From the ‘Book of James’ starting with chapter. 3: 13 and going through to chapter 4: 3, then also verses 7 & 8, this was first given at the Lynnville (IL) UMC on September 21, 2003, then rewritten to give at the Hartford (IL) East Maple Street Chapel on September 7, 2008… THIS version is a combination of those two ‘talks’…

“This is KEHS, radio 57, broadcasting to you live from the sewers of beautiful downtown Edwardsville!” During my sophomore year of high school, my friend Larry and I thought it would be really ‘groovy’ to play music into the cafeteria during lunch hour, and got the rest of our technician friends to go along with it. There was no actual radio involved, just a room off of the cafeteria that had all of the sound equipment in it hooked up to big PA speakers in where all of the tables were, but we made up call-letters and a number and became DJ’s for half-an-hour every school day. And even though we only did it that one year, it made enough of an impression on people that in the list of projections that was made for each of us during our senior year, I was to come back to our reunions as a famous radio personality and host the program.

And it is true that for some time I was working on a career in the musical side of the electronics field. So when Larry and I each started college at SIUE, I concentrated on music studies while he got involved with some of the campus broadcasting. And one of his first actual jobs was being the announcer to the crowd at all of the home baseball games.

Now, I need to point out, here, that I know almost nothing about baseball. I mean, I know that there are three strikes and four balls, and that there are three outs per side in an inning, and that there are nine innings, but anything more than that, I just never had the time nor interest in knowing! Never-the-less, whenever my friend Larry’s class schedule at SIUE, during our time there in the early ‘70’s, interfered with his student job there, he would ask me to cover for him as the announcer at the local SIUE baseball games. He would give me this book, each time, that had diagrams, pictures, and charts on each page. I had no idea what I was supposed to do with it, and there were no instructions that I could see! But, I figured it really wasn’t important, anyway… I mean, after all, I was just the park announcer! Right?

In those early days at SIUE, the ball diamond was just a flat spot carved out of one corner of a huge field. There was one medium-sized grandstand and no PA system, so, along with a list of the player’s names and their batting order, Larry would give me a portable, battery-powered megaphone with an attached microphone. I would set it facing the crowd behind me on a folding table placed against the fence just to the left of home-plate. This table was also used by the guys from the campus radio station, who were broadcasting the live play-by-play, and the official scorekeeper.

During the first game or two that I did, the scorekeeper sat on the end of the table opposite me, and I really didn’t get a chance to see or learn very much from him. But, I would kinda’ watch the radio guys, who had a book very similar to mine, and learned to draw lines around the diamond shapes on each page as people went around the bases. When one diamond was complete that meant that somebody had made it home, and I would make another mark accordingly. I really had no idea what an error was, but if somebody did something that I thought was a mistake, or just plain stupid, I would make another note in the error column. And that was my job… to call off the name of each player as they went to bat and make little squiggly marks and notations in that book, which nobody ever looked at!

Now, the official scorekeeper was not a student, nor, I believe, did he even work for the college. He would arrive at each game dressed in a very impressive suit and tie carrying his briefcase, which I was sure was full of books that were full of little squiggly lines far more complicated than mine. I mean, he was the official scorekeeper… he HAD to know everything that there was to know about the game and how to keep track of it all. If I had really wanted to know what I was doing, I figured he would be the one to ask!

As fate would have it, as we were setting up for what would be my last game, the radio guys and I had each set up on opposite ends of the table. That meant that the scorekeeper would have to sit next to me during this game… which meant that I just might get a chance to see and learn the proper way to do what I’d been doing. Sure enough, just before the start of the game, he came walking up in his fancy suit and set his briefcase on the table next to me. As we exchanged greetings he removed his jacket and draped it over the back of his chair, opened up his briefcase… and proceeded to unload all of the bottles of booze he had stuffed into it and set them up on the table in front of him. By the end of the game, I don’t think he knew which two teams were playing, let alone what the score was. He leaned over to me and asked to copy all of the stats out of my book.

Out of MY book? Me, who barely knew which end of a bat to hang on to… let alone how to keep proper score? That’s right! For that game, all of the stats that I had guessed at or made up during the game went into the official records as the official score for that game! I really hoped it wasn’t a crucial one!

“Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show it by his good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom.” That’s what James tells us in the first of these verses. For all of his fancy title and trimmings, the scorekeeper that I assumed was so wise and knowledgeable definitely was not! Given his actions and behavior, and considering the society of that day, I am sure that he probably “harbored bitter envy” of somebody or something,and that he had, “selfish ambition in his heart…” And what does James say? “Such “wisdom” does not come down from heaven but is earthly, unspiritual, of the devil. For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every evil practice.” And there were certainly ‘evil practices’ being carried on there that day!

Let’s look at another story, now, from the 3^rd chapter of 1 Kings…

“… two prostitutes came to the king and stood before him. One of them said, “My lord, this woman and I live in the same house. I had a baby while she was there with me. The third day after my child was born, this woman also had a baby. We were alone; there was no one in the house but the two of us.

