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All Scripture is linked through the Blue Letter Bible.

What does a white square on the road, Christopher Columbus, and double spaces have to do with what you believe about the bible?

A lady said, “This is the first time I’ve heard that Jesus Christ existed before the beginning of the world, and that he created the world and the entire universe.” I wasn’t surprised. Mankind would rather hold onto the traditional beliefs, than to question them.

Few people bother to ask “Why?” Are they afraid to rock the boat? Are they afraid they may have to change their cherished view? The following story shows what happens when one accepts, without question, the way things have always been done:

A retired army general said, while he was a private he was assigned to paint the camp’s curbs to prepare for the visit of some high-ranking visitors. In a moment of clumsiness he knocked over the pail and some paint spilled onto the road. He cleaned up as much as he could, but what was left was messy so he painted a white square on the road to cover it up, then continued painting the curbs.

Many years later, as a general, he returned to the camp for a visit. The curbs were all freshly painted and, sure enough, there was his square, gleaming white.

So it is with much of what people believe. They simply continue believing without asking “Why?”

If Christopher Columbus hadn’t questioned the idea of a flat earth, he would have never discovered the western world, and we might still believe anyone who sailed out of sight of land would simply go over the edge into oblivion.

Samuel Morse asked why it was necessary to send messages by horse and rider. His questioning gave us the telegraph. Alexander Bell’s questioning gave us the telephone. Guglielmo Marconi gave us radio. Then Vladimir Zworykin and P T Farnsworth added pictures to give us television. Every invention or improvement has come about because someone challenged the status quo and asked “Why?”

When no one questions, we remain stuck with such nonsense as leaving two spaces at the end of each typed sentence. Ask any secretary why she does that and the answer will be, “That’s what we were taught.”

Several years ago I asked “Why?” and could not find one secretarial teacher or manual that gave a reason. Recently some secretaries have added to the nonsense by double spacing after commas. You can imagine the extra trees that would be destroyed if all the newspaper and magazine publishers followed the old rule. The environmentalists would certainly begin asking “Why?”

So far we’ve discussed a bit of paint, the courage and inventiveness of people in the past, and an extra tap on the space bar. But there’s people called Christians who, rather than challenging the status quo, choose to believe what they’ve always been taught. That’s easier than looking into their textbook, the bible, to see what it says. And if they do look, and don’t like what it says, they twist the scripture to make it palatable.

One such group has repeatedly told me God knows it’s impossible for humans to keep his law, so he abolished it. They’d rather believe such balderdash than to try to keep it. How can we expect Jesus to grant his grace to someone who’s never even tried, because “that’s the way it’s always been?”

We’re rapidly approaching the time when God will send a famine of hearing the word of the Lord, when people will look for God’s word and won’t find it (Amos 8:11-12).

If you don’t challenge the status quo and seek the truth today, tomorrow may be too late. Too late to ask “Why?”

You may contact the Life Lines author at laturvey@becon.org.

THERE’S A GREAT DAY COMING

Think life is hard? It’s going to get a lot harder. But just as it’s darkest before the dawn, the hardest days will presage a wonderful future for those who love God.

What’s the weather like where you are? Drenching rain? Blistering hot? Does your neighbour’s dog bark all day? Maybe the sermons at church are too long. Or the air conditioner at work went on the fritz, and it will be a couple weeks before it can be repaired. Woe is me. Life is so hard.

It’s been observed that America is the only place where people talk about hard times over a $10.00 steak.

If you think life is hard, be thankful you live in a free country, where your pastor can preach without interference from the government. Or where there is cooled air in your workplace, rather than just in the offices of the upper echelon. Or where you can openly speak your mind about things political. Or where you can worship as you wish without persecution or coercion.

If you think life is hard, consider these people:

PAKISTAN – (June 15, 2002) – Seventeen-year old Gulnaz a Pakistani Christian, was attacked for refusing the sexual advances of a Muslim man. She had been repeatedly insulted, and urged to renounce Christianity and embrace Islam. When she had fought off the sexual assault her attacker threatened revenge. The next day the man and his goons attacked Gulnaz with sulphuric acid. She was burnt over most of her body, in her eyes, and down her throat.

CHINA -- Twenty-five children, ages ten to sixteen, and five adults were arrested in Dongan village, for engaging in religious activities. Sister Chen Mei, was sentenced without trial (July 18, 2002), to fifteen days in jail for leading catechism for children.

