Blog Archives

THE NAME THAT UNITES US

8/27/2012

I have begun preaching a new Sunday morning sermon series on Paul's letters to the Corinthians. As I have, I have been struck by Paul’s concern over what divided the Corinthian church. After his preliminaries in the first letter, he gets straight to the point (I Corinthians 1:10-12NIV):

I appeal to you, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree with one another so that there may be no divisions among you and that you may be perfectly united in mind and thought. My brothers, some from Chloe’s household have informed me that there are quarrels among you. What I mean is this: One of you says, “I follow Paul”; another, “I follow Apollos”; another, “I follow Cephas (Peter)”; still another, “I follow Christ.”

The Corinthian church was clearly a divided congregation. The source of their division had largely to do with their loyalty to their “favorite preacher”, as it were. By contrast, Paul admonished them to remember that there is but one foundation: Jesus Christ. All the various preachers had done was to build upon that foundation.

He then called upon them to share the mind of Christ (2:16), for this is what unified them. His point was that they were not “Paulians”, or “Apollosians”, “Peterians”; rather, they were “Christians”. And what was true for them in the first century is still true for us today.

I went to high school with four guys, all of whom were named Tim. There was Tim Green, Tim Black, Tim Brown, and Tim White. (We used to pick at them and call them the “Four Tims”, based on a popular musical group of the day called the “Four Tops”.) In truth, they were each unique, in that one was a Green, one was a Black, one was a Brown, one was a White. But they were also all Tims!

Each of us is unique as an individual. We all have our personal interests, convictions, opinions, etc... But these things need not divide us; because ultimately, we are all Christians. We all share the name of Christ. We are united by the name of Christ that we bear. And as followers of Christ, that which unites us is stronger than that which divides us.

SENSING AND SEEING GOD

8/24/2012

It’s happening again! The older I get, the more sensitive I am to the workings of nature. Each year, around the first of August, I begin to perceive, ever so slightly, that the shadows of the trees are lying differently on the grass. I sense the subtle temperature changes early in the morning and late in the evening.

To be certain, it is still hot, the trees are still green, and so is the grass; but the old earth is slowly beginning to tilt, and the process of change in the seasons is beginning again. Somehow, I first recognize this on a subconscious level. Then I become aware of what it is that I have been sensing.

As this process has once again unfolded, I have been reminded of God’s promise in Genesis 8:22: “As long as the earth endures, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night will never cease.” I have also been reminded of Romans 1:20: “For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse.”

One other thing came to my memory. Recently, someone sent me the following piece by e-mail. It is titled GOD’S ACCURACY.

God's accuracy may be observed in the hatching of eggs... For example:
-the eggs of the potato bug hatch in 7 days;
-those of the canary in 14 days;
-those of the barnyard hen in 21 days;
-The eggs of ducks and geese hatch in 28 days;
-those of the mallard in 35 days;
-The eggs of the parrot and the ostrich hatch in 42 days.
(Notice, they are all divisible by seven, the number of days in a week!)

God's wisdom is seen in the making of an elephant...
The four legs of this great beast all bend forward in the same direction. No other quadruped is so made. God planned that this animal would have a huge body, too large to live on two legs.   For this reason He gave it four fulcrums so that it can rise from the ground easily. The horse rises from the ground on its two front legs first. A cow rises from the ground with its two hind legs first.   How wise the Lord is in all His works of creation!

God's wisdom is revealed in His arrangement of sections and segments, as well as in the number of grains...
-Each watermelon has an even number of stripes on the rind. -Each orange has an even number of segments.
-Each ear of corn has an even number of rows.
-Each stalk of wheat has an even number of grains.
-Every bunch of bananas has on its lowest row an even number of bananas, and each row decreases by one, so that one row has an even number and the next row an odd number...  All grains are found in even numbers on the stalks, and the Lord specified thirty fold, sixty fold, and a hundred fold - all even numbers.

God has caused the flowers to blossom at certain specified times during the day, so that Linnaeus, the great botanist, once said that if he had a conservatory containing the right kind of soil, moisture and temperature, he could tell the time of day or night by the flowers that were open and those that were closed!

The lives of each of you may be ordered by the Lord in a beautiful way for His glory, if you will only entrust Him with your life. If you try to regulate your own life, it will only be a mess and a failure. Only the One Who made the brain and the heart can successfully guide them to a profitable end.

If King David would have had access to the internet in his day and age, he would no doubt have received and appreciated this piece. In Psalm 19, David reflects on the knowledge of God as revealed in nature, and also on the significance of this for him personally:

1 The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. 2 Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they display knowledge. 3 There is no speech or language where their voice is not heard. 4 Their voice goes out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the world.

In the heavens he has pitched a tent for the sun, 5 which is like a bridegroom coming forth from his pavilion, like a champion rejoicing to run his course. 6 It rises at one end of the heavens and makes its circuit to the other; nothing is hidden from its heat.