“During the night this woman’s son died because she lay on him. So she got up in the middle of the night and took my son from my side while I your servant was asleep. She put him by her breast and put her dead son by my breast. The next morning, I got up to nurse my son-and he was dead! But when I looked at him closely in the morning light, I saw that it wasn’t the son I had borne.”

The other woman said, “No! The living one is my son; the dead one is yours.”

But the first one insisted, “No! The dead one is yours; the living one is mine.” And so they argued before the king.

The king said, “This one says, ‘My son is alive and your son is dead,’ while that one says, ‘No! Your son is dead and mine is alive.'”

Then the king said, “Bring me a sword.” So they brought a sword for the king. He then gave an order: “Cut the living child in two and give half to one and half to the other.”

The woman whose son was alive was filled with compassion for her son and said to the king, “Please, my lord, give her the living baby! Don’t kill him!”

But the other said, “Neither I nor you shall have him. Cut him in two!”

Then the king gave his ruling: “Give the living baby to the first woman. Do not kill him; she is his mother.”

When all Israel heard the verdict the king had given, they held the king in awe, because they saw that he had wisdom from God to administer justice.”

This, of course, is part of the story of Solomon, whose wisdom was famous around the known world. And I’m sure that you all remember how he had asked God for that wisdom and how God granted it… and so much more… to him. And James tells us that, “… the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere.” This would certainly describe Solomon’s wisdom… and it is what all of us today should strive for!

James goes on, in chapter 4, by pointing out that it is envy and selfishness that causes all fights and quarrels… you want something but don’t get it! And then he points out that, “You do not have, because you do not ask God. Or, if you do ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives… you want to spend what you get on your pleasures.”  Covetness has been a part of human nature from the beginning… in the story of Adam and Eve, even though God has given them everything they could possibly need, Eve covets that which has been forbidden to them… and probably, only because it had been forbidden! Do you suppose that’s why one of the original Ten Commandments reads, “You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife. You shall not set your desire on your neighbor’s house or land, his manservant or maidservant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor?“

Everything that James is telling us here is stuff that we know… in hindsight, it’s just common sense. But we don’t always see it in hindsight… we’re usually staring at it from dead on in front… and it definitely looks different from up there! How, then, do we learn to recognize and avoid the evil that surrounds us everyday? How do we obtain the pure wisdom that comes from above and avoid that which is “earthly, unspiritual, and of the devil?” By being still, and listening!!

Many years ago I had a friend work Really hard to pound that thought into me!! As I recall, she sat for one entire afternoon and evening and listened to me describe, in Very great detail, all of the ‘life issues’ I had had to struggle with over the years, to that point, and the last four of those in particular, and then listen to my trying to defend, excuse, and/or justify my mistakes. She would then ask me if I knew that doing such-and-such was wrong, to which I would say, ‘Yes, but…

…and she would Stop me right there!! Finally, I reached the point where I knew not to say the word ‘but’… and came to realize that if I couldn’t start a sentence without saying ‘But…’, I didn’t have much to say!! ‘Be still, and listen’, she would say. ‘But… but… but…but’. ‘Be still and listen’.

James describes the wisdom that comes from heaven as first of all pure, then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere. But for us to receive this wisdom, we must open our hearts and our minds to God! And the Only way to truly do that is to be still… to shut-off our own minds, our own thoughts, our own wants and desires… and to listen and be filled with the wisdom of God… to understand what it is He wants of us and for us!

       In the last of these verses, James says to ‘Submit yourself to God.’ He says that if we ‘resist the devil, he will flee. And if we come near to God, He will come near to us.’ Pretty simple, isn’t it? Submit yourself to God! Pray hard and long for the RIGHT reasons! Be still and listen! And God will fill you with His wisdom so that YOU, then, will be pure, peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere.

Say! Doesn’t that also describe Jesus? And if I want to tie all of this back to my ‘story’, couldn’t we say that Jesus is also the greatest scorekeeper of all time? And when the scales seem to us, at times, to be so heavy on the negative side… when our sins seem so overwhelming we wonder how we might ever win Heaven… all we have to do is go to Him… talk to Him… trust in Him… and He will wipe all of those sins off of our ‘scorecard’ and forget that they were ever there… because He paid for them… in our name… on a cross at Golgotha!

John 20: 19-31 I believe this to be the Very First ‘message’ that I gave at the Lynnville (IL) UMC in January of 2002…

       Some forty-plus years ago, I rented a building on Illinois Avenue in Jacksonville and opened up a repair shop. This was right across from where the railroad tower protected the crossing of what was then the ‘Norfolk and Western’ and ‘Burlington Northern’ railroads. (Today they are known as the ‘Norfolk and Southern’ and ‘Burlington/Santa Fe’, but for this I will refer to them by the names I knew them as at that time…) As my building had no water service and I often worked alone into late evening, I would occasionally go over to ‘visit’ the tower, and got to know most of the guys that worked there. Through them, I would occasionally get some work from the railroad and, over time, I developed some small reputation of being able to do just about anything they asked. At that time ‘Norfolk and Western’ owned the tower and paid the wages of the employees that worked there, and up to that point all of my contacts had been with them. But eventually the people at BN had an emergency and were referred to me.

