Honor For The Fallen

I received the following in an email this morning and wanted to share it with you. The article and the pictures that follow (they are related in topic but not the same event) speak for themselves. Last week, while traveling to Chicago on business, I noticed a Marine sergeant traveling with a folded flag, but did not put two and two together. After we'd boarded our flight, I turned to the sergeant, who'd been invited to sit in First Class (and was seated across from me), and inquired if he was heading home. "No," he responded. "Heading out?" I asked. "No. I'm escorting a soldier home." "Going to pick him up?" "No. He is with me right now. He was killed in Iraq. I'm taking him home to his family." The realization of what he had been asked to do hit me like a punch to the gut. It was an honor for him. He told me that, although he didn't know the soldier, he had delivered the news of his passing to the soldier's family and felt as if he did know them after so many conversations in so few days. I turned back to him, extended my hand, and said, "Thank you. Thank you for doing what you do so my family and I can do what we do." Upon landing in Chicago the pilot stopped short of the gate and made the following announcement over the intercom. "Ladies and gentlemen, I would like to note that we have had the honor of having Sergeant Steeley of theUnited States Marine Corps join us on this flight. He is escorting a fallen comrade back home to his family. I ask that you please remain in your seats when we open the forward door [so as to] allow Sergeant Steeley to deplane and receive his fellow soldier. We will then turn off the seat belt sign." Without a sound, all went as requested. I noticed the sergeant saluting the casket as it was brought off the plane, and his action made me realize that I am proud to be an American. So here's a public thank-you to our military for doing what you do so we can live the way we do. Stuart Margel, Washington, D.C.

Todd Heisler The Rocky Mountain News

The night before the burial of her husband's body, Katherine Cathey refused to leave the casket, asking to sleep next to his body for the last time. The Marines made a bed for her, tucking in the sheets below the flag. Before she fell asleep, she opened her laptop computer and played songs that reminded her of 'Cat,' and one of the Marines asked if she wanted them to continue standing watch as she slept. "I think it would be kind of nice if you kept doing it," she said. "I think that's what he would have wanted."

Be Faithful Even If It Means Death

Who or what would you be willing to die for? Family? Friends? Your country? Anything else? Is there a cause you champion and support that would be worthy of your death? One of the seven churches addressed by Jesus in the Book of Revelation is the church in Smyrna. This group of Christians was suffering and had lost allot as a result of their decision to follow Jesus. The future doesn't look that bright either, Jesus says there is more suffering to come. Prison for some, maybe even death. "Do not be afraid of what you are about to suffer. I tell you, the devil will put some of you in prison to test you, and you will suffer persecution for ten days. Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you the crown of life." Rev. 2:10 NIV When we experience suffering we are seldom given insight as to why, how long and the outcome, but that is not the case here. Jesus spells out the what, the how long, and the why of the suffering this church was about to experience. Maybe we can see an answer to our own questions in the answers given to them. Prison, beatings even to the point of death - Why? - "to test you." You see the test doesn't come at judgment. We are in the middle of the test today and every day. You just get the results at judgment. But maybe the greater lesson here is that Jesus uses Satan to strengthen His Church! What Satan uses to destroy us, God uses to build us. How long would they have to endure this? - "ten days". The number ten is a number signifying completeness. In other words the length would be no longer than necessary for the test to serve its purpose. It would not be beyond their ability to deal with. God is in control here - don't forget that. What would be the result of passing the test or faithfulness? Faithfulness will bring a crown of life. It may come as a result of the suffering, it may come at the end of the journey when the suffering is a distant memory, but come it will. You have the word of God on it! Even when to all who look on we appear to have lost all, we win. Be faithful, EVEN to the point of death. Folks, this is serious business that we are about. If you doubt that, just ask those Christian in Smyrna.

Posture Optional

I am guessing that it has been a while since you have seen someone kneel in prayer during a church service - unless you are Catholic. I grew up in a small congregations and their were a couple men that I remember kneeling when they prayed. One of them was brother Billingsley. He was in his late 70’s and when called on to pray (very spontaneous, no prior warning) you could hear him making his way to one knee on those hard wood floors between creaky old wood pews. Though the building was small, it was still hard to hear the prayer, but no one complained. Everyone respected brother Billingsley's walk with the Lord. It was not an uncommon site back then to see men go to their knee(s) in prayer. A while back we were given that option during prayer and I moved from my seat to kneel while we were led in prayer. When I took my seat again beside my grand son Lukas he ask me, "Papa, what were you doing?" After I explained that I was praying, I reflected on how much we have lost in not continuing the tradition of kneeling to pray. The Bible is filled with examples of people kneeling or prostrating themselves before the Lord in prayer. And yet today it has become odd and even weird to see. I know that the important posture takes place in the heart. I know that you don’t "have" to kneel to prayer. I led prayer at Madison Sunday and gave permission for it to be "posture optional." Our seating is not conducive to allow allot of people to kneel, but when the opportunity is given, there are always folks from all over the building that will kneel. When you picture people from the scripture praying, what posture do you see? Sometimes it is stated, other times not, but for the most part I see them either kneeling or prostrated before God. These are postures of respect, submission, awe and humility. As I reflect back on my grand son’s question above, I also see them as postures that teach those qualities by example. I tend to think that one day when we see Jesus and the Father face to face, it will not be "posture optional". In the presence of Holiness I will fall down and get just as close to the ground as possible. "In a loud voice they sang: "Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and praise!" Then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all that is in them, singing: "To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be praise and honor and glory and power, for ever and ever!" The four living creatures said, "Amen," and the elders fell down and worshipped". Rev. 5:12-14 NIV

