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UNTIL WE MEET AGAIN

8/31/2015

My wife and returned from my recent Sabbatical to discover that more than one of the people we have grown to love and cherish in our church family has now gone to be with the Lord. Our hearts goes out to their individual family members, as well as to their extended church family.

For this reason, I wanted to use my blog today to offer a brief word of encouragement and comfort by sharing something that I recently came across. While visiting the chaplain’s office at a local hospital just up the road, I encountered the following piece framed and hanging on the wall.

No doubt, the chaplain had placed it there for the same reason I post it here today: in the hopes that it will speak to the hearts of all those who have lost loved ones and whose hearts are heavy as a result.

THE FALLEN LIMB

A limb has fallen from the family tree.
I keep hearing a voice that says, "Grieve not for me.

Remember the best times, the laughter, the song.
The good life I lived while I was strong.

Continue my heritage, I'm counting on you.
Keep smiling and surely the sun will shine through.

My mind is at ease, my soul is at rest.
Remembering all, how I truly was blessed.

Continue traditions, no matter how small.
Go on with your life, don't worry about falls

I miss you all dearly, so keep up your chin.
Until the day comes we're together again."

Unfortunately, the author of this beloved poem appears to be unknown. Nonetheless, the message he or she was inspired to write is profound.

On behalf of all individuals everywhere who mourn this day, I pray they are comforted with the reminder that all who have placed their faith and trust in Jesus Christ will one day be rewarded with eternal life in a place where there will be neither sickness nor sorrow. And also with the thought that, in accordance with His word, our God Himself will one day wipe away every tear from our eyes!

I conclude with the same words as did the Apostle John in his New Testament Book of Revelation (22:20), written just after he had been privileged to glimpse that wonderful place we call Heaven: "Even so, come quickly, Lord Jesus."

NOTE: This and many other very touching memorial poems can be found at: http://elegantmemorials.com/memorial-poems.

TAKE THIS!

8/28/2015

Continuing the theme of my last post, I wanted to share a story from famed writer, Brennan Manning. Best known for his work, The Ragamuffin Gospel, this now deceased author penned a total of twenty two books. In one of these other works, titled The Relentless Tenderness of Jesus, he tells a remarkable story about professional golfer Arnold Palmer.

Years ago, Palmer was invited to play a series of exhibition matches in Saudi Arabia. The king was so impressed with the golfer that he offered him a gift.

Not realizing that gift-giving is central to Saudi hospitality, Palmer politely declined. The king was extremely displeased, so Palmer reconsidered: "Well, how about a golf club? A golf club would be a wonderful memento of my visit here." The king was delighted.

The following day, a messenger delivered to Palmer's hotel the title to a golf club with 36 holes, trees, lakes, and buildings. According to Manning, the moral of the story is clear: "In the presence of the king, don't ask for small gifts."

Now, I have never been a proponent of the so-called prosperity gospel. I do not necessarily believe that God wants to bless every single believer beyond measure with health and wealth. If that be the case, then why did the Apostle Paul suffer with a thorn in his flesh – one, I might add, that he asked God to remove three different times only to have God say no!

More to the point, Jesus himself did plenty of suffering – to the point that he even sweat great drops of blood it the process. Moreover, not only did Paul nor His Master, Jesus, have earthly health, neither did they enjoy earthly wealth. Paul wrote at least thirteen of the most beloved books in history and never got a dime of royalties. Even worse, Jesus never even had a pillow on which to lay His head.

But that same Jesus proclaimed in the Gospel of John (10:10) that He came to give “life and that to the full”. In the original Koine (or common) Greek language in which the New Testament was first written, the word translated full is “perissios”, meaning “all around, fully encompassing, complete”. And I am satisfied that, in spite of his sufferings, the Apostle Paul knew exactly what Jesus meant.

For in spite his deprivations and sufferings, Paul lived a full and complete life. He tells us so in his New Testament Letter to the Philippians (4:11-13), when he says: for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all this through him who gives me strength.

Little wonder than that Paul speaks of the “boundless riches of Christ” in his New Testament letter to the Ephesians (3:8).

So, take heart, no matter what you are facing. According to His own Word (Psalm 50:10), our God owns the cattle on a thousand hills! His resources, therefore, are limitless. And even though He may not choose to delve into these earthly resources and lay upon you a genuine golf course, He will most assuredly provide spiritual riches for you that easily transcend anything this world has to offer.

Both Paul and his Lord and Savior Jesus proved that by the life they lived. And what is more, stored up for all who will likewise live such a life of devotion to God are future blessings beyond measure.

