The Best Thing I've Re-read Lately......C S Lewis

Of course we never wanted, and never asked, to be made into the sort of creatures He is going to make us into.

But the question is not what we intended ourselves to be, but what He intended us to be when He made us.

He is the inventor, we are only the machine. He is the painter, we are only the picture. How should we know what He means us to be like?...We may be content to remain what we call "ordinary people," but He is determined to carry out a quite different plan.

To shrink back from that plan is not humility -  it is laziness and cowardice. To submit to it is not conceit or megalomania - it is obedience.

Here is another way of putting the two sides of the truth. On the one hand we must never imagine that our own unaided efforts can be relied on to carry us even through the next twenty-four hours as "decent" people. If He does not support us, not one of us is safe from some gross sin.

On the other hand, no possible degree of holiness or heroism which has ever been recorded of the greatest saints is beyond what He is determined to produce in every one of us in the end. The job will not be completed in this life; but He means to get us as far as possible before death.

That is why we must not be surprised if we are in for a rough time. When a man turns to Christ and seems to be getting on pretty well (in the sense that some of his bad habits are now corrected), he often feels that it would now be natural if things went fairly smoothly. When troubles come along--illnesses, money troubles, new kinds of temptation--he is disappointed...

God is forcing him on, or up, to a higher level - putting him into situations where he will have to be very much braver, or more patient, or more loving, than he ever dreamed of being before. It seems to us all unnecessary; but that is because we have not yet had the slightest notion of the tremendous thing He means to make of us...

Imagine yourself as a living house. God comes in to rebuild that house. At first, perhaps, you can understand what He is doing. He is getting the drains right and stopping the leaks in the roof and so on; you knew those jobs needed doing and so you are not surprised.

But presently He starts knocking the house about in a way that hurts abominably and does not seem to make sense.

What on earth is He up to? The explanation is that He is building a quite different house than the one you were thinking of--throwing out a new wing here, putting on an extra floor there, running up towers, making courtyards.

You thought you were going to be made into a decent little cottage; but He is building a palace. He intends to come and live in it Himself.

From Mere Christianity, Book 4, Chapter 9, Counting the Cost, by C. S. Lewis

More Reasons to Say Thanks!

 

                                                        More Reasons to Say Thanks!

Reading Romans 1 --

Here are God's thoughts on the history of mankind:

"For although they knew God, they neither glorified Him as God nor gave thanks to Him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images...therefore God gave them over to the sinful desires of their hearts."

So they didn't glorify Him as God, nor did they give Him thanks. Thanking God Isn't trivial or optional; It is critical! Not thanking Him leads to destruction.

And as we look at Jesus we also see the importance of giving thanks. When He fed the multitudes the record says, "When He took the loaves He gave thanks" and the 5 small fishes fed thousands!

And standing outside the tomb of Lazarus, He gave thanks! And then the dead man came out -- alive -- and into the arms of his family!

See the pattern? First "thanks" and then the miracle! It is repeated through the gospels.

Are we missing something important these days?

The (Almost) Forgotten Hero of the Mayflower Pilgrims

                

                     The (Almost) Forgotten Hero of the Mayflower Pilgrims

We rarely hear about him anymore. I don't know why that is.

His name was Squanto. He was about 12 years old in 1608 when he and some of his friends, all from the Patuxet Indian tribe in Massachusetts, were fishing and exploring along the coast.

Suddenly their view was obstructed by a huge ship that sailed in. The boys thought it might be traders, who had come to that area occasionally. They were excited and raced down to see what the  traders had brought. 

At first the strangers were friendly, but then they suddenly attacked the boys, tying them and dragging them to their giant ship and then throwing them into the dark hold beneath the deck, where they stayed for several weeks as the ship headed back to Spain.

The men were slave traders, who kidnapped and transported young Indians boys  back to Spain to be sold into slavery.  It was a cruel and terrifying life, and Squanto watched as his friends were auctioned off to the jeering crowd.

But God had a different plan for Squanto. On the dock where the boys were being auctioned off there was a group of men standing apart They were monks, who served God.

