Category: Uncategorized

Neal Pollard

Chinese officials call those years “three years of economic difficulty” and “three bitter years.”  The years were 1958-1961, the years of the great Chinese famine.  To tell you how bad it was, three out of seven people who died of famine in the 20th Century died in China during those three bitter years.  Most observers believe the cause of the famine was the government’s attempt to set up Communism and communal farms.  No one could grow private garden plots. The granaries of just two locations, Henan and Hebei, held enough grain to have saved each of the 30 million people who died in the Great Chinese famine.

Over eight centuries before Christ, God punished wicked Israel with a drought that led to severe famine (1 Kings 18:2).  It was three and a half bitter years (cf. Luke 4:25-26; Jas. 5:17).  According to 1 Kings 17, Elijah flees to a brook by Cherith and then on to Zarephath where God miraculously provides for him, a widow and her son until he is sent by God to end the drought and famine.  While Israel suffered mightily, Elijah enjoyed Divine providence in the midst of the bitterness.  The widow of Zarephath not only shared in receiving that provision, she apparently learned some things from it, too.

She learned it takes faith to obey the word of the Lord (1 Kings 17:10-13).  She did not learn this faith from royalty like wicked Ahab, who married one of her fellow Sidonians.  She did not learn it from her neighbors, who worshipped Ashtoreth (cf. 1 Kings 11:5; 16:31).  She did not learn it from her Jewish neighbors in Palestine, who at this time could not themselves easily decide between Baal and Jehovah (1 Kings 18:21).  She learned, as we must learn, that we must be faithful to God even when our leaders, neighbors, and spiritual brothers and sisters are not willing to do so.

She learned it takes faith to overcome fear (1 Kings 17:13).  This was literally life and death for the widow.  To obey God’s word meant making starvation a seeming certainty.  No one should blame her for expressing her rational fear to Elijah, but ultimately she was willing to believe his word.

She learned it takes faith to enjoy the blessings of God (1 Kings 17:14-16).  Was she tempted to turn down the offer?  It’s very possible.  Maybe she was so desperate and so aware of her plight that she felt she had nothing to lose by giving Elijah food.  Whatever was the case, she was blessed by obeying God.  He kept her and her son alive.

Famines strike children, the elderly, and men most acutely.  It lowers fertility and, of course, causes plain old, awful starvation.  But there is another, more serious, kind of famine described in Amos 8:11.  It is spiritual starvation, but it does not strike the Christian who has Jesus for the “bread of life” (John 6:35).  Those who follow Him are spared eternal hunger (Revelation 7:16).  I read a report indicating that 10 million people in rich, industrialized nations go to bed hungry every night–in the midst of plenty.  When we partake of the Bread, we will have plenty, like Elijah, in the midst of those spiritually bitter years.

Neal Pollard

This year’s Future Preachers Training Camp took a field trip, complete with a few unscheduled stops, up to visit the Conifer church of Christ.  The preacher there is a special young man named Andrew Lemus, a 2007 graduate of the Bear Valley Bible Institute.  It was our privilege to sit and listen to him tell about his background and what impression the school made on him.  It was a very moving story and as moving a class.  He told us about his incredible search for truth, starting from a Catholic upbringing to a search within protestant denominationalism and the community church movement.  He could not find the truth.  He turned to the internet and was taught the truth by a brother in Christ who hails from New York City.  Andrew showed up at a congregation of the Lord’s church in his native California, asking to be baptized for the remission of his sins and to die to self and live to Christ.  From there, he developed a zeal for knowledge and a quest to learn more and more.  He also developed an interest in a young lady, the daughter of one of the preachers, who eventually became his wife.  Her encouragement spurred him to enroll at Bear Valley in the fall of 2005, just a year after his coming to Christ.  Though he had no interest at first to be a preaching, desiring instead to learn enough to go back and evangelize his non-Christian family, the study of God’s Word filled him with a desire to share those truths with as many people as possible.  To make a fascinating, wonderful story short, he, Aimee, Andrew, and Annabella are working with a church planted in 2007–the Conifer church of Christ.  He is doing an outstanding job!

As I thrilled to hear his story, it struck me.  Andrew’s thirst for Bible truth led him to the Lord and through such salvation.  He simply wanted to obey that Word and share it with others, seizing on the theme verse of the school (2 Timothy 2:2).  Andrew is still a young man, with an overflow of biblical conviction and boundless passion.  Who knows what great good they will accomplish and have already accomplished?  That is always the question.  When someone reveres God’s Word and follows it as their pattern for living and when someone with that maintains a good and honest heart, God uses them mightily!  That is the power of the word and the willing heart.

