Finally, after two plus excruciating months of waiting for the permit process to work, the contractor's crew is working to turn this house into the home we want.  It's not that we are hard to please, but cabinets that I cannot even put a plate into without wiggling it this way and that and that leave two thirds of my kitchen equipment still in boxes and my silverware tray sitting on the counter because none of the three drawers is wide enough for it, and a shower that will not turn off once you manage to pry it on and a toilet tank that takes ten minutes to refill after you flush it do not make for an easy life.
            So the first day of work was, in HGTV parlance, "demo day."  It is hard to believe that it only took one day to tear down a bathroom and a kitchen to bare walls.  That was yesterday, and today they are scraping "popcorn."  In another couple of days, they might actually be able to begin rebuilding.
            That is what we are all supposed to go through when we commit our lives to the Lord.  Too many of us just paint over a bad spot and think that will take care of it.  Jesus said from the beginning of his ministry that he expected a whole do-over.
            And whoever does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me (Matt 10:38).  We see that passage and completely miss the point.  We view taking up our cross as some sort of trial we undergo, like an illness or a disability, or maybe an actual person who actively works against us.  But wait!  In that culture, if you saw a person carrying a cross, what did you instantly know?  That he was going to his death, that's what.  Jesus was not telling them to die for him physically, though that might indeed be required down the road, but they must die spiritually in order to be truly converted.  Isn't that what Paul said?  I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me (Gal 2:20).
            And if you still don't get the point, he tells us when we are supposed to die that death.  Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life. For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his. We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin. For one who has died has been set free from sin (Rom 6:3-7).  When we were baptized, we were supposed to have crucified the old person we used to be and begun living a brand new life. 
            You can only completely renovate yourself when you have done a demo down to the bare bones.  Only the one "who has died" in baptism "has been set free from sin."  If you left anything hanging around, if you decided you could be a disciple of Christ and still act the way you used to, talk the way you used to, think the way you used to, live the way you used to, your demo day was incomplete and thus, your conversion as well.
            Demo day in this house was uncomfortable.  It was noisy, dirty, dusty, and the utilities were on and off.  We had to empty every single cabinet, drawer, and closet in those two rooms.  Sweeping at the end of the day didn't even clean the floors.  But now the rebuilding begins, as it should have begun for us after our "crucifixion."  It will probably take longer than the demolition, just as it will in my home.  But just like my kitchen and bathroom will be so much better than it was, so will we, if we do the work the right way.
 
Wherefore if any man is in Christ, he is a new creature: the old things are passed away; behold, they are become new (2Cor 5:17).
 
