The Gin Craze was a period in the first half of the 18th century when the consumption of gin became popular with the working classes in Britain – especially in London. There ensued an epidemic of extreme drunkenness that provoked moral outrage and a legislative backlash which some compare to the modern drug wars. (http://encyclopedia.thefreedictionary.com/Gin+Craze) I was an alcohol and drug counselor for the Region Three Chemical Dependency Program in Tupelo, Mississippi for five years from 1987 to 1992. We counselors all understood the plain fact is that marijuana is a gateway drug. A gateway drug is the starting point for those who want an unnatural high. In other words, marijuana leads one to more powerful drugs. Surely, all of us can understand this truth. With truth known, why in the world would some states legalize this gateway drug? The creating of an epidemic of potheads and worse is silly nonsense. Why would our lawmakers cave to the chemical dependency community? We must remember the truism; we will reap the consequence of bad decisions. Mark that down! Wrong moral decisions of our government will cause confusion and sinful outcomes. “…they be blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind lead the blind, both shall fall into the ditch” (Matthew 15:14 KJV). “In thee, O LORD, do I put my trust: let me never be put to confusion. Deliver me in thy righteousness, and cause me to escape: incline thine ear unto me, and save me. Be thou my strong

According to Webster’s dictionary, the word sensitive can be defined in part as, “having or showing keen sensibilities; easily offended, disturbed, shocked, irritated, etc. as by the actions of others, high-strung, tense, and touchy.” When I was growing up in Brooklyn, New York, my favorite major league baseball team was the Brooklyn Dodgers. My boyhood friends also liked the New York Yankees or the Giants. Friendly squabbling about our favorite teams was commonplace. None of us were easily offended because of our team choices. Maybe it’s just me! However, it seems that political sensitivity has increased over the years. People seem to be afraid to discuss for whom they voted. We don’t want to discuss political differences. We whisper to each other, and we look over our shoulders, watching and not wanting to stir sensitivities or to offend anyone. Such type things are not normal for Americans. We were always open to discussion. What has happened, and why the sensitivity? We have heard for years, “Don’t discuss politics and religion.” Most of us ignored this axiom. We would come back with another truism, “It’s a free country, isn’t it?” With that comeback, we all smiled and joked with each other. Many times, there were strong disagreements concerning these matters, and yet, we would depart, still friends. In matters of religion, sensitivity is always an issue, with strong feelings concerning such. Family ties, the religion of parents and the like have always been a problem. Our conversations must be civil and

And again He entered Capernaum after some days, and it was heard that He was in the house. Immediately many gathered together, so that there was no longer room to receive them, not even near the door. And He preached the word to them. Then they came to Him, bringing a paralytic who was carried by four men. And when they could not come near Him because of the crowd, they uncovered the roof where He was. So when they had broken through, they let down the bed on which the paralytic was lying. When Jesus saw their faith, He said to the paralytic, “Son, your sins are forgiven you.” …But that you may know that the Son of Man has power on earth to forgive sins — He said to the paralytic, “I say to you, arise, take up your bed, and go to your house.” Immediately he arose, took up the bed, and went out in the presence of them all, so that all were amazed and glorified God, saying, “We never saw anything like this!” (Mark 2:1-5, 10-12 NKJV) What great initiative and ingenuity the friends of the man sick of palsy showed! Webster defines initiative in part as “the characteristic of originating new ideas or methods; ability to think and act without being urged.” A free, online dictionary says of ingenuity that it implies “the power of creative imagination; inventiveness; resourcefulness.” Some of us have been employed where an efficiency report is prepared and submitted by

For the most part, all of us want to be remembered. We want our family members, our friends and those with whom we are acquainted to recognize us. We want folks to talk to us. We don’t want to be ignored because we are not in the well-liked or well-known group. We may be shy and not up to par in many respects, but please “remember me.” “I think that’s what we all want, in the end. To know that we left footprints when we passed by, however briefly. We want to be remembered. So remember us. Please. Remember us” (Lancaster). Even the most prominent people in the annals of history are forgotten. Out of mind and with the passing of time, many even within their own lifespans are forgotten. It is strange that evil people often are remembered and good people are forgotten. Hitler is an example of such evil remembrance. The forgetting of Joseph with all he accomplished and Pharaoh making him ruler over Egypt is very sad. “Now there arose up a new king over Egypt, which knew not Joseph” (Exodus 1:8 KJV). This is proof that men have short memories when it comes to remembering. When all forsake us and forget us, our God will remember. “Nehemiah 13:31: ‘Remember me, O my God, for good’—The best services done to the public, have sometimes been forgotten by those for whom they were done, therefore Nehemiah refers himself to God to be recompensed by him, and then doubts not

I turned eighteen years old in November 1950. The 1930’s and 1940’s were my growing up period for rearing that included ethical and moral instruction. No generation is free of sin and social nonsense. With that said, I have pondered and wondered about the changes in the way average Americans view morality. Older folks can see a considerable change in our society. I am sure I will simplify many of the workings of why we have changed, and you may find me judgmental. However, I am trying to explain the changes from my generation to the present. I believe it is the programming via propaganda—brainwashing of the masses—since the early 1960’s that is responsible for the changes in society we see today. From the 1960’s, movies, TV and general entertainment began to become vulgar and in your face. A type of bohemianism developed. Old standards of morality, dress and appearance changed. For example, men’s haircuts went from the traditional neat, short cut to girlish long hair. Many men now have an unshaven, scruffy look. Recently, I saw tattoos on a guy’s baldhead. May I ask, why the abundance of body piercing? How do they eat or talk properly with a pierced tongue? Neatness in dress has almost vanished. Remember the idiom, “Sunday go to meeting clothes”? Nowadays, it is not uncommon to see boys and young men come to worship on Sundays in T-Shirts or similar clothing. Since I am a Christian gentleman, I will refrain from any comments concerning

Great Faith, Hope and Love: “And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity” (1 Corinthians 13:13 KJV). “But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us” (Ephesians 2:4). Great Mystery of Godliness in Christ: “And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory” (1 Timothy 3:16). Great Salvation in Christ Jesus: “How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation; which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed unto us by them that heard him” (Hebrews 2:3). Greatness of Power: “And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to usward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power” (Ephesians 1:19). Great Precious Promises in Christ: “Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust” (2 Peter 1:4).

The meaning of mesmerism is fascinating. The dictionary defines mesmerism in part as “a strong or spellbinding appeal; fascination; a hypnotic induction.” Have you ever met a person who was mesmerized by another person? Maybe you have seen old newsreels of the 1930s and 1940s when Adolf Hitler was in power. Often, they depicted young women in a mesmerized state with tears flowing down their cheeks. Hitler affected other people the same way, too. Further, part of this spellbinding appeal is observed as swooning. To swoon is defined in part as “to faint, to be overwhelmed by ecstatic joy; to become enraptured as swooning with joy.” Maybe you remember such swooning over Frank Sinatra, Elvis Presley or other entertainers. Sorrowfully and more serious, people can be mesmerized by propaganda, brainwashing and other means of emotional control. With that said, we see the importance of truth and honesty. Unfortunately, we have observed people who are emotionally controlled by political affiliation, religious organizations and the like. Charlatanism can drive part of this control. “No matter how big the lie; repeat it often enough and the masses will regard it as the truth” (John F. Kennedy). “If you repeat a lie often enough, it becomes the truth” (Joseph Goebbels). “Those who are capable of tyranny are capable of perjury to sustain it” (Lysander Spooner). “Propaganda is as powerful as heroin; it surreptitiously dissolves all capacity to think” (Gil Courtemanche). “It’s the unknown that draws people” (E. A. Bucchianeri). “The faster our lives spin,

Some forty-five years ago, a close friend gave me The People’s New Testament by B.W. Johnson. It has simple explanatory notes and commentary on the Scriptures. It uses both the King James and the Revised versions in conjunction with Scripture cross-references. All are easy to use, and for this, I am thankful. I am a down-to-earth man and The People’s New Testament was the very tool I needed as I started my studies of the Word of God. Currently, the pages are loose and in need of rebinding. I use it all the time and teach from it. Sometimes, I say that my complete brain is in this testament; almost every page is loaded with personal notes I have written over the years. Although I really enjoy Johnson’s the People’s New Testament, I always remember that the Scriptures themselves are the final standard. My notes and B.W. Johnson’s explanatory remarks are just that, our view or understanding of the Scriptures. For the greater part, B.W. Johnson’s notes and my own annotations are correct and in accordance with the Scriptures. The point I am making is that the Word of God—the Bible—is the final and only true standard. We must not go beyond what is written. “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works” (2 Timothy 3:16-17 KJV). Mistakes & Errors ArePart of Men’s Endeavors Johnson’s explanatory notes are the work of a

We are Americans. Our heritage, culture, morality and laws stem from Judaic-Christian principles. The Bible, both Old and New testaments, is the source for our moral concepts. Our forefathers did not glean or seek guidance from other so-called sacred books. They recognized the superior nature of the Bible. The Hindu writings, the Zend-Avesta of the Zoroastrians, the Confucian texts, the Buddhist writings, the Koran (the Code of Islam or Mohammedanism), etc. did not meet the lofty ideals of the Bible and setting of standards and laws for our western culture, such as in the United States of America. It is interesting to note that our founders and other western culture leaders understood that law was rooted from the Bible. Notice the following motivating quotation. “…Morality rests upon Law. Law is subject to the Authority of Morality; Law is the Basis of Morality, but yet Morality is the Standard of Law. Law is fixed for the moment, and Morality supposes its fixity, but Morality is a supreme and eternal Rule, which Law must recognize. Law must always attempt to conform to Morality” (Page 331, Article 461, Vol 1, The Elements of Morality, by William Whewell, 1857). Many of our government officials and lawmakers are struggling with the great changes in our society: same sex-marriage, gay rights, abortion, on and on we could go. If the anything-goes crowd, the moral individualism standard seekers, the atheism system and the dishonest loophole seekers in our Constitution take a firm hold on changing the law, we

I have before me a book entitled, Broken Homes and Handicapped Children, written by V.E. Howard (1972). Brother Howard was an outstanding Gospel preacher and an early radio speaker. He continually preached on radio beginning in 1934. He was also an astute businessman. The published book was the result of a series of radio sermons presented by brother Howard on the “World Radio Gospel Hour.” I had not looked at this book in a very long time. As I browsed the contents of this book, two things stood out in my mind. (1) As V.E. Howard presented the sad moral and ethical state in the generation of the 1970’s, he presented the facts in a shocking manner. (2) I was also stunned to know that what was shocking in the 1970’s is now readily accepted to the point of normalcy in this current generation. A generation is normally understood as a period of about thirty years. Brother Howard wrote: Ladies and gentlemen, would you believe this? There is a homosexual church in Los Angeles, California. I quote from the San Antonio Express, December 11, 1969: “Los Angeles Church First Catering to Homosexuals. The membership totals about 255 and the ‘pastor’ is a twenty-nine years old, self-admitted homosexual. The membership is divided about 70% males, 15% females and 15% heterosexuals. The minister admits to having his first experience at the age of 9.” A report in U.S. News & World Report, June 29, 1970, stated: “Recently a Commission on Obscenity and Pornography, soon to

Do you have a sense of ought? Webster defines the word “ought” in part as, “obligation or duty: as, he ought to pay his debts.” I must admit I have a strong sense of ought. I do not recognize this in a bragging way or anything like that. This feeling of ought, I believe, comes from one’s upbringing. Sadly, too many folks have not been brought up or raised in any sense of the meaning of “ought.” Ought or obligation and duty contains the idea of rightness and not wrongness. With our upbringing, all of us choose to accept or reject what he or she has been taught. We are all free moral agents with the power to choose right or wrong. It is very good to have this sense of doing and acting right. As an illustration, in our upbringing, one could be taught that it is right to hate a certain race of humans. As one matures, he or she learns that they were wrong and therefore changes one’s past view. The apostle Paul wrote, “When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things” (1 Corinthians 13:11). Note for a further illustration, it is reported that one robbed and severely beat up an old couple. We are repulsed and disgusted by this action. Why? We know that this is not right. Our thought process, our reasoning

The word “foe” is defined as “an adjective signifying hated, hateful, or hostile, is used also as a noun denoting an enemy, translated ‘foes’ in Matthew 10:36…” (Vine’s). Satan is our greatest foe because of the insidious devices he uses in order to entrap us. “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour…” (1 Peter 5:8). Some of us can remember the great impact on our lives and on our relationship with our immediate family as we chose to follow our Lord in a scriptural way. Close, normal family ties became stressful, and in some cases, they became hateful—thus true to what our Lord predicated. Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword. For I am come to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. And a man’s foes shall be they of his own household. He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. And he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not worthy of me. (Matthew 10:34-38) We wonder how many have denied and failed to be obedient to our Lord because of a greater love for family than for our Savior. For some of us, our

Mankind has individual authority to choose many things. The following thoughts are guided by western culture and general USA standards of right and wrong. Further, Christians hold that the Bible is the complete authority over the dictates of mankind. A few examples will help us understand. A young person may consider becoming a doctor or any other honorable profession. We understand such things, and we also make judgments concerning such choices. For negative unprincipled pursuits, one could choose to be a killer for hire, a bank robber, a child molester or a rapist. Such are not acceptable and are sinful. There are restrictions and guidance to what I can do and cannot do. It is never right to do wrong.  During September 2015, the Pope of the Roman Catholic Church visited the USA. He was well received by great numbers of people and heads of government. He made many speeches. The television news networks covered his travels, speeches, etc. in an excellent manner. The masses of people were delighted to view and to hear the Pope. Throughout the Pope’s visit, much emphasis and discussions were aimed on Roman Catholic doctrines and teachings. If I understand rightly, I would like to address only one recent Catholic Church teaching. I am talking about homosexuality and related moral issues. The Catholic Church seems mixed-up or is struggling to gain former gay Catholics back to previous relationships with the Catholic Church. There is a great difficulty to accept or find some way to solve the

