My last post highlighted the origin and national importance of the Navy Hymn, "Eternal Father Strong To Save". I learned to sing it while in boot camp and sang it many times during my Navy enlistment. The song is a powerful prayer asking the Father to care for all who navigate the unforgiving and unpredictable sea. I want to reiterate if you are unfamiliar with it you should Google the title and read it.
I think these words from Psalm 107 carry the same message and just a bit more that should inspire -
"Others went down to the sea in ships; they were merchants on the mighty waters, they saw the works of the Lord, his wonderful deeds in the deep. For he spoke and stirred up the tempest that lifted the waves. They mounted up to the heavens and went down to the depths; in their peril their courage melted away. They reeled and staggered like drunken men; they were at their wits end. Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble and he brought them out of their distress. He stilled the storm to a whisper; the waves of the sea were hushed. They were glad when it grew calm, and he guided them to their desired haven. Let them give thanks to the Lord for his unfailing love and his wonderful deeds for men. Let them exalt him in the assembly of the people and praise him in the council of the elders."
I've truly been there, done that, several times. I vividly recall the first hurricane I rode out while at sea, many hundreds of miles from any land mass. We knew it was coming and rather than try to outrun it, which would have been impossible anyway, our Captain turned the ship into the teeth of it and headed into the eye where the sea is calmer. Most of that first night we were fighting swells in excess of 80 feet tall and every time one of those waves crashed over the ship there was much groaning and shuddering as that nearly 600 ft long craft struggled to break through it. I stood two deck watches during that night and had to use my belt to anchor myself to a steel pole that supported the level above me. Every time we hit one of those waves it would dump untold gallons of cold water down on my head from the deck above. So yeah, it was scary and all of us did a lot of praying. In fact, our ship's Chaplain remained on the bridge all that night in an effort to keep everyone calm.
One other passage has been a huge source of encouragement to me in my older adult years and I pray it will energize your faith to appreciate at a deeper level just what the Eternal Father has given you in his Son.
"Since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand." Romans 5:1-2
The word "ACCESS", is truly something very special because it is the idea of "introduction". The Greek word contains two powerful "word pictures" that you need to know to appreciate.
(1) It was the common word used for introducing someone into the presence of royalty
(2) It was also the word for the harbor where ships could find safe haven from a storm
Because of Jesus and in him, we have been formally introduced into the presence of the real King, the absolute Ruler of heaven and earth. Jesus has given us "access" into the grace of God by bringing us into the Father's presence in a way that is utterly impossible otherwise. As our Father, He planned this for us at some point in eternity past and brought it to reality through Jesus Christ, our Lord.
Because of Jesus and in him, we have gained entry into the harbor of safety to shelter us from certain death and destruction. No longer sailing in unprotected waters, we are now free from the fear and desperation that is always unpredictable on this sea of life. God's grace, his undeserved and unearned favor, protects us.
I am honored to do as the Psalmist encourages, to thank my Eternal Father for his unfailing love and praise him in the assembly of others who have also sheltered in the safe harbor of Jesus Christ our Lord.
HALLELUJAH!
Wednesday, August 29, 2012
Tuesday, August 28, 2012
"Hymn Stories #1"
As a kid growing up in the country I always enjoyed singing because I was raised in a singing family. My grandfather Sid Darnall taught me to sing bass in church at a very young age and two of my uncles, brothers of my grandmother Lottye Darnall, taught me to sight read shape notes and sing tenor before I was even a teenager. I taught myself to play guitar, sang in a quartet and chorus all through high school and was involved in just about every play and musical that was presented by South Marshall High School. In my early college years I also sang in a rock 'n roll band called The Sweepers. It was all great fun. As I grew older my love for gospel music really became a passion and has continued throughout my adult life.
All of that is to explain why I have decided to use this medium as a forum to share some of my most cherished Hymn Stories. For many years I collected old hymnals and devotional type song books because I just loved the sincere ways that older hymn composers laid their heartfelt prayers out there for the world to read and sing, just like King David of old. Behind nearly every one is a moving story of faith, just like in David's Psalms. So, I want to share some of those great stories with my readers with the prayer that they will inspire you to greater faith too.
ETERNAL FATHER STRONG TO SAVE
Until my service in the US Navy, I had never heard of this hymn, but soon became quite familiar with it's great power to move the human spirit. Written by a Londoner named William Whiting, it seems to have been intended as a poem Whiting composed for a friend who was about to embark on a long sea voyage and had expressed his fear of the sea. I have found no clear trail of how it became such an institution both in Great Britain and America, only bits and pieces that are virtually impossible to verify. However it does seem fairly certain that the melody was composed by John B. Dykes who gave it the original title MELITA, an ancient rendering of MALTA, the island near where Paul was shipwrecked as found at Acts 27.
