2/2/2019

Beautiful Houston, that’s where I am this morning. Today starts my 3rd day in the great Southwest. I went to Lake Charles on Thursday, having left home at 4:30am to get to the airport in time, then spending most of the afternoon in the newest Blue Jug store. Wow! what a great opening. Keith and Liz have built a beautiful store which took an enormous amount of patience. The “authorities” poured it on, but they just patiently complied with some of the most stringent rules for a store such as you can imagine. (After several of these being put together in various towns, I concluded we’re slightly different and the various departments which have to sign off on our owners to get a store open, just don’t understand what we do.)

After the store closed and I was in a motel room, we had our quarterly online store meeting. This normally is one hour long, but this one took longer because it was well attended (100% of store owners participated), new things were introduced, some product updates, etc., so that the meeting lasted an extra 40 minutes or so. That made for a long day, had my mind all keyed up and sleep was a little hard to come by. I’ll try not to time my next trip the same way.

Yesterday, I was at The Woodlands store, another delightful time with the owner and customers who frequent her beautiful store. So glad we get to associate with Kaylynn and Rick. What a wonderful and joyous attitude they possess. I’m sure they’ll prosper in the water business. Also, while in The Woodlands, I had the pleasure of lunch with my niece and her husband, Shani and Chad with their youngest—Asher, he’s a little over 2, with long, beautiful, red, curly hair. He’s not yet had it cut (momma says it’s too pretty to cut!) 

Today, I will be at the memorial service in Brookshire, the reason for my trip. I love this family, having had fellowship with them for 20+ years. In that time, I’ve participated in three memorials for the family and performed three marriages. This is a celebration of the life of the mother/grandmother and great-grandmother of the family. She was a precious friend.

For the first time in quite some time I had a long conversation with a person steeped in a harsh religion, one that teaches people several wrong doctrines and dozens of wrong practices. We talked for about 2 hours total, mostly about things we differ on. Some of it was of adamant speech and might have looked like we were arguing, but it was all friendly, and though neither convinced the other of any imminent changes, I think the Scripture has a chance to prevail about some things and I’m very thankful to the Lord and His word for this opportunity. Witnessing to someone is not about winning or losing: it’s about being true to the Lord’s word and not to a religion. The authority is the living Word of God!.

Back to being in Houston: this is the most sprawled out large city in the country, I’m sure. When my day was over yesterday, I was a long way from where I wanted to sleep, so I started on roads with which I was familiar, headed West, then South. Soon I was confronted with Toll Roads, which I couldn’t do. (I’m not opposed to toll roads, it’s better than raising property taxes to build roads, but my rental car didn’t include the key, so any charges would have been high) deciding I knew how to do this without tolls was a real challenge. I travelled a long time, just to get from the North side of Houston to the West side of Houston. The East/West traffic (I was driving South) was constant and heavy on 4-lane streets that seemed an endless number I was crossing. I found a Southbound road I knew from years past(no tolls) and I was shocked at how many more 4 lane crossroads there were! My straight-shot to I-10 was tedious. What used to be 20 minutes was an hour and 20 minutes!

This a big place. Whew. I’m glad most of my trips here sort of skirt around most of it. It’s even more obvious today why people in large cities “community-ize” where they live and, except by necessity and work, they don’t go to other parts of the city. I have new respect for the reluctance to go very far to get to a bible class. It’s hard driving, especially after a day of stress filled work, as so many go through. Some of you know I’m saying thank you for your support with a view of how difficult it was for you to come to class.

Hope this day is warm and bright and starts a great weekend for you all. I’m looking forward to the day, with tomorrow offering more opportunity to spend with some old friends in Austin/Georgetown area.

Thanks for reading, the Elder

1/30/2019

Yesterday, the 29th, was my father’s birthday in 1901. He lived until Sept, 1987, almost 86 of the most history-altering years the world has seen since Christ was here in the flesh. I played 27 holes of golf with my dad about 10 days before he died. Walking. The very next day, we played 18 holes with two of my brothers and it was the only time he ever rode in a cart playing golf. 

He never played golf until he was 65. Three of us took him to a little used golf course and “we” were going to teach him how to play. So, on the first hole Pete and Ken said, “go first, Jerry.” I promptly stepped up and with every technique I could remember I approached the ball, swung, and dribbled the ball about 40 yards down the right side of the fairly. Ken was next, he used an archaic style though he played pretty good golf, his shot hooked over to the left and behind some trees. So, exasperated with mine and Ken’s failures, Pete the golfer (by our family standards, Pete was superior) stepped up with a smug little grin on his face. His looong drive tailed into a slice about 275 yards down fairway—out of bounds. 

