Napalm Girl: The Untold Story ~ Guidelines For Living

We who were living during the Vietnam War generation will well remember this story and photo of the Napalm Girl.   For we of the Silent Generation (born 1924 - 1945) living during the Vietnam War era, we lived in our comfortable homes and went about our daily lives, and we were witnessing real-time war live on television for the first time. 

For the first time, we saw many instances of war played out on our television.  And then we went on with our daily lives.  Here at home, our Vietnam War was marked by the constant protest marches, hippie flower power, and our daily dose of a television war in a faraway place.

But, when we saw that famous photo of a young Vietnamese girl, clothing burned off and her body badly burned by napalm dropped on her small village - that image was seared into our minds.   Yet, we went on with our lives and soon relegated that image to the back of our minds.

For those too young to remember, on June 8, 1972, Associated Press photographer Nick Ut took a photo of children running from a botched napalm attack.  "I thought she was going to die," he said in a later interview about the photo of Kim Phuc, the naked girl in the center of that dramatic photo.

That is why I am happy that Dr. Harold Sala, in his "5 Minute Guidelines For Living Devotional" - has reminded us of this young girl and has introduced us to the Christian lady she has become.  Today Kim Phuc is a Christian woman, who although living with a lifetime of pain and treatments, has forgiven those who caused her pain - and is now a living and wonderful testimony of the love and forgiveness found only in Jesus Christ.

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NAPALM GIRL: THE UNTOLD STORY
Dr. Harold J. Sala, Guidelines For Living, January 31, 2018
https://www.guidelines.org/devotional/napalm-girl-untold-story/ (with audio)

And Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.”  Luke 23:34

If you ever saw her picture, you surely would remember it for the rest of your life.  It gained notoriety in the 1970s as an antiwar icon when a photographer took her picture as she was running naked from a napalm attack in Vietnam.[1]  The 9-year old girl whose picture was so riveting became known as the “Napalm Girl,” and the picture appeared in newspapers and magazines around the world.  As an adult, writing of the horrible and devastating event, Kim Phuc said, “I had not been targeted. I had simply been in the wrong place at the wrong time." 

Some 45 years after that dark, hideous day, Kim has recorded the story of her life - the pain, the fear, the hatred, as well as the transformation that eventually purged the anger, bitterness, and resentment toward those who caused her suffering - in a recently published book entitled, “Fire Road: The Napalm Girl’s Journey Through the Horrors of War to Faith, Forgiveness, and Peace,” published by Tyndale.

In a Wall Street Journal article featuring the book, she explained her transformation saying:

“My salvation experience occurred on Christmas Eve.  It was 1982.  I was attending a special worship service at a small church in Vietnam.  The pastor, Ho Hieu Ha, delivered a message many Christians would find familiar:  Christmas is not about the gifts we carefully wrap and place under a tree.  Rather it is about the gift of Jesus Christ, who was wrapped in human flesh and given to us by God.  As the pastor spoke, I knew in my heart that something was shifting inside of me.

A decade removed from the defining tragedy of my life, I still desperately needed peace.  I had so much hatred and bitterness in my heart.  Yet I was ready for love and joy.  I wanted to let go of my pain.  I wanted to pursue life instead of holding fast to fantasies of death.  When Pastor Ho finished speaking, I stood up, stepped out into the aisle, and made my way to the front of the sanctuary to say 'yes' to Jesus Christ.

When I woke up that Christmas morning, I experienced my first-ever heartfelt celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ.  I know what it is like to experience terror, to feel despondent, to live in fear.  I know how wearying and hopeless life can be sometimes.  After years in the spiritual wilderness, I felt the kind of healing that can only come from God." [2]

Bill Gray Note:  I have added an additional portion of Kim Phuc's testimony just to emphasize her first meeting Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. (Kimberley A. Strassel, Wall Street Journal, December 22, 2017, A15.)

As Kim grew in her faith, she realized that just as Jesus prayed on the cross, “Father, forgive them for they know not what they do,” she also had to forgive those who were responsible for her hideous suffering and give up the “crippling weight of anger, bitterness, and resentment,” in her own words.

For the rest of her life she will require treatment for the burns that covered her arms, back, and neck - a constant reminder that we live in an imperfect, broken, world.  If ever an individual has reason to hate those who caused her suffering, Kim would be among them.

On one occasion I was in a home where a woman lived who had been imprisoned by the Russians in World War 2 - beaten and abused.  She survived by eating garbage, warmed over a small fire in the middle of the night.  “Do you hate them,” I asked her, “for what they did to you?”

Pausing for a moment she reflected and replied, “I do not hate them but we must never forget!”

If you struggle with the issue of forgiveness, strive to remember that forgiveness never means, “What you did was OK, because it was not OK.  It simply means, I give up my right to hurt you because you hurt me.”  It means you put (your) anger, hatred, and revenge in God’s hand, who is very capable of righting the score - and if it is not here on earth, there is a day of judgment and a hell where there is eternal separation from God.

Resource reading: Romans 14:10-12

[1] Publishers Weekly.com, Dec. 22, 2017

[2] Kimberley A. Strassel, Wall Street Journal, December 22, 2017, A15. 

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I received this Devotional from Dr. Harold Sala and Guidelines International in my e-mails today.  I have been reading and hearing Dr. Sala's devotionals and messages for many years, and I highly recommend them to you.  You can connect with Guidelines and read Dr. Sala's timely messages by visiting:  https://www.guidelines.org/devotionals/

God bless, have a wonderful, blessed day,

Bill 

Let's Talk More About Prayer!

Over the years I have written several articles on prayer.  And recently a person very close to my heart sent me a Facebook Message asking,"How about sending me a good prayer I can think about."   I wasn't sure exactly what she was asking, so I briefly put my thoughts together on prayer and sent that to her via Message.

That short dialogue started me to thinking about prayer and led me to examine some of my previous blogs on prayer that I have written in the last few years.  This blog is sort of a compilation of the best of the others as I attempt to offer an overview of what I believe is an effective prayer life.

When I became a Christian believer in 1987, I was afraid to pray aloud in church, Sunday School, Bible study, etc.   It seemed that everyone else was so good at praying and could pray such eloquent prayers - that my simple whispers were better done silently.  For that reason, it took me seven years before I would pray in a group. 

In our Sunday School Class in the late 1980s, when Pastor Sam Lacanienta would sometimes ask me to close in prayer, at first I would wince and wiggle to get out of it.  After a while I was running out of excuses.  Then Dory and I devised a scheme to save me.  When Pastor Sam would ask me to close in prayer, we would all bow our heads - and Dory would say the prayer.  I have long joked that for seven years folks thought this old Southern boy prayed with a Filipina accent.

I suppose several things contributed to solving my problem.  First, I began to mature and grow in my knowledge of God's Word and in my confidence to share my faith.  And, almost as important in my transformation was what Pastor Sam taught us about prayer.  He taught that prayer should not be a sermon, but should be specific, avoiding broad generalizations.  He also taught that prayer is a personal conversation between the believer and God - and should not sound like we are preaching a long drawn out sermon to God. 

A few years ago, a Religion Forum Friend asked me, "How often do you pray, Bill?  When you pray, do you ask forgiveness for your sins?"