Note the first sentences in an article entitled, “A Fin Is a Limb Is a Wing” by Carl Zimmer, National Geographic (November 2006). “The father of evolution was a nervous parent. Few things worried Charles Darwin more than the challenge of explaining how nature’s most complex structures, such as the eye, came to be. ‘The eye to this day gives me a cold shudder,’ he wrote to a friend in 1860.” We understand that National Geographic is one of the most influential magazines that has publicized the false doctrine and counterfeit science of evolution. To be sure, I believe Charles Darwin shuddered very often. Of a truth the Psalmist could write by inspiration of God, “I will praise thee: for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvelous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well” (Psalms 193:14). In Stephen Charnock’s classic, The Existence and Attributes of God (1:64-65), Charnock beautifully outlines the magnificent complex, interrelated, interconnecting workings of our body. He catalogs the “marvelous…works” of the heart, the mouth, the brain, the ear, the eye, etc.—all working in harmony and truly “wonderfully made.” Indeed, the complexity of the human body and the host of living creatures, as well as all sorts of vegetation, are all unexplainable if you leave God out of the equation as our Creator. Only God has the answer, and poor Charles Darwin, the “father of evolution,” must answer to His Creator. “So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God” (Romans 14:12). With the remarkable eye let us

“I will give thanks unto thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: Wonderful are thy works; And that my soul knoweth right well” (Psalm 139:14 ASV). Evolutionists mock Christians because we believe in the God of the Bible and that Almighty God created us. “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth” (Genesis 1:1). The atheistic community (which includes evolutionists), on the other hand, believes that all things came into being via the “Big Bang” or some other mode. Has anyone ever seen order come from disorder? The complexity of our universe and all living things is mind-boggling. However, we are told that to believe in God is stupid. The non-believing community admonishes us to believe that rocks, mud and slime are the true source of all life here on earth. Further, given enough time, eons of time, all sorts of living beings to include humans emerged. The truth is the evolution thesis cannot even tell us what came first, the egg or the chicken. How could an egg develop over time and without the chicken? Can one believe that a human baby came forth without a human mother? On and on we could go. However, people like Bill Maher think Christians are stupid. Some statisticians say that one percent of people here in the USA are atheists. However, these smartypants feel they are smarter than the rest of us. To teach nothing created itself and to be very militant about that belief seems radical. The fact is

I am thankful for aids such as Webster’s Dictionary of English words. I am a terrible speller; I have to look up the same words repeatedly. I marvel at those youngsters that participate in these national spelling bees. The judge in our national spelling bees needs a standard. That standard is our English dictionary. We understand that some of our English words can be spelled differently. Some words are considered archaic. Ancient words belong to an earlier English-speaking period. Our dictionary is the standard for the proper spelling, usage, definition and pronunciation of our English words. Have you ever heard of anyone denying the fact that the English dictionary is a standard? We all understand alike our English alphabet, do we not? Further, we have a “Table of Weights and Measures,” and these are also considered to be standard. Who in his right mind would deny that 12 inches equals 1 foot? Observe, however, the following cautionary note. Good dictionaries or encyclopedias will accurately describe all of the ways an English word is used today. But our English dictionaries can fail miserably to inform us about the message in our English Bibles. Why? Translators select English words to accurately convey an idea from the original languages of the Bible into English. Unfortunately, many times our English words carry additional meanings foreign to what the biblical word meant. It is these additional English meanings which can create havoc. (Newton) Using the dictionary as an example of a standard, I affirm that the Bible, the

If one does not accept alternative lifestyles, he is viewed as the problem. We are seeing a complete change or rebellion within our USA society against past generations’ morality. Our society is being led to believe and to accept promiscuous lifestyles such as homosexuality and same-sex marriage as completely normal, which must be approved by everyone. If one rejects this, he is marked as over the line. The term “over the line” is an idiom that is defined as “beyond what is accepted” or “to change from being acceptable to being unacceptable.” According to many within our society, to reject or not to embrace unrestrained lifestyles, one refuses what is totally acceptable. Accordingly, a person is marked as one who has gone beyond what is accepted, and therefore, he is over the line. Christians have had many formal debates, both oral and written, over many years. I have before me a book chronicling a debate between a Christian and an atheist. The proposition discussed, and the title of the book is The Existence of God—A Debate. The Christian debater was James D. Bales of Harding University in Searcy, Arkansas. The atheist in this debate was Woolsey Teller, Associate Editor of The Truth Seeker and one of the founders of The American Association for the Advancement of Atheism. The discussion was held at Harding in October of 1947. This is not the only debate concerning similar propositions. Between non-believers and Christians, there was an accepted normal standard of right and wrong. In past generations,

In my judgment, when we look at the history of mankind, one thing stands out. With overloaded egos bursting at the seams, the Neros, the Hitlers, tyrants and dictators throughout history, we see the exaltation and elevation of men. With this adulation and the blind followers they create come woes, tears and death, the by-product, a consequence of exaltation of men. From the better understood secular world and the adoration of men, we move to the lesser-known spiritual world, the church of the Bible. With the multitude of churches all claiming to follow the Bible, it has become for many honest people a most confusing situation. According to New Testament Scriptures, each fully organized congregation of Christians in the first century was governed by a plurality of elders and deacons. Further, each congregation of the Lord’s people, Christians, were self-governing, independent of other congregations. Their source of authority and their guide was solely the Bible, the Scriptures. Absent were creeds of men, “think so’s” and opinions of men. No higher ecumenical bodies were over these congregations. Divisions and exaltations were condemned (1 Corinthians 1:10). It is interesting to note that in early church history, exaltation of men led to the greatest change in the original scriptural church government. It is clear and verifiable that the apostolic churches had a plurality of elders or bishops. At first the elders of any particular congregation would select one of their number to preside at their meetings for the transaction of business, and in

It has been many years now, yet, I recall a brief passing moment with my friend and brother in Christ, W.N. Bill Jackson. We all have experienced short and seemingly unimportant events, which still stick in our memories. Bill and I were attending the February Lectureship at Freed–Hardeman University in Henderson, Tennessee. We were walking on the campus, and several feet in front of us, we noticed Franklin Camp, walking alone. Franklin had his hands thrust deep into his pockets with his head slightly bowed down as if he was deep in thought. Bill made a comment, “Look how unassuming Franklin is.” No further comment was necessary; we understood. To be an unpretentious person was part of Franklin’s make up. Brother Camp was a humble man and a well-respected Christian gentleman with a storehouse of biblical knowledge. Franklin Camp was a prince of a man. We need more folks like our down-to-earth Franklin Camp. Too many rude, high-minded people abound in society. We wonder what made some think that the world revolved around them. Give me humble reserved people anytime. Zacchaeus was an unassuming and fair tax collector. And Jesus entered and passed through Jericho. And, behold , there was a man named Zacchaeus, which was the chief among the publicans, and he was rich. And he sought to see Jesus who he was; and could not for the press, because he was little of stature. And he ran before, and climbed up into a sycamore tree to see him:

Are you confused about same-sex marriage, man-boy sex relationships, polygamy relationships, normalization of homosexual lifestyles, a drive for a secular nation and libertarian views elevated? The “anything goes” crowd thrives on confusing people! There has never been a time in the history of the USA that “way out ideas” of right and wrong have made such fast inroads in our society. The redefinition of marriage, the rewriting of our founders’ intent, the changing of our national heritage and modification our society in general has reached an epidemic level. People are confused! “Who are you to say what is right or wrong?” This question is designed to confuse, setting a barrier before us, numbing our judgmental capacity. What will happen when we lose our compass in comprehending what is right moral behavior? Have we reached this chaotic state? Past generations were not confused. Our founding fathers were not confused. The vast bulk of Americans years ago were not confused. They all grasped the concept and understanding of right/wrong, good/bad, fair/unfair, stable/unstable, law/lawless, moral/immoral and truth/error. Proverbs 16:9 reads, “A man’s heart deviseth his ways.” Yes, we are responsible for what we think, contrive, plan and invent. The Word of God is the only true and sound standard for right thinking. Let’s regain our compass in our determination of what is right. “A double-minded man is unstable in all his ways” (James 1:8).

Keep it simple! Why do we tend to make things complicated? As an example, our government regulations and laws, with their loopholes, are so complex that it takes a lawyer to interpret them. Why is this necessary? I do not know. You see, I am an uncomplicated guy. Notice two quotes concerning keeping it simple. “Simplicity and repose are the qualities that measure the true value of any work of art” (Frank Lloyd Wright, Architect). “The business schools reward difficult complex behavior more than simple behavior, but simple behavior is more effective” (Warren Buffett). I have before me a three volume, sixth edition, set of books entitled, The Creeds of Christendom, edited by Philip Schaff and revised by David S. Schaff. The three volumes have a total of 2,547 pages, all dealing with men-produced creeds of Christendom. Further, I have an American Bible Society Edition, Kings James Version of The New Testament, before me. This New Testament has a total of 427 pages. Do we really believe that the works of men, which are additions to the New Testament of Jesus Christ, are, in truth, that helpful? I think not! Dr. Philip Schaff writes, “A Creed, or Rule of Faith, or Symbol, is a confession of faith for public use, or a form of words setting forth with authority certain articles of belief, which are regarded by the framers as necessary for salvation…They keep alive sectarian strifes and antagonisms…” (Volume 1, Page 4). I would strongly suggest that creeds always divide

For the second time during my life, I received a notice for Jury Duty. Some twenty years ago, the first time I had this duty, I was not picked. The trial was a lawsuit involving an accident. If my memory is okay, it was concerning an automobile accident. The lawyers asked if anyone had a question concerning the upcoming trial. I asked if there was any alcohol involved in this accident. The lawyer responded, “Why do you ask?” I said that I had strong views concerning the use of alcohol. I was not picked! I felt that to be fair, I should ask this question, since it was not brought up during the exchanges with those of us who were called to be jurors. Now that I am very close to 83-years-old, I wonder whether I will be picked or released from this duty. I know I am not as sharp as I used to be. Sometimes, I have trouble remembering names, and my oral explaining is more difficult than it was years ago. With that said, I have a very good understanding of what is right or wrong. Let’s call one’s understanding of what is right or wrong, the ought factor. “Ought” could be defined as something you should do. Further it is “used to indicate duty or correctness, typically when criticizing someone’s actions as they ought to respect the law.” “It is not what a lawyer tells me I may do; but what humanity, reason and justice tell me I

It is 2:00 a.m., and I cannot sleep. We were notified yesterday, late in the day, that a dear ole friend has terminal cancer and is not expected to live another six months or so. There are so many of whom I can think who are facing the closure of physical life. We understand this is part of living, to die. I have always prayed that when I face death that I will be strong, have courage to the end. I have also prayed that death would overtake me at 2:00 a.m. or so when I am asleep. Yet, as I consider this, will I have courage to overcome my fears? I think so; maybe I am talking about what I call the human factor. As humans, we are so weak; fears of the unknown haunt us. We wish it were not so, but alas it is. We admit its truth. As a Christian, I believe with all my being an afterlife will be far better than this earthly life. The comforting words of the apostle John ring true. “These things have I written unto you, that ye may know that ye have eternal life, even unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God” (1 John 5:13). The apostle Paul also gave us frail humans courage concerning our pondering the human factor with all our fears. “And if Christ hath not been raised, your faith is vain; ye are yet in your sins… If we have

Most of us understand that words convey thoughts, everyday communications, instructions, etc. The words we use may not mean the same for all people. Understandable words can be misunderstood. Do we all understand alike what love is? I would suggest the most common definition of love is “a profoundly tender, passionate affection for another person; a feeling of warm personal attachment or deep affection, as for a parent, child or friend” (Dictionary.com). However, we know that a man can beat his wife and children, harming the ones he loves. Many times, people are murdered because of a twisted understanding of love. Usually broken homes, because of divorce, are the results of broken foundations. The basic foundation for the home is love. There is no foundation more solid and more enduring, more tolerant and forgiving than love. Love emanates from God. Since God is the founder of the home, what could be more appropriate, more meaningful and more purposeful than to say that home and love are as inseparable as God and love are inseparable. Home without love is like God without love! (Howard 92) Love is a prominent topic, especially in the New Testament portion of the Bible. Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal. And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains,

I consider myself an average fellow. I understand that there are many things I do not comprehend. Although I may not understand something, it does not mean I will not accept it. For example, the medical profession can do great and wonderful things for us. I may not understand a surgical procedure. Yet, I can accept a surgeon’s knowledge and expertise to perform an operation. Frankly, I do not understand the creation of the universe. Nevertheless, I accept it. I accept it because there is no other explanation that makes sense. How can an explosion per the “Big Bang” hypothesis produce order? We know that dead matter—rocks, dirt or a pit of slime—cannot produce all that lives on our earth. The whole universe runs like a “well-oiled machine,” and it is beyond complexity. Therefore, I believe, “In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth” (Geneses 1:1).  I understand right from wrong because I accept the Word of God, the Bible, as the only true source for worldwide morality. These ethical precepts are extremely simple to understand. Man can understand these principles, and yet, he can refuse to accept and to obey them. There are many reasons why mankind refuses to recognize the rightness of God-given commandments. The point is, men can understand correctness and do not accept it because of rebellion. Countless people will not accept nor comply with God’s commandments in their entirety. “How precious also are thy thoughts unto me, O God! How great is the