Daddy stepped up and with no help from his hapless sons, and with his baseball grip on the shaft, hit a drive about 285 yards down the middle. He quietly stepped back, began looking for his tee, and said, “I thought I was supposed to go down the middle, I hope that’s all right!” End of golf lesson. We laughed for 3 holes! (Although he played a lot till 9 days before his death, he never really got any better than us, he just loved playing. I never had a round with him I didn’t enjoy.)

Once, when I had been preaching about ten years and he and I were no longer suffering too much from differing doctrines, I went to visit and away we went to the golf course. After we teed off on #1 and his ball went to the right, mine to the left, we walked a little ways, then he veered his way and I toward my ball. After several steps I turned and looked at him (he was walking up hill) and as I did, he stopped and yelled across the fairway, “David said to his brothers, “Is there not a cause?”” I knew the passage in the bible he referred to, so I nodded and we went on to play the first nine, no more being said about the bible or David. 

It was hot and we were thirsty, so I went in the clubhouse and got us a soft drink to have while we waited our turn. (I bought and brought the drinks outside because he didn’t approach a bar that served beer.) As we sat there, he quietly said, “Trouble today is, son, preachers don’t know what the “cause” is all about.” I agreed. He said, “we need to read more and know more than ever before.” Again, I agreed, end of conversation.

At the visitation when my father died, I related that story to the man who had taken the pastorship of the church my dad had built and pastored for a long time. As I got to the part about  “preachers today” he interrupted me and went into a long dissertation about “he was right, men today don’t preach about all the sin in the world! why don’t men fight the sin habits, blah, blah, blah!!” He was one who didn’t know what the “cause” was. 

The Lord Jesus Christ took care of the “sin problem” by dying for the sins of the world in 33 ad, being buried, being raised from the dead 3 days later, all of that for our redemption, our atonement, our security in Him. Daddy knew, I am sure of it. The cause is to “make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery” of how can we (you and I, sinners that we are) be saved: by trusting in what Christ has already done for us. Go back and read the words David said to the giant (with a sling and 5 smooth stones.) He wasn’t talking to the giant about himself or the Israelite army, he was talking to the giant about who God was and how God could win this battle. Well, God won the ultimate battle for our eternal life at the cross, and His power in resurrection.

It’s cold here, how ‘bout where you are? 14 degrees when I got up, now all the way up  to 19—not as bad as many other places, but I’m done with it, it can just go away and allow heat to prevail for a few months. Our snow yesterday almost all melted away, just a few spots which were protected from the sun. Our roads are all dry and the cold is crisp and they clear. If it is worse where you live, stay safe and warm—one last quote of my dad’s: “If you keep your head and your feet warm, you probably won’t get sick!” He was probably right about that, too.

Thanks for reading, the Elder

1/28/2019

It’s been a few days. I used to wonder what it was like to have a “writer’s block,” not sure, but I think I’m still wondering. Each day I thought of something to write, but it didn’t seem interesting enough to me for me to think anyone else would enjoy reading it. So why write it? But, today will be different, hopefully.

The SIMH this morning is “Farther Along”—the version Willie Nelson did with his sister playing the piano. There is a certain peace that fills your mind listening to Willie sing and play this song. It is as if Mr. fletcher, in 1911, wrote these words for people like you and me 108 years later. I don’t know what kind of a preacher Mr. Fletcher was, but knowing the grace of God in his life is evident by the words. As for Willie, I’m pretty sure he understands grace if he doesn’t understand anything else about God’s plan. 

When I last wrote it was about belief, which leads to faith without which it is impossible to please God. Since we are naturally inclined to tend toward evil instead of good, how shall we have the faith to produce what pleases the Lord? As Scripture bears out, we can’t, we don’t, we never will. Where does that leave us? Lost. What is our hope? Instead of “doing” a thing or two “right things” and getting His nod as having pleased the Lord, He fully explained how pleasing the Lord is possible: do nothing.

