“Those of us that chose not to attend (about 80, or a little less that half) were marched back to the company area. At that point the NCO issued us a punishment. We were to be on lock-down in the company (not released from duty), could not go anywhere on post (no PX, no library, etc). We were to go to strictly to the barracks and contact maintenance. If we were caught sitting in our rooms, in our beds, or having/handling electronics (cell phones, laptops, games) and doing anything other than maintenance, we would further have our weekend passes revoked and continue barracks maintenance for the entirety of the weekend.

The AP reports that the Army is looking into the allegations.

[Pvt. Anthony] Smith said he went up the chain of command and traced the concert edict to a captain, who said he simply wanted to “show support for those kind of events that bring soldiers together.”

While not accepting blame, the officer apologized to the soldiers who refused to attend the concert and said it was not his intent to proselytize, he said.

Apology aside, this should have never happened.  I hope the officer realizes that he crossed the line. Sounds like to me he deserves a little punishment.

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The transcript (courtesy of Politico via PilotOnline):

And you know, Christy, something happened a long time ago in Haiti, and people might not want to talk about it, they were under the heel of the French, uh, you know, Napoleon the third and whatever, and they got together and swore a pact to the devil, they said, we will serve you, if you get us free from the Prince, true story. And so the devil said, ‘OK, it’s a deal.’ And they kicked the French out, the Haitians revolted and got themselves free, and ever since they have been cursed by one thing after the other, desperately poor. . . the Island of Hispaniola is one island cut down the middle. On the one side is Haiti, on the other side is the Dominican Republic. Dominican Republic is, is, prosperous, healthy, full of resorts, etc. Haiti is in desperate poverty, same Islands, uh, they need to have, and we need to pray for them, a great turning to God. And out of this tragedy, I’m optimistic something good may come, but right now we’re helping the suffering people, and the suffering is unimaginable.

I have to agree with this tweet:

I hope, for his sake, that the God Pat Robertson eventually meets is the loving one I believe in, and not the vengeful one he does.

UPDATE: In case you missed it, CBN issued a statement about Robertson’s comments.

For those who are upset about taking the name of Christ out of Christmas, it doesn’t matter what you call the day. If you want to celebrate his birth, just get along and love one another.

If it bothers you that the town in which you live doesn’t allow a scene depicting his birth, then just get rid of a couple of Santas  and snowmen and put up your own nativity scene on your own front lawn.

Stop worrying about the fact that peple are calling it a holiday tree instead of a Christmas tree. God made all trees. You can remember him anytime you see any tree.

Instead of writing protest letters, write letters of love and hope to our soldiers away from home.

Instead of writing the president complaining about the wording on the cards he sent out, why don’t you write him and tell him that you’ll be praying for him and his family this year?

Instead of nitpicking about what retailers are calling the holiday, give the employees a smile and kind word. You can wish them Merry Christmas even if they can’t return the greeting.

A lot of people and families not only don’t have a Christmas tree but also don’t have presents to give or receive. Donate to the Salvation Army or other charities.

If you want to make a statement about your belief and loyalty, behave like a Christian. Don’t do things in secret you wouldn’t do in Christ’s presence. Let people know your faith by your actions.

Stop complaining and do the above and celebrate according to your beliefs; don’t worry about what others are doing

This is a nation of many beliefs. That is our right and our freedom.

Charlotte Kane
Chesapeake

So true,  Charlotte!

*-although it was not in the section with the other LTEs, I am assuming it was submitted that way.

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Now, without cheating, can you match the items in list A with the proper item in list B?

Leave your answers in the comments. I’ll post the correct answers the day after Christmas

“Train up a child the way he should go and when he is old he will not depart.”

The most disturbing element of modern society is the behavior of our young people. The behavior has been summed up by some people in terms of juvenile delinquency. This label has been attached to those whose unconformed, unapproved, and reckless behavior has caused headaches for many people. Sometimes life seems almost hopeless as a parent sits down to ponder over a child who has suddenly adopted the Epicurean outlook as his outlook of life.

In his adolescent mind, eating, drinking, and being merry are the basic concerns of life. Sometimes, after he has been maimed for life, critically injured, or killed, the full realization of the purpose of life comes into being.

“MAIN TRACK” AFFAIR

Life is a “main track” affair. How, then, do you account for so many people getting off on the various side tracks? Maybe we would like to say that it is a matter of appetites, maybe it is a matter of what modern psychologists have labeled urges, or even yet, one may see it in terms of weakness.

But whatever you might accept as your solution, something else is the underlying factor for the current conditions of our young people. The rising tide of immorality, intoxication, sexual abuse, and the like must be halted.

Only a few evenings ago, one of our local papers carried an article charging the parents with the fault of many of the disorders that have arisen in our juvenile society.  Looking at it hurriedly, this is a miserable indictment against our parents. But whatever we may think of it, it is TRUE.

Far too many of our parents today are attempting to rear children by some far-fetched long distance method. The parent does not concern himself with the basic things in the child’s life. The modern child is sent to Sunday School, he is sent to school during the week, and he is left to pick his own associates without any supervision by the parent. The modern parent needs to know who is teaching his child in Sunday School, who is teaching his child from 9 each morning til 3:30, and he needs to know who the child has chosen for a buddy. All of these things will add much to the overall picture of child development and outlook on life.

WORLD OF CRISES

We live in a world of many crises: listen to your radio and the announcer will tell you that “we are on the brink of war,” watch your television and you will see horrible pictures of what has happened to other people, read your newspapers and you are brought face to face with some of the most disheartening things of which this world could ever dream.

What are all of these saying to us? Just this. If you read your Bible, you won’t go very far before you run into this phrase: “While my servant was busy with many things …” Many of us are busy with many things. The most essential are left undone. Ask any young girl today what she wants to be when she grows up and immediately she will tell you that she wants to be “a career woman.” Why a career woman? Only because she doesn’t want to accept the responsibilities associated with rearing a family.

LIKE FIELD WEEDS

This today has become too much of a bore; it deprives our modern young woman of too much of her long wanted freedom. She wants to be able to go when and where she wants to, stay as long as she wants to, and come back when she gets ready. Unfortunately, many of our mothers have this same idea. Children in such homes are left unattended and they grow as weeds in the fields. It is quite unfortunate for the child but even worse for the parent who has a God-given responsibility to properly rear the child.

As a result of all of this, we have young people, who look at the world through rose-colored or some other gay-colored glasses,  awaken to find their glasses removed only to see life as it actually is.

As parents, we are the ones to so fortify the children that when such a day comes, they will have the proper moral, social, spiritual, and intellectual fiber that will enable them to stand. I dare say if each parent would move toward that goal – starting today – our young people would be ample reason for all of us rejoicing ten or fifteen years from now.

“Train up a child the way he should go and when he is old he ill not depart.” He will be reason for joy and happiness to all of us.

View the entire archive of “The Pulpit Speaks” here.

Whate’er thou art, where’er thy footsteps stray,
Heed these wise words: This, too, shall pass away.
Oh, jewel sentence from the mine of truth!
What riches it contains for age or youth.
No stately epic measured and sublime,
So comforts, or so counsels for all time
As these words. Go write them on thy heart
And make them of your daily life a part.
Art thou in misery, brother? Then I pray
Be comforted! Thy grief shall pass away.
Art thou elated? Ah, be not too gay;
Temper thy joy; this too shall pass away.
Fame, glory, place and power,
They are but baubles of the hour.
Thus be not o’er proud,
Not yet cast down; judge thou aright;
When skies are clear, expect the cloud
In darkness, wait the coming light;
Whatever be thy fate today,
Remember, even this shall pass away!

~Author unknown

This poem expresses a sentiment very dear to me. Day by day, I come in contact with people who apparently are enjoying life at its fullest, or at least think they are. They are blessed with good health, a reasonable amount of money, a few friends, and many other things which this world has allowed them to have.

They walk about with the air of one of the hit tunes of some years ago, “I Got the World on a String, Sitting on a Rainbow,” living, if you please, in a fool’s paradise, thinking that nothing can happen to them.

As I look at this teeming number among us, I stop and ask myself, “What is security?” To them, they have the utmost security. But oh how many of us have been awakened to find out that, in the batting of an eye, all that we have can be taken from us and in a few moments, we can be just as poor as we were when we first started out in this world.

Those of us who read our Bibles have run across a man in the Old Testament known as Job. He was the richest man in the East. He looked up one day and one of his servants told home that he had lost all of his cattle. Before this one would get through telling him of the loss, another came and told him of another catastrophe. Finally, his wife told him to curse God and die. This was not a series of things that happened over a period of months or years, but things that happened in the matter of a few moments. It was not a long time before Job’s joys were turned to sorrow, his wealth to poverty, his happy family life to strife and turmoil, and his high social and economic positions to a place of mourning.

Let us accept Job as a type for us. What happened to Hob can happen to any of us, here and now. There are joys and riches that can be ours; there are sources of happiness that can not or will not be taken from us.

I was looking in a paper a few days ago. A woman who had been teaching for nearly forty years looked back over the years and said:

I have not made much money. I haven’t had an opportunity to live the kind of life that many of my friends have enjoyed but when I look back over the years and see the number of lives that I have been instrumental in molding and the grateful hearts that come back to me and thank me for what I have done for them, life has been most rewarding!

I wonder if this type of spirit was not the kind of spirit that Jesus had in mind when He admonished us to store up for ourselves those things that moths and rust can’t destroy and thieves not take away.

This unknown author was like many of us. He had come to the place that he knew changes were constantly taking place. Your friends today will be your enemies of tomorrow. Your fine home today can be a pile of ashes tomorrow. Your bank account can be melted into paying doctors’ bills, court fines, lawyer’s fees and the like tomorrow. Whatever we have today, we can not say that it is ours. We are only custodians of certain things. God loans them to us – our smiles, our personalities, our abilities, our money, our homes, and our automobiles – for the glorification of His cause. As long as we use them for His glorification, we justify ourselves in having them. When they become tools in our hands for personal glorification, then we will awake one day to find them gone.

Yes, whatever our lot today – darkness, despair, loneliness, heartaches, joy, happiness, security – they shall pass away and tomorrow we may find ourselves in just the reverse position unless we dedicate all that we have to God.

View the entire archive of “The Pulpit Speaks” here.

Even though this club may not support the more radical planks of the democratic party, the democratic party is still the parent organization of the club on campus. The Democratic Party Platform is contrary to the mission of LU and to Christian doctrine (supports abortion, federal funding of abortion, advocates repeal of the federal Defense of Marriage Act, promotes the “LGBT” agenda, Hate Crimes, which include sexual orientation and gender identity, socialism, etc).

Strange definition of “Christian doctrine” there. Certainly not the Christian doctrine of loving thy neighbor, turning the other cheek, or the “let he who is without sin cast the first stone” that I’m familiar with. And all four candidates for Governor – yes, even Republican Bob McDonnell – disagree with LU.

Once again, the national spotlight is on Virginia and the picture is not so flattering. From the Rachel Maddow show:

So much for liberty at Liberty.

“And, behold, there came a leper and worshipped him saying,’Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst make me clean.’” – Matt. 8:2

A few days ago, I was listening to the conversation of two people of high intellectual and moral training, the kind of people of whom you don’t expect certain things. Their conversation was similar to those you hear every day. What was foremost in their minds was who was going to get credit for a certain act.

To me, the entire conversation was very silly and leaning very close to the kind one would expect of a group of juveniles. Two grown people, wondering who was going to get credit for something that needed to be done.

We live, fortunately or unfortunately, in a world where everyone is trying to get credit for something. Never before in history have so many people tried to get their names in the newspapers or mentioned on the radio because they want the whole world to know that they have “laid an egg.”

THE “CROWERS”

In a fable of some years ago, a little hen was running all over the barn yard telling everyone she met that a piece of a star had fallen on her tail. So what?  The fact that part of a star had dropped on her tail gave her basis for great egotism. How disillusioned she must have been when she found out the real truth.

The fact that many of us have been able to realize something in life has been the basis for much crowing. The world is not what it is today because of “crowers,” but rather those unnamed or unheralded heroes, people who have gone about their way, unnoticed by the masses.

The chief concern of far too many today is wrapped up in the fact that we want to be seen and heard. My observations lead me to believe that history has been made by the unnumbered hosts who go through life unnamed. The Bible is filled with such people, and for the next few weeks, we are going to try to bring you a survey of those people who have been dynamic in the cause of righteousness.

A LEPER’S FAITH

For our discussion this week, we are going to center our attention on Matt. 8:2, above. What a contrast this was from our attitude of today. Many of us would have gone up to Jesus and said, “Look here, Jesus. I am Mr. Dr. or Mrs. So and So, and I want to be healed. And I want you to remember that name because it is important.”

Here we find a man whose sole ambition in life was to be healed. He represents that great host of people who, through faith, have been able to keep this world in the condition that it is today. To him, like was predicated upon faith. Time was a vital factor.

STATED HIS MISSION

He came to Jesus and immediately told him of his mission: “I came to be healed.”

This leper stands to day as a symbol of all of the faithful. The Bible just says a leper came to Jesus. It could have just as easily stated that John Jones, who was a leper, came to Jesus, but the name was not important. The world has always been the product of those millions of all ages who have put their shoulders to the wheel in hours of adversities and conflicts.

Our homes, our churches, our schools, our communities and all that we have are not the products of those who have made the loudest noises, but rather those old saints of the cross who have gone along hour by hour, day by day, and year by year, making contributions.

DO GOD’S BIDDING

The rising tide of sin in this world of ours demands that our concerns be a matter of promoting that which is high and holy and leaving ourselves out of the picture. This leper who came to Jesus, expressing this simple faith, became a point of inspiration to all of those about him.

Each one of us must rise above our infirmities and let God be seen through them. Whatever our station in life, there is a possibility that we can rise up and make God real in the lives of others. The heroes of the Bible and human history have not been those people who have gone about with horns blasting, but those who, through a simple faith, have done the bidding of God.

View the entire archive of “The Pulpit Speaks” here.

Then said the Lord, “I will set a plumbline in the midst of my people, Israel.” – Amos 7:8

Never in the history of men has there been so much controversy concerning right and wrong. Many people try to interpret the idea that good and bad – right and wrong – are things determined by society. Many of us go along with such thinking. What is good or bad, right or wrong, to many of us is a matter of what society says about it. This may be ever so right on surface thinking but in life’s saner moments, we look at it altogether differently.

What is right or wrong, good or bad, rests not with society but with a higher authority uncolored by human appetites and the like. Right and good, bad and wrong are not the unstable things we would like for them to be; rather, they are those stable elements among us that will eventually challenge the very soul of man and eventually determine his best behavior. In the final analysis, life becomes meaningful only to the proportion that all are concerned with the highest in the terms of the highest, and not society.

As much as we would like to think in terms of society determining the good and bad elements of our society, it just does not work like that. What is good or bad does not rest with us – it rests with a higher authority. When God told Amos, “I have set before thee a plumbline,” He was saying in so many words, “I am setting before thee a way of life” – or should we say THE way of life. God’s peculiar position enables Him to be a far better judge than any of us. His stability enables Him to have a sense of values far superior to any we might have.

The ever changing ambitions and desires on the part of man would put a sense of good and bad in a precarious position. The constant changing of moral values so evident in our society is quite evident of what would happen if the whole question of right and wrong were left in the hands of people. But a long time ago, as God spoke to man, He laid down the facts which would determine the standards by which man would be judged. The ever changing sense of values as evidenced by man will not be the standard of judgment. It will be those laid down by God.

Far removed from our standard of human behavior is a standard as laid down by God. The plumbline mentioned in our verse today tells the basis for real judging on the part of individual behavior is not a matter of society’s but a matter of God’s judgment. Whatever may be our definition of good must meet the approval of God.

Goodness and badness are things determined by God. Far removed from human interpretation of the same stands a judge who will impartially judge each of us. Life is so geared that each of us must stand up and hold to that which is noble and right.

A long time ago, one of the old prophets noted, “Righteousness exalts a nation!” This righteousness was laid down by God, the same that was laid down centuries ago and the standard by which each of us will be judged. The plumbline of righteousness will be the sole standard of judgment as long as there is a man upon the earth.

The very force at work in each of us today is that sense of goodness and righteousness as laid down by God. Foremost in each of our lives should be an adherence to the will of God. Those of us who, day by day, live by the will of God will finally live within the range of the fuller and finer life as laid down by God. This and only this will enable us to rise up against the reality of life designed according to the will of God.

View the entire archive of “The Pulpit Speaks” here.

“I am the Lord thy God who has brought you out of the land of Egypt and out of the house of bondage.” –Exodus 20:2

Have you ever seen a total wreck? Have you ever seen a person who has lost all desire to go on? If you so walk that you project a sense of strength and security to those with whom you come in contact, one day you will see a total wreck.

The old hymn writer looked out into the distance years ago and saw the cross “towering o’er the wrecks of time.” For some unknown reason, they have come almost to the end of the journey. Suddenly, all reason to keep going vanishes and they stand with their hands folded, unable to explain the things about them.

I constantly come in contact with such people but lately I ran into a case that I will remember for a long time. The sun of his intellectual sky had gone, the sun of his economic sky was a long way off, the dreams of a happy martial life were on the brink of collapsing, the God whom he had served for years now seemed a far distance away. Life had become a needless existence. All reason for going on had suddenly left. Now in despair, this person saw suicide as the only way out.

NOT ISOLATED CASE

This is not something that happened in an isolated case. This is something that will, sooner or later, happen to all of us. Added to all of the darkness of this episode, someone in whom you have the greatest confidence comes up and tells you, “I don’t see why you would want that, anyhow. I would never punish myself in pursuit of something like that.” This only deepens the darkness already surrounding you and adds to an already confused mind.

