It is not as a child that I believe and confess Jesus Christ. My hosanna is born of a furnace of doubt.” ~Fyodor Dostoyevski
It is indeed, Doubt that is essential to the path of faith in Christianity. At first, it seems that doubt is gone, once faith is embraced. But is it? I must confess that I doubt at times in the seemingly impossible promises of eternal life and all that precedes it.
Protection, provision, guidance and comfort. At times it seems my life is not protected nor provided for and the comfort I desire seems as though it is the carot out of my grasp. The guidance is forgotten for a bit and I lapse into some sort of swampy thoughts. It takes the silence to look back on my life when I have been blessed by all the excellent things that I have not even asked for.
Simple things that have been the foundation of the questioning expression on my face. You know that move of your own face. A slight tilt of your head, a slight frown and the wrinkle of the forehead. Looking down a bit and your eyes pulled in along with the frown. Sort of a sad look combined with the look of puzzlement. Trying to understand a missing thing. A lost tool or something said that you didn’t quite hear. Doubt of your ability to understand or grasp reality. Doubt and confusion coupled. That can’t be right. I just saw that object. What did she say? Things akin to doubting your own understanding and not quite trusting your memory of touch, sound, sight and proprioceptive sense of balance. Off kilter in puzzlement.
Perhaps tripping over your own feet and falling to the ground or falling to the depth of your being. Doubt.
In isolation it can be devastating. With the help of someone who loves you, there is a helping hand. Reaching in to pull you up out of your fear. Love abounding to once again, reassure and rescue us from our own self doubt. A rescue that can give faith. “You’ve got this, your OK and I am here beside you, always.
Faith in another one’s words and showing you your own worth. Faith in the words of your rescuer.
This is the path to remove the doubt, the doubt that diminishes and eliminates faith. This path is well known and written about in scripture. Everyone has doubts. I look back when I feel the doubt sleeting into me. I look back on the miracles and to others, impossible communications I have been blessed with. Indeed, the helping hand of our rescuer. Jesus. He has been with me when I did not know who He was. He has whispered words to warn and guide my life to love rather than follow my indifference or even hatred of other people and really, myself.
The only way for me is to silence my mind and listen. A very old desert father in the third century put it perfectly. “Where is your savior? Why don’t you ask Him yourself? He said listen” He doesn’t lie to me and if I really am quiet and listen, He will talk to me and tell me truth about the path of Holiness. That narrow path that anyone can walk. Neither looking left nor right but walking true. Listen and walk true to the spirit of God.
Driving home after dark settled in and the lighted billboards line the freeway. Bigger than our driveway markers but somehow, looking similar. Runway lights. Closer in to the ‘cities’, the billboard money flows free and the led panels change several times a minute.
We don’t really look at them, they just do that subliminal thing and linger …somewhere in our minds. I want to change them to tell the truth. The casino ones that promise gaiety and a pocket of Franklin’s should have a stealth vacuum hose sucking the money out of the smiling couples pockets as they watch the roulette wheel.
The lawyers, all with four letter last names, smiling as they exude joy at your auto accidents injuries. Perfect Teeth grins, smiling morticians of misfortune. Bjorn and I count the ones with the man with outstreached arms selling cash for homes ( seven so far from Forest Lake to Blaine) A bit of humor as we drive to the Blaine campus of Eagle Brook to get the media production set up and running.
And there I am, my face exuding the billboard of my past. Selfish, confident in my past victories meaning nothing to anyone but me. Looking in the mirror of my behavior and seeing the same old anger and unwilling spirit to listen or look upon a face that shows compassion and encouragement. Another billboard seen as others pass by as unpleasant and perhaps, known.
Agony as I realize a piece of my past that I hold onto is not who I am now. It gets in my way and tells me lies about everyone that loves me. I am not worthy, I am at fault again and reminded of my failures. Hearing condemnation from within and also hearing love breaking in again and telling me of what I am becoming. Be at peace, quiet my spirit and listen to Him.
I begin the agony once more of realizing these things and suddenly, the beauty I have been blessed with for 40 years unfolds and begins to burn away the false images that I have embraced for most of my life. Tears and a quiet voice tell me a destiny that becomes clear and clean.