       Along with all of the mechanical work that I did, I had been building up a small stable of Case tractors and other equipment. I had grown up with Case and worked for three different Case dealers over the years, so I knew the tractors, could get my parts at discount, and had a good repartee with the farmers who had them to sell. So it was only natural for my horsepower to be Case. My biggest tractor was an early 830 Eagle-Hitch gas.

       The Burlington Northern has an interchange track with the Norfolk and Western. This track connects the lines across the northwest corner of the two, and splits across the junction of two fairly busy streets in the process. At that time, the BN was buying ballast from a supplier on the NW, and this was where they would swap cars. The Norfolk had left a string of ten or so loaded hopper cars on the interchange track, and a local crew from the Burlington had stopped to get them. As they were pulling the cars onto their main line, for what ever reason, the engineer had stopped and reversed back into the siding. However, somebody had neglected to actually throw the switch the right direction. As he was pulling out the switch would snap open as each set of wheels passed over it and then snap back to align with the mainline. When he stopped, one set of wheels from one car had passed through the switch, but the other set was still on the interchange track. When he went to back up, one set of wheels went back down the siding, but the other set went straight through the switch and down the main line.

How many of you have had this happen with your train set? With a toy, depending on the speed, a bunch of cars derail and you spent a few minutes putting them back on the track.

But with a real, loaded train a lot more damage occurs. When the distance between the two rails becomes greater than the length of the car, the two wheel-sets begin pulling the two tracks together. Even at a slow speed, you cannot stop 1500 tons very quickly. By the time the crew realized what was happening and shut everything down, both tracks were pulled apart and at least two cars were on the ground! Right away they radioed the dispatcher and shut down all trains on that line. Now, tying up their own mainline was bad enough, but they also had the intersection blocked with two loaded hopper cars! And they had to be moved…NOW! They contacted the Norfolk personnel in the tower and asked for suggestions, and he put them in touch with me.

       Have you ever noticed the weight capacities listed on the side of a railroad car? As best I recall, these were listed at something like 228,000#. That meant that those two cars weighed close to 300 tons! My 65 horsepower 830 looked pretty tiny backed up along side of them! The BN personnel definitely had their doubts and so did I, but I told them I would try. I knew that I had just had 1000# of fluid put into each rear tire, as well as the 300 # I had on the front to hold it down, and if I could arrange to stay on the pavement while I pulled, it just might do it! But still…

       They had already unhooked from the rest of the train and released the brakes as I hooked a chain from the hopper car onto the drawbar of my 830. After taking up the slack, I dropped it into first gear and eased out on the clutch. The tires were chirping on the pavement, but we began to move! Second gear and more throttle! The track went diagonally away from the road, and I knew that if I got off of the pavement I would lose all traction. My plan was to build up enough speed that they would coast on down the line into the clear. It worked like a charm! My old Case had really proved herself to everybody that day…including me!

       Today’s scripture talks about proofs… and doubts!

       Let’s try to get into that closed room with the apostles and ‘feel’ what they are feeling. First of all, there is the overpowering feeling of fear. Jesus has been taken from them, and it is only natural that they should all be apprehensive that the Jews would next attempt to wreak their vengeance on his followers. That’s why they are here in the evening, and with closed doors, lest the Jews should bring against them the same charge of sedition that they had against the Lord Jesus.

       Next is this empty feeling of loss…they KNOW that their master, Jesus, died on the cross three days ago! And up to this point, none of them had understood His references about conquering death. But there is also the feeling of uncertainty. The Life Application Commentary says…

“The disciples were still perplexed and apparently had gotten together that night behind bolted doors. They probably were discussing the women’s reported sighting of angels, what Peter and John saw at the tomb, and Mary’s astounding claim that she had seen Jesus. At some point during the day, Jesus had appeared to Peter, and the women had reported the angel’s words that the disciples were to go to Galilee and meet Jesus there. … Then news arrived in the night with the sounds of excited knocking on the door. Two disciples were allowed in, breathlessly telling the rest of the group that they had met Jesus on the road to Emmaus and had talked with him most of the day. The variety of reports must have had an effect. Shock and disbelief began to be replaced with wild hope.”

Imagine sitting in that room! The fear… the sorrow… the uncertainty… the hope… so many different, powerful emotions, and all of it so thick you could cut it with a knife! When suddenly, Jesus appears! Is He real?! Are they all imagining it?! And which is worse? If they are all imagining it, then they might all be suffering from some ailment. But if He is REAL…He Was DEAD!! How can this be? Luke 24:37 says that they “were startled and frightened, thinking they saw a ghost” So Jesus showed them His wounds. And we are told that they were “overjoyed when they saw the Lord”.