SAUDI ARABIA -- Two Christians, Joel David and Solomon Privthiviraj were arrested (April 25, 2002) by Saudi religious police. Several believers were meeting at Joel's home for prayer, when the religious police stormed the home.

The men are being pressured to reveal the identities of other Christians. Although the charges against Joel have been dropped, signing of the appropriate documents has been delayed for three months because the authorized official is "on holidays."

SRI LANKA – (July 27, 2002) – Three hundred Buddhists stormed Pastor Jacob Perera's home in Allawa, Sri Lanka. The house was torn down, and the debris was thrown into his well, his only source of water. People on the premises were severely beaten and several had to be hospitalized. Pastor Perera has been threatened in the past with violence, and told to stop his work in Allawa.

I hear you saying, “That’s terrible. Something should be done.” Then there’s silence, as you go about your daily routine, confident in the knowledge that these things don’t happen in Canada, the United States, or Great Britain.

Don’t get too comfortable. Pakistan, China, Saudi Arabia, and Sri Lanka are just the beginning. The day is coming when you and I will become victims of our own governments’ refusal to act when persecution of Christians, right here at home, will become rampant (Matthew 24:9-10). Your own family may even turn you in (Matthew 10:35-36).

But take heart. Beyond the persecution, for those who remain faithful to God and Jesus Christ, wherever they may live, there’s a great day coming (Mark 13:13). And what a day it will be. Paul tells us we can’t even imagine what lies ahead for those who love God (1 Corinthians 2:9; quoted from Isaiah 64:4). But we can be sure there will be love, joy, peace, patience, goodness, faith, meekness, and temperance (Galatians 5:22-23), and that’s a good start.

You may contact the Life Lines author at laturvey@becon.org.

THERE’S NOTHING TO DO

It seems there’s always lots to do in Theirtown, but nothing to do here. If our young people would look about themselves, they’d find there’s lots to do in Ourtown as well.

There’s nothing to do in Ourtown. Young people wail this dirge no matter where they live. Life is always better somewhere else.

Young people with nothing to do haven’t learned to appreciate the finer things in life. People who appreciate good music, good books, and fine art, seldom get bored. They spend time at the theatre (not the movies), in the library, bird-watching in the fields. They get excited at the prospect of hearing a speaker discuss his travels or his work at an archaeological dig.

Young people who complain there’s nothing to do generally want others to provide something for them. They seldom give anything back to the community.

They sit in front of the boob tube to be entertained. Or they attack a computerized villain, claiming it’s helping them develop hand-eye coordination. (You never hear them say their video games help them to think.) They join protest groups, but they seldom have a viable answer to whatever they’re protesting.

During our teens we had lots to do.

We had an arena: drafty and dim and cold. Today in Ourtown there are two arenas, brightly lit and warm.

We bicycled ten miles to the nearest pool. In Ourtown today, the pool is within walking distance of nearly everyone in the community. Walk?

We joined youth groups at our churches. Today there are drop-in centres in most communities. (You may have to listen to a bit of bible, and be careful of your language if you go there, but that won’t hurt you.) And if you drop in you’ll discover there’s lots to do. If there isn’t, help the organizers plan worthwhile events.

There were few televisions in Ourtown in the ‘50s. Today, with TVs VCRs DVDs and CDs, young people have a great selection of top-quality programming. We had Lawrence Welk, Ed Sullivan, and the Mickey Mouse Club in beautiful black and white!

We lived in the Shhh! era of libraries. Today the library is a place to meet and visit and read and learn.

Kids who volunteer seldom find themselves with nothing to do. They serve at church, at the local museum, in the hospitals. Their excitement comes from doing for others, rather than having others do for them.

There’s nothing to do in Ourtown is the young people’s lament today. In Theirtown there’s lots to do. They’ve got this and that and the other. We’ve got nothing.

What is the young people’s lament in Theirtown? There’s nothing to do!

There’s lots to do in every town, city, and village. What the young people are really saying is there’s nothing we want to do. Sad, isn’t it?

You may contact the Life Lines author at laturvey@becon.org.

THINGS AREN’T ALWAYS WHAT THEY SEEM

Before you judge another's actions, make sure you know the whole story. Things may not be what they seem.

You're cruisin' down the freeway when out of nowhere comes a Whoooosh, and a fellow in a sporty-looking car passes you like the devil was after him. You watch as he cuts across lanes, dodges in and out, and disappears out of sight. "Stupid fool!" you mutter to no one in particular. "Serves him right if the cops nab him."