Commonly known today as the Navy Hymn, it has been performed in many different ways for important events in our nation's history i.e., the funerals of Franklin D. Roosevelt, John F. Kennedy, Richard Nixon and many others including fallen warriors. The Hymn was one thing I was taught in boot camp because there are certain occasions when Navy protocol requires the performance of the Hymn on every ship and shorebased installation and all hands are expected to join in when no formal band or choir is available for its presentation. Today, there are also very specific versions of the Hymn that are performed by all branches of the armed forces for their own commemorative occasions.
If you have never sung or heard this powerful hymn, I suggest that you GOOGLE it as you may not find it in your church's current hymnal. As you read the words, try to visualize William Whiting writing it as a portable means of fortifying the faith of his friend.
In my next post, I will tie this beautiful hymn to some powerful words from God.
All of that is to explain why I have decided to use this medium as a forum to share some of my most cherished Hymn Stories. For many years I collected old hymnals and devotional type song books because I just loved the sincere ways that older hymn composers laid their heartfelt prayers out there for the world to read and sing, just like King David of old. Behind nearly every one is a moving story of faith, just like in David's Psalms. So, I want to share some of those great stories with my readers with the prayer that they will inspire you to greater faith too.
ETERNAL FATHER STRONG TO SAVE
Until my service in the US Navy, I had never heard of this hymn, but soon became quite familiar with it's great power to move the human spirit. Written by a Londoner named William Whiting, it seems to have been intended as a poem Whiting composed for a friend who was about to embark on a long sea voyage and had expressed his fear of the sea. I have found no clear trail of how it became such an institution both in Great Britain and America, only bits and pieces that are virtually impossible to verify. However it does seem fairly certain that the melody was composed by John B. Dykes who gave it the original title MELITA, an ancient rendering of MALTA, the island near where Paul was shipwrecked as found at Acts 27.
Commonly known today as the Navy Hymn, it has been performed in many different ways for important events in our nation's history i.e., the funerals of Franklin D. Roosevelt, John F. Kennedy, Richard Nixon and many others including fallen warriors. The Hymn was one thing I was taught in boot camp because there are certain occasions when Navy protocol requires the performance of the Hymn on every ship and shorebased installation and all hands are expected to join in when no formal band or choir is available for its presentation. Today, there are also very specific versions of the Hymn that are performed by all branches of the armed forces for their own commemorative occasions.
If you have never sung or heard this powerful hymn, I suggest that you GOOGLE it as you may not find it in your church's current hymnal. As you read the words, try to visualize William Whiting writing it as a portable means of fortifying the faith of his friend.
In my next post, I will tie this beautiful hymn to some powerful words from God.
Wednesday, August 15, 2012
"On My 71st Birthday"
If my grandaddy Sid Darnall, my Mom's father, were alive today, I am fairly certain he would be quite surprised to see me at this age. I grew up less than a quarter of a mile from his house so he sat on his front porch and watched me grow up. He told me often that I would not live to be 20 years old because I was forever getting hurt riding my bicycle on that gravel road or falling out of a tree or the hay loft or cutting myself on something that I had no business messing with. But, he always let me know he loved me and was proud of my courage. I was very privileged to be able to sit by his side in a hospital room and spend most of a day, just the two of us, him unable to speak from a severe stroke and me doing all the talking. That day I was able to just tell him how much I loved him and how he had impacted my life. He just lay there very still, and occasionally nod with tears rolling down his cheeks. What a man of God he was! Next to my Dad, he was my hero and my spiritual mentor.
For several years now I have been able to actually see the end of my life on this earth. That prospect doesn't frighten me at all because I feel like David when he penned these simple words -
"I love the house where you live, O Lord,
the place where your glory dwells." Psalm 26:8 NIV
Although I cannot say for certain what David was thinking of as God's house, my instincts and knowledge of David's Psalms tend to make me think that for me, that "house" is a place inside my own spirit where I meet with my Father to just talk and listen. I do that daily and guard that place within me with fierce intensity.
Two great servants of Jesus come to mind as I think about the end of my earthly life and how I have had many failures and successes as a slave of Jesus Christ.
"Whoever would love life and see good days must keep his tongue from evil
and his lips from deceitful speech. He must turn from evil and do good; he
must seek peace and pursue it. For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous and
his ears are attentive to their prayer, but the face of the Lord is against
those who do evil." 1 Peter 3:10-12 NIV
Peter quotes David's Psalm 34:12-16 as a lifestyle that will finally receive the blessing of God. Obviously, from the context, there were some Christians, then as now, who spent way too much time trying to "one-up" each other. Doing "good" is a sometime thing that can be easily cancelled by harsh, judgmental words that produce only evil outcomes. I am trying more and more to eliminate that kind of thinking and speaking from my life because we all have "feet of clay" to some extent. If we aren't careful we will tear down more than we will build up. I surely don't want that kind of memory left behind of who I was in God's kingdom.