Our approach to our Holy and Righteous God is not on the basis of doing something or things, it is on the basis of Jesus Christ’s faith in the word of the Father*. When a man who had authority over the Apostle Paul fell to his knees and asked, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” they replied, “Believe on the lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved.” A simple, flat, unemotional call. Believe. Believe on. Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. Why? When we “preach” (that’s proclaim, not a sermon) Christ, we tell a little bit more about what and who He is. If one or two verses had explained why, the bible could be a lot shorter. But we start with the first word in Paul and Silas’ statement. Believe. Believe what? Believe how that Christ died for our sins, was buried, and was raised again for our justification (Rom.4:24,25.)

Then, the next verse in order to know NOT to claim we’ve figured it out and DONE something to get peace is this: “(God) made (Christ) to be sin for us, Who knew no sin, that might be made the righteousness of God in (Christ.)” You see, we didn’t do that, God made Him to be sin, made you and me “the righteousness” we needed to be. Simple. How simple? Believe.

The same man who was used of the Lord to tell the jailer in Acts 16 to believe, wrote that verse in 2 Cor.5:21. He, of all the finite people used by the Lord to unfold His plan, knew his need of the “how to please the Lord” faith; he had been a believer in that which was opposed to the Lord Jesus Christ and had committed blasphemy of the Holy Ghost at least 5 times before being confronted on the road to Damascus. He was doomed with absolute zero hope. He was down on the ground, unable to see, therefore unable to do anything! But, there was Jesus, right where He needed to be, to bring life and light to a doomed man. After then preaching the good news about his own salvation and the salvation of all peoples, one of this man’s last written words were these: Consider what I say, and the Lord give thee understanding in all things.-2 Tim.2:7.

 If you consider what Paul said (Romans through Philemon in your bible), you will understand the rest of your bible. You’ll begin to see time in an altogether different light and meaning than you’ve ever seen before.

No, I didn’t always believe that. I was saved very simply at 22, but didn’t know how to study the bible until I was 31. That’s a lot of years to just not know anything about the will of God, but I loved my religion. When I saw the bible contradictions in my religion, I wrestled them till I gave up, as I had given up the night I was saved, and submitted to the authority of the Word of God. The plain truth about us as people in this world—this isn’t our world. The Lord has redeemed us unto himself to be His. And thus, He can gather us unto Himself when our time has come to go.

These stories I occasionally write about are not for me to seem like a teller of tales. They are for contrast to the deeper things of the Lord in our lives. To show how we substitute fluff and frivolity as a diversion from the more sober and intense side of our time spent here. Almost as a resorting would be physically, so the stories that make up ours or other people’s lives fit in, to lighten or to bring us to melancholy, to a place of reflection, ultimately to bring us back to a clear picture of today, and bright hope for tomorrow!

*Recommended reading: John 17—the prayer of Christ unto the Father to see Christ’s faith in the Father’s words.

Thanks for reading, the Elder

1/24/2019

Belief. What is belief? What is A belief? What should be believed? What should NOT be believed? How do we come to understand what should be and what should not be believed? and finally, How shall we teach others what to believe? … This could get to be a long subject. I’ll try to be brief. (Not something to which many preachers ever lay claim.) 

Belief is an attempt to be sure of something; something one accepts as true or real. It can also be described as a conviction or confidence, also a conclusion.

Well, then, let’s think in terms of what would bring that about in one’s mind. A barrage of spoken words(as in brain-washing?) The reading and re-reading of words, a collective thought running through them? Living a certain principle or ethic extensively into one’s life until it becomes a “second nature?”

Each of these could and do often lead to belief. So, then, these things are to be tested, to be tried and proven by any and all means. Sometimes I think of my opening frame of reference as being unfair. I had parents who had a strong belief in the King James Bible, believing it was true whether they understood it or not. That isn’t a fair way for me as a starting point to teach others what I believe is true. I never had an unbeliever’s frame of reference, not ever, any time in my life. (One brief moment of doubt about a month before I trusted in Christ for salvation.)

But, that hasn’t stopped multitudes of people from changing their minds, coming from total non-belief (not the same as “unbelief”) to full belief of the King James Bible. So, how does that come about? Because of faith.

Faith (the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen) has another definition by secular man: complete trust or confidence (after that comes an application to religions or systems of this trust/confidence definition.) Then, Hebrews 11:1 is still the clearest English words for the definition of “faith.” Since we take the Heb.11:1 (notice the 1+1+1=3) definition as the best, we have started on a road that will take us into the KJB for further explanation. We cannot now go to any other secular words for clarification. This fits perfectly to my way of thinking. If it doesn’t for you, tell me your basis for belief, for believing, and tell me why I should start with your way instead of here: Rom.10:17, “So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” Now to identify where is the word of God, and why I should “believe” it as a word that cannot be denied. Low and behold, I go to the same book—the KJB, and not to commentaries about it, whether the commentators believe the KJB or do not. 

