2009 Ice Storm

Where should I start? About 12 days ago the commonwealth of Kentucky was hit with a terrible ice storm. It was by far the worst thing I have ever seen. I could go on and on about the sounds of cracking timber, the tree that struck our house, the cold temperatures, long lines for food, people suffering. But there is one thing that I gained from this experience that I needed more than anything. This disaster has renewed my faith in people. I witnessed strangers giving their food to families without. I saw people cutting wood for the elderly to burn in stoves. I saw people driving great distances to buy generators, gas, and kerosene. I saw farmers using their equipment to clear roads. I saw people helping others clean up debris.

Last Tuesday night the Church of Christ Disaster Response team sent 15 generators to us to loan to those in the community without power. Mark and Laura Cremeams really came through and helped a lot of people. They also contacted Bro. Harvey and Earl Kennedy from south of Huntsville to come and cut trees for folks. Mark Rogers gets some credit for connecting us with them. On Thursday, Walter Steely from the Glendale Rd. congregation in Murray helped contact us with the Church of Christ Disaster Relief from Nashville. They sent a semi load of food and supplies totaling about $80,000 (10,000 boxes). This was a surprise and in about 2 hours we set up our small building for distribution. The local Emergency organization from town sent some National Guard troops to help us unload the truck along with the Boy Scouts. From 3p.m. to 10p.m. we distributed the whole truck load of supplies and food. Not only was this the greatest outreach our congregation has ever done, but the disaster relief truck might also have been the largest vehicle to ever make its way down the small corridor of Elm Street (the whole town gathered to watch that).

One last thing of amazement was the massive number and efficiency of the utility crews that arrived from all over the country to help. If only the government worked so efficiently. That is another point. FEMA is worthless. Private citizens, churches, and individuals can do more than the government. They have tried to get their hands into our work effort several times. If they do the food will end up in a warehouse instead of someone who needs it. Anyways, here are a few pics. I may post more later.

What is in a Name?

It is always fascinating to study the messages to the seven churches of Asia from the 2nd and 3rd chapters of Revelation. The Greek language reveals an interesting word play during the admonishment to the church at Sardis. Jesus says: "I know your deeds, you have a NAME for being alive, but you are dead." I highlighted "name" because that is what the original language says. The brethren there had become very lax in their faith. This was evidently a common problem among the residents there. In the 6th century BC, Cyrus had conquered the impregnable city when one of his soldiers climbed up the tall acropolis at an unguarded spot. 300 years later, Antiochus III was also able to capture the city because of negligent guards. It is interesting how Christ incorporated that information to make a spiritual point.

The remedy for their indolence is somewhat humorous considering the history of invasion. "Be alert!" Strengthen what remains before it dies and return to what you have received and heard and repent. But not everyone there is lifeless and impure. There are a few people ("names") in Sardis who are pure ("as indicated by the color "white"). Again the original language reveals the word "name" (3:4). The two uses of "name" form a wordplay. Christians in Sardis were a church in "name" only. If they did not correct this terrible unfaithfulness and laxity, they will lose even their "names" when they are blotted out of the Book of Life and their "names" are not recognized before the Father and his angels (3:5).

What is the lesson? There is an important reminder that the standards of the world and Christ are quite different. While people recognized the name of the Sardis church the Lord saw that all they had was a name and even it was in jeopardy. This begs the question, what is in a name?

Just Say NO to Canaanite Women!

I know its been a while since my last post. Things have been crazy during the holidays and getting ready for the arrival of our son. I found a little gem in Genesis 28 that may or may not be of interest. After Jacob's deception of Esau and Isaac, both Isaac and Rebekah agreed that Jacob must return to the family homeland to find a suitable wife. So Isaac blesses Jacob. This blessing is probably more like a final will. Then Isaac reaffirms the divine promise that Jacob should go to Paddan-Aram to find a wife and may his endeavor be fruitful for the nations.

In 28:6, we learn that Esau has witnessed this event and his reaction is quite interesting. He now understands that his marriage to Canaanite women does not please Isaac. His attempt at remedying the situation may just be fate or it may carry some symbolism. He decides that he will go on his own journey, just like Jacob, to marry again, this time within the family kinship. His choice is astounding. He goes to Ishmael and selects his daughter Mahalath. Esau was the first son, but was not the son of promise. How ironic is it that he goes to Ishmael, Abraham's first son, but not his son of promise. This is further evidence that God had special plans for Jacob even though all of the questions surrounding his selection may be hard for us to grasp.

As promised, this was nothing special, just an interesting little gem from the text.

What is the fear of the Lord?

