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                                                                                              

This book takes a commitment to read if you are an ordinary Bible student like I am.  It is longer than most other books I have read (368 pages in the old edition I have), and thicker in subject matter.  You certainly cannot try to watch a football game and read it between plays.  This one takes all of your attention, but reading one chapter at a time every day—20 to 30 minutes—easily got me through the book in a month without shorting out the synapses in my brain.  If you truly want a serious study, you can do this.
            In Life in the Son, a former Southern Baptist minister virtually talks himself out of Calvinism simply by studying in detail every passage in the New Testament that has anything to do with the various tenets of that system.  In this one he tackles, "Perseverance of the Saints" or, more colloquially known among those I grew up with, once saved always saved.  It is chockfull of scriptures.  When you finish, you will not only understand many scriptures like never before, you will understand what Calvinists (the preponderance of mainstream Protestant religion—your neighbors, probably) really believe and why.  Then you will see how they twist the plainest statements to make them bolster their beliefs.  In the Appendices you will discover from direct quotes of the man's writings how even Calvin disagreed with himself.
            You must also read the Introductions.  One comes from a Baptist preacher friend of the author's who is not really sure he agrees with him, but gives perhaps the fairest assessment of the book one could hope for, and scolds anyone who would automatically put it down before reading and considering.  If I understand the following Introductions (different ones for each edition), this friend was eventually persuaded that Mr. Shank was absolutely correct, simply because he did what he asked others to do—read the scriptures, read the book, and refused to be biased by former beliefs.
            One major caveat:  Mr. Shank knows his Greek grammar.  Again and again he will tell you everything you ever wanted to know about any Greek word and how it is used.  As they say, it was all Greek to me.  So what to do?  Just what you would do with a commentary that does the same thing.  Read past what you don't understand or necessarily need to know, and get the gist of the thing and why it matters.  It's not that difficult to navigate if you really want to.
            As I said, it's a commitment.  I wish you could read my old edition because it has my husband's notes from forty years ago scribbled in the margins and they are enlightening as well.  This book came out in the 1960s.  If you have an older relative or friend who preaches or did preach back then, he may very well have a copy.  Maybe he will have also scribbled in the margins and will let you borrow that copy for a month.
            My edition of Life in the Son was published by Westcott Publishers.  Some newer editions are from Baker Books.  You can find it on Christianbook.com, Thriftbooks, AbeBooks, Barnes and Noble, and of course, Amazon.   
 
Dene Ward

On September 2 this year, I posted a piece on the blog called "Misleading Pictures."  It was meant to caution us all to read our Bibles carefully before we teach our children, and especially before we hand out coloring pages—or even choose workbooks—to make sure they are accurate.  I listed several things that are often incorrectly portrayed and some of my readers, both on the blog and on the Flight Paths Facebook page, listed more.  The general consensus was that yes, we need to be much more careful about these things.
            But it is not fair to complain without offering solutions, so let's see if we can come up with some today.  I hope you will join in the discussion if you have ideas to offer, too.
            First, one of the readers on the earlier post suggested going over the pictures with the young students.  I think this is an excellent idea.  Even first graders, and possibly kindergarteners, can listen to the story being told and then pick out things in the picture that are wrong.  Sesame Street does this all the time.  "Which of these things doesn't belong?"  You will need to carefully say the correct things, stressing them several times.  For example, tell of the shepherds arriving the night Jesus was born, then stress that they were in a house sometime later when the wise men arrived.  If they are old enough to understand time, you can also talk about Herod having the children two and under killed, but I am not sure 4 and 5 year olds will catch on since "years" may not be meaningful.  Simply stressing "the first night at the stable" and then "the house later on" should do it.  Then ask them, what is wrong with this picture—a typical nativity scene with both the shepherds and the wise men in attendance at the manger.  Have them circle the wise men, or, perhaps, X them out before coloring the page.
            I did something similar for the middle school class I usually taught.  I told them that their first order of business was to read the scripture citations in the Bible before reading the workbook, and then find all the mistakes in the workbook.  No matter how good the workbooks, you will always find some.  Probably because we all have a little bit of rebel in us at that age, they loved that assignment!  They came to class with their lists and we covered them first every week.  Do you think maybe they got the message not to believe everything you read, except the Bible?  And I never had trouble getting them to do their lessons either.
            And finally, if you are an artist, or if one attends your congregation, ask them to read the passages and draw correct pictures for your classes, especially for the little ones who spend time coloring.  It would be a great way to involve other people in the teaching program.  Please note though:  you will want to carefully spell out the details that you want to be shown correctly.  You might, or might not, be surprised at how many adults learned these details wrong themselves.  Or maybe there is a person out there who could come up with a whole book of accurate coloring sheets for us to buy and use in our Bible classes.  I know several people who can draw circles and squares and triangles around me, and really, we are not looking for Rembrandt, just recognizable drawings, true to the facts of the Bible.
            As I said, if you have other ideas, please share them with us.  We hold our children's souls in our hands when we teach those classes.  Let's help each other do it right.
 
Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who doesn’t need to be ashamed, correctly teaching the word of truth (2Tim 2:15). HCSB
 
Dene Ward
 

We were climbing to the peak that morning and had been at it for two hours.  It didn't matter that we were in deep shade and temperatures were only in the low 50s.  We had already crammed our jackets in the back pack and tied our sweatshirts around our waists.  We were pouring sweat in our tee shirts.  The higher we climbed, the steeper the trail became.  At my height, I often had to pull on a sapling to manage the natural "steps" the State Park had left for us.
            Suddenly we heard a rustling in the branches above us and a scattering of pebbles rattled down around us.  Up ahead two hikers were headed our way, having started on the other end of the trail and just come over the top.  Ragged, sweating and panting, we must have looked like we needed some encouragement.
            "You're almost there," the woman hiker said.  "The top is really steep but the way down on the other side is all switchbacks."
            It was hard to imagine anything steeper than we had already encountered, but it soon became that way.  Only the knowledge that we were "almost there" kept us going, and the relative ease of the promised switchbacks meant the worst was almost over.
            That is the power of exhortation and encouragement and that is one reason God designed fellowship. 

For I long to see you, that I may impart unto you some spiritual gift, to the end ye may be established; that is, that I with you may be comforted in you, each of us by the other's faith, both yours and mine. (Rom 1:11-12)

For I would have you know how greatly I strive for you, and for them at Laodicea, and for as many as have not seen my face in the flesh; that their hearts may be comforted, (Col 2:1)

Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing. (1Thess 5:11)

But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called “today,” that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. (Heb 3:13)

            Even when we do find ourselves alone, He has left us with "a great cloud of witnesses," pictured as spectators cheering us on in Hebrews 12.  Too many times what should be the home crowd might as well be the heart of enemy territory.  Why is it that a young woman announcing her pregnancy brings on every horror story of labor and delivery that every woman around her has heard or experienced?  Probably the same reason that preachers who gather together for moral support in areas where the church is small and scattered wind up trying to top one another with their bad experiences.  Brothers and sisters alike seem to focus on the negative rather than the positive.  Just exactly who will that encourage except the enemy?
            "We all sin all the time."
            "Even the best of us sin every day."
            "It's impossible for even a strong Christian to overcome sin."
            I have heard these things all my life.  They certainly give an unscriptural view of our power to overcome with the help of Christ.  And they made me feel hopeless.  Until I learned better I didn't even try that hard.  That's what focusing on the negative accomplishes—failure.
            God expects better of His children.  He expects us to help each other, not cast stumblingblocks in the way.  And He has some strong words for those who do the latter.
            I might not have made it to the top of the mountain that day if those hikers hadn't come along with encouraging words.  As you pass others making their way up the mountain of life, remember to lighten their steps with a supporting cheer.  You wouldn't want them to give up when they are so close to the top.
 
Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful. And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near. (Heb 10:23-25)
 
Dene Ward

Most people love them, and they have now become a health food, rich in antioxidants.  But if it weren't for Elizabeth Coleman White, you might never see them in your supermarket produce section, and only in a few roadside stands.  Blueberries are a native American crop, one you could only get wild.  Ms. White changed that.
            She was the eldest of four daughters, born on October 5, 1871, to Quaker parents who were cranberry farmers.  Elizabeth regularly left the house with her father and went to the bogs, learning how to grow cranberries, his only crop.  By age 22 she was an employee of her father's company, in charge of packing and shipping, and occasionally delving into agricultural research, working on eliminating the cranberry katydid among other things.
          But Elizabeth began wondering about growing blueberries.  Since cranberries were a fall crop and blueberries a summer crop, they would enlarge the growing season and the profits for the family business.  Commercial cultivation of blueberries had never been done successfully before.  Then she read an article called, "Experiments in Blueberries" written by a USDA botanist named Frederick Coville.  Her interest was piqued and, with her father's permission, she invited him to come to her farm and continue the experimenting with her. 
            She put out a call to all in her area to find whatever blueberry plants they could find in the wild.  Each one was named, usually after the man who found it.  Elizabeth and her crew chose the plants they thought could survive a transplant and produce.  In 1912, despite all the naysayers, White and Coville were successful, and in 1916, the team produced the first commercial crop of blueberries.
            Elizabeth eventually became known as "The Blueberry Queen" and in 1932, the state of New Jersey gave her an award for her "outstanding contribution to agriculture."  By the 1990s, blueberry production had reached 100,000,000 pounds a year (all information from New Jersey Monthly) and because of her work, we ourselves had twelve blueberry plants that served us well for three or four decades.
           All of which leads me to picking blueberries.  Every second morning in June I would step outside into the morning steam of dew rising off the grass—much different than Ms. White's New England climate--head and eyes shielded from the bright sunshine, carrying a five quart plastic bucket to our small stand of blueberry bushes.  It always amazes me how the morning temperature can be twenty degrees cooler than the afternoon’s, yet within minutes the perspiration is rolling from hairline to chin.  Even the dogs refused to accompany me, though a shade tree stands within mere feet of the blueberries.  They sat on the carport, their bellies flat against the still cool cement and watched, probably commenting to one another about how silly humans can be, especially Floridians.
            It was so uncomfortable one morning, and the blueberries so plenteous, their weight bending the boughs in deep arcs, that after the first half hour I became a little less careful in my picking.  Often as I reached deep into the interior of a bush where I had seen several plump, ripe, dusky blueberries hanging, I simply wrapped my hand around the clump and gently nudged each one with my thumb.  Berries that are ready to be picked will fall off the stem easily, and usually I pulled out a fistful of perfectly ripe ones.  Once in awhile though, a red one appeared in my palm, and even a white or green one.  Oh well, it certainly speeded up the process to pick that way, then toss out the bad ones, and it’s not like we had a measly crop.
            I wonder sometimes if we aren’t too careful in our attempts to reach the lost.  We have a bad habit of deciding who will listen before we ever start talking and our judgments are so different that the ones the Lord made.  He cast his nets into a polluted river, hoping to save as many dying fish as possible; we cast ours into the country club swimming pool, but that is another metaphor for another time.
            Sometimes we come across a blueberry bush with most of the berries still red, not quite ripe for the picking so we pass it by and leave a couple of big ripe ones, just begging to be put into the pie.  It is too much trouble to go after them one at a time.
            Other times we see a bush with quite a few plump ripe berries and instead of just reaching out and grabbing all we can, because there are a few not quite ready, we move to another branch.  No need picking a handful when we might need to throw out half of them.  And so we only reach for the easy ones, the ones that appeal to us because they look like the pictures in the cookbook and are easy to get to.  Those showing a hint of red at the stem end might take a little more effort, a little more sugar in the pie filling.  And because of that we miss some that would give our pie more flavor.
            In another figure Jesus told us to sow the seed wherever we could, not take the time to map it into suitable planting zones.  He said the world is ripe for picking.  “Don’t cast your pearls before swine,” is about people who have had their chance and rejected it, not about us judging another’s suitability to be our brethren.  Where would we have wound up if people had treated us that way?
            Go pick some blueberries.  Grab all you can and let the Lord decide which ones will make the best pie.
 
