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"Helping Others Communicate"

good and evil

10/28/2020

 
It’s that time of year again.  The last week of October is unfolding, and All Hallows’ Eve, better known as Halloween, looms on the horizon.  As it does, both Madison Avenue and Hollywood are hoping for a really big week. 

Of course, at this point, given the coronavirus pandemic, no one seems to know just how much trick-or-treating will actually occur.  No doubt, the candy makers and costume manufacturers are hoping against hope that people will still choose to get out and about.

The entertainment industry, too, is feverishly hoping to cash in.  While movie theaters nationwide remain largely shuttered, television networks and streaming services are booming.  Sensing their opportunity (for the time being, at least) to see the small screen supplant the large one, these latter providers are flooding the airwaves with scary movies.  I have a confession:  I will likely watch one or two of these myself.

I was never really allowed to watch horror movies as a child.  This is largely due to the fact that my mother neither liked nor understood them.  However, being a typical enterprising boy, I often found ways around her moratorium.  On several occasions, while staying at my aunt’s house after school, I happened across Frankenstein, Dracula, The Wolfman, and other such 1930’s Universal Studios horror classics being shown on the local 4 p.m. “Dialing for Dollars” movie.

Later, as a grown man, I would actually discover and read the novels upon which these movies were all based.  As always, the books were much better than the movie!  This is especially true for Mary Shelley’s groundbreaking novel, Frankenstein, Or the Modern Prometheus, written way back in 1818.  Not only is it the granddaddy of all horror stories, but it is also the first of many cautionary tales designed to warn us about the dangers of science when it is pursued without moral boundaries.

Of course, the first time or two that I viewed such classics, I will admit to having been scared.  But even as a child, I soon realized that most of the time, the hero won out even as the monster was vanquished.  Alas!  It was only after World War Two that Hollywood ceased to produce movies with a moral!

Still, as I recall it, none of these famed Universal Studios horror monsters scared me anywhere near as much as did one other movie I saw as a child.  Absolutely the scaredest I ever remember being as a child was when I first watched a rerun of the 1963 movie, The Birds, by Alfred Hitchcock.  Spoiler alert:  the people of the small town of Bodega Bay in northern California is inexplicably and relentlessly attacked by flocks of crows and seagulls. 

I now know that Hitchcock based his movie on Daphne du Maurier’s classic short story of the same name.  This had been written as an allegory wherein the birds which continuously gather and attack a small coastal English town represent the terrifying real life assaults of the German Luftwaffe (Air Force) on the English people during the Battle of Britain in World War Two.  The author uses her work to explore the issues of how and why evil arises, and how and why we respond to it as we do. 

Ever the perfectionist, Hitchcock capitalizes on this notion by subtly having a strange woman with blond (Nordic?) hair show up uninvited in Bodega Bay even as the birds begin to amass and attack the locals, all of whom have dark (Celtic/Anglo?) hair. 

Of course, at the time, I knew none of these things.  As a red-blooded all-American boy, other than thinking that Tippi Hedren, with her blond hair, and Suzanne Pleshette, with her black hair, were the two most beautiful women on the planet, the only other thing I was focused on was what I would do if all the birds, wild (owls, hawks, crows, doves, swallows, purple martins, etc...) and domestic (turkeys, chickens, guineas, etc...) alike, on my dad’s farm suddenly decided to turn on us poor humans! 

In my dreams, at least, I always rose to the occasion, supplanted the far less masculine Rod Taylor,  single-handedly defeated the hoards of menacing birds, and generally won the day. (Along with the eternal affection of the two leading ladies, of course!)  Since not everyone has seen the film, I will not tell you here how it actually turns out.  But suffice it to say that the film effectively raises questions about why evil happens and how we respond when it does. 

Even though I did not recognize any of these underlying themes when I first saw the movie, I was nonetheless hooked on Hitchcock from that day forward.  These days, my wife and I still love all things Hitchcock.  Clearly, we are not alone on this count; for rarely has Hollywood produced a director with the ability to captivate an audience as well as this man could.  In his six decade career in Hollywood, “The Master of Suspense”, as he was known, directed over fifty feature films, garnering forty-six Academy Award nominations and six wins. 

Little wonder!  To this day, once one views such classics as North by Northwest, Vertigo, Saboteur, (and especially) Rear Window, he or she will have few lingering questions as to why Hitchcock is so revered by movie buffs.  They are simply the pinnacle of motion picture arts and sciences - all made possible by the tireless devotion of the man behind the scenes.

Of course, Hitchcock was famous for one other thing as well.  He made a very subtle cameo appearance in every movie he ever produced and/or directed.  This was his way of providing his signature, as it were, to his work; and it most always occurs toward the front of a given film, where he can be seen exiting a building, crossing a street, boarding a bus, etc…  His appearance, whenever it happens, is always fleeting.  But once you know he can be seen at some point, you find yourself looking for his appearance.  And if you are reasonably attentive, you will quickly learn to spot him.  My wife and I have become adept at it.

I share these things in order to make the following point.  In a strikingly similar fashion, there is one other Master of His craft Who can also be seen in and among and behind His creative work.  That individual is none other than the ultimate Producer and Director of all creation and life, Almighty God.

As the Apostle Paul told the Romans (chapter 1, verse 20 of his New Testament letter addressed to them) about God:  “His invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made.” 