It was in this state that one came to me a few days ago. I listened to his story then told a portion of mine. Time and time again his face lightened up. He thought that God was punishing him for something that he had done, but when he found out that clouds were in the skies of other people. he took up his cross and went on his way, rejoicing. It was at this point that each of us needs a story. We need something that we can tell people that will strengthen them as they go along “the heavenly way.”

Not only is this true of many of us as individuals but also as groups. Years ago, God had to reaffirm Himself to a people very much like us that He was their Lord who had brought them out of the land of Egypt and out of the house of bondage. Daily, many of us live in our land of Egypt – or slavery – and in our houses of bondage. We need to know that there is someone outside of ourselves who will come to our aid. In the very darkness of the hour, God speaks to the Israelites, telling them He was still with them.

WHAT DO WE WANT?

Life offers most of us nothing short of frustrations. Many times, the things we want most are held furthest from us. Moses wanted to lead the children of Israel to the Promised Land but was only allowed to look. Men throughout history have wanted to do this or that but when success seemed almost assured, the inevitable happens and they are never allowed to realize their dreams. But amidst all of the confusion of having not attained, God speaks to them and tells them in no uncertain terms when you were in Egypt, I was with you, when you were in the house of bondage, I was with you.

Many times worries are baseless and unfounded. The apprehensions we have many times are unwarranted. We stand on the very threshold of our self-appointed failure and give ourselves up to our fate only to remember that somewhere in the distance stands a God keeping watch over His own. This person came to me crying because of his plight. He stood in his own mind like the prophet of old: he was the only person doing right and everyone else was getting a better break in life than he. Unless an answer could come – and come soon – he was going down and jump off the bridge.

This is not some isolated case – this is something that happens to each of us daily. Our lives are so designed that there are rivers to be crossed, mountains to be climbed, friends that will desert you, foes that will haunt you, tears that will stain you, ordeals that will crack and break your very hearts, and temptations that will try you. But amidst all of this, you must reach within and find moral fortitude and be able to withstand all of these that confront you each day.

In the midst of all that confronts us daily, we must once again attune our ears to the voice of God and hear Him say, “I am the Lord, thy God, who brought thee out of the land of Egypt and out of the house of bondage.” Many of us will never go to the real Egypt but we will have Egyptian experiences right where we are. Today we are in our houses of bondage – bondage of sin, appetite, greed and so forth. God extends to each of us an opportunity to realize that He is sufficient for every moment of our lives.

View the entire archive of “The Pulpit Speaks” here.

Ye seek Jesus of Nazareth, He is not here. (Mark 16:6) Sir, if thou hath borne Him hence, tell me where thou hast laid Him and I will take Him away. (John 29:15)

A few days ago a little boy was sent to Sunday School. He was given a nickel to give to Jesus. Upon his return, he gave the nickel back to his mother and said, “He was not there!”

This boy was like many people living in the days of Jesus and even our own day – we expect to find Jesus where we have put Him. On Easter Sunday morning, this woman went to the tomb looking for Jesus. You can imagine how she felt when she was told that He was not there. How tragic it must be for us to wake up one day and find that Jesus is not where we left Him.

In many instances – in fact, far too many instances – we operate with Jesus on the basis of our conveniences. We put Him where we can go and get Him as soon as it is convenient.

In the life of this boy, it was most tragic that, in his search for Jesus in his Sunday School, he failed to find Him. This little boy – full of enthusiasm – set out to go to school and see Jesus. Maybe he was looking for the wrong thing. This is the for many of us.

In all probability, this woman had been up all night. This was one of the longest nights she had ever endured. Her anxious moments dragged by slowly. She waited for daybreak so that she could go and anoint the body of Jesus. What a great disappointment it must have been not to find Jesus in the tomb. All she had sought to do at this point was in vain. Burdened down with spices and perfumes, she had come to put the finishing touches on the body of Jesus.

Then she she did not find Him, she turned to a man whom she took to be the gardener and asked him what disposition he had made with the body of Jesus. Today the very fact stares us in the face: what have we done with Jesus? It is very evident that many of us have done nothing with Him.

This young boy goes to Sunday School in hopes of seeing Jesus. Not only did he fail to see Jesus, but he also failed to see anything that resembled Him. He saw nothing that would impress upon him to give his nickel. So when he went back home, he told his mother that Jesus was not there. This adds the bitterness to our day and time. Where many people have gone to find Jesus, they have failed to find Him. Each day of our lives, each action we have, and each utterance we make so reveal Jesus to someone.

We are told in John that the Word became flesh and dwelt among us. Today, the Word must once again become flesh and dwell among us. Everyone with whom we come in contact must see in us a challenge to want to live better and nobler. We are the flesh that today is God’s challenging point to make people reach out for the better life.

We live in a day when quantity of living is foremost. We must move to a day where quality is foremost. The sole salvation of today’s living is wrapped up in the fact that all that we do, people will see first in us a Christian and the other things will become secondary. Unfortunately for many of us, the things that should be secondary have become primary and those that should be primary have become secondary. This is true to the extent that, instead of people seeing us as Christians, they see us as intellectuals, economic figures, or social beings. The whole idea of Christianity is secondary in much of our thinking and not only have we put our Jesus in a tomb to be there until we find it convenient to go back and get Him, but we have also allowed ourselves to grow minus the influence of Him. When people come into our presence, they go back home without having seen Jesus. How tragic!

The little boy went back home from Sunday School and said, “Mother, Jesus was not there!” What a sad commentary on our Christianity! I noticed in our  papers this week a woman walked twenty-seven miles out of a thirty-seven mile journey to get her child out of a hospital because none of her neighbors had the time to take her. How can people see Jesus if all our Christians act like this? Oh, how I wish I could have been in her neighborhood. I would have gladly carried her to the hospital to get her son. I would have been glad to reaffirm her faith in God. I would have been glad to let her see Jesus in me. But you don’t have to go to Winston-Salem to let somebody see Jesus in you. You can do it in your home, neighborhood, on your job, or wherever you are. You can do it today.

View the entire archive of “The Pulpit Speaks” here.

Continuing our general theme, “Jesus and Human Behavior,” we find ourselves this week dealing with Jesus and His triumphant entry into Jerusalem. As recorded in the 11th chapter of Mark, we find Jesus entering Jerusalem amidst the great hosannas and the palm waving to the masses.

Long this misinformed and overanxious mass had looked for a king who was going to set up an earthly kingdom and give some of them choice places. At the time, Jesus could have proclaimed Himself king and had the world at His feet. How many of us, had we been in the place of Jesus, would have used this as an opportune time to make hay for ourselves? Acting from the human element, we would have used this to advance our own selfish aims and goals.

Jesus had to look beyond and forward to the overall program of His mission. What terrible things men, acting on the human level, can do in an hour of so-called triumph!

A man throws a no-hit, no-run game and, in a few minutes, goes out and makes a fool of himself. Another man runs for a touchdown and so conducts himself that he is placed on the bench for the rest of the season. History has a peculiar way of dealing with us when we live, move, and act on the human level. But how tragic it is when men have no other motive than to use an hour of victory for the advancement of themselves!

CLEAN HOUSE OF GOD

It would have been tragic if this story had ended here but it keeps on and we see Jesus going into the temple. There, seeing men performing tasks different from its designed purpose, he speaks up and admonishes them to clean the house of God and make it the house that it should be. It was at this point that Jesus stirred the wrath of the higher ups in society and was the beginning of the end as far as many were concerned. In spite of the many successes, Jesus never lost sight of the fact that His mission here was to establish the kingdom of God in the hearts of men. Jesus fully realized that this was no time for Him to set Himself up as a king but rather to act on the level of the spiritual mission that He had come here to do.

How often it is that we forget our real mission and allow ourselves to be drawn into the tangents of life. How grateful we should be today that Jesus was not drawn off on the tangents of life but rather chose to remain on the main thoroughfare. The world is in the condition that we find it today because far too many people have allowed themselves to be drawn from the main highways during hours of supposed victory to dwell in the back streets and alleys.

This is in keeping with the human activities, but the man who keeps before himself the real mission of life is able to go on to achieve that.

KEEP DOING

We cannot afford to let today’s applauses make us forget the basic concerns of our mission. A man who plays baseball can’t let one home run in one game go to his head when there are many more games on the schedule that need someone to hit home runs. The man who plays football can’t let one touchdown go to his head to the extent that he rests on his laurels from then on. The preacher who preaches one good sermon and gets three or four converts can’t stop there when there are 52 Sundays in the year and many people to be converted. The doctor who miraculously cures one patient can’t let the fame and glory erase from his mind that there are millions of people who need his knowledge to cure them.

Like Jesus, we all must keep doing.

View the entire archive of “The Pulpit Speaks” here.

The presence of hypocrisy today is appalling! Everyone wants to be hiding behind something. Deep down within us, we like to think that we are getting away with something nobody knows but us. This has been historically true. Adam hid himself behind a deep-seated curiosity. Elijah hid himself in a cave. Men, time and time again, have hidden themselves in one way or another. We get a joy – a real joy – out of hiding ourselves.

A few generations ago, men sang, “Oh the rocks and the mountains shall all fade away and you shall have no hiding place that day!” Today there are those of us who are hiding behind the rocks and mountains but one of these days, these rocks and mountains will fade away. Unfortunately for many people, they wake up one day to find themselves standing naked before all of those about them.

To a large number of people, rocks and mountains express themselves in many forms. They may be hypocrisy, deceit, affection, well-wishes, and many more thing which lack the genuineness for which they are designed. There are thousands of people today who have you living under the illusion that they are with you – until such time as you will need them.

They are your friends until you need them, but in a time of need, they always find an easy way to leave. At this point, the rocks and mountains fade away. You thought that you had a friend only to find out that they were hiding behind something.

Years ago, a wise man said, “A friend in need is a friend indeed.” A few days ago, I heard a man say that each of us would be surprised how few friends we actually have. What could be more tragic than to wake up one morning to find out that many of the acquaintances whom we have taken for friends have suddenly proved not so?

But it all boils down to just that. Many who have been traveling along with us have been going for any number of reasons. After Jesus fed the five thousand, many left to follow no more. They were friends until they got what they wanted.

How tragic it is that many times, in the hour of deepest need, many of those upon whom we have utmost confidence desert us. It is in this trying hour that the mountains and rocks fade away and we see life as it really is. Reality has a peculiar way of showing us exactly where we stand. Many times, fenced in by rocks and mountains, we get an exalted opinion of ourselves. When we are left alone – really alone – we see things as they really are.

Engulfed in rocks and mountains, many times we develop a sense of personal security. Sometimes we feel like we can get along without the assistance of others. It only takes a few lonely hours to bring us to our real senses.

Sometimes, in the presence of rocks and mountains, we move up into the clouds, living up and beyond certain things. Sometimes, our material, intellectual, social, and cultural standing become rocks and mountains for us. We can see nothing but these things. When suddenly, these things are moved from our little worlds – the rocks and mountains, if you please – we find that we are not what we thought we were.

In the final analysis, the fading of the rocks and mountains bring out the best in each of us. As long as we are sheltered, we feel a certain sense of security that, in many instances, does not really exist. We must arouse ourselves from their reliance, upon which may or may not be good for us.

We must rise above the rocks and mountains of deceit, hypocrisy, and all of those things that will eventually make for our downfall and bring ourselves to the fact that we must be realists and face life in its truest perspective.

Only in proportion that each man presents himself to his God, his fellow man, and himself in the truest perspective will life have any meaning for us and those with whom we come in contact. We must stand today – minus the rocks and mountains.

View the entire archive of “The Pulpit Speaks” here.

As of now, we are nearly 2,000 years removed from the birth of Christ. In fact, for all this time, we have been living under the influence of Christ. In the homes, churches, schools and wherever we have found ourselves, there has been a constant reminder that Jesus is somewhere present. It is at this point that one begins to wonder: what has access to the life of Jesus meant to us? The world is filled with evil aspects in all areas. Prejudice, hatred, greed, malice and suspicion face us every day. The bad part of the whole thing is wrapped up in the fact that these things are constantly mounting.

One fact that stares us in the face today is the amount of suspicion everyone holds for everyone else. At every point, each of us  is held in the highest type of suspicion – someone standing on the sidelines knows exactly what you are planning to do on every move you make. The tragic thing about this is that, for the most part, the one making the appraisal never thinks in terms of the good that you may be planning, only the evil. What a great thing it would be if sometimes, now and again, we could suspect some of the actions were for good instead of always bad.

This brings me to the main thought for this week: Paul writing to Titus says, “To the pure all things are pure.” If this is true, am I to believe that all of the people whom I hear constantly berating someone else is based upon the fact that their own minds are so polluted and defiled to the point that they can see only evil on the part of all? What a great world this would be if all of our minds were pure. What a wonderful time all of us could have if all of our actions were so looked upon that people would always think in terms of us going good! But the tragic thing is that we are not made up like that.

Many of us – too many of us – spend a lifetime digging pitfalls for others. Some of us lack the nerve to dig actual pitfalls so we resort to digging verbal pitfalls. We always judge the actions of others in light of what we would be doing if we were in their place. With this in mind, we can never think of a man talking to a woman other than on the lowest level. We can never think in terms of someone being a good samaritan; rather, he always has to be having some ulterior motive in all that he does.

I fully realize that when one moves to the places that he starts trying to pin down motives, he moves on dangerous ground. But dangerous or not, we must start thinking in terms of someone doing the good, constructive and higher things in life.

I wonder if some of us don’t stop and think what we say and do are rather fair pictures of how we think. The very fact that people are seen talking together is no evidence that they are “up to something.” The very fact that some people are friends is no evidence that they must be up to some ungodly acts. The fact that people like the same books, amusements and the like is no reason to think they are engaged in things that are indecent. We line in a world where people have forgotten to think purely and justly. This is one of the weaknesses of our day and time.

Yes, 2,000 years have passed. 2,000 years of intellectualism. materialism, economics and all forms of government that have tried to make the man on the street a little better. But in the absence of a real spirit of Jesus, we have failed to accomplish the job that God would have us do. The job before us is a job of men of pure hearts. Pure works can come only from those men who have pure hearts. Only in proportion that people’s motives are high and noble will we be able to change the conditions of our world.

Once again we must turn to the words of Paul, “Unto the pure all things are pure.” At this point, all of us should try to be pure, for it is in being pure that we are able to accomplish and achieve the most. The purity of life must be important to all of us. We must see in terms of purity, act in terms of purity, and achieve in terms of purity.

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Sometime ago, I read one of the most interesting books it has been my pleasure to read. It was entitled “Mankind At The Crossroads,” by Henry C. Link. One of the oddities of this life is the fact that many of us constantly find ourselves at the crossroads.

Unconsciously, we move ourselves into positions that require the thought and power of a Being far superior to ours. This book goes on to show that, through the lack of constant vigilance, we have allowed ourselves to drift into a state where morals and spirituality mean nothing.

Suddenly, we have awakened to a new consciousness that we can not get anywhere in our present state. How tragic it is that in the very midst of a day when  we could mean so much to the world, we have allowed ourselves to drift into a world where only a refortification morally and spiritually will make us the kind of people that we are designed to be. Too many of us have come to the end of the long country road now, and we find ourselves at the intersection – for us to take the right or left turn calls for thought on all of our parts.

In every area of life, we find ourselves in a dilemma – we have gone, and gone on, until now we find ourselves clearly and leanly out of space. Many of the solutions we thought would work, we have learned – much to our dismay – may not work.

Long years ago, one of the prophets did things contrary to the will of God. His mind led him to believe that through flight, he could get away from God. After some running and walking, he found a certain amount of solace in the confines of a cave.

One day, he heard the voice of God asking of him, “What are you doing here?” Here a man find himself answerable to a just God and to himself for the crimes he had committed. Where does he go from here? Many of us are asking ourselves the very same question. Our social commitments are making certain requests of us, our economic status is making certain designs upon us, and our moral convictions are making the greatest demands upon us. We are torn between the powers that we are and what we should be, and not only are we constantly confused, but we find ourselves in the midst of confusion.

Our souls cry out for expressions on the higher levels while the more debased part of us want to make us behave and act like those beings minus moral and spiritual obligations. Somewhere down the line of human behavior, once more we must move from our little worlds of indecision into a positive plateau that will enable us to stand up and stand for those things that will make us the type of beings we should be.

Our lives of moral and spiritual indecision have led us to the place where we are now. We cannot allow ourselves to stand at the crossroads of indecision any longer. We must make up our minds that, in the midst of trials and tribulations, moral and spiritual fortifications are the order of the day. Once again we must realize that positive living must mean something to all of us.

Only a few moments ago I heard a man say, “All men could enter heaven if they thought with the mind of God and saw through the eyes of Jesus.” It is at this point that all of us must arrive. We are at the crossroads of life on every level. One writer of this day and generation has said, and said wisely, that we must love or perish. In light of all that is going on, it seems to me that many of us would rather perish than love.

The modern world conditions demand that we foresake our places on indecision on the crossroads and move into the area of human behavior where we will be able to stand for the things with the moral and spiritual latitude that will make all of us contributors to a bigger and better world.

Too long we have lingered at the crossroads of this world. We cannot linger much longer. Each day, the forces of evil are getting bigger and more powerful and our hours, days, weeks, months and years of indecision are making pigmies of us. This is no time for moral and spiritual pigmies. We must – here and now – rise up and be the giants that these days and times demand.

View the entire archive of “The Pulpit Speaks” here.

Continuing our general theme, “Greatest Questions in the Bible,” this week our concern is found in Genesis 4:9 – “Where is Abel, thy brother?”

This question takes on new importance today because in all areas of life, we find people in all conditions. Here in city, we have the friend-less, the food-less and the Savior-less. On the other side of the ledger, there are people who are enjoying the fullest of all things.

