Thanks for the Memories

Almost eleven years ago, you and I began meeting here in this space craftily hidden somewhere inside the Mechanicsville Local. Now, over a decade (and 502 columns) later, we come to our final visit together via this medium. A lot has happened over those years! When we started this column, the world was different place. It was January of 2000, twenty-one months before the terrible attacks of 9-11, Bill Clinton was finishing his final days as our President and I was just 39 years old! A lot has changed! Together we have looked at current events, natural disasters, Biblical prophecies, “off-the-wall” thoughts that came to my mind and various funny scenarios that I got myself into, but each time I wrote with a “view” towards allowing the Holy Spirit to bring conviction, comfort, insight and motivation from His Word through it all. In my very first column I stated my goal: “My pledge to you is to endeavor to always come back to the central truth that will set you free – the gospel of Jesus Christ!” I hope that I have been able to do just that, and if I have, then it’s been worth every minute of my time and every dime that Hanover Friends Church has spent over these years to give me this sacred privilege. Thanks for allowing me to share my view with you!

So what’s next? Well, Des and I will be moving to a new pastorate at Rose Hill Friends Church. It’s a smaller congregation, in a country church just a mile or so outside Rose Hill, Kansas. If you’re so inclined, you can see the church here: www.rhfc.org . I will try to keep up with my writing of the “View” and I’d like to say I am firmly committed to it, but without a newspaper “deadline,” I know I will find it hard to be as regular with my in-print musings! However, if you still want to read along, there are a couple of ways you can make that happen. You can follow “The View From Here” on my blog, www.davidacrisp.blogspot.com. On my blog site, you can become a “follower” and receive notification of new posts on your Google or Yahoo e-mail accounts or on Twitter, or subscribe to receive it through a “reader.” Believe me, I don’t understand all that lingo either! For the next few months at least you will be able to view and print any “View From Here” articles I have written over the past few years by going to: www.friendlychurch.org and clicking on the button titled: “The View From Here,” and then accessing the archive on the left hand side of the page. Hanover Friends Church will be suspending their contract with the Local for the time being until they get a new full-time Sr. Pastor, and the new pastor may or may not decide to continue this avenue of outreach. Please be praying for our church as they go through this transition. Make it a habit to pray for all our Mechanicsville churches! (Every time you drive by this or any church, shoot up a quick prayer for that house of worship and their pastor!)

I‘d like to thank the wonderful staff at the Mechanicsville Local who have been so cooperative, especially Sarah Oswald and Cindy Grant. It has truly been a joy to serve this community for our nearly 18 year tenure here. I love the fact that a whole generation of Mechanicsville kids grew up with me at Friendly Care Day School and I still get greeted all around town with hugs and “Hey, Pastor David!” from kids 3 to 21. This is a great place to be. It was a wonderful place to raise our family and we have loved our church, this town and its people.

I suppose the thing that God keeps speaking to my heart through this big life-change is this: “This world is not out home! We are just passing through on our way to our real home: heaven!” There, we will never say good-bye again! What wonderful reunions there! Let me leave you with a few final exhortations, one from God’s Word and one from me: “The end of all things is near. Therefore be alert and of sober mind so that you may pray. Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins. Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling. Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms. If anyone speaks, they should do so as one who speaks the very words of God. If anyone serves, they should do so with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory and the power forever and ever!” (1 Peter 4:7-11) “You can’t roller skate in a buffalo herd, but you can be happy, if you've a mind to!”

David A. Crisp, Pastor, Hanover Friends Church, Dec. 22, 2010

Wednesday Evening Bible Study 12-08-10

A continued look at some of the more “obscure” parts of the “Christmas” narratives:
Last week- thoughts on the two genealogies form Matt. and Luke and how they related to a “curse” in Jer. 22:30!

Tonight, let’s do a little thinking about the Magi …(wise men).

According to the Bible, how many were there that came to Judea?        (trick question!)
How many gifts?        What were they?              What special purpose(s) did they have?
(side-note about swaddling clothes)

Did the Magi come to the stable in Bethlehem?      How do we know? Matt. 2:11, 16
Conflict! (again with the conflict?!) Okay, this time it’s not in the Bible… but dueling Christmas carols:
The First Noel: “They look-ed up and saa-aw a star shining in the ________ beyond them far…
We Three Kings: “Star of wonder , star of light, star of royal beauty bright, _____-ward leading, still proceeding…..”     SO… which is it?     Clue : (or maybe not?) Matt. 2:2,     then    2:9

Question: Where did they come from? How did they know when to look for a star and how did they know what the star meant?  No prophecy in Hebrew scripture instructs about a coming star...
But  a “wise” man could know from scripture when to look up! Daniel 9:25 is an amazing prophecy which predicts exactly when Jesus would be born!  How does this relate to 9:24?   So 483 years (7 x 69) after the decree was issued by Cyrus the Mede to re-build Jerusalem the Messiah (King of the Jews) was to come.
How did Daniel know this decree would come? Dan. 9:1-2  What was he reading?  Jer. 25:12,
 Isa. 44:24-45:7 (application?)

So Daniel understands the "when"  from Jeremiah and the "who" from Isa.

Now what do you know about the position that Daniel held in the kingdoms of Babylon, and Medo-Persia?

In Daniel 1, Daniel and his three buddies write the first veggie-tale: Then what happened? 1:18-21

In Daniel 2, Nebuchadnezzar had a dream…then what? 2;2, 10-13, 17, 24, 27-28, 48

So. putting this all together….How did Persian Gentile Magi “wise men” know what it meant when a “new” star, or some sort of heavenly sign appeared in the constellations?
They knew because a Hebrew prophet named Daniel who was in charge of all the “wise men” of Persia 500 years earlier had written that the Jewish Messiah would appear that year. (Which he got from and angel and from other prophecies written generations before him!) So when the star appeared the wise headed out to Jerusalem since they were looking for the “king of the Jews” (Matt. 2:2) They did not “follow” the star until after they left Jerusalem and it “led” them to (probably) north Nazareth in Galilee, not Bethlehem. (Even though Herod's scholars had told them Bethleham.) Makes sense huh! Why would they need the star to "lead" them if they were going to Bethlehem when they already had directions from Herod!
So what does this do for you?

Predictions for 2011

Once again I take pen in hand, or at least mouse under hand, to make my prognostications for the coming year. I do not purport these as prophetic, they are just my opinions based on my “view from here!” We’ll see how many come true, but either way it’s interesting and hopefully motivational for us to, as the Boy Scouts say, “Be Prepared” and as Jesus put it, “Watch and pray! Look up for your redemption draws near!” Someone asked me last week about my predictions for 2011 and I answered with three ominous letters… W… A… R.

• I have been predicting for 2 years now that Israel will strike Iran to prevent the Iranians from making their nuclear arsenal operational. While I was a little “off” on my timing, I still see this as the next “big thing” to happen in the Middle East. Look for a strike in the first 90 days of 2011 followed by global condemnation of Israel, chaos, and a regional war. This war could turn out to be the “hook in the jaw” that pulls the “Chief Prince” from the far north to attempt an invasion Israel expanding the regional war to where it will engulf many nations. (Ez. 38:4-13)

• The US will stay out of direct military involvement in this regional war but will offer weapons, aid and logistical support to Israel. Iran will call for suicide bombers to attack the US in retaliation and we will see some terrorist attacks on US soil.

• As a result of this war, global fuel prices will rise dramatically deepening the economic crisis here and around the world.

• North Korea will provoke a real “shootin’ war” on the Korean peninsula, dragging the U.S. into this decade’s old conflict, and proving once again the old axiom that any “unfinished” war has to be fought again. The only way wars are ended is with the complete victory or defeat of one side or the other. Read your history books. Any war that ever ended temporarily (even for decades) in a truce or cease-fire, eventually flared up again. The reason for that is that the underlying cause for the war was not dealt with. This holds true for spiritual warfare too! (Chew on that for a while.)

• Pakistan and India will move closer to war as Pakistan becomes very unstable.

• Vladimir Putin will strengthen his grip on a resurgent Russia.

• In Iran, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad will go through several attempts at his removal both violent and political but he will emerge stronger and more "Hitleresque" than ever.

• Here at home, look for Hillary Clinton to resign as Sec. of State sometime this fall in preparation for a primary run against Barrack Obama for the 2012 Democratic nomination.

• Palin, Huckabee and Romney will fade. Chris Christie of N.J. and Rick Santorum of PA will be the front runners for the Republicans going into 2012.

• “True Grit” will win “Best Picture” at the Oscars, and a “surprise” team will win the Super Bowl!

Some of these things MIGHT come true…. But here’s what we KNOW FOR SURE: “Do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance. But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything done in it will be laid bare. Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming. That day will bring about the destruction of the heavens by fire, and the elements will melt in the heat. But in keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, where righteousness dwells. So then, dear friends, since you are looking forward to this, make every effort to be found spotless, blameless and at peace with him.”

A Son of Issachar

For several months now I have been expecting Israel to launch a pre-emptive strike against Iranian nuclear sites to keep the apocalyptic death-cult followers who run that country from perpetrating a second holocaust – not millions of Jews dying in Nazi death camps over torturous years but millions perishing in an instant from a death-rain of Iranian warheads. A few weeks ago I shared my view as to why it had not yet happened: covert operations over the summer involving a computer worm known as “Stuxtnet” had slowed the Iranian march towards the bomb giving Israel more time before a strike was necessary. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is no shrinking violet when it comes to making tough decisions, but he is waiting till the last possible moment to make this one. And who could blame him! If he takes military action and launches a first strike on Iran, the international reaction and condemnation of Israel will be overwhelming! The whole world will be down their throats and on their backs!