In so doing, he was echoing the sentiment of the Old Testament Psalmist, who (in Psalm 19, verses 1-4) famously declared:  “The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of His hands. Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they reveal knowledge. Without speech or language, without a sound to be heard, their voice has gone out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the world.”

As you go about your daily life this week, I challenge you to look about carefully for the presence of this Master Craftsman.  If you do, I believe you will soon see evidence of His very presence.  I know I do, each and every day.  What is more, once you see Him, you will never again fail to see Him!  He will always be there, just behind the scenes!

Hopefully, such a realization, once experienced, will prove encouraging.  Moreover, it is especially needed during this week leading up to Halloween, when the world at large seems to focus on all things evil.  Maybe, just maybe, in the midst of all the ghosts, goblins, witches, and zombies we will see, we all could do with a subtle reminder that Almighty God, and not the Devil, is still in control.

And while evil may reign temporarily, good will most assuredly win out in the end.  For, as the Apostle Paul puts it (in his New Testament Letter to the Philippians, chapter 1, verse 6),
“And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns.”

If you doubt this, just read the back of the book.  Evil loses and good wins out!

SCRIPTURE SOURCES:
https://biblehub.com/romans/1-20.htm;
https://biblehub.com/bsb/psalms/19.htm;
and https://biblehub.com/philippians/1-6.htm.

FOR MORE INFO ON ALFRED HITCHCOCK:
http://www.alfredhitchcock.com/;
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alfred_Hitchcock;
and https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000033/.

FOR MORE INFO ON “THE BIRDS”:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Birds_(film);
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0056869/;
and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Birds_(story).
The original short story is available online and can be found here in a PDF format: 
https://mrnsmith.files.wordpress.com/2016/10/the-birds-by-daphne-du-maurier.pdf.

NOTE:  On 20 July 1953, long before the movie came out, Episode 838 of Lux Radio Theater presented a radio production of “The Birds”.  Cf.:  https://archive.org/details/Lux18/Lux-530720-52m26s-839hrt-Birds-HMarshallBLGerson.mp3.

IT’S ABOUT TIME!

10/23/2020

 
Alas!  It just wasn’t meant to be.  My beloved Atlanta Braves made it to the seventh game of Major League Baseball’s National League Championship Series, where, despite an early lead, they nonetheless fell short of a coveted World Series berth in a painful loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers.
 
As a Georgia native, this was the last thing I needed the very week after the University of Georgia Bulldogs lost to the University of Alabama Crimson Tide in a crucial NCAA Southeastern Conference football game.  Not only was I hoping for a Braves’ World Series win, but also for a Bulldogs’ National Championship as well.   After all, given that it has now been 25 years and 40 years respectively for each, it’s about time!  But I digress…

Now, if you are not a baseball fan, and are therefore wondering if what all I am about to say will have any meaning, don’t worry.  The American pastime, as it is commonly known, is easy enough to understand.  According to an article in Bits & Pieces Magazine, dated April 30, 1992, a certain lady once passed on this simple explanation of the game of baseball as given by her grandson…

You have two sides, one out in the field and one in. Each man that's on the side that's in goes out and when he's out he comes in and the next man goes in until he's out. When three men are out, the side that's out come in and the side that's been in goes out and tries to get those coming in out. When both sides have been in and out nine times, including the not outs, that's the end of the game.

And there you have it.  The Braves simply succumbed to the ins and outs of the Dodgers, leaving me and a multitude of other fans broken hearted.  Oh well!  “Always a bride’s maid, never a bride!”  
While bemoaning my station as a Braves (and Bulldog) fan, I was discussing this latest disappointment with my mother-in-law.  We each agreed that we now wished we had all the time we had spent watching the games back, positing as we did what all we might have been able to accomplish with all that time.

Now, I readily grant that, had the Braves won, I would not have cared.  But, given that they lost, I decided to do a little research on the time required to watch a typical baseball game.  What I discovered was intriguing to say the least.  According to an article penned by Tom Peters in the Philadelphia Inquirer Newspaper, it seems that…

Dick Wade, a Kansas City sportswriter, once decided to find out exactly how much "action" occurred in a baseball game. So, on June 21, 1956, he took a stopwatch to a game between the Kansas City Athletics and Washington Senators and counted the time it took a ball to leave the pitcher's hand until it arrived at home plate; then on all hit balls, he let the clock run until the batter was either out or safe. The total "action" during the two-hour, 28-minute game was 8.5 minutes. Kansas City won, 15-6.

Wow!  Two hours, nineteen minutes, and thirty seconds of time spent merely sitting back and waiting for something to happen!  Mathematically, that equates to 139.5 minutes out of 148 minutes, or an astounding 94% of the time spent devoid of anything productive happening!

As I have reflected on this, I have been compelled to ask myself just how much of the rest of my life may have been spent so inefficiently in the pursuit of other endeavors! 

The Bible reminds us that our time in this world is fleeting.   In the Old Testament Book of Psalms, chapter 90, verse 10, we read:

“Our days may come to seventy years, or eighty, if our strength endures; yet the best of them are but trouble and sorrow, for they quickly pass, and we fly away.”  Given this, does it not then behoove us to ponder just how we utilize the time we have been given? 

Perhaps Benjamin Franklin said it best.  In the June, 1746 edition of his classic work, Poor Richard’s Almanack, he states:  “Dost thou love life? Then do not squander time, for that's the stuff life is made of.”