But when he saw the multitudes he was moved with compassion for them because they were distressed and scattered, as sheep not having a shepherd.  Then he said to his disciples, the harvest indeed is plenteous, but the laborers are few.  Pray therefore the Lord of the harvest that he send forth laborers into his harvest, Matt 9:36-38
 
Dene Ward

The longer I live here, the more I realize that Florida is just plain weird.  None of the popular garden books work.  None of the advice on the gardening section of the morning shows makes any sense.  It doesn't even come at the right time of year for us.  And having become a birder, I can tell you that we seem to have fewer of the birds pictured in the bird books.  Oh, we have some of the ones you see up north all year, mainly cardinals, titmice, chickadees, phoebes, woodpeckers, blue jays and mockingbirds.  Then the water birds and larger birds of prey, like owls and hawks of various kinds.  But not goldfinches, not painted buntings, not black and white warblers, not yellow-rumped warblers, not even robins—except for a few brief weeks when they pass through on their migratory paths.
            And we didn't even see those few for years.  Not until we started setting out large shallow pans of water on top of the feeder poles.  Suddenly we were spending hours with binoculars and the bird book trying to figure out which was what.  Still, it took a while before the word passed among the bird population that water and food was free and easy on the Ward property.
            Four or five years ago we saw our first pair of goldfinches.  In the fall you can hardly miss them.  Their bright yellow feathers and contrasting black and white chevrons are plain as day, even without binoculars.  In the spring it's a bit tougher.  Having changed during winter, their feathers are drabber, almost olive, and the only way to tell them from the pine warblers are the faint streaks on the warblers' breasts.  After a couple of weeks, the goldfinches begin to molt and the bright yellow once again shows up, at least on the breeding males.  The non-breeding males are still drabber than the other males and have no black mark on their foreheads.  The females look a lot like those younger males and also sport a white patch on their rumps.  But it begins to be obvious that they are goldfinches, too.  It seems like they actually stayed a little longer this year before scooting back up north.
            My book tells me they often appear in flocks.  Must be another difference for Florida.  The first three years we only had the one pair.  Last year we suddenly had two pairs of goldfinches.  Then one day this past spring, I walked up to the window that looks out on our homemade aviary and there in the feed trough just outside the house was a whole flock of goldfinches happily pecking away.  I counted ten.  Ten!  Wow, I had hit the jackpot!
            So I stood there and watched for a while until they suddenly became aware of us and all flew off in a flash.  After that a couple of them took turns on the hanging feeders further away from the house.  I sat down and watched them a little longer.  You know what?  The two on the hanging feeder were every bit as cute and fun to watch, every bit as bright and cheerful a yellow as the ten had been.  They didn't lose their God-given glory just because there were fewer of them.
            And that made me wonder, why are we so impressed with numbers?  Why are we so impressed with titles?  Why are we so impressed with brand names and designer labels?  Why are we so impressed with outward appearance?  The more zeroes in a price tag, the more letters after a name, or the more awards on a shelf, the more we think of the person, the job, the car, the home, the neighborhood, the title and position.  And many times, the more wrong we are about what really matters.
            Better is a little, with righteousness, than great revenues with injustice. (Prov 16:8)
            How much better is it to get wisdom than gold! Yea, to get understanding is rather to be chosen than silver. (Prov 16:16)
            He that is slow to anger is better than the mighty; And he that rules his spirit, than he that takes a city. (Prov 16:32)
            Better is the poor that walk in his integrity, Than he that is perverse in his ways, though he be rich. (Prov 28:6)
            One little goldfinch is every bit as fascinating to watch as a whole flock stretched out on a feeder, pecking not only at the seeds but sometimes each other.  One little goldfinch is just as yellow, just as cute, and just as worthy of my attention as fifty.  In fact, since he is the only one, I am usually a lot more grateful for him.
 