The Bible, in Ezekiel 36:24-38 predicted the re-creation of Israel - God would bring them home from the many lands and nations to which they were exiled for nearly 2000 years. This prophecy was partially fulfilled in 1948, and then completely fulfilled by victories in the ‘67 and ‘72 wars! In the following chapter, (Ez. 37) Ezekiel sees a valley of dry, disconnected bones coming together and coming to life. This is a word picture of these 20th century events! Then, in the very next chapter, Ezekiel predicts that many nations will gather against Israel led by “Persia” …none other than modern-day Iran! (Ezekiel 38:5) Could this next chapter be about ready to unfold?

The world-wide media machine continually spews out anti-Semitic and anti-Israel propaganda. Israel is hounded as an “occupier” and branded as an illegitimate interloper in very the land that God Himself gave to the descendants of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob by an everlasting covenant over 3,000 years ago. Recently, the Obama administration once again pressured Israel to stop settlements in certain areas of east Jerusalem that were not under Israeli control prior to the 1967 six-day war. Netanyahu’s cabinet is right now discussing a 90-day moratorium on such construction. I was shocked to learn that they might be bowing to such pressure…until I heard what the U.S. was offering in return: 20 new F-35 fighter jets, and perhaps just as powerful, an extended security agreement between the U.S. and Israel which included promises from the U.S. to oppose in the United Nations Security Council any proposed resolutions that may come forward in the near future seeking to de-legitimize the sovereignty of Israel.

So what do we make of this? Should we conclude that the current administration has undergone a change of heart towards Israel? I don’t think so. If that were the case, the U.S. would simply offer the planes and the UN support without any strings. It seems that the Obama administration wants to look like it’s getting “tough” on Israel while at the same time doing some things that the President wouldn’t normally do to help Israel. Why? Of course, I don’t know…but my view is that last week when Netanyahu was in Washington he gave them the strike timetable. On Aug. 22, the Russians, after many years of trumped-up delays, finally delivered on their promise to provide nuclear fuel to Iran. It’s now loaded up into their reactor. On Nov. 3, the top Israeli general in charge of military intelligence reported to the Israeli parliament his evaluation is that Iran can now build at least one bomb and will soon have two. Without some unforeseen miraculous intervention, Mr. Netanyahu will very soon be caught between the devil and the deep blue sea - strike Iran and unleash a firestorm, including perhaps a large scale multi-front conventional war of retaliation, or see his nation obliterated by a nuclear missile. We should all be praying that Netanyahu will be like one of the son’s of Issachar described in the Old Testament – a man who understands the times and knows what Israel should do (1 Chronicles 12:32) – and that every believer in Jesus Christ would understand who we are and what we should be doing: praying for the peace of Jerusalem, living holy and godly lives, looking forward to the day of God and speeding its coming! (2Peter3:12)

If I Could Turn Back Time…

Go ahead, sing a few bars! I know you want to! I guess I was thinking about that ‘89 Cher standard (kinda weird to mention Cher, 1989, and “standard” in the same sentence, huh!) since last Saturday night we did just that: we turned back time. Of course, the hour we gained moving from daylight savings time back to standard time will be lost again next spring when we turn our clocks forward, but for one fleeting moment anyway, we got to do what many of us often wish we could, we got to turn back time. Unlike Frank Sinatra, whose regrets were “too few to mention,” most of us have plenty of them: missed chances, blown opportunities and words we shouldn’t have said. Many spend their lives playing the “coulda, woulda, shoulda, if-only” game.

What should we do with our regrets? We can’t really “turn back time” in the sense that we can change the past. Is it “water over the dam” or “water under the bridge? I don’t know, but either way, you get the picture, what’s done is done! … Or is it? The answer is….yes!.... and no!

The Apostle Paul was a fellow who had lots of past mistakes: stoning Stephen, persecuting the church, denying Christ, to name a few! In fact Paul calls himself, “the worst of sinners!” But Paul did not let his past sins keep him from Christ’s service. Instead, he loudly proclaims his sinful unworthiness as an example of God’s mighty saving grace! “The grace of our Lord was poured out on me abundantly, along with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners—of whom I am the worst.” (1Tim. 1:14-15) Paul could have let his regrets eat him alive, but instead he sees and receives the grace, mercy and forgiveness of the cross that actually has the power to “turn back time”- making us justified: “just-as-if-I’d never sinned! (Rom 5:1-2) Paul refuses the devil’s condemnation and he exhorts us to not allow the devil to pummel us with our past either! “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and death!” (Rom 8:1-2)

The blood of Jesus can, in a spiritual sense, “turn back time” removing all the guilt, shame and punishment which we deserve because of our sin! We must confess our sins to God and repent of them and by faith put our trust in Jesus’ finished work on the cross, and when we do He removes all the negative spiritual consequences of our past sins. However, the earthly consequences remain. Stephen was still dead. (Remember, I said the answer was both yes!... and no!) Sometimes our sins do have painful earthly consequences that God doesn’t remove. He wants us and others to see and remember that when we live according to our own desires, not doing things His way, (i.e. sin,) that those sinful actions bring pain and death. If it didn’t hurt when we touched a hot stove, we’d do it over and over. Pain has a purpose! But regrets…. not so much.

God does not want us to wallow in our past sin, failures or missed opportunities, rather He wants us to “let the dead bury the dead” and follow Him! Paul, puts it this way, “Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.”

Why not use this seasonal clock change as a reminder to do more than just exchange the batteries in your smoke detector. Exchange your sinful past for a forgiven future, condemnation for freedom, regrets for motivation. Give Him your sin, guilt, shame and punishment, and receive righteousness, peace and joy!

Playing the Waiting Game

“They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength….” You probably recognize these words from Is. 40:31. But what does that mean, “wait upon the Lord?” King James’ translators used the English word “wait” for the Hebrew word “kaw-vah.” Many modern translations render the same word as “trust in” or “hope in.” Kaw-vah literally means “to expectantly look for.” Remember when you were a kid and Grandma was coming to your house? You’d run and look out the window over and over, or go out and swing on the porch swing until you saw her car turn down your street! That’s Kaw-vah – to hopefully wait while expectantly looking. So, Is. 40:31 could easily sound like this: They that… hopefully wait and expectantly look for the Lord to show up in the midst of their present circumstance….will renew their strength!

Right now Des and I are playing the waiting game. We are waiting for our house to sell. (Know of anybody looking for a nice 3 bdr. brick ranch on the lake in Cherrydale?) We are waiting to see what kind of house we will be moving into when we get to our new home in Kansas. We are waiting to see what kind of jobs might be available for Des. We are waiting for answers to questions that right now have no answers. We are waiting. Anybody else hate to wait? Sometimes we do it well, other times….not so much.

I am reminded of Elijah’s weatherman… (Know who he was?) Three years before the great “call-down-fire-from-heaven” confrontation on Mt. Carmel (see 1Kings 18), God had told Elijah to pray that it would not rain as punishment on Israel for their idolatry, and for three years it did not rain. Then after the big show-down where baal was “showed-up,” the people turned their hearts back to God. So Elijah asked God to once again send rain upon the drought-stricken land. As Elijah began to pray he told his “weatherman” servant, “Go look for the rain-cloud.” (1 Kings 18:43) Now that’s kaw-vah! But, even though he was praying according to God’s will, there was absolutely no sign of rain. Again he prayed, and again he sent his servant to expectantly look. Over and over Elijah kept praying and kept anticipating an answer… until on the seventh trip, the servant saw one tiny cloud no bigger than a man’s fist! Hearing the partly cloudy weather report, Elijah told King Ahab, “Better hitch up your chariot and head for the palace because a real toad-strangler is a-brewin!” (I translated the Hebrew on that one myself!) And sure enough, before they got to Jezreel, the cloud became a thunderstorm and the downpour came!

So what’s the point? “Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up.”(Luke 18:1) Are you playing the waiting game too? Well, keep praying and don’t give up! Pray and expectantly look for God’s answer! Wait upon the Lord, and He will renew your strength! Remember Elijah’s weatherman!

P.S. for those of you who read between the lines, you probably noticed something between these. After almost 18 wonderful years serving the Lord here in Mechanicsville, Des and I will be finishing the year here at Hanover Friends and then after Christmas, we will be heading back home to Kansas to take a pastorate in a small town near Wichita. I have dearly loved being able to share my “View” with you here in the Local for the past 11 years and pray that you have been blessed! I will have a few more articles in the paper before we have to say our good-byes. But for now, let’s agree to pray for one another, expectantly looking for God’s perfect answer!

Ahmadinejad at the UN, “Stutxnet” and Esther

In the words of former President Ronald Reagan, “There he goes again!” Last month, Iranian dictator Mahmoud Ahmadinejad appeared at the UN making his annual America-bashing speech to the delegates, and once again, as he has done each and every time he has spoken to the UN, he included a prayer for the appearance of the Mahdi. Most mass media outlets failed to cover this item, but the prayer was there, in fact, it was his opening line! “O Allah, hasten the arrival of Imam al-Mahdi and grant him good health and victory and make us his followers and those who attest to his righteousness.” Those of you who follow my column know that I believe that the Mahdi, whom Muslims believe to be their messiah, will be the world leader whom the Bible refers to as “The Anti-Christ.” Ahmadinejad certainly believes in the soon appearance of the Mahdi and he is doing everything in his power to hasten that arrival, including the building of nuclear weapons and threatening to use them against Israel - plunging the world into chaos to bring forth the Mahdi. Here’s a link to the full transcript of Ahmadinejad’s UN remarks:
http://www.scribd.com/doc/38037667/Mahmoud-Ahmadinejad-United-Nations-General-Assembly-FULL-Transcript

In spite of Ahmadinejad’s chilling words, an interesting thing has been happening inside Iran. Over the past few months their nuclear capabilities have taken an unexpected down-turn. The number of Iran’s operational centrifuges needed to enrich uranium to weapons-grade level has actually declined for the first time ever after years of steady growth. Has Iran bowed to international pressure and slowed their hell-bent pace towards the bomb? Hardly. It seems a computer worm, a mal-ware virus known as “stutxnet” has infected their enrichment computers! Over 30,000 Iranian computers are now infected with this bug which has knocked nearly 1/3 of their centrifuges off-line. This might be the work of hackers, but more likely it is a targeted attack on the Iranian nuclear program. But from whom? The CIA? The Israeli Mossad? The stutxnet virus has infected computers from other countries as well, with some infections taking place before it hit Iran, but it seems to have been intentionally planted in the Iranian atomic plants much like the virus that knocked out the alien enemy in the sci-fi movie “Independence Day” or its literary fore-runner from several decades ago, H.G. Well’s War of the Worlds!

