Category: Uncategorized

Neal Pollard

Jake drove over to the next county to buy a new bull for the farm. It cost more than expected, and he was left with only one dollar. This was a problem since he needed to let his wife know that he’d bought the bull so she could come get it with the truck–and telegrams cost a dollar a word. He thought for a while and said, “Go ahead and just make it this one word: comfortable.”  “How’s that going to get your point across?” asked the clerk. “Don’t worry,” said Jake.  “Sue’s not the greatest reader. She’ll say it real slow” (via THE FURROW, March 2010, p. 28).

How is your communication in marriage?  Do you know your mate well enough to know how best to give and receive messages? Sometimes we get so comfortable that we begin to make assumptions about what our spouse knows and understands.  How can we dwell together in knowledge without making the investment in one another, an investment that includes time, talking, and attention (cf. 1 Pet. 3:7)? Such biblical mandates as “love” (Eph. 5:25; Ti. 2:4) and “submission” (Eph. 5:22-24) cannot be properly obeyed without knowing one another and communicating.

We should be comfortable with each other, at ease and not on pins and needles in a marriage.  How miserable that must be!  Yet, when comfortable means presumption and assumption we may be in more trouble than a man with a bull and no way to get him home!  Let’s become comfortable with communicating.

Neal Pollard

Since arriving in Jasper, Alabama, on Saturday, I have been treated to speckled butter beans, the tastiest green beans, pinto beans, and a variety of delicious beans and peas. Yet, the piece de resistance was lovingly laid on the potluck table in the Curry church of Christ building last evening undoubtedly by some angel of whom I am as yet unaware. There was a dish of “white acre peas.” For the uninitiated, these scrumptious delicacies are in the cow pea and butter pea family and are also known as Lady Cream. They are very considerate plants, growing so quickly that you don’t need to weed them and they grow plentifully–just not anywhere outside the very deep south.

My wife and I used to eat those glorious peas at least once a week. We never knew a day would come when we could not buy them on demand. They were cheap, easy to cook, and tasty. Now, many years removed from our days as newlyweds in Livingston, Alabama, we still occasionally mention the good old days eating white acre peas.

I find it interesting that we were created with that ability to remember and long for something that comparatively small and simple. Reminiscing is a trait unique to humans among all creation. Longing for the past implies intelligence.

How many feel a spiritual longing that has long since evaded them? Perhaps it was a time when they were happy, faithfully serving God and productively serving Him. Maybe it was a time before they fell into a lifestyle of sin. It could have been back to a time of innocence. The hollowness left by such a longing infinitely eclipses any other kind of yearning for the past. David expresses it well in repenting of his horrific behavior with Bathsheba and disposal of Uriah, saying, “Restore unto me the joy of Your salvation” (Psalm 51:12a). Israel felt it in Babylon, when asked to sing the songs of their homeland and past (Psalm 137:3-4). So many, long since ravaged by the effects of their sins, may feel that the goodness of their past is gone forever. Yet, I know many who have come home and through determined faithfulness have found the joy of their salvation returned to them. Remember, we serve a God of hope (Rom. 15:13). He sent Christ to suffer, die, and rise again so we could experience the realization of that hope! Do not let that be in vain for your life!

Neal Pollard

The story is told of a poor old Indian who walked into a Western military camp to beg for food.  They found suspended from his neck a locket, inside of which they found a piece of paper containing his honorable discharge from the U.S. Army.  The paper, entitling him to a pension, was signed by none other than George Washington.  Perhaps because not many native Americans actually enlisted individually to fight as soldiers in the Revolutionary War, this old vet may have been unaware of procedure and protocol or of the value of that piece of paper which he likely could not read.  He was entitled to what the Government had to offer, but he did not know to ask.  Thus, rather than having his needs supplied, he was severely deprived.

However sad and tragic this man’s story seems, how many children of God entitled to the privileges of strength and help from prayer, Bible study, and Christian fellowship find themselves spiritually starving, alone, and struggling?  God is their Father.  Jesus is their elder Brother.  All spiritual blessings are theirs.  Yet, they do not seek and ask.  How sad that there are Christians with access to all the help of heaven who have chosen to be lonely beggars!  May we live up to that worthy name and life into which we were called when we were baptized into Christ.