We wonder why such things could be but they are, nevertheless. Somewhere in this vast horde of people are those who are kin to all of us – you and me. We wonder how did they get that way only because, somewhere down the line, we have failed to live up to our fullest expectations. Here we find a man who has recently slain his brother and when being questioned, the first thing that popped in his mind was an untruth. “I don’t know!” Each of us knows where our brother is the same way that Cain knew where Abel was.

Today there are people – our brothers – who are physically, morally, economically and spiritually dead because we made them so. Only a few days ago, I was surprised to learn some of the things that were being said about a certain person of our city.

EVIL TONGUES

The things were of such distressing nature that I found myself praying fervently that these things would never fall on the ears of the person because I knew that they would do much to upset him. In the next breath, I found myself asking God to give him strength to hear all of these horrible things. There are thousands and thousands of people where they are today because of our malicious tongues and evil wills.

There are people who are unchurched today because of some of us. There are people who have lost all desire to live because there are those of us who have talked so much that they have no further urge to be anybody. There are people today who are homeless and friendless because some of us have taken upon ourselves to spread unfavorable gossip that has all but killed them. There are people who are prostrate upon the ground, lifeless and hopeless, because some of us, who proclaim to be so righteous and holy, have laid down our righteousness and holiness long enough to stand on the corners and stab our brother in the back with unwarranted words and phrases.

I have often said that there are people in this world who would not dare kill a person with a razor, knife or gun, but these same people will use their tongues over the telephones and on the street corners to kill people. The unfortunate part of this whole program is that there are many people who are not physically dead but who have lost all desire to be anybody or anything. According to my way of thinking, when evil forces work upon a man to the extent that he loses all desire to be something, that man is dead – just as dead as he will ever be.

BITTER DISTRESS

A few Sundays ago I listened to a minister’s wife giving some very sound advice to a young man. This young man was – and still is – in the throngs of bitter distress. He occupies an important place in God’s program and as I passed by, I heard this minister’s wife say to him:

Young man, you don’t know what God has in store for you. Maybe there are souls assigned to you tat only you will be able to lead to God. Don’t let bitterness, hatred, anguish and gossip keep you from doing God’s will.

These words did more for me than anyone will ever be able to realize. I know that in the midst of hatred, meanness, envy, and heartaches we are inclined to become bitter. But God cannot use a man whose heart is filled with bitterness and hatred. In the midst of all of this, we must gird ourselves up and let God soften our hearts to those who are hard to us.

View the entire archive of “The Pulpit Speaks” here.

“When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child, but when I became a man, I put away childish things.”

A few days ago, two of my children were engaged in a bitter argument. When the argument had gone quite a distance, the older girl said to them, “When you grow up, you will be sisters!” How true this will be in all of our dealings with our fellow man! Everything points to just that. The day when all of us grow up we will be brothers and sisters.

Today, in the midst of all of the prejudices and jealousies, we must face fact and say these thing point to one thing: we have not grown up. What these daughters of mine were doing is what a lot of their elders do. We go through the process of constantly bickering, which tells us that we have failed to grow up. But the words of the older daughter throws light on not only the high hopes of my younger daughters but also on us.

The high hopes of our world today are not a matter of people growing up physically but growing up throughout. I know that what these small children were doing was only a temporary thing but I also know that such bickering among older people is not a temporary condition. Many times, we have our petty arguments and they go on for months and years. We never grow up to the point that we are able to forgive and forget. This, in its greatest sense, tells me that we have not grown up.

Today our world is filled with pygmies – people who, in spite of their advanced years, have failed to grow up. Experiences day by day tell me that hidden behind the actions of many people is one great desire: to get even. How unfortunate it is that so many people live for just this one thing. This tragic condition tells me that far too many of us, although advanced in years, have failed to grow up to the point that we are brothers and sisters.

These young girls are blood sisters but they are still fit to argue. They were engaged in a bitter argument as far as children’s arguments are concerned. But daily, there are older people who are engaged in arguments for which there is no forgiveness. We forget, in many instances, that we are kin. We lay down or throw aside the spiritual ties which should make us rise above such pettiness.

Today we need men and women who have grown beyond the realm of pettiness and are able to argue and forget. The world is what it is today because, down through history, we have had men who are big enough to disagree and still be friends. Our sole hope for survival is resting upon the men and women of our day who are big enough and grown enough to let bygones be bygones. Only when these men some on the scene will our world be a better world.

Years ago, a man looking back over is life said, “When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child, but when I became a man, I put away childish things.” This, in short, is the solution to all of our problems today. Only when these men and women of responsibility become men and women of maturity will our problems be solved. Growth in all the areas of our activity will finally bring about a lasting peace. Nothing else will ever do.

View the entire archive of “The Pulpit Speaks” here.

Continuing our general theme of last week, “Great Questions in the Bible,” this week we are going to concern ourselves with the next question found in the Bible, “Who told thee that thou wast naked?” In other words, God asked Adam who told him that he was in this state?

Something speaking to Adam made him positive in his thinking that he was naked. Many times man finds himself in a state which, to him, is unexplainable. The first impulse is to do like Adam – place the blame on someone else. The man who finds himself a drunkard, or a murderer, will, first of all, attempt to place the blame on the next person.

But God will someday direct the question to him as it was directed to Adam.

Who told Adam that he was naked? No one but a higher voice speaking to him, telling him that he was living outside the pale of God’s will. Whatever might be our shortcomings, we are mindful of them, but with the growing consciousness of our straying from the will of God, we awake, mindful of the fact that we are naked.

The very fact that Adam knew that he was not in the original state as God had designed him, now, for a lack of a better explanation, he said, “I was naked and came out here to hide myself.”

TRUTH COMES THRU

But what actually brought about this keen awareness? Motivated by a strong inquisitive mind, he was led to a place where God had forbidden him to go. It was at this point that he realized what he had done was not in conformity with the will of God. It was at this point that Adam saw himself as he actually was. Adam was mirrored to himself in his true state. A voice that had been dormant all these years now spoke to him and told him of his true state. Adam saw himself standing before God’s great mirror. He saw himself as a wicked, undone person who had gone contrary to the will of God. It was at this point that he realized he was naked. Maybe like that rich young ruler who came to Jesus, he tried to rationalize and say that he was a good person minus any faults. But try as he might, he still heard that voice of guilt speaking to him and when he came in the presence of God, he cried out, “I was naked.”

A SINNER

It was not actually true that he was naked, because he had been naked from his creation. Now, for the lack of a better explanation, he said he was naked because that was the first thing that popped in his mind. Today, many people are at that same place in life. As we look back over life and see what we should have been and what we actually are, we would like to cry out that we are naked. The term “naked” said that he was a sinner, that he had disobeyed the will of God.

One author said sometime ago, “Oh, if we could only see ourselves as others see us!” I would like to go a step further and say if we could see ourselves as God sees us, what a change would be wrought in our lives! But today, many of us are hiding behind a pseudo-perfection that leads us only to the worst that is in us and of which we are capable. The very fact is that we hide behind the thought that we are perfect or that we are good. It is in this state that many of us lull ourselves into nakedness.

In man’s most sober mind, he awakes to the fact that he has failed to live up to the expectations of God. When Adam said that he was naked or the prodigal son cried out that he had sinned, they gave evidence of a rude awakening that was brought on by a new awareness of their shortcomings as far as God was concerned. It is at this same point that men on their death beds cry out, belatedly, their shortcomings. When we come to such a point in life we are aware of the fact that, in the sight of God, we have failed to live  up to His expectations. God has placed in each of us a higher authority which constantly speaks to us.

Some people have labeled it “conscious,” but conscious or not, there is something that constantly reminds us that we have done those things which fail to meet God’s approval. Adam had been forewarned about this condition and, although he attempted to hide behind excuses, he didn’t have one. We are all in the same boat. Through the Bible, all of us have been forewarned. When the time comes for us to give an account for our stewardship, we will be in no position to try to place the blame on someone else.

It is human nature that makes us always want to place the blame of our failures on someone else. By the same token, we want to draw all of our successes to ourselves. Many of us are naked this morning, but our awareness of this nakedness is brought about only when the God-consciousness in each of us speaks to us and makes us realize that we have gone contrary to the will of God.

View the entire archive of “The Pulpit Speaks” here.

Once again we enter into a new year. We look down and see the scars brought on us by the struggles, strifes, and conflicts of yesteryear. But even as we enter our churches today, who goes with us?

As the pulpit looks out over the congregation, what does it see? Over to its right it sees a group of people whose heads are now covered with the snows of many winters. The toils and strifes of many years have etched long, jagged wrinkles into their faces that can be erased only by death. The steps that were once young and gay are now short and unsteady. The ears that were at one time alert to every sound now have become silent to may familiar tunes. The vision that once beheld the finest shades of color combinations can now only behold colorless figures standing before it. They look to the pulpit in a longing plea for help.

THEY SIT WAITING

Over in the middle aisle we see hungry, anxious youths waiting to be given the direction of victory and peace. These eager-hearted soldiers are waiting for the spiritual, moral, and intellectual fuel that will enable them to go on to victory. As the pulpit looks into the eyes of the huge throng seated before, it sees a job far superior to the one of last year.

Last year, men walked about in darkness and were satisfied; last year, they lived in poorly built houses and were willing to make out; last year, they were not too much concerned about old age because not many reached that stage in life and it was no problem. Last year, men were satisfied to travel in buggies and oxcarts because time and comfort were not important factors. But now, as the pulpit looks out, it sees people who are expecting to be here a long time.

It sees people who are expecting to live long, live well, and live fully. All of these will be realized when men are enlightened. As the pulpit starts out on a new year, the pulpit can’t satisfy itself with making people “happy.” The “happiness” of 1956 must be wrapped up in moral, spiritual, and intellectual growth. It must lead a people — who have suddenly found themselves materially — to a fountain where a little moral and intellectual grace will be poured upon their heads. Then they will be ready to come away “a good Samaritan,” to walk a second mile, or to share one’s cloak.

MUST HALT STRIFE

The pulpit must speak out to some people who have lost their sense of direction and value. It must speak out to some people who have become over-bearing with the intellectual and material things of life.

As the pulpit speaks in 1956, it must arrest a people wound up in a sudden hurrying spree that is getting them nowhere; it must call a halt to the backward marching characteristic of our day; it must dry out “about face” to a world constantly on the down grade. This pulpit must call a halt to worldliness and ungodly living; it must call a halt to wars and strife.

In 1956, the pulpit sees a man who has been to the fountain and drank of materialism, selfishness, the thrills of possession, and greed. To him, these things are now commonplace. They fail to bring him the thrills of generations ago. Today the prodigal son is on his way back home. The prodigal looks to the pulpit for a man who is solving his problems and is ready to help him solve his. The pulpit is the center of uplifting activity. Speak now, for thy servant listens!

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“And unto one He gave five talents; to another two, and to another one, to every man according to his several ability; and straightway took his journey.” — Luke 25:15

Only in a matter of a few hours, many of us will be celebrating New Year’s Day. Many of us approach this day with mixed emotions. The past years have left many people with tear-stained faces, broken hearts, broken dreams and many misapprehensions. We are rather reluctant to start a new year. Our abilities to endure much of the same is just about exhausted. Not only did this happen to us as individuals but we also see the same things happening to our friends and acquaintances. The world about us is filled with tensions and we find ourselves going around in circles.

This is not something that has just happened. Men throughout history have been plagued with similar ordeals. But history also reveals that men have been able to rise above these things and go on and make their contribution to society. There is one thing that all of us must constantly remember: this is not something just happening to us but to all men in all walks of life.

1960 is not something to be dreaded with fears and misapprehensions but a challenge to all of us. Of all the people I know, I don’t know of any who are completely happy. There are areas in all our lives that we would like to see improved. Each way we look we see places where improvements can be made. Improvements are visible everywhere.

1960 can be envisioned as far back as Biblical times when this man called his servants in and gave them talents. In other words, he made them custodians (care takers). A long time ago, each of us was made a custodian. We were given certain talents and asked to go out and enrich the earth. As 1960 comes on the scene we must look at this as another opportunity on the part of God to give us a chance to use our talents. No, this is not a time to dread; rather, it is a time to re-evaluate life in terms of goals and objectives. The current world conditions are traceable to us through our participation or indifference. To a large extent, we as individuals are responsible for all that has happened and is happening.

It has been stated that there is some good in the worst of us. Taking this to its fullest definition, we could easily say that the worst of us are capable of doing some good. It was because of this that the man called his servants and gave them talents, according to their ability to do good. As we approach 1960, we must conclude that, because God sees that spark of good in all of us, it is critical that it be used to make the world better. 1960 is a challenge for all of us.

That the world is in bad shape is an undeniable fact. In all areas of human behavior there is room for improvement. I know that there are those of us who are always willing to place the blame on someone else, but the blame lies directly with us. The world is never going to be better than those who make it up. I mean to say that the world will never be better than those of us who are here will make it. The world is going to be no better than we are as individuals. It, therefore, behooves all of us to use our God-entrusted talents for the betterment of the world.

In its truest sense, 1960 must be accepted by all of us as a challenge. With all of its uncertainties, 1960 offers all of us a chance to make a contribution to a better world. For some of us, this will be our last chance. To that extent, our ideas of brotherhood, love, wisdom, and fellowship must all be re-worked to the extent that we will seek to realize some of these things. Each one of us MUST see the will of God manifested in our lives as never before.

The story of the talents did not end with the mere giving of talents — it went on to a day of accountability. One of these days, each person who enters 1960 will stand accountable for the days, weeks, or months he consumed in that year of great opportunity. We must — here and now — accept the challenge of this year and do all that we can to make it worthwhile.

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Time and time again, man rises to his highest heights, his shining hour. I use the term “rises” advisedly. As we see man day after day, we see him working on a level that is far below his highest capabilities. The time has come when men must do that which they are best fitted, morally and spiritually.

This week, society had the misfortune of seeing a young man attach and murder a girl of three years. This was tragic enough but when the father of the child made a radio broadcast and made an appeal for God’s mercy upon the man who had killed his daughter, we were fully aware that the first reaction to such an experience would be to become bitter. This was not his way out. Sometimes, may rises to a height that would otherwise never be realized except through the fact that he rises above those about him.

The fact that this man was able to approach the moment without bitterness caused him to rise far higher than he would have otherwise. Many times when we are able to so conduct ourselves that we are able to rise above the normal behavior expected of us, we place upon those about us a much deeper appreciation for the better things of life. We must be able to rise above the expected if life is going to be meaningful.

One of the most needed aspects of our world today is people who are able to rise above the pettiness so common among us. The world will never achieve the place of which it is capable when most of the people with whom we come in contact are filled with those features that prevent us from living life on its highest level. We must realize that life can be much more meaningful for all of us in proportion that we are able to rise above those things that will do nothing but make us smaller. No longer can we as individuals live within the confines of smallness and hope to make this world what it is expected to be.

Sometime ago, I listened to one of the great speakers of our day relate the story behind non-violent resistance in his country. He related some of the things to which people had been subjected to in this whole program. As I listened to him, I wondered how far I could go along with this pattern of things. Then a second thought dawned upon me: this is the position that must become a part of all of us if life is going to be meaningful to us. None of us will ever be able to rise to the standard for which we are destined if we allow bitterness and hate to propel us through this life.

This man who had lost one of his children through the uncontrolled desires of another was able to withstand the ordeal to the point that he nourished the memories of his child and then prayed to God for forgiveness on the part of the young man who had done him such a wrong.

Then the picture changes. The next time you see the young man who had committed the terrible crime, you see a man whose face is bathed in tears. It is my belief that these tears were the result of the talk given to him by the father of the child he had slain. Maybe he could have gone to this man very bitter and antagonistic, which would have brought on the same reactions on the part of the young killer, but when he went remorseful, the young man also became remorseful.

I wonder if this is not the spirit Jesus was presenting to His hearers when He informed them to forgive those who transgressed against them seventy times seven. Forgiveness at its highest level makes us just the same kind of person as this man. Then the same old question comes to all of us: just how non-violent and forgiving are we? I think that, somewhere down the line, each of us should stop and ask ourselves how do we fit into the picture of making this world a better place in which to live. How are we able to adjust ourselves to the adversities of life?

Years from today a man’s stature will be measured not by his bank account, his intellect, his home, or any of the other material things which he might acquire, but rather by his ability to know what is right and his having the ability to follow through with the same in deeds and actions. Men will become men only when they are able to rise up to those things that will cause them to grow in moral and spiritual stature.

When man’s eyes are opened to the extent that he is able to see the will of God, when man’s ears are opened to the extent that he is able to hear the voice of God, and when man’s growth has matured to the point that he is able to rise up to those things for which he is originally designed, then the peace, for which God’s only son came down on this earth, will be realized.

As bitter as some of our losses might be, as disheartening as it is to have one’s confidence in his fellowman thwarted, and as heartrending as it is for one to have his faith shaken because of the evils of society, when one can rise up above all of these things and see God’s will in action and identify himself with a part of this will, there is hope that this world will be a better place in which to live.

View the entire archive of “The Pulpit Speaks” here.

“For an angel went down at a certain season into the pool, and troubled the water; whoever then first after the troubling of the water stepped in was made whole of whatsoever disease he had.” – John 5:4

The month of November is always one of mixed emotions for me. I always associate it with the passing of one of the greatest figures I have ever known. I was a freshman teacher at Bishop College when Dr. Joseph J. Rhodes, then president, passed. In 12 months of working with him. I had learned to appreciate him as a man of stature. Few men of any generation have ever been able to rise to his stature in my thinking. Never did he content himself to do only that which was popular. The people of Texas, and specifically of Marshall, still now benefit from his labors. Like that angel of years ago, he was an angel who troubled the waters that others might be healed.

In spite of the fact that he was smarting under physical handicaps, he went all out that others might live through the sacrifices he was making. The spirit he exhibited is the kind each of us should strive to show. In this day of self-concern, we need people of his heart.

