History - Dene's Blog

November 26, 1922 Two Tombs

11/24/2021 0 Comments

On November 4, 1922, Howard Carter discovered the entrance to King Tut's tomb. He had been looking for six years and his patron, George Herbert, the 5th Earl of Carnarvon, was about ready to call it off. But then, in the debris of the tomb of Ramses VI in the Valley of the Kings, Carter and his crew found it—the burial place of the eighteen year old Pharaoh Tutankhamen. Carter closed off the entrance and cabled his benefactor, waiting for his arrival before finally entering the tomb with him on November 26, 1922.
            And what a tomb it was, full of all sorts of earthly treasures, including a stone sarcophagus containing three nested coffins. Inside the final one of solid gold lay the embalmed mummy of the boy king. The interior rooms also contained life-size gold figures of animals and gods, a large golden bed, alabaster cups, chariots, and an ornate throne. The pictures show items thrown or shoved in, and stacked against walls willy-nilly, as if no one really ever expected to use them again, either here or in the world beyond.
            All of this brought to mind another tomb. Unlike King Tut's tomb, the one the disciples found was empty, even though well guarded. It was not full of earthly treasure, just burial clothes. Things were not thrown in helter-skelter, but Simon Peter therefore also came, following him, and entered into the tomb; and he beheld the linen cloths lying, and the napkin, that was upon his head, not lying with the linen cloths, but rolled up in a place by itself. (John 20:6-7)
            And why does any of that matter?
            First, the empty tomb was in Jerusalem, right where Christianity began, right where anyone could go and look for themselves and see that it was indeed empty.
            Second, the first witnesses were women. While that does not strike a chord with us particularly, in those days, if you were planting witnesses and paying them off, the last people you would choose would be women. Here are some of the prevailing views of women in first century Palestine:

But let not the testimony of women be admitted, on account of the levity and boldness of their sex, nor let servants be admitted to give testimony on account of the ignobility of their soul; since it is probable that they may not speak truth, --Josephus

Any evidence which a woman [gives] is not valid (to offer), also they are not valid to offer. This is equivalent to saying that one who is Rabbinically accounted a robber is qualified to give the same evidence as a woman. — Talmud (Rosh Hashannah)

Sooner let the words of the Law be burnt than delivered to women. — Talmud (Sotah)
            It may set my teeth on edge, but that is the way it was, and that fact strongly argues for the reality of the empty tomb.

            Third, all those carefully recorded details given by John about the burial clothes speak of an eyewitness account. Anyone who has dealt with witnesses before—attorneys, judges, policemen, even my probation officer husband—recognizes that the more details are given, the more likely the truth is being told.
            Fourth, the authorities had to make up a story to cover up what really happened. Now while they were going, behold, some of the guard came into the city, and told unto the chief priests all the things that were come to pass. And when they were assembled with the elders, and had taken counsel, they gave much money unto the soldiers, saying, Say, His disciples came by night, and stole him away while we slept. And if this comes to the governor's ears, we will persuade him, and rid you of care. So they took the money, and did as they were taught: and this saying was spread abroad among the Jews, and continues until this day. (Matt 28:11-15)
            This isn't even half the evidence. The facts about the stone over the tomb would take up two or three pages, and another few for the couple hundred pounds of spices those burial clothes were wrapped and wrapped and wrapped in. But let this little history nugget be a reminder to you of a tomb that really matters. Not the magnificent tomb of a king that people forgot for centuries, but the one you have your hope set on, the one that means that you, too, will someday live forever with the very King who lay in that tomb, and rose again to reign over a more magnificent kingdom than ancient Egyptians ever even imagined.

Now if Christ is proclaimed as raised from the dead, how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? But if there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain. We are even found to be misrepresenting God, because we testified about God that he raised Christ, whom he did not raise if it is true that the dead are not raised. For if the dead are not raised, not even Christ has been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins. Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. If in Christ we have hope in this life only, we are of all people most to be pitied. But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. For as by a man came death, by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead. (1Cor 15:12-21).