One thing we humans have in common is that we all make mistakes. I would be very leery of anyone who said that they never made a mistake. Webster defines mistake in part, “to understand or perceive wrongly; a blunder; error; misunderstanding.” Years ago, a friend of ours, a preacher, stated he never made a grammatical mistake during a sermon. My wife took notes throughout his next sermon; she is much better in English grammar than I am. You guessed it—our friend made several blunders. We pointed out his mistakes, and we all had a jolly good-natured laugh about this. He never was boastful anymore concerning his grammatical excellence. A lesson learned! Most normal people have learned to cope and to correct mistakes the best they can. That is why many of us apologize and make things right. Sadly, and often times, a blunder can be deadly or very costly. Nearly all of us recognize a mistake, an error or a misunderstanding can cause a terrible accident or the like. We also understand, and rightly so, that such mistakes are all part of the human factor, a part of life. In Luke 2:41-52, there is an account of Mary and Joseph misplacing Jesus. “But they, supposing him to have been in the company, went a day’s journey; and they sought him among their kinsfolk and acquaintance” (Luke 2:44 KJV). Mary and Joseph made a mistake. They made a blunder; they perceived wrongly. We know that this mistake was not done

I have been around a few people who are totally uncivil and rude. They can and will manipulate anyone who gets in their way. A word has developed throughout the past 100 years to describe such a negative characteristic, and that is “Svengali.” Never heard of it; well, you are not alone. Some information on this type of uncaring, controlling evil person noted as follows: Svengali is a fictional character of George du Maurier’s 1894 novel Trilby. Svengali would either fawn or bully and could be grossly impertinent. The word “Svengali” has come to be used as a common noun referring to a person who, with evil intent, controls another person by persuasion or deceit. The Svengali may use pseudo-kindness to get the other person to do what the Svengali desires. The word is also used frequently for any kind of coach who dominates a performer or for an unaccountable but influential adviser who has control of a politician or candidate. (Wikipedia). A further definition is “one who manipulates or controls another as by some mesmeric or sinister influence.” A Svengali-type person is one who is intrusive and presumptuous. Such a one is brash, self-assertive and will deceitfully control people. (Several movies were made about Svengali; John Barrymore played Svengali in a 1931 movie.) As I dwelled on the character of Svengali, my thought process started to think about a New Testament character by the name of Diotrephes found in 3 John. In my judgment, Diotrephes had many of the character

People in general love the mysterious. Back in 2006, news media and magazines revived an apocryphal gospel, under the title of The Judas Gospel. We wonder how many folks believed this bogus, spurious material, and thus, had their individual faith in the Word of God shaken? Apocrypha is a word used in theologies, which signifies some gospels or writings that may falsely claim to be sacred. “Apocrypha” literally means hidden or mysterious. Some claim that these books or gospels are lost books of the Bible. Sadly, many uninformed folks pay attention to these magazine articles concerning apocryphal writings as true and as missing parts of the Bible that were lost and now have been found. Joined with apocryphal works, there have been recent fictional books such as the novel, The Da Vinci Code written by Dan Brown in 2003. This fictional book was made into a popular movie in 2006. With these recent works, the faith of some has been weakened. This is very sad! The number of these hidden or mysterious gospels and literature, to say the least, is huge. Apocryphal literature was produced for both the Old and New testaments. Lists of lost and preserved apocryphal works may be viewed in any number of encyclopedias or Bible dictionaries. One definition of apocryphal literature appears below. The general character of the writings here grouped as “Apocrypha of the New Testament” will appear from even a cursory perusal of them. It did not require any great discernment to distinguish between these and the canonical

Before television, there was the radio. Radio became common in the United States in the 1920’s with the first commercial broadcasts. Almost anyone could afford a radio. Since I was born in 1932, the radio was our source of family entertainment. As I studied how rumors, slanders and boldface lying are so common for us mortals, I thought about the old rumor concerning “Uncle Don’s Radio” program. The rumor and slander became an urban legion. Howard Rice, born in 1897, a former vaudeville performer, portrayed Uncle Don. The rumor was that Howard Rice said some ugly things at the close of one of his broadcasts, not knowing that the mike was still on. Over the years, this was proven wrong. However, the radio program ceased because of this rumor and slander. Christians must not be guilty of slander. “Blessed are they that wash their robes, that they may have the right to come to the tree of life, and may enter in by the gates into the city. Without are the dogs, and the sorcerers, and the fornicators, and the murderers, and the idolaters, and every one that loveth and maketh a lie” (Revelation 22:14-15 ASV). “For lack of wood the fire goeth out; And where there is no whisperer, contention ceaseth” (Proverbs 26:20). “The words of a whisperer are as dainty morsels, And they go down into the innermost parts” (Proverbs 26:22). “Truth is generally the best vindication against slander” (Abraham Lincoln 1809-1865). “Rumor travels faster, but it doesn’t

Douglas “Wrong Way” Corrigan claimed that he was heading for California, but he flew across the Atlantic Ocean accidentally. It is a kind of believe it or not situation. Whatever the truth is, Corrigan became famous for his achievement. He inherited the nickname “Wrong Way” Corrigan, and he enjoyed every bit of the limelight. Is there a spiritual lesson here? I think so! Jesus Christ taught us that many would choose the wrong way. “Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in there at: Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it” (Matthew 7:13-14). We observe that the wrong way leads to destruction, and many take that route. The “wide gate” and the “broad way” offer easy passage to do whatever one wants to do. No restrictions! Live life to the fullest, engaging in worldly, earthy, non-religious happy days with no moral laws concerning right or wrong. It may sound great for the masses. However, we will reap what we sow. Sadly, many have chosen the wrong way, and destruction is their destiny. Our God will not be mocked! We can mark that down! May we all desire the righteous way and pursue humble service unto God Almighty. “Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap” (Galatians 6:7).

The English language has many words that introduce us to a host of words with similar meanings. One such word is “bamboozled.” This word is defined in part, “to take in by elaborate methods of deceit.” Alternatively, similar words are “hoodwinked,” “beguiled,” “deluded,” “hoax,” “snooker” and “mislead.” As I dwelled on this odd word, I must confess I have been hoodwinked and bamboozled a few times during my lifetime. Not a lot of times, but I have accepted some things that were wrong while thinking they were right. Therefore, I was misled. It is an awful feeling to be duped. It is good and right that truth will always set one free. “And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free” (John 8:32). As I pondered this deceitful and wrongful way of obtaining the upper hand, I know there are definitely a few things about which I cannot be fooled. I cannot be bamboozled on the spelling of English words. The spellings of words are fixed by a standard—the dictionary. Now, I am not saying I can spell all English words, no way, but nevertheless, given time, I can look up the correct spelling to include the history of such words. Further, in a dictionary, there is a list of definite “Weights and Measures.” As an example, 12 inches equal 1 foot, and that is our standard. Further, I cannot be bamboozled on what is biblical truth and what is not God-given truth. For many years

Hatred is evil, because it continually abideth with lying, speaking against the truth; and it maketh small things to be great, and giveth heed to darkness as to light, and calleth the sweet bitter, and teacheth slander, and war, and violence, and every excess of evil; and it filleth the heart with devilish poison. And these things I say to you from experience, my children, that ye may flee hatred, and cleave to the love of the Lord. Righteousness casteth out hatred, humility destroyeth hatred. For he that is just and humble is ashamed to do wrong, being reproved not of another, but of his own heart, because the Lord vieweth his intent: he speaketh not against any man, because the fear of the Most High overcometh hatred… (Ante-Nicene Fathers. Vol. 8, page 29) Scholars believe the author of above was a Jew who was converted to Christianity. This unknown writer sought to convince his fellow Jewish countrymen to become Christians. This writing is placed about A.D. 192 or earlier. “The foolish shall not stand in thy sight: thou hatest all workers of iniquity” (Psalms 5:5). “These six things doth the Lord hate; yea, seven are an abomination unto him: a proud look, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that deviseth wicked imaginations, feet that be swift in running to mischief, a false witness that speaketh lies, and he that soweth discard among brethren” (Proverbs 6:16-19). “That there is nothing evil in ‘hate’ per se

Three cheers for quiet Christians. We all know them. They don’t say too much. They go about their jobs, business and Christian responsibilities in a quiet manner. They stay out of trouble. They can be counted on when others need help. They don’t like to be in the limelight. They are faithful to their God and perform good works within the framework of their makeup. They are just good, every day folks that have a quiet and calming disposition. Psalm 131:2 says, “Surely I have behaved and quieted myself, as a child that is weaned of his mother: my soul is even as a weaned child.” The word “quieted” means to forbear, hold peace, rest, be silent, keep or put to silence, be or stand still, tarry or wait. Unfortunately, because some Christians have a silent, hold their peace temperament, they sometimes are overlooked and neglected. Further, because of their quiet demeanor, they have a tendency to feel that they are not an important part of the inner church family circle. Spiritually, they may feel overlooked as they observe the more outgoing or seemly more significant Christians. This, sadly, is true with many in some congregations of the Lord’s church! May we never ignore or neglect these quiet Christians! Acts 6:1 reads, “And in those days, when the number of the disciples was multiplied, there arose a murmuring of the Grecians against the Hebrews, because their widows were neglected in the daily ministration.” According to Acts 6:1, we see that

Bribery, a form of pecuniary corruption, is an act implying money or gift given that alters the behavior of the recipient. Bribery constitutes a crime and is defined by Black’s Law Dictionary as the offering, giving, receiving, or soliciting, of any item of value to influence the actions of an official or other person in charge of a public or legal duty. The bribe is the gift bestowed to influence the recipient’s conduct. It may be any money, good, right in action, property, preferment, privilege, emolument, object of value, advantage, or merely a promise or undertaking to induce or influence the action, vote, or influence of a person in an official or public capacity. (Wikipedia) It is difficult for ordinary folks, who are not trained in the legal system, lawmaking and government to understand the interworking of our elected officials. We hear about closed-door, under the table and arm-twisting agreements. When the closed-door meetings are over, our elected government officials come out, and guess what, they changed their mind about thus and so. Most of the time, we citizens are not privy to these sweet deals, and if we find out, it’s at a much later time. Citizens ask, “What’s going on?” Should not government be transparent? Have we heard about transparency somewhere? Bribery can be found in different forms. An interesting quote by Robert Jackson may shed some light on our subject. “Men are more often bribed by their loyalties and ambitions than by money.” Biblical Examples of Bribery Delilah betrayed

Clarence Darrow (1857-1938), the great American lawyer, was a self-proclaimed Agnostic. One of his most famous cases was the 1924 murder trial of Nathan Leopold and Richard Loeb. These two youthful men murdered a schoolboy by the name of Bobby Franks. They killed young Bobby because they wanted to kill him! Leopold and Loeb thought themselves as supermen per the philosophy of Friedrich Nietzsche. To defend these killers, Darrow used this superman approach. Darrow said, “Nietzsche believed that sometimes superman would be born, that evolution was working toward the superman.” He wrote a book, Beyond Good and Evil, which was a criticism of all moral codes as the world understands them; a treatise holding that the intelligent man is beyond good and evil; that the laws for good and the laws for evil do not apply to those who approach the superman. This of course is the doctrine of Existentialism that holds that man exists as an individual in a purposeless universe with no accountability, no laws and no moral code! About this same time Adolph Hitler was writing his Mein Kampf (English translation: My Struggle, My Fight or My Battle). Darwinism ran throughout this book. Hitler believed that the German people were the super race, and they were racially superior. Hitler was a student of both Darwin and Nietzsche. How sad to think that men such as Nietzsche influenced Hitler and Darrow. These men and their manmade philosophies totally disregard God and God-given standards. Do we live in a better world because

Like most of us, I am fascinated with the wondrous makeup of the human body, and as far as that goes, the entire creation of God Almighty. It is also beyond me to wonder how the atheistic believers can reject our God who created all things. As we view our current population of folks, we observe that many can recognize the latest songs and movie stars but cannot identify George Washington. Concerning our young and older folks, we have observed repeatedly that in their understanding of many issues, they lack discerning or information. What they learn is generally from movies, TV sitcoms and liberal, non-believing so-called intellects. If everything here on earth and the universe was brought into existence by chance (the big-bang theory, which many folks earnestly believe), why should they not do whatever they want to do? I believe that is the answer for the increase of crudeness and evil in our society. No God means no rules of right and wrong. Consider the following written in the year 1929 and the mindset of our present era as additional data for our study. When men with dangerous imaginations began to destroy the faith of weak ones the older ones naturally sensed the alarm and have been on the defensive. The dangers have become so great that they must be met and handled as open foes. I have seen from every direction an alarming tendency on the part of the careless, unthinking, pleasure-bound people to take up with the

The Collyer brothers, Homer and Langley, lived in a four-story brownstone house located in Harlem, New York. Both were college educated, and they also were extremely eccentric and reclusive. Over the years, their home became a junk fortress. When it was apparent that these two brothers had died, officials entered their home. They found the entire four-stories filled with junk. With boarded up windows, the house had no telephone, power or water. The brothers hauled water from a pond located in a park that was four blocks away. They barricaded themselves and lived in isolation from the outside world. These two men had accumulated a vast amount of junk to include an old Ford Model T automobile, yes, in their house. The first observation of their bizarre behavior and their self-restricted world was observed in the year of 1942. After their death and the finding of their bodies, approximately 130 to 180 tons of litter and junk were removed from the house. The year was 1947. Such is the extreme desire for material things that shattered the lives of these two very sad human beings. We would pray that such a strong desire for possessions would not own us. Yet, we know that many have this trait. Why would so many allow themselves to be captured by their self-serving material possessions? We have heard persons say, “Why do I need God?” as they looked upon their great material belongings and wealth. You see, their entire self—their whole being—is wrapped around

