Articles
This 'N That
Meet Rod. Rod has been present at our last two Monday studies. Rod is upbeat and gregarious, and it is evident that he has spent a great deal of time studying his Bible. And Rod is quick to tell you of his incarceration, the result of a serious felony for which he served over seven years of a 25+ year sentence. Rod will also tell you how much he needed that prison sentence.
Rod thought he had the world by the tail; he was materialistic, arrogant and driven to wring every pleasure out of life that he could. But prison humbled him, and he spent his time behind bars reading Scripture. Gradually God’s word made more sense than it ever had before. Rod had turned a crucial corner in his life.
Observation: A famous maxim says: the same sun that melts wax hardens clay. Many come away from prison sentences hateful, hardened and unchanged. That is a choice, and Rod is a true believer in free will. And he exercised his to move closer to God rather than away from Him. This is what God expected from Israel and Judah as each in turn was removed from Canaan to captivity in distant lands: “(If) you return to the Lord your God and obey His voice … with all your heart and with all your soul … the Lord your God will bring you back from captivity, and have compassion on you, and gather you again from all the nations where the Lord your God has scattered you … And the Lord your God will circumcise your heart and the heart of your descendants, to love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, that you may live” (Dt 30:1-6). This foreshadows our own rebellion against God and captivity to sin and the willingness of God to restore us on the condition of repentance. No matter how deep our depravity or how far we stray from God, He is always ready to receive us back from our “wilderness wandering.”
The Work of Carlos Bello. Carlos Bello is a brother in Chile, and he works with a small group of saints in Puerto Montt, in the far southern reaches of that beautiful country. How small? From his last report: “Since Josue and Vanessa, unfortunately stopped attending several months ago, currently in the local church … there are only 4 Christians: Mary and I, and our two children, Damaris and Ezequiel.” It is a matter of public record from Carlos’ own reports that Ezequiel has had serious drug problems and has recently been in a residential facility to help him overcome his addictions. Carlos’ wife, Mary, has fibromyalgia, depression and other issues that occasionally discourage both she and Carlos.
Carlos also reports that most of his non-Christian contacts have drifted away and/or cut off contact. In other news, Carlos is losing more financial support from the U.S. Yet he closed his report with these words: “Brothers, we pray that the Lord continues to bless you in every way. Likewise, please continue to pray for my family and that we can find more opportunities for teaching the lost …”.
Observation: The work of the Lord, both in Chile and in the U.S., is difficult. It is hard to get people to invest the time and attention needed to truly delve into God’s word with a view to changing one’s life. Not only are conversions increasingly rare, so are opportunities to just have a Bible study with the lost (this is why our ongoing Monday night studies have been so gratifying). But can you imagine your family of four being the whole local church?! How discouraging … and how rich we are to have others to study, worship and associate with. Let us not overlook what a wonderful blessing this is!
Autumn Beauty. Everyone has their favorite season: spring’s warmth and rejuvenation; summer’s long days of travel/hiking/grilling; winter’s white blanket of snow and a fire on the hearth. But the beauty of fall captivates me every year: the sparkling colors of a maple tree; flannel shirts and thermal socks; the smell of wood smoke; football and Thanksgiving. It is the only season of which I consciously note: “I only have so many of these left.”
Observation: Whatever your favorite season, God has given us an aesthetically pleasing planet to live on. God is not merely a God of utility; He is a Being of joy, beauty and wonder. But beyond this, the cosmos manifests the handiwork of God. The sun sets in the brilliant hues of red, orange, peach and mauve – a painted promise that it will soon return on the opposite horizon. A full moon that brightly illuminates the hills and pastures – a monthly, nocturnal spectacle that inspires poem and song and romance: “The day is Yours, the night also is Yours; You have prepared the light and the sun. You have set all the borders of the earth; You have made summer and winter” (Ps 74:16-17). May God be praised and thanked for all the seasons – the timely, precise revolutions of the Earth around the sun – which annually declare His power, glory and creative genius.
The Joy of Spiritual Growth. At the risk of embarrassing him, I offer a shout out to Ty Santos, who taught his first class last Sunday. There was no arm-twisting; Ty freely volunteered to take the class on Atheism and did a very commendable job. In spite of the sentiments offered a few paragraphs above, there are good and honest hearts out there who have seen through the world’s lies and realized that life without God is meaningless. Ty is one of them, and 3+ years ago he walked in the building cold turkey in search of something. Conversation turned into studies; studies resulted in baptism; continued growth grew into leading prayers; and now Ty is teaching. How encouraging is that?!
And another example is Celeste Glover. Celeste moved here from the Norfolk area almost 16 years ago. She was a friend of a young lady that I had studied with previously, and Celeste also began studying shortly after relocating. She was eventually baptized, and Celeste has fully incorporated herself into the congregation, including teaching children’s classes (and Jino is a bonus – J)!
Observation: As Paul notes of the Thessalonians: “We thank God without ceasing, because when you received the word of God … you welcomed it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which also effectively works in you who believe” (1 Th 2:13). It is a joy when others see in Christ what we appreciate in Him. Let your light shine!