Dene Ward

November 13, 1789 The Wood Stove

11/12/2021 0 Comments

Benjamin Franklin was one of the most amazing men who ever lived. Besides being one of the founding fathers of America, he was a printer, publisher, author, inventor, scientist, and diplomat. He began writing his own autobiography in 1771, many years before his death in 1790, and never finished it. It exists in four parts, the final part being the shortest and not begun until a few months before he died.
           The publication of that book has a long and complex history. An English version was published in 1793 but that was a year after both a German and Swedish version had been published. Also, that English version was a translation of a French translation of the original English, which means that being doubly translated, Franklin's original intention in the words was likely "lost in translation." So how did we get that French translation? On November 13, 1789, Franklin himself sent a copy to his friend Louis Guillaume Le Veillard. In 1791, Franklin's grandson, William Temple Franklin, traded the final manuscript he owned for that original. Meanwhile, Veillard had already had it translated, and that translation was purchased by the Library of Congress in 1908 (www.loc.gov).
          Today, consider a portion of that autobiography dealing with the invention of the Franklin stove, which Franklin himself considered one of his more important inventions. In those days, most homes were heated by fireplaces. Anyone who has tried to do that understands that most of the heat goes right up the chimney. In addition people were dying every year due to the hazards of fireplaces, and on top of that, Pennsylvania was experiencing a wood shortage.
           Ben Franklin tackled all those issues by creating a freestanding fireplace that burned wood efficiently, using less wood and producing more heat with less danger. The first Franklin stove was called a Pennsylvania Fireplace, and though its original model was not perfect, it was the precursor of today's wood stoves and fireplace inserts. Although he was offered one, he refused to patent it stating in his autobiography, "That as we enjoy great advantages from the inventions of others, we should be glad of an opportunity to serve others by an invention of ours…"
             We installed an insert in our fireplace when we lived in South Carolina for three years. The difference in the heating value between it and a fireplace was like night and day. Now I live in Florida but up here in North Florida we still have a little bit of winter. Usually on cold nights, we fill up our freestanding Ashley woodstove, which burns out by morning and we don’t need any more till the next night, or maybe not for a few nights, depending upon the vagaries of cold fronts. Sometimes, though, I have had to keep that fire burning all day, adding a log or two every couple of hours. You see, if you let it burn down too far, it goes out. Even adding wood will do you no good if the coals are no longer glowing.
            Sometimes we let our souls go out. Instead of stoking the fire, adding fuel as needed, we seem to think we can start it up at will and as needed, with just a single match I suppose. Try holding a match to a log—a real log, not a manufactured pressed log with some sort of lighter fluid soaked into it. You will find that you cannot even get it to smoke before the match dies. Starting a fire anew takes a whole lot more effort than just keeping the old one going.
            God has a plan that keeps the fire going. He has made us a spiritual family. He commands us to assemble on a weekly basis. He has given us a regular memorial feast to partake of. He has given us his Word to read any time we want to. He will listen to us any time of the day. And perhaps, knowing how he has made us, that is why those songs he has given us keep going round in our heads all week—words at the ready to help us overcome and to remind us who we are. All of these things will keep the fire from dying. Just as those people who actually saw and heard Jesus on a daily basis said, “Did not our hearts burn within us while he talked to us on the road, while he opened to us the Scriptures?" Luke 23:32, his voice can come to us through the Word, through the teaching in our assemblies, and through the brothers and sisters he has given us.
            Once a month attendance won’t keep the fire burning. Seeing our spiritual family only at the meetinghouse will not stoke the fires of brotherly love. Picking up our Bibles only when we dust the coffee table won’t blow on the embers enough to keep them glowing. Sooner or later my heart will grow cold, and no one will be able to light a big enough match to get it warm again.
            Our God is a consuming fire, and he expects that to be exactly what happens to us—for us to become consumed with him and his word and his purpose. Nothing else should matter as much.
            Take a moment today to open up that woodstove of a heart and see how the fire looks. Throw in another log before the fire goes out.

My heart became hot within me. As I mused, the fire burned; then I spoke with my tongue: "O Lord, make me know my end and what is the measure of my days; let me know how fleeting I am! Behold, you have made my days a few handbreadths, and my lifetime is as nothing before you. Surely all mankind stands as a mere breath! Selah. Surely a man goes about as a shadow! Surely for nothing they are in turmoil; man heaps up wealth and does not know who will gather! And now, O Lord, for what do I wait? My hope is in you. Psalm 39:3-7.

