Pastoral Resources

1. Violent crime

2. Divorce

3. Teen pregnancies (industrial world)

4. Abortions

5. Illegal drug use

6. Illiteracy (industrial world)

The U.S. Census Bureau predicts that 6 of 10 women in their 30’s will have their first marriage end in divorce. The problem is charged to changing male-female roles, the massive entrance of women into the work force and social revolutions in the late 60’s.

A March (1994) poll for U.S. News and World Report’s April 11 issue found that 93% of Americans say they believe in God or a universal spirit. Of those polled, 65% say religion is losing its influence on American life, although 62% say religion is increasing its influence in their personal lives. Other findings:

The Bible is the actual word of God to be taken literally, word for word: 34%

The Bible is the inspired word of God, but not everything in it can be taken literally: 46%

The Bible is an ancient book of legends, history and moral precepts, recorded by man: 16%

God is a heavenly father who can be reached by prayers: 76%

God is an idea, not a being: 11%

God is an impersonal creator: 8%

We have to keep church and state completely separate

Agree

Disagree

There is no one set of values that is right

48%

44%

Each individual must determine what is right or wrong

70%

25%

The president should be a moral and spiritual leader

78%

17%

Our government would be better if policies were more directed by moral values

84%

9%

Individual freedom is critical to democracy in this country

91%

4%

God is the moral guiding force of American democracy

55%

35%

Nearly 60% of Americans say they hold their current religious beliefs because of their parents’ example. More than 8 of every 10 Americans today believe that it’s possible to be a good Christian or Jew even without attending a church or synagogue.

A few years ago, a substitute teacher wrote in the Washington Post about the depressing experience he had while teaching three advanced government classes in a suburban Virginia school. He decided to poll his students on the basic question of whether the American system of government was morally superior to that of the Soviet Union? Fifty-one of the 53 high school seniors he asked—the brightest high school seniors in one of the best school systems in the country—saw no difference between the two.

These children could not morally distinguish between their own nation built on the basis of each individual having God-given rights, and another nation that has operated for over 70 years on the assumption that man is a mere creature of the state. Not coincidentally, the two children who did comprehend a difference were Vietnamese boat children. They had received a valuable education in reality when they experienced the collapse of their homeland into the darkness of totalitarianism.

February 24, 1993, in the U.S. Supreme Court. The case: Lamb’s Chapel and John Steigerwald v. Center Moriches Union Free School District. A group of Christians wanted to show a film after hours in a public facility. Apparently, religious hostility has reached the point in this nation where, because the content of that film was deemed “religious” by the State of N.Y., it posed a perceived danger sufficient to warrant spending tax dollars to litigate a case of this nature all the way to the highest court of the land.

Mr. Justice Scalia questioned the attorney for the school board:

Question: You are here representing both respondents [the school board and the state of N.Y.]... in this argument, and the Attorney General of N.Y., in his brief defending the N.Y. rule says that...’Religious advocacy serves the community only in the eyes of its adherent and yields a benefit only to those who already believe.’

Does New York State—I grew up in New York State and in those days they used to have a tax exemption for religious property. Is that still there?

Counsel: Yes, your Honor it still is.

Question: But they’ve changed their view, apparently, that—

Counsel: Well, your Honor—

Question: You see—it used to be thought that religion—it didn’t matter what religion, but it—some code of morality always went with it and was thought that...what was called a God-fearing person might be less likely to mug me and rape my sister. That apparently is not the view of New York anymore.

Counsel: Well I’m not sure that that’s —

Question: Has this new regime worked very well?

As his UCLA football team suffered through a poor season in the early 1970s, head coach Pepper Rodgers came under intense criticism and pressure from alumni and fans. Things got so bad, he remembers with a smile, that friends became hard to find. “My dog was my only true friend,” Rodgers says of that year. “I told my wife that every man needs at least two good friends—and she bought me another dog.”

Somerset Maughan’s mother was an extraordinarily beautiful woman married to an extraordinarily ugly man. When a family friend once asked how such a beautiful woman could have married such an ugly man, she replied, “He has never once hurt my feelings.”

I felt an uncomfortable fullness after the evening meal,” recalls Dr. Barry Marshall, “and then woke up at 5 a.m., vomiting.” During that week in 1984, the Australian physician, then a medical fellow at a hospital in Perth, was suffering for the first time from gastritis, an inflammation of the stomach often associated with peptic ulcers.

But Marshall’s discomfort was mixed with elation because he knew the source of his illness: a mixture of bacteria he had taken from the stomach tissue of a patient with a suspected ulcer, carefully cultured and then voluntarily swallowed himself. By acting as his own guinea pig, he had proved to his satisfaction that these bacteria, later called Helicobacter pylori, could bring on ulcers and gastritis.

Others were not convinced. Medical doctrine at the time held that gastritis and ulcers in the stomach or intestines were caused by excess acid, brought on partly by stress or diet. Normal acidic gastric juices were believed to keep the stomach sterile. “No one thought bugs could live there,” says Marshall. But he and Robin Warren, the pathologist who discovered the culprit bacterium, had found that the bugs survived by burrowing under the stomach’s mucous lining, which shielded them from the acid.

The medical community, skeptical of Marshall’s ideas and critical of his unorthodox self-experiment, largely rejected his theory. For a few years, he says, “I was a lone voice.” But he began treating ulcer patients with antibiotics and a coating agent and was soon achieving a 75% cure rate. Other doctors then tried variations of Marshall’s prescription, got even higher cure rates and helped confirm that, except for cases in which drugs such as aspirin are the culprit, H. pylori is the leading cause of ulcers. That helped Marshall gain worldwide, if belated, recognition.

In 1994 the U.S. National Institutes of Health made that recognition official when it recommended antibiotics for the treatment of ulcer patients who have the bacteria. Marshall has since received several prizes, including the Lasker Award in 1995, and is now a professor at the University of Virginia, where he founded a Helicobacter and intestinal immunology research center. He helped develop tests for H. pylori—which may also be implicated in some stomach cancers—and is now working on formulating simpler tests. Encouraged by the recent deciphering of H. pylori’s genome, he is also continuing work on developing a vaccine to combat his favorite bacteria.

Historians have related the heartwarming story of Abdul Kassem Ismael, the scholarly grand-vizier of Persia in the tenth century, and his library of 117,000 volumes. On his many travels as a warrior and statesman, he never parted with his beloved books. There were carried about by 400 camels trained to walk in alphabetical order. His camel-driver librarians could put their hands instantly on any book their master asked for.

Americans today are in tragic shape when it comes to ultimate truth. George Barna in his book Absolute Confusion notes:

Most Americans reject the notion of absolute truth.

Most people believe that it does not matter what god you pray to because every deity is ultimately the same deity, shrouded in different names and attributes by humankind.

Nearly two out of three adults contend that the choice of one religious faith over another is irrelevant because all faiths teach the same basic lessons about life.