Called to be a warrior for Jesus and embracing more and more his gentle and firm voice. The new path, the astonishing and breathtaking path that has been laid before me. Paving that road on the narrow highway of holiness. Not looking right or left or in my life, not looking behind at the pain and struggle for fame, fortune to replace the pain I have endured and embraced.
As a well known song says, I am no longer a slave to sin. It is true and it is not an instantaneous process for me. My past beginning now being seen as straying off that path I have been set upon for decades. Saved from death many times and lovingly, steadily helped to become what I have been created for. Strength, true and right seen as the lighted path to the love of Christ.
Working the railroad section and riding the crew car to the work site. You’ve seen them, short and yellow metal with the crew riding in the open. Putt putting down the track. An amazing thing about them is how they go in reverse. Shut the ignition off and as the slow, single cylinder engine puts it’s last putt before coming to a stop turn the ignition back on at just the right time, and it begins to run in the opposite direction!
Handy, no gear box needed. This is a akin to my life at times. When I feel that I am going in the wrong direction, I have to quiet my self and listen to someone else to discover the path that leads to peace and even back the way I came and finding the place I began. Just shut off as His spirit begins to quiet my chattering mind.
As I like to say, “A suddenly occurs” and a sunrise begins to warm my face and reminds me, once again, there is light that shows that path upon the narrow road. A path that I am guaranteed not to go astray upon.
I am reminded at times about navigation with a compass and sextant when lost at sea, going in the wrong direction. The reliable clock in my possession tells me where the sun and compass should be. I ‘shoot’ the sun and drop it to the horizon to tell me where I am with the compass and chart and make a correction of direction. Harder to do in an area with strong magnetic fields but through a learned skill, I can now make what is called ‘dead reckoning’ a good decision to continue.
I know I am off course at times and the quietness gives me time to realize I am dead again and I need to hear that still, small voice that tells me the course to take. I reckon and quietly hear the true course laid out. The chart book always is right and after reading it, the course is set once again.
It’s relatively easy to get off course, we all do it. We have to shut our engine down and often reverse course to get to where we started and find the track we should have gone down. Love and forgiveness of offense, forgiveness to our self image for taking the wrong course too. It happens to everyone. Listen the the true navigator of our lives and look to the Son and bring his light close to our horizon. Not easy, I have to learn how to use that sextant of my spirit and read the chart. The Bible. It’s pretty good. Jack Gator
There is, in all of us, a wish to be known as a good man. A man of morals to always be a good neighbor. But we know we are not good. Selfish, angry and full of …ourselves. My boot laces can’t lift me to be all I think I can be. They aren’t even tied when I try.
There are moments of frustration, and anger, that seem to supplant our good and replace it with self-justification. Driving is a good example for me. Reacting to a driver that I feel is a threat or foolishness. Whatever or where did that anger or at least, that judgment become paramount in my mind at the time? If I promptly examine the emotions it becomes clear that I am not ‘totally good” but quickly justify myself by comparing my good with someone lack of it. Of course, if I act like an idiot does not make me one. There is great hope for me. At the very outset, of foolishness, it begins to be exposed and there is faith that change can occur.
Christianity promises me that I will be cleansed of these things but I don’t like the process at all. As C.S. Lewis so eloquently puts it, then I am like a rabbit and the pulling out of my fur and flesh painfully makes me recognize my real state of ‘goodness’ I don’t even treat myself very good if I am honest. At the point just stated, I become morose about my ungracious thoughts and promise to try and do better. I need help to change.
The only real solution to these problems of trying to be good is the embrace and surrender to Christ. To open the door or window to the gentle and persistent voice telling me that I need more than good intentions and self image of my mind. The story by George MacDonald, ‘on the back of the North Wind’ Comes to mind when young Diamond blocks that breath in his loft and he hears a gentle voice say: “why do you block my window?” There is no window in this loft! ” I did not say A window, I said My window”
I need to listen to that gentle voice and die to my good intentions and my self images . Frustration can overwhelm me with the task of realizing my need to become more and more Christ like.