That is really two great questions:  (1) "How often should we pray?"  And (2), "Should we pray and ask forgiveness for our sins?"

Looking at the first question: (1) "How often should we pray"  And, I will add: "When?"

While I do pray at specific times - always before a meal, always when going to bed at night, when I feel that I have offended God, when I see someone in need of prayer, etc.- in actual practice my prayers happen all day long. 

Frequently during my day, I will pause and ask God to protect, watch over, guide, and bless some particular loved one or friend.  When my wife, daughter, friend, or other loved ones leave in a car - I always pray for them as they drive away; that our Lord will have His angels around them - protecting them from any accidents, problems, harm, or danger.  

A funny incident happened when I was doing this about a year ago.  Dory was driving out of our apartment complex gate and because of the slight curve in our driveway, to watch as she drove out, I had to stand between two cars.  The owner of one car noticed me standing by his car and asked what I was doing.  I explained that I always pray for my wife as she leaves in the car and he understood.  A witnessing moment?  Who knows?  Maybe he went into his home and prayed for his wife.

So, I suppose you might say my praying is more like an ongoing conversation with my very best Friend, God.  It is an ongoing process throughout the day.  I relate this kind of prayer to what Pastor Sam taught us back in the late 1980s, Popcorn Prayer.  What is Popcorn Prayer?  It is short, specific prayers seeking God's intervention for a specific need - and it can be done at any time.  When Dory (or another friend or loved one) drives away in a car - I ask God to protect her.  Short and to the point.  I must offer such prayers a hundred times a day, for that is my ongoing conversation with God.

Keep in mind that a prayer does not have to be long, drawn out pastoral declaration, spoken in a deep, reverent voice.  Prayer is really just you speaking with your best Friend, God.  That prayer might be, "Lord, please give her safe travel.  Protect her from an accidents or harm." 

It might be, "Lord, please heal my friend as she goes to see her doctor today.  Guide her doctors and give them the wisdom and knowledge to heal her."

Or, it might be something like, "Lord, please bless my Friend today as he goes for his job interview.  Give him the right words and answers in his interview."

There is a big difference between a short, sincere, specific prayer - and a longeloquent sermon prayer designed to get God's attention.  I have heard it suggested that we too often view God as a Spiritual ATM.  Yet, while I am not suggesting we should view God as a "Needs ATM" - He does tell us to bring all our needs and cares to Him:

Philippians 4:6-7, "Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus."

Philippians 4:19, "And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus."

1 Peter 5:6-7, "Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you."

So far I have been speaking of conversational prayers with God, which can and should happen throughout our day.   Then there are our prayer times, the times when we set all things aside and spend time in His presence.   But, here again, I do not believe God is looking for us to offer a sermon length prayer. 

In the Sermon on the Mount, found in Matthew 7-9, Jesus teaches us how to pray.  In Matthew 6:5-8 Jesus warns His disciples about the self-righteous and hypocritical Pharisees who stand in public and make their prayers into a grand performance to show their piousness.   In Matthew 6:6, He tells us to go into our own inner room, our place of serenity and peace, and there offer your prayers to Him. 

He is not suggesting that we should hide in a closet to pray - as many who are opposed to public prayer will suggest .  I believe He is referring to our "inner spiritual place" - I believe He is telling us to stop all distracting activities, close out the noise of our day - and find a time of inner peace, quiet, and solitude in communion with Him.

Was Jesus saying that we should not pray in public?  No, absolutely not.  Prayer is a major part of our worship services, Bible studies, Sunday School classes, Christian fellowship, and daily Christian life.  He was telling us that, even in public, our prayers should be our way of communing with Him - and not a performance to impress men.  And, to illustrate, He gave His disciples, and us, a simple prayer guideline - the Lord's Prayer:
In the Lord's Prayer, Jesus tells us to, "Pray, then, in this way:"

Matthew 6:9, "Our Father who is in heaven, Hallowed be Your name"  ~  We are glorifying and honoring God.

Matthew 6:10, "Your kingdom come.  Your will be done, On earth as it is in heaven"  ~  We are looking forward to His coming again to  restore His kingdom on earth.

Matthew 6:11, "Give us this day our daily bread"  ~  We go to Him for all our daily needs.  Not necessarily all our wants, but most certainly all our daily needs.

Matthew 6:12, "And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors"  ~  Forgive us our sins of disobedience against You, Lord - as we are to forgive those who have wronged us.

Matthew 6:13, "And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from evil"  ~  Or, as many read this, deliver us from the wiles of the evil one, Satan, and his continuous temptations.

 

Can there be a more eloquent prayer than this one given to us by Jesus Christ Himself?

Let me give you an example of what I believe to be the wrong way to go to God in prayer.  For a while in the 1990s, we had a Caucasian man who pastored one of our Fil-Am churches.  And, in my brief exposure to him, I had begun to believe his longest sermons were his prayers.  He would start by telling God what He had written, i.e., "Lord, in Isaiah You tell us .  .  . and in Ezekiel You admonish us to.  .  .  Lord, in Matthew You guide us to.  .  ." - and on, and on, and on.

I always had the unfulfilled urge to ask him, "Do you think God doesn't know that He has written in His Bible, so you have to remind him?"

One evening I witnessed this man reaching the pinnacle of his sermon praying.  I stopped by a sister church which allowed me to use their copier to make copies of our Sunday bulletin.  But this one evening when I got to the church, a group was having a meeting in the room where the copier was located.  So, since there was a prayer meeting going on in the sanctuary, I decided to join them while waiting for the copier room to be available.  In the sanctuary there was a group of about ten men, including our son, Duane, and Pastor Vince Arnaldo.  I slipped in and sat in the back just as they were beginning.

As it turned out, my Sermon Praying friend was also there and had brought a friend with him.  So, to get the prayers started, Mr. Sermon Prayer began and went on and on for a while.  Then, as soon as he paused to catch his breath, his visitor friend began to pray - and he obviously was a prayer protégé of Mr. Sermon Prayer.   He went on and on and on - and then paused.  At his pause Mr. Sermon Prayer jumped in again. 

It seemed that we had a "Dueling Prayer Competition" going on between the two of them.  This went on for about 45 minutes, with Pastor Vince getting in a short prayer only once, when both of them stopped to breath at the same time.  But, except for that quickie prayer from Pastor Vince - no one else in that group of men was quick enough to get in and pray between the Dueling Prayers.  After 45 minutes, I could take no more and left.

I credit Pastor Sam Lacanienta,founding pastor of the Fil-Am Church of Irvine (CA), with teaching us the art of Popcorn Prayer, i.e., praying specifically.  Let me explain what he meant by praying specifically.  When we have a prayer need, or a friend has a prayer need - pray specifically for that need.  Do not start praying in broad generalities just to fill the air with sound, "Oh, Lord, I pray for all my friends, and all their friends, that you will bless and protect them, heal all their illnesses, provide for all their needs, etc!"  If you pray like that, how will you ever know when He has answered your prayer?  

However, if you pray for a specific need - when He answers that prayer you will know it.  And most importantly, you will be able to offer a prayer of thanksgiving for that answered prayer.