Of course, no one is taking credit for this attack….at least not overtly! Many prognosticators, including me, have been predicting an Israeli attack on the Iranian nuclear sites before now. Why hasn’t it come? Perhaps they know something we don’t. Maybe Israel already attacked them from the inside! Virus experts have analyzed the computer code in this worm and noted that one of the main “files” in the code is named “Myrtus.” Myrtus is the latin root from which we get our English word myrtle – the fragrant plant. Why is that interesting? You may remember a beautiful Jewish girl named Esther who became a queen and foiled a Persian (Iranian) plot to wipe out all the Jews? Her Hebrew name was Hadassah, which is the Hebrew word for…. myrtle! Too far a stretch? Maybe not. One thing is sure, this “cyber” attack, wherever it came from, seems to have worked beautifully, it has given Israel (and us all) more time and it has not cost a single life nor endangered a single soldier, sailor or airman. Now that’s a miracle worthy of Esther!

Ahmadinejad is working with all his might to speed the coming of his messiah. Are we speeding the coming of ours? “But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything in it will be laid bare. Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming.” (2Peter 3:10-12a)

Source: The New York Times, “In a Computer Worm, Possible Biblical Clue.” Markoff and Sanger, Sept. 29, 2010

The Rainbow Connection

Last Sunday evening after a brief rain shower just about sundown, a beautiful rainbow appeared right in our back yard! Many times over the years I have marveled at this miraculous display of God’s handiwork as he repeatedly offers His credentials as a “promise–keeper,” but this time I saw something that I have never seen before. In fact I thought that it wasn’t even possible! (Of course, isn’t that kind of the definition of a miracle?) I saw the end of the rainbow! You know, that place where the pot of gold is supposed to be! Right there in my back yard the end the rainbow came down and I got to see the very bottom where it touched down! You could actually look right through the translucent colors and see the trees on the other side! So that got me thinking about rainbows. How many colors? Seven. Hmmm. God is light. In Him is no darkness at all and He dwells in unapproachable light! The apostle John saw the throne of God in heaven and he described it in Rev. 4:3 as being encircled by a rainbow! Normally, all the visible colors are contained invisibly cloaked in what we call “white light.” Sometimes, after a rain shower the light breaks apart in the prisms of suspended atmospheric water vapor and we can see all the beauty of a rainbow - beauty that is always there, just unseen until there is a storm. Faith is being sure of what we can’t see... God’s invisible qualities can be clearly seen through his creation… Lots of sermons in rainbows!

When did the first rainbow appear? God set his rainbow in the sky as the sign of his covenant with Noah (and with all life on earth) to never again destroy the earth with a flood. (Gen. 8:11-17) Why did the flood come? Death and destruction came because of man’s wickedness. (Gen 6:5-7) But God made a way of escape, an ark of deliverance which would save all who were inside. The day came when God himself shut the door and afterward, His wrath and judgment were poured out. Was God looking forward to this punishment of evil-doers? No! The Word says he was “grieved.” God is not willing that any should perish but that all come to repentance! (2Pet. 3:9) Noah’s grandfather was a man named Methuselah. Remember him? He was the oldest man who ever lived. Why do you suppose he lived so long? When Methuselah was born God told his father Enoch, a man who truly walked with God, to give him that name which means: “After him, judgment!” So God already knew what he was going to have to do, yet he allowed Methuselah to live 969 years and the year he died the flood came! Can you see the mercy and grace and long-suffering patience of God? He gives chance after chance for men to turn from their wickedness… but eventually he will always bring judgment on sin. God’s rainbow reminds us that he will never again destroy the earth … by flood. But the earth is slated for demolition, although the next time won’t be with water but with fire! (2Pet. 3:10) Man’s wickedness must be dealt with once again. And once again, God has made a way of escape, an ark of deliverance – Jesus Christ! There is no other name under heaven by which man may be saved! For He said, “I am the way, the truth and the life. No man cometh unto the Father but by me!” All who are “in Him” will be saved, but those outside will be lost forever. Today, the door to the ark stands wide open! Whosoever will may come! But there is coming a day when God will shut the door and what God shuts, no man can open! The Day of Grace will soon be over and when grace comes to an end, the Day of Judgment will be violently upon the earth.

Some people scoff at God’s coming wrath and judgment. Others wonder, why is it taking God so long? God is not slow in keeping his promise - He keeps them all! Remember the rainbow? God is patient with us, just like he was in Methuselah’s time. He is giving people (maybe you?) a chance to get right before they get left. “Because of our stubbornness and our unrepentant hearts, we are storing up judgment against ourselves for the Day of God’s wrath.” (Rom. 2:5) “Since everything will be destroyed in this way…. What kind of people ought we be?” (2Pet. 3:11) Ark- dwellers with a rainbow connection. Saved covenant people who are trying as best we can to get more folks in the ark before the door shuts.

From Bad to Worse

Those of you who have been reading my column for several years know that for some time I have predicted a coming confrontation between Israel and Iran. Today, I looked back though the archives and noted that I have written about this 19 times over the past five years! Some would say I am beating a dead horse! But I say, I am beating a drum and sounding a trumpet! I want to wake up the sleepers out there who are oblivious to the coming events that are about to overtake the world like a thief in the night. I believe this confrontation will happen - and when it does, it may very well bring about unpredictable consequences, which like rapidly falling dominoes, will propel the world towards the coming of the anti-Christ and the second coming of Christ. I read a very interesting article this week in the Atlantic magazine entitled “The Point Of No Return” about the probability of this coming conflict. I do not have space to reprint it, but for those of you who are awake enough to care about such things you can read it here: http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/print/2010/09/the-point-of-no-return/8186/
Perhaps nothing in this article was more profound than the recent words of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s father, Ben-Zion Netanyahu on the occasion of his 100th birthday. (Think for a moment about what this Jewish centenarian has witnessed in his lifetime!) Ben-Zion is a noted historian and the father of both the current Prime Minister and another son who died in a fire-fight while freeing the Jewish hostages during the 1978 “Raid on Entebbe.” Here is a portion of his remarks that night: “Our party this evening compels me to speak of recent comments made about the continued existence of the nation of Israel and the new threats by its enemies depicting its upcoming destruction. From the Iranian side, we hear pledges that soon—in a matter of days, even—the Zionist movement will be put to an end and there will be no more Zionists in the world. One is supposed to conclude from this that the Jews of the Land of Israel will be annihilated, while the Jews of America, whose leaders refuse to pressure Iran, are being fed a lie - that the annihilation of the Jews will not include them! The Jewish people are making their position clear and putting faith in their military power. The nation of Israel is showing the world today how a state should behave when it stands before an existential threat: by looking danger in the eye and calmly considering what should be done and what can be done. And to be ready to enter the fray at the moment there is a reasonable chance of success.”

Now read these words spoken by Iranian President Ahmadinejad about a month ago: “Sixty years ago, by means of an artificial and false pretext, and by fabricating information and inventing stories, they gathered the filthiest, most criminal people, who only appear to be human, from all corners of the world. They organized and armed them, and provided them with media and military backing. Thus, they occupied the Palestinian lands, and displaced the Palestinian people.” The “invented story” is, of course, the Holocaust. Ahmadinejad’s efforts to deny the historical truth of the Holocaust reflect the official position of the Iranian government. Iranian foreign minister, Mottaki said in 2005, “The words of Ahmadinejad on the Holocaust and on Israel are not personal opinion, nor isolated statements, but they express the view of the government.” The Iranian leadership’s own view of nuclear war is perhaps best exemplified by a comment made in 2001 by the former Iranian president Rafsanjani, who entertained the idea that Israel’s demise could be brought about in a relatively pain-free manner for the Muslim world. “The use of an atomic bomb against Israel would destroy Israel completely while a nuclear attack against the Islamic countries would only cause damages.” This is the thinking that has the Israeli government on a knife’s edge.

Following his father’s birthday speech, Prime Minister Netanyahu was asked to comment on the Iranian threat, “Iran has threatened to annihilate a state. In historical terms, this is an astounding thing. It’s a monumental outrage that goes effectively unchallenged in the court of public opinion. Sure, there is perfunctory condemnation, but there is no shock.” And then, as if he were channeling is father’s historian persona, he warned, “A crucial lesson of history is that bad things tend to get worse if they are not challenged.”

Friends, his words are true, whether you are talking about a death-cult dictator like Ahmadinejad, bad policy right here in America, or our own personal sin. Chew on that for a while.

The Hot Seat or the Mercy Seat?