The death of myself can be stated in a simple parable. Trapped in a rushing stream, soon to drown and be smashed in the upcoming cascading waterfall, already heard ahead as the rocks are funneling the water. Suddenly a hand appears from the riverbank stretching out to rescue me. What must I do? Do I say, “Easy for you, there is a rock under you and you are standing on the riverbank!” Or do I clasp the hand of loving rescue that will save me from my inevitable doom. Always a choice. Life or death, choose now.
Those of us who are tired of life are actually tired of death and we desperately need the life of living waters. I want to be like a tree, planted by a stream of living waters. With my roots that go down deep.
I was blessed by a vision of swimming with Jesus, I was in pain and had my eyes closed, meditating on live worship music in the room and suddenly, I was swimming with Jesus! He said He knew I loved to swim. We swam together doing the side stroke, facing one another. He asked me if I wanted to go underneath the water? “You can breathe down there!”Then I answered, how deep is it? He said, “how deep do you want to go?” Startled, I opened my eyes and was healed of a leg injury that was plaguing me. I instantly went to pray for someone that was praying for me.
We had a good time of prayer that day. Never forgot it,
That was the beginning of my wish to pray for others that want to go deeper still into the loving arms of Jesus. Our Lord and rescuer from the world of ourselves. It’s pretty good. Jack Gator
A Powerful word, the most powerful word that exists. A foundation for eternity and a word that cannot be forced or coerced in any way. The Word was with God and the Word was God.
Many people, including myself, realize that that Word has four letters and they are summed up with the clear vision that it is intertwined with creation itself. Indeed the beginning of all things that are and were created. It seemed to me the hardest thing to really understand, these four letters, Word. Indeed, what was this, the first Thing God did? Alone, incomprehensible to me.
Today, those four letters became clearer and more beautiful. Creation indeed. The one thing, the only thing that is needed to complete it all. The one thing I needed to complete my life and give me purpose. For everyone’s purpose to exist and be filled with joy and understanding all things.
All interpretations of these four letters are that the Word was Jesus. How can this be? All of scripture is now referred to as the story of Jesus, the Word. The Bible is the Word and through it all things were created and nothing was created without it.
Only this morning, as I was trying to understand our world and the seeming collapse of it did it make sense. The Word is Love. Jesus indeed was the love, the one thing that cannot be without being given. The Father Himself gave us the most precious of all things, the freedom to choose love itself. Without the choice to love or not is the foundation of all things.
Love, It must be chosen not created by us. The only creation by God was love for He alone, as us all now, could not love without another. Love the Lord your God with all you are, all your strength, power might and spirit. All of it. God’s only begotten Son was love. The incredible Word. Jesus.
After all, the entirety of this Word requires another to love and be loved. What indeed is love?
Both lovers listening, and gazing upon one another with rapture. In the beginning, perfect love, eternal love and sharing everything that is. The wedding vow of eternity as we now become the bride of Christ with this love. He gave His life for us, can we do no less?
As a veteran, I look upon my fellow warriors with love and honor them for the courage they showed to defend this country that is founded on the freedom to love one another. In our country’s constitution, in the beginning is indeed, that all men are created equal. All of us. Able to choose good or evil. At conception and birth, all equal. We can indeed choose to love as we grow. It’s very hard (I know this as you do) but it is a choice. “Life or death, choose now” as Jesus spoke to me so long ago.
This morning as contemplating the beginning of all that started our country it became it bit clearer to me. Our beginning too of our countrys first pact with one another that all men are created equal. Capable of love and being loved. Then and now as differences of opinions, faith or not and appearances become nothing compared to our birth as free men created equal to be lovers of God. We choose to love as in the beginning we were given the freedom to love or not. It is only possbile when we understand the Word.
The hard part, the hardest part is choosing and the best part is having freedom to do so. This is the foundation of our country. Love it or not, we still have the freedom to choose love and eternal life. It’s pretty good. Jack Gator.
A hectic day with the usual errands and heavy work. A friends mother needed some work on her vehicle and it turned out rather complicated. Shredded wiring, trouble codes and the usual inaccessible places.
One more detail on that, a new dipstick which was only available about 25 miles away. The rest of the family was processing firewood with the usual plethora of chain saws, trailers, wedges, ice water and good gloves.