A few years ago on the Dick Cavett Show, the Archbishop of Canterbury was speaking with actress Jane Fonda. The Archbishop said, “Jesus is the Son of God, you know.” Fonda replied, “Maybe he is for you, but he’s not for me.” To which the Archbishop profoundly answered, “Well either he is or he isn’t.” Fonda’s response reflects the silly thinking of our postmodern world, that truth is simply a matter of subjective opinion. But the ultimate good news is this: “In these last days, he [God] has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom he made the universe....and he provided purification for [our] sins” (Hebrews 1:2-3).

The story is told of a man who came to visit his old friend, a music teacher. As the man came in, he said, “What’s the good news today?” The old teacher was silent as he stood up and walked across the room. He picked up a small hammer and struck a tuning fork. As the note sounded throughout the room, he said, “That is ‘A.’ It is ‘A’ today; it was ‘A’ 5,000 years ago, and it will be ‘A’ 10,000 years from now. The soprano upstairs sings off-key, the tenor across the hall flats on his high notes, and the piano downstairs is out of tune.” He struck the note again and said, “That is ‘A,’ my friend, and that’s the good news for today!”

The only hope for a world out of tune is to know that Jesus is the truth: “Yesterday, today and forever” (Hebrews 13:8). That’s the good news of truth!

On his way to a reception held in his honor, Ulysses S. Grant got caught in a shower and offered to share his umbrella with a stranger walking in the same direction. The man said he was going to Grant’s reception out of curiosity; he had never seen the general. “I have always thought that Grant was a much overrated man,” he said.

“That’s my view also,” Grant replied.

Marty Springstead, supervisor of American League umpires, said he will never forget his first assignment behind the plate. It was in a 1966 game at Washington. Frank Howard was playing for the Senators, and on the first pitch to the mountainous slugger, Springstead called a knee-high fast ball a strike. Howard turned around and yelled, “Get something straight, buster! I don’t know where you came from or how you got to the major leagues, ut they don’t call that pitch on me a strike. Understand?” The next pitch was in the same spot, and Springstead yelled, “Two!” “Two what?” Howard roared. “Too low,” Springstead said, “Much too low.”

A certain person was driving 70 miles an hour down one of those long, straight stretches of West Texas highway one hot afternoon. No other cars were in sight, but up ahead he saw the form of a large bird bending over and tearing flesh from a run over rabbit. As he got closer, a huge hawk straightened up defiantly and looked directly into the headlights.

Instead of taking flight as these birds normally do, the giant hawk spread his wings, almost blocking the road, and challenged the speeding car. Its body made a "whump" sound as the car hit it, and the proud bird was instantly dead. Neither the run over rabbit nor its pride were any good to it then.

On another occasion in East Texas, the same man was again driving 70 down a highway when he saw the small rounded form of a turtle making a slow journey across his path. He remembered the giant hawk, and thought of what a 4,000 pound car would do to an eight-ounce turtle.

The turtle looked up and saw the car coming. He didn't run; he didn't dodge out of the way, nor did he challenge the car. He stopped and pulled all four legs and his head into his shell. The car missed the motionless turtle that rested confidently in his shell.

The proud hawk and the deluded turtle are like two kinds of people ignoring the speeding advance of death and judgment: one is proud and defies the claims of Christ on his or her life; the other pulls into his or her own self-righteous shell.

Several years ago I met a gentleman who served on one of Walt Disney’s original advisory boards. What amazing stories he told! Those early days were tough; but that remarkable, creative visionary refused to give up. I especially appreciated the man’s sharing with me how Disney responded to disagreement. He said that Walt would occasionally present some unbelievable, extensive dream he was entertaining. Almost without exception, the members of his board would gulp, blink, and stare back at him in disbelief, resisting even the thought of such a thing. But unless every member resisted the idea, Disney usually didn’t pursue it. Yes, you read that correctly. The challenge wasn’t big enough to merit his time and creative energy unless they were unanimously in disagreement!

Unanswered yet? Nay, do not say ungranted;

Perhaps your part is not yet wholly done;

The work began when first your prayer was uttered,

And God will finish what He has begun.

Though years have passed since then, do not despair;

His glory you shall see, sometime, somewhere.

- Ophelia Adams

Too many fathers never learn to communicate with their children, and the silence that begins in childhood remains unbroken. Playwright Moss Hart capsulized this kind of heartbreaking estrangement in his autobiography when he described a walk with his father on Christmas Eve the year he was ten. The Harts were quite poor, but Moss’s father took him down to 149th Street and Westchester in New York City that night, past countless toy vendors’ pushcarts. Moss strolled with his father past the carts, eyeing chemistry sets and printing presses with obvious longing.

“I looked up and saw we were nearing the end of the line. Only two or three more pushcarts remained. My father looked up, too, and I heard him jingle some coins in his pocket. In a flash I knew it all. He’d gotten together about seventy-five cents to buy me a Christmas present, and he hadn’t dared say so in case there was nothing to be had for so small a sum.

“As I looked up at him I saw a look of despair and disappointment in his eyes that brought me closer to him than I had ever been in my life. I wanted to throw my arms around him and say ‘It doesn’t matter ... I understand ... This is better than a chemistry set or a printing press ... I love you.’ But instead we stood shivering beside each other for a moment—then turned silently back home. I don’t know why the words remained choked up within me. I didn’t even take his hand on the way home, nor did he take mine. We were not on that basis.”

Do not let your troubles get you down. Genghis Khan, the 13th century Mongol conqueror, asked his philosophers to come up with a truth that would always be unchangeable. Thinking about it for awhile, they came to their leaders with this quote: "It too shall pass." This reminds me of a dear black lady who was asked by her pastor what her favorite verse of Scripture was and she said: "And it came to pass." God in His mercy never gives us more than we can bear.

Repenting means revising one’s judgment and changing one’s plan of action. God never does this; he never needs to, for his plans are made on the basis of a complete knowledge and control which extends to all things past, present, and future, so that there can be no sudden emergencies or unlooked-for developments to take him by surprise. “The counsel of the Lord stands for ever, the thoughts of his heart to all generations” (Ps. 33:11). What he does in time, he planned from eternity. And all that he planned in eternity, he carries out in time. And all that he has in his Word committed himself to do, will infallibly be done. Thus we read of the “unchangeable character of his purpose” to bring believers into full enjoyment of their promised inheritance, and of the immutable oath by which he confirmed his counsel to Abraham, the archetypal believer, both for Abraham’s own assurance and also for others (Heb. 6:17-19). So it is with all God’s announced intentions. They do not change. No part of his eternal plan changes.

It is true that there is a group of texts (Gen. 6:6-8; 1 Sam. 15:11; 2 Sam. 24:16; Joel 2:13-14; Jn.3:10) which speak of God as repenting. The reference in each case is to a reversal of God’s previous treatment of particular men, consequent upon their reaction to that treatment. But there is no suggestion that this reaction was not foreseen, or that it took God by surprise, and was not provided for in his eternal plan. No change in his eternal purpose is implied when he begins to deal with a person in a new way.