Looking at recorded words from days gone by has come to be unreliable in the last 200-300 years. The re-writing of history has become suspected by almost every one who desires to believe in reverse. That is, they “form” an opinion from how they have been in”form”ed as though they know that to be true, then retro-write history to get an “authority” for their belief or unbelief. I understand how difficult it is to find verifiable historic documents in support of anything, the KJB not being an exception. So, we look for multiple historical accounts which say the same things (reasonably) and use them as a basis for our trust in the KJB. 

I have read several of the proponents for reliance on the KJB, men who’ve spent their lives in defense of it. Edward F. Hills, D.A.Waite, James Son, Peter S. Ruckman, J.J. Ray, and others who’ve written smaller volumes. Some copy one another, but each has a segment of original history study. To me, the greatest way to develop a sense of trust and confidence in the KJB is to study it. To study all these men of God, excellent students all, is helpful, but I never found it increasing my faith in the word of God as much as simple opening up the book and following the Scripture’s own definition of understanding the doctrines of it: Isa. 28:9-13; line upon line, precept upon precept, here a little, there a little.

The Lord told the opposition and the friends the same thing: settle in your heart: Lk.21:13-15. My exhortation for you is “down deep:” settle it down deep in your heart, where is the truth, how can I rely on it.May it be the Word of the Living God, settled in my mind in the year 1979, when I came to one simple place and I said: “Lord, I’m just going to believe what I read in your word, the King James Bible.”

Thanks for reading, the Elder

1/21&22/2019

I skipped a day. Hope no one has spent a lot of time trying to find it. Actually, I didn’t skip, I wrote down some very interesting thoughts about aging, but when I read it, it was way, way too personal! So, I decided not to publish it. If I figure out how to say all that without personal referencing, perhaps I’ll write it later. What I wrote wasn’t, in a literal sense, about my wife and me, nor anyone else. But it could have been construed to fit more than one family I know. No, too personal.

It is a hard morning to write. I really have no idea why, just is. Monday night’s bible class was well-attended, good friends from near and far. At the close of the class, it looked to me that I had failed to hit record and perhaps I had talked for 50 minutes without recording it. But, when we finished talking and visiting and I turned off the Zoom, I had recorded it and could upload to the YouTube channel. What a relief that was! When you are doing a series, even someone as unorganized as me, doesn’t want to go back and fill in the blanks, if you mess up. Hard to do the same message a second time and say it like the first. But I was spared, after all.

Then, yesterday was a pretty good day in the store, a couple of good bible conversations by phone, and an excellent cold weather day. My attitude about cold days is this: we’re only going to have so many. Therefore, every one we have is one less to anticipate! (You know: 6 down, 26 more to go!)  However, it is supposed to start raining in about an hour and rain all day. We’ve had so many rain days this Winter, I’ve lost count of those! I’m still thinking “better rain than snow,” but I am so done with rain for a while. Soon, maybe soon.

My trip to Texas next week is Thursday morning to Monday morning. I’ve got some spare time on the trip, but not a lot. After getting there, I still have some driving to do. and some time is not yet scheduled. It is my plan to visit both stores that are close, as well as the memorial service for my friend, the rest is yet up in the air. Usually, my plans for a trip include more things than I actually get done. Nevertheless, I plan them, anyway. Makes for good stories about what interferes and what is my fault or who or what I can blame. Most blame goes to weather. Once, I had most of a Sunday free, so I wanted to visit a church I had heard about, Heading South out of Houston, I went to what I thought would be the correct exit, turned right, believing I was headed West on the proper road. In a hard driving rain, I motored about as far as I thought I should and started watching signs to find the city limit sign for this small town. Finally, I found it. It wasn’t the small town I was looking for, it said Houston!! I had turned North instead of West—dark with clouds, heavy rain, ARGH! but, that won’t happen now, I’ve got Seri! She’ll keep me going where I need to go.

