. This particular speech, found at Fox News' "Fox Nation" web site, was purportedly first broadcast on ABC Radio by Paul Harvey back on April 3, 1965:

If I were the Devil . . . I mean, if I were the Prince of Darkness, I would of course, want to engulf the whole earth in darkness. I would have a third of its real estate and four-fifths of its population, but I would not be happy until I had seized the ripest apple on the tree, so I should set about however necessary to take over the United States.

I would begin with a campaign of whispers. With the wisdom of a serpent, I would whisper to you as I whispered to Eve: “Do as you please.” “Do as you please.”   To the young, I would whisper, “The Bible is a myth.” I would convince them that man created God instead of the other way around. I would confide that what is bad is good, and what is good is “square”. In the ears of the young marrieds, I would whisper that work is debasing, that cocktail parties are good for you. I would caution them not to be extreme in religion, in patriotism, in moral conduct. And the old, I would teach to pray. I would teach them to say after me: “Our Father, which art in Washington” . . .

If I were the devil, I’d educate authors in how to make lurid literature exciting so that anything else would appear dull and uninteresting. I’d threaten T.V. with dirtier movies and vice versa. And then, if I were the devil, I’d get organized. I’d infiltrate unions and urge more loafing and less work, because idle hands usually work for me. I’d peddle narcotics to whom I could. I’d sell alcohol to ladies and gentlemen of distinction. And I’d tranquilize the rest with pills. If I were the devil, I would encourage schools to refine young intellects but neglect to discipline emotions . . . let those run wild.

I would designate an atheist to front for me before the highest courts in the land and I would get preachers to say “she’s right.” With flattery and promises of power, I could get the courts to rule what I construe as against God and in favor of pornography, and thus, I would evict God from the courthouse, and then from the school house, and then from the houses of Congress and then, in His own churches I would substitute psychology for religion, and I would deify science because that way men would become smart enough to create super weapons but not wise enough to control them.

If I were Satan, I’d make the symbol of Easter an egg, and the symbol of Christmas, a bottle. If I were the devil, I would take from those who have and I would give to those who wanted, until I had killed the incentive of the ambitious. And then, my police state would force everybody back to work. Then, I could separate families, putting children in uniform, women in coal mines, and objectors in slave camps. In other words, if I were Satan, I’d just keep on doing what he’s doing.

Paul Harvey, Good Day.

How prophetic! How true! How sad!

Source: The immediate source for this piece is an article posted at Fox News' "Fox Nation" web site. It can be found here: http://nation.foxnews.com/paul-harvey/2012/03/21/1965-if-i-w
ere-devil-warning-nation-paul-harvey. Having followed this link, one might soon note that the printed version and the audio version available on this particular web site differ slightly.

Thus, it is apparent that there is discrepancy over which of the many versions is correct. Or, if they are differing versions of the same piece, which one came first?   An article on this matter at www.snopes.com shows that there were in fact different versions. It then tracks them from the original 1964 print version to the popular email version circulating today, noting the many ongoing changes along the way. This article is online at http://snopes.com/politics/soapbox/devil.asp.

Note: A 1990's version is also available on YouTube. This one also contains Paul Harvey's actual voice recording. It can be found at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H3Az0okaHig. This one also matches Harvey's 1996 newspaper version word for word:

If I were the prince of darkness, I would want to engulf the whole world in darkness.

I'd have a third of its real estate and four-fifths of its population, but I would not be happy until I had seized the ripest apple on the tree — thee.

So, I would set about however necessary to take over the United States.

I'd subvert the churches first, and I would begin with a campaign of whispers.

With the wisdom of a serpent, I would whisper to you as I whispered to Eve: "Do as you please."

To the young, I would whisper that the Bible is a myth. I would convince the children that man created God instead of the other way around. I'd confide that what's bad is good and what's good is square.

And the old, I would teach to pray after me, "Our Father, which are in Washington ..."

Then, I'd get organized, I'd educate authors in how to make lurid literature exciting so that anything else would appear dull and uninteresting.