Within me is a strong desire to be a Christian gentleman. I try to be conscious of my actions. I want to conduct myself in such a way that I will not do anything that is crude, impolite or inappropriate. Our English dictionaries are consistent as to the meaning of the word gentleman. “A man whose conduct conforms to a high standard of propriety or correct behavior” (Webster’s Seventh New Collegiate Dictionary). I do not want to paint something with a broad brush; however, it seems to me that gentlemen are becoming a rare breed. For the ladies who are reading this, our dictionaries state that a lady is “a well-mannered and considerate woman with high standards of proper behavior.” The definition is exactly the same as a gentleman; the only difference is the change of gender and specifics applying to a man. I can remember when men generally were gentlemen and women were ladies. It does not take a genius to figure out why the large change in our society has occurred. For example, let’s look at our entertainers and those who shape our younger folks’ thinking and behavior. In this era, movies, television shows and music are, for the most part, very vulgar and are comprised of a sadistic makeup. They present a very negative view of any “high standard of propriety or correct behavior.” I am thankful that the Word of God, the Bible, forms within true believers the desire for correctness in all paths of our

As I read my copy of the Retirement Services Newsletter, Fall 2010, published by Fort Rucker, Alabama, I noted a great quotation as follows. “The truth of the matter is that you always know the right thing to do. The hard part is doing it” (Norman Schwarzkopf). General Schwarzkopf was the commander of the Coalition Forces during the Gulf War of 1991. The liberation of Kuwait and Iraq occurred during this time. General Schwarzkopf became an instant hero and was recognized as a straight, no nonsense commander. From the quotation, we can ascertain that the general understood and affirmed that we can know the difference between right and wrong. Why would the general recognize the right thing to do? I suggest that “Stormin’ Norman” had a traditional, God-fearing upbringing that adhered to a code of right thinking and acting. Further, with this code there must be a fixed standard of knowing the right thing to do. He understood right from wrong. Our nation was founded on Judaic-Christian principles; therefore, we as people try to comply with these precepts. Doing the right thing takes fortitude. Too often wrong is the easy route and the path of weakness. Do you still wrestle with doing the right thing? The conscience is clear when we do right. As to the definition of the conscience, someone made the following concise statement. “Conscience is a good feeling that results from doing that which you have been taught is right, and a bad feeling that results from doing

Don’t we all harbor regrets in our lives? We all make mistakes. We all flounder in a world of doubts and the misdirection of poor human advice. Oh, to put our sorrows and regrets behind us and to push forward! Doing what is right in the sight of God Almighty must be our goal. As we ponder regrets, we can imagine that even the illustrious apostle Paul must have had inner regrets. Yet few men, young or old, have been so furious in persecution as was Saul of Tarsus; and the fact that he, so young, entered on the work of persecution in the manner he did. He “made havoc of the church, entering into every house, and, haling men and women,” he tore them from their homes, and “committed them to prison” (Acts 8:3)… He “punished” that is, scourged them “in every synagogue.” (Albert Barnes, Life of the Apostle Paul 30) With zeal that few men can muster, Saul of Tarsus, later the fearless, matchless apostle Paul, performed many acts against the church. How did he overcome past negative feelings and actions to finally prevail? “Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark, for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:13-14). Paul, while in the flesh, did not fully possess (apprehend) his final reward. He put his past behind. He

Most of us are familiar with the apostle Paul and his thorn in the flesh. “And lest I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure”  (2 Corinthians 12:7). I would suggest that many of us have such problems. As a matter of my judgment, I would be leery of one that said, “I have no annoyances and no problems.” Perfect, we are not! According to definition by Webster, “thorn in the flesh (or side), a cause of annoyance, irritation, etc., especially a persistent one.” Paul’s reference to his thorn in the flesh has fascinated people for ages. Notice below an extraction from First & Second Corinthians Commentary by James Burton Coffman (480-481), a review of what many scholars thought Paul meant concerning this annoyance. Tertullian thought this was a headache. Klausner believed it was epilepsy. Ramsey identified it as recurrent malarial fever. Chrysostom said it was “all the adversaries of the Word.” Calvin made it “fleshly temptation.” Luther considered it “spiritual temptations.” Knox decided it was “infirmities of the mind.” Catholic commentators, generally, “lustful thoughts.” McGarvey: “acute, disfiguring ophthalmia” [inflammation of the eyes]. MacKnight spoke of some who believed it was “the false teachers.” Lightfoot suggested “blasphemous thought of the devil.” Alexander was sure it was “Malta fever.” Coffman added his view by stating, “It would seem rash to some to venture an opinion

(Lloyd Otis Sanderson 1901-1992) Have you ever experienced a brief encounter with someone you never met before and throughout the years you remember the encounter? Strange experience, is it not?  It was a bitter cold February, and I was attending a lectureship at Freed-Hardeman College. The year I cannot remember, maybe in the 1970’s. I was walking on the campus grounds, and there were very few out at that time. About ten yards away I started to approach a tall, elderly gentleman.  As we met each other, he smiled and said something like, “You would think the college would have these lectureships during warmer months.” Smiling, I verbally agreed as we passed each other. I recognized this Christian gentleman as L.O. Sanderson. Brother Sanderson has written some 500 songs and hymns, a wonderful and lasting achievement. “Be With Me, Lord” has been noted as the most popular of his songs. It is also one of my favorites. It strikes a chord of human weakness as one faces the ordeals of this life, to include the closeness of one’s own death.  Following are the lyrics of this beautiful Gospel song. Be With me Lord By T. O. Chisholm and L. O. Sanderson Be with me, Lord—I cannot live without Thee,I dare not try to take one step alone,I cannot bear the loads of life, unaided,I need Thy strength to lean myself upon. Be with me, Lord, and then if dangers threaten,If storms of trial burst above my head,If lashing seas leap

A clash because of an opposition, a different point of view is common between people and between nations. We all have experienced such clashing and conflicts because of our diversity of ideals. As we use the word “ideals,” these are what we consider a standard and what we deem as right. We may say of a friend that we admire that he has high ideals of a religious person. This admiration is based on his conduct and his excellence as he practices that which he believes is right. It is vexing when one has a clash of his or her ideals. Sometimes a system of belief, a dogma that was never considered, is propelled into one’s daily life. When that happens, that conflict intrudes and interferes with one’s principles. This will cause confusion and bewilderment and, thus, a clashing of ideals. I have observed many times that God-fearing and Bible-believing folks go through such a clashing of ideals. This happens when their learned doctrines obtained from manmade creeds clash with the Word of God, the Bible. It is also observed that too many choose their religious church creed over what the Bible teaches. This is very worrisome and sad (Matthew 7:13-14)! It has been over forty years since I had an impromptu Bible study with Betty. Betty was basically a good person, yet she was very ignorant of what the Bible teaches. We were at the kitchen table drinking coffee, and she started to ask questions concerning “the Scheme of

Your computer ever mess up? Maybe your desktop screen does not appear the same as it did yesterday. There is a great tool called “System Restore” that can get things working the way they did the other day. According to Microsoft, “System Restore helps you restore your computer’s system files to an earlier point in time. It’s a way to undo system changes to your computer without affecting your personal files, such as e-mail, documents…” This rolling back to a previous point restores the system that has a malfunction or a failure. I have used this tool on several occasions. Sometimes people need a restoring point in their lives. It is heartbreaking to see one in despair because of poor judgment, life changing mistakes and sin. Alcoholism, drug abuse, breaking the law, marital problems and the list could go on and on. Many of life’s problems cannot be changed or restored to a previous point. We reap the consequence of sin; this is a known fact of life. However, it is possible to drive a stake down, so to speak, and to start afresh. We can create a restoring point in our lives. We recognize that some problems will have penalties that will last a lifetime. A convicted murderer may spend the rest of his or her life in prison. Even this person can create a restoration point. Changing one’s status before God Almighty is the restoring point. The alien sinner is one who has never obeyed the Gospel of

I always enjoyed being around my younger brother Edward; he was my favorite sibling. We all have people and friends to whom we feel closer and who are more comfortable for us to be around. I cannot see anything wrong with that, can you? The rub comes when we play favoritism to a certain class of people for whatever reason. Do they have money or influence? Just maybe we can reap benefits from them, and therefore, we buddy up to them. Webster defines favoritism in part as the showing of more kindness and indulgence to some person or persons than to others or being unfairly partial. The key is that we must not be unfairly partial. It has been my experience that because of unfair partiality or favoritism, people have had advancements in the job market and have climbed the social structure. Have you ever met an apple polisher? People develop these friendships because they may be drinking buddies, part of a social club, of the same political party or other suchlike groups. With this type of tie-in, cliques have a tendency to develop. Webster defines “clique” in part as a small, exclusive circle of people or a snobbish or narrow clique. Christians must strive to be fair, friendly and impartial with all dealings with each other as well as with all men. We must not be respecters of persons. My brethren, have not the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, with respect of persons. For

It seems that there is an ongoing drive to appease orthodox Islam. I personally have never seen such an influx of radical orthodox Islam ideology into world communities. Prior to the total outbreak of World War II, world governmental leaders tried very hard to appease the Nazi regime. Hitler enjoyed playing with governments who chose to appease Nazi Germany (Great Britain, Parliamentary Debates). Can We Appease Evil? No, you can never appease an evil ideology that preaches its followers to conquer the world by any means possible. Great Britain, The Netherlands and France have been trying to appease the fanatical followers of this totalitarian ideology, but look at the result of the downright stupidity of the ruling elites of these socialist European countries. There was the London bombing that killed innocent people, the murder of film director Theo van Gogh in The Netherlands, and several terrorist activities in France. The stupid attempt of the multicultural relativist intellectuals and politically correct politicians in Europe have cost the freedom of its people and the lives of innocent victims. Yes, these stupid politically correct politicians and intellectuals have been feeding their own people to a bunch of hate-worshipers who are determined to rule the world. (“Appeasing Evil”) The point was made in the above reference that only if all nations embrace and become Islamized with acceptance of Sharia law could we reach appeasement. Total acceptance of Islamic ideology is required of all nations of the world. How can our nation, the United States

Many of us remember the funny and clean TV sitcom “Gilligan’s Island,” running from September 1964 to September 1967, with the Skipper and Gilligan as the crew of the charter boat S.S. Minnow and the five passengers. It was supposed to be a three-hour tour, but a storm shipwrecked all of them on an uncharted, uninhabited island. They were lost somewhere in the Pacific Ocean. The above reminds me of an illustration I heard years ago (from whom I do not remember) that helped me understand pre-denominational Christianity. I imagine that many of you that read the following may have heard it also. Let’s say that several or more are shipwrecked on an uninhabited island. All survived the terrible storm. The kind of people marooned are just average type folks. They had one thing in common. They had absolutely no interest in religion up to this point in their lives. They were totally ignorant or completely unaware of all religions of this world. As they recovered items from the wrecked ship, they found a Bible. No other literature, radio or the like was able to be salvaged from the ship. As the days, weeks and months passed, they started to read the Bible as a group. The Word of God was totally new to them. Naturally, they began with the first verse in the Bible, Genesis 1:1. “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” They could grasp that this world and everything in it did not come from a

Maybe you have not thought too much about Christianity as a universal religion. Since the world is full of an assortment of religions, some have concluded that one religion is just as good as another. Presently, the world community is being pressed to bow to Islam or else. The else could be your head being removed or other bloodthirsty deaths by the Muslims demanding you accept and bow to Sharia law. A religion that demands acceptance or death could not be a religion that is received universally. Informational Note: The religion of Islam is a combination of Paganism, of Judaism, of apostate Catholicism and of Sensualism (Hutto-El Dareer Debate). A Universal Religion Must BeAble to Appeal to All PeopleRegardless of Their Culture Let us consider the following: The word “universal” was not new; it occurs in Polybius, Philo, and elsewhere. But as an epithet of a religion, or of a religious body, it was entirely new. All religions previous to Christianity were national or state religions. Each tribe, country, and government had its own gods and its own forms of worship. Religion, so far from drawing nations together, kept them more sharply divided. It was an additional barrier to be surmounted or swept away before union was possible. No doubt one people sometimes borrowed a deity or a ceremony from another; but that no more created a religious union between the two than the reception of refugees created a political union. In the very nature of things it is impossible

Ed Sullivan was a very early television personality. His TV variety show started in 1948 and ended in 1971. In 1948, most folks did not own a television set. As time passed, television became the entertainment center for the average family. I remember on the Ed Sullivan show a fast-talking entertainer by the name of Al Kelly. His routine was to double talk. Double talk is defined in part as, “Meaningless speech that consists of nonsense syllables mixed with intelligible words; gibberish, deliberately ambiguous or evasive language. Furthermore, called doublespeak.” Another interesting word that is used to describe a type of double-talking is jangling. Jangling is found once in the King James Version of the New Testament as follows. “Now the end of the commandment is charity out of a pure heart, and of a good conscience, and of faith unfeigned: From which some having swerved have turned aside unto vain jangling” (1 Timothy 1:5-6). Other versions of the New Testament translate the end of verse six as “vain talking” (ASV) or “vain discussion” (ESV). Our English dictionary defines jangling in part as, “To talk idly; to quarrel verbally; to utter or sound in a discordant, babbling, or chattering way.” We all can understand that jangling is idly conflicting speech that is designed to mislead the hearer. I have heard a lot of double-talking in the political world and in the religious arena also. How about you? Without beating up this subject, let us in a simple way say, what

