Flight Paths

"But I've been baptized and that's all that really matters."
            We wish we had a dollar for every time we have heard that statement.  Do you know when it comes up?  When you go to visit a fallen member, hoping to bring him back to the Lord.  "Yes, I know I don't (attend services like I should, study like I should, pray as I ought) and I know I (drink a little, need to watch my language, and hang out too often with people who are not righteous while avoiding Christians as much as possible) but I've been baptized so I'm okay!"
            Do you know why that happens?  Because we neglect to teach that baptism should be the start of a lifelong commitment to the Lord.  Instead we dunk people like Oreos in a glass of milk and they think "Now my sins are gone and I'm all right."  It's our own version of "once-saved-always-saved."
            Parents may be the worst.  They push baptism to the point that their child has nightmares and begs to be baptized, even if they are just 8 years old and wouldn't know what lifetime commitment truly meant if it bit them.  No!  You teach them to commit.  Then when that happens, you tell them, "This is how you show that commitment, by obeying God in this command," which also happens to be how you wash those sins away.  It takes both.
            Or are ye ignorant that all we who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were buried therefore with him through baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we also might walk in newness of life… For the death that he died, he died unto sin once: but the life that he lives, he lives unto God. Even so reckon you also yourselves to be dead unto sin, but alive unto God in Christ Jesus. " (Rom 6:10-11).
         Baptism is not a magic bullet.  If you don't live like you have been baptized, showing that commitment every day of your life, it doesn't do you one bit of good.
 
Know ye not, that to whom ye present yourselves as servants unto obedience, his servants ye are whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness? But thanks be to God, that, whereas ye were servants of sin, ye became obedient from the heart to that form of teaching whereunto ye were delivered; and being made free from sin, ye became servants of righteousness (Rom 6:16-18).
 