Yearn For The Vast And Endless Sea

"If you want to build a ship, don’t drum up the men to gather wood, divide the work, and give orders. Instead, teach them to yearn for the vast and endless sea." Fred Peatross. People tend to be idealistic and are driven by a vision. Maybe some where in those two statements is the key to understanding why so few in the Body do little more than show up from time to time at a worship service. Some of it has to do with an incomplete understanding of what God has done for us. Some of it has to do with motivation. But I think that maybe, just maybe, the real key is that those who lead us have not taught us to "yearn for the vast and endless sea". We have not been led to see the dream of God. We have not been taught the inner joy and motivation of a human heart committed totally to the cause of the one willing to die on a Cross rather than disappoint His Father. We have been taught what we "ought" to do. We have sometimes been challenged. We have been preached to and chided for our lack of devotion and love for the Lord. We have been made to feel guilty and unworthy . We have often been exhorted to gather wood, divide the work and go to work, but seldom have we been taught of yearn for the vast and endless sea. The creator of the Universe is at work in our world and He bids us join Him. Wow! That is so amazing.

Pictures From Saturday's "Uncle Phil's Diner."

Amber Stacey is a professional photographer that worships at Madison. She has pictures from Saturday evening's performance of "Uncle Phil's Diner" posted on her website. Take a look! Link now works, sorry about that.

Sunday Reflections

Our normal attendance at Madison is around 1800 to 2000 each week. Last Sunday’s attendance was over 3200. No doubt many were there for the Passion Drama, because it was Easter, and as guests of our members. Uncle Phil’s Diner has almost sold out. There are two remaining performances this coming Friday and Saturday. Last Friday and Saturday were sold out and both evenings an extra table was added to accommodate those who had not purchased tickets in advance. Why am I tell you this? Well, I am proud of this group of God’s people. Both the Passion Drama and Uncle Phil’s Diner were designed to tell the Gospel story and reach out to those who do not know the one who has changed our lives and our forever. We watched Jonas Weathers do a wonderful portrayal of Jesus in the Passion last Sunday, and on Friday night we watched him wail on a Sax and sing 50’s hits like the professional musician* he is. What a contrast!. Let me ask you a question. Could you invasion Jesus playing a Sax and enjoying Himself in a rock and roll band? For some folks that would be a stretch, but for those who really understand His mission - a piece of cake. The humanity of Jesus could be seen in more than his physical make up, it was seen in the places He went and the pure enjoyment He brought to those He touched. The increase in attendance last Sunday means that a lot of people were touched with the heart and soul of what we are about, that are not normally being reached. Many visitors have also seen Christians having fun, laughing and going a little nuts at Uncle Phil’s Diner. Both views of Jesus and His followers are important. Barb invited one of her co-workers to Friday’s Uncle Phil’s program. T, I will call her, would not have accepted an invitation to a church service or a Bible study. She had a blast and loved the performance. She had to take a cigarette break, and she also had one lit as soon as she could get outside when the program was over, but she went on and on thanking both of us for inviting her to come. I am so proud of this family I am apart of. Oh, we are not perfect for sure. We still have so far to go to be where we need to be, but we are moving in the right direction. The next big step in faith is when we become willing to not just ask them to come to us, but when we, like Jesus, are willing to go the them. "Holy Father make us more like Jesus. Give us hearts that long to go where You would go and touch those You would touch, that they might know Your Son like we do." * Jonas with a member of Louise Mandrell’s band.

Random Thoughts For A Friday

The Christian Chronicle says were are number one. Americans who give their religious affiliation as "Church of Christ" are more likely than any other group to attend weekly worship services, a new Gallup Poll reports. Sixty-eight percent of Church of Christ members interviewed by Gallup said they attend worship services at least once a week or almost every week, according to a poll released April 14. The analysis is based on an aggregate of more than 11,000 Gallup Poll interviews between 2002 and 2005, including 123 identified with the Church of Christ. Pollsters did not ask respondents to specify whether the churches were a cappella or instrumental. Denominations on the list included: Mormons - 67 percent Pentecostal - 65 percent Southern Baptist - 60 percent Catholic - 45 percent Methodist - 44 percent Presbyterian - 44 percent Lutheran - 43 percent Episcopal - 32 percent For more information, see poll.gallup.com I am still trying to figure our how I fell about that??? Well at least we beat the Mormons (-: ------------------------------- For a bit of a new twist to the story of the Rich Young Ruler check out Real Live Preacher. It is an excellent post. ------------------------------- Opening night (tonight) of "Uncle Phil's Diner" is sold out and tickets for the remaining performances are about gone. Break a leg you guys! -------------------------------- Keith Brenton's post today, "Things I Suspect About Worship" is excellent. -------------------------------- Wishing you all a wonderful weekend. God Bless!