But one of their number wasn’t there that evening. Most of the sources that I studied had some kind of comment to make about why Thomas wasn’t there that evening. But I think the Wycliffe Bible Commentary says it best…

“John notes Thomas’ absence but does not explain it. Since Jesus did not rebuke Thomas on the score of his losing interest in his discipleship, it is precarious for us to do so. He may have preferred to be alone in his grief over the Saviour’s death. But when he returns… The report of the others concerning their meeting with Jesus emphasized that they had seen the wounded hands and side of the Lord. Thomas demanded not only the sight of these, but the actual touching of them as the condition of believing that Jesus was alive from the dead.”

Was Thomas being unreasonable? Adam Clarke’s Commentary seems to think so. In fact, he calls it…

“Utterly unreasonable. Ten of his brethren witnessed that they had seen Christ, John 20:25; but he rejected their testimony.”

He adds that…

“His unbelief became obstinate: he was determined not to believe on any evidence that it might please God to give him: he would believe according to his own prejudices, or not at all.”

Further more he says that…

“His unbelief became presumptuous and insolent: a view of the person of Christ will not suffice: he will not believe that it is he, unless he can put his finger into the holes made by the nails in his Lord’s hand, and thrust his hand into the wound made by the spear in his side.”

Barnes’ Notes adds…

“It is not known what was the ground of the incredulity of Thomas. It is probable, however, that it was, in part, at least, the effect of deep grief, and of that despondency which fills the mind when a long-cherished hope is taken away. In such a case it requires proof of uncommon clearness and strength to overcome the despondency, and to convince us that we may obtain the object of our desires.”

Whatever the reason, Thomas refused to accept any proof other than his own eyes…his own ears… and his own hands! So when Jesus appeared to all of them the second time He tells Thomas to “Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe.”

The Life Application Commentary asks…

“Have you ever wished you could actually see Jesus, touch him, and hear his words? Are there times you want to sit down with him and get his advice? Thomas wanted Jesus’ physical presence. But God’s plan is wiser. He has not limited himself to one physical body; he wants to be present with you at all times. Even now he is with you in the form of the Holy Spirit. You can talk to him, and you can find his words to you in the pages of the Bible. He can be as real to you as he was to Thomas.”

       In verse 29 Jesus tells Thomas, “Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have NOT seen and yet believed.” Years later Peter writes, in his first letter, chapter 1 verses 3-9…

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade-kept in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that your faith-of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire-may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls.

       I like to think that I can keep an open mind about things, but if the truth be known, many is the time that I seem to be from Missouri and say SHOW ME! But faith isn’t like that. Thomas Adams said, “It is the office of faith to believe what we do not see, and it shall be the reward of faith to see what we do believe.”  

What more can be said?

…WHILE YOU STILL KNOW EVERYTHING!!

This is based on my article in the July 2003 newsletter that I edited back then… For This I have added the Scripture from the Gospel of Matthew, chapter 19, verses 13-15…

Some years ago I saw a poster that said, in big bold letters, TEENAGERS! HURRY! LEAVE HOME TODAY…WHILE YOU STILL KNOW EVERYTHING!  It was one of those things that was intended as a joke but had enough truth in it to stick with you. Because I remember being a teenager…and I DID know everything! Only as the years have stacked up one on top of the other have I come to realize just how much I DON’T know.

       I would like to think that most of us have gained enough experience over the years to realize that we don’t…that we can’t…know everything. Only through the eyes of youth does one feel invincible! Only through the eyes of youth does one feel all-powerful! And only through the eyes of youth does one see all of life’s answers! It is only as we weave our way down our individual life paths that we begin to find chinks in our ‘armor’ of invincibility. We make mistakes…we learn…we try again. We make more mistakes! With each passing year we learn more and more and more. And the more we learn, the more we realize how much there is still to learn. And then, some of us have children of our own…and the process starts all over again!

I recall, on one of our many trips down to Silver Dollar City, sitting down to watch a troupe of girls from Utah doing clog dancing. These girls ranged in age from around twelve to nineteen. And they were very good! Their show consisted of showing some of the different dance steps that came from different areas around the country. They performed Canadian and southern style clogging, danced in wooden shoes from Holland, MI, and performed various Irish line dances, to name just a few. At the end of their program, the announcer came out to sing their praises. And then he added, “Many people seem to be worried about the kids of today’s generation. But if these girls are any indication, I think they’re going to be alright!”

‘And the crowd went wild.’

       But as I was applauding, I couldn’t help but wonder about what he had said. I have worked with a lot of kids over the years, from driving school buses and helping with theatre projects to working with various youth groups through the years. I have taught small groups at what was then called the ‘Youth Annual Retreat’, and been on four mission trips, the one of which I built pretty-much from the ground up. So I feel like I know a little bit about kids. I may not always know how to reach them, but I do know some about how they think and feel—even when they think I don’t have a clue! After all, I do still remember MY teenage years, and not everything that I did then would have been considered ‘Christian’.