A young mom who attends my church approached me last Sunday after service. She was struggling with the words of Christ in Matt.12:36, “But I tell you that men will have to give account on the day of judgment for every careless word they have spoken.” This scripture, coupled with Paul’s reminder that “We must all stand before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive what is due him for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad” found in 2Cor. 5:10 was causing her great distress because she was feeling condemnation and fearing punishment for she knew that she often said careless words and did things that probably displeased the Lord. I know many Christians struggle with such feelings… but should we? Is this what the Lord wants? Does he want us to be so scared of this terrible life-end evaluation that we “straighten up and fly right?” After all, the Bible doesn’t say, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom?” Yes, that is true… but what does that mean ?


How do those verses “square” with these scriptures: “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death!” (Rom. 8:1-2) “My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have one who speaks to the Father in our defense—Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world.” (1John 2:1-2) “In this way, love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment, because in this world we are like him. There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment.” (1John 4:17-18) So, where is the balance?

What helped my friend on Sunday find some balance was to imagine herself talking to her own kids when they had failed. Imagine your son or daughter failed a big test at school, or failed to catch the high fly ball and lost the game, or failed at being a good friend to one of the neighborhood kids. How would you handle that? What would your hope be for the end result of that conversation? Would your hope be that your child ended up in your arms hugging you, sorry that they had messed up, but glad for your correction and unconditional love? I can’t imagine a parent who wouldn’t at least hope for that resolution! We have the perfect heavenly father who loves us so much, so unconditionally, that while we were yet sinners, in active rebellion against Him, He gave His only Son for us! That’s how he feels about you! Listen to these… “What, then, shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. Who is he that condemns? Christ Jesus, who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us.” (Rom 8:31-34) "Which of you, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him! (Matt. 7:10-11) So how do you suppose God will handle his sons and daughters in dealing with our failures? I can’t say for sure, but this I do know, there will be no condemnation in it, no punishment dished out. He already punished Christ for all our sins, so if we have by faith received salvation in Christ, we will not be judged for them. In fact God will not see our sins at all, but rather the righteous record of sinless Jesus! (see 2Cor. 5:21) Jesus’ words in Matt. 12 about men being held to account for every careless word, were spoken to unbelievers who had just “carelessly” accused Jesus of using the power of the devil to drive out demons. Paul’s warning about standing before the judgment seat of Christ, however, was addressed to believers. He said we will be judged “for things done in the body – whether good or bad.” Does this mean our salvation depends on our good works? No, our salvation is not at stake here. This will be a judgment for what we heaven-bound Christians did with our salvation. Did we live for Christ or for self? Did we follow Him or serve mammon? Did we build His kingdom or feather our nests? Guess we all can chew on those questions for a while. Truth is, we could all do better. But I want to leave you with this: at the judgment seat of Christ, we will not be in fear or be feeling guilt or shame, since Jesus took those from us at the cross. We will feel His GREAT love and mercy and compassion as we see just how much he forgave us!

Now go hug your kids, and as you do, think, “God loves me… and them …and everyone… more than this!” And when they ask you, “Why are you hugging me?” you can tell them, “Just because I love you….no matter what!”

At the Crossroads

I’d like to tell you about a concept I call “ministry intersections.” What is a ministry intersection? A ministry intersection is one of those unplanned moments that happen to each one of us every day when our lives intersect with the life of somebody else – someone who has a “felt” need. A “felt” need is… a need that they feel! It might be a simple as a need for gasoline for their car, a jump start for a dead battery, or a piece of wire to hold down a part on their broken grill. It could be that their “felt” need is just a longing for an encouraging word or a smile from a friendly face or maybe they could really use an oatmeal cookie and a listening ear because they‘ve had a hard day. Sometimes it’s hidden behind a brave mask but the need is “felt” just the same: terrible loneliness, grief, loss, depression, guilt or shame. There is also a second need which they may not even know that they have, but this second need is the real need that every human being has - the need for Jesus… and they have just intersected with someone who knows Jesus! Ministry happens at the point where the life of a person with a felt need intersects with the life of a believer who is willing to help meet that need and share the good news of Jesus – it happens at the crossroads of Church St. and World Ave.

As Christians, we need to develop an “intersection” mindset. We run right through them every day and we don’t even know we were in one! That’s because we are so focused on “what we had planned” for today and not on what God wants to do with us today. Intersections are almost always not what we had planned, they are interruptions of what we had planned and as such we tend to view them as negatives – not opportunities. Typically, we don’t see them at all. We don’t see the man at the gas station with a flat tire, or the kid with scraped knee, or the lady in the hospital elevator who is crying, and if we do, we think, “it’s none of my business,” or “I don’t have time,” or “she’ll think I’m weird.” Usually, even though we don’t mean to be, we are the first two guys who passed by the wounded traveler in the Good Samaritan tale. What if we just made it a habit to smile and say, “How are you?” I know, I know … people would tell us all their woes; about their sick cat and Aunt Sarah’s operation and we’d never get anything done and we’d wind up being taken advantage of and short on time and money. Yes, that happens sometimes. But sometimes you get to do what Jesus did, what Paul did, what Philip did… letting a ministry intersection interrupt our day and receiving in return the privilege of sharing the gospel, showing them the love of Jesus, meeting their felt need and their real need. That’s what happens at ministry intersections!

“We are therefore Christ's ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us.” (2Cor. 5:20) Could you become a person who is ready, willing and able to both help meet the “felt” need of others and share the gospel. How? “But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect.” (1Peter3:15) Here are some practical pointers. TRY THESE!

1. Smile! “A cheerful look brings joy to the heart, and good news gives health to the bones!” (Prov. 15:30) Remember – we are Christ’s ambassadors! If you go around with a sour look all the time, you may have to be prepared to give and answer for why you seem to have NO hope!

2. Give a gift! “A gift opens the way for the giver and ushers him into the presence of the great.“ (Prov. 18:16) It doesn’t have to cost more than a pack of gum - it truly is the thought that counts!

3. Lend a hand! “But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, took him to an inn and took care of him. (Luke 10:33-34) Offering help gives us credibility to speak. Nobody cares how much you know until they know how much you care.

Here’s some handy “conversation starters” when finding yourself at a ministry intersection:

“Hello! How are you today? How’s it going? Do you live around here? Where is your home? Where did you grow up? Tell me about… your book, your tee-shirt, your child, etc. Are you okay? Is everything alright? Can I help? Can I pray for you? Where do you go to church?” Try asking questions like these - you’ll be amazed at how much people appreciate the simple fact that you want to hear anything at all about them.

It’s okay to go looking for “intersections” but it’s more effective if you just open your eyes and see all the intersections that are already (super) naturally happening all around you!

The Power of Words

The Bible tells us that “life and death lie within the power of the tongue!” Words have the capacity to build up or tear down. James refers to the tongue as a small spark that can create a huge deadly forest fire, and he used that illustration long before the advent of the internet, e-mail and Facebook! These new electronic megaphones give our words even greater power and extend their shelf-life into infinity! Jesus tells us that our words will either condemn us or vindicate us, and that we will all give “an account for every careless word!” and Paul encourages us to not let any “unwholesome words come out of our mouths but only that which is useful for the building up of the body.”

Quite a lot of Biblical ink is dedicated to telling us what kind of talk is to be avoided and what kind of talk is to be embraced. Idle chatter, gossip, foolish quarrels, arguments about trivial matters and minor doctrines, lies, anger, wrath, malice, hate, evil-speaking, dissentions, factions, filthy language from our lips, course jokes, and stirring up dissension among the brothers, are all listed as the kinds of word we are to avoid like the plague that they are! I am particularly struck by God’s inclusion of “stirring up dissension” as one of the 7 things He utterly detests! (Prov. 6:16-19) “There are six things the LORD hates, seven that are detestable to him: haughty eyes, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked schemes, feet that are quick to rush into evil, a false witness who pours out lies and a man who stirs up dissension among brothers.” Yet even with all these warnings, it is so easy for each and every one of us to lend our tongue to unrighteousness and allow the devil to use our words in his scheme to “divide and conquer.” James tells us that the tongue is the hardest of all things to control! And most of us don’t need James to tell us! We know it by experience. Blessings and curses come from the same mouth, and we have all been on both sides of that equation. We have all given and received both blessings and curses and we know feelings of their corresponding joy or pain.

The Bible also gives us clear direction on what kind of words ought to fill our mouths: praise, prayer, praying at all times with all kinds of prayers, words of encouragement, thanksgiving, words that build-up/edify, good, kind, true, pure, lovely, excellent, praiseworthy words, speaking to ourselves with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs and making melody in our hearts to the Lord, spurring one another to love and good deeds, being ready to give a reason for why we have hope and sharing the good news of the gospel with all.

So let’s all take a little inventory. How am I using this, my most powerful of tools/weapons – my words? We can’t control them, but God can…. He will control to the extent that we surrender.

Iran’s Gaza Gambit

Two weeks after the Israeli raid on a predominantly Turkish flotilla to Gaza became an international incident, Iran has announced that it will send its own flotilla to the blockaded territory. Unlike Turkey, which had formerly been one of Israel's most important allies, Iran has always been openly hostile toward Israel. The “plight” of Palestinians has long been a useful justification for the leadership in Tehran, which seeks to provoke Israel and increase Iranian influence among Arabs. Some worry Iran could send a naval escort with the aid ships, thus raising the possibility of violence. So what can we expect to result? The talking heads of world-wide media are expressing various opinions:
The French Press Agency reports that the U.S. is worried about Iranian action, "The United States on Monday questioned the Iranian Red Crescent's decision to send aid ships to Gaza, saying Tehran's intentions toward the Palestinian territory were not 'benign.' ... The Iranian Red Crescent announced Monday it would send three ships with humanitarian aid to Gaza, in the latest bid to break the blockade imposed on the Palestinian territory by Iran's arch foe Israel."