"I am already being poured out like a drink offering, and the time has come
for my departure. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I
have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness
which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day - and not
only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing." 2 Timothy 4:6-8 NIV
When Paul wrote these, his last recorded words, to Timothy, he speaks as a man who has truly given his all as a slave of Christ Jesus and is looking ahead beyond the final hour of earthly life to the "prize" as he called it, that the "Righteous Judge" will award to me too. Paul had endured some very hard years and many near death experiences and now was ready to hang it up for good.
I'm not THERE yet but my heart and my spirit are prepared for whatever lies ahead. It's all good because of two huge gifts God has already given me - (1) Jesus Christ and his righteousness, (2) the Holy Spirit. With those two indescribably gifts, I am already blessed beyond any words and live free. HALLELUJAH!
For several years now I have been able to actually see the end of my life on this earth. That prospect doesn't frighten me at all because I feel like David when he penned these simple words -
"I love the house where you live, O Lord,
the place where your glory dwells." Psalm 26:8 NIV
Although I cannot say for certain what David was thinking of as God's house, my instincts and knowledge of David's Psalms tend to make me think that for me, that "house" is a place inside my own spirit where I meet with my Father to just talk and listen. I do that daily and guard that place within me with fierce intensity.
Two great servants of Jesus come to mind as I think about the end of my earthly life and how I have had many failures and successes as a slave of Jesus Christ.
"Whoever would love life and see good days must keep his tongue from evil
and his lips from deceitful speech. He must turn from evil and do good; he
must seek peace and pursue it. For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous and
his ears are attentive to their prayer, but the face of the Lord is against
those who do evil." 1 Peter 3:10-12 NIV
Peter quotes David's Psalm 34:12-16 as a lifestyle that will finally receive the blessing of God. Obviously, from the context, there were some Christians, then as now, who spent way too much time trying to "one-up" each other. Doing "good" is a sometime thing that can be easily cancelled by harsh, judgmental words that produce only evil outcomes. I am trying more and more to eliminate that kind of thinking and speaking from my life because we all have "feet of clay" to some extent. If we aren't careful we will tear down more than we will build up. I surely don't want that kind of memory left behind of who I was in God's kingdom.
"I am already being poured out like a drink offering, and the time has come
for my departure. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I
have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness
which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day - and not
only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing." 2 Timothy 4:6-8 NIV
When Paul wrote these, his last recorded words, to Timothy, he speaks as a man who has truly given his all as a slave of Christ Jesus and is looking ahead beyond the final hour of earthly life to the "prize" as he called it, that the "Righteous Judge" will award to me too. Paul had endured some very hard years and many near death experiences and now was ready to hang it up for good.
I'm not THERE yet but my heart and my spirit are prepared for whatever lies ahead. It's all good because of two huge gifts God has already given me - (1) Jesus Christ and his righteousness, (2) the Holy Spirit. With those two indescribably gifts, I am already blessed beyond any words and live free. HALLELUJAH!
Wednesday, July 25, 2012
"A Dead End Life"
Most members of our human family learn the art of deception very early in life. "I don't know how that got broken" or "I didn't do/say that" are some of the favorite lines we learn to use in an attempt to slide past one kind of blunder or another. Unchecked, deception can become a way of life that is like playing a game of dodgeball.
The most tragic form of deception is self deception. One way or another that life of lies always ends badly. Yeah, we maybe can skate by on a few lies to our parents, mates, teachers and even certain kinds of legal requirements and think we've gotten away with the deception, but eventually the lies become too numerous to cover up and one by one the bubbles burst.
"Do not be deceived; God is not mocked, for whatever one sows that will he also reap. For the one who sows to the flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life. And let us not grow weary in doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up." Galatians 6:7-9 ESV
Paul here states an eternal truth that demands to be heard in every generation of the human family -
YOU IGNORE GOD TO YOUR OWN DESTRUCTION!
Since God made us, he fully understands the power of the flesh to take command of our lives. So, like every father who loves his children, God gave us a gift for our own protection, he puts his own Spirit in our hearts to train us for constant battle with our common enemy.
Jesus tagged Satan as a liar from the very beginning and ultimately the father of all lies. The lies we tell ourselves can sometimes be harmless with no destructive intent but if self deception becomes habitual and morphs into a lifestyle, the end wont be good. Any foothold we give to Satan in our life will never be enough for the great deceiver, he will always lead deception to a new place.
