My grandson is an artist!

My grandson, Bryan, is a tat-artist and owns a tattoo shop.   He sent me the one he just did and he said he thought of me when he did it.  I was thrilled by his comments and his work.   It was an Academy Award to me.   He is such a sweet person and it oozes out in many ways.

Not too long ago I went to his shop for the first time.  I don't like needles even to sew but I like him more than I could ever say and I did not want to be squeamish even watching him work on another person.  Grandchildren allow every grandmother to throw caution away and just love them endlessly. 

So, I look at him and feel an overwhelming sense of pride.  And a grandmother's overwhelming sense of love.  Bryan, you make me so happy every time I think of you.  What a gift that is to me!  I thank God for you!

This is a picture of my mother, Janie May lawrence Cooper and me on the front porch.   Today would have been her birthday.  She was a remarkable person in her own right;  a remarkable mother.   She was dear to me and taught me her style of mothering.   She loved her grandchildren and made each of them feel special.

I was so lucky to have her for so many years.   Christ looked down from the cross and saw his mother.  He said, "Woman, behold thy son" and entrusted her to other disciples.

When I think of my mother, I think of her clapping her hands, in the thick of my friends, with her head back laughing.  I like to think of her in this way!  It still makes me happy.   And then her cooking ---yum, no one could cook like my mother!

A Wreck of a Life

Yesterday, I had lunch with a graduate student, Stephen Backer, and we came out of O Charlies to see a mess of ambulances and sirens.  Two people had gone into the intersection at the same time and neither one would yield.   I came home and checked it out on the computer and found that both of them were cited.  It made me think about what would impel two people to put their lives and others with them in jeopardy!   But lives are wrecked by many stupid hoped-for gains!

All the way home we talked.  Steve is 23 and I am 74 and the dangers are always out there for all of us.  What would make you go before your turn?  What would make you sell out your convictions?  What would cause a person to play Russian Roulette with the only life that they have?   Too many questions go unanswered.

So I prayed that they would all recover and if necessary, recover their senses.  So many of us need to relax and take time to smell the roses or prognosticate about the thorns involved!

Separation of Church and State

On Tuesday night I went up on campus for a dinner and for a lecture by Dr. Daniel Dresbaich of American University who is a Rhodes Scholar.   His subject was: Separation of Church and State.

   

I attended the dinner early in the evening with Dr. Frank Barrios and Trudy Lee and heard some early remarks from the speaker.  He kept saying that Thomas Jefferson had a different idea in mind with separation of church and state and gave incidents.  He said that Jefferson thought that some powers were given to the Federal system and some to state system.   The statement and its implications led to much name -calling about Jefferson being an infidel, etc.

 

I had to laugh.  Does anything ever change?   Still fighting those battles.  Last night I saw the pastor of First Baptist, Dallas, say he was for Mitt Romney and no abortions ever.   I thought about church and state again.   Are their legal lines that should not be crossed or have these boundaries been eliminated?

 

Still it is good to hear the isssues explained in light of history!

Rev. Carl Keyes - humanitarian or not!

 

I read the story in the Missourian today about Rev. Carl Keyes who began raising a ton of money after 9-11 for his little church to do missions.  Apparently he did the missions and the money came in in wads.

 

But according to the paper this morning there is an investigation going on as to how much went to missions and how much went to him personally and there are charges flying.  It is said that this preacher, formerly a construction worker, helped himself to the funds.  The church, Glad Tidings Tabernacle in New York, is cooperating in the investigation.

 

Rev. Keyes is innocent until proven guilty but it looks damaging no matter what is found in the investigation.   If found innocent of all charges, it is damaging  already to those who seek funds for worthy causes.  If guilty, it is unconscionable but many people cannot handle that kind of funds that come their way!

 

The worst part to me is that incidents such as this give credibility to those who think there is no good in the world.  Cynicism is already running rampant;  this gives the cynics proof that they have been right all along.    As a non-cynic, I hope that Rev. Keyes is found innocent and that every penny has been properly spent on missions.   But I have doubts. 

A Presentation at Rotary

 

I spoke at the Rotary Club today on the 8 Presidents with whom I've worked.   Steve Limbaugh introduced me and it was a warm crowd.   I don't do as much speaking anymore but I still like to do it.   It was fun to see people -- some of them --Shad Burner, Trudy Lee, Stan Popp, on and on and Narvol Randol, Jr.

 

General and Mrs Jack Waggoner (Mary Ella Drake) were there, formerly Charleston residents and it was so good to see them.   Bryce March, Dan Cotner, Walter Joe Ford, so many friends.  The theology of friendship adds so much to my religious and secular life.   I am invigorated by the response of friendship whereever it is found and reciprocated.

 

So I am glad that I took the speaking engagement.   And I am glad that I had another opportunity to speak about the strengths of Mark Scully.  He was a man worth knowing.  And I was lucky enough to know and love him!

My son comes home!