Dry and dead trees were wedged and fell with that mixture of snapping and rustling turning louder and with a rending tear of the notch, a thumping crash felt and heard. The chain saws began their work slicing and dicing the branches and measuring with the bars, a nice 16 inches long. Dry stuff on the hoof that gave off bowling pins mixing music together. Good for this winters burns in the parlor stove.
I went to town to get some fuel and had time to run after that dipstick down off the big highway that connects our two states. The part was correct and when I turned from my parking spot, I felt a bump and truck began to lean a bit and in 50 feet, the truck was parked with a destroyed front tire. No spare. Well, there was one under the frame that has been there since the late nineties. Flat and rusted in place. That was OK because there wasn’t any Jack or lug wrench. B prepared was turned into a B flat tire. It looked rather the worse for wear. All floppy and the treads were hardly there anyway. Probably ran over a nail or a beer cap I t thought. Sidewall failure.
It would have been a disaster on the road at speed. No accident happened in front of an auto parts store. I tried calling on my cell but the signal was terrible, always is up on the big St.Croix hill. I went outside to my leaning Ford Ranger and logged into the nearby grocery store that has good WiFi. It was about 3 o’clock. Second time the old truck had failed at a very slow speed.
The last time it failed, a tie rod end fell off in our parking lot. That is one of two parts that are connected to the steering mechanism. Providence, and once again, my life was saved by the Lord. “Coincidence” some folks say. A double negative was my response.” Yeah, right” He is always good. Obviously it wasn’t my time to leave the planet.
So I called home to the firewood team and there wasn’t much to be done. Then I called triple A and they said “due to a high level of requests there would be a delay in response time.” Sounded like I had just called the power company after a bad storm. It was OK but I regretted not bringing a book along.
People started stopping and rolling down windows asking if I needed help. One of them was a man I know pretty well that goes to the same Bible study every week. “Just waiting for the tow truck, thanks!” He asked if he could do something and I answered I could use lunch. He smiled and they drove off to the north. The grocery store was about 200 feet the other way. He might have thought I was making light of my situation. I wasn’t
A man in his middle thirties or so walked up to my open window and asked the same question. At that point I got out of the truck, shook his hand and thanked him for his concern. Quickly it seemed, we began really talking. Who are you, where do you live things. The conversation engendered by my curiosity, started towards dealing with disappointments. I noticed no wedding ring and he said he was divorced. I said something commiserating and then asked if he had children.
It began the revelation between two men, strangers that friendship was being offered. Delighted we pressed on with two boys for each of us and his had cowboy names. I asked if it was a well known country singer’s name and he affirmed it and I remarked that the singer was a man of God. He smiled and agreed. We were off way past the pulpit and the pews and started getting deep. He told me of his childhood church history and I replied that I had met many preachers of that denomination that illuminated grace and the love of Christ.
“An Episcopal Priest saved my life when I was freezing outside of his home, I was then living in my truck” I know he loved Jesus and I loved him. Not the usual of ‘not our denomination’ judgment. He lit up and told me he wasn’t much on church attendance. I then spoke truth to him that that does not have much to do with intimacy with the living Spirit of Jesus, really. I read C.S. Lewis and his mentor, George MacDonald a lot. They taught me those things.
We spoke of our lives. He works with machines that package candy bars, 100 a minute. He fixes them when they misbehave. I talked about my half century of owning an automotive repair shop and of being completely foolish in being unprepared completely for a simple flat tire on the old company truck. Things that people speak about when getting to know one another. It went on quickly enough and we began to delight in our ‘chance’ meeting.
I took a leap of faith and stated that our meeting was not chance but the whole reason I was there having a dead Ford Ranger and he was there to extend a hand to a stranger. It was our Lord putting us together to encourage him in his now renewed interest in these things. I almost felt like a pastor again . It was just what I needed as well. I had been feeling rather down that morning and my wife was trying to tell me I was very useful around the farm. After all, I speak like an idiot at times but that does not make me one.
I am often weak and don’t feel adequate enough to for my ego and past sole support of our place. Our strong son is now the strength we need and of course, that is why I bought the used chain saw from a second hand store the day before. It needed sharpening and carburetor adjustment. My son sharpened it well and I set the idle and off I went. I was working my son and all the family were loading and sawing too.
