Patience with the Elderly

Copyright 2012: singeronthesand

Don't be harsh or impatient with an older man.

Talk to him as you would your own father,

and to the younger men as your brothers.

Reverently honor an older woman as you would

your mother, and the younger women as sisters.

1 Timothy 5:1-2 [The Message]

A few weeks ago, our associate minister's wife came to the early service rather than the later one, and sat down in the right center back row where she always sits, choosing the seat at the end of the pew closest to the center aisle.  Enter stage left an elderly gentleman in his 90's, who has sat in that exact seat for as many years as he can remember. I have no idea what was going through his head, but all he could do was stand and glare (think Snoopy on top of his dog house pretending to be a vulture) at this person who was sitting where he belonged.  My friend finally realized that someone was staring at her, looked up, and asked, "Is something wrong?"  She was then informed that yes, something was wrong, because she was sitting in his seat.  She graciously got up and moved to a different section, and he sat down, pleased, I'm sure, that he was now in his rightful place.

My friend voiced a very valid question to me after the service, concerned as to what might have been the reaction if a visitor had sat down in this gentleman's seat.  I grinned and suggested that it was impossible to miss the fact that you were dealing with a very elderly person when you spoke to this man.  Hopefully, any visitor to the church would be willing to scoot over and let a super-senior citizen have his comfort zone.

Some time during the 80's or 90's age range, human beings appear to receive a pair of invisible blinders that limit their vision to only their own wants, needs and topics of conversation.  It can be exasperating to deal with the older woman who thinks you should speak welcoming words to only her the very second you enter the room, or the elderly gentleman who wants a "hug" (read: full body slam).  Paul's advice to Timothy to regard such individuals as the elderly mother or father that you love, and have patience with their foibles, is good counsel for all of us.

Basic Essentials

Copyright 2012: singeronthesand

Repeat these basic essentials over and over to God's

people.  Warn them before God against pious nitpicking,

which chips away at the faith.  It just wear everyone out.

Concentrate on doing your best for God, work you won't 

be ashamed of, laying out the truth plain and simple.

Stay clear of pious talk that is only talk.  Words are not 

mere words, you know.  If they're not backed by a godly

life, they accumulate as poison in the soul.

2 Timothy 2:14-16 [The Message] 

I used to be married to a minister - someone who studied his Bible on a daily basis and gave a lot of thought to what he was going to say in his sermons.  Often, something in the Bible struck his fancy, and he would come to me, wanting to strike up a theological debate.  I was a stay-at-home mom with three active little girls, and I wasn't much interested in the finer points of any kind of theology, much less the historical-critical method or any other hot topic in the church world.  But I would hear him out, and if his subject matter was on a small, non-critical point that he had garnered from a group of scriptures, I would wait until he finished, and then ask, "OK - but what does that have to do with my salvation."  Often he would grin sheepishly, shrug, and return to his Bible to look for the "essentials."

I have taught many a Bible class in my lifetime, and I can tell you without a doubt that there is nothing a teacher hates worse than a participant who tries to hijack the discussion over a piece of minutia he/she has discovered while reading the week's scripture.  Worse, there are those who would yank the rug out from under the discussion over something that has absolute nothing to do with the lesson.   

Paul said to Timothy - here are the essentials:  Jesus loves you, Jesus died for your sins, Jesus wants to have a relationship with you, and Jesus will never leave you. [2 Timothy 2:11-13]  Arguments about little details do not enhance the big picture.  Make it simple, make it plain, and back up your mouth with a life lived according to what you say you believe.  Paul advised that pious, empty words were like poison to the soul. Jesus said, "If I be lifted up, I will draw all people unto me."  The simplicity of the Gospel, in word and in deed, will light the way to the Kingdom of God.  

Is It I, Lord?

Copyright 2012: singeronthesand

Don't be naive.  There are difficult times ahead.

As the end approaches, people are going to be

self-absorbed, money-hungry, self-promoting, stuck-up,

profane, contemptuous of parents, crude, coarse,

dog-eat-dog, unbending, slanderers, impulsively wild,

savage, cynical, treacherous, ruthless, bloated windbags,

addicted to lust, and allergic to God.