For these reasons, I have now decided that, going forward, I will try to be as absolutely judicious with the use of my time as possible.  After all, it’s really just about time for such a decision, isn’t it?!

SOURCES: 

BASEBALL ILLUSTRATIONS:  Both baseball illustrations referenced above are available widely online.  See, for instance:  http://www.higherpraise.com/illustrations/baseball.htm.

SEE ALSO:  http://www.quotationspage.com/quote/3055.html.

SCRIPTURE:  https://biblehub.com/psalms/90-10.htm.

SETTING AN EXAMPLE

10/20/2020

 
The first four verses of Genesis chapter 41 contain these familiar words:  “Pharaoh had a dream: He was standing by the Nile, when out of the river there came up seven cows, sleek and fat, and they grazed among the reeds. After them, seven other cows, ugly and gaunt, came up out of the Nile and stood beside those on the riverbank. And the cows that were ugly and gaunt ate up the seven sleek, fat cows.”

There is little doubt that the writer of the book of Genesis is remembered for such statements as this.  But later on, that same writer also penned these words about cattle: “Thy servants' trade hath been about cattle from our youth even until now, both we, and also our fathers…” (Genesis 46:34). 

These days, his latter words words increasingly resonate with me.  They certainly did a few days ago.  You see…

Not far from where we live, a man and his wife raise beef cattle. Every day as I take my morning walk, I pass by their three pastures containing numerous Black Angus cows, steers, heifers, and calves.  Each of these enclosures also contains at least one prized bull.  Let me tell you, these latter are all especially impressive specimens!

Deriving from cattle native to the counties of Aberdeenshire and Angus in north-eastern Scotland, Angus (officially Aberdeen) cattle comprise a breed of livestock dating back to at least the sixteenth century. While the Angus is technically considered a breed of small beef cattle, bulls can easily reach 1800-1900 pounds, occasionally even topping one ton!  The three specimens I am referring to above are easily this size.

Not surprisingly, the calves born to them and their various consorts this past spring are all now growing very fast.  With each passing day, these calves gain more and more weight, as well as more and more coordination. They can regularly be viewed sleeping, suckling, eating, and many times, just plain frolicking.  Indeed, life for them appears to be an endless cycle of fun and games, not unlike that of human children.

As they frolic, the games they play often mimic the activities of their adult companions within the herd.  Thus, it is not uncommon to see them undertaking gestures reflective of their parents and grandparents.  This is particularly true with regard to the young males.  Many a time, as I have walked by, I have seen young bulls pawing the ground and butting heads with one another, foreshadowing days to come when they will vie in earnest for a place in the hierarchy of the herd.  For them, “bull-headedness” is a genuine virtue!

I must admit, however, that I was not prepared for what I encountered 
recently when I  topped the hill adjacent to one such pasture.  For there, in full display in all of his grandeur, was one of the three majestic bulls, standing next to the fence and looking out over his realm.  The look on his face was one of utter contentment mixed with complete confidence, as he appeared to gaze satisfactorily at the herd over which he, and he alone, reigned supreme.
​

Picture
​And yet, that was not really what caught my eye.  What did catch it was what stood some fifteen feet or so behind and beneath him.  For there, in an equally grand display, stood one of this year’s calves.  It took very little time to see that the calf was an enterprising young bull, who, while standing boldly and proudly upon his own spot, nonetheless appeared to be greatly admiring the impressive bull standing before him. 

Several things were immediately evident to me as I observed this young protégé staring up at his idol.  First and foremost, it was evident that he absolutely adored the massive male that stood before him.  No doubt, in his own way, he imagined what it would be like to one day become such a great bull himself.  The words to Harry Chafin's song, Cat's in the Cradle, came to my mind: 
“I'm gonna be like him; yeah, you know I'm gonna be like him!”

​Second, he obviously had a long way to go before this happened.  I would estimate his own current weight at a mere 200 or so pounds, easily putting him some 1600 pounds shy of his mark. 

Despite this, he had a clear example of bovine masculinity standing before him.  Thus, third, if he followed the example laid down before him by his admirable forebear (in this case, very likely his own father), he would almost certainly attain the status he desired one day!

As I made my way on down the road, I pondered what all this sight had to teach me.  In so doing, I soon realized just how relevant this experience was to my own life.  To begin with, this was not the first time I had observed herds of cattle on a daily basis. 

My first experiences with bulls, cows, steers, heifers, calves, and the like came some fifty years ago when I first roamed the haunts of those farms belonging to my own father and grandfather.  These men, too, raised beef cattle; and many of the things I have seen as of late reflect the things I first saw back in the day under their influence.

This is when it hit me.  There had once been a time when I too stood beneath and behind these men and marveled at their great size and strength.  In that day, I too had held these men in high esteem.  In my own way, I had idolized them.  Accordingly, I had looked forward to the day when I would grow up and emulate them.  What is more, as I grew older, I even dared to dream that I might somehow honor them by one day surpassing them - in where all I went, in who all I met, and in what all I did.

Of course, at this point, as they say, “What it is is what it is.”  So, all I can hope is that my life’s travels, my life’s associations, and my life’s accomplishments, as meager as they all have been, have nonetheless somehow brought such honor to those who came before me as they each deserve.

But this was not all that hit me.  For I soon realized that the scene that I had just observed had a two-fold application.  In the first sense, I was the calf looking ever so adoringly at his father.  In the second sense, I was the bull standing flamboyantly before his offspring!

