Blog Archives

IMPORTANT DISCLOSURE!

5/29/2020

As is likely the case for many of you, now that things are beginning to open back up, we Jacksons are boldly venturing out into society once again. The week has been consumed with tune-up, oil changes, and tire rotations for our vehicles, and with haircuts, doctor’s appointments, and the like for us.

On the list for the coming week are our periodic dental cleanings. I do not dread such experiences near as much now as I did when I was a child. All throughout my adult years, as a preacher, I have always tried to take care of my mouth. This has involved regular brushing, flossing, and gargling with mouth-wash. So, other than a little scraping for minute deposits of virtually unavoidable plaque, I generally come away from the dentist these days unscathed.

Of course, such never seemed to be the case when I was a child. In those days, I invariably faced an onslaught of cavities; and I still have the fillings in my teeth to prove how vigorously my dentist worked to win that battle!

All of this has reminded me of a conversation I had with my local dentist on my last trip to see him back before things shut down. I inquired about the process we used to undergo as children when we were given nasty tasting red tablets to chew on during our dental visits. He laughed and told me that these were called “dental disclosing tablets”. He then showed me a sample of them in a small package labeled “GUM Red Cote”.

It seems that they are still in use today. They remain a very effective means of doing just what their name purports. Whenever patients chew them, they discolor and highlight cavities in the teeth, thereby “disclosing” any place where attention is needed.

Thankfully, I did not have to chew any that day. But even without having to endure their terrible flavor all over again, I can still recall their awful taste so many decades ago.

Here’s a thought. What is true of overcoming cavities is also true in other areas. Sometimes in life, we may have to go through distasteful experiences. We may even have to swallow a thing or two that we would have not preferred to face. But such things can actually be quite beneficial for us, especially if they help to disclose our weaknesses and/or shortcomings.

The Bible gives us several examples of this. One such instance occurred in the life of the Apostle Peter. All four New Testament Gospels relate the story of Peter’s threefold denial of Christ: Matthew 26:69–74, Mark 14:66–72, Luke 22:55–62, and John 18:15–18, 25–27. As you may recall, earlier that evening, Jesus had predicted that Peter would deny Him three times before the rooster ever crowed the next morning.

In response to that prediction, Peter had asserted that even if others denied Jesus, he himself never would (Matthew 26:33). He had then added that he was personally prepared to follow Jesus to prison, and, if need be, even to death (Luke 22:33). Yet, when the time came, he did exactly as Jesus had predicted, denying Him three times in rapid succession.

One can only imagine how bitter each of those three experiences was to Peter. The process was no doubt distasteful, even repugnant. And yet God knew it was exactly what Peter needed to experience in order to force him to come to grips with his true level of commitment (or lack thereof) to Jesus Christ as his personal Lord and Savior.

Ironically, however, in the long run, Peter very likely cherished that difficult night. Why? Because he knew that it changed him forever. It forced this man whom Jesus had called be a fisher of men to “fish or cut bait”, as it were! It drove him to embrace Jesus Christ fully as his Savior and to commit fully to serving Him as his Lord!

Is anything in life presently leaving a bad taste in your life? Are you currently chewing on something that you are finding a bit hard to swallow? Could it possibly be that God is allowing you to undergo this precisely because He desires to disclose something in your life that desperately needs attention?

If so, then why not take a long hard look at what is coming to light?! Embrace this important disclosure, and take whatever steps that are necessary to address any flaws you uncover. In the long run, just like Peter, you’ll be glad you did! For the result will produce much more than a pretty smile. It will bring about joy in your heart as well!

SCRIPTURE SOURCES: All above referenced scriptures verses can be found at: www.biblehub.com.

ONCE BITTEN…

5/26/2020

Jesus Christ was a consummate communicator Who chose to illustrate profound truths through simple illustrations. He used word pictures involving everyday activities such as sewing and reaping, investing, aiding others, and celebrating life events such as weddings.

Among the most memorable of His stories are those involving the joy one experiences at finding things that had been lost, such as lost sheep, lost coins, and lost sons. These latter stories, especially, were powerful illustrations about God’s great love for us as His children.

Jesus also referenced items in the news, such as when a tower crashed and people were tragically killed. No doubt He did so because He knew that such items in the news gave Him an opportunity to address even weightier matters having to do with the eternal destiny of His hearers.

Those who communicate the message of Jesus Christ today would do well to follow the pattern He laid down so long ago. For even now, some two thousand years later, whether that communication be through preaching, teaching, writing, or any other form, effective illustrations remain powerful tools for relating the truth of God’s Word.