Neal Pollard

The second week of June always marks an exciting time at Bear Valley and for me personally.  That day is always the official start of our Future Preachers Training Camp.  The campers all arrive, some of them even coming in on Saturday, and the excitement is evident on their faces as well as the faces of our members.  They come from near and far, tied together by an interest in growing in their public speaking skills and by the fact that they are teenagers between the ages of 13 and 18.  During the week this year, they will sit and learn about how to write and deliver a sermon, how to use the library resources, elementary Greek, Christian evidences, basic hermeneutics and exegesis, and grief counseling.  They will take a field trip up to Conifer, Colorado, to hear from one of our graduates tell about how the Bear Valley Bible Institute has prepared him to work with the church in a small town.  They will spend hours each day working on their sermons.  They will try their hand several times at “extemporaneous speaking.” There will also be time every day for recreation and a few special times to enjoy some recreation at local venues.

It amazes me the way this congregation supports the camp.  The snacks donated, attending the “Speaking From The Heart” and “FPTC Gospel Meeting” sessions, the teens c0-participating in several events through the week, taking campers to lunch on the second Sunday, and the continuous vocal support of these special young men is overwhelming.  I am also amazed at the dedication and growth of these young men, often from the time they arrive to the time they leave and also as we see several of them year after year.

We will have 43 young men in camp this year, coming literally from coast to coast.  Some will be athletic, others will be more bookish and interested in indoor activities.  Some will be confident and outgoing, others reserved and shy.  Some will be big for their age, others small for their age.  This year, they will represent not just multiple racial ethnicities but also nationalities. But, if past years indicate anything, they will be one big, tight-knit group bound together by the experiences of the week.

Please pray for the success and safety of everyone involved in the camp this year.  Our adult volunteers include Jason Chesser (Wetumpka, AL), Bud Woodall (Vinita, OK), Jessie Agnew (Hobbs, NM), Darrick Shepherd (Newton, KS), Nathan Liddell (East Alameda church of Christ, Aurora, CO), Pooh Duke (Old Hickory, TN), Tony Johnson (Greenbrier, AR), Anthony Warnes (Miller St., Wheat Ridge, CO), Kathy Devenport (Hattiesburg, MS–kitchen), Brett Petrillo, Dennis King, Jack Wilkie, Alex Warnes, Jordan Wise, Butch Plummer, Anna Wilkie (kitchen), DeAnn Wilkie (food boss, camp mom), and me (Bear Valley church of Christ, Denver, CO).  Our teachers will be Andrew Lemus (Conifer), Wayne Roberts (Parker), Michael Hite (BVBID), Denny Petrillo (BVBID), Chesser, Woodall, and Agnew.  Ready or not, here it comes!

Neal Pollard

It is fascinating to study about the development of the “traditions of the elders” (cf. Matt.15:3).  These traditions were revered by the Jewish religious leaders, the elders, scribes,chief priests, lawyers, and judges.  The common people were compelled to follow these traditions as being on a par with the written Old Testament.  It is thought that the “restoration movement” following Babylonian Captivity gave rise to the order of men who would become these religious scholars so revered by the time of Jesus.  The scribes took their marching orders from the praise given to Ezra in Ezra 7:10, that he “had set his heart to study the law of the Lord and to practice it, and to teach His statutes and ordinances in Israel.  The scribes who succeeded Ezra focused on those three “mandates”–the Midrash (the study of Scripture), the Halakhah (the obedience of Scripture), and the Haggadah (the oral teaching of Scripture).

Edersheim has some interesting observations about corruption in those last two areas. He says,

It is sadly characteristic, that, practically, the main body of Jewish dogmatic and moral theology is really only Haggadah, and hence of no absolute                     authority. The Halakhah indicated with the most minute and painful punctiliousness every legalordinance as to outward observance, and it explained                 every bearing on the law of Moses. But beyond this it left the inner man, the spring of actions, untouched. What he was to believe and what to feel,                       was chiefly matter of the Haggadah (73).

He continues, “And here we may mark the fundamental distinction between the teaching of Jesus and Rabbinism.  He left the Halakhah untouched, putting it, as it were, on one side, as something quite secondary, while He insisted as primary on that which to them was chiefly matter of Haggadah” (ibid., 73-74).  This is what caused these men to lead themselves and others to major in the minors and minor in the majors (Matt. 23:23-24).  They so jealously guarded their tradition that they were nearly neurotic about hand, cup, pitcher, and pot washing while “neglecting the commandment of God” to “hold to the tradition of men” (Mark 7:1-8).

Jesus was not anti-obedience (Matt. 23:3). He was, however, against a superficial observance of the law where one’s heart was far away from God (cf. Mark 7:1ff).  They transgressed God’s commands for the sake of their traditions (Matt. 15:6).  They set aside God’s commands to keep their traditions (Mark 7:9). They invalidated God’s word by their traditions (Mark 7:13).  They emphasized the externals, but left the internals “untouched.”  It was through this mixing of priorities that they could rationalize putting the sinless Son of God on the cross.  That is how serious this crowning of traditions can be.

Let us be careful to be obedient to the will and word of God.  Christ’s salvation is for the obedient (Heb. 5:9).  Yet, let us not put such stock in our convictions and conclusions about what is wise, how we would do it, and what seems best that we come to possess hearts that, in fact, are far away from God and lead us to transgress and set aside God’s Word through our spirit and attitude.  If we have to distort truth, resort to unethical behavior, or outright engage in immorality in order to preserve our traditions, we have missed it somewhere!