You see, at his point in my life, I am no longer the one looking up at a father and grandfather.  Instead, I am the grandfather and the father that others are looking up to!  As that thought sank in, I realized what an awesome notion it was!  And what an awesome responsibility; for the Lord has now seen fit to bless me with two grown sons and a grown son-in-law, who collectively have now given me seven grandsons!

While I do not necessarily pretend to believe that my two grown sons and son-in-law always stand behind me and necessarily admire my station in life, I do recognize that it is a different matter altogether with regard to my seven grandsons.  Most assuredly, these young bulls are all observing me ever so carefully and in every aspect of my being.

And here is the kicker…  My strong suspicion is that they are each inculcating values as they do!  Every time they look at me, even if they do not yet realize it, they are making critical decisions about what is and is not admirable in their grandfather! 

In light of this, oh, how I pray that I may be found a worthy role-model for them to follow!  May they look at me with the same admiration with which I once looked at those who stood before me.  May I inspire them just as I was once inspired by others!

In all of this, of course, I am reminded that there is One Other,` Who, alone, stands above and beyond me, and Whose image, alone, is worthy of emulation.  He, of course, is my Heavenly Father.  As admirable as it is for me to emulate and glorify my earthly father(s), how much more so is it for me to honor my Heavenly Father?!

The Apostle Paul once told the Corinthian Christians,
“Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ.” 
 
I trust others, especially my chiIdren and grandchildren, will see me attempting to do just this. I pray that they will see me being a Godly man by following the example of Jesus Christ; and that they themselves will then be influenced by that very notion.  Should they then also choose to follow my example and live their own lives in such a way that God will be glorified, then I will be honored.  For in such a case, my own life will have had  meaning beyond which I ever thought possible.

NOTES ON PICTURE: 
In the above picture, the calf appears much larger than he actually was.  This is because he is not only behind the bull, but closer in the foreground to where I was standing when I took the picture.  Had he have been standing directly beside the bull, the considerable size difference would have been readily apparent.  also, when I first caught sight of them, the calf was staring at the bull, even as the bull was beholding his herd.  By the time I pulled up my phone, however, they had both turned their heads to look at me.

SCRIPTURE SOURCES: 

https://biblehub.com/niv/genesis/41.htm;
https://biblehub.com/genesis/46-34.htm;
and 
https://biblehub.com/1_corinthians/11-1.htm.

SONG LYRICS:  

https://www.metrolyrics.com/cats-in-the-cradle-lyrics-harry-chapin.html.

WILD GOOSE CHASING!

10/16/2020

 
Back in the day, Rex Harrison starred in the 1967 Oscar-winning musical, Dr. Dolittle.   One of its two Academy Awards was for “Best Song”, with the featured song titled “Talk to the Animals”.  My parents bought my sister and me the motion picture soundtrack (LP) album; and we proceeded to play that particular song almost until we could sing it backwards as well as forward.

It was only natural therefore, that, growing up on a farm, I often wondered what it would be like if the animals therein could actually talk.  (The 1960’s television show, Mr. Ed, about an architect and his talking Palomino horse, only served to underscore my fascination with this notion.)

Until I got into high school, that is.  For once I did, we had to read George Orwell’s infamous allegorical novella titled Animal Farm.  If you are familiar with the plot, you will remember that the animals on Farmer Jones’ farm decide to turn on him, overthrow him, and take possession of his farm; all in order that all the animals could live forever thereafter in harmony, free from oppression and exploitation. 

Spoiler alert here…  In the end, the pigs wind up learning to walk on two legs rather than four, before moving into Farmer Jones's house, where they then proceed to lord it over all the other (four legged) animals in his stead.  Needless to say, after reading this, I was no where near as keen to see the animals on our farm able to communicate, either with me or with one another!

These days, after decades off the farm, I have now moved back to the country, where I have once again begun to interact with animals. And while, in my absence, they have yet to obtain the power of human speech, I find that they nonetheless are speaking to my heart on a daily basis.

As I take my morning walk each day, I encounter any number of animals, both tame and wild.  Today, it seemed to be the birds’ turn to speak.  First, I encountered a flock of over twenty wild turkeys.  They were busy feeding, scratching and foraging with every step as they made their way through the woods. They seemed to say to me that it was okay for me to pass, as long as I made no attempt whatsoever either to stop or turn in their direction.  Their message was clear: “Live and let live.”

A little further down the road, I came upon a “murder” of crows.  (Yes, believe it or not, that is the technical term for a group of crows.)  True to their appellation, they had nothing short of carnage on their minds; for they were in the process of hounding a poor red-tailed hawk nearly to death. 

I knew they were frustrated at my approach, as they heaped excessive amounts of verbal abuse upon me while they flew just far enough away so as to be considered safe.  The volume and intensity of their frustration toward me only intensified as the poor beleaguered hawk took advantage of the opportunity to slip off in the other direction.  Their message was also clear: “How dare you!”

A bit further down the road, I came upon a “gaggle” of wild Canadian geese. (Again, this is the proper term for a group of geese.)  As I was reflecting upon their beauty and gracefulness, I was once again spoken to in my heart.

On one side of the road was a pasture with a pond wherein some forty or more wild geese came gracefully gliding down to alight and frolic.  At the same time, directly across the road was another pasture with a pond upon which swam three solid white, tame geese.  And while no goose actually spoke to me in what we might call human language, all of them still communicated volumes to me by the characteristics they displayed.