When Squanto was pushed forward to be sold, one of the monks held up a small bag of heavy coins and signaled for the lad to be brought to him. The monks took him with them, fed him and treated him kindly, and taught him that he could trust God. "God will take care of you," they told him. 

The monks knew Squanto missed his family and agreed to find him a way to get back to  his home. But they needed to get him to England, where trading sips sometimes sailed to that area. They secured him passage to London, England.

So about 5 years after Squanto arrived in Spain he embraced the monks, said goodbye,  and set sail for London.

The monks had sent Squanto to the home of a godly merchant, who welcomed him into his home, taught him English and promised to find him transportation back to his family in North America. But it would take a while to arrange this, he told Squanto.

And it did take a whole - in fact it was 5 more years before it could be arranged, but finally in about 1618, Squanto, now about 22 years old, set sail to go back to his home!

The journey took many days, but finally, he heard the call, "Land ho!" and Squanto went ashore. He knew exactly where he was and headed home! How surprised his family would be to see him!

But was he neared his village, he knew something was wrong. No one was around. The fields were bare and no one came out to greet him.

He walked to a neighboring tribe some miles away and learned the terrible news. While he was gone, an illness had struck his village and all became sick. No one survived!

Squanto stayed  with this neighboring tribe for a time, and then went to live in the woods by himself. Then  one day a tribesman, named Samoset,  from another village came to visit him, and told him an amazing story: The year before, a shipload of families had come and settled in Patuxet village - in the very place where Squanto had lived as a boy. They were from across the great ocean and were strangers. Samoset urged Squanto go meet them, and he agreed.

When Squanto arrived, imagine his shock  - they were English people! They spoke and dressed just like those who had been so kind to him in London. And they were just as shocked to see the young Indian coming toward them and greeting them in English!

He told his new friends all atoub his  his life, how the monks had saved him from slavery, how the English had helped him get back home. And the new settlers explained that they  too, were looking for a home! And they described how hard the last year had been for them - poor shelters, little food and disease...and that about one half of their group had died!

William Bradford, the governor, spoke, saying, "It is like the story of Joseph from our sacred Scriptures.

Like you, Joseph was also taken from his home and sold as a slave. But God had a plan for him. Through Joseph, God was able o save many people from starving. What man had intended for evil, God worked out for good. Perhaps God has sent you to be our Joseph," he finished.

And that's what happened. In the weeks that followed, Squanto rejoiced to see his abandoned village filled with people again.

The Pilgrims worked hard to learn ways to live in their new home. Squanto showed them how to plant corn by burying three kernels along with a fish for fertilizer. He taught them how to find and catch eels in the muddy streams. and he showed them the best places to look for lobsters among the sea rocks.

When fall came, the Pilgrims decided to set aside a time to thank God for His merciful blessings. They invited Squanto and the other braves from Samoset's tribe to join them.

When the great day came, ninety warriors appeared from the forest, carrying deer, wild turkeys, and lots of fresh vegetables. This would be a great feast!

Governor Bradford prayed, "Thank you, Lord, for sending Squanto to us. We know Your hand has been on him through all his trials and that You prepared him to be our guide and friend in our time of need. Squanto is Your living answer to our tears and prayers."

And in his heart, Squanto thanked God for the pilgrims, for they had shown him that God had used him in His great plan, just as the Spanish monks had said so many years ago.

And that is the story of our first Thanksgiving!

[This material is part of Eric Metaxas' book, Squanto and the Miracle of  Thanksgiving. Be sure to get a copy for your family.]

Here is Eric Metaxas' last paragraph:

   Hallelujah! Who but the glorious God of heaven could so miraculously weave together the wandering lives of a lonely Patuxet brave and a struggling band of English Pilgrims in such a way that would bless the world world for centuries to come?

                            Yes, who but our God could (or would) do that!!!!!

An Authentic American Thanksgiving!

Psalm 107:1-9, The Pilgrim Psalm

  "Give thanks to the LORD , for He is good; His love endures forever.

Let the redeemed of the LORD tell their story -- those He redeemed from the hand of the foe, those He gathered from the lands, from east and west, from north and south.

Some wandered in desert wastelands, finding no way to a city where they could settle. They were hungry and thirsty, and their lives ebbed away.

Then they called out to the LORD in their trouble, and He delivered them from their distress.