Dene Ward

October 15, 1968—Only Weirdos Do It

10/22/2021 0 Comments

I started jogging in 1983. Keith had been doing it since he was in the Marine Corps. A couple of neighbors did it, and every time I went into town I saw people all over the sidewalks doing it. I was in dreadful shape and 30 pounds overweight. I decided that if everyone else could, so could I. And I did. For a while there, I was jogging 30 miles a week, and those thirty pounds melted off, especially over the long, hot Florida summer.
            But jogging was not always "what everyone did." The whole idea of jogging for your health's sake began in the 1960s and back then anyone who did it was considered a "weirdo" or "an exercise freak." In fact, in 1968, a man named Dick Cordier from Hartford, Connecticut, was out jogging one day and was stopped by the police for "illegal use of the highway."
            It seems that this new fitness routine, jogging, began in New Zealand. William Bowerman, an American track and field coach and co-founder of Nike, visited a friend there in 1962 and saw people of all ages participating in this new hobby. He published a four page pamphlet co-sponsored by the Oregon Heart Association and suddenly people started listening. Still, it took time for the word to spread, as evidenced by poor Mr. Cordier's citation. But later that year, on October 15, 1968, The Chicago Tribune published an entire page on jogging and people began to look at the weirdos a different way. By the time 1983 came along, I was perfectly happy to jog down the highway and unworried about what people might think. But I wonder how well I might have done back in 1968?
            It's hard to be different. Usually we save these lessons for our teenagers, but folks, we need the lesson, too. How many times have we thought we needed something because everyone else had it, or thought we should wear something because it was the latest style, or avoided stating an opinion we knew might make others dislike us? They had that problem in the first century, too.
            For the time that is past suffices for doing what the Gentiles want to do, living in sensuality, passions, drunkenness, orgies, drinking parties, and lawless idolatry. With respect to this they are surprised when you do not join them in the same flood of debauchery, and they malign you (1Pet 4:3-4). Don't think you would never fall for "those kinds" of sins. When everyone else is doing it, it suddenly seems less wrong. That is exactly why our culture has fallen to a new low in morality.
            It would be good to remind ourselves of four teenage boys who not only managed to be different, but seemed to revel in it. Among these were Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah of the tribe of Judah. And the chief of the eunuchs gave them names: Daniel he called Belteshazzar, Hananiah he called Shadrach, Mishael he called Meshach, and Azariah he called Abednego. But Daniel resolved that he would not defile himself with the king's food, or with the wine that he drank. Therefore he asked the chief of the eunuchs to allow him not to defile himself… (Dan 1:6-8). The rest of the story makes the point. Daniel and his friends did not try to hide their difference. They pointed it out in a hostile environment and allowed their faith to be tested, and it wasn't just a popularity contest. If they had failed to please the Babylonian king, someone might well have died. The steward himself said, "You will endanger my head" (1:10), and should their refusal to eat the king's food be known to the king, that king, especially, might have taken it badly. God rewarded their faith, as he did continually in their stay in Babylon, even rescuing them from the fiery furnace and the lion's den.
            But God does not always save us from the consequences of being different. What are we failing to do because it is not popular, or because "times have changed?" And what are we doing because "everyone else is?" Have we ever dared to do or say something that was unpopular on purpose? Forget talking to the young people until we can answer those questions ourselves. Peer pressure works on us all!
            God has plenty to say about his desire that His children be different:

Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect (Rom 12:2).

My son, do not walk in the way with [sinners]; hold back your foot from their paths (Prov 1:15).

Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; but his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night (Ps 1:1-2).

Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few (Matt 7:13-14).
I
f you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you (John 15:19).

           Maybe we neglect teaching our children to revel in their difference because we have not learned to ourselves. We need to be out there showing them the way, making "illegal use of the highway" in a time where no one except weirdos jogs. Make no mistake: whoever we want to be most like, whoever we act, dress, and speak like, that is our god. Do we want to be like the rest of the world, or like Jesus?

That you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world (Phil 2:15).

Dene Ward

September 25, 1493—Self-Deception

9/24/2021 0 Comments

We are all familiar with the date October 12, 1492, the date Columbus first made landfall in the New World, mistaking it for the East Indies. The actual site is uncertain, but most believe it was San Salvador Island in the Bahamas. On October 28, he found Cuba, thinking that was Cipango, Japan, but by November 1, he had decided it was actually China (Cathay) despite the fact that he had not found any of the cities he knew were there. Further searching took him to a place the Taino natives called Ayti (Haiti) and on December 6, he renamed it El Isla Española (Hispaniola). Since he had decided that Cuba was Cathay, he seems to have thought that this was the town in Japan that he had first assumed of Cuba. Despite all of these back and forth changes of mind, Columbus held on to the belief that he had actually sailed to the Far East. Nothing and no one could tell him otherwise.

To appease his benefactors, he found and took back with him to Spain enough gold, spices, strange new foods, animals, and captives to make a name for himself, and on September 25, 1493, our date to remember today, he set sail on his second voyage, this time not with just three ships, but with 17. His passengers included a small troop of cavalry and a group of priests for converting natives. He was at the height of his popularity, regardless of his mistaken notions about where he was going and where he had landed. Neither his second, third, nor fourth voyages ended as well as the first. He did not find what his royal sponsors had sent him to find—a direct route to India and China, King Solomon's gold mines, or possibly another unknown continent on the other side of the world (antipodean). Even his own crews had begun to doubt him when he maintained against all common sense that he had found Cathay, but he never gave up that claim. He had simply deceived himself into believing it.

