Harry S. Truman was the 33rd President of the United States

Messages of Love

Harry S. Truman was the 33rd President of the United States. He was married to the love of his life,
Bess, for 53 years.  Their relationship is a beautiful story of love.

Harry and Bess knew one another as children in Independence, Missouri.  Harry claimed that it was
love at first sight.  He was six-years-old at the time.  "I saw a beautiful curly haired girl
there," Truman would later recall.  "I thought (and still think) she was the most beautiful girl I
ever saw.  She had tanned skin, blond hair, golden as sunshine, and the most beautiful eyes I've
ever seen or ever will see."

Bess and Harry attended the same school from the fifth grade up until their graduation from high
school in 1901, reports Megan Gambino.  During that time, she largely snubbed his advances, except
for the "big days," as Truman called them, when she let him carry her books.  After high school,
Harry moved away and worked on his family's farm.

In 1910, Harry visited some cousins in Independence.  His aunt asked him to return an empty cake
dish to her neighbor.  Her neighbor was Bess' mother.  When Truman knocked, Bess answered the door. 
That's when the relationship began to take off.

Harry would travel to visit Bess whenever he could, but beginning December 10, 1910, he wrote his
first of many letters to Bess.  Gambino reports that in one of those letters, dated June 22, 1911,
Truman rather impetuously asked for Bess' hand in marriage.  Writing about a drought that Missouri
was suffering, he wrote, "Water and potatoes will soon be as much of a luxury as pineapples and
diamonds."  That was quickly followed by, "Speaking of diamonds would you wear a solitaire one on
your left hand should I get it?"  Bess did not respond for several weeks but finally denied his
first proposal.  But just a little over two years later, Bess accepted his proposal and the couple
became engaged in November 1913.

They were married on June 28, 1919 in Independence, Missouri.

But Harry didn't stop writing letters to Bess.

For over 50 years, beginning in 1910, Harry wrote 1,300 letters to Bess.  "He wrote to Bess a lot
when he traveled.  If he was away from her for any time more than a day or two, he would often
write," says Tammy Williams, an archivist at the Harry S. Truman Library and Museum.

Think about this: Every day he was away, the President of the United States took time out from his
dealing with the world's most powerful leaders to sit down and write a letter to his wife.  It was
an expression of his deep love for her.

Now consider the fact that the Greatest Power on High has written a book of letters to you and to
me.  In the Bible, we have a collection of stories, laws, poetry, prophecies, and much more.  But
through it all, God's Word informs us of His great love for us.

It's not that we deserve His love; we have rebelled against Him in our sin.

But He loves us anyway.  He loves us so much that He gave His Son to die on the cross for our sins
so that we can be reconciled to Him and live with Him for an eternity (John 3:16; Romans 5:6-10).

In His Word, He informs us that He will save and give the gift of eternal life to those who place
their faith and trust in Jesus (Acts 16:30-31), turn from their sins in repentance (Acts 17:30-31),
confess Jesus before men (Romans 10:9-10), and are baptized (immersed) into Christ for the
forgiveness of their sins (Acts 2:38).  He has promised to continue to cleanse from sin those who
continue to walk in the light of His Word (1 John 1:7).

God sent His Word to us because He doesn't want us to be separated from Him.  He even sent His Son
to die for us so that we can be reunited with Him.

Won't YOU heed His Word and accept His offer on His terms?

-- David A. Sargent

* Information gleaned from "Harry Truman's Adorable Love 'List' to His Wife, Bess" by Megan Gambino,
February 12, 2013,  www.smithsonian.com