Neal Pollard

As one who could not be more creeped out by snakes, I was thrilled for my sons to tell me what was the deadliest snake in the world.  The Inland Taipan, native to Australia, is the most venomous land snake on earth, and it has the most toxic venom known to exist.  Yet, it is a shy snake, not known to be aggressive toward humans.  Far more people die from cobras, rattlesnakes, and mambas (!) than reclusive, though deadly, snakes like the Taipan, the boomslang, and the tiger snake.

Mike O’Shea, author of Venemous Snakes of the World, was interviewed by Princeton University Press, and in the course of the conversation he mentioned many of the fables and myths about treating poisonous snake bites that actually do more harm than good.  He listed tourniquets, razor-cuts, venom extractors, and herbal, magical, or traditional treatments, and all of us have heard of some or all of these suggested “cures,” as wrong ways to treat such a bite.  Then he said what was most effective: keep the bite area and the victim still, keep the victim awake and as reassured as possible, keep pressure on neurotoxic bites, keep the airways clear, and perform CPR as needed.  Obviously, in all cases, the biggest, best thing to do is get the victim medical help and get a description of the offender if unable to kill and bring it with you and the victim to the hospital.

The Bible calls the devil “the serpent of old” (Rev. 12:9; 20:2).  It also draws some correlation between the serpent and the devil in 2 Corinthians 11:3, 13-14 (deceiving and craftiness).  Most feel certain that the devil was involved in the Eden events in which a serpent beguiled Eve.  Likening the work and effects of the devil to that of a deadly snake is not a stretch.

If a species of snake enjoyed in physical terms the success the devil enjoys in spiritual terms, every health and emergency services agency in every nation around the world would rise up today and make its eradication their top priority.  They would not rest until this creature was fought and defeated.  To say they would be diligent would be to grossly understate the matter.

Yet, the devil is inserting his toxic poison into the hearts of willing victims every second of time.  If only the worst he could do was kill the body.  He is ruining souls (cf. 2 Tim. 2:25-26), which impacts eternity.

We should avoid places where he is likely to be (1 The. 5:22).  We should take precautions (1 Pet. 5:8).  We should know his habits and methods (2 Cor. 2:11).  We should fight him (1 Pet. 5:9; Js. 4:8; Eph. 6:11).

If we are “bitten” by him, we need to seek help, being reassured that Christ has the power to heal us if we properly treat the “wound.”  As scary as the devil can seem, God is more powerful.  We have the help of others at our disposal, but more importantly we have God’s help and His cure is 100% successful if applied.

Neal Pollard

As one who runs with an ipod when not running with Bob Turner, I was riveted by this headline.  Running certainly has its hazards, but never has aircraft been one of them.  But, that is exactly what caused the death of Robert Gary Jones who was running on the beach on Hilton Head Island, South Carolina.  The 38 year old husband who was the father of two apparently never heard the single-engine plane, which had lost its propeller, as it made an emergency landing on the beach.  The pilot had engine troubles and was trying to get to the Hilton Head airport.  The coroner’s office said that this type of plane, an Experimental Lancair IV-P, is so quiet that Jones might not have heard it even without the earphones (news information via WTOC.com).

Whenever such a random, tragic act occurs, we are baffled.  It certainly points out that life could not be more uncertain and we cannot possibly anticipate the future (cf. Jas. 4:13). We might be tempted to wonder what this man did wrong to die such an unlikely death.  Jones may have been an evil man, but he could just as easily have been an upstanding citizen and model husband and father.