You see, busy as they are commanding the skies, the former gaggle seems to make only a periodic appearance at this particular pond.  By contrast, the latter gaggle, which never takes to the air, is always in the same place, each and every day.  In the process, while the former exemplifies strength, freedom, and grace; the latter merely exemplifies complacency, repression, and ultimately, ineptitude.  The message here was plain:  “Don’t settle!”

As I was reflecting on these things, the Lord brought to my memory a parable first told by the famous Danish Theologian, Søren Kierkegaard.  It is commonly referred to as “The Parable of the Geese”.  According to Kierkegaard…

“A certain flock of geese lived together in a barnyard with high walls around it. Because the corn was good and the barnyard was secure, these geese would never take a risk. One day a philosopher goose came among them.

He was a very good philosopher and every week they listened quietly and attentively to his learned discourses. ‘My fellow travelers on the way of life,’ he would say, ‘can you seriously imagine that this barnyard, with great high walls around it, is all there is to existence? I tell you, there is another and a greater world outside, a world of which we are only dimly aware. Our forefathers knew of this outside world. For did they not stretch their wings and fly across the trackless wastes of desert and ocean, of green valley and wooded hill? But alas, here we remain in this barnyard, our wings folded and tucked into our sides, as we are content to puddle in the mud, never lifting our eyes to the heavens which should be our home.’

The geese thought this was very fine lecturing. ‘How poetical,’ they thought. ‘How profoundly existential. What a flawless summary of the mystery of existence.’ Often the philosopher spoke of the advantages of flight, calling on the geese to be what they were. After all, they had wings, he pointed out. What were wings for, but to fly with? Often he reflected on the beauty and the wonder of life outside the barnyard, and the freedom of the skies.

And every week the geese were uplifted, inspired, moved by the philosopher’s message. They hung on his every word. They devoted hours, weeks, months to a thoroughgoing analysis and critical evaluation of his doctrines. They produced learned treatises on the ethical and spiritual implications of flight. All this they did. But one thing they never did. They did not fly! For the corn was good, and the barnyard was secure!” 


Ouch!  I trust you see the point here; for Kierkegaard was right; and his message was clear!  May we each refuse to play it safe in our respective barnyards, merely moved and inspired by an occasional inspirational message, while never acting upon it.  May we choose, instead, to act upon what we know to be true all along!  May we dare to actually spread our wings, flap them vigorously, and actually risk taking to the air! 

Perhaps this is just what the Old Testament Prophet, Isaiah, had in mind (in chapter, 40, verse 31) when he talked about those who are devoted to the Lord as “mounting up with wings like eagles”.
 

After all, were we not made for much more than merely floating around on some artificial pool inside some ostensibly secure enclosure?  Were we not, instead, made to take to the skies and soar?! 

Of course we were!  As Leonardo Da Vinci put it, “Once you have tasted flight, you will forever walk the earth with your eyes turned skywards."  G
iven this, my friends, perhaps, just perhaps, today is indeed the perfect day to take to the air!

PARABLE SOURCES:  Available widely online.  See, for instance:
https://revseanpeters.blogspot.com/2014/05/kierkegaards-parable-of-geese.html; as well as:
https://transformtheglobe.com/2019/03/08/kierkegaards-parable-of-the-geese/.

Da VINCI QUOTE:  https://hangar.flights/story/42/26-quotes-to-inspire-your-aviation-journey.

SEE ALSO: 
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0061584/;
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doctor_Dolittle_(1967_film); 
and https://www.openrightslibrary.com/animal-farm-ebook/.

SCRIPTURE SOURCE:  https://biblehub.com/isaiah/40-31.htm.

SERIOUS EQUIPMENT!

10/13/2020

 
In my previous post, I mentioned the new water line that is currently being put in adjacent to the road where we live.  This new pipe is twice as big as the existing one.  This will help to provide our neighbors and us with better pressure.  In addition, it should also help to ensure an adequate supply of water for any future growth in our community.

As I have taken my daily walks and witnessed the inevitable progression of the line, I have noticed that the contractors who are undertaking the job have some serious equipment!  By this I mean that they are using a multitude of enormous machines, each one for a specific purpose within an overall project.

Observation of the crew shows them utilizing flatbed tractor trailers for hauling pipe, dump trucks for hauling dirt and gravel, front end lifts for moving stacks of pipe, track hoe excavators for digging lines, jackhammer excavators for breaking up rock, skid steers for covering over lines, a miniature steamroller for repaving asphalt over road cuts, street sweepers for cleaning up, straw spreaders for re-seeding, and of course, numerous pick-up trucks for a multitude of inherent other purposes.  I am quite sure that this list is not complete.  There is little doubt that many other vehicles are also involved.

As I have observed this menagerie of construction machinery, several thoughts have come to my mind.  Allow me to share a few of them here.

First, each piece of machinery in the system serves some basic purpose, fulfilling some unique requirement within the overall project.  They are all quite different in how they are made.  Few if any resemble any other piece.  And yet, they have each been made and then assembled here to be a necessary part of a larger picture.


What one can do, another cannot do.  And what another cannot do, one can do.  Uniquely and individually qualified for the various jobs they do separately, they then work together to make a very effective team of equipment.

