Blog Posts

CAVEAT PISCATOR!

10/7/2019

Perhaps you are familiar with the Latin phrase “caveat emptor”. It means “let the buyer beware”. My title today is a play on that phrase. The Latin for “one who fishes” is “piscator”. And on occasion, those who fish, like those who purchase, should beware!

Take for instance a scene in one of my favorite movies - the 1997 survival film titled The Edge, directed by Lee Tamahori and starring Anthony Hopkins and Alec Baldwin. It also starred Bart the Bear, a massive trained Kodiak bear who was featured in numerous other Hollywood movies.

The plot of the movie is fairly simple. A group of men go down in an airplane in Alaska and must make their way back to civilization. Unfortunately, they encounter a massive brown bear who stalks them each step of the way. Not only must they contend with a hungry bear, but ultimately with each other.

In one particularly chilling scene, the character played by Anthony Hopkins is attempting to catch a fish in a mountain stream when he somehow senses that something is not right. As he looks up and around, he suddenly finds that the massive bear is directly across the stream from him, preparing to advance. Needless to say, he quickly retreats and runs for his life!

In one of those instances where life seems to imitate art, a photographer named Robert Hawthorne snapped the picture below this past week in Katmai National Park, Alaska. The headline on the FoxNews.com article boldly proclaimed: “Brown bear photo-bombs 'oblivious' fishermen in wildlife photographer's photo”.

As you can see, that may not exactly do the moment justice!

The good news is that the article points out that the photographer notified the fishermen, who were able to move away from the danger quickly and escape without any injury, though they were understandably a little shaken.

As I read the article, I thought about how easily the huge bear had slipped up on the unsuspecting men. I was also reminded of what the Apostle Peter was led to write in his First New Testament Epistle (chapter 5, verse 8): “Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.”

Granted – bears and lions are different creatures that generally inhabit different environments. But both are still dangerous predators who slip up on and ambush unsuspecting prey. The photo above is thus an apt reminder of the truth that Peter is communicating to us about how the Devil operates in the lives of the people he preys upon. He sneaks up and catches people off guard.

For this reason, surely it behooves each of us to follow the admonition Peter gives! We must forever be on our guard; for the Devil would willingly pounce upon any one of us at any given moment and gladly drag us off into some activity or circumstance that would likely cause us heartache and harm.

STORY SOURCE:

https://www.foxnews.com/great-outdoors/brown-bear-photobombs-fishermen-alaska-wildlife-photographer.

NOTE: The original source appears to have been:

https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/10050412/grizzly-bear-creeps-behind-men-fishing-oblivious-danger-yards-away/.

SEE ALSO:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Edge_(1997_film);
ttps://www.imdb.com/title/tt0119051/.

SCRIPTURE SOURCE:

https://biblehub.com/niv/1_peter/5.htm.

OUT OF TIME…

10/3/2019

The element of time is one thing we all share in our lives. Be it the ticking scoreboard when our team is behind in the big game, or the alarm clock going off early in the morning of the big day, or the minutes dragging by before the time clock eventually signifying quitting time on Friday and a big weekend, we all know the ups and downs of living by the clock.

On occasion, we all want time to speed up. When I was a child, it seemed like it took forever for the last day of school to roll around. The same was true for Christmas. As a teenager, whenever I had a big date on Friday night with the young lady who was to eventually be my wife, the week before seemed to drag by. Even now, as a working man, it can seem like a long time between vacations.

On other occasions, we want time to slow down. As a child, when summer did roll around, I wanted it to last forever. As a teenager, when that date did arrive, it always seems to end too early. I wanted it to go on for a much longer time. And even today, when my and wife and I do take time off for vacation, I want to see it last as long as it can. Sadly, all too soon, vacations inevitably come to an end.

Alas! Our lives are so often ruled by the tyranny of the clock! We watch it anxiously, willing it either to speed up or to slow down! Yet, in the end, we are unable to influence it in its inexorable march forward, the speed of which it alone controls!

But what would we do if there was no more time? This was the question I was confronted with this morning. I got up and began my day as I normally do. After getting cleaned up and dressed, I had breakfast, brushed my teeth, gathered my things, and proceeded out the door.