       So as I looked at this group of teenage girls and thought about them being on their own for an extended period of time, I couldn’t help but wonder about what kind of example they might actually be setting. Because, the way  they are actually living their lives is determined by the education that they have received up to this point. And frankly, unless that education has been steeped in the Bible, I have strong reservations about their character.

It is very true that most teenagers seem to think that they already know more than their parents. But that doesn’t mean that they don’t want to learn!  Some years back I was at the Henry Ford Museum in Detroit, MI. and chanced upon an exhibit in the robotics section that looked very familiar. I had approached it from the rear and so didn’t see the sign at first, but I knew it was the main engine and transmission section of a Case tractor being shown with one of the robotic arms that are used to paint them in the factory at Racine! I knew because I had seen them during a tour of the factory many years before That! As I was standing there, a group of high school boys on a school field trip walked up and were trying to figure out what it was and what it did. I told them! And I told them with such excitement and enthusiasm that they actually seemed to listen to me.

We need to be excited and enthusiastic about our faith! We need to be excited and enthusiastic about our God! And we need to be excited and enthusiastic about our youth!

Some decades ago there was a religious sect known as the Shakers. They were well respected for their very firm beliefs and stout enforcement of them, as well as for the strong communities that they established, and the furniture that they built. One of their beliefs was a complete separation of men and women. This even extended to their meeting places. There were two doors, one for the men and one for the ladies, and they sat on opposite sides of the room. They’re not around anymore. They all died off! They never had any children to teach and train to follow in their footsteps. And, if we are not careful, the same exact thing will happen to us! Not because we didn’t have children, but because we failed to bring them into the church. We failed to bring them into the arms of Jesus!

I put it to you that we, as parents, have more of an obligation to our children than just raising them. We have an obligation to raise them with a firm background and belief in the Lord! And furthermore, I put it to you that that obligation extends beyond just our own children…it includes grandchildren, nieces and nephews, neighbors and friends. In short, it is our obligation to see to it that ALL children are raised with a firm background and belief in the Lord!

If the day comes that sees us alone…if the day comes that we have no one to help us…if the day comes that we see our church buildings empty, and God’s word not being taught…then we have no one to blame but ourselves. Because it is our responsibility to bring in and educate the next generation…and the next…and the one after that…in the way of the Lord! It is our responsibility to see to it that that education IS steeped in the Bible, and that the lives that they live reflect that. And is ALSO our responsibility to see to it that they pass that education on to THEIR children!

And you know what? Once you get started, it’s really a lot of fun!!

First given in Lynnville, IL on June 22, 2003, the Scripture starts with all of the 17th chapter of 1rst Samuel and then moves to 2nd Corinthians 6: 1-13…

      “Faster than a speeding bullet! … More powerful than a locomotive! … Able to leap tall buildings in a single bound!” … “Look! Up in the sky!”… “It’s a bird!”… “It’s a plane!”… “It’s Superman!”…… “Yes, it’s Superman! Strange visitor from another planet who came to earth with powers and abilities far beyond those of mortal men… Superman… who can change the course of mighty rivers… bend steel in his bare hands… and who… (disguised as Clark Kent, mild-mannered reporter for a great metropolitan newspaper)… fights a never-ending battle for TRUTH… JUSTICE… and the AMERICAN WAY!”

      I would be very surprised if there were anybody of my generation… nor of a number of generations both before and after mine… who had never heard that before. I think everybody at least knows of ‘Superman’ even if they are too young to have ever seen any of the old TV series or read the comic books. And if it were proper, I would just-about bet money that there isn’t a person who knows him who hasn’t dreamed or wished at some point in their life to have had some of his powers. I remember dreaming of flying through the clouds and rescuing a girl from grade school whose name I can’t even remember anymore!

       Those of us who watched any television in the sixties can probably also remember another very similar opening sequence… “Look! Up in the sky!”… “It’s a bird!”… “It’s a plane!”… “It’s a frog!” …… “A frog?”…… “No, not bird nor plane nor even frog… it’s just little ol’ me… (‘jhfcrashogf’)…Underdog!” You probably also remember the other well-known phrase from that show, “There’s no need to fear… UnderDog is here!”