I'd peddle narcotics to whom I could. I'd sell alcohol to ladies and gentlemen of
distinction. I'd tranquilize the rest with pills.

If I were the devil, I'd soon have families at war with themselves, churches at war with themselves and nations at war with themselves until each, in its turn, was consumed.

And with promises of higher ratings, I'd have mesmerizing media fanning the flames.

If I were the devil, I would encourage schools to refine young intellect but neglect to discipline emotions. I'd tell teachers to let those students run wild. And before you knew it, you'd have drug-sniffing dogs and metal detectors at every schoolhouse door.

Within a decade, I'd have prisons overflowing and judges promoting pornography. Soon, I would evict God from the courthouse and the schoolhouse and them from the houses of Congress.

In his own churches, I would substitute psychology for religion and deify science. I'd lure priests and pastors into misusing boys and girls and church money.

If I were the devil, I'd take from those who have and give to those who wanted until I had killed the incentive of the ambitious.

What'll you bet I couldn't get whole states to promote gambling as the way to get rich?

I'd convince the young that marriage is old-fashioned, that swinging is more fun and that what you see on television is the way to be.

And thus, I could undress you in public and lure you into bed with diseases for which there are no cures.

In other words, if I were the devil, I'd just keep right on doing what he's doing.

And even this 1990's version differs slightly from the original 1964 newspaper article as written by Harvey. That 1964 version reads as follows:

If I were the Prince of Darkness I would want to engulf the whole earth in darkness.

I'd have a third of its real estate and four-fifths of its population, but I would not be happy until I had seized the ripest apple on the tree.

So I should set about however necessary, to take over the United States.

I would begin with a campaign of whispers.

With the wisdom of a serpent, I would whispers to you as I whispered to Eve, "Do as you please."

To the young I would whisper "The Bible is a myth." I would convince them that "man created God," instead of the other way around. I would confide that "what is bad is good and what is good is square."

In the ears of the young married I would whisper that work is debasing, that cocktail parties are good for you. I would caution them not to be "extreme" in religion, in patriotism, in moral conduct.

And the old I would teach to pray — to say after me — "Our father which are in Washington."

Then I'd get organized.

I'd educate authors in how to make lurid literature exciting so that anything else would appear dull, uninteresting.

I'd threaten TV with dirtier movies, and vice-versa.

I'd infiltrate unions and urge more loafing, less work. Idle hands usually work for me.

I'd peddle narcotics to whom I could, I'd sell alcohol to ladies and gentlemen of distinction, I'd tranquilize the rest with pills.

If I were the Devil, I would encourage schools to refine young intellects, but neglect to discipline emotions; let those run wild.

I'd designate an atheist to front for me before the highest courts and I'd get preachers to say, "She's right."

With flattery and promises of power I would get the courts to vote against God and in favor of pornography.

Thus I would evict God from the courthouse, then from the schoolhouse, then from the Houses of Congress.

Then in his own churches I'd substitute psychology for religion and deify science.

If I were Satan I'd make the symbol of Easter an egg.  And the symbol of Christmas a bottle.

If I were the Devil I'd take from those who have and give to those who wanted until I had killed the incentive of the ambitious.  Then my police state would force everybody back to work.

Then I would separate families, putting children in uniform, women in coal mines and objectors in slave-labor camps.

If I were Satan I'd just keep doing what I'm doing and the whole world go to hell as sure as the Devil.

Now, at this point, two things are obvious. First, I have most probably given you far more information than most of you care to have. But I do try to be thorough in sourcing material.

Second, Paul Harvey obviously is the author of this piece. It seems that he first wrote it back in 1964; and that he then tweaked it, perhaps more than once, over the next three or four decades of his life, each time in response to the changing times and issues faced by our nation.

And that was certainly his prerogative. After all, he was the author and he controlled the rights.

Lastly, a few episodes of Paul Harvey's "The Rest of the Story" can be found online at: http://matineeclassics.com/radio/1976/
paul_harvey_the_rest_of_the_story/. Enjoy!