It was only as I was driving to the office that I happened to actually glance down at my watch. (Up until then, throughout the morning, I had been checking the time by the various clocks positioned in around our home.) I was surprised to see that my watch had stopped at around 7:46. Now I do not know if that was last night or this morning, as I have a dial watch and it does not track am or pm.

I wondered which it was. What was I doing last evening at 7:46 pm? I remembered that I had just come home from Wednesday night worship, and had removed my watch and placed on the dresser. What was I doing at 7:46 am this morning? Again I remembered that I had been scurrying around the house with my watch on my wrist (even though I clearly had not yet looked at it.)

I concluded that I must stop by the store where I acquired my watch to get a new battery. Put simply: I needed to find a way to get time back. In the future, just as in the past, I knew I would need more time on my watch!

This last consideration notwithstanding, I was faced with the fact that, at one of those two earlier points in my past, time had stopped! At least on my watch it had. Of course, that raised the question: What if time had literally run out at one of those moments? What if the end had come? Dare I say it; but what if my own personal time had run out? Would I have been ready at that moment to stand before my lord and savior, Jesus Christ?

For that matter, what if the long-awaited second coming of Jesus Christ had unfolded at one of those very moments? Would I have been prepared to meet Him? Would I be unashamed of what I had accomplished for Him and in His name? Or would I wish for more time to go back and do more for Him than I had done?

In light of these thoughts, I challenge you to remember two things. The first is the admonition of Holy Scripture itself, which tells us in the New Testament Book of Hebrews, chapter 9, verse 27, that each and every person is destined to die and face the judgment of Almighty God. So, it is incumbent on us to be ready for that day before it ever comes.

And the second reminder is from the words to the great hymn by James M. Black titled “When The Roll Is Called Up Yonder”:

1 When the trumpet of the Lord shall sound,
and time shall be no more,
and the morning breaks, eternal, bright and fair;
when the saved of earth shall gather
over on the other shore,
and the roll is called up yonder, I'll be there.

Refrain:
When the roll is called up yonder,
when the roll is called up yonder,
when the roll is called up yonder,
when the roll is called up yonder, I'll be there.

2 On that bright and cloudless morning
when the dead in Christ shall rise,
and the glory of His resurrection share;
when His chosen ones shall gather
to their home beyond the skies,
and the roll is called up yonder, I'll be there. [Refrain]

3 Let us labor for the Master
from the dawn till setting sun,
let us talk of all His wondrous love and care;
then when all of life is over,
and our work on earth is done,
and the roll is called up yonder, I'll be there. [Refrain]

Along with the refrain, verses one and two are words are encouragement and celebration. Well, they should be; for what a day, glorious day, that will be!

But verse three is more of an admonition. There will come a point for all of us when time shall be no more. For this reason, we should work to make the utmost of every possible moment, each and every day. This means getting the lost out of life, to be sure. But it also means doing the most we can to prepare for the life to come.

Little wonder, then, that the Apostle Paul told the Christians at Ephesus (in his letter to them in the New Testament, chapter 5, verse 16) that they should redeem their time. In truth, our time is one of the most valuable commodities we possess. Once gone, it can never be reclaimed. So make the most of every moment. For your sake; for the sake of others; and above all, for Christ’s sake!

SCRIPTURE SOURCES:

https://biblehub.com/hebrews/9-27.htm.

https://biblehub.com/ephesians/5-16.htm.

HYMN SOURCE:

https://hymnary.org/text/when_the_trumpet_of_the_lord_shall_black.

PROVE IT!

9/30/2019

The October 15, 1992 edition of the publication titled Bits & Pieces magazine contains the following story:

A young American engineer was sent to Ireland by his company to work in a new electronics plant. It was a two-year assignment that he had accepted because it would enable him to earn enough to marry his long-time girlfriend.

She had a job near her home in Tennessee, and their plan was to pool their resources and put a down payment on a house when he returned. They corresponded often, but as the lonely weeks went by, she began expressing doubts that he was being true to her, exposed as he was to comely Irish lasses.

The young engineer wrote back, declaring with some passion that he was paying absolutely no attention to the local girls. "I admit," he wrote, "that sometimes I'm tempted. But I fight it. I'm keeping myself for you."

In the next mail, the engineer received a package. It contained a note from his girl and a harmonica. "I'm sending this to you," she wrote, "so you can learn to play it and have something to take your mind off those girls."

The engineer replied, "Thanks for the harmonica. I'm practicing on it every night and thinking of you."