He led them by a straight way to a city where they could settle.

Let them give thanks to the LORD for His unfailing love and His wonderful deeds for mankind, for He satisfies the thirsty and fills the hungry with good things."

This is a perfect time to read this whole Psalm - known for centuries as "The Pilgrim Psalm." It's easy to see why!

Notice how "They were hungry and thirsty and their lives ebbed away" and then their prayers were answered and their thirst was satisfied and they were filled with good things.

Psalm 107 was a favorite scripture of our pilgrim ancestors. From Governor Bradford's journal it appears it was the last psalm the Puritans recited together as they disembarked from the Mayflower! 

We Americans have so much to be thankful for!

Why not include this psalm in your celebration of this great holiday?

What's It All About?

 "God made all things, and everything continues through Him and for Him, to Him be the glory forever" (Romans 11:36).

  "There is only one God, the Father, who created all things, and we exist for Him" (1 Corinthians 8:6).

  From Max Lucado...

   "The breath you took to read that last sentence was given to you for one reason: that you might for another moment 'reflect the Lord's glory' (2 Corinthians 3:18). God awoke you this morning for you to glorify Him!

  Why does the earth spin? For Him.

  Money or poverty? Strength or struggles? For Him.

  Everyone and everything exists to reveal His glory.

  Including you...and me."

  As the Westminster Catechism teaches us: our chief purpose in life is to glorify God and to enjoy Him forever -- because as we glorify Him we please Him and enjoy Him forever! 

It's All Mine Now! - David Platt

It's All Mine Now -- David Platt


...when you come to Jesus--when you unite your life with His--everything that belongs to Him becomes yours.

Yes, as we've already discussed, His righteousness replaces your unrighteousness.

But there's more.

• When you come to Jesus, His Spirit fills your spirit.
• His love becomes your love.
• His joy becomes your joy.
• His mind becomes your mind.
• His desires become your desires.
• His will becomes your will.
• His purpose becomes your purpose.
• His power becomes your power.

The Christian life thus becomes nothing less than the outliving of the indwelling Christ.

This reality marks the critical distinction between superficial religion and supernatural regeneration.

Superficial religion involve a counterfeit "Christian" life that consists of nothing more than truths to believe and things to do, and it misses the essence of what it means to follow Jesus.

Supernatural regeneration, on  the other hand, involves an authentic Christian life that has been awakened by the Spirit, truth and love, passion, power and purpose of Jesus.

  -- From Follow Me, Chapter 3, by David Platt

I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me. 

 Galatians 2:20

How Christ Restored Peter

 

                                              How Christ Restored Peter

What Christ DIDN'T say to Peter...

After His resurrection, when Christ appeared to Peter, He asked him, "Peter, do you love Me?" And Peter answered, "Yes, You know I love You!"

Notice what Jesus didn't say - He didn't say, "Peter, are you going to fail Me again?" "Peter, will I be able to count on you ever again?"

These words of Jesus  -- what He didn't  say -- gives me great comfort....

How about you?

Read the whole conversation in John, chapter 21. 

What a wonderful, forgiving Savior we have!

As the Bible throughout teaches us  -- God forgives us and never holds our sins against us   -  He doesn't "keep a list",  and we are told to not keep a list either in 1 Corinthians 13.

As Christ has been to us, we should be to each other.

.

"If You, LORD, kept a record of sins, who could stand?" (Psalm 130:3)

Make It A Better Day!

 This day is beginning as a perfect day!

I started it with this wonderful prayer hymn -- written by Kate Wilkinson 100 years ago! I highly recommend it to you -- just pray the words and feel God's love and joy and peace fill your heart.

   "May the mind of Christ, my Savior, live in me from day to day,
    by His love and power controlling all I do and say.

    May the Word of God dwell richly in my heart from hour to hour,
    so that all may see I triumph only through His power.

    May the peace of God, my Father, rule my life in everything,
    that I may be calm to comfort sick and sorrowing.

    May the love of Jesus fill me as the waters fill the seas;
    Him exalting, self abasing, this is victory!

    May I run the race before me, strong and brave to face the foe,
    looking only unto Jesus as I onward go.

