Pastoral Resources

John Barrymore once played the role of a father who disapproved of the man his daughter planned to marry. In one scene, the daughter had to ask Barrymore what he thought of her fiancé, who had just exited. Barrymore was supposed to answer, “I think he’s a dirty dog.”

One night, when the bridegroom-to-be walked off stage, he accidentally tipped over a pitcher of water. Barrymore watched in fascination as a puddle formed. A moment later, his daughter asked, “What do you think of Tom, father?” “I think he’s a dirty dog,” Barrymore answered. Then he ad-libbed, “And what’s more, he isn’t even housebroken!”

John Mason Brown was a drama critic and speaker well known for his witty and informative lectures on theatrical topics. One of his first important appearances as a lecturer was at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Brown was pleased, but also rather nervous, and his nerves were not helped when he noticed by the light of the slide projector that someone was copying his every gesture. After a time he broke off his lecture and announced with great dignity that if anyone was not enjoying the talk, he was free to leave. Nobody did, and the mimicking continued. It was another 10 minutes before Brown realized that the mimic was his own shadow!

Was Brown’s shadow real? Of course. Does a shadow have the power to control a person’s actions? Of course not. It can only mimic us. But in Brown’s case, his shadow did take control momentarily. Why? Because he allowed himself to be so distracted—“addicted,” if you will - by it that he completely forgot what he was supposed to be about.

That’s a pretty good description of the sin nature we carry within us as redeemed people. It can cause havoc, even though it has been made powerless by our identification with Christ.

Theologian John Calvin was afflicted with rheumatism and migraine headaches. Yet he preached, wrote books, and governed Geneva, Switzerland, for 25 years.

John Jacob Astor wrote a book about the year 2000, “A Journey to Other Worlds.” In it he described how technology had saved humanity. Steamboilers powered by the sun provided abundant power. The ocean tides generated electricity. Battery powered airplanes flew through the sky. Astor envisioned a “Terrestrial Axis Straightening Company” whose task was to reposition the globe so that the earth’s climate would be universally spring. He described this period of earth history as “the most wonderful the world has yet seen.” Spaceships were off to colonize Jupiter. John Jacob Astor died on the Titanic.

John Kenneth Galbraith, in his autobiography, A Life in Our Times, illustrates the devotion of Emily Gloria Wilson, his family’s housekeeper:

It had been a wearying day, and I asked Emily to hold all telephone calls while I had a nap. Shortly thereafter the phone rang. Lyndon Johnson was calling from the White House. “Get me Ken Galbraith. This is Lyndon Johnson.”

“He is sleeping, Mr. President. He said not to disturb him.”

“Well, wake him up. I want to talk to him.”

“No, Mr. President. I work for him, not you. When I called the President back, he could scarcely control his pleasure. “Tell that woman I want her here in the White House.”

While very ill, John Knox, the founder of the Presbyterian Church in Scotland, called to his wife and said,

“Read me that Scripture where I first cast my anchor.” After he listened to the beautiful prayer of Jesus recorded in John 17, he seemed to forget his weakness. He began to pray, interceding earnestly for his fellowmen. He prayed for the ungodly who had thus far rejected the gospel. He pleaded in behalf of people who had been recently converted. And he requested protection for the Lord’s servants, many of whom were facing persecution. As Knox prayed, his spirit went home to be with the Lord. The man of whom Queen Mary had said, “I fear his prayers more than I do the armies of my enemies,” ministered through prayer until the moment of his death.

The legendary bare-knuckles boxing champion John L. Sullivan was confronted by a runt of a man who, suffering from the effects of too much drink, challenged the burly champion to a fight. Sullivan, who once battled toe-to-toe with an opponent for 75rounds, growled, “Listen, you, if you hit me just once—and I find out about it ...” The Champ didn’t need to finish the sentence!

John Milton (1608-1674) became totally blind at the age of 43, but he did not give up. During his childhood and early years he absorbed a vast knowledge and remembrance of the Scriptures. To this he added mastery of the Latin and Greek classics which he studied in their original languages. At the age of 47, while immersed in total darkness, he began writing his monumental epic, Paradise Lost, which he completed in 10 years, and which to this day is generally regarded as the most sublime and the greatest non-dramatic poem in the English language. As a writer, he ranks second only to Shakespeare.

The Holy Scriptures lifted him out of his perpetual darkness and thereby God "amply furnished my mind and conscience with eyes," as he stated to his friend, Philara, in Athens. He exulted in the Lord; his spirit was alive with unction from above: "While God so tenderly provides for me," he said, "while He so graciously leads me by the hand and conducts me on the way, I will, since it is His pleasure, rather rejoice than repine at being blind."

John Newton was a rough, dirty sailor with a foul mouth and an appetite for rotten living. He hated life and life hated him. He was captain of a slaveship.

Then someone placed in his hands a copy of Thomas a Kempis’ The Imitation of Christ. He also had the gift of a good mother who told him about the Saviour when he was young. And then he was saved. He went all over England sharing his faith. Well past his “retirement” age, he had to have an assistant stand in the pulpit with him on Sundays. He was nearly blind and spoke in whispers, but nothing could keep him from preaching while he still had breath.

One Sunday, while delivering his message he repeated the sentence: “Jesus Christ is precious.” His helper whispered to him: “But you have already said that twice.”

Newton turned to his helper and said loudly, “Yes, I’ve said it twice, and I’m going to say it again.”

The stones in the ancient sanctuary fairly shook as the grand old preacher said again: “Jesus Christ is precious!”

If our greatest need had been information, God would have sent us an educator; If our greatest need had been technology, God would have sent us a scientist; If our greatest need had been money, God would have sent us an economist; If our greatest need had been pleasure, God would have sent us an entertainer; But our greatest need was forgiveness, so God sent us a Savior.

In 1846 former president John Quincy Adams suffered a stroke. Although he returned to Congress the following year, his health was clearly failing. Daniel Webster described his last meeting with Adams: “Someone, a friend of his, came in and made particular inquiry of his health. Adams answered, ‘I inhabit a weak, frail, decayed tenement; battered by the winds and broken in upon by the storms, and from all I can learn, the landlord does not intend to repair.’“

John Quincy Adams held more important offices than anyone else in the history of the U.S. He served with distinction as president, senator, congressman, minister to major European powers, and participated in various capacities in the American Revolution, the War of 1812, and events leading to the Civil War. Yet, at age 70, with much of that behind him, he wrote, “My whole life has been a succession of disappointments. I can scarcely recollect a single instance of success in anything that I ever undertook.”