Dene Ward

After thirty-seven years on this property, you would think we had seen it all, but this summer had something new in store for us. 
            One evening in June, as Keith worked in the office, he looked out the west window and saw a red fox.  Obviously a large kit, what we would call an adolescent, he sniffed around exploring the place where we have our muscadines running along a fence wire, as well as a grape arbor to its immediate east sheltering a swing Lucas made in shop class oh, so long ago.  What was he after?  Worms, it looked like, which he dug up and ate again and again.  Later in the week we watched him run up the ditch to the east, always in the evening, several evenings in a row.  Then the fun started.  We caught sight of him out the office window again, but suddenly he looked up toward the woods just across the north fence.  We followed his line of sight and there stood another one!  It came over to meet him and they began to play, just like puppies, chasing one another around, knocking each other over and play-fighting.  Then we saw another—and another—and another!  Five of them running, cavorting, exploring, and having a grand old time as children will.
            They continued to grow and fill out as summer passed, and we knew that soon they would all scatter—they leave the den at seven months, after being born between January and March.  In our warmer climate, we assumed January was the likelier date.  And yes, now we see only one, a mature adult, and as far as we know it could even be one of the original parents.  But we were in for another surprise.
            One evening Keith once again spied the lone fox out in the grapes.  This time he was walking along them, pulling them off the vine and eating them!  When he finished that level, he stood on his hind legs and proceeded to eat the next "row" and so on until he had eaten as high up as he could reach.  We had wondered why this year's meager crop had suddenly disappeared.  Now we know.  Take us the foxes, the little foxes, that spoil the vineyard…
Song of Solomon 2:15.  They certainly do.
            I studied the Song of Solomon under Homer Hailey so I learned what is called "the three person view."  I am quite aware that most others use the two person view—which I have tried again and again, but still can't understand.  My dear teacher told us all that the foxes represented Solomon trying to spoil the faithful and true love of the Shepherdess and her Shepherd boyfriend.  Whoever you think the foxes are, let me just use this metaphor today:  "the little foxes" are the little things that can hurt an otherwise sound marriage.  I sent out some feelers to several people, asking them for the little things they think can ruin a relationship.  Not adultery.  Not abuse.  Not addictions.  Little things.  The things we scarcely notice but which take a toll, day after day after day.  Today, let's talk about "the little foxes" they sent me in their answers.
            1.  Lack of respect and common courtesy.  I have heard spouses talk to one another like hired hands—hired hands who don't do the job well, in fact.  They demand, they order, they scold, they gripe, they insult.  I have even heard a Christian wife do this to her husband in public.  The same people would never think of speaking to a neighbor that way, or a colleague, even one they didn't much like.  Courtesy and kindness seem to be saved for strangers—or maybe it's for the people who pay one's salary.  A spouse doesn't pay us so we don't have to be so careful, I guess.  Could you please, thank you honey, what a great job, all go a long way in smoothing out the road of a sometimes rough life.  Don't make it worse than it has to be.
            2.  No communication.  Sometimes I see couples who might as well not live together for all they communicate with one another.  The solution:  Don't just talk to one another, but speak as friends and confidantes.  If you are not friends, why did you marry in the first place?  Do the things that make for friendship, and that means spending time together talking.  You should have the same goals in your marriage—helping one another get to Heaven.  Raising your kids so as to save their souls.  Working for the Lord together.  These things should give you ample time together to cement that relationship.  And good communication means you are not so likely to "imagine" ulterior motives.  We have certain times we set aside nearly every day, just to sit and talk.  That and a cup of coffee by the fire can mend a little rift that occurred a few moments or even a day before.  And be aware—little rifts can gradually become giant tears in the fabric of a marriage if they are not mended.
            3.  Unreasonable expectations.  We grow up on fairy tales and happily ever after.  Prince Charming always wears clean clothes and shaves.  The Princess always has her make-up just so.  No, they don't, either of them.  Life is not a fairy tale.  Life is hard work.  Raising children is really hard work.  Trials and tribulations happen. Sometimes he is sweaty and stinky from working outside—for you and the family!  Sometimes she is in old sweats with her hair all over the place from cleaning house, chasing kids, doing laundry, and myriad other things.  Grow up and don't expect otherwise.  He won't always do what you want, especially if you don't bother to tell him what that is.  Contrary to popular myth, men cannot read minds.  Contrary to popular retirement myth, she does not receive great joy from standing there watching you do your thing hour after hour.  Be reasonable.  Be realistic.  And back to number 2, talk about it.
            4.  Focusing on the things we don't like.  It has not been that long since I wrote an entire post on this one.  Can I just quote a little of it?  "I am sure that you have done it too, at least once in all these years, on a day when things were not going well and your heart was aching and your mind was in a whirl, you have said to yourself, "What was I thinking?"  About what, you ask?  About why you married that particular person.
            Some folks might say, "You weren't," thinking, that is.  But the truth is that you were.  You were thinking about how wonderful he was and all the sweet things he said and did when he was courting you.  That's all you were thinking about—the good, the overwhelming good, that wins someone's heart.
            And today, when you asked yourself that other question?  Well, today you were thinking about the bad, the frustrating, irritating, aggravating, thoughtless things he does, and you were dwelling on them over and over and over…stop focusing on the bad, the things you don't like about him or her.  Start remembering the good things he does for you, the sweet remembrances, the kind gestures, the handpicked wildflowers and the cup of coffee before you get out of bed.  And remember, he sometimes asks himself that question too, so give him some good things to think about today."
            Small things, yes?  But things that can make a big difference.  Many of us understand commitment.  We understand that God hates divorce (Malachi 2).  And our marriages are really not that bad, but they are certainly a long way from what they could be with just a little effort.  Sit down today and talk about it together.  We found out in a short time that those cute little foxes can destroy a vineyard.  Don't let them destroy yours.
 
Live joyfully with the wife whom you love all the days of your life of vanity, which he has given you under the sun, all your days of vanity: for that is your portion in life, and in your labor wherein you labor under the sun (Eccl 9:9).
 