Jesus warns against such thinking that would see this as an act of divine judgment or punishment.  Luke 13:1-5 says, “Now on the same occasion there were some present who reported to Him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mixed with their sacrifices. And Jesus said to them,’Do you suppose that these Galileans were greater sinners than all other Galileans because they suffered this fate? I tell you, no, but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish. Or do you suppose that those eighteen on whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed them were worse culprits than all the men who live in Jerusalem? I tell you, no, but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.’”   His message is universal in scope.  Everybody has the same individual responsibility.  We must live holy lives, repenting of the sin in our lives.  We may suffer some terrible earthly tragedy that is in no way brought on by our own sinfulness.  In a fallen world, these kinds of things occasionally happen.  Our task is to live ready for eternity in every moment!

Neal Pollard

In Kent, England, you can go to “Digger World,” and enjoy and even reenact your favorite parts of the Bob The Builder show and books.  Or if you prefer a Buddhist-themed amusement park, you might try Suoi Tien Park in Vietnam–complete with waterfalls coming out a sage’s beard or an aerial bicycle ride over a lake filled with 1,500 crocodiles.  What fun!  If in the Baltic region, try “Stalin World.” This is Lithuania’s attempt to remind people of the dark days of Communism.  You can even be interrogated by a KGB officer and wear a gas mask!  America is not exempt from eclectic amusement parks, as New York’s Coney Island that perhaps enjoyed its heydays in the heart of the 20th Century.  Freak shows and side shows aplenty give Coney Island its offbeat reputation (information from travel.yahoo.com).

People find the strangest things to amuse themselves.  Back in the period of the Judges, the Philistines found a deadly means of “amusing themselves.”  It was the Samson Show they all came out to see, the last thing 3,000 of them ever witnessed.  Do you ever wonder what they tried to get Samson to do or why they thought that trotting out the formerly strong, now blinded judge would be amusing?  Their amusement became their annihilation (see Judges 16:25-30).

God created us intelligent beings, and with that endowed us with creativity, inquisitiveness, aesthetic appreciation, ingenuity, and the like.  Put another way, we often enjoy being amused.  It might be a funny comedian or movie, a hobby, books and literature, or any number of similar things.  Amusement can be a great way to cope with the often painful realities of life.

Yet, let us keep something in mind about the ways we amuse ourselves.  God has guidelines that govern such things.  Beware any amusements that pander to the lusts of the flesh and detract from our cultivation of the fruit of the Spirit (cf. Gal. 5:19-23).  If we are amused by the sinful, the smutty, and the suggestive things of life, we are setting ourselves up for a more terrible end than that experienced by Samson’s tormentors.  There is nothing in the world worth our embracing it to the loss of our own soul (cf. Matt. 16:26).  Enjoy life!  Have fun!  But avoid anything that will drive a wedge between you and God because that’s not funny!

Neal Pollard

I am aware of the financial crisis still gripping our nation, leaving so many of our brothers and sisters unemployed and facing grim prospects for finding a new job.  The moral downturn in our country continues its frightening slide, with homes disintegrating and values regarding sexuality, character, and community eroding.  War, atrocities, and even natural disasters are leaving a social, economic, and moral crater on the global landscape.

While not minimizing the reality of all of this, I could not think of a better time or brighter future.  This morning, Brian Wilkie is going to deliver, on behalf of the elders, the plan of work for this congregation as it relates both to the budget and our non-monetary commitments.  While what you will see will be radically different from our mode of operation in the past, you will leave this morning thinking that nothing could be more New Testament and, thus, biblical.  In fact, I suggest that what the elders challenge us with today will pave the way for such growth and opportunity as we could have only dreamed of in our most outlandish hopes.  This eldership is committed to shepherding the way outlined in scripture.  Our deacons are committed to carrying the workload and enlisting our aid as members.  We want to grow and we want to honor Christ’s authority and Lordship.  Because this is true and because the elders are outlining a tangible plan for this, we will embark starting today upon some incredibly exciting times!  I hope you are committed to making this journey as Brian, Clint, Mark, and Maynard lead us forward to a faith-filled, fertile future!

Neal Pollard

Paul says that in Ephesians 4:27.  It is a succinct imperative in the midst of several in the context, sandwiched between the call to control your anger and do not steal.  In a series of specific sins, there is this general principle.  But what a powerful principle it is.  We surely cannot give him a foothold, but Paul says not to even give him a toehold.  He will settle for any small crack where he can set up shop and do his thing.