John Wesley preached his last sermon of Feb 17, 1791, in Lambeth on the text “Seek ye the Lord while He may be found, call ye upon Him while He is near” (Isa 55:6). The following day, a very sick man, he was put to bed in his home on City Road. During the days of his illness, he often repeated the words from one of his brother’s hymns: “I the chief of sinners am, But Jesus died for me!” His last words were, “The best of all is, God is with us!”

He died March 2, 1791.

John Wesley and a preacher-friend of plain habits were once invited to dinner where the host’s daughter, noted for her beauty, had been profoundly impressed by Wesley’s preaching. During a pause in the meal, Wesley’s friend took the young woman’s hand and called attention to the sparkling rings she wore. “What do you think of this, sir, for a Methodist hand?” the girl turned crimson. Wesley likewise was embarrassed, for his aversion to jewelry was only too well known. But with a benevolent smile, he simply said, “The hand is very beautiful.”

Wesley’s remark both cooled the too-hot water poured by his friend, and made the foot-washing gentle. The young woman appeared at the evening service without her jewels, and became a strong Christian.

John Wesley was eventually one of England’s most wealthy citizens. Yet, as his income sharply increased, look at what happened to his spending habits:

 

Income

Living Expenses

To the Poor

First year:

30 pounds

28 pounds (93%)

2 pounds (7%)

Second year:

60 pounds

28 pounds (47%)

32 pounds (53%)

Third year:

90 pounds

28 pounds (31%)

62 pounds (69%)

Fourth year:

120 pounds

28 pounds (23%)

92 pounds (77%)

Later:

over 1,400 pounds

30 pounds (2%)

over 1,400 pounds (98%)

Take Edwin Thomas, for instance. Edwin Thomas Booth, that is. At age fifteen he debuted on the stage playing Tressel to his father’s Richard III. Within a few short years he was playing the lead in Shakespearean tragedies throughout the United States and Europe. He was the Olivier of his time. He brought a spirit of tragedy that put him in a class by himself.

Edwin had a younger brother, John, who was also an actor. Although he could not compare with his older brother, he did give a memorable interpretation of Brutus in the 1863 production of Julius Caesar, by the New York Winter Garden Theater. Two years later, he performed his last role in a theater when he jumped from the box of a bloodied President Lincoln to the stage of Ford’s Theater. John Wilkes Booth met the end he deserved. But his murderous life placed a stigma over the life of his brother Edwin.

An invisible asterisk now stood beside his name in the minds of the people. He was no longer Edwin Booth the consummate tragedian, but Edwin Booth the brother of the assassin. He retired from the stage to ponder the question why?

Edwin Booth’s life was a tragic accident simply because of his last name. The sensationalists wouldn’t let him separate himself from the crime.

It is interesting to note that he carried a letter with him that could have vindicated him from the sibling attachment to John Wilkes Booth. It was a letter from General Adams Budeau, Chief Secretary to General Ulysses S. Grant, thanking him for a singular act of bravery. It seems that while he was waiting for a train on the platform at Jersey City, a coach he was about to board bolted forward. He turned in time to see that a young boy had slipped from the edge of the pressing crowd into the path of the oncoming train. Without thinking, Edwin raced to the edge of the platform and, linking his leg around a railing, grabbed the boy by the collar. The grateful boy recognized him, but he didn’t recognize the boy. It wasn’t until he received the letter of thanks that he learned it was Robert Todd Lincoln, the son of his brother’s future victim.

Jerome, the Church historian, relates of the Apostle John that when he became old he used to go among the churches and assemblies everywhere repeating the words, "Little children, love one another." His disciples, wearied by the constant repetition, asked him why he always said this. "Because," he replied, "it is the Lord's commandment; and if it only be fulfilled, it is enough."

Jerome, the Church historian, relates of the Apostle John that when he became old he used to go among the churches and assemblies everywhere repeating the words, "Little children, love one another." His disciples, wearied by the constant repetition, asked him why he always said this. "Because," he replied, "it is the Lord's commandment; and if it only be fulfilled, it is enough."

One blistering hot day when they had guests for dinner, Mother asked 4-year old Johnny to return thanks. “But I don’t know what to say!” the boy complained. “Oh, just say what you hear me say” his mother replied. Obediently the boy bowed his head and mumbled, “Oh Lord, why did I invite these people over on a hot day like this?”

Little Johnny and his sister were one day going through a long, narrow railroad tunnel. The railroad company had built small clefts here and there through the tunnel, so that if any one got caught in the tunnel when the train was passing, they could save themselves. After this little boy and girl had gone some distance in the tunnel they heard a train coming. They were frightened at first, but the sister just put her little brother in one cleft and she hurried and hid in another. The train came thundering along, and as it passed, the sister cried out: "Johnny, cling close to the rock! Johnny, cling close to the rock!" and they were safe. The "Rock of Ages" may be beaten by the storms and waves of adversity, but "cling close to the rock, Christians, and all will be well." The waves don't touch the Christian; he is sheltered by the Rock "that is higher than I," by the One who is the strong arm, and the Saviour who is mighty and willing to save.

“The Romans sometimes compelled a captive to be joined face-to-face with a dead body, and to bear it about until the horrible effluvia destroyed the life of the living victim. Virgil describes this cruel punishment: ‘The living and the dead at his command were coupled face to face, and hand to hand; Till choked with stench, in loathed embraces tied, The lingering wretches pined away and died.’”

Without Christ, we are shackled to a dead corpse—our sinfulness. Only repentance frees us from certain death, for life and death cannot coexist indefinitely.

The devil challenged St. Peter to a baseball game.

“How can you win, Satan?” asked St. Peter. “All the famous ballplayers are up here.”

“How can I lose?” answered Satan. “All the umpires are down here.”