Over many years now, I have used the wording “true truth-seekers” in my public and private prayers. I ascertain that some folks are not honestly dedicated to the whole truth in some areas. Truth many times is in the “eye of the beholder” and what he has been told. Our culture plays a great role in how we respond to truth. For example, most people embrace the religion and political affiliation of their parents. We swear to tell the whole truth and nothing but the truth in our courts of law. Yes, we recognize the value of truth. From a computer search, I found the following defining explanations concerning an all-important understanding of truth. Truth is, “The quality or state of being true. That which is true or in accordance with fact or reality. A fact or belief is accepted as true.” Throughout the ages and in all worldwide cultures, in spheres like law, religion and individual ethical or moral responsibilities, people have struggled with what is truth. Cultures that adhere to barbaric and cruel, backward laws are a terror to mankind. As I researched some material several years ago on my computer, by accident, I came across horrid videos. I viewed some folk being thrown into a ditch and burned alive because they were thought to be witches. This tragic act took place in Africa. Additional acts of repulsive crimes were also available for viewing. This type of deranged law and punishment was common in the dark ages and

Rod Sterling’s seminal anthology series focused on ordinary folks who suddenly found themselves in extraordinary, usually supernatural, situations. The stories would typically end with an ironic twist that would see the guilty punished. (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0052520/) For those of us who are old enough to remember “The Twilight Zone,” we also acknowledge that many times we feel like we are literally living in this zone. Of course, all eras seem anarchist at times. Charles Dickens, in his classic novel, A Tale of Two Cities, summarized this feeling in his beginning line. It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we were all going direct to Heaven, we were all going direct the other way. As we dwell on this subject, another expression comes to mind: topsy-turvy. Topsy-turvy can be described as, “In or into a state of utter disorder or confusion: turning our ordered life topsy-turvy” (Anne Tyler). Further, this confusion can be helter-skelter and upside down. We can get mixed up just trying to define this state of “top downward and the bottom up.” A few examples will suffice for this essay. My generation has a very hard time accepting

It would be interesting to know how many folks have heard the saying, “What came first, the chicken or the egg?” I believe that this saying is designed to extinguish or at least cause doubts and confusion concerning one’s belief in the creation about which we read in the Word of God (Genesis 1:1, “In the beginning God…”). This old saying allows one to ask a few questions concerning evolution and creation. Consider these questions even though they are nonsensical. 1. Has anyone seen or can fantasize of an egg creating itself? In other words, can a chicken egg develop without a chicken? 2. We wonder as the egg started to create itself, did the shell become whole before the yoke or did the yoke develop first? In order to believe an egg or the chicken made itself is to believe in the doctrine of spontaneous generation. Sadly, some will believe anything in order to reject our Creator. “One has only to contemplate the magnitude of this task to concede that the spontaneous generation of a living organism is impossible. Yet here we are—as a result, I believe, of spontaneous generation.” (Wald, George. The Origin of Life 270 qtd. in That Their Words May Be Used Against Them 51 by Henry M. Morris). Common sense must be applied! “For every house is builded by some man; but he that built all things is God” (Hebrews 3:4 KJV).

We all need some sort of help from time to time. It’s pretty common to hear someone state that he or she will help and do what one can. There are limitations because of physical or mental capacities, though. The first thing that came into my mind concerning doing what we can is that the doing must have God-given standards and values. As a Christian, my guide regarding what is right or wrong is the Bible, the Word of God. A Few Simple and Easily UnderstoodScriptures Regarding Rightness “Thus saith the Lord, Stand ye in the ways, and see, and ask for the old paths, where is the good way, and walk therein, and ye shall find rest for your souls. But they said, We will not walk therein” (Jeremiah 6:16 KJV). “Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful” (Psalms 1:1). “Every way of a man is right in his own eyes: but the LORD pondereth the hearts” (Proverbs 21:2). “Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them; for this is the law and the prophets” (Matthew 7:12). Doing what we can must be guarded and guided by that which is right in the sight of God. Sometimes a child of God cannot do what he or she may be asked to do. Let me illustrate this by relating to

Unless you have been around a lot of years you would not remember actor William Bendix and his radio show, “The Life of Riley.” Both TV and radio programs back years ago were designed to entertain with clean, wholesome dispositions. Such was our hapless hero Riley. His frequent exclamation of indignation was “What a revoltin’ development this is!” That expression became one of the most famous catchphrases of the 1940’s. Riley was always in trouble because of his mistakes or his family and life in general. Within any lifespan, all of us will have troubles. Some are minor, and others will cut your heart and soul to bits. Such is life! “Nothing is permanent in this wicked world – not even our troubles.” Charlie Chaplin (1889 – 1977) “Troubles are often the tools with which God fashions us for better things.” Henry Ward Beecher (1813 – 1887) “Selfishness and greed, individual or national, cause most of our troubles.” Harry S. Truman (1884 – 1972) “I have spent most of my life worrying about things that have never happened.” Mark Twain (1835 –1910) I must admit that I have been troubled many times, and I know I cannot, for the most part, have any influence to change what bothers me. To illustrate, presently I am distressed with our current political parties and national government. However, like you, we press on to do the best we can. With this thought, I go for strength to my Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. With

Yes, there is an increase in gun violence. The mass killing of innocent people is now called the new normal. The mentally deranged to Islamic terrorists are causing havoc here and abroad. During September 2013, thirteen innocent people were killed in the Naval Shipyard, Washington, D.C. Consider also that Chicago is the murder hub in our nation. Godless rage is in step with utter bloodthirsty evil. Evil is common to those who have rejected God Almighty. The news media via television presses the need for gun control and with the imperative view of taking all guns away from our citizenship. I am certain I have not heard or read all comments concerning gun violence. With that said, I am personally confident I have never heard an explanation like, “Know what the real problem is? We as a nation have removed God from our society. America is becoming a secular, non-religious nation, and that is the real problem.” Of course, there have always been evil, violent, monsters within any society. At this timeframe, we older folks can honestly attest that we have never observed such immoral times. Even during World War II with its horrible brutality, there was a sense of peace and awe, knowing we were doing right. Currently, the masses seem to wink at violence and chaos as normal. Too many fail to recognize or see the real problems within our society. We have forgotten and removed our national heritage as part of the American way. We will not

It may be a rebellious trait for some to deviate from a set course of God given principles. Note the following Scripture, “Now the end of the commandment is charity out of a pure heart, and of a good conscience, and of faith unfeigned: From which some having swerved have turned aside unto vain jangling” (1 Timothy 1:5-6 KJV). The King James Version uses the word “swerved.” This word is only used once in the KJV. Other translations such as the American Standard Version and the English Standard Version also use the same word, “swerved,” to describe those who have missed the mark and have turned away from serving God Almighty. According to Strong’s Greek Dictionary of the New Testament, the definition of “swerved” is to “miss the mark, deviate from truth: err, swerve.” Our English dictionary defines to swerve as to “depart, digress, stray, veer, turn away from a straight or prescribed course, strays from the truth, veered away, etc.” Note the following brief commentary on 1 Timothy 5-6 It is like useless reasoning, argumentation that gets nowhere, dry as dust disputation, wrangling about fanciful tales anent pedigrees! It has finally landed them in the no-man’s-land of ceremonial subtleties, in the dreary marsh of ridiculous hairsplitting. And the owner of that quagmire is Satan, who heads the welcoming committee. (James Burton Coffman; William Hendriksen) The Word of God is to be taught with simplicity and without veering from the truth. “For our rejoicing is this, the testimony of our conscience, that

I have run into some rude and crude people in my lifetime. I would venture to say all of us have. Not long ago, I went to a business that sold plants, trees, vegetables, etc. The owner was engaging some fellow in a conversation. The owner was loud and uncouth in his speech. He didn’t seem to care who heard him. I left the place and vowed never to give that fellow any of my business. Furthermore, so it is with interrelations, our associating with people of all sorts. It is a fact of life. We all rub elbows with the good and dreadful people and everything in between. The key to our daily and close associations with people is to reject bad mannered and evil workers. We all remember the old saying, “Birds of a feather flock together.” The meaning of this idiom or figure of speech is that “similar people tend to associate with each other.” An example, “George: Why do you think William is dishonest? John: All his friends are dishonest. Birds of a feather flock together” (Wikipedia). Danger that Children and TeenagersCan Be Attracted to Rude and Brash People It has been my observation over many years that crude folks can also be very entertaining. Therein is a great danger for all of us. Younger folks, especially children and teenagers, can be attracted to this type of noisy self-assertiveness. The crude and rude often are loud, brash talking and seem not to have a care in

“Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have omitted the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone” (Matthew 23:23 KJV). I must admit that I worry too much about the times we live in. My weightier concern is the lack of overall respect for what the Word of God teaches. At one time, we Americans looked toward the Bible, the Word of God, as a supreme guide in the comportment of people. We notice that Matthew 23:23 indicated an overlooked or making light of “the weightier matters.” Too many of us exalt the fluffy things of this life and minimize the momentous. In our obedience, reflecting on the right and the wrong, we leave these God-given obligations unfulfilled. The “scribes and Pharisees” and mankind in general are engaging in the trivial matters of this life. They were very strict and precise in the smaller matters of the law, but as careless and loose in the weightier matters, Mat 23:23, Mat 23:24. They were partial in the law (Mal 2:9), would pick and choose their duty, according as they were interested or stood affected. Sincere obedience is universal, and he that from a right principle obeys any of God’s precepts, will have respect to them all, Psa 119:6. But hypocrites, who act in religion for themselves, and not for God, will do no more in religion than

According to a brief news clip in a newspaper, “Names in the News” 25 September 2008, we find out that the popular singer, Clay Aiken, is a self-proclaimed homosexual. In the short piece, Simon Cowell made this statement in part, “I don’t think anyone cares. Let’s face it. It’s 2008. You know. Who cares?” In deed, who cares! It behooves all of us that love and respect the Word of God to care. According to a brief news clip in a newspaper, “Names in the News” 25 September 2008, we find out that the popular singer, Clay Aiken, is a self-proclaimed homosexual. In the short piece, Simon Cowell made this statement in part, “I don’t think anyone cares. Let’s face it. It’s 2008. You know. Who cares?” In deed, who cares! It behooves all of us that love and respect the Word of God to care. When we look around our world today, we wonder “what’s wrong?” When we look at our country, “what’s wrong?” When we look at our community, it’s the same. The post-modern world tells us that there is no standard for right and wrong, and therefore nothing is wrong, any behavior is acceptable. At the rate we have been going, in a few years rape and murder will be labeled as acceptable behavior. You laugh, but if there is no standard for living, if all behavior is acceptable, then how can a society condemn any practice? We condone adultery today in the name of “happiness.” We

Every time an evil event takes place, such as mass killing with guns, we hear the same so-called solution. The cry is let’s do away with our Constitution’s Second Amendment. Nobody needs guns. What utter nonsense! People murder with knives and with an assortment of weaponry. The problem is we are dealing with evil people. We have allowed God to be removed from our society, and we reap the evil consequences. The dictionary is very clear concerning evil. It simply states it is, “The quality or state of being evil. Many people think that Adolf Hitler’s actions in World War II were of utmost evilness.” Our nation was founded on Judeo-Christian principles. In my lifetime, I have observed a great change in our moral or ethical standards. They have decayed to sewer levels. This is a fact! Yes, of course, no society is perfect. All we have to do is turn to Genesis 13:13 and start reading about Sodom and Gomorrah. Evil has been with mankind from the beginning when Cain slew his brother Abel (Genesis 4:1-16). There are ups and downs in societies. Within my lifetime, our nation’s population went from a keen understanding of “In God We Trust” to a rejection of our founder’s vision of “one nation under God.” Folks had the opportunity to view wholesome movies that had large measures of good ethics taught. Further, entertainers such as Red Skelton or Jack Benny never used vile language. Now, it is commonplace to have in your face vulgarness.