While this command seems tied to the one on anger, it is a general rule needed in any circumstance.  If you let his worldview and mindset taint a single thought, color a single word, lace a single moment of anger, settle onto a single action, it can unleash an avalanche of consequences whether immediately or ultimately.  History has proven him to be patient and certainly wiley (cf. 2 Cor. 2:11), but undoubtedly he’s dangerous (1 Pet. 5:8).  Given even the slightest opportunity, he can wreak havoc in one’s life.  Do not give the devil an opportunity!

Neal Pollard

Villanova. Kansas. Kentucky. Syracuse. Duke. Ohio State.

Robert Morris. Montana. Wofford. North Texas. Oakland. Northern Iowa.

Mid-majors.  Bracket busters.  Automatic bids.  Giant killers.  Buzzer beaters.

It has its own vocabulary and persona.  The NCAA basketball tournament is one of the sports highlights of my year.  I especially love the potential upsets in the first and second rounds.  Sometimes, a Cinderella team will “dance” into the Sweet Sixteen or Elite Eight. Many of us will fill out brackets and try to predict all the winners and the ultimate winner.  There are so many fascinating team and individual stories along the road to the Final Four.

I cannot see where it is bad to have intense interest, even passion, for something like “March Madness.”  We may live vicariously through the younger, more athletic and skilled players we see on the screen.  We may enjoy the suspense, the intense, and the defense.

But, may our greater passion and pleasure be in serving our Lord.  May we never have our heads so stuck “down here” that we forget about what we should be doing “out there” and preparing to live “up there.”  Nothing should capture a bigger place in our heart that “the kingdom of God and His righteousness” (Matt. 6:33).  It should be a daily madness, not confined to a calendar or a season.  Faithful, dedicated, and loyal service should dominate our interest and longing.  May our greatest zeal be in serving Christ, trying to get ourselves and others there with us (cf. Titus 2:11-14).

Neal Pollard

In Luke nine, the inspired doctor writes about a certain group of Samaritan villagers who would not show hospitality to Jesus and His disciples.  This did not sit well with James and John, who asked Christ, “Lord, do You want us to command fire to come down from heaven and consume them?” (9:54).  They probably did not expect that the Lord would rebuke them for having such an idea, but He did.

What made these sons of thunder think of fire?  Earlier in the chapter, the brothers had met Elijah up on the mount of transfiguration (30-34).  There’s good reason to believe that the route they were taking back to Jerusalem would have put Mount Carmel in view on the horizon.  Recently, they had heard the discussion about who people thought Jesus was and the mention of Elijah (19).  Elijah could well have been very much on their minds!  Elijah was a man who you would associate with fire.  He prayed for God to send fire upon his evening offering to prove Jehovah to be the only true God (1 Kings 18:38; Elijah killed the 450 false prophets of Baal for good measure).  In 2 Kings 1, Elijah sat upon a hill and sent word back to Ahaziah that he would die of his illness since he prayed to Baal-zebub rather than the true God.  Ahaziah sent three companies of 50 soldiers up the hill to bring Elijah down to the wicked king, and Elijah called down fire from heaven to kill the first two captains and their fifty men.  In 2 Kings two, Elijah is carried to heaven by a chariot and horses of fire (11).

James and John were probably, as good Jews, students of Old Testament history.  They knew how God had acted against the wickedness of those in Old Testament times.  It is not implausible that they were hoping for a similar showing from God.

It is interesting that Jesus, who came to earth to show us the Father (cf. John 14:9), did not share their desire for fiery vengeance on that occasion.  Why? He says, “The Son of Man did not come to destroy men’s lives, but to save them” (9:56).  The Samaritans were part of those whom He came to save.  He tells the disciples to take the gospel to the Samaritans (Acts 1:8).  Ironically, John would go with Peter to the Samaritans to do “follow up” work with the new Christians there (Acts 8:14).