In his last years, Columbus lived well on the 10% commission of the gold he brought back, but he seriously damaged his relationships with boasts that became more and more ludicrous to those around him. He felt used by the Spanish government and his persecution complex made him even more miserable as he followed King Ferdinand around (Isabella, his favorite royal, had died), making his claims of unfair treatment and trying to gain redress. One wonders how different it might have been for him if he had seen what was right in front of him—not the Far East, but a brand new world.

All of that reminded me of another victim of self-deception. An elderly lady we ran into a long, long time ago told us that the Holy Spirit had spoken to her the night before and gave her a new piece of information. Unfortunately, that information directly contradicted the plain statement of scripture. How do you correct someone who believes they have a direct line to God? You cannot, because no matter what you show them, they know better, and until they receive another "revelation" correcting the first, they believe they know more than you do.

It did not take long before I found others who would not listen to the plain truth of God’s word. I even discovered that good-hearted Christians will not always see the truth as easily as I had thought. And then one day not more than ten years ago I was slapped in the face with the realization that I had read a passage for years and completely missed a vital truth in it. When someone rubbed my nose in it I was appalled at how I could ever have missed it.

What has this taught me? It has not taught me that as long as you are a good-hearted person you can believe a lie and still be perfectly fine with God. Jesus said of the Pharisees, you compass sea and land to make one proselyte and when he has become so, you make him twofold more a son of hell than yourselves, Matt 23:15.

God cannot lie, the scriptures tell us. He will not contradict himself. That first woman I mentioned needed to have heeded the warning of Paul in Galatians 1:8, Though we or an angel from heaven preach to you any other gospel than that which we have preached, let him be accursed. The Holy Spirit would never change the word of God. Just as Columbus wanted so badly to believe he had found China that he couldn't face the truth, we sometimes come to the Bible with our minds made up about what we believe it says and miss the obvious.

Jude tells us in verse 3 that the word was once for all delivered to the saints. Can you imagine how discouraging it would be to think that God might be changing things around night after night and no one ever told you about it?

He isn’t, and he won’t. Our job is to make certain we know it well, to check out those who teach it, and to never allow preconceived notions to keep us from seeing the obvious and deceiving ourselves.

Every word of God is tried; he is a shield unto those who take refuge in him. Add not to his words, lest he reprove you and you be found a liar, Prov 30:5,6.

Dene Ward

September 20, 1814 The Star Spangled Banner

9/20/2021 0 Comments

I imagine everyone knows the story of our national anthem, "The Star Spangled Banner," or, its original title, "The Defense of Ft. McHenry." You know the story of a battle besieged Baltimore, hit on September 13, 1814, by a 27 hour bombardment from British troops who had already burned both the White House and the Capitol. Francis Scott Key, an attorney, was on board an American truce ship, tethered to a British naval ship after successfully negotiating a prisoner exchange when the shelling began. The British did not want him to reveal anything he might have overheard so he was forced to stay there. He could only watch through a spy glass, being several miles away, as the city was hit again and again. It seemed it could not help but fall. Yet when morning came, the American flag still flew over Ft McHenry and Key was moved to write the lyrics to a song he already had in mind, it seemed. Over the next few days the British gave up their assault and released him.
            The song was passed on to the Baltimore Patriot and Evening Advertiser, printed on September 20, and immediately became popular. It may have been 1931 before Congress officially declared it our national anthem, but it had been treated so almost from the beginning, certainly by the 1820s and 30s. It had already become the national anthem of the US Army and Navy by the beginning of World War I. I can understand why. It may be one of the most difficult songs to sing for ordinary people (or even some professionals!), but it never fails to send a thrill or two down my spine. There is just something about it. Which is why people become highly offended by anyone who disrespects this symbol of our country.
            This is NOT something new. God knew exactly how music effects the beings he created. His people have always sung. And in at least two dispensations, they were commanded to do so, sometimes in very specific ways. What is it exactly that singing does for us?
            1) Singing teaches. How did you learn your alphabet? How did you learn the twelve apostles, the sons of Jacob, and the books of both the Old and New Testaments? You sang them. If you are like me, you sometimes have to sing them under your breath still to find the one you want! Singing can teach in other ways than lists too. "Psalm 19" will help you memorize a portion of that great psalm.
            2) Singing admonishes. Even pop music has been known to carry serious messages. Do you remember "The Cat's in the Cradle" by Harry Chapin? I imagine I am giving away my age, but if you have never heard it, google the lyrics. If pop music can do it, surely the spiritual songs and hymns we sing can not only admonish us, but bring us to our knees. "Follow Me" and "Angry Words" come immediately to mind. Similar to a sermon, if a hymn can't cause repentance, I wonder if it is worth singing.
            3) Singing comforts us. Did you know that the majority of psalms are laments? It's David or Solomon or Moses or Asaph or some other writer casting his complaints before God in the plainest of words, words that sometimes make me cringe. Can I actually talk to God that way? Since he saved those songs and prayers for us, I think so. And notice this, in those laments when the complaining is over, the praise begins—even before God has fixed the problem. The psalmist is so comforted that he treats the answer to his petition as already having been received. Talk about faith! "In the Hour of Trial" and "Be with Me Lord" seem to fall into this category.
            4) Singing encourages. It moves us to fight harder and never give up. I read an article once in which the writer made it obvious that he hates songs that call us soldiers. Well, Paul calls us exactly that. Share in suffering as a good soldier of Christ Jesus (2Tim 2:3). And what do soldiers often do as they go off into battle? They sing! It raises the spirits and gives inner strength. It reminds us that trials make us stronger and buoy our spirits when the going is hard. "Count Your Many Blessings" and "The Battle Belongs to the Lord" are great examples. Did you ever exercise or run to music? Sometimes that is how I make those last ten steps when otherwise I would have stopped long before. Singing spiritual songs can do the same for us.
            5) And singing unifies. If "The Star Spangled Banner" can make for instant camaraderie in a highly partisan crowd of spectators at a sporting event, surely "Marching to Zion" and "Blessed Be the Tie" can do so in our spiritual assembly. If we can all sing the same words, it means we are all in this together, fighting the same enemy, spreading the Word, and holding one another up as we do so. We are one people headed for the same place.
            Is it really so amazing that our Creator knew how this activity would affect us? If it isn't affecting you that way, maybe you should pay more attention to what you are singing. If it's all about you, all about what you think, all about how you feel, and nothing about the God we worship and the gratitude and reverence we should have for him, maybe that's the problem.