Dene Ward

One day recently, just to see what would happen, I googled one of my past devotionals, the one called “Chloe and the Green Beans.”  Now if I understand what the Google search engine does, it searches the internet to find places where all those words are used in more or less the same place.  Sort of like a Bible concordance lists all the passages that contain a certain word.  I was amused by what Google came up with.
            “But Chloe doesn’t like green beans…”
            “Chloe Green bought some beans.”
            “Joan Rivers spills the beans about celebrities including Tom Green and Chloe Kardashian.”
            “Chloe Intense—a new perfume with notes of rose, amber, pink pepper, and tonka beans”
            Finally on page 8, I found my devotional, “Chloe and the Green Beans.”
            I never dreamed that those words—“Chloe,” “green,” and “beans”-- had been put together in so many different ways. Some of those are from blogs, some articles, and some ads.  Do you think the “Chloe” in all those snippets referred to the same Chloe?  Of course not.  And then I thought, that is exactly how some people try to study the Bible—they google it, in method if nothing else.  They see a word in one passage and then simply look for it in another, assuming it means the same thing, regardless of the fact that different authors are writing about different topics to different audiences many, sometimes hundreds of years, apart.
            They see the words “the coming of the Lord” and “judgment” and decide that, even though one is in Isaiah and one is in Matthew and one is in Peter, they must all be talking about the same “coming of the Lord”—which they inevitably view as the final Day of Judgment.  They see similar language in the book of Revelation and decide the same thing, regardless of John saying, “These things must shortly come to pass.”
            They also completely ignore to whom the words were originally written and what they meant in the context of the time and circumstances.  For example, when you said the phrase, “the promise” to a Jew, you would create a far different understanding than you would to a Gentile.  Jews who heard or read “the promise” would see it in their minds in all caps on a flashing neon sign.  They had been looking for “THE PROMISE” for thousands of years.  Remember that when you read passages like Acts 2:39, which was originally spoken to a Jewish audience.
            Things also become skewed when you forget that the Bible was not written in English.  Just because the same English word is used in two different places, does not mean it is the same Hebrew or Greek word.  Just as English has many words for “bread” that limit its meaning (biscuit, loaf, bagel, scone, muffin, etc), those people had different words for things that might have been translated into one English word.  Did you know that in the Bible there were several Hebrew or Greek words used for queen?  One meant “a daughter of royalty.”  Another meant “queen-mother.”  Still another simply meant “the king’s wife.”  A really strange one meant “the moon.”  Yet they are all translated “queen” in our language.  That one is not too important, but there are other words that make a much larger difference in your understanding of the scriptures, and that is why you must learn how to use a concordance, either on a computer program or a real book. 
            What started out as simple curiosity that afternoon at the computer reminded me of some important things about Bible study.  Be careful with the word of God.  It isn’t a comic book, so it takes some thought.  It isn’t a thriller, so you sometimes have to make yourself plow through it.  It isn’t a romance, so you may find things in it you didn’t really want to find, like the fact that you need to change your life.  In the end, though, it’s worth every minute of study you put into it.
 
But we have renounced disgraceful, underhanded ways. We refuse to practice cunning or to tamper with God's word, but by the open statement of the truth we would commend ourselves to everyone's conscience in the sight of God… For what we proclaim is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, with ourselves as your servants for Jesus' sake. For God, who said, "Let light shine out of darkness," has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ, 2 Cor 4:2,5,6.
 
