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All Scripture is linked through the Blue Letter Bible.

Two popular hymns reveal how little attention most Christians pay to God's truth. One Life Lines reader describes it as Hymnbook Theology.

“We’ve a story to tell to the nations, that will turn their hearts to the right. A story of truth and mercy. A story of peace and light.”

This stirring hymn written by Colin Sterne and Ernest Nichol in 1896, is sung like many hymns, without much thought for the words. How do I know?

The chorus sings: “For the darkness shall turn to the dawning, And the dawning to noon-day bright. And Christ’s great kingdom shall come on earth....”

What’s that? Christ’s great kingdom shall come where? And you thought it was in heaven.

Children are still taught a simple Sunday school song. You know the words: “Jesus loves me, this I know, For the bible tells me so. Little ones to him belong, They are weak, but he is strong.” I remember singing it many years ago, along with the closing message: “If I love him, when I die, He will take me home on high.”

Maybe that’s why, when I was in my mid-teens, I started asking questions. How could we, in one hymn, sing of Christ’s kingdom coming to earth, and in another that Jesus would take us to heaven? It just didn’t make sense. And it makes even less sense now that I’m in my sixties.

It’s easy to get caught up in the lilt of a hymn, and forget to pay attention to the words. Want proof? Try saying the words of the national anthem without running the tune through your head.

But it’s not just in hymns that Christians show their unbelief. They read that Jesus said, “Don’t think I’ve come to destroy the law or the prophets. I have not come to destroy, but to fill them to the fullest. In fact, as long as the heavens and the earth remain, not one comma, not one period will pass from the law until all things are accomplished (Matthew 5:17-18).”

Have all things been accomplished? Not according to my bible. Yet what do the same Christians say? The law has been nailed to the cross.

If they ever get around to reading the book of Leviticus they’ll discover God says pork and shellfish and certain birds and animals are not fit to eat. Then they’ll twist the story of Peter’s vision to say this was all changed -- by a God who never changes!

And they’ll read that God created certain holy days to be kept how long? Until man replaces them with holidays of his own? Leviticus 23:41 says for ever.

Then come the yabuts. Yabut, that’s old testament. We’re a new testament church.

Funny though. Those same Christians sing the new testament truth that Christ’s great kingdom shall come on earth (Revelation 21:10), yet they’d rather believe he’ll take them home on high.

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

USE ME LORD

They also serve who only stand and wait. Are you looking for glory jobs in the Lord’s service, or are you willing to patiently hold the pipe wrench for the person actively doing the work?

Every night the man prayed, “Lord, let me win the lottery.” His prayers were unanswered. Finally he fairly screamed into the darkness, “Let me win the lottery.” Then, as he let out a hopeless sigh, a voice came from the darkness, “Meet me half way, fella. Buy a ticket.”

Many people are like that, aren’t they? They’ll pray and pray, but won’t do their part. So when their prayers aren’t answered they decide God is either deaf, dead, or just doesn’t care.

We are to pray without ceasing (1 Thessalonians 5:17), but as a Russian proverb says, “Pray to God, but keep rowing to shore.”

Should we expect God to answer our prayers for a bounteous harvest if we don’t prepare the earth, or plant the seed? Don’t expect to see him at the controls of your tractor.

God does answer our prayers, but sometimes not the way we want. This may be especially true if we’re like the Ford dealer who, like all the other car dealers in town, felt the impact of foreign imports. All the other dealers worked diligently to attract buyers to their showrooms. But the Ford dealer simply complained. One night he prayed, “God, give me a foreign car dealership.” Next morning he woke up in Japan selling Ford cars.

A Life Lines reader uses the email address Uzemelord@xxx.ooo. I suspect the lord may be using him very well, but his address is indicative of many Christians who pray, “Use me Lord,” then sit and wait for the spirit to move them. They have more excuses than there are stars in the sky. “I don’t have any talents.” “I haven’t got a car.” “Somebody else could do it better.”

The disciples asked Jesus who would be the greatest in the kingdom of God. Jesus replied, “Unless you become like little children you will not even enter the kingdom (Matthew 18:1-3).”

Many sermons have been preached on this scripture, about having a child-like faith. But one of the characteristics of a little child is his willingness to help. Would you decide somebody else could do it better if you knew your decision might keep you out of God’s kingdom?

A plumber was called to install a new kitchen sink. When he arrived at the house a little boy answered the door. Knowing what a nuisance little boys can be on the job, the plumber asked, “Would you like to help?” “Sure, mister!” came the excited reply.

In the kitchen the plumber dug out the biggest pipe wrench in his toolbox, and handed it to the boy. “You hold this until I need it,” he said. The little guy sat patiently holding the wrench until, just before the job was done, the plumber asked for it.

When the plumber told the lady of the house her new sink was ready, the little boy piped up, “And I helped him, didn’t I mister?” “Sure did, son,” replied the plumber. “And you did a good job too.”

The plumber could have done the job just as well without the boy’s help, and God could spread the gospel message without our help. But he asks us to help. And when he does, our answer should be, like the little boy’s, “Sure mister!”