    May His beauty rest upon me as I seek the lost to win 
    and may they forget the channel, seeing only Him!"

Best suggestion for sure -- ask your magic music box to play it for you - just ask for "May the Mind of Christ, My Savior" and be blessed!

Protoevangelium - Prototype of the Gospel

 Protoevangelium - Prototype of the Gospel

The first glimpse of God's plan to finally destroy Satan's hold on mankind occurs right there in the Garden of Eden, where Satan began his campaign to destroy God's perfect world. It is recorded in Genesis 3:15: "So the LORD God said to the serpent, '...I will put enmity between you and the and woman and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head and you will strike his heel.'"

That set the stage for the ancient struggle between good and evil -- between God and Satan. That was Act 1.

John explains Act 2 in 1 John 3:8 -- "The reason the Son of God came was to destroy the devil's work." That was done at the cross. The power of Satan over us was abolished.

And then in Revelation 20 we see the final destruction of Satan - the ancient serpent who deceived man from the very beginning. "The old serpent, who is the devil, is thrown in the lake of burning sulphur to spend eternity, without God and without hope forever." That is the final Act - Act 3.

We were saved from the guilt and punishment for our sin at the cross. We are being saved every day from Satan's power over us through the Holy Spirit -- "Greater is He that is in you than he that is in the world" we are promised in 1 John 4:4.  And in the future we will be saved from Satan's very presence when we are in heaven with our Savior and Satan is in the lake of punishment.

Genesis 3:15 is known as the "Protoevangelium"- the first glimpse of the gospel message. The "prototype" of what God has done for us. The promise that God's great enemy will be utterly destroyed. And we will join God's family and live with Him forever!

Yes, Satan can still right now disturb us and distract us, but he cannot defeat us and his time is short!

Jesus has already saved us from Satan's power over us, and someday He will save us from Satan 's very presence!

And so, come quickly, Lord Jesus! Maranatha!

Bloom Where You Are Planted!

Bloom Where You Are Planted!

Thoughts from Charles Spurgeon --

"Believer, if your inheritance is meager, you should be satisfied with your earthly portion; for you may rest assured it is best for you. Remember this: If any other condition had been better for you than the one in which you are, divine love would have put you there.

You are placed by God in the most suitable circumstances, and if you could choose your lot, you would soon cry, 'Lord, choose my heritage for me, for by my self-will I am pierced through with many sorrows.'

Be content with the things you have, since the Lord has ordered all things for your good. Take up your daily cross; it is the burden best suited for your shoulder and will prove most effective to make you perfect in every good work and word to the glory of God. Busy self and impatience must be put down; it is not for them to choose, but for the Lord of love!"

How do I Best Show My Love for My Friends?

 

                                               How Do I Best Show My Love for My Friends?

From John Calvin --

            "Our prayer must not be self-centered.

            It must arise not only because we feel our own need as a burden which we must lay upon God, but also because we are so bound up in love for our fellow men that we feel their need as acutely as our own.

            To make intercession for others is the most powerful and practical way in  which we can express our love for them."

From Alfred Lord Tennyson -- 

(Words from King Arthur as he said goodbye to his friends - from Idylls of the King)

        "More things are wrought by prayer than this world dreams of.

        Wherefore, let thy voice rise like a fountain for me night and day.

        For what men are better than sheep and goats that nourish a blind life within                the brain,

        If, knowing God, they lift not hands of prayer, both for themselves and those                who all them friend?

        For so the whole round earth is every way bound by gold chains about the feet             of God."

      

When the Bride Looks at the Groom

 A diving accident left Joni Eareckson paralyzed. Her handicap didn't keep her from marrying Ken Tada, but it almost kept her from the joy of the wedding. While waiting to go down the aisle, she discovered a big, thick, black grease mark, courtesy of her wheelchair. The bouquet of daisies on her lap slid off center, her paralyzed hands unable to arrange them.

She felt far from a picture-perfect bride. But as she looked down the aisle, she saw her groom. She says, "Grease stain? Flowers out of place? Who cares? The love in Ken's eyes washed it all away. That's what changed me!"

She forgot about herself. Everything changes when you look at your groom!