Dene Ward

Some time ago I watched as a congregation decided to de-emphasize the teaching of Bible facts and spend the vast majority of time on the "emotion" of religion.  The reasoning went like this—we have lost so many because all we teach is facts and we forgot to teach them to love God.  Hmmm.  I hope that I and many of my generation put the lie to that.  We were drilled on the facts, but we got the whole story every time, not just part of it so of course we learned to love God, and we also learned to obey Him because healthy fear was a part of that love just like it was when we thought about our parents.  The emphasis was always on God:  we learned facts because it was part of His Word and He expected us to know about Him and what He wanted from us.
            And that congregation I mentioned?  That shift in emphasis led to a whole generation that married Rebekah off to Abraham, propagated denominational errors (like the wise men at the birth of Jesus or the imputation of Christ's perfect life), had no knowledge of the need for Biblical authority, and thought any church would do if you were running late on Sunday morning.  And they lost just as many of the next generation as the method they were decrying did.
            God's Word is profound.  It is not a quick-read self-help book that can be taken up and put down at one's leisure, or just when a problem arises, and expect to get what God intended out of it.  And the only way to really understand those deep things is to know—wait for it!—FACTS!  The more you know, the more you understand, the more connections you see, the more amazement you feel and the more love and awe for your Creator you will have.  The facts beget the feelings, not the other way around.
            So yes, it is sometimes difficult to teach facts to children.  That is why I have come up with so many games to help them out.  You can check the gallery to see my David game and Prophets game.  I have another one about Moses leading the people through the wilderness to the Promised Land.  And then there are the memory verse relay races and the People, Places, or Things game.  All of these can be found in the archives under Bible Study.  Just keep scrolling down till you find them.  It will become obvious that I am neither creative nor an artist, but you don't need to be if the children are learning and enjoying it at the same time.  As they mature, the enjoyment will come from learning God's Word without fun and games.  Biblical discussions with knowledgeable people is its own source of pleasure.
            We have recently started a new game in the class I am now teaching, one a bit more sophisticated, for older students, say middle school and up.  You can use it for any list of people they are trying to memorize and learn about.  I have used it for the judges and recently, the apostles.
            First, you have to get those facts in their heads.  For example, I hand out a paper with the apostles' names in a list.  Then we go through it one by one, with the students adding all the names each apostle is known by.  Do your research and you will be surprised how many you find.  Peter is known by four names, Thaddeus, of all people, by three!  As they hear you say the names, then see them on the board, then feel their hands write the names on their papers, you are involving three of their five senses.  It is a principle of education—the more senses you involve, the easier it is to remember the facts. 
            Give them exactly one week to work on those names at home.  Then make up about 30 or 40 cards, depending on how many students you have.  You can use index cards, or index cards cut in half, or you can cut your own size cards out of card stock. Put the other names the apostles are known by on those cards—everything but the name we all call them, the standard list (Peter, Andrew, James, John, Philip, Thomas, Matthew, Bartholomew, James the Less, Simon, Thaddeus, Judas—do not use these, unless one of them is also a lesser known name of an apostle, hint:  Simon, Judas).  You will want three or four copies of each card.
            At class, deal the cards 7 or 8 per student.  When you call out one of the standard names, they are to look in their hand to see if they have one of the other names for that apostle and hold it up.  They can only hold up one card.  For example, if they have both Simon and Cephas, and you call out Peter, they have to choose one of those cards.  If they hold up a correct card, you take it.  If they hold up an incorrect card, they keep it and draw another.  The first one to run out of cards is the winner.  At that point, everyone shows their leftover cards and you review exactly who they are.  I always tell the ones who did not "win" that it did not mean they did not know the right names because it also depends upon which ones I call out.  Obviously, you call out the ones with more names more often, but I also try to call out every apostle at least once before repeating any of them.
          The third week you can add the disambiguators like the names of parents, siblings, occupations, and hometowns or areas.  We really only know about 7 hometowns.  The rest we just know as Galileans.  This means you have to add more cards and you too, need to study more.
            And what will this teach the students besides just facts?  For one thing, it teaches them that learning is fun.  For another it helps them see these men as real people.  After all, they had parents, some of whom were also disciples.  They had brothers.  They had families to provide for. They had occupations which they left to follow Jesus, which meant this affected their families too.  1 Cor 9:5 tells us their wives followed them around as they preached.  Jesus became their lives, not just a hobby.   If there is anything we have trouble with today, it is realizing that Christianity must be your life, not just a Sunday morning tradition.
          After writing this, I realize how difficult it was to explain.  If you have questions, please include them below, or on the Facebook link, or even in an email from the Contact page.  We really need to get back to teaching facts if we ever hope to reach hearts.                 

Dene Ward

It may be that Christians, notwithstanding corporate worship, common prayer, and all their fellowship in service, may still be left to their loneliness. The final break-through to fellowship does not occur, because, though they have fellowship with one another as believers and as devout people, they do not have fellowship as the undevout, as sinners. The pious fellowship permits no one to be a sinner. So everybody must conceal his sin from himself and from the fellowship. We dare not be sinners. Many Christians are unthinkably horrified when a real sinner is suddenly discovered among the righteous. So we remain alone with our sin, living in lies and hypocrisy. The fact is that we are sinners!
          Why is it that it is often easier for us to confess our sins to God than to a brother? God is holy and sinless, He is a just judge of evil and the enemy of all disobedience. But a brother is sinful as we are. He knows from his own experience the dark night of secret sin. Why should we not find it easier to go to a brother than to the holy God? But if we do, we must ask ourselves whether we have not often been deceiving ourselves with our confession of sin to God, whether we have not rather been confessing our sins to ourselves and also granting ourselves absolution...Who can give us the certainty that, in the confession and the forgiveness of our sins, we are not dealing with ourselves but with the living God? God gives us this certainty through our brother. Our brother breaks the circle of self-deception. A man who confesses his sins in the presence of a brother knows that he is no longer alone with himself; he experiences the presence of God in the reality of the other person.

Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Life Together: The Classic Exploration of Faith in Community

Our last camping trip was typical—it rained on Tuesday.  However, the rain came with a slight variation this time. 
            We managed to get through all the daylight hours with clear sunny skies as we tramped all over Lookout Mountain and Chickamauga battlefield.  In fact, if it had not been for the exorbitant parking meters, we could have made any of the 2-7 mile hikes featured on the brochure we picked up without getting wet.
            So we headed back to the campsite for grilled half-pound burgers, potato salad, and baked beans.  We even managed to wash the dishes and get our evening showers.  Then, as we sat by the fire, the lightning lit up the sky, silhouetting the trees around us.  Fifteen minutes later the first raindrop fell and we scampered into the screen tent to finish our evening at the picnic table, reading, studying for Bible classes, and doing crossword puzzles.
            The next morning the rain had stopped, but it was still gray and damp.  By afternoon the wind picked up and cooled off, but the front had not yet passed.  The gray skies continued and a mist, too heavy for sitting by the fire with a book, filled the air around us.  Once again we were relegated to the screen, and as we sat at the table in the cold, damp wind, we became more and more miserable.  Ordinarily, sitting by the fire will keep you warm enough, along with the several layers of clothing we pile on, but the mist made that solution impossible.  We were soon wrapped in blankets struggling to keep our minds on our studies.  Before long, we gave up and crawled into the tent and sleeping bags.  Finally we were warm enough.
            The next morning we woke to more gray skies, but after breakfast, the sun peeked through.  As I walked to the bathhouse to brush my teeth, I took a moment to look straight up between the treetops—a bright cerulean sky everywhere!  I did my own version of Snoopy’s happy dance, holding out my arms and twirling in a circle—yessssss!!!!
            Funny how such a simple thing can make you so happy.  I had been reduced to living at the mercy of nature instead of climate controlled technology, and had suddenly developed a deep appreciation for something as simple as a sunny day.  The temperatures plummeted that night, the coldest we had all week, but we were able to sit by a fire and appreciated it far more than we would have a hotel room because of what we had endured the night before.  In fact, when we got home, our humble dwelling seemed a palace.
            I have contemplated this phenomenon often, usually right after we return from a camping trip. Have we let our technologically advanced, richer-than-ever society spoil us to the appreciation of the necessities of life God has granted us?  Would anyone ever do a “happy dance” for a blue sky, or does it have to be a trip to Disneyworld, a new Mercedes, or a new gadget that keeps us from having to think too hard, organize our lives for ourselves, or pick up a phone book?
            The early Christians rejoiced in things we would complain about, or even lose our faith over.  For you had compassion on those in prison, and you joyfully accepted the plundering of your property, since you knew that you yourselves had a better possession and an abiding one. Heb 10:34.  They therefore departed from the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer dishonor for the Name. Acts 5:41.  Would we be able to do a happy dance about those things?
            Those Christians, very new Christians in fact, knew that trials were a good thing.  They made them stronger, they made priorities obvious, they made them notice and appreciate their blessings as they should.  Those people understood that sin never satisfies, that the sinner will only “wax worse and worse,” as he seeks to find joy in debauchery, selfishness, and the fulfillment of every lust.  But the joy of being in Christ will fulfill the soul no matter what is happening on the outside, no matter what the body must put up with, no matter the pain, suffering, or even death that awaits us.
            Have you done a happy dance lately?  Should I ask what made you so happy?  How long has that happiness lasted, and what other feelings did that “thing” eventually bring?  Sin, or even material things that are not necessarily sinful, will only satisfy for a moment.  Wouldn’t you like to be doing a happy dance forever?
 
Do you not know this from of old, since man was placed on earth, that the exulting of the wicked is short, and the joy of the godless but for a moment? He will fly away like a dream and not be found; he will be chased away like a vision of the night. Because he knew no contentment in his belly, he will not let anything in which he delights escape him. There was nothing left after he had eaten; therefore his prosperity will not endure. In the fullness of his sufficiency he will be in distress…The possessions of his house will be carried away, dragged off in the day of God's wrath. This is the wicked man's portion from God, the heritage decreed for him by God. Job 20: 4,5,8,20-22,28-29.
 