Maybe the work God has for us isn’t very glorious, and we’d rather have a position that will get us seen by the people, and our picture in the paper. But Martin Luther King, Jr. reminds us, “...no work is insignificant. All labour that uplifts humanity has dignity and importance, and should be undertaken with painstaking excellence. If a man is called to be a street sweeper, he should sweep streets even as Michelangelo painted, or Beethoven composed music, or Shakespeare wrote poetry. He should sweep streets so well that all the hosts of heaven and earth will pause to say, ‘Here lived a great street sweeper who did his job well.’”

Use me Lord. If all you want me to do is sweep streets, I’m ready to serve. And I’ll be the best street sweeper there is.

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

VANISHED INTO THIN AIR

“It’s the rapture George. God is calling me home.” Does the bible show that people will disappear into thin air, leaving their cars driverless? Lot’s of people believe it does.

“And now the news.

“Thousands of motor vehicles ran amuck across the country today, leaving damage, injury, and death everywhere.

“Eighteen-wheelers, cars, and buses collided, and smashed into buildings and anything else nearby.

“Toronto’s subway system has been at a standstill since a speeding train rear-ended a stationary one at Union Station during the morning rush hour. Emergency crews and volunteers are helping remove the injured and dead.

“A jumbo jet with 300 people aboard dived into a school, killing all passengers and an unknown number of children.

“A radio transmission just before the crash doesn’t make any sense. The frantic call said the pilot suddenly disappeared from his seat. ‘He just...just vaporized!’ it continued.

“In Ourtown witnesses tell a similar story. A driver on the Crosstown bus route simply disappeared.

“A passenger in a car that crashed on the expressway babbled something about the driver vanishing. ‘He didn’t even have time to pull to the side of the road. Just gone!’

“A man phoned to say his wife disappeared right up through the kitchen ceiling. As she rose from the floor she yelled, ‘It’s the rapture, George. God is calling me home.’ After that she disappeared.”

Is this what the rapture is all about? Is there actually going to be such a time of confusion?

Christians talk about the rapture of the saints. Bumper stickers proclaim, “In case of rapture, driver will disappear.” Yet the word rapture is found nowhere in the bible.

What is found is that God is not the author of confusion, but of peace (1 Corinthians 14:33). So one must conclude if there’s going to be such a rapture it cannot be of God.

Most people want protection during times of danger and calamity. That’s natural. People who believe in the rapture know the time is coming, perhaps very soon, when world cataclysm will begin. It will eclipse all the calamities the world has ever known (Daniel 12:1). Fortunately there will never be another time like it (Joel 2:2). Jesus says unless God intervenes no flesh – human or animal – will survive (Matthew 24:22).

But Christians have been taught all will be well. They’ll be raptured away to heaven before the calamity begins.

Will they? Read what Jesus Christ says. “Immediately after -- not before -- the tribulation…God’s angels shall gather together his elect (Matthew 24:29,31).”

God is not the author of religious confusion: Satan is. He’s also the father of lies. The confusion in the news report above will not happen. It’s just one of Satan’s lies called the rapture.

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

THE V-WORD

After seven years of writing Life Lines, this may be the most important column I have composed. It is inspired by God’s holy spirit through a special young lady, and Cathian Maness, Doctor of Divinity.

We have the A-word, the B-word, the C-word, and likely a word for every letter of the alphabet. Most of them are negative, and have sexual, gender, or racial connotations. But the V-word is different. The V-word means Virgin.

There are two kinds of virgins. One is a virgin yearning for intimacy, and who will give into the cooing of “I love you” in the ear. The other is the virgin who is proud to be a virgin, and is determined not to lose her – or his – virginity until the wedding night.

Actually no one loses her virginity. Virginity is something you give away. And as Dr Maness notes, virginity is something you can give away only once. There’s never a second chance.

Virginity is unique. It’s a special gift God has given to everyone, to give to one very special person under very special circumstances.

When I was in high school, one of the sororities had an inner circle called the non-virgin club. To become a member you needed to prove, in front of the sisters, that you weren’t a virgin. So the initiate gave her gift to some guy with more testosterone than respect for the girl. Why? So she could be part of the in crowd.

But her partner for the initiation certainly wasn’t the special person God intended her to give her virginity to. And his virginity was likely long gone before he stole hers.

Think of this, young people, there’s no pride in being an unmarried non-virgin. All that takes is getting laid.

There’s generally no love in getting laid either. Joe Cool might be the school jock, but how many girls has he told, “I love you,” just so he can make another score?

And guys, Naughty Nan may be the hottest thing on the cheerleading team, but leave her for Joe Cool. He’s likely been into her pants a few times anyway. Do you really want to give your virginity to the high school whore?

When Dr Maness said you can only give your virginity once, she also said you can never get it back. God won’t give it twice.

Dating doesn’t mean bed hopping. It means sharing time getting to know many people, and discovering what you like or dislike about each one. Through the dating years you will eventually find that one special person who has the qualities you admire, and with whom you want to spend the rest of your life.