Isaiah gives us a picture of our future when the church becomes the Bride of Christ. In Isaiah 62:5 we read:

"As a young man marries a young woman, so will your Builder marry you; as a bridegroom rejoices over His bride, so will your God rejoice over you."

The Book of Revelation gives us more about the marriage ceremony and feast.

And I love this last verse of the hymn, "The Sands of Time are Sinking" 

"The bride eyes not her garment, but her dear bridegroom's face;

I will not gaze at glory, but on my King of grace.

Not at the crown He giveth, but on His pierced hands;

The Lamb is all the glory, in Immanuel's land!"

And "Turn your eyes upon Jesus -- look full in His wonderful face. And the things of earth will grow strangely dim, in  the light of His glory and grace!"

Maranatha, Lord Jesus!

Paul and Timothy Pray for Their Friends

The New Testament gives us great insight on how to pray for our friends -- especially in the epistles where the writers record exactly what they are praying for when they are praying for their friends.. .

Consider these words from Paul and Timothy in the letter to the Colossians:

"Be assured that from the first day we heard of you, we haven't stopped praying for you, asking God to give you wise minds and spirits attuned to His will, and so acquire a thorough understanding of the ways in which God works. 

We pray that you'll live well for the Master, making Him proud of you as you work hard in His orchard. As you learn more and more how God works, you will learn how to do your work. 

We pray that you'll have the strength to stick it out over the long haul -- not the grim strength of gritting your teeth but the glory-strength God gives. It is strength that endures the unendurable and spills over into joy, thanking the Father who makes us strong enough to take part in everything bright and beautiful that He has for us." (Colossians 1:9-12).

Lots of ideas here of how we should pray for each other. I love especially the glory-strength that spills over into joy petition, and also the idea that as we learn how God works we can learn to do His work ourselves!

And that He can make us stronger so we can take part in all the glorious things He has prepared for us!

More on George Washington

 George Washington himself and his leadership is one of the great blessings God bestowed on this country.

I was just reading that in 1789 he and John Adams attended the graduation ceremony at Columbia University. Some soldiers who had survived our War for Independence were graduating and they wanted to honor them for their service to their country and for their graduation from Columbia!

Some were wounded warriors, but they had persevered and met the challenges!

I think Washington and Adams would be shocked to visit the Columbia campus today - students being coddled with canceled classes and delayed assignments and even presented with milk and cookies to help them face the "catastrophic crisis" of the "Trump election"!

What has happened to us? Columba's original statement of purpose, written in 1753, says that their goal is to "Teach students to know God in Jesus Christ." Their official motto is from Psalm 36  -- "In Your light we see light."

The "light" they are acknowledging today has certainly dimmed...Columbia today, as so many other universities, a woke hotbed of antisemitism and  anti-intellectual humanism.

When and where did we go wrong and start choosing foolishness over wisdom? (From warriors to wimps?)

I'm so thankful God has not erased us from His kingdom program and is giving us another chance! An opportunity to again bring honor and glory to Him!

It's surely amazing grace!

George Washington Thanks God

 

"Whereas it becomes us humbly to approach the throne of the Almighty God, with gratitude and praise for the wonders which His goodness has wrought in conducting our fore-fathers to this western world, and, above all, that He hath diffused the glorious light of the gospel, whereby, through the merits of our glorious Redeemer, we may become the heirs of His eternal glory" (From Washington's "General Orders", November 7, 1779.

Words of George Washington, 245 years ago, during our war for Independence. Notice what He thanks God for. He is very specific.

I think it's time for us to do the same...today! Stop and thank God for how He has blessed this nation and provided for our eternal salvation through the work of His Son! 

                       Praise God from whom ALL blessings flow!

But He's Mine!

I have a dear friend whose 28-year-old son is severely handicapped. He has a special wheel chair and she has to feed him every meal. The obvious love she has for this son takes my breath away, as I watch her carefully spooning specially prepared food into his small, deformed mouth, and wiping his lips, and gently patting his hands. The love shining through her eyes cannot be explained to some people. She tells me, "Well, I love him because he is mine."

Her son will never cross the stage in a cap and gown, never walk down the aisle to marry, never lovingly hand her a grandchild to hold and rock. Actually, he will never be able to perform for her at all. He will never be able to take care of her in her senior years. Her love is a love that receives, and expects, nothing in return. "Because he is mine."