For this reason, like so many other Christian communicators, I learned long ago the effectiveness of good illustrations. I also learned to be on the look for them at every juncture in life. And sure enough, once I did, I began to see them most everywhere.

I thought I would cite one such example form the news this morning. It comes from a short piece headlined as “Brothers Allowed Black Widow To Sting Them Believing They'd Turn Into Spider-Man: Report”. According to the article,

Three young Bolivian boys, aged 12, 10 and 8, were hospitalized on May 14 when they were each stung by a black widow spider while tending goats in their small Bolivian village of Chayanta, a town in the Andean region of Potosi.

Virgilio Pietro, epidemiology chief at the Bolivian Ministry of Health told Telemundo that it appears that the boys had poked the spider with a stick in the mistaken belief that a bite from the creature would give them powers like their comic book superhero Spider-Man.

Predictably, the first symptoms appeared within a few minutes. Their mother rushed them to a local health center. From there, they were transferred to a hospital in the town of Llallagua. And when the boys still failed to improve overnight, they were taken to the Children's Hospital in La Paz.

They arrived with severe muscular pain, sweating, fever and general tremors. Only after the administration of the proper serum against bites did they begin to improve. They were eventually discharged on May 20.

As i reflect on this news story, let me begin by saying that I am glad that the boys found medical treatment in time, and that they are better now. While the article correctly observes that black widow spiders are not usually aggressive, their bites can still be quite fatal to human beings. Therefore, it goes without saying that this story could have turned out quite differently.

But the preacher in me sees an illustration here of a far deeper sickness and a far more fatal outcome. In Chapter three of the Old Testament Book of Genesis, we read about Adam and Eve’s encounter with the serpent.

While the serpent was not necessarily aggressive toward them, he was nonetheless cunning in his approach. He fooled them into believing that just one bite from forbidden fruit would give them super-human powers. He told them they would even become as gods. Sadly, they fell for his ruse; and the outcome involved tragic consequences.

Far from enhancing their abilities and making them more powerful, the ingestion of the dangerous substance merely infected their souls with a spiritual poison called sin that would ultimately sicken them to the point of death.

But thankfully, the story does not end there. As we continue to read, we soon discover that Adam and Eve had a Heavenly Father Who loved them and came to their rescue. While there were to be many painful days ahead as a result of their disastrous bite, a divine serum would eventually be administered, resulting in full spiritual health and vitality.

That serum, of course, was the blood of Jesus Christ, God’s One and only son, applied when He gave his life to satisfy the wrath of God against the sin of mankind. And once bitten by sin, this is our only hope of salvation!

I, too, once suffered the consequences of the deadly bite of iniquity. But now, by God’s grace, I have been washed in the blood and had my soul cleansed of the power of sin. And I will forever be grateful to my Heavenly Father for not having given up on me, but staying with me until I was healed and made whole again.

I trust you share such a testimony. If not, you can. As the Apostle Paul reminds us in his New Testament Letter to the Romans (chapter 6, verse 23 NET Bible), “the payoff of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Thus, the Apostle John goes on to tell us (in his First New Testament Letter, chapter 1, verse 9) that: “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.”

I’m quite sure that one bite was enough for three little Brazilian boys. I doubt they will play around with poisonous spiders anymore. For them, “once bitten” was enough. For me, the same holds true with sin. I’ve known enough of the pain it causes; and I pray God now helps me keep a healthy distance from its deadly fangs!

NEWS ARTICLE SOURCE:

https://www.foxnews.com/world/bolivian-brothers-believing-they-would-become-spiderman-get-stung-by-dangerous-spider-report.

ORIGINAL SOURCE:

https://www.telemundoyakimatricities.com/hermanitos-se-dejan-picar-por-venenosa-arana-para-convertirse-en-spider-man/.

SCRIPTURE SOURCES:

https://biblehub.com/niv/genesis/3.htm;
https://biblehub.com/romans/6-23.htm;
and https://biblehub.com/1_john/1-9.htm.

MAKING AN IMPACT!

5/22/2020

The title of Daniel Canova’s article yesterday (May 21, 2020) on www.foxnews.com pretty much says it all: “European Golfer Joost Luiten ‘Almost Kills’ Girlfriend In Social-Distancing Trick Shot”.

The Dutch golfer shred on social media this week that he “almost killed” his girlfriend while practicing a “trick shot” with his caddy, who was throwing him his golf club from a few feet away due to coronavirus pandemic guidelines. Luiten, who is ranked the 98th golfer in the world, was attempting to go directly into a swing after he caught his club, but wasn’t initially having much success contacting the ball.