I leave you with these words from Paul in his second New Testament Letter to his associate, Timothy (4:7,8): “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day—and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing.” And that, my friends, is true richness!

This same crown of righteousness, as a lasting component of “life and that to the full”, is being offered to any and every person this very day. I trust you will take it while the offer stands.

SOURCE: The historical authenticity of this story has been questioned. It is now claimed that it is an urban legend which may have been based on a fictional work written by Lowell Thomas in 1949 for Reader's Digest magazine. I have chosen to cite Brennan Manning, as he has included it in his book titled, The Relentless Tenderness of Jesus (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Fleming H. Revell, 1986), pp 191-192. One will note that this book came out before the internet at a time when it was virtually impossible for the average writer to authenticate the definitive historicity of every story he or she had had encountered and collected up for purposes of illustration.

HOLY HERO!

8/24/2015

In my last post, I talked about Gaius Julius Caesar. Those who have seen the Hollywood classic, Cleopatra, starring Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton, will remember the scene where Caesar, played by Rex Harrison, having landed at Alexandria, Egypt, eventually makes his way to stand in quiet solitude before the magnificent tomb of Alexander the Great.

The reason this scene was included is that biographers and historians have long known that Caesar’s spectacular rise to power was based on his desire to emulate his own personal hero: Alexander of Macedon, arguably the greatest conqueror the world has ever known.

In turn, despite his own share of flaws, Julius Caesar, himself, was to become a hero and an inspiration to untold millions of people down through the ages. Little wonder, as we all have heroes. This is true of every culture and every generation known to man, including us here in modern day America.

Of course, those heroes will change over time. I remember having once read an observation by Donald Grey Barnhouse, a famed preacher of a generation ago:

In 1898 a schoolteacher polled 1,440 children, aged twelve to fourteen, to find out what sort of heroes and heroines the children had. In that era, 90% of the children picked their heroes from history and letters. Washington and Lincoln led the list, followed by Whittier, Clara Barton, Julius Caesar, and Christopher Columbus. Very few of them gave first place to living notables, even such national characters as champion skater John S. Johnson or heavyweight boxer James J. Corbett.

Midway during the twentieth century a professor in the Massachusetts State Teachers College took a similar poll, and discovered a great change in modern youth. Only 33% picked their heroes and heroines from history. Franklin Roosevelt had passed Washington and Lincoln, though Clara Barton still led among girls. Thirty-seven percent of the votes went to the contemporary stars of screen, sports, radio, and the comics.*

As a child growing up in the latter part of the twentieth century, I can relate to the last statement. Long before I ever encountered the names and accomplishments of Alexander the Great or Julius Caesar in public school, I had become a devotee of the members of the "Justice League of America". My heroes were found in the likes of mild-mannered Clark Kent, who fought for “truth, justice, and the American way” under the identity of his alter ego: Superman.

I was also fond of Bruce Wayne and Dick Grayson, who, as Batman and Robin, hidden behind their stylish costumes, masks, trusty tool belts, and signature capes, tirelessly crusaded against a steady stream of villains in defense of Gotham City. Even today, I can still hear Robin’s high-pitched voice as he applied his favorite adjective, “Holy”, in response to every conceivable plot twist.

For these reasons, I was particularly saddened to see two concurrent headlines in the news this past week. The first declared that Yvonne Craig, the real life actress who once played Batgirl, the female heroine and crime-fighting sidekick of Batman and Robin on the now classic late 1960s live-action television show, had died at age 78.

Ironically, the same day, another headline proclaimed that one Leonard B. Robinson was fatally struck by a car on the side of the expressway after his personal bat-mobile broke down. Apparently a man of independent means, this impassioned individual had spent thousands of dollars on his own vehicle, costume, and assorted accoutrements.  The self-proclaimed Caped Crusader made it his goal to visit area hospitals in full costume, and to hand out Batman hats, shirts, backpacks, and other things in order to brighten the days of children facing life-threatening illnesses.

I applaud Ms. Craig for her performance in the ground-breaking role of Batgirl.  As one tribute put it, as a professional dancer, she could be seen each week doing her own stunts while "kapowing and zzonking the bad guys alongside Adam West and Burt Ward's dynamic duo".  In doing so, she presented a positive role model of responsibility and empowerment for many little girls across the nation. And she did this at a time when few, if any, other female superheroes were yet in existence.

I also applaud the less well known Mr. Robinson for how he spent his life. I am sure what all he did has had (and will continue to have) a lasting impression on those children and their families. You see, it can be a good thing to have heroes. At some point along the way, we all need them. They give us inspiration, hope, and encouragement. But I suppose it is also to be expected that, sooner or later, even our greatest heroes will pass off the scene.