      I’ve always felt a connection to him. Never having had a silver spoon in my mouth, it has always seemed far easier for me to relate to UnderDog than to Superman. And so it is that I have tried to support the underdogs as much as I can. For example, if it’s at all possible I try to buy from the mom-and-pop stores over the Wal-Mart’s and Best Buys… and normally, I’ll select a local restaurant over a national chain unless we’re really in a hurry. Until I reached the age when I really started paying attention to elections, I had been known to vote for somebody just because they were NOT favored to win. I recall that during the campaigns of 1964 my sixth-grade teacher had each of us choose to represent and ‘stump’ for either Johnson or Goldwater. I, of course, chose Goldwater. As I prepared my notes for this talk, I have tried to think of other notable underdogs to name as examples… but since they were underdogs, their names have disappeared over the years. But let me read you a story about one you may not have heard of…

This story comes from the May/June, 2000 issue of Ministries Today –

      Gregg Anderson traces his tender heart to the nation’s worst drunk-driving crash in Northern Kentucky nearly 13 years ago. En route to the scene for a Cincinnati radio station, he felt God’s presence and sensed the victim’s pain. Tears gushed from his eyes before he arrived.

      A year later he walked away from his aspirations to become a network sports announcer. Ordained in 1990, for the last decade he has held various jobs, among them prison chaplain in Kentucky’s maximum-security prison.

      Now part-time youth pastor at a church near Cincinnati, he also works with troubled youth for a Northern Kentucky school system. His duties include supervising GED classes at a county detention center.

      For the last seven years he has traveled regularly to Latvia, ministering in the Baltic state’s prisons. Lately, he has contacted ministries springing up there to meet social needs in the post-Communist era.

      “I’ve always been for the underdog,” says the founder of 70×7 Evangelistic Ministry. “Ministering to hurting people has always been a key part of what I do.”

      While at the state prison, he prayed with inmates whose names he recognized from reporting on their crimes. Some were suspicious, thinking he was trying to do an undercover story but during his time there he made many friends.

      His career change came with a price. As a chaplain he worked for one-third the peak of his media salary, and he still earns far less than most reporters.

      “Gregg is a sincere man who loves God with all his heart,” said his pastor, Sam Luke. “He’s not well-publicized and there’s not a lot of glamour in what he does.

      Among the lessons Anderson has learned about caring for the hurting are:

• Be Christ like and don’t look for anything in return. The downtrodden can’t give it.

• Serve without expecting accolades. God sees what you’re doing.

• Turn the other cheek. Surly inmates have called him obscene names -one snarling, “I wish you’d drop off the face of the earth.” But if he stops loving those who act hostile toward him, Anderson says, it curtails the miracle of God’s forgiveness.

• There are blessings in helping others.

“I’ve covered the Super Bowl, the Cincinnati Reds, University of Kentucky basketball.., some of the greatest events in the last 20 years.” He notes. “But that’s nothing like seeing a downtrodden person walk forward and say, ‘I want to accept Jesus.’ You know you’ve been a vehicle to touch people for Christ.

      We live in a world where we Christians are perceived as underdogs. Over the years we’ve been called ‘weak-minded… using religion for a crutch’… we’re called to task for standing up for things that may not be ‘politically correct’ but are morally and spiritually correct… a number of commentaries through the years have taken us to task for not ‘practicing what we preach’ in regard to our two commandments… loving God, and loving our neighbor. We are considered foolish when we turn away from worldly wealth and comforts in order that we might better serve God. To the world at large, we Christians may well seem small and insignificant… the underdogs of society. Now frankly, I don’t usually give much credence to what the world thinks of me, in general. But all too often we tend to accept the ‘niche’ that society has placed us in and just try to eek out our existence without drawing too much attention to ourselves.

      In our New Testament verses, Paul tells the Corinthians that he and his fellow disciples have striven to not do or say anything that might detract attention from where it belongs… the Good News of Christ and Salvation! He says, “We try to live in such a way that no one will be hindered from finding the Lord by the way we act, and so no one can find fault with our ministry. In everything we do we try to show that we are true ministers of God. We patiently endure troubles and hardships and calamities of every kind. We have been beaten, been put in jail, faced angry mobs, worked to exhaustion, endured sleepless nights, and gone without food. We have proved ourselves by our purity, our understanding, our patience, our kindness, our sincere love, and the power of the Holy Spirit. We have faithfully preached the truth. God’s power has been working in us. We have righteousness as our weapon, both to attack and to defend ourselves. We serve God whether people honor us or despise us, whether they slander us or praise us. We are honest, but they call us impostors. We are well known, but we are treated as unknown. We live close to death, but here we are, still alive. We have been beaten within an inch of our lives. Our hearts ache, but we always have joy. We are poor, but we give spiritual riches to others. We own nothing, and yet we have everything.”

      For the Philistines in our Old Testament reading Goliath was surely their ‘Superman’. He stood over nine feet tall… the bronze coat of armor that he wore weighed just over 156 pounds, while just the point of his spear weighed almost twenty. For us today, Goliath represents all that we see as negative and dangerous in the world. He held Saul and his army in utter contempt, much like the world today seems to do the Christian faith. And I think most people would agree that in this story, at least, David was most-definitely the underdog! He was a mere child, sent on an errand by his father to help his brothers. But, David had the Lord!