2 Timothy 3:1-3 [The Message]

At first blush, this laundry list of undesirable traits is a perfect description of many A-listers in the world today - celebrities, movie stars, politicians, jet setters, playboys, a few world leaders, and many of the wannabes in each category.  The fact that this depiction was written by the Apostle Paul sometime after AD 63 makes its current aptness even more amazing.  If the Apostle were alive today, however, he would laugh at the very idea that his words so aptly described the people on The Hot List.  After all, he was not describing the people of the world, but the people in the church.

Yes, that's right, in the church.  Paul's ending advice in this passage was: They'll make a show of religion, but behind the scenes, they're animals.  Stay clear of these people.  The above portrayal is not about the godless people of the world, but the God-pretending people who make a show of religion, but do not have the changed life, clean character, and humble compassion that only comes through a dynamic relationship with Jesus Christ.

Obviously Paul is not talking about everyone in the church, or his congregations as well as ours would be hopeless indeed.  The question that begs to be answered this morning in my little part of the world is this:

Are these words in any way describing me?

Tough Stuff

Ginter Botanical Garden.  Copyright 2012: singeronthesand

...love your neighbor as you love yourself.

Mark 12:31

If you are a regular reader of this blog, you know that I live next door to two pit bulls.  I am not fond of the dogs, and to be bluntly honest, I am not fond of the young woman who owns them.  She has no regard for the leash laws of our county, and lets the dogs out the front door to do their thing, without concern for anyone in the neighborhood who might be out walking, watering their lawn, etc.  I have tried speaking to the family, to no avail.  I have, on occasion, called animal control.  I have also sat in my car for over 20 minutes with the older pit bull standing guard, waiting for me to be dumb enough to open the door.

According to a fascinating Reuters report published on Wednesday, George Zimmerman [the neighborhood watchman who is accused of killing a black teenager in Florida] began dealing with a menacing pit bull in 2009.  The first time the dog cornered his wife, Mr. Zimmerman spoke with the owner.  The next time there was a confrontation with the dog, Mr. Zimmerman called Animal Control and bought pepper spray.  The third time he saw the dog on the loose, he called the cops.  A patrol officer came out to investigate, and gave Mr. Zimmerman this advice:  "Don't use pepper spray.  It will take two to three seconds to take effect, but a quarter of a second for the dog to jump you.  Get a gun."  [Reuters]

Mr. and Mrs. Zimmerman did exactly that.  They took fire arms training, applied for and received permits to carry a concealed weapon, and went out and bought a gun for each of them.  In 2011, when neighborhood crime raised its ugly head in their gated community, Mr. Zimmerman began carrying his gun on his neighborhood watch patrols - a direct violation of his neighborhood watch rulebook, but not a crime. Most of his neighbors did not know he carried a gun until February 26, when Mr. Zimmerman shot and killed an unarmed teenager.

I've not kept track of the number of times I have "wished" I had a gun when the pit bull next door charges toward me with teeth bared.  Thankfully, I have never really contemplated getting one.  Mr. Zimmerman did make the choice to obtain a weapon - a decision he had every right to make.   I can't help but wonder, however, what different decisions Mr. Zimmerman might have made on that cold February night if that gun had not been so readily available in his pocket.

The Garment of Violence

Copyright 2012: singeronthesand

...they clothe themselves with violence.

Psalm 73:6

Today, an international war crimes tribunal will deliver its verdict in the trial of Charles Taylor, former warlord and president of Liberia.  The photo of the seemingly benign dapper gentleman at the defense table might be beguilingly sympathetic if it were not for the horrendous crimes of which he is accused - "11 counts of war crimes, crimes against humanity, and other violations of international humanitarian laws." [CNN]

Taylor is charged with arming rebels and fueling a civil war that led to extensive rape, mutilation, and death in Liberia and neighboring Sierra Leone.  Witnesses testified to the cutting off of arms of non-combatant civilians, and the disembowelment of pregnant women and children.   Teenagers were forced into combat doped with violence-inducing drugs and urged to rape, murder and pillage at will.  Witnesses against Mr. Taylor have included "amputees, rape victims, slaves, former child soldiers", [CNN] and many others.  The trial began in 2007 and, in 2012, is finally drawing to its close.

Mr. Taylor himself may never have cut off an arm or disemboweled a female.  He personally may or may not be relatively clean from the stain of blood taken with his own hands.  As the old saying goes, however, when you are dictator and director of the whole shebang, "...the buck stops here."  Any man (or woman) who has the power to stop such atrocities and turns a blind eye to their existence is guilty as charged.  The excuse that he could not stop what was happening is just exactly that - a hollow, empty excuse.  