Neal Pollard

Surreal is an overused and misused word.  But inasmuch as the word is synonymous with weird and freakish, it applies to a video I saw recently on the news concerning Ardi Rizai of Sumatra, Indonesia.  Nothing is more strange and bizarre than the sight of a child in diapers alternating between drinking a bottle and taking a drag off of a cigarette!  It appears that the two year old has had to split celebrity with a four year old Indonesian boy smoking clove cigarettes and cursing with the encouragement of surrounding adults.  Little Ardi was given his first cigarette at 18 months, and quickly became addicted.  He had been smoking as many as 40 per day, but has cut back to 15.

Twisted and dark hearts can corrupt little minds so quickly.  Have you ever had the heartbreaking experience of hearing an innocent child cursing to the amusement of parents?  I cannot understand what would motivate parents and caregivers to push little children toward evil in an already sinful, fallen world.  This story ranks up there among the most irresponsible parental behavior of which I have ever heard.  Yet, it is a reminder of what a small child can learn, pick up, and do proficiently.  He looks like a midget as he sits there and puffs.

A two-year-old child can be taught to pray, can learn Bible facts and memorize Bible verses, can be shown how to shake hands with an adult, can master a pretty large repertoire of “church songs,” can sit in Bible class, and thereby have a strong spiritual foundation.  When tempted to sell short those little, impressionable minds, take a good look at that picture of Ardi. But also remember that we are stewards of these eternal souls housed in little bodies and equipped with virtually boundless potential.  Jesus wants little children to come unto Him (Mt. 19:14).  Today, that means pointing them in the proper spiritual direction and helping these dear little ones to maximize their potential for good.  We can as easily teach a toddler to love the Lord as to light up!  May we treasure our tiniest and teachable trusts and shape and mold them to be the best they can be for our God.

Neal Pollard

Recently, I witnessed something I have seen before but that never gets easier to watch.  A person who on several occasions has had something negative and disparaging to say about another person when he was not around was speaking to him, using sweet, flattering and complimentary words.  The same person has used similar words in speaking to me.  It left me cold, certain that I cannot trust the kind words this person directs my way.

By definition, one is two-faced who is “marked by deliberate deceptiveness especially by pretending one set of feelings and acting under the influence of another” (Princeton University, Wordnet).  One etymology source says the first recorded use of “two face” was in 1619, though nothing more is said of that record (www.etymonline.com).  But, many scholars see the origin of the concept in Roman mythology and the god Janus for whom the month January is named.  He is said, as a symbol of change, to see into the past with one face and into the future with another face.  His faces pointed in the opposite direction (en.academic.ru).  Apparently, the concept morphed from looking two directions to showing two sets of feelings, being duplicitous, deceitful, and hypocritical.

When you do a New Testament word study, the word most closely akin to “two faced” is “hypocrisy.”  In fact, the word itself is simply a transliteration (writing or printing out a letter or word using the closest corresponding letters of a different alphabet or language) of the Greek word.  The original word first was theatrical language meaning “playacting.”  Thus, the verb form of the word, found in Luke 20:20, is used to describe how the scribes and high priests pretended to be sincere in order to trap Jesus.

Such a practice is dishonest, for it makes the subject of the hypocrisy think you feel or believe one way when in reality you do not (cf. Mt. 23:28).  Such a practice is harmful to influence, because in showing others your “second face” you reveal yourself as not genuine, trustworthy, or honorable (cf. Gal. 2:13).  Such a practice is sinful and, thus spiritual darkness.  Peter says to “put it aside” (1 Pet. 2:1).

Let us be careful that we do not confuse attempted tact and diplomacy with dishonesty, evil influence, and sin.  Let us keep our ethics aboveboard and our integrity intact.  Let us have one face, the same face, for everyone wherever we are and to whomever we speak.

Neal Pollard

Armando Galarraga is a name that even those less than die-hard or fantasy league players may not be familiar with, but he came one out from throwing only the 21st perfect game in the history of Major League baseball.  In fact, thanks to the unflinching and unforgiving eye of video technology, we all know that the Detroit Tigers’ pitcher did better than that.  With two outs in the ninth, the Cleveland Indians’ batter hit a ground ball to the second baseman.  Galarraga ran to cover first base, taking the throw clearly before the Indians’ runner reached the bag.  Jim Joyce, serving as first base umpire and possessed of many years experience, called the runner safe.  Thus ended Galarraga’s bid for one of baseball’s most elusive achievements.  The call by Joyce was so bad, however, that he personally apologized in person to the entire Tigers team and did the same, in tears, to the young man whom he effected by his blown call.  Baseball fans and sportswriters, apparently to no avail, have pleaded with baseball commissioner, Bud Selig, to overrule Joyce’s miscue and award Galarraga the perfect game he earned.