And now my head shall be lifted up above my enemies all around me, and I will offer in his tent sacrifices with shouts of joy; I will sing and make melody to the LORD (Ps 27:6).

Dene Ward
For myths concerning the writing of our national anthem, which I have tried to correct in this article, see www.constitutioncenter.org.

September 7, 1979 Sports Channels

9/7/2021 0 Comments

For something that is supposed to be the pre-eminent “Sports Channel,” ESPN leaves me remarkably cold—or actually hot. It was launched on September 7, 1979, at 7:00 pm, EDT, with the first ever telecast of "SportsCenter," to an estimated audience of 30,000. It was founded by Bill and Scott Rasmussen (father and son) and Ed Eagan. It may have begun with tractor pulls, Irish hurling, and skeet shooting, but ESPN has had remarkable growth since then, now boasting several affiliated channels and most of the college bowl games, along with the college world series, Major League Baseball games, and Monday Night Football.
            So why don't I like ESPN? I can count on CBS to replay nearly every play of any significance immediately. Not just touchdowns either. They will show the touchdown from several angles, then show the quarterback as he passed, or the line as they opened the holes for the runner, or any other contributing factor. If there is a penalty, we see it happen. If there was an excellent block, we see the block. If a defender made an amazing move around a lineman, we see the move.
            ESPN? I doubt that even half the plays are shown again. Instead, we get an interview with someone on the sideline who might possibly have something to do with the game, but more likely doesn’t—he just happens to be famous. Or we get an update from a game we chose not to watch and have to watch a piece of anyway rather than a replay of our chosen game. Most of the time, we never get the replay, even if it was a 50 yard run to set the team up with first and goal.
            On ESPN the commentators talk about every game except the one we are watching. In fact, they sometimes talk about a different sport altogether. We hear about other players, other coaches, and other schools—anything but the game we are watching. We are told the records of every Heisman hopeful, even if they are not playing in our game. We know which coach played for which other coaches, even if they are not coaching our team. And they can’t even do it with good grammar.
            But sometimes we’re stuck. It’s the only place we can see our team play—and win, we hope, despite not being able to see the instant replays in a timely fashion and at a meaningful angle.
            I guess a lot of people don’t mind. They are putting up with the same things at the church they attend. They say they are Christians but their preachers present sermons about societal ills—the ones deemed politically correct to talk about--about love and acceptance of everything and everyone no matter how many of Christ’s commands they break, and never once mention the name of the Savior they claim to worship—Rotary Club talks, inspirational talks, anything but a sermon. They are handed pamphlets that some board somewhere else decided they needed to study rather than the Word of God, and certainly nothing actually relevant to that particular group and its needs. If they learn anything, it’s about another game altogether, not God’s.
            Maybe these folks don’t know what to look for. They expect entertainment rather than edification, emotion rather than instruction, famous people and rip-roaring religious fervor, along with a meal or two to keep the belly from growling. Jesus had some choice things to say about people like that. Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, you are seeking me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate your fill of the loaves. Do not work for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you. For on him God the Father has set his seal” John 6:26-27. It isn’t about the feel-good physical, he told them, it’s about ME!
            On Sunday mornings, I want to hear about my Lord. I want to study the Word of God and learn more from it than I knew the day before. On the other hand, I don’t mind a repeat of an old lesson, perhaps from a new angle, and certainly prefer that to an interview on the sideline with someone who is supposed to be “famous” in the religious world. Big name preachers can sin the same as the rest of us.
And you know what? We CAN turn this channel. We can look for something else.    You can look for something else. Give me the simple truth of the gospel and the simple worship of those people long ago. Why don’t you come with me so we can find it together? Nothing else can fill your soul quite the same way.

