Parker and Bryan, Old Quebec

Longfellow memorialized them in his sad poem, Evangeline. 

This is the forest primeval; but where are the hearts that beneath it
Leaped like roe, when he hears in the wooodland the voice of the huntsman?
Where is the thatch-roofed village, the home of Acadian farmers,
Men whose lives glided on like rivers that water the woodlands,
Darkened by shadows of earth, but reflecting an image of heaven?
Waste are those pleasant farms, and the farmers for ever departed!
Scattered like dust and leaves, when the mighty blasts of October
Seize them, and whirl them aloft, and sprinkle them far o'er the ocean
Nought but tradition remains of the beautiful village of Grand Pre."

(Parker and Bryan, Old Quebec.  London: McMillan, 1903. pp. 203-204)
These Frenchmen who inhabited the British owned peninsula now known as Nova Scotia did not want to be under the dominion of the British Empire.  After years of rebellion against them, in 1755 King George sent imperial soldiers to cities like Grand Pre to expel them from their lands and homes.  Apparently, the soldiers found the task very unpleasant.  Those who pledged their allegiance to the crown could stay.  Many escaped deportation and the "oath of subjection," fleeing to Quebec.  This French city had encouraged the Acadians rebellion, but now refused to take them in and care for them.  According to the archives of Nova Scotia, the Acadians who fled for refuge to Quebec were met with neglect and inhospitality.  A chronicler wrote,
    In vain they asked that the promises they had received should be kept, and they pleaded the sacrifices they had made for France. All was useless. The former  necessity for their services had passed away. They were looked upon as a troublesome people, and if they received assistance they were made to feel that it was only granted out of pity. They were almost reduced to die of famine. The little food they obtained, its bad quality, their natural want of cleanliness, their grief, and their idleness    caused the death of many. They were forced to eat boiled leather during the greater part of the winter, and to wait for spring in the hope that their condition would be bettered. On     this point they were deceived (ibid.).
They were forced to scavenge for food in the gutter and their lowered living standards left them vulnerable to a smallpox epidemic that wiped out entire families.
When we read of how Quebec treated those Acadians who fled to them for help, we are reminded of man's inhumanity to man--even his own kinsmen.  But, we are also reminded of the blessing we have in coming to Jesus.  After pointing out the impossibility of God lying, he speaks of those of us "who have taken refuge would have strong encouragement to take hold of the hope set before us" (Heb. 6:18).  This is a sure and steadfast hope (Heb. 6:19). God desires for us to be assured about the safety He provides (Heb. 6:17). Indeed, it anchors the soul.
When we flee from our sin to come to God, He will not reject, neglect, or deflect us. He will not disown us.  What He promises, He will abundantly provide.  That is true and trustworthy.

 

Neal Pollard

William Shenstone

Anger is a great force. If you control it, it can be transmuted into a power which can move the whole world."

William Shenstone, English poet and one of the earliest practitioners of landscape gardening (1714-1763)

 

Howard Thurman

"Don't ask what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive, and go do it. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive."

Howard Thurman, American theologian and civil rights leader (1899-1981)

 

Exodus 19:18

We had heard the evening before that fires were burning in the woods surrounding my mother's house in Southeastern Kentucky, but it seemed that all was under control. When I learned the next morning how close those fires had come and how shaken she was, I cleared my schedule and rushed over. My sister also went, prepared to spend a couple of days.

 

Thankfully none of my mother's property was damaged, though forty feet from her house the woods were scorched. Dedicated and caring firefighters went the extra mile to make sure she was never in imminent danger.

 

As I drove away that afternoon, I saw smoke rising from many spots on Pine Mountain. Though I could not see the flames, I knew they were there and that they were consuming whatever lay in their path. We take for granted those who fight fires until it threatens us or those we love.

 

Incidents like these help us understand the reaction of the people of Israel as they gathered to hear God pronounce laws for their new nation. Exodus 19:18 describes the scene: "Now Mount Sinai was completely in smoke, because the Lord descended upon it in fire. Its smoke ascended like the smoke of a furnace, and the whole mountain quaked greatly."

