On August 7, 1882, in Tug Creek, West Virginia, the most famous feud in American history began when Ellison Hatfield, wounded in a fight with Tolbert, Pharmer, and Randolph McCoy, died two days later.  However, the seeds of the feud go back to a dispute over a pig in 1879, and some say even to conflicts over sides in the Civil War.  The feud lasted until 1891, eventually involving state officials and militias in both Kentucky and West Virginia.

The History Channel recently devoted a mini-series to the subject.  I nearly fell out of my chair when it depicted both families coming out of a meetinghouse with “Tug Creek Church of Christ” painted over the front door.  I think that may be the most shameful thing about the whole affair, and the worst publicity the church ever received.  Here were people who claimed to be Christians, yet who not only argued with one another for years, but fought and killed each other as well. 

I suppose I have always considered James’ admonition in chapter 4 to be a hyperbole.  What causes quarrels and what causes fights among you? Is it not this, that your passions are at war within you? You desire and do not have, so you murder. You covet and cannot obtain, so you fight and quarrel. Surely Christians do not act that way.  But here is historical proof that they do.

The thing we must realize is this:  we are no better when we argue with one another, when we divide over things that do not matter, and when we refuse to speak or even sit on the same side of the meetinghouse because of our selfish grievances.  No, we do not kill, but we do the same damage to the gospel, and thus to the Lord.

Paul appealed to the Corinthians by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ that there should be no divisions among them.  That means “by Christ’s’ authority,” and with reverence for him.  It means in gratitude for the mercy his name has brought us.  It means if we have any regard for Christ at all, then nothing should divide us but a concern for truth.  Jesus himself said that our unity would testify to the world that God had truly sent him.  What does it say about us when we think our own petty concerns are more important than those things?

  Our concern for unity should be utmost.  Pursue peace, Paul said in Rom 14:19.  Don’t just be satisfied if it happens to come along.  Be eager to keep the peace, he exhorted in Eph 4:3.  If that isn’t enough motivation consider this—God won’t be with us if we do not live in peace with one another, 2 Cor 13:11. 

  Peace doesn’t just mean we aren’t fighting and killing one another.  It means we are of “the same mind and the same spirit,” 1 Cor 1:10.  It means we count the other more important than ourselves, Phil 2:3.  It means we seek not to please ourselves, but our neighbor, For Christ did not please himself, but as it is written, "The reproaches of those who reproached you fell on me," Rom 15:3.  It means we are willing to be wronged rather than demean the name of Christ to the world, 1 Cor 6:7.

A feud among the Lord’s people is nothing to be proud of.  We can think back to that famous feud, of the many lives lost, and shake our heads with dismay.  Now think of the souls lost too.  Some of those people may not have died physically during those years, but far more died spiritually.  It is one example of our forbears that we do not want to follow.

May the God of endurance and encouragement grant you to live in such harmony with one another, in accord with Christ Jesus, that together you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore welcome one another as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God. Romans 15:5-7

Dene Ward

 In the country the power can go out for no apparent reason.  You expect it in a storm.  Limbs break and fall on power lines.  Ground becomes saturated with rain and the trees uproot themselves and fall over, taking the lines underneath with them.  Lightning strikes sub-stations and transformers.  All of that is understandable.  What is not is an outage on a calm, sunny day, something that happens far more often in the country than in town.

When you are not expecting an outage, it can cause problems.  I once put a sour cream pound cake in the oven only to have the power go out twenty minutes later.  (Yes, the sun was shining brightly.)  I needed another 40-60 minutes of 325 degree heat.  I was afraid to take the cake out, but unsure how the residual heat would affect the cooking time, nor how the reheat time would affect it when the power came back on.

I decided to leave it in the oven, thinking that it was less likely to fall from that than from suddenly moving it from the oven heat to room temperature when it wasn’t even half-cooked.  Two hours later, the lights came on and the oven began reheating itself.  I compromised on the time and with the aid of a toothpick was able to find the moment when the cake was done but not over done.  It was a little more compact than usual, but it didn’t fall, and it tasted fine.

When you live in the land of unexpected outages, you really appreciate the consistency of God’s power.  Eph 1:19 tells us it is immeasurable, which means it cannot be contained and is therefore infinite.  Romans 1:20 simply mentions “the eternal power” of God.  Whenever we need it, it is there for the asking and nothing can deplete it.  Every time I hear someone say, “There are so many others with bigger problems, I hate to bother God with mine,” I wonder if they really understand the “eternal” power of God.

