Stretch Your Mind a Bit

 I hate to admit this to all of you intellectual Christians who watch these videos that I am just now reading for the first time C.S. Lewis’s book, “Mere Christianity.”  Oh, I have heard about this writing of his for a lot of years, but never got around to obtaining a copy of the book and then actually begin reading it…until just a week or so ago.

For those who haven’t read the book, it is a compilation of sorts, with some parts of it added, of a series of short radio programs Lewis did on the BBC back during World War II.  The back cover of the copy I have says this:  “The book brings together C.S. Lewis’s legendry broadcast talks of the war years, talks in which he set out simply to ‘explain and defend the belief that has been common to nearly all Christians at all times.’  Rejecting the boundaries that divide Christianity’s many denominations, Lewis provides an unequaled opportunity for believers and nonbelievers alike to hear a powerful, rational case for the Christian faith.”

I’m not finished with the book yet.  I’m about half way through.  I’m taking it slowly so as to better absorb the wisdom in it.  However, I have already found much that has made me think about what I believe and why.

This video is not one where I mean to delve into the book…I will just ask that you find a copy yourself…you can do that on Amazon or perhaps other used book stores for not much money…and read it for yourself.  It won’t matter if you are a Christian or not.  The book will speak to you.

The purpose of the thought this week is not, as I said, to present a book report on “Mere Christianity,” but rather to encourage you to look for written material which will help you open  your eyes to ideas and even truth which you may either not be aware of or perhaps more commonly, you may have an incorrect assumption about something which the material may be able to help you correct in your mind.  Christians especially shouldn’t be wary of well-written material…material written by God-fearing, faithful men and women such as Lewis who honestly seek out truth and try to convey that truth through the written word.

Many times we as human beings tend to gravitate toward ideas and ideology which conforms to what we already believe, rather than material which will stretch our thought process, force us to critically examine our beliefs, and encourage us to make a change in our world view.  To listen only to views which mimic ours is to stunt our growth, encourage intellectual decay, and create a shrill voice & nasty attitude that is anything but intelligent or pleasant to be around.  Taking in a wide range of thought and ideas tends to mitigate those unpleasant traits and cause us to be more compassionate, more loving, more tolerant, and more generous.  In other words, we tend to come closer to the Golden Rule and the Greatest Commandment (and the one like it) when we open our minds and hearts to those things we don’t yet know and may even be somewhat uncomfortable experiencing for the first time.

Books such as “Mere Christianity” are vital adjuncts to Holy Scripture.  They help explain.  They help us organize our thoughts.  They create more desire for study of Scripture.  They help us grow as people of God.  And in today’s world, books aren’t the only thing.  There are videos everywhere which bring God’s message to humanity to light.  There are podcasts, social media posts, web sites, and a host of resources waiting for us on line.

But let us bring a caveat to the cyber world just as we would to the book world.  Be careful what you take in.  Not all that is found on the Internet is beneficial, true, or benevolent.  Just as one would consider whether a book is solid, good material for consumption, so must one consider whether electronic material is solid, good material for consumption.  Jesus was very plain about being careful of what was on the inside of a person, because what comes out of a person is only as good as what is inside.

I don’t know if you’ve read “Mere Christianity“or not.  I would, if you haven’t yet, encourage you to do so.  And if you’ve already read it, but it’s been awhile, you might want to read it again.  Whether you are a Christian or not, it would be well worth your time to do so.

 

Blessings,

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tomorrow's Such a Daily Day

Good morning!  Thursday is here again!!  Welcome.

 A few evenings ago there was nothing of any importance on the one hundred and whatever channels that is cable television, so I popped in a DVD.  I have gathered, over the years, several DVDs that  have come out of the Gaither organization, most of which are his Homecoming videos.  However, he has produced others…among which are several in which he sits down with an artist and does an interview, interspersed with video segments of that artist performing in a former homecoming video.

He has interviewed the Statler Brothers, Anthony Burger, Mark Lowry and others.  One of the people he has interviewed is Sandi Patty, known in southern gospel circles as “The Voice.”  Sandy has retired from active singing and touring now, but in her day as a gospel singer was without compare.  And the songs she sang had a message that couldn’t be mistaken…a message of hope, grace, and trust.

One of her songs was one called, “The Stage Is Bare.”  The idea for the song came to her and others one night after an especially fun and joyful concert.  She and others had just come out of the dressing room area onto the stage where they had performed just awhile ago.  The stage was bare.  No amplifiers, no stage props, nothing was on the stage that had been there just an hour or so before.  The room was quiet…everyone had left.  The only light on the stage came from a bare bulb that was burning.  In theatric circles, it’s known as a ghost light…a single bare bulb that lights the stage when everyone goes home.  If you want to know more about the tradition of the ghost light, you can Google it. My purpose for this thought isn’t to tell you about the ghost light…it’s to tell you about a song that was written when Sandy saw the light on stage in an otherwise empty theater.

I’ll share here a portion of the lyrics to that song.  Listen, and then we’ll continue our conversation.

 It was so easy to call you Lord when a thousand voices sang your praise.  But there's no one to hear me now—So hear me now, be near me now.