Chances are, if you are a virgin, the person you choose will be a virgin too. If not, you would likely have determined that by the second or third date; maybe even the first.

Finally you’ve pledged your love for each other before God. You’re heading for Honeymoon Hotel. And soon you will share the most valuable wedding gift you have each kept for the other for this special occasion. You’re going to give it once, to that special person God has chosen for you.

As husband and wife you will share many things, and you will share them again and again. But your mutual virginity is a special gift you can share only once with each other. Sexual intercourse after that does not include the incomparable once-in-a-lifetime gift.

If you’ve given your virginity to a fly-by-night paramour, there’s no way you can share it on your wedding night. It’s just not there to share.

Even if you share it with the one you’re engaged to marry, it can no longer be a wedding gift. Somehow it doesn’t even seem to be a gift.

Are you a virgin? Be proud of your virginity, and let it be an inspiration to every other virgin. They’ll thank you for it, and you’ll each have that special, one-time gift to share on your wedding night.

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

WALKING TOGETHER

Some Christians go head-to-head with those who don’t agree with them, rather than getting in step and walking with them.

Enoch walked with God. Noah walked with God (Genesis 5:22 & 6:9).

Neither man was perfect, but by walking with God they learned his way more perfectly.

Can we walk together if I push you off the path, or walk in a different direction, or walk faster or slower than you? To walk with you I must keep in step with you.

We may differ on many things, but that doesn’t prevent us from walking together. Yet when it comes to religious beliefs, most Christians would rather fight than walk.

Most Christians generally observe Sunday as the day to worship: I observe Saturday. But I believe in the virgin birth, the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus Christ, and trust him as my savior and king. In these things we agree.

But should we go head-to-head over one point? We’d likely get angry, and you'd defend, tooth-and-nail, your reason for Sunday worship.

Like most non-Catholics, I don't agree with prayer to Mary. But most protestants agree with Catholics on which day to worship, on observing Christmas, Easter and their attendant days, and on baptism. Is it worth arguing over one point?

Enoch and Noah walked with God and learned from him, as did the people catalogued in Hebrews 11. They got in step with God, and discovered the areas in which they agreed. Then God was able to help them make the necessary changes to come in line with him.

The apostle Paul, visiting Athens, saw the city was full of idols. At a council meeting he said, "Men of Athens, I see you are very religious. As I viewed your objects of worship, I found an altar inscribed To The Unknown God. Whom you worship as unknown I will reveal to you." Paul went on to preach the same God you and I trust in and worship. (Acts 17: 22-31)

Had Paul gone head-to-head with the Aeropagites we wouldn’t have this splendid example of Christian ministry. Instead, he walked in step with them until he had them on his side. Only then could he reveal the eternal God to them.

The result? Some mocked, to be sure. But some wanted to hear more, and some became followers and believed. (Verses 32-34)

Paul didn’t convert the whole city, but he won some. He wrote, "Unto the Jews I became as a Jew, that I might gain the Jews; to them that are under the law, [I became] as under the law, that I might gain them that are under the law; To them that are without law, [I became] as without law, that I might gain them that are without law. To the weak became I as weak, that I might gain the weak. I am made all things to all men, that I might by all means save some (1 Corinthians 9:20-22) ."

Paul didn't go head-to-head with the Jews, or those who were under the law, or those outside the law, or with the weak in the faith. Instead he got in step with them so he might convert some of them.

That’s how the Christian approach should be. Walk with those who oppose your view, discover your sameness, then see if you can live within the areas where you differ.

For Christians who believe their calling is to convert others, remember, to minister means to serve, not to argue head-to-head.

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

WANNA BUY A ROLEX CHEAP?

Could you be scammed? Don’t be to quick to say No. The scam artists are wise as serpents but not as harmless as doves. And you could be their next victim.

Every week we hear of scams involving the elderly. And each time we think, “You’d think they’d wise up.

But the elderly are very trusting. They remember when they left their doors unlocked and knew their home was safe. They remember when contracts were sealed with a handshake. It’s difficult for them to relate to the present.

An elderly lady was ripped off for $16,000 by some fly-by-nights who repaired her roof and siding. She handed them a signed cheque and let them fill in the amount. Her money was gone, and a stiff breeze will likely reveal the inadequacy of the repairs.

A familiar scam is the bank manager trying to catch a dishonest employee. He asks a senior citizen to withdraw a large sum from her account.

The bank manager is bogus, the employee is non-existent, and the helpful senior is poorer.

Some scams don’t cost the victim so much, but they’re scams nonetheless.

Inscribed bibles are delivered to new widows. The delivery person says her husband ordered it just a few weeks ago as a gift for his wife. The bill hasn’t been paid, and the delivery person is certain the deceased would want his widow to have it. Out comes the cheque book.

For $9.75 plus shipping, handling, and taxes, you can buy a guaranteed fly killer. When the two pieces of wood arrive -- place fly on one block, slam it with the other -- you realize you’ve been scammed.