It has been a long time since Jim has been home and I sit waiting for Jim and Laurie to drive up.  I have sat on the front porch and watched until I am worn out with watching.  All day long I have thought of funny things that have happened in the raising of Jim. (who, by all accounts, was not an easy-raise at times.)   He keeps calling from the road and each time I hear the rising excitement and I am certain he can say the same of me.

What do they want to do?  Where do they want to eat?  Who else do they want to see?  It is all up to them.  All they have to do is ask.  That is how parents seem to be!  We want to live in happy memories!  And we want our children to remember the happy memories!

 

So, Jim I am ignoring your remarks about having to go to Sunday School, Vacation Bible School and all the rest.   You see, I heard you repeat a Bible Verse today and I know that you would never have remembered that verse if I had not "made" you go to church when you preferred to sit at home watching television.  Hey, that is good enough for me!

 

Bible Verse:  "Let ye who is without sin cast the first stone!"  (He even remembered the incident in the Bible about the woman who was going to be stoned)   Double whammy points for me!

Wrestling with God

 

 

I love the story in Genesis 32 about Jacob wrestling with God.  Jacob had spent his life trying to outshine and outdo everyone around him in order to get the big piece of the pie.  Of course, he could always justify his own conduct in his own mind.   He cheated his brother, Esau, out of his birthright and everything else that mattered.  But like many "aggressive cheaters" he finally realized that he was at the end of his rope.  Esau was out there waiting for him and he might not be as forgiving toward Jacob as Jacob might have wished..  That night Jacob wrestled with his God and his conscience.  As daylight came upon him, he was given a new name and a new opportunity!

 

Many people, since, have wrestled with God and conscience as they felt called to change something that was unjust in their particular society.  Martin Luther King, Jr. changed the norms of our society by having a dream, sticking with the dream and wrestling with those who wanted the dream crushed.  As he sat in the Birmingham jail, he dealt with whether he was up to the task and he prayed for personal strength to make his dream some kind of reality.

 

The list of people who have wrestled with their God and their conscience is too long for any listing.  Some ran from their dream and some pursued it without success.  Others pursued the dream and then found that it was flawed.   Wrestling with God always demands a faith that will not die even if the dream does.  No one is promised a life that is all easy and fun!

A Biblical View of Friendship

Last night I went to St. Louis to Southeast Salutes honoring distinguished St. Louis alumni.  The alumni director asked me to attend and I thought that I had been gone away from the event long enough that it would be fun to attend.   I kept thinking of people I wanted to see --people I had loved for so long and who were such a part of my 26 years as Alumni Director.   And it was amazing to see people and feel that feeling of love flow so openly.     In this  picture, I am with Mike Stroot, Annette Heller, Glenn Mehroff and holding my hand is Pete Gallagher.   I never let them off the hook; if I was coming to St. Louis for a meeting, I let them truthfully know that I needed them there!  And they were always there for me --no matter what. 

I came home and fitfully unslept until 4 the next morning thinking of so many people who came and filled a "place in my heart".   I have been the luckiest of people.  One after another, people came up and told me how much they missed me, how I had been there for them in some way, and we held on to each other at parting not really knowing if or when about the future.  It was a night of fun memories for me.  

Friendship has always been big in my life.   I treasure my friends -- they are not a disposable commodity to me.   I learned to value friends when I was child and Harriett Goodin and I sat in the Primary room at the church in Charleston and studied David and Jonathan.   Harriett said then, "Janie, we will always be David and Jonathan to each other".   And we are!  But hearts are not made to be contained;  they are made to expand and take more people into their chambers. 

I Samuel 18:1  "And it came to pass, when he had made an end of speaking unto Saul, that the soul of Jonathan was knit with the soul of David, and Jonathan loved him as his own soul."

Did Jesus have a wife?

The theological controversy has hit all the major television stations as of yesterday.  Dr. Karen King, of Harvard Divinity School, announced that she had located a 4th-century papyrus fragment of a special scroll referring to the supposed fact that Jesus had a wife.

Papyrus piece

I watched and recorded the segment on at least four television stations and called it up on the web.  And what else do I know>   It boils down to these questions:   Is the 4th century fragment of  papyrus genuine?  Who are the Coptics anyway since it was written in Coptic instead of Greek?  (They were Egyptian Christians -- I love this irony --since Coptics were also in the news this week since it is alleged that they may have raised the money for the trailer for the Mohammed film which has set up turmoil around the world.)  How did this Harvard professor get her hands on the papyrus?   The article has set off mounds of controversy and will require years of research on antiquities and documentation.  The text contains a dialogue in which Jesus refers to "my wife" and he identifies her as Mary.  Another question might be whether Jesus had women disciples.  The answer to that question could cause ripples in the Church of today!

In the meantime, I ask myself one question!   What impact would that news, if it were documented in every way, make on my theology of Christ and him crucified?   Would it add an ounce to his humanity (perhaps) or to his divinity?  (NO, Absolutely!!!) His divinity came from God!   His words ring true, in Greek, Coptic or English, whether they are written on papyrus or in the heart of a believer.