Some Pictures Are Worth More Than A Thousand Words

The Church Has Left The Building - I Wish!

"The church of Christ is not supposed to be a group of harmless, irrelevant, mind-your-own-business worshippers who gather once a week, tucked away from anything public, just to practice their form of religion. ... Nothing could be more unbiblical. The purpose behind this satanically inspired dogma is to keep the Church from being the Church - the ekklesia." - Dutch Sheets, Authority in Prayer: Praying with Power and Purpose. And let me add, that kind of thinking smells like smoke and is from the pit of Hell, to borrow a phrase from Steve Brown. Salt is useless in the shaker. I know that is not an original thought, but it needs to be repeated until we live it. The absence of light is darkness. That too is obvious and we need to be reminded. If these illustrations are so known and obvious, why are they not practiced more by the Body of Christ? Amazing and wonderful things happen when Salt and Light Christians touch their world. Thomas Stewart is finding that out in his world. People are hurting for meaning for something that is real. People want a place of acceptance not judgment. Acceptance is not agreement. Will we ever learn that? We can quote John 3:16, but what about John 3:17 "For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world; but that the world should be saved through Him."NASB Why was Jesus always with sinners? He was here to save not judge. Yes I know He will be the Judge of all, but don’t get side tracked and miss the beauty of the passage. Jesus was WITH sinners to SAVE sinners! Some of us can be so dignified we are petrified. We have spend so much time with each other we are terrified at the thought of an encounter with someone from the world. I think that part of our lack of motivation is that we have become so comfortable with our relationship with Christ, that we have forgotten what it was like to be lost. Do you remember how you felt when you realized that you were lost, and that if you died with out the Lord there was no hope? "He that believes in the Son has eternal life; but he who does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him." John 3:36 NASB "Father help us remember what it was like to be a people without hope. Let us remember also how we felt when we were brought out of that watery grave and raise to walk in newness of life. And then send us back into that world to be Jesus to those who don’t know Him."

What Do You Remember??

My sister-in-law, Linda Allen, was manning the ticket sales table for "Uncle Phil’s Diner" at church on Sunday. She is playing one of the lead roles as Phil’s mom. That is her bent over in the poster with the top of her head showing. One of her better poses I might add (sorry Linda, I couldn’t help myself). While we were talking she mentioned that she was the only one in the drama that really remembered the 50’s. That got me to thinking. What do you remember about the 50’s? If you were in a later generation what have you heard, seen or been told that causes you to think warmly about that period? I’ll start. Poodle skirts, greasy hair, jeans with cuffs and no holes, drag racing, fender skirts and cheap gas. Now its your turn. Hey! Don’t forget if you need help with tickets, give me a shout. Times and dates of performances are on the poster. Click on it to enlarge if you need too - all you "older" readers. (-:

Enriching Every Sphere

"Socrates taught for 40 years, Plato for 50, Aristotle for 40, and Jesus for only 3. Yet the influence of Christ’s 3-year ministry infinitely transcends the impact left by the combined 130 years of teaching from these men who were among the greatest philosophers of all antiquity. Jesus painted no pictures; yet some of the finest paintings of Raphael, Michelangelo, and Leonardo da Vinci received their inspiration from Him. Jesus wrote no poetry; but Dante, Milton, and scores of the world’s greatest poets were inspired by Him. Jesus composed no music; still Haydn, Handel, Beethoven, Bach, and Mendelssohn reached their highest perfection of melody in the hymns, symphonies, and oratories they composed in His praise. Every sphere of human greatness has been enriched by this humble Carpenter of Nazareth. - Henry G. Bosch SOURCE: "Enriching Every Sphere" by Henry G. Bosch from Encyclopedia of 7700 Illustrations Signs of The Times, Assurance Publishers