At the end of his two-year stint, the engineer was transferred back to company headquarters. He took the first plane to Tennessee to be reunited with his girl. Her whole family was with her, but as he rushed forward to embrace her, she held up a restraining hand and said sternly, "Just hold on there a minute, Billy Bob. Before any serious kissin' and huggin' gets started here, let me hear you play that harmonica!"

As it read this story, I could not help but be reminded of the conversation that unfolded between the risen Lord Jesus and the Apostle Peter in the New Testament Gospel of John, chapter 21, verses 15-17:

15When they had finished eating, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?” “Yes, Lord,” he said, “you know that I love you.” Jesus said, “Feed my lambs.” 16Again Jesus said, “Simon son of John, do you love me?” He answered, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.” Jesus said, “Take care of my sheep.”

17The third time he said to him, “Simon son of John, do you love me?” Peter was hurt because Jesus asked him the third time, “Do you love me?” He said, “Lord, you know all things; you know that I love you.” Jesus said, “Feed my sheep.”

The young lady in the story above was looking for her boyfriend to prove his love for her. In like manner, Jesus Christ was asking the Apostle Peter to prove his love for Him!

And what Jesus asked of Peter, He still asks of those of us who follow Him today! He asks us to prove it - to prove our love for Him as our Lord and Savior!

As the old saying goes, “Talk is cheap!” We must always be ready, willing, and able to back up our claims with actions! And so, my friend, if you profess faith in and commitment to Jesus Christ as you Lord and Savior, be ready at any time to prove it!

Otherwise, as was the case for Peter in John's Gospel, chapter 21, your words will have little significance!

STORY SOURCE:

Bits & Pieces Magazine,October 15, 1992, pp. 17-18.

SCRIPTURE SOURCE:

https://biblehub.com/niv/john/21.htm.

SEE ALSO:

https://bitsandpieces.biz/.

AND THERE WAS LIGHT

9/26/2019

It is being hailed as a monumental scientific achievement. According to the headline on FoxNews.com (in a story written by Chris Ciaccia and published September 20, 2019), a new “Breakthrough device can generate electricity from the night sky”.

In layman's terms, it contains a thermo-electric generator that harnesses temperature differences to produce renewable electricity without active heat input. In technical terms, the device uses radioactive cooling, the process whereby a surface passes its heat to the atmosphere and is cooler than the air that surrounds it. This, in turn, enables the device to generate enough electricity for an LED light bulb, even at night when standard solar cells do not work.

As one can imagine, the possibilities of such technology are intriguing. From generating electricity for lighting, heating, or other purposes at the pitch black bottom of the ocean or in the darkest reaches of outer space, such devices could be very beneficial to those involved in science, exploration, technology, and related professions.

What is more, try to visualize larger devices set up for this purpose and producing electricity all over our planet. Just imagine what cheap, renewable energy obtained each and every night when the sun goes down might conceivably do for the cost of the production of electricity! Go a step further and imagine such devices producing free electricity on bases on the moon or other planets.

As I read the article, I was reminded of how times of darkness are inevitable in our lives. On average over a full year, 12 out of 24 hours are dark rather than light. That is one half of our lives. Of course, without assistance, whenever we are in the dark, we are unable to see on our own.

Not only are we unable to see, but often when we are in the dark, we are out in the cold as well! Without light, there is little feeling of accompanying warmth. Simply put, being in the dark for any extended period of time immobilizes a person!

Of course, what is true physically is also true spiritually. Being in the dark in our spiritual lives can be just as disconcerting as being in the dark in our physical lives. For this reason, I am glad to know that there is Someone Who is capable of providing me spiritual light in the darkest days of my life and spiritual warmth in my coldest days!

That Person is Jesus Christ. And these are the words that the Apostle John was led to pen of Him in the opening verses of the New Testament Gospel bearing his name (chapter 1, verses 1-5):

1In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2He was with God in the beginning. 3Through Him all things were made, and without Him nothing was made that has been made. 4In Him was life, and that life was the light of men. 5The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

Are you in the dark spiritually today? Are you lacking warmth and comfort for living? Then I urge you to turn to Jesus Christ today. For this is His promise as given to everyone (in John chapter 8, verse 12): “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows Me will never walk in the darkness, but will have the light of life.”