During the summer I had to turn off at a confusing interchange. Those familiar with the highway had no problem, but I had to make a decision at sixty miles per hour, and my brain sometimes doesn't work that fast. A young guy and his girl in a convertible came down the on-ramp and dove into the traffic. The last I saw he was cooling his middle finger in the breeze.

I needed advice from my fellow Christians. Several responded to my email immediately. Some did not. But one really disappointed me. He's a minister of God, and if anyone could help me, it was him. When a week went by without hearing from him, I felt justified in wondering how much -- or how little -- he loved the brethren.

Finally he wrote, apologizing for the delay. His computer had been down, and he couldn't get back to me as soon as I would have liked. Man, was I humiliated!

We seldom know the other person's situation, do we? Did the fellow on the freeway get a call that his daughter was in an accident? Did Finger Freddie know I was confused? How could I have known my minister friend's computer wasn't working?

It's human nature, isn't it? Judge the other fellow without knowing what's behind his actions. We've been offended, and we justify our thoughts about stupid speeders and inconsiderate ministers.

Jesus warns us, "Judge not. You might be judged the same way (Matthew 7:1-2)." But we still do it. (Well, not you, of course. You're much better than that.)

Jesus was judged; and John the baptizer. "John came neither eating nor drinking," said Jesus, "and you said he was crazy. I eat and drink with you and you call me a wino and a glutton (Matthew 11:18-19)."

Balaam, riding his donkey -- let's call her Sheba -- was on his way to curse the people of Israel. Three times the animal balked, and three times Balaam beat her. Imagine his amazement when Sheba brayed and said, "Hey. What's the idea? Three times you've beaten me." Fortunately Balaam didn't have a sword or he would have killed her (Numbers 22:1-30).

But Balaam judged Sheba without knowing why she was so ornery. Rather than looking to see if a wild animal or snake was lurking about, he simply beat her. What Balaam didn't know was Sheba saw something he couldn't see.

God finally revealed a powerful angel standing in the roadway with his sword drawn. He told Balaam, "It's a good thing Sheba balked, because had you come to where I am I would have lopped off your head (vss 31-32)." In the end Balaam kept his head, and was given permission to continue his journey, but he was only to say what the angel allowed. We might imagine, after his experience, Balaam was very humble and compliant.

Two angels asked for lodging at a wealthy man's home. The man was rude, and refused to let them stay in the guest room. Instead he gave the angels a small space in the cold basement.

As they made their bed on the hard floor, the older angel saw a hole in the wall and repaired it. When the younger angel asked why, the older angel replied, “Things aren’t always what they seem.”

The next night the pair came to the home of a poor but hospitable farmer and his wife. After sharing what little food they had, the couple let the angels sleep in their bed. The next morning the farmer and his wife were in tears. Their only cow, whose milk was their sole income, lay dead in the field.

The younger angel was infuriated and asked the older one how she could have let this happen? "The rich man had everything, yet you helped him," she accused. "This couple has little, but shared everything, and you let their cow die."

“Things aren’t always what they seem,” the older angel replied. “When we stayed in the basement I saw gold stored in the hole in the wall. The owner was so obsessed with greed, and unwilling to share his good fortune, I sealed the wall so he couldn’t find it.

“Then last night, while we slept in the farmer's bed, the death angel came for his wife. I gave him the cow instead. Things aren’t always what they seem.”

You may contact the Life Lines author at laturvey@becon.org.

THOSE MARVELLOUS COMPUTERS

We tend to think of computers as pretty wonderful devices. But God has given each of us a computer that’s more marvellous than anything man will ever invent.

Twinkle, twinkle little light, / Flashing answers always right. / You’re a facts and figures glutton, / But you still need me to push the button!

Someone with little to do at the office composed this bit of doggerel, “Ode To A Computer.” It has an important message.

The basic home computer has a memory cell capable of storing more than 40 million pieces of information. Many can store even more.

We tend to think of computers as pretty wonderful devices. They’ll balance your bankbook faster than you can say overdrawn; they’ll record the family tree back to the forests of Borneo; they’ll keep date books for everyone in the family, and protect them so Sis can’t discover what her teen-age brother is up to.

In the family car computers save fuel and energy whether your trip is across the country or just around the block.