 Lord now’s the time I need your song to give me joy and certainty when no one else is watching me.  I need you more than words can say…tomorrow's such a daily day.  And so I need to feel you then holding my hand—Please hold me then—I need you, Lord

 OK, this is Jay again.  Did you get what Ms Patty is saying in this song?  It’s really easy to worship and serve the Lord when you’re on top of the world and there are untold numbers of others joining in the praise.  But it’s a different story when we are alone…when we’ve gone on the downhill slide off of the mountaintop.  And the day that’s coming is just such a “daily day”…an ordinary, regular, routine day.  No crowds.  No mountaintop experience.  No special feelings of joy and love…it’s just an ordinary day.

And it is on those days, during those times…those days and times when it seems that the ordinariness and routine will never end…those days and times when life seems to fall apart all at once…those days and times when we feel the most alone and vulnerable…that we really need our Lord to hold our hand and lead us through the day.  Because as the song says, “The stage is bare, the crowds are gone.  Lord, now's the time I need your song to give me joy and certainty when no one else is watching me.  I need you more than words can say.  Tomorrow's such a daily day…

 

Blessings…

I Don't Know

 

Good morning!

 Those of you who read my Facebook posts may have seen this last week.  I’m re-telling the story here with some added thoughts.

Last Friday evening we were invited to a birthday party at the home of one of our nieces and nephews who live in the Wichita area.  The birthday was for one of their kids, our grandnephew.  Although it was warm, their outdoor back patio was a pleasant, shady spot with a very gentle breeze where we enjoyed the company of others in the family.  We brought our plates of burgers, salads, and desserts out there to eat and enjoy, and watched the assorted young ones playing and occasionally having differences of opinion.

Later in the evening, we were beginning to wrap things up.  My sister and I were sitting next to each other in patio chairs, with others joining us in a kind of circular fashion.  Sis and I mentioned to each other that it was about time to leave.  We then visited with our respective spouses and all agreed.

I got up along with Sis and moved toward the back door of the house along with my wife and her hubby.  I no sooner had gotten to the back door, about 15 seconds after getting out of my chair, than the huge limb that had been shading that area came crashing down on the patio.  We all were rather dumbfounded at the event, as the limb appeared to be healthy.  There was little to no wind.  There would have been no reason for the limb to have come down.

Once we determined that no one was under the limb and all of us were OK, some of us took the limb down farther so it would no longer be a hazard.  We tied a rope to it and tugged on it to get it to come on down all the way.  Before we did that, though, I looked at where Sis and I had been just a few seconds before it fell.  Our chairs were bent and thrown over backward.  We would have been in the thick of the fallen limb with several large branches right over our chairs.  Had we been in those chairs, we would not have had time to get out of the way, and we would both have been in the hospital or worse as a result of the fallen limb.

Several respondents to my Facebook post about this spoke of God’s work in keeping us safe.  Others simply wished us well and were grateful for our not being hurt.  I myself have been thinking about what role God had to play in this incident, if any.  I must tell you that none of us received any kind of prior warning, whether physical or spiritual.  We received no premonitions, no visions, no nudging, no feeling of doom…nothing that would have prompted us to leave when we did.  We’ve done these kinds of gatherings many times before.  The conversation about time to leave is a normal part of how we work things.  There was nothing unusual here in that regard.

Did God somehow prompt us, unbeknownst to us, to get up when we did?  The short answer is, “I don’t know.”  I certainly believe He COULD have nudged us somehow to leave when we did.  But then it could have been a fortuitous circumstance as well.  Bad things do happen to people.  Bad things happen to good people.  We experience car wrecks and bad storms & floods.  We become ill, sometimes with terminal conditions such as cancer, ALS, or dementia.  We may be hit with depression, anxiety attacks, or a bad case of ADHD.  We fall down a flight of stairs.  We break bones.  We are badly burned in a fire accident of some kind.  And yes, limbs and other things fall on us.  If God protects us in some cases, there are many times when that protection is not there, even for the most committed and faithful of God’s children.

I am reminded of several things found in the Bible having to do with this.  One of the first was the plight of the apostles in the book of Acts as the church was being established.  Peter, John, Paul and others suffered mightily at the hands of others.  Yes, there were times when God provided some kind of direct protection.  Still, there were other times when they languished in prison, were beaten, or had some other calamity befall them.  If anyone was committed and faithful, the apostles were.

Then there were the prophets of the Old Testament who suffered greatly because they had the courage to speak the message of God to the people.  Yes, God at times protected them as well.  But there were many times when that protection wasn’t there and there was some great suffering that took place.

I am also reminded of the incident Jesus told about the Tower of Siloam falling on some people.  Jesus asked the question of whether these people were worse sinners than others because this happened to them.  He emphatically said that was NOT the case.  Now, I realize the context and point of the story isn’t about bad things happening to good people, but the point I made is there.

So, the question remains whether God provided protection for us against the fallen limb.  And that question will continue to remain, because I just don’t know.

I WILL say that I am grateful for being spared, however it happened.  I am thankful that I didn’t end up in the hospital or funeral home.  I cherish life and living, however many hours and days I may have left.  I know that some time in the future, be that near or far away, my body will cease to function.  I don’t know if that will happen because of illness, trauma, or just old age.  But I do know, as the song says, “Who holds tomorrow; and I know Who holds my hand.”

 

Blessings.