I am the bread of life. Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died. This is the bread that comes down from heaven, so that one may eat of it and not die. I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. And the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh John 6:48-51.

Dene Ward

September 3, 1878 Death by Swimming

9/3/2021 0 Comments

On September 3, 1878, the pleasure steamship Princess Alice, returning from an outing loaded with about 700 passengers and crew, was hit by the coal ship Bywell Castle which weighed over three times more than the steamer, and sliced it in two. The middle of the boat immediately sank, dooming all passengers below deck in their cabins. The ends raised up in the air, plummeting the rest of the people into England's Thames River, a heavily polluted waterway, near the point where raw sewage poured out, and not far from several factories which dumped toxic waste into it. The smaller boat should have stayed closer to the southern shore as was the practice, but tides and currents had gradually moved it to the middle of the river where the larger ship came plowing through.
            No one knows the exact casualty count because there was no passenger list. Bodies floated to shore for days, and that count stood at around 650 by the time it stopped. Many drowned because only a few people could swim and even those who could were weighed down by their heavy Victorian clothing, but the coroner stated that the water itself killed the others. Of those who were rescued or managed to swim to safety, many more died as weeks passed. While in the river they swallowed enough of its putrid water that they died of serious waterborne diseases—typhoid, cholera, and polio among them. They may not have died as a direct result of the collision, but they died from simply being in the water.
            I know some brothers and sisters who seem to think that they can swim in putridity and not be effected. They can go to bars and not drink. They can go clubbing and not take drugs or participate in sexual immorality. I know some young ladies who think they can dress however they want to and still lay claim to holiness. I know some young men who think that as long as they don't do anything with anyone but their wives, they can look at pornography and it won't cause them problems. All of these people are living in poisonous atmospheres that will gradually seep into their hearts and minds and take them down as surely as those doomed passengers. Even the ones who thought they were safe died from their brief swim in what amounted to the venom of the serpent.
            What you surround yourself with is important. If you want to be pure, poison is not going to make you so. You will wind up not only tainted, contaminated, and infected, you will wind up even worse than dead.

Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them. For it is shameful even to speak of the things that they do in secret (Eph 5:11-12).

Dene Ward

August 26, 1346 Ammunition

8/26/2021 1 Comments

Although gunpowder was accidentally discovered by the Chinese in 850, the first recorded use of a cannon in battle was the battle of Crecy, August 26, 1346 during the Hundred Years War. That is disputed by the Arabs who claim that the Mamluks used one against the Mongols in 1260. Then there are the French who claim they used the first cannon in 1339. But usually the English get the credit, Edward III to be specific, for the 1346 date. In any case, cannons were here to stay after the 14th century.
            Keith was having a religious discussion with someone once, a brother as I remember, but one he disagreed with. I had come upon a pertinent scripture in my own study a few days earlier and gave him the passage. “Here’s some more ammunition,” I said.
            That word came naturally to me. Keith was a certified firearms instructor for the state. He taught probation officers, and prison guards how to shoot. As a probation officer he carried his own weapon, having to qualify every year. He taught me how to shoot well enough to dispose of a dozen poisonous snakes over the years and he taught the boys, too. So the word “ammunition” just came out.
            However, it nagged at me enough that over the next few days I began wondering if we don’t have that mindset much too often, Yes, we are in a battle. Yes, the scriptures talk about our “weapons,” weapons God Himself supplied for our warfare. And yes, our fight is not just with Satan, but with his ministers as well. But look at this passage:
            As for me, I have not hastened from being a shepherd after you; neither have I desired the woeful day; you know: that which came out of my lips was before your face, Jer 17:16
            Jeremiah was NOT happy about Judah’s coming destruction—he did not “desire” the evil day.
            There’s an old story about a man who was converted after thirty years of different preachers telling him he was lost.
            “Why now?” someone asked him. “Why listen to this preacher?”
            “Because,” the old man said, “he really sounded like he was sad about it.”
            Is that our problem? Do we get too much pleasure out of the fight? Are we just a bunch of gung-ho cowboys in our zeal? Are we more interested in winning arguments than in winning souls?
            God gave Jeremiah plenty of ammunition, and he used it well enough that he was thrown into prison for it. But he never enjoyed the job. In fact, a good many of the prophets disliked their mission. “I went in the bitterness of soul,” Ezekiel said. In his confrontation with the priest of Bethel, Amos as much as said, “This wasn’t my idea.”
            That’s a far different attitude than I have seen in some brethren, who delight in slinging bandoliers over their shoulders and spraying automatic fire in a drive-by.
            We’re supposed to be saving souls, not murdering them with spiritual handguns and especially not with cannons. Let’s take stock of our attitudes when we go out to battle today.