Yes, computers are pretty amazing, but the human brain is even more marvellous. The brain has 10 billion memory cells with a storage capacity of one quadrillion bits – that’s 1 with a whole bunch of zeros – of information. The human brain can store 25 million times as much as the basic home computer.

Israel’s King David knew how marvellous the human brain is, even 4000 years ago. He wrote, “I will praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made (Psalm 139:14).”

David saw life at the grass-roots level: he was a shepherd (1 Samuel 16:1, 4, 10-13). He killed a bear and a lion with his bare hands (1 Samuel 17:34-35).

And when it came time for the Israelite army to face Goliath not one armoured man stepped forward. It was David, with his hill-country skill, who felled the giant (1 Samuel 17:40-49).

No personal computer could have performed David’s feat, even if they were available then. On-the-job training stored in his brain allowed him to run fearlessly toward the Philistine, and to bring him to the ground with a sling-shot and a stone.

David had other strength, however. He told Goliath, “You come to me with a sword and with a spear, and with a shield. I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel whom you have defied (1 Samuel 17:45).”

It was that same God who created the marvellous brain in David, and in you and me. Without it we could never have developed even the simplest computer.

To equal the storage capacity of just one human brain, every man, woman, and child in Canada would need a home computer. But despite it’s marvellous ability, a God-created human would still have to push the button!

You may contact the Life Lines author at laturvey@becon.org.

THREE Rs

Are today’s young people just plain lazy? Some, maybe, but there’s something else behind the stereotype.

My ministry for God brings me into contact with many young people. Ther speling is teribul.

This is not just normal teenage slanguage – that will wear off in time – but the spelling of common English words. Here’s an example:

“Welll i slept in till liek 1 beacause i was so tired…i am waiting for my londery to get done…i need to have soemthign to wear tomarrow….” Other desecrations of the language include adn (and), kidna nervoiuse (kind of nervous), and tryign (trying).

A school teacher in Ourtown said she sees this in her students’ work and, in response to my query whether it improves as they progress to higher grades, she replied “No. It gets worse, because kids are too lazy to try hard enough.” I’m not too sure I fully agree.

Although our electronic age may have dissolved our young peoples’ brains, there’s a more important reason our kids can’t spell.

Grandparents, like me, remember the days of The 3 Rs: Readin’ and Ritin’ and ‘Rithmetic. Students read aloud from such literary favourites as Gulliver’s Travels, Anne of Green Gables, and the poetry anthology New Horizons.

Writing was compulsory. We wrote essays, and old Needlenose carefully checked our spelling. Corrections were hand written a hundred times.

We also used our finest penmanship. Helen Roberts made us write one letter – t, for instance – over and over and over until it was immaculate. She strolled through the aisles chanting, “Quality, not quantity. Quality, not quantity.” She wanted us to take time to develop the best penmanship possible.

Then came ‘Rithmetic. No calculators back then. We multiplied long numbers using pencil and paper, then verified our answers by dividing the same way. Only when we reached grade twelve could we use a mechanical device, called a slide rule, for our calculations.

No, our youth aren’t lazy; just unmotivated. And it’s their parents’ generation who’s to blame, at least in part.

The great depression brought financial disaster. Men lined up for whatever work became available, and they accepted it, even if it was only for a day or two. They were motivated.

The second world war ended the depression, and young lads went abroad to fight for our freedom. They were motivated.

The war ended, and women who composed the work force while their men were overseas, liked the freedom of being out of the house. New time-saving gadgets flooded the market, making it possible for them to continue working, and still do the household tasks. They were motivated, but no longer by need, but by self-satisfaction.

Their daughters realized they had a vital place in the work world, and we now wonder how we ever got along without them.

Many sons, however, discovered it was easier to stay home and let the motivated workers pay their way. They call it welfare, but is it really in the welfare of our nations to sit unmotivated in front of the television and swill beer?

The lack of motivation has rubbed off on our youth, and they see their parents’ easy way out. One way it shows up is in their spelling.

(By the way, not everyone on welfare is unmotivated, and not all kids follow their unmotivated parents’ lead.)

So where does the lack of motivation come in? Unmotivated people don’t recognize God’s purpose for them. Not one of us was put here to sit and do nothing. We all have an important contribution to give to this world, and if any individual doesn’t make that contribution every day, the world is worse off for it.

My young friends, I challenge you to take a pen and paper – don’t use the computer – and write a few short paragraphs defining who you are, what you want to be, and how you’re going to get there. This will help determine your purpose in life.