Soren, my son, dropped some huge dead trees. It was sweaty and noisy. It was good. I was reminded of my life and health and the beauty of our family life once again. (Now back to that flat tire.)
I got back in the our truck to wait, maybe write a note for the tow truck and looked up and he had arrived. Good timing, again. He was looking for me. He knew the area but there are hundreds of cars and trucks there.
The tow truck operator told me he would meet me at the grocery store parking lot while I bought lunch and we were off. I got extras in case he needed lunch too. He did not want any hot fried chicken, so I ate it all. A pleasant 30 mile flat bed drive home and it became easy work to push the truck onto the hoist and take off the tire. We obtained a spare and tools. Never had a flat since.
Now it became evident that this conversation with that young man down south was fulfilling work and it was very good. Another inconvenient pause in life to meet someone and have each of us encouraged. Most likely the whole reason for the perfectly safe place to have the flat
The B flat became Be sharp and I began to see. As a musician and punster it seems to fit this story perfectly.
Norm was thumbing through one of his books stacked by his living room chair. Norm leaves books all over the house but usually next to his chair or on the kitchen table. It’s sloppy and reminds him of photos of eccentric men of the past. It is sort of pleasing to understand that the mess of books could be a lot worse mess. Brandy bottles. Perhaps ash trays filled with ..ashes. Norm imagines Winston Churchill’s sitting room. Brandy and cigars and books of wisdom and history. Books written with voices crying in the wilderness. The oldest man of God, Abram, believed in the Lord and it was accounted to him as righteousness. It brings the best comfort to Norm as he was doomed to condemnation, fully deserving of death but the Lord saw me there and because of His great love, He saw me there, because He’s rich in mercy and he made me alive when I was dead and He raised me up, and seated me with Christ. And it’s by His Grace that I am saved and it’s through Faith, the very gift of God. That’s in one of Norms earmarked and favorite books. You know which one that is.
On top of one of the nearest piles was a book with a quote from Dorothy Sayers. She was a brilliant poet and novelist from Oxford that was a contemporary of C.S. Lewis and G.K. Chesterton.
Norm casually started reading about her and stumbled upon the short quote . It made Norm realize what he has been running up against for a while. Some of the short pieces and columns he has been writing, some of them published, have been critiqued as ‘too religious’ An oxymoron. A dichotomy. Norm does not have much time for ‘religion’ as it is understood by the world. It’s not about names, places, clothing, being good. Follow the rules and you’ll be all right, that’s religion. Hang on, that quote is short and included in a paragraph soon! Controversy can result from me saying these things. It isn’t how often you go to ‘church’ or sing praise or wave flags either. It’s only death and resurrection to New Life!
(Pastor Tony that’s two good words for you)
Dorothy’s quotes made that issue come to life and with her usual brilliance, gave Norm inspiration to somehow write a short paragraph or two to illuminate his answer is to critics of his writing. What am I doing wrong? He has even been asked to tone down the ‘religious’ stuff to make it more acceptable to the commercial purveyors of tabloids and such. Faith is not an opinion, it’s not working it up. It’s a gift, to you. You don’t deserve it and you cannot earn it. I know these things, it’s a gift that took me years to open and embrace. He opened my eyes one night and I realized the truth. Jesus is my Lord and King. Unshakable, the gift of God. A rock I can stand on. I get weak and he holds out His mighty arm and an outstretched hand and helps me to stay on His highway of holiness. A choice to accept His righteousness.
Dorothy wrote strongly that a big mistake is being made to separate work and religion. The workers of our world are instructed to be nice, don’t indulge in drunken revelry and attend worship at least once a week. How can anyone who works be interested in religion that does not address 90 percent of his life? After all, the man who wrote most of the Bibles new testament was a tent maker by trade. Norm cannot imagine him, Paul, being admonished for being too religious when he was working. It’s a bit of a stretch, but perhaps you are getting the picture.