I think of John 10: "I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me--and I lay down my life for the sheep...no one takes it from me but I lay it down on my own accord..."

We are His sheep -- the sheep of His pasture....

We are just as helpless as my friend's son. Christ did for us what we could never do for ourselves.

He loves us and cares for us "because we belong to Him."

Jesus, my Lord, will love me forever. From Him no power of evil can sever.
He gave His life to ransom my soul--now I belong to Him.
Now I belong to Jesus. Jesus belongs to me.
Not for the years of time alone--but for eternity.

Who was the Prodigal?

 

                                                           Who was the Prodigal?

The story about the prodigal son (Luke 15) touches so many hearts.

A self-centered boy, asking for his inheritance early, runs away and squanders all of it, sinks lower than imaginable, desperately returns home to face the consequences of his prodigal lifestyle....

He expects to be treated as a slave and punished. But he is joyously received, forgiven and restored.

What does 'prodigal' mean? The dictionary tells us it means to spend your money or resources freely and recklessly, with wasteful extravagance;  to distribute lavishly and without thought for the future; overly generous to people you hardly know; to be careless with your money without considering what  will happen when it is all gone. What a short-sighted fellow! How foolish! Did he really think he was making true loyal friends with his conduct? Who was he impressing?

He ended up alone and desperate with no place to go but to crawl home and beg a crumb of bread!

But maybe the real prodigal was not the son -- but the father. Didn't he give of his love with reckless abandon? Probably his neighbors considered him foolish to waste his love on his ungrateful son? He was lavish and extravagant with his grace and forgiveness. He didn't even stop to consider if he should welcome his son home - just impulsively received and forgave him - and then restored him to his original position. Extravagant generosity! Talk about being 'prodigal'!  

But, wait -- isn't that the picture of our heavenly Father? 

Maybe we should change the name of the story of "The Prodigal Son" to "The Prodigal Father"?

Have you come home?

It's Your Decision - what do I do about Jesus? - J M Boice

From James Montgomery Boice - 
    The Gospel of Matthew, Volume 2, pp 634-635



Have you ever been confronted by the power of Jesus' resurrection? Or are you still trying to make your life secure against Jesus?

Perhaps you have heard of Christ's gospel, but you have been trying to keep Jesus politely in His place.

I warn you: Jesus is not that easily contained. You can push Him down, but He will crop up again. You can banish Him from your thoughts, but He will come back when you least expect Him. What are you going to do against the power of the one so many call Lord? How are you going to make yourself secure against Jesus?

Let me suggest what you can do. You can begin with activity. That should not be too difficult in our hectic times. Our world is preoccupied with activity and even rewards those who are busiest. If you are busy enough you will not have time to think about Jesus. Fill up your time. Schedule your idle hours. Then you will not have to go to a Bible study. When Christians invite you to church, you can say you are too busy. Fill your evenings with television so you won't have time to read your Bible.

Here is something else you can do. You can fill your life with sin and sin's pleasures. Jesus is the sinless Son of God. Sin should keep you from Him. Fill your life with evil pleasures of the world. Here are many. Make your life as secure as you can against Jesus.

I have one more suggestion:  Become religious. If you take this path, however, I suggest that you do not learn too much about Christianity. Instead, sink yourself in ceremony. Do things not because they are meaningful -- you might have to think about their meaning -- but for tradition's sake or for mere aesthetics. Make your life as secure as you can with religion. Attach your seals! Set your guards! Erect your barricades!

Alas, it will not be enough.

Jesus has broken seals before. He has scattered countless guards.What will you do with the light bursts forth from heaven and Jesus confronts you in resurrection splendor?

I will tell you what I would do.

I would give up fighting altogether. I would lay down my seals and stones and guards and feverish activity. I would abandon my sins, and I wold fall before Him and confess Him as Thomas did. I would say, My Lord and my God."

Then Jesus will make you His, and He will tell you what you are to be and do for His sake.

                                       ~~~~~~~~~~~~



[That's what I did - and I've never been sorry!]