 

The Israelites reacted as any of us probably would: "... when the people saw it, they trembled and stood afar off. Then they said to Moses, 'You speak with us, and we will hear; but let not God speak with us, lest we die" (Exodus 20:18,19).

 

The fears of the people were legitimate. As Moses later warned the people against turning from God to serve idols, he reminded them of God's powerful wrath: "For the Lord your God is a consuming fire, a jealous God'" (Deuteronomy 4:24).

 

There are many views of God, depending on whom you consult. Some see Him as a kindly old grandfather who would never speak a cross word. Others view Him as a stern "hanging judge" who doesn't have time to consider the details of our case. Some argue that God isn't even around anymore; He has wondered off to attend to other business.

 

Shouldn't our view of God be formed by what He has revealed about Himself?

 

An inspired author, writing hundreds of years after that encounter at Mt. Sinai, reminded his readers of the fact that "our God is a consuming fire", recalling details of the burning mountain (Hebrews 12:29). But we can have a different perspective of God, he wrote. "But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, to an innumerable company of angels ... to Jesus the Mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling that speaks better things than that of Abel" (Hebrews 12:22,24).

 

There is good reason to tremble at the thought of the wrathful God. But those who come to God through His Son Jesus Christ don't have to be terrified. They can see through the ascending smoke that God is their heavenly Father. How will you choose to approach God?

 

Timothy D. Hall

Howard Dean

"From a religious point of view, if God had thought homosexuality is a sin, he would not have created gay people."

Howard Dean, American politician (1948- )

 

José Saramago

"Some people spend their entire lives reading but never get beyond reading the words on the page, they don't understand that the words are merely stepping stones placed across a fast-flowing river, and the reason they're there is so that we can reach the farther shore, it's the other side that matters."

José Saramago, Portugese novelist (1922-2010)

 

The church is growing weaker

 

In a recent article, Tom Wacaster said a lady asked him, "How long do you think God is going to wait before He renders judgment upon this nation?"  He replied, "I am convinced that He is already bringing judgment upon the United States; unfortunately, the multitude of our political and religious leaders cannot see that it has already begun."

            Tragically, at the precise moment in our nation's history when this society needs the Lord's church so desperately, the church steadily grows weaker.  This is because in many areas it seems the church has lost sight of its eternal purpose. Many congregations seems to think that the mission of the church is to administer to their own physical needs, as well as the physical needs of those around us.  Have we lost sight of what constitutes Biblical authority? More importantly, do we even care?  Churches panic at the decreasing membership so they offer cheap meals to get people to come on Wednesdays; offer "giveaways,"  "drawings," "door-prizes,"  "aerobic and pottery classes,"  "Fun Daze,"  "Super Sundays,"  and just about anything else to try and entice people into some sort of an association with the church.

    It appears that most programs in the church today are designed, not to improve the spiritual man, but to address the needs/desires of the physical man.  The result is a path to self destruction. As churches turn their attention to the worldly needs/desires of its members, they will eventually lose their identity and fellowship with the One who is not of this world.   The Bible will become less important, evangelism will go by the wayside, and the congregation will be reduced to nothing more than some kind of social institution topped with religious syrup.  As we abandon God's Word,  we are abandoning God. In other words, "Stay Hungry." (Matt. 5:6) – Toby Miller

dancing under the gallows

                    "We didn't know it, but we were dancing under the gallows."

                                    (Words spoken by a Nazi "death camp" survivor)

I found the above statement, spoken by a woman who survived the Nazi death camps of WW2 to be fascinating. As I thought about those words I was reminded of a famous sermon preached by Jonathon Edwards ("Sinners in the hand of an angry God") way back in 1741 in Enfield, Conn. And, no, I wasn't present in the audience at the time. I've only read it and it's certainly one that fits the old "fire and brimstone" category. But, more about this later.....