By the way I’m writing, you probably think the SIMH this morning is “500 Miles Away From Home,” but that’s not it. Instead, it is “Going Out of My Head”—written by Teddy Randazzo, made popular by Little Anthony and the Imperials—-bring back any memories for ya? Luther Vandross also did a version, Dionne Warwick, Sergio Mendes, etc. Anthony’s and Luther’s were the best of the bunch. Strange love songs stick in my head, do they you, also? 

A basketball note: Indiana University’s team this year may be a great bunch of students and make straight As in their academic endeavors, but they don’t think well in the game. They choose, more often than not, to make the wrong moves, make the wrong passes, or take the wrong shot. My “great” analyzing talents aside, most any observer of the game would say the same. It is as though they were not used to playing against anyone that is really good, like they don’t expect anyone to be better than they. There’s no chance for success if that is the case. Maybe it’s coaching, but I doubt it. Maybe they don’t like one another, but I doubt that, too. I think it comes back to my first statement: they don’t think well in the game. They’ve lost 5 games in a row, all Big 10 conference games. 

While it is important to have confidence that one can get ‘er done, it is also imperative to have confidence in one’s teammates. It looks as though these teammates share the floor with one another only after being prompted by the coach. 

All that I just said about Indiana applies to my other Indiana team, Butler, as well. Butler has a point guard who doesn’t know how to pass and not shoot. That’s called a bad point guard. Announcers, the conference teams, and his teammates expect him to just be great. But, he is mediocre at best. He probably will make it in pros, so perhaps that’s where he should be playing. He doesn’t fit in college play without changing.

I’m sure you were all worried about that, so I straightened it all out, ok?

Thanks for reading, the Elder

1/21/2019

This is a cold morning on the mountain—19, and a wind chill of 9. Nuf sed. Even Buddy is noticing the cold this morning. He’s a big dog, good thick coat, yet he is feeling this. His stay outside to do his natural duty he cut short to get back inside. Where he is, he knows where I am is warmer and he doesn’t want to settle down to his bunk. Sorry, Bud, you’ll be just fine.

It looks like we’ve gone through the coldest night expected and through the week it’ll move up to more livable temperatures. If not, I think I’ll move down South!

SIMH this morning is, “He The Pearly Gates Will Open”—written by Fredrick Blom, 1917, a Swedish man. It was translated into English around 1935 and arranged for quartet music. This was very popular for about 25-30 years until the Southern Gospel style sort of took over. I sang this with an ad hoc quartet in the 60s. Since coming to understand the eternal inheritances found in Scripture a little better, I don’t see us entering in through “pearly gates” (gates of pearl are on the New Jerusalem coming down from God out of heaven, and is the reward of the kingdom of Heaven.) But, the testimony of Mr. Blom spoke of his knowing the forgiveness of his sins and thereby has a good message in this, his song.

Applying the word of God to our lives requires a reasonable amount of study. The Lord has designed his word in such a way that a casual glance now and then will not reveal His will. I know I’ve said this to you before, but there is a prescribed way to go about studying the Word. Indeed, it is written in 6th grade English grammar, but it is in 17th century English legalese, in some fashion. Anyone who 1.) can read at a 6th grade level, and 2.) has heard ..how that Christ died for our sins, was buried, and was raised again for our justification, then 3.) has believed on the Lord Jesus Christ for salvation (has trusted Him) can understand it when studying the right way.

The simple instruction to “Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth” lays out the method for understanding the basics of our salvation, that is, to practice rightly dividing the word of truth. The “word of truth” is not simply the bible, it is a phrase representing the gospel of our salvation as being our personal word from God (see Eph.1:13, phrases.) This enables us to tell the difference in what God says, as He says it, where He says it, to whom He says it, etc. Thus, not wrongly dividing the word of truth, but “rightly dividing the word of truth” (knowing what is ours!)

Then, the pattern for studying what He has preserved is designed to make us aware of rightly or wrongly applying Scripture. This is found in Isaiah 28:9-13. Briefly, it says there are three ways to look at Scripture; “line upon line”-which easily means read it straight through like a textbook; then, it says “precept upon precept”-which can only mean one studies a subject matter or a doctrine in various places, followed by “here a little, there a little”-having gone through the bible using the first two methods, one will be reminded while reading of other similar passages. If then, you follow those thoughts and go look at the remembered passages, the Holy Spirit teacher will show you many things about understanding God’s will (here a little, there a little). 

This is a really great study book, the King James bible.