But the LORD said to Samuel, “Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him. For the LORD sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the LORD looks on the heart.” (1Sam 16:7)
​Do not judge by appearances, but judge with right judgment.” (John 7:24)

Dene Ward

When I was a child, we lived under the threat of Communism and the Cold War.  There was not one German nation, there were two—East and West Germany, as well as East and West Berlin, a city within East Germany.  The Eastern halves of both were Communist.  It had been like that since before I was born, since 1949, in fact.
            Then Communism fell apart, one nation at a time, and that collapse hit East Germany in 1989.  Reunification suddenly became the topic of the day.  Some nations were against it.  After all, a unified Germany had killed an estimated six million Jews, "and might do it again."  They were also primed to become the dominant power in Europe with a robust economy.  In short, some did not trust them and probably never would.
            But on October 3, 1990, East and West Germany signed the necessary papers to make them once again one nation.  The legal matters are too complicated to discuss here, but it happened and it has remained so since then.  There is now one Germany called the Federal Republic of Germany.
            God believes that unity is a good thing.  He expects it of his people, and when something happens to ruin the unity, he expects us to do everything short of sin to repair it.  For example…
              I entreat Euodia and I entreat Syntyche to agree in the Lord. Yes, I ask you also, true companion, help these women, who have labored side by side with me in the gospel together with Clement and the rest of my fellow workers, whose names are in the book of life.  (Phil 4:2-3).
            One of the saddest things about having been part of many different congregations in my lifetime is seeing people just like those two famous women above.  These were good women who had worked hard for the Lord, but for some reason they just could not get along.  We have seen it in every church and it is never takes long to figure out who the two parties are.  Once we were only at a place for a week-long gospel meeting and we still knew who they were well before the week was up.  That time it was two men, by the way.
            A lot of people may say that it doesn't really matter as long as they don't gather up parties on either side or cause a ruckus because, after all, the Bible doesn't say we have to like each other.  Yet the older I get and the more I study, the more I believe it does matter for one very simple reason.  Let me show you quickly this morning.
            Grab your Bible and look up Ephesians 2:11-22.  Christ came here with a mission.  The first one was making peace between God and man (Rom 5:1-3).  But he also came to make peace among men.  Look at verse 12 in this passage.  What was happening before Christ?  As Gentiles we were separate from Christ, alienated from the Jews, strangers from the covenant of promise, had no hope, and were without God.  Do you see all those words of separation and disunity?
            But now that we are in Christ we have been brought near, are one new man, are in one body of the reconciled, have access to the father, have become one nation and one family, and are built into one spiritual Temple (vv13-21).  Notice the difference in the words—nearness, access, oneness.  And why did that have to happen?  Because (v 22) God, who is a God of peace (Phil 4:9) cannot dwell in a Temple where there is no peace.
            When we think we can hang on to our little peeves and animosities and have it not affect the church, we are sadly mistaken.  It isn't just the Jew/Gentile or black/white problem, though they are bad enough.  It took Christ coming and dying to fix that and make us one nation.  But we can still ruin the whole thing if an outsider can come in and see the disunity after just a few days, when one family fights another, when two men behave like children who want their way "or else," when two women avoid one another like the plague. 
When you just can't get along, and don't really even seem to care, you may as well hang a sign on the door that says, "God not wanted here."
 
I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in me through their word, ​that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me.  (John 17:20-21).
 
Dene Ward