October 2000

Words Have Meaning

I was reading a religious exchange on the Internet and the following words stood out to me: ""Words have meaning . . ."" It sounds simple enough, but in this exchange, one participant was flatly denying scripture, using all kinds of useless argument, when the ""words"" in the scriptures were entirely opposite his position. I thought about how often religious people fail to understand simple words. By that, I mean simple to understand, for what is behind the words is far greater than just simplicity. God's will is behind the words of the Bible, and our reaction those words tells far more about our hearts than anything else we say or do. more...

Packing Lunches and Bible Silence

A common response to biblical teaching on most any subject is ""Show me where it says we can't."" Just show me where it says ""Thou shall not have a piano"" or ""Thou shall not sprinkle babies"" or ""Do not ever use anything on the Lord's table but unleavened bread and grape juice."" These challenges are difficult to meet. Everyone knows the passage of scripture being requested does not exist. No passage explicitly spells out direct prohibitions of any of the items just mentioned. Thus, many feel justified in these practices. Why? Because the Bible doesn't say we can't. more...

Accessing Grace

Imagine a man trapped in a stormy ocean. He flails and fights to stay afloat, struggling for breath each time his head rises above the water. He uses every muscle in his body as he continues to try, desperately, to swim, but the waves crash over him, pummeling him, driving him underwater. Coughing and sputtering, he struggles to the surface again, draws a breath that is far too short, then sinks below again, this time pulled under by the currents. He thinks about giving up, but his instincts for survival push him to burst through once more to strive for air to fill his lungs. With a deeper breath, he cries out for help, then sinks once more. His arms and legs, even in the cold blackness of the sea, burn from his struggles, and he aches as he endeavors to reach the top of the water. With his last breath, he cries out again, then gives up, his arms stretched upward as he surrenders to his fate. more...

Second Chances

His is a classic story. Winner of the 1970 Heisman Trophy, he was the first player selected in the 1971 NFL draft. Six years later, frustrated by his inability to stay healthy, his team traded him to another bad team, where he languished for three years, then was released, another Heisman Trophy washout. He was picked up as a backup quarterback, simply insurance against injury to the starter, but before the season was very old, he had taken over the starting job, and by the time the season finished, Jim Plunkett was the MVP in his team's victory in Super Bowl XV. Three years later, he took them to another title, at the time becoming only the fifth quarterback to win two Super Bowls. more...

We Believe What We Want To Believe

A story on the back page of a recent issue of Good Housekeeping caught Dena's eye and she handed it on to me. ""See what you think of this"" she said. The story was about the author's father, Jim Noonan. Jim was, evidently, not that great of a father and had zero religious convictions. He died. His daughter, Peggy, spent a great deal of time wondering ""Where is dad now?"" On a whim one day, the story related, she went to a Catholic church. A friend had told her that this was a jubilee year for Catholics, meaning she could obtain special favors from God. So she went to St. Patrick's cathedral and asked God to take her father out of purgatory and into heaven. A couple of weeks later she struck up a conversation with some strangers at a restaurant. The man's cell phone rang and he said ""Great to hear from you. You won't believe it, but there's another Noonan here."" He handed the phone to Peggy and said ""Say hello to Jim Noonan."" She spoke for a moment to this man, who lived in a different part of New York city than her dad had and was in a different line of work. Then she handed the phone back over to the stranger. more...

The Preacher's Pen

""No one shook my hand! I'm never going back there again."" How many times have you heard that? Someone visits an assembly of saints and the first thing mentioned about the visit is how many folks spoke to them and shook their hand. This is so commonly done that the ""handshake count"" has become an almost unquestioned standard, a criteria to be shared with all as the most important evaluator of any congregation. more...