Maybe what followers of Jesus Christ can take from this is to remember that earthly heroes will always come and go. But there is one hero alone Who lives on! And for that reason, this one hero alone is truly worthy of admiration. For even though He too once tasted death, He nonetheless managed to do what no other hero has ever done – He came back from the dead! As such, He alone will never pass off the scene.

And that means that all the good He once did before His death (in His feeding, healing, and teaching of multitudes), and all the good He now does, in the aftermath of His resurrection (granting to everyone who seeks Him the twin blessings of eternal and abundant life) will always have infinitely more meaning than the collective gifts given by all of the other heroes that history can muster.

In the tenth chapter of John’s Gospel (10:10), after telling us that the Devil’s only purpose is to bring about death and destruction for mankind, Jesus makes this revealing declaration: “(but) I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.”

So, who’s your hero? What makes him or her worthy of any such title? What has this individual truly done for you? I’ll tell you what my hero has done. The Son of God laid down His own life that both you and I might gain ours! And in my book, that is truly heroic!

*SOURCE: Donald Grey Barnhouse – “Changes in Kid’s Choice of Heroes”, as collected in The Encyclopedia of Illustrations by Paul Lee Tan (Dallas, Texas: Bible Communications, 1979).  Illustration also available online at: http://www.family-times.net/illustration/Honor/200456/.

NUMBERING OUR DAYS

8/20/2015

I have been away from my blog for several days because my wife and I have been out of the country touring ancient Rome and its surroundings. As Rome is six hours ahead of us, we came back home to find ourselves wide awake each morning at 3 am and dead tired each day by 4 pm.

Suffice it to say that it makes for an awful long night when you are unable to sleep and staring at the ceiling half the night! However, after a couple of days spent adjusting to the jet lag, we are now back on task.

Speaking of long nights, I read recently that the longest night in history was September 2, 1752. This was the night the Gregorian (or modern) calendar was adopted in England. It replaced the Julian calendar that had been in place for more than eighteen centuries. The reason was that the Julian calendar did not make sufficient allowance for Leap Year. As a result, the English calendar had grown to be eleven days behind the right time.

Those eleven days were simply omitted after September 2, 1752; and the next day was reckoned to be September 14, 1752. Now, most any way you look at it, that is one long night!

More to the point, that is one big statement! The Roman Empire, lasting a thousand years, is considered by many to be the greatest in human history. And among its leaders, none is more well-known than Julius Caesar. The terms “Kaiser” and Czar” both derive from Caesar. Famous quotations such as “I came, I saw, I conquered” and “The die is cast” are attributed to him. His written works, such as The Gallic Wars, are still studied in university Classics departments and military institutions around the world.

He even has a play named after him, one personally penned by William Shakespeare. That work launched a very common phrase associated with this death: “Beware the ides of March.” Indeed, countless books and movies have since showcased his life and death.

And yet, Julius Caesar, worshipped by many in his day as a god, was just a man. As a result, his arduous attempts to achieve divine status and eternal recognition all proved futile in the end. And even what was arguably his most lasting achievement, the ordering of the cosmos into structured time in the form of a calendar, was not destined to last. Like so many of the buildings he inhabited and the statues that captured his likeness, it, too, ultimately crumbled.

As I stood overlooking the spot where he was assassinated in the Roman Forum in 44 B.C., I thought of these words by the famed English dramatist (and contemporary of William Shakespeare), John Webster:

Vain the ambition of kings
Who seek by trophies and dead things
To leave a living name behind,
And weave but nets to catch the wind.

Of course, today, we operate by the Gregorian calendar, named for another man (Gregory) who claimed, not to be divine himself, but to follow One who was divine: Jesus Christ. And we number our days from the time of Jesus Christ’s birth, dividing them into B.C., “Before Christ”, and A.D., not “After Death”, but “Anno Domini”, Latin for “in the year of our Lord”.

In the twelfth verse of Psalm 90, the Bible admonishes us to number our days. The Hebrew word for “number” is “lim·nō·wṯ”, and it means “to count, or to number”, but also to “reckon”. I take this to mean that we would all do well to remember that our days in this world are numbered. We will not live forever.

But I also take that to mean that one day, whether you, me, or even the famed Julius Caesar, we will each stand before our Creator and Redeemer and give an account of how we spent the precious days allotted to us. In light of this, I would rather spend mine drawing attention to and glorifying the name of my Lord and Savior than of myself. I challenge you to do the same.