On the other hand, Newsweek's Mark Hosenball dissents, "U.S and European officials seem surprisingly relaxed about news that Iran is sending its own seaborne challenge to Israel’s Gaza blockade. ... despite concern that the Iranians are sending the ship in a deliberate attempt to provoke the Israelis and worsen already severe tensions in the area, European and U.S. officials say Tehran actually seems to have dialed back some of its rhetoric and threats for the moment."

Does Iran really want a violent confrontation, or just attention? The Christian Science Monitor's Scott Peterson writes, "Analysts say that Iran’s reaction – including Ahmadinejad’s repeated reminders that the Islamic Republic has championed the Palestinian cause since the 1979 Islamic revolution – is designed to recapture from Turkey part of its self-declared role as the regional bastion of militant resistance that fights for the oppressed. ... If Iran were to send such a flotilla, it would likely steal the limelight back from the Turks only in the event of a similar confrontation." Iran analyst Ali Nourizadeh tells Voice of America, "I think the whole matter is just a propaganda game. Iran knows that the Israelis would not allow them to get close to Israeli territory and even the Egyptians would not welcome them, and that the Iranian parliamentarians have to obtain visas to go to Egypt and I do not think the Egyptians would welcome such a delegation. Iran lost the propaganda game to Turkey and they now just want to show that they are there."

While there may be some wisdom to be gleaned from these media men, here’s what I think: (after all, this is “The View From Here…not the view from there!) The prophet Ezekiel revealed thousands of years ago, that following Magog's (Turkey’s) leadership, we will soon see "Persia (Iran), Cush (Sudan) and Put (Libya) … all with shields and helmets" (Ezekiel 38:5). By itself, Turkey, who launched this blockade-running game, is a formidable and powerful nation, but what will Israel and the western world do when, as the Bible predicts, Turkey leads a military coalition that includes Iran, Syria, Lebanon, Libya, Sudan and several other nations as well against Israel? The options then will be quite limited, to say the least. But with whatever option He chooses, Jesus is ultimately going to defend Israel. Hopefully, the U.S. will be on the right side of that battle. I would suggest our best response is to start praying. (1 Peter 4:7)


Sources:
Bracing for Iran Mark Hosenball, Newsweek;
Empty Rhetoric Ali Nourizadeh, Voice of America;
They Want Conflict Scott Peterson, Christian Science Monitor ;
Not So Benign The Editors, Agence France-Presse ;
Should We Be Worried About Iran's Gaza-Bound Flotilla? Max Fisher, Atlantic Wire
The Emerging “Strong Horse” of the Islamic World, Joel Richardson, WND

Tick… Tick... Tick…

The attempt this week by nine Turkish-flagged cargo ships to run the Israeli blockade off the coast of Gaza has become the focus of international attention and may rapidly become the “incident” which will be used to justify the next war on Israel. If you only listened to the so-called “news-reports“ spun out by the main-stream media wire services and networks, you would come to the intended conclusion that Israel is the aggressor, bullying and violently confronting the peace-loving “activists” who were only trying to bring humanitarian aid to the poor downtrodden Palestinians in Gaza. But what really happened here? Why is there a blockade of Gaza in the first place? Why did Israel board those ships? And what is the real agenda behind this incident?
Gaza, one of two Palestinian-run territories within Israel itself, is under the control of Hamas, a terrorist organization whose charter calls for the destruction of Israel. From Gaza, over 7000 katusha rockets have been launched into Israel. (Chew on that for a moment!) Imagine if terrorists within Cuba and under their government’s protection had launched over 7000 buzz bombs on Florida. Would we not place a blockade around Cuba to prevent missiles and other deadly arms from arriving there? (I seem to remember something like that in the history books?) The Israeli blockade of Gaza has been in effect for three years! Everybody knows that if you are on a ship headed for Gaza, you must stop and be inspected by the Israeli navy for weapons. This was no secret to the IHH-funded ships. IHH, the “Islamic charity” based in Turkey that sponsored this maritime operation, has been branded by the US government as a “front” for terror. This nice sounding “relief” organization even has a “dove of peace” displayed in their logo, but they are, in fact, channeling contributions to terrorists. Read about them here:
http://www.terrorism-info.org.il/malam_multimedia/English/eng_n/html/hamas_e105.htm .

What happened last week is not the “ugly-Israel” picture being painted by the media - an image which is now being used to lather up hatred of Israel in the UN and around the globe -it was a very calculated provocation by IHH. The “relief” ships would not stop when ordered so they were boarded by Israeli navy seals armed primarily with PAINT BALL GUNS. (You can verify this by watching the video!) As soon as the Israelis boarded the ship they were attacked with iron pipes and knives. Several of the Israelis were seriously beaten and stabbed, one was thrown overboard. Eventually a gun battle ensued in which nine “activists” were killed and three Israeli commandos were seriously wounded. What is not being reported, is that prior to this action both Israel and Egypt offered to take the cargo from these ships directly to Gaza. If the sole intention of the IHH was humanitarian relief it certainly would have accepted these offers -if not from the hand of the hated Jew at least from an Islamic brother!

So what is really behind this and why is it happening now? In the fall of 2007 I wrote three columns about the rise of Islamic radicals to power in Turkey through the election of AKP party candidates to the offices of President and Prime Minster and an AKP majority to parliament. Turkey, once considered a “moderate” Islamic nation, a NATO ally and a nation whose secular government was aligned more closely with Europe and the west, has undergone a dramatic transformation which is now almost complete. Turkey has abandoned a century of secular democratic rule to become in practice an Islamic state, even though its constitution still says otherwise – America take note! Turkey has moved away from the west and become aligned with Iran and Syria, two of its radical Islamic neighbors. This blockade running operation, while not done with Turkish navy ships, was done with at the very least, tacit approval by the Turkish government. And what about the timing? I believe this provocation has been planned for a long time, but they were waiting for one big thing….Iranian nuclear capability! We have allowed Iran to get the bomb and now we will have to pay the piper. Or should I say, Israel will.

This is not going to quietly go away. In fact, at this writing, IHH has another six ships waiting to try it again, only this time the whole world will be watching. Time will tell if this is the next big thing on the prophetic horizon. But one thing is sure, the clock is ticking….and midnight is very close.

Demolition Derby

Many of you who drive up and down Mechanicsville Turnpike each day probably noticed the demolition last week of a stately old two-story brick house that stood on the property right next to the church. Perhaps you had a certain amount of nostalgia or sentiment as that elegant piece of the past was removed to make way for the future “progress” of another new self-storage unit complex. We all have too much stuff. Maybe you thought as I did, “It’s a shame to see a house that seems so nice, even beautiful, to have to be destroyed.” Now, I’m not one for chaining myself to a tree to prevent bulldozing. In fact I am a pretty ardent capitalist! Personal property is just that- property that belongs to its owner- and he can use it however he feels best! Still, it seemed kind of wasteful to bring down a historic house - one that had stood like a sentinel along “the pike” for so many years. At least it did… until I got a look inside.

You see, when the heavy equipment began to bring the house down, the outer walls collapsed revealing what lay inside. The interior of the house was trashed! Vandals and squatters had destroyed things inside, spray-painting vile and obscene words on the walls. One upstairs interior wall bore a twelve foot wide graffiti-scrawled mural which depicted a man throwing a cross into a trash can. Beneath this was written an angry caption: “NO GOD!” I am not sure if this meant, “There is no God!” or if it was a voice of rebellion directed at God speaking a furiously negative answer to God’s offer of salvation: “No, God!” Either way, it was a slap in the face to a God who gave His Son to us. The image of the cross being thrown away will stay with me for a long time, causing me to ponder many things.

I first began to chew on the old saw: “You can’t judge a book, (house or man) by its cover.” I do not really know what is going on inside the house next door or the man standing beside me. What came next were lots of scriptures that seemed to apply, so here’s a short sermon preached by a house that was pretty on the outside but ugly on the inside:

(1 Sam. 16:7) “Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.”

(Ephesians 5:11-13) “Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them. For it is shameful even to mention what the disobedient do in secret. But everything exposed by the light becomes visible.”

(John 3:19-2) “This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what he has done has been done through God."

(Matthew 12:35-37) “The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in him, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in him. But I tell you that men will have to give account on the day of judgment for every careless word they have spoken. For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned."

(Luke 6:43-45) "No good tree bears bad fruit, nor does a bad tree bear good fruit. Each tree is recognized by its own fruit. People do not pick figs from thorn-bushes, or grapes from briers. The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For out of the overflow of his heart his mouth speaks.

(Hebrews 4:13) “Nothing in all creation is hidden from God's sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account.”

( 2 Corinthians 5:10) “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive what is due him for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad.”

And finally,

(Proverbs 4:23) “Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life.” Amen.

Walking the Vale

I lost a good friend Monday morning at 4:11. He got his “early release” pass from school down here on earth and went home victoriously to be with Jesus after a long and hard-fought battle with cancer. You know, you can learn a lot about living by spending time with those who are dying. They have no time for the trivial, meaningless stuff that clutters up life for those of who are still denying our mortality. They are past the delusion that keeps the rest of us from thinking or talking about the big ugly bully that hides just behind all fears… death. Words have more meaning when they flow from a man who knows they might be his last. This man used his final quota of words to bless and not curse. He could have been bitter, angry, and selfish, and the world would have said, “He has a right to be!” but he wasn’t. He was gracious, thankful and kind. He said “I love you” to his friends and family – probably a whole lot more than he ever did before. He told his friends about his faith – a faith that grew and deepened right up until that faith became sight – a faith that did not disappoint him but ushered him into the glorious hope that awaits all those who believe.