In 1746 Jonathan Edwards published a book, The Religious Affections, in which he argued that “true religion must consist very much in the affections,” Edwards saw that one of the chief works of Satan was

“…to propagate and establish a persuasion that all affections and sensible emotions of the mind, in things of religion, are nothing at all to be regarded, but are rather to be avoided and carefully guarded against, as things of a pernicious tendency. This he knows is the way to bring all religion to a mere lifeless formality, and effectually shut out the power of godliness, and everything which is spiritual and to have all true Christianity turned out of doors.”

Edwards went on to say,

“As there is no true religion where there is nothing else but affection, so there is no true religion where there is no religious affection If the great things of religion are rightly understood, they will affect the heart This manner of slighting all religious affections is the way exceedingly to harden the hearts of men, and to encourage them in their stupidity and senselessness, and to keep them in a state of spiritual death as long as they live and bring them at last to death eternal.”

When Jonathan Edwards, the great pastor and theologian died unexpectedly from a smallpox vaccination, his wife wrote these words, “What shall I say? A holy and good God has covered us with a dark cloud. O that we may kiss the rod, and lay our hands on our mouths! The Lord has done it...But my God lives; and he has my heart...We are all given to God.”

Being sensible that I am unable to do anything without God’s help, I do humble entreat Him, by His grace, to enable me to keep these Resolutions, so far as they are agreeable to His will, for Christ’s sake. [I will] remember to read over these Resolutions once a week:

1. Resolved, That I will do whatsoever I think to be most to the glory of God, and my own good, profit, and pleasure, in the whole of my duration; without any consideration of the time, whether now, or never so many myriads of ages hence.

2. Resolved, to do whatever I think to be my duty, and most for the good and advantage of mankind in general.

3. Resolved, Never to lose one moment of time, but to improve it in the most profitable way I possibly can.

4. Resolved, To live with all my might, while I do live.

5. Resolved, Never to do anything, which I should be afraid to do if it were the last hour of my life.

6. Resolved, Never to do anything out of revenge.

7. Resolved, Never to speak evil of any one, so that it shall tend to his dishonour, more or less, upon no account except for some real good.

8. Resolved, To study the Scriptures so steadily, constantly, and frequently, as that I may find, and plainly perceive, myself to grow in the knowledge of the same.

9. Resolved, Never to count that a prayer, nor to let that pass as a prayer, nor that as a petition of a prayer, which is so made, that I cannot hope that God will answer it; nor that as a confession which I cannot hope God will accept.

10. Resolved, To ask myself, at the end of every day, week, month, and year, wherein I could possibly, in any respect, have done better.

11. Resolved, Never to give over, nor in the least to slacken, my fight with my corruptions, however unsuccessful I may be.

12. Resolved, After afflictions, to inquire, what I am the better for them; what good I have got by them, and what I might have got by them.

13. Resolved, Always to do that which I shall wish I had done when I see others do it.

14. Let there be something of benevolence in all that I speak.

Despite the mind-numbing brutality of the Joseph Stalin regime in the Soviet Union, his propaganda machine did its job well. Many Russians hailed him as a hero and a savior, including a young school girl who was chosen to greet Stalin on one occasion.

Years later, this woman recalled Stalin taking her onto his lap, smiling like a loving father. She was starry-eyed, and she cherished the moment for many years. Only later did she learn that during this period, Stalin had her parents arrested and sent to the labor camps, never to be seen again.

While Josh McDowell was attending seminary in California, his father went Home to be with the Lord. His mother had died years earlier, but Josh was not sure of her salvation. He became depressed, thinking that she might be lost. Was she a Christian or not? The thought obsessed him. “Lord,” he prayed, “somehow give me the answer so I can get back to normal. I’ve just got to know.” It seemed like an impossible request.

Two days later, Josh drove out to the ocean. He walked to the end of a pier to be alone. There sat an old woman in a lawnchair, fishing. “Where’s your home originally?” she asked.

“Michigan—Union City,” Josh replied. “Nobody’s heard of it. I tell people it’s a suburb of —”

“Battle Creek,” interrupted the woman. “I had a cousin from there. Did you know the McDowell family?”

Stunned, Josh responded, “Yes, I’m Josh McDowell!”

“I can’t believe it,” said the woman. “I’m a cousin to your mother.”

“Do you remember anything at all about my mother’s spiritual life?” asked Josh.

“Why sure—your mom and I were just girls—teenagers—when a tent revival came to town. It was the fourth night—we both went forward to accept Christ.”

“Praise God!” shouted Josh, startling the surrounding fishermen.

Joy and peace were plentiful

And they were on the same shelf

Songs and praises were hanging everywhere

So I just helped myself.

Then I said to the angel

How much do I really owe

He smiled and said just take them

Everywhere you go.

But I said no—I want to pay.

How much do I really owe?

He said Jesus paid it all on Calvary

A long time ago.

Sometimes a light surprises

The Christian while he sings;

It is the Lord who rises

With healing on His wings”

When comforts are declining,

He grants the soul again

A season of clear shining,

To cheer it after rain.

In holy contemplation

We sweetly then pursue

The theme of God’s salvation,

And find it ever new;

Set free from present sorrow,

We cheerfully can say,

E’en let the unknown tomorrow

Bring with it what it may!

It can bring with it nothing,

But He will bear us through;

Who gives the lilies clothing,

Will clothe His people too;

Beneath the spreading heavens

No creature but is fed;

And He who feeds the ravens

Will give His children bread.

Though vine nor fig tree neither

Their wonted fruit shall bear,

Though all the field should wither,

Nor flocks nor herds be there:

Yet God the same abiding,

His praise shall tune my voice;

For, while in Him confiding,

I cannot but rejoice.

A stranger in St. Louis stopped a policeman one Sunday morning and asked him to recommend a church. He directed him to one at a little distance. "What's the matter with these other churches that I see along the way?" asked the stranger. "Why don't you recommend them?" "To tell the truth," replied the policeman, "I am an unbeliever myself, but people coming out of that church are always happy. They are different. If I ever decided to go to church, that's where I'd go. They've got something there that makes them happy." That something was the gospel of Jesus Christ. You may not be able to fully understand it, but it has the power to give you the joy, peace, and satisfaction of heart that the whole world cannot give.