If one goes back a few verses, we will see that this main had lain at the pool for 38 years. Each time the angel came down and troubled the water, someone else would beat this sick man into the water. We live in a day when people are lying at pools throughout our society, waiting for someone to disturb the water. People in all walks of life are encountering some type of sickness. They are waiting for some agency to come to their aid that relief might be wrought.

It is at this point that we Christians take on a new significance. We must be so fortified ourselves that we will be able to withstand the temptations of being successful. We must be in a position to render a real service to our day and time that men of the fibre of Livingstone, Pasteur, Schweitzer and the like must become more numerous within our society. Today we must think in terms of the good we can do rather than the goods we can received. As we trouble the waters and make it possible for someone else to be healed, we must lose self in the rewards that only God can give.

Life is a matter of mission. All of us here are but missionaries, striving through our talents to enrich the lives of all of those with whom we come in contact.

STIR THE WATER

The spirit of the angel coming down to trouble the water must become the spirit of each of us. Today, each of us must start thinking in terms of what good we can do to benefit each of us. We cannot forfeit our mission here by inactivity. We must fight the good fight in the interest of all those about us. We must stir the water about us and make it possible for the people to become a part of the abundant life.

Today we stand on the brink of social, moral and spiritual decay. People have lost the real meaning of these things as they have affected society today. We have become lost in a sense of conformity. This conformity has made for the decay in our day and time. We must rid ourselves of this idea and dare to be different to the point that we can make our contribution to a day that will stand us in good stead with our God and our fellow man.

The world today stands at a point where we must trouble the water and provide full growth for those about us. Our every effort must be made toward the betterment of society as it is designed by God. Contrary to the thinking of many of us, we must be of that fibre that will enable us to make a worthwhile contribution to a day that is weighed on the scales and found wanting. Our day is wanting and will be so until we rise up to the demands placed upon us by the broken hearts about us.

View the entire archive of “The Pulpit Speaks” here.

Two years ago – almost to the day – I posted my father’s article with the above date. While I still have other articles of his left to post, this one is just so appropriate in light of events of this past week. Let me put it in perspective: at this time, my father was almost the same age as I am now – he was 49, I am 48 – and he was seeing political landscape undergoing a major change. And, of course, this was in the days of Jim Crow, poll taxes, and literacy tests – in other words, a time in which few blacks were able to vote. While a black man in Memphis TN at this could only go so far without risking not only his livelihood but his life, read between the lines of what he wrote here:

Rev. Charles Thomas Paige

Each man is so designed that, consciously or unconsciously, he can make a contribution to a better world order. This can only be realized when we as men stand up for that which is best for all men. Whether we occupy a place of low estate or relative importance, we must place an importance on our station that, through our contacts and the like, will enable us to do only that which is best for all concerned. In spite of the unpopularity of doing that which is right, we must fortify ourselves to the point that, at every opportunity, we must show our real worth.

Re-reading those words, and the rest of what he wrote in that piece, I think he was urging people to do what we saw people do this week: stand up and be counted.

This is one of those times – like so many before – that I wish my father were here to tell me what he meant in these writings. Obviously, I read them through the lens of my own experience. But I have a feeling that I’m right on this – that despite the barriers, people needed to express their opinion.

I have no idea if my father voted in that 1960 election. But because of him and others, I voted in 2008. And for the path that they blazed so that I could exercise my right, I am grateful.

View the entire archive of “The Pulpit Speaks” here.

Have you ever seen an old young man?

There is such a thing, however controversial you may feel my thinking.

A few days ago a young man came to me and engaged me in a conversation. I was washing my car and he just could not understand where I received so much energy. It only took a casual look at him to realize that he was a man who had lived life at its fullest and now at middle age had nothing left. I asked him about his life and, of course, his age. He told me in a few words that he had had a lot of fun and now, at 45 years of age, life owed him nothing. As he looked back over life he could see nothing but pleasant memories. But whereas he looked on life — his life — with a certain amount of joy, I feel that of all things, his life was most tragic.

I could see behind him a mother and father who looked forward with great expectations on this, their son, only to be disillusioned with his choice of friends, activities and the like. No doubt his mother, now living at a ripe old age herself, and his father look back over the years at this son and wonder what could have been. But as I looked at this young man, I saw a man who, for some unknown reason, had thrown away his most productive years.

GREAT AWAKENING

Maybe like the historical prodigal, he now thinks that he has had a great time. But one of these days, he is in for a great awakening. An awakening that will make him mindful of the life that he has lived is nothing more than a shadow of what it could have been.One of these days he will arouse to the fact that after all, life is not a matter of wine, women and song. The long hours, the reckless living, and the indulgence in those things not designed for the human body have all written their marks upon him. Now a young man who should be in the peak of life is through — physically, intellectually and morally. Let me hasten to say that when a man or woman loses the desire to want to be somebody, he is through. As I talked with this young man, I asked him if he ever thought, years ago, that he wanted to be somebody. All he wanted to do was to have a lot of fun and live life to its fullest.

THE TRAGIC THING

But the most tragic thing of the whole affair is that as bad as it may seem, it does not stop with this young man. There are thousands and thousands of people who look back over life and now, with the evening sun approaching, they an see nothing but what could have been. Many people learn late — far too late — that life is a sacred trust. It is going to take living at its best every day to make like what it should be. I am fully mindful of the fact that we all have our moments of temptations, trials and tribulations but only in proportion that we are able to soar above these things will life be worthwhile to ourselves and our fellow man. The bitter pace at which some of our bodies are exposed, the bitter pursuit of eating, drinking, and being merry have done much to make life less effective than it should be. The abuse to which many of our lives are exposed only says to God that we are not grateful for the untold benefits we receive daily. But life would be a futile thing if abuse, greed, hate, selfishness and the like were all that we could see. Against these small things, there have been men who have been willing to pay the price and soar to the top of things. It is through their efforts that we have been able to have a Franklin D. Roosevelt, George W. Carver, Booker T. Washington, Dr. Salk or Dr. Einstein.

Life takes on a new meaning when, somewhere down the line, we are able to see evidence of hope in spite of all the futility and despair we see in much of what goes on around us.

NO EASY WAY

Life is so designed that we are prone to take the roads, avenues, highways or alleys of least resistance. There is something about life that naturally makes us want to find an easy way out. But let me tell you: if you were to go out to any cemetery and stand by the grave of a successful man or woman and listen attentively, you would hear a voice speaking to you, telling you that there is no easy way out.

I realize that many of us have become wrapped up in the idea of getting rich quickly, of living in extreme comfort, of bringing heaven down here right now, but such things are not achieved overnight. Men who have reached the utmost heights have busied themselves with working by the oil of the midnight lamp.

I fully realize that this young man can look back over his life with a certain amount of satisfaction. But in his saner moments, he will be looking for something that just won’t be there.

Many times I see people looking about in life, feeling the darkness, reaching into the uncertainties of life, looking for something that is not there. To me, this is one of the most tragic things in life. Somewhere in life there is something that make a normal man cry out, “Father, I have sinned. I have come short of the mark. I have failed to live up to expectations.”

View the entire archive of “The Pulpit Speaks” here.

“Remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth, while the evil days come not, nor the years draw nigh when thou shalt say, ‘I have no pleasure in them; while the sun or the light, or the moon, or the stars, be not darkened, nor the clouds return after the rain.’” – Ecclesiastes 12:1-2

A few days ago I saw an old lady — thwarted by life’s most cherished dreams — leave a room with her face soaked with moisture from tears. Now at a time when she normally would have been shedding tears of joy because of the realization of her dreams she now stands on the very threshold of despair — broken-hearted because now she is on the verge of a dismal failure.

This brings me once again to one of my pet questions — when is a man old? I am sure that experience has taught most of us that age is not something that can be measured alone in terms of years. There are other factors and important factors that determine exactly how old a person might be. Deep down within me I am forced to believe that age is a matter of one’s beliefs — when one reaches that stage in life when he can no longer or desires no longer to make a contribution to his day and time that he is getting old.

Getting old is one of the most dreaded conditions in the annals of man. People take special exercises, go on diets, go to this resort or that, go through plastic surgery and the like to keep from growing old. All this takes place and yet one day, they wake up to learn that their steps are getting shorter and shorter, vision is becoming impaired, and the hearing that only a few years ago was very keen is now not nearly so. Whether we want to admit it or not, all of these point to one fact: we are growing old. No wonder the old poet of many years ago reminded us to remember now.

Day by day I see young people who are not mindful that, in just a few more days, they will be in the same position as this old lady. It behooves all of us to realize that 55 or 60 is just a matter of a few more settings of the sun or risings of the same. Unless we remember now, we, too, will find ourselves at that station in life when all or most of our strength is gone and sitting on the proverbial wishing rock, wishing that we had our days to live all over again and telling ourselves what changes would would have made.

How tragic it is that many people lull themselves into complacency, rocking in an old chair singing, “I have heard of a land on a far away strand … ’tis the land where we never grow old.” The only people who refuse to grow old are those people who remember in the days of youth that life is a matter of enriching the life of someone else. As soon as we come to grips with this one thing ourselves we can stay young through the constant aid we render to others. If, in our young days, we come to grips with those things that are vital to life, we will always remain young. I know that there are countless numbers of us who are always lulling ourselves into a false belief that “it can’t happen to me” but I have news for all people believing so. There are certain imperatives in our lives — all of our lives — that must be recognized as such. We must remember now that as sure as we live, certain things are going to happen. When the poet said remember now, he was telling us in no uncertain terms that the foundation that we build today will enable us to live long, useful lives here on this earth.

The standards of life that are vital, the rules of the game, the demands of human activities — all change so fast that, much sooner than we think, we are old, left out of the picture because we are no longer in a position to make a contribution to our day and time. When one realizes that such is the case, we are equally reminded that we are old. Getting old is something that is inevitable in term of years, but it does not have to happen in terms of activity.

To a large degree our age may be determined in terms of our activity but if, in the early years of our days, we stay mindful of the days that are to come and make preparation for the same, in all probability, we will not grow old. In the truest interpretation of the word, our youth is the challenging portion of our lives and if through wise choice and devout preparation we spend our youth wisely, our older days will take care of themselves. To do this and do it adequately, we must remember now!

View the entire archive of “The Pulpit Speaks” here.

The evening shadows had gathered and 13 hounded men had gathered in an upper room to eat their final meal. Suddenly, one speaks up and makes the rest of them mindful that the end of a world-shaking and world-shaping career was nearing an end.

Before the men would rise tomorrow morning, one who had been entrusted with the innermost secrets of the whole program had acted under the impulse of right for a mere pittance of a few dollars.

Looking around the table, the group was reminded that in a matter of a few moments, one of them would suddenly become a betrayer. Human weakness made them cry out, “Lord, is it I?” Needless to say, when a man finally arrives to the point in life where he learns that one who is close to him is going to betray him, the hour is dark.

Many times such betrayal is unwarranted. No record has yet been produced to show or indicate that Judas had any reason for his act. A review of the life of Jesus reveals that Jesus had been far more considerate of Judas than Judas had ever dared to be to him. But why did Judas betray Jesus?

Jesus was betrayed only because Judas just could not stand the temptation of a few pieces of silver being waved before him. Let us assume that Judas was human. Let us approach it from that point of view. Let each of us ask ourselves the question, “What would we have done if we had been in the place of Judas?”

In all probability, we would have done the same thing. Judas ad been entrusted with a faith. Judas had been taken into the inner circle that he might be left to carry on the work after Jesus would have left the scene. But why did he betray Jesus?

Judas died by hanging himself, but 20 centuries later — here in our day and time — there are some Judases.

We still have people in our midst who, unfortunately, put more emphasis on getting ahead at any price than doing what they know is right. We still have those among us who are content to look for popular applause than to have a clear conscience that they are doing a good job. Our world is in the current condition because people in places of great influence have chosen to do that which is popular rather than that which is right. We concern ourselves today more with expediency.

There is a little old lady in Hernando, Miss., who has been teaching for better than 30 years now. Recently, the wear and tear of teaching has begun to show and now past 60, she said something that has been most meaningful to me. She sand, “Rev. Paige, I have taught all these years because I believe that is what God intended for me to do!” Oh what a different world this would be if all of us were doing what we are doing because we have a deep-seated conviction that “that is what God” would have us do.

In far too many cases, we have in our homes mothers who have failed to come to grips that being a mother is what God would have her be. We have in our classrooms teachers who are not sold on the idea that that is what God would have them be. We have in our pulpits men who have not come to grips yet that this is what God would have them be. And we wonder about world conditions!

Far too many of us are concerned about the monetary returns of our labors while the world goes on, desperate for moral and spiritual guidance. Many people in all walks of life — the politicians, the teachers, the mothers, the lawyers, and many more — are satisfied only and concern themselves only with what they are going to get out of every effort expended.

Somewhere down the road to higher morality and spirituality we must rid ourselves of our Judas-like characteristics. Starting with ourselves, we must make this a better world.

View the entire archive of “The Pulpit Speaks” here.

“With one misguided action, the Kaine Administration has put the chaplains in an impossible position,” noted House Majority Leader H. Morgan Griffith (R-Salem).

[...]

“For those of us who understand the importance of religion in American life and value the free expression of religion as one of our essential rights, the Kaine Administration’s directive is disappointing and disheartening,” Delegate Griffith remarked.

Whoa! Did I miss something? The Washington Post reports:

In a statement, Col. W. Steven Flaherty, the State Police superintendent, said he asked chaplains to offer nondenominational prayers at department-sanctioned public events but that the request does not apply to private ceremonies or individual counseling.

Flaherty said his decision was in response to a recent federal appeals court ruling that a Fredericksburg City Council member may not pray “in Jesus’s name” during council meetings because the opening invocation is government speech.

OK, the federal appeals court made the ruling and Flaherty is just following the ruling. How the House Republican leadership made the leap to blame it on Kaine just doesn’t make sense. Got a problem with the ruling? Take it up with the court. And Delegate Charles W. “Bill” Carrico, Sr. (R-Grayson), who referred to this as an “attack on Christianity” needs to tone down the rhetoric.

Republicans don’t have a lock on Christianity.

UPDATE: Someone just sent me this link. Obviously, they have no clue, saying that the troopers “lost their jobs” and that Kaine is “persecuting Christians.” It’s folks like these who give Christianity a bad name.

“Then Peter said, ‘Lo, we have left all and followed thee’” – Mark 10:28

How tragic it is that world thinking has centered around personal gains from each event involved. The smallest favor on the part of the smallest person is centered around, “What am I going to get out of it?”

You send a child to the store now and the first thing he wants to know is, “How much are you going to give me?” Everything one does for another is done largely under the guise of “What is in it for me?”

The thinking so common in earlier days centered around doing something for the benefit of one’s fellow man is long gone. “No money, no work” is the policy of most people with whom we come in contact today.

In the verses preceding this particular verse, Jesus talked about the plight of the richest men. He had talked with one who had become very boastful over having kept the Ten Commandments. He had lulled himself into pseudo-complacency over having done this. Many of us are doing the same thing.

NO PRICE TAG

If life has any real meaning for any of us, it is wrapped up in the fact that Christianity means doing the will of God without a price tag. The spirit of the Good Samaritan must become the spirit of each of us in all of its implications.

In this verse, Peter reveals that what he thought was the real mission was one that carried a reward on it here and now. Most of us think of what will be gained from doing this or that, not what great opportunities we have for rendering a service to our day and time. Peter implied that he had left all and followed Jesus and now was the time to pay off.

Jesus let him know that no man who left all and followed Him would be unrewarded. In fact, Jesus told him he would be rewarded one hundred times.

There must be something in each of our lives that makes us want to put our whole selves into something that will make this world better through our contributions. Our rewards for participation in many of the things of like will never be arrived at in items but rather in the intangible.

GREATEST REWARD

A good preacher, teacher or parent will be rewarded only in terms of having turned out a good product. The sincere teacher, preacher or parent will receive his greatest reward only to the extent that an exceptional product is turned out. No amount of money will bring to the real teacher, preacher or parent the joy that he knows when he looks up and sees something that he has helped mold rise to the greatest heights.

Peter thought now in terms of rewards but his greatest was postponed until after Jesus had left the scene. That was on the day of Pentecost when, through his preaching, 3,000 people were converted. This brought greater reward to Peter, the greatest joys he had ever known, joys that could never be evaluated in terms of dollars and cents but rather in terms of rapture unexcelled.

Our real joys are not now nor will they ever be in terms of dollars and cents but rather in a matter of having made a real contribution in the lives of those with whom we come in contact. Life is really not life until we render all of the good that we can.

Whatever might be our perspective in like, this takes on value only to the degree that we bring something of value into the lives of others. The real gains each of us makes is in terms of the good we do. This should be the deep-seated goal of every living being today. In proportion that we strive to do this, our lives and the lives of all of those with whom we come in contact will be far more rewarding.

View the entire archive of “The Pulpit Speaks” here.

The world is filled with tragedies. One does not have to go far before he runs into one tragedy or another. The really tragic thing is those involved do not realize that they are tragedies.

A long time ago, a man came here on earth and stayed for a long time. He grew some but never grew beyond the stature of of a boy. We live in a world today filled with “Tom Thumbs.” Daily, I come in contact with people who have never grown up. The fact that they have not makes them behave as they do.

A few days ago, I was on a local bus. There was a lady who, hours before, had had an argument with her husband. For some unknown reason, she did not finish the argument at home, so she set out to tell the lady sitting next to her what she should have told her husband. In her display of emotional upheaval, she said, “Nobody tells me where to go, when to go, and when to come back. My mother and father never told me that!”

I felt like turning around and telling her, “Yes, that is exactly the reason you are on this bus, going to that job this morning!” The very fact that she or anyone would get on a public bus and blab about her personal business is evidence that she had failed to grow up.