God’s power guards us (1 Pet 1:5); it strengthens us (Eph 6:10; Col 1:11); it preserves us (Psa 79:11); it supports us in our suffering (2 Tim 1:8); it redeems us (Neh 1:10).  Paul prayed that the Ephesian brethren would know that power, the same power that raised Christ from the dead (1:19,20) and the same power that can answer any request we might possibly think of (3:20).  And, he says, that same power works within us as well.

When the storms of life rage around you, you will not have to worry about the power going out.  In fact, that power will be stronger the more you need it.  Paradoxically, we are never stronger than when we need God the most because we are letting him take care of things.  Counting on yourself is the weakest you will ever be, and that usually happens on the sunny days, the days when life is easy.  On stormy days, the days when we finally give up and lay it all before God, the power at our disposal is awesome. 

The Light never goes out, or even dims in a brownout, when run by the power of God.

 

Ascribe power to God, whose majesty is over Israel, and whose power is in the skies. Awesome is God from his sanctuary; the God of Israel--he is the one who gives power and strength to his people.  Blessed be God! Psa 68:34-35

Dene Ward

[Disclaimer:  Please assume that all suggestions in this post are assumed to be in accordance with the laws of the land, especially the copyright laws, with all permissions, citations,  and/or payments fulfilled.]

Let me just say it from the start.  Shame on me.  I never thought about some of these things until they directly affected me and mine.  I am horrified, and apologize profusely to any Christian anywhere who has a physical disability for my previous lack of consideration and compassion.  Now I understand what you have been living with for years, and I hope this will help atone for some of my cluelessness.

I think, though, that this is common.  Until you have a problem yourself, you have no idea what people are living with and the things we take for granted.  Churches everywhere in this country have conformed to the Americans with Disabilities Act.  We now have handicap bathroom stalls and parking places, and ramps to at least one door.  I can’t help but wonder, though, if we would have done those things if the law hadn’t forced it on us.

I am proposing a new law for congregations everywhere:  the Christians with Disabilities Act.  It wouldn’t cost a penny.  All it would cost is a little inconvenience here and there, and maybe a little time and effort in changing bad habits.

• Article One—Prayer:  
  

All prayers should be prayed in front of the congregation (not in the pews) and behind a microphone.  People will always say, “But I talk loud enough.”  Listen carefully:  No one speaks loudly enough without artificial amplification for someone with a true hearing disability to hear and be able “to say the amen” (1 Cor 14:16).  (No, dear brother, not even you!)  In fact, in trying to speak “louder” the clarity is often lost, and that can be even worse.

It is also important that hearing disabled people be able to see not just your face, but your lips.  Many of them count on lip reading, some subconsciously, in order to help fill in the gaps their poor hearing leaves.  Therefore, speakers must stand where they can be seen, not wander around among the assembled, and those praying must keep their heads up and pointed toward the audience.  God is more likely to send you to hell for not being considerate of a disabled brother than he is for not bowing your head.

• Article Two—Power point:  

You may only use a power point presentation if you also verbalize everything that is on the screen for the vision impaired.

Many times I have been scrambling to find the song after the songleader started because he neglected to mention the number: “It’s on the power point.” 

My brothers and sisters have learned some new songs and some new verses to songs that I still do not know because I have never seen them.  They were only put on the power point.  Any extra verses or new songs that are sung with any amount of regularity should be printed out and made available, not just for the vision impaired in the congregation, but for any similarly afflicted visitors who need them as well.

In addition, preachers and teachers should be aware that anything on the power point that is important will be completely missed by those who cannot see it.  “I would go over all the verses, but you can see them up there.”  No, I can’t, and there are probably others just like me.

This “act” is obviously incomplete—there isn’t a law on record this short.  I could have added things like the length of time we ask people to stand or the number of times we expect them to get up and down, but I can only relate to the disabilities my family and I have, which is the whole point.  We must actively seek the needs of the disabled so they can participate in the public worship with us as much as possible.  That does not mean they should not be realistic.  Being disabled by very definition means there will be some limitations they (including me) just have to accept, but we do not want to be like the rulers in Jesus’ day who told them all to go away. “There are six other days in the week.  Why mess up our Sabbath?” (Luke 13:14) 

We are supposed to be trying to reach the lost.  Do we only want the healthy lost?  The more we reach, the more disabled we will have among us, and the more we will need to make some changes—perhaps even people signing the sermons and Bible classes, and a few Braille songbooks and Bibles on hand to pass out.  Of all people, Christians should be compassionate and willing to bend for the sake of those “bruised reeds” among us, (Matt 12:20).