Violence is a key political tool in the emergence and maintenance of power.  Conversely, benevolence can be equally powerful in motivating people to come together for the good of all.  An outstretched hand or an iron fist?   Which would you choose?

The Glory of Spring

Ginter Botanical Garden.  Copyright 2012: singeronthesand

The moon keeps track of the seasons,

the sun is in charge of each day.

Psalm 104:19 [The Message]

This spring has been, without a doubt, the most amazing season of recent memory.  This is, of course, Virginia, where the weather is as changeable as a woman's shoes, but this spring has been more spectacular than most.  We have had highs of 90 degrees in March, and lows of 39 degrees in late April.  It has not been unusual to have a difference of 20-30 degrees from yesterday to today.  I turned off my heating system in early March and have used neither heat nor cooling since.  Some days it has been a little warm in the house, and yesterday morning it was just plain frigid, but adjusting the comfort level with ceiling fans or extra layers of clothing has saved me a bundle of money in energy costs.  Yesterday it was 58º, tomorrow it will be 83º, and Sunday it will be back to 56º.

Everything outside blossomed early.  Daffodils are long since gone, as are the tulips. I have blueberries on my bushes, strawberries fully ripened, and good-sized green fruit on my cherry tree.   Last evening I spent a delightful few hours digging in a flowerbed softened by the weekend's rain, mucking in the dirt and loving every minute of it.  The only thing lacking was an outdoor radio to add some music to my labors.

Antonio Vivaldi was a red headed virtuous violinist living in Venice in the 1700's.  Vivaldi was a composer as well as a performer, and in 1723, he composed a set of four concertos titled The Four Seasons.  Each concerto has a matching sonnet, possibly also written by the composer, describing the delights of that particular season.  The sonnet for Spring is in three sections:

Allegro
Springtime is upon us. 
The birds celebrate her return with festive song,
and murmuring streams are softly caressed by the breezes.
Thunderstorms, those heralds of Spring, roar, 

casting their dark mantle over heaven;
Then they die away to silence, 

and the birds take up their charming songs once more.

Largo
On the flower-strewn meadow, 

with leafy branches rustling overhead, 

the goat-herd sleeps, his faithful dog beside him.

Allegro
Led by the festive sound of rustic bagpipes, 

nymphs and shepherds lightly dance 

beneath the brilliant canopy of spring.

If you have a few moments today, click on the link below, turn up the volume, and let Vivaldi's sublime composition La Primavera (Spring) be the background inspiration for your spring day.

 

Thoughts from the Country: Temptation

Every man is tempted when he is drawn away

by his own lust...

James 1:14

 

Temptation.  Such an old-fashioned word for an ever-present reality.  Alluring, attractive, seductive, enticing - temptation sings a siren song of pleasure, power, money, or all of the above.  All too often, we fall into the pit, chasing a dream that is always just a bit beyond our reach.  

 

Ex-presidential hopeful John Edwards is a stunning portrait of where temptation can lead and the devastation it can wreak.  Edwards is on trial this week for political corruption involving monies he purportedly requested and definitely received during his failed campaign.  The millions of dollars were needed to cover up his affair with a former aide conducted while his wife was battling for her life against aggressive cancer, and to support his lover and the child produced from the relationship.  In the news this morning, Edwards is being called "one of the worst dirtbags" in modern political history.  Media attention has certainly brought his squalid story to the forefront, but the truth is that are thousands (millions?) of people around the world who have fallen for the same tempting lies.

Temptation has long been characterized as a woman - a temptress, if you will.  Singer/songwriter Josh Turner paints a very different picture of a long black train - sleek, powerful, deadly:

 

 There's a long black train comin' down the line,
Feeding off the souls that are lost and cryin'.
Rails of sin, only evil remains.
Watch out, brother, for that long black train.

Look to the heaven's, you can look to the sky.
You can find redemption 

Staring back into your eyes.
There is protection and there's peace the same:
Burnin' your ticket for that long black train.

There's an engineer on that long black train,
Makin' you wonder if the ride is worth the pain.
He's just a-waitin' on your heart to say:
"Let me ride on that long black train."

Well, I can hear the whistle from a mile away.
It sounds so good, but I must stay away.
That train is a beauty makin' everybody stare,
But its only destination is the middle of nowhere.