"Back up, Bill.  What is Popcorn Prayer?"    Glad you asked.   Let me give you an example.  In the early 1990s, before we began our worship service at our San Clemente church, a group of us would gather in a circle to pray for the upcoming service and other Spirit led needs.  So that everyone would be allowed an opportunity to join in and pray - we would each keep our prayer short and specific.  I might pray the God will empower and bless our pastor's message for that day.  Another might pray for safe travel for all who were still on their way.  Someone else might have a specific prayer need to be addressed, or know another who has a prayer need - and he/she would pray for that need. 

Like popcorn pops up - we each would offer our short specific prayers as the Holy Spirit moved us, in no particular order.  In other words, prayers would "pop up" around the circle as one of us was moved to pray.  After praying once, if the Spirit moved one of us to add an additional prayer - that was fine.  We would keep the short prayers going for 5, 10, 15 minutes, then one of us would offer a closing prayer.   Popcorn Prayer allowed each of us to join in and participate in the prayers.

Back to specific prayers, let me give you real life examples of specific prayers answered and thanksgiving offered.   In the mid-1980s, the company I had worked for filed for bankruptcy and I was unemployed for a long time.  It was the last day of the month, rent was due the next day - and we had only $5.   What could I do?  I went into the bedroom at 3:00 PM, sat on the bed, and prayed, "Lord, please give us a way to pay our rent tomorrow."  That was it!  That was my complete prayer. 

The next morning my mom called from Alabama.  Let me preface this by adding that my mom did not know I was not working.  Because of her health problems I did not want to worry her, so I never told her I had lost my job.  She called me that morning and told me, "Yesterday I was taking a bath - and I just felt like I wanted to send you some money.  I had your brother wire you $1000 today."

I asked, "Mom, what time were you taking a bath?"   Her answer:  5:00 PM - which was 3:00 PM California time - the exact time I was in the bedroom praying.

Coincidence?  Maybe ESP, as some of my secular and New Age Friends suggested?  NO!  There could only one answer.  The Holy Spirit put on her heart to send me that badly needed money.   And since my rent was $750 -  by making it $1000, He also made provisions for food, utilities, etc., that were also needs.   My Friends, you can be sure that Dory and I both gave great thanks to God for that answered prayer and blessing.

Another time during that period of extended unemployment I found myself in a situation where my electric bill of $96 was due, a notice said pay by Thursday or your service will be discontinued.  What to do?  I prayed about it, then went to the electric company Thursday afternoon and wrote a check to pay my bill.  Then I came home and prayed again for God to provide a way for me to cover that check.  A gamble?  Yes, and no.  I trusted God to provide a way.  And, He did. 

The next evening, a Friday just before Christmas, a Christian Friend, Rose Osman, rang our doorbell.  When I opened the door, she gave me an envelope and told me, "God put on my heart to bring this to you."  I asked her to come in but she said she was late meeting another friend and had to leave.  After she left, I opened the envelope and inside was $100 - exactly enough to cover that $96 check.  Thank you, Lord.  Rose did not have a lot of extra money to give away - but she was faithful when God put this need on her heart.

In the year 2000, Dory and I were helping our pastor, Ed Dacio, lead a Wednesday morning Bible study at the Vintage Terrace seniors' apartment complex in Corona, California.  Dory would take her keyboard and lead us in singing.  And Pastor Ed and I would take turns leading the Bible study.  One week we prayed for Frank, one of the senior men living at the Vintage Terrace.  Frank had several large, black wart looking growths on his face and it had been diagnosed as cancer.

A few days later, I started noticing a black growth similar to Frank's in the sideburn area of my right temple.  And, it was rather large, causing my comb to snag.  Because of Frank's situation, Dory and I were concerned and agreed that I should see a doctor right away. 

That evening, as I lay in bed, I held my finger on the growth and asked God to please remove it.  Folks who believe in prayer will understand this, while others may just smile - but, after I prayed I felt a very comforting warmth come over me and I felt a peace within, giving me confidence that God had said, "Yes."   I rolled over and slept a sleep of peace - knowing that God was doing a work in me.

The next day, the growth was a little smaller, the following day it was noticeably smaller - and by the forth day it was totally gone.  Nothing was left but a small scar.  When I wrote about this on the Religion Forum, atheists and other non-believers were scoffing.  And, even some who claimed they were believers chose to shrug it off as my imagination working overtime.  One fellow laughed that, "Bill has a magic finger!  He just touched his growth, prayed, and poof, it was gone!"     While another asked, "Bill, if God did that - why did it take Him four days?"

Good question.  But, on the other hand, why did it take God six days to do the Creation?  He could have done the Creation, or removed my growth, in a split second.  Why six days for the Creation and four days for my healing?  The six days of Creation I believe He did as an example for us - work six days and rest on the seventh.  Why four days to heal my growth? Because that was how He wanted it - for His own reason.  Faith, my Friends, is the answer.  We don't question why or how God works - we just offer prayers of thanksgiving when He does.

The main thing to remember is that Prayer Works!   God always answers the prayers of believers:  Sometimes, "Yes."  Sometimes, "No."  And, at other times, "Wait a while, My child." 

"Bill, are you implying that God will not answer the prayers of non-believers?"    Another good question.  But, first let me ask you, "If a person does not believe in God - why would he/she pray to God?"   Will God not answer the prayers of a non-believer?  I cannot say yea or nay - for God being omniscient knows that person's heart and He know the recipient of the person's prayers.  If a non-believer is praying for another person to be healed or helped, I believe God will take that into consideration.

One more thought on prayer in action.  About ten years ago I went for a late evening walk, about 11:00 PM, just to relax.  As I was walking along Magnolia Avenue, a major thoroughfare in Riverside, California, a homeless man jumped from behind a sign and came toward me.  His eyes were red, like he was on drugs, and he was cursing and screaming at me, even demanding that I give him money.

As he stalked toward me, I began to back across the four lanes of busy east-bound Magnolia Avenue traffic with him following me.  The cars whizzed by with no one seeming to notice what was happening.  But, the moment I stepped on the wide center island, I felt the peace of God come over me.  I stopped and said to the man, "I don't have any money with me (which was true for I never took my wallet on these walks) - but can I pray for you?"  

He stopped and quietly said, "Yes."  I put my right hand on his left shoulder and prayed, asking God to watch over and protect this man - and to provide for his needs.  After I prayed for him, I hugged him.  This man, who just minutes before had been screaming and cursing as if on drugs, said in a small soft voice, "That was what I wanted."  And he walked away.  In all my walks since then, I have seen many other homeless people, but I have never seen that man again.

Let me now address question(2), "Should we pray and ask forgiveness for our sins?"

1 John 1:8-9, "If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.  If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."

Pastor David Guzik of Calvary Chapel writes in his commentary on 1 John 1:

i. To confess means, "to say the same as" (to agree with).  When we confess our sin, we are willing to say (and believe) the same thing about our sin that God says about it.   Note: Parenthetical emphasis is mine.

In other words, when we confess our sin, we are agreeing with Jesus Christ that we have sinned, that we have been disobedient.  We are owning and acknowledging that we have sinned and asking Him to forgive us that sin and to give us the strength to avoid it in future times of weakness.