One day I visited the little room where one of the missionaries of AMG lives in Athens, Greece. This man is an invalid who was condemned to execution by the Nazis during the occupation of Greece in World War II. Seven bullets went through his body and he was left for dead, but he escaped the ordeal alive. Through this experience, and the personal witness of a servant of Christ, he found Christ as his Savior. After becoming blessed in the Lord through the new birth, he did not want to keep the good news to himself but was anxious to share it with others. Although he suffered eighty percent incapacitation and constant excruciating pain so that he had to remain in bed most of the time, his great rejoicing in the midst of affliction attracted attention. A radio announcer came to visit him and told his story over the air in Athens, inviting suffering people to write to this invalid who knew the secret of being joyful in the midst of affliction. The same thing happened with respect to one of the leading newspapers in Athens. As a result, this consecrated missionary now has a congregation of about nine thousand people all over the world who write to him asking the secret of his joy. He has written about thirty-eight thousand letters to individuals thus far as he glories in his tribulation (Rom 5:3).

A discouraged young doctor in one of our large cities was visited by his father who came from a rural district. "Well, son," he asked, "How are you getting along?" "I'm not getting along at all," was the reply. The old man's countenance fell, but he spoke courage and patience and hope. Later in the day he went with his son to the free dispensary. He sat in silence while twenty-five poor unfortunates received help. When the door had closed upon the last one, the old man burst out, "I thought you told me you were doing nothing. Why, if I had helped out twenty-five people in a month, I would thank God that my life counted for something." "There isn't any money in it, though," objected the son. "Money!" the old man shouted. "What is money compared with being useful to your fellow men?" How true! Mercifulness carries within it its own reward and joy.

A certain king instructed his gardener to plant six trees and place statues beneath them representing prosperity, beauty, victory, strength, duty, and joy. These trees were to show to the world that the king had tried to make his reign fruitful. They were also to typify the statues beneath them. The gardener planted six palm trees. When the king came out to inspect the work and looked at the statue of joy, he said, "I surely thought you would typify joy with some flowering tree like the tulip or magnolia. How can the stately palm symbolize joy?" "Those flowering trees," said the gardener, "get their nourishment from open sources. They live in pleasant forests or orchards with hosts of other like trees. But I found this palm tree in a sandy waste. Its roots had found some hidden spring creeping along far beneath the burning surface. Then, thought I, highest joy has a foundation unseen of men and a source they cannot comprehend." Do you realize that if the light of Jesus Christ is within your heart it can be the only place in which joy is found, and yet it will be sufficient. You do not need the company of others in order to experience the joy that the light of Christ brings. A palm tree does not need the company of other trees to flourish and bring forth fruit.

James in his customary forthright way tells us to "Count it all joy, my brethren, when you meet various trials, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness" (Jam 1:2-3). In case we are inclined to modify these words as the utopian command of one who had not really experienced sorrow, let us remember that James was one of the principal leaders of the Christians in Jerusalem who continually faced persecution from those outside the Church (culminating in his own martyrdom in his sixties), as well as internal dissension associated with a Judaizing element. James surely knew what it meant to "meet various trials!"

But James had also learned that difficulties can produce steadfastness or patience, though the natural reaction is annoyance or bitterness. He never tells us to pretend that a trial is nonexistent. Instead he wants us to recognize and rejoice that any problem can be the occasion for God to work in and through us in a way that He otherwise would not.

This is indeed a "testing of our faith"; it calls upon us to believe in the goodness of God, and to trust that He is not only willing but able to accomplish His purposes, no matter what befalls us. Any difficulty, whether great or small, is an occasion for joy, but only when we remind ourselves of the nature of the God who loves us and wills only the best for us.

I have never forgotten that Daystar began his Great Insurrection by frowning and skipping his morning Alleluias. It must have seemed minor at the time, but hell grows out of paradise gone sour. Joy is a discipline, and fallen angels were always those who grew negligent with their praise.

Charles H. Spurgeon said, "Even if I were utterly selfish and had no care for anything but my own happiness, I would choose if I might, under God, to be a soul winner; for never did I know perfect, overflowing, unutterable happiness of the purest and most ennobling order till I first heard of one who had sought and found the Savior through my means.

An old man was asked what had robbed him of joy the most in his lifetime. He replied, “Things that never happened!”

Christy Henrich, as a teenager, ranked among America’s best gymnasts. But a judge told her that at 95 pounds, spread over a 4-foot-11 frame, she was too fat to make the 1988 Olympic team. So she began starving herself, subsisting some days on an apple or just an apple slice. If she ate more, she would force herself to vomit. She missed making the Olympics by a fraction of a point but, thanks to nine-hour training days, she placed fourth in the uneven parallel bars in 1989’s world championships in Stuttgart.

Last week—months after her weight fell to 52 pounds—she died at age 22 in a Kansas City hospital of multiple organ system failure. In the past two years, gymnastics officials have advised coaches and judges about the effects of anorexia and bulimia and urged them not to comment on the weights of gymnasts.

An interesting thing happened one day in a church where the great American businessman Samuel Colgate was a member. During an evangelistic campaign a prostitute came forward and confessed her sins. She was broken-hearted and wept openly. she asked God to save her soul and expressed a desire to join the church. “I’ll gladly sit in some back corner,” she said. The preacher hesitated to call for a motion to accept her into membership, and for a few moments the silence was oppressive. Finally, a member stood up and suggested that action on her request be postponed. At that point Mr. Colgate arose and said with an undertone of sarcasm, “I guess we blundered when we prayed that the Lord would save sinners. We forgot to specify what kind. We’d better ask Him to forgive us for this oversight. The Holy Spirit has touched this woman and made her truly repentant, but apparently the Lord doesn’t understand she isn’t the type we want Him to rescue.” Many in the audience blushed with shame. They had been guilty of judging like the Pharisee in the temple who exclaimed self-righteously, “God, I thank You that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers” (Luke 1811. Another motion was made and the woman was unanimously received into the fellowship. -H.G.G.