7 The law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul. The statutes of the Lord are trustworthy, making wise the simple. 8 The precepts of the Lord are right, giving joy to the heart. The commands of the Lord are radiant, giving light to the eyes. 9 he fear of the Lord is pure, enduring forever. The ordinances of the Lord are sure and altogether righteous. 10 They are more precious than gold, than much pure gold; they are sweeter than honey, than honey from the comb. 11 By them is your servant warned; in keeping them there is great reward.

12 Who can discern his errors? Forgive my hidden faults. 13 Keep your servant also from willful sins; may they not rule over me. Then will I be blameless, innocent of great transgression. 14 May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, O Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer.

Notice that his knowledge of God through nature drives him to a greater appreciation for God’s Word. And this, in turn, drives him to an acknowledgement of his own inadequacy before the Lord. He concludes with the expression of a sincere desire to please his Creator, before Whom he is willfully subservient.

I find this process in David’s heart interesting, especially given my experience in searching the internet for the origin of the above piece on God’s accuracy. While I did not uncover the original source, I did find it occuring widely on the web. More intriguing, perhaps, is the fact that I found several forums on the web where this piece and its contents were ridiculed, but never one where it and its contents were actually disputed.

For my part, I agree with David. The evidence of the handiwork of God in nature drives me to an acknowledgement of my dependence upon and subservience to Him. To conclude otherwise is to err exceedingly. Thus, as David also says (in Psalm 14:1), “The fool says in his heart, ‘There is no God.’” By contrast, as Solomon observes (in Proverbs 9:10), “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.”

BACK TO THE BASICS

8/20/2012

People in East Tennessee know what time of the year it is: “It’s Football Time in East Tennessee!” This week has seen SEC Media Days unfold and there is excitement in the world of college football as the first kick-off fast approaches. The same is true for the NFL.

People in this neck of the woods have a great affinity for Peyton Manning, who is now the new quarterback for the Denver Broncos. His exploits on the field will no doubt be followed closely.

The Tennessee Volunteers are hoping for a bowl game birth, preferably a BCS Bowl. Certainly in every college football player’s heart is the desire to one day win a National Championship. The American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) or Coach’s Trophy is awarded to the NCAA National Champions each year.

On the professional level, the goal of every player is to win the Super Bowl. For this feat, the Lombardi Trophy is awarded annually.   This latter trophy is named for Vince Lombardi, renowned coach of the Green Bay Packers from 1959-1967.

Over his career, Lombardi accumulated quite a record: 96 wins (vs. 34 losses), 6 Division championships, 2 conference championships, and 2 Super Bowl victories. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio in 1971.

Lombardi is considered to this day to the paradigmatic football coach.   Often, when asked his reasons for success, he would demure and give the credit to others, including his fellow coaches, the players, and even the fans. Those who knew him, however, knew he was just being modest. For many, the key to his success was found in his method of coaching, which was based, above all else, on attention to detail.

Each year, as his team gathered for its first pre-season meeting, we are told that he would give them a similar speech. That speech invariably began with the statement, “Gentlemen, this is a football.” From here, he would proceed to talk about what a football was and why it mattered so in the game.

Following this, he would transition from the locker room to the playing field, where we are told he would carefully explain the lay-out of the field, including the yard-markers, the end-zones, and even the out-of-bounds lines. From this would come an ever increasing delineation of the rules of the game, the division of the teams into offense and defense, and the various positions played by members of each squad. Ultimately, he would get around to the designing of plays and overall strategies for winning the game.

We would do well to take note of Lombardi’s approach. There is a reason he was so successful. That reason is arguably because he never got away from the basics. He continually returned to the fundamentals, understanding instinctively that a failure to do so would cause his players to lose focus and thereby hinder them in the ability required to execute on the field.

It strikes me that life can get pretty complicated at times. If we are not careful, we can get caught up in that complexity and confusion, and lose sight of the things that really matter. And what is true of life in general is especially true in the spiritual realm.

At the end of the day, certain things are fundamental to our faith: the facts that we were created by God, that we then sinned against God, that we were nonetheless redeemed through the sacrificial death of God’s Son, that we are now being sanctified, and that we will one day be glorified by this gracious and loving God. These things are paramount in our convictions and must ever be held dear.

These basic tenets must be cherished, guarded, and returned to frequently throughout life. As we do, we will be reminded of exactly who we are and of what really matters in life. And this will give us the inspiration we need to carry on until that final trump when time is no more and the victory is finally ours!

SOURCE: Many pages on the web are devoted to Vince Lombardi. The official page for Vince Lombardi is: http://www.vincelombardi.com/number-one.html.
My immediate source was:
http://natesrestoration.com/notes/2012/May%202012.pdf. Another good page is:
http://www.profootballhof.com/hof/member.aspx?player_id=132.
Check also Amazon.com’s Vince Lombardi page at: http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_1?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=Vince+Lombardi.