I've mentioned this before, and I believe it to be true of most writers, that I find it interesting as to what inspires me to write the things, the lessons, that I do. I don't know how to explain it, but I see or hear something and before long, thoughts start congregating in my head and I see a way of connecting them into a spiritual lesson. I have no idea how this works and sometimes I'm not sure that the thoughts in my head successfully transfers to my fingers but, I try and I'm going to try again today.

What kicked my thoughts into gear for this lesson is a simple thing. I saw an ad for an art school the other day and immediately recalled two things related to art that I had seen before and, as previously stated, the editorial juices began flowing. I'll start this lesson by the use of two little stories about some artists.

Our first story is about a failed artist. I guess you could call him a "wanta-be" artist, but never made the grade. He wanted to be an artist so bad that he applied to the famous "Academy of Fine Art" in Vienna, Austria TWICE and failed the entrance exam both times. The reason given was, that he lacked academic skills. I just wonder what history might have been had he possessed the necessary skills to enroll.

The second story is relative to our beginning "dancing under the gallows" statement spoken by the death camp survivor. I heard it spoken while watching the story of a 106 year old woman named Alice Herz-Sommer, who is the oldest living death camp survivor. She lives in London, England and still plays classical music on her piano. It's because of her musical artistry that she survived the German prison camps. Very briefly, here is her story:

When Germany invaded her native country of Poland, she and several million others were imprisoned in concentration camps. Because she was a professional musician, a concert pianist, she was assigned to a camp housing other artists. It seemed that the main purpose for this particular camp was to provide entertainment for the Germans so they were allowed to continue playing, dancing, singing.....whatever their individual talents consisted of and their audience was their German captors.

However, they were not to stay at this camp for the duration of the war, they were transferred to the infamous Auschwitz death camp and, here again, because they were "artists," and could entertain, not all of them were put to death. It was while here at Auschwitz that the statement was made by another of the women artists, a friend of Alice's, that they were "dancing under the gallows." What a tremendous statement that is. What a great picture it paints in our minds.

Now I'm going to try and connect these two stories with the earlier mentioned sermon, "Sinners in the hand of an angry God." The scriptural basis for this sermon was a phrase found in Deut. 32:35 "....their foot shall slide in due time..." The entire sermon is a picture of the "divine justice" of God. It's the most graphic picture of the situation of sinners and evil-doers that I've ever read. Allow me to try and present you a very brief overview of this picture.

The picture is of an evil-doer hanging by a mere thread over the "fiery pits of hell" with an angry God, a "God of wrath" holding His mighty sword in His hand aimed at this thread. The sermon is designed to show how precarious a situation the unrepentant sinners/evil-doers are always in with the idea that death in that condition can bring about the slash of the sword and the parting of the thread. The sermon goes on to say that "it's only the hand of arbitrary mercy and God's mere will that holds it (the sword) back."

What a picture of the predicament a person can find themselves in. Here's a thought question: Do you think that man really sees himself in that precarious of a condition? In my opinion, I don't think so. I think that many people think that God is a "God of love" (2Cor. 13:11) and He certainly is that but, He is also a "God of wrath" (Psa. 78:31) but, above all else, He is a "just God." (Isa. 45:21)

The aim of the sermon is to show that mortal man's eternal life hangs in a precarious position, by a slender thread over the fires of hell, and that there is only one possible way of appeasing the "divine wrath" of the "just God." In the words of the sermon, the one and only deliverance from this terrible situation "is contained in the covenant of grace, the promises given in Christ." That it is only the being "in Christ" that provides salvation from the eternal fires of hell.

And think about this, there will come a time in everyone's life that the "thread" will be parted. That the "silver cord will be loosed." If that parting occurs while a person is an unrepentant sinner, an evil-doer, there will be only one place to drop. There's a verse that also speaks to the precarious position man needs to see himself in and that's found in 1Pet. 4:18 and it reads there: "And if the righteous scarcely be saved, where shall the ungodly and the sinner appear."