But it does not stop there. All along life’s highway you find people who have not grown up to the point that they will do anything to gain publicity. When one reads “Letters to the Editor” in one of our local papers or listens to “Party Line” on one of our local radio stations, he has to stop and wonder just how popular is the idea advanced here. As you read or hear some of the attitudes expressed in either media, one has to wonder what has happened to the well-meaning people of our society.

In the mind of this writer, it is quite evident that the writers of such letters and the makers of such comments as I frequently hear have failed to grow up. This, in itself, is tragic – very tragic. Today as never before we need men who have grown up, men who themselves have come to grips with the vital things in life and are now in a position to assist other people to do the same. We have far too many people in this generation who have failed to grow up themselves but who are constantly trying to teach someone else to grow up.

The Bible says that one day Jesus walked up to a group of people and revealed that the “spirit of the Lord is upon me because life has anointed me to preach the gospel.” Jesus was acknowledging that he was now grown up to the point that He was able to do the work before Him. We need men today who have grown to the point that they know where they are going.

The condition of the world in which you awoke this morning is no longer a thing that can be run by inexperienced or immature people. We can’t fool ourselves any longer in believing that we can do, when we know that we have nothing to offer. We need people at the wheel today who know where they are going and have a well-planned map of how to get there. It is no longer a hit-or-miss pattern of life.

The hymn writer long ago cried out, “Rise up, O men of God!” Today we need those men of God and the men of good intentions to rise up and do that which they know is right. We need these men to take over the leadership of current world conditions and make a real society out of the chaos and confusion of today.

We need men who have learned to discipline themselves. The fact that mother and father never told you when to go or where to go is no reason for us to thing that there should be no restrictions on either. We need people who have learned to discipline themselves that they might be in a better position to teach discipline to others. We need not boast that we have never been exposed to discipline. This very fact means defeat within itself. Every person who has ever made anything of himself had to first discipline himself. Today we need people who have learned this lesson.

We need not fool ourselves by the idea that we can live under false pretenses and still live a worthwhile life. The two do not go hand in hand. If we are going to make a worthwhile contribution to our day and time, we must first be somebody ourselves. The only way we can do this is through growing up in every respect. There are too many “Tom Thumbs” now trying to rule this world. This has never been successfully done nor will it ever be done.

View the entire archive of “The Pulpit Speaks” here.

“And every one that heareth these words and doeth them not shall be likened unto a foolish man which built his house upon the sand; and the rains descended and the floods came and the winds blew, and beat upon the house; and it fell; and great was the fall of it.” – Matthew 7:24-25

How tragic it is that a non-thinking man would build his house upon the sand. Sand is the subject of every ill wind and every raging wave. Yet it is true that many men are thoughtless or indifferent to the point that they make no more plans for a secure future than to build upon sand. Sand may be any of those things that are easily moved and change values from day to day.

The man who built his house upon the sand never took into consideration that storms and adversities would come that way and the house would be tested at every point for survival. Not only is it necessary for one to build a house upon a solid foundation but it is also important that one should build a like upon these elements that will enable one to withstand all of the adversities that one is called upon to endure.

Many lives fold up in these trying days because somewhere down the line, the material that has gone into the building of a strong foundation has been withheld. The man who is unconcerned to the point that he will build upon a poor foundation or put things into a life that will not stand the tests of time can expect no more than to get somewhere down the line and see his most cherished dreams fall into a pile of debris.

Life is so made up that one must, out of necessity. mold it of those things that are lasting and worthwhile. By the same token, one must build life upon those things that will last.

This saying comes after Jesus’ talks to His hearers about truths that will make them worthwhile and confident citizens. This can never be realized unless the better things in life are out into one’s life. Time and time again I hear anxious parents wondering why their children did not grow up and be like other children. This question will have to be answered by another: did you put into your child what that other person put into his? Many times, therein lies the answer to our dilemmas. What a terrible, distraught man that man must have been to come home after a storm only to find his house had fallen! But on second thought, was not the falling of the house a making of his own choice? Are not many of our failures traceable to the choices we have made in previous years?

I think that if we were honest, we would say just that. How many times in our personal lives we choose to take the short cuts rather than do the hard work necessary for a good job only to learn that the little short cut we took stares us in the face later on?

Let us say, for the sake of argument, that this man could easily have built his house upon a good, solid foundation but would have had to cut down a few trees and clear some bushes. Rather than this, he chose a clear but sandy spot upon which to build his house. Had he chosen the former place, his house would have lasted for many years through many storms. Any house worth putting up is worth putting up right. The tendency of so many people to want to take short cuts is pathetic. Yet this was nothing new to Jesus. He knew that men would be wanting to take short cuts so he likened those short cuts to people who would build houses upon sandy foundations. For foundations to have lasting value they must be built on a solid foundation with a cohesiveness that will be able to support the building.

The life designed by a person must be of such nature that it will be able to support any stand that a person may take in life.

Like structures, the building of lasting lives must be upon those things that will not change with the passing of time. There must be virtue in each of our lives that will make us strive only after those things that will give us stature and worthwhileness in this life. This cannot be realized by building upon a series of short cuts. The challenge which lies before each of us now is a challenge of dedication that will enable us to strive for those things that are lasting and worthwhile.

View the entire archive of “The Pulpit Speaks” here.

“And he sought to see Jesus who he was; and could not for the press, because he was little of stature.” — Luke 19:3

One of the most tragic phases of human activities today is wrapped up in the fact that far too many men are too small. Much of the color of things we see and hear today may be directed definitely to the point that we have grown to be a nation of small people. Zaccheus goes down in history as a small man. He could not see many things that other men saw because of his size. But one thing that I will always admire in Zaccheus is that in spite of his physical smallness, he had an outlook on life that was high and noble.

In modern world activity, we have the misfortune of having two types of men: some small-large men and some large-small men. Now I agree with some of you that such terminology seems highly paradoxical but it is true, nevertheless.

Some people I know have been able to wiggle themselves into places of importance and, having obtained their goals, a small man gets unto a big man’s place. The world needs men who as basically big: men who are able to rise above prejudices, greed, selfishness, pride and the like. A long time ago a man prayed, “God give us men who can walk with kings and not lose the common touch.” Today men walk with kings and that is all you hear for the balance of their days.

The providence of God has been most favorable to some of us. We have been able to succeed and progress where many have failed. We have been able to soar to the utmost heights while many others have faltered. We have been able to acclaim many honors while others have gone on unsung. But with all of this, there is no reason for us to use those God-given blessings as means of keeping others from achieving. The really big man is the man who has so morally and spiritually contained himself that whatever the problem that confronts him, he is able to be governed by the moral and spiritual ties that should govern all of us.

But the most beautiful thing about the whole picture is that there are some big small men. These men never crave the opportunity to occupy the big offices or the like but the, in their small ways, are able to challenge the lives of many people through their humble Christ-like living. They are the people who will walk the second mile or share their meager possessions for the joy of others. I have learned through experience that it is not the man who has the most who will help the most, but rather it is just the opposite. The man with the big family, head over heels in debt himself, with all types of obligations, will find some way to help a friend in distress.

These noble men’s minds and efforts have made it possible for many a man to make it into the harbor when otherwise he would be denied the privilege. You won’t find the big-little men’s names on the front of any papers. You won’t hear anyone standing on the street corners telling of their deeds. But in reality, they are the people who, like busy little ants, hour by hour and day by day, make it possible for other generations to come on the scene. These big little men, like Zaccheus, have their handicaps but to offset their handicaps, have a zeal and an ambition that will enable them to rise to heights never thought attainable by the casual bystander.

History has it that Zaccheus was a rich man of great social standing in the community. No one could think in terms of a man of his position climbing a tree. But Zaccheus heard that Jesus was coming his way. He would not let social prestige, economic status, intellectual standing, or anything else keep him from seeing Jesus. To this extent we must admit that Zaccheus was right. There are times when we must disrobe ourselves of certain standings and not concern ourselves with what the people think of us or what they think we should do. Our sole responsibility is to do what is right.

Zaccheus was a little man with a vision to do that which was noble and right. We should all strive to be like him. We must see something worth doing and then, disrobing ourselves of all superficial apparel, set out with all of our minds, souls and bodies, to do just that.

View the entire archive of “The Pulpit Speaks” here.

“Then shall the kingdom be likened unto ten virgins, which took their lamps and went forth to meet the bridegroom. And five of them were wise, and five were foolish. They that were foolish took their lamps, and took no oil with them; But the wise took oil in their vessels and slept with their lamps. While the bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept. And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him. Then all those virgins arose, and trimmed their lamps. And the foolish said unto the wise, Give us of your oil; for our lamps are gone out.” –Matthew 25:1-8

When the fire goes out, men become fools! The world is slowly becoming inhabited with fools. The fire that has made this world what it is today is slowly going out all over the world. The urges that inspired men of years ago to want to be something and somebody is no longer with us. The satisfaction of being just moral and spiritual pygmies is everywhere present.

The smaller we are, the happier we are.

There is a certain satisfaction that characterizes far too many of us to the extent that we live life at its fullest when we arouse ourselves to the fact that our lamps have gone out. How tragic it is that men will satisfy themselves with the idea that they are going to do or have just enough to merely get by! The desire to excel, the urge to want to be outstanding, the zeal to make outstanding contributions have gone from the hearts of far too many of us. We gloat over the fact that we have fine homes, cars, bank accounts, jobs, friends and the like, but the thing that means most to us is gone, all gone.

In far too many cases, we are somewhere sitting at the very door of great opportunity unprepared to go further. These foolish virgins — like many of us — never took under consideration that the unexpected might happen. Nevertheless, it did happen. With the delay of the arrival of the bridegroom, they allowed their lamps to burn and when the bridegroom did arrive, all of the oil had been consumed. Many — far too many — people of this day and generation so exhaust themselves in the non-essentials that when the time comes to shine, they are not ready.

This brings about a big question in my mind: did they really want to see the wedding? Is the man or woman who allows the non-essentials to detract them from the real things in life actually sincere in wanting to be what he sets out to be or is he just pretending?

I know people who tell me that they want to be this or that, but spend all their time in fine clothes, fine cars, and having a fine time.

It appears to me that, somewhere down the road, we must make up our minds about this or that.

Hard experience has taught and is still teaching men in all walks of like that you can not depend upon another man’s oil to accomplish your goals. If a man sets out to go on a journey and knows that it is going to take two tanks of gas and leaves home with half a tank and no money in his pocket, it forces me to believe that he did not intend to go. These foolish virgins who did not think in terms of the bridegroom being late or other things that could have happened miss the wedding for that same reason.

There are those of us today who are missing out on life because we fail to take into consideration the fact that somewhere down the line, we are going to run into the unexpected.

The lack of oil stands today as a monument of failure to those of us who have made up our minds that we are going to get through life on the minimum. Carrying a little extra oil was too bothersome for these foolish virgins. Putting forth a little extra effort to do something is too bothersome for many of us. We are rocking ourselves to sleep on the unfounded idea that someone else will give to us when we give out. I remember a little couplet I saw some years ago:

The heights attained by men and kept were not achieved by sudden flight but they, while their companions slept, were upward toiling in the night.

If life is going to mean anything to most of us, we are going to have to make up in our minds that were are going to have to carry along something extra — something extra in terms of moral fortitude, in terms of spiritual enlightenment, in terms of intellectual advancement. Then, and only then, will we lift ourselves above the category of being labeled “fools.”

View the entire archive of “The Pulpit Speaks” here.

“But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was and when he saw him, he had compassion on him, and went to him, and bound up his wounds, pouring in oil and wine, and set him on his beast, and brought him to an inn, and took care of him.” – Luke 10:33-34

BLESSINGS

This parable brings out one of the great expectations of Christians as laid down by Jesus. In an hour of potential, Jesus expects each of us to be instrumental in bringing out the best in these trying moments. It is my firm belief that God has blessed us that we may be a blessing for someone else. The man who is blessed and never thinks in terms of being a blessing to someone else is very much akin to that man who goes out and buries his talent.

UNSELFISHNESS

A few hours ago I saw Langston Hughes appear on the stage of Ogden Hall at Hampton Institute. Already Mr. Hughes is tall timber in the thinking of all sober-minded people. His works have etched a place for him among the greats that time will never erase. But after the program had gone on a piece, I saw a new Langston Hughes — a Langston Hughes who was willing to jeopardize all that he had on the production of a young man who was unknown in this part of the country.

Gilbert Price, one of the stars of “Jericho-Jim Crow,” came out on the stage and startled the audience in such a way that will long be remembered by his hearers in Hampton.

The one thing that kept running through my mind was that here was truly the story of the “Good Samaritan” in action. Maybe Mr. Price was not in a ditch and physically wounded, but I am sure that, by this time, he realized within himself that he had unusual talent and no one would give him a hand.

He was being passed by daily by people who could have helped him but no one heard his longing to want to be a great singer. Then along came Langston Hughes, the Samaritan, who saw something in him and went all out to give him a chance.

Somewhere in my innermost thinking, I believe that this is the type of spirit God would have each of us have. Somewhere still I believe that this is the kind of spirit God-touched people will always have.

MORE THAN A BOOK

Contrary to much of our popular thinking, the Bible is not some old-fashioned book that has no meaning for people today. Actually, it has more meaning today than it has ever had. The man who wants to do good can find more justification and motivation in the Bible than anywhere else.

Today we need people who are going to take the spirit of those nobler characters in the Bible and make them a part of their lives, to the extent that they are willing to help someone else.

Only to the extent that our spirits take on a kinship to the noble spirits of the Bible will our lives down here justify our existence on this earth. We can never be satisfied with merely receiving blessings. We should strive to use these blessings to make other people better people.

Langston Hughes is a poet, lecturer, columnist and author of the first magnitude. He is now at a place in life where he could sit down, but he would rather be going from place to place, inspiring others. His soul has taken its place with those of the greats of all ages.

So it should be with each of us.

View the entire archive of “The Pulpit Speaks” here.

“And behold, a woman in the city, which was a sinner, she knew that Jesus sat at meal in the Pharisee’s house, brought an alabaster box of ointment, and stood at His feet behind Him weeping and began to wash His feet with tears, and did wipe them with the hairs of her head, and kissed His feet and anointed them with ointment.” — Luke 7:37-38

THE UNNAMED HEROES

Nothing has made such an impact upon history as the unnamed heroes that have passed along its highways. As one reads history books and the Bible, he is astonished at the countless number of people who have contributed so much, unnoticed and unnamed. Time and time again we run across the statement in the Bible, “a certain man…” or “a certain woman…” This is all that we know about them. No name is given, only the history-making event that they did has warranted being mentioned.

One day, Jesus saw an unnamed woman come up and drop two pence. When her deeds were questioned by a bystander, Jesus remarked that she had done more than all the rest because she gave all she had.

Elijah, hungry and thirsty, was sent by God to a certain widow’s house to get bread. “A certain man had two sons…” “A certain woman sitting on a well” was asked of Jesus to give Him a drink.

But who were these people? Only God knows.

PUBLICITY WANTED

These unnamed persons performed their noble deeds years ago and moved on. What a far cry that is from deeds performed today. We want our names blazed upon the newspapers, on radio, or on television. We want the whole world to know that someone has done something unusual and want it associated with our names.

What a terrible world ours would be if history had associated every deed with a name. But this is not so and many of the people who have labored to the achievement of noble ends have do so unnamed.

Here this woman saw Jesus’ feet and noticed that the guests had not even extended Him the common courtesy of washing His feet. The circumstances were so heart-rending to her that she wept. But her weeping did not help. She used the tears that were streaming from her eyes and washed the feet of Jesus. Then, when no towel was at hand, she used her hair to dry them. But even then her task was not complete. She took the much cherished contents of her alabaster box and anointed the feet of Jesus.

A NOBLE ACT

When asked for an appraisal of her actions, Jesus told Peter that this woman had done more than all the rest. She was a sympathetic heart. She had been labeled “a sinner” by all the folks of the community. Many had stated that she was incapable of doing anything worthwhile. But when she say Jesus her whole outlook on life changed.

Periodically something should happen to each of us to change our outlook on life. Something should change our very motives. No longer should we think in terms of doing something for the glory and fame attached but for the sake of the good that we are going to render to others.

Whether it is a matter of giving our two pence when it might represent our all, giving the last meal in the barrel that a hungry man might be fed, or giving something that we cherish most that those about is should catch a new vision of life, we should do it and do it nobly.

If our actions are motivated by rewards, we should think in terms of the intangible rewards that will last long after we have passed off of the scene.

View the entire archive of “The Pulpit Speaks” here.

Life has a peculiar way of filing our skies with clouds. Ofttimes we wonder just what we are going to do to make out of life that which means so much to us. Strive as you may, seemingly you never can get things going. In many instances, it seems that all doors have closed at once. The human element at this point makes us cry out for those pains that inflict the greatest misery on us.

A few evenings ago I went to a local store to purchase some money orders. On my way I was thinking about the long 30 days it took me to earn this money. Now with it in my hand for less than 30 hours, it was almost gone. I remarked that if I could just get my house and car paid for, I could make it. The lady about to take part of my last few dollars looked up, pointed at me, and said, “Ask the Lord to help you!”

Never before had these words meant so much to me! Ofttimes I had told this to other people, but here at one of my lowest moments, they came back to me. Here I stood like Elijah, hiding from the real issues of life. I, who should have been the source of comfort to others, found myself receiving comfort.

To me, I was plagued with the bitterness of a society that made me disgruntled with many of the things with which I came in contact. But how justified was I? It only takes a look about you to see that there are countless people around you who are in far worse shape. In spite of the fact that my children place a great demand upon me as far as financial responsibilities are concerned, I know people what are met daily with even greater responsibilities.

On the other hand, these little ones and my wife appreciate what I am trying to do for them. Yet as I read newspapers daily, I see children and wives who are not nearly as appreciative. I read further and talk with people day in and day out and I see that I am not alone in bearing crosses. People in all walks of life have some type of crosses that burden them constantly.