      David shouted to Goliath, “You come to me with sword, spear, and javelin, but I come to you in the name of the LORD Almighty–the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. Today the LORD will conquer you, and I will kill you and cut off your head. And then I will give the dead bodies of your men to the birds and wild animals, and the whole world will know that there is a God in Israel! And everyone will know that the LORD does not need weapons to rescue his people. It is his battle, not ours. The LORD will give you to us!”

      What a difference it makes to know God! The Life Application Commentary says that, “He cares for his own in spite of what the world thinks. Christians don’t have to give in to public opinion and pressure. In today’s’ verses, Paul stood faithful to God whether people praised him or condemned him. He remained active, joyous, and content in the most difficult hardships.

      Paul wrote that he was poor and yet capable of making many others rich. Christians today have that same privilege.”

      Paul also says that as God’s fellow workers we are urged not to receive God’s grace in vain. Then he quotes from Isaiah 49:8 which says…

“In the time of my favor I will answer you,

and in the day of salvation I will help you;”

      Paul then avows that, “…now is the time of God’s favor, now is the day of salvation!”

      Now is indeed the time of God’s favor… today is indeed the day of salvation! With the strength and love of God behind us, we Christians are NOT the underdogs of the world… we are the supermen of God’s Kingdom! And it is time we let the world know that we are tired of them ‘kicking sand in our faces’ and stand up with the power of God behind us for what we KNOW is right and true!

      Like David, we Christians are mere children, sent by our heavenly father to help our brothers. And if we truly have God in our lives… if we let Him fill us with His power and His strength… then we can defeat every Goliath that the world sends our way!

      Dad bought our twenty-three-acre farm outside of Edwardsville in 1965. The man that we bought it from also owned the hills surrounding us and contracted one of them to be used as the Edwardsville city landfill. Since he was moving out of the area, he and Dad struck up a deal for Dad to take care of the daily operations of it.

This generally involved Dad, my brother, and myself going up after dad got home from his regular job to spread and cover the three loads of ‘stuff’ that the city dumped each day. As Dad ran the crawler to push and spread the material, my brother and I would walk along side and pull out anything of value. Copper, tires, and anything metal were the main items to watch for, but occasionally one of us would see something ‘special’ and pull it out for ourselves. (I still have a glass piggy bank with one broken spot that came from there. It is used every day!)

On Saturday mornings we had to be there and have the place open to the public. We would collect the charges (for the city) and show them where to dump. In between ‘customers’ Dad would do maintenance on the crawler or work on digging out the next hole to be filled. Sometimes my brother and I would have to take sacks and ‘stickers’ (broom or rake handles with a nail sticking out of the end of it) and work on picking up all of the pieces of paper that the wind would catch and blow around the perimeter and beyond.

While Dad collected a monthly stipend for all of this, my brother’s and my time was considered to be part of our daily chores, along with feeding and watering our twenty-plus head of Herefords and assorted pigs, chickens, and pets. Once or twice a year we would burn off the insulation on the copper and sell it and our other piles at the scrap yard. The ten-or-twelve dollars that came from that would be split between my brother and myself, and was usually put into our college savings accounts at the bank. And while it’s true that we probably complained about not getting the cash for ourselves, and about having to work when, “…none of our friends do!”, we knew that that’s just the way it was…because Dad said so!

Dad was one of those people who strove for perfection in himself and seemed to expect it in those around him. If things went well you never heard a word. But if something messed up…look out!

Yes, my brother and I grew up petty much believing that Dad’s word was LAW. Not that that kept me from being myself! Indeed, many was the time when I would consciously think of Red Skelton’s ‘mean widdle kid’ …”If I do dis, I’m gonna’ git a wuppin’…I do it anyway!”

One time, after school and before Dad got home, I was riding my bike up past the landfill and saw it on fire! We found out, later, that one of the city trucks had picked up a ‘hot’ load and had gone by the firehouse and had them soak it. They had then brought it on out, dumped it and left. Once in the open air, however, it had rekindled and was spreading. The gate was locked, but if I could get in I knew where the key to the crawler was hidden. Over the top I went!  Grab the key and up into the seat! I spread everything out and sprinkled just enough dirt on it to put out the fire! Yes, I knew I would probably be in big trouble, but this was a ‘legitimate’ excuse to run the crawler! Put up the key, back over the fence, and back home in time to meet Dad getting home! I told him my story about the ‘big’ fire and how I overcame ‘great obstacles’ to put it out. He never said a word. When it was time, we went up like normal. As he looked over what I had done, he still never said a word! He just got the key and finished doing the job that he was paid to do. Years later I came to realize that he was proud of what I had done! He just didn’t know how to show it! Again, that’s just the way he was!

It had always been a point of pride for him to never borrow anything unless he absolutely had to, yet if anybody needed anything, it was theirs for the asking! Whether it was tools or equipment, or help with a project, Dad had always been willing and able to give whatever was his to give. And that included loving and providing for my brother and me…even though I was adopted!

I’d always felt that there was a tiny difference in the way he acted towards me compared to my brother, but never really thought much about it until my senior year of high school when I chanced upon the adoption papers. Suddenly a number of things made a lot more sense…like why I was at his and mom’s wedding ceremony!