So will I follow the controversy?  Yes!  Not because of wanting more information to bolster my faith but because I love to study and define my own theology.  The divinity of Christ came from God;  his humanity came with identifying with those around him.  

The Names of Jesus

 

In Mattthew 16:16  Christ asked his disciple, Simon Peter, "Who do men say that I am?"   Peter replied, "Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God!"  So what are all these other names listed in the New Testament!

 

Elmer L. Towns in his book, Concise Bible Doctrines, has a chapter called "The Offices of Christ".  He starts off by saying that the term "Christ" is a Greek word; its Hebrew equivalent in the Old Testament is "Messiah".  He said that Christ had three roles to play in his divine ministry:  Prophet (Deuteronomy 18:15-19), Priest  (Hebrws 9:14-16) and King (Acts 17:17). God has long used prophets and priests to declare His messages to the people!   And this was the greatest of the Prophets and the Priests!

 

God had also allowed Israel to have a King and Christ later became  the supreme ruler.  He said in John 18:36, "My kingdom is not of this world" but he never denied that he had a kingdom.  We, as Christians, choose to be his subjects.

 

Names are important to us in a social and religious world.  We live in a world of Social Media and business cards and emails.  A set of references may be crafted to create a false-front of a person.  Checking out references is a must in most professional settings.

 

But the credentials of Christ cannot be shaken.  He is The Truth, no matter which name one chooses  to ascribe to him.

Anthea Butler gets Tweeted!

I came home from lunch, flipped on the television and faced an interview program with Dr. Anthea Butler, religion professor at University of Pennsylvania.   She had tweeted that the so-called Sam Bacille, who did the controversial trailer of the Mohammed portrayal on film, should be in jail himself.   This brought her a whole new set of Twitter un-pals.

 

She handled herself well talking about free speech vs. inciteful rhetoric.  Where does one end and another begin.   Who makes that judgement call?  Sometimes individual rights have corporate consequences!  This may be one of those cases.  If so, should Sam Bacille (or whatever his name is) face the consequences for all the bloodshed which has been shed by the film and old quarrels inherent in the culture.

 

I can understand the cultural squeamishes of countries who have never even heard of "free speech".  One does not go for free speech if your tongue can be cut out for saying something.   But Sam Bacille lived, apparently, in this country but knew the repercussions that would not be long in coming if a trailer was introduced.   

 

Actions have consequences for all of us.   For us as Americans, we don't yell "Fire" in a crowded room.  There is too much at stake for us, individually and collectively.  I had the feeling that Dr. Butler has realized that words are as dangerous as actions for all of us.

 

It made me think of the Vacation Bible School motto I learned so many years ago in another world:  Psalm 19:14  "Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in thy sight, O Lord."

Shunning is not just a word; it's an act!

Shunning is an act of social or mental rejection.  We think of the Amish or the Mennonites when we think of this being done in a religious setting.  But it can and does happen in many churches and in many secular worlds.  The Amish call is "meidung", the German word for avoidance.

 

There are two Scriptures which may or may not be used in adopting such harsh psychological measures against another:  l Corinthians 5:11-13 and Matthew 18:15-17.  The Scripture in Matthew talks about going to your errant brother, and exhorting him to do differently and it adds:  "And if he refuses to hear them, tell it to the church.  But if he refuses to hear the church, let him be to you like a heathen and a tax collector."

 

This Scripture can and is widely debated as to whether that person should be forced to live as an outcast from then on.  Most of us take the attitude that "There but for the grace of God go I." and we feel a stronger commitment to the one who has sinned.   We don't shun them;  we try to embrace the sinner and deal with the sin.  And we hope that people will do the same when we make our awful mistakes.

 

 

 Sam Mullet, Sr.

 

But shunning controversies and experiences go on.  In Cleveland, Ohio, a trial is going on right now for a group of Amish and its leader, Sam Mullet, Sr., who sought revenge against the bishops for overruling his authority and played this out by attacking the "faithful" and cutting their beards.

Authorities have deemed it a "hate crime" and if convicted, the men who did this will face long prison terms.

 

I think they have termed it rightly.   Shunning someone is an act of hate;  no matter if the cirecumstances or dire or if they involve a social discrimination with no reference to religion.  The act of shunning another is insidious.

 

 

No greater love!

 

I have always loved the verse found in John 15:13:  "Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends."

 

It just took me many years to understand that we "lay down our lives" in many ways for the people we love.   In the past few days, we have watched President Obama recite the verse as he took part in the transferral of remains ceremony for Ambassador Stevens and the three other men who were killed in the Libya raid.  This month my grandson, Landon, was deployed to Afghanistan.   All of these embassy workers and service people put their lives on the line each day.   And so do policemen, law enforcement personnel, teachers, on and on the list goes.

 

But in the past few years, I have had a first-hand view of others who lay down their life to take care of their ailing family members and put their life on hold while they are doing so.  They seek no recognition and they seldom get it.  Those around them go on with their lives oblivious of the sacrifices others are making.   It is not, perhaps, intentional;  it is just not obvious to anyone.  But I think that this particular verse in Scripture applies to them also.   And I salute them all for their service.