School yearbook reps know the greatest money maker is the little ad “From a friend.” Pepper the yearbook with four or five, then sell them to fifty people.

It’s been determined you have more chance of being struck by lightning twice a week all your life, than you have of winning the millions given away by magazine distributors. A scam? You decide.

There’s an interesting winter offer on television. Send us your money to adopt a bird. We’ll send you a picture of the cardinal or blue jay, and we’ll feed it every day for you. How many people will send their money to feed the same bird. A lot, you can be sure.

Feeding a starving child, and making sure he’s got proper care and education is all very honourable. But re-read the above paragraph substituting the word child for bird, girl for cardinal, and boy for blue jay.

A scam in the bible cost the victims their lives. Schechem the Hivite had intercourse with Jacob’s daughter Dinah. Schechem’s buddies wanted to marry into Jacob’s family. Jacob agreed -- there’s the come-on -- but said they’d have to be circumcised first -- the victim’s part of the agreement.

When the Hivites were in pain from the operation, Simeon and Levi went in and killed them all -- the price (Genesis 34:1-28).

Could you be scammed? Of course not: you’re too smart for that! Oh? Think again.

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

WAS THE WAR IN IRAQ FORETOLD IN THE BIBLE?

There’s enough self-styled prophets today to form their own army, and sure as you’re reading this some will say the war in Iraq was prophesied thousands of years ago.

Published and copyright, Wednesday April 09, 2003 / Leslie A Turvey laturvey@becon.org

The current conflict in Iraq has raised myriad questions: Why didn’t the Bush administration take out Saddam twelve years ago? Why weren’t the inspectors given more time? Why did President Bush wait so long before declaring war? Who? What? Why? And the question has also been raised, was the war in Iraq foretold in the bible?

Ask the people with nothing better to do than count forward and backward through the Hebrew text until they find a pattern that spells Hussein, or whatever. Or ask your local self-styled prophet. Or, better yet, go to the bible and history for the truth.

Long before there ever was a United States, Canada, Great Britain, or even a place called Iraq, God told a man, Abram, to leave his home and go to a place he would be shown (Genesis 12:1). Why did God choose Abram? And why did he promise to make him the progenitor of a great nation? And why would all the nations of the earth be blessed through Abram (vss 2-3)?

As long as mankind has existed, he has worshipped gods of wood and stone, the stars and moon and sun; anything but the eternal God of creation. But it seems Abram was different. So as Abram honoured God, God honoured Abram.

There’s a story as long as history telling of Abram’s obedience to God, even to offering his son Isaac as a sacrifice (Genesis 22:1-14). By this time God had changed his name from Abram, meaning Exalted Father, to Abraham, meaning Father of a Multitude (Genesis 17:5-6). The story continues through Isaac, and his son Jacob -- also known as Israel -- through generations of slavery to the Israelites’ exodus from Egypt, and their settling in a land called Canaan.

If the Israelites had honoured God, they may have blossomed into a multitude of nations from there. But the Israelites wanted to be like the nations around them, so set up their own gods, and rejected God’s sabbaths and holy days. Eventually the tribe of Judah split from the northern tribes, and in 2 Kings 16: 1-6 we find Judah -- for the first time called Jews -- at war with the other tribes.

Because of the Israelites’ disobedience, God caused them to be taken captive into the Caspian Sea area (2 Kings 17: 6). From there they eventually disbursed through Asia and Europe, with the half-tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh settling in the islands of the sea (Jeremiah 31:10), the land we call Great Britain.

Later, a group of Manassites boarded the Mayflower and sailed across the Atlantic, where they became the fathers of what is now the United States.

But wait. Isn’t this Life Lines column about the war in Iraq? Yes, it is, and it all goes back to Genesis 12:3 when God promised Abram, “...in you shall all families of the earth be blessed.”

King Solomon wrote, “When the righteous are in authority the people rejoice, but when the wicked bear rule the people mourn (Proverbs 29:2).”

God’s promises cannot be broken because he cannot lie (Titus 1:2). And his promise to Abram has been kept through many years when Great Britain and the United States joined forces to overcome the enemies of peace. The same two nations are fighting today in Iraq, for what? To eliminate a wicked regime of terror that has raped and pillaged the people it governed, and to give the country back to the people. When it’s all over, although the current war was not specifically prophesied in the bible, Iraq will be another country blessed by the modern-day family of a man called Abram, and the people will rejoice.

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

WE BE FREED

Which of the ten commandments is impossible for you to keep? Which is so burdensome that you wish it were nailed to Christ's cross?

“Praise de Lawd,” proclaimed the old preacher. “We be freed from de burden o’ de law.”

Now you can’t fault a backwoods preacher whose grade five schooling made him the most educated man in the valley, and whose meagre bible knowledge came from his uneducated daddy. But you and I have education enough to study the bible, so why do we continue to listen to the old preacher whose only understanding is, “We be freed from de burden o’ de law.”