First Thoughts -- First Words - Eric Metaxas - From The Moon

From Eric Metaxas...


It's interesting to think that some of the first words ever spoken on the surface of the moon were those of Jesus.


"I am the vine, you are the branches. [Whoever] abides in Me...will bring forth much fruit...(John 15:5)



Astronaut Buzz Aldrin said that he'd intended to read this communion passage in his transmission back to earth, but at the same time, NASA was embroiled in a legal battle with Madalyn O'Hair, the outspoken atheist who was suing NASA becase the Apollo 8 crew had read a few scriptures from Genesis when they orbited the moon on Christmas of 1968.



Aldrin had been asked not to read the scriptures over the radio, and he reluctantly complied, reading them quietly as he gave thanks to God.



"It was interesting for me think," he said some years later, "the very first liquid ever poured on the moon, and the very first food eaten there, were the communion elements."




And interesting for us to think that the first symbolic act on the moon was a remembrance of a self-sacrificial act of grace made 2000 years earlier by the One who made the moon and the Earth and the stars.

Remember Linus and His Blanket?

                                         Remembering Linus

Remember Linus and his blue blanket?  

Probably Linus, from Peanuts, is best known for that blanket. He carries it everywhere. He doesn't even seem to be embarrassed that he needs it for security and comfort. To calm his fears.

His sister, Lucy, is embarrassed and especially dislikes it. She buries it, makes it into a kite, and tries to get rid of it on various occasions. Even Linus himself, on various occasions, seems to think he is too dependent on it and lets it go from  from time to time, but he always retrieves it.

But then we come to that wonderful movie, A Charlie Brown Christmas.

Remember when a frustrated Charlie Brown asks, "Isn't there anyone who knows what Christmas is all about?"

Linus, with his security blanket, steps center stage and quotes the angel's message to the shepherds that holy night outside Bethlehem.

              Fear not. I bring you good news of great joy...

Today in the city of David a Savior has been born to you;

 He is Christ the Lord.

You will find Him in a manger....

When he comes to "Fear not," Linus drops his blanket...permanently!

I like to remember that those words were spoken to the shepherds...A Savior has been born to you...not to mankind in general, but to you...and you can find Him.

Individuals, like the shepherds, like Linus, and like you and me.

And He is our Savior and we need never be afraid again! 

I have some security blankets  I need to get rid of. Maybe I should make today Christmas!

The Miracle We are Really After

 
                                                  

                                                  The Miracle We Are Really After

 I love these words from Frederick Buechner:

"For what we need to know, of course, is not just that God exists, not just that beyond the steely brightness of the stars, there is a cosmic intelligence of some kind that keeps the whole show going, but that there is a God right here in the thick of our day-to-day lives who in one way or another is trying to get messages through our blindness as we move around knee deep in the fragrant muck and misery and marvel of the world.

It is not objective proof of God's existence that we want, but the experience of God's Presence.

That is the miracle we are really after and that is also, I think, the miracle we really get."

That's true for me. I don't need a brilliant scientist to try to prove to me that there is or is not a God.

The question is, if there is  God, does He want anything from me? Anything to do with me?

I remember C S Lewis' words when he abandoned atheism and embraced Christ. His atheist colleagues were horrified at his decision to become a Christian and ridiculed him relentlessly that he decided to believe in God.

He said, "It's not that I believe in God, but that I believe in THIS God," he said, and he held out his Bible to them.

The miracle he was really after was the miracle he really received.

And so have I.

Pre-tuned Radios

I remember when....


When I was a child, missionaries often visited our church. I remember one couple who worked in Bible translation ministry in South America. They had translated a  tribal language and had small schools set up in the area to teach the residents how to read and write, in their own language,  and to be able to read for themselves  what the Bible said about Jesus.

Some of the tribal people could not come to the schools, however, and were out of contact most of the time.

And so these missionaries were raising money for pre-tuned portable radios to give out to them.

These radios were pre-tuned to the Christian radio station broadcasting the gospel in the native language - available 24 hours a day!

What a great way to reach these people with the gospel message.

Today we would call this an example of intentional evangelism.