Working toward arranging my upcoming trip to Texas. It will be about a 3,4 day trip, it looks like. I will be at a memorial service for a dear friend in Katy, TX on Feb. 2. Visiting with the family will be joyous afterward, I’m sure. Then, we have two Blue Jug stores nearby, so I hope to visit with them on this trip, as well. To fly seems suddenly cheaper, so this may be a flight trip. I should get this figured out in a day or so. Might mean a Monday night bible class will come to you from a motel room, but I will work at not missing any nights in this series about Ephesians.

Thanks for reading, the Elder

1/20/2019

A discussion recently brought up a supposed testimony of salvation which was “found wanting.” Which means one could say words, others would hear it, even commiserate with it, but go away questioning, “was this really a testimony of being saved?” So, let’s examine what is in a true testimony of one being saved.

Becoming saved means a person goes from being lost, being without hope, unto an eternal life with God. Getting lost comes about when in the course of a person’s life, they see their own inadequacies, they come to realize they can’t figure out how to not do wrong things, and they know they need some intervention to gain the peace they desperately require.

More commonly, it would be stated like this: they see themselves a sinner, they know they are lost, and they want to be saved. If this person might never have heard of Jesus Christ and His Father in Heaven, they might well seek peace and safety in an even more perilous place than where they are.

But, if when they see themselves lost, they hear or remember that “Christ died for their sins,” then they are on the right track for gaining eternal life. When that person sees themselves lost, they inherently already know they cannot perform this themselves. The next thing which has to happen is to get themselves out of the “working” picture, they give up and allow Christ to save them.

They might say or do something, but if they say or do something believing that is part of their salvation, they are mistaken. What someone “does” in the moment of being saved is not a part of salvation. Getting saved is what is done for you! 

example: When Paul and Silas were in prison, and the jailer said to them, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” They never instructed him in the ways of the Lord, they never had him sign anything, never had him kneel and/or beg God, not so much as cry aloud: they said, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved.”

So, then the saved person has a seal upon him, he now “belongs” to the Lord Jesus Christ. Now, he can learn “..how that Christ died for our sins, was buried, and was raised again the third day.” Now, he can understand that Christ was “delivered for our offenses and was raised again for our justification.” Now, he can see why this means he belongs to Christ and that Christ “knows him.” 

If the lost man sets out to understand all these things before deciding, “well, yes, I believe Christ is trustworthy,” he has set himself up as the intercessor to his own salvation. [There are many testimonies given which say “after all I’d learned, been schooled by, etc., I finally gave up and trusted Christ as my Savior.”] That’s salvation. It’s a moment, it’s what He did, not what we do. Whether one knows a lot or very little is irrelevant. It is a moment of trust—from no hope, to great hope, and nothing you did except give up.

So, comes time to testify to God’s mercy and grace, which story do you tell? If you want to testify to saving grace of God, you need not tell how much of a sinner you were, you need not give the detail of what got you to the lowest of lows, you need to let it be known above all —that “I gave up and trusted the Lord.”

Yes, when we give our testimony we tell “our story.” That’s ok, it is a part of what got you here. But, is it a testimony unto the grace of God, not unto your activity or words used to get that fulfilled? Then, tell how Christ is your Savior, Christ paid the price, Christ is our everlasting hope!!

So, a celebrity tells you how “God” helped him get sober, or how “he/she found God”—those are not testimonies at all. If the elements of salvation are not clearly credited to the One who bought them, it is not a testimony, it is bragging on themselves. How it makes the listener feel isn’t the issue. Whether it makes a saved person want to say “amen!” to it is a better indication of true testimony.

Ingredients in a testimony:

I was laden down with who and what I am.                                                   I was unable to help myself.                                                                           I believed Christ was the only answer.                                                           I trusted Him for my salvation.                                                                        I have peacefulness. I am saved.

Thanks for reading, the Elder

1/19/2019

Three times during last night, I awoke singing an old hymn. When I got up, it was gone from my feeble mind. I’ve looked through old songs and I haven’t found it (or had it come back to me), but I found one I believe will fit this day’s blog. I said yesterday I was going to put more in about the truth and its veracity, so perhaps this song is better than the one I was singing during the night. I don’t have a tune for this, as it was written in 1900, and not in any known book. The name is “The Unchanging Word.”

When the earth shall cease to be,

And the heavens pass away,

The unchanging word of God we’ll see

Just as it is today.

• Refrain:
  On the word of God I calmly rest,
  With a sweet assurance in my breast;
  For I know it is His holy will,
  Each promise to fulfill.