Dene Ward
 

Keith sprayed weed killer in the plot of ground I have designated for a new flower bed.  It worked just fine, weeds and grass wilting and disappearing over the next week or so until it was completely bare.  We had a warm spell just before Christmas and I just noticed that a spot or two of green has erupted, even more obvious in the black ground surrounding it.  What are they?  Florida betony, a ground cover that spreads through a web-like array of white roots. 
            I think there are two lessons here—when you take out all the bad in your life, you had better fill it up with good fast or you will just have more room for evil to flourish.  Jesus told his own parable about that—the house that was swept clean and the demons who moved into it, Matt 12:43-45.
            But did you know this?  “Weed killer” is really a misnomer.  It is “plant killer--herbicide”  Most of those sprays cannot differentiate between one green thing and another.  They don’t look for dollar weed and avoid the petunias.  You have to be careful with the weed killer.
            Too often we are not as careful as we should be when spraying the spiritual weed killer.  In our zeal to rid the world of false teaching and sin, we can do a fine job of killing the new plants too.  Just as a policeman is taught to be careful of who is standing behind the fleeing criminal before he shoots, we must be careful of innocent bystanders who may be caught in the crossfire. 
            Knowledge carries with it great responsibility in how we use it.  Too often it comes with a lack of experience and wisdom and that ice cold new term, collateral damage, becomes a frightening reality to young souls.  How are we any different from the wolves when our zeal leaves bloodied and broken lambs lying around us in a heap?  Many times what is passed off as zeal is simply a selfish desire to look knowledgeable and strong in the faith.  Even Satan used the scriptures for his own purposes.  Jesus also told a parable about leaving the weeds in the field because they had become so entangled it would have killed the wheat to pull them out, Matt 13:24-30.  He had to restrain his workers who were anxious to go out and rid the world of the enemy regardless who else was hurt.
            None of which is to say that even the wise will never make a mistake.  Knowing when to do what can be a difficult call to make.  Usually the ones who criticize, though, are the ones who sit back and do nothing when the wolves enter the flock, never placing themselves and their decisions at risk
            Just think about this today: be careful with the weed killer.  At times, when Keith needed to use it in spite of new plants already growing nearby, he has used shields over the tender shoots and reached in closer than usual to the weeds so that he could better control his aim. 
            Always be careful with the word of God.  It’s powerful stuff.
 
And he said unto his disciples, It is impossible but that occasions of stumbling should come; but woe unto him, through whom they come! It were well for him if a millstone were hanged about his neck, and he were thrown into the sea, rather than that he should cause one of these little ones to stumble. Luke 17:1,2.
 