Many people sit in judgment on everybody. They seem to delight in imputing unworthy motives to others, and in this respect perhaps they are judging others by themselves. When they see someone working for the Lord, they'll say, "Oh, yes, George is a real saint, but he gets paid for what he does, you know." The inference is that if he weren't paid he'd not be so zealous for the Lord. It may be that the financial compensation for his work had something to do with his decision to engage in it; but it may not have been his main motive by any means. It's all too human to exaggerate the secondary motives of others. We seem to derive some sort of satisfaction in pointing out the flaws in their characters. It seems that the only way some people can build themselves up in their own eyes is by tearing others down.

California's $3-billion-a-year pornographic movie industry is viewing the earthquake as God's personal destruction of American's most wicked city, some porn producers say.

The quake was centered in the cities of Northridge, Shatsworth, and Canoga Park, which are home to nearly all of the U.S. soft-and hard-port video industry. Every one of the primary porn studies and distributors, a total of around 70, suffered damage. The headquarters of the largest, VCA Pictures, collapsed, destroying equipment and mast copies of several films. At least for the moment, high-level porn studio executives and models are edgy.

An executive at World Modeling, a San Fernando Valley agency supplying actors to the porn industry, says clients are backing away from X-rated acting as a result of the cataclysm.

"Our clients have a definite lack of motivation," says the agent for porn actors, who requested anonymity. "It's put the fear of God in them. I'm telling you, it's enough to give you an attack of religion."

"Can you imagine how the fundamentalists are going to leap on this when the smoke clears?" says a porn film director who works for many Northridge studios and asked not to be identified. "They'll say it's God's retribution."

"It seems as though the earthquake forced these people to get honest," says Jack Hayford, pastor of Church on the Way in Van Nuys. "It has stirred many to the deepest points of introspection, and if just one of them is turned away from the filth they're involved in, it is a major victory."

Hayford, along with Hollywood Presbyterian Church pastor Lloyd Ogilvie, and Los Angeles Archdiocese Cardinal Roger Mahony has sent a letter of protest against the Valley-based porn industry to the California legislature, asking lawmakers to draft a bill eliminating its most notorious offshoot, child pornography.

The time was the 19th of May, 1780. The place was Hartford, Connecticut. The day has gone down in New England history as a terrible foretaste of Judgment Day. For at noon the skies turned from blue to gray and by mid-afternoon had blackened over so densely that, in that religious age, men fell on their knees and begged a final blessing before the end came. The Connecticut House of Representatives was in session. And as some men fell down and others clamored for an immediate adjournment, the Speaker of the House, one Colonel Davenport, came to his feet. He silenced them and said these words: “The Day of Judgment is either approaching or it is not. If it is not, there is no cause for adjournment. If it is, I choose to be found doing my duty. I wish, therefore, that candles may be brought.”

Many critical Christians are like that Persian youth who was very meticulous about his religious duties. He would rise up in the middle of the night to watch, pray, and read the Koran. One night as he was engaged in these exercises his father, a man of practical virtue, awoke while his son was reading. "Behold," the religious youth said to his father, "thy other children are lost in irreligious slumber, while I alone wake to praise God." "Son of my soul," the wise father answered, "it is better to sleep than to awake to notice the faults of thy brothers!" If the knowledge of the sins of others arouses in us the spirit of censoriousness and criticism, confession has not accomplished its intended and hoped-for purpose.

Bema (judgment seat) in secular usage had four meanings:

1. One's stride, or manner of walking (which reveals character).

2. A platform for a public official (cf. Acts 25:6, 10, 17).

3. A "rewards platform" in sporting contests. Because of this meaning, some claim the "bema" is only a place for rewards—not judgment. But in secular legal contexts it also denotes

4. The place where litigants stood for trial. Paul repeatedly stressed this meaning; Acts 25:10, Romans 14:12.

Q. Since God forgives us when we confess our sins, what is there to deal with at the Judgment Seat of Christ?

A. You are right in thinking that we stand before God as people who are cleared of all charges (Romans 8:1). Nevertheless, when we die we leave unfinished business. God intends to evaluate our lives as Christians and share the information with us.

Paul’s conscience was clear, but that did not make him innocent. At the Judgment Seat (the Bema), Paul says, the Lord “will bring to light what is hidden in darkness and will expose the motives of men’s hearts” (1 Corinthians 4:4-5). The passage ends with words of encouragement, not terror: “At that time each will receive his praise from God.”

A review of our lives as believers, with praise, not rebuke, as the main objective, is the purpose of the Bema. If we collect all that is written about it we see that the emphasis is on rewards. God want to commend us, not punish us. See also ! Corinthians 3:10-15.

At a recent gathering of seminary professors, one teacher reported that at his school the most damaging charge one student can lodge against another is that the person is being "judgmental." He found this pattern very upsetting. "You can't get a good argument going in class anymore," he said. "As soon as somebody takes a stand on any important issue, someone else says that the person is being judgmental. And that's it. End of discussion. Everyone is intimidated!"

Many of the other professors nodded knowingly. There seemed to be a consensus that the fear of being judgmental has taken on epidemic proportions.

Is the call for civility just another way of spreading this epidemic? If so, then I'm against civility. But I really don't think that this is what being civil is all about. Christian civility does not commit us to a relativistic perspective. Being civil doesn't mean that we cannot criticize what goes on around us. Civility doesn't require us to approve of what other people believe and do. It is one thing to insist that other people have the right to express their basic convictions; it is another thing to say that they are right in doing so. Civility requires us to live by the first of these principles. But it does not commit us to the second formula. To say that all beliefs and values deserve to be treated as if they were on a par is to endorse relativism—a perspective that is incompatible with Christian faith and practice. Christian civility does not mean refusing to make judgments about what is good and true. For one thing, it really isn't possible to be completely nonjudgmental. Even telling someone else that she is being judgmental is a rather judgmental thing to do!

At a recent gathering of seminary professors, one teacher reported that at his school the most damaging charge one student can lodge against another is that the person is being “judgmental.” He found this pattern very upsetting. “You can’t get a good argument going in class anymore,” he said. “As soon as somebody takes a stand on any important issue, someone else says that the person is being judgmental. And that’s it. End of discussion. Everyone is intimidated!”

Many of the other professors nodded knowingly. There seemed to be a consensus that the fear of being judgmental has taken on epidemic proportions.

Is the call for civility just another way of spreading this epidemic? If so, then I’m against civility. But I really don’t think that this is what being civil is all about.