That is the opening verse and chorus, fitting perfectly as to what I believe about the word of God. The Lord said His “word shall never pass away.” 

I believe His promise, knowing also His promise to preserve it from David’s generation, forever, as found in Ps.12:6, 7. 

And, since I used the Ps.12 passage about preservation of the word of God, I’d like to point out the verse which appears next; v.8. “The wicked walk on every side, when the vilest of men are exalted.” What a verse for today! You know, our president gets called vile for his crudeness and, frankly, offensive castigation of those who oppose him (and I’m not excusing him on everything.) But “the vilest of men” which are exalted are more clearly those who oppose him when they themselves vehemently called for the same thing he is now advocating, yet they are calling him “immoral” for doing no more than what they had done a few short years ago.—That is vile: read Proverbs and Ecclesiastes, you’ll see what the lord called vile.

From the time of David and continuing through this day, the Word of God has been under attack more and more subtly the further we go. As I mentioned the 20th century saw 100 new versions. Just as a principle of the question “what is the word of God?”—that is a vile thing. One hundred books saying ever so slightly differing things, attempting to get people to believe and put confidence in a constantly changing “sure” word of prophecy?? It is appalling.

Preachers in training: what must be going through their heads as they enter a school (seminary) thinking it is going to establish them with a rock-solid education to know how to discern the will of God, and the first thing they hear is,  “you cannot read God’s perfect word, we don’t have it. But trust in us, we’ll tell you what you should know.” 

Oh, young man who desires to know: don’t go to a seminary, pick up your King James Bible and go home and “study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” Attn: Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ. See Col.2:5-19 for the whole context.

Looking forward to tomorrow morning in Chattanooga, two hours of bible study plus a “potluck luncheon” afterward. C’mon! come join us, bring a dish or just take potluck! chuckle, chuckle. 

Here’s really great news about our weather: it is raining hard, again. The good thing is it isn’t below freezing, we would have had huge snowfall! Blizzard like. Worst ever! But, instead, we’re just having the wettest Winter anyone here can remember. I’ll take this for Winter, we live on a mountain. We have to go down and up a lot. Snow and ice don’t fit the hills real well.

Thanks for reading, the Elder

1/18/2019

How do we establish our precedents? What is our social barometer? What is our “Christian” barometer? What is “normal?” If you started a sentence with “Normally, I….,” to what would you be referring? When is carrying a thing too far, too far? 

A lot of the above questions are answered at various stages of our lives, changed as certain things are learned about getting along in the world, and/or our individual financial and community settings. If one lives in a community where typical “blue collar” careers are the majority of residents, the habits and thought patterns of common areas and affairs will not be the same as if the community was predominately professionals, be they hi-tech, academics, doctors, lawyers, etc. Then, there is the rural settings: farms, country homes, lower priced lands, small farms, etc., all of which change the social dynamic of the area. (This latter community is apt to be far more tolerant of each other’s wide spectrum of incomes, but less tolerant of the other communities of which I spoke.  Interesting, isn’t it?)

What I want to re-focus on concerning all this is truth. The truth is the truth, it isn’t socio-economic or built around or subjected to status. Truth is not relevant. It is absolute. Where truth is concerned, none of the above should be thought to be important, but even so, it is. If I expected to get any and all socio-economic groups together to teach them the absolute truth, I would be setting forth a goal very hard to reach. So, I’m putting down my thoughts as to why and what, if anything, can be done about it. 

On the 16th, I wrote about the departure from the truth of the King James Bible (in 1901) and its affect on our country. I don’t know if anyone who might have read what I wrote is used to using another version of the bible or not, but I hope not. If you are, or are close to family or friends who do, take a common sense approach toward the benefit of “absolute truth.” Doing so will bring you and those close to you back to a common focal point with which to start toward understanding what the will of God is. The Lord Jesus, speaking to His Father in prayer said, “Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.”—John 17:17

A better verse for believing there is one true word of God, I cannot find. Even most versions with horrible errors in them leave this verse alone. In light of that, a comparison study is very helpful if someone is in doubt of the KJB as God’s word. In coming days, I’ll add more to this “truth” discussion.