Then, once it’s defined, do everything in your power to bring it about. You’ll be surprised how wonderfully exciting a purpose-filled life can really be.

You may contact the Life Lines author at laturvey@becon.org.

THREEFOLD CORD

Are you the weakest link in your congregational chain, or are you part of a band that is not easily broken?

A fellow spotted a flatbed truck with several steel barrels on its deck. He wrote, “One might have expected this would have been the time for heavy chains,” but the barrels were held in place with wide fibre bands. His nephew, whose expertise was in trucking, said the fibre bands were much more reliable. “A chain,” he pointed out, “no matter how strong, is only as strong as the weakest link. If one goes, so goes the whole load. The fibre band, on the other hand, is made up of many weaker fibres all bound together as one, and will hardly ever give way.”

The concept is nothing new: Solomon wrote, “Two are better than one...If two lie together they have heat...and a threefold cord is not quickly broken (Ecclesiastes 4:9-12).”

Jesus Christ, in choosing his disciples, knew the concept of synergy: two bodies working together can produce more energy than the same two bodies working independently. Twelve working together could generate tremendous power. He never had a chain of command, but told his disciples to work together in making followers throughout the nations, baptizing them, and teaching them to observe what Jesus had commanded his workers (Matthew 28:19-20).

It’s fortunate Jesus didn’t have a chain of command. What if Judas had been the middle link? When he betrayed Jesus the entire load of doing God’s work would have been spilled on the road. But like truckers’ fibre bands, the rest of the disciples held together so the work was carried on.

The writer stated, “How like the church! If we depend on one or two strong individuals we can be disappointed. If we all share the load and pull together as with one mind, our strength will be phenomenal!”

Betty and I spent many years in a church with a chain of command. God was the first link, Jesus was next, the pastor general (as he called himself) was third, and his ministers completed the chain. This chain tied together multi-thousands in the various congregations world wide. Perhaps the pastor general envisioned himself as immortal, but time proved otherwise. The chain of command was broken with his death, so a substitute took his place. He, also, was not immortal, and on his death just a few weeks after taking his place next to Jesus, his son occupied the throne. But the chain of command was so broken most of the members fell off the truck. Rather than laying where they landed however, many joined together like fibres in the truckers’ bands, to work within their own communities and do as Jesus commanded his disciples. Through them the word of truth is again being given to the world in tremendous power, as it was in the early centuries.

In the true Lord’s prayer Jesus told our father, “I don’t pray only for these men, my disciples, but for all who will have faith in me through their teaching. May they all be one [like the strands in fibre bands], so all men may have faith that you have sent me, and that you love them just as you love me (John 17:20-23 Author’s Version).”

The gentleman who inspired this Life Lines column notes something else about being part of a fibre band. He wrote, “[Jesus] knew it would be so much more enjoyable, working together in fellowship as well. What a blessed Lord!”

You may contact the Life Lines author at laturvey@becon.org.

TIME FOR A CHANGE (A Life Lines Special)

It’s 2006, and time for a change.

Many Life Lines readers have observed that recent columns have been negative or argumentative in tone. This is unbecoming to a Christian. So, in 2006, unless God’s holy spirit inspires me otherwise, there will be no articles about man’s holidays – Eastre, Halloween, Xmas, and such. I’ll leave those to other writers.

Beginning this Sunday, Life Lines will continue the ten commandments series, taking us into February.

We’ll finish the month with a few regular Life Lines columns, then begin a series of bible studies based on the promises given to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and showing how those promises identify the United States, Great Britain, and many other countries today.

From time-to-appropriate-time the series will be broken by Life Lines columns titled Why I Observe God’s Holy Days, describing those days as God’s plan for all mankind.

I trust you will remain on the Life Lines mailing list, and benefit from what you learn. And, as always, you are free to copy Life Lines to your own files, and forward them to your friends. The copyright line is simply a formality included on the advice of my fellow writers.

You may contact the Life Lines author at laturvey@becon.org.

TO BE A MINISTER

He may shout and shake and sweat while he preaches, but is he a minister? True Christians everywhere are called upon to minister but not necessarily to preach. What is the difference?

Repent, you sinners, or you’ll go to hell,” thundered the old preacher, apparently following God’s admonition to Isaiah, “Cry aloud, spare not, lift up your voice like a trumpet (Isaiah 58:1). As the congregation departed, they congratulated their pastor for giving them strong meat (Hebrews 5:12, 14).