God never intended for any of his human family to suffer a corrupt eternity. The gift of his Son to remove our sin and adopt us into his family coupled with putting his Holy Spirit into our hearts to train us in holy living are intended to turn us away from certain destruction. BUT, we must learn to live a committed life as true slaves of Jesus Christ.
This is why we are urged over and over and over to "live by the Spirit" and "pray in the Spirit" because without the Holy Spirit's ministry we can never really know God as "ABBA". So when you feel your spirit becoming weary step back, take a deep breath and pray to the Spirit to arm you for battle. He always will.
HALLELUJAH!
The most tragic form of deception is self deception. One way or another that life of lies always ends badly. Yeah, we maybe can skate by on a few lies to our parents, mates, teachers and even certain kinds of legal requirements and think we've gotten away with the deception, but eventually the lies become too numerous to cover up and one by one the bubbles burst.
"Do not be deceived; God is not mocked, for whatever one sows that will he also reap. For the one who sows to the flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life. And let us not grow weary in doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up." Galatians 6:7-9 ESV
Paul here states an eternal truth that demands to be heard in every generation of the human family -
YOU IGNORE GOD TO YOUR OWN DESTRUCTION!
Since God made us, he fully understands the power of the flesh to take command of our lives. So, like every father who loves his children, God gave us a gift for our own protection, he puts his own Spirit in our hearts to train us for constant battle with our common enemy.
Jesus tagged Satan as a liar from the very beginning and ultimately the father of all lies. The lies we tell ourselves can sometimes be harmless with no destructive intent but if self deception becomes habitual and morphs into a lifestyle, the end wont be good. Any foothold we give to Satan in our life will never be enough for the great deceiver, he will always lead deception to a new place.
God never intended for any of his human family to suffer a corrupt eternity. The gift of his Son to remove our sin and adopt us into his family coupled with putting his Holy Spirit into our hearts to train us in holy living are intended to turn us away from certain destruction. BUT, we must learn to live a committed life as true slaves of Jesus Christ.
This is why we are urged over and over and over to "live by the Spirit" and "pray in the Spirit" because without the Holy Spirit's ministry we can never really know God as "ABBA". So when you feel your spirit becoming weary step back, take a deep breath and pray to the Spirit to arm you for battle. He always will.
HALLELUJAH!
Friday, July 6, 2012
"God's Divine Pledge - A Tribute For Linda Smith"
This afternoon a large, tearful group of family and friends gathered to honor and celebrate her victory over death with a devoted wife, mother, grandmother, sister and unashamed disciple of Jesus, Linda Smith. That may sound kinda odd to some since Linda's embalmed body lay in the casket before us, but as her son and daughters spoke eloquently and reverently of the mother they knew, there can be absolutely no doubt that Linda breathed her last in this world fully assured of what lay ahead. She battled with cancer for months, but her body could finally take no more abuse and her heart just gave out. By all accounts she died as she lived, happy and blessed in the comfort of God's great love. Now that's a victory worth celebrating.
Although it has rarely been my practice to pass judgment on anyone during a funeral service, there is a sense in which praising God for "a life well lived", as the minister said over Linda, is not only appropriate but truly God honoring. These words from the great Apostle Paul seal the deal for such an occasion -
"And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is the deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God's possession - to the praise of his glory" Ephesians 1:13-14 NIV
The purpose of a "seal" was to (1) preserve or secure something intact, and (2) stamp a document or other article with authority, to authenticate it. The "seal" of God for his people is the Holy Spirit who is God's personal pledge that he will give us what he has promised. Paul uses the word "ARRABON", which he borrowed from Hebrew, to affirm God's own guarantee by giving us his Holy Spirit.
Paul made this same affirmation to the Corinthian disciples -
"Now it is God who makes both us (the Jews) and you (the Gentiles) stand firm in Christ. He annointed us, set his seal of ownership on us and put his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit guaranteeing what is to come." 2 Corinthians 1:21 NIV
Just as the king's seal was an unbreakable legal sign, so is God's Spirit to all of us who are in Jesus Christ.
I don't take that to mean we can never do anything to forfeit that promised blessing for that would contradict both common sense and a wealth of the Spirit's teaching in God's word. However it gives me great peace and an unshakeable hope that God will always be working in me through his Spirit to keep me in his place of blessing. Every day I feel that "pledge" at work in my own spirit. These words of Paul are clear to me -
"Those who (by choice) are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God . . . . And by him we cry ABBA, FATHER. The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God's children." Romans 8:14-16 NIV
There is hardly a moment in any day that I am unaware of that reassurance, that special "annointing". Some have used this word to identify only those believers in Jesus who have exhibited some form of miraculous "outpouring". NOT SO! All who are in Jesus have received that "annointing", whose single purpose is the Holy Spirit's own specific testimony in our spirits that God is "ABBA". However, the Spirit always does the will of "ABBA" and that has and still can be demonstrated in a great variety of ways. We are always wise to walk carefully in any area where the Spirit of God is engaged in carrying out the Father's will. What he does or doesn't just may not always fit our comfortable theology. But, the assurance of God's pledge through his Spirit is always a daily reality.