THE LAW OF THE EXCLUDED MIDDLE

Herod, Philip And The Law Of The Excluded Middle

By Tom Wacaster   God has given man the ability to reason things through. There are certain laws which men inherently use when they think rationally. To deny these laws of rationality is absolutely absurd and would involve men in numerous self-contradictions. One of these is the law of the excluded middle. Simply stated, this law means that something either possesses a certain characteristic or it does not - something is either true or it is ‘non-true’ (i.e. ‘false’), and there are no other possibilities. For example, I may say that a pencil is either wood, or non-wood. There is no middle ground to such a statement. There is no quality somewhere between being wood and non-wood. What does this have to do with the verses we just studied (i.e, Matt. 14:1-12)?   Let me sidetrack for a moment. I’m not ‘chasing rabbits’; I’m setting some background for why these verses are so important to us. The number of so-called ‘explanations’ regarding marriage and divorce astounds the imagination. One brother wrote a small book several years addressing some seven positions on the matter of divorce and remarriage, and I would guess that at least that many more explanations have surfaced since then, all of which seek to overturn the plain and simple teaching of God’s word on the subject. One would almost think the truth on the matter is impossible of ascertaining and so we should abandon the issue altogether and let every man be a law unto himself. Does that sound familiar?   I recently heard of some who are seeking to justify the remarriage of the guilty party who has been put away for scriptural grounds. The argument goes something like this: “When the innocent party puts the guilty partner away, the marriage is dissolved. Period!” Since the marriage is dissolved (as they claim), the guilty party is free from the marriage bond and thus available for remarriage. Actually they are appealing to the logical argument of the law of the excluded middle. The problem is they are actually misusing the law. Let me explain.   A careful examination of the entire situation surrounding Herod and Herodias reveals some interesting facts. First, let’s not forget the historical setting. Herodias was Herod’s niece. She was married to Herod Philip II, Herod Antipas’ half-brother. In fact, the entire Herodian family was quite immoral when it comes to marriages, divorces, and remarriage. Herod became infatuated with his niece Herodias, and persuaded her to marry him. So he divorced his own wife, and then married Herodias. We presume that Herodias also divorced Philip.   Now fast forward to the time of John the Baptist. What a fiery preacher was this “voice in the wilderness.” Somehow he was granted an audience with king Herod and queen Herodias. John did not compromise, capitulate or cringe in the presence of this king. I’ll let you read for yourself what John told that king: “It is not lawful for thee to have thy brother Philip’s wife” (Matt. 14:4; Mark 6:18). The Holy Spirit saw fit to have Mark add one little detail that is often missed or ignored. He says of Herod that he had “married her.” When John informed Herod of his sin, that inspired prophet said that Herodias was still Philip’s wife! Some would say otherwise, for how could she still be Philip’s wife if she was married to Herod?   It might be asked (as some do), “How can Herodias be Philip’s wife and not Philip’s wife at the same time? Does this not violate the law of the excluded middle?” Or to put it another way, “How could Herodias be Herod’s wife and Philip’s wife at the same time?” On the surface it would appear that the law of the excluded middle would force us to conclude that Herodias is either Philip’s wife, or she is not Philip’s wife. If she is not Philip’s wife, then Mark lied. If she is Philip’s wife, then she could not be married to Herod. In that case it would make Mark a liar because he recorded that Herod had “married her.”   So how do we untie this Gordian knot? It seems simple to this scribe. In order for the law of the excluded middle to be applicable, the terms in the argument must be used in the same way. Going back to my example of “wood” and “non-wood,” when the law of the excluded middle is applied defining the word “wood” the same way on either side of the equation, the law of the excluded middle is valid. But redefine the word on either side of the equation, and the law of the excluded middle will not work, nor can it be used to argue one’s case. The reason why the law of the excluded middle cannot be used to describe the situation between Herod and Herodias is because John is using the word “wife” in two different senses. What John was saying was, “Herodias is Philip’s lawful wife; she is Herod’s unlawful wife. Using the law of the excluded middle, the following statement would be true: “It is not possible for someone to be lawfully married and not lawfully married to the same person at the same time.”   The conclusion: John must have been implying that Herod’s marriage to Herodias was unlawful, and that is because Herodias’ was still lawfully Philip’s wife.   One more note before closing. John had the courage to tell Herod, “It is not lawful for thee to have they brother’s wife!” John was more concerned about the truth than he was about winning the favor of king Herod. Would that every gospel preacher would strike the same courageous posture as that great prophet of old.

 

Creating an Atmosphere for Growth

    HayssenSandiacre is a South Carolina company, headquartered in Duncan, SC. Bob Chapman took over the company and created a new ethos within its employees. Your typical CEO would bring his own management team and strategy to turn the company around. But, Chapman did things a little differently. He started by sitting down with the current employees and listened to what they had to say.

    As Simon Sinek, in the book Leaders Eat Last, tells the story, Chapman brought empathy and trust into the company. He began to see everyone as human beings instead of assembly-line workers or employees. He tried to make sure all the workers were treated the same way. Chapman believed that if he wanted his workers to trust him, he would have to trust them. Pay phones were removed and employees were given access to the company phone.

    You can imagine that it did not take long for the company to begin feeling like family. From the top down, people started treating each other differently, better. With a new ethos in the company, people put their heads and hearts into their work.

    One employee’s wife was a diabetic and risked losing her leg. He needed time off to be with her but, being an hourly employee, he could not afford to lose his pay. His “family” (co-workers), without being prompted, transferred their own paid vacation days to this man so he could have more days off. Nothing like that had ever been done there.

    The human body operates to a high degree of efficiency. Each part performs its work as it should. When one part loses effectiveness, God designed other body parts to make up for it and to begin repairing whatever has gone wrong.