The Heart Of A Child

(PLEASE READ PREVIOUS POST FIRST) The responses to the Passion Play at yesterdays services have been coming in all day long to our E-mail Group. Of the many I just have to share two that are such a testimony to how important yesterdays program was. The first is from Kathy Wells and her observations from the back of the auditorium, and the second is Keith Hall's in his own words. Since there was NO place to sit (praise God), I stood in the back of the auditorium watching the drama and observed a little boy who was no more than two years old watching the drama with his parents from the very back row. When Jonas (played Christ) came out with the "blood" on him, the little boy kept pointing and loudly declaring "Oh no! Oh No!" Then when Sherri (mother of Jesus) called out to God to "Take me!" the little boy yelled "Take her - take her! "When Roger (Angel) announced He was alive and Sherri and Leanne (Mary M.) began to cry out "He's alive!" the little boy yelled "He's alive!" and hugged his mamma's neck. The entire time, the boy's parents kept looking at each other with the biggest smiles. These people were visitors because I noticed the Burgundy visitor bag sitting next to their belongings. Can you imagine the impact that had on the parents? They likely went to their Easter dinner and told all their relatives about their son's reaction. And the grandparents will certainly do their fair share to keep the word of mouth going. I thought this was so wonderful. I wouldn't be surprised if we don't see these folks again. From Keith Hall, Wow! What an Easter Service!! Usually I sit in the back, or even in another room, and do my small technical part during the productions/worship services and I don't allow myself to really become "attached" to what is going on. This is really a defense mechanism that kicks in so that I will stay on task and others may worship, or observe, without distractions. There are times, however, that I do participate in worship as I sing along to the songs and I do get to hear the wonderful Phil-isms twice each Sunday morning. I must admit that Sunday morning (Easter) I found myself in deep reflection and my eyes began to well up with tears as Jesus was taken off the cross and He was placed on the ground next to Mary. For a brief moment I quit"working" as I found it hard to believe that Jesus died for me. I sighed, returned to my task, and was thankful for that brief encountered that my wonderful Madison family allowed me to experience. WOW. Thank you Jesus for your unexplainable love! Thank you Father for the ultimate sacrifice for me! Thank you my beloved Madison family for the experience! God bless you ALL!

Small Vs Large

For most of my Christian life I have been apart of small congregations. I grew up in one, my first full time work was a small one. When we moved to Germany, there were only about 35 or 40 of us meeting in a store front. We moved to Hanover, PA in 1980 to begin a congregation with just three other families. So being apart of the Madison church has really been a new experience for us. This past Sunday was one of those days when you realize certain blessings of a large congregation. Jim and Barbie Lanier along with the talented direction of Mark Carver, and a host of volunteer performers put on one of the finest drama presentations of the Passion of Christ that I have seen. The drama opened with two guys going on a fishing trip, one a committed Christian and one because of the untimely death of his son on a mission trip, had lost his faith. As they discussed life and talked about the Passion of Christ the lights moved from one side of the stage to the other telling both stories. The story continued to unfold until the point of Jesus being crucified. The pounding of the nails echoed through out the building. When he was raised on the cross, tastefully done I might add, there were not many dry eyes in the crowd. The performance reached its peak when Jesus came out of the tomb to the song, "He’s Alive". The overflow crowd broke into applause in joy over remembering once again the triumphal resurrection of the Lord. When services were over my oldest grand daughter looked up at me and said, "Papa, I cried." I replied, "I did too." All of my grand children were there, and I am so glad. I am not suggesting that you have to have a big production to be able to appreciate the resurrection of the Lord. But I think it is important to be as creative as you can when telling the old, old story. Easter Sunday is often the only time in the course of the year that some people will even bother to attend a church service. That makes it all the more important to make those age old events even more real. I remember a time when Easter Sunday was a time when preachers would often take cheap shots at those who showed up but were not regular in attendance. May God forgive us! Rather than berating, we need to be lifting up the Lord, and allowing His sacrifice and its power to be presented in all its glory to touch the hearts of men, women and children everywhere. So regardless of the size of the congregation, lets be sure we tell the story in a BIG way.

Egg Hunt at Valley View Camp

The Lord has blessed Barb and me with five wonderful grand children. This is Irisa at the egg hunt today. She is the last one in birth order and Allen and Jennifer's youngest.

(Picture taken by Todd Hibbs)

Sunday's Coming

I sing at funerals. Maybe I should say I sing with a group from Madison for funerals. That’s better. Our number varies from six to sometimes like today we had fourteen. Usually we are in the back, and don’t see the faces of the mourners. Today was different. They had us in a room off to the side and as folks left they marched right in front of where we were. There were tears, the loss of a loved one just rips at your gut. Fortunately the deceased was a Christian, and there is hope. But oh it still hurts. As you know today is Good Friday. We remember that Jesus, the one who died on a cross to destroy deaths pain and death itself, was in His tomb on Good Friday. (I kinda think it was Good Thursday, but we will leave that for another time.) We celebrate today because we know the end of the story - Sunday is coming. Those first disciples were not celebrating. They were filled with fear, disillusionment and depression. Their world had come crashing down around them and the one who had come to mean so very much to them was now dead. I thought of those early disciples today as the mourners passed by. But I also thought, it will be OK, Sunday is coming. I can’t wait for Sunday. I know, every Sunday is special, but well this Sunday tops them all. Jim and Barbie have put together another wonderful passion play. The singing will be awesome. The prayers will be filled with power. Also this is the one Sunday all year when there is no Cannan’s Land & Covenant Cove (children’s worship). My grandchildren will be there with us to see the story told again. I love to peek at their faces and watch their expressions. Yep, I can’t wait. Sunday's coming and it is so filled with HOPE!

AMAZING ART

Julian Beever is an English artist who's famous for his art on the pavement of England, France, Germany, USA, Australia and Belgium. Beever gives to his drawings an amazing 3D illusion.