Every country has laws. In the west our laws are not generally considered burdensome: drive within the speed limit and you won't get a ticket; treat your neighbour with respect and you won't get hauled into court; pay your taxes on time and the feds won't come looking for you.

The laws of some countries, however, are burdensome. Preaching God's love can get you thrown into rat-infested prisons, tortured, and even executed. Taking a stand for democracy in a communist-governed country can have similar results. In many countries taxes are not based on how much you earn, or how much property you own -- if, indeed, you're allowed to own property -- but on how much the government can squeeze out of you.

Considering the laws Christians endure in many countries, how can we in the Americas complain about our countries' laws. Is it burdensome to drive within the speed limit? Is it such a hardship to have thousands in the bank after paying taxes? Those who get a tax refund don't say, "Woe is me. I'm getting all this money back from the government."

But would we have the wonderful freedoms we enjoy if a higher power had not given us a higher set of laws? The eternal God in heaven gave us his ten commandments, yet most American Christians insist they were so burdensome that Jesus nailed them to his cross.

Some say it's impossible to keep God's law, yet joyfully sing, "With God all things are possible (Mark 10:27)." So which of his laws are impossible to keep? You shall not commit adultery? Don't murder? How about you shall not steal? The law books of our country have multi-pages based on these three God-given laws. I believe it was journalist Sydney J Harris who said, "We have ten thousand laws to make us keep ten."

Why can we not simply obey the law regarding false witness against your neighbour? Why should we pay lawyers to find ways around it? The same goes for laws that say we're not to abuse our wives, or molest children.

God's laws are just, and he will accept no excuses for not keeping them, not even when you believe Jesus nailed them to his cross.

One of the excuses Christians give for not keeping God's law is Jesus said there were only two: love God, and love your fellow man (Matthew 22:37-40). But that's what the ten commandments are about. The first four tell us how to love God; the last six tell us how to express love toward our fellow man. All Jesus did was condense them.

When it comes down to the nitty-gritty, the only law Christians find burdensome is the fourth: remember the sabbath day to keep it holy. And what makes that so difficult?

Centuries ago satan-inspired priests eliminated the seventh day sabbath since it was, as they claimed, the Jewish sabbath. So they substituted another day which God does not honour. Our society, based on a Sunday day of rest -- which most people don't generally observe as such -- makes it difficult to observe God's seventh day sabbath. But those who do, know why God commanded, "You shall keep my sabbaths." The reason? "It is a sign between me and you, that you may know I am the Lord who sanctifies you (Exodus 31:13)."

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

WHAT CAN I DO?

I’m just one person. What can I do? Peter was just one person too, but he preached a sermon that’s influenced people for two thousand years.

The stadium was dark when the first person entered with only a candle to light his way. Another entered and sat next to him. He sat in silence while the first person used his candle to light the newcomer’s.

A third person came. A fourth, a fifth, and with each person lighting the candle of the next to come, the stadium was soon bright with the light of ten-thousand candles.

The first person to come was just one person. He had little to offer, but he gave what he had, and soon ten thousand people were enriched by his simple gift to his neighbour.

The apostle, Peter, was a fisherman. He likely had a reasonable income and a modest home. He also had a vocabulary that would suit just about every occasion. And he was impetuous. We can imagine him mixing it up with anyone who dared to cross him. With the muscles made strong from pulling on heavy nets, he likely emerged the victor.

When Jesus called Peter and Andrew and said, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men (Matthew 4:19; Mark 1:17),” Peter was likely well ahead of his brother in dropping his oars and deserting the boat.

Oh yes, if ever there was an impetuous man it was Peter. He was the one who tested Jesus by saying, “If it’s you, Lord, bid me to walk on the water to you (Matthew 14:28).” When Jesus said, “Come on, then,” Peter slipped over the gunwale and walked on the water. And just as impetuously, when he realized there was a brisk nor’easter blowing up he thought, What have I got my self into? I can’t walk on water. You know the rest of the story.

When Jesus washed the disciples’ feet during the last passover of his earthly ministry, good ol’ Peter blurted out, “You shall never wash my feet.” When Jesus rebuked him, Peter changed his mind and declared, “Well give me a bath then (John 13:3-9).”

Just hours later it was Peter the Impetuous who parted a man from his ear (John 18:10). Then it was Peter the Cowardly who resorted to some of his richest fisherman’s language to emphasize he never knew Jesus (Matthew 26:69-74; Mark 14:66-71).

A few weeks later, though, Peter stood before a multitude of Jews and told them, “You are guilty of the death of Jesus, the Christ (Acts 2:36).” This wasn’t Peter the Impetuous, and certainly not Peter the Coward. This was Peter the Bold, one man, who began a movement that turned the world upside down (Acts 17:6).

You are just one man, one woman, one child. And you may wonder what you can do in God's service. Perhaps you can’t perform miracles like Jesus did. You may not be able to thunder a sermon that will be heard through the centuries. You may not route an army of uncountable thousands with only three hundred men (Judges 7:16-25). But you are one person, and you can do something.