But, but after a few tries at it, he made solid contact and accidentally sent the ball in the direction of his girlfriend, Melanie-Jane Lancaster, who had been standing nearby shooting a video of Luiten’s activity.

The resultant video shows the golfer grabbing his face in shock as his girlfriend lets out a cry of pain. Fortunately, for all involved, Ms. Lancaster only suffered a bruise from the incident. The video was later posted to Instagram with this caption: “Pff playing golf with a caddy and keeping the 1.5m is hard. Almost killing my girlfriend in the process(sic) trying to master social distancing (she survived, just a bruise).”

Now, I’m not knocking Mr. Luiten. What unfolded was purely accidental and could have happened to anyone. But the truth is that just about everyone (including me) can relate to this situation. You see, we have all been in situations like the one in which he and his girlfriend suddenly found themselves.

By this I mean that, at some point or another, most of us have been engaged in some form of behavior that eventually hurt someone else, even when that was not at all our intention. Likewise, most of us have also been on the receiving end of someone else’s innocent, but nonetheless careless and/or reckless antics.

Many times in life this happens as a result of what we do (or do not do). But often, it happens merely as a result of what we say or do not say!

For this reason, it behooves us all to be sensitive to the impact that our words and deeds can have on others. As well as the lack of words and deeds.

This is especially important for those of us who profess to be followers of Jesus Christ. The Apostle Paul reminds us of several great truths in his Second New Testament Letter to the Corinthians (chapter 5, verse 20). Here, he states that “we are Christ’s ambassadors”, that “God is making his appeal through us”, and that “We speak for Christ…” Simply put, we represent another One from another world, even while we live in the midst of this one!

Little wonder then that Paul later gave the following admonition to the Colossians in his New Testament Letter to them (in chapter 3, verse 17): “And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus…”

Both the things we say and the things we do invariably have an impact on others. Let’s be careful then, and as much as is possible, do our best to make certain that our words and deeds serve only to affirm and benefit others. For this is as Christ would have it!

ARTICLE SOURCES:

https://www.foxnews.com/sports/european-golfer-almost-kills-girlfriend-social-distancing-trick-shot. The writer, Dan Canova, is a Sports Reporter for Fox News. He can be followed on Twitter @DanCanova.

The article provides an online link to the actual video, as captured by his girlfriend.

SCRIPTURE SOURCES:

https://biblehub.com/2_corinthians/5-20.htm; and
https://biblehub.com/colossians/3-17.htm.

WEIGHTY MATTERS!

5/18/2020

Every conqueror throughout history has had to learn the same basic hard lesson: it is far easier to invade a territory than to occupy it! Whether it was Alexander marching his Greeks across the length and breadth of the mighty Persian empire and into far flung India, or simply Saddam gobbling up little Kuwait, the initial land grab has always proven a bit hard to hold.

Similarly, it took my wife and me only a few short days to move into our new home. Now, however, the process of settling in and actually establishing a long-term presence is underway. Only time will tell how long and how difficult this current phase of the occupation takes.

Nonetheless, we press on. And as each new box is opened, and its contents disgorged and situated, we get closer and closer to our goal. Bedroom, bathroom, living room - one by one, each new territory has been subdued and then fallen submissively into place.

Today, it was the pantry's turn. My wife worked diligently to conquer and to organize it. When she was finally done, I could not help but view her work with admiration. There on the shelves in front of me sat boxes of trail mix, peanuts, cashews, popcorn, Cheez-Its, and yes, even glorious Cheetos!

There were even some containers with chocolate flavored candy and other assorted high-calorie snacks. For my part, as might be imagined, I was beside myself with joy. It was like finding myself suddenly being reunited with long lost loved ones!

But alas! My joy was to be short-lived. For right there, in full view down on the floor in front of this marvelous display of gastronomic delight lay our bathroom scales! That’s right! My loving wife had strategically placed them there as a convicting reminder that the two of us will soon wear in public whatever we consume in private!

Needless to say, my appetite quickly began to wane. In due time, it had abated completely. And to this very moment, try as I might, no matter how many times I pass by those shelves, I just cannot bring myself to put one single snack in my mouth! Why? Because my conscience simply won’t allow it.

As I have reflected on the matter, I have been reminded of a Bible verse many of us learned back in the day in Vacation Bible School. It was the Old Testament Psalmist who originally declared (in chapter 119, verse 11): “Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.”

That, of course, is the famed King James Version of this verse. The Good News Translation puts it this way: “I keep your law in my heart, so that I will not sin against you.” And the English Revised Version translates it as: “Thy word have I laid up in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.”