 

"Laying down one's life" may be a simple gesture or showing up for a visitation at a funeral home to express one's sympathy.  It may be writing a note of encouragement or taking the time to pat someone's shoulder who is having a bad morning at the office.   It is stopping time to say or do something genuinely heartfelt.  It is remembering friends....through the years who have been there for you....once again!

 

Greater love has no one than this!

Unhinged by the world of hate which is erupting!

I have watched the television endlessly and seen the eruptions of violence which seem to be a part of Arab Spring becoming  full-fledged powers..   I am angry at the film-maker/con artist who played a real part in inciting people against people and I can do nothing.   Maybe I would if I could, Mr. Einstein.   But I am growing weary of watching and beginning to think that no one can do anything with the world's problems or even America's problems.   All respect for each other seems to have gone down the tubes leaving a live stream of hatred behind.

Who's to blame?  I don't really have a clue.  Who can fix this?  I don't really have a clue if anyone can fix this!  I wonder if people who remember when FDR was president or Herbert Hoover thought the same thing!   But the truth is, I do believe God can "fix" people and countries and worlds.  The Bible says that he can.  And I cling to his word!  So one thing, I can definitely do is pray for our leaders, and for their followers and for worlds who have no idea about our God but have one of their own who cannot or should not be dismissed as some kind of drivel or foreign "devil".   That is demeaning to any culture of people. 

So I am sitting here today, with television turned off, and I am praying that my God will hear my prayers and restore peace.   The New Testament (John 14:13) says:  "Whatsoever ye ask in prayer, believing I will do it that the Father may be glorified in the Son." 

I believe, help my unbelief!

Religion and politics! Keep them separate!

Don't think of even going there!   I believe that religion and politics should be kept as separate as they can be!   I will go to my grave believiing that!  And I have plenty of people who agree with me. 
Kevin Glenn writes:  As the church has increased its involvement in politics, its influence in culture has waned."   Ross Douthat writes:  Honor belongs to the people who resist partisanship's pull instead of rowing with it."  Christ said, "Render unto Caesar the things that are Caesar's and unto God the things that are God's."  Mark 12:17

This is not the case anymore.   Evangelicals embrace candidates and parties on one-issue commitments.  People are out there raising money like mad from evangelical groups and some of them getting rich or prison terms in the process. And sometimes violence is involved by its stirring.  I saw a video of a pastor today, with less than 50 people in his Florida congregation, who has inflamed Muslims by live-streaming a derogatory 13 minute film of Mohammed the Prophet.

Why do I feel so strongly about this issue!   I believe that the church and the political system of government, while they have some common issues, have different responsibilities in this world..   I believe that the church is better off when it can receive all of its members  on the basis of what they believe about God, not what political leaders tell them that they should believe.   The truth is that pastors have a responsibiliity to teach Christ and him Crucified and politicians have a responsibility to outline their governing  plans about many issues to the people so that they can make a choice!   In my mind, seldom should the twain meet!

And I say that as a pastor's child and a seminary graduate, myself!   Each of us has a responsibility to ourselves and to God to decide what is Caesar's and what is God's!  And so does each pewsitter in every church!

A Film stirs up attacks and deaths of four!

One day after the 9-11 day of remembrance, we face the attack on the Embassy in Libya which resulted in the death of our Ambassador and three other Americans.   People stormed the embassy, well-armed, because of the negative film of Mohammed which someone filmed and put on U Tube.

Ambassador Chris Stevens was killed.

Rebels roamed the streets outside the Embassy showing their arsenal which made one know that the raid (unlike the raid in Cairo which also occurred yesterday) was not spontaneous.  

The facts are just coming out and what we know is mostly subject to change.  Who knows, yet, who made the film, who stirred up the Muslims, who two of the victims are, how this will play out in political circles and religious circles, on and on.   But what we do know is that four Americans are dead, killed by intruders in an American Embassy stirred up by an inflammatory film which desecrated Mohammad, the prophet of Islam!

True theological irony!  Killing those who deface another faith!  Defacing the faith of another!  Where does my freedom end and another person's freedom begin?  Is world peace possible?

Hebrews 32:34 "Strive for peace with everyone, and for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord."

Persecuted for Preaching!

I read the article in the paper yesterday and the headline, "16 moderate Muslim preachers killed in Mali " and almost skipped over it with a mental note to myself that these were Muslim preachers in Mali and it had nothing to do with my idea of New Testament theology, much less my side of the world.  Then I chastized myself and its warped thinking.   "Am I my brother's keeper? idea --did it say anything about having to be of like mind, the only sound mind!  I think not.

So I read it with a different eye.   These preachers were headed to a conference, members of the peaceful Dawa sect, when they were shot dead in central Mali.  Mali militia looked at their long beards and confused them with the extremists which had taken over the nation's north area.  The military are seeking for justification as the families call for an investigation.  In the end sixteen Muslim ministers are dead!

