Using What I know to keep from fearing what I don't:

Something To Think About, Holding to what I know:

Like you, I fear the unknown. Some of you are paralyzed by that fear.  We are like a child who has never eaten something, but who absolutely refuses to try it, because he is convinced that it will taste bad.  The realm of the unknown is a fertile patch for the growth of phobias.  When those frights come to maturity they shackle us to our little place, where we live in the foolish illusion that everything will be all-right as long as I don't. . . . The problem is, as I pointed out yesterday, that controlling fear is probably preventing us from engaging in some act of love.  I've known folk who didn't go to see loved ones, because they feared going out of their house.  I've talked to strong men who wanted to go and comfort a friend in their time of loss, but who "couldn't" because the tentacles of fear--"I don't do funeral homes"--had such a strong grip on them.  I could go on, but it would be better for you to come up with your own examples of love being crowded out by terror. I think Benaiah loved his King and his people.  As he looked down into that pit on a snowy day, at that killer-beast that threatened those he loved, the fear that any sensible man would have must have made the hair on his neck stand up.  Likely what you fear is not as spectacular as the king of beasts, but it is every bit as real, and it is just as important that you deal decisively with it. How do I deal with fear of the unknown? By holding more tightly to what I do know. Here are some knowns that help me deal with the unknowns that lurk in my path: God has promised to never forsake me. (Matthew 28:20 & Hebrews 13:5) Like Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, I can have confidence that if I am faithful God will deliver me, whether by preserving me in this life, or through death.  (Daniel 3:16-18) Doing right and serving the Lord is more important than any consequence.  (Philippians 1:12-20) God will provide what I need to do what I need to do.  (1 Corinthians 10:13 & Philippians 4:10-14)  I'm not saying it's easy.  It's not.  Fears are like lions in pits on snowy days, but if you don't slay them, who will? It's Something To Think About. (My thoughts were encouraged by Chapter 6 in the book The Hard Corps, by Dai Hankey.)

Love and Fear:

Something to Think About for December 17, 2014:

Literature, movies, and certainly folklore are full of tales of people dealing with fear.  Some successfully and others, not so much. I've not served in the military, or been an explorer.  I've never had to land a plane with a dead engine, in the dark.  My life has been blessedly free of those terrorizing scenes that make one sit on the edge of his seat in a movie theater.  But, I have been afraid.  I have had to, and have to, fight fear.  I suspect you do as well. Getting ready for a Bible study this morning I read this brief account about a great warrior, Benaiah: " He also went down and killed a lion in the middle of a pit on a snowy day." (2 Samuel 23:20).   If ever there were a situation that screamed, "Leave it alone!" this was it.  If it is wise to let sleeping dogs lie, how much more to allow pitted lions to stay in the hole--especially when there is snow on the ground.  Even more-so when you consider that Benaiah wasn't lion hunting with a high-powered rifle.  I figure his feat was accomplished hand to claw. In our little study we guys asked the question, "Why?"  We admitted that we don't have the data for a definitive answer, but we were given a hint when we looked at the rest of Benaiah's record.  Clearly he was a man of faithfulness who highly regarded duty.  He was David's body guard, and was key in making sure that David's chosen successor, Solomon ascended to the throne.  I have to figure there was a reason Benaiah went down into that pit on a snowy day to face a lion.  Maybe they had been hunting down a rogue beast.  It was cornered in a pit and someone had to finish the job at hand.  Maybe it was a random thing, but a lion in a pit is liable to get out, and when it does . . . Better take care of business while one can.  Bottom line: We don't why the lion was in the pit or why Benaiah had to join him there.  Though Benaiah was an incredible warrior--one of David's Mighty Men, he had to fight another foe, before he faced the lion, fear. I've not faced a lion, but I have stared into the eyes of fear.  Generally the fear I have faced didn't growl and threaten, it lurked, barely seen, but very real.  John says "There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear" (1 John 4:18).  Jay Adams, a counselor and teacher of counselors, encourages asking this question, "What loving thing is my fear keeping me from doing?"  Love is worth going down into the pit to face that fear, even on a snowy day. It's Something To Think About. (My thoughts were encouraged by Chapter 6 in the book The Hard Corps, by Dai Hankey.)