Let's see if I can bring this all together in a comprehensible closing. In my mind I see the survivors of the Nazi concentration camps as representative of the "righteous" of the world, in that, percentage-wise, few will be saved. I see them as "scarcely" saved from the hell of the death camps.

That the Nazi's represent the sinners and evil-doers of the world and history shows us that their "foot did slide in due time." That there is a place prepared "for the devil and his angels (Mt. 25:41)" and the architect of those death camps and his henchmen certainly fit in that category of evil-doers.

I see one other connection, one other picture here. I see a lot of people "dancing under the gallows" in a manner suggesting that they are not really aware of their actual situation. Not really aware of the precariousness of their lives.

And this brings us back to the little story about our first artist. It may not have seemed like our two artist stories had any connection, but in a real and horrible way, they do. Our "failed artist." The one that lacked academic skills and could not pass the test to get into the famous art school was none other than "the architect" of those Nazi concentration/death camps  -  Adolf Hitler.

Ron Covey

　

　

　

　

Lucretia Mott

"We too often bind ourselves by authorities rather than by the truth."

Lucretia Mott, American abolitionist and reformer (1793-1880)

 

Jesus loves me this I know, for the bible tells me so

Facebook is an interesting concept, so much so that they recently made a
movie about it. There are hundreds of thousands of people who are now
"Facebook addicts." I have several friends and relatives who admit that they
are addicted to this new media of information and interaction. I check the
site almost everyday simply to see what is happening in the lives of our
family and friend, though I rarely write anything.

This week as I was scanning the entries I noticed a post from my niece Becky
from Arizona that said simply, "If you're reading this, I love you." That
message has stayed with me all week, bouncing around in my brain, bringing
me countless applications to life.

Because of my writings I get notes occasionally from people who feel that no
one cares or no one loves them. As I thought about that simple post I
wondered how many people in our world need to hear those words. How many
people were feeling lost and alone and unloved!

As I thought about those words it came to me that God had written them in
the original "face to face book," the Bible from the beginning of time,
that's is the theme of the book, "If you're reading this, I love you! That
is the message of God seen through the life and death of Jesus. That's why
John declares that "God so loved the world that he gave his only son." This
is the message of Romans 5:8 where the Apostle Paul wrote: "But God showed
his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still
sinners." (NLT)

So if you have ever felt unloved and if you are reading this, know you are
loved! I could say that I love you, but you are loved by not just some
mortal man or woman, but by the Creator and Sustainer of the Universe, our
God!

The old hymn proclaims, "Jesus loves me this I know, for the bible tells me
so." Do you believe it?

Russ Lawson

Bram Stoker

"How blessed are some people, whose lives have no fears, no dreads; to whom sleep is a blessing that comes nightly, and brings nothing but sweet dreams."

Bram Stoker, Irish novelist and short story writer best known for his 1897 Gothic novel Dracula (1847-1912)

 

Archiving beloved family photos

"Preserving The Image"

 

Pop quiz!! If you suddenly realized your house was on fire, what would you most want to save? That's a question most of us don't want to consider, but many would say "My family photos or videos". Many things can be replaced with the insurance settlement: furniture, appliances, dishes, etc. But how do you replace those treasured pictures of your ancestors?

 

We may never have to deal with a fire, but have you looked at those old photos lately? Fire is not the only threat they face. Images fade with time, and exposure to sunlight (even inside most picture frames) only hastens that process. Time is a slower method of loss than fire, but just as certain.

 

For the past four or five years I've been working (off and on) on archiving our beloved family photos. Our children were raised during the age of film and we have a good many albums of our precious little ones. Using a scanner and a computer, I've slowly gone through the albums and digitized each snapshot. I've then made copies of those digital images so if my copies are destroyed someone else will have them. Digital images are more likely to survive the ravages of time.

 

I can't begin to estimate the number of hours I've spent archiving photos from my own and my mother's collection. The assurance I have, though, of my grandchildren being able to enjoy these family keepsakes makes it all worthwhile.