Moreover, while they come in a wide assortment of sizes, shapes, and colors, each bearing differing marks related to their manufacture (such as Caterpillar, Case, Kubota, Mack, GMC, Ford, etc…),  they all bear marks of similarity as well.

To begin with, each has the name of the owner, in the form of a logo or seal, boldly emblazoned upon it.  Clearly, the owner prizes his vast array of machinery, and proudly proclaims that each and every piece belongs to him and no one else!

Beyond this, each piece is also adorned with a number, as well as a sticker boldly proclaiming that it contains a GPS Satellite chip someone on board.  The implications are clear.  First, even though the owner may not always be seen on site, one can rest assured that he knows exactly where each and every piece of his equipment is at all times. 

He is clearly serving notice to any who would consider stealing any given piece that their whereabouts will be immediately conveyed to him.  So, don’t even try!

But there is yet another implication as well.  The presence of the GPS notification sticker reminds us that the owner, who has invested so much in the acquisition of his prized machinery, now has fundamental expectations of each and every piece as well. 

In his pursuit of his overall objective, he also knows what his specific expectation is for each individual piece. 


He has no doubt conveyed that expectation to his crew, the foreman as well as the operator of each individual piece.  And he now subtly reminds them that he watches expectantly from above to see exactly how they are progressing in their assigned tasks!

At this point, I trust it is obvious that here are many similarities here to those of us who profess to be followers of Jesus Christ.  God, too, is in the serious equipment business!  Think about this with me for a moment.

We were each uniquely created by our God.  In the process, we were each seriously equipped, in that we were each endowed with certain very specific gifts and abilities in the process.  We were then each purchased by the blood of His Son, Jesus Christ, and then sealed with the Holy Spirit as proof that we belong to Him. 

Thereafter, in the perfect will of God, we were each eventually assembled as a part of some team somewhere, the local church, where we are now expected to fulfill our purpose by using our unique set of gifts to glorify God by doing whatever it is we are called to do, all in order to see that the greater task of sharing the Gospel is continually carried forward.

All the while, our Heavenly Father watches carefully from above.  He watches, first, in order to protect us.  And He watches as well to note our individual contribution(s) to the overall progression of the Gospel and the deliverance of its benefit to others.

Do you see yourself anywhere in this illustration?  I hope so.  For you and I alike were seriously equipped for service to God.  We were each first created, then endowed, then redeemed, then sealed, then assembled, and are now ultimately expected to be contributing to the progression of the Gospel and its purposes. 

Again, I hope we are faithfully doing this very thing.  If we are not, then we should not be surprised if our Owner suddenly appears and begins to ask why this is so!   


I leave you with the piercing question that Jesus Himself once posed to His disciples (in the New Testament Gospel of Luke, chapter 18, verse 1-8):  “When the Son of Man returns, will He find faith on earth?”

SCRIPTURE SOURCE:  https://biblehub.com/luke/18-8.htm.

RIGHT AS RAIN!

10/10/2020

 
“Into every life a little rain must fall.”  So dictates the wisdom of the ages.  We instinctively understand this principle, knowing that rain is necessary for life.
 
For this reason, once we sense that we do not get enough rain, we soon begin to pray for it.  At other times, when we feel we have had enough of rain, we soon begin to sing about it:  “Rain, rain, go away, come again another day.”

Over the last four of five weeks, we have now experienced the remnants of three consecutive Gulf Coast hurricanes as they have spun themselves out overhead here in east Tennessee.  Needless to say, as of late, we have been doing more singing than praying!

This is not to say that this rain has not been welcome.  The couple of inches that have drenched us this time have certainly tempered the dust that usually accompanies the dryness of fall.  But when the dust turns to mud, the blessing can become a hassle.

I had gone walking this morning, and had barely gotten a half a mile from our house, when the bottom fell out of the clouds and the rain began to fall in torrents.  Thankfully, due to an earlier heads’ up from my wife, I had foreseen this possibility, and had taken my trusty poncho with me. 

So, other than getting my walking shoes wet, I actually had a pleasant little walk.  As I did, I thought a lot about rain, ultimately concluding that few things are as right at rain!

Allow me to suggest a few reasons why this is so... 

I.  RAIN CLEANSES

The local utility company has been busy putting in a new water line on the road in which we live.  Suffice it to say that the result has been a dirty mess, initially from mud piled everywhere as the ground was dug up, and inevitably as the mud dried out, a dusty nightmare.  Seemingly every part of our road and driveway was covered with either mud or dust ( if not both), not to mention our vehicles, etc…  And then… “Voilà!”  Once the rains came, the mud and dust were both quickly washed away.

II. RAIN NOURISHES

We had spent the past couple of weeks putting topsoil in the low parts of our yard and planting grass seed there.  I have been busy watering these spots daily in order to nurture them along.  But when the rains came, they accomplished more in a single 48 hour stretch than I could ever hope to accomplish at an hour a day for a whole week.

III. RAIN TRANSFORMS

Our weather team on the local television station news has told us that, once our weekend drenching comes to an end, we can now expect multiple “pleasant” fall days filled with sunshine, mild temperatures, and little to no humidity.

Now, consider the spiritual implications of all of this.  The Bible tells us that Jesus Christ is the “Living Water”, Who alone satisfies our spiritual thirst.  As such, He gives us three essential things. 

The first of these is spiritual cleansing.  By His blood, we are washed and made clean.  Secondly, He then nourishes us through His Word, helping us to become strong in our spirit.  Finally, He transforms us completely from what we once were into what all He desires us to be.