Our constitution expresses the freedom of religion, not the freedom from religion. Our faith pervades our lives and it is a big mistake of the world to ignore that. “The biggest mistake the church has made is making work and religion separated departments”a. The early church was telling Paul that the first demand his faith was putting upon him was to make really good tents. Our church (meaning the people) in the first century was not filled with ceremony and rules. Revealing the faith was essential in those times, even if it meant persecution and anger from populations in the areas. People that had no Spirit in their heart did not understand nor comprehend how faith in the Messiah changed everything about people and how we relate to one another. Love, not judgment. Treating everyone with love and respect. Our faith is meant to permeate every aspect of a believers life. Not being known as just a ‘good person’
Norm realizes that his faith is not separate from his work either. After ‘retiring’ from his automotive repair business, he has heard how well customers were treated by him. Quite a few times Norm was treated badly by customers. It was tempting to return the favor. Encouragement continues to highlight the strength and well being given to Norm by his faith in Jesus, King of the Universe. ‘Religion’ is not mandatory and that is good and right. The choice to be shown the road of holiness is ours. That path is our life and you don’t walk it only on Sunday morning.
The title of Norm’s new book reflects this conviction. ‘A fools highway to redemption’ Life changing behavior from Attitudes to Zeal for real life, real relationships and real fulfillment. The cure for the ills of the human condition since the decision in the first garden to be our own masters. It’s very same thing I struggle with inside of me . I want to be just like God. He did not consider equality with God as something to be grasped. By me, by you.
Freedom from the world’s ways to look and act with real love, not just affection. Real love. It’s pretty good. Jack Gator.
It was subtle at first and seemed to come from several directions. At first it seemed like from the Alcoran, often nowadays referred to as the Muslim holy book, The Koran. It denies that Jesus is God along with the Father and the Spirit. This is also found today in Unitarianism which is sort of a ‘feel good’ religion. No original sin, God sits with Enoch, Abraham, Noah and Elijah. Not Jesus. David’s vision in psalm 110 is my favorite one by the way.
There are many of note that have embraced the Unitarian Church. It insists that John the apostle was made up and not mentioned in any of the other Gospels. The Jehovah Witness’ seem to be on board with that denial of Jesus’ divinity as well. Their syllogism falls apart with a close look at the logic. Their logic or premises state that if Moses’ command from God was to worship the one true God, then worship of Jesus is wrong. The other pillars of that syllogism? Opinions, not facts. The roof on that logic is sitting on the ground, not supported by facts.
This sideways movement has dropped into my world by a beloved friend that is upset that I pray to Jesus and not to the Father. Everyone in that movement (including Muslims} are very adamant about this.
I grieve for my friend for now it appears he has fallen under the spell of this. It seems that the sticking point is that Jesus is the Judge of all. Of course, in John 5 Jesus declares the truth of those who do not honor the Son do not Honor the Father.
I can tell this has happened to him as he writes to me now that I am the deceived one believing in a corrupted and altered Bible. This is such an old attempt by so many up to this day. He referred adamantly to Brad Ehrman’s books as the basis for rejecting half of the new testament including the Gospel of John.
On Brad Ehrman’s writing:
With a few exceptions when he admits he’s not certain, I’m struck by Ehrman’s usual unswerving confidence that he is 100 percent right. He is, just like evangelicals, relying on an ultimate authority—but instead of the Bible, it’s his own intellect. He is very well grounded in Christianity as he once was a priest and well educated in the faith. He would be an excellent lawyer as he could convince a jury whatever way he wanted them to see. All of his research, all of his ‘sources’ are presented as solid and irrefutable. By whom? It is obvious to me and many, many other concerned and more learned people than I that Mr. Ehrman has now been seduced into declaring that all scripture is errant and only he has the truth. What was the question that Pilate asked Jesus? Mr Ehrman is echoing the old question: “did God really say?” Ehrman also makes a lot of cash from his book sales. Nice. Better pay than declaring Jesus is the light of our world. Darkness pays well but the retirement plan is not good.
I have heard Jesus speak audibly to me, I have seen my best friend enter into paradise. I prayed to Jesus in the hospital over my good friend for healing. As I have prayed to Jesus, He has changed my life from an atheist to a prayer warrior. My friend knows this. I continue to love him and pray for him. If I listen to Jesus, he always talks to me and guides me. Often I don’t listen and lose my way. He is gentle and kind and understands completely. Many times He has lifted me with his strong hand and helped me back on the highway of holiness.