Maybe we should ourselves be examples of intentional evangelism-- be pre-tuned to give out the gospel - always ready to broadcast the good news of Jesus - every time we leave the house and every time someone "tunes us in" -- it's the only message we have to share of any real importance!

Someone "turns us on" and we speak about Jesus!



But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you...1 Peter 3:15


Can you explain "the hope that is in you" to someone else?

Fill Up and Give Out - Gayle Rogers Foster

 From Front Porch Moments, by Gayle Rogers Foster

Thoughts from Day 2 --

"Yes, go on mission trips, but 99% of the people you are called to speak to are seated in the cubicle next to you or across the table from you.

Your responsibility is to consistently allow God to pour Himself into you each day.

You should have a constant awareness that whatever He has poured into you will, in turn, be needed by someone else who will become your Divine appointment in the very near future.

God's responsibility is to find the match. He will place those people into your path who need what He has purposely poured into you...your life should be a continual loop of filling up and pouring back out.

Live your life with the assumption that God is prescheduling specific people to cross your pathway each day.

When you are on the lookout for His assignments, as a servant and a steward, you will be overwhelmed by the way God will use you for His glory. Be spiritually prepared and instantly responsive."

The Departure

For to me, to live is Christ and to die gain. If I am to go on living in the  body, this will mean fruitful labor for me.

Yet what shall I choose? I do not know!

I am torn between the two: I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far, but it is more necessary for you that I remain in the body.

Convinced of this, I know that I will remain, and I will continue with all of you for your progress and joy in the faith, so that through my being with you again your joy in Christ Jesus will overflow on account of me.

Philippians 1:21-26

Death held no terrors for Paul.

It simply means "departing."

When used by soldiers, it meant, "to take down your tent and move on."

Paul elaborated on that image in 2 Corinthians 5:1-8:

     Now we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed,

we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven,

not built with human hands.

What a beautiful picture of death: The "tent" we live in now will be taken down and the spirit will go home to be with Christ in heaven.

After all, a tent is a temporary dwelling. It is not designed to be permanent, at least not in our culture.

The tabernacle in the Old Testament was a tent that was carried around in the wilderness until the Jews entered the Promised Land. 

It was a very important tent - it housed the altar, the Holy Place and the Holy of Holies, with the Ark of the Covenant. But it was not meant to be permanent.

Sailors at the time of Paul also used the word for departure:

it meant to loosen a ship and set sail.

Alfred Lord Tennyson expressed this idea in his memorable poem, Crossing the Bar.

Sunset and evening star, and one clear call for me!

And may there be no moaning of the bar, when I put out to sea.

But such a tide as moving seems asleep, too full for sound and foam,

When that which drew from out the boundless deep, turns again home.

Twilight and evening bell, and after that the dark!

And may there be no sadness of farewell, when I embark.

For though from out our bourne of Time and Place the flood

may bear me far

I hope to see my Pilot face to face, when I have crossed the bar.

But departure was also a political term: it described the setting free of a prisoner. 

God's people are in bondage down here on earth, to the limitations of the body and temptations, but at death, we will be set free for ever!  Or earlier, if Christ comes while we are still inhabiting our earthly tents!

Departure was also used by farmers.  It meant "to unyoke the oxen."  The day's work was finished. Free the oxen and feed them, giving them rest.

Paul had taken Christ's yoke, which is a easy yoke to bear (Matthew 11:28-30), but look how many burdens he carried in his ministry.  Look at some of them he tells us about in 2 Corinthians 11:22-12:10.

To depart and be with Christ would mean laying aside all our burdens, because our work is finished, and going to be with Jesus for our eternal rest.

No matter how you look at it, death cannot steal our joy.

Paul was single-minded. He had a Godward Heart. Death could not trouble him - he looked to the hope God had given him.

Warren Wiersbe suggests a simple test to show us what we value most - what gives us the most pleasure and makes life worth living for us.

Take the verse in Philippians 1:21: "For me to live is Christ and to die is gain."

Leave two blanks: For me to live is_______________

and to die is___________.

Fill those blanks in for yourself.

For me to live is....money.....and to die is to ...leave it all behind? Or For me to live is....being famous....and to die is to...be forgotten...?  To live...is power....and to die is to....leave it all behind...?

How do you fill in the blanks?