We all sin (Romans 3:23) - both believers and non-believers.  The big difference is that we believers are "forgiven sinners."   What does that mean? 

It means that Jesus Christ came to earth as the perfect man, the perfect Lamb of God, and died on the cross of Calvary to offer forgiveness of sins - all sins: past, present, and future - to all who will believe and receive Him as Lord and Savior (John 1:12).  He took all the sins of all mankind upon Himself when He hung on that cross - and that is why the sky went dark for three hours during midday as He hung on the cross. 

Matthew 27:45-46, "Now from the sixth hour until the ninth hour there was darkness over all the land.  And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, 'Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?' that is, 'My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?'"

What did Jesus mean when He cried out, "My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?"

God cannot look upon the filth of sin and unrighteousness.  In Isaiah 64:6 we are told, "But we are all like an unclean thing, And all our righteousnesses are like filthy rags; .  .  ."   All that filth, all the sins of all mankind - from the day of Creation until the day He takes us into eternity - were laid upon the shoulders of Jesus Christ that day on the cross of Calvary.  God could not look upon Him in that condition.

Just imagine, if your can, God the Father turning His face away from His Son, Jesus Christ.  That was the cruel death Jesus Christ took upon Himself so that He could offer full forgiveness to all of us who will believe and receive His "paid in full" gift of forgiveness.    

We know that we all sin (Romans 3:23) and we know that Jesus Christ died to forgive our sins.  So, why do we need to pray and ask forgiveness?

There are sins of Commission (sins we are aware of committing because of our weak flesh) - and there are sins of Omission (sins we may not be aware of committing, yet know they are wrong in God's eye).

Sin of Commission:  When King David committed adultery with married Bathsheba, and then had her husband, Uriah, killed to cover it up.  Both were sins of commission (2 Samuel 11).    And, even though David repented, he still had a child with Bathsheba - and that child died (2 Samuel 12:13-23).  Sin always has consequences.

Sin of Omission:  In James 4:17 we read, "Therefore, to him who knows to do good and does not do it, to him it is sin."  A sin of omission is a sin that is the result of not doing something God’s Word teaches that we should do.  It may be a time when God has given you an opportunity to help someone, but you did not.  Or it might be something you have done totally unaware, yet is unpleasing to God.

Compare that to what the apostle Paul tells us about himself in Romans 7:14-20.  He tells of his tendency toward both types of sin, Commission and Omission.  He does what he doesn’t want to do and knows is wrong - the sin of commission.  And he doesn’t do what he knows he should do and really wants to do - the sin of omission.  That is a picture of our new generated nature - in conflict with our old flesh in which it dwells.

So, yes, prayers confessing our sins, even if we are not aware of them, is necessary and should be a soothing balm when we own our mistakes and seek His strength to overcome them.

For the believer, we confess our sins and ask forgiveness.  For the non-believer who is feeling the pull of God in your heart, first go to Him in a sincere prayer of forgiveness and salvation - and ask Him to come into your heart and be your personal Lord and Savior.  He will.  And at that time you will become God's adopted child - you can be sure your prayers will be answered and that your eternal heavenly home is waiting for you.

One thing you can take to the bank - His answer is always the best solution, always perfect - and He is never silent when we pray.

God bless, have a wonderful, blessed day,

Bill 

 

 

Grace And Law ~ OR ~ Grace Upon Grace?

The article below "Grace And Law" is an interesting read.  I received it today in an e-mail from Israel Bible Center.  And it made me think back to dialogues in the past regarding the phrase "and grace upon grace" found in John 1:16.  What does God mean when He puts "grace upon grace"?

In Matthew 5:17 (nkjv), Sermon on the Mount, Jesus tells the multitude, and us, "Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill."  I believe this is better read, "I did not come to destroy the Law, but to fulfill the Law."  Christ came “...not to abolish the Law, but to fulfill the Law” (nasb).

The meaning of God's Grace is, "unmerited favor" toward we sinners.  We can never earn God's Grace, but He gives it freely.  In the Old Testament God's Justice demanded death as a payment for sin, the shedding of life-giving blood to satisfy offenses against God. 

But in the Old Testament, God's Grace provided a means for the faithful to have asubstitutionary atonement from the wrath of God's Justice, through the shed blood of near-perfect animals.  Because they were only near-perfect, this sacrifice had to be repeated over and over again.  God's Grace, through His Mercy, provided this sacrifice as a temporal atonement.

God's ultimate Grace came to fruition in the birth and death of Jesus Christ as our "once for all" substitutionary atonement from the wrath of God.

John 1:16-17, "For of His fullness we have all received, and grace upon grace.  For the Law was given through Moses; grace and truth were realized through Jesus Christ."

Sitting upon the Grace of God provided by the sacrificing of animals in the Old Testament - in the New Testament God's Grace provided the ultimate sacrifice, His Son, as the Perfect Sacrifice, once for all time.  There are no more sacrifices necessary, we only have to claim the "full pardon" from the wrath of God's Justice - by receiving His Son, Jesus Christ, as our personal Lord and Savior.  That is the meaning of "grace upon grace" in John 1:16.

GRACE AND LAW
Israel Bible Center
By Dr. Eli Lizorkin-Eyzenberg, January 20, 2018
https://israelbiblecenter.com/grace-and-law/-

 “For from his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace.  For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.  No one has ever seen God; the only God, who is at the Father’s side, he has made him known” - Gospel of John 1:16-18.

As the Protestant Christian movement emerged, one of the biggest disagreements between those who would one day become Protestants and those who would remain Roman Catholic was the issue of the law’s function in the life of the believer. 

One of the five most important theological “shortcut” phrases (Five Solas: Sola Fide, by faith alone ~ Sola Scriptura, by Scripture alone ~ Solus Christus, through Christ alone ~ Sola Gratia, by grace alone ~ Soli Deo Gloria, glory to God alone) of the Reformation was, “solo fide” which means, “by faith alone.”  This phrase indicated how one was “saved” from God’s eternal judgment. 

Bill Gray Note:  Parenthetical emphasis in the paragraph above is mine.

This 15th-16th century conflict between Protestants and Catholics was later read back into the Pauline writings and projected back into Paul’s own words.  Today, hardly anyone will object to that fact that Paul must be read through a first century Israelite interpretive lens and not through the later lenses of a Catholic-vs-Protestant conflict historically unrelated to Paul.

While the juxtaposition of "the law" and "the Gospel" was present in the Church Fathers, it is not until the time of the Reformation that the juxtaposing of law and grace became so pronounced.  This became a dominant emphasis of the Reformation.  The opposite of grace became law; the opposite of law became grace.  However, scripturally the opposite of law was never grace but lawlessness.  Just as the opposite of grace was never law but disgrace.

Like Paul, John has also been greatly misunderstood and interpreted anachronistically.  In John 1:17, for example, some important English Bible translations (such as KJV and NET Bible) insert the additional word – “but.”  This word is not present in the original Greek. 

Moreover, even when modern translations do not add the word “but” (see the ESV quoted above) the verse is normally understood as if the “but” is implied.  It is almost impossible for us to read this text and not juxtapose law and grace in our contemporary minds (Try it!  You too will have a hard time.)