And Mali investigators are at the scene:       

Persecution is persecution!   Violence is violence no matter who is on the receiving end or the dispensing end.  So today, I sit here as an American Christian and lift up these grieving families to the only God I know and wish I could say to them,  "You have served your god well, true and loyal servant.   May you and your families have a sense of peace."

Christ knew that those who spoke for him, regardless of language or ethnicity, would face persecution and he tried to tell them that they should beware of all circumstances which would seek to do them evil.  In Matthew 10:23, Christ said, "When you are persecuted in one place, flee to another."  Two things were not written in small letters:  just give up or stay there and fight.

My heart goes out to every minister who faces anger, violence, repercussions or evil in their midst each day.  The Beatitudes (Matthew 5:10) say:  "Blessed are those who have been persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs in the kingdom of heaven."

Make a joyful Noise!

It says it in Psalm 100 and I believe it with my whole heart.  And besides, I have been happy and I have been sad and I sure like being happy much better!  Of course, I'm not so optimistic or stupid enough to believe that one can be optimistic all of the time.  Bad times come into our lives and we have to cope and move on!  I have a Scripture I refer to during those times:  "Weeping endureth for a night but joy cometh in the morning!  (Psalm 30:5)  I have held on to that verse and waited for the weeping to subside.  And it did!

My niece, Annie, and her three children--Jordan, Layne and Holly--are a big part of my life.  They live down the street from me and we see or talk daily.   Like many single-parent families, they cope with the worries of living and paying the bills and sickness and growing up.   My role, as I see it, is to distribute joy when possible and advice when asked.  (Well, sometimes when it is not asked also!)

Tonight was Layne's l8th birthday and it has not been the best week for her.  Her week-old new car was hit by a tree (while she was in it) and it was totaled.   She has moved into an apartment with other college students and things did not go as smoothly as she wanted.  Still no stove in the house.  Normal irritations.  So I set up a party at Shogun where they cook the food at the table.   So much fun and laughter.  So much picture-taking and eating cake or as I say, getting my "Crisco fix" of icing.

It is so much fun to laugh with each other and at ourselves.  God, you knew what you were doing when you gave us a sense of humor.   A fuddy-duddy, long-faced world just doesn't cut it!

The King's Kitchen, Dispensing Hope

I read the newspaper this Sunday morning and one column jumped out at me.  It was entitled "Restaurateur a dealer in hope" and was written by the columnist Cal Thomas.  Now he is way too conservative for my liking, and I want to jump through the television and shake my fist in his face every time he is on, but I read on.   He began his column by citing a columnist Leonard Pitts who wrote about what was happening in Charlotte last week besides the Democratic National Convention.

And then I became glued to each word.  Jim Noble is a restauateur in Charlotte who has opened a restaurant that feeds the growing homeless population.  It is located downtown in between a Hooter's and a Morton's Steak House.  Jim  donates his profits to a ministry that helps people get training so that they can find work while also finding food in the restaurant.  Yes, it is aptly named, "The King's Kitchen".

Jim , shown above in the restaurant, says:  "If you can change the way a person sees himself, you can change his whole life.  If they can just reconnect with the dreams they had when they were young, build their faith and trust God to get out of the ditch, they can transform their lives."  Noble says that there are enough churches in Charlotte that if each one helped just one poor or homeless person, the problem would be effectively solved.

This restaurant and ministry is theology at work.  It's called making a real difference.   Mark, the disciple, wrote in Mark 4:30-32:  "Then Jesus said, 'How can I show you what the Kingdom of God is like?  What story can I use to explain it ?  The Kingdom of God is like a mustard seed, the smallest seed you plant in the ground.  But when planted this seed grows and becomes the largest of all garden plants.  It produces large branches and the wild birds can make nests in its shade.'"  Taking a chance on faith-walking is an essential step of building the kingdom of God on earth!  It means giving the person who has lost hope, a taste again!

I want to be a part of dispensing hope!  Is there any better ministry than to feed a person physically, emotionally and spiritually?  I can't think of any better ministry!  Can you?

Nuns on the Bus!

I am not Catholic so I have to admit until the brouhaha hit, I had never heard of the "Nuns on a Bus" program or Sr. Simone Campbell, but I listened to her speech at the Democratic National Convention last week and I felt a huge tug on her theology of feeding the poor.   This theology wasn't espoused by the Catholics, the Sisters or the Democratic party;  it came from Scripture in the Old Testament and repeated in the New Testament.

Matthew 25:34-35  says:  "Then; the King will say to those on his right, 'Come ye blessed of my father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the Foundation of the world.  For I was hungry, and you gave me something to eat.  I was thirsty and you gave me drink.  I was a stranger and you invited me in."  This is called the Parable of the Sheep and the Goats.  The Sheep played it right; the Goats played it wrong.  Both reaped eternal consequences for their acts on earth!

In 1971 forty-seven Catholic sisters gathered in Washington D. C, calling themselves Nuns on the Bus, to lobby for bills relating to healthcare for the poor, food for the poor and organizing a sense of community.  Their only goal was to shape a new ministry which focused on justice for all!  And they have followed their goal!