But you know there's victory in the Lord, I say - 

 Victory in the Lord.
Cling to the Father and His holy name,
And don't go ridin' on that long black train.

Thoughts from the Country: A Day is Coming

Copyright 2012: singeronthesand

For the Lord Himself shall descend from heaven

with a shout, with the voice of the archangel,

and with the trump of God...

1 Thessalonians 4:16 

When I first heard the song There Will Come a Day performed by Faith Hill, I was surprised that lyrics about the second coming of Jesus Christ were played so prominently on country radio stations.  I really shouldn't have been all that shocked - country musicians have never been shy of singing about their foibles or their faith.  This great song speaks directly to the hope we have of seeing our Savior face to face.

 

It's not easy trying to understand
How the world can be so cold,

Stealing the souls of man.
Cloudy skies rain down on all your dreams.

You wrestle with the fear and doubt -
Sometimes it's hard but you gotta believe

There's a better place,

Where our Father waits
And every tear He'll wipe away.
The darkness will be gone,

The weak shall be strong.
Hold on to your faith -
There will come a day.

Wars are raging, lives are scattered
Innocence is lost, hopes are shattered.
The old are forgotten, 
Children are forsaken
In this world we're living in
Is there anything sacred?
There will come a day.

The song will ring out, 
Down those golden streets -
The voices of earth with the angels will sing.
Every knee will bow, sin will have no trace
In the glory of His amazing grace.
There will come a day.

Thoughts from the Country: Saying Grace

Copyright 2012:  singeronthesand

What a beautiful thing, God, to give thanks.

Psalm 92:1

When was the last time you saw anyone - man, woman, child - bow their heads to say grace in a public restaurant or fast food chain?  I cannot remember the last time I saw anyone do this simple task.  Embarrassing to do?  Perhaps.  Being ostentatious?   Not at all.  I was firmly raised that you do not put food in your mouth without first giving thanks to God for giving you sustenance and health. God is not ashamed of me - why should I be ashamed of Him?

I look at saying grace as one of the smallest forms of witness to my faith in God - acknowledging that He is the one who cares and provides for me.  I may have earned the money that purchased the food, but He is the one who gives me the wisdom and strength to do my work.  I do not have the outgoing personality to stand on a street corner and proclaim my witness to God, but I certainly can bow my head and acknowledge my dependence upon Him for everything in my life.  Won't you join me?

Grew up south of the Mason Dixon -
Workin', spittin', huntin', and fishin' -
Stone cold country by the grace of God

It ain't where, it's how you live.
We weren't raised to take, 

We were raised to give
The shirt off our back to anyone in need

We bow our heads before we eat,
Before we start our day, 

Before we fall asleep,
'Cause in God we trust, 

and we believe.

And we see what's wrong
And we know what's right.

~Country Must be Country Wide

Brantley Gilbert 

Thoughts from the Country: Live Like You Were Dying

Ginter Botanical Garden  Copyright 2012: singeronthesand

Each day is God's gift.  Make the most of each one!

Whatever turns up, grab it and do it.  And heartily!

This is your last and only chance at it,

for there's neither work to do nor thought to think in the

company of the dead, where you're most certainly headed. 

Ecclesiastes 9:9-10

How many times have you said, "You know, I really need to do this..." and then promptly put it aside to do "later," "tomorrow," and probably never.  Letters that need to be written, cards sent, telephone calls made, hugs given, I Love You's said, help offered, forgiveness granted, exercise started.  My father used to tell me that most people take the old saying, "Never put off `till tomorrow what you can do today" and turn it on its head: Never do today what you can put off `till tomorrow.  When it comes to something that requires a little thought and effort, we are a race of procrastinators.

Tim McGraw's wonderful song, Live Like You Were Dying speaks right to my heart.  What would I do if, at my next appointment, my oncologist told me that my cancer had returned and that my condition was terminal?  I can guarantee you that many of the "necessary activities" that clog my day would be gone in a heartbeat.  The money that I spend on frivilous, unimportant junk would be carefully saved toward doing those things that had suddenly risen to the top of the list.  The theme of McGraw's song is, "I hope you get a chance to live like you were dying."  I believe that is a worthy goal for all of us.