Dene Ward

When you move into a pre-owned home you find all sorts of things left behind.  In some cases they were left by accident, but in others they were left because the previous owner no longer wanted them and either hope that you do or that you would dispose of his trash for him.  In some cases, when you see the items left, you wonder what in the world they were thinking.  They really thought we could use this gizmo?  What is it anyway?  Only one week after we moved in, we had an infuriating experience with a left behind item.
            We really had not had time to pay much attention to the things that were hanging on the walls.  Unpacking, dealing with contractors and applying for permits, and struggling to find the doctors we needed so that our medications would not run out took up all of our time.  One Wednesday afternoon we had a power flash during a thunderstorm.  Although things came right back on, we suddenly heard a bee-bee-bee-bee-beep.  "What was that?" we wondered, but it stopped, at least for a moment.  Then it began again, and again, and again, every couple of minutes.  So we walked around the house, looking.  Actually, I did.  A deaf man wasn't really much use when it came to hearing something and telling where it came from.
            Finally, I found it—the beeps were coming from a small box on the wall by the garage access door.  "ADT" it said on the side of the box in small letters.  But how was this happening?  We weren't paying a bill, the previous owners were gone and they weren't paying one.  It should have been shut off, right?  Understand, we had lived in the country where a gated fence, a roving dog, and a shotgun were our security.  We had never dealt with an actual security company or their equipment.
            Yet I knew this thing had to be turned off some way or I would never be able to sleep through the beeps that night.  Keith started punching buttons.  Finally, the beeping stopped.  But one red light stayed on.  What's this?  I leaned really close and right next to the light was the tiny word, "Armed."  But how?  No one is paying this bill.  It has to be cut off.  And the beeping was gone.
            It was Wednesday evening and we were ready to walk out the door to Bible study.  We were still parking in the driveway at that point rather than in the garage—the garage boxes were yet to be unpacked and the shelves were not yet up.  So we opened the front door.  And the loudest screeching siren I had ever heard began to wail.  Even with the door closed the neighbors could hear it.  Five houses down.  So we went back in, covering our ears and yelling at each other trying to be heard over the din. 
            A few days before, an actual ADT salesman had come to our door.  We asked him to come back in about a month, but took his card for reference.  I found the card and called his number.  It's a wonder he didn't hang up as I screamed over the phone telling him what had happened, but he undoubtedly heard the racket behind my voice.  He gave me a number to call.
            The woman who answered had an accent so thick that it was difficult to understand her.  Add that to the siren and we did not make much progress as I yelled what had happened and asked her what to do.  "What did you say?  What did you say?"  Go do this.  Go do that.  I had already done this and that.  She told me something else after that I simply could not get.  "I can't understand you," I hollered.  Then she began a string of omgs that did not help the situation at all, and hung up on me!
            So I called back.  This time I got a nice young man who spoke clearly and we actually made some progress.  He was horrified at our situation.  "Let me get you to our tech people.  They will come out and take care of you."  Relief flooded me as I waited to be transferred.  And waited and waited and waited.  For 25 minutes I sat on hold.  Somewhere along the way, the siren stopped.  Maybe it has a time limit?  Whatever, I was thrilled.  But once again we had the "Bee-bee-bee-bee-beep" every couple of minutes.  When I finally got through, this lady's small accent was easy to navigate without the ear-splitting claxon horning its way in.  I explained the problem.  She, too, went through the do this and do that business.  Already done, I said, but we still have this incessant beeping.
            "Well, I'm sorry, but since you aren't ADT customers we can't help you."
            I was stunned.  "And what should I do about this beeping which is going to keep me awake all night long?"
            "Don't you have some ear plugs?"
            Is she kidding, I wondered?  But no, she meant it.  I took a deep breath.  "This is your equipment that is causing all this trouble.  Don't you want someone to come get it?"
            "No.  You are not our customers."
            Another deep breath.  "Well, ma'am.  Take a good guess at what we will never be after this experience?"
            We texted our realtor asking if he could possibly reach the previous owners and get the code.  If the siren could still wail, maybe it would still take the code.  Then while we waited, knowing he was at Bible study himself, which we had missed by then, but hoping he had gotten the text that late anyway, Keith stacked boxes next to the wall, then stacked towels up to the box and covered it with every towel and blanket we could find and when we went to bed, we shut the bedroom door.  I did manage to sleep that night, and the next morning before 8, our phone dinged with the code—it worked.  And now Keith has completely removed the box from the wall since we also finally found out how to kill the thing.
            Security is a big deal these days.  Home security, cybersecurity, national security.  And spiritual security.  Unfortunately, many of my brothers and sisters have fought false doctrine so long that they no longer feel secure in their Father's hands.  They deal with anxiety and fear on a level that often requires medication because they do not trust God to save them.  Someone might think they are closet Calvinists, they seem to think.  How many times do we have to say it?  Get off the pendulum.  You can feel saved.  You can even know you are saved.  And there is nothing arrogant, boastful, or Calvinistic about it. 
            And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ (Phil 1:6).
            Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who by God's power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time (1Pet 1:3-5).
            Consequently, he is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them (Heb 7:25).
            I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God that you may know that you have eternal life (1John 5:13).
            Do you not trust God to do what He says He will in these passages?  Because that is what it amounts to when you doubt your salvation.  Either you have good reason to doubt it because you are actively participating in an ongoing sin, or you just don't believe God.
            And here, perhaps, the most comforting passage of all:  ​I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father's hand (John 10:28-29).  Don't misunderstand; if you want God to let you go, he will open his hand and let you walk right out, but if you want salvation more than anything else in your life and have committed that life to Him every waking moment, He will not let you down. 
            No need for ADT, or any other security company in the world.
 
Therefore, brothers, be all the more diligent to confirm your calling and election, for if you practice these qualities you will never fall. For in this way there will be richly provided for you an entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ (2Pet 1:10-11).
 