If one ignores the negative reading and instead interprets the phrase (in verse 17) positively – “The Law came through Moses; (and) grace and truth comes through Jesus Christ” – then the text flows organically. 

In this case, it is obviously connected with the previous confession by the Gospel’s author that grace was given in addition to the grace already provided.  John 1:16, “For from his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace.” Perhaps a translation that can help us get rid of this inbred dichotomy would read like this:

“For the Torah was given through Moses and grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.”

The moment we see that the Greek word "Nomos" (νόμος) does not need to be translated as “law” - but rather can be translated as Law only in the sense of the Torah of Moses (which included law, but was was filled with incredible stories of faith!), then more interpretive options become available.

So, in the future when someone tells you that Jesus Christ came to replace the Law, tell them, "No, He came to fulfill the Law" (Matthew 5:17).    

And, you can explain that, as shown in John 1:16, Jesus Christ left the temporal Old Testament Grace of God intact - and only added the "once for all" New Testament Grace upon its foundation - "grace upon grace."

God bless, have a wonderful, blessed day,

Bill

Does Genesis Really Matter? ~ Revisited

On January 18, 2013, I shared this blog which was inspired by the article "Does Genesis Really Matter?" in the Institute of Creation Research magazine, Acts & Facts, the May 31, 2012 issue.  It  was written by Jason Lisle, Ph.D.

For many years, I have firmly believed and written that the two most important books in our Bible are Genesis and John.  Why do I say this?  The Bible is His Written Word, His written prescription for healthy and fulfilled Christian living.

If you visit your doctor and he gives you a prescription to cure the illness which brought you to his office - will you ignore or just throw away that prescription?  Or will you have it filled and ingest it as he prescribed?  Yes, if you have the intelligence of a rock, you will fill that prescription and take this medicine to cure your affliction.

All people are born with an affliction.  It is called the inherited Adamic Sin Nature.  And, other than His prescribed cure; there is no cure.   If you ingest His prescribed cure, you will be healed eternally.  If you refuse, you will be lost in eternal death.

So, what is this wonderful cure prescribed by God?  It is the message of salvation and Christian life found only in His Written Word, the Bible.  This book is fully sufficient to assure that all who sincerely ingest, believe, and receive it will have eternal life in Christ - and it is fully sufficient to assure that you can walk daily with Him without falling.

"Okay, Bill, but you still have not told us why Genesis and John are so important?"   Glad you asked!

The book of Genesis, i.e., the book of beginnings - is the foundation upon which the entire Bible is built.  A home or building without a firm foundation will soon crumble and fall.  With a firm foundation, it can withstand the storms.

The book of Genesis is not simply a collection of moral stories or fables about our origins.  It's a book that sets the foundation for the whole of Scripture and upon which all the other books of the Bible rest.  Genesis is essential to understanding God our Creator, Judge, and Savior.  Every vital Christian doctrine finds its roots in the Genesis record. 
 
In his book, "Why Genesis Matters," Dr. Jason Lisle points us to the very first book of the Bible to understand the foundation of Christian doctrines.  Which doctrines are first introduced in Genesis?  How do we really know if we're interpreting Genesis correctly?  What about the debate over the age of the earth?  And how does Genesis help us when we share the Gospel with others?   (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18484959-why-genesis-matters)

So, without the foundation of Genesis, the Bible, God's Written Word, would make no sense to us.  No Genesis - no Bible!

And, the book of John is just as important, for starting in John 1:1-3, we learn that Jesus Christ is our preexisting Lord and Savior, the Incarnate God - and throughout the book of John we learn what He has done to offer salvation and eternal life for all who, by grace, through faith in His finished work, will believe and receive His "paid in full" pardon from our Adamic Sin Nature death penalty.  No preexisting Savior - no eternal life!

Does Genesis Really Matter?
ICR Acts & Facts, May 31, 2012 issue
By Jason Lisle, Ph.D.
http://www.icr.org/article/6785/
 
Does the creation versus evolution debate matter today?  Perhaps you have heard people say, “With all the problems in today’s world, we really shouldn’t bother arguing about how it all began.  We need to be concerned about the future, not the past.”
 
Our world faces enormous problems - violence, war, crime, disease, famine, economic collapse, natural disasters, and much more.  We’re seeing attacks on the sanctity of human life and attempts to redefine marriage.  We have witnessed a decline in Christian values worldwide, but it’s perhaps most disappointing that the United States - a nation founded on Christian principles - is losing its Christian base at an alarming rate.
 
How can these things be?  Our nation is saturated with Christian bookstores, radio stations, television programs, and schools.  And yet for all of this Christian influence, it seems that the United States is rapidly becoming a pagan nation.  It’s tempting to think that we should be fighting social issues and not waste time on “academic”  topics like origins.
 
But what if there is a connection between origins and all these social issues?  I suggest that there is, in fact, a very strong connection.  The social issues many Christians find distressing are not problems in themselves, but rather symptoms of an underlying root cause - the loss of Biblical authority stemming from attacks on the book of Genesis.  Christian values cannot exist in isolation; they only make sense in light of the history recorded in Genesis.  So as society increasingly rejects Genesis in favor of evolution or an old-earth creation view, it is a natural consequence that we will experience the decline of Christian America.
 
Where do Christian doctrines such as “marriage” originate?  This doctrine goes back to Genesis.  God instituted the family unit.  He created Adam and then Eve from Adam’s side; and this was the first married couple.  Genesis 2:24 tells us that this historic event is the reason for marriage.  The Bible defines marriage as one man and one woman united in God for life.  Jesus affirmed this in Matthew 19:4-6, and He quoted Genesis to prove His point.
 
But if the history in Genesis were not true, then why would marriage have to be so defined?  Why not a man and a man, or a man and a rock, for that matter?  Without the foundational history in Genesis, marriage is reduced to simply a cultural trend - one that is subject to the shifting winds of human opinions and feelings.  It’s not surprising that marriage is under attack today, since its foundation in Genesis is being undermined by evolutionary dogma.
 
Likewise, the sanctity of human life, human freedom, laws, and justice - all of these have their foundation in the literal, historical understanding of Genesis.  And yet, Genesis continues to be attacked throughout our culture.  We are told that millions of years of evolution resulted in all life on earth.  And as more people reject Biblical history, the more we will see the decay of Christianity.  Individuals may believe in evolution and still behave in a Christian fashion, but their belief and behavior remain logically inconsistent.  People will tend to act on what they believe.  And the more people believe in evolution, the more they will behave as those who reject God as Creator.
 
If we are ever going to see America turn back to God, we must faithfully teach and defend the Bible - starting with the creation account in Genesis.
 

Dr. Lisle is Director of Research at the Institute for Creation Research and received his Ph.D. in Astrophysics from the University of Colorado.  Cite this article: Lisle, J. 2012. Does Genesis Really Matter? Acts & Facts. 41 (6): 22.

 
Note:  Bold, italic, and underline emphasis in the article above are mine.

Note:  Acts & Facts monthly news magazine contains articles and information of current interest dealing with creation, evolution, and related topics. Current and past issues can be read online, and you can sign up to receive future issues via snail-mail, all for free.

