Back to the basics

Posted on September 3, 2012 by glenn

A story is told about the great Vince Lombardi, that on the first day of camp for the Green Bay Packers, he would begin the meeting by holding up a football and saying “Gentlemen, this is a football.” He believed in the basics.

Another one of my favorite coaches – John Wooden, of UCLA fame  – would begin each year teaching his players how to put on their socks and tie their shoes. He took nothing for granted.

Alabama recently completed their spring training in football. After winning the national championship a few weeks earlier, this team spent the spring concentrating on the basics or fundamentals of football.

I think sometimes it would be good for us to remember the basics or fundamentals in all areas of our life. This is especially true of our Christianity. Sometimes we can find ourselves just going through the motions.

How is your singing, praying, Bible study, concern for the lost, etc? If you are not where you want to be, perhaps a return to some basic fundamentals would be in order.

In studying the great letter of Revelation, we find the church at Ephesus was in need of returning to the basics. In Rev 2:4-5, they were encouraged to:

Remember their first love

Repent, or stop doing what they were doing, and

Repeat or do their first works again

This advice really does have application in all areas of life. For example, a couple who is having marital problems would be well advised to remember what brought them together in the beginning. Remember the good times. Remember the feelings early in the relationship. Remember…

The next step would be to stop doing the harmful or damaging things that are causing the problems in their marriage.

And finally, “do your first works”. It is not enough to stop doing the harmful things. You must be proactive. Do the things you did early in the marriage relationship. Perhaps remembering and doing those things that brought you together initially would be a step in healing the relationship.

I believe in the fundamentals. Whether it is in the marriage, your spiritual walk, or otherwise, if we find ourselves struggling in any area, the solution is often found by returning to the basics.

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Penmanship

Posted on September 1, 2012 by glenn

I read recently that cursive writing was no longer taught in elementary schools. That is rather sad because I do appreciate someone who has beautiful handwriting. My Teresa’s handwriting looks as good today as when we were in school. However, from looking at my writing now one would think I have never been taught, but such is not the case.

As a student in the sixties, I remember two things about lessons in cursive writing. We had weekly lessons on the television from the state public television station.  Each week the program had a teacher showing us how to make each letter of the alphabet.  I can still hear her talking us through the various strokes and watching her write so beautifully. My memory also reminds me of the days of black and white television.

The other memory I have is of the “tablet” we each were required to purchase. This practice book had several lines on the page. On the top line the letters were perfectly formed with arrows directing the proper way to make the letters. The rest of the page was for our practice. No matter how much one tried, the result didn’t look like the perfect example. But because we couldn’t make ours perfect, I don’t recall anyone after one or two attempts, ever giving up and saying I quit. It was obvious that that was why we were required to practice.

The New King James Version renders 1 Peter 2:21 as, “For to this you were called, because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that you should follow His steps:”

The word example in this text leads to an interesting study. It really illustrates how much is lost in the translation from the Greek to English. It is a known fact that the Greek language of the New Testament is the most descriptive language known to man. I think we will agree as we look at the study of this word.

The word example is translated from the Greek word hupogrammos. This comes from two words. Hupo means ‘under’. Grammos has something to do with writing and is probably where we get our word grammar. Thus, we would guess the meaning to have something to do with writing under. Our guess would be very near correct because the definition of hupogrammos is actually a writing copy, including all the letters of the alphabet given to beginners as an aid in learning to draw them.

So hupogrammos is the equivalent of the writing “tablet” on which we learned cursive writing.

Note that Christ is our perfect example just like the perfect letters across the top of the page. We had to practice our writing and no matter how much we worked it would never be perfect. But we didn’t stop trying. Similarly, Christ is our perfect example and we live our lives trying to emulate Him. No matter how hard we try, we will never attain perfection; but that doesn’t mean we give up and say I quit.

When we read 1 Peter 2:21 let us be reminded of our lifelong pursuit to follow Christ. He is the One who left us a hupogrammos to follow.

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Good question

Posted on August 25, 2012 by glenn

Being a fan of athletics, I normally like a good movie with an athletic theme. I think about Hoosiers as it reminds me of my high school basketball days in a small town. Who hasn’t watched the movie Rudy, the story of the young man who idolized Notre Dame football and became a walk-on for that program? Now, I must admit I am not a huge Rudy fan but there is a scene that I remember. During a particularly troubling time in Rudy’s quest to make the team, he visits a priest. The priest shares the following quote with him, “Son, in thirty-five years of religious study, I have only come up with two hard incontrovertible facts: there is a GOD, and I’m not Him.” I like that quote.