When you have to make a choice and don’t make it, that is in itself a choice. - William James

Of unchurched Americans, two-thirds believe in the divinity of Jesus Christ and that he was resurrected from the dead. The belief that Jesus Christ will return to earth someday is held by 62 percent of all Americans. Of the total American adult population, nearly half believe in creationism, and 37 percent believe the Bible to be the actual word of God, to be taken literally, word for word. One-third of church members believe that a homosexual cannot be a good Christian or Jew. Two-thirds of all Americans think their chances of going to heaven are “good.”

Demons are evil or unclean spirits (cf. Mk 1:23 with Mk 1:32-34; Rev 16:13-16), and are fallen angels, servants of Satan (Mt 12:26-27; 25:41). There is only one devil, but myriads of demons who serve the devil and make his power practically universal. A demoniac (Mk 5:1-20) is a person whose personality has been invaded by one or more demons, who at will can speak and act through their human victim, deranging both his mind and body.

A number of such victims of Satan were delivered by the Servant (see ‘Expulsion of Demons’ below). The unhindered power of God working through the sinless humanity of the Servant challenged the supernatural world of evil and explains the outburst of demonism during His earthly ministry.

The reality and personality of demons are attested in all eras of history since the Fall, as in the case of Saul and the spiritistic medium of Endor (1 Sam 28:7-20), in the case of ancient idolatry of which demonism was the dynamic (Ps 106:36-37; 1 Cor 10:20), in ancient divination and magic, and in ancient necromancy and modern spiritism.

Demons can derange mind and body (Mt 12:22; 17:15-18; Lk 13:16). They know the deity and lordship of Christ in the spirit world (Mt 8:31-32; Mk 1:24; Acts 19:15; Jas 2:19), and realize their predestined fate (Mt 8:31-32; Lk 8:31). They have a conspicuous role in the government of the Satanic world system (Dan 10:13; Eph 6:12), in promoting cultism and false doctrine (1 Tim 4:1-3), and in opposing God’s program and God’s people (Eph 6:12; 1 Jn 4:1-6). Prayer is the believer’s resource against Satan and demons (Eph 6:10-20).

There is nothing you can to do make God love you more!

There is nothing you can do to make God love you less!

His love is Unconditional, Impartial, Everlasting, Infinite, Perfect!

In late September 1864 Confederate General Nathan Bedford Forrest was leading his troops north from Decatur, Alabama, toward Nashville. But to make it to Nashville, Forrest would have to defeat the Union army at Athens, Alabama. When the Union commander, Colonel Wallace Campbell, refused to surrender, Forrest asked for a personal meeting, and took Campbell on an inspection of his troops. But each time they left a detachment, the Confederate soldiers simply packed up and moved to another position, artillery and all. Forrest and Campbell would then arrive at the new encampment and continue to tally up the impressive number of Confederate soldiers and weaponry. By the time they returned to the fort, Campbell was convinced he couldn’t win and surrendered unconditionally!

What does it mean when the Court declares something to be unconstitutional? It means that the Founding Fathers would have opposed this, would not have wanted this.

Dr. Mitchell was impressing upon us that we are not under the Law when we’re in Christ, but we’re under a new law—the law of LOVE. He used this to illustrate:

In America there is a law stating a woman must take care of her child. So, a man comes to a new mother’s home. He says “Are you taking care of your baby? The Law says you have to.” The woman, tenderly holding her baby, said, “I don’t need a law to make me take care of my baby.” Why? Because she loves her baby! She feeds him, holds him, changes him because she loves him. I no longer need the Law because I’m under Christ—a law of LOVE.

A poor German girl announced that she was going to give a piano concert. In order to attract people to come, she mentioned in the advertisements that she was the student of the famous Hungarian professor, Franz Liszt. But it was a falsehood. To her dismay, she learned the professor was going to visit her town on the day before the concert. What should she do now? She went to meet him, confessed her guilt, and asked him to forgive her. The professor answered, "You made a mistake. All of us make mistakes. The only thing that you can do now is to repent; and I believe that you have already repented. Sit down and play." At the beginning, she played with much fear. The professor corrected a few of her mistakes and said, "Now truly you can say that I taught you. Go ahead and play at your concert tomorrow evening, and the last piece will not be played by you, but by your teacher." You are like this girl. You have sinned. There is nothing else you can do but repent. Then you will play the role of your life under the supervision of Christ Himself. The last and the best piece will be played by Him.

A poor German girl announced that she was going to give a piano concert. In order to attract people to come, she mentioned in the advertisements that she was the student of the famous Hungarian professor, Franz Liszt. But it was a falsehood. To her dismay, she learned the professor was going to visit her town on the day before the concert. What should she do now? She went to meet him, confessed her guilt, and asked him to forgive her. The professor answered, "You made a mistake. All of us make mistakes. The only thing that you can do now is to repent; and I believe that you have already repented. Sit down and play." At the beginning, she played with much fear. The professor corrected a few of her mistakes and said, "Now truly you can say that I taught you. Go ahead and play at your concert tomorrow evening, and the last piece will not be played by you, but by your teacher." You are like this girl. You have sinned. There is nothing else you can do but repent. Then you will play the role of your life under the supervision of Christ Himself. The last and the best piece will be played by Him.

Let us not be like the two little boys on the hilltop, one of whom was up a tree stealing apples and the other watching to make sure they were safe from observation. They were blissfully unaware that someone watched them through a telescope several miles away, noting each motion and even the guilty expression of their faces as plainly as if he had been in the tree with them. How absurd for the boys to conclude that observation ended with their own vision, and that safety was the result of what they could distinguish! In this universe, which is but the result of God's handiwork, we are no more intelligent than these two little boys, if we conclude that God cannot observe us, since we cannot see Him with our own two eyes.

Theologians tell a story to illustrate how Christ’s triumph presently benefits our lives: Imagine a city under siege. The enemy that surrounds they city will not let anyone or anything leave. Supplies are running low, and the citizens are fearful.

But in the dark of the night, a spy sneaks through the enemy lines. He has rushed to the city to tell the people that in another place the main enemy force has been defeated; the leaders have already surrendered. The people do not need to be afraid. It is only a matter of time until the besieging troops receive the news and lay down their weapons. Similarly, we may seem now to be surrounded by the forces of evil—disease, injustice, oppression, death. But the enemy has actually been defeated at Calvary. Things are not the way they seem to be. It is only a matter of time until it becomes clear to all that the battle is really over.

A farm boy accidentally overturned his wagonload of corn in the road. The former who lived nearby came to investigate. “Hey, Willis,” he called out, “forget your troubles for a spell and come on in and have dinner with us. Then I’ll help you get the wagon up.” “That’s mighty nice of you,” Willis answered, “But I don’t think Pa would like me to.” “Aw, come on, son!” the farmer insisted. “Well, okay,” the boy finally agreed. “But Pa won’t like it.” After a hearty dinner, Willis thanked his host. “I feel a lot better now, but I just know Pa is going to be real upset.” “Don’t be foolish!” exclaimed the neighbor. “By the way, where is he?” “Under the wagon.”