Dene Ward

When we moved, we met our next door neighbors on both sides within a short time.  One had hardly uttered a simple greeting before she said, "I won't say anything else, but I am very glad to have new neighbors."  As she came to know us better, she did say more, usually when we did something so completely different from her former neighbor that she was astonished.  And the same happened when we finally met the other neighbor—a cautious welcome soon followed by what can only be described as relief.
            My aim here is not to recount all the things we heard about the former owners of this house, nor to pat ourselves on the back for being better than they.  What came to me first was to wonder what our old neighbors were saying about us to the man who bought our property.  Were they relieved as well?  I hope not.  We tried to be good neighbors despite some serious annoyances at time, looking to smooth out problems rather than exacerbate them.  I hope they remembered that instead of some irritation they felt toward us.  Still, our new neighbors have made it plain that their former neighbor was not a hard act to follow as neighbors go.  Almost anyone, they thought, would be better.
            So perhaps the lesson for today is this:  as neighbors, we should always strive to be a hard act to follow.  When we are gone, people should have nothing to remember but kindness, generosity, consideration, and helpfulness.  Isn't that the neighbor Jesus taught about in Luke 10?  In Gal 1:23 and 1 Thes 1:7,8, Paul says that when you have true faith people cannot help but notice it.  All over the New Testament, that same faith is accompanied by love, peace, righteousness, godliness, and meekness (Gal 5:6; Eph 6:23; 1 Tim 6:11,12).  It stands to reason that, as people of faith, we should be known as good neighbors no matter where we live.
            And so this morning, consider your neighbors and what they probably think of you.  If you had to move tomorrow, would you be a hard act to follow, or would they sigh with great relief?
 
Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfilling of the law (Rom 13:10).
 
Dene Ward
 

Cooking is a funny thing.  Sometimes you can mess around with it and sometimes you can’t.  My recipe for minestrone is not something a purist would recognize as minestrone, and it’s never the same.  Some of it depends upon what’s in the refrigerator, and some of it comes from our likes and dislikes.  You can change it around, but as long as it winds up as a brothy soup with a bunch of vegetables in it, some kind of pasta, and some Mediterranean herbs, you can call it minestrone.  You really can’t mess it up unless you do something just plain weird with it, like pouring in a bottle of molasses.
            Baking is another matter.  You must think long and hard before you change anything in a recipe for baked goods.  If you don’t, it can fall, or not rise, or be too dry to choke down, or so “short” that it turns into crumbs when you touch it.  If you use baking soda, you must have an acid like buttermilk or sour cream.  If you get any fat in your egg whites they won’t whip.  If you don’t heat the liquid, your yeast won’t rise, but if you heat it too much you kill it. Baking is chemistry and it does make a difference.
            A lot of people don’t want to follow any sort of recipe in their religion.  They think it is about good hearts, sincere love, and feeling good, none of which is quantifiable, and therefore none of which can be legislated.  They will proclaim that the early church did things differently depending upon the location and the culture, and in some cases they are correct.  Just like cooking minestrone can be varied according to the ingredients on hand and the palates of the eaters.  But sometimes it is like baking—it does make a difference if you don’t want your cake to fall.
            The word may not be used in the New Testament, but the concept of an appropriate orthodoxy is there in black and white.
            And when they had appointed elders for them in every church, with prayer and fasting they committed them to the Lord in whom they had believed. Acts 14:23.
            That is why I sent you Timothy, my beloved and faithful child in the Lord, to remind you of my ways in Christ, as I teach them everywhere in every church. 1 Cor 4:17.
            Only let each person lead the life that the Lord has assigned to him, and to which God has called him. This is my rule in all the churches. 1 Cor 7:17.
            For God is not a God of confusion but of peace. As in all the churches of the saints, I Cor 14:33.
            Now concerning the collection for the saints: as I directed the churches of Galatia, so you also are to do. 1 Cor 16:1.
            There are certain things the apostles expected to be done everywhere.  The methods were not always specified, and that’s where we get to choose our ingredients, but the other things are religious “baking”—things that must be done for our service to God to be acceptable.  If we think we can change the chemistry we are wrong.  Put egg whites in a greasy bowl and they will not turn into a beautiful meringue no matter how sincerely you beat them.
            As you can plainly see from the passages quoted above, God expects some control over our service to him.  Some folks chafe at the idea that we cannot change anything and everything about our religious service at our own whims.  Israel had the same problem and wound up in Babylonian captivity.  Don’t make the mistakes they did.
 
He will render to each one according to his works: to those who by patience in well-doing seek for glory and honor and immortality, he will give eternal life; but for those who are self-seeking and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, there will be wrath and fury, Rom 2:6-8.
 