I, like many of you, can boast one of these days of having paid for a house and a car. I can boast of not having excessive doctor’s or hospital bills to pay. I can take pride in that fact that God has given me a portion of health and — although most of the time, I do barely make it — I make it nevertheless. As I look back over life, I can’t be too disgruntled over the fact that I have crosses. This in itself says something to me.

Time and time again, I as I now look back over life, God has stepped in and disaster has been averted. Throughout my life, God has exercised his will through some person so that I have been able to move on. So one finds himself acknowledging that sure God has taken care of him. Each of us can look about us on any given day and see people who are far worse off than ourselves. By the same token, we see people what are, from all outward appearances, doing better than we. But in spite of this, we must muster up enough force — with the help of God — to overcome our little problems in life.

When life apparently has us down, we must look beyond ourselves to find a way out. All of our problems can never and will never be solved by ourselves. In the midst of doubt, fear, and misapprehensions, we must rely on God to show us a way out. Sooner or later, each one of us must realize that anything worth having has a price on it. Sometimes this is expressed in term of tears or sweat or sacrifices, but whatever they are, we must see the help of God to see us through.

But in the final analysis, are we not better people by having to walk the valley and shadow of death and all the other experiences we endure here on this earth? Are not we stronger people when daily we are exposed to temptations, trials, tribulations, and misapprehensions? Are not these God-ordained things to draw us a little closer to God? In the final analysis, these things must happen — there is no question about that!

Through fires, through floods, or through adversities, this life must come that when all is over, we can appreciate and enjoy the reward of the better things of life. It must be accepted that life is so designed that into each life, some rain must fall, some clouds must come, and some deceit must come so that we might be in a position to appreciate the better and nobler things of this world and the world to come.

View the entire archive of “The Pulpit Speaks” here.

Southern politics is not solely bound up with race and religion, but almost every issue or controversy has some racial or religious element beneath the surface. The dual power of race and religion in southern politics will make it extraordinarily difficult for Democrats to recapture the South.

In chapter 3, entitled “Blacklash and the Heavenly Chorus,” author Thomas F. Schaller looks at the twin issues of race and religion and their effect on Southern politics.

RACE

The chapter opens with Election Day 2005 in Virginia and a discussion with former governor and current Richmond mayor Doug Wilder, who, at the time the book was written, was the nation’s first and only black governor.Wilder offers the opinion that the reason another black governor had yet to be elected was because the candidates were “running to make history,” and suggest that instead, candidates shouldn’t talk about race and history, focusing instead on issues that people care about. Schaller believes removing race is difficult, if not impossible, for any Democratic candidate, whether white or black.

According to Schaller, race has been a part of southern politics for 400 years, although today it is much more subtle. Mentioning again that almost half of all blacks live in the South, Schaller points out that the majority of local, state and national black elected officials are from the South and for the most part, are Democrats. Nevertheless, only a third of black members of Congress are from the South. Why?

Conventional wisdom says that blacks are not voting. Schaller says this is not true and offers proof in the form of this table:

2004 African-American Percentage of Southern Population, Eligible
Voters, Registrants, and Voters (Table 3.1)

State	Population	Age 18+	Registered	Voted
Alabama	26.4	24.0	24.1	24.8
Arkansas	15.8	14.7	14.2	12.7
Florida	15.7	13.9	11.7	11.1
Georgia	29.6	26.6	27.4	27.6
Louisiana	33.0	29.8	28.7	29.3
Mississippi	36.8	33.5	35.2	36.9
North Carolina	21.8	19.9	20.4	21.5
South Carolina	29.4	27.3	26.6	26.2
Tennessee	16.8	14.8	15.2	14.4
Texas	11.7	10.6	11.8	11.7
Virginia	19.9	17.9	16.0	15.2
South	19.8	17.9	18.0	17.9
Non-South	9.7	8.8	8.4	8.4

Schaller says another factor in the lack of black governors and senators is that few are nominated, a point on which he says “Democratic leaders have some explaining to do.” In their defense, though, Schaller says that it is an uphill battle:

All of the noble and earnest efforts to register and mobilize African Americans in the South during the four decades since the Voting Rights Act cannot overcome the reality that too many white southerners simply refuse to vote for black candidates.

Black voters are simply outnumbered. Look at Mississippi, for example. Black voters constitute nearly 37% of the electorate but even if all of them vote for a given candidate, the candidate cannot win without white support. And the white vote is overwhelmingly Republican.

At the national level, Schaller says that presidential candidates of both parties have used racial imagery. He points to Jack Kennedy, who, in the 1960 race, distributed photos in Virginia’s white communities showing pictures of Richard Nixon smiling with black leaders, “noting that he’d been an ‘NAACP member for over 10 years!’” In 1964, Barry Goldwater defended states’ rights, echoing the Dixiecrats’ Strom Thurmond’s candidacy from 16 years earlier. The evolution of the politics of race continued, unabated, through the current day.

Another issue that Schaller brings up is that of majority-minority districts, which he calls an “unholy alliance” between black politicians and Republicans, both of whom benefit from their existence.

One-seventh of the black members ever elected to Congress were part of the 1992 freshman class; almost as if on cue, the next freshman class gave the Republicans their first House majority since the 1952 elections.

Racial gerrymandering – the packing of as many blacks into as few districts as possible – has aided the cause of Republicans as they have taken over state legislative seats and majorities throughout the South. As the result, Schaller says, only two types of Democratic legislators remain: conservative whites who distance themselves from the national party and young minorities elected from the majority-minority districts.

Because of racial gerrymandering, the southern delegations are now comprised of white Democrats who survive by denigrating the national party and black Democrats who often complain that they are marginalized by the national party. Why should Republicans bother to vilify Democrats when Democrats will do this dirty chore for them?

Why, indeed.

Racial attitudes. more than anything else, predict Republican voting of southern whites, even more than attitudes on abortion or national defense. Schaller provides data that shows southerners harbor more racist attitudes than those outside the south, with those in the five Deep South states (Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, and South Carolina) having more than those in six Outer South states (Arkansas, Florida, North Carolina, Tennessee, Texas and Virginia). The effect of these racist attitudes has been that the South has become increasingly Republican. While the Outer South states went Republican first – because they were more party-competitive – the change in the Deep South was more profound. He demonstrates this by comparing the Republican presidential support in the 1960 election to that of the 1988 election. Mississippi, for example, voted about 25% for the Republican presidential candidate in 1960; in 1988, the figure was almost 60%, a relative increase of almost 143%. By comparison, in 1960, about 52% of the vote in Virginia went to the Republican presidential candidate, while the figure in 1988 was about 60%, a relative increase of about 14%.

Schaller then provides examples of race-baiting employed by the Republicans in the South. He points to the 2003 elections in Mississippi, in which the issue of the state flag, containing the Confederate Stars and Bars, was raised. He gives a great rundown on the career of recently deceased North Carolina senator Jesse Helms, of whom Schaller says “embodied the tradition of steadfast southern resistance to racial equality.”

Apologists can claim otherwise, but the Republican national chairman has already conceded the point: The GOP manipulated racial attitudes to win the South. Race provided the electoral turnkey Republicans used to unlock the South and become the majority party nationally.

RELIGION

The South is America’s most religious region. “According to 2004 presidential exit polls, 51 percent of southerners attend church at least once per week, compared to just 38 percent of Americans in the rest of the country,” Schaller says. The Moral Majority and the Christian Coalition are both southern creations, and the South is home to more evangelicals than any other region: 58% of Deep-state southerners and 49% of Outer-state southerners consider themselves evangelical or born-again Christians, compared with less than a third of all Americans.

Schaller uses the work of sociologist Mark Shibley in pointing to two events that created the strong following of evangelism in the South: the Civil War and the “fundamentalist-modernist dispute” within Protestantism in the 1920s. The former resulted in the replacement of the political dream of a cohesive Southern people with a cultural one, with religion at the heart of it. The latter is best epitomized by the 1925 Scopes “monkey” trial, in which John Scopes, a 24-year old science teacher, challenged the Tennessee state law that prohibited the teaching of evolution in schools.

Southerners are, according to Schaller, “exceptionally religious.” A strong determinant of religious attitudes is social class, “and the evangelical ranks are filled disproportionately by Americans of lower socioeconomic status.”

They are more likely to affiliate with charismatic or Pentecostal churches, to believe the Bible to be literally true, and foresee a period of glorious Christian rule followed by the rapture.

Typically, the younger generation is less conservative than the older generation on such issues as abortion, school prayer, homosexuality, women working and premarital sex. However, in the South, religious-based conservatism is non-generational. Young (under age 40) evangelicals in the South are more conservative than older (aged 40+) evangelicals in the rest of the country on nearly every issue save one: premarital sex.

Abortion has become the issue of the Christian Right. As a region, the South is pro-choice by a margin of 50% to 44%, but that statistic is misleading. In five southern states – Louisiana, Alabama, Arkansas, Mississippi and Tennessee – those who are pro-life exceed those who are pro-choice. In Louisiana, the difference is 21 points, with 36% being pro-choice and 57% being pro-life. Outside of the South, 58% are pro-choice, while 36% are pro-life, almost the exact opposite of Louisiana. It is this little fact that prompted the Christian Coalition, who, in following the lead of the national Republican Party, came up with its Contract with the American Family, to tone down its language on abortion.

More and more, clergy in the South are using their pulpits as a place to discuss politics.

Southern clergy have become to the Republican Party what labor leaders are to the Democrats: opinion leaders, political gatekeepers, and supervisors of a formidable retail voter and volunteer delivery machine.

It is this southern voting bloc that elected George Bush. Excepting Florida, the evangelical vote gave Bush large enough margins to allow resources to be directed elsewhere. But will it last? As the U.S. becomes more secularlized, some Republicans have become concerned that the party has become the “political arm of conservative Christians.” And they hope that the transformation will not be permanent. Some with the Republican Party think that they can just ignore the fundamentalists within their ranks. But this is difficult as the South has become the “anointed region within the Republicans’ governing coalition.”

By encouraging religious conservatives to disregard their historical aversions to political activity, the GOP set into motion their capture of its party by its southern wing. The South’s religious conservatives now make demands on their party and the federal government, make them publicly, and quickly grow impatient when their demands are unmet.

In other words, they created a monster. Schaller says, though, that there is an opportunity here for Democrats. With control of Congress in the hands of Democrats, they can force Republicans to vote on controversial issues, like a constitutional amendment to ban abortion. In effect, Democrats can force Republicans to choose – between the religious conservatives who monitor every move and the more moderate constituents who elect them.

The South’s version of Christianity isn’t very Christian at all; Schaller refers to Jim Wallis’ book God’s Politics in which Wallis points out that there are more than 3,000 calls in the Bible to support the poor yet the South, through its support of Republican policies, ignores this. Other areas of the country embrace the Christian-based progressivism and provide Democrats “a far better opportunity to recapture the mantle of faith through their deeds, not words.”

The effect of race and religion on politics in the South make it an inhospitable place for Democrats.

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“BEHOLD THE CABOOSE!!”

One of the greatest tragedies of our day and time is wrapped up in the indifference of our church.

Sometime ago, I was in Louisville, KY attending a meeting. A young man studying for the ministry approached me and told me that there was one thing that disturbed him. I at once became curious and want to know what was bothering the young man so deeply.

He told me that when he stood on the sidelines and watched burning issues being completely ignored by the church, it bothered him. He went on to say that the church was always like the caboose when it should be the engine. Now time has gone on, days have turned into weeks, weeks into months, and months into years but for some unknown reason, every now and then this very thought advanced by this enthusiastic young preacher marches before me and I am forced to stop and wonder.

THEN THE CABOOSE

Everything points to just that. Long after the smoke has died away and much of the noise that is characteristic of pulling many coaches up an incline has faded into the distance, along comes the caboose. Is this not the color of our day and time? Many people who have been blessed with the goodness of God have satisfied themselves with the idea that it is not my business. Many people who you would have thought to be out on the firing lines of the social, moral, economic, educational and spiritual evils of our day are satisfied to sit on the sidelines and watch the game go on. Many — far too many — of us are just like that caboose: we can always come on the scene when the smoke and heat of the battle have gone away.

LOST THEMSELVES

Sometimes I have to stop and wonder if our churches are being lulled into complacency with material wealth and moral indifference. Sometimes I wonder if, somewhere down the highway of life, those who have been entrusted with the development of moral and spiritual individuals have not themselves become lost. It appears that way to me!

While many people in our day and time have satisfied themselves to live on the platitudes of life, countless thousands are starving for the bread of life. In the midst of all that is needed today, there is not one in the crowd carrying the five loaves and two fishes. Whole people are searching for food to satisfy that which only the church has to offer, the world is getting worse and worse. Those who should be concerning themselves with the vital things of life are going about concerning themselves with the non-essentials.

“WEAKEST LINK”

Sometime ago I was talking with one of the prominent ministers of a community who said to me, “Reverend, the weakest link in our society is our ministry.”

Here was his way of saying that, like the proverbial caboose, when all of the difficulties of life have been blown away, here comes the ministry. And then I wondered – just why should the ministry be the weakest link? Why should those men who stand before so many people Sunday after Sunday exert so little influence and be in a position to offer so little to a confused world?

Ah, I could go on and list thing after thing that has brought us to this point. I have looked time and time again at things that have brought us here. Maybe someday we will awaken to our real duty and realize that it was not the will of God that the minister should be the tail end, but rather, he should be the watchman on the wall, giving direction to the lost, unwanted, and disinherited. But many times, like that familiar caboose tied on to the end of the train, making no contribution as far as the actual work of the train is concerned, we find our men — who should be on the front lines — somewhere in the rear, saying, “I knew it all the time.”

SLEEP ON NOW

Well, I know many of you wonder why I write as I do this week. It is just this: my paper last night informed me that a certain group of churchmen went on record as accepting this controversial issue of integration as being right.

DID IT JUST GET RIGHT? Where have these good brethren been so long that they have just awakened? The engine, huffing and puffing, has passed by this place a long time ago. A whole lot of cars, squeaking beneath the load, have gone on up the highway and now sitting back in the caboose, we find some men who have been resting and too reserved to take a stand coming out and saying, “Oh, yes, it is right now.”

Brethren, the world has waited a long time for you to speak out. While you were keeping quiet (for the sake of expediency), men in all walks of life have lost respect for you. The crisis passed a long time ago. The Christ of the Garden of Gethsemane has been out there praying until blood and sweat have mingled and co-mingled like water. The soldiers have now come to bear Him away to Pilate’s court. All that has been needed to carry on the battle has now been used and now a tired old body is carried into court after court to stand trial. You have satisfied yourselves to sleep during the critical moments of the strife. “Sleep on now, the hour is at hand!”

Yes, the hour is at hand, but the tragic thing is many of us are like that caboose — we have come on the scene late, far too late.

~

View the entire archive of “The Pulpit Speaks” here.

Simply put, the South is no longer the “swing” region in American politics. It has swung to the Republicans.”

In making this statement, author Thomas F. Schaller takes on the likes of Steve Jarding and Dave “Mudcat” Saunders, who believe that Democrats must win in the South in order for us to become a majority party again. The opening chapter of the book, entitled “Partisan Graveyard,” argues that a new coalition – made up of Democrats in the Northeast, Midwest and Pacific Coast states – is what will bring the Democrats back to power.

Schaller says that the South – consisting of the eleven states of the Confederacy – has always been a political outlier. “[S]ocial and cultural issues tend to trump economic considerations for many voters in the South, where race and religion are woven through almost every aspect of the region’s political culture,” writes Schaller. Half of all African Americans – the Democratic Party’s base – live in the South, but due to “racial antagonisms,” a white backlash has been created, with few whites voting for Democrats. Simply put: while the Democratic base is there, African Americans lack the power to move the states into the Democratic column. Add to that the presence in the South of the largest share of of the country’s evangelical voters ~ and evangelicals tend to not vote for Democrats, either.

Schaller points out that there is an increasing number of Southerners who have come of age with no connection to the Democratic Party or the South’s prior history of being a Democratic stronghold. As this number increases, Schaller says, it will be harder and harder to attract voters who have never cast a vote for a Democrat in their lives. Trying to capture this vote is to reach for the “high-hanging fruit. Schaller says the ripe-for-the-picking votes are in the pan-western states, where, unlike the South, there are swing voters and independents.

But for a few thousand votes in New Hampshire, Al Gore would have pulled it off [won the election] while winning the popular vote; more astounding, but for the switch of about 60,000 vote in Ohio, Kerry nearly did so despite losing the popular vote.

There are votes to be had out there, but they happen to not be in the South.

Chapter 2, “The Southern Transformation,” focuses on the history of the South from 1964 through about 2006, the date the book was published. This chapter is a must-read for anyone wanting to to understand the depth and breadth of the Republican takeover of the South.

Most point to the signing of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 as the starting point for the South’s turning away from the Democratic Party. But Schaller says that was not the case. Schaller says it happened 16 years later, when Republican presidential nominee Ronald Reagan gave his first major speech after receiving the nomination in Neshoba, Mississippi. The county had demonstrated “a severe case of electoral schizophrenia: 95% of their votes went for Barry Goldwater in 1964, 82% for George Wallace in 1968, 88% for Richard Nixon in 1972 and then, by 32 votes, Jimmy Carter carried the county in 1976. Schaller says that Neshoba was a bellwether for the South on matters of race. In his speech, Reagan gave his support of “states’ rights,” which Schaller calls the “friendly term” for opposition to civil rights. Schaller credits Reagan for “perfecting the southern strategy of luring away white southern Democrats,” although it was Goldwater who first used it.