ANY OLD EXCUSE WILL DO…

8/17/2012

David Dykes once preached a sermon titled "The Skin of a Reason Stuffed with a Lie". In it, he shared the following list of some of the more memorable reasons ever offered for automobile accidents as recorded by the Metropolitan Insurance Company.

1. “An invisible car came out of nowhere, struck my car, and vanished.”
2. “The pedestrian had no idea which direction to go, so I ran over him.”
3. “I had been driving for 40 years when I fell asleep at the wheel and had the accident.”
4. “The indirect cause was a little guy in a small car with a big mouth.”
5. “The other driver was all over the road. I had to swerve a number of times before I hit him.”
6. “The other car collided with mine without warning me of its intention.”
7. “As I reached an intersection, a hedge sprang up, obscuring my vision.”
8. “The telephone pole was approaching fast. I attempted to swerve out of its path when it struck my front end.”

And perhaps the all-time greatest excuse…

9. “I pulled away from the side of the road, glanced at my mother-in-law, and headed over the embankment.”

This past Sunday, we celebrated “Back to Church Sunday”. I am very thankful for the great number of folks who came to church, as well as for all those who made public decisions for the Lord.

I hope others will recognize the value of the church, and choose to commit themselves to her as the Bride of Christ as well. For we are bid to do so in the Word of God: “Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another - and all the more as you see the Day approaching” (Hebrews 10:25, NIV).

Thus, as God values the church, and our involvement in her, so should we. To do otherwise is to disobey His word. And for this, no reason will suffice. Rather, what we offer as reasons, God see as excuses. And not very humorous ones at that.

THE LEGEND OF THE GEESE

8/13/2012

In light of this past Sunday’s message about the importance of fellowship and community for the body of Christ, I thought I would post this well-known piece on important lessons we can learn from geese.

When you see geese heading south for the winter, flying along in a V-formation, you might be interested in knowing what scientists have discovered regarding why they fly that way...

As each bird flaps its wings, it creates an uplift for the bird immediately following. By flying in a V-formation, the whole flock adds at least 71 percent greater flying range than if each bird flew on its own.

Basic Truth #1: People who share a common direction and sense of community can get where they are going quicker and easier because they are traveling on each other’s thrust.

Whenever a goose falls out of formation, it suddenly feels the drag and resistance of trying to go it alone and quickly gets back into formation to take advantage of the lifting power of the bird immediately in front of it.

Basic Truth #2: If we take a tip from the geese, we will stay in formation with those who are heading in the same way we are going.

When the lead goose gets tired. Ho rotates to the back and another goose flies point.

Basic Truth #3: It pays to take turns doing the hard jobs.

The geese honk from behind to encourage those up front to keep up their speed.

Basic Truth #4: We respond to encouragement from others.

Finally, when a goose gets sick, or is wounded and falls out of formation, two geese fall out with him and follow him down to help and protect him. They stay with him until he is able to fly again or until he is dead, and then, they launch out on their own or with another formation to catch up with their group.

Basic Truth #5: If we follow the examples of the geese, we will stand by each other through difficulties and challenges.

SOURCE: http://www.healthandlearning.org/act51/resources/other/
quotations/geese.pdf.

NOTE: This piece occurs widely on the web. Its origins have been widely debated and disputed. It appears, however, that its origins can be traced back to a certain Dr Robert McNeish of Baltimore, Maryland in 1972.

Dr McNeish, for many years a science teacher before he became involved in school administration, had been intrigued with observing geese for years and first wrote the piece for a sermon he delivered in his church. The full story is found here: http://suewidemark.com/lessonsgeese.htm.

Zig Ziglar included a piece about the geese in his book titled See You At The Top, which was first written and published in 1975. There is a humerous story related to this, which can be found at:
http://dadmanconfessions.blogspot.com/2011/02/zig-ziglar-michael-maher-lunch-of.html.

COKE OR PEPSI?

8/9/2012

Joel Provano reported in the Atlanta Journal/Constitution Sports Talk back on July 11, 2012 that the Coca-Cola Company has terminated a lucrative sponsorship deal with Brazilian soccer star Ronaldinho after he did the unthinkable: he showed up at a press conference drinking a Pepsi-Cola.

According to the story, first reported in the O Estado de Sao Paulo newspaper, the press conference was held to promote his new team, called the Atletico Mineiro, of which Pepsi is a sponsor. Atlanta-based Coke, however, had a $750,000 sponsorship deal with Ronaldinho, which was scheduled to run through 2014. Accordingly, his “reasoning” didn’t float well back at Coca-Cola headquarters.