STORY SOURCE:

https://www.foxnews.com/tech/breakthrough-device-can-generate-electricity-from-the-night-sky.

SCRIPTURE SOURCES:

https://biblehub.com/bsb/john/1.htm;

https://biblehub.com/john/8-12.htm.

SUPPERTIME!

9/23/2019

In the 1972 western film, Joe Kidd, starring Clint Eastwood in the title role, the character played by Robert Duvall is reflecting to his comrade as their long day nears its end. As he does, he makes the following remark: “Good time of day, Eljay. Day's work's done, man's waiting on a good supper.” We can all relate to that statement.

These days, whenever I happen to see a rerun of this old movie (as I did recently), I think of the lines to Andy Griggs’ hit 2004 single titled If Heaven:

If heaven was an hour, it would be twilight
When the fireflies start their dancin' on the lawn
And supper's on the stove and mamma's laughin'
And everybody's workin' day is done.

The song is written from the perspective of man who is dying. And the chorus is especially poignant.

If heaven was a town, it would be my town
Oh, on a summer day in 1985
And everything I wanted was out there waitin'
And everyone I loved was still alive.

There comes a time we all must say goodbye
And if that's what heaven's made of
You know I ain't afraid to die.

Don't cry a tear for me now baby
There comes a time we all must say goodbye
And if that's what heaven's made of
You know I ain't afraid to die.

Yeah, if that's what heaven's made of
You know I ain't afraid to die.

Griggs’ song itself may well have been partly inspired by an earlier classic by country music superstar Jim Reeves. He had a hit back in the 1959’s with song titled “Suppertime”.

Many years ago in days of childhood,
I used to play till evenin' shadows come.
Then windin' down that old familiar pathway,
I'd hear my mother call at set of sun.

Come home, come home it's supper time,
The shadows lengthen fast.
Come home, come home it's supper time,
We're going home at last.

Some of the fondest memories of my childhood
Were woven around supper time.
When my mother used to call
From the back steps of the old homeplace
“Come on home now son, it's supper time.”

Ah, but I'd love to hear that once more.
But you know for me time has woven the realization of
The truth that's even more thrilling and that's when
The call comes up from the portals of glory
To come home, for its supper time.

When all of God's children
Shall gather around the table
Of the Lord himself,
And the greatest supper time of them all.

Come home, come home, it's supper time
The shadows lengthen fast. Come home, come home, it's supper time
We're going home at last!

I share all of these things in light of what the Apostle Paul had to say as he concluded his remarks on the Lord’s Supper in his First New Testament Letter to the Corinthians (chapter 11, verse 26): “For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.”

Until He comes! What a day, glorious day that will be. When He, the Lord Himself, comes for us; and when we will then gather around His table up in Heaven to celebrate the fact that we are finally and forever home!

In light of this, I conclude my thoughts today exactly as I did in my previous blog post - with this simple prayer: “Even so, come quickly, Lord Jesus!”

MOVIE SCRIPT SOURCE:

https://www.springfieldspringfield.co.uk/movie_script.php?movie=joe-kidd.

LYRICS SOURCES:

http://www.metrolyrics.com/if-heaven-lyrics-andy-griggs.html;

http://www.songlyrics.com/jim-reeves/suppertime-lyrics/.

SCRIPTURE SOURCES:

https://biblehub.com/niv/1_corinthians/11.htm;

https://biblehub.com/revelation/22-20.htm.

WHERE THE ROSES NEVER FADE

9/19/2019

My title today comes from the hymn written by Jack and Elsie Osborn back in 1942. It contains these famous lyrics:

I am going to a city
Where the streets with gold are laid,
Where the tree of life is blooming
And the roses never fade.

Here they bloom but for a season,
Soon their beauty is decayed;
I am going to a city
Where the roses never fade.

Nearly four decades later, in 1980, Hollywood underscored these words in a particularly poignant scene in the movie titled Coal Miner’s Daughter.

Sissy Spacek won an Oscar for her portrayal of legendary country music star Loretta Lynn in this acclaimed biographical music film. Spacek worked hard to learn Appalachian dialect and even sang all Lynn’s songs herself on film. Indeed, the soundtrack itself reached the top 40 in the U.S. on the Billboard 200; selling over 500,000 copies and being certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America.