    The apostle Paul uses the human body, in Romans 12 and 1 Corinthians 12, as an illustration of how efficiently and effectively the church of Christ can perform if each member performs his or her work as he or she should. If one member suffers, all suffer with it. We rejoice when others rejoice and we weep when others weep.

    The church of Jesus Christ will work most efficiently when we, as a congregation, put our hearts and our heads into our service to Christ. When we are inspired to cooperate, trusting each other to handle responsibilities and being loyal to Jesus Christ and His design for the church. If we treat each other, in the church, like family, then we will have this efficient and effective organism, worshiping God, serving others, and sharing the Gospel as God has designed for the church to do.

Paul Holland

 

Mothers Day Sermons

a)     In Mt. 13:33 Jesus used women to illustrate the “kingdom of heaven.”

b)    The Lord said a “woman” put “leaven in meal” and this image illustrates the gospel –

2)    Some tasks in life may seem routine or mundane, but God is aware of all that we do.

3)    Two chapters later in Matthew (15:22) we read about another common task performed by moms.

4)    A “Canaanitish” mother had a daughter who was “grievously vexed” with an evil spirit.

a) The Lord said something to this mom which might have discouraged a lot of people (verse 26) – READ

b)    In spite of Jesus’ somewhat cool reply, this mom didn’t quit – verse 27 – READ

5)    Moving a little more deeply into the book of Matthew (26:7) we find another key “woman” reference.

6)    A woman had some perfume; Mark’s account of this (14:3) says this was “very costly.”

a)     Matthew (26:7) said this was “poured on the Lord’s head.”

b)    The Lord’s disciples saw this and they had a strong reaction to it – Mt. 26:8-9 – READ

7)    Whether it is a mundane task, helping a child, or something else, women can be generous.

a)     In Mt. 27:19, we read about a woman who was married and we find this woman sought to help her husband –

b)    This lady was the wife of an official named Pilate – Mt. 27:19 – READ

8)    The world does always hold women in high esteem –

9)    Some have claimed the Bible does not honor and exalt women – we are beginning to see this is not true.

10) If we have been in the recent Wednesday adult classes, we know we have been talking about women.

11) READ Mt. 27:55.

12) About midway through Luke (15:8) the Lord spoke of a woman who lost something.

a)     The Lord described a lady who had 10 pieces of silver; He said she lost one of her 10 coins.

b)    After the coin was found, this lady would call her friends together and rejoice (verse 10).

c) The diligence of women can be very, very great and they can also be great communicators (Lk. 15:10).

13)  Not all women are good or make good choices; a bit later we are told “Remember Lot’s wife” (Lk. 17:32).

14) Luke brought his account of Jesus’ life to a close in what we call Lk. 24.

15) In the 22^nd verse of this chapter Luke said women went “early” to Jesus’ tomb.

16) These ladies did not go to the Lord’s tomb when it was convenient or “when they c/get around to it” –

17) The book of John has a lot to say about women, and some of this information is in Jn. 4.

18) Imagine perhaps waiting in line with others who also wanted to get water –

19) It was the women in ancient times who were tasked with getting water.

20) In the distant past and in some respects even now ladies have suffered –

21) Acts 8:3 says “men and women” (male and female Christians) were taken to jail.

22) Men and women were baptized (Acts 8:12) and persecutors went after both sexes.

a)     In 1 Cor. 7:33, Paul said husbands were to try to “please” their wives.

b)    The instruction in 1 Cor. 7:33 makes sense because of something Paul said a little later in 1 Cor.

23) In 1 Cor. 11:3, Paul said this – READ

24) A few verses later (1 Cor. 11:9) Paul added these words – READ

25) Eph. 5:23 says the “husband is the head of the wife.”

26) Two verses after this (Eph. 5:25) Paul said husbands are to “love their wives as Christ loves the church.”

27) As husbands do what they are commanded to do, wives “submit” to their mates (Col. 3:18).

28) Moms can do some great things and exert an unbelievable amount of influence….

29) Perhaps this is one of the reasons why Paul spoke of women dressing “modestly” in 1 Tim. 2:9.

30) 1 Tim. 3:11 refers to some “women” and the ESV uses the word “dignified.”

31) God is looking for “dignified” ladies.

32) A godly mom lives the type of where her behavior would win a non-Christian husband (1 Pet. 3:1).

33) A godly mom lives like “holy women” from the past (1 Pet. 3:5).

34)  There are women, some of whom are moms, who are like “Jezebel” (Rev. 2:20), but this is wrong way to live.