Dene Ward

I am sure you have experienced the feeling.  A favorite book is made into a movie, and then you find out who will play the starring role.  “No!” you think.  “Not him!”  He is too old, too young, too scrawny, too short, too “pretty.”  Whatever it is, you had already pictured the character in your mind and since this actor doesn’t fit your preconceived notions, you are not happy.
            It doesn’t really matter when it comes to movies.  It might very well matter when it comes to the Lord.
            I am sure we all picture Jesus in our minds.  Most of the time we need to scrap the picture entirely.  He was Jewish.  He was probably medium height for the day, which is considerably shorter than nowadays.  Isaiah plainly says he would not be handsome, and even that is predicated upon that culture’s view of things.  He certainly wasn’t pale and blue-eyed with a medium shade of brown hair as he is so often shown in pictures.  In a similar vein, the only thing about American women's penchant for "tall, dark, and handsome" that fit him was the "dark" part.
            He also didn’t act the way we think he did.  Too often we let modern society’s view of a milksop color our views of how he spoke and taught, how he interacted with others, and the emotions he might have shown.  Yes, he could be incredibly gentle, even with the sinners and especially with women and children.  But he could crack a stinging verbal whip as well.
            One of the ways I study, especially a passage that is already familiar to me, is to choose a word in it and look for every other use of that word I can find, trying to discover something new, or a deeper way of looking at a verse or event.
            Take the word “cry,” which is nearly as often translated “cry out.”  Strong’s says the word means “scream” or even “shriek.”  In Mark 9:27 two blind men cry out to Jesus, “Have mercy on us.”  In Mark 9:24, a desperate father cries out to Jesus because of his fatally ill child.  In Matt 27: 23 the mob cried out, Let him be crucified.  In Acts 19:28 and 32, in the midst of a riot and confusion, people cried out.
            Now let me make it even more obvious for you.  That Greek word is krazo, from which we get the English word “crazy.”  Are you getting the picture of what a person who did this would look and sound like?  His voice would not be quiet.  His face would not be calm.  His actions would definitely be agitated.  It would probably not be a pleasant experience to be anywhere near him.  I learned all this years ago when I was studying John 7.
            Then cried Jesus in the temple as he taught…John 7:28.  Yes, it is the same word.  Jesus was not a mealy-mouthed preacher.  He could rant with the best of them.  Even his apostles occasionally followed his example (Acts 23:6).  No, this was not his only method as we have indicated above, but it would be a good idea to examine the people who caused this reaction in him.  I wouldn’t want him to speak to me that way.
            Don’t let a mistaken view of the Lord make you take less than seriously the things he says.
 
…when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with his mighty angels in flaming fire, inflicting vengeance on those who do not know God and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus, 2 Thes 1:7,8.
 
Dene Ward

Shortly after meeting some new people, word came back from mutual friends that their assessment of us was, “They do so well for a handicapped couple.”
            Handicapped?  We had never thought of ourselves that way.  No one else, even people who have known us for years, has ever described us that way.  Now Keith, who has reached the point of “profound deafness” may well be called handicapped, but he has never used that word of himself.  He just keeps on doing what needs to be done because it has to be done.  About the only thing I have taken over for him is the telephone.
            He has never used his handicap as an excuse.  Nothing disgusts him more than many of the felons he must deal with who blame society, their parents, their neighborhoods, their economic class and anything else they can for their lack of education and ambition, and their crimes.  He was raised in back hill poverty, without running water, with only a kitchen woodstove for heat in a climate where the water bucket in that same kitchen often developed a top layer of ice overnight.  He began going deaf in his early 20s and already had one hearing aid at 27.  He finished a college degree while supporting a wife and two children.  He continued to work into his upper 60s, despite his ever increasing disability, and then began several hours a week of volunteer work.  He uses none of his “handicaps” as an excuse.  They are simply obstacles to be overcome.
            Too often we want to claim handicaps in our work for God.  I don’t have time.  I don’t have the money.  I don’t have the talent.  I am too young and inexperienced.  I am too old.  I am not popular.  I am too shy.  The same God who promised he would not tempt you more than you are able to bear, will not give you an opportunity you don’t have the ability to handle.
            He doesn’t lay out the opportunities like a multiple choice test, then let us choose the one we want.  “None of the above” is not on the list either.  He is the one who decides our handicaps and his decision is obvious in the things he places before us to do.  He expects us to choose “all of the above.”
            Handicaps will make you stronger, but not if you use them as excuses.  You must work your way through them.  Then God will decide whether you did as much as you were able to do.  He is the one who really knows.
 
But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong. 2 Cor 12:9,10.
 
Dene Ward