Perhaps, though without national media scrutiny, you have been unfairly treated, maybe accused of something you did not do or wrongfully deprived of what is rightfully yours.  Such a miscarriage of justice can cause us to feel righteous indignation.  However, in the spiritual realm, none of us can claim that we have lived our lives entirely without imperfection.  The message of the Bible is that all of us have sinned (Rom. 3:23; 5:12; Ecc. 7:20).  Without doubt, we all repeatedly struggle with falling short of what God expects us to do and doing what He has called sin (Js. 4:17; 1 Jn. 3:4).  Thankfully, however, there was One who was able to go from “wire to wire,” from birth to the grave to resurrection to heaven without committing sin (2 Cor. 5:21; 1 Pet. 2:22; Heb. 4:15).  It is by His perfection and only by it that we can be “perfected,” made right in God’s eyes.  When God sees the blood of His Son applied to our sins, He sees the blood rather than our sins!  Praise God for His plan that called for His perfect Son to execute that plan flawlessly!  Though we could never do it for ourselves, we can choose to follow and serve the only One who could!

ANIBAL ARCHILA

Neal Pollard

Journalists distinguish themselves and often become legendary for getting right in the middle of the action to report on the news.  Occasionally, this can cause them to become the news.  Several media personnel have lost their lives in Iraq and Afghanistan since these conflicts began.  Danger can often go with the territory.  While others are fleeing it, reporters must rush to it.  The case of Anibal Archila is particularly tragic as he was reporting the volcanic eruption of Pacaya on the outskirts of Guatemala City, Guatemala. Wikinews reports, “Fellow worker Vinicio Fuentes said that Archila couldn’t escape from the rain of volcanic stones, but his cameraman and another group of local reporters could. Archila was found with several lava and rock injuries on his body. Archilla was lying in a fetal position, still holding his video camera” (http://enwikinews.org).  He died by being what his job called for him to be.

We may be inclined to think Archila foolish for putting himself in harm’s way or to even think his death was in vain, but there is a principle to consider here.  He might have saved his life by running away from this breaking news story, but by doing so he would have been revoking and renouncing his very identity as a journalist.  It is sobering for me to consider that, though we have enjoyed religious freedom in our nation for a couple of centuries, the moral decline and political trends may make Christianity increasing unpopular in the coming years.  By being a Christian, we may find ourselves pressured by adversity and in a position to make a decision–either to revoke and renounce who we are or to rush to defend our Lord and His cause.  People may think us foolish and wasteful for putting our lives on the line, but we must make the difficult choice.  Even in this present hour, when physical death or injury is not so likely, we must have the courage to make the right decision.  Jesus said, “He who is not with Me is against Me; and he who does not gather with Me scatters” (Matt. 12:30).  Let us be willing, every day and by the choices and decisions we make, to take any risk for the One who gave everything for us.

Neal Pollard

Hollywood has tried over and over to capitalize on the proverbial idea that “revenge is sweet.” The hero or heroine of the story has suffered greatly at the hands of a villain and may have to pursue the offender for an entire movie. But, in the end, they get to exact their revenge. The message so often portrayed is of the satisfaction this brings the victor. Think of how many movies employ this basic message.

The mantras are many: “I don’t get mad; I get even.” “Nothing inspires forgiveness quite like revenge” (Scott Adams). “Sweet is revenge–especially to women” (Lord Byron). “Revenge is sweeter far than flowing honey” (Homer). “All the old knives that have rusted in my back, I drive in yours” (Phaedrus). They speak of the basic passion and unchecked desires of men enslaved to their flesh. There is no more worldly, sensual response that exacting revenge on one who has harmed us.

When I think of Bible characters most bent of revenge, Joab comes to mind. This son of Zeruiah was a professional soldier, but he repeatedly took the liberty to execute vengeance even when it was not his job to do so. He avenged his brother Asahel’s death by murdering Asahel’s killer (2 Sam. 3:27). He was the “logical” choice for David to employ to arrange the murder of Uriah the Hittite (2 Sam. 11:16-17). Though David explicitly asked Joab to “deal kindly” with his rebellious son, Absalom, Joab made himself judge, jury, and executioner by brutally murdering the helpless son (2 Sam. 18:5,11-14). After David replaced Joab with Amasa as commander of his army, Joab executed revenge by treacherously killing Amasa (2 Sam. 20:10ff). The dying David addressed his son, Solomon, and gave him various charges and duties. Among them, David stated, “Now you also know what Joab the son of Zeruiah did to me, what he did to the two commanders of the armies of Israel, to Abner the son of Ner, and to Amasa the son of Jether, whom he killed; he also shed the blood of war in peace. And he put the blood of war on his belt about his waist, and on his sandals on his feet. So act according to your wisdom, and do not let his gray hair go down to Sheol in peace” (1 Ki. 2:5-6). There was probably a grab for power involved, and certainly David was not the best example of leadership before Joab’s eyes. But, there was the distinct motive of revenge tinging Joab’s actions. There is no indication that his violent vengeance ever brought satisfaction, but it is unmistakeable that he who lived by his sword was destined to die by it.