I thank them for their work and applaud every person who seeks the same goal  --helping the downtrodden.  In these days, when people are without work, it is even more vital to reach down to lift another up.  It separates the sheep from the goats!  Each of us, no matter how much we make, should seek to become an advocate of hope for someone else.

And the road to  Sheepdom is not paved with good intentions!  It is paved with acts of kindness!

Another storm in our path!

Another afternoon of Isaac storms kept me glued to the weather station reports.  I was so relieved when the tornado watch was downgraded and when that watch time expired.   I am a white-knuckle weather watcher who does not have a basement and I have figured out where my best safety spot will be at least a thousand times.  (I have yet to go there). 

Then I got a telephone call from my niece, Layne, saying that she had driven up to her apartment in her new car and a tree fell on her car and she thought it was totaled.  She was sitting in the car when it happened.  She was not hurt and I learned the results before I had time to be worried about her.

An old Scripture came to me immediately, "God careth for you."   That hit me in the face.  Did I actually believe that?  With billions of people (forget about all the birds, animals, and beasts of burden)  am I stupid enough or is my mind able to wrap such a possibility around it?  Do I believe that God cares for me, one Jane Stacy, insignificant in Cape Girardeau?  1 Peter 5:7 says:  "Cast all your anxiety upon him because he cares for you."   Peter was a disciple and spent time with Jesus and he made that flat out statement!

I did a little more digging on that scripture while I was relaxing after the tornado watch and waiting for the color to come back in my knuckles.   J. Hampton Keathley III writes that God is not like a huge vending machine; we can't stick in a quarter and get what we want to take care of our hunger and thirst.   That's not the real deal.  The Greek word for anxiety is "merimna".  It pertains to any cares and concerns we have that we need to give to God in order for us to grow as he would have us grow.  "Pas" is the Greek word for "all".   Cast all your cares upon him;  don't give him a vending machine list of the moment.  Give your anxieties and detriments to God in total, lock, stock and barrel, and ask him to take the mess you have made out of your life and lead you on to new ways of living and wisdom.  God wants your all;  he cares for you as a total person!   But you don't get to nitpick and pick and choose in the deal!

So I guess I can quit praying during storm times only.  I need to cast a much bigger net on the Lord.

Jerry Sandusky and Penn State scandal

I was surfing through the television channels last night and I came upon a replay of an interview between Bob Costas, sports announcer, and Joe Posnanski, author of a new book on Joe Paterno, coach of Penn State from 1966-2011.  Posnanski told of having access to Paterno for the last months of his life and what his feelings were about this legendary coach who left himself wide open to charges that he allowed a now-proven sexual deviate, Jerry Sandusky, to be a part of his coaching staff and then remain a hangers-on to the program after his firing. 

 The author said:  "I believe Joe Paterno should have done more.  I 've told him that to his face directly.  You're Joe Paterno.  You're just expected to do more.  I don't believe he was involved in a coverup.  I don't believe that he did this to protect his legacy.  I understand that others do."

As a person who was indirectly connected with a University athletic program, and coaches, and sports information offices, I have trouble believing that there were not all kinds of people who knew what was going on (maybe hints or bits of pieces) but they had enough information to be watching for further signs that this assistant coach was bringing young boys into the shower rooms and showering with them and this word had to spread like wildfire through the players, the custodians and the security people as well as the graduate assistant coaches.   They would have all had eagle eyes about this man and his conduct after he was let go after an investigation.  In my un-eagle eyes, they could not possibly know how many people knew and looked the other way for their own reasons.   But does that excuse anyone from looking the other way?  Not in my mind!

Christ's teachings do not allow his followers to look away or turn a blind eye.  In a section of Scripture called "The Parable of the Judgment of Nations", Christ says it out loud and personal:

 

The King will reply:  "Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me".  (Matthew 25:40)

 

Mitchell Lewis, a pastor, writes: "Let me get this out of the way at the beginning, sacrificial kindness to the poor, the weak, and the vulnerable is a virtue that Jesus raised to a new level in everything he said and did."    This did not include turning a blind eye to any vulnerable child by  anyone who sees such a cruelty happening!

A Jewish Benediction

 

This morning I turned on the television to get a briefing on the news from yesterday and I switched it to "Morning Joe".  Joe was broadcasting from a bar at the Democratic National Convention and he had as his guest Rabbi David Wolpe of Los Angeles who was giving the benediction tonight at the convention.   They were talking to him about all of the people who gave invocations and benedictions at both of the conventions and how "prayers" had long been a part of the political fabric of the nation.

 

The Rabbi was very fluent and funny and rose to every occasion in the banter which followed.  He was impressive and they seized on the subjects which interested the Rabbi, the panel, and the audience.  They asked him about our relationship with Israel, and whether Iran posed a real threat to the people of Israel.   He did not hedge.  I was shocked when he said that half of his congregation were Iranians who had fled the country.   This truly is one world with ties to everyone.