Christian civility does not commit us to a relativistic perspective. Being civil doesn’t mean that we cannot criticize what goes on around us. Civility doesn’t require us to approve of what other people believe and do. It is one thing to insist that other people have the right to express their basic convictions; it is another thing to say that they are right in doing so. Civility requires us to live by the first of these principles. But it does not commit us to the second formula. To say that all beliefs and values deserve to be treated as if they were on a par is to endorse relativism—a perspective that is incompatible with Christian faith and practice.

Christian civility does not mean refusing to make judgments about what is good and true. For one thing, it really isn’t possible to be completely nonjudgmental. Even telling someone else that she is being judgmental is a rather judgmental thing to do!

Judgment - Of Jesus Christ, Jn. 12:31

1. Nature: Bearing the believer's sins, 2 Cor. 5:21; Heb. 9:26-28; 1 Pet. 2: 24; 3:18

2. Occasion: Christ lifted up on the cross, world judged, Satan defeated, Jn. 12:31

3. Result: Death of Christ; justification and security of the believer, Jn. 5:24; Rom 5:9; 8:1, 2 Cor. 5:21; Gal. 3:13

Judgment - Of the believer's works, 2 Cor. 5:10

1. Nature: Quality of the believer's life as a servant, 1 Cor. 3:11-15; Mt. 12:36 (in no sense for sins, Heb. 10:17)

2. Occasion: At the coming of the Lord, 1 Cor. 4:1-5; 9:24-27; Rom. 14:10; Gal 6:7; Col. 3:24-25; 2 Tim 4:8

3. Result: Reward for faithful service; loss of reward for unfaithfulness, 1 Cor. 3:8, 14-15; Rev 22:12

Judgment - Of the believer by himself, 1 Cor. 11:31-32; 2 Sam. 7:14-15

1. Nature: The believer's condemnation of himself for permitting his own sinful ways and habits, 2 Sam. 12:13-14

2. Occasion: Self-judgment of the believer as a son to avoid chastisement by his heavenly Father, Heb. 12:7

3. Result: If neglected, the Father's chastening follows, but never condemnation, 1 Cor. 11:32; 5:5

Judgment - Of the nations, Mt. 25:31-46; Joel 3:11-16

1. Nature: Point of testing is the treatment of Christ's 'brothers', i.e., the Jewish remnant of the end time

2. Occasion: At Christ's return in glory to set up the kingdom over Israel, Acts 1:6

3. Result: Entrance into or exclusion from the kingdom as individuals in the nations

Judgment - Of Israel, Ezk. 20:33-44

1. Nature: Subjects will be living Israelites at the end time regathered from worldwide diaspora

2. Occasion: Similar on the Israelite plane to the judgment of the nation with regard to the Gentiles

3. Result: Entrance or non-entrance into the land for kingdom blessing, Ps. 50:1-7; Mal. 3:2-5; 4:1-2

Judgment - Of the fallen angels, Jude 6; 2 Pet. 2:4, 1 Cor. 6:3

1. Nature: Subjects will be the angels who rebelled with Satan, Rev. 12:3-4

2. Occasion: Evidently after the millennium, at the end of history

3. Result: Satan and evil angels relegated to the lake of fire, Gehenna, eternal hell, Rev. 20:10

Judgment - Of the unsaved, Rev. 20:11-15

1. Nature: Only the wicked dead. Perhaps Satan and fallen angels are finally judged also at this time.

2. Occasion: Basis of judgment is according to works to determine degree of punishment of the lost.

3. Result: Second death or lake of fire — not annihilation, Rev. 19:20; 20:10, 14-15

When a fire broke out in a tenement house, everybody managed to escape except one child. Through the smoke-filled room he made his way to the window, where he started to cry, "Daddy, Daddy, how can I escape? I can't jump; it's too high. I can't get out through the door because it's full of flames." Because of the dense smoke, the child couldn't see the crowd in the street, but he heard their cries and especially the voice of his father. "Son, I'm here with my arms open to catch you. Jump and I'll save you. Never mind if you can't see me. I'm here."

I remember, while in Mobile attending meetings, a little incident occurred which I will relate. It was a beautiful evening, and just before the meeting some neighbors and myself were sitting on the front piazza enjoying the evening. One of the neighbors put one of his children upon a ledge eight feet high, and put out his hands and told him to jump. Without the slightest hesitation he sprang into his father's arms. Another child was lifted up, and he, too, readily sprang into the arms of his father. He picked up another boy, larger than the others, and held out his arms, but he wouldn't jump. He cried and screamed to be taken down. The man begged the boy to jump, but it was of no use; he couldn't be induced to jump. The incident made me curious, and I stepped up to him and asked, "How was it that those two little fellows jumped so readily into your arms and the other boy wouldn't?" "Why," said the man, "those two boys are my children and the other boy isn't, he don't know me."

A man sitting at his window one evening casually called to his wife, "There goes that woman Charlie Smith is so terribly in love with." His wife in the kitchen dropped the plate she was drying, ran through the door, knocking over a lamp, looked out the window. "Where, where?" she cried. "There," he said, "that woman in the gabardine suit on the corner." "You idiot," she hissed, "That is his wife." "Yes, of course," he replied.

Similar to junk food-tasty and fun but of little value and ultimately damaging-are the secular messages sent to our brains en masse every day. Take, for example, the message offered by a recent television ad campaign: "Success is getting what you want; happiness is wanting what you get." To the average listener (Christian or non-Christian) this pleasantly presented axiom is tasty, pithy, memorable-and classic junk food for the brain. The "principle" stated in the axiom is diametrically opposed to Scripture. Yet if we hear the message often enough, before long we may find ourselves not only believing it, but living also it out, like all the pagans around us.

This is but one example of hundreds of junk food thoughts offered us every day. In fact, if we ever hope to think correctly about the danger of receiving "junk thoughts" from the world system, we need to understand that during the past decades, North America has changed its mind dramatically. Culturally, it has moved from thinking patterns based on Scripture to a decidedly secular pattern of thought.

Intellectually, it has rejected thinking processes based on objective biblical evidence to foregone conclusions that automatically exclude the supernatural. Philosophically, it has moved away from the concepts of truth, morality, ethics, and virtue toward the belief that there are no absolutes and that everything is relative.