Give glory to the LORD your God before he brings darkness, before your feet stumble on the twilight mountains, and while you look for light he turns it into gloom and makes it deep darkness. But if you will not listen, my soul will weep in secret for your pride; my eyes will weep bitterly and run down with tears, because the LORD's flock has been taken captive, Jer 13:16-17.

Dene Ward

August 18, 1999 Bread and Circuses

8/18/2021 0 Comments

The people who once bestowed commands, consulships, legions, and all else, now meddle no more and longs eagerly for just two things—bread and circuses. Decimus Junius Juvenalis.
             I could not find any dates for that writing, which came from Juvenal's Satire X, nor even for Juvenal himself beyond "first century." However, the phrase he uses there has become famous in politics. Google it and you will find pages of citations. The most interesting site I found was the August 18, 1999 edition of The Onion, a satirical online publication that regularly publishes witty and biting pieces. If you want to read it, and it is still online at this point, here is a link: https://politics.theonion.com/congress-approves-4-billion-for-bread-circuses-1819565262
            As for the original writing, Juvenal used that phrase to describe how the Roman rulers kept the masses content, while gradually stealing away all their power. What had once been a Republic had become an empire ruled by selfish, immoral, greedy men, more interested in retaining power and wealth than caring for the people under their rule. And the people themselves deteriorated into a populace addicted to free distribution of food and violent gladiatorial contests. They were so distracted by mindless self-gratification that they had become unable to think, unable to recognize any greater good beyond their own desires.
            I can think of ways this might apply to America today, as I am sure you can, but it is nothing new. Jesus dealt with the same mindset. In John 6:26, he reproached the masses who followed him like this: You seek me…because you ate of the loaves and were filled. When he began to talk about the True Bread, they left.
            The Pharisees came on more than one occasion, and to test him they asked him to show a sign from Heaven, Matt 16:1. Herod on the night before he was crucified had long desired to see him, because he had heard about him, and was hoping to see some sign done by him, Luke 23:8. They wanted a show, a “circus,” not a sign that would produce faith. John tells us that for many of these people though he had done many signs before them, they still did not believe in him, 12:27. Bread and circuses do not work in the spiritual world any more than they do in the physical. It may bring in more initially, but how many stay when they find out what is really required of a disciple?
            None of this is to say that we should not reach out to the world in as many ways as possible. After all, Jesus did feed them, and he did do signs. But sooner or later we must get past the superficial and reach the heart. If my neighbor is in need, why not help him? When I take a meal to the sick, perhaps he will be more willing to realize that his sick soul needs food too, and maybe he will come to me to feed it. If I am part of an assembly that is open and friendly, that worships whole-heartedly and obviously instead of sitting like bumps on a log, perhaps he will sooner understand that the heart is not all that matters because he will more often visit and hear the word of God spoken clearly and forcefully. But we must sooner or later do as Jesus did and force the choice upon them:
Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day. For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink. Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him. As the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father, so whoever feeds on me, he also will live because of me. This is the bread that came down from heaven, not like the bread the fathers ate and died. Whoever feeds on this bread will live forever, John 6:54-58.
And when they refuse to exist on nothing but Christ, then we must also do as he did—let them go and not bother chasing them down. They have shown what they really wanted—bread and circuses--spirituality was not part of it. God does not want people who are so distracted by mindless self-gratification that they become unable to think, unable to recognize any greater good beyond their own lusts. He wants people who live on him and his word, even when it is uncomfortable and inconvenient, even if it costs more than they had ever imagined. He wants a people for his own possession, who will give him the glory and honor he deserves.
After this many of his disciples turned back and no longer walked with him. So Jesus said to the Twelve, will you also go away? Simon Peter answered him, "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life, and we have believed, and have come to know, that you are the Holy One of God." John 6:66-69