“I consulted 12 major translations by different teams of Hebrew scholars, all of whom don’t hold biblical text to be inerrant. Their translations contain only minor differences. All of them suggest Job is indeed speaking of seeing God in the afterlife.” 1.
This denial of Job’ words s is just one example of Ehrman’s practice of either: (1) inaccurately conveying what the Bible says; (2) accurately conveying what the Bible says, then declaring it’s wrong; (3) arguing the text really doesn’t say what Christians believe it says (why does that matter if what it really says is also wrong?); and (4) citing Scripture in support of his contentions, even though he regularly dismisses Scripture’s validity! Pray for him and for my friend and for me. Truth is freedom, Shalom, Truth to you. Norm the fiddling Gator
1. A big thank you to Randy Alcorn for inspiration and truth
It seemed appropriate. A long day in the beautiful and bountiful garden, spaghetti with some of the fresh zucchini. Back to weeding to the center bench and the glads surrounding it? Open the fancy umbrella and drink ice water to cool down. Too many bugs now.
Grabbing a book to read, it was one that Norm liberated from one of those bird house free books kiosks. It was an obvious find of great worth. Hard covered and printed in 1902 by Chitauqua Library and Scientific Circle. It is a survey of Russian literature by Isabel R. Hapgood. A treasure accompanied by a very small paperback of the writings of Descarte on top of it!
At the end of the book on Russian literature, there was Dostoevsky as the capstone of the volume.
Still astonished by the perfect gift of an absolute stranger, Norm began to read about Feodor Mikhaliovich Dostoevsky. A quote from the book had a simple and astounding reason for the success of of Dostoevsky’s writing in his book, ‘What is to be done!’
He united two things which touch the most responsive chords in the human heart—the thirst for easy happiness, and the imperative necessity for ascetic self-sacrifice. The human condition that has not changed since we were created. These stories capture our heart and it was the summation of most of his work.
Norm began to stutter in his mind and get that ‘contemplative expression’ while gently swinging on the porch and enjoying the cool evening breeze. As goes the saying, Norm’s mind makes a visit now and then. This was one of those times. The sacrifices of the entire family came into view that cause the self-sacrifice for the happiness? Norm had just finished picking some of the tasty early snow peas and Julie topped the container off with some strawberries.
A good friend that drives the UPS truck showed up as Norm was walking to the house with the small bounty in a Tupperware container. The driver that has always deserved gifts of coffee in the winter. As Sean, the driver,reached for the package, Norm offered up a question; “Do you like Snow peas?” It was affirmative and the home grown strawberries were a sweet topping on the container. Perfect timing. Sean said he would bring back the plastic container and the gift was given. As usual, the fellowship between them was brought to the forefront with smiles. A hard days work for them both and the gift and the giver were blessed with those smiles.
Gifts from God and hard work to draw them out of the seeds that contain all of the information to grow. Very small seeds, as all life draws from that beautiful creation of the seed and the pollinator. Hard, honest work culminating in worship and grateful hearts. It’s pretty good. Jack Gator
There is a common saying around the world that means much more than the two words it says. It is about acceptance and it can be very misleading to some of us. Accepting a gift is pleasant as it also is getting a package from the brown truck. They could be one in the same as well! You must, of course open the door and let the package into your home. If you are not at home, the gift will be left on your doorstep. Maybe.
The thing I am referring to is the common phrase, Accepting Christ. It is usually a cause for celebration by both the recipient and family. But what does the phrase imply? Is it just like opening your door to have a package of renown given to you? It would seem the phrase would indicate that someone finally made up their mind to indeed open their door and receive a Man. It seems so simple, but what does it really mean to us?
I like the phrase, ‘Accepting the Word’ It means so much more and it doesn’t mean an instantaneous change and a new person that almost glows. Of course, there can be immediate change, but at times nothing really seems to change in us. It can be world shaking as it was for Norm! He had been seeking some answers to questions he had. The big ones. “Who made the universe and why? Why is the world such an awful place at times? Why do I think and do things that I know are wrong?” The philosopher Descartes got right to the point. I have a mind. Then why do I think about God? Why is that thought even in my mind?