As you and I look at the complexity of our universe, our earth and the huge variety of living life forms (e.g., animals, humans, etc.), we are caught up in astonishment. We are in awe of the great intricacy of our planet called Earth. The evolutionist demands we reject our God and accept their theory that all living things just happened. For Christians who continue to be believers in the God Almighty of the Bible, we also reject evolution because we know the theory that all living beings simply happened is mathematically impossible. No Complex System of SuchLiving Beings Can Evolve by Chance In the real world of scientific observation, as opposed to metaphysical speculation, however, no more complex system can ever “evolve” out of a less complex system, so the probability of the naturalistic origin of even the simplest imaginary form of life is zero. The existence of complexity of any kind is evidence of God and creation. “Lift up your eyes on high, and behold who hath created these things, that bringeth out their host by number: He calleth them all by names by the greatness of His might, for that He is strong in power; not one faileth” (Isaiah 40:26). (https://www.icr.org/article/mathematical-impossibility- evolution/) If living matter is not, then, caused by the interplay of atoms, natural forces and radiation, how has it come into being? …I think, however, that we must… admit that the only acceptable explanation is creation. I know that this is anathema to physicists, as

Mel Gibson’s movie Passion of Christ brought about much interest in the four Gospels: Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. There have been television specials concerning Jesus Christ and the crucifixion before and since, too. So-called biblical scholars have been featured to give an explanation, a commentary on the Gospels during these specials. Almost without exception the Bible scholars used in these specials are very liberal concerning the Word of God. The television hosts and such Bible commentators often respond in a matter of fact manner that there are contradictions in the Gospel accounts. Just because someone states in an unchallenged manner that there are contradictions in the Gospels, does not mean that there are, in fact, contradictions in God’s Word! Many of us have in our libraries works such as The Harmony of the Gospels. We suggest two classics should be studied before one buy’s into this “contradiction” charge: A Harmony of the Gospels by A. T. Robertson and The Testimony of the Evangelists by Simon Greenleaf. John William McGarvey wrote on July 30, 1898, “In the testimony of witnesses before a court, nothing is more common than for apparent contradictions to arise between credible witnesses or between different statements of the same witness. In all such cases, it is considered entirely logical and legitimate for counsel to show that on some reasonable hypothesis the statements can be harmonized” (John William McGarvey, Biblical Criticism 303). These television specials with their Bible scholars give a slanted and prejudiced view of the Word of God. They always go unchallenged with no discussion or debate concerning

We all worry from time to time. An everyday personal event may trouble us. We can worry about something over which we have no control. Worry is defined in part as, “A state of anxiety and uncertainty over actual or potential problems.” A worrywart is defined as, “A person who worries too much or who worries about things that are not important.” Further definition includes, “One who worries excessively and needlessly.” The word worrywart first appeared in 1936, “Based on an old saying that if you worry too much you will grow warts” (Wikipedia). Christians, who are guided by the Word of God – the Bible, generally will not be worrywarts. We do not excessively and needlessly worry about things over which we have no power. However, there are concerns we cannot handle such as government mismanagement, civil violence, foreign hostiles and general chaos. This type of worry is understood rationally and according to our normal ethical understanding that evil and the like will cause sorrowful anguish because of sinful mankind. Peace in Christ is the solution to worry and anxiety. “Fret not thyself because of evildoers, neither be thou envious against the workers of iniquity” (Psalm 37:1 KJV). “Finally, brethren, farewell. Be perfect, be of good comfort, be of one mind, live in peace; and the God of love and peace shall be with you” (2 Corinthians 13:11). “Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time: Casting all your care

Isn’t evolution wonderful? Of course, I say this as a pun. As we consider the complexities of the natural world and how splendidly our bodies are designed, we marvel in profound awe and give recognition to our Creator, God Almighty. The evolutionist wants us to believe that by sheer chance over eons of time all living beings came forth. How is that possible? Presently, I am being treated for Glaucoma using eye drops each day to relieve pressure in my eyes. My good doctor has been keeping a check on me for years. Finally about a year ago, I was put on medication that will save my vision. I am grateful to my Creator and the knowledge of medical personnel who treat our ailments to the best of their ability. In the July 6, 2011 edition of the New Albany Gazette, a fine newspaper of the small town of New Albany, Mississippi, an advertisement article caught my eye. The following is the short article written by William S. Mayo, D.O., Double Board Ophthalmologist and Eye Surgeon, Mayo Eye Center. How the Brain “Sees” If you think about it, the eyes may be tasked with collecting imagery from the world around us, but it is the brain’s job to make sense of the information collected by the eyes and enable us to see. To take things one step further, researchers wanted to know whether there is an area of the brain that is actually responsible for reading. Using functional MRI (fMRI)

It may seem very strange to many of us to know some folks believe there should not be a right and wrong standard. That is to say, there are neither rights nor wrongs. Would you believe that some have affirmed that atheistic morality is beneficial to the human race? We are currently witnessing great crimes against humanity by way of orthodox Islam coupled with other ungodly lawless elements. Many of us have lived long enough to witness World War II, the terrible loss of human lives and the destruction of large cities. Evil lawlessness drives the desire to control by killing whoever gets in the way of conquering landmasses. These wicked desires do not recognize righteousness and compassion. Years ago, it was common to debate the differences of religious beliefs. Sometimes non-believers would debate religious people that there was no God. For the Christian, it is understood that the Word of God, the Bible, is our guide in understanding right and wrong. This ethical understanding is so clear for the Christian that we act in a very consistent manner. Now, that does not mean we carry out our Christian duties properly all of the time. It does mean, though, that we know right from wrong. Because we are free moral agents, we can choose to ignore our consciences and do wrong when we know what is right. “From man’s creation, ethics and morals have been an important part of his personal and social life. One of the strongest evidences for

Don’t we all harbor regrets in our lives? We all make mistakes. We all flounder in a world of doubts and the misdirection of poor human advice. Oh, to put our sorrows, regrets behind us and push forward, doing that which is right in the sight of God Almighty must be our goal. “I want to live my life so that my nights are not full of regrets” (D. H. Lawrence, 1885 – 1930). As we ponder regrets, we can imagine that even the illustrious apostle Paul must have had inner regrets. Yet few men, young or old, have been so furious in persecution as was Saul of Tarsus; and the fact that he, so young, entered on the work of persecution in the manner he did… He “made havoc of the church, entering into every house, and, haling men and women,” he tore them from their homes, and “committed them to prison” (Acts 8:3)… He “punished” that is, scourged them “in every synagogue.” (Life of the Apostle Paul by Albert Barnes, 30) With zeal that few men can muster, Saul of Tarsus, later the fearless, matchless apostle Paul, performed many acts against the church. How did he overcome past negative feelings, past actions and finally to prevail? “Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark, for the prize of the high calling of God

It seems that just about all memorials erected by mere men lose their significance in the passing of years. I was born in Brooklyn, New York, and like all large cities, monuments are plentiful. These monuments are built to preserve remembrance of the dead or a past event. However, in the fleeting of time, memories of these deeds become unknown by most of us. Recently, the World War One Memorial in Washington, D.C. has become known again because of the death of the last USA WW1 veteran, Frank Woodruff Buckles (February 1, 1901 – February 27, 2011). In his advanced age of one hundred plus years, Frank visited the World War One Memorial and was shocked because of its deterioration over the years. The memorial had been neglected, and the reminder of those who served was forgotten. Trees and shrubbery had blocked viewing this once prominent monument. Sadly, in the passing of years, people forget. “And Joseph died, and all his brethren, and all that generation. And the children of Israel were fruitful, and increased abundantly, and multiplied, and waxed exceeding mighty; and the land was filled with them. Now there arose a new king over Egypt, who knew not Joseph” (Exodus 1:6-8 ASV). After all the wonderful works Joseph did for Egypt, there “arose a new king over Egypt, who knew not Joseph.” So it goes with the memory of past generations. We forget! I find this fact very sad and proof of a lack of appreciation for past

I have been looking for a book in my library for months. Did I lose it or did I loan it to a friend a long time ago? The book is titled Broken Homes and Handicapped Children by V. E. Howard, published in 1972. Fortunately, I found it on my bookshelf. I don’t know how I missed finding it for such a long time. It can’t be age! The theme of the book was basically about alcohol and drug abuse has destroyed many homes, thus handicapping innocent children. The book was the product of a series of lessons presented by V. E. Howard over the radio. In the foreword of the book V.E. Howard wrote: This series of discussions on the theme, “Broken Homes and Handicapped Children,” has been presented over more than 100 stations of the World Radio Gospel Hour network. Because of the vital nature of the material, it is also being published in the hope that thousands will be stimulated to re-examine their own homes and lives. Being fully aware that many of the matters are controversial and even frightening, I pray that you will sincerely study the problems and solutions that are detailed and documented in these pages. The menace to the modern home has never been greater than it is today. We must open our eyes to the graphic danger signals all around us and seek God and His help while there is still hope. As Hosea, God’s prophet of old, exhorted: “Break up your fellow ground;

“The needs of society determine its ethics” (Dr. Maya Angelou). This is an interesting quote from a very famous and well-known lady. We do not need a great scholar to understand Dr. Angelou’s statement. The sentiment she expressed may be acknowledged as a truth for many in our society today. However, it is my judgment that Dr. Maya Angelou is as wrong as wrong can be. Ethics are defined in part as: “A set of principles of right conduct. A system of moral values. The rules or standards governing the conduct of a person or the members of a profession, such as medical ethics” (The Free Dictionary). In the passing of time societies change, and many times society changes for the worse. With that said, I affirm that ethics and moral values, rules, standards of right and wrong do not change in the passing of time. Ethical standards are fixed. Dr. Maya Angelou’s view that a society or culture determines its own standard of right and wrong is dangerous. If a society determines its ethics, then it is right when Orthodox Islamic Sharia Law dictates stoning or beheads adulterers. Let us not forget “honor killings” for a variety of reasons, and mostly against women. If Dr. Angelou is right, how could we have condemned Nazism under Adolf Hitler? The German people and their society were following their ethical standards. Would anyone in his right mind say that Nazism under Hitler’s regime was right conduct and a good ethical system of moral values? “Dr.

It is important to try to understand orthodox Islam. I continue to be shocked at the constant verifiable information about this bloody religion. No, it is not a religion of peace, but a religion of killing, blood and hate. Convert to Islam or else! Friends, I take no pleasure thinking and writing about such things as to the violent nature of Islam. To be very truthful with you, our current times remind me of Nazism of the 1930’s that led to World War II. The “final solution” was brought on because of hatred of Jewish people. These terrible facts of history are depressing. We are now living in an era again where hatred and bloodthirsty killing are common. (https://www.jihadwatch.org/2011/11/gaza-jihadist-prays-to-allah-you-have-made-our-killing-of-the-jews-an-act-of-worship-through-which-w.html) “Abu Huraira reported Allah’s Messenger (may peace be upon him) as saying: The last hour would not come unless the Muslims will fight against the Jews and the Muslims would kill them until the Jews would hide themselves behind a stone or a tree and a stone or a tree would say: Muslim, or the servant of Allah, there is a Jew behind me; come and kill him; but the tree Gharqad would not say, for it is the tree of the Jews.” (https://www.muslimaccess.com/sunnah/hadeeth/muslim/041.html) According to history, the religion of Islam started in the year A.D. 610. Muhammad claimed to have received revelations from Allah. Muhammad’s companions wrote down these revelations in a book called the Qur’an, also known as the Koran. As we study the Word of God, the Bible,

For many of us, when we think of atheists, we think, well they don’t believe in God. They are passive in their conduct. As long as people are law-abiding citizens, we all seem to be tolerant of each other. We may not believe and we may rule out what others teach or adhere to; however, we still can be civilized to each other. Such is life, so to speak. The rub comes in when organizations, etc. try to change long accepted beliefs of everyday citizens via making these beliefs against the law of the land. We are facing such today. Please notice following extracted from www.secular.org. The Secular Coalition for America is the only organization in the nation whose primary purpose is lobbying Congress on behalf of atheists, humanists, freethinkers, and other nontheistic Americans. From our office in the nation’s capital, our full-time lobbyist and support staff engage public policy makers and the media on issues ranging from religion’s influence on education and medical research to the privileging of faith groups by government. We are the first and only cooperative venture of eight member organizations coming together to improve the political situation of a previously unrepresented constituency: the tens of millions of atheists and agnostics in the United States. What is this atheistic organization lobbying Congress about? They oppose statements that our rights are derived from God. They oppose the statement that the USA is a “Christian nation.” They oppose the statements like “under God” in our “Pledge of Allegiance.”

On the ABC Nightly News television program on January 3, 2008, a segment was shown entitled “Evolution: Overwhelming and Compelling.” The statements below introduced the report: The National Academy of Sciences has released a book called, Science, Evolution and Creationism–a strongly-worded answer to the Creationist movement and the doubts about Darwin that many people express in polls and elsewhere. …Evolution is both a fact and a process that accounts for the diversity of life on Earth. …Scientists treat the occurrence of evolution as one of the most securely established of scientific facts. …The scientific evidence supporting biological evolution continues to grow at a rapid pace. So there we have it! By way of rocks, dirt, slime and other dead matter, we are indebted to the evolutionary development, “a fact and a process that accounts for the diversity of life on Earth.” From great chaos and disorder, we have order. From dead matter comes forth life. Sounds like science fiction to me. The complexity of living things is mind-boggling. Let us refute the evolutionist by offering just one paragraph from Paley’s Natural Theology concerning the eye. In order to keep the eye moist and clean (which qualities are necessary to its brightness and its use), a wash is constantly supplied by a secretion for the purpose; and the superfluous brine is conveyed to the nose through a perforation in the bone as large as a goose-quill; or, more properly speaking, along two capillary tubes, one from either eyelid, which enter the duct, lodged in a canal

Viktor Emil Frankl (1905-1997) was a Holocaust survivor. He wrote about his experiences in Nazi concentration camps. Via online Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, I noticed the following quote “Viktor Frankl often said that even within the narrow boundaries of the concentration camps he found only two races of men to exist: decent and unprincipled ones.” An interesting observation, “only two races of men exist: decent or unprincipled.” The word “decent” is defined in part as “characterized by conformity to recognized standards of propriety or morality. Meeting accepted standards.” “Unprincipled” is defined in part as “lacking principles or moral scruples; unscrupulous: unprincipled behavior.” (The Free Dictionary Online by Farlex) I am reminded of a movie I saw many years ago, titled “HUD” (1966). Paul Newman had the leading role, playing a selfish, cocky, unscrupulous, crude, amoral, hedonistic, irresponsible and hard drinking rat. Hud’s father, Homer, played by the distinguish actor Melvyn Douglas, was a very decent man and a complete opposite of his son, Hud. In a memorable climatic scene, Homer criticized Hud’s living philosophy saying, “…You’re an unprincipled man, Hud. You don’t value nothing…You don’t respect nothing…You live just for yourself. And that makes you not fit to live with.” The character, Hud, had absolutely no redeeming qualities. Sadly, the character portrayed by Paul Newman is not just a fictitious movie personality; such people are all around us. Decent people are appreciated and much desired in any society. They can be trusted and are law-abiding citizens governed under civilized laws.