He said "I was finally the husband,
"That most the time I wasn’t.
"And I became a friend 

a friend would like to have.
"And all of a sudden goin' fishin’,
"Wasn’t such an imposition,
"And I went three times 

that year I lost my Dad.
"Well, I finally read the Good Book,
"And I took a good long hard look,
"At what I'd do if I could do it all again,
"And then: 

"I went sky diving, 

I went rocky mountain climbing,
"I went two point seven seconds 

on a bull named Fu Man Chu.
"And I loved deeper and I spoke sweeter,
"And I gave forgiveness I'd been denying."
And he said: "Some day, 

I hope you get the chance,

To live like you were dying."

Thoughts from the Country: Love Like Crazy

Copyright 2012: singeronthesand

Trust steadily in God, hope unswervingly, 

love extravagantly.

And the best of the three is love.

1 Corinthians 13:13

As I was driving home from work yesterday, one of my favorite country songs came on the radio.  It talks about two situations that seemed "crazy" at the time, but proved to be sound and true:  a young couple who get married, raise six children on a wing and a prayer, and are still together 58 years later; or the man who quit his secure job to follow his dream, ignoring the scoffing of friends, and ending up with both his dream and financial success.  It is the refrain of the song, however, that speaks to my heart.  I hope these words speak to your heart as well.

Be a best friend, tell the truth,

And overuse, "I love you." 

Go to work, do your best,

Don't outsmart your common sense.

Never let your prayin' knees get lazy

and love like crazy. 

~Lee Brice 

  

Being Sensible

Snowball Tree, Ginter Botanical Garden  Copyright 2012: singeronthesand

God doesn't want us to be shy with His gifts,

but bold and loving and sensible.

2 Timothy 1:7 [The Message]

I love the word "sensible."  It is not too harsh, nor too mamby-pamby.  For me, sensible has always meant calm, thoughtful, not stupid, practical, thought-out.  Webster defines it this way:

sen-sible adj. 5 having appreciation or understanding;

emotionally or intellectually aware;  

6 having or showing good sense or sound judgment;

intelligent; reasonable; wise

I like sensible people, and I hope that others view me in that light.  I must admit, however, that I have never thought of the word "sensible" in the context of how I use the gifts God has given me.  "Bold," I understand, although being bold is rather foreign to me: I am very much a behind-the-scenes individual, and I sometimes take exception to those who are bold and in-your-face.  Paul uses the word "bold," however, tempered with the words "loving" and "sensible" - a vast difference from pushy or aggressive.

My God-given talents lie in the areas of music, teaching and administration, and I utilize them every day in my work as a church musician and high school voice teacher.  So how can I be "sensible" in my interaction with students, congregation, and the world at large?  Perhaps the best way is to remember that I am not there to shove wisdom, knowledge, or anything else down people's throats.  I am a facilitator and enabler of learning - opening up minds and hearts to the beauty and knowledge available to them.  A sensible outlook on how children, youth and adults "should behave" will also enable me to reach past the quirks and irritations that always raise their ugly heads, and touch the mind and the heart.

And for you?  How can you be "bold, loving and sensible" in the use of your gifts today?  Feel free to share your thoughts in the Comments section.  I would love to read them.  Blessings.     

My Desires vs. Your Desires

Ginter Botanical Gardens.  Copyright 2012: singeronthesand

It wasn't that long ago that we ourselves were stupid

and stubborn, dupes of sin, ordered every which way by

our glands, going around with a chip on our shoulder,

hated and hating back.  But when God,

our kind and loving Savior God, stepped in, 

He saved us from all that.

Titus 3:3-4 

A 17-year-old girl in Soweto, South Africa was reported missing on March 21.  Although her mother indicated that the girl was mentally disabled, the police failed to open a missing person's case from that report.  They have opened one now, however, after a cell phone video popped up among school kids all over Johannesburg on Tuesday, showing the rape of this girl by a group of men and boys, aged 14-20.  One mother discovered her daughter watching the video, confiscated her cell phone, and turned it in to authorities. The men could be clearly identified as they repeatedly raped their victim, and all have been arrested and charged with kidnapping and rape.  A local radio station has been flooded with requests for the video to be posted online so that everyone can watch, an unthinkable idea that has been firmly and repeatedly rejected.

The thought of all this boggles my mind, but I realize that it shouldn't.  It is estimated that a woman is raped every 26 seconds in South Africa.  I have no idea what the statistic is world-wide, but I'm sure it is not much better.  Last night, the local news was lamenting a burst of crime in my area with several people murdered, including a high school student.  Without an iron-clad moral code to hold one upright, human beings are subject to the whims of lust, anger, hatred, and a whole host of other passions - all of which are destructive if unfettered without restraint.  If the anchor of my soul is not firmly embedded in the rock of a Higher Power, then I am anchored only to myself and what I want, without regard to any other human being. 