To subscribe:   http://www.icr.org/icr-magazines

Why is the frontline of battle for atheist and Darwinian evolutionary factions - always the Creation?   Why is the great battle in our public school systems always between the teaching of Darwinian Evolution and Creation?

In Genesis, we learn how "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth" (Genesis 1:1).   Destroy a person's faith in Genesis, in the Creation, and that is the first step in destroying his faith in God.  First step, doubt - second step, agnosticism - third step, atheism - fourth step, eternal life without God.  That is the formula for the atheist's war against God.

What they do not realize is that Christ has already won that war, over 2000 years ago on the cross.  Today, we are just fighting the skirmishes, the clean-up battles, and saving as many wounded as possible - as we wait for our Lord and Savior to come for us (John 14:1-3, 1 Corinthians 15:50-3, 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18).

And our primary defense in these skirmishes is our Full Armor of God:  Girded with TRUTH; Shielded by RIGHTEOUSNESS; Prepared by the GOSPEL; Protected by SALVATION; Armed with the SWORD OF THE SPIRIT, the Word of God.  We wrap these all with "Prayer in the Spirit" - and we cannot lose (Ephesians 6:10-20).

Therefore, keeping in mind our Great Commission, the marching orders given to all Christian believers by our real Commander-In-Chief, Jesus Christ - we must always be ready to "Go, Make disciples, Baptize them, Teach them - be His frontline witnesses to all the world" (Matthew 28:19-20, Acts 1:8, Mark 16:15).

Okay, all you Christian soldiers, "Attention!  Right face! . . . Forward March!''   If you like, it is okay to sing the old hymn "Onward, Christian Soldiers!" as we march to victory.

God bless, have a wonderful, blessed day,

Bill 

 

Let's Talk About The Great Commission!

As it should be, very often the witness or writing of another Christian believer will spark thoughts and ideas we should share within our own circle of Friends, our Concentric Circle of Influence.  Think of a concentric circle, where a pebble dropped into a body of water will cause circles of waves to emanate out from that point of contact - spreading wider and wider, possibly to points unknown.

In 2009, a Forum Friend on the TimesDaily Religion Forum posted a quote from Ralph Waldo Emerson:  "The life of man is a self-evolving circle, which, from a ring imperceptibly small, rushes on all sides outwards to new and larger circles, and that without end."

And, I responded:

My Friend, you have just described the very best method of Christian Evangelism: Concentric Circle Evangelism.

We all can make a splash, ever so small.  Yet, from that small splash, like a small pebble, the concentric circles of our Christian life expand.  First, to those in our immediate family - then to those in our circle of friends - then to those in our community, our city, our state, and our nation - to the ends of the earth.

Your quote prompted me to think of waves of concentric circles of Christian evangelism - starting small, spreading, never ending, reaching the far corners of the earth.

"And this Gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in the whole world for a witness for all the nations, and then the end shall come" (Matthew 24:14).

This train of thought was prompted, on January 9, 2018, by a post my Facebook Friend, Jeff Reiman, made on the Evangelists & Pastors group page:

Our Great Commission as followers of Jesus is to go and make “disciples” – not converts.  Is there a difference?

It’s interesting that the only time Jesus refers to making “converts” is in his criticism of the Pharisees – “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites!  You travel over land and sea to win a single convert, and when you have succeeded, you make them twice as much a child of hell as you are.” (Matthew 23:15)

The problem with the Pharisees was that they were hypocrites – they didn’t practice what they preached.  And, by example, trained their followers to do the same.  They made converts to an empty religion - rather than disciples in a loving relationship.

It’s easy for us to conclude, then, that we should give up on evangelism to unbelievers in favor of discipling new believers.  But where do new believers come from (if not evangelism)?  And what do we get when we tell new believers that they should share their faith - when we don’t intentionally do it ourselves?  We get mere converts who follow our hypocritical example of not practicing what we preach.

After work I had the wonderful opportunity of discipling a young believer – Elias – not just by teaching out of the Bible but also by example.  We were to meet at a Dunkin’ Donuts, but Elias was a little late so I began a witnessing conversation with a man named Alfredo who was sitting next to me.  We were deep in a Spanish-only conversation about the Gospel when Elias arrived, and since Elias is a native Spanish speaker he was able to do a much better job of communicating some important truths to Alfredo than I could.

After Elias and I finished our Bible study, I was also able to share some Gospel truths with Prith, a medical doctor from India who had sat down near us.  As a disciple of Jesus, Elias is learning to share his faith in three ways; (1) by studying God’s Word, (2) by seeing my example, and (3) by putting it into practice himself.

And, perhaps most importantly, he is learning to be someone who loves Jesus by practicing what he preaches, not just by being a convert to empty religion.

I can relate to Jeff's Dunkin' Donuts experience through an experience I had a few years back.  A Christian Friend, Bob, visiting from Arizona and I were working at my computer and took a break to go to Norms Restaurant in Riverside for a late dinner.  Our discussion soon turned to one of my favorite subjects, End Times Prophecy. 

It was late in the evening and the restaurant was not very busy, so when the waitress walking by heard our discussion, she stopped to listen.  And pretty soon she was asking questions.  When we left, I told my Friend, Bob, "Do you realize we just had a nice late evening Bible study?" 

To quote Jesus Christ, in Matthew 18:20, "For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them."

He was with Bob and me that evening when we shared with the waitress at Norms Restaurant - just as He was withJeff Reiman, Elias, Alfredo, and Prith in that Dunkin' Donut shop.

Jeff draws a comparison between disciples and converts - and that, too, reminds me of what Billy Graham practiced in his many Crusades over the years.  He wrote that the thousands of people coming forward at a Crusade should be called "Inquirers" and not "Converts" - for many of them come forward for different reasons.  Some come out of pure conviction, while others come out of emotion, because a friend went forward, or even because their driver went forward and they did not want to get separated.

That is why the Crusades had many counselors on the on the field, to pray with and counsel those who had come forward, one on one, and get their information so that they could be referred to a local church fellowship.  For as Billy Graham states, "When a person comes forward, he is most often inquiring about salvation.  When we connect them with a local church and they begin to participate in that local fellowship's worship services and Bible studies - after a while, they are on their path to becoming a real convert, a real believer."

All to often, in the Billy Graham Crusades, in the Greg Laurie led Harvest Crusades, and in all Crusades - a lot of people come forward on emotion.  And during the following week, when they begin to experience life again at work and in their social context - the emotion begins to fade and that person sinks back into what the world wants - and not what God wants.

So, I agree with JeffReiman that we should be evangelizing to make converts - and discipling them.

Matthew 28:19-20, "GO therefore and MAKES DISCIPLES of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, TEACHING THEM to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age."

Part of that discipling should be getting them involved in a local Christian fellowship where they can participate in regular Christ-centered, Bible teaching Conversational Bible Studies.  Interactive Bible studies where, together, we can study and discuss what is written in God's Word. 

Sermons are great for Sunday worship services.  But believers need a good discussion style Bible study with other believers if we are to continue growing more mature in His Word.  Imagine a Bible study where there is a mix of Bible maturity among the participants.