Maybe James and John wrestled with the nationalism that infected so many of their contemporaries.  Maybe they saw Samaritans as worthless people, worthy of fire for even the slightest slights and fractional infractions.  But, Jesus saw them as souls to be saved.

Do the atheists, false world religionists, and all others in error draw your ire and contempt as they flaunt God’s Word?  What would you have God to do with them?  I will tell you what He wants us to do with them.  Share the good news of grace and the hope of salvation.  Most will reject it, maybe even laughing you and God to scorn.  But some will change!  Through us, they can escape the fire (Matt. 25:41)!

Neal Pollard

On Sunday, March 8, Sandra Bullock won an Oscar as best actress for her role in the movie “The Blind Side.”  She turned in a riveting, convincing performance as a gritty, determined mom from the deep south (I say as the son of a southern mom).  The night before, however, she received the dubious distinction of earning a “Razzie.”  The Razzie  is given for awful performances or movies, and Bullock got hers for starring in the box office bomb, “All About Steve.”  Asked about being the only person in history to win an Oscar and Razzie in the same year, Bullock said, “You take the good with the not so good.”  She also said, “It probably means more because it happened at the same time, because it’s the great equalizer. Nothing ever lets me get too full of myself.”  She mentioned that she’d probably put both awards side by side, though the Razzie might sit  on a different, lower shelf (Bruce Kirkland, “Calgary Sun,” 3/8/10).

You and I will not likely find ourselves on as big a “stage” as Ms. Bullock.  Our work may not draw such public praise or put downs, but we are all subject to both.  Now, we may wish that all we ever drew was accolades and honors for what we do.  And, who gets warm and fuzzy about being criticized?  But, if you ever amount to anything or hope to contribute anything of significance to society, community, or the church, you will get some thumbs up and some thumbs down.  Don’t let that cripple you or move you to self-pity.  Don’t get angry and quit your involvement just because not every word is a word of commendation.  In this matter, Bullock is right.  It’s good to have the razzies to keep us humble, to build our determination to do better, and to keep us grounded.  While we all need recognition to keep encouraged (and should remember that in doing all we can to encourage others), life cannot consist of just that.  Jesus said, “Woe to you when all men speak well of you, for their fathers used to treat the false prophets in the same way” (Lk. 6:26).  Build character and resilience when you are hero or goat.

Neal Pollard

An honest searcher.  A loving brother.  A diligent disciple, taking seriously and personally the Great Commission.  When that is taken together, the result is exciting and a tribute to why we must keep sharing the good news.

Kathy Phelan obeyed the gospel last night after services.  That is wonderful news, but you might ask “who” she is.  She was immersed in Denver, Colorado, a fact made more incredible when you consider that she makes her home in North Miami, Florida.  She boarded a plane with her 22 year old son to come see her brother and to put on Christ as her Lord in baptism.

She was searching for truth.  Her brother, Michael Hite, had been telling her about the profound difference Christ and His church has made in his life.  He had told her this a decade and a half ago, but she was not yet ready at that point in her life to accept what he had accepted.  Yet, through the marvels of the internet and Facebook, Mike and Kathy had reconnected on this matter.  She was open.  My wife, Kathy, began talking with her through Facebook.  Soon, they were studying by phone for a couple of hours each week.  Eventually, Mike’s sister came to an understanding of what she needed to do to be saved.  She also wanted to see the brother who had first told her about God’s plan of salvation, so she and her son got on a plane yesterday and came to Colorado.

Do you see what was needed?  Someone to search.  Someone to share.  Someone to teach.  If one is honestly searching, he or she will find someone to share.  If one is dedicated to sharing, he or she will help someone searching.  If one is willing to teach, he or she will reach someone searching.  Jesus said, “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst after righteousness, for they shall be satisfied” (Matt. 5:6).  Ask Kathy Phelan how she feels today!  Paul said, “Now he who plants and he who waters are one; but each will receive his own reward according to his own labor” (1 Cor. 3:8).  Enjoy your reward, Kathy, Mike and Kathy.  To God be the glory!