Unfortunately, the way Christians think has moved, too.

George Washington Carver was not only one of America's greatest agriculturists and scientists, he was also the pioneer of the synthetics industry which has revolutionized life in this country and around the world. When he was old and bent with years, he shared with a group of students one day the story of his single most crucial undertaking-unlocking the mysteries of the simple peanut. He first cried out, "Oh, Mr. Creator, why did You make this universe?" "Then," he told the students who were listening intently, "the Creator answered me. 'You want to know too much for that little mind of yours,' He said, 'Ask me something more your size.' So I said, 'Dear Mr. Creator, tell me what man was made for.' Again He spoke to me, and He said, 'Little man, you are still asking for more than you can handle. Cut down the extent of your request and improve the intent.' And then I asked my last question. 'Mr. Creator, Why did You make the peanut?' 'That's better!' the Lord said, and He gave me a handful of peanuts and went with me back to the laboratory and together, we got down to work." The results of that conversation with God are history. God wanted Dr. Carver to realize that his knowledge was only partial, and that his mind was not great enough to unravel all the mysteries of the universe, or even of man. He showed him that such a simple thing as a lowly peanut had enough potential within it to keep his brilliant mind well-occupied for a lifetime.

Just a tiny little child

Three years old,

And a mother with a heart

All of gold.

Often did that mother say,

Jesus hears us when we pray,

For He’s never far away

And He always answers.

Now, that tiny little child

Had brown eyes,

And she wanted blue instead

Like blue skies.

For her mother’s eyes were blue

Like forget-me-nots. She knew

All her mother said was true,

Jesus always answered.

So she prayed for two blue eyes,

Said “Good night,”

Went to sleep in deep content

And delight.

Woke up early, climbed a chair

By a mirror. Where, O where

Could the blue eyes be? Not there;

Jesus hadn’t answered.

Hadn’t answered her at all;

Never more

Could she pray; her eyes were brown

As before.

Did a little soft wind blow?

Came a whisper soft and low,

“Jesus answered. He said, No;

Isn’t No an answer?”

—Amy Carmichael

Two little birds had a nest in the bushes in the back part of a garden. Five-year-old Amy found the nest. It had four speckled eggs in it. One day, after she had been away for some time, she ran into the garden to take a look at the pretty eggs. To her dismay she found only broken shells. "Oh," she cried, "the beautiful eggs are all spoiled and broken!" "No, Amy," said her brother, "they are not spoiled. The best part of them has taken wings and flown away." So it is with death. The body left behind is only an empty shell, while the soul, the better part, has taken wings and flown away.

A young man asked his minister to officiate at his brother's funeral. "Let me see," said the minister. "Your brother was thirty-two years old?" "Yes." "He worked hard for twenty years, didn't he?" "Yes." "Well, what did he get out of it?" "He left eighty acres of fine land, money in the bank, and thousands of dollars in insurance." "Yes, that's what you get out of it; but what did he get out of it?" "Oh, we are going to buy him an expensive oak casket!"

During the Spanish-American War, Clara Barton was overseeing the work of the Red Cross in Cuba. One day Colonel Theodore Roosevelt came to her, wanted to buy food for his sick and wounded Rough Riders. But she refused to sell him any. Roosevelt was perplexed. His men needed the help and he was prepared to pay out of his own funds. When he asked someone why he could not buy the supplies, he was told, “Colonel, just ask for it!” A smile broke over Roosevelt’s face. Now he understood—the provisions were not for sale. All he had to do was simply ask and they would be given freely.

Two-fifths of self-identified Christians say do anything you want, just don’t hurt anyone.

The Book of Hebrews declares that "we ought to give the more earnest heed to the things which we have heard, lest at any time we should let them slip" (Heb 2:1). Another way of translating the final phrase of this verse is, "lest we drift away."

Nothing in the world is easier than drifting. No person drifts upstream, only downstream. It is so easy. All you do is sit back and relax and let the boat go. You are soon lulled into a lazy stupor, not caring where you go. You may not even be aware you are drifting until it is too late and the boat is on the rocks. Satan is very wise. He seldom urges a Christian to leave the church or to give up his faith in the Lord. Instead he causes us to relax, rest on the oars, and drift along in the Christian life.

All around us are Christians who have drifted into a state of coldness and indifference. They have stopped caring about others who need to hear the message of God's saving grace.

Are you drifting? Wake up now! Grab the oars and pull. Your active concern is needed as we seek to lead others to find Christ and His will for their lives.

When Corrie Ten Boom of The Hiding Place fame was a little girl in Holland, her first realization of death came after a visit to the home of a neighbor who had died. It impressed her that some day her parents would also die. Corrie’s father comforted her with words of wisdom.

“Corrie, when you and I go to Amsterdam, when do I give you your ticket?”

“Why, just before we get on the train,” she replied.

“Exactly,” her father said, “and our wise Father in heaven knows when we’re going to need things too. Don’t run out ahead of Him, Corrie. When the time comes that some of us will have to die, you will look into your heart and find the strength you need—just in time.”

A rural brother, considered a bit old-fashioned, visited a great city temple. As the eloquent minister drove home some great truth, the ruralite shouted, "Praise the Lord!" Whereupon an usher touched him on the arm and whispered, "Be quiet. "You can't 'praise the Lord' in this church." God pity both preacher and church!

Maybe my father could have been a successful major-league catcher if he hadn’t injured his shoulder. We’ll never know. Coming up through the minors I heard a lot of stories about frustrated fathers pushing their sons to achieve something they never did. But Senior wasn’t that way at all. One of his strangest beliefs is that you should do in life what you enjoy doing.

The pressure he did exert on his children was this: whatever we did we should do correctly and to the best of our abilities. He always said, “Be yourself and prove yourself.” He hates anything shoddy or lazy. My brother Billy says I broke Lou Gehrig’s record because I could. I might add, on behalf of my father, and because I could, I should.

Senior was inducted into the Orioles’ Hall of Fame during the 1996 season. At the banquet he was funny, direct and foursquare in his remarks. In conclusion, he said that he accepted the honor on behalf of all the equally dedicated men he had worked with in the minor leagues for all those years.