Another Winter week has nearly gone. The days are noticeably longer, and we’ve thus far escaped any bad weather (unless, like me sometimes, you just wanna gripe about cold and damp!) In the middle of the month, I usually think about what I intended to do this month and am usually disappointed I haven’t gotten more of it done. That’s supposed to make me resolve to do better, but mostly I work at having an excuse, probably trying to use the weather, for my tardiness. Every month I do believe I’ll do better and I’ll keep believing that. I’m just a month away from proving myself!

I’m enjoying the Monday night bible class excursion into a rather lengthy, and I hope in depth, study of the book of Ephesians. I hope others are enjoying it, also. May the Lord richly bless our study of His word. 

Later this month, if the Lord wills, I will be making another trip through Louisiana and into the Houston area for a couple of reasons. The primary reason is a longtime good friend and prayer partner of this ministry passed away and I have been graciously asked by her loving family to speak at her memorial.

The SIMH this morning was done by many, but my favorite of it is Alison Krause: the song, “A Living Prayer” —written by Ron Block, but Alison Krause and a slight altering made it very popular. Some of the prayer thoughts, I would alter a little, but I love the song and the sentiment.

Thanks for reading, the elder.

1/17/2019

Happy birthday to my wonderful wife, Barbara! She, once again, has caught up with me in years old. We’re both 46, (what do you mean, “are you kidding?!)

After the short, late day, rant-of-a-blog note yesterday, I thought I should start this one with the great old gospel SIMH of the day: “Just a Closer Walk With Thee”—“I am weak but thou art strong, Jesus keep me from all wrong, I’ll be satisfied as long, as I walk, let me walk, close to Thee.”  “Just a closer walk with Thee, grant it Jesus is my plea, daily walking close to Thee, Let it be, dear Lord, let it be.’

“Through this world of toil and snares, if I falter Lord who cares, who with me my burdensshares, none but Thee, dear Lord, none but Thee.” 

Isn’t that great? Isn’t that settling? doesn’t that make the ills of this world seem easier through which to live? Does for me, does for me. Let it be.

Yesterday was actually a very nice day. Some really good ol’ friends stopped by and we had a wonderful visit and fellowship in the grace of God. So glad we had the opportunity to do so. When friendships go back 20,30,40 years our time spent together becomes more precious. Heck, we didn’t even argue!! Actually with these particular friends I don’t remember ever having an argument. Doesn’t sound like my nature, does it. Anyway, it was a good afternoon. Thank God for good friends.

The events of our capital city get more ridiculous by the day. Sometimes when I get home in the afternoon I want to know something about where we stand on this, that, or another thing. Generally, this means I have to listen (wade) through a host of other prittle-prattle news junk till they get to the story I want to know about. Sometimes, I’m struck by the worthlessness of what is being reported on and it serves as a reminder of something I learned in the late ‘70s: My boss decided to run for Congress, so he incorporated me into the campaign and he and I visited Washington, DC. We visited several offices of Congressmen and Senators, finding out more things than we could have imagined were possible. (Like the guy my boss wanted to replace, who had been in Congress 22 years didn’t vote the previous year but 11 times on a total of 471 votes of Congress???) But, the big thing we were told, was from an old man sitting in one Congressman’s office, a man who had retired from Congress. He said to us, “Boys, remember, it isn’t what you read in the headlines about politics which matters, it is what’s going on not in the headlines! Check on about page 46, somewhere deep below the headlines—that’s what is really going on.”

I’ve never forgotten that, and it usually can’t even be found buried on page 46. If you and I can ever find out what’s truly going on today, it is usually found in some alternative news website or magazine. Never trust a media to be unbiased. Every one of the “outlets” for news is going to fail to tell the “whole truth, nothing but the truth.”

Last week I watched Indiana and Duke (basketball) both get beat. Last night, I watched my 3rd favorite college team (Butler) and was just about to conclude my teams were all going down to defeat, when with about 15 minutes to go, being behind by 11 points, and having looked like a 2nd or 3rd rate bumbling squad, one Butler guy hit 4 straight shots (3-3s and a layup). They just came alive as a team, roaring past DePaul and winning by about 20 points!! Faith in winning basketball restored! Basketball is the greatest team-forming game ever invented! No other team sport does what basketball does: immediate transfer from offense to defense over the whole court and vice versa; has a support process that grants anyone can score at anytime, all they need is the ball. (And, if you watched the Duke game, even from 80 feet away!)

Hope I’m talking to a bunch of basketball fans so this is not prittle-prattle to you. Have a great Barbara’s birthday day. 

Thanks for reading, the Elder