The "babes in Christ" and those just beginning to get their feet wet in the Gospel - can come up with great questions, questions which could and should stretch the maturity of we older believers to answer.  

The discussion is a process through which we ALL learn and grow more mature in God's Word.  That is an element which is missing in sermon type Bible studies, no matter how well taught.

I thank my Friend, Jeff Reiman, for his post on January 9th, which started my thought train rolling.

God bless, have a wonderful, blessed day,

Bill 

"Stars Fell On Alabama" ~ A Book You Should Read!

TO ALL MY ALABAMA FRIENDS AND FAMILY, and to all my Friends who love to read good, honest folk writing - I highly recommend a book I have had in my personal library for a number of years - "Stars Fell On Alabama" by Carl Carmer.   In the mid-1980s, on a trip home to Alabama I stopped by Anderson Bookland, at that time the best book story in Florence, Alabama, to buy books about the Shoals area and Alabama in general which I could not find in California.  One of those books I bought was "Stars Fell On Alabama."

The reason that book caught my attention back then was twofold:  First, there really was an incident in November 1833, when folks really thought the stars were falling on Alabama.  It was actually the Leonid Meteor Shower (which get their name from the location of their radiance in the constellation Leo) with the meteors appearing to radiate from that point in the sky and falling on Alabama.

And, second, when I was in high school in Sheffield, Alabama (1951-1955) all of our formal dances always ended with the playing of the song "Stars Fell On Alabama" - our last dance of the evening.  The song is named after the actual incident which occurred in November 1833, the Leonid Meteor Shower seen brightly in the vicinity of Muscle Shoals, Alabama, my hometown area.  The shower was so bright that people thought the sun had risen as thousands of meteors streaked across the skies.  

In my young world of Alabama back then, the "National Anthem" and "Stars Fell On Alabama" stood side by side, one our national anthem and the other our state anthem, at least in my mind.

The song, written by Frank Perkins with lyrics by Mitchell Parish, was first recorded by Guy Lombardo's Royal Canadians on August 27, 1934.   The song has since been recorded by virtually every singer and band worth the name - Billie Holiday, Nat King Cole, Doris Day, Ella Fitzgerald, Frank Sinatra, Bing Crosby, Dean Martin, Patti Page, Jimmy Buffett, and many, many more.   In other words, if you were a successful singer - you had to cover "Stars Fell On Alabama."   And, it is still being covered by singers and groups today.

For me, one of the best presentations of this beautiful song was released as a duet byElla Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong in 1956:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YsePcLXZQV4 

So, influenced by those memories when I visited Anderson Bookland in the 1980s - the book "Stars Fell On Alabama" immediately caught my eye.  And, like so many other good books, my first reading was to see what the author had to say.   Then my second reading was more interesting and more fruitful for I began to mine the many golden nuggets found in such a book.  My second reading of the book has been deeper, possibly because I am more aware of the incidents described in the book - and compare them to America today - because of the extreme racial bias and tension which was nurtured by the Obama administration  and which flooded across America during Obama's years in office.

And, I will admit that one part of the book bothered me - even though it was true to the tone of life in Alabama in the 1930s.  The author, in reflecting his  conversations with local people, and even as he would use at that time in the 1930s when he reflected upon those meetings - he used the word we all avoid strenuously today, the "N" word.  He often used the word in recording his interviews and conversations because that is what he heard.  That was never done through prejudice, malice, or with forethought - only in recording what he, as a writer, heard.

I can relate to that, for growing up in Alabama in the 1940s and 50s, racial discrimination was prevalent and even though I was not prejudiced and I never heard a word of racial prejudice in my home - I am sure that back then I also used the word as part of my normal everyday conversation.  I did not think of it as a derogatory word, only a word in common usage back then - and, in my mind then, a word used by all people, everywhere.

Let me share with you several excerpts about this book, a book which is a very worthwhile read.

From the book foreward written by By Howell Raines:

Carmer thought of himself as a folklorist, and as such he relied less on careful documentation than on what he called “folk-say” - the oral tradition of legends, fable, and myth by which a people sustain and define themselves.  Carmer’s fascination with the peculiarities of place and local character led him to a concept that was at once intellectually suspect and artistically ingenious. .  .  .

.  .  . Carmer offers the fanciful notion that Alabamians live under a “spell” or “enchantment”  that dates back to the spectacular meteor shower that was visible in the skies of the Southeastern United States on Nov. 12, 1833.  Other writers, including William Faulkner in The Sound and the Fury, have referred to “the years the stars fell.”   But Carmer found in this cosmic phenomenon a controlling metaphor for all that was strange, individualistic, savage, and magical in Alabama life. .  .  .

The product of Carmer’s sojourn, Stars Fell on Alabama, speaks for itself as a work of literature.  But a new generation of readers would profit, I think, from some additional information about its New York-born author and about Alabama as he found it upon his arrival more than 60 years ago. The Alabama of that era - that is to say, a social, political, and economic order whose outlines were still to be seen when I was a child growing up in the 1940’s and 1950’s - is fading into history now.

And from "Carl Carmer" at:  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carl_Carmer

When Carl Carmer (from New York) arrived in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, one of his new colleagues (at the University of Alabama) warned him, ". . . if I knew you well enough to advise you, I'd say, 'For God's sake, get out of here before it's too late.'"   This reference was evidently about the state of Alabama's racial relations at the time.  Carmer, however, stayed at the University for six years, taking notes and writing what would become his most famous book, Stars Fell on Alabama.

In the book, Carmer recounted the time he spent traveling throughout the state.  He wrote about the people, places, and events he witnessed, such as a Ku Klux Klan rally and interactions with ordinary Alabama men and women.

One example of the book's prose was this description of a Sacred Harp singing:

The church was full now.  People stood along the walls and the doorway was packed.  Crowds were huddled outside each window singing lustily. . . there were surely more than two thousand people. . .  Hard blows of sound beat upon the walls and rafters with inexorable regularity.  All in a moment the constant beat took hold.  There was a swift crescendo.  Muscles were tensing, eyes brightening.

Carmer also wrote about the myths, legends, and local superstitions of what he called "Conjure Country" (which was his nickname for southeast Alabama).  He credited folklorist Ruby Pickens Tartt with providing some of the folklore and songs for this book, and he based the character Mary Louise on her.

First published in 1934, Stars Fell on Alabama hit the bestseller lists and established Carmer's reputation.  Literary critic R. L. Duffus of The New York Times praised the book and said Carmer had a gift for "extracting from what he sees, hears, and feels, an essence which is fundamentally poetic."

The title of the book referred to a spectacular occurrence of the Leonid meteor shower that was observed in Alabama on November 12–13, 1833. As reported by the Florence Gazette: "[There were] thousands of luminous bodies shooting across the firmament in every direction. There was little wind and not a trace of clouds, and the meteors succeeded each other in quick succession."

The singing event described in the book excerpt above is very familiar to me.  Even though I was a "city boy" my family and I did attend several of those singings.  They were held in country churches among the agricultural folks and we called them an "All Day Singing and Dinner On The Ground."   Every lady from every farm in that part of the county cooked her very best foods and at the All Day Singing their gourmet best was laid out on tables, truck beds, wagon beds, and anything that would hold food.  And, like a good potluck today, we were free to walk around and sample all the great food from any table.