This reminds me of Joseph near the end of the book of Genesis. When his brothers came to him and fell down before his face and proclaimed that they were his servants, Joseph said to them, “Do not be afraid, for am I in the place of GOD?” (Gen. 50:19).

The King of Israel expressed similar thoughts in 2 Kings 5:7, “Am I GOD?”

Jacob, in Genesis 30:2, asked, “Am I in the place of GOD?”

These are good questions for me. I need to realize there are many things over which I have no control. There are many problems for which I have no solution. There are many wrongs that I simply cannot make right. But thanks to Him, I serve a GOD that only expects me to do what I can and He takes care of the rest. I must pray like it all depends on Him and work as though it all depends on me. That is all He expects out of me. I don’t seriously ever forget that I am not GOD, but sometimes my lack of faith probably makes it appear that way.

Rudy… like most good movies ends well, and almost always draws a tear when they carry him off the field at the end. But it is still not my favorite. One reason I am not particularly fond of Rudy is that I am not a Notre Dame fan. But I do like their fight song. It was our fight song in high school and it still rings up those old memories of high school pep rallies and Friday night football games. I can close my eyes and I am scoring a TD for my old high school. Cheer, cheer for old Winston High…ok maybe the translation misses something.

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Divide and conquer

Posted on August 22, 2012 by glenn

Deuteronomy 7:22 reads, “And the LORD your GOD will drive out those nations before you little by little; you will be unable to destroy them at once…”

This is referring to the children of Israel coming to the Promised Land and taking possession of it. Basically, it details the book of Joshua. The process used was very interesting and appears as though it was planned by a brilliant military strategist. The land was conquered in stages, just as GOD had said, little by little. The children crossed the River Jordan and took the central portion first. They then conquered the southern portion. Finally, the northern part was conquered.

This plan has been used as a military strategy throughout history. It is called divide and conquer. It makes perfect sense because if Joshua had started at the southern end to conquer the land, then the further he progressed the more concentrated the remaining forces would have become. The central and northern forces would have joined together and been a much stronger foe.

Toward the end of the book of Joshua, we find that the LORD had given Israel all the land which HE swore to give unto their fathers (Genesis 15:18). HE delivered all their enemies into their hand, all HIS promises had come to pass (Joshua 21:43-45). There was (and is) no land promise awaiting the Jewish people in the future, it was given to them then. Joshua 23:15-16 attaches conditions to their keeping the land and notes the possibility of their perishing off the good land and losing the Promised Land if they failed to keep the conditions. Sadly, in time, this is exactly what happened.

But for today’s thought, let’s consider the idea of “divide and conquer.” As stated earlier, this is still used as a military strategy even today. However, it also has meaning in other areas of life. Let’s consider a few. To begin, even a child knows something about dividing and conquering. We have all witnessed a child ask one parent for something and then go to the second parent when he doesn’t receive the desired answer. What has he done? He has attempted to divide. The wise parents will be supportive of each other and stand united.

In the church, it is applied when a person interested in change seeks to divide elderships, or elders and ministers, or members against members. We see the strategy at work in our country as many issues seek to divide us morally, politically, and otherwise.

Jesus taught us in Luke 11:17 that a house divided against itself cannot stand. Let us realize that strength comes in unity. And whether we are parents presenting a united front for our children or an eldership standing united on the truth, let us remember that united we stand and divided we fall.

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In the name of the law

Posted on August 9, 2012 by glenn

Once, I had the opportunity to be with law enforcement as we traveled to a residence looking for someone. The person’s car was there and we were pretty certain he was home, but he would not come to the door to be served papers that had to be delivered that day. We have watched the scene on television dramas many times as they announce, “open up in the name of the law.” The meaning is simply this: open the door by the authority of the law. The officer was not saying open this door simply because I said so, or in my name. He was saying it with the authority and backing of the badge he wore that represented the laws of our country. “Open up in the name of the law” was a way of saying open up by the authority of the laws of our country.

Colossians 3:17 states, “And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the LORD Jesus, giving thanks to GOD the Father through Him.”

“In the name of the LORD Jesus” is synonymous with “by the authority of the LORD Jesus.”

There is authority associated with naming something. We may think of naming our children or naming our pets. In Genesis 2:19-20, Adam was told to name all the animals.  In 1:28 it was noted that he had dominion or authority over them all.

The Colossians text teaches us that all we do has to be done with His (Christ’s) authority. As a matter of fact, look closely at the emphasis placed on the “all”. Three times in the text it is emphasized. Whatever you do – that encompasses the totality of our actions. In word or deed – words of course are the things we say and teach; deeds represent our actions or practice. And once more for emphasis the scripture adds do all, which leaves out nothing.