When someone embarrasses us publicly or betrays our trust, friendship, or secrets, our anger may tempt us to take revenge. When someone hurts us, our natural instinct is to lash back at them. We may be afraid of losing face with others or we may just simply smart from the sting inflicted. Whatever the provocation, revenge is not the answer. Vengeance is a divine possession (Heb. 10:30). May we never be guilty of attempted robbery, trying to take from God what belongs to His perfect wisdom and judgment.

Neal Pollard

Neil Hanson conceived an intriguing book idea and the end result he describes in its introduction:

They are of different nationalities, backgrounds, personalities, and

circumstances. They are not cliched stereotypes: Iowa farm-boys,

chirpy Cockneys, Prussians with bristling moustaches.  They are

young men, barely beginning life’s journey, each with their own hopes,

fears, ambitions and dreams. Their tracks, faint as smoke in the wind,

intersect time and again, but they are united only in death, for each

was killed on the Somme, within gunshot sound of each other, and

each–like 3 million of their fellows–has no known grave. They

disappeared as completely as if they had “gone through a mirror,

leaving only a diminishing shadow.” No trace remained; the war had

claimed even their names. Their story is the story of the Unknown

Soldiers” (Unknown Soldiers, xiv-xv).

Hanson chose German Paul Hub, Briton Alec  Reader, and American George Seibold.  Somehow, it becomes more gripping when these “unknowns” have a name.  Eventually, many of the countries involved in World War I had organized tributes to those who died without proper burial and consecrated tombs to symbolized all those brave, but anonymous, soldiers who fell in war.

General John A. Logan of the Grand Army of the Republic, a post-war organization of veterans, decreed General Order No. 11.  It read,

The 30th of May, 1868, is designated for the purpose of strewing the flowers,

or otherwise decorating the graves of comrades who died in defense of their

country during the late rebellion, and whose bodies now lie in almost every city,

village, and hamlet churchyard in the land. In this observance no form of

ceremony is prescribed, but posts and comrades will in their own way arrange

such fitting services and testimonials of respect as circumstances may permit

(www.history.com/topics/memorial-day-history).

Known originally as Decoration Day, Memorial Day grew out of the respectful desire to honor the dead by maintaining and sprucing up the headstones of those who fell in combat.

As time passes, fewer people are aware of the roots of this holiday and people in fewer numbers turn out to graveyards and cemeteries to perform these tasks.  The sacrifices of our war dead can come to be taken for granted and forgotten.  This is tragic, whether we know the name of the soldier whose remains are interred in that grave or not.  They have given the ultimate to preserve our freedoms, rights, and privileges.  We are the ready recipients of such blessings, and it is fitting for us to remember these heroes.

Somewhere in Palestine, and many have tried to pinpoint rocks and caves as the precise spot, there is the tomb that held Jesus from Friday night to Sunday morning.  While Mary, Peter, John, and others visited that tomb, they found no dead to commemorate.  Thus, there was no need to decorate or memorialize it.  Instead, we memorialize the death, burial, and resurrection through the Lord’s Supper each Sunday. Christ’s sacrifice gives us every spiritual blessing (Eph. 1:3).  We are saved because of what He gave (1 Tim. 2:4-5).  May we never let the passage of time cause us to forget or neglect. May we ever honor and revere the Hero of Calvary.

Neal Pollard

One of my very favorite writers, David McCullough, once wrote,

Imagine a man who professes over and over his unending love for a

woman but who knows nothing of where she was born or who her

parents were or where she went to school or what her life had been

until he came along–and furthermore, doesn’t care to learn.  What

would you think of such a person (Brave Companions, 222).

McCullough was talking of Americans who have no interest in our nation’s rich, incredible history.  If one is ignorant of the unbelievable twists and turns in the road this country has taken from British territory to world superpower, he or she is deprived of a necessary context to appreciate what we have and who we are today.  Such ignorance will also seem to rob them of the gratitude and respect for the sacrifices of our forebears.

More incredible is the case of one who professes love and loyalty to a Christ about whom they really know little or who care to know little.  They assemble with others once or twice a week to sing to Him, pray to Him, and memorialize Him, but they spend no time reading about Him or developing a real, intimate relationship with Him.  Such a person cannot fully appreciate His body (the church), His authority (in worship, in doctrine, and over their personal ethics and morality), or His purpose for their lives.  No amount of talent for singing, eloquence of speech, or pious appearance among others assembled can make up for a Sunday through Saturday spent disconnected from Him.

Jesus warned against a religion of lip-service and feigned devotion, when the heart was not in it (cf. Matt. 15:8-9).  He preaches the importance of an inside-out religion (Mark 12:33).  The great preacher and apostle Paul, while speaking of some others whose motives were muddled and whose practice was at odds with their profession (cf. Phil. 1:15-17), could say of himself, “But whatever things were gain to me, those things I have counted as loss for the sake of Christ. More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish so that I may gain Christ, and may be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own derived from the Law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which comes from God on the basis of faith, that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death” (Phil. 3:7-10).