 

I wanted to know more about him and I checked him out online.  He was named most influential rabbi in America by Newsweek Magazine as well as being named One of the 50 most influential

Jews in the world by the Jerusalem Post.  I would say that he comes close to being awesome in anyone's theological frame of reference.

 

It all goes back to the story of Cain and Abel in Genesis 4:9 when the Lord asked the guilty Cain where his brother was.   Cain answered the question we are still asking, "Am I my brother's keeper?"

The question has not been answered to the world's satisfaction but the prayers of invocation and benediction are still being heard!

 

 

 

Is lying a defect in politics?

It is an election year.   Lies, white lies, dishonesties are flowing along with the cash flow.  We even have a fact check group out there checking every speech.  And, yet, it doesn't appear that anyone really knows or cares if a statement is twisted to convey another meaning!

I remember the campaign of Al Gore and his supposed statement that he invented the internet.  Soon he was a prevaricator or mixed up in his facts.  Now we have an incident of Paul Ryan and his marathon time  --was he a prevaricator or mixed up in his facts?   Today we make the same judgement of Ryan that we made of Al Gore.  Party people will toe the line as they did with Gore and they will again with Ryan.  So fact checkers, go get a drink somewhere and quit wasting your time.  No one really cares about lies.   Party people justify anything for the sake of winning!  No difference which party you are in!  None!

 

But does it matter to some people, some people who are partisan but call themselves Christian!  I hope and pray that it does!   I hope that we examine the pattern of lies for every candidate who falls into the trap of lying to win votes and I hope that we ask ourselves whether lying matters to us in the short run and the long run.  Every one of the 4 top candidates call themselves religious and I think that they all are by their life styles and their history.

 

But can they escape the pitfall of lies and deception.  Someone said of one well known politician, "He does not lie for an advantage; he lies because it is part of his character."    The voters need to examine that statement by every candidate  --no matter what office the candidate seeks.

 

 

James 3:8 says:  "But no human being can tame the tongue;  it is a restless evil full of deadly poison."

 

But we need to listen to the words of every politician and we need to train our own tongues to seek for truth first.

 

Landon Cheben deployed to Afghanistan today!

I just received the pictures of my grandson, Landon Cheben, getting on the bus for Afghanistan today.  Landon is career military, West Pointer, married to my grand daughter, Bailey Dyer Cheben and we all knew that this day would come.  Now it is here and all I can do is go to the map to find Afghanistan and where in the world is it and why in the world are we sending our troops there?  This morning this all became personal!

This is a problem to me as a grandmother.  No one denies the violence is going on daily.  Up to this point I could watch the news of the blue-green attacks and not listen for the name of the soldiers.  For nine months I will be listening and listening hard thinking of my little girl, Boo, at the Fort who is carrying on her life.  I will go by the wall rack in the laundry room and think of the hours that Landon and Bailey worked on that, putting it up for me.  I will not allow myself to escape the television news and I will be more focused on the pain that some family is facing that day and for days to come.

This is a problem to me as a citizen of a country which is beset with debt.  Why are we there in the first place and why are we allowing our young people to face such imminent danger?  :I  read online: "We entered the Afghanistan war as a retaliation for an attack on US soil on 9/11/01.  It was established globally that Bin Laden was behind the attack and that he was being harbored in Afghanistan.  After many attempts to negotiate to turn over Bin Laden to the US, the US formally launched a formal attack on Afghanistan and most precisely, the Taliban."  I will have to decide if I think the war is justified.   I didn't think of my need to think this through until today!

This is a problem to me as a Christian.  Is any war justified?  Jesus said:  "Put your sword back in its place for all who draw the sword die by the sword!  (Matthew 26:52) Or "They will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks.  Nation will not take up sword against nation, nor will they train for war anymore."  (Isaiah 2:4)  I need to read more about pacifism and Martin Luther King and the Quakers.  I need to know more about what I think and why I think it!

But right now, I can only think about Landon Cheben stepping on that bus!  I am laying my treasure over there!

First and Ten....Commandments

Mike Singletary is a great football player.  He knows how to crack the opposing team's skulls when they hit each other.   Today I read an article about a new book by Curtis Eichelberger who has interviewed one NFL player after another about any conflicts they have between their role as skull-crusher and their religious faith which calls on them to "Turn the other cheek".  Exodus 20 lists the Ten Commandments.  The first one is "Thou shalt have no other gods before me" and the tenth is "Thou shalt not kill."  Many of these professional athletes have watched opponents return to the huddle glassy-eyed and unable to state their name.  Others have been a part of a crippling accident or too many hits to the head of opponents.  Is it a game or an arena to maim?

Singletary remembered vividly smashing Sylvester Stamps in a brutal collision which left Stamps in a "crumpled, motionless mass".   Singletary watched in horror until his opponent got up, fearing that he had done some permanent damage.  Singletary took a knee and began praying.  Finally, it looked like Stamps would be okay.  And the game went on!