Dene Ward

July 28, 2003--Garbled Words

7/28/2021 0 Comments

Yet another technological advance is supposed to be making our lives easier—Keith now has a closed-captioned phone. Now he can make his own phone calls. Before, I spent hours on the phone because I had to do all of it. When you add waiting on hold or for call backs, there were days I felt like a prisoner in my own home.
            Closed captioning has a long history. Similar things actually began in the late 1800s with the intertitles (subtitles placed between scenes) of the silent movies. Here is another little piece of information. Subtitles are dialog-only while captions include things like atmospheric noises. Open captions are permanent. Closed captions can be turned off by the user.
            Once talkies started in the 1920s, the need for intertitles and subtitles ran out. This made movies impossible for the deaf. A deaf actor named Emerson Romero, brother of actor Cesar, found himself out of a job because he could not speak well enough when in the silent movies that did not matter. He found a new passion instead. He pushed for keeping the subtitles for the deaf community but did not get very far with it. Still, it did influence things in later decades.
            The first captioning agency, The Caption Center, was founded in 1972 at WGBH, the public television channel in Boston. Due to their work, the first captioned television program aired on March 16, 1980--The French Chef with Julia Child.
            All this eventually led to captioning for telephones. I found half a dozen dates, but it seems that the patent for a captioned phone was first applied for on July 28, 2003. That patent was approved and issued to Robert Engelke, Christopher Engelke, and Kevin Colwell on April 26, 2005.
            However, this voice recognition technology is not the perfect cure. For one thing, it takes a minute sometimes for the captions to register and print up on the screen. Recorded menus will not wait a minute for the computer to recognize the words and print them, and then for the caller to read them. By the time the whole process has occurred, the pleasant little voice will be saying, “I’m sorry. I didn’t catch that,” and unlike a real person, you can’t interrupt and explain. I still have to deal with the menus for Keith.
            Then there is the machine’s inability to recognize every word. If a speaker is not loud enough, all you get is “Voice unclear.” If a word or name is odd, it will come up with the closest “normal” name it can find in its vocabulary. I have been everything from “Jane” to “Jeanie.” And if the word is something not in a dictionary, like a brand name or company name, the machine goes completely haywire. Not long ago, Keith had to call a man about our septic tank. In the course of the call, the man recommended we use Rid-X. What did the machine print on the screen?
            “You’ll have to put some rednecks down their once a month.”
            Yet another time when I was talking to Lucas, the machine told me something about a “pork picture.” Lucas had said nothing even remotely close to cameras or ham. But the computer decided he had, simply because his speech was a little garbled at that point in the conversation. He was a little excited, talking quickly.
            It doesn’t have to be a closed caption system to show us our words are a little garbled occasionally, especially when we stop and think about what we just said. Think about prayer for a moment.
            I’ve heard people say, “I don’t want to bother God with my little problems.” Did you really say that? You don’t want to “bother” God? As if you think that God considers hearing from His children a “bother?” Is that actually how you feel about your children? Haven’t you read the parable of the unjust judge?
            And he told them a parable to the effect that they ought always to pray and not lose heart. He said, “In a certain city there was a judge who neither feared God nor respected man. And there was a widow in that city who kept coming to him and saying, ‘Give me justice against my adversary.’ For a while he refused, but afterward he said to himself, ‘Though I neither fear God nor respect man, yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will give her justice, so that she will not beat me down by her continual coming.’” And the Lord said, “Hear what the unrighteous judge says. And will not God give justice to his elect, who cry to him day and night? Will he delay long over them? I tell you, he will give justice to them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth? Luke 18:1-8
            If an unjust judge will pay attention to someone who “bothers” him, certainly a loving God will pay attention to someone He does not consider a bother at all. In fact, he will give justice “speedily.” Don’t think you are saving God trouble and merely being considerate. Jesus said that when we won’t lay all our troubles on a Father who loves us, that the problem is a lack of faith, not an abundance of courtesy.
            And sometimes I hear, “God has too much to worry about without me unloading all my problems too.” Once again, a lack of faith cloaked in consideration. If you believe God is who He says He is, you cannot give Him too much to do. In fact, the very wonder of it is that He pays attention to us at all! What is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you care for him? Psalm 8:4. But pay attention He does, and He has the power to take my problems and your problems and everyone else’s problems and fix them in the blink of an eye.
            And I could go on with some of the thoughtless things I have heard—and said. Sometimes our words are garbled. They simply don’t make sense. It would behoove us to listen to ourselves once in a while and straighten them out, because they certainly don’t give a pretty picture of our hearts.

The good person out of the good treasure of his heart produces good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure produces evil, for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks. Luke 6:45

Dene Ward