To truly love and appreciate Him, you must come to know Him!  It must be a passion and a burning desire.  You cannot count of trying to ignite a flame only when you are assembled on Sundays and Wednesdays.  If it is the exercise of a few hours a week, at best you will be like the person describes by McCullough.  But, if you can develop a yearning and practice like Paul’s, you will be deeply in love with the Savior and you will enjoy the most satisfying relationship it is possible to have in all time and eternity.

Neal Pollard

‘Tis a rarified, but golden treat,

To find one who hears whose lips will not repeat.

Who knows the art of being discreet,

To know such a friend is very sweet.

Whose self-control their mouth equips,

Who in temptation never trips,

And betrays a secret or blithely quips,

My words are not safe on such loose lips.

A crack of character, such indiscretion,

A sin of heart and mouth that needs confession.

When friends a secret shares with you in session,

Lock up thy jaw and make the right impression!

Neal Pollard

My foray into the world of “pro wrestling” was relatively brief.  My buddies, especially the Jones brothers–Steve, David, and Michael, loved it and we would watch it together some Saturdays on a fledgling cable station known as TBS or on a local channel (we lived in Cairo, Georgia, which meant we picked up stations airing in Tallahassee, Florida).  The biggest and best of these programs was “Mid South Wrestling.”  It was there I saw such heroes and villains as Dusty Rhodes, Ole Anderson, the Great Kabuki, Wahoo McDaniel, Terry Funk, Sgt. Slaughter, Ivan Koloff, the Fabulous Freebirds, the Junkyard Dog, Ted Dibiase, and Bam Bam Gordy.  As my friend, Matt Cain, put it, “It was a male soap opera.”  As a grade-schooler, I was hooked (or held in a camel clutch).

The ritual was to watch the highly professional, flawlessly executed moves on these musclebound icons, then try to duplicate it.  The problem was that I was not as agile as these larger than life stars, and more than once I received a debilitating foot to the stomach or an armbar, a half nelson, or a face rake that pretty well shut down the match.  It was my wise mother who eventually convinced me that what I was watching on TV was a little less than authentic.  I was shocked, but ultimately came to believe her.  Pretty soon, Major League Baseball and college football replaced my fascination with those toothless, flabby athletes I had so admired.

More than once in life, we will be disillusioned.  We will think something or someone is the “real McCoy” only to learn differently.  People we held up as heroes will transform into goats.  People who guided and influenced us will be discovered in a situation that offsets the great good they had done.  This can even happen to us within the Lord’s church, whether locally or regarding some well known preaching brother.

While man may always disappoint us, there are some things we can always count on being authentic.  The Bible, the promises of God, the “divine design” for the church, the cross of calvary, the hope of heaven, the power of prayer, providence, the perfection of Deity, and the like will forever stand.  We can count on all of this, though it is all based on substantial faith (cf. Heb. 11:1).  We do not leap blindly in the dark, though we walk by faith rather than sight (2 Cor. 5:7).  “The arm of flesh will fail you,” but not the Almighty hand of God!  As long as you live you will continue to be disappointed, but not by our Father.  Hold to God’s unchanging hand!

[Special Guest Writer]

Wayne Burger

Next Monday is Memorial Day.  It is a patriotic holiday set aside to remember those who gave their lives in military service. It is observed the last Monday of May each year.  The government made it a Federal holiday in 1971. No one knows exactly when or where Memorial Day was first observed.  According to tradition, it originated during the Civil War when some Southern women chose May 30 to decorate the graves of both from the Union and Confederate Armies (World Book Encyclopedia “Memorial Day”).

We need to remember those who have given us the freedom and liberties that we enjoy in this country. You may have seen the following as it made the rounds in cyber space, but it is worth reading again:

It is the VETERAN, not the preacher, who has given us freedom of religion.

It is the VETERAN, not the reporter, who has given us freedom of the press.

It is the VETERAN, not the poet, who has given us freedom of speech.

It is the VETERAN, not the campus organizer, who has given us freedom to assemble.

It is the VETERAN, not the lawyer, who has given us the right to a fair trial.

It is the VETERAN, not the politician, who has given us the right to vote.

Not only are we thankful for those who have given their lives for us, but we are mindful and appreciative of the young men and women who are serving us today through the military.  We are especially mindful of those from this congregation.

A Spiritual Memorial Day

Each Sunday faithful followers of Christ gather in the appointed assembly for the purpose of a memorial – remembering the death of Christ (Matthew 26:26-29; Acts 20:7; I Corinthians 11:23ff). Without His death we would still be dead in our sins and iniquities.  But, because of His death we have freedom, forgiveness, and hope of a future home with Him in heaven.  Whereas it has taken the death of thousands to give us the freedoms we enjoy in this country, His blood was so powerful that it took only the death of one to give us spiritual freedom.

May we never let His death or this memorial become mundane.  May it always be a fresh and real reminder each Lord’s Day of the great sacrifice that was made on our behalf.