Jesus went to the disabled and diseased; he didn’t avoid them (Matt 11:3-6).  Yes, his healing them validated his claims and made people more apt to listen, but evidently it “offended” some people too.  Could it be because those disabilities symbolized a greater disability that everyone has—sin and death?  What if Jesus had ignored that disability?

• The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor. And he rolled up the scroll and gave it back to the attendant and sat down. And the eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on him. And he began to say to them, Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.
  Luke 4:18-21
  

Dene Ward

Wrens are known for building nests in odd places and we have a couple who have proven the point. They can’t seem to help themselves when it comes to building nests.  And fast?  In less than an hour they are ready to set up housekeeping.   Anything that is left open and alone for that amount of time is fair game.

We’ve found nests in boxes of empty mason jars in the shed, and on the lawn mower seat under its protective tarp.  We’ve found them on the bristles of the push broom which hangs upside down near the ceiling of the carport.  We’ve found them in roof gutters, and draped plastic sheeting.  We’ve found them in flower pots, tomato vines, and empty buckets.

We usually buy dog food in 50 lb bags at the feed store and keep it stored in a large plastic garbage can in the shed.  We carry Chloe’s daily allotment in an old three pound coffee can, which we then shove sideways on the handlebars of the old exercise bike until the next day’s feeding.  Last month we found a wren’s nest in that can, obviously built after Chloe had been fed the day before, hanging precariously, rocking in the breeze. 

Immediately Keith duct-taped it more securely to the handlebars so it couldn’t be blown or jostled off, and found another old can to use for Chloe’s feed.  It has become something of a joke now—remember to put up the [whatever] before the wrens find it.

This doesn’t happen just once a year.  The mother wren incubates the eggs for about 2 weeks and then both parents feed them until they can fly, about two weeks later.  Often, the last few days of feeding, the father takes over completely so the mother can start another nest.  In our climate, they often build a third nest after that one.  They are like little nest-building machines—wherever they can, whenever then can.

Isn’t that the way we should be about the gospel?  Too many times we’re out there making judgments about where to sow the seed instead of strewing it about everywhere we can.  We decide who will and who won’t listen and worse, who we deem “worthy” to hear.

That certainly isn’t what Jesus did.  He taught dishonest businessmen and immoral women.  He taught the upper class and the lowest of the low.  He taught the diseased and the disabled, as well as the hale and hearty blue collar workers.  He taught people who wanted to hear and people who just wanted to make trouble for him.  Shouldn’t we be following his example?

Too many times we worry about the reception we will get.  When Jesus sent out the seventy, he didn’t say, “If you don’t think they’ll listen, then shake the dust off your feet and go elsewhere.”  What he said was, “If they don’t listen,” which means everyone had a chance to decline if that is what they chose to do.  We can’t seem to stand the possibility of rejection, not an auspicious trait for disciples of the one who was “despised and rejected of men.”

We should be like wrens, speaking about our faith anywhere, even the most unlikely places, to anyone, even the most unlikely people.  Over and over and over, like we can’t help ourselves, like our lives depended upon it, because maybe they do.

Therefore I testify to you this day that I am innocent of the blood of all of you, for I did not shrink from declaring to you the whole counsel of God.  Acts 20:26-27.

Dene Ward

Growing tomatoes can be easy, but if you must deal with poor soil instead of rich loam, it isn’t.  If you have bacteria-infected soil, it isn’t.  If blights, mildews, and fungi abound, it isn’t.  If the insects rise in swarms every time you bump a plant, it isn’t.  We have all of the above, so growing tomatoes here is certainly not easy.

Every year we have a handful of plants that grow to about a foot’s height, then stop.  Their leaves curl and they never set a bloom.  They remain green and don’t die outright, but they don’t grow and they don’t produce fruit.  We call them the “frizzled plants” because of the curled leaves and the stunted growth.

Listening and considering new ideas is imperative to our spiritual growth, to improving our attitudes and characters.  Keith has actually come across a couple of people who have told him, “Even if you could show me in the Bible where I’m wrong, I wouldn’t change.  I’m comfortable where I am.”  A comfort zone is prime territory for stunted growth.  What do you do, but sit there and watch their leaves curl?

Others have a pride issue.  They can’t possibly be wrong about anything.  Hear the sarcasm in Job’s voice as he deals with his so-called friends: “No doubt you are the [only wise] people, and wisdom will die with you,” 12:2.  When people will not listen to anyone else, they will only grow as far as their own knowledge will reach, and then stop.