You see, he had found a treasure near the end of his road- a pearl of great price. He came to understand that he had a Heavenly Father who loved Him, a Father who sent His Son to die for him. He learned that through faith he could be adopted into God’s family and that the Son who died and rose again was now his big brother who has already whipped that ugly bully named Death. When we grasp that truth, there is nothing to fear. The real truth is, I didn’t lose a friend, we’re just going to be separated for a little while. King David said it this way about the death of his infant son, “He shall not return to me, but I shall go to him.” Many years later when King David faced his own death, he spoke these words to his son Solomon who would soon be King himself: “I am about to go the way of all flesh.” No denial there. Deep down we all know it’s true. Every living thing dies. Wrapped up in the very definition of life is the expectation of death. Ernest Hemmingway wrote: “Every true story ends in death.”

Old Ernest was almost right. Every true story ends in death….every true story that is - except one! And it is in that one true story that ends in life that we place our hope! Jesus conquered death. He raised Jarius’ daughter and the widow’s son. He called Lazarus from the tomb. And at the end of His earthly story there is an EMPTY tomb. He died and rose again! “But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep. For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man. For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive. But each in his own turn: Christ, the first fruits; then, when he comes, those who belong to him. So will it be with the resurrection of the dead. The body that is sown is perishable, it is raised imperishable; it is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory; it is sown in weakness, it is raised in power; it is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body. I declare to you, brothers, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed— in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality. When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: "Death has been swallowed up in victory." "Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?" The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.” (1Cor. 15:20-23, 42-44, 51-58)

Monarch Stories

I want give you a “follow-up update” on an article I wrote in March in which I told you about the possibility that the Jewish Sanhedrin might sacrifice a Passover lamb on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem. Several of you have e-mailed me wanting to know my sources for that article and whether or not the sacrifice actually took place. The main source for much of my information came from the March edition of “Prophecy in the News” magazine. I checked the validity of the information in that magazine and found several confirming articles about the Korban Pesach event in secular Israeli newspapers such as the Jerusalem Post and Haaretz. From what I can glean from Israeli news sources to date, the sacrifice did not take place. A lawsuit was filed seeking to bar the Sanhedrin from carrying it out and a judge granted an injunction on the day of the event preventing it on the basis of “security concerns.” I appreciate all of you who have keenly been following this story and have shown such interest! Even though it did not happen, the very fact that it almost did, illustrates just how close we are to meeting our coming King!



Each spring in our daycare, our kids get a chance to be eyewitnesses to a miracle. Our director purchases “butterfly kits” – jars filled with tiny fuzzy worms… with worm food included! The children (and their parents!) become fascinated, waiting and watching each day as the tiny little caterpillars rapidly grow, attach themselves to the ceiling of their enclosure, seal themselves into a cocoon coffin and, after many days, finally emerge, miraculously transformed into beautiful butterflies! The word biologists use to describe this process is “metamorphosis.” That is also the word Paul used to describe and encourage a change that needs to take place in us. “Do not be conformed to the pattern of this world but be transformed (from the Greek: “Metamorpho”) by the renewing of your mind!” (Romans 12:2)

Jesus was the first – he died and was placed in a tomb (cocoon) then, on the third day, He rose again with a new glorified body never to die again! Because he died and rose again, someday we will literally have a “caterpillar to butterfly” metamorphosis! Those who believe, even though we may lie dead in the dust of the earth, when the trumpet call of God sounds we will break forth from our cocoon graves and go from being “worm food” to butterfly-like flight - meeting Him in the air in the twinkling of an eye!

But that change is not the one Paul was referring to. We will indeed someday have a literal physical metamorphosis at the last trump, but the change Paul was talking about was one that is spiritual not physical –a change that comes from embracing our new identity in Christ. “If any man is in Christ he is a new creation. The old has passed and the new has come!” (2Cor. 5:17) This inside-out transformation begins at salvation and deepens as we “offer our bodies as living sacrifices.” In other words, when we yield completely to Christ, “dying to self.” See the cocoon? When we yield to Him and allow our mind to be renewed by the living word of God, we “put off the old man and put on the new man which is being made in the image of Christ!” (Eph. 4:22-24) See the butterfly? This transformation just as spectacular and no less miraculous than the metamorphosis that our little caterpillar friends are experiencing right now under the wide-eyed scrutiny of preschoolers witnessing God’s hand in action!

Now, what would you say about a butterfly who chose to live a caterpillar existence? Never spreading his beautiful wings, never taking flight to soar and smell the roses, he just continued to live like a caterpillar crawling around with the worms. I’d say that butterfly was allowing the world, his peers, his circumstances and his old identity to mold, shape and conform him into the old pattern. Many Christians do the same. Behavior flows from identity; we act like who we believe we are. So, who do you believe you are? Are you a saint? Are you a holy one? Are you chosen and dearly loved, forgiven, transformed, enabled, competent… more than a conqueror? The Bible says you are all that and much more in Christ!” Are you living out of your new “butterfly” identity or is your behavior flowing from your old “caterpillar” one? I suppose sometimes even butterflies feel like they are still ugly caterpillars, but their feelings are not the reality. The reality is: they have been changed forever…and so have we! So, regardless of how we feel, let’s quit worming around and spread those beautiful wings that Jesus paid so much to give us!

This date in my history

On March 25th, 1988, I drove along a dusty country road where I had an unexpected life changing experience. I needed some sheet rock nails for a project I was working on, so I grabbed my two young sons and we jumped in the truck for the short three mile ride into town where we’d planned to hit the hardware store for some nails and the drug store for a couple bottles of pop. We never made it. A mile and half east of our farm, we ran into some loose sand on the road and were pulled into the ditch where our truck rolled over three times. On the first flip, I went through the driver’s door window and was thrown 65 feet. The truck continued slamming over and over, rolling towards the spot where I lay until, just before it rolled over me, it settled and stopped. My two sons, who were only 4 and 2 years old at the time, were not buckled into car seats or even wearing seat belts, yet miraculously they were uninjured and still on the floor of the truck. My four year old crawled through the only remaining opening of the crushed vehicle, a small outlet where the passenger door window had been, then helped his younger brother crawl out, and began the long walk home because they thought I was dead. I had crushed the 10th thoracic vertebrae in my back, my ribs on my left side were broken, and I was bleeding into my chest. Two hospitals later it was determined that I had torn the aorta in my heart and that I needed immediate open-heart surgery. I was placed in an air ambulance and flown 150 miles to a modernly equipped hospital for the operation. Something happened on the way to the hospital. As people were praying, God was listening. When I arrived, the trauma surgeon could not find any problems with my heart. She drained my chest, sewed me up and 11 days later I walked out of the hospital. I believe in miracles because I am one. Jesus saved me. If you are a believer He saved you too. Maybe not from an accident like this one, but He saved you from certain death just the same. Each of our rescues from the pit of hell is a tale even more worthy of re-telling. Do your family and friends know your salvation story? I’m thankful for my life, and I’ll tell you who I owe it to and who I’m living it for, it’s the One who saved me – Jesus.

Troubled Hearts

According to John’s gospel, just after the events that we think of as the “Palm Sunday triumphal entry,” some Greeks came to Philip asking for access to Jesus, saying, “We want to see Jesus!” I’ve often thought that in this short appeal, these obscure unnamed Greeks utter the most profound request ever made. It should be the cry of all our hearts – “We want to see Jesus!” Jesus speaks to them and all who are listening, (then and now) telling them a parable about a seed: “Unless a seed falls to the ground and dies, it remains to itself, alone. But if it dies, it will produce many seeds! Whoever loves his life will lose it, but the man who does not love his life in this world, will keep it for all eternity!” (John 12:23-26) It is interesting to me that this is what was on Jesus heart and mind immediately after the cheering crowds joyfully proclaimed him their Messiah and King. He knew what lay ahead. He knew the supreme sacrifice that was waiting to be fulfilled. He knew the cheering crowd would turn against Him and become a jeering mob blindly shouting, “Crucify!” just five days hence. And while Jesus had moved unflinchingly forward towards his goal - setting his face like a flint towards Jerusalem - the Son of Man now expressed emotions that we can easily relate to: “and now my heart is troubled…” (John 12:7) Jesus lets us into his humanity. He shows us that he knows how it feels to be emotionally overwhelmed. Those feelings would only grow stronger during his prayers in the garden of Gethsemane. Yet, His human emotions never deterred his obedience - his commitment to His father … and all of us.

How often have I, and probably each of us, allowed our “troubled hearts” to become the driving force in our behavior? Troubled hearts can come from a varitey of emotions as varied as humans themselves: fear, anger, hurt, betrayal, humiliation, frustration, insecurity, and pride, to name but a few. Jesus overcomes His emotions and pushes through them to obedience by keeping His goal in the forefront – His eye on the prize! After relating, “And now my heart is troubled, “He asks himself a question and then answers it. “What shall I Say? Father, save me from this hour? No! It was for this very reason that I came to this hour!” Father glorify Your name! (John 12:27-28) What an example of Spirit-led purpose-driven living! Emotions come as reactions to temporary circumstances. Sometimes they are extremely “troubling!” (Although, I dare say, none of us has ever faced imminent crucifixion!) Still, we daily face things that are indeed troubling. The Bible doesn’t discount these things. Jesus promises suffering, hardship and persecution. The Apostles confirm, both in their writings and with their experiences, that “all those who seek to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution” (2Tim. 3:12) and that we should not be surprised at painful trials and suffering as though “something strange is happening to us.” (1Pet. 4:12) Rather, we should expect things that, in this world, are troubling! (John 16:33)

Our attitude should be the same as Christ Jesus. (Phil. 2:5) Jesus looked past the cross, through the empty tomb to a day when we would be united with Him forever. The Bible calls this reality “the joy set before Him.” For this joyful reason, (us!) He “endured the cross.” (Heb. 12:2) We were His motivation . . . and now He is ours! We need to look past our present troubling circumstance, which, according to Rom. 8:18 are “not even worth mentioning compared to the surpassing glory that will be revealed in us,” to that day when all will be made right and we will be with Him forever! Because He was faithful, we can be too. Because He endured, so can we. “So then, those who suffer according to God’s will should commit themselves to their faithful Creator and continue to do good.” (1Pet. 4:19)

My dear readers, my heart is troubled - it is troubled by numerous things going on right now in this world and the gathering dark clouds of potential trouble ahead. I am sure many of your hearts are as well. But what should we say? Father, save us from this hour? No! It was for this very hour that we were placed on this earth and into the body of Christ! Let’s not allow our emotions – anger, fear, or any other- to deter us from obedience. Let us commit ourselves to our faithful Creator and continue to do good! Do not be overcome with evil, but overcome evil with good!