Consider the stadium story. What did the first person’s candle lose by lighting the next? Absolutely nothing. What do you lose by smiling at someone who may find it hard to smile? Or lending a hand for a few hours? Or going the extra mile for someone who may not be able to go the first mile alone?

Can you can give a pat on the back? a compliment? a high-five? Can you send a card? take flowers to a sick neighbor? prepare a casserole for a needy family?

Helen Keller wrote, “I am only one, but still I am one. I cannot do everything, but still I can do something. And because I cannot do everything I will not refuse to do the something I can do.”

You, too, are only one person, but you can make the world a better place by doing the little something you can do.

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

WHAT CAN YOU GIVE?

What can you give when you’ve got nothing to give? The apostle Peter’s purse was empty, but he gave what he had. And you can too.

When a lame man begged alms at the temple Peter said, “Silver and gold have I none, but such as I have give I you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth rise up and walk.” The man was healed immediately, and entered the temple walking, leaping, and praising God (Acts 3:2-8).

Peter wasn’t broke. He just didn’t have any money with him at the time. But he gave what he had, and to the lame man that was better than money.

Many people are like Peter. They have no money with them, so when a down-and-out asks for a dime for a cup of coffee, they’re in no shape to help him.

What can you give when you have nothing to give? Lecturer Denis Waitley says, “A smile is the light in your window that tells others there’s a caring, sharing person inside.” Steve Cowitz advises, “Make one person smile or laugh each day and you have left the world a better place.” A list of things to do today begins, “Smile at a stranger.”

Not a penny in your pocket? No problem. You can always give a smile. And the smile you give may be the only one the other person has.

There’s something else you can give, regardless of your financial circumstances. Here’s some clues:

There’s no such thing as a bad one: only good ones, and great ones. They’re not fattening, and they don’t cause cancer or cavities. They’re natural, with no preservatives, artificial ingredients, or pesticide residue. They’re cholesterol-free, naturally sweet, 100% wholesome, and they’re a completely renewable natural resource. They don’t require batteries, tune-ups, or X-rays. They’re non-taxable, fully returnable, and energy efficient. They’re safe in all kinds of weather, and are especially good for cold and rainy days. And they’re exceptionally effective in treating problems like bad dreams or the Monday blahs. So never wait ‘til tomorrow to hug someone you could hug today.

Thousands of years ago King David of Israel wrote, “Your word is a lamp to my feet, and a light to my path (Psalm 119:105).” There’s excellent advice in the statement, “It’s better to light one little candle, than to curse the darkness.” The beam from a lighthouse means safe harbour for a seaman, and to a weary traveller the lights of home are a welcome sight.

Too many people see nothing but darkness in their life. Wilfred A Peterson says, “We give of ourselves when we give the gift of words of encouragement, inspiration, and guidance.” Another sage noted, “A friend is one who strengthens you with prayer, blesses you with love, and encourages you with hope.”

Many times King David saw only darkness, but as he searched God’s scriptures he found encouragement; the light to carry on. Perhaps you can’t take a person’s problems away, but with some clear thinking you might light his way safely through them, and give him courage to carry on.

Haven’t got two cents to jingle together? Look for someone to praise. An elderly woman is lovingly tending a flower garden. Your word of praise might be the encouragement she needs to carry on as a recently widowed lady whose husband had cared for the flowers as long as he could.

Watch a kid put a couple pieces of stray paper into the garbage bin. Praise him and he’s likely to go about cleaning up the whole park.

There’s many other things you can give when your purse is empty, but the last in this list is one we too often forget, especially with those closest to us. It’s the two simple words, “Thank you.” It’s amazing the mileage those words will get you when they’re given with sincerity. Reader’s Digest once said the three most important words in marriage are “Please,” and “Thank you.”

Paul tells us, “In every thing give thanks, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you (1 Thessalonians 5:18).”

In keeping with Paul’s admonition, Thank You for your faithfulness to Life Lines. Knowing you’re reading these articles, and forwarding them to others, encourages me to continue writing them for you. And, if something I write brings a smile to your lips, or a bit of light to your darkness, then I will have joined Peter in saying, “Silver and gold have I none, but such as I have give I you.”

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

WHAT DO YOU THINK?

Is thinking a regular part of your life, or do you let someone else do it for you?

Henry Ford is credited with saying, “The hardest job in the world is thinking. That’s why there is so little of it.”

There’s a statistic that says two percent of people think and act as a way of life. Eight percent will think and act when under pressure. And ninety percent would rather die than think.

Is that why God gave us brains: to rather die than think? We’re made in his image, and after his likeness (Genesis 1:26). But if God hadn’t thought and acted as a way of life where would we be?

One wag said, “If Ben Franklin hadn’t discovered electricity we’d have to watch television in the dark.” The truth is, to Franklin thinking was a way of life. Among other things he thought about ways to ways to harness the great power of the lightning bolt.

It was the thinking two percent of people who gave us planes, trains, and automobiles, and who landed man on the moon. Look about you. Within arm’s reach there’s a host of things you use everyday: telephones, indoor plumbing, computers, televisions, books, central air and heating, and clocks, all products of thinking-people’s minds.