Dene Ward

A long time ago I accidentally learned what to do about all those New Testament quotes from the Old Testament:  LOOK UP THE ORIGINAL STATEMENT!
            Let’s look at a quote or two.
            ​You hypocrites! Well did Isaiah prophesy of you, when he said: “‘This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me; in vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’” (Matt 15:7-9)
            I heard that passage quoted all my childhood and applied to religious denominations.  They were making laws that were not in the Bible and so they were guilty.  Then the preacher would list things like “once saved, always saved,” instrumental music, and quarterly communion.  I used it too when I talked to my friends at school because that’s the way I had always heard it used.
            Then one day after I was grown and teaching classes, I decided to look up the context of Jesus’ statement and was I in for a shock when I saw that he was addressing it to the scribes and Pharisees—conservative parties of his own people, the Jews.  He was NOT addressing it to pagans who worshipped incorrectly at all.  So then I went back to Isaiah where, Jesus tells us, this statement was originally made.
            And the Lord said: “Because this people draw near with their mouth and honor me with their lips, while their hearts are far from me, and their fear of me is a commandment taught by men, therefore, behold, I will again do wonderful things with this people, with wonder upon wonder; and the wisdom of their wise men shall perish, and the discernment of their discerning men shall be hidden.” (Isa 29:13-14)
            Like Jesus, Isaiah is talking to God’s people, a people who have given nothing but lip-service to God.  They go to the Temple on feast days and Sabbaths, anxious for it to all be over so they can get back to “real life,” cheating in their businesses, afflicting the poor, and focusing all their attentions on self-indulgence.  They have polluted the true worship with idols in the Temple, priests who no longer teach the Law, and prophets who preach for hire.  They want to be more like the nations around them than like the Father who protected and provided for them.  God says they have broken the covenant and He is about to destroy them.
            Do you think those Jewish leaders missed what Jesus was saying about them by using this passage?  Of course not.  Do you understand now why they were always so angry with him?  He did not avoid confrontation and he had no problem speaking plainly, plainly enough that they knew exactly what he meant.
            Now notice again who these people were:  the conservative parties of God’s people who were trying their best to follow the Law exactly.  Do you know anyone who fits that description today?  And do you think we don’t have any problem with the same things they did?  Then think again.  I grew up knowing people who carefully compartmentalized their religion.  What they said and did on Sunday had nothing to do with how they lived the rest of the week.  “I’ve been baptized,” became their mantra.  I was blessed to have parents who showed me that faith is about every aspect of your life, not just Sunday mornings, otherwise I might be in the same situation.
            Do you think we don’t have trouble teaching “commandments of men?”  Have you ever heard things like, “You can’t wait on the Lord’s table without a tie on?”  How about, “Women are not allowed to wear pants here,” or “You have to say amen at the end of your prayer or you will not be allowed to pray the public prayer.”  And just like those first century Pharisees we sometimes make a bigger deal out of people breaking our Man commandments than we do God’s.
All that just because I finally checked the context of two passages, the New Testament quote and the original Old Testament passage.
           Here’s one you can work on yourself.  Jesus told a vineyard parable in Mark 12:1-12.  It was not a direct quote but was a strong allusion to Isaiah’s vineyard parable in 5:1-7.  Jesus was speaking to the chief priests, the scribes, and the elders, people who certainly knew the book of Isaiah.  Make a two column chart and find the comparisons between those two parables.  Once you do, you will understand why, when Jesus finished his, those men wanted “to arrest him.”
          Did you ever wonder why the New Testament is so much shorter than the Old?  Maybe it’s because God didn’t think He needed to say things twice!  He expected us to look at these quotes and their originals and figure a few things out ourselves.  And when you do that, you will learn more than you ever knew there was to learn.
 
And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself. (Luke 24:27)
 