Supported by such talented actors as Tommy Lee Jones, Beverly D'Angelo, and Levon Helm, and with cameo appearances by Ernest Tubb, Roy Acuff, and Minnie Pearl, Spacek’s performance was a tour de force, and obviously the masterpiece of her career.

As the scene unfolds, Spacek (as Loretta) and Jones (as her husband Doolittle) have come home to the little Kentucky coal-mining community of Van Lear for the funeral of her father, who has died unexpectedly. They are alone together at the grave when the irascible Doolittle asked his wife: “Loretta, this ol' mountain top is gonna be covered in wildflowers in six weeks' time, what the heck are you doing bringing plastic ones up here?”

Exasperated, Loretta responds amidst her tears by saying “Because they don't die! The real ones just die! Like everything else!” In that one heartbreaking moment, overcome with anguish, her lament captures the essence of universal human emotion regarding death.

Like you, I can relate to her grief. This very week, the man who chaired the Pastor Search Team that was used of God in my call to my present pastorate some twenty years ago passed away. His passing has been hard on me. Over the last couple of decades, I came to know and to love that man as an older brother in Christ.

Sadly, he is the fourth of five members of that same Search Team who are now deceased. All of them were special; but he held a unique place in my heart. I can only imagine how his grieving wife and sons feel at this moment as they confront the terrible void now created in their lives.

To make matters worse, my father-in-law has lost not one, but two of his earthly brothers this very week as well. Of an original eleven siblings, he and one other brother are all that remain. The two of them have experienced terrible grief together this week, as their hearts and minds have again known the loss of two souls so dear to them. Burying one loved one is hard enough; but burying two in one week is extremely hard to bear.

And as if all this were not bad enough, even as I pen this blog post, I have just received that a church member has now lost her precious step-mother. Her heart is heavy as she absorbs the impact of this unexpected blow.

As a Pastor, my heart goes out to all these individuals. I pray for them as they undergo the awful process of grief. In times like these, therefore, I am especially thankful for the hope that we have in Christ Jesus, Who (in the New Testament Gospel of John, chapter 11, verses 25 and 26) once said: “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me will live, even though he dies. And therefore, everyone who lives and believes in Me ultimately will never die.”

Because of Him and His redemptive work in our lives, our grief is tempered by the knowledge these loved ones we have now lost are all in Heaven. And in that place, they have now found a new sort of life – one that is eternal and abundant beyond our imagination!

As the apostle Paul himself puts it in his Second New Testament Letter to the Corinthians (chapter 2, verse 9): “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind has imagined what God has prepared for those who love him.”

The Apostle John was given a vision of this magnificent place called Heaven in the closing chapters of the New Testament Book of Revelation. After having witnessed its wonders, which are replete with echoes of the Garden of Eden, John is told personally by Jesus Christ that He is now preparing to come and take all who believe in Him to be with Him there forever.

In light of this, and on behalf of all who have ever lost a loved one (or ones), I join with the Apostle John and pray: “Amen, come quickly, Lord Jesus!”

HYMN INFO SOURCE:
https://wordwisehymns.com/2015/04/27/where-the-roses-never-fade/.

MOVIE INFO SOURCE:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coal_Miner's_Daughter_(film);

MOVIE SCRIPT SOURCE:
https://www.springfieldspringfield.co.uk/movie_script.php?movie=coal-miners-daughter.

SCRIPTURE SOURCES:
https://biblehub.com/john/11-25.htm;
https://biblehub.com/john/11-26.htm;
https://biblehub.com/1_corinthians/2-9.htm;
https://biblehub.com/niv/revelation/22.htm.

TRIP OF A LIFETIME!

9/16/2019

Fox Business News contained a story recently about the world’s longest and likely most expensive trip. The article, titled “This May Be The World's Longest Cruise, And It'll Cost A Boatload”, was written by Jeanette Settembre, and published on September 03, 2019.

It seems that luxury liner Viking Cruises now aims to set a world record for sailing around the world in 245 days – the longest continuous passenger excursion at sea. The article, citing Forbes magazine, states:

The massive 930-passenger Viking Sun set sail from Greenwich cruise terminal in London on Aug. 31, embarking on its eight-month trip through 51 countries across six continents stopping in 111 ports and making overnight stops in 23 cities, Forbes reported. Trips that cruise around the world typically last up to 120 days.