The Politics of Death

Spring Snow.  Copyright 2012: singeronthesand

Remind the people to respect the government and be

law-abiding, always ready to lend a helping hand.

No insults.  No fights.

God's people should be bighearted and courteous.

Titus 3:1 [The Message]

Anders Behring Breivik is a Norwegian who became infamous in July of last year when he gunned down 69 people - mostly teenagers - at a Labor Party Youth Camp after setting off a bomb in the capitol of Oslo, killing eight others.  Mr. Breivik is now on trial for the 77 murders, and yesterday proclaimed to the world that he would joyfully do it all again, because he had acted "...out of goodness, not evil."  He is an anti-Muslim extremist who is against immigration and multiculturalism, and because his way is the correct one, anyone who does not hold the same beliefs is a threat to his country and his way of life.  He claims that the attacks on July 22 were a "preventative strike" in self-defense on behalf of "my people, my city, my country."  He demanded to be found innocent of the charges against him.


Mr. Breivik admitted that he would rather have opened fire on a group of journalists than on the youth camp; however, because that attack was not possible, he fired on the young people instead.  He has absolutely no problem with taking a life in order to preserve his political ideal.  Daily he enters court smirking and flashing a clenched-fist salute.  He is inspired by al-Qaida's success and praised all extremist attacks.  He is maneuvering to position himself as a political operative, but is, in fact, simply a mass murderer.  Breivik's lawyers are attempting to have him claimed insane.  The prosecuters [and families of the victims] are fighting to prove that he knew exactly what he was doing.


In the complex social and political culture in which we live, it is often difficult to know exactly where, when and how to take a stand.  Christians are not called to be doormats nor to hide from controversy, but they are called to function within the boundaries of  God's law which specifically states, Thou shalt not murder.  Taking the lives of innocent, unsuspecting teenagers because you are angry with government and societal practices is simply wrong.  And no matter how hard one might try, two wrongs never, ever make a right.  

Five Smooth Stones

Copyright 2012: singeronthesand

Then David took his shepherd's staff, selected five smooth

stones from the brook, and put them in the pocket of his

shepherd's pack, and with his sling in his hand approached Goliath.

1 Samuel 17:40

Children love the story of David and Goliath - the classic tale of the underdog overcoming his huge opponent. In my cache of children's musical repertoire, I have a wonderful song about the slaying of the giant that builds up to a mighty climax as Goliath hits the ground.  We have sung it with human illustration (much to the delight of the kids), and we have sung it without - the children go for it either way.  

The story is one of my favorites as well, but to be bluntly honest, I have always quietly wondered in the back of my mind about those stones.  Who of us has not reached down to pick up a smooth stone to skip across a creek or pond.  Of course, for that purpose, we are searching for flat stones.  I have always imagined that David was searching for rounded rocks - something with at least a little heft.  Yes, yes - I know that God was with him, giving him courage, guiding his aim...but I've still always wondered about those stones.

Saturday I had the privilege to see the Dead Sea Scrolls Exhibit at the Disney Pavilion in New York City.  When my daughter and I arrived there, I was delighted to discover that, besides the Scroll fragments, the exhibit also displayed a sizeable number of biblical artifacts from the many on-going excavations in ancient biblical lands.  As we moved through the various displays, we came to a framed exhibit on the wall of 10-12 surprisingly similar rounded rocks about the size of a modern-day hardball baseball.  As the line inched forward and the display plaque came into view, I stopped in my tracks, a huge grin spreading across my face.  The title of the exhibit?  Slingshot stones!  Gazing at those rocks, it was instantly clear that any one of them thrown with the velocity of a shepherd boy's iron-muscled arm would easily cause the collapse of any man.

I'm grinning even now as I write - not so much about the stones, but about me!   I am a firm believer in the veracity of the Bible - all stories included - but that doesn't mean that I never have any questions.  Too often, however, we use modern standards from our own culture to judge the truth of biblical stories.  Jesus commended those who believe without seeing.  I, for one, am grateful that occasionally He gives us glimpses of our own doubt along with the truth we have been to blind to see.