O for a leader, like this!

Patrick Henry, March 23, 1775.


No man thinks more highly than I do of the patriotism, as well as abilities, of the very worthy gentlemen who have just addressed the House. But different men often see the same subject in different lights; and, therefore, I hope it will not be thought disrespectful to those gentlemen if, entertaining as I do opinions of a character very opposite to theirs, I shall speak forth my sentiments freely and without reserve. This is no time for ceremony. The questing before the House is one of awful moment to this country. For my own part, I consider it as nothing less than a question of freedom or slavery; and in proportion to the magnitude of the subject ought to be the freedom of the debate. It is only in this way that we can hope to arrive at truth, and fulfill the great responsibility which we hold to God and our country. Should I keep back my opinions at such a time, through fear of giving offense, I should consider myself as guilty of treason towards my country, and of an act of disloyalty toward the Majesty of Heaven, which I revere above all earthly kings.



Mr. President, it is natural to man to indulge in the illusions of hope. We are apt to shut our eyes against a painful truth, and listen to the song of that siren till she transforms us into beasts. Is this the part of wise men, engaged in a great and arduous struggle for liberty? Are we disposed to be of the number of those who, having eyes, see not, and, having ears, hear not, the things which so nearly concern their temporal salvation? For my part, whatever anguish of spirit it may cost, I am willing to know the whole truth; to know the worst, and to provide for it.

I have but one lamp by which my feet are guided, and that is the lamp of experience. I know of no way of judging of the future but by the past. And judging by the past, I wish to know what there has been in the conduct of the British ministry for the last ten years to justify those hopes with which gentlemen have been pleased to solace themselves and the House. Is it that insidious smile with which our petition has been lately received? Trust it not, sir; it will prove a snare to your feet. Suffer not yourselves to be betrayed with a kiss. Ask yourselves how this gracious reception of our petition comports with those warlike preparations which cover our waters and darken our land. Are fleets and armies necessary to a work of love and reconciliation? Have we shown ourselves so unwilling to be reconciled that force must be called in to win back our love? Let us not deceive ourselves, sir. These are the implements of war and subjugation; the last arguments to which kings resort. I ask gentlemen, sir, what means this martial array, if its purpose be not to force us to submission? Can gentlemen assign any other possible motive for it? Has Great Britain any enemy, in this quarter of the world, to call for all this accumulation of navies and armies? No, sir, she has none. They are meant for us: they can be meant for no other. They are sent over to bind and rivet upon us those chains which the British ministry have been so long forging. And what have we to oppose to them? Shall we try argument? Sir, we have been trying that for the last ten years. Have we anything new to offer upon the subject? Nothing. We have held the subject up in every light of which it is capable; but it has been all in vain. Shall we resort to entreaty and humble supplication? What terms shall we find which have not been already exhausted? Let us not, I beseech you, sir, deceive ourselves. Sir, we have done everything that could be done to avert the storm which is now coming on. We have petitioned; we have remonstrated; we have supplicated; we have prostrated ourselves before the throne, and have implored its interposition to arrest the tyrannical hands of the ministry and Parliament. Our petitions have been slighted; our remonstrances have produced additional violence and insult; our supplications have been disregarded; and we have been spurned, with contempt, from the foot of the throne! In vain, after these things, may we indulge the fond hope of peace and reconciliation. There is no longer any room for hope. If we wish to be free-- if we mean to preserve inviolate those inestimable privileges for which we have been so long contending--if we mean not basely to abandon the noble struggle in which we have been so long engaged, and which we have pledged ourselves never to abandon until the glorious object of our contest shall be obtained--we must fight! I repeat it, sir, we must fight! An appeal to arms and to the God of hosts is all that is left us!
They tell us, sir, that we are weak; unable to cope with so formidable an adversary. But when shall we be stronger? Will it be the next week, or the next year? Will it be when we are totally disarmed, and when a British guard shall be stationed in every house? Shall we gather strength by irresolution and inaction? Shall we acquire the means of effectual resistance by lying supinely on our backs and hugging the delusive phantom of hope, until our enemies shall have bound us hand and foot? Sir, we are not weak if we make a proper use of those means which the God of nature hath placed in our power. The millions of people, armed in the holy cause of liberty, and in such a country as that which we possess, are invincible by any force which our enemy can send against us. Besides, sir, we shall not fight our battles alone. There is a just God who presides over the destinies of nations, and who will raise up friends to fight our battles for us. The battle, sir, is not to the strong alone; it is to the vigilant, the active, the brave. Besides, sir, we have no election. If we were base enough to desire it, it is now too late to retire from the contest. There is no retreat but in submission and slavery! Our chains are forged! Their clanking may be heard on the plains of Boston! The war is inevitable--and let it come! I repeat it, sir, let it come.
It is in vain, sir, to extenuate the matter. Gentlemen may cry, Peace, Peace-- but there is no peace. The war is actually begun! The next gale that sweeps from the north will bring to our ears the clash of resounding arms! Our brethren are already in the field! Why stand we here idle? What is it that gentlemen wish? What would they have? Is life so dear, or peace so sweet, as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery? Forbid it, Almighty God! I know not what course others may take; but as for me, give me liberty or give me death!

If We Build It, He Will Come!

Those are the famous words from Kevin Costner’s character in “Field of Dreams.” They are also apparently the words of a Jewish Sanhedrin leader this week referring to the building of the Temple and the coming of the Messiah! Folks, something BIG is about to happen in Jerusalem! Next Monday evening, March 29th, several lambs will be sacrificed on the temple mount upon a specially built altar made of undressed stones. The ritual, known as the “Korban Pesach,” or “Passover sacrifice” which by Jewish law requires both a sanctified altar and an Officiating Priest, has not happened for nearly 2000 years! Think about that for a moment! Although the “daily sacrifice” was stopped in AD 70 when the Syrian regiment of the Roman army destroyed the temple, the annual Passover sacrifice on the ruins of the temple mount continued for almost another 100 years until it disappeared as the last remaining Jews were dispersed into the nations of the world. The Jewish ruling council known as the “Sanhedrin” went underground but they continued to meet for a while “in exile,” finally coming to an end in AD 425 with the last meeting taking place in the city of Tiberius on the shores of Galilee. From that day forward until 1948, Israel had no national, political, or religious infrastructure. But then Israel was reborn! In 1967 Jerusalem was recaptured, and in October of 2004, the Sanhedrin was re-constituted at a special meeting of over 100 representative rabbis in Tiberius, the very place where the original Sanhedrin had disbanded. Before the excited eyes of prophecy-watchers around the world, the Sanhedrin rose to life again with the election of its traditional 71 members - a major milestone on the road to the re-building of the temple!
The goals of the Sanhedrin are clear-cut: the reestablishment of the priesthood, including the office of High Priest, the re-building of the temple on the temple mount and the re-establishment of the Levitical sacrifices. This, of course, is highly controversial - even within the Jewish community where many secular Jews view these activities as unnecessary and provocative - not to mention extreme and even violent opposition coming from groups as diverse as the Arab Waaf, (the Islamic clergy who control the Mosque of Omar and the Al Aqsa Mosque located on the temple mount) to so-called “animal rights” groups who last year sued the Sanhedrin to block animal sacrifices. But the Sanhedrin has doggedly pushed forward, winning legal battles and obtaining all the necessary permits and permissions to carry out the “Korban Pesach” sacrifice, even sanctifying a “Kohen” (priest), a kosher butcher who will perform the ceremony. After fasting and prayer, they assembled on the shores of the Dead Sea to gather stones, unhewn and untouched by human hands. They carefully wrapped them in plastic to keep them ceremonially “clean” and moved them to an assembly site 12 miles northeast of the temple mount where they have been meticulously fabricated according to Jewish law into an altar which will be transported to Jerusalem for the ceremony next Monday at sundown. This Korban Pesach, the first in almost 2000 years, will include much ritual sanctification of the temple mount area. It might even include a public call for the re-building of the temple and could even hold a “surprise” ordination of the High Priest! If it happens, it will undoubtedly be watched with joy by devout Jews and with vitriolic anger by equally devout Muslims. It will certainly be watched with anxious anticipation by Bible-believing Christians who see prophecy coming to pass!

What does it all mean? No one can see all the implications and “fall-out” from an event like this. It could spark violence and even war- or maybe nothing at all on the “visible” front. But one thing is clear: we should all take note and realize just how close we are to the end of the age of grace, the era of the church, and to the beginning of the Great and Awesome Day of the Lord

Amalek, Agag, and Ahmadinejad

This Sunday, Feb. 28th is a special day. It iss a day of celebration known as “Purim,” a Jewish holiday that marks the historic and courageous actions of a young girl named Hadassa 2470 years ago- actions that saved a nation. Of course, you know her better by her other name: Esther. Her story is one of the most exciting in all of the Bible. It has everything a great story needs: A beautiful heroine who rises from obscurity to become queen, an evil villain who is out to destroy her and all her people, spies, intrigue, a desperate chance to thwart the wicked plot, unexpected twists, and a great ending where good triumphs and evil is vanquished! If you have never read the book of Esther, read it this week - or better yet, read it to your kids for their bed-time story!