Everything we do, whatever we do, our teaching and words, as well as our actions, must be done in keeping with His authority. Thus we must be certain that we live our lives in harmony with the teachings of Christ.

Let us submit to His authority in every area of life. Whether it is my home, the way I spend my recreational time, the way I worship Him, etc., let us do all by His authority.

The guy never did come to the door that day and I still think he was home. He wasn’t willing to submit to the authority of the laws of our country.

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Plan of work

Posted on August 8, 2012 by glenn

I work in a field that on occasion puts me in schools to evaluate them as part of ongoing accreditation. The process we use is applicable in many places, not just in the school setting. As a matter of fact, I would say that if you visit any successful industry, hospital, or even family environment, you will find this process in place. The terminology may not be the same, but the idea will be present. Any successful organization engages in these four steps on a continual basis. That being true, it would behoove us to look at our church setting, and even our personal lives, using these four ideas. The four ideas, along with a description or definition, are:

  • Profile – This is a snap shot of where we are today, or any point in time.
  • Vision – This is a picture of where we want to be in the future; it is our goal.
  • Plan – This is simply the bridge that will take us from Profile to Vision.
  • Results – This is a continual process of evaluation.

And note that this whole process is ongoing. We are constantly examining where we are and where we are headed. The wise man, Solomon, proclaimed in Ecclesiastes 1:9 that “there is nothing new under the sun.” Such is certainly the case here. We find strong Biblical teaching for each of the four ideas.

  • Profile – Psa 119:59; Hag 1:7; 1 Cor 11:28a; 2 Cor 13:5a
  • Vision – Gen 12:5; Phil 4:13-14
  • Plan – Luke 14:28-30
  • Results – Gal 6:4
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Icons

Posted on August 1, 2012 by glenn

OK, when you hear the word ‘icon’, you may think about people who are well known and have gained a following to the point that they are looked up to and revered. But I want you to think about a different idea concerning icons.

I work on my computer daily. When I turn on my computer, the Windows screen comes up. Those little symbols on the screen of my computer are called icons. Regularly I have to clean my screen because the number of icons accumulate and take up the whole screen.

Now think about the computer icons for a minute. And take, for example, this very document I am writing. It’s a Word document and will be saved to the desktop on my computer. When I do this, there will be an icon that will appear. Now, we all understand that the icon is not the document. It simply points to the document located elsewhere on the computer. Pointing to the icon will lead me to the original document and open my blog.

Let’s switch gears just a bit. In Genesis 1:26, the text reads, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness.” And throughout the Scripture we are reminded that we are made in the image of GOD. That is a powerful thought to contemplate. I want to look at one of many passages that contain this idea.

Colossians 3:10 states, “…and have put on the new [man] who is renewed in knowledge according to the image of Him who created him.” We again are confronted with the fact that we are made in the image of Him. Here is where we will tie the two ideas together. The Greek word translated ‘image’ in the text is the word ‘eikon’, the obvious origin of our word ‘icon’.

The lesson is clear. Just as the Word document icon on my computer desktop is not the original, but simply points to the original, I should serve as an icon for my Creator. I am, obviously, not the original but if I am carrying out my mission, I will be pointing others to the Original. I will be an icon for GOD.

There are multitudes of people who don’t know GOD and will never read their Bibles. But GOD wants me to live my life so that when the world looks at me, they see Him. I can point others to Him.

I am an icon.

No, not in the sense that I am a rock star or athletic superstar with people looking up to me. No one is seeking my endorsements or asking for autographs. I am an icon because I am made in the image of GOD the Creator. And, according to Colossians, when I put on the new man I serve as an image of Him who created me. Oh, how that should give my life purpose.

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Facades

Posted on July 31, 2012 by glenn

We have all known people who have disappointed us by their actions. There are people that we have known for a long time and we thought we knew them. But then something happens to reveal their true character or motivation. It is such a disappointment when that occurs. However, we have probably been guilty of letting others down at some point ourselves.

Truth be told, we are all pretty good at putting on faces before others. Some even have their Sunday faces that are very different from their Saturday night faces. Jesus had a name for this kind of person; He called them hypocrites. I think the person for whom I have the most respect is one who is the same whenever and wherever you see them.

Perhaps the greatest compliment ever given to a man was stated in Acts 13:22, where it is said of David that he was a man after GOD’S own heart. We are reminded of the incident in a young David’s life when the successor to King Saul was being sought. All the children of Jesse were presented to Samuel for him to anoint the next king. David, being the youngest, was not presented. Samuel asked for David to be brought in and, of course, he was GOD’S choice to be the 2nd king of Israel.