UNCLE PHIL'S DINER

This is going to be a hoot! It is Madison's first Dinner Theater. The lead will be played by our Senior Minister Phil Barnes. Barb's Sister-In-Law will play Phil's mom. So if you are in the area or are going to be in the area during the four nights the play will be running get a ticket soon, they are going fast. If you need help with tickets, give me a shout. Dates and ticket information are on the poster to the left, or above depending on how this prints out.

How Is Your Glass?

How do you view the glass? Half full or half empty. The past few weeks have been filled with attacks on long held beliefs, statements filled with sensationalism and hyperbole. "Jesus Didn't Walk on Water, Judas Was a Hero, Evolution 'Proved,' Prayer Doesn't Work …" to mention just a few - thanks Angie for the link. It would be easy to join the "Chicken Little" crowd and run through the street proclaiming that the sky is falling, or Armageddon is upon us, but as I mentioned in yesterdays post, there is a great deal of reason for hope if we are prepared. Could this be a sign that the powers of evil are frantic, that maybe things are changing and the unseen battle has swung to the side of the Christians? Sunday we celebrate the resurrection of our Lord. Do we remember that just when everything looked the blackest, Jesus walked out of that tomb. Depressed and dejected by the events of Calvary, look at those disciples back in their fishing boat. Depression had set in and they returned to what they knew. Why? Why would they do that? They we looking at events and had not understood the Word of the Lord. I have a feeling that we can be allot like them from time to time. This is not the time to go underground and deepen our isolation. It is a time to Shine!

A Time For Christians To Shine

"You are of your father the devil, and you want to do the desires of your father. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. Whenever he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own nature; for he is a liar, and the father of lies.", Johm 8:44 NASB God had told the first family " You shall not eat from it or touch it, lest you die", Gen. 3:3a. The devil said, "You surely shall not die!" Gen. 3:3b. From Nietzsche's assertion that 'God is Dead' during my early days, to Brown’s, ‘The Da Vinci Code’ and Michael Baigent, ‘The Jesus Papers', the lies continue. It is not my assertion that these men are the Devil incarnate, but simply that they are influenced to be his mouth piece. When you couple the general lack of Bible knowledge in our world today with writings that speak of highly questionable texts as authoritative, you have a mixture designed to cause doubt and disbelief. While it is highly unlikely that the books by Brown and Baigent will have a significant impact on the conservatives of Christianity, it will surely cause questions in the minds of others. I really belief that this is our time as Christians to shine. It is a time for open discussion with our non-believing friends and relatives. These books and the up coming movie have put the subject in the media on ever hand. Therefore it is easy to start a conversation with just the words, "What do you think about....?" We don’t need to be fearful, they don’t know the scripture! We surely don’t need to treat it flippantly, and just brush it aside as a non-issue. It is not a non-issue with them. There is also another opportunity on a personal level for those of us who grew up never questioning these things. It is our opportunity to question for ourselves and be convinced, not on the basis of a faith we inherited, but one tried and proven on a personal level. It is easy at times like this, when these claim are thrown in our face and flaunted by the media before us as if they have some validity, to over react and retaliate. But when calm heads prevail, by those who have looked at the evidence and come to faith, what lies before us is opportunity! These are the days when Peters words ring even more true and relevant, "but sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and reverence", I Peter 3:15 NASB. Get the commitment right. Give a defense of HOPE. And do it with a respectful spirit.

"UP From The Grave He Arose" ?

A few years ago, a letter appeared in the national news that was sent to a deceased person by the Indiana Department of Social Services. It read as follows: "Your food stamps will be stopped effective March 1992 because we received notice that you passed away. May God bless you. You may reapply if there is a change in your circumstances." Well, except for an occasional Lazarus, there haven’t been too many who have seen a change in those circumstances! I got a chuckle when I read that letter. We know what we want to say, but sometimes in our haste or a lack of knowledge, it just doesn’t come out right. Growing up in the church there was one song we sang allot before communion and always sang on Easter. Bass singers loved it. Can you guess what it was? Yep, "Up From The Grave He Arose". Our heritage, for the most part, has been to put the dead in the ground. But we know today that Jesus and many in the first century, were put in tombs that where holes in the side of a hill. Sure does ruin a good song, but at the same time it helps us understand, "rolling the stone away". I would never want to take anything away from the death of Jesus on the Cross, but without a resurrection, His death would have been just that, another death on a cross. A Moslem said to a Christian, "We Moslems have one thing you Christians do not have. When we go to Medina (Saudi Arabia), we find a coffin and know that that Mohammed lived because his body is in it. But when, you Christians go to Jerusalem, you find nothing but an empty tomb." "Thank you!" exclaimed the Christian. "What you say is absolutely true, and that makes the eternal difference. The reason we find an empty tomb is because we serve a risen Christ." The most beautiful words in scripture to me are, "He is not here, for He has risen" Matt. 28:6a. From that point on, nothing would ever be the same.