Then it was my turn. It was difficult. I wasn’t certain I could say what I wanted about my father and what he means to me. So I told a little story about my two children, Rachel, six at the time, and Ryan, then three. They’d been bickering for weeks, and I explained how one day I heard Rachel taunt Ryan, “You’re just trying to be like Daddy.”

After a few moments of indecision, I asked Rachel, “What’s wrong with trying to be like Dad?”

When I finished telling the story, I looked at my father and added, “That’s what I’ve always tried to do.”

A teardrop crept into my eye as I knelt on bended knee;

Next to a gold haired tiny lad whose age was just past three.

He prayed with such simplicity “Please make me big and strong,

Just like Daddy, don’t you see? Watch o’er me all night long.”

“Jesus, make me tall and brave, like my Daddy next to me.”

This simple prayer he prayed tonight filled my heart with humility.

As I heard his voice so wee and small offer his prayer to God,

I thought these little footsteps someday my path may trod!

Oh, Lord, as I turn my eyes above and guidance ask from Thee;

Keep my walk ever so straight for the little feet that follow me.

Buoy me when I stumble, and lift me when I fail,

Guard this tiny bit of boy as he travels down life’s trail.

Make me what he thinks I am is my humble gracious plea

Help me ever be the man this small lad sees in me!

"Well, what are you going to be, my boy,

When you have reached manhood's years:

A doctor, a lawyer, or orator great,

Moving throngs to laughter and tears?"

But he shook his head, as he gave reply

In a serious way he had:

"I don't think I'd care to be any of them:

I Want to Be Like My Dad!"

He wants to be like his dad! You Men,

Did you ever think as you pause,

That the boy who watches your every move

Is building a set of laws?

He's molding a life you're the model for,

And whether it's good or bad

Depends on the kind of example set

To the boy who'd Be Like His Dad.

Would you have him go everywhere you go?

Have him do just the things you do?

And see everything that your eyes behold,

And woo all the gods you woo?

When you see the worship that smiles in the eyes

Of your lovable little lad

Could you rest content if he gets his wish

And grows to Be Like His Dad?

It's a joy that none but yourself can fill

It's a charge you must answer for;

It's a duty to show him the road to tread

Ere he reaches his manhood's door.

It's a debt you owe for the greatest joy

On this old earth to be had;

This pleasure of having a boy to raise

Who wants to Be Like His Dad!

There are little eyes upon you, and they are watching night and day;

There are little ears that quickly take in every word you say;

There are little hands all eager to do everything you do,

And a little boy who’s dreaming of the day he’ll be like you.

You’re the little fellow’s idol, you’re the wisest of the wise,

In his little mind about you, no suspicions ever rise;

He believes in you devoutly, holds that all you say and do,

He will say and do in your way when he’s grown up to be like you.

There’s a wide-eyed little fellow who believes you’re always right,

And his ears are always open and he watches day and night;

You are setting an example every day in all you do,

For the little boy who’s waiting to grow up to be like you.

Anonymous writer, about an American tourist’s visit to the 19th century Polish rabbi, Hofetz Chaim:

Astonished to see that the rabbi’s home was only a simple room filled with books, plus a table and a bench, the tourist asked, “Rabbi, where is your furniture?”

“Where is yours?” replied the rabbi.

“Mine?” asked the puzzled American. “But I’m a visitor here. I’m only passing through.”

“So am I,” said Hofetz Chaim.

When I was a boy, we had a neighbor lady who frequently came to the back door of our home. She never wasted any time coming to the point. Her words were always the same: "I just want to borrow (something)." The problem was she never came at any other time. My mother graciously let her have what she wanted, then she would be gone.

I know my mother never appreciated her as much as the other neighbors, but she never complained.

I often think of this lady when I hear some people pray. Some people never call on God until they want something. God is loving, and He probably gives them what they ask of Him. But would not it be a lot better if they would call on God at other times?

We had another neighbor who came frequently, and never asked for anything. She always started her conversation by saying, "Just stopped by for a visit."

I think God would like us to do that, "Just stop by for a visit." The next time you pray, why not do it-just for a visit?

Most of us resent being "used," but here is something which could change the world, and it is crying out to be used:

Just use me-I am the Bible.

I am God's wonderful library.

I am always-and above all-the Truth.

To the weary pilgrim, I am a good strong staff.

To the one who sits in gloom, I am a glorious light.

To those who stoop beneath heavy burden, I am sweet rest.

To him who has lost his way, I am a safe guide.

To those who have been hurt by sin, I am healing balm.

To the discouraged, I whisper glad messages of hope.

To those who are distressed by the storms of life, I am an anchor.

To those who suffer in lonely solitude, I am a cool, soft hand resting on a fevered brow

O, child of man, to best defend me, just use me!

If you have not yet discovered that wonderful book we call the Bible, it's time you did. In the words of Samuel to Saul, "Stop here yourself for a while, that I may make known to you the Word of God" (1Sa 9:27).

"The question is asked: How can justification take place without the works of the law, even though James says: 'Faith without works is dead'? In answer, the apostle distinguishes between the law and faith, the letter and grace.

The 'works of the law' are works done without faith and grace, by the law, which forces them to be done through fear or the enticing promise of temporal advantages. But 'works of faith' are those done in the spirit of liberty, purely out of love to God. And they can be done only by those who are justified by faith.

An ape can cleverly imitate the actions of humans. But he is not therefore, a human. If he became a human, it would undoubtedly be not by virtue of the works by which he imitated man but by virtue of something else; namely, by an act of God. Then, having been made a human, he would perform the works of humans in proper fashion.

Paul does not say that faith is without its characteristic works, but that it justifies without the works of the law.

Therefore justification does not require the works of the law; but it does require a living faith, which performs its works."

- Martin Luther

When a person tries to justify his wrong behavior by pointing to the conduct of others, he isn’t aiming high enough. This is also true if he patterns himself after someone who gives the Lord only partial obedience. A college student learned this lesson when he was reprimanded by the school president for misbehavior. The young fellow offered this lame excuse for his questionable conduct:

“But, Sir, you’d find it difficult to locate 10 men in this school who wouldn’t have done as I did if they had been in my circumstances.”

The president replied, “Has it ever occurred to you that you could have been one of those 10?”