Dene Ward

Everyone has heard the admonition, “Look for the context when you study.”  Certainly understanding the topic at hand goes a long way in understanding what is being said about it.  But we often overlook another type of context.  In fact, it may be the reason for the vast majority of incorrect ideas about Biblical narratives.  All those pictures we put out for the children to color to fill up the last five minutes of class time are usually so Biblically incorrect it makes me cringe. 
            The context we need to work on most is the historic, geographic, and cultural context.  For example, read a bit in one of those Customs and Manners books (Wight and Edersheim come to mind, but there are other newer ones), or find those sections in any good commentary—just about the best use for a commentary—and you will discover this:  young Jewish women at least up to and including the first century, were married off at puberty.  Even if, as some say, puberty was a bit later back then, you still have fourteen year olds getting married.  In fact, MacArthur tells us in Twelve Extraordinary Women that at least in Mary’s time, they entered into a one-year betrothal, the kiddushin, at 13 and married at 14. 
            Now go back and restudy all those old stories.  Think about Rebekah leaving home to go marry Isaac, who was at that time 40.  Think about those two sisters, Leah and Rachel, and their marriages to Jacob.  Do you realize that if you start at his death in Egypt and work your way back, that Jacob was 84 when he married them?  Both those patriarchs married very young teenagers.
            Every time I point this out, I have one or two in my classes who sit there, stunned.  “But we put people in jail for this,” one woman said.  Yes, and it is a lesson to us not to judge that culture by ours.
            It’s also a lesson not to judge our young people’s capabilities by theirs.  We do not raise our children to be able to begin adult life at 13 or 14.  We don’t expect that level of commitment from them and we don’t teach them how to make a lifetime commitment that early.  Even the young men in later times than those patriarchs married as teenagers.  They learned a trade and were able to support a family by 15 or 16.
           And now that you understand the ages, imagine a 14 year old Mary riding that donkey in full labor.  Then having her baby on a bed of straw.  (Jesus was “laid in a manger” not born in one!) 
           Think of Hagar, Sarai’s handmaiden.  If they had not given her to another servant in marriage already, it was probably because she was too young before then.  For Sarai to come up with this idea, Hagar had probably just reached that magic age of puberty.  It wasn’t exactly a secret in those days when that happened.  When she had Ishmael she may also have been as young as 14 or 15.
           You can do that with so many other things.  Just one tiny fact can change how you have always pictured something in your mind.  What about weaning?  Usually between 3 and 5, but sometimes as late as 8.  If I were Hannah, I would have kept Samuel with me as long as possible. 
              But then think about Ishmael at the feast of Isaac’s weaning—he would have been 17-19 because he was 14 when Isaac was born.  When you see that passage about Hagar “casting him” under a bush, don’t picture a little boy.  He was practically grown, probably larger than she was!
            I could go on, but that should be sufficient to illustrate the point.  Context is a whole lot more than a chapter or two, and it will enlighten your studies for years to come.
 
Dene Ward

            Before we get too far along in these study tips, you need to examine yourself to find out what works for you.
            Over the years I have come to realize that, for me, words are nothing but a mishmash, incomprehensible and unmemorable, if I don’t organize them somehow.  My mind needs graphics.  If I can see a list or make a chart, everything suddenly makes sense.  Otherwise, it’s hopeless.  So I read and read and read, and always keep a half dozen pieces of scrap paper next to my Bible.
            For example, I was studying John 8:12-59 one time, and though I figured out that this was a pivotal time in Jesus’ relationship with the Jewish rulers, I still saw nothing but a bunch of words.  So I read it about 5 times.  The second time I began to see a few things.  The third time I saw a few more.  About then I started my lists.  By the fifth time I was ready to complete them.  When I finished I had a four lists:  questions the Jews asked Jesus; accusations the Jews made about Jesus; accusations Jesus made about the Jews; and, personal claims Jesus made about himself.
            I had written them verbatim out of the Bible, so my final task was to put them in everyday language—something that would resonate with me about what exactly was going on.  Then I went back and read the chapter again.  Oh my!  I had never realized the tension in the crowd and the danger Jesus was in.  And I had never realized his audacity either.  Suddenly that passage came alive for me.  It was easier to comprehend and easier to apply.  And isn’t that the point of study?
            A word of encouragement here that you will need:  Sometimes you make some amazing discoveries when you do this.  But sometimes you will work like crazy making a list or a chart or a progression or however it is your mind works, only to see no amazing discoveries at all. 
            For example, I was studying the oracles of the nations in Jeremiah 46-51.  After only a couple times through I realized I had an easily chartable bunch of facts there.  So I made my three column chart:  the nation, its sins, and the judgment God was sending.  It took a couple of hours to wade through that poetic and highly figurative language, but I made it and had a two page chart, in longhand, to look through.  What astounding things did I find in it?  Not much.  But I did see this:  several sins were listed again and again.  This is what I learned from that chart:  God has absolutely no truck with nations (or individuals for that matter) who are proud, arrogant, self-satisfied idol worshippers.  Tell me that doesn’t describe what this country has become.  And tell me we don’t have the same failings in ourselves at times, especially relying on things and people other than God.  We need a strong army, we need insurance policies and IRAs and huge portfolios.  Then we will be secure.  No, not so much.  God is still in control.  For all that work, though, it wasn’t a huge dividend to come up with.  But I did know for sure what was in those chapters.
            So take some time now and decide how you learn, how you remember, how you process information.  Sooner or later I will share some of the charts and lists I have come up with as examples, but let’s not get the cart before the horse.  Just because it works for me doesn’t mean it will work for you.  You know you best.  Find out what works and use it.
           