So, go on sister Linda Smith, and spread the same joy among your new family of God exactly as you did here on earth with everyone who ever got close enough to you to catch your infectious joy of just being a child of ABBA. We loved you and that wont change just because we cant see you and hear you sing with joy to Lord. We are praising HIM for sharing his own heart with all of us through your joy. HALLELUJAH!
Although it has rarely been my practice to pass judgment on anyone during a funeral service, there is a sense in which praising God for "a life well lived", as the minister said over Linda, is not only appropriate but truly God honoring. These words from the great Apostle Paul seal the deal for such an occasion -
"And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is the deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God's possession - to the praise of his glory" Ephesians 1:13-14 NIV
The purpose of a "seal" was to (1) preserve or secure something intact, and (2) stamp a document or other article with authority, to authenticate it. The "seal" of God for his people is the Holy Spirit who is God's personal pledge that he will give us what he has promised. Paul uses the word "ARRABON", which he borrowed from Hebrew, to affirm God's own guarantee by giving us his Holy Spirit.
Paul made this same affirmation to the Corinthian disciples -
"Now it is God who makes both us (the Jews) and you (the Gentiles) stand firm in Christ. He annointed us, set his seal of ownership on us and put his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit guaranteeing what is to come." 2 Corinthians 1:21 NIV
Just as the king's seal was an unbreakable legal sign, so is God's Spirit to all of us who are in Jesus Christ.
I don't take that to mean we can never do anything to forfeit that promised blessing for that would contradict both common sense and a wealth of the Spirit's teaching in God's word. However it gives me great peace and an unshakeable hope that God will always be working in me through his Spirit to keep me in his place of blessing. Every day I feel that "pledge" at work in my own spirit. These words of Paul are clear to me -
"Those who (by choice) are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God . . . . And by him we cry ABBA, FATHER. The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God's children." Romans 8:14-16 NIV
There is hardly a moment in any day that I am unaware of that reassurance, that special "annointing". Some have used this word to identify only those believers in Jesus who have exhibited some form of miraculous "outpouring". NOT SO! All who are in Jesus have received that "annointing", whose single purpose is the Holy Spirit's own specific testimony in our spirits that God is "ABBA". However, the Spirit always does the will of "ABBA" and that has and still can be demonstrated in a great variety of ways. We are always wise to walk carefully in any area where the Spirit of God is engaged in carrying out the Father's will. What he does or doesn't just may not always fit our comfortable theology. But, the assurance of God's pledge through his Spirit is always a daily reality.
So, go on sister Linda Smith, and spread the same joy among your new family of God exactly as you did here on earth with everyone who ever got close enough to you to catch your infectious joy of just being a child of ABBA. We loved you and that wont change just because we cant see you and hear you sing with joy to Lord. We are praising HIM for sharing his own heart with all of us through your joy. HALLELUJAH!
Wednesday, July 4, 2012
"Does America Still Inspire You?"
On this Independence Day I suppose it was appropriate that I started thinking during my bike ride this morning about this question, "DOES AMERICA STILL INSPIRE ME?" The more I thought about it , the more I began to recall specific inspirational moments that I have had over the years. But then I also began to think about all the garbage that gets carelessly tossed around that seems to significantly clutter the landscape and in some cases even alters it forever.
I'm not much impressed with all the political garbage that I see and hear tossed into our landscape. For me, for the time being at least, politics is an exercise in futility because after hearing all the negative rhetoric during the Republican primaries, I find it very difficult to believe any of them. And its probably only going to get worse as we wind down toward the November election. I am certainly not inspired to run out to vote but I know I will because I deeply appreciate the opportunity to do so.
I've not lived a really long time but I guess 70 years isn't exactly a newcomer either. I have lived long enough to see so much that is disappointing and sometimes disheartening to me as an American. And I can see no positive reason to air all that out and further contaminate my own back yard. So, I'm back to my original question, "DOES AMERICA STILL INSPIRE ME?"
Our English word "inspire" is of Latin derivation and it means to "to influence, to prompt, as creative action or thought; to stir or animate; to cause or arouse as thought or feeling." In New Testament Greek the word "inspiro" means "God breathed or breathed out by God." Now there's a definition I can really sink my teeth into. I may be over-reaching a bit here, but I think in some way God may be behind virtually all true inspiration. We know that is true of the Scriptures and we know it is true of many people who were inspired/prompted by Him to take radical action. I'm not saying that God causes every action or thought of every person who has ever been aroused to do whatever. What I do believe is that in some truly pure way, INSPIRATION is a an act of God.