The Republican takeover of the South has three aspects: elections won and governing majorities achieved, how it has changed national policy and politics, and the significance of the South’s takeover of the Republican Party itself. Schaller takes the reader through the last 40 years, looking at the presidency, Congress and governors as well as state legislatures. Then starting with Barry Goldwater, Schaller looks at each major figure in the Republican Party – Richard Nixon, Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush and George W. Bush – and how each man strengthened the party’s grip on the South.

At the end, though, it is the Republican Party which has been taken over by the South, not the other way around.

Stripped bare of the platitudes and catchphrases, the southern-based Republican majority stands naked as a ruling cohort no longer interested in limited government, in states’ rights, in judicial review, in consensus-building filibusters, or any of the other measures of restraint that once informed the political philosophies of movement conservatives.

Southerners have captured the GOP and with it, they bring the evangelical movement and their desire for a “rapturous accounting.” In doing so, though, they are alienating the moderates in the party who live outside the South. And these are the people who the Democrats can win over.

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For a long time I have been searching for a word or a group of words that would definitively describe the current conditions of our world. This is not it but it comes closer than anything I have found to date. It is on a paraphrase of one of the most popular hymns of the church but oh, what a paraphrase:

Backward, Christian soldiers,
Marching as in fear.
With the cross of Jesus
Going to the rear.
Christ the royal Master
Leads against the foe
But we are going backwards,
Our banners do not flow

Like a bunch of weaklings
Moves the church of God.
Brothers, we are treading
Where no saints have trod.
We are all divided,
Not one body we!
United in dissensions
And one in apathy.

— Rev. U. G. Murphy

These are the words of a preacher — a preacher, mind you — who has dedicated his life to making this a better world, a Christ-centered world. Now with the evening shadows closing about him, he cries out, “Backward, Christian soldiers.”

What words could better describe our conditions today? Yes, we are going backwards — and backwards fast. Anyone who holds to the ideas of some decades ago is quickly labeled “old-fashioned.

A few days ago, I walked down one of our streets and saw one of my favorite slogans: “HE WHO FOLLOWS THE CROWD WILL ONE DAY WAKE UP LOST IN IT.” The day has come when most of us have become lost in the crowd. There was a day of heterogeny in thinking, in behaving, in life’s goals. Today it is no longer true. We are all moving toward a period of homogeny. All of us, to a large degree, think, act, behave and everything else alike. The lines between what is right and what is wrong is thinly drawn. We lose ourselves in the complacency that everyone else is doing it. Instead of the church going into Christ-centered society, the world has come into our churches and we are more concerned about having a new dress or a new suit to show than we are in serving God.

Last Sunday, I attended service in one of the local churches. I purposely went in late and sat in the back. After I took my seat, my eyes dropped down to the feet of the lady sitting next to me. She sat with a baby squirming in her arms and wearing stockings that were more “runs” than stocking.

As I looked at her there rocking her baby and joining in the singing of the hymns, I was touched. To me, she represented the old school of thought as far as going to church is concerned. Whereas she was willing to take her baby to church and wear those stockings, there were many who would have used such apparel as a reason for staying home. We find ourselves in a society where we are moving further and further backward from those things that have had meaning and will have meaning as long as there is a man on this earth.

We live in a society where people take greater pride in being anything but a Christian. I heard a young man ask a young lady, who had recently finished college, what church she belonged to. She looked at him and said, “Are you kidding?” A long time ago, the young woman would have said to the young man, “I see learning this has made thee mad.”

Today we are living in a society filled with mad people. We are marching backward and backward fast. The paths we are traveling, the things we are doing, and the thoughts we are nourishing in our hate-filled bosoms can do nothing but lead us backward.

It has been nearly 20 centuries since Jesus came down here and suffered, bled and died for the salvation of mankind. His suffering was a method whereby this world was to get better and better and better through his efforts. But what have we done? Man’s inhumanity to man marches daily before all of us, showing that we are going backward and backward fast. We have lost that zeal, we have lost that deep-seated yearning, we have lost that inner desire that makes each of us want to be more and more like Jesus. Only in proportion that we are willing to let the life of Jesus become a part of each of our lives will the ever-hastening process of backward marching cease.

Last night I watched Victor Hugo’s famous play “Les Miserables.” The main character in this play is Jean Valjean, a notorious thief. This poor, out of work, man resorted to stealing for his family. He was caught stealing bread to satisfy the hunger of his little children and was sentenced to ten years in the galley. Before his sentence was up, he was paroled. During this period he was given a yellow paper that everyone who came in contact with him would know that he was a parolee. One night found him covered up in the gutter with nothing but a wrap to protect him from the rain. A fellow man saw him in this destitute condition and pointed him to the home of the local minister, where he was given food and shelter and temporarily restored to the status of a man.

This act on the part of the minister and subsequent actions made a great impression on the viewers. The minister did no more than a minister or a Christian should have done. His actions were classic actions that each of us should do as followers of Christ. In all possibilities the whole world would be better if each of us would behave likewise.

Jean Valjean represents countless people of today. Their whole lives would take on new meaning if each of us would discharge all that Christianity implies. But in far too many instances, many of us fail in the face of great opportunity. The fact is that we can remold the lives of those with whom we come in contact by just exercising a small part of the Christianity in us. Many of the people in our society who have gone astray never would have done so had some stronger person come into their lives and given them a new sense of direction.

Today the Jean Valjeans show themselves to us every day — destitute, weary, unrecognized, they go through life with no real meaning. It is left to each of us to give new import to the lives of all of those with whom we come in contact. The unfortunate part of life for many of us is wrapped up in the fact that all of us, at some time, need someone to help us bear our crosses. There is not one of us today who is without a cross. The cross may express itself in terms of economic setbacks. sickness, loss of friends, wayward children, or other things, but these crosses must be borne. If, for some reason, we have had no crosses, if we keep on living, we will have them.

The struggling Jean Valjean represents the average person of our day and time. Curtailed on every hand, we struggle against the odds in an effort to maintain respectability and status. Day after day we seek out avenues of activity that will enable us to rise above the realm of obscurity. We want to be somebody — and somebody important. We want to be in a position to make our contribution to a cause that is worthy and worthwhile. This is not easy. The old hymn says “sure I must fight if I must reign, increase my courage.” These words must be on the lips of each of us. The struggle for survival haunts all of us. The things that give importance to life is that, in spite of all we endure, we must keep our eyes set on the highest and noblest we can be expected to do.

Only to the extent that each of us never foresake that which is best in us will life ever have any meaning. Today, as never before, we must hold on to that which is most meaningful in this life. The demands of life require that we today fight as never before to carry out the strongest and noblest mandates of human activity. The men of our day who write their names upon the brave and noble in spite of all the sand of time write because they have dared to. This must be the aim of each of us.

In this world for every Jean Valjean, there must be a minister. For every one there must be dedicated souls who have made up their minds that they are going to be avenues of moral and spiritual growth for those who, through weakness, have fallen short of the mark. This and only this is the salvation of our world today and the realization of a better world.

“I am come that they might have life and have it more abundantly!”

WHOSE BUSINESS

A little boy had been carried downtown by his mother. The mission had carried them from store to store. Coming out of one store, the little boy saw a ragged man standing at the door, begging for money.

He turned to his mother and said, “Mother, give that poor old man something!” The mother snatched him by the hand and shouted, “That man is none of your business!”

That night the young boy knelt beside his bed and started his prayers. During the course of the prayer he said, “Lord, and don’t forget that poor old man standing at the door — but Lord, I forgot that man is none of my business!”

SELFISHNESS

What an image that woman had made for her son. Then we wonder why we live in a day of selfishness and unconcern. This is the reason. We teach our children that life is a matter of being concerned only about themselves and that man who, for some reason, has failed to adjust himself to the demands of life is left standing out in the cold.

If life is going to mean anything to us, there must be some high and noble objectives. Only to the extent that we are able to tie ourselves on to some worthwhile objective will our lives be worthwhile.

Behind every step we take should be definite reason — a real motive. This motive can never be realized until we are exposed to something that is worthwhile. This little boy saw the old man standing at the door. To him, it was an opportunity to make a heart happy. To any well-meaning person it would have meant the same.

OPPORTUNITIES

Life is a matter of interpretation. We must see things going on about us and recognize them as opportunities to make real images through our activities. In this day and time it is imperative that we do all that we can to be sources of hope and concern for those about us. This little boy was so moved by the sight of this neglected man that he asked his mother to give the man something.

The story did not end there. After he had removed himself from the influence of his mother, he once again — in an hour of prayer — thought of the old man.

In each of our lives there should be something in the quiet hours that should make us re-examine our position and attitudes. There should be something that should make us want to reach out and see if our lives are really as purposeful as they should be.

It was under such influence that Jesus said, “I am come that they might have life and have it more abundantly.” If life has any real meaning for any of us, that meaning is wrapped up in the good that we have done — and are doing — for those about is.

Any person who can look back over his life and see nothing that he has done for someone else has lived a meaningless life.

A young man had been off to college to further prepare himself for the ministry. His father was an influential member of the church at home, and when the young man wrote to his father, informing him that he would be home for a weekend, his father arranged for him to speak at the church.

The young man was very much elated over this opportunity and sat down and wrote a beautiful sermon. He had his mind all set on how he was going to display the knowledge he had gained in college. On Saturday, his father asked him to tell about the sermon for the next day.

The young man boastfully went to his room and came back with the sermon he had written containing elements of philosophy, sociology, and literature. The father listened to the sermon unmoved. After the young man had finished, he turned to his father and asked,”Father, how do you like it?” The father reminded the young man that out behind the barn was a place where they burned trash. He admonished the young man to take the sermon out there and strike a match.

The young man was very hurt with the idea of burning his masterpiece. The father then said, “They don’t need that. Tell them of Jesus.”

This young man was typical of many of the preachers of our day and time. I am fully aware of the fact that Jesus was a social being, a political being, and an economic being, but He did not stop there. His greatest strength was not in any of these. The thing that set Him apart from everyone else was that, foremost, He was a spiritual being. Being human, He could not escape the other things but His real purpose for existence was His spiritual presentation to the world. This fact takes on a new meaning when a newspaper editor writing for the Atlanta Constitution this week accuses “the so-called Christian ministers” of being largely responsible for the current conditions of the world.

A long time ago, the celebrated poet John Milton cried out in one of his poems, “The hungry sheep look up and are not fed!” Is not this the case in too many instances today? Are not the men who should be molding the spiritual and moral well-being of the people concerning themselves far too much with the unessential things and leaving the essential things unattended?

This to me seems to be the crux of world conditions. Many of them have taken the pulpit as a place for showing off some recently gained knowledge while the knowledge of Jesus is left unattended. The “call” from God carries with it the idea of enlightening people of God. THIS AND THIS ALONE IS THE BASIC WORK OF THE MINISTER. Anything else is contributing to current world conditions. The spiritually hungry people who come to our churches Sunday after Sunday must be fed.

I had the fortunate experience of going to school where one of my classmates was the pastor of the church where the chairman of the department of sociology attended. Every time this man would find out that Dr. _________ was going to be in the congregation he would center his whole sermon around sociology. One day in class, this instructor said, “Mr. ____, I teach sociology six days a week and I probably know more sociology than you probably will ever know. When I come to your church on Sunday, I want to hear about Jesus!”

Not only was this true in this case, but it is true in many others. There are ministers throughout our land trying to teach literature, science, philosophy, sociology and the like from their pulpits when there are people in the pews who know much more about these things than the minister will ever know and who came to church to be told about Jesus.

It may seem a hard thing to say but all our current world conditions may be traced directly to the pulpit. In far too many instances, our spiritual leaders have failed to take the spiritual and moral stands demanded of them by virtue of their particular positions. The minister’s biggest job is to temper the world activities with a sense of the moral and the spiritual. The most tragic thing is that the indictment made against the ministers was made by a layman.

It is bad enough for God to look down on us and see that we are not doing our jobs, but when one whom we are supposed to be helping and molding his life looks up and sees us in this tragic position, it should be reason for all of us to be concerned. Once again, we as ministers and as Christians must rethink and redirect our way of doing things. Then and only then will the kingdom of God come on earth as it is in heaven.

Continuing our general theme “Ordeals That Make Men Grow,” we find ourselves this week discussing the life of Joseph. This familiar life deals with one who in the sight of his brothers, had the misfortune of being his father’s favorite son.

This was bad enough but to add to this, the idea of him being a dreamer was more than his brothers could bear.

Due to no fault of his own, his father had made for him a coat of many colors, which set him off and above the rest of his brothers. Then he had dreams that he told to his brothers and set himself above them. All of these things stirred up something in his brothers that made him hated by them. But Joseph’s life didn’t stop there — even after he had been sold into bondage, the king’s wife admired him to the extent that she made certain advances to him that went unheeded by Joseph. These advances went further in his life to make him unpopular.

But in the midst of all of this unpopularity Joseph nourished in his mind a mission. Being ever mindful of this, he set his heart to do the job given to him by God. Life is so designed that men must rise above those little things that will thwart their missions.

JUST HUMAN

Joseph was human just like all of us. He could easily have spent his time and his energy fighting his brothers and Potiphar’s wife, but this would have diverted his whole program. There must have been something in Joseph that made him soar above the pettiness of his brothers. It was unfortunate that he was chosen by his father as his favorite son but by the same token, there was something in him that made his father give him that selected place.

Anyone of his brothers could have had the same place but Joseph just had something that won the favor of this father. Many people, like Joseph, have favorite roles in the sight of some people, but there is no basis in Christian thinking for the rest of us to become jealous and envious because we do not have the joy of living in such a position. The challenge of the whole thing forces us to examine ourselves to the extent that we will find out what we lack and try to remedy it.

One thing that must be noticed is that his favoritism didn’t stop at his home. As a servant in the king’s palace he was above the rest of the servants. In prison, the jailer saw something in him that made him want to elevate Joseph above the rest of the prisoners. It would have been tragic had his role stopped at his home but wherever he went, people admired him.

I wonder if each of us should not reach for that same type of admiration. But suppose we do not have the ability to be admired by many. Is that reason for us to go about saying small and slight things about those who do? I would say definitely NO!

NOT PRETTY

There is something in all of us that strives to make us small. We envy those who can do something a little better than we can. The teacher who cannot teach dislikes the one who can, the preacher who can’t preach envies the one who can, the laborer who can’t labor hates the man who can go on a job and do it well.

But what does this do to you? Nothing but make you small in the sight of the better thinking people with whom you come in contact. Yes, we all have our shortcomings. There is something that prevents many of us from soaring to the places that we would like. But does putting the person in bondage who can solve our problem? I would say definitely not. What good did it do Joseph’s brothers to sell him into bondage? Not one bit. What good does it do any one to be envious, or hateful, or mean to a person who has the good fortune to rise a little higher than you? In my way of thinking, it does no good whatsoever. It only serves to make you smaller.

REPEATED TOO OFTEN

In spite of the bondage ordeal, in spite of the prison experience, Joseph went on to realize the goals set up for him by God. In spite of the pettiness of the many people today we see people going on to do those God-ordained things while many of us are left on the sideline, looking for something with which we might find fault. The lives of Joseph’s brothers are repeated far too often in the lives of far too many of us. Instead of getting on the bandwagon and pushing the man who has vision and forethought, we concern ourselves with feeble efforts to drag him down to our level.

God never design that all of us should be on the same level. Life is so designed that there must be some teachers, some preachers, some deacons, some thinkers, and some leaders with forethought. To take these people out of our society would make this a bad world. It is imperative that such people be in our midst. Those of us who find ourselves thinking like the brothers of Joseph should do all we can to catch the spirit of Joseph and, however small our contribution may be, set out with all our hearts to make this a better world.

We need more men of Joseph’s caliber.

Continuing our general theme, “Ordeals That Make Men Grow,” we find ourselves dealing this week with the lives of Jacob and Esau.

To those of us who are familiar with Biblical history, we know that Jacob goes down in history as one of the greatest rascals ever to live. Some historians have described him as the “heel-snatcher.” Tradition has that the first time he showed up, he was trying to grab the heel of Esau that he might pull him back into his mother’s womb so that Jacob could be the first born. On through his life, Jacob was up to every trick in the books.

All of these people dealing with him or coming into contact with him had to ever be on the alert that they would not end up being tricked. His life was filled with those maneuvers that would serve to make him materially rich. He would stop short of nothing to gain his point. One day, we find him out in the pasture, coloring his father-in-law’s flocks that when the day of dividing came, he might get the better cattle.

Finally we find him having to take flight that he might escape the punishment for some of his deeds. All of his young life, and a part of his mature life, Esau had to put up with such a person as his brother. In some instances he lost materially, but over a period of years, these tricks served to make Esau a tool in the hand of God that enabled him to make Jacob one of the patriarchs of our Bible. Esau could look at the later life of Jacob and sign in relief that he had been a contributing factor in the life of Jacob.

If you look closely enough, you will find someone close to you who has done nothing but hold designs on making life miserable for you. This person will rob you of your first place in life, of your good name, of your material wealth. He will make life almost unbearable for you on every hand.

No doubt when the old hymn writer cried out, “My soul be on thy guard!” he was making reference to some hidden Jacob in his life that threatened to take from him all of the joys of this life. But as we take a second look, it is not necessary that all of us have a Jacob? Each of us needs someone in our lives who is going to keep us in line.

I heard a man some time ago say that a third party in the national political area would serve no purpose but that of a whipping post to keep the other parties in line. To me, we all need a third party to keep us in line. I heard a preacher some time ago preach a sermon entitled “Thank God for Enemies:”

Thank God for those who will do nothing but serve to make life miserable for us. Thank God for those who would not go so far as to kill us but will always be somewhere lurking in the darkness, waiting for us to make a mistake so that they might be able to magnify it. Is not this an essential part of the Christian journey? What would you or I do if there were no enemies? … But as much as some of us think of our friends, we all have our share of enemies. We all have Jacobs in our lives. We have those who are parading as our friends but who will be the first to go our and tell the news time something happens. They come to us in sheep’s clothing but under those clothing, their very souls are filled with tricks, meanness, and hatred, just waiting for us to stumble.