While I myself am nowhere near perfect, I am nonetheless a work in progress.  That work began when Christ cleansed me by His sacrificial death, burial, and resurrection.  It continued as He began to nurture me in my spiritual growth through inundation in His Word.  And to this very day, I am continually being transformed by Him, as the old man within me gives way daily to the new man I am becoming.

I hope you share this same testimony.  If not, you can.  You too can be cleansed form the consequential residue of a filthy past.  You too can find genuine nourishment for your soul, the kind for which you were intended, and which alone will give you authentic and lasting satisfaction.  And best of all, you too can begin to become who you were meant to be, fulfilling all of the purposes for which you were created.

Now that, my friends, is as right as rain!

SCRIPTURE SOURCES:

https://biblehub.com/bsb/john/4.htm;
https://biblehub.com/niv/john/7.htm;
https://bible.knowing-jesus.com/topics/The-Water-Of-Life.

NOTE:  I penned these words fully cognizant of what the people of the Gulf Coast states have recently undergone.  I realize that what we have experienced from the residue of hurricanes here in east Tennessee is miniscule in comparison to what these individuals have undergone; and my thoughts here are in no way intended to diminish or undermine what they have endured.  As always, my prayers, as well as 
my financial resources (the latter through official denominational channels), keep going out to them.

GOT THE PICTURE?

10/6/2020

 
It looks like the Guinness Book of World Records has a new entry.  It seems that an Eminem fan in Scotland has recently set a new world record for “The Most Tattooed Portraits of the Same Musician on His or Her Body”.

According to the October 05, 2020  article by Michael Bartiromo on www.FoxNew.com titled “Eminem Fan in Scotland Sets Guinness Record for Most Tattooed Portraits of Same Musician”, a certain young lady named Nikki Patterson is clearly not afraid of needles!

The 35-year-old Aberdeen, Scotland resident recently secured the Guinness World Record for having the most tattoos of the same musician spread across various parts of here body.  She set this new record when she got her 15th different tattooed portrait of Eminem!  And she’s not done yet.  Since her record was confirmed, she’s now gotten a 16th tat, with plans for five more in the near future!

When asked how far she planned to carry this, she replied, “After that… it will depend on how much skin I have left.”

Patterson went on to say that she first fell in love with Eminem’s music when she was 14.  Shem got her first Slim Shady-inspired tattoo at 19.  But it was only when she was around 22 that she really began collecting the tattooed portraits.

According to Patterson:  “I saw an Eminem tattoo by [Scotland-based tattoo artist] David Corden had done and I just knew I needed one,” she said. “And that tattoo changed my life overnight, because I started wanting to be seen rather than being ashamed in my own skin.”

More than just sport his image, Patterson says she has now gone to seen Eminem live a total of seven times.  She also has 12 other Eminem-themed tattooed based on his various song lyrics.

She continued, telling Fox News of her hobby that:  “I got a second one, and a third and it just went from there. I’m a changed person — I’m confident now and love looking in the mirror. I’ve got thicker skin and worry less about what people think about me.”

What is her next move?  As she told Fox News, “I’m gonna keep breaking my own for now, lol.”  She must mean this, for she has an upcoming appointment for yet another Eminem portrait on Oct. 23, and four more — all portraits — after that. 

As I read this article, I could not help but ask myself one basic question:  “Just who do people see when they look at me?”  And I can only hope that the answer to that question is none other than Jesus Christ.

Years ago, B.B. McKinney must have been thinking along these same lines.  He had to have been, for he was moved to write the now classic words:

​While passing thro' this world of sin,
and others your life shall view.
Be clean and pure without, within;
Let others see Jesus in you.

Your life's a book before their eyes,
They're reading it thro' and thro'
Say, does it point them to the skis,
Do others see Jesus in you?

Then live for Christ both day and night,
Be faithful, be brave and true,
and lead the lost to life and Christ.
Let others see Jesus in you.

While passing thro' this world of sin,
and others your life shall view.
Be clean and pure without, within;
Let others see Jesus in you.

Let others see Jesus in you,
Let others see Jesus in you.
Keep telling the story, be faithful and true;
Let others see Jesus in you.


More than a just penning a hymn for those of us who claim to follow Jesus Christ to sing, McKinney has given us a challenge for how to live our lives.  May we be faithful to do so!  And remember, the world may or may not record our efforts to do so, but eternity surely does! 

Let’s let others see Jesus in us!

STORY SOURCE:
 
https://www.foxnews.com/lifestyle/eminem-fan-scotland-tattoos-guinness-record.

HYMN SOURCE:

https://hymnary.org/text/while_passing_through_this_world_of_sin;  and

http://www.songlyrics.com/tony-weeks/let-others-see-jesus-in-you-lyrics/.

SEE ALSO: 

​https://dianaleaghmatthews.com/let-others-see-jesus-in-you/.

WHO'S CALLING?!

10/2/2020

 
I thought I would continue my thoughts this day with regard to D-Day in World War Two.  History tells us that, just as the Allied powers had hoped it would, H-Hour (6am) on D-Day (June 6, 1944) unfolded both suddenly and quickly, allowing them to achieve total surprise regarding the time and place of their monumental invasion of Axis-occupied western Europe.