I vividly recall my first morning after I arrived at Great Lakes Naval Training Center in 1960 to begin my career as a newly minted sailor. That first morning was a shocker. We were up at 5:00 am, showered, shaved and dressed by 5:45 to march to the mess hall for breakfast. I went through the chow line, carried my two boiled eggs, baked navy beans and cornbread to sit with my unit and was struck with the reality that I couldn't go home and put my feet under my mom's table. During the night I had heard a few guys crying in the dark and it made me sad for them. Now, as I sat looking at this very strange breakfast, I began to wonder if I had made a huge mistake. Then in a sudden burst of "inspiration" I realized that I was not the first guy to sit in the very seat I now occupied and if they could make it, I could too. That got me through boot camp.
When I was eventually assigned to the USS MT MCKINLEY (AGC 7), I went through much the same deal as I stood there at Pier 4 in Norfolk, Va with my seabag lying on the dock at my feet. I had never seen a ship close up before and it was a bit unnerving for a country boy from the Kentucky backwoods. But I looked up at the American flag flying from the mast and it just seemed to comfort me and reassure me that I will be just fine. And I was.
A few years ago we drove from Dallas to Orlando for a vacation with our kids. After spending the night in Mobile, Al we decided to visit Battleship Park to see the USS ALABAMA (BB-60) before continuing our trip to Florida. I took Gabe and Alyssa down to the galley of that special monument and we sat at the tables where the sailors ate all their meals. I told them to appreciate that they aren't the first two people who ever sat on those little round stools, holding their metal trays with their thumbs folded over the lip of the tray to keep it from sliding off into the floor. It was an "inspiring" moment for me and I hope for them too.
I am inspired by the Wounded Warriors who struggle to re-invent their lives and try to put their lives back together in some reasonable way. I am inspired every year on 9/11 by remembering that night in San Antonio, Texas with thousands of other Americans gathered at the Mercado where 8 blood mobiles were lined up to accommodate the tens of thousands who had shown up to give blood. I am inspired by the millions of people of all ages who do great things for the good of others. Wow, I could go on and on.
"DOES AMERICA STILL INSPIRE ME?" ABSOLUTELY, RIGHT TO THE CORE OF MY BEING!
We Americans are a strange mixture of backgrounds, expectations, nationalities and social, political and religious persuasions. We live on small family farms and ranches, in big city high rise apartments, sprawling estates, senior citizen homes etc., but when the absolute necessity arises, we are always ONE.
So, keep on speaking your own mind on any issue you choose to address and allow your neighbor to do the same without angry threats. Please don't allow the preachers, politicians and news pundits poison what is good about America in your own spirit. If I've learned anything worthwhile in my 70 years, it is this - PEOPLE ARE NEVER THE ENEMY but make no mistake we are threatened every day by an enemy that has already been defeated. Jesus took care of that for all of us and that's finally what really matters. At least, that's how I feel about it. HALLELUJAH!
I'm not much impressed with all the political garbage that I see and hear tossed into our landscape. For me, for the time being at least, politics is an exercise in futility because after hearing all the negative rhetoric during the Republican primaries, I find it very difficult to believe any of them. And its probably only going to get worse as we wind down toward the November election. I am certainly not inspired to run out to vote but I know I will because I deeply appreciate the opportunity to do so.
I've not lived a really long time but I guess 70 years isn't exactly a newcomer either. I have lived long enough to see so much that is disappointing and sometimes disheartening to me as an American. And I can see no positive reason to air all that out and further contaminate my own back yard. So, I'm back to my original question, "DOES AMERICA STILL INSPIRE ME?"
Our English word "inspire" is of Latin derivation and it means to "to influence, to prompt, as creative action or thought; to stir or animate; to cause or arouse as thought or feeling." In New Testament Greek the word "inspiro" means "God breathed or breathed out by God." Now there's a definition I can really sink my teeth into. I may be over-reaching a bit here, but I think in some way God may be behind virtually all true inspiration. We know that is true of the Scriptures and we know it is true of many people who were inspired/prompted by Him to take radical action. I'm not saying that God causes every action or thought of every person who has ever been aroused to do whatever. What I do believe is that in some truly pure way, INSPIRATION is a an act of God.