Gospel Of Judas Part II

Edward Fudge in his April 10th. "Grace Email" shared the following comments about the Gospel of Judas special on National Geographic. "I have viewed the two-hour television special aired on Sunday night, April 9, 2006 on the National Geographic Channel and have read the actual translation of this apocryphal Gospel at http://www.nytimes.com/packages/pdf/national/judastxt.pdf . (Thanks to my friend and gracEmail subscriber Dr. Hans Rollmann, Professor of Religious Studies at Memorial University of Newfoundland, for the URL cite. I do not know how long the text will be available here.) Having now seen the program and having read the “Gospel of Judas” itself, both of which confirmed the previous gracEmail, I add the following observations in this quick update. National Geographic certainly knows how to tantalize an audience even though its titillation is sometimes misleading. In discussing the “Gospel of Judas” found in an Egyptian cave in the late 1970’s, the TV special teasingly asked whether the manuscript was “real” or “fake,” fi nally assuring viewers that this “Gospel” had indeed been “authenticated.” Many viewers likely took these proclamations as assurances that the “Gospel of Judas” was written by the Apostle of that name, or even that the Gnostic doctrine this “Gospel” was written to promote was really true. In fact, the “authentication” talked about meant only that radiocarbon dating placed the manuscript’s origin at about A.D. 300, give or take 50 years. In other words, the “Gospel of Judas” is not a recently-forged fraud. But that is almost unimportant when we know that it was instead an ancient fraud, according to the church father Irenaeus, who wrote about A.D. 180. Unless I blinked and missed it, National Geographic’s television special never even mentioned the fact, also known from Irenaeus, that the “Gospel of Judas” was used by a group known as Cainites who claimed spiritual lineage from Cain, Esau, Korah and the inhabitants of Sodom. At the surface level, the television special seemed to focus on this apocryphal Gospel’s potential to rehabilitate Judas’ reputation as a Satan-driven scoundrel – a characterization that has indeed been misused by some professing Christians as an excuse for anti-Semitism (which is always inexcusable). In fact, even the New Testament Gospels eschew a one-dimensional view of Judas since they report that he returned the betrayal money to those who had hired him and then committed suicide – two incidents which some Christians have seen as evidence of deep remorse and perhaps even of genuine repentance. Further, Judas inadvertently served the divine purpose according to the apostolic preaching recorded in Acts, even though he remained personally culpable for his actions. Be that as it may, the presentation of Judas the man is only window-dressing in this newly-discovered “Gospel.” The manuscript’s real point – and the main reason orthodox Christians reject it (aside from the fact that it is a fraudulent work to begin with) – is its promotion of Gnosticism, a worldview contrary to the biblical understanding of reality on almost every fundamental point. This is apparently a minor detail to many postmodern scholars, for whom all ideas are equally valid and all groups claiming to be “Christian” are legitimate spokespersons of Jesus Christ. Those of us who remain committed to Scripture as divinely-authoritative and who therefore oppose whatever essentially contradicts its core teachings need to realize that we are increasingly out of step with the spirit of the age. It is not unimaginable that the day may come even in America – as it did for the apostolic church of the first three centuries and as it has today in many other parts of the world – when we must choose between personal comfort and security on the one hand and faithfulness to Christ on the other. If that happens, may we – like Irenaeus and Polycarp and John – stand firm whatever the cost.

VIOLENT WEATHER YESTERDAY

Yesterday will be forever etched in the minds of those of us who live in Middle Tennessee. A total of 13 tornadoes ripped across the state leaving destruction in their wake. Eleven dead and numerous injured at last account. (More Pictures) At one time there were tornados to the north and south of where I live. I watched the news coverage and during a rare break between storms made a bee line for my son's home where all my grand children had been gathered. Other family members were in safe locations when the main touch downs occurred. Not since the "big" tornado of 1998 have we seen so much destruction up close and personal. Normally you see pictures of trailer homes destroyed during a weather out break like this. One twister touched down in a Gallatin subdivision destroying to the foundation numerous 250-300 thousand dollar brick homes. The newly constructed Metro Baptist Church just off of I-65 in Goodlettsville had severe damage to the sanctuary, but the rear of the building that housed 30+ day care students was spared. Since we moved back to Tennessee about eight years ago, it has been a little strange. It is like "tornado alley" moved to the east a few hundred miles. This year is beginning like six of the last eight years have been.