Neal Pollard

It’s census time, 2010 version.  USA Today reports that “multiracial” is no longer a box choice for census takers to check.  While one can choose from “white, black, American Indian or Alaska native, Asian, Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander, and ‘some other race'” and there is a question about whether or not one is Hispanic, there is no longer a box for those who are multi-ethnic.  There are only two questions about ethnicity on the census.  Compared to previous censuses, this constitutes a decreased interest in such matters (3/3/10, A1-2).  As one with multiple multi-ethnic relatives, I appreciate that.  Christians are to be color-blind, so such distinctions should never matter to us.

Ephesians 2 said as much 2,000 years ago.  It does not matter if you are Jew or Gentile.  Such distinctions are erased in Christ (see also Gal. 3:24ff).  Christians all comprise one body in Christ, being reconciled by the same cleansing blood.  On the greatest day of reckoning, we can be certain that one’s race will not be a matter of importance to the King of kings.  What people have done in their bodies, whatever the color, is what will matter (cf. 2 Cor. 5:10).  While we still live in a world filled with racial strife and division, Christians should never pay attention to that.  Instead, we should be striving to win those of every race so that they can become part of the “chosen race” (1 Pet. 2:9).

Neal Pollard

No sooner had I told Kathy that flight travel was going smoother than usual than I boarded my plane from Minneapolis to Memphis only to find that the plane was grounded with mechanical issues.  What followed was a lengthy phone call to Delta, a rebooking on a later flight, and the knowledge that I was now going to get much better acquainted with the Minneapolis airport (my FINAL destination is Montgomery, AL).  I felt a brief twinge of aggravation at the change of my luck, especially since I was scheduled to speak to the students of Faulkner University at their campus wide devotion tonight.  That’s “iffy” right now.

We are not a culture accustomed to being made to wait nor one who pleasantly endures a change of plans and delays.  Instant gratification commands a quick and easy solution to our quandaries.  Perhaps it is the feeling of helplessness that we are powerless to change our circumstances, dependent upon the efforts of others to help us.  Perhaps it is our schedule-oriented nature, as we pack eighteen things into our twenty-four hours.  Perhaps it is the feeling that we are entitled to have things go smoothly, either because we work hard, we are doing something important, or we eschew inconvenience.  But, sometimes we have to wait.  At times, no amount or degree of complaining changes that.

What do you do when you are “stuck in a holding pattern”?  Make good use of the time (cf. Eph. 5:16) and the opportunity (Col. 4:5).  Shine the light (Matt. 5:14-16), making sure you do nothing to repel people from Christ but rather drawing all men to Him (John 12:32).  Be pleasant and cognizant of the transcendent peace you have by being in Him.  And always stick to the pattern of holding to Him!

Neal Pollard

The main runway at JFK International Airport was closed today and will remain closed for four months while it is repaved in more durable concrete.  This timeframe was selected because that is when New York typically experiences its driest weather.  Delays are already synonymous with this airport.  This is one of the longest commercial runways in the world, even serving as the backup landing spot for the space shuttle.  Being in the eastern time zone, delays at JFK often mean delays at airports from coast to coast.  The repair work will also mean a ten percent cut in number of seats sold through JFK, which will mean higher airfare.  It will cause a routing dilemmas for air traffic controllers at the huge airport not to mention complicating the work of those who create the various routes for the airlines.

Obviously, infrastructure repairs cannot wait and the plan being utilized is designed to do in four months what could take as long as two years.  However, that will be small consolation to those whose airport occupation will be complicated by the work or passengers experiencing lengthier delays at JFK.  It is a testimony to how that for every action, there is usually an excessive and opposite reaction.

So are the days of our lives!  We are leaving ripple effects by the decisions we make.  Poor influence, sinful choices, and selfish motivations negatively impact those whose lives we touch.  Likewise, kind words, encouragement, sharing the gospel, demonstrations of love and service, these things can have such a durable, profound impact for good upon those over whom we exert influence.  It can be so difficult to weigh out every word and action, but such introspection and self-examination can prevent undesirable ripple effects upon the lives of others.  Let us remember the inspired wisdom of Paul:  “Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life” (Gal. 6:7-8).