Parents can stifle growth when they view differing opinions as disrespect.  Even parents who don’t mean to do so are used as an excuse not to listen.  “But my daddy said…”  Don’t you think Daddy had enough personal integrity to change his mind if someone showed him he was in error?

Indifference can stunt your growth.  In fact, it is a wonder some people managed to germinate a seed at all, much less grow enough to look at least a little like a Christian.  Their apathy prevents them from getting any farther.

Wealth can strangle you so that the seed never receives the nourishment it needs. They are those who hear the word, but the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches and the desires for other things enter in and choke the word, and it proves unfruitful. Mark 4:19.

Immaturity, which Paul repeatedly calls carnality in 1 Corinthians, can stunt your growth.  When you are concerned about the wrong things and your perspective is distorted, when you can’t see beyond the instant gratification of things, status and the opinion of others, you will never comprehend the true necessities of spiritual life.  You certainly won’t grow in the grace and knowledge of the Lord.

We need to look at ourselves and the things that matter most to us.  Examine your spiritual growth in the past year or two.  Can you see a difference, or are you still sitting in exactly the same place with curled leaves and no fruit on your limbs?  Are you stretching those limbs upward, or do they droop to the earth, where the only things that matter to you happen to be?

What is getting in the way of your growth?  Don’t be a frizzled tomato plant.

The righteous flourish like the palm tree and grow like a cedar in Lebanon. They are planted in the house of the LORD; they flourish in the courts of our God. They still bear fruit in old age; they are ever full of sap and green, Psa 92:12-14.

Growing tomatoes can be easy, but if you must deal with poor soil instead of rich loam, it isn’t.  If you have bacteria-infected soil, it isn’t.  If blights, mildews, and fungi abound, it isn’t.  If the insects rise in swarms every time you bump a plant, it isn’t.  We have all of the above, so growing tomatoes here is certainly not easy.

Every year we have a handful of plants that grow to about a foot’s height, then stop.  Their leaves curl and they never set a bloom.  They remain green and don’t die outright, but they don’t grow and they don’t produce fruit.  We call them the “frizzled plants” because of the curled leaves and the stunted growth.

Listening and considering new ideas is imperative to our spiritual growth, to improving our attitudes and characters.  Keith has actually come across a couple of people who have told him, “Even if you could show me in the Bible where I’m wrong, I wouldn’t change.  I’m comfortable where I am.”  A comfort zone is prime territory for stunted growth.  What do you do, but sit there and watch their leaves curl?

Others have a pride issue.  They can’t possibly be wrong about anything.  Hear the sarcasm in Job’s voice as he deals with his so-called friends: “No doubt you are the [only wise] people, and wisdom will die with you,” 12:2.  When people will not listen to anyone else, they will only grow as far as their own knowledge will reach, and then stop.

Parents can stifle growth when they view differing opinions as disrespect.  Even parents who don’t mean to do so are used as an excuse not to listen.  “But my daddy said…”  Don’t you think Daddy had enough personal integrity to change his mind if someone showed him he was in error?

Indifference can stunt your growth.  In fact, it is a wonder some people managed to germinate a seed at all, much less grow enough to look at least a little like a Christian.  Their apathy prevents them from getting any farther.

Wealth can strangle you so that the seed never receives the nourishment it needs. They are those who hear the word, but the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches and the desires for other things enter in and choke the word, and it proves unfruitful. Mark 4:19.

Immaturity, which Paul repeatedly calls carnality in 1 Corinthians, can stunt your growth.  When you are concerned about the wrong things and your perspective is distorted, when you can’t see beyond the instant gratification of things, status and the opinion of others, you will never comprehend the true necessities of spiritual life.  You certainly won’t grow in the grace and knowledge of the Lord.

We need to look at ourselves and the things that matter most to us.  Examine your spiritual growth in the past year or two.  Can you see a difference, or are you still sitting in exactly the same place with curled leaves and no fruit on your limbs?  Are you stretching those limbs upward, or do they droop to the earth, where the only things that matter to you happen to be?

What is getting in the way of your growth?  Don’t be a frizzled tomato plant.

The righteous flourish like the palm tree and grow like a cedar in Lebanon. They are planted in the house of the LORD; they flourish in the courts of our God. They still bear fruit in old age; they are ever full of sap and green, Psa 92:12-14.

Dene Ward