Marriages are destroyed, not because the girl down the block is something special, but because she provides excitement the wife has forgotten how to give. If the wife was in the habit of thinking she would always be looking for ways to keep her husband happy at home.

Sorry, fellas, but the same goes for you. What does your wife see when you’re around? An exciting man who thinks to bring her chocolates or flowers on payday? A man who tells her she’s beautiful, even when her hair is in curlers, and her makeup is smeared from a night in bed? Or an overweight blob of humanity whose greatest intelligence is watching The Simpsons on the tube, and whose conversation is limited to, “Bring me a beer?”

There’s a weekly ritual that takes place after a few hymns, a couple prayers, and a fifteen-minute sermon. It’s the moment of shaking the minister’s hand and telling him what a wonderful sermon it was. But what if the minister asked, “What inspired you most about the sermon?” How many would become part of the eight percent of the population who will think only when under pressure?

By one o’clock everyone’s licked the Chicken-In-A-Tub grease from their fingers, the game’s on television, and no one has said one word about Pastor Al’s sermon. If anyone mentioned it, there’d be some blank faces on those who wondered what he spoke about.

When was the last time you did some thinking – really serious thinking – about what’s between the covers of your bible? It’s easy to be part of the eighty percent of people who would rather die than think, especially when it means thinking about God’s word.

You’ve likely heard that God says we’re not to eat pig meat, but have you thought about why? Have you turned to Leviticus 11 and Deuteronomy 14 to discover what is on God’s menu? And why?

Why did God give us his holy days outlined in Leviticus 23? Or have you blithely believed they are only for the Jews?

Have you thought about commonly-accepted expressions as, To be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord? or Jesus talked more about going to hell than he did about heaven (This first is untrue; the second is true when you realize the hell he talked about)? Have you thought about why Easter is translated Passover in nearly all modern versions of the bible (Acts 12:4)? Have you considered why God told Peter, three times, to enjoy a feast of rattlesnake steak with a side dish of pickled bat livers (Acts 10:9-16)?

If you’re among the two percent of people who actively think and act as a way of life, then you’ve likely already thought about these things, and realized what the non-thinkers believe is generally wrong. But if you’re among those who let someone else think for you…..

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

WHAT IF JESUS CHRIST WERE BORN TODAY?

Few churches today bring the down-and-outs of their communities to sit in their pews. Christianity’s love extends only as far as the sensitivity of the congregation will tolerate.

Mark Twain said, “If Jesus Christ were here today, there’s one thing he wouldn’t be -- a Christian.”

This might seem irreverent, indeed blasphemous, to the few who occupy the pews most Sunday mornings. But the history of Christianity has not been one of love for one another. Through the centuries Christianity has been a religion of blood and hatred and racism.

Scores of martyrs have hung from trees, executed not by people who disagreed with Christianity, but by Christians who disagreed with Christ. And, although we don’t hang martyrs today for observing the faith once delivered to the saints, we don’t love them either. We simply tolerate them, knowing the law allows them the freedom to worship as they please.

If Jesus Christ were born today the hoteliers wouldn’t find room for him any more than they did two-thousand years ago. Pregnant women about to deliver aren’t their first choice as guests. And when he reached the age of thirty-three, it wouldn’t be a few Jews who would kill him, it would be the Christians, but for the same reason he was crucified twenty centuries ago.

The Jewish religious leaders had Jesus crucified because he challenged their laws and traditions. They knew he was right, of course, but for the priests and Levites and the scribes and pharisees to change their ways would mean losing face, and a lucrative position in the Jewish community. Today it would be the preachers of Christian traditions who would lose their prestigious standing in the community.

Herman Melville wrote. “Try to get a living by the truth, and go to the soup societies. Let any clergyman try to preach the truth from its very stronghold, the pulpit, and they would ride him out of the church on his own pulpit banister.”

The Jewish religionists of Jesus day knew they were right. Didn’t they fast twice a week, and carefully count each leaf of rue and cumin to ensure they gave exactly a tithe (Matthew 23:23; Luke 11:42)? And today’s Christians know they are right: they go to church sunday morning, and attend a mid-week prayer service. And at christmas, don’t they wipe the dust off a couple cans of soup that got pushed to the back of the cupboard, and do their duty by giving them to the food bank?

Few churches today encourage the down-and-outs, the drunks, and the unbathed of their communities to sit in their pews. The ministry would rather preach to the party faithful than go to the highways and byways to bring the ungodly to their congregations. But, even though Jesus Christ commanded that very thing, Christianity’s love extends only as far as the sensitivity of the congregation will tolerate.

Perhaps we should pay attention to Mark Twain. Although he was a humourist, I believe he was dead serious when he said, “If Jesus Christ were here today, there’s one thing he wouldn’t be -- a Christian.”

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

WHAT IF YOU COULDN’T READ THIS ARTICLE?

Think you’d like some peace and quiet. Consider what it might be like.

What would life be like if all forms of communication stopped right now?