In the way of your testimonies I delight as much as in all riches. I will meditate on your precepts and fix my eyes on your ways. I will delight in your statutes; I will not forget your word. (Ps 119:14-16)
 
Dene Ward

Today's post is by guest writer Lucas Ward, the last in his Torah series.
 
Deut. 30:11-14  “For this commandment that I command you today is not too hard for you, neither is it far off.  It is not in heaven, that you should say, ‘Who will ascend to heaven for us and bring it to us, that we may hear it and do it?’  Neither is it beyond the sea, that you should say, ‘Who will go over the sea for us and bring it to us, that we may hear it and do it?’  But the word is very near you. It is in your mouth and in your heart, so that you can do it."
 
            Moses begins the conclusion of his final sermon with this statement.  The people could keep the law if they chose to.  He had laid it out for them.  It wasn't a mystery still in heaven, nor was the writing of it on the other side of the world, requiring a hero's quest to obtain it.  It was very near, in their hearts and mouths.  They knew it.  They had heard it and Moses had written it down.  They could keep it if they chose. 
            This might seem odd to us, as the New Testament writers seem to declare the impossibility of keeping the law:  "For by works of the law no human being will be justified in his sight, since through the law comes knowledge of sin" (Rom. 3:20) and Peter, when discussing why the Gentile Christians didn't need to keep the law, said, "Now, therefore, why are you putting God to the test by placing a yoke on the neck of the disciples that neither our fathers nor we have been able to bear?" (Acts 15:10)  And, indeed, it was a difficult law to live under with daily, weekly, and monthly sacrifices as well as feast days and cleanliness laws that reached into every part of one's life.  (Did you know that there is an ordinance about what to do if a lizard happens to fall into one of your pots?  And the requirement changes depending upon what material your pot is made from!)  Moses wasn't discussing perfection under the law, the justification Paul mentions, but rather living by it, not turning from it, and offering the appropriate sacrifices for sin as needed.  He declares that they can keep it.
            Moses then emphasizes the choice, and its consequences:
          Deut. 30:15,19  “See, I have set before you today life and good, death and evil. . . I call heaven and earth to witness against you today, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and curse. Therefore choose life, that you and your offspring may live"  In chapters 27&28, Moses had laid out the blessings and curses of the law.  God had promised immense blessings to the people if they kept His covenant and equally huge punishments if they broke the covenant.  Moses is making it clear that the choice of what happens belongs to the people.  Keep the covenant you've made with God and receive life and good, don't keep it and receive death and evil.  Moses implores the people, "choose life!"  God echoes this 800 years later as the destruction of Jerusalem by the Babylonians approached.  The people had broken the law and because God keeps all His promises the curses were due.  Still, God implores His people to change: 
          Ezek. 18:31-32  "Cast away from you all the transgressions that you have committed, and make yourselves a new heart and a new spirit! Why will you die, O house of Israel?  For I have no pleasure in the death of anyone, declares the Lord GOD; so turn, and live.” and Ezek. 33:11  "Say to them, As I live, declares the Lord GOD, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live; turn back, turn back from your evil ways, for why will you die, O house of Israel?"  One can almost see tears streaming down God's face as He begs His people to repent.  He doesn't want to destroy them, but He will because He always keeps His promises, even the unpleasant ones. 
            We, too, have a choice.  We have a law to live by, but in comparison to Moses' law ours is called a "perfect law of liberty." (James 1:25).  When Jesus described His requirements for His disciples, He said, "My yoke is easy and my burden is light."  (Matt. 11:30)  If Moses could confidently proclaim that the people could keep his law, what is my excuse? 
          We, too, face a choice laden with consequences.  On the one hand, blessings beyond the wildest dreams of the Israelites:  eternal life sharing in God's glory.  On the other hand, curses heavier than theirs, too: eternal death, burning in a lake of fire.  We can chose to believe in Jesus, living that belief, and receive eternal life (John 3:16) or we can chose to ignore the words of the scripture, and find our way to death (John 5:40). 
            After he finished the first Gospel sermon, Peter continued to exhort his listeners saying, "Save yourselves from this crooked generation" (Acts 2:40).  I offer that same invitation today, imploring you with the words Moses used so long ago, "Choose Life!"
 