The first seven verses of the book of Proverbs give us a lot of insight. The goal of the Proverbs is to produce wisdom, discipline, and understanding to those who are naive. The naive are those who are on the brink of adulthood. The Proverbs are designed to be a boot camp for wisdom. The word for 'Proverb' (mashal) is basically the same word as parable. The Proverbs require deep reflection as did the parables of Jesus. On a side note, there could be a connection to Jesus from these verses. Jesus and Solomon both descended from David and both enjoyed same style of instruction. But Jesus told his listeners that he was greater than Solomon (Matt. 12:42).

The purpose statement for proverbs is given in 1:7. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge. What does it mean to fear the Lord? Do we fear offending him and ultimately being punished? Do we simply respect and revere him? Might I suggest we look to David for the answer to this question.

Psa. 51 is David's response to his sin with Bathsheba. In verse 11 and 12, David begged that the Lord not leave him. This plea is really powerful when we consider that David witnessed God abandon Saul. This context offers a powerful definition for fearing the Lord. Fearing the Lord is not fear the Lord's coming but fear of his leaving!!! This is where the road to godly wisdom begins!

laziness

I am sure we have all felt a streak of laziness from one time to another. Proverbs six has an interesting and stern take on laziness.

If the lazy man will observe the work habit, self-discipline, and foresight of the ant, he will be productive. Proverbs 6 might be enlightened when we recall one of the boundaries that God set in creation in Genesis 1. If you remember the creation account, God told man that he was to rule over the animals (1:28). Yet, Adam and Eve made the mistake of letting an animal tell them what to do. Rather than ruling the animals, the lazy man must look to the animals for instruction. This is a reversal of created order. Could it be that laziness is a violation of created order? If so, it is bound to produce chaos. Proverbs 6 reveals that the lazy man will encounter chaos in the form of poverty. Usually the Lord has a special place in his heart for the needy, but not in this case.

It is becoming more and more common for Christians to seek evangelism by helping the poor. However, our American poverty is not like the poverty of ancient times. In our American culture, there is ample opportunity for a person to receive assistance, education, and to make something of themselves. We live on the assumption that the poor can't help being poor. But Proverbs tells us something different. I believe the lazy man of Proverbs is more of an indication of the type of poverty we have in America. Some people are poor by choice! If that is their attitude about life, how likely are they to reform their minds and obey the teachings of Christ? Perhaps we need to reconsider our premise when evangelizing through need based programs. The need may not be food, clothing, or shelter; there may be a need of effort!

Standing Up For the Little Man

Exodus 2 gives us a valuable character study into the life of the adult Moses. From three instances we learn that Moses has a special place in his heart for the oppressed. First, Moses stands up to an Egyptian oppressor. As Moses surveyed the scene, he did not notice Egyptian luxury, noble society, or a great empire; he saw forced labor. Even though Moses is of the high court, he still considers his Hebrew kinsmen. When he witnessed an Egyptian in the process of beating a Hebrew to death, he intervened and killed the Egyptian oppressor in the same way he was afflicting the Hebrew.

Second, Moses stands up to a Hebrew bully. The next day, he observes two Hebrews fighting so he addresses the guilty one and stops the fight. The guilty one is not happy and scolds Moses for assuming an authoritative role that he does not have. He also reveals that he knows that Moses has killed an Egyptian (perhaps he uses this knowledge as blackmail). When Pharaoh learns that Moses has killed an Egyptian he demands Moses' life, forcing Moses flees to Midian.

Finally, Moses stands up to belligerent shepherds. In Midian, Moses takes rest at a well. He witnesses local shepherds pushing aside the priest of Midians’ daughters. Again, Moses intervened and came to their rescue and watered their flocks.

From these three instances we learn that Moses is passionate for standing up for the oppressed. As chapter two comes to a close, we also learn that Israel is being oppressed and is in need of someone to stand up for them. Who might there be to stand up to the Egyptians?

The Irony of Moses' Rescue

When the Moses' mother could no longer hide him, she made a tevah (ark) and put him into it. This one of the only two occurrences of tevah in the OT (the other the Noah account). Moses' mother made an ark. Both Noah's ark and Moses' were means of salvation from water. The ark was placed in the reeds by the river bank so that it would not float away. Perhaps there is another element of symbolism in the reeds. Later Moses will lead Israel to the banks of the Sea of Reeds where he will part the waters.

Pharaoh's daughter comes to the river to bathe and finds the baby in the ark. She recognizes that he is a Hebrew. Will she kill the baby and finish the job as her father ordered? No, she has pity on the boy. She commits to the protection and care for the child. How ironic is it that the baby is rescued by the daughter of the very king who ordered his death.

Later, Pharaoh's daughter names the child Moses. Even though his name is Egyptian, she gives a Hebrew etymology. Moshe sounds like the Hebrew word "masha" (to draw out). He is called Moses, because he was "drawn out" of the waters. God said that creation "was good" and Moses' mother said he "was good." Moses was saved by an ark. Moses has already been to the reeds. Does Moses' rescue from the waters anticipate a larger rescue in the future?