In the moments and hours immediately following the invasion, the news agencies within both the Axis and Allied powers clamored to learn more, and to be the first to report updates on the status of the battle.  Doubtless, each had their respective motives in doing so, as putting a “spin” on the news is nothing new. 

The Allied powers certainly wanted their listeners to know that they were in fact invading Europe.  Conversely, most historians agree that the Axis powers  initially reported the truth of the invasion solely because they wanted to build up a veneer of credibility; so that later on, whenever it might prove advantageous, they could misrepresent facts in their reporting, and so deceive both  their enemies, and if need be, their own German audience. 


Eventually, the first official communique released by Supreme Headquarters, Allied Expeditionary Force (abbreviated as SHAEF) was released.  The single laconic statement was brief and to the point:  “Under the command of General Eisenhower, Allied naval forces, supported by strong air forces, began landing Allied armies this morning on the northern coast of France.”

Soon thereafter, the governments of the various Allied nations involved also took to the airwaves, each with official pronouncements, and each speaking to their respective citizenry as to what was expected of them during this fateful time.  The first three of these nations included Holland, Belgium, and England.  Not surprisingly, in such cases, the message was fairly straightforward:  “We are coming.  Be ready, be vigilant, and be faithful in this difficult time.  Here is what we expect of you until then.” 

In other cases, however, especially where the Nazis were occupying powers, the message was not so definitive and clear cut.  There is no better example of this than inside France itself, where the French people were receiving mixed signals.

The first came from their titular leader, Marshal Philippe Pétain, who headed up the puppet regime ruling France under his Nazi warlords, known as the Vichy government.  His message implored the French people to remain passive and continue to submit to their Nazi overlords.

Broadcasting form Nazi controlled stations inside France, he told them to obey orders to stay indoors after dark, and when venturing forth in daylight, not to gather in groups of more than three.  In short order, he claimed, the Allied invasion would surely be repulsed, and the enemy would be thrown back into the sea.  For this reason, the French people did not senselessly need to invite later reprisals from the occupying Germans. 

His message was not encouraging.  It wasn't meant to be.  It was meant to be just what it was, a tool designed to keep a defeated people in subjugation to an evil power.


At the same time, however, broadcasting in absentia from BBC stations in England and North Africa, Charles De Gaulle, the true leader of the French people, offered a radically different message.  His words offered encouragement to his oppressed people.  He told the French people that the hour of their deliverance was indeed at hand; and that the liberating army, of which the free French forces he was now leading was a part, had in fact already landed, and that they were even now fighting to set them all free.  He wanted his people to be encouraged by all of these matters.

But his words also contained another message as well - a call to arms!  He told the French people that they should listen intently for exact instructions about when and what to do in order to rise up and join in the struggle to throw off the oppressive Nazi regime.  Lastly, he underscored that now was the time to be courageous as victory was within their grasp.  Each French citizen must now be prepared to do what was expected of him or her.

Thankfully, each of these broadcasts has been recorded for posterity.  You can read them online, where they are readily accessible with a simple Google search.  

I share this today because I cannot help but see the parallels for Christians in the modern world.  We clearly live in a world where the evil one holds sway.  He seems all too invincible in his worldly authority; as day after day, his minions do his bidding and encourage us to passively submit to his authority, and to do nothing that might offend or alienate him or his earthly cohorts in any way.

Yet, over and against this message is the one we receive from our true Lord and Master:  Jesus Christ.  His message, by contrast, is one of encouragement, not discouragement!  His message is not to conform, but to resist!  His message is to remain faithful to Him rather than the evil one, knowing that the day and hour of our deliverance is even now at hand!

On June 6, 1944, the French people had a decision to make.  Would they follow the urging of an imposter, or would they be true to the promptings of their true leader?  History records that they chose De Gaulle over Petain.  And within a few short weeks, they were indeed free from the rule of Nazi tyranny!

It seems to me that, as followers of Jesus Christ, we too have a decision to make.  Will we follow the urging of so many of our worldly leaders, a great number of whom seem tirelessly to encourage us to submit to the evil one and his agenda for our lives and this world?

Or will we muster the courage to ignore this misleading message and listen instead to the words of our one true Lord and Master, Jesus Christ, Whose message is so radically different from that of the world?!

I remind you of what Jesus Himself said in the New Testament gospel of John (chapter 10, verse 27): “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.” 

In light of all of this, I have made my choice.  As the day and hour of my liberation draws increasingly nigh, I will henceforth listen to only one message; and that is one spoken with the voice of my true Lord and Master, Jesus Christ! 

What about you?  Whose message are you choosing to heed today?  Will you simply be complacent, be compliant, and go along with the urging of the evil one and his minions?  Or will you recognize that such an approach is inherently antithetical to your true identity as a follower of Jesus Christ? 

​Give careful consideration to your answer; for whatever you decide will have significant consequences in your life, both for this world and for the next!


SOURCES:

https://www.surreycc.gov.uk/culture-and-leisure/history-centre/marvels/on-6-june-1944-d-day-had-come;
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philippe_P%C3%A9tain.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_de_Gaulle.

SEE ALSO: 

The 24 straight hours of radio recordings of D-Day from CBS and NBC referenced in my previous blog post, “SAID AND DONE” of 09.29.20, contain many of these speeches.

SCRIPTURE:

https://www.biblehub.com/john/10-27.htm.

    Cleo E. Jackson, III

    Occasionally I will add
    a few thoughts to my blog. If you find them inspirational, I will be
    honored.

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