Neal Pollard

Hooray for the good guys!  I am excited for Scott Phillips and Frank Rodriguez and the door of opportunity God seems to be opening to them.  For Bread readers who don’t know, Scott is one of our Bear Valley deacons.  Frank serves the Lord with the Castle Rock, CO, congregation.  Individually, they are great, productive servants of God with loving, supportive, and active families.  Together, they are:  “FRANKY AND MR. SCOTT.”  They have worked in our Bible Discovery Days the last few years and do the same with congregations in this area each year.  Mr. Scott is the straight man, carrying the story lines along.  Franky, a pint size puppet with big ideas and unanticipated takes on Mr. Scott’s Bible stories, is the funny, um, “kid.”

Since last year, they have been sharing their talents via You Tube and their website (www.frankyandmrscott.com).  Now, in 2010, Focus Press is replicating and distributing their first DVD: “Night, Night With Franky.”  It is being sold for $12 per copy, making it an absolute bargain.  Since Barnes and Noble now carry “Think” magazine, Scott and Frank will have the opportunity to impact and reach non-Christians and even unbelievers along with members of the Lord’s church.  You can order directly from focuspress.org.

What is your dream?  Scott and Frank are Christian men who have been successful out in the secular world, but they have wanted to use their talents to serve the Lord in some way.  Who knows the good they will ultimately do because they dared to dream, then pursue it!  Men, thank you for the example and for your great faith.  We pray that your success will multiply and that souls will be added to the church through these efforts.  Let us all focus on our dreams for helping to build a great church and reaching out to the lost.

Neal Pollard

They say it was chilling shades of Columbine 11 years ago, when a scruffy looking 32-year-old man with black, stringy hair opened fire at Deer Creek Middle School and wounded two junior high students.  While suspect Bo Eastwood was reloading, Dr. David Benke, a long-time math teacher who was on after school bus and playground patrol, tackled him.  It was an unfair match, though Benke is considerably older than Eastwood.  He also towered over him, a former basketball player and almost six and a half feet tall.  Benke remained calm, humble, and very matter of fact about the whole thing as he was interviewed by the media.  Some Chatfield High School students created a Facebook page entitled, “Dr. David Benke is a hero!!!!”  As of this writing, about 20,000 people have joined less than 24 hours after the shooting.  People want heroes and Benke is a good fit.  There’s the gentle, sure demeanor that quickly restored calm in a terrifying situation.  There’s the willingness and ability to sacrifice himself to save others.  As one of the page creators put it, “There was a shooting at deer creek middle school and Dr. David Benke, a math teacher there, tackled the shooter.  He has my respect all the way.”

Though it is awful that such a shooting occurred, it is hopeful and refreshing to see especially young people targeting a man like Benke as a hero.  With the Tiger Woods scandal still fresh on our minds, with sports stars, actors, models, politicians, and the like all too often disappointing and antiheroic, Benke is a great stand in for what qualifies for heroism–selflessness, loyalty, determination, and right actions.

It also reminds me of a song that was in the Songs of the Church songbook, written by Claude T. Lynn.

Why should I not love Jesus? Jesus who died for me!

Why should I not adore Him, Hero of Calvary.

Why should I not love Jesus? Lost and alone was I;

In His great love He saved me, lifted my soul on high.

Why should I not love Jesus? One day He’ll come for me;

Oh, I shall share His glory for all eternity.

While I am grateful for earthly heroes, how I am reminded that as a Christian I have a completely perfect, powerful, and pure hero in Jesus.  May I never neglect to look up to Him.