 

A passage in the Bible that has been powerful in my life is 2 Corinthians 3:18: "But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord." To do that passage justice would require more room than I devote for these devotionals. Let me quickly summarize, however, what Paul means.

 

The "mirror" of which Paul speaks refers to the word of God. James makes that clear in James 1:23,24. The only way I can truly "see" myself as God sees me is to come to the Bible and hear what He has said. It's also the only reliable source of information about Jesus, the Savior of mankind. I must come to this Book often to really see Jesus.

 

The more I present myself before this Book, according to Paul, the more I'll be "transformed into the same image". What "image" does Paul mean? The image of the glory of the Lord. God's word can create change in my life. It can transform me from the weak and vile person that I may be into one who is more like Jesus Christ!

 

Does an old book really have such power to transform? If it's God's word, yes! "For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart" (Hebrews 4:12). The Bible is much more than words-on-a-page. It lives!

 

Attaining the image of Christ in my life should be my number one goal. And preserving that image in the face of life's temptations and struggles is equally vital. When His image fills my life, I know God is pleased with me.

 

Timothy D. Hall

six things the LORD hates

I AM NO political activist, and I was in no small way annoyed and worn out by the political phone calls and ads...  

 

Yet, there was an amendment on the Colorado ballot that did have my undivided attention.  It was simply called "Amendment 62," an amendment to our state constitution recognizing the independent "personhood" of the unborn child.  By an overwhelming 7 to 3 ratio, our state's voters denied that amendment.

 

There are many reasons to recognize the personhood of the unborn child.  The child has its own unique DNA, fingerprints, blood type, many times is even of a different gender, and is distinctly identified as a human being.  The child develops early and rapidly, having blood vessels form in the third week after conception, eyes and the beginning of esophagus, gallbladder, liver, lungs, pancreas, pharynx, stomach and trachea form in the fourth week. The face of the child begins to look human by week five, and the heart begins beating around the same time. The brain of the child can sense smell by day 35.  The beginning of the toes are evident by day 42.  Consider that all of these developments are occurring before or around the time a woman discovers she is pregnant (cf.http://sfuhl.org/).  The most compelling reason requires a belief both in God and scripture, which not only gives us our moral bearing regarding life and love of children but also gives us God's view of the unborn child.

 

The Bible tells us that God knew the unborn child even before He formed the child in the womb (Isa. 44:1-2; Jer. 1:4-5).  It further states the love and relationship God has with the unborn child (Ps. 22:9-10; 139:13-16).  In Luke 1:39-44, Elizabeth recognizes the personhood both of the unborn child in her own womb and that in Mary's womb.  If Mary had been pro-choice and had sought to exercise that choice to abort (and why would a pro-choice Christian deny her that "right"?), the world's only Savior would not have been born.

 

The greater concern here is the collective callus on the heart of a nation.  For just short of four full decades, we have legally sanctioned the killing of unborn children.  With the practice now entering a third generation of legal and societal acceptance, I am very concerned about the conscience of an entire culture.

 

There is an incredible website out there called www.physiciansforlife.org, a voice for medical professionals against the horrific practice of abortion.  On the site, they say, "How ironic that the 'love' generation should spawn such a culturally accepted abomination as abortion."  The site is filled with studies and data about the health risks and problems for the mother who makes this choice as well as an endless amount of statistics and research on the matter.

 

Our task is great.  It begins with our valuing all human life and the eternal implication residing in every person.  This deserves our prayers and our concern.  If we will be more aggressive in teaching the gospel to the lost, we stand a better chance to reach the heart of a nation hardened by years of choosing evil rather than good on this matter.  May God grant our nation a softened heart and may He bless us all, including those unborn who simply want to live.  Neal Pollard /

 

16 These six things the LORD hates, yes, seven are an abomination to Him: 17 a proud look, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood."  Proverbs 6:16-17

 

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Ryan O'Rourke

"Opinions are like noses: Everybody has one...you pick yours and I'll pick mine."

Ryan O'Rourke, Irish-American evangelist and missionary to the Republic of Ireland (1978- )