Neal Pollard

Often, the “golden verse” of the Bible is cited to show God’s love: “He gave His only begotten Son” (John 3:16).  From the creation to the cross, God’s giving is faithfully recorded in the book He moved men to write.  Yet, it is an exciting discovery to see that God still gives.  Jesus and New Testament writers give testimony to the present tense giving of God.  Such teaches us to be givers and to be grateful for His ongoing benevolence in each of our lives.  Have you considered what God gives?  He gives:

–Life to the world (Jn. 6:33)

–Whatever you ask of Him (Jn. 11:22)

–To all life, breath, and all things (Ac. 17:25)

–An inheritance (Ac. 20:32)

–Life to the dead (Rm. 4:17)

–The increase (1 Cor. 3:7)

–The victory through our Lord Jesus Christ (1 Cor. 15:57)

–Life to all things (1 Tim. 613)

–Richly all things to be enjoyed (1 Tim. 6:17)

–To all liberally and without reproach (Js. 1:5)

–More grace (Js. 4:6)

–Grace to the humble (1 Pt. 5:5)

–The tree of life to him who overcomes (Rev. 2:7)

In teaching a child to have a good, strong character, wise and thoughtful parents will instill the habit and inclination of expressing gratitude for the gifts others give to him or her.  It is distasteful and crude not to do so.  Yet, how often and how long do we go without expressing gratitude to God for gifts like the above-mentioned things?  Let us learn from God’s generosity, appreciate it, and duplicate it.

Neal Pollard

Early this morning, I heard about Greenpeace activists storming the British Petroleum building in London, England, yesterday.  They were reacting to the Deepwater Horizon rig explosion in the Gulf of Mexico that killed 11 workers and unleashed a potential environmental disaster along the U.S. gulf coast.  On St. Jame’s Square, near Pall Mall, Greenpeace “campaigners” scaled the building and unfurled a banner with the words “british polluters” on it.  On their web site, the organization makes it clear that offshore drilling, “oil addiction,” and the extraction and development of oil and gas are offensive and undesirable.  A read of their charter leaves one with the unmistakeable impression that they would consider the cessation of drilling and manufacture of petroleum-based products (like oil and gas) environmental nirvana (some content from greenpeace.org and “The Guardian,” 5/20/10).  With all that in mind, I could not help but ask, “How do these activists get to these protests?”  Do they always walk or ride their bikes?  Do they ever take a bus, car, or plane to these events?

Consistency may be a jewel, but it is a rarity!  All of us struggle with making our message match our manifestation and making our declarations square up with our deeds.  We are all better at telling others how to improve themselves, even if oblivious to our own path to betterment.

The Bible often speaks about the greater need for “self examination” than “brother inspection.”  Jesus warned against speck hunting in the other guy, even as we struggle to peer over the lumber in our own eye (Mt. 7:2-5).  We can do this as parents regarding the way others rear their children (or we might have the audacity to try without the benefit of parental experience ourselves).  We might be eager and desirous of correcting a fallen brother, blind to spiritual impediments that hinder our effectiveness in such “outreach.”  Hypocrisy is distasteful, especially when our brother or sister is guilty of it.

We do not want to see wildlife destroyed in the production of oil, but such radical response is often fraught with inconsistency.  In our own lives, let us be careful not to own uneven scales.  Instead, let us be charitable, patient, and spiritual in our attempts to help others (cf. Gal. 6:1; Eph. 4:32).  We will be better respected and infinitely better received.

Neal Pollard

Bob Turner and I began running together around Labor Day, 2008.  We’ve already logged well over a thousand miles together, and as you might imagine in that distance and the length of time that takes to accomplish we have had some experiences.  We have run in cold, sleet, snow, rain, and more than once have tried to traverse layers of ice.  We see walkers, runners, and bikers of all stripes and varieties, but the furrier wildlife has been diverse and interesting, too.  We have run past elk, coyotes, foxes, rabbits, hawks, owls, prairie dogs, and squirrels.  Only once did we not try to shoo or run past an animal.  In a pre-dawn run a few months ago, we saw a skunk on the Bear Creek Trail.  What’s more, he had his tail in the air.  I have never felt more deference and respect for a creature than I did that fateful morning.  We waited patiently for him to assess us as a non-threat and to decide to meander away from the trail.  Then, we proceeded with hastened pace.

Why do you give more humble submission to a ten-pound stinker than a thousand-pound bull elk?  Both can do you harm, but the kinds of harm stands in stark contrast.  All those animals must be handled with care, but it is harder to do that with a skunk than the others.  They are equipped and ready to take aim at perceived threats in a way only time and tomato juice can heal.

We all encounter skunks on the road.  I am not talking about the little black ones with a white stripe down the back.  I mean the hypersensitive, chip-on-the-shoulder, perpetually offended, type.  The kind who are looking for slights and offenses to which they can offer ready retaliation–the lashers, the strikers, and the reactors.

When I think of Jesus, I cannot envision a Man listening for the barb in Thaddeus’ remark or looking for the slight in Thomas’ behavior.  He knew what was in the hearts of all men (John 2:25), but that did not make avoiding hypersensitivity easier.  Imagine how you would feel toward others if you knew with perfect clarity what they were thinking about you at all times.  He was truly offended by so many (1 Pet. 2:23), but He did not respond in kind.