I vividly recall my first morning after I arrived at Great Lakes Naval Training Center in 1960 to begin my career as a newly minted sailor. That first morning was a shocker. We were up at 5:00 am, showered, shaved and dressed by 5:45 to march to the mess hall for breakfast. I went through the chow line, carried my two boiled eggs, baked navy beans and cornbread to sit with my unit and was struck with the reality that I couldn't go home and put my feet under my mom's table. During the night I had heard a few guys crying in the dark and it made me sad for them. Now, as I sat looking at this very strange breakfast, I began to wonder if I had made a huge mistake. Then in a sudden burst of "inspiration" I realized that I was not the first guy to sit in the very seat I now occupied and if they could make it, I could too. That got me through boot camp.
When I was eventually assigned to the USS MT MCKINLEY (AGC 7), I went through much the same deal as I stood there at Pier 4 in Norfolk, Va with my seabag lying on the dock at my feet. I had never seen a ship close up before and it was a bit unnerving for a country boy from the Kentucky backwoods. But I looked up at the American flag flying from the mast and it just seemed to comfort me and reassure me that I will be just fine. And I was.
A few years ago we drove from Dallas to Orlando for a vacation with our kids. After spending the night in Mobile, Al we decided to visit Battleship Park to see the USS ALABAMA (BB-60) before continuing our trip to Florida. I took Gabe and Alyssa down to the galley of that special monument and we sat at the tables where the sailors ate all their meals. I told them to appreciate that they aren't the first two people who ever sat on those little round stools, holding their metal trays with their thumbs folded over the lip of the tray to keep it from sliding off into the floor. It was an "inspiring" moment for me and I hope for them too.
I am inspired by the Wounded Warriors who struggle to re-invent their lives and try to put their lives back together in some reasonable way. I am inspired every year on 9/11 by remembering that night in San Antonio, Texas with thousands of other Americans gathered at the Mercado where 8 blood mobiles were lined up to accommodate the tens of thousands who had shown up to give blood. I am inspired by the millions of people of all ages who do great things for the good of others. Wow, I could go on and on.
"DOES AMERICA STILL INSPIRE ME?" ABSOLUTELY, RIGHT TO THE CORE OF MY BEING!
We Americans are a strange mixture of backgrounds, expectations, nationalities and social, political and religious persuasions. We live on small family farms and ranches, in big city high rise apartments, sprawling estates, senior citizen homes etc., but when the absolute necessity arises, we are always ONE.
So, keep on speaking your own mind on any issue you choose to address and allow your neighbor to do the same without angry threats. Please don't allow the preachers, politicians and news pundits poison what is good about America in your own spirit. If I've learned anything worthwhile in my 70 years, it is this - PEOPLE ARE NEVER THE ENEMY but make no mistake we are threatened every day by an enemy that has already been defeated. Jesus took care of that for all of us and that's finally what really matters. At least, that's how I feel about it. HALLELUJAH!
Monday, June 25, 2012
"Gay Marriage? Really?"
Over the years I have had many conversations and some very intense counseling sessions with Christians and unbelievers about homosexuality. In my early years I fear much of my teaching and counseling, although Bible based, built more walls than helpful dialogue with some people. In my experience, quoting scripture to win an argument really doesn't because virtually all people will hold on to what they perceive to be true for them.
Every gay person I have ever known quotes from what I call the "gay commentary", their own interpretation of God's word. Without fail, they either begin with or at some point get around to the assumption that "God made me this way". All the research I have seen, even some as recent as the last few years, has failed to find any "genetic" link that is supposed to prove God's own hand in directly causing people to possess at birth some kind of divine mandate that makes them pursue same sex tendencies. But, I feel certain that research will continue to be very high on someone's list of priorities.
Admittedly, there is much more that I don't know than the little I do know. I have no professional degrees in psychology or psychiatry and the majority of my friends and acquaintances are not gay or bisexual. However, I am not totally ignorant on this subject. The Holy Spirit has given me a pretty thorough education on the subject of "sin" and even as much as I know some people abhor that word, we all must admit that God is very serious in his judgment concerning sin, all sin. Here are the Holy Spirit's words -
"Do you not know the unrighteous (ungodly, wicked lifestyle) shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither fornicators, not idolators, nor effeminate (generally men who dress like women) nor homosexuals, nor thieves, nor the covetous, nor drunkards, nor slanderers, nor swindlers shall inherit the kingdom of God. And, such were some of you but you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God." 1 Corinthians 6:9-11 NASB
Deception is simply believing, assuming something to be true or right which cannot be supported with credible evidence. Obviously, the Holy Spirit did not know that certain people are "born" with a genetic disposition or even, in some cases, a physical condition that was engineered into their DNA by God himself. Paul says, the "Spirit of our God" washed, sanctified and justified them with the same blood of Jesus as the idolators, fornicators, swindlers etc. with the intention of taking all of the "unrighteous" to a more God honoring lifestyle. He later emphasized his point -
"Flee immorality.......or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God and that you are not your own? For you have been bought with a price; therefore glorify God with your body." 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 NASB
The gay explosion I have witnessed in my lifetime is a disturbing reality. I would never try to explain it because I am not gay, have not had those kind of temptations and do not live in their skin. However I feel divinely compelled to affirm that God condemns all sin the in same way and for the same reason -- it ignores his sovereign love in order to live a self-willed lifestyle. That kind of attitude refuses to hear the voice of God and the training of his Spirit. It treats the sacrifice of Jesus as something to be despised and ridiculed.