But was he a minister, or simply a preacher? There’s a difference.

Every true Christian is to be a minister. But every true Christian is not necessarily a preacher. Indeed, some Christians would rather go to hell than to stand before a congregation and give a sermon.

So what is a minister? Or more important, what does it mean to minister?

Possibly the most important ministry a Christian can give is example. In a world given to satan’s way that leads to eternal death, many people, especially our youth, are desperate for guidance.

Young people instinctively know what is right, but peer pressure can lead them in the wrong direction. And well-intended go-to-hell preaching can push them even further. A gentle Christian example, however, can guide them where they need to go.

Being a Christian one hour a week is not the example they need. The example of a Christ-one must be that of an overall lifestyle. A ministering Christian’s day-by-day life must set such an example that others want to be like him, despite pressures to go the wrong way.

To be a minister one must practice forgiveness. “I forgive you,” is easy to say, but difficult to perform, because forgiveness also means forgetting. Satan makes forgiveness difficult by conjuring up all sorts of reminders of the wrong that was done. The ministry of forgiveness demands that the Christian go to his knees and ask God to help him forget.

Regardless of what one’s ministry might be at any moment, being a minister means sacrifice: sacrifice of time, of talents, of energy, of self.

Jesus Christ’s sacrifice was not a one-day affair at Calvary, but every moment of every day. His life was a continuous sacrifice.

He said in the sermon on the mount, “Be ye...perfect... (Matthew 5:48).” He was perfect, not because of his divinity, but despite his humanness. He struggled every day against the same temptations we all have (Hebrews 4:15). He, like Moses, sacrificed the pleasures of sin (Hebrews 11:25) for our sake. Throughout his life he set the example that we must minister to the needs of everyday people in everyday situations.

I’ve developed a personal affirmation which says, “My ministry is to be a servant to all, to do for others what they cannot do for themselves. Through serving others I serve the Eternal God, which is my first and foremost ministry.” May God help me achieve it.

You may contact the Life Lines author at laturvey@becon.org.

TOSSED IN THE TRASH

On January 22, 1973, the District Court of Dallas County, Texas, decided in favour of Norma McCorvey (fictionally known as Jane Roe), in the infamous trial of Roe vs (Henry) Wade, District Attorney of Dallas County. Since then more than 30 million North American babies have been ripped from their mothers’ bodies and tossed in the trash as so much medical refuse.

The woman who would have discovered the cure for breast cancer may have died this year.

A scientist who could have solved the world’s hunger problems may have been murdered.

Moving music created by a modern-day Beethoven may have been silenced before the composer was born.

The first aborted fetus may have become a beautiful bride in June.

In less than a quarter century more than 30 million North American babies have been ripped from their mothers’ bodies and tossed in the trash as so much medical refuse. Had those babies come to full term, then been ripped from their mothers’ arms to have their throats slashed and their bodies torched, the wails of the mothers would be unbearable. Yet every day mothers visit abortion clinics to leave their dying infants in a pail with hardly a second thought.

It must be comforting to think those tiny souls are wafting around in a beautiful place called Limbo. But Limbo exists only in fantasy.

The bible tells us every person who has ever lived will be resurrected -- brought back to life (I Corinthians 15:22) -- to learn God’s way of peace and love. And we will know them.

Aborted fetuses were living human beings, They may confront their mothers and fathers and ask, “Why?”

“You were an accident,” or “We weren’t married,” or “Your father wasn’t my husband,” won’t do. There’ll be a lot of serious soul searching for the answers.

Abortion doctors won’t be able to hide behind “They were just bits of tissue.” A member of the God family will be there to ensure a sincere scrutiny of conscience.

Bible thumpers everywhere will whine, “We preached about abortion from the pulpits. We decried the evil. What more could we do?”

Yes, a few congregations in Ourtown have heard about the evils of abortion, and their ministers sat at Sunday dinner content in the knowledge they had earned their wages for the week.

But when Jesus Christ returns to earth and resurrects those “bits of tissue,” doctors, lawyers, ministers, politicians, and you and I will have to answer the question, “Why?”

What will we tell them?

You may contact the Life Lines author at laturvey@becon.org.

TRAGIC STATE OF AMERICA AND THE WORLD

Today’s Life Lines column is written by an American citizen who is deeply concerned about events as they worsen by the day.