“The fact that the player has appeared with a can of Pepsi was the straw that broke the camel’s back,” Coca-Cola marketing chief Marcelo Pontes was quoted as saying. He added, “The sponsorship had become embarrassing.”

The fact that Ronaldinho’s name has recently generated more negative news than positive was not helpful either. After suing for unpaid wages, he left his previous Brazilian club, Flamengo. Then a counter-suit was launched by Flamengo, which is still to be settled in a Brazilian court.

Add to that the fact that, back in May, Flamengo’s biggest fan group posted a letter on its website accusing Ronaldinho of being unprofessional for his conduct at parties and nightclubs.

Little wonder, then, that when Ronaldinho drank a can of Pepsi at a press conference promoting his new team, Coke had simply had enough. In this case, at least, the motto was not “Always.”

It strikes me that there are obvious lessons here for Christians. We have been called to honor God in our lives. This means we must be careful in how we live. Because of this, we must also be very careful with what and with whom we choose to associate. Simply put: our identity is wholly tied up in our relationship to Jesus Christ; and He has a right to expect us no to behave in such a way that this identity is paramount. May we be faithful to do just that.

IMPORTANT DISCOVERY

8/7/2012

One never knows quite what he or she will read in the newspaper these days. For instance, I recently uncovered the following interesting tidbit of information.

It appears that after having dug to a depth of 10 feet last year, New York scientists found traces of copper wire dating back 100 years. They quickly came to the conclusion that their ancestors already had a telephone network more than 100 years ago and reported that in the New York City Chronicle.

Not to be outdone by New Yorkers, in the weeks that followed, a California archaeologist dug to a depth of 20 feet; and shortly thereafter, a story in the Sacramento Examiner read: “California archaeologists, finding traces of 200 year old copper wire, have concluded that their ancestors already had an advanced high-tech communications network a hundred years earlier than the New Yorkers.”

One week later, The Birmingham Journal reported the following: “After digging as deep as 30 feet in his pasture near Greenbow, Alabama, Bubba Brown, a self-taught archaeologist, reported that he found absolutely no traces of copper wire. Bubba therefore concluded that, 300 years ago, Alabama had already gone wireless!

I’m just kidding! As many are aware, I have been away for a week’s vacation at my sister’s house down in Alabama. And yes, the smart phone did work. As did the internet. However, I made a neat discovery. I learned that, from time to time, it is just good to turn them both off! Which I promptly did.

And while the smart phone and the laptop were simply left alone to rest and recharge, so was my spirit. Now, as all of these are fully replenished, I hope to have lots to blog about in the coming weeks. Who knows? Maybe even my kin folks down in Alabama might log on, dig in, and find something intriguing right here on my web page!

RECALL NOTICE

8/2/2012

Due to a serious defect in the primary and central component of their hearts, the Maker of all human beings, GOD, is recalling all units ever manufactured, regardless of make or year. This is due to a malfunction in the original prototype units code named Adam and Eve, resulting in the reproduction of the same defect in all subsequent units.

This defect has been identified as "Subsequently Internal Non-morality," more commonly known as S.I.N., as it is primarily expressed. Some of the symptoms include:

1.    Loss of direction.
2.    Foul vocal emissions
3.    Amnesia of origin
4.    Lack of peace and joy
5.    Selfish or violent behavior
6.    Depression or confusion
7.    Fearfulness
8.    Idolatry
9.    Rebellion

The Manufacturer, who is neither liable nor at fault for this defect, is providing factory-authorized repair and service free of charge to correct this defect. The Repair Technician, JESUS, has most generously offered to bear the entire burden of the staggering cost of these repairs. There is no additional fee required.

The number to call for repair in all areas is P-R-A-Y-E-R. Once connected, please upload your burden of SIN through the REPENTANCE Procedure. Next, download ATONEMENT from the Repair Technician, JESUS, into the heart component. No matter how big or small the SIN defect is, JESUS will replace it with:

1. Love
2.    Joy
3.    Peace
4.    Patience
5.    Kindness
6.    Goodness
7.    Faithfulness
8.    Gentleness
9.    Self-control

Please see the Operating Manual, the B.I.B.L.E. (Best Instructions Before Leaving Earth) for further details on the use of these fixes.

WARNING: Continuing to operate the human being unit without correction voids any manufacturer warranties, exposing the unit to dangers and problems too numerous to list, and will permanently impair the unit. For free emergency service, call on the Repair Technician, JESUS, immediately.

DANGER: Those human being units not responding to this recall action will have to be scrapped in the furnace. The SIN defect will not be permitted to enter Heaven so as to prevent contamination of that facility. Thank you for your prompt attention!

Also, please assist where possible by notifying other units of this important recall notice. Questions? You may contact The Father at any time by "Knee Nail"!

Source: This piece is available widely in various forms on the internet. This particular version is from a newletter I received, and is credited to Ms. Deborah Maples of Bristol, TN.