From purely a Bible perspective, the idea of "gay marriage" is nowhere held out to the human family as a viable alternative to what God has forever ordained. There is no way to make the words of God assume that a man can ever serve him as someone's "wife" any more than an idolator can bow down daily before some man made statue and call it "god". In both cases, God has already clearly defined those words from his own perspective and passing laws to legitimize or legalize "gay marriage" wont make it so, at least not to God.
Paul pleaded with the Christians in Corinth to leave all that in the past, change their lifestyle and glorify God with their bodies. His words still stand today whether it be in Washington, New York, Los Angeles, Paris, or Gun Barrel City, Texas. Doing so probably wasn't easy for those Corinthians, and I have no intention of trivializing what for many is obviously an enormous life challenge. Confronting our sin, especially those things we are so easily tempted by, is never simple. But with the Spirit's training and assistance, we can all get there.
I wont answer for you, but for me that is just a huge HALLELUJAH!
Every gay person I have ever known quotes from what I call the "gay commentary", their own interpretation of God's word. Without fail, they either begin with or at some point get around to the assumption that "God made me this way". All the research I have seen, even some as recent as the last few years, has failed to find any "genetic" link that is supposed to prove God's own hand in directly causing people to possess at birth some kind of divine mandate that makes them pursue same sex tendencies. But, I feel certain that research will continue to be very high on someone's list of priorities.
Admittedly, there is much more that I don't know than the little I do know. I have no professional degrees in psychology or psychiatry and the majority of my friends and acquaintances are not gay or bisexual. However, I am not totally ignorant on this subject. The Holy Spirit has given me a pretty thorough education on the subject of "sin" and even as much as I know some people abhor that word, we all must admit that God is very serious in his judgment concerning sin, all sin. Here are the Holy Spirit's words -
"Do you not know the unrighteous (ungodly, wicked lifestyle) shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither fornicators, not idolators, nor effeminate (generally men who dress like women) nor homosexuals, nor thieves, nor the covetous, nor drunkards, nor slanderers, nor swindlers shall inherit the kingdom of God. And, such were some of you but you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God." 1 Corinthians 6:9-11 NASB
Deception is simply believing, assuming something to be true or right which cannot be supported with credible evidence. Obviously, the Holy Spirit did not know that certain people are "born" with a genetic disposition or even, in some cases, a physical condition that was engineered into their DNA by God himself. Paul says, the "Spirit of our God" washed, sanctified and justified them with the same blood of Jesus as the idolators, fornicators, swindlers etc. with the intention of taking all of the "unrighteous" to a more God honoring lifestyle. He later emphasized his point -
"Flee immorality.......or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God and that you are not your own? For you have been bought with a price; therefore glorify God with your body." 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 NASB
The gay explosion I have witnessed in my lifetime is a disturbing reality. I would never try to explain it because I am not gay, have not had those kind of temptations and do not live in their skin. However I feel divinely compelled to affirm that God condemns all sin the in same way and for the same reason -- it ignores his sovereign love in order to live a self-willed lifestyle. That kind of attitude refuses to hear the voice of God and the training of his Spirit. It treats the sacrifice of Jesus as something to be despised and ridiculed.
From purely a Bible perspective, the idea of "gay marriage" is nowhere held out to the human family as a viable alternative to what God has forever ordained. There is no way to make the words of God assume that a man can ever serve him as someone's "wife" any more than an idolator can bow down daily before some man made statue and call it "god". In both cases, God has already clearly defined those words from his own perspective and passing laws to legitimize or legalize "gay marriage" wont make it so, at least not to God.
Paul pleaded with the Christians in Corinth to leave all that in the past, change their lifestyle and glorify God with their bodies. His words still stand today whether it be in Washington, New York, Los Angeles, Paris, or Gun Barrel City, Texas. Doing so probably wasn't easy for those Corinthians, and I have no intention of trivializing what for many is obviously an enormous life challenge. Confronting our sin, especially those things we are so easily tempted by, is never simple. But with the Spirit's training and assistance, we can all get there.
I wont answer for you, but for me that is just a huge HALLELUJAH!
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