Heb. 3:7-8a  "Therefore, as the Holy Spirit says, “Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts"
 
Lucas Ward
 

“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls, who, on finding one pearl of great value, went and sold all that he had and bought it. (Matt 13:45-46)
            Over forty years ago we were given the granddaddy of all winter squashes.  It sat nearly two feet high on its belled bottom, but would have been much higher if the neck had been straight.  Instead the neck bent over and made a nifty handle to carry it by, which helped a lot since it must have weighed about twenty pounds.
            We really enjoyed that squash.  It was the sweetest winter squash we ever ate, and as long as you were eating on the neck, you could cut off what you needed and just cover the end with plastic wrap until the next time.  Only when you reached the bell did you need to go ahead and scrape out the seeds and cook it all.
            So last year we decided to look for seeds for that squash.  We are now living over a thousand miles south of where we lived back then, and we could not even remember the name of the person who gave it to us.  We sent letters up to old friends and they had never seen or heard of anything matching its description.  Turns out the name we thought we remembered was not really a name, either.  "King" squash was evidently someone's description of this behemoth which they considered the "king" of all squashes.
            So we gave up on the name and started reading descriptions in seed catalogues.  Most had nothing even close.  The same old butternut, acorn, and spaghetti squashes filled the catalogue pages.  Finally we found a catalogue that specialized in heirloom varieties.  They had something called a Cushaw that was long and weighed about the right amount.  The neck was straight and just as thick as the body, so that wasn't quite right, but it was the closest thing we could find.  So we ordered some seeds.  The color wasn't right when the vine finally bore fruit.  But we didn't give up on it until we had cooked it and eaten it.  This was not the "king" squash we had enjoyed so many years ago.
            So we tried again.  This time we scoured the internet.  A friend became interested and decided to help and he is the one who finally found it.  He didn't find it by the name "squash."  He found it by the name "pumpkin."  And we came to learn that there isn't one name for this vegetable, just several descriptions.  It's a "neck pumpkin" because of the long, curved neck, or it's a Pennsylvania Dutch crookneck squash, once again because of the curved neck, but also because of its origins.  I use it like squash and I use it like pumpkin, and it fits nearly any recipe for those things as long as you follow the cooking instructions.        
          Seems to me that the same things can be true of the New Testament church.  I know people who have found it, not by the sign by the highway, but by matching what it does with what the church in the Bible did.  Not by matching a creed, or a preacher, or even a "name," but by whether or not it followed God's law.  Just cut it open, take a taste and see.  If you go out looking for a name on a sign, you can still find the wrong thing.  If you look only at the outside, you can miss it altogether.  It's the inner workings, the body of Christ following its head, the bride of Christ in subjection to the bridegroom, the vine bearing the fruit of the Spirit, the building built on the proper cornerstone and foundation.
            It can be done.  I know people who have.  It's up to us to be that body, to match the description and taste like the real thing so that anyone who does come looking can find us.
 