An interesting cartoon shows a fourth-grade boy standing toe-to-toe and nose-to-nose with his teacher. Behind them stares a blackboard covered with math problems the boy hasn’t finished.

With rare perception the boy says, “I’m not an underachiever, you’re an overexpecter!”

W. J. Dawson gives his testimony as follows: "Well do I remember how like a flash of light that verse of Rom 10:10 illumined my soul one day, when all was at its darkest for me. And then I saw what it all meant: that God did not ask me to believe with my intellect at all, but to trust Him with my heart. From that hour the world has brightened in me, for I know now that I have found God. Often and often now I cannot believe with the intellect, but I can with the heart."

A man is a person who, if a woman says, “Never mind, I’ll do it myself,” lets her.

A woman is a person who, if she says to a man, “Never mind, I’ll do it myself,” and he lets her, gets mad.

A man is a person who, if a woman says to him, “Never mind, I’ll do it myself,” and he lets her and she gets mad, says, “Now what are you mad about?

A woman is a person who, if she says to a man, “Never mind, I’ll do it myself,” and he lets her, and she gets mad, and he says, “Now what are you mad about?” says, “If you don’t know I’m not going to tell you.”

Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr., was a member of the U.S. Supreme Court for 30 years. His mind, wit and work earned him the unofficial title of "the greatest justice since John Marshall." At one point in his life, Justice Holmes explained his choice of a career by saying: "I might have entered the ministry if certain clergymen I knew had not looked and acted so much like undertakers."

There was a peasant with a troubled conscience who went to a monk for advice. He said that he had circulated a vile story about a friend, only to find out the story was not true. "If you want to make peace with your conscience," said the monk, "you must fill a bag with chicken feathers, go to every dooryard in the village, and drop at each of them one fluffy feather." The peasant did as he was told. Then he returned to the monk and announced he had done penance for his folly. "Not yet," replied the monk, "Take your bag, make the rounds again and gather up every feather that you have dropped." "But the wind must have blown them all away," said the peasant. Words are easily dropped, but no matter how hard you try, you can never get them back again.

Robert Wood Johnson, the former chairman of Johnson & Johnson, was known to be a terror when he inspected his plants. On one such unannounced visit, the plant manager had a fortunate 30-minute tip prior to his arrival. Hastily he had things spruced up by ordering several large rolls of paper transported to the roof of the building. When Johnson arrived, he was furious.

“What in the hell is all that junk on the roof?” were his first words.

How were they to know that he would arrive in his personal helicopter?

Three deer hunters from the city stopped at a humble farm dwelling and asked permission to stay there during deer season. The farmer and his wife graciously received them, and though crippled with arthritis, the farmer showed them some good deer haunts. Tired and hungry after an exciting day in the woods, they did justice to the piping hot meal that awaited them.

When each hunter had his deer, they made ready to leave. "Now, what do we owe you?" they asked. "Not a penny!" exclaimed the farm couple. Then they went on to say, "We have enjoyed your stay here. Come again!"

A few weeks later, two trucks drove into the farmyard. An electrician explained to them that he was sent to wire their buildings; the plumber in the other truck assured the surprised couple that they would soon have plenty of hot water in a sparkling bathroom and at the kitchen sink.

The three deer hunters had shown their appreciation this way for having had the privilege of staying there during the hunting season. The grateful recipients learned that their heavenly Father had a way to reward them for giving of their time and means. You can't outgive God!

For an extraordinary pitcher he performed few extraordinary feats. Though a veteran of 21 seasons, in only one did he win more than 20 games. He never pitched a no-hitter and only once did he lead the league in any category (2.21 ERA, 1980). Yet on June 21, 1986, Don Sutton rubbed pitching elbows with the true legends of baseball by becoming the 13th pitcher to win 300 games. His analysis of his success is worth noting. “A grinder and a mechanic” is what he calls himself. “I never considered myself flamboyant or exceptional. But all my life I’ve found a way to get the job done.” And get it done he did. Through two decades, six presidential terms, and four trades, he consistently did what pitchers are supposed to do: win games. With tunnel vision devotion, he spent 21 seasons redefining greatness. He has been called the “family sedan” of baseball’s men on the mound.

Fulfilling what I agreed to do even though it requires unexpected sacrifices.

Elmer Bendiner’s book, The Fall of Fortresses, he describes one bombing run over the German city of Kassel:

B-17 (The Tondelayo) was barraged by flak from Nazi antiaircraft guns. That was not unusual, but on this particular occasion our gas tanks were hit. Later, as I reflected on the miracle of a twenty-millimeter shell piercing the fuel tank without touching off an explosion, our pilot, Bohn Fawkes, told me it was not quite that simple.

On the morning following the raid, Bohn had gone down to ask our crew chief for that shell as a souvenir of unbelievable luck. The crew chief told Bohn that not just one shell but eleven had been found in the gas tanks—eleven unexploded shells where only one was suffficient to blast us out of the sky. It was as if the sea had been parted for us. Even after thirty-five years, so awesome an event leaves me shaken, especially after I heard the rest of the story from Bohn.

He was told that the shells had been sent to the armorers to be defused. The armorers told him that Intelligence had picked them up. They could not say why at the time, but Bohn eventually sought out the answer.

Apparently when the armorers opened each of those shells, they found no explosive charge. They were clean as a whistle and just as harmless. Empty? Not all of them.

One contained a carefully rolled piece of paper. On it was a scrawl in Czech. The Intelligence people scoured our base for a man who could read Czech. Eventually, they found one to decipher the note. It set us marveling. Translated, the note read: “This is all we can do for you now.”

"Is the sermon done?" asked one member of the congregation of another. "No, the preacher is done, but the sermon has to be worked out in our lives," replied the practical listener.

The history of the various kings of Judah and Israel, as recorded in 2 Chronicles, does not gloss over the ugly facts. True, Asa “did that which was good...in the eyes of the Lord,” Jehoshaphat “departed not from it, doing that which was right,” and Joash, Uzziah, Hezekiah, Josiah, and others reigned uprightly. Yet, the shameful deeds of the wicked rulers are also openly chronicled. We are told, for instance, that “when Rehoboam had established the kingdom...he forsook the law of the Lord,” and that “Ahaziah...also walked in the ways of the house of Ahab...to do wickedly.”

Other examples could be cited, but let’s stop for a moment at Jehoram because of the explanation given for his evil behavior. We read that “he walked...as did the house of Ahab; for he had the daughter of Ahab as his wife, and he wrought that which was evil in the eyes of the Lord” (2 Chron. 21:6). Jehoram’s reign was a failure, and he died “without being desired” (v. 20) because of one mistake: he married a worldly woman—Ahab’s daughter. The Bible tells us that “there was none like unto Ahab, who did sell himself to work wickedness in the sight of the Lord, whom Jezebel, his wife, stirred up” (1 Kings 21:25).

Unholy alliances always lead to compromise and spiritual disaster. Paul wrote, “Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers” (2 Cor. 6:14), and in verse 17 he added, “...be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing.” Yes, separation unto God calls for separation from the world!