If I have whetted your appetite enough to want to read this wonderful folk history of my home state, Alabama, you can Google the PDF version and download it - or you can find this book on Amazon and other online sites, or in your favorite book store.   Happy reading! 

God bless, have a wonderful, blessed day,

Bill 

If God Does Exist - Why Is There Death And Suffering? ~ Revisited & Updated

One year ago today I shared the blog below with you.  However, since the main ministry in our Christian life (think Great Commission, Matthew 28:18-20, Acts 1:8, Mark 16:15) is to share the Good News of Jesus Christ with those who are still not in the family of God - it is good to occasionally go back and refresh our thoughts on God, death, and eternal life. 

With that in mind, let me share my January 2017 blog dialogue "If God Does Exist - Why Is There Death And Suffering?" with you.  You might say this is an exercise in evangelism, for frequently the first thing we will hear from many non-believers will be these questions about the existence of God and if He does exist - why does He allow suffering and pain?

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Tonight I had a dialogue on Facebook with a new Facebook Friend from Canada, whom I will call Friend 1 - and another gentleman from England whom I will call Friend 2, although we are not yet Friends on Facebook.   Friend 1 had posted a photo of large fire and flooding among a community of homes, which he later said was caused by an earthquake and tsunami.  I am not sure where or when this particular event occurred.  However he sees this as proof that God does not exist.

Friend 1 from Canada posts:  Proof that an all-loving, all-powerful, and all-knowing god does not exist.

Bill Gray responds:  Just curious, how is a man-made fire proof that God does not exist?  God does not stop man from doing dumb things.  But, He does offer eternal life to all who will believe and receive His wonderful gift. 

Friend 1 tells me:  That's not a man made fire.  It's flooding and fire due to an earthquake and tsunami.

Bill Gray:  And, how does that prove that God does not exist? 

Friend 1:  Bill, millions of children die of diseases and starvation in Africa every year.  Think about the parents of these children.  If God loves these children and can do anything, then he must not know about the suffering.  If God loves these children and knows everything, then he must be incapable of doing anything about the suffering.  If God knows everything and can do anything, then he must not love the children and their parents.  In a nutshell, such a god must be impotent or malevolent.

Friend 2 from England joins in:  There is suffering in the world; including the suffering of innocents with no rhyme nor reason.  Due to completely random freak accidents - lives are snuffed out while others are ruined.   Could an almighty God not easily prevent all this suffering and make the cosmos a vale of happiness, fulfillment, and joy?  The fact that this suffering exists either proves that God does not, in fact, exist - or that, despite all the unbearable suffering, there is a point to existing in this universe and we gain enough from it to make it worthwhile.  My money's on the latter.

Bill Note:   These two latter comments are a challenge I promise you will eventually hear from atheists, and one that will be parroted by agnostics and vanilla-flavored non-believers.  They will use this Epicurean reasoning as their absolute proof of God's nonexistence:  

“Is God willing to prevent evil, but not able?  Then he is not omnipotent.  ~  Is he able, but not willing? Then he is malevolent.  ~  Is he both able and willing? Then whence cometh evil?  ~  Is he neither able nor willing? Then why call him God?” -  Epicurus (341 BC – 270 BC), ancient Greek philosopher.

Let me respond to both your comments.  When God created the first man, Adam - He gave Adam the gift of Free Will, the ability to make a choice.  Man was given the ability to choose between loving and following God - or denying Him.

Why did God give man that freedom to choose?  Assuming you are married - did you force your wife to marry you?  Or did she choose to marry you of her own free will?  If you had to forced her to marry you - are you sure she even wanted to be your wife?

It is the same with God.  God's love is perfect and given freely.  He wants YOU to love Him just as freely.  So, He gave you the freedom to choose.

When Adam, using his Free Will chose to disobey God, his disobedience brought sin and death (physical and spiritual) into the whole creation.  Because God's Justice is also perfect - that Justice has to be satisfied.  If you commit a crime and go before a judge - that judge will pass a sentence, or punishment, on you - and that sentence must be satisfied.  In that respect, you have a crime debt to be paid - just as man, because of Adam, has a sin debt to pay.  And, the penalty for that sin debt is death.

Why is Adam's sin passed down to all mankind?  Well, actually, it is not.  But the effect of his disobedience caused changes that are passed down to all mankind. Adam's sin of disobedience brought both physical death and spiritual death into the creation.  Before that, neither existed - it was a perfect world.  We read in Genesis 1:31 the culmination of His six days of Creation, "Then God saw everything that He had made, and indeed it was VERY GOOD.  So the evening and the morning were the sixth day."  In other words, God had created the perfect world and had placed Adam in that perfect garden called Eden.

Adam's sin of disobedience changed all that.  For Adam's personal sin, he was cast out of his perfect garden home, Eden, and forced to live in a world which had been corrupted by his sin.  His sin brought spiritual death, i.e., a total disconnect between God and him - and this spiritual disconnect has been passed down to all of Adam's descendants.  That is part of our DNA now, no spiritual connection with God.  In other words, we are born not knowing God.  In that sense, we are born with the curse of the Adamic Sin Nature.

However, because God's Love is perfect - He had a plan, a way for man's sin debt to be paid.  He sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to die in our place, to pay our sin debt.  Christ took the sins of all mankind on His shoulders and died on the cross to pay our sin debt.

Through that death which He suffered for us - we all have the Free Will means of now choosing to follow God or to deny God.  When we choose to follow Him, we once again have spiritual life, i.e., we have our spiritual connection with God restored (Ephesians 2:1-9).
 
Adam's sin brought both physical death and spiritual death to the whole creation.  By receiving Christ's free gift of spiritual life - we have a secure eternal life - but, physical death is still in the creation meaning that all people will die physically. The only people who will not die physically are those believers who are alive when Christ comes for His church and are raptured (1 Thessalonians 4:17).

When man, Adam, chose to turn from God and sin - that brought death and disruption into the whole creation - disrupting all the natural phenomenon and creating such things as earth quakes and tsunamis.  And, those natural disruptions do cause famine, hunger, and suffering to many people.

Could God stop all that suffering?  Yes and No.  Yes, because He is omnipotent, all powerful, He has the power to stop it.  But, NO, because all of God's attributes are perfect and complete - meaning that His attribute of Love which would put an end to all suffering - has to balance against His attribute of Justice - which demands payment for sin.  God cannot choose to let one attribute outweigh another.  So, because His attribute of Justice is perfect - He cannot stop the suffering.

But, in His perfect Love, He did send His Son, Jesus Christ, to offer every single person an opportunity to believe and receive eternal happiness and joy with no more suffering.  In this life, we will still experience tribulations for this world is still fallen and corrupt.  However, when we will believe and receive Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior - He gives us a firm promise that we WILL spend a joyful and blessed eternity in the presence of pure Love, God.

If you refuse this wonderful gift - then YOU are condemning yourself to an eternity of pure hell.  All people WILL live eternally.  Your choice is: WILL you spend it in eternal joy - or WILL you spend it in eternal hell?  THE CHOICE IS YOURS!

God bless, have a wonderful, blessed day,

Bill