The war in Iraq is beginning to remind me of Viet Nam. American soldiers who are dying are becoming mere statistics. Americans seem to be taking things in stride since the number of dead is below 2,000. The numbers are low compared to what happened in Southeast Asia and yet I have moments when I wonder if we are really being told the truth. Perhaps I am naive, but I do hope the reporting on the number of fatalities by the Pentagon is not a repeat of the last military debacle the country suffered.

The Jewish nation is unravelling and yet the only people who seem to be concerned are those in Gaza. The most alarming statement I have heard so far is that of an Israeli soldier who said he is just following orders while evicting fellow citizens. The world has forgotten how this was the most commonly used phrase in World War II when German soldiers and their commanding officers said they were just following orders while exterminating 6,000,000 Jews.

Gas prices are now the highest ever in America. It never ceases to amaze me when cashiers at gasoline stations are the brunt of anger by American consumers. The oil companies and auto manufacturers are not being held accountable, but an employee at any given local gasoline station across the country is being used as a verbal punching bag. The weather is now being replaced by high gasoline prices as a topic of conversation. Perhaps global warming is the result of so much hot air being expressed. America is a nation that loves to complain, but does little when it comes to action.

It was reported today that 40% of Mexicans south of the U.S. border want to migrate to the United States. America's borders are already being overwhelmed by an illegal alien plague and yet we simply lack the will to man our borders to stop a flood that is developing into a tsunami of problems. Why will we be shocked as a nation when another terrorist attack strikes America if we are asleep at the helm?

There is now an all gay television station 24 hours a day offered by way of satellite. Young children are exposed to a lifestyle that 20 years ago would have outraged parents. A number of cartoon channels with extreme violence are also feeding the minds of the next generation 24/7. RAP music is now the norm for a generation that is showing little signs of a conscience. Don't look for RAP music to fade as a fad. Obscene language in "music" is becoming the norm as teens have an in-your-face attitude towards those who are sickened by what is heard.

What has happened to America's churches? What I see is a nation suffering from spiritual bankruptcy. With so much love being preached from pulpits in one church after another, why do I see so much hate and animosity in the faces of so many people? With tomorrow viewed as just another normal day to the average American, how long do we think we can keep going at an insane pace without paying an unbelievable penalty for what is happening?

Either there is a God who is allowing us to see that we don't have the answers, or we will destroy ourselves with a carefree and careless attitude. America is a nation not alarmed by anything. God help us as a nation, because if He doesn't, we will be destroyed from within, without the aid of our enemies from without.

You may contact the Life Lines author at laturvey@becon.org.

TWO-PENNY SOLUTION

What has a stopped clock got to do with bible scholars? Read to the end and find out.

Our mantle clock is ancient, almost as old as me. Not long ago its chimes were silenced, and its hands stopped at 1:24. Oh well, it gave the right time twice a day.

A repair shop advertises, "We repair what your husband fixed." They got that motto from me. I didn't write it; I'm the husband who inspired it. When I told Betty I'd take the clock apart she asked, "What'll you do with the parts left over?"

Undaunted, I tackled the job. Simple. Four screws held everything in place. Remove them and I'd have the mechanism in my hand. No sweat.

One screw, two screws, three screws, four. Oh! Oh! Progress stopped as dead as the clock. Oh, yeh! I'd forgotten to remove the hands. Turn the clock around, remove a miniscule thumb-screw, and the hands should slip off. Sure, but where'd the thumb-screw go? It's old and tarnished, and would be impossible to find in our grey coloured carpet.

"Nothing's impossible." My father's words came back to me, and sure enough the impossible became possible. As chance would have it Nikki, our family feline, saw it fall and decided it was a plaything. While he pawed at it, I was able to retrieve the wayward piece, and drop it into a small bowl my wife provided. Safe at last.

OK, where was I? Oh, yeh! Take off the hands. Well, the minute hand at least. It came easily, and was soon in the bowl with the four screws, and the thumb-screw. But the hour hand was less cooperative. I turned it counter-clockwise, thinking it was threaded into place. No luck.

Clockwise then. Some things have left-hand threads. Still no success. My simple, five-minute job was turning into a day-long event. And my assistant, Nikki, was now on the table playing with everything in the bowl.

"When all else fails, try something different." Dad's words again. Hey! The remaining hand wasn't threaded into place. All that was needed was to pull -- gently, of course -- then thunk! Clang-a-clang-a-clang! Oh no! The guts of the clock, with no support, fell out of place, striking the chimes as it went.