“People radiate what is in their minds and in their hearts. If a man feels kindly and obliging, his neighbors will feel that way, too, before long. But if he scolds and scowls and criticizes—his neighbors will return scowl for scowl, and add interest!” (Eleanor H. Porter, 1868-1920) An interesting word, “scowling.” It is defined in part, “To wrinkle or contract the brow as an expression of anger or disapproval.” To scowl is defined in part as “an angry or bad-tempered expression.” Probably most of us have observed a person scowling. It isn’t a pretty sight to behold. It turns one off, does it not? According to the quote by Eleanor H. Porter, we radiate what is in our minds and hearts. A scowl is a dead giveaway to one’s overall outlook. Akin to the tendency of scowling is a scoffer. This is one who jeers or mocks, thus treating something and/or people with contempt and has an expression of mockery and derision. The attitude of derision is part of a scowling stance. People with dispositions of contempt cannot be team workers. In debating the right or wrong about any proposition, one must have a gentleman or a lady-like attitude. Our demeanor coupled with the desire to do the right thing is a must. Rudeness and scoffing must never be part of the solving of problems. Strong negative attitudes joined with my way or else have to be avoided. Even though it is becoming a rare character trait among many,

Set priorities for your goals. A major part of successful living lies in the ability to put first things first. Indeed, the reason most major goals are not achieved is that we spend our time doing second things first. (Robert J. McKain) The principle of first things first is a very common thought. I will risk being called a nitpicker, as I make a simple illustration of putting first things first. You just finished shopping at Wal-Mart, buying much frozen food. You have to drive home, approximately a ten-mile trip. The temperature is near 100 degrees. You get home and unload the frozen food and put it on the counter. You leave the frozen food on the counter while you make a non-emergency telephone call to a friend. No, no! First things first! You put away the frozen food, and then, you make a telephone call. Do we “spend our time doing second things first”? I love my family, friends, brethren and my fellow man. I try very hard to practice the Golden Rule. “And as ye would that men should do to you, do ye also to them likewise” (Luke 6:31). Yet, when all is said and done, my greatest responsibility, as I put first things first, is to protect and watch out for my soul. “No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God

Do we have a tendency to ponder on our bruised feelings and not our blessings? Too many of us brood over our ordeals instead of appreciating our blessings. Have we learned from our mistakes and from life’s bruises? Some may take their blessings for granted. Good times and fortune are supposed to be our lot. The quest for earthly happiness is paramount for many. Yet, all of us know deep down within our being that we all hurt in many ways. Do we push bad memories, physical or mental hurts to the back of our minds? It is better for us, if we “Take it to the Lord in prayer”. What a Friend We Have in Jesus George Scriven and C.C. Converse Verse 1 What a Friend we have in Jesus, All our sins and griefs to bear;What a privilege to carry Ev’rything to God in prayer.O what peace we often forfeit, O what needless pain we bear,All because we do not carry Ev’rything to God in prayer. Verse 2 Have we trails and temptations? Is there trouble anywhere?We should never be discouraged. Take it to the Lord in prayer.Can we find a friend so faithful, Who will all our sorrows share?Jesus knows our ev’ry weakness: Take it to the Lord in payer. Verse 3 Are we weak and heavy laden, Cumbered with a load of care?Precious Savior, still our refuge, Take it to the Lord in prayer.Do thy friends despise, forsake thee? Take it to the Lord in prayer;In

Rarely, the phrase “double minded” is used in our everyday conversation. Webster defines double minded simply as: “undecided in mind; vacillating.” The word “vacillate” is defined in part as: “to sway to and fro; waver; stagger; to fluctuate; to waiver in mind.” Even though we hardly ever use this word, it surely is understandable. I have encountered many folks who are double minded, and you can’t count on them to make a firm decision. They sway back and forth, and you are unable to trust their judgments because of this disposition. They are frustrating people. They cannot be true leaders. To put trust in someone who is double minded would be foolish because he or she is unstable. Have you ever said, “The fellow can’t be trusted? He speaks out of both sides of his mouth?” Alternatively, remember the old Indian phrase, “He speaks with a forked tongue?” Yes, we have met many people like that, and some politicians fall into this category. The party line changes and they vacillate, backing up and with a double tongue confuse, bamboozle and fluctuate. Did the Apostle James Originate this Word? We find this interesting wording “doubleminded” in James 1:8 and 4:8. Further, see a portion of a commentary on James 1:6 by James Burton Coffman: Verse 8… a doubleminded man, unstable in all his ways. Two things of very great importance are evidenced by this short verse. In the first place, as Dummelow suggested, “It refers to the teaching of Christ in

What a challenge! There is no doubt that our Creator, Almighty God, has challenged us – poor, frail mortals – to consider, examine closely and observe well the evidence of His Being. Notice below an explanation of our English word “consider” as extracted from the Vines Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words: “Consider” is defined in part, to be aware, conscious, as the result of mental perception. Webster’s Dictionary carries the same thought, to look at carefully, regard attentively, examine. “Hearken unto this, O Job: stand still, and consider the wondrous works of God” (Job 37:14). “What we hear is not likely to profit us unless we consider it, and we are not likely to consider things fully unless we stand still and compose ourselves to the consideration of them. The works of God, being wondrous, both deserve and need our consideration, and the due consideration of them will help to reconcile us to all his providences” (“Job 37:14,” Matthew Henry Complete Commentary of the Whole Bible). Many profound statements, arguments and evidences are brought forth in Job the 38th Chapter. We are forced to consider and examine the evidences contained in the Word of God. “…I will demand of thee, and answer thou me. Where wast thou when I laid the foundations of the earth?” (Job 38:3-4). “The works of the Lord are great, sought out of all them that have pleasure therein” (Psalm 111:2). The idea of sought out is that which is wanted, required. Thus, we seek the greatness of our

A life lived incognito is inconsistent with living in Christ, our Savoir. I find it very strange that many desire to live a life incognito. The idea is to live a life concealed and very private. Incognito is defined in part as, “having one’s identity concealed, as under an assumed name, especially to avoid notice or formal attentions.” With that said, I have also noticed when one dies, incognito is put aside. Counter to the desire for concealment from the world, our Lord Jesus Christ wants Christians to glow. “Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid. Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven” (Mathew 5:14-16 KJV). Christians will follow our Lord’s command and will not dwell in darkness. Jesus promises “to give light to them that sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace” (Luke 1:79). “The light of the body is the eye: if therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light. But if thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness!”

Do you struggle with self-honesty? Have you pondered such? Have you ever doubted your stand on ethical/moral and religious issues? Have you wondered about your individual understanding of what is right and wrong? With self-honesty as my guide, I must confess that I have to consider such things. How about you? Some of the things we think about, yes, even worry over, have we placed then on our intellectual back burner? That is to say, we just have not decided about such things. I do not act on things on my thinker’s back burner, until I know the truth of the matter. Through study and self-honesty, I determine what is right, thus making applications in my life. The Bible is always used to decide a right path to take. It is my guide and standard! There are too many who do not even give self-honesty a second thought, and that is also bad. There are those who have no desire for self-honesty. When people have no true guide in their lives, they become as “children, tossed to and fro, carried about with every wind of doctrine…” (Ephesians 4:14). To act honestly on revealed and knowable truth is of prime importance. “Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path” (Psalm 119:105). “…and ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free” (John 8:32). “If ye love me, keep my commandments” (John 14:15). As we dwell on this subject of self-honesty, I insist that

I was browsing through a book that I read many years ago. Maybe you like to browse through old books also. The title and the subjects of the book are The Evidences of Christianity, A Debate between Robert Owen and Alexander Campbell. The oral debate was held in Cincinnati, Ohio in April 1829. Further, Mr. Owen supported and defended his “Social System” that he desired to spread throughout America. I remembered a statement that stuck with me over the years, as follows: “But as I am brought forward to this most wonderful of all events, the resurrection of Jesus Christ, which is, too, the capital item in the apostolic testimony; and the fact on which the whole religion, and hopes of Christianity depend and terminate, I felt strongly disposed to show that this is the best attested fact in the annals of the world…” (312-313). You see, Mr. Owen had run “out of soap.” From this point of the discussion Mr. Campbell started a remarkable evaluation of the evidences of Christianity. Mr. Campbell used the Word of God, the Bible, and numerous writings of historians, philosophers, a host of unbelievers, a very large assortment of sources to the proving of “the resurrection of Jesus Christ” and thus Christianity “is the best attested fact in the annals of the world.” As noted on page 437, “(The above speech commenced on Friday at three o’clock, and, in all occupied twelve hours.)” As one who was present for the debate commented and was “not

I am on the mailing list to receive the Salt Lake City Messenger, a magazine produced by former Mormons. An interesting part of their magazine is “Excerpts from Letters and Emails.” On page 18 of Issue 116, May 2011, the following was published: February 2011: I am LDS, just a member, not a leader, and what makes it interesting is I have had special experiences similar to those which Joseph Smith had. I have received revelation for myself, and have sure knowledge… There are many out there like me that have had similar experiences, they know also. They have been visited by the power of the Holy Ghost and instructed and have obtained knowledge first hand for themselves too. As strange as it seems, this view of “receiving revelation” is in tune with Latter Day Saints doctrine. Formal debates with Mormons are very rare. However, discussions have been conducted over the years. An interesting debate was held in Salt Lake City, August 17-21, 1942. The participants were Otis Gatewood of the church of Christ in Salt Lake, Utah and Kenneth E. Farnsworth, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, also of Salt Lake, Utah. This was an oral debate, and a book was published soon after the discussion. The book is now rare and hard to obtain. I bought my copy in October 1974. James D. Bales was the moderator for Otis Gatewood. Bales wrote a five-page review of the debate at the end of the book. Extracting from page

I have been racking my brain, my memory concerning how we Americans thought in the 1940’s into the middle 1960’s. You see, these years were my youthful years since I was born in 1932. I turned eighteen years old in November 1950. I enlisted in the Regular Army in March 1951. I spent twelve years on active duty, five years serving overseas. Thinking about this period reminded me that overall Americans thought alike. It was a period of God, country, apple pie and Mom. Americanism was understood throughout the USA – North, South, East and West. By the middle 1960’s things started to change. Movies, music and even the appearance of some people started to change. As an example, younger men let their hair grow to a girlish style. Movie musicals that were part of the family entertainment throughout the 1930’s until the early 1960’s, a period of thirty plus years, almost completely stopped. There was a time past when even the smallest child could go to the local movie house and have no fear of gratuitous nudity and vulgar speech. Have we lost our sense of right and wrong and an understanding of disgracefulness? The truth is that a large portion of our population no longer thinks alike. Were we in time past perfect people? No, there have always been strange, unconventional and reprobate people. Presently, we do not think alike any longer. Our mooring, our Christian heritage has sadly drifted away. We are now living in a morally decaying

Creation, how all life came into being and the complex function of the universe may be the greatest of all mysteries. Our English dictionaries define mystery in part as, “One that is not fully understood or that baffles or eludes the understanding; an unexplained or inexplicable event, phenomenon, etc.” Let us now note a scientist acknowledging an “acceptable explanation” or an understanding of creation and living matter. “If living matter is not, then, caused by the interplay of atoms, natural forces and radiation, how has it come into being?… I think, however, that we must admit that the only acceptable explanation is creation, I know that this is anathema to physicists, as indeed it is to me, but we must not reject a theory that we do not like if the experimental evidence supports it” (H.S. Lipson Physics Bulletin, vol. 31, May 1980, page 138; qtd. in That Their Words May Be Used Against Them by Henry M. Morris). The word “acceptable” is defined in part as, “Worthy of being accepted; adequate to satisfy a need, requirement, or standard; satisfactory.” The word “explanation” is defined in part as, “The act or process of explaining; something that explains; a mutual clarification of misunderstandings; a reconciliation.” Lipson also stated that to accept creation would be “anathema to physicists.” “Anathema” is defined in part as, “A thing or a person accursed or damned; hence; anything greatly detested.” Therefore, here we have someone in the scientific community stating even though an “acceptable explanation” for the first cause

as mowing my large back yard lawn; it was Saturday, July 25th, 2009. As some may know, our minds wander when we mow the lawn. I was thinking about a recent event that drew national news attention. The event was a confrontation between Professor Henry Louis Gates, Jr. of Harvard University and a local policeman. I thought about how I would have responded if I were in the same situation as Professor Gates. If a policeman came to my house and said, “There is a report that this house was being burglarized,” my response would be, “Good day Officer, please come in. May I show you my identification? This is my house; I have lived here for a very long time. Please sit down!” Showing off some of my family pictures on my living room wall, I would offer him a cup of coffee. You know, friends, in a very short time, I believe we would have departed in peace. As he left my home, I would say, “Come by and see me sometime and have a cup of coffee.” O yes, I am a friendly fellow! “You’re Not Going to Hurt Me, Are You?” As I continued mowing the lawn, thinking about this Professor Gates situation, my mind drifted to an incident that happened over forty years ago. I was living in the small town of Sherman, Mississippi. Sherman is a little north of Tupelo, Mississippi (the birthplace of Elvis Presley). I remember that I was outside in my

I am a simple fellow! Why should we complicate things that are easy? Some folks seem to enjoy the complication and making everyday jobs difficult. I have also observed that trouble-free and daily jobs are overlooked. A task unassigned is a task that does not get done. Many a job becomes a great chore because the basics were not done. I am sure you can think of occasions when folks look at each other and say, “I thought you were supposed to do that?” Let’s “Keep It Simple.” We are also aware that religious creeds that guide one’s belief system can also be very complicated. Let’s keep it simple and go back to the source of our Christian belief system. Someone may ask, “What is that source?” The answer, plain and simply is the Bible. The Bible is divided into the Old and New Testaments. We do not live under the Old Law. It has been nailed to the cross, “having blotted out the bond written in ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us: and he hath taken it out of the way, nailing it to the cross” (Colossians 2:14 ASV). Manmade Religious CreedsUnnecessarily Complicate Christianity Let us note the last paragraph, Volume One, Preface, page VI, “The Creeds of Christendom with History and Critical Notes” in Three Volumes, Sixth Edition, edited by Philip Schaff and revised by David S. Schaff. May this repository of creeds and confessions promote a better understanding among the Churches of Christ.