We trample the blood of the Son of God if we think we are forgiven because we are sorry for our sins. The only explanation for the forgiveness of God and for the unfathomable depth of His forgetting is the death of Jesus Christ. Our repentance is merely the outcome of our personal realization of the atonement which He has worked out for us. It does not matter who or what we are; there is absolute reinstatement into God by the death of Jesus Christ and by no other way, not because Jesus Christ pleads, but because He died. It is not earned, but accepted. All the pleading which deliberately refuses to recognize the Cross is of no avail; it is battering at a door other than the one that Jesus has opened. Our Lord does not pretend we are all right when we are all wrong. The atonement is a propitiation whereby God, through the death of Jesus, makes an unholy man holy.

Oswald Chambers

Someone once called a preacher to say he wanted to place church membership. But, he went on to explain that he did not want to worship every week, study the Bible, visit the sick, or serve as a leader or teacher.

The minister commended him for his desire to be a member, but told him the church he sought was located in another section of town. The man took the directions and hung up.

When he arrived at that address, the man came face to face with the logical result of his own apathetic attitude. There stood an abandoned church building boarded up and ready for demolition.

Each Christian’s prayer life, like every good marriage, has in it common factors about which one can generalize and also uniquenesses which no other Christian’s prayer life will quite match. You are you, and I am I, and we must each find our own way to God; and there is no recipe for prayer that can work for us like a handyman’s do-it-yourself manual or a cookery book, where the claim is that if you follow the instructions you can’t go wrong.

Praying is not like carpentry or cookery; it is the active exercise of a personal relationship: a kind of friendship with the living God and his Son Jesus Christ, and the way it goes is more under divine control than under ours. Books on praying, like marriage manuals, are not to be treated with slavish superstition, as if the perfection of technique is the answer to all difficulties; their purpose, rather, is to suggest things to try. But as in other close relationships, in prayer you have to find out by trial and error what is right for you, and you learn to pray by praying.

Some of us talk more, others less; some are constantly vocal, others cultivate silence before God as their way of adoration; some slip into glossolalia, others make a point of not slipping into it; yet we may all be praying as God means us to do. The only rule is: Stay within the biblical guidelines, and within those guidelines, as John Chapman put it, “Pray as you can, and don’t try to pray as you can’t.”

Members of a 24-member United Methodist Church (UMC) panel could not agree on whether homosexuality is a sin, so the committee’s 14,000-word report on the subject was referred to the denomination’s national policy-making body, which will convene in Louisville, Ky., in May. The report contains a majority statement, signed by 17 committee members, recommending the removal of an assertion in the church’s book of rules that homosexual practice and Christianity are incompatible. A minority report, signed by four members, argues for retaining the current language. The panel agreed that biblical references to sexual practices should not be viewed as binding “just because they are in the Bible.” Fierce debate is expected at this year’s General Conference because at least 35 of the UMC’s 72 regional bodies have approved resolutions calling for preserving the traditional stance.

The United Nations complex sits on sixteen acres of New York City’s choicest real estate, bordering the East River and Manhattan. The lean, immense Secretariat building rises into the sky, the sun reflecting off its window walls. Bright flags of the nations of the world fly in the breezes off the river; the most prominent is the blue and white UN flag, its two white reeds of olive branches surrounding the world. A visitor is immediately struck by the grandeur of the building, stirred by the sight of dignitaries stepping out of black limousines to cross the massive plaza. He realizes that if this place represents the powers of the world, one might well want to see the place of worship, where the nations bow before the One under whose rule they govern.

The information personnel are bemused. “The chapel. We don’t have a chapel. If there is one, I believe it’s across the street. “The visitor darts across the thoroughfare, dodging New York’s taxis, and successfully arrives at the opposite building’s security-clearance desk. “Well, there’s a chapel here,” responds the officer, “But it’s not associated with the UN.” He thumbs through a directory. “Oh, I see, all right, here it is. It’s across the street—and tell them you’re looking for the mediation room.

“Again the visitor dashes across the pavement. An attendant tells him that the room is not open to the public; it’s a “nonessential area,” and there has been a personnel cutback. But a security guard will escort the visitor through long, crowded hallways and swinging glass doors. Again, there is the pervasive sense of weighty matters being discussed in the noble pursuit of world peace. The guide pauses at an unmarked door. He unlocks it and gingerly pushes it open. The small room is devoid of people or decoration. The walls are stark white. There are no windows. A few wicker stools surround a large square rock at the center of the room. It is very quiet. But there is no altar, rug, vase, candle, or symbol of any type of religious worship. Ceiling lights create bright spots of illumination on the front wall. One focuses on a piece of modern art: steel squares and ovals. Beyond the abstract shapes, there is nothing in those bright circles of light. They are focused on a void. And it is in that void that the visitor suddenly sees the soul of the brave new world.

Has it ever occurred to you that one hundred pianos all tuned to the same fork are automatically tuned to each other? They are of one accord by being tuned, not to each other, but to another standard to which each one must individually bow. So one hundred worshipers [meeting] together, each one looking away to Christ, are in heart nearer to each other than they could possibly be, were they to become ‘unity’ conscious and turn their eyes away from God to strive for closer fellowship.

That divisions exist in the body of Christ is apparent to everyone. The spirit of exclusive denominationalism is evidence of it. Denominations need not be schismatic; they need not cause the entire body of Christ to accomplish less than God intended it. All born-again believers are members of the same body, with God-created differences. We are not uniform, but we need not fight each other on that account; we are to care for all the members of Christ's body equally. Isolationism kills the effectiveness of the body of Christ. Paul says in Rom 14:1, "Him that is weak in the faith receive ye, but not to doubtful disputations."

We must rejoice over unity as a precious gift from God, while protecting it as a valued treasure. Here are some practical ways we are committed to keeping the unity of the Spirit in the EFCM:

1. I will recognize the call and gifts from God in all of my co-workers.

2. I will exercise vigilance over our unity.

3. I commit to speaking well of my coworker brothers and sisters and will publicly express appreciation for them.

4. I will pray diligently and fervently for the blessing of God on my teammates.

5. I will affirm the co-equal importance of planting, watering and supporting ministries.

6. I will shoulder responsibility for the ministry assigned to me and at the same time exercise prayerful concern for the field’s ministry in its entirety.

7. I understand that in the “heat of battle” there will be misunderstandings, conflicts and offenses.

8. I will deal with offenses promptly and appropriately

9. I will listen intently in order to understand the other person’s perspective.

10. I will avoid judging the motives of a fellow worker, because I cannot see my brother or sister’s heart.

11. I will forgive others on the team without hesitation or precondition, knowing that I, too, will need frequent forgiveness for my offenses.

12. I will commit myself to becoming better acquainted with the members of my team.

Jesus Himself said that believers and non-believers alike are watching, and our love for each other is the evidence that our faith is real. Join with me in guarding the precious unity of our faith.