Judging by appearance, David did not seem to be the best choice. But in 1 Samuel 16:7, we find one of my favorite statements. It simply states that man looks on the outward appearance but GOD looks on the heart.

As I contemplate this great truth, this question comes to mind: what does He see when He looks at my heart?

I can put on a facade when dealing with my fellow man. I can hide my true motives from them. I can wear a Sunday face but have a Saturday night mentality. But I cannot fool my GOD. He knows.

Let me pray the prayer of the Psalmist and say “create in me a clean heart and renew within me a right spirit.” And help me O LORD to be the same whenever and wherever I am.

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Never count out Oscar Pistorius

Posted on July 25, 2012 by glenn

Recently I read the story of Oscar Pistorius of South Africa. He reached a dream by being selected to represent his country at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London. He will run a leg in the 4X400 meter relay team. This means he will run a quarter mile, as will his 3 teammates. It has been said that the 400 meter run, the quarter mile, may be the ultimate test athletically because it combines speed with endurance. Much of the race is run anaerobically or in other words in oxygen debt.

I can personally attest to this fact. I think the closest I ever came to death was in a 400 meter race. In my younger years, I was a track and field person but I competed in the shorter races as well as the field events. At one particular competition, my team’s 4X400 relay team lost a member at the last moment and I was chosen to fill in. One of my races was the 200 meter run. So I began the 400 meter race as though I was running only 200 meters. At the end of 200 meters, I was out of gas and by 300 meters was really hurting. I will never forget the pain I endured rounding the last turn and heading down the home stretch. My legs felt like concrete and I was in heavy oxygen debt.

So I know a little something about running 400 meter races. And Oscar Pistorius is a world class athlete. He has reached a dream that many around the world have worked their lives to accomplish. Hard work and dedication pays off and it takes rare ability, as well. Now what makes Oscar any different from these hundreds of other athletes?

Did I tell you that Oscar had both his legs amputated below the knee at 11 months old? He could have been one to never walk let alone run. He could have been relegated to a wheelchair all his life. He could have been handicapped; but not Oscar.

He is now known as a ‘Blade Runner’. He runs on two Cheetah Flex-Foot blades, J-shaped limbs that are 16 inches long and weigh a little over a pound each. There is much discussion on whether he will be allowed to compete but that decision will not change the fact that he has changed the perception of disability.

GOD gives each of us talents, abilities, and opportunities. HE then holds us responsible for how we make use of those blessings. The parable of the talents in Matthew 25 notes that HE gives to each according to his ability (verse 15) and will expect us to give an account of our use of them (verse 19).

I remember writing in my younger son’s yearbook “For unto whom much is given, of him shall much be required,” taken from Luke 12:47.

If we could tap into the talents GOD has given to each of us, without placing limits and restrictions on ourselves, the way Oscar Pistorius has done, what could we accomplish with our lives?

To GOD be the Glory, Oscar!

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Soundness of Scripture

Posted on July 18, 2012 by glenn

The Bible is full of examples of accuracy that builds one’s faith. The study of apologetics is the discipline of defending a position through the systematic use of information. This information includes countless examples from GOD’S word. There are so many places in Scripture where it would have been easy for man to make a mistake if he were not speaking from inspiration. Let us consider just one such example today.

If you have read my blogs for very long, you know I am a “numbers” guy. I taught mathematics in high school for a number of years and am intrigued by numbers. Beginning in Genesis 5, there is a long list of genealogies. And along with the names we have ages assigned. It is pretty common knowledge that the oldest man ever recorded in scripture was Methuselah, who lived to be 969 years old (Gen 5:29). Actually, it is a pretty sad commentary on his life that nothing noteworthy is said about him. That is a long time to live without accomplishing something of note to be recorded. But that’s not our focus today. For today, let’s just note that he lived 969 years.

Consider the following:

Gen 5:25              Methuselah was 187 when Lamech was born.

Gen 5:28              Lamech was 182 when Noah was born (thus Methuselah was 369).

Gen 7:6                Noah was 600 when the flood destroyed the earth.

Adding the ages together gives one exactly 969 years!

Now what if the scriptures had said Methuselah lived 970 years? There would be an obvious problem.  The fact is Methuselah died in the year of the flood. Maybe he died sometime that year before the flood came. But he was alive to at least see much of the ark built. It is sad to think that maybe he died in the flood. That we don’t know but we do know the scriptures are 100% accurate.

The more we study GOD’S word the deeper our faith grows. Isn’t that what Romans 10:17 tells us? “ So then faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of GOD.”

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