Most Americans love the sport of baseball. I played for the Police Athlete League (PAL) when I was a kid. The Brooklyn Dodgers were my favorite team. I spent many happy afternoons in the left field bleachers at ole Ebbets Field. Years ago, I attended Winter Bible School classes at Gloster Street church in Tupelo, Mississippi. My teacher, John L. Wheeler, was full of stories and illustrations to zero in on non-denominational Christianity. One illustration I remember was one about the game of baseball. Let’s imagine that the game of baseball started to lose its appeal. People just weren’t interested in the game any longer. After the passing of some years, people did not play baseball any longer. All ball field stadiums, baseball lots and the like were destroyed. One, two, three hundred years passed and the memory of baseball was completely forgotten. That reminds me of one of the saddest verses in the whole Bible. “Now there arose up a new king over Egypt, which knew not Joseph” (Exodus 1:8). You see, in the passing of time people and nations forget. One day, a man went to a large library to just browse around. He noticed, high on a shelf, a book that appeared very old. Removing this book from the bookshelf, he saw it was a complete rulebook on the game called baseball. “Never heard of such a game,” he exclaimed to himself. Fascinated, he checked the book out. Our friend pored over the book, rules and regulations

Many of us remember the funny and clean TV sitcom “Gilligan’s Island,” running from September 1964 to September 1967, with the Skipper and Gilligan as the crew of the charter boat S.S. Minnow and the five passengers. It was supposed to be a three-hour tour, but a storm shipwrecked all of them on an uncharted uninhabited island. They were lost somewhere in the Pacific Ocean. The above reminds me of an illustration I heard years ago that helped me understand pre-denominational Christianity. Many of you that will read what follows and may chuckle as you remember also. Let’s say that several are shipwrecked on an uninhabited island. All survived the terrible storm. The type of people marooned are just average folks. They had one thing in common, however, and that was they had absolutely no interest in religion up to this point in their lives. They were totally ignorant, completely unaware of all religions of this world. As they recovered items from the wrecked ship, they found a Bible. No other literature, radio or the like was on the ship. As the days, weeks and months passed, they started to read the Bible as a group. The Word of God was totally new to them. They started with Genesis 1:1, “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” They could grasp that this world and all creation did not come from a huge Big Bang explosion. Their common sense understood that from nothing comes nothing. Disorder never creates order. The

I believe we are all familiar with signs that warn us of some dangers. I was raised very near the Atlantic Ocean. As a youngster, I spent many a day on the beach. At one time, my grandparents lived within walking distance to Coney Island Beach. As a teenager the Jacob Riis Park, Far Rockaway, NY was about five miles from where we lived. These beaches had warning signs for swimmers to beware of rip currents/riptides. These dangerous ocean currents can drag one into deeper waters. We are informed that more than 100 deaths annually are caused by riptides. Further, rip currents cause about 80% of rescues by brave beach lifeguards. Years ago and in our current times as Americans, we have been warned of approaching socialism or to be more accurate communism. We, as a nation, have winked at the obvious encroachments of socialistic thinking. Consider the following quote, “We are at war with communism and the sooner every red-blooded American realizes this the safer we will be” (Speech by the late FBI Chief J. Edgar Hoover, New York City, December 14, 1963). Another fast-moving intrusion to the American way of life is orthodox Islam with its pushing, now demanding of Sharia law to be used in our courts. “If Sharia law is being introduced in the courtroom, if your kid’s schoolbooks whitewash bloody Islamic history, if a mega-mosque is going up in a place not zoned for such things and the supremacists need laws changed to accommodate them,

I guess it is the times we live in. We Americans are not patient people. We want instant solutions to very complex problems. We all need to cultivate patience, longsuffering and steadfastness in our character makeup. Patience is part of the Christian graces to be developed as outlined in 2 Peter 1:6. James 1:3 reads, “Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience.” Longsuffering is that quality of restraining oneself when trials come our way. We must never surrender or succumb under the pressures of this life. Christians are admonished not to “fall from your own steadfastness” (2 Peter 3:17). As individuals, we have very little control over many matters. We can control ourselves, however! The quest for patience starts with me. I am responsible to God Almighty, to do his will, to be patient, to be steadfast because, “Behold, all souls are mine; as the soul of the father, so also the soul of the son is mine: the soul that sinneth, it shall die” (Ezekiel 18:4).

Most of us who have been around awhile have witnessed a hatchet job. For those who may not understand this term, let us define what a hatchet job is. One definition I found said it is, “A false accusation of an offense or a malicious misrepresentation of someone’s words or actions.” A further definition is, “A piece of criticism that destroys someone’s reputation is a hatchet job.” It has been my observation that the one or the group that spreads the hatchet job will slyly leave off any truthful part, thus adding more color to the malicious falsehood. The hatchet man or group is by nature great at being con artists. Some bosses or supervisors have been known to use a hatchet man to do the dirty work. As an example, the hatchet man will get rid of a good worker in order to make room for one who is in the clique. Honesty and integrity are not part of the moral makeup of such a type of people or organization. It is better for all of us if we practice the “Golden Rule.” “Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them; for this is the law and the prophets” (Matthew 7:12 KJV). A component of a hatchet job is propaganda. The party line and half-truths have been used for a long time in order to bury truth and righteousness. For Christians, the Word of God, the Bible, is the

Have you noticed the practice of spreading the guilt? When something happens in the business world, misdeeds, a leak of information, a scandal, etc., why is it necessary to place the blame on upper management and everyone up and down the ladder? Elected government officials love to spread the guilt, don’t they? Of course, sometimes there is blame throughout a system. We need to get to the point that we place blame on the guilty parties – not on the whole chain of management. It may be that our news media loves to spread the guilt, therefore, inventing a juicy piece of news. It could be and may not be. I must admit I am very censorious when it comes to our liberal news outlets. The military system of justice is not perfect. However, they do not try to spread guilt if they can prove who the guilty party is. An example may be the My Lai Massacre, during the Viet Nam War. Second Lt. William Calley was found guilty of this crime because he was in command of his platoon. Why spread the guilt to those that were innocent? Many questions came up during the Court Marshal of 2nd Lt. Calley. A few innocent soldiers were treated very badly by some US Congressmen. Unfortunately, many times the whole truth is muffled and unknowable. When an ethical/moral occasion arises, and we are faced with a decision we must make, always remember, “…We ought to obey God rather than men” (Acts

About thirty years ago, my wife and I were very close to Ben and his family. Ben was a very moral and religious person at that time. He had a hard time settling down as to what he believed about the Bible and his religious preference. I asked him and his wife if I could come to his home and have an open Bible study with them. They agreed, and a time and date was set. I looked forward to my appointment with Ben and his wife. I knew, or thought, that they both believed in the God of the Bible, and that they also believed that the Bible was the inspired Word of God. “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: that the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works” (2 Timothy 3:16-17) With great enthusiasm, I arrived for my appointment to study the Bible with Ben and his wife. We started our study in a simple manner because of my understanding that they sincerely believed in God and His Word. We opened our Bibles to the Acts of the Apostles. Chapter One went very smoothly as we read and discussed the Scriptures. Chapter Two also went rather well until we got to verse 37 as it reads, “Men and brethren, what shall we do?” Upon reading verse 38, I noticed Ben getting red in the face, “Then Peter said

I would venture to say, if you work a lifetime, you have run into some bossy tyrants. Most of my working life was spent in the military service. I have worked for some harsh officers and enlisted men. Such people rarely get the most out of those working for them. Sadly, some leaders cannot see beyond their own self-serving. Thankfully, and for the most part, I have worked for decent, understanding people. I am reminded of the “Unmerciful Servant” who received mercy but was harsh to a fellow servant. “…O thou wicked servant, I forgave thee all that debt, because thou desiredst me: Shouldest not thou also have had compassion on thy fellow servant, even as I had pity on thee?” (Matthew 18:32-33). It is shameful that some in leadership positions cannot act civilly. Honesty, integrity and fairness are needed to carry out one’s responsibility. Those who have these positive character traits of one who serves to the greater degree make the finest leaders/employers. People want to do their utmost when they associate with leadership who displays the mindset of a servant. “But he that is greatest among you shall be your servant. And whosoever shall exalt himself shall be abased; and he that shall humble himself shall be exalted” (Matthew 23:11-12). “Servants, be obedient to them that are your masters according to the flesh, with fear and trembling, in singleness of your heart, as unto Christ; Not with eyeservice, as menpleasers; but as the servants of Christ, doing the

Over the years, I have been a student of Christian Evidences, also known as Christian Apologetics. Belief in the God of the Bible and Jesus Christ the Son of God is a paramount doctrine of Christianity. Evidences thereof have been orally debated in a formal fashion as well in a written form since the very early beginnings of Christianity. In my mind, it all boils down to a few questions or propositions: (l) Does God Exist? (2) Is the Bible the inspired Word of God? (3) Is Jesus Christ the Son of God? (4) Was Jesus Christ crucified on the cross and arose the third day? (5) Must men be obedient to our God in order to be saved? For a long time now, all these questions for me are affirmed, “Yes.” Most certainly, “Yes!” There are many more questions that men have pondered, such as: (1) Did order and our earth come into being through the Big Bang explosion? Or worded a different way, did chaos become orderly, creating all life, etc. through an explosion? (2) Did all life on this earth come into being by chance? (3) Is it necessary for life to begat life, or in other words can life begin by chance via dead matter? Such like questions demand examination. Most atheists scoff at questions brought up by Christians that believe the biblical account of creation and have faith in Jesus Christ. Some atheists and the like believe honestly that there is no God. They believe that given enough time

It is a historical fact that man departed from the original plan and structure of the church that we read about in the New Testament. To deny this fact is to deny verifiable evidence. The apostles, by inspiration, clearly foretold of the falling away. “Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils; Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron; Forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from meats, which God hath created to be received with thanksgiving of them which believe and know the truth.” (1 Timothy 4:1- 3) “I charge thee therefore before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom; Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.” (2 Timothy 4:1-4) As we ponder the foretelling of this departure from the faith, the apostasy of the church of Christ, we ask: Is it possible to locate or identify a major factor that brought on this falling away? I believe we can! We know that congregations of the Lord’s people that were fully

To act hastily and not consider the consequence of our actions is a common problem. The word “clouded” is used to describe blurred aims and decisions. We have observed local and national governments acting strangely many times because of blurred and unclear rulings. When one has been misguided and/or there are fixed standards to guide the decision making process, the result will be clouded. To act on clouded and unclear action policy is foolish. We Need to Let the Dust Settle I learned to drive a car on the back roads in northeast Mississippi. There were still a lot of dirt roads in Mississippi in the 1950’s, and dust was always a problem, especially in the hot and dry summertime. Driving produced a thick cloud of dust. When a vehicle passed, you better slow down because the dust was blinding. We remember an idiom, “let the dust settle.” Could it be that this figure of speech originated from driving on dirt roads in Mississippi? From a practical point of view, when we are faced with an important decision to make, a problem, a quarrel or the like, “let the dust settle” before speaking or acting. Our words communicate our thoughts and our inner feelings, be it good or bad. Do we blurt out a comment before we think? Oh, that gets us in a lot of trouble, does it not? Blurred thinking and planning will only cause greater problems. Calm, Thoughtful Action and Speech Needed “Wise men lay up knowledge;

After twelve years on active duty Regular Army and twenty-four years full-time National Guard, I retired. I was fifty-five years old. Too young to retire and I needed a job. A position was open for a counselor at the Region Three Alcohol/Chemical Treatment Program in Tupelo, Mississippi. Since I had training and experience as a counselor/instructor with the Army, I applied for the position, was interviewed and hired for the job. For the next five years, I experienced an unusual and a rewarding employment. I remember one young man in his very early twenties. He had no problems with the law. He had a high school education, was well built and a very intelligent man. He was, however, homeless with no family support system. And yes, “he had burned all his bridges.” In a counseling session as I observed this young man with seemly no family ties, I knew he was “on his own.” He needed stabilization in his life. With no experience or skills in the employment fields, I asked him, “Have you ever considered joining the Army or one of the Armed Forces?” He was caught off guard; yet, he immediately gave a straightforward answer, “Are you kidding?” This young man had no desire for such. He would rather stumble along as a homeless man. Isn’t that something? Give up a chance to change, stabilize and advance himself. I don’t understand such reasoning, yet that was his choice. What is our attitude toward God Almighty? Do we approach God

The talented character actor Walter Brennan (1894-1974) has to be everyone’s favorite actor – that is, of course, if you are old enough to remember him. There is a generation gap as far as younger folks enjoying ole time movies and TV. He starred in a television western, “The Guns of Will Sonnett,” 50 episodes from 1967 to 1969. One of the catch phrases that ole Will Sonnett (Walter Brennan) used, if my memory is on track, was, “No brag – just fact.” With that said, Will Sonnett could lay it on thick, getting to the point and telling it like it is. To be a vain boaster, bragger is a negative character trait. The idea behind the character Will Sonnett was that he told the truth and should not be mistaken as a boasting braggart. He was stating a fact that he was not a bragger, but was telling the truth. I am afraid such a time of telling the truth and the whole truth may have slipped through the crack somewhere. As I ponder this statement, “No brag – just fact,” I recall a friend of mine that had this trait of telling it like it is. He would listen to a bunch of men yapping away on subjects they knew little or nothing about. Finally, he would calmly state something like, “No, that’s not correct!” He would then quickly, with few words, logically lay down the facts, correcting the blab. Our Lord Denounced Hypocrisy, Deceit,Falsehood and the