They tell me that the hold hawk on the mountain side will perch on his limb and watch an old horse grow weaker and weaker and when he finally stumbles, the hawk flies down and plucks out his eyes so that he will starve to death. Then the hawk will have a good meal and go off somewhere and crow. In all walks of life we have our Jacobs – those who are going along with us but only for selfish purposes.

And I want to tell you this time, many of us won’t have to go far to find a Jacob in our lives. But what did Jacob mean to Esau? Just this: when Jacob had run our of his tricks, when all the mess that he had concocted in that polluted mind of his had started to fail him instead of his enemy, Esau came to him in the spirit of God and told him, “Jacob, I forgive you.” When Jacob had used every means in the book to rob Esau, God held him in reserve that when the evening clouds began to come together about his head and the conscience that had so long been unheeded had now made itself felt, Esau comes back on the scene and says to his brother, “You have sought to make me small but through the mercies of God, I am now in a position to help you. Jacob, I forgive you.”

This very growth exhibited by Esau stood as a crutch for Jacob to rest upon as he went on to higher and nobler heights in the sight of God.

Yes, each of us needs a Jacob in our lives. But by the same token, we need to be Esau so that when the time comes, we will be in a position to render something that will enable us to become the kind of person God will have us to be.

One of the most challenging stories in the Bible centers around Jacob’s wrestling with the angel.

Here was a man who knew what he wanted and was willing to fight until he got it. The story is important to many of us today because it has an application to our lives.

For far too many people live in a day when old fashioned “guts” or in the language of the modernist, “intestinal fortitude,” is missing. The art of holding on is definitely missing. In nearly every walk of life, we see men who have failed, or who are failing, because they lack the courage to hold on.

I am fully aware that to hold on really calls for fortitude on the part of all concerned. All of us should hold on even when things seem hopeless. The world is what it is today because some men have dared to hold on, and carry on in spite of handicaps. Before each of these men stood the tests of the age, before them were goals worthy of all the sacrifices they were called upon to make.

Jacob had been wrestling for most of the night. The dawn was about to break and his strength was slowly ebbing away. At this point, desperation had set in. Let go and the much sought after blessing would be a thing of the past.

How many times many of us have let go at the wrong time! Many times we let go when our blessings are almost in our hands. But Jacob said, “No, if I must embarrass you with the letting of daybreak fall upon you I am going to keep you until I receive my blessing.”

Today thousands of people are cursed with habits that prevent them from receiving blessings. All it takes to receive them is a little more courage to hold on. But when the right moment comes, many of us have given up. When the right moment comes, we often have so exhausted ourselves that there is nothing left with which to fight.

When the dawn starts breaking on us we lack the moral or intestinal fortitude to hold on. Sometimes it is only a matter of a few minutes, or days, or weeks, but in desperation, we have already thrown in the towel. The challenge before many of us is to hold on and to wrestle with the forces that would hold us back or keep us from attaining our goals.

I know that there are any number of reasons why, day after day, many of us give up. There is something within that grows weary of the wrestling. Sometimes the reward seem almost out of sight. Sometimes our very last hopes are apparently dashed to the dust and it appears that the only solution is to give up. But then we suddenly look up, coupled with our ebbing strength is the coming of the dawn and with it, a new determination. If there is no blessing, there will be no release.

It is at this point that each of us must renew our determination to achieve our goals. At this point we cannot falter. At this point we must not lose our hold. The only thing we can do is hold on to that which is able to bless us. Somewhere in the constant struggle that haunts us, in the darkness of our existence lurks an angel who is able to bless. Our blessings are the results of our determination. In many instances, the dawn is about to break — all that is needed is a little more intestinal fortitude to enable us to hold on. Just a few more moments and our angel must return to his place of abode.

Our blessing are many times withheld from us until we see the dawn. The struggles that many of us put up with must, and usually do, end with the dawn. Blessings cannot be realized until our eyes are open.

Many times we are so bent on the wrestling that we forget the blessings that await us. We must rise up with eyes that are open and hearts that are alert and then, and only then, will we be in a position to appreciate the blessings that await us.

This story of Jacob has meaning for all of us today. In the final analysis, all of us are but wrestlers. We wrestle with social, moral, cultural, economic and spiritual problems. In our wrestling, we finally realize that, over and above everything else, there is an angel waiting to give us a blessing when the dawn has come and it is no longer possible to linger with us. In spite of all that life offers in terms of hardships, in all areas of our activities we must hold on and await the dawn and the blessing.

Almost – the most tragic word in our history. Nothing is more pathetic than to see the expression on the face of a man who suddenly realizes that he almost made it.

Day after day, I come in contact with those who “almost” made it: “almost” a good man, “almost” a graduate of college, “almost” finished high school, “almost” joined church and countless others.

In the Bible we find a story of an influential churchman who pleaded with a man to change his way of living only to hear, at the end of his efforts, “Almost thou are persuadest me to be a Christian.”

No one can know the imprint upon history had this unfortunate man accepted Christ as his personal Saviour. No one today is in a position to properly evaluate what would have happened to our world had every broken dream been realized. I know that, in some instances, it would not have been in keeping with our best interest for some of our dreams to have come true.

NEED SOME ALMOSTS

Many of us have proved that we can not keep our equilibrium when all goes well. It is not in the best interest of each of us to have all of our efforts end in success. It is better for many of us that, somewhere down the line, we can say “almost.”

Yet, on the other hand. there are times when, through neglect, indifference, and the like, we look back over life and see what could have happened and we summarize the whole affair as “almost.”

Last week, I noticed in one of my favorite visiting places these words: “Make the most of yourself, ’cause that is all that you will ever have!” As I turned these words over in my mind, they became more and more meaningful. I wonder if these words, which were not seen by many, would not reawaken something in all of us that would place a new meaning on our lives.

PRECIOUS POSSESSIONS

All the material possessions we might have can never be compared with the most precious possession we have — ourselves. I wonder if this does not place upon all of us a new seriousness as we set out to develop within ourselves a life and a being that should be meaningful. “Make the most of yourself!” I fee that many of us have forgotten the power of the individual — the power of you and I as individuals.

Great contributions are being made daily by people like you and me, great homes are made up of individuals like you and me, great communities are made up on people like you and me, and great nations are made up of people like you and me. We must never look down on the idea of the power of the individual as long as there are improvements to be made and work to be done.

We must awaken ourselves and learn and know that if the world is ever going to get better, it will only get better in proportion that you and I are better. One of the most tragic things about the world is wrapped up in the idea that as many of us look back over life, we see the grim reminder that the world is in the condition it is because many of us have failed to live up to the expectations in us.

A few days ago, a young man came to me. On his face was written all of the evidence of distress. He inquired of me if I had a few moments that I might unhurriedly spend with him. His conversation was of great concern to him, if no one else. I told him if the subject of his conversation was that important, I would sit down and offer whatever advice and consolation I could.

As time went on, the story opened up and he told me that he was most disturbed. One in whom he had placed all of his confidence had failed his expectations. The young man had adopted a person of his association as his idol. Day after day, he had looked forward to being just like this person.

His expectations had mounted as time went on. He had looked forward to being able to speak, to answer questions, to live, and eventually, to die, like his idol. Then one day he heard some very uncomplimentary things about this idol. He ignored these remarks and went on accepting him as his idol. But the uncomplimentary comments continued.

This great avalanche of comments finally had its effect on this young man. Now he stands in the shadow of what might have been. The question of the hypocrisy of mankind is plaguing him. This young man wanted to know if all people are like his idol. Are all young people brought face to face with this bitterness like that which started the wheel of doubt turning in the mind of this man?

Maybe this is what Paul had in mind when he stated, “I have fought a good fight, I have kept the faith.” To this young man, someone had broken the faith. Whenever we live in a world of hypocrisy we eventually lead someone to disappointment. It only takes a look at a really disappointed person’s face to see what breaking faith can mean to someone who has made you his idol.

I would like to make this casual observation here: everyone is someone’s idol. The responsibility of making this world better, then, lies with all of us. We do not know who has made us their idol so at this point, it behooves all of us to live as nobly as we can. Living any other way will cause all of us to not only falter ourselves but to cause others to fall.

How tragic it is that once this man looked upon a bright and shining jewel and now all of a sudden it is a pile of debris. It brings to each of us the question, “What are we doing to enhance the lives of those following us?” In far too many instances we build shabby bridges, walk crooked miles, utter unsavory statements, and live questionable lives – things that cause those who follow us to falter along the way.

We look at present world conditions and look around us, trying to find some place to hang the blame. But sometimes all that we have to do is to take a good look in the mirror. Many times we do not have to go any further than ourselves to find the answers to many of the problems of today. It is not something way off yonder, as many of us would like to place it, but it is right at our fingertips. The blame for much of the faltering in life today i snot because of some system failing but because many of us, in our personal smartness, are not nearly as smart as we think we are.

Lives and actions predicated upon personal smartness have never done anything to enhance the cause of noble living for our day and time – or any day and time. Not only must men know the best in terms of personal thinking, but they must do those things that will promote the best possible lives for all concerned. It is this that is most needed today in our society. This young man did not encounter something peculiar to himself — thousands of young people are being disillusioned every day in the same way with those they have taken as their idols. We who are more advanced in years and experience must light the way for those following us. At this point in human history, we can do nothing different.

Whatever many of us might think of it, the end is in sight. The day of accountability is just around the corner. Soon many of us will have to give an account of our stewardship. The best thing that could happen to any of us is to, in the words of Paul, be able to cry out earnestly and sincerely, “I have kept the faith!”

“We know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brethren.” – I John 3:14

BROTHERHOOD

How glorious it is that in this life we are able to see growth in ourselves that warrant us being the type of person that will enable us to move to a fuller realization of the real meaning of our existence here.

This week our thoughts are directed toward that time of the year known as “Brotherhood Week.” It is at this point that the whole thing shows up as a mass farce. Deep down within the heart of every normal individual should be – or is – that something that makes him want to be brother to all with whom he comes in contact.

Yet as one looks about, he see any number of forces at work which prevent him from actually being the person of which he is capable. Ofttimes as we look about ourselves we see within ourselves things with which we are deeply disturbed. We see ourselves being slaves to customs, cultures, social patterns and the like and ofttimes these do not lend to the fullest growth of the person.

A NEW LIFE

Try as we may, we cannot refrain from these forces. Within, there is something at work, something that plagues us day after day. But we would rather not adhere to this voice. We want to satisfy the voices without and feel that at this point, we are making our contribution to our day and time. In vain this voice beckons us to reach for the better things of life. Constantly we allow the outer voice to have greater impact upon us.

The one day, a new sense breaks loose in us. A new vision is evident in our ears. The outer voice loses its glow. Hour by hour, day by day and week by week the things that used to bring us such great pleasure now leave us cold and we finally conclude that a phase in life has changed. Our whole outlook on life has taken on a new glow. The things that used to fill us with such great joy are no more. We see life in an entirely new perspective. We wonder about ourselves! We join that great host of men who have come to the point of wonderment. We search and ofttimes, search in vain. Then something dawns upon us. We have found the answer!

LOVE ENTERS

After a chance of outlook, we finally conclude that a change has taken place because we love. The power of love has taken hold of us. No longer are we content to do the little mean things we did yesterday. We look at ourselves in disgust when we think of the smallness we have exhibited. We try hard to account for what has happened to us and we find that we have learned to love. It is at this point in life that we change.

John said that he knew that he had passed from death into life because he had learned to love the brethren. Only to the extent that this becomes a part of each of us will we ever be able to see the real value of life. The social, cultural, and economic barriers that keep us from being the persons we should be must be moved.

The things that have blinded us over years and decades must fall with the onslaught of a new and better way of life. Something must happen to us to make us new persons. Sometimes this is a slow process but it must be a process that moves us to a state that we know we are traveling the upward road.

We must not confine brotherhood to a period of one week — one hundred and forty-four hours. This state of mind must extend to the end of our days. We must dedicate ourselves to the highest and noblest being of which each of us is capable. Something must change on the inside so strong that a permanent change takes place on the outside. We must lift ourselves beyond the confines of this world and move to a fuller and more meaningful way of life. We must be able to say in the words of John, “I know that a change has taken place because I love.”

“I am come that they might have life and have life more abundantly.” – Jesus

This week I was in conference with one of the officials of education of this city. We talked about many things. During the conversation, he made this pregnant statement: “They have had too many failures already. They need some successes now!” He was holding reference to some of the students in our public schools today. Whereas his conversation was limited to these children, I wonder if not all of us encounter too many defeats as we strive to live in the world today.

On second thought, in light of our religion, are not these defeats blessings in disguise? History is filled with instances of men who have encountered defeats only to rise up and go on to greater heights. Of course, this is true of we have in ourselves that which will enable us to go on to greater heights.

Defeats can be beneficial if within ourselves we can gather up the debris of our broken dreams and move on up the ladder. Defeats are meaningful to those of us who are so fortified that we can keep on going on. The tragic thing about defeat is wrapped up in the fact that far too many people lack the stamina to rise up from the dust, shake themselves clean, and go on living.

Human beings of today are very much akin to the people of Jesus’ day. There are those among us who are unable — under their own power — to keep on going on. It is at this point that those of us who are strong must step in and give new values and new directions to the lives of those who are weakest among us.

At all points in our lives we come in contact with challenges. Daily we are confronted with opportunities to make our real selves felt. Our real selves will be meaningful if we are, in the the first place, fortified to the point that we are unable to be dragged down. With all of the complexities in our lives, our greatest challenge is to be strong.

Jesus exhibited a spirit needed for His day. He stated His mission as one of making life more meaningful for those with whom He came in contact. It is at this point that each of us should do all that we can to make the lives of those with whom we have daily contact more wholesome.

Nothing short of this will ever justify our being here. Yes, in the words of this great educator, countless people in our community and in communities throughout the world have had far too many defeats. There must be in all of our lives today a strength that will enable us to give strength to those people who are dead and light to those who live in darkness.

Not only is it true that many live in darkness and in moments of weakness but it is also true that apprehensions, doubts, and countless other forces keep them from living life at it fullest. There is something in the beast of each person that makes him want to be somebody. The failure to be somebody is the most distracting force facing individuals today. It is that force which impedes growth toward morality. This is the thinking behind the utterances of Jesus and must motivate our thinking.

Yes, it is almost normal that countless defeats are a part of this life. By the same token, there must be countless resurrections that will enable us to soar above our defeats. Sometimes we find these within ourselves and other time we have to look to others for this strength. It is at this point that our lives become meaningful.

Whatever our state in live, our strength must be of such nature that we will make this world a better place in which to live. We must be able to reach down beyond ourselves and give new hope to those who are faltering through this life.

The parable of the Prodigal Son ends, as far as the son is concerned, with a great feast prepared by his father. But does it actually end there?

It might be a good thing if life could end for many of us at its pinnacle but, unfortunately, life goes on far beyond that and man finds himself constantly tormented with the phrase “I knew him when.”

Ofttimes I bring up the name of someone in my conversations and I am reminded by some oldster of the community that “I knew him when.” Oh yes, irrespective of how high a person goes in life, there is someone there who, by some stroke of fortune, did not arrive at the same point and can always nourish some evil deed he did and at a moment of highest praise, gets great joy in saying, “Oh yes, he is somebody now but I knew him when.”

THEY’LL REMEMBER

A few days ago I was talking about a lady who is well thought of in this community. I was quickly reminded that she has not always been the type of person she is now. I feel quite sure that people, being what they are and no doubt what they were in the days of the Prodigal, constantly reminded him of the time when he ate at the pig trough.

The Prodigal Son could have become an outstanding doctor, lawyer, or minister but his life was no doubt always tinted with the idea “I knew you when.” I wonder of the ability to forget is not a definite index to our religion. I wonder if those people who are so prone to remember those things that people did in some unfortunate moment is not a good index to exactly how much religion we have.

VERY UNFAIR

I remember in my church at home we had a lady who came to our church and joined the Christians therein. From all evidence, she was sincere in her motive. Somewhere down life’s highway, she had encountered a razor and a very bad scar was left on her face. She applied for membership in one of the organizations of the church. One of the ladies of the church, a lady for whom I had great respect, went about canvassing immediately that she did not want her in this organization because she had the scar on her face.

I don’t know what the circumstances were surrounding her getting this scar but I was, and still am, of the opinion that because she had made up her mind to join the church and make a new start in life, I should have been the first one to give her a chance to prove that she was sincere in her motives. Many times we are too prone by our own goodness to judge everyone by the fortunate circumstances through which we have come.

Yes, many of us do not have razor scars on our faces but it is not because we have failed to deserve it or because we have lived so righteously. Sometimes we should examine the reason behind certain scars and then we would not be so prone to judge so critically.

LEARN THE TRUTH

I know a man who has lost one of his ears. From all outward appearances it looks as if someone cut off that ear with a dull knife. But when I listened to his story of how it actually happened, it brought tears of joy unto my eyes that a man would go through so much for the life of someone else.

He walks the streets maimed for life because he chose to risk his life for an innocent child who was in the pathway of an oncoming automobile. Maybe someone in the community can look back into the distant past and say, “I knew him when” but as time rolls on, his deed becomes more and more meaningful.

FIND THE GOOD

If sometimes we could look behind the dismal looks on the faces of people or their apparent inattentiveness, we would have a different outlook on appraising them. But there is something in most of us that always makes us look at the worse in each individual with whom we come in contact. It is my deep seated opinion that being a Christian should make us have a different outlook on life altogether. One of the things that strikes me most about Jesus is the fact that he always saw something good in everyone with whom he had contact.

We, being Christians — Christ-like — should be of the same frame of mind. We must learn to see beyond the scars, the mistakes, the emotional upheavals, and instead see a person fit for the kingdom of God.