The hero of our story, Esther, was a Jew living in exile in Persia. The evil villain’s name was Haman who was filled with demonic hate for Israel bent on genocide. The Bible says Haman was an “Agagite” which means he was a descendant of Agag. (Es. 9:24) Remember him? Agag was the king of the Amalekites that Saul was supposed to utterly destroy about 600 years earlier. (1 Sam. 15) Because Saul failed to obey God and completely wipe out the Amalekites, Saul was rejected as king of Israel and some descendants of Agag survived to perpetuate his line which would eventually extend all the way to Haman. But why did God want Saul to wipe out the Amalekites? Because God knew what they intended for his people. The Almalekites were filled with hate for God’s people and were intent on wiping out Israel. Amalek was a grandson of Esau (Gen. 36:12) and you know the history between Jacob (Israel) and Esau, the father of all the surrounding nations. Four hundred years after Jacob and Esau, Moses would bring Israel out of Egypt on the exodus back to Israel. The descendants of Amalek who had now grown into a nation of their own, were one of their first adversaries. The Amalekites attacked Israel even before they reached Mt. Sinai. (Ex.17) There Joshua led the army against them while Moses interceded on the mountain and after the battle, Moses makes an interesting comment. He reveals a new name of God, “Jehovah Nissi,” meaning “God is my banner,” and proclaims that the LORD would be “at war with the Amalekites” – this people filled with hate for God and the Jews- “from generation to generation.” (Ex. 17:16) Fast forward 450 years to Saul: God commands the destruction of Amalek to prevent the slaughter of the Jews, but Saul fails, so the cycle continues. Now jump 600 more years to the time of Esther. The descendants of Agag the Amalekite have now been assimilated into Persia as revealed in the person of Haman. The same devilish plot to destroy the Jews is still afoot. What did Moses say? “From generation to generation!” Again God intervenes, this time through Esther, and God’s people are miraculously saved! The desire of Satan to kill the Jews has been evident from the beginning, since “Salvation is from the Jews.” The Devil wants to destroy the “mother” of Christ… Israel! (Rev.12:13-17)

King Solomon wrote “There is nothing new under the sun” and Cole Porter reminded us that “Everything old is new again!” ….the pattern continues! Two generations ago it was Hitler with his “final solution” to exterminate the Jews and right now a Persian leader, named Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is hatching a plot to, in his own words: “Wipe Israel off the map.” In the very near future the Amalakites will strike at Israel again. They will try to utterly destroy God’s people. But you can be assured that God will miraculously and supernaturally intervene. God has used military might in the past, Joshua’s army over 3000 years ago, the 82nd Airborne 65 years ago and the IDF in ’48, ’67, and ’72. There were kings and leaders who obeyed God and were used as instruments of deliverance for Israel, and others who, for political expediency like Saul, refused to obey, and failed. God even used a young girl named Esther to stop the evil plot. What will he use now? Who will he raise up today? That remains to be seen, but you can be sure that God will accomplish it! And next week, next month, next year, when you see it unfold on CNN and FOXnews remember all this history. Remember God told us what would happen before it took place. ..and now you know…. The rest of the story!

A Snowy Day

For some odd reason, I decided to write to you this week about snow! I don’t know why, but it’s just been on my mind somehow? Did you know that the Bible mentions snow about 25 times? Usually, snow is used as a standard to compare something else to. Ten times we read, “as white as snow,” twice, “as cold as snow,” and once, “as pure as snow.” Five times the word snow is used in a poetic sense to refer to the winter season, as in: “She is not afraid of the snows,” and once to indicate the mountains by calling them “the snows of Lebanon.” Three times God asks Job unanswerable question about snow to show Job that God sees the big picture while we humans see very little, and two times the Bible speaks of a specific snowy day in history. Do you know what day that was? I’ll put the answer at the bottom of the article! But I told you all that to tell you this - my favorite “snowy” verse in the Word. “Wash me and I shall be whiter than snow” Did you get that? Not “as white as snow,” but “whiter than snow!”

King David pens these words in Psalm 51. Do you know the context of that Psalm? After being confronted with his sins of adultery and murder, David confesses and repents of his sin. With a contrite heart and a broken spirit, he seeks God’s forgiveness in faith, believing that God will forgive him, restore him and purify him to the extent that he will be whiter than snow! Did you know that it is possible to be whiter than snow, even though snow is the very thing that is used as the standard of cleanness and purity that all others are measures against? Every snow flake is an ice crystal that forms in the upper atmosphere. Each crystal forms around something – a tiny microscopic speck of dust! At the heart of a clean pure snowflake is dirt! When God forgives us he takes away all sin, all guilt, all punishment, all fear, all condemnation, even the “stain” or “left-over” residue of sin! He removes our sin from us as far as the east is from the west! In other words, infinitely removed! The blood of Jesus cleanses us from all unrighteousness, completely removing it so that, as Isaiah put it, “though our sins be as scarlet they shall be white as snow!”

Does that excite you? Does that give you hope? Does that give you peace and joy and motivation to serve such a great and loving God? Jesus said that unless our righteousness exceeds that of the Pharisees we would not enter the kingdom of God! The Pharisees were a group of guys who spent all day every day trying to figure out how to be holy! Can we be better than that? YES! Because when we come to faith in Christ, we no longer have to “try to be good.” Instead we receive by grace through faith, His righteous record of perfect holiness…and without holiness no man shall see God! So Christian, don’t let the devil condemn you. “There is therefore no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus!” Neither should we continue in our sin. For we have been set free, made holy, washed clean! Let us not go back to the pig pen of sin! Rather, let us live pure and holy lives. Would a bride wallow in the mud while wearing her clean white wedding dress? Would a man let vandals destroy his prize classic car that he just detailed? No, they would prize them and fight to keep them beautiful and clean. Let us do the same with our great salvation that cost him so dearly. “As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God. But among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed, because these are improper for God's holy people. For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light!” (Eph.4;1, 5:1-3,8)

P.S. You’ll find that particular snowy day in 2Samuel 23:20 and 1Chron. 11:22.

Lessons Learned from a Grouchy Lady

If you missed “The View” two weeks ago in the newspaper, it’s because we used our space in the paper to advertise an upcoming event at Hanover Friends: The Love and Respect Marriage Conference, Friday and Saturday, Feb. 19-20. I am really excited about this conference and encourage you to think and pray about participating! For more information, go to http://www.friendlychurch.org/. Even though I didn’t have a column in the paper, I did write one…and I encourage you to read it on the web site too. You can also subscribe there to receive “The View” via e-mail. It will help you understand this week’s “View” of you read that one in its entirety.
I was asked an interesting question this past week about my last two articles. A reader asked how I could write my first article of the year entitled “Prediction – Pain!” which detailed some of my ideas about negative things which might happen in 2010, and then the write my very next article in response to the Haitian earthquake making the case that God is NOT pouring out his wrath on the world through earthquakes, storms, fires, mudslides, tsunamis or any other natural disaster. Her question was, “How could I reconcile the seeming conflict of these two positions?” The answer is easy! In the first article I predicted war, economic crisis and persecution of Christians, among other unpleasant things. But in each case, I spoke of disasters that were all man-made. Every one of these things result from the choices of people – men acting from their God-given free will in opposition to God’s revealed will in His Word resulting in painful circumstances for the earth. God does not take our choices from us, but neither will he remove their consequences. Thus, my prediction for 2010? Pain!

In the second article, I spoke of events that were NOT man made, but were natural disasters, like the Haitian earthquake. These come upon the earth because the earth is no longer perfect since the advent of sin. (see Gen. 3) The whole creation is groaning, awaiting its redemption from the curse of sin and death. (Romans 8:20-22) Until that day, we will have sickness and disease and all kinds of natural disasters! (For a detailed, Biblically reasoned argument on this, read last week’s “View From Here” at http://www.friendlychurch.org/) I hope that clears things up for anyone else who was wondering!

I also received a nasty phone call from an anonymous grouchy lady reader who took issue with the article of Jan. 6, 2010, “Prediction? Pain!”  She told me that I was the most negative person she had ever heard and if I believed all these bad things were coming I must be miserable and I ought to go ahead and take a gun and shoot myself! (No kidding, that's what she said!) She also blamed me and “people like me” for society's rejection of “organized religion”…and a lot of other rubbish. And you know, she’s got a point…. almost. Paul makes it too. “If in this life only, we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable.” In other words, if this life is all there is, and the only “benefit” we get out of being a Christian is to be found here on earth, then we might be happier by not turning the other cheek, not putting others first, not forgiving those who hurt us, etc. But the truth is…this life is NOT all there is! Hallelujah! Get this: “If there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith. More than that, we are then found to be false witnesses about God, for we have testified about God that he raised Christ from the dead. But he did not raise him if in fact the dead are not raised. For if the dead are not raised, then Christ has not been raised either. And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins. Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ are lost. If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are to be pitied more than all men. But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep. For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man. For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive.” (1Cor. 15:13-22)

I suppose if I didn’t believe in the resurrection of Christ, I’d have the same opinion of me as the cranky lady who called. But I believe in the Living Lord! And that makes all the difference! I am not miserable. My heart is filled to overflowing with joy, even as I see hard things coming. For my God has overcome the world! He is more than able! Do you know Him?