For starters, you wouldn’t be reading this column. The words wouldn’t exist any more.

The ads you depend on for bargains at the grocery store just wouldn’t be.

The telephone would disappear from your desk. You computer and fax machine, ditto.

There’d be no television -- what would people do?

Couldn’t write a letter. The post office wouldn’t exist. Neither would pencils and paper.

Read a book? Nope. That’s how the author communicates his thoughts to you.

Churches would close. The ministers would have no voice to speak and you’d have no ears to hear.

Car horns wouldn’t blow. Boat and train whistles would be silenced.

Clocks communicate the passage of time. They’d be gone too.

Since music communicates the composer’s ideas, you wouldn’t even be able to hum a tune.

What about art? All the pictures would disappear from your walls.

There’d be no police officer directing traffic at the corner. No firefighter would answer the alarm: there wouldn’t be one.

The kids couldn’t leave a note telling where they’d gone. And there’d be no notes explaining their absence from school.

School? Without communication there’d be no way to teach the kids. Not that they’d complain: they couldn’t. Complaining is a way of communicating.

Better not go far from home. You’d have no maps, there’d be no road signs, and you wouldn’t be able to ask how to get from here to there.

Planes couldn’t fly: the controls wouldn’t respond to the pilot. Hospitals would close: nobody would know how to treat the patients, and you couldn’t tell the staff where you hurt.

Your dog couldn’t bark, and your cat wouldn’t cuddle up to you.

Something like that took place in Babylon. The people decided to build a large tower, perhaps as a worship centre. But it certainly wasn’t dedicated to God.

When God saw their work he confused their language so the workers couldn’t communicate. When the carpenters needed nails, the supplier sent tar. When bricks were called for, sand was delivered. Lumber replaced copper sheathing: iron replaced water. The tower of Babel went unfinished. Confusion reigned, and people went their own ways with the few other people who understood them (Genesis 11:1-9).

But God promises the day is coming when everyone will again speak the same language (Zephaniah 3:9). And everyone will worship God his way.

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

WHAT IF....?

“Slow down, you’re goin’ too fast.” Remember that song? What if we paid attention to it every seventh day?

Creativity students are asked, “What if...?” Crazy questions like, What if everyone had two left feet? Or, What if gravity stopped for one second each day? Or, What if waves started at the shore and went out to sea? The students then consider as many possibilities as possible. But there’s a more important “What if...?” and it could make a world of difference to this world.

In North America we celebrate at least one day each month. In January it’s New Years Day; in February it’s Valentine’s Day. March has St. Patrick’s Day; and so on through the year. Many days are no more than an excuse for a day off from the daily grind.

Although it’s not a day off work, Arbor Day is supposed to be devoted to planting trees. I say “supposed to be” because few people do. But, What if...?

The United States has a population of 226 million. Canada has 24 million. What if each Arbor Day every man, woman, and child planted one tree each? We would plant a new forest of 250 million trees in one day. The environmentalists would be ecstatic.

What if, each February 14th, everyone took time to tell their family and friends, “I love you?” Forget the gushy cards. They only make Hallmark richer, and your pocket book thinner. But an honest hug, and an “I Love You” would mean fewer broken families, and more happy teens. Add to the hug and statement of love, something particular that you like about the person, and you have the recipe for a much happier family, community, country, world.

Let’s take the What if...? question further. What if, on each first of July in Canada, and each fourth in the United States, everyone spent the day truly expressing their national pride, rather than hitting the beach as soon as the parade ends? Terrorism would be terrified, rather than terrifying.

Now for a giant step forward. What if, all 250 million of us spent one day in seven as our creator intended it? Every seventh day all the stores would close, industry would grind to a halt, radio and television would not broadcast, farm equipment would be in the barns rather than in the fields.

I can hear the women complaining, “All the stores closed? When will I get my shopping done?” Do it the same six days your husbands would make their regular visit to the beer store.

“Industry stops producing whatever they produce? I count on that day for overtime pay. Just bought a giant-screen TV. Gotta pay for that.”

“No radio or television? I‘d go nutz. Saturday football: I live for that. And the kids love that stupid cartoon, The Simpsons.”

Wait a minute. You said, “Saturday football.” How did you know I was talking about Saturday? Is it because the bible says to work six days, and rest on the seventh? And is it because you know the Jews have kept the right day for centuries? Yes, it’s there in your subconscious, whether you want to believe it or not.

But let’s not quibble over the day. The question is, “What if...?” If all 250 million of us kept the sabbath day as God intends it, we would solve most of our medical problems, because many diseases are caused by refusing to rest our bodies. Families would draw together to fill the time normally spent gawking at the boob tube. And those trees we plant each Arbor Day would provide us with more than enough oxygen to rejuvenate our brain cells, so what we did the other six days would be done with more efficiency than we get out of overtime.

A few people -- very few -- keep God’s sabbath day holy as he intended. But if we, as a nation, put down our tools, shut off the television, and gave our bodies, minds, and families, time for genuine re-creation, our countries would be the envy of all the world.

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

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