Passengers will cruise through Scandinavia, the Caribbean and through South America. Viking Sun will continue on to the coast of Australia, and breeze through Asia before it returns to the Mediterranean and Europe next year.

Sailing the world comes with a steep price tag. The Ultimate World Cruise package onboard the Viking Sun costs $92,990 per passenger including meals, beer and wine with lunch and dinner, room service, free Wi-Fi, business class air travel and complimentary excursions at each port. Passengers must be 18 years or older…

The 245-day journey could be unrealistic for most Americans, considering the average person only gets 15 days of paid vacation and holiday time off per year. And those who get it aren’t even using all of it. Around 54 percent of Americans used all of their vacation time, according to a report from Glassdoor from 2018.

As I read this article, I thought about another fantastic trip. Only this one will be much, much longer and cost infinitely more than mere trip around this world. The trip I am referring to is described in the Bible; and it has to do with going to Heaven. It is, of course, a one way trip. And it will last for all eternity.

The Bible also tells us that it will be a trip with a wonderful endpoint. The destination is the most beautiful place imaginable- so much so that the pleasures there are simply indescribable. In the New Testament Book of Second Corinthians, chapter 2, verse 9, we read: “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind has imagined what God has prepared for those who love him.” What is more, these blessings will go on for all eternity! They will never end!

Of course, it goes without saying that the cost of such a trip must be quite expensive. It is - so much so that no human being could ever afford to get to Heaven on his or her own accord. No amount of money, no amount of effort, and no amount of merit can ever qualify any of us for this trip. But praise God, we can still go on this trip!

The reason is because the way has already been paid for us. It was paid for by the sacrificial love of Jesus Christ, Who gave Himself as a ransom for us in order that we might be made whole and restored to a proper relationship with Almighty God!

All one needs to do to have a home in Heaven is to embrace the forgiveness of God made possible through the grace of Jesus Christ. As Jesus Himself put it:

1“Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me. 2My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? 3And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. 4You know the way to the place where I am going.”

5Thomas said to him, “Lord, we don’t know where you are going, so how can we know the way?” 6Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”

I hope you have made plans to go to Heaven. If not, I hope you soon will! I’ve made my plans to go and I’d love to spend eternity with you there!

STORY SOURCE: https://www.foxbusiness.com/features/this-could-be-the-longest-cruise-in-the-world-for-nearly-100000.

SCRIPTURE SOURCES:

https://biblehub.com/1_corinthians/2-9.htm;

https://biblehub.com/niv/john/14.htm.

JUST BECAUSE!

9/13/2019

I have blogged before about my love for the novels of Clive Cussler. He is either the sole or lead author of more than eighty books, seventeen of which have reached The New York Times fiction best seller list. What is more, many of his works have inspired various other media productions, including films, television, other novels, and even video games.

Given that his novels have sold scores of millions of copies, it seems somewhat surprising that only two of them have ever been made into full-length motion pictures. These are “Raise the Titanic” and “Sahara”. This may be due to the fact that neither performed well at the box office. “Raise the Titanic” lost $33 million; and “Sahara”, despite starring Matthew McConaughey and Penélope Cruz, lost over $40 million. It follows that few, if any, investors are likely willing to chance a third film.

Nevertheless, in my opinion, “Sahara” is still a fairly good movie (and an even better novel). In a previous blog post, “NOTE TO SELF” back on 09/17/2018, I shared a well-written scene in this movie. Today, I would like to share another one.

In this particular scene, World Health Organization Doctors Eva Rojas and Frank Hopper, who are accompanying National Underwater and Marine Agency team members Dirk Pitt, Al Giordino, and Rudi Gunnis up the Niger River, stop at a port for supplies. As they do, Dirk is (once again) talking about his love of diving. Dr. Rojas asks him if all he ever thinks about is diving.

He responds by saying no, and then adds that sometimes he thinks about the “angel wing clam", a sample of which he picks up and calls "Petricola Pholadiformis". He further tells her that the Niger River is the only place on the earth they are found.

After turning the empty white shell halves around and positioning them to look like angel’s wings, he then tells her that they glow in the dark, adding that the amazing thing is that scientists still do not know why. “Until then,” he says “my theory is that they do so because they can!”

I love this scene. The reason why is because it reminds us that there is so much in nature that we do not understand. Perhaps we never will. Yet, in spite of this, we can still wonder at the sheer spectacle of it all!