The Gospel Of Judas

The news media is all aglow with reports of the newly discovered Gospel of Judas. Good Morning America’s report used words like, "compelling", "remarkable". Could it be that Judas was really working with Jesus to bring about his death? Could it be that Judas was really not a bad guy after all? Well that seems to be the message of the gospel Of Judas. Does it seem a bit bias to you how Biblical critics take a negative disbelieving approach to the New Testament, while at the same time jump up and down in glee over findings that seem to discredit it. (I guess that is why they are called critics) The discovery is of ONE fragmented copy of the gospel of Judas. There are over 4000 manuscripts and 13,000 fragments of portions of The New Testament. Noted Biblical scholar F.F. Bruce said, "The evidence for our New Testament writings is ever so much greater than the evidence for many writings of classical authors, the authenticity of which no one dreams of questioning. And if The New Testament were a collection of secular writings, their authenticity would generally be as beyond all doubt." Josh McDowell, was not a believer when he began to look at the scripture. "After trying to shatter the historicity and validity of the Scripture, I came to the conclusion that they are historically trustworthy. If one discards the Bible as being unreliable, then he must discard almost all literature of antiquity. One problem I constantly face is the desire on the part of many to apply one standard or test to secular literature and other to the Bible. One needs to apply the same test, whether the literature under investigation is secular or religious. Having done this, I believe one can hold the Scriptures in his hand and say, 'The Bible is trustworthy, and historically reliable.’ " Like the Gnostic gospels, the gospel of Judas is just another fictional writing from the same time period.

The Bible’s critics would love nothing more than to water down the message of scripture until it becomes nothing more than an "I am OK - Your OK" bed time story book. Today's critics are not the first and they won’t be the last. I don’t remember when I first heard the following poem, but it is as true today and then. Last eve I paused before a blacksmith’s door and heard the anvil ring the vespers chime.

And looking in, I saw old hammers on the floor, Worn by the beating years of time.

"How many anvils have you had," said I,"To wear and batter all these hammers so?"

"Just one," said he, then with a twinkle in his eyes, "The anvil wears the hammers out you know."

And so I thought, the anvil of God’s word, For ages skeptic blows have beat upon.

Yet though the noise of falling blows was heard The anvil is unharmed—the hammers gone!

Source unknown

Here I Am Lord, I'm Your Vessel!

Bob Russell is the Senior Minister for the 18,000 member Southeast Christian Church in Louisville, Kentucky. Before Bob preaches, if he feels that he has been distracted or is not in the right fram of mind he has a text written in his Bible that he turns to and reads. "O god, don’t let the pulpit call me to the sermon...let the sermon call me to the pulpit. Before I break the bread of life, Lord, break me! Wash from heart and lip the iniquity there...I want to preach, yes hemorrhage, under the divine anointing, God, strip me of all pride, all cleverness, all showmanship, and salesmanship. Deliver me from reliance on suaveness, education, academics, personality, notes, canned quips, and celestial clichés. Let me speak with the humility of Moses, the patience of Job, the wisdom of Paul, the power of Peter, and the authority of Christ. Lord, make my preaching clear, not clever; passionate, not pitiful; urgent, not, usual"; meaty, not murky. May it comfort the disturbed, disturb the comfortable, warn the sinner, mature the saint, give hope to the discouraged, and ready for heaven the whole audience. Let self be abased, Christ be exalted, the cross be central, and the plea be with passion. May my eyes never be dry. Just now, Lord, take me out of myself, usurp anything I’ve planned to say when it’s in the way of your message. Here I am Lord, I’m your vessel! Amen."

Lighten Up!

Even highly-trained medical professionals sometimes get in a hurry whenfiling their reports. The results: The baby was delivered, the cord clamped and cut, and handed to the pediatrician, who breathed and cried immediately. The skin was moist and dry. The patient had waffles for breakfast and anorexia for lunch. The patient was in his usual state of good health until his airplane ran out of gas and crashed. I saw your patient today, who is still under our car for physical therapy. Patient was alert and unresponsive. When she fainted, her eyes rolled around the room. The patient lives at home with his mother, father, and pet turtle, who is presently enrolled in day care three times a week. She is numb from her toes down.

AND FINALLY

An Australian nudist found what he thought was a deadly funnel web spider's hole, and he decided to deal with it, according to an April 3 Reuters story. So the 56-year-old man poured gasoline down the hole, then lit a match to try to kill the "offending arachnid." When the gas fumes exploded, the man was left with burns over 18 percent of his body, primarily the upper leg and buttocks area, according to medical technicians who treated him. Medical officials said the man's "lack of clothing probably contributed to the extent of his burns."

Back To Touchstone Fellowship

Barb and I enjoyed being at Touchstone Fellowship again on Sunday. As I mentioned in an earlier post, this congregation is looking for a minister. This week was a bit different in that I not only preached, but the Bible Class time was a question and answer session to give the congregation an opportunity to ask us any questions they had on their hearts. If this had been twenty years ago, this would not have been something I would have looked forward to. I can only imagine the questions that would have been ask back then. They asked about church growth, would they be allowed to do a lot of the work? (I am thinking, have I died and gone to heaven?) One teenager ask how I would deal with the teens as an individual or group if I felt they were doing something wrong. Great questions from all that were present. They are planning to wrap up their search and interviews in the very near future and we should know something be for to long. From there we went to our Care Group. Great food and fellowship, and a super way to cap off a very long, be very rewarding day. In our devotional time we looked at the 51st. Psalm. David had been confronted by Nathan the prophet after his sin with Bathsheba and the murder of her husband that David had arranged. If you have ever wondered why God would call David a man after His own heart, this is a good place to see the heart of David First of all David realized that his sin involved more than Bathsheba and Uriah, it was against God Himself. (V:4). Second he pleads not only for the forgiveness of his sin, but he asked God to not remove His presence from him. (V:11) David spend allot of time in the presence of God. That fellowship had been broken by this sin, and David knew it and longed to have it back. Thirdly David also realized the true intent and purpose behind the sacrifices God requires. (V17) Something was to take place in a persons heart when he brings a sacrifice before God. ] David’s sin was real to him, just as real as God Himself . His repentance and remorse are genuine and his desire to change was as well. I love the Psalms. Sometime I pray them to the Father. David speaks the thoughts that are in my heart from time to time. So I just pray his Psalm. What a wonderful, great, powerful and awesome God we serve. "I will praise you, O LORD, with all my heart; I will tell of all your wonders. I will be glad and rejoice in you; I will sing praise to your name, O Most High." Psa. 9:1NIV