Neal Pollard

I have collected baseball cards since I was a boy.  I own a Mike Kekich and a Fritz Peterson baseball card; at least I will until I get home and thrown them in the garbage.  Over the weekend, I heard on ESPN news that Matt Damon and Ben Affleck are doing a movie to portray the story of the two pitchers’ decision to “swap lives” during the 1973 baseball season.  Apparently, they exchanged wives, children, houses and cars.  I am not old enough to remember anything that happened in 1973 and somehow I had managed to remain blissfully ignorant of this black eye in sports and societal history.  Now, Hollywood is going to make a movie about it.  I cannot help but be concerned that the story will be sympathetic and nonjudgmental in tone and message.  There is much renewed interest in the 37 year old scandal as Peterson released a book last year, “Mickey Mantle Is Going To Heaven,” which is, ironically, very religious in tone and discusses several things including the famous “trade.”

The 1960s ushered in some moral changes that still negatively impact our culture today.  Sexual degradation was definitely a hallmark trait of the times and the bar continues to be lowered.  While Peterson and Kekich’s wife have remained married for 35 years (the other pair did not remain together long), it is a poignant reminder that time and reformation of life without true repentance does not equal forgiveness.  It also is a reflection on what kind of things are the object of fascination with worldly institutions like the media.  Perhaps there was a time in the national consciousness where the nation’s conscience would not have been so seared as it is today.  There was moral outrage among the average person when this news originally broke, but so much polluted water has gone under the bridge since then that it may be hard for a significant percentage of people to blush about the wickedness of such an act.

God has unchanging standards and principles about matters that govern such things as marriage, sexual purity, and chaste behavior.  Matthew 19:9 still reads, essentially, “One husband, one wife, for life, except for fornication.” Romans 7:1-4 would had the additional exception of the death of one’s mate freeing the survivor to remarry so long as the one to remarry is marriageable in His eyes.  The Bible still says, “Marriage is honorable among all, and the bed undefiled; but fornicators and adulterers God will judge” (Heb. 13:4).  Galatians 5:19-21 still says that those who practice fornication and adultery will not inherit the kingdom of heaven.  The wrath of God will still come upon those guilty of the disobedience of fornication, impurity, passion, evil desire, and greed (Col. 3:5).  Sexual immorality is still “deserving of death” at the judgment (Rom. 1:29,32).  Up to the present, we are still to “put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill its lusts” (13:14).

May we never idealize, glamorize, or immortalize sin.  May we disdain it and not rationalize it.  May we take pity on, embrace, and love sinners while maintaining a spiritually healthy distaste for sin in any form.

(Facts from New York Times online article, 9/18/09)

Neal Pollard

That was Phillip Woolley’s Facebook status last night at 9:39 PM.  I knew what he meant because I was watching the Olympics.  The incredible thing is that Phillip posted it after White had completed his first halfpipe performance in which judges awarded him a score of 46.8 out of 50.  By the time the other 11 boarders had finished their second run, White’s gold medal was secure.  He had no reason to do a second run.  He had no reason except something called a “Double McTwist 1260,” a White creation.  He was seen conferring with coaches about whether or not he should go back out there, and in the end he did.  Risking nothing but his health, White hit the halfpipe.  The last move at the end of the run was an attempt at that signature, never-before-executed (in formal competition) move.  When he came down intact and slid out of the culvert, he was the undisputed king of his sport.  Judges agreed, giving him a nearly perfect score of 48.4.

What motivates you?  Certainly, some are moved by fame and glory.  Others simply have a tangible, challenging goal and they drive themselves relentlessly toward its realization.  But it is uncommon for someone who has nothing to prove to pursue the goal of getting closer to perfection.

The church is blessed with some high-achieving people, five talent men and women who have done much in evangelism, edification, giving, missions, and service to help the church grow in strength and number.  In the last 50 to 100 years, brethren have achieved great heights in preaching, Christian education, soul-winning, media outreach, and much more.  It is thrilling to be part of a divine organization on earth ever reaching toward new heights.  What will motivate us to do more and greater things?  Let it be a desire to move toward perfection and maturity (Heb. 6:1).  Let it be a drive for growth in every good way (2 Pet. 3:18; Eph. 4:15; Col. 2:19; etc.).  Let it be a dissatisfaction with anything less than our best (Col. 3:23).  We are not after fame and glory on this earth.  We are after the crown of life (Jas. 1:12; Rev. 2:10).  Christian living.  Nuff said!