Questions that we all ponder and pontificate on. We all have ideas to answer those queries as well. As was said by one of the wisest men known: “ Those who are given over to preconceived ideas are forced to defend what they cannot prove” Cicero 36 BC. We cannot prove big answers but some try with science and theory. Evolution is one of the greatest children’s stories ever expounded upon. It has entertaining value, much akin to science fiction classics. We evolved a brain with more synapses’ than there are stars in the Milky Way? Ben Carson pointed to that evolutionary absurdity.
We have all heard them from some pretty smart guys. The know facts but they do not know truth. They are brilliant scientists and tell us that a big firecracker exploded a few millennia ago (the big bang) and all we know and see came of it. The new question which has not been answered is where did the firecracker come from and who lit the fuse? The only thing they really can say is the fact the universe exists and how incredible and eternal it is. Big numbers, speculation and scientific analysis. Jaw dropping distances and sizes.
All those questions can be answered within the pages of one very old book. You most likely have heard of it and probably have one. You can find one easily, even in drawers in hotels! It starts “In the beginning” which indicates that time started then which is incomprehensible to us but we read on, and it starts to make sense. A lot of sense. It states that at that exact beginning moment, God created the building blocks of the universe. Then He made us to enjoy Him and His incredible creation. He really enjoys us more than we can imagine. Further into the book it states: In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and Word was God. All the scholars and teachers that Jack has met agree on the description of Jesus as ‘the Word’ That makes sense too fter a while of study. A lot of reading starts with the above questions.
God. Father, Son and Holy Spirit. All of the three God and separate as well. I know what you are thinking. If you are anything else than a Christian, then it doesn’t make sense. If you are a Christian it doesn’t make sense at times either. Ask someone in your circle of friends to talk about it with you. Dig and keep asking questions. Be unrelenting in your pursuit of God and knowledge of Him.
Read and then study in ‘the word’ (Bible) coupled with some pretty savvy authors. My all time favorite for the tough questions is C.S.Lewis and his seminal magnum opus, ‘Mere Christianity’ You might have read or seen the movie of his book, Chronicles of Narnia. (That work is a wonderful primer for Mere Christianity.) Read Mere Christianity a few times and then put it down for a while and then read it again. And later, when looking for some ‘light’ reading, read it again.
There was a group of scholars from Berea (modern day Greece) that studied like I am asking you to do. So perhaps another way of saying the tremendous realization of ‘accepting Christ’, would be following Him and studying Him. It’s nice to read about real things. There are thousands of manuscripts that authenticate these stories. Incidentally, there are only six known manuscripts that authenticate Homer’s Odessy. Only a dozen or so that authenticate Islam. Facts and history. The more copies to compare with the other copies the better, right? Maps of our world and events. Some folks even deny obvious truths such as the world being round and the existence of California (the term existence is variable in this case)
The best time is to talk to Jesus is right now. He is delighted to talk with you. He is eternal and can be your intimate best friend forever. The description Norm likes is ‘Become best friends with Jesus’ The hard part is not to think it out and be quiet with our very limited comprehension of truth and friendship.
One of my all time favorite stories that goes back a ‘few’ years ago (centuries) is from the desert fathers. I probably have quoted this in a previous post, but it bears repeating:
One seeker of truth visits Father Anthony and asks him; “when is the Messiah coming? Anthony answers; “why not ask Him yourself? He’s out by the city gate healing people” Later on the seeker comes back and says; “He lied to me, He said he was coming today and He isn’t here” Father Anthony laughs and says; “He didn’t say He was coming today, He said listen!”
Think about that for a while and when you are ready, just sit down, ignore all those thoughts we fill our minds with, and listen for His quiet and perfect voice. Listening, a hard thing to do at any time amidst all our clutter of words. The answers we immediately cannot wait to speak when other people speak to us. Listen, and let it go in deep. If He asks us to do something, anything at all, don’t think about it but act. The reward of joy is in listening to Him. He is indeed nearby, healing people. He will heal you too, healed in ways we cannot begin to comprehend.
Jack gators grace notes 