The book tells of Singletary's questioning his role and his conflict between annihilating his enemies and turning the other cheek in a game  that he loved.  He opted, in the end, for the love of the game and he asked the Lord:  "Lord, every play I'm going to give you everything I have.  From the bottom of my feet, all the way to the top of my head, every tackle, every block."  He decided that it was his responsibility to God to play as hard as he could.

He said he was at peace with his decision.

Labor Day Sunday

Labor Day has always been a time to have some summer fun before Summer is officially over!  The first Labor Day celebration was in New York City in 1882 and was organized by the Central Labor Union.  From the beginning, it has always been held on the lst Monday of September.

 

 

In 1909 , the AFL designated the Sunday before Labor Day as Labor Sunday, dedicated to the spiritual and educational aspects of the labor movement.   Labor has worked to improve the plight of its workers, including child labor laws, five-day week, on and on labor has improved the quality of life for the people who keep the country running.  I take my hat off to the labor force and for the forces behind the labor movement!

The Lord God understood the need for rest and recreation as well as the inherent value of good old-fashioned work.  He cushioned it all in Commandments 1 and 5 of the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20:9).  The !first commandment spelled out succinctly his plan for our living:  "Thou shalt have no other gods before me."   So many people in today's society put work, play, or nothingness before the God who created them!   Believe me, that is one easy pattern to get into!

But the Lord gets into serious spelling out later in Commandment 5:  "Six days shalt thou labor and do all thy work, but on the seventh day thou shalt rest even during the plowing season and harvest, thou shalt rest."   Doesn't leave a lot of wiggle room or work room, does it?

Think on these things!

Making the 100th Birthday Party

I was determined to go to this party as soon as I received the church bulletin.  It was Mary's 100th birthday and I wanted to wish her the best.  I had not seen her in a few years since she had gone to a retirement home to live and I knew none of her family.  But it did not matter.  I wanted to tell her, if I had the chance, thank you for what she had taught me as a young mother in the church we both attended.  So I went!  And I just meant to sign the guest book and not intrude in making conversation with people who did not know me at all.

But, all of a sudden, she was sitting in her wheel chair just in front of me and we were practically alone.  I had no idea whether she would know me or whether she knew anyone.  But I leaned down and told her who I was and she said quickly, "Oh Jane, I have not seen you in so long  and I am so happy that you came today!"  I said to her,  "I am so happy that I had the chance to tell you how much I learned from you as we worked together."  Then others crowded in and I moved out of her sight so she could talk with others.  But for one moment, I saw her grin as I thanked her for her witness and I was so happy that I had made the effort to come and say something to her.

Mary was not recognized by practically anyone as a leader in the church.  She served on some committees (not the really important ones) and I never heard her speak up at any business meeting.  But I felt her presence among us as we debated issues and when she whispered to me that this was the right move, I knew we were on solid ground.  Mary was a giant in my eyes, then and now. 

At age 100, I wanted her to know that!  Psalm 22:25 sums up her life to me:  "The righteous flourish like the palm tree and grow like a cedar in Lebanon.  They are planted in the house of the Lord; they flourish in the courts of our God.  They still bear fruit in an old age; they are ever full of sap and green, to declare that the Lord is upright; he is my rock and there is no unrighteousness in him."

Happy 100th Birthday, Mary!  You are, indeed, a Saint!

Dealing with demons

My daughter, Sara, is working on her seminary degree, at Malone University.  Last night we were talking about one of her courses and it fascinated me as I heard her talk about what she was learning on the subject of Spiritual Warfare.   The professor was a Methodist preacher, received his Th. D from a fine school, and cannot be put in a category of any kind of a quack.   I listened to her talk for a long time and kept writing down questions I wanted to look up on the computer as soon as the conversation was over.   All I really knew about the subject was:  (1) Jesus and his disciples were constantly casting out demons  (Mark 1:39, l John 5:19 are two examples where this is mentioned.).

I also have heard Mission speakers talk about the spiritual warfare that is going on in Africa, Asia--especially Korea, where missionaries are forced to deal with the interplay of good versus evil realities in their taking the message of Christ to the people in the area.   I know both of these things and I know that there is evil in the world and I know the image of Satan "The Evil One".  I barely know something about the "Generational Curse" that was prevalent from the time of Moses but the idea of a personal demon inside me , or anyone I might want or need to know, that needs to be driven out of me --I don't want to comprehend that.  Sure I need to make some changes in my life but I want to think that such a change is something that I can handle all by myself.  So I will continue to read on and I will continue to talk with my daughter.  I will not close my mind and say that this has to be some kind of drivel or it is part of a mission problem and is not happening here.

The basic question about this whole subject, to me, is do I believe in the existence of evil spirits?
I never asked myself that question before but yes, I do.  I see people and I read about people who are consumed by evil.  How they became so evil is up for grabs for me mentally!   Is it the result of generational sin or the environment in which they were raised or are they possessed by a demon?
The need for answers to this question is creeping into our society in acceptable ways such as laying on of hands, anointing with oil, and exorcism.  Denominations deal with the questions differently.

I need to continue thinking and reading about this.