But if all prophesy, and an unbeliever or outsider enters, he is convicted by all, he is called to account by all, the secrets of his heart are disclosed, and so, falling on his face, he will worship God and declare that God is really among you. (1Cor 14:24-25)
 
Dene Ward

When Jesus disappeared from the sight of men there was not a human probability that his name would be other than a reproach, till, like any common felon—like the forgotten thieves between whom he died—his name and fate should drop out of the memory of men.  Humanly speaking, it was certain that he would never have a solitary follower.  No sane man, reckoning on the ordinary probabilities of human motives and action, could have conceived the possibility of a vast body of disciples, ever growing, and pushing on his conquests round the world, holding together through passing centuries, enduring all manner of opposition and bitter persecution, and, in this year 1889, the master-force of the world; a force that, beyond all cavil, is now the most active, aggressive, and revolutionizing influence ever set going among men. 

The Man of Galilee by Atticus G. Haygood

Today we had a Caribbean dinner—jerk grilled chicken breasts with tropical salsa, and sautéed sweet potato cakes.  We are not much for spicy food so making my own jerk seasoning is a bonus—I can cut the red pepper in half.  As for the salsa, one tiny red jalapeno, seeded, ribbed, and finely diced, was plenty with the mango, pineapple, avocado, and onion.

              Ah, but those jalapenos do leave their mark.  Ordinarily I wash my hands half a dozen times during the course of cooking dinner, but I had finished with the raw chicken, the creamy avocado, and the sweet, slick mango so I hadn't washed them again after dicing that pepper and never even thought about it.

              After dinner we made our usual after-dinner-before-dishes walk to survey our little realm.  Keith absently reached down and held my hand.  Then he just as absently reached up with that same hand and scratched his eyelid.  At least it was his lid.  About the same time Chloe came up behind me and licked my dangling hand.  The next thing I knew Keith had a clean cloth up to dab his running eye and Chloe was at the water bucket lapping as quickly as she could.  I came inside and washed my hands immediately.

              We are often just as clueless as I was today about the influence we have on others.  One word, one thoughtless act, even one look can have repercussions that last for days, or weeks, or even years.  Paul reminded the Corinthians that "a little leaven leavens the whole lump" and told Timothy that the words of two specific men "eat like gangrene" (1 Cor 5:6; 2 Tim 2:17).

              The prevalent attitude I hear, even among brothers and sisters, is "That's their problem."  No.  God makes it plain that it is my problem when my influence causes others to fall.  Therefore, if food makes my brother stumble, I will never eat meat, lest I make my brother stumble. (1Cor 8:13)  And whosoever shall cause one of these little ones that believe on me to stumble, it were better for him if a great millstone were hanged about his neck, and he were cast into the sea. (Mark 9:42)

               It's time we grew up and realized our responsibility to others.  We will be judged for every "idle word," Jesus says.  That's a word we said without thought, without concern for others, without owning up to our responsibility for every little thing that escapes our tongues.  James says "Be…slow to speak…" not because you are slow-witted but because I am actually taking the time to consider what I am about to say before it's too late.  Sounds like an excellent reason to shut up once in a while, especially if I am prone to talk just to hear myself talk.  ​When words are many, transgression is not lacking, but whoever restrains his lips is prudent. (Prov 10:19)

               Don't forget to wash the jalapenos off your hands.
 
And he said to his disciples, “Temptations to sin are sure to come, but woe to the one through whom they come!  Luke 17:11

Dene Ward