Just as my wife has now laid a set of scales in the heart of our pantry in order to check any unbridled self-indulgence that might undermine our physical health, so does the Psalmist affirm that he has laid up God’s word in his heart to insure that he does not violate those Godly principles that govern his own spiritual health!

For my heart, I will likely never again look at our set of bathroom scales the same way. And whenever I do look at them, I pray that I will be reminded of the crucial importance of keeping God’s Word in a central place in my life as well!

Perhaps you might also need to reposition a thing or two in your life. Say, for instance, a set of scales? Or better yet, how about the Word of God itself?! After all, in the long run, your health - your spiritual health - may very well depend upon it!

SOURCE: https://biblehub.com/psalms/119-11.htm.

CLEAR CONNECTION

5/15/2020

Ask anyone who has undergone the process of moving and they will likely tell you that there is a great deal more involved in transitioning from one place of residence to another than merely packing, transporting, and then unpacking one’s possessions. I can now attest to this truth.

After several weeks occupied with such issues, I finally found time to turn my attention the equally important matter of getting our utilities squared away here in our new home. Chief among these has been the setting up of the electricity, gas, water, trash, and similar such accounts. After addressing these basic necessities, I then called and got set up for internet, telephone, and television.

In our previous residence, we received all three of these services in a bundle together through a dependable cable provider. Unfortunately, as cable does not extend out to where we now live, this is not an option. Therefore, having done my due diligence, I finally settled upon a reputable satellite service for these provisions.

Things worked well for several days; and we were quite satisfied. But then, all of a sudden, we lost our signal. We abruptly found ourselves without internet, telephone, and/or television. Ouch! In the short term, we managed to survive by tapping into my cellphone’s built-in “mobile hot spot” app. But we needed more than this. So we called a repairman.

When the repairman showed up earlier today, we quickly discovered what the problem was. I learned about something called a “TRIA” unit. The acronym “TRIA” stands for “Transmit and Receive Integrated Assembly”. This unit sits directly opposite the dish on satellite receivers and manages the signals to and from the satellite above to the modem inside one’s home. It is often described as the brains of one’s satellite dish.

In layman’s terms, what a “TRIA” does is facilitate the communication back and forth between one’s computer and the communications satellite orbiting miles overhead in the heavens above. And ours was not working correctly!

Why? Because, for whatever reason, condensation had built up behind the lens in the “TRIA” and was now interfering with the two way signal between the satellite above and the modem within. The repairman replaced the faulty “TRIA” unit and “Voilà!”, everything immediately began to work correctly!

Now, I do not know exactly why the “TRIA” unit on our satellite dish was faulty. But for whatever reason, it was. Water, a foreign substance which did not belong there, had somehow found its way inside the unit; and when it did, it interfered with the signal so that the unit no longer worked in the way in which it was designed. As a result, the communication between the satellite above and our modem within our home was effectively blocked.

As I reflected on this matter, I was reminded of what happened in chapter 3 of the Old Testament Book of Genesis, when sin entered into the equation and disrupted the communication between Heaven and earth. As a result of Adam and Eve’s sin, our relationship with Heaven was permanently broken. And it took a uniquely qualified Repairman to fix the issue!

Enter Jesus Christ! God’s Son came into this world and gave His life in order to fix our problem! As a result of His reparative action, our relationship with Heaven above has been mended. And now, by God’s grace, communication with Heaven is once again possible, and beneficial!

In his First New Testament Letter (chapter 1, verse 9), the apostle John states: “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” Based on this truth from God’s Word, I challenge you to consider whether or not there is any obstruction between your heart and Heaven’s throne.

If there is, then by all means, call upon the Ultimate Repairman Himself, Jesus Christ; and allow Him to do what He alone can do –which is to clear away any and all impurities that inhibit your rapport with Heaven! Once you do, your relationship with Heaven will be forever restored!

SCRIPTURE SOURCE: https://biblehub.com/1_john/1-9.htm.

A RETURN TO NORMALCY

5/11/2020

Warren G. Harding ran for the office of President of the United States in the 1920 election with the slogan “A Return to Normalcy”. These were the days immediately following the First World War, wherein almost everyone’s life had been interrupted and forever altered. In such a time, his slogan must have resonated well with American voters; for he defeated his Democratic opponent, James M. Cox, by nearly a 2 to 1 margin.

Harding promised to return the United States to its pre-war character, before the concept of total war and all it entailed had consumed the minds of the American people. He summarized his approach this way:

America's present need is not heroics, but healing; not nostrums, but normalcy; not revolution, but restoration; not agitation, but adjustment; not surgery, but serenity; not the dramatic, but the dispassionate; not experiment, but equipoise; not submergence in internationality, but sustainment in triumphant nationality.