Whether I am looking at beautiful sunrises or beautiful sunsets, whether I am looking at dazzling displays of lightning or of lightning bugs, whether I am hearing the roar of lions or the roar of oceans, I know in my heart that all these things are simply doing what they were made to do! They are simply doing what they were empowered by their Creator to do! All because they can! And because they should.

You and I, too, are a part of God’s creation. As such, we too were designed by our Creator to do certain things. And when we do these things, and do them well - because we can, we too bring glory to our Creator!

How has God gifted you? With what talents and skills has He gifted you? In light of this, how are you utilizing these God-given talents and skills? What are you doing with what you have been given?

I encourage you to glorify God with all that you have been entrusted and/or endowed with by Him. All because you can! All because you should!

UNSUNG HERO!

9/10/2019

We all have our heroes. As I reflect back over my life, I remember quite a few from my own formative years.

I suppose the very first one was my uncle, Roy Jackson. I have blogged about him before – back on 05/14/2018 in a post titled “Bigger than Life!” Perhaps this is because at 6’ 2” tall, and weighing in at around 240 pounds (all without an ounce of fat on him), he was so much bigger physically than his older brother (and my father). Suffice it say that, as a little boy, I looked up to him as one impressive physical specimen.

As I grew older, however, I found more and more heroes. Among them were professional wrestlers, such as “Fireman Bob Armstrong”. He had the biggest arm muscles I had ever seen (in my 12 year old life). At the time, however, I thought he was the pinnacle of masculinity.

Later on, as the fitness craze caught on in America, professional wrestlers realized that big biceps alone, without correspondingly proportionate muscles distributed throughout the rest of their bodies, were not exactly representative of the ideal human form.

Enter Tony (a.k.a. “Black”) Atlas. He was the first wrestler to actually train his whole body in the gym, so as not to look lopsided while in his wrestling trunks. He literally had muscles bulging everywhere! And he once took time to show off his muscular strength by bench pressing 500 pounds on live television from inside a wrestling ring.

Shortly after this, in 1978, the 6’6” tall, 275 lb. “Mr. Universe”, Lou Ferrigno, was cast as “The Incredible Hulk” on a weekly CBS television drama. Overnight, all across America, impressionable young men such as myself took to weightlifting. We all desperately wanted to look like our newfound (albeit green) hero.

As the fitness craze took hold, weightlifting gyms sprung up all across America. Thereafter, for many of us, men like Dennis Tinerino, Tom Platz, Ed Corney, and of course, Arnold Schwarzenegger and Franco Columbu, became larger than life.

While few if any of us went on to achieve any fame as weightlifters, these men, who bore such titles as “Mr. America”, “Mr. World”, “Mr. Universe”, and “Mr. Olympia”, still served as our heroes and inspired us to grind away daily in the local gym.

These days, of course, my illusions have been somewhat shattered. As I have aged, I have come to realize that even men of iron have feet of clay! To begin with, the whole world knows that a certain fitness icon, despite his bodybuilding success, his Hollywood success, and his political success in California, still experienced moral failure as he fathered a love child with his maid.

Other once famous bodybuilders have found themselves caught up in crime, and are no now serving prison terms. Still others have made the news for various other nefarious activities. And all of this brings me to my point.

The news this week reported that Franco Columbu, two time “Mr. Olympia” who was considered the strongest bodybuilder who ever lived, passed away last week at age 78 from a heart attack while swimming in the ocean in his native Sardinia.

I want to take a moment and commend this man. He accomplished a lot in his life. Originally a boxer, he later transitioned into weightlifting and then bodybuilding, going on to win the “Mr. Olympia” title in 1976 and again in 1981. He also competed in the inaugural edition of the “World's Strongest Man” in 1977.

Later, he also had an acting career (with 23 credits) and authored numerous books on bodybuilding and nutrition. In 2001, Columbu was inducted into the International Federation of Bodybuilding’s Hall of Fame. Later, in 2009, he received the Arnold Classic Lifetime Achievement Award.

Yet, despite his celebrity status, he remained a humble man. More to the point, he placed a premium on integrity. I say this because to my knowledge, he never allowed himself to be caught up in any moral, ethical, or legal scandals. That, in and of itself, is somewhat of a rarity. And for this, he will always remain one of my personal heroes.