Happy Hanukkah

Something To Think About, Faith & Courage:

I was just reminded that tonight is the first night of Hanukkah.  As a Jewish gentleman, I met earlier today, reminded me, Hanukkah is not just a holiday Jews made up as a substitute for Christmas.  Indeed Hanukkah predates Christmas by a couple of hundred years.  In John 10:22 we read, "It was now winter, and Jesus was in Jerusalem at the time of Hanukkah, the Festival of Dedication." (NLT)   You can find abundant material about Hanukkah, The Festival of Lights, or Feast/Festival of Dedication on the internet.  Here is one site with a video that gives the basic story.  Hanukkah celebrates the actions of the Maccabees, a group of freedom fighters who, in one of the greatest Guerrilla campaigns of all time, overthrew their oppressors and reestablished the worship of the One True God in the Temple.  I'll not rob you of the joy of discovery, but let me simply say that Hanukkah lasts eight days in remembrance of a miraculous event recorded in Jewish history. I'll not be celebrating Hanukkah, but I do appreciate the story behind the holiday.  In our day of comfort and dedication to ease, we would do well to look back at a group of people who dared to face incredible odds and great burdens in order to do what was right. It's Something To Think About. Here is a site where you can find out about Jesus Christ and His plan for you.  You'll find several opportunities to explore.  If we can help you, let us know.  covingtonbiblechurch.com

eroding Foundations, #2

Something To Think About, Learning from others failures:

"What should have been done?"  That was a question I posed for thought at the end of the last STTA.  When we see houses getting ready to slide into the sea--metaphorically, or in reality--we have an urge to do something.  The problem is about all we can do is put up props.  Knee-jerk reactions are generally ineffective.  Often they are downright dangerous.  So, when I suggest that we should ask what should have been done in the past, I'm suggesting more than historical curiosity.  The current storm isn't the last storm that will come.  Gravity, tides, wind, and rain are ongoing realities.  Clearly, someone failed to adequately reckon on these forces.  The fact that a house is falling into the ocean is clear evidence. In the ethical/moral realm as well as in the physical world, often the answer to the question is the structure should have been built in a different place.  This, of course, is the conclusion of Jesus' famous Sermon on the Mount.   The house built on the sand was doomed from the beginning.  Those who build lives on personal pleasure, marriages on nothing more than physical beauty, or ethical systems on individual preference, are building edifices that are sure to crash.  When I was a kid a favorite pass-time was building "tree forts."  I can still remember visually inspecting the critical tree-limbs, even bouncing up and down on them, to see if they would bear the load.  Generally, my friends and I had instincts that were sufficient.  Our arboreal engineering marvel stayed in the tree.  I remember one time though, I think it was my little brother and his crowd, drove the final nail in a much abused apple tree.  The entire tree, tree fort, remainders of past constructions, and all, just toppled over. Don't build unless you are sure the foundation is secure. It's Something To Think About.

Eroding Foundations

Something To Think About, Foundations:

Incredible pictures from the West Coast have been getting a lot of play on TV & the Internet.  A video I just saw is of a house falling into the ocean.  The high-tides caused by extreme weather had undercut the building.  The video caught the house at the moment it reached the tipping point.  Like a huge, sad teeter-totter the sea-ward side of the house went down, the land-ward side up, and then the whole thing slipped into the sea.   As I watched I wondered, "How long ago had it been that the homeowner had entertained guests, who 'oohed' and 'ahhed' over the incredible view?"  No more. Being a DIY type I also wondered what could have been done to save the house.  Thoughts of props and jacks were quickly dismissed.  The raging ocean wouldn't allow one to work, and, more importantly, nothing solid was available against which to place a prop.  The only thing left was to get out the video camera and wait for the critical moment. We live in a world in which foundations are failing.  Families, churches, and other institutions that used to provide stability in our world are increasingly finding themselves suspended in mid-air.  That works in cartoons.  In the real world gravity rules.  Again and again we have watched some institution or key individual reach a moral/ethical tipping point and topple.  Again, I ask, "What can be done?"  Often times the answer is the same in the ethical, moral realm as it was for the homeowner on the West Coast, nothing.  No prop will suffice.  No cable can be rigged.  The pull of gravity, the rush of time, and lack of a solid place to stand leaves no alternative.  We have to admit this one is gone.   But, and make sure you stay with me as I turn this corner, BUT we need to ask at this point "What can we learn?" and, "What should have been done?" Stay tuned.. It's Something To Think About. Here is a site where you can find out about Jesus Christ and His plan for you.  You'll find several opportunities to explore.  If we can help you, let us know.  covingtonbiblechurch.com

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Satan & Christmas:

Something To Think About, The enemy of our faith:

Half-a-dozen times over the past weekend I was Satan--actually a caricature of the evil spirit-being.  We just concluded our annual presentation of a live nativity.  This year we had eight scenes that were part of our presentation.  We take guests on tours of the scenes.  Most of the scenes are populated with actors dressed in appropriate costumes, who act out the scene of which they are a part.  The guides are also characters "from" the Biblical account.  They have assumed the role of various Apostles, Mary, Elizabeth, a Roman soldier, Nicodemus, and even Judas.  At the suggestion of a veteran guide, this year I assumed the role of Satan, or as he identified himself to the guests on his tour, "Lou C. Fir." Lou is proud (Isaiah 14:12-14, Ezekiel 28:12-17), he is a creature of anger (Revelation 12:12, [he is able to take advantage of our unresolved anger, Ephesians 4:26-27]), He is a liar (John 8:44), and the devil is supremely selfish.  His minions, the demons use up and destroy those they possess.  He himself is described as "a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour" (1 Peter 5:8).  He, more than anyone I know of, fits the description of one who came to "steal, and kill, and destroy" (John 10:10).  I tried to pick up on these traits in my portrayal of our great enemy. There is no doubt that Satan is powerful and very smart.  There is also no doubt that his doom is sure.  I once heard a comedian describe Satan as the dumbest character in history--he thinks he is going to win. In the current configuration of things Satan does appear to making great progress.  In Job 1 he brags about his free movement in the world.  He is described in Ephesians 2 as the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience.  (Ephesians 2:2).  John says that the "whole world lies in the power of the wicked one" (1 John 5:19).  You can read about his doom in Revelation 20. By default we are part of the domain where Satan holds sway.  We must choose to follow Christ.  There is a link below that gives you more information. It's Something To Think About. Here is a site where you can find out about Jesus Christ and His plan for you.  You'll find several opportunities to explore.  If we can help you, let us know.

Humility:

Something To Think About, Humility:

Several of us spent some time this morning talking about humility.  It is a somewhat slippery concept.  False humility while it may bear some resemblance to the real thing is likely to end up being the opposite--pride.  We tend to appreciate humility in others, but we aren't so good at practicing it ourselves. The book we are using for our study says that humility is seeing one's self as God does. C. S. Lewis said, “True humility is not thinking less of yourself; it is thinking of yourself less.” When we are truly humble we have an uplifting influence on others around us.  "There is a loftier ambition than merely to stand high in the world.  It is to stoop down and lift mankind a little higher." A good bit of our discussion this morning had to do with knowing, and being content in the place we should occupy.  God has given each of abilities and opportunities.  To ignore those resources and with false humility claim that we can't do what we clearly can is not humility.  It is a refusal serve others, and thus to place a greater focus on self than we should. I do need to see myself as God does, and then act like it.  That's a lifetime task, and . . . It's Something To Think About. Here is a site where you can find out about Jesus Christ and His plan for you.  You'll find several opportunities to explore.  If we can help you, let us know. We would love for you to make the Live Nativity a part of your Christmas Season.  It is a very family friendly activity. Click the picture for more information.