"Well," said I to myself, "the rest should be easy. Blow out the accumulated dust and cat hair, and put it back together." But there was no dust; no cat hair. Hmmm. Must be a broken sprocket. Yet close inspection with a magnifying glass showed no sign of damage or wear.

Now I might be the inept husband in the repair shop's motto, but I'm not stupid. There's no way I would tackle the wheels and gears inside the frame. Nikki might not find the next part I dropped. So slip the guts back into place, replace the four screws, push the hour hand onto its spindle, drop the minute hand over it, and replace the thumb-screw. Eureka!

But all was not so great. The clock did start to work, until at 3:22 it struck eleven. But, hey! That's easy to fix. Remove the hands, replace them to 11 o'clock, and re-install the thumb-screw.

Done! But now the clock stopped working again.

I tapped the pendulum to get it swinging, and the familiar tick-tock said the clock was working again. Yet five minutes later there was no more tick-tock. As the villain in the old Dudley Doright movies exclaimed, "Curses. Foiled again!"

Then the light dawned. The clock has to be balanced. One penny under the left front foot, and another under the back, and tap the pendulum again. Tick-tock, tick-tock, day and night, with the chimes properly counting the hours.

That's life, isn't it? We often overlook the obvious, and take the long route to solve our problems. Bible scholars are like that. They'll write page after convoluted page to prove their theories, rather than turning to the simple words of the bible. One such thesis is based on going to heaven, but the two-penny solution is to turn to John 3:13 where Jesus says no man has ever gone there.

You may contact the Life Lines author at laturvey@becon.org.

TYRANNY OF THE URGENT

Hurry. Rush. Hurry. Rush. It seems everything is so urgent that we need to do it now. And where does it get us? Pooped!

If you emphasize everything, you emphasize nothing.

You’ve likely received emails from religious types, who feel it's urgent for you to get the message, so they resort to typing a short phrase all in capital letters. This must get them excited, because the further you read the more capitalized words you meet. Soon there is so much capitalization for emphasis that nothing is really emphasized.

Bulk snailing is similar. The first envelope is marked, “Time sensitive: open immediately.” The next to arrive states the contents are important, and urges you to open this envelope right away. On and on it goes: “Urgent!" "Open now!” “Don’t wait. Open this important envelope first.” The urgency is emphasized so often the response is often to toss the information into the trash.

In the training and development company where I worked, part of our time management course involved the tyranny of the urgent. Secretaries know how tyrannical the urgent can be. It seems everybody needs their letter typed yesterday, The boss needs his speech typed before he leaves for a noon-hour business meeting, and it’s eleven thirty already. The voice on the other end of the telephone line insists it’s important to speak with the mayor immediately.

You may be a victim of the tyranny of the urgent. You believe everything has to be done right now, and wonder why you’re too tired at the end of the day to go to the movie you’ve been waiting for.

Our time management participants sketched four boxes on their note pad. They were marked “Must be done;” “Should be done;” and “Could be done.” Then they reviewed the next day's schedule in their day planner. Those things which absolutely must be done were written in the first box. Those of next importance went into the second box. Some of the rest went into the third box. Those that were left went into the box without a name. The participants were amazed to discover many things they thought were urgent went into boxes two or three, and occasionally into box four. At a follow-up meeting a few weeks later they said they accomplished more of the important things each day, and went home satisfied rather than pooped. Instead of letting the urgent tyrannize them, they put it in its place, which is often the waste basket.

Every week I receive “Urgent Prayer Request” emails. One person never sends a simple prayer request: hers are all urgent. It’s tempting to hit the delete key, but I resist knowing somebody needs prayers, urgent or not.

When God opens his email, I wonder if he thinks, “Let’s see. This prayer request is marked urgent. I’d better deal with it right away.” Then after dealing with the urgent, maybe he looks at another and says, “This one only says ‘Prayer Request.’ It can’t be very important. I’ll take care of that one later.”

Aren't you glad our heavenly father doesn't have time management boxes? He regards every prayer -- even a little child's "God bless my puppy" -- as urgent.

Paul urges us to be instant in prayer (Romans 12:12). What he's telling us is every prayer request is urgent. But that's an urgency that won't tyrannize you.

You may contact the Life Lines author at laturvey@becon.org.

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Last Revised January 14, 2007
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