Dispensationalism has been distinguished by a focus on the centrality of the universal church, a commitment to a high view of biblical inspiration and authority, a recognition that every member is a minister within the church, an emphasis on God’s grace in the current era as expressed through the Spirit’s indwelling ministry, a commitment to share the gospel and emphasize the security of the believer who enters into God’s grace, an affirmation of the importance of prophetic and apocalyptic revelation in God’s plan, a belief in premillennialism and a future for Israel on the earth, and a recognition of discontinuities in the various ages of divine administration.

Couples who live together prior to marriage are twice as likely to divorce within a decade as those who lived apart before marriage. That’s the result of a study of nearly 7000 couples by two University of Wisconsin sociologists. Many feel that living together is a good method for discovering insurmountable incompatibilities before marriage, said researcher Larry Bumpass. Although he once held that view, Bumpass now believes living together directly contributes to divorce. “The partners have less claim on each other,” he explained. “It may be that they form habits in such a period that when carried over into marriage, are not conducive to marital success.”

A Texas paper comments on the criticisms concerning a preacher: "The preacher has a great time. If his hair is grey he is too old; if he is a young man he hasn't had enough experience. If he has ten children he has too many; if he has none he is not setting a good example. If his wife sings in the choir she is presuming; if she doesn't she isn't interested in her husband's work. If a preacher reads from notes he is a bore; if he speaks extemporaneously he isn't deep enough. If he stays at home in his study, he does not mix enough with his people; if he is seen around on the streets, he ought to be home getting out a good sermon. If he calls at the homes of the wealthy, he is an aristocrat; if he calls on the poor family, then he is playing to the grandstand. Whatever he does, someone could have told him to do better." Pity the poor preacher, and for that matter every leader who has critical followers. Let us have confidence in our spiritual leaders, not blind confidence, but confidence that stems from personal persuasion that they are doing the best that they can under the circumstances.

We live in an era of unkept promises. Nations sign important treaties and then break them at will. And many couples show little regard for their wedding vows. In this kind of society, we who are God’s people should be known for keeping our promises.

The brilliant Christian scholar and writer C. S. Lewis took that truth seriously. He was determined to pay what he had vowed. His biography tells of the suffering he endured because he kept a promise he had made to a buddy during World War I. This friend was worried about the care of his wife and small daughter if he should be killed in battle, so Lewis assured him that if that were to happen he would look after them. As the war dragged on, the man was killed. True to his word, Lewis took care of his friend’s family. Yet no matter how helpful he tried to be, the woman was ungrateful, rude, arrogant, and domineering. Through it all, Lewis kept forgiving her. He refused to let her actions become an excuse to renege on his promise. -H.V.L.

We know very little about heaven, but I once heard a theologian describe it as “an unknown region with a well-know inhabitant,” and there is not a better way to think of it than that.

Richard Baxter expresses the thought in these lines:

My knowledge of that life is small,

The eye of faith is dim,

But it’s enough that Christ knows all,

And I shall be with him.

To those who have learned to love and trust Jesus, the prospect of meeting him face to face and being with him forever is the hope that keeps us going, no matter what life may throw at us.

Our point of view is crucial when difficult things happen to us. A great example of a person transforming calamity by his Christlike point of view is David Watson. Watson, a minister in England, died of cancer before these words of his were published:

“It’s sometimes only through suffering that we begin to listen to God. Our natural pride and self-confidence have to be stripped painfully away and we become aware, perhaps for the first time, of our own personal needs.

“During the ministry of Jesus on earth, a tower fell in Siloam and killed 18 innocent people. ‘Why did God allow it’ was the immediate questions pressed by those around Him. Jesus replied, not by answering the question of suffering nor by giving a satisfactory solution to this particular tragedy. Instead, He came back to the practical challenge of God’s Word: ‘I tell you...unless you repent you will all likewise perish.’ It may sound a little bleak, but Jesus was far more concerned with a person’s eternal well-being than merely satisfying an intellectual curiosity. Here He was dealing not with the question of ‘Why?’ but with the question ‘What?’ ‘What is God saying in this calamity?’”

Watson concludes,

“Through the unexpected diagnosis of cancer I was forced to consider carefully my priorities in life and to make some necessary adjustments. I still do not know why God allowed it, nor does it bother me. But, I am beginning to hear what God is saying, and this has been enormously helpful to me.”

When Fred Phillips, retired public-safety director and police chief of Johnson City, Tenn., was a regular police office, he and his partner pulled over an unlicensed motorist. They asked the man to follow them to the police station, but while en route they spotted a North Carolina vehicle whose license plate and driver matched the description in an all-points bulletin. The officers took off in a high-speed chase, and finally stopped the wanted man’s car.

Minutes later, as the felon was being arrested, the unlicensed motorist drove up. “If y’all will just tell me how to get to the station, I’ll wait for you there,” he said. “I’m having a heck of a time keeping up with you.”

The UnMarriage Contract “delineates just what belongs to whom, defines property rights of parties entering into a live-together relationship, and spells out the contributions of each person to the household.” It retails for a paltry $24.95, and once notarized, legally protects unmarried couples from the sort of alimony settlements that they would try to gouge out of one another once the fun and games turned sour.

When a person works an eight-hour day and receives a fair day’s pay for his time, that is a wage. When a person competes with an opponent and receives a trophy for his performance, that is a prize. When a person receives appropriate recognition for his long service or high achievements, that is an award. But when a person is not capable of earning a wage, can win no prize, and deserves no award—yet receives such a gift anyway—that is a good picture of God’s unmerited favor. This is what we mean when we talk about the grace of God.

The average business executive spends about 60 hours a year on hold on the telephone, according to a survey. He/she also spends 32 minutes a day reading and writing unnecessary memos, or 128 hours a year; and an hour and 12 minutes a day at unnecessary meetings, or 288 hours a year.

A childhood accident caused poet Elizabeth Barrett to lead a life of semi-invalidism before she married Robert Browning in 1846.

There’s more to the story. In her youth, Elizabeth had been watched over by her tyrannical father. When she and Robert were married, their wedding was held in secret because of her father’s disapproval. After the wedding the Brownings sailed for Italy, where they lived for the rest of their lives. But even though her parents had disowned her, Elizabeth never gave up on the relationship. Almost weekly she wrote them letters. Not once did they reply.

After 10 years, she received a large box in the mail. Inside, Elizabeth found all of her letters; not one had been opened! Today those letters are among the most beautiful in classical English literature. Had her parents only read a few of them, their relationship with Elizabeth might have been restored.

This statement (Matt. 12:32, par Mk. 3:29, Luke 12:10) has been the subject of much questioning. Obviously the reference here is not to the naming of the Holy Spirit in a blasphemous utterance, for in Matt. 12:32 even blasphemy against the Son of man can be forgiven. Among the many attempts at exegesis, the most convincing is the suggestion that the man who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit is he who has recognized that God is working through the Holy Spirit in the actions of Jesus, and who quite consciously “misrepresent faith in God as faith in the devil. This saying is an extremely serious warning against the demonic and scarcely conceivable potential in man: To declare war on God. This is not done in weakness and doubt, but by one who has been overcome by the Holy Spirit and who knows very well on whom he is declaring war”(E. Schweizer, The Good News according to Mark, 1971, 87; cf. H. W. Beyer, TDNT I:624; O. E. Evans, “The Unforgivable Sin,” Exp. T. 68, 1956-57, pp. 240-44).