Photo of similar stones found on the Internet.  These stones 

are much smoother than the stones 

on display at the Disney Dead Sea Scrolls Exhibition.

Lookin' Good?

Copyright 2012: singeronthesand

Whenever you're trying to look better than others

or get the better of others, things fall apart

and everyone ends up at the others' throats.

James 3:16 [The Message]

 Last night, my oldest daughter treated me to a new (for me) New York experience.  She had made reservations at Centrico, a Mexican restaurant in Tribeca run by executive chef Aaron Sanchez, a star on the Food Network.  It was a glorious spring evening, so we asked to be seated outside on the veranda.  We were placed at a tiny table for two, directly across from a table for four occupied by a couple in their 20's, a teenage girl, and a woman in her 40's.  

Over the next hour or so, we came to know the foursome at the next table quite well, because their conversation was conducted many decibles above that normally needed for table conversation.  It became obvious that the couple were planning their wedding, and the bride-to-be talked and talked, with only an occasional comment from the groom.  The teenage girl rarely said anything, perhaps because getting a word in edgewise was next to impossible.  The star of this show, however, was the woman.  It was immediately obvious that she was not a New Yorker (Tennessee, actually), but that didn't matter, because she knew absolutely everything about everything, bar none, and was more than happy to share her great wisdom with her younger relatives.  The more she drank, the louder she became and the more she "knew."  I don't know if she was trying to impress the younger people or everyone else on the terrace, but even when she was dead wrong on a topic, she was absolutely correct.  We exited our table just as she was waving her credit card in the air and proclaiming to all and sundry that "...when Aunt Laura comes to town, Aunt Laura pays!!!"  I found myself hoping that Aunt Laura didn't visit them very often, for the sake of their eardrums, if nothing else.

I heartily agree with James that when you are trying to look better than everyone else, you eventually end up looking pathetic.  If someone else in the room wants to "one-up" your one-upmanship, things can go south in a hurry.  In James' letter (and in my book as well), calm and gracious beats loud and blustery any day of the week.

Yelling the Gospel

Copyright 2012: singeronthesand

It's important that a church leader, 

responsible for the affairs of God's house, 

be looked up to - not push, not short-tempered, 

not a drunk, not a bully, not money-hungry.

He{she} must welcome people, be helpful, wise,

fair, reverent, have a good grip on him{her}self,

and have a good grip on the Message...

Titus 1:7-9a [The Message]

Yesterday I decided to visit the Bronx Zoo - a delightful adventure (well, mostly delightful), especially the time spent on Tiger Mountain.  When my legs had finally had enough, I made my way to the subway, with the help of two police officers, and boarded the 2 to Manhattan.  

At the 108th Street station, two women entered the car and took up center positions facing each other.  The one closest to me began to speak - no, yell - in Spanish, every hollared phrase translated into English - yelled, of course, by the other woman.  They informed the passengers that they were sinners, terrible sinners, who turned to drugs, alcohol, women, sex, and power to bring joy to their miserable lives.  But these things would not bring happiness to them - only Jesus Christ could do that.  The Spanish-speaking woman had a plastic smile on her face - the English speaker was more serious, and a bit uncomfortable.

The style of preaching was unique and irritating.  The woman would make a statement, such as "You are in need of Christ," or "Your life is a cesspool of misery," and then she would ask, "Do you want to know why?  I said, "Do you know Why?  I'll tell you why...", each sentence, of course, repeated in the other language by her cohort.  They yelled back and forth, back and forth, all the way to 72nd Street, where they exited the car and ran to another train, another car, another audience.  They did not ask for money; they simply screamed their version of the Gospel message for 10 long minutes, then sprinted off to a new congregation.

I really wanted to turn to the woman closest to me and say, "This is not the way to spread the Gospel of Christ."  A sweeping glance of my fellow passenger's faces proved that.  Everyone could hear this duo, but no one was listening.  They simply shut down, turned up the Ipod, buried their heads further in their reading material, turned their backs, or conversed loudly with their friends/family.  "But the women planted a seed," you might say.  Not quite the seed she intended, I would counter. 

Living the Gospel is far preferable to bellowing it: smiling when your neighbor jostles/bumps you; apologizing when you do the same; giving up your seat to an elderly traveler - being a living example of what Christ would be if He were riding that train.  Indifference is the common code of the people riding the New York subway.  Simple, compassionate actions are unexpected in that atmosphere and speak far louder than any words .