35)   Some women are “drunken” (Rev. 17:6), but this is also the wrong way to live.  Rev. 21:9

 

FORTY THINGS WE ALL NEED TO KNOW ABOUT CHRISTIAN LIVING

The followers of Christ were first called Christians in Antioch (in Syria) in c. A.D. 41-43 (Acts 11:26).  By the preaching of the apostle Paul, Agrippa, a Jewish king, was almost persuaded to be a Christian (Acts 26:28). The apostle Peter said, "Yet if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God in this matter/name" (I Peter 4:16[NKJV; cf. ASV]).

 

1. Christian living, in its essence, involves walking in the steps of Christ (I Peter 2:21).  Marshall Keeble (1878-1968), the great black evangelist, said, "When you take 'Christ' out of 'Christian,' all you have left is i.a.n., and that just means 'I ain't nothing'!"  As we say today, brother Keeble was "spot on."

2. Christian living demands that we "grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ" (II Peter 3:18).

3. It expects us to observe all that Christ has commanded (Matthew 28:18-20).

4. It involves continuing "steadfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers" (Acts 2:42).

5. As a Christian everything we do in word or deed is to be done "in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ," i.e., by His authority and for His glory (Colossians 3:17).

6. Christian living requires us to love the Lord our God with all of our heart, soul, and mind (Matthew 22:37-38).

7. It requires us to love our neighbor as we love ourselves (Matthew 22:39)

8. Christian living involves having the mind/attitude/disposition of Christ in all areas of life (Philippians 2:5-8).

9. Christian living requires us to live soberly, righteously, and godly in this present world (Titus 2:11-14).

10. It requires us to abstain from "fleshly lusts which war against the soul" (I Peter 2:11).

11. It demands that we love not the world or the things of the world (I John 2:15-17). 

12. It expects us to "be careful to maintain good works" (Titus 3:8).

13. Christian living involves being the salt of the earth and the light of the world, and letting our light so shine that others may see our good works and glorify our Father who is in heaven (Matthew 5:13-16).

14. Christian living involves being living epistles (letters), known and read of all men (II Corinthians 3:2).

15. It demands that our conduct/manner of life "be worthy of the gospel of Christ" (Philippians 1:27).

16. Christian living requires us to be diligent to present ourselves approved to God (II Timothy 2:15).

17. It necessitates worshiping God in spirit and truth (John 4:24).

18. It involves being regular and faithful in attending the gatherings of God's people for Bible study and worship (Hebrews 10:24-25).

19. Christian living demands that we "seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness" (Matthew 6:33).

20. It requires us to search the Scriptures daily to differentiate between that which is true and that which is false in religion (Acts 17:11).

21. Christian living demands that we "watch, stand fast in the faith, be brave, be strong," and that we "let all that [we] do be done with love" (I Corinthians 16:13).

22. Christian living requires us to present our bodies as living sacrifices, holy, acceptable to God, knowing that such is our reasonable service (Romans 12:1).  (Note: The entirety of Romans 12 is a succinct guide to faithful Christian living.)

23. Faithful Christian living demands that we abstain from the works of the flesh (Galatians 5:19-21).

24. It expects us to produce the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-26).

25. Christian living demands that we "walk worthy of the calling with which we have been called" and that we endeavor "to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace" (Ephesians 4:1-3).

26. It requires us to put away lying and to speak truth with our neighbor (fellowman) (Ephesians 4:25).

27. It requires us to put on the whole armor of God that we may be able to stand against the wiles (snares, traps, tricks) of the devil (Ephesians 6:10-18).

28. Christian living necessitates thinking on the right kinds of things (Philippians 4:8).

29. It involves setting our mind on things above, not on things on the earth (Colossians 3:1-2).

30. Christian living requires taking heed that we not develop an evil heart of unbelief in falling away from the living God (Hebrews 3:12).

31. Christian living demands that we make our calling and election sure by adding various Christian graces to our lives (II Peter 1:5-11).

32. It requires that we understand that religion is not something we "get," but something we do (James 1:27).

33. Christian living requires continuous walking in the light (I John 1:1-10).

34. Christian living demands that we not be gullible in what we believe, but that we put all teachers and teaching to the test, knowing that "many false prophets have gone out into the world," including many who profess to be followers of Christ (I John 4:1).

35. Christian living requires abiding in the doctrine of Christ (II John 9).

36. Christian living requires earnestly contending for "the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints" (Jude 3).

37. It involves avoiding lukewarmness in our relationship with the Lord, and instead demands that we be "fervent in spirit, serving the Lord" (Revelation 3:14-16; Romans 12:11).

38. Christian living demands that we be "steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord," knowing that our labor is not in vain in the Lord (I Corinthians 15:58).

39. Christian living requires us to be "faithful unto death," knowing that we shall receive the crown of everlasting life (Revelation 2:10).

40. Christian living is centered in the reality that "to live is Christ, and to die is gain" (Philippians 1:21).

 

Hugh Fulford