This is the blasphemer who does it deliberately, after encounter with the God of grace, as the context shows. For Jesus has just been accused of casting out demons by Beelzebul, the prince of demons. “Therefore he who blasphemes the Spirit is no longer speaking against a God who is distant, about whom he entertains mere foolish thoughts, but against the one who makes evident to him his gracious work, and confirms it with his manifest, divine seal. He is a man who ought to give thanks, not to blaspheme” (A. Schlatter, on Matt. 12:32). W. L. Lane draws attention to Sifre on Deut. 32:38 (end): “The Holy One, blessed be he, pardons everything else, but on profanation of the Name [i.e. blasphemy] he takes vengeance immediately” (The Gospel of Mark, NLC, 1974, p. 145) Lane goes on to comment: “This is the danger to which the scribes exposed themselves when they attributed to the agency of Satan the redemption brought by Jesus. The expulsion of demons was a sign of the intrusion of the Kingdom of God. Yet the scribal accusations against Jesus amount to a denial of the power and greatness of the Spirit of God. By assigning the action of Jesus to a demonic origin the scribes betray a perversion of spirit which, in defiance of the truth, chooses to call light darkness. In this historical context, blasphemy against the Holy Spirit denotes the conscious and deliberate rejection of the saving power and grace of God released through Jesus’ work and act” (ibid.). Thus blasphemy here is much more serious than the taking of the divine name in vain which a believer may have done before coming to repentance and faith. It may be said to those who have been tormented by fear that they have committed the unforgivable sin that their concern is itself a sign that they have not committed the sin envisaged in Jesus’ teaching here. Lane’s interpretation also helps to explain the distinction drawn between blasphemy against the Son of man and blasphemy against the Holy Spirit. The distinction suggests that “while an attack on Jesus’ own person, as son of Man and therefore ‘hidden,’ is pardonable, any speaking against the power by which he works (i.e. the divine endowment for his messianic ministry) will not be pardoned.” For such an action would be deliberately to attribute to Satan the action of God himself.

When things don’t go our way, we typically go through 10 stages which are a normal part of the coping and healing process.

1. Denial—”It can’t be,” It can’t happen to me,” “It’s not true”.... The first stage of reaction to any sudden, unexpected event tends to be denial. Denial is normal if it lasts a short time, but persistent denial is unhealthy because it blocks further growth and healing.

2. Anger/Blame—”Whose fault is it?,” “This makes me mad,” “This isn’t fair,” “Why me?” The second stage of reaction looks backward in hopes of finding the cause and someone or something to blame it on. Although nothing can be done at this point to change the past, it’s nevertheless a normal response. Like the stage of denial before it, the anger/blame stage is unhealthy if it persists for an unreasonable amount of time.

3. Despair—This stage tends to be characterized by tears, negative and hopeless/helpless thoughts, and a feeling of total emptiness and loss. Sleep and eating disturbances are common as the “reality” of the situation sets in. Relationships with other people can become more difficult at this time, but understanding and compassion must be given and accepted if one is to move beyond this stage.

4. Perspective—In this stage, the individual begins accepting the change and is no longer caught up in denial, anger, blame, or despair. The problem is seen in its proper perspective. Although the sense of loss may be significant, the individual does not feel that “all is lost.”

5. Relationships—Coming out of the withdrawal and isolation that is inherent in the previous stages, the individual is able to talk and relate to other people and participate in normal activities.

6. Spiritual Changes—The individual’s relationship with the spiritual side of life is strengthened as a result of having lived through (and survived) the experience.

7. Acceptance—This stage involves the restoration of self-esteem, and the acceptance of the consequences and boundaries of the new reality.

8. Humor—Smiles, laughter, and a sense of humor return to the individual and help in the healing process. There’s a renewed sense of joy in life.

9. Activity and Action—Where once the individual had been restricted or immobilized by the change, he or she now returns to activity, action, and improved productivity. Travel and group activities become more interesting.

10. New Goals—In this final stage, the individual is able to focus on the positive aspects of whatever change occurred, and on new goals and activities. He or she takes comfort in Ashley Brilliant’s line, “I may not be totally perfect, but parts of me are excellent!”

When faced with an unexpected, unpleasant change, you may not go through all 10 of these stages in this order, but it helps to keep them in mind. While it can seem as if life changes nearly drown us at times, by and by we see that it’s only through meeting the challenges of change that we can grow.

"Oh, you preachers make me sick!" a fellow said to a witnessing Christian on the train one day. The Christian assured him he was not a preacher. "I don't care what you are. You Christians are always talking about a man going to hell because Adam sinned." "No," the Christian said, "you need not go to hell because Adam sinned. You will go to hell because you refuse the remedy provided for Adam's sin. Don't keep complaining about something that has absolutely been taken care of. If you go to hell, you will go over the broken body of Jesus Christ, who died to keep you out."

In order to uncover the processes that destroy unions, marital researchers study couples over the course of years, and even decades, and retrace the star-crossed steps of those who have split up back to their wedding day. What they are discovering is unsettling. None of the factors one would guess might predict a couple’s durability actually does: not how in love a newlywed couple say they are; how much affection they exchange; how much they fight or what they fight about. In fact, couples who will endure and those who won’t look remarkably similar in the early days. Yet when psychologists Cliff Notarius of Catholic University and Howard Markman of the University of Denver studied newlyweds over the first decade of marriage, they found a very subtle but telling difference at the beginning of the relationships.

Among couples who would ultimately stay together, 5 out of every 100 comments made about each other were put-downs. Among couples who would later split, 10 of every 100 comments were insults. That gap magnified over the following decade, until couples heading downhill were flinging five times as many cruel and invalidating comments at each other as happy couples. “Hostile put-downs act as cancerous cells that, if unchecked, erode the relationship over time,” says Notarius, who with Markman co-authored the new book We Can Work It Out. “In the end, relentless unremitting negativity takes control and the couple can’t get through a week without major blowups.”

An enthusiastic but somewhat unscrupulous salesman was waiting to see the purchasing agent of the engineering firm where my husband worked. The salesman was there to submit his company’s bid, or price quote, for a particular job. He couldn’t help but notice, however, that a competitor’s bid was on the purchasing agent’s desk. Unfortunately, the actual figure was covered by a can of juice. The temptation to see the amount quoted became too much, so the salesman lifted the can. His heart sank as he watched thousands of BB’s pour from the bottomless can and scatter across the floor.

Scientists at the University of Pittsburgh recently reported that showers release toxic chemicals into the air. So while we merrily lather away and sing our hearts out, these chemicals in the water are quietly turning into vapors, exposing us to chemical concentrations up to 10 times greater than we would receive by drinking the water.

If that doesn’t scare you, look at another common activity: handling money. According to two University of Louisville scientists, 13 percent of all coins and 42 percent of paper money carry infectious organisms.