Beyond this, unlike many high profile bodybuilders who merely parlayed their weightlifting success into social and material acclaim, Franco tended to live his life contented to stay behind the scenes. He transitioned from competitive bodybuilding into medicine, where he went on, quietly and consistently, to serve his fellow man.

Nonetheless, Dr. Franco Columbu (a licensed chiropractor later in life) proved that, despite his impressive array of muscles and humble service of others, he was still human in the long run. Alas, at age 78, he too was destined to go the way of all flesh, proving that.

The lesson I take from all of this is that no matter how large your muscles are, they will inevitably fail you. No man can live forever; and even the strongest eventually have to say goodbye! Thus, when we come to the end of our physical lives, we have to ask ourselves what truly remains.

And what remains is our soul! As well as a record of how we have spent our time in this world. To his credit, while Franco Columbu made the most of the physical body God gave him, this mild-mannered man seems to have made the most of something else as well - and that is every opportunity to improve the lives of those around him.

And if anything qualifies as heroic, surely that does!

SOURCES:

https://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/franco-columbu-dead-bodybuilder-arnold-schwarzenegger-best-friend.

SEE ALSO:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Franco_Columbu;

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bob_Armstrong;

https://www.wwe.com/superstars/tonyatlas.

LABOR OF LOVE!

9/6/2019

Most pastors love to read. I am no exception. I find that I pretty much have to in order to keep the well of creativity from running too low. Sadly, I don’t always have the time to read. But when I do, I often have a stack of books I intend to get to ready in waiting.

My personal preference for leisure reading is history, and also fiction - particularly historical fiction. But when I want to do light reading, or if I do not have the time to justify starting a longer work, I often read trivia books.

Down through the years, I have collected up quite a few trivia books. I have found that the great thing about a trivia book is that I do not have to finish it all at once. I can just leave a book mark and then pick back up later right where I left off. Unlike a novel, I need not remember anything I previously read.

Another great thing that I have discovered about trivia books is that they are often quite full of illustrative material for speaking and/or writing. I came across one such instance recently in an old paperback trivia book I had bought back when I was in college. I thought I would post it here today as an example.

Found on page 157 of The Book of Lists, #2, it reads as follows:

On May 2, 1962, a dramatic advertisement appeared in the San Francisco Examiner: "I don't want my husband to die in the gas chamber for a crime he did not commit. I will therefore offer my services for 10 years as a cook, maid, or housekeeper to any leading attorney who will defend him and bring about his vindication."

One of San Francisco's greatest attorneys, Vincent Hallinan, read or heard about the ad and contacted Gladys Kidd, who had placed it. Her husband, Robert Lee Kidd, was about to be tried for the slaying of an elderly antique dealer. Kidd's fingerprints had been found on a bloodstained ornate sword in the victim's shop.

During the trial, Hallinan proved that the antique dealer had not been killed by the sword, and that Kidd's fingerprints and blood on the sword got there because Kidd had once toyed with it while playfully dueling with a friend when they were both out shopping. The jury, after 11 hours, found Kidd to be not guilty. Attorney Hallinan refused Gladys Kidd's offer of 10 years' servitude.

From my perspective, this is a beautiful description of love. Gladys Kidd was willing to sacrifice 10 years of her life in order tro secure the freedom of her beloved husband.

It is also a picture of how much Jesus Christ loves us. When we were deemed guilty and facing punishment for our sin, Christ loved us so much that He willingly stepped forward and offered his life for ours!

Granted, Mr. Kidd was innocent to begin with. And granted also, that while his wife offered her service for his defense, she was not ultimately required to give it. Nonetheless, her effort on his behalf showed just how much she loved him.

Conversely, we are indeed guilty of sin! And Christ not only offered, but did indeed give His life for us to be forgiven! How much more then did He display truly sacrificial love on our behalf!

The Apostle Paul puts it this way in the New Testament Letter to the Romans (chapter 5, verse 6- 8):

6You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. 7Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die. 8But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

And that, my fiends is a true labor of love!

STORY SOURCE: Irving Wallace, David Wallechinsky, Amy Wallace, and Sylvia Wallace, The Book of Lists, #2 (New York: Bantam Publishing, 1980), p. 157.

SEE ALSO: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Book_of_Lists.

SCRIPTURE SOURCE: https://biblehub.com/niv/romans/5.htm.

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