Some Thoughts Shared With A Dear Friend

During the mid 70's I was a Bible teacher at the International School of Evangelism in Pontiac, Michigan. Of all the things I have ever done in my life, that was a special highlight. I recently fowarded a copy of Mike Cope's Blog articles concerning the B.I.B.L.E. to the student and staff of ISE. I was a bit surprised by the concern expressed about the articles that I thought were not only powerful, but very right on. There have been a few email exchanges, and because it has been a number of years since I have had contact with these guys, one of my responses gave a bit of an over view of my journey with the Lord that has brought me to where I am today. Because many of you don't know me I thought I might share this one email with you as well. The email I am responding to had referring to our being "written up" a number of time while at the school. Yes we were a little rebellious then too. Also the comment about my hair has to do with the lack there of on the head of the person to whom I am writing. (-: How well I remember the "witch hunters" . Funny, I can't remember what they were writing us up for come to think about it. Had to be our teaching on Grace. I too am thankful that that mind set is not as powerful today as it was then. Memphis is still a seed bed for negative, but for the most part they are gone. During our time in Hanover Barb and I were really sheltered to a great extent from what was happening in the greater brotherhood. I used to dream that the church would change for the positive as I saw it, but never thought I would see it in my life time. When we moved back to Tennessee I was blown away with the changes I saw. Rubel had in deed passed not only you, he was past me as well. But for the most part what I saw was very positive. The Church wasn't afraid to talk about the Holy Spirit, Grace was a regular open discussion. For the most part they had caught up with me (<: Word only, works salvation had been replaced with a more balanced view of scriptures. At the same time I had for years wrestled with how to view guys like Chuck Swindoll, Rick Warren etc. I didn't agree with all they said, but boy they were really on track in so many ways. People were coming to love and serve Jesus through them, many time with a deeper commitment than I had seen in the church. It didn't cause me to question what I believed or to even consider changing just because of them. But what it did was make me face the fact that God may be at work in areas that I didn't expect to find Him working. And I guess that is the key, I do believe that He is working through these men, as well as the Mike Copes and Rick Achleys. I have to also come to believe that even when I don't agree with these guys, that doesn't mean they aren't accepted by God in their journey to serve and please Him just like I am with all my faults and short comings. I just decided that I am going to love and open my arms to anyone who loves Jesus. (Same goes to those who don't, just in a little different way.) If I get a chance to study with them and share what I believe, I will, if I don't we will continue our journey together. I haven't changed how I feel on most doctrinal topics, but I am trying to have the same open mind that I want them to have. I guess I am trying to say that my list of things that would cause me to draw a line of fellowship has gotten a lot shorter as my VERY THICK AND BEAUTIFUL HAIR has gotten gray. (I still remember the beard you grew to take attention away from you missing hair piece) Sorry, I just could not resist. One thing that has changed in a significant way is my view of unity. What I used to preach and think we should achieve was really not unity, it was uniformity. We have never been united as members of the church of Christ, so I don't know what would be appealing to the denominational world to cause them to want to join with us. IMHP the reason it hasn't worked is that we have been starting from a false premise. Our "blueprint" theology has caused us to splinter over and over again, and it continues today for the same reason. It is also called "pattern" theology. I know God gave a blueprint to Noah, I can read it. I know God gave a blueprint, so to speak, for the Temple, I can read it. I have yet to read the blueprint for the church or for worship for that matter. What I do see and read is what they did as it applied to their time and culture. I see the New Testament more as a preliminary drawing, not a blueprint. Blueprints are final! But they are also very detailed and I have never seen that detail. I guess the biggest change has come from within. For a lot of years I was on a quest for knowledge of the Scripture. While I still continue that quest, and will until the day I die, my greater quest is now for a deep and abiding relationship with the Father. I agree with A.W. Tozer, "The sacred page is not meant to be the end, but only the means toward the end, which is knowing God Himself." Well this got a lot longer than I intended. To all of you, Barb and I send our love. Each one of you have touched our lives in very special ways, and we thank God for you. When you talk about those that didn't make the trip, be kind (-: By His Grace,