HEAVEN’S PERSPECTIVE

8/6/2015

This past Sunday, in our morning worship service at church, we focused on the life of Joseph as we addressed the question of how best to handle adversity when it inevitably comes our way.

I told the story of watching master weavers as they made carpets and tapestries in Egypt. During the process, when viewed from the back, things were just a discombobulated mass of colored strings with no apparent pattern. But when I stepped around to the front side, the emerging project made perfect sense.

This was most certainly the case for Joseph, who had gone from a favored son to a slave cast into prison in a foreign land. From his perspective, his life made no possible sense. But from God’s perspective up above, a beautiful picture was being woven together – one that would result in the salvation of not only Joseph, but also of his entire family.

Years ago, when Corrie ten Boom traveled and spoke around the world, she often quoted the poem titled The Master Weaver’s Plan. Unfortunately, the original author of this poem is unknown. But whoever wrote it has conveyed a reassuring message that has touched many hearts and lives through the years. I thought I would close by sharing it here today for anyone undergoing misfortune without a clear understanding of why…

My life is but a weaving
Between the Lord and me;
I may not choose the colors –
He knows what they should be.

For He can view the pattern
Upon the upper side
While I can see it only
On this, the underside.

Sometimes He weaves in sorrow,
Which seems so strange to me;
But I will trust His judgment
And work on faithfully.

‘Tis He who fills the shuttle,
And He knows what is best;
So I shall weave in earnest,
And leave to Him the rest.

Not ’til the loom is silent
And the shuttles cease to fly
Shall God unroll the canvas
And explain the reason why.

The dark threads are as needed
In the Weaver’s skillful hand
As the threads of gold and silver
In the pattern He has planned.

SOURCE:
http://www.meetmeinthemeadow.com/2012/02/the-master-weavers-plan/.

BLUE MOON

8/2/2015

Song after song has been written about it. And this is in spite of the fact that it only happens… well, once in a blue moon! This past Friday night, July 31, 2015, the world witnessed an authentic big beautiful blue moon. Now the moon itself did not actually change color. It was still a gorgeous yellow. But it was a rare occurrence nonetheless.

You see, a blue moon unfolds when the cycle of nature gives us a second full moon inside of one month. Our modern annual calendar is solar, not lunar. This means that it is based on our own planet’s revolution around the sun. Throughout history, other cultures have used a lunar calendar. The problem is that the two cycles do not match up. And that is why adjustments have to be made to calendars on occasion: leap years for solar calendars and/or periodic extra months for lunar ones.

More to the point, it means that the cycles of the moon occur every 28 days inside of a solar calendar that is split between months of various lengths ranging from 28 to 31 days. Thus, one can witness new moons and full moons every two weeks apart throughout the year. And in this complicated cycle, one occasionally finds that two full moons occur inside of a given calendar month. The result is the proverbial blue moon.

And they are relatively rare. The last one was in 2012; and the next one is not scheduled to occur until 2018. This places them about three years apart on average.

To me, what I like about a blue moon is that it represents something happening again a second time around. It reminds me that life will occasionally give each of us an unexpected second shot, a second opportunity, or a second chance. True, this may not happen all the time. These second chances may be rare enough. But when they do unfold, they can be beautiful things indeed.

The Apostle Peter had one such chance. In the Gospel of John, chapter 18, he failed miserably on the night before Jesus was crucified. Given three successive opportunities either to embrace or deny his own association with Jesus, he regrettably failed all three times. So much so that the Bible says he grew angry and even cursed and swore in his final denial.

One can only imagine how badly he must have felt when, in fulfillment of Jesus’ prophecy, the rooster immediately crowed. Simon Peter, the supposed leader of the original twelve Apostles, was given the opportunity to assert that leadership role, and failed miserably.

And yet, a few days later (as recorded in Chapter 21), John tells us that Jesus, having risen from the grave after His earlier crucifixion and death, specifically sought Peter out, restored him, and then reinstated him in his ministry calling.

I have never knowingly denied my association with Christ. But while I may not have done so verbally, I cannot help but think that, however unintentionally, however inadvertently, I may have still done so by my behavior. Like all followers of Christ, I know what it is like to fail in my attempts to glorify Him with my life.

But I am thankful that my God is a God of grace and mercy! Just when I think I have messed my life up so badly that there is no hope, He steps in and offers restoration, giving me a new opportunity to shine once again for Him. Thank God for second chances! I’m certain Peter did. And so should we!

UNTIL WE MEET AGAIN

TAKE THIS!

HOLY HERO!

NUMBERING OUR DAYS

HEAVEN’S PERSPECTIVE

BLUE MOON

Cleo E. Jackson, III

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