A microscopic, broken wire in a backup computer forced NASA to scrub the maiden voyage of the space shuttle Discovery last month, a spokesman for the computer’s manufacturer said Saturday. The broken wire was an integrated circuit within one of the Discovery’s five identical computers which control all the ship’s functions, including communications, navigation and guidance, said Joe Militano, spokesman for International Business Machines. “Engineers isolated the problem to an opening in an integrated circuit in a memory core unit in the computer’s input-output processor,” Militano said. Discovery’s maiden voyage as the third shuttle in National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s fleet was set for June 25, but a backup computer failed just a half hour short of take-off. IBM scientists in Oswego, N.Y., studied the defective computer removed from Discovery and determined the problem had been “a random part failure,” Militano said.

Principle: the greater the attempted achievement or the complexity, the more important the unseen parts.

During his first year of graduate study at the University of California at Berkeley, George B. Dantzig (later known as the father of linear programming) arrived late for a statistics class. He saw two problems on the blackboard. Assuming they were homework, he copied them and a few days later turned in his solutions. One Sunday morning six weeks afterward, the professor appeared at Dantzig’s door, waving a manuscript. It turned out that the professor had merely written two examples of unsolvable problems on the blackboard. The manuscript was Dantzig’s work readied for publication.

God’s unspeakable gift 2 Cor. 9:15

The believer’s unspeakable joy 1 Peter 1:8

Heaven’s unspeakable words 2 Cor. 12:4

Samuel Leibowitz, criminal lawyer and judge, saved 78 men from the electric chair. Not one ever did bother to thank him.

1. Show the Lord’s death, worshippers 1 Cor. 11:26

2. Hold fast his truth, warriors Rev. 2:25

3. Occupy in his service, workers Luke 19:13

4. The Lord descends in the air 1 Thess. 4:16

5. The dead in Christ are raised 1 Cor. 15:20-25

6. The living saints are changed 1 Thess. 4:17

7. Incorruptibility given the dead 1 Cor. 15:52

8. Immortality given to the living 1 Cor. 15:54

9. Caught up together 1 Thess. 4:17

10. Received by Him John 14:3

Once there was an old man who lived in a tiny village. Although poor, he was envied by all, for he owned a beautiful white horse. Even the king coveted his treasure. A horse like this had never been seen before—such was its splendor, its majesty, its strength.

People offered fabulous prices for the steed, but the old man always refused. “This horse is not a horse to me,” he would tell them. “It is a person How could you sell a person? He is a friend, not a possession. How could you sell a friend?” The man was poor and the temptation was great. But he never sold the horse.

One morning he found that the horse was not in the stable. All the village came to see him. “You old fool,” they scoffed, “we told you that someone would steal your horse. We warned you that you would be robbed. You are so poor. How could you ever hope to protect such a valuable animal? It would have been better to have sold him. You could have gotten whatever price you wanted. No amount would have been too high. Now the horse is gone, and you’ve been cursed with misfortune.”

The old man responded, “Don’t speak too quickly. Say only that the horse is not in the stable. That is all we know; the rest is judgment. If I’ve been cursed or not, how can you know? How can you judge?”

The people contested, “Don’t make us out to be fools! We may not be philosophers, but great philosophy is not needed. The simple fact is that your horse is gone is a curse.”

The old man spoke again. “All I know is that the stable is empty, and the horse is gone. The rest I don’t know. Whether it be a curse or a blessing, I can’t say. All we can see is a fragment. Who can say what will come next?”

The people of the village laughed. They thought that the man was crazy. They had always thought he was a fool; if he wasn’t, he would have sold the horse and lived off the money. But instead, he was a poor woodcutter, an old man still cutting firewood and dragging it out of the forest and selling it. he lived hand to mouth in the misery of poverty. Now he had proven that he was, indeed, a fool.

After fifteen days, the horse returned. He hadn’t been stolen; he had run away into the forest. Not only had he returned, he had brought a dozen wild horses with him. Once again the village people gathered around the woodcutter and spoke. “Old man, you were right and we were wrong. What we thought was a curse was a blessing. Please forgive us.”

The man responded, “Once again, you go too far. Say only that the horse is back. State only that a dozen horses returned with him, but don’t judge. How do you know if this is a blessing or not? You see only a fragment. Unless you know the whole story, how can you judge? You read only one page of a book. Can you judge the whole book? You read only one word of a phrase. Can you understand the entire phrase?

“Life is so vast, yet you judge all of life with one page or one word. All you have is a fragment! Don’t say that this is a blessing. No one knows. I am content with what I know. I am not perturbed by what I don’t.”

“Maybe the old man is right,” they said to one another. So they said little. But down deep, they knew he was wrong. They knew it was a blessing. Twelve wild horses had returned with one horse. With a little bit of work, the animals could be broken and trained and sold for much money.

The old man had a son, an only son. The young man began to break the wild horses. After a few days, he fell from one of the horses and broke both legs. Once again the villagers gathered around the old man and cast their judgments.

“You were right,” they said. “You proved you were right. The dozen horses were not a blessing. They were a curse. Your only son has broken his legs, and now in your old age you have no one to help you. Now you are poorer than ever.”

The old man spoke again. “You people are obsessed with judging. Don’t go so far. Say only that my son broke his legs. Who knows if it is a blessing or a curse? No one knows. We only have a fragment. Life comes in fragments.”

It so happened that a few weeks later the country engaged in war against a neighboring country. All the young men of the village were required to join the army. Only the son of the old man was excluded, because he was injured. Once again the people gathered around the old man, crying and screaming because their sons had been taken. There was little chance that they would return. The enemy was strong, and the war would be a losing struggle. They would never see their sons again.

“You were right, old man,” they wept. “God knows you were right. This proves it. Your son’s accident was a blessing. His legs may be broken, but at least he is with you. Our sons are gone forever.”

The old man spoke again. “It is impossible to talk with you. You always draw conclusions. No one knows. Say only this: Your sons had to go to war, and mine did not. No one knows if it is a blessing or a curse. No one is wise enough to know. Only God knows.”

Morris Siegel was a street person in Los Angeles. He lived like most street people--roaming about in back alleys, sleeping out-of-doors, carrying everything he owned in an old shopping cart. He was found in an alley, dead of natural causes, perhaps heart trouble.

The interesting thing about Morris is that he had $207,421 in the bank at the time of his death. It seems that Morris’ father died and left him the money ten years earlier. When Morris did not claim it, the Division of Unclaimed Property tracked him down, and his family forced him to accept it. He took only enough of the money to buy an old car, where he slept in bad weather. Relatives rented an apartment for him, but he never went there. He died December 14, 1989, with three dollars in his pocket and an untouched fortune in the bank.

Two men looked out from prison bars. One saw mud, one saw stars.

One evening several college students spread limburger cheese on the upper lip of a sleeping fraternity brother. Upon awakening the young man sniffed, looked around, and said, “This room stinks!” He then walked into the hall and said, “This hall stinks!” Leaving the dormitory he exclaimed, “The whole world stinks!”