No doubt many today can relate to this sentiment! How many of us find ourselves longing for the “good ol’ days” before we ever heard of something called COVID-19?! It is with great anticipation, therefore, that so many await “the return to normalcy” as the pandemic subsides in the coming days. I, for one, am among them!

I retired from the pastorate on March 8th of this year. One week later, churches all over America stopped worshiping together “en masse”. It’s now been two months and many of them are still not yet gathering for worship. As a Pastor, I am not accustomed to not attending church. While I certainly understand the reasoning behind “flattening the curve”, I just miss assembling regularly with the people of God.

As if this sudden loss of interaction with our church family of nearly two decades was not bad enough, my wife and I also found ourselves being uprooted from the home in which he we had lived for the past nineteen years. The last two months have been consumed with the move (packing, transporting, and unpacking) from our previous home to our new one.

Thus, in a period of two short months, we have had to undergo very significant changes in three major contexts of life: professional, residential, and ecclesiastical. Needless to say, none of these have been easy. As a result, the two of us are in complete agreement that we are now ready for a “return to normalcy”!

In 586 B.C., the children of Judah were besieged and overrun by the Babylonians. Almost out of nowhere, the people of God were captured and marched off in chains to a foreign land hundreds of miles away. There, in Babylon, for the next seventy years, they were held in captivity.

During that time, they longed for what all they had once had, and also for the future in which they could have it once again. Eventually, in 516 B.C., God answered their prayers and allowed them to return home. But when they did, they found a land that was at once both the same and different. To be sure, it was still Judah, the very land they had been given by God. And yet, it was a very different Judah! For it had changed considerably over the intervening years. And while it would always be home for them, it would never be quite the same as it had been before.

Of course, the good news in all of this is that even though their circumstances had changed, their God had not! He was the One consistent force in their lives. He was the One who was the same, yesterday, today, and forever. And with His help and guidance, therefore, they could make a life again, no matter what their circumstances!

It is at this point that my wife and I can relate to God’s people of so long ago. We too have found ourselves in a position where our world has changed – both suddenly and rapidly. And in the process, we have longed for “a return to normalcy”.

Thankfully, after two months of furious activity, our world is finally starting to settle down. While to some degree, we are still living out of boxes, we are at least ensconced in our new residence. While we have new phone number, at least we have phone service. While our mail is in the process of being forwarded to a new address, at least we have mail service. While we have a new internet service provider, at least we have access to the web. And while we have all kinds of new channel numbers, at least we have cable TV! (After all, who could possibly live without access to The Andy Griffith Show?!)

Of course, having one’s life settle down involves so much more than merely the accoutrements of one’s residence. This is especially true for me in my profession as a Minister.

Therefore, now that I have “settled in” to my new home, I also plan to “settle in” to a new discipline. To begin with, I was forced to let my exercise cycle go during the process of our move. But this very day, I resumed exercising.

In a similar fashion, our recent move necessitated interruptions to my previously established regimen of blogging. However, as of tonight, I am now “back on track” there as well.

Just as our God has not changed, neither has my calling to serve Him! The only change here is in what capacity. As many of you know, I felt led to retire from the pastorate solely for the purpose of transitioning to a writing career. It is now my firm intention to follow through on that and begin writing in earnest. Over the coming weeks and months, I plan to continue to post regular blogs with what I hope are thoughtful and relevant ideas.

At the same time, I hope to begin writing books, and especially novels, which will be designed to have an impact for the Kingdom of God in this world. (I will be saying more about all of this in the coming days.)

In the meantime, as I continue boldly down this unknown trail into what will become my own personal and professional “new normal”, I covet your prayers. May God bless my efforts as I now pursue what all I believe He has called me to do!

STATUS CHECK...

5/4/2020

To All My Faithful Blog Post Readers...

Thank you for being patient with me during these last few days. Over the past week, my wife and I have been in the process of moving from one home to another. During this time of transition, I have found myself without two key ingredients essential for sharing my ongoing thoughts.

The first of these has been having basic access to the internet. I was without it for a few days. But, thanks to my new ISP, as this short update shows, I now have that issue resolved.

The second issue has been even more critical. It has to do with time. As anyone who communicates regularly knows, it simply takes time to compose and present one's thoughts. Unfortunately, over the last week, the process of relocation has so occupied my time that I have not had the opportunity to write any regular blog posts.

By God's grace, however, we are finally getting settled in at our new residence. As a result, my plans are to resume blogging in earnest by the end of this week - hopefully with little or no further interruptions in the foreseeable future.

Until then, my wife and I appreciate your prayers. As well as your forbearance. They each mean a lot!