I want to be more like Jesus.  That means I am going to be more like a lamb and less like a skunk.  I will try to put the best construction on people’s motives, thoughts, words, and actions.  I don’t have to be naive or fearful to do that.  I have to be patient, wise, understanding, and full of self-discipline to do that.  Surely, I will want to strive toward that!  It will help me not to be a stinker that others would rather avoid!

Neal Pollard

Never mind Genesis 2:18-24.  In a Reuters story with the above title is also the subtitle, “Earliest Known Human Ancestors Lived Thousands Of Years Apart.”  You may ask, “How could this be?”  That is exactly the question expressed in the article.  Along comes Peter Underhill and his Stanford University colleagues with some very interesting answers.  Underhill said, “They had different molecular clocks….”

They believe Eve lived 143,000 years ago.  Adam came much later.  According to Underhill’s research, “genetic bottlenecks” in the male genetic legacy may have shortened it.

Now, I am not a doctor or even a Stanford researcher.  But as I read the article, I immediately had a question that the article does not even attempt to answer.  “If woman appeared tens of thousands of years before man, how did they have children?”  When was there a shift in the biology of the male and female anatomy from the way children were born then to the way we get them today?  When did a woman have a male child, and how?  Or did man evolve separately?”
Evolution cannot explain how a fertile “homo sapien” male and fertile “homo sapien” female could appear in the same generation in the same place, come together, and begin to perpetuate the human race.  Perhaps this is their attempt at an end run around the plain record of the Bible.  But it raises more questions and provides fewer answers.  But, so many times, the point does not seem to be providing positive proof of anything so much as it is disproving the accuracy of the Bible.  It seems to me that they have done neither.

Long ago, Paul warned Timothy to beware of “worldly and empty chatter and the opposing arguments of what is falsely called ‘knowledge’” (1 Tim. 6:20, NAS).  While the KJV uses the word “science” rather than knowledge, the Greek word is “gnosis” (which it translates “knowledge” the other 28 times it appears in the New Testament).  The Underhill project would certainly seem to be “worldly chatter,” undertaken to prove a godless theory.  It also seems like “empty chatter,” a fruitless discussion about matters already firmly settled by the Bible.  It is, by definition, an opposing argument from that stated in the Genesis account.  And, without doubt, it is “falsely called ‘knowledge.’”  1 Timothy 2:13 says, “For Adam was first formed, then Eve.”  Underhill says, “For Eve was first formed, then Adam.”  Remember when God warned Adam and Eve that, if they ate the “forbidden fruit,” they would “surely die”?  The serpent came along and contended, “You surely shall not die!” (Gen. 3:4).

Science, medicine and technology have brought us so far in increasing the quality and quantity of our lives today.  For that, be thankful!  But, be able to recognize arrogant attempts to disprove God and the Bible in favor of a rebellious humanism which desires to give no account of self to anyone.  Stay tuned, as there will certainly be other “stunning revelations” like this in the years ahead.

Neal Pollard

There are websites, forums, blogs, and Facebook pages devoted to what all we are doing wrong in the church of Christ.  These break my heart and they seem to me to be the height of unfairness. They judge the Lord’s church with a fine tooth comb while casually perusing the faults of other religious groups with a toothless comb.  Does the church need to do better in many regards?  Absolutely!  But, because we are trying to pursue the claim of New Testament Christianity, we get unfairly blasted and raked over the coals.

That said, there is an area we must collectively work to properly handle in church life.  How do we treat and minister to those of our Christian family who have been through the throes of divorce?  Certainly, not every divorcee is cut from the same cloth.  Some may have given up on their marriages, but many did not.  A great many are the victim of a mate’s sexual unfaithfulness.  Others did not ask for the divorce, but had no power or choice in the matter. Yet, whatever facts describe the divorced Christian’s circumstance, we must keep some important things in mind.

• Divorced Christians are still our spiritual family.
• Divorced Christians are likely struggling with loneliness and isolation.
• Divorced Christians are coping with several losses: loss of identity, loss of role and task, loss of relationships, loss of security, etc.
• Divorced Christians may be concerned about perception–how others view them or what judgments others make about them.
• Divorced Christians feel misunderstood, like others do not understand that through which they are going.
• Divorced Christians matter to God just as much as Christian couples and families.

What can we do to minister to divorced Christians?

• Do not pretend nothing has happened in their lives.
• Do not avoid them; to the contrary, reach out to them and love them.
• Do include them in church programs and activities, being mindful that divorced Christians are often overlooked.
• Do remember to include them when you pray.
• Do extend fellowship and hospitality to them.

God loves and cares for sparrows and says His children, all His children, are of much more value than those birds (Lk. 12:6-7).  Some of our most talented, useful, and caring Christians just happen to have been divorced.  Let us determine to show them that we know such a fact does not negate their value to the kingdom of God.  In some circumstances, it may increase that value.