He may not have known how to express his love outwardly, but this man raised me as his own for almost sixteen years. My brother and I never went hungry; we always had new clothes and shoes to wear, and always had a roof over our heads. We were always treated equally, whether in blame and/or punishment, or rewards. Had I not seen the papers I probably would never have known that I was not his real son…’till the day he died we never openly talked about it. Many a blood father would do well to learn from his example!

What makes a ‘good’ father? Ask any number of people and you’ll probably get as many different answers. But I ask you to consider this.

God, our Heavenly Father, has been far more vocal, over the centuries, about all of the ‘failings’ of His family. He has ‘laid down the law’ and set Himself up as judge. He has meted out punishment where it was deserved, and provided for the eternal condemnation of those who have abandoned Him. He is often silent in His praise for what we do right, yet ‘shouts’ from our conscience when we do wrong. Yet for all of that, we know that He loves us!

Unconditionally! And unquestionably! Because He sent His only REAL son (we might be considered His adopted family) to DIE on the cross…for US! What greater love can there be?

Can paralleling some of these parenting techniques be that wrong? I think not!

Over the years I have come to accept and appreciate many things. Among them is the fact that my Dad loved my brother and me, and raised us up the best way that he knew how.  And all things considered, I don’t think he did too bad!

HAPPY HEAVENLY FATHERS’ DAY, DAD!

As I say in the video, this was written for the June 8, 2003 service at the little church I pastored in Lynnville, IL at the time, which was ‘Pentecost Sunday’ of that year! ‘Pentecost Sunday’ was actually 2 Sundays ago here in 2023, but I’m going ahead and using it today! However, MOST of this was actually some time before… the ‘Original’ version can be found by ‘Searching’ for ‘scluebbert space space earthmover’ 🙂

The Scripture is from the Book of Acts chapter 2, verses 1-21…

Until I first moved to the Jacksonville area in 1973, or thereabouts, my only knowledge of Springfield had come from a fourth-grade field trip, an outing with the Cub Scouts around that same time, a weekend youth rally with my girlfriend’s church group, and two or three visits to the State Fair while I was growing up. So, needless to say, I knew almost nothing about how the streets were laid out.

       At that time, the only thing on the western outskirts was the K-Mart store. It stood all by itself on the edge of what was then the primary road to Springfield from the west, Highway 36. But, I had come to this area as a heavy equipment operator because there were a lot of building projects just getting started, and that next summer found me running an earthmover shaping the dirt for the buildings and parking lots of what would become White Oaks Mall, as well as the new four-lane from Chatham.

       Halfway through the summer, the job foreman made arrangements to rent a paddle-style earthmover. He and I zigzagged diagonally across to the equipment dealer on the opposite corner of town. After they showed me what I needed to know about that machine, I climbed up into the operator’s position, fastened my seatbelt, and headed back across town.

       I had never been to that part of Springfield before. In fact, that drive across town had been the first time I had been on a number of those streets. I had expected to follow the foreman back but he was following me with his flashers on. So it was that, at one stoplight, I zigged when I should have zagged. I drove that earthmover right through downtown Springfield! I finally stopped at what I now know is South Grand and ran back to get directions. So I wound up driving the rest of the way on South Grand, MacArthur, and Wabash! What a way to see Springfield!

Today is ‘Pentecost Sunday’ The word “Pentecost” is a Greek word signifying the 50^th part of a thing, or the 50^th in order. Among the Jews it was applied to one of their three great feasts which began on the 50^th day after the Passover.

In Old Testament times, the Spirit of God came upon isolated individuals or smaller groups only on special occasions and only in a temporary way to help them accomplish God’s purposes. As the apostles were gathered together in Jerusalem for the feast of Pentecost, the time had come for the fulfillment of Christ’s promise to send his Spirit completely and permanently upon all believers. This is the day Christ made good on his promise to send the Helper… the Comforter… the Holy Spirit, if you will… who would take up permanent residence in those who put their faith in Christ.

Now, some of you may be wondering what the story I started off with has to do with any of this… so, as Paul Harvey says, let me tell you the ‘Rest of the Story’.

As time went by, I came to know Springfield and the surrounding area pretty well. I have worked for a number of businesses over there from time to time and have made deliveries and service calls all over… I have hauled busloads of school kids to various sites… and I have made many trips with family and friends. In fact, I would say that there was a time when I knew Springfield as well as anybody!

       But as always, time moves on. And over the years, as our lives grew steadily busier and busier, our trips to Springfield grew fewer and fewer. So much so that, when there a few years ago, I found I had to rediscover how to get from one point to another again. Between all of the new roads being built and old ones closing, not to mention my memory starting to fade, it was almost like driving in a strange city again! And it came to me how like our lives that was!

       We all start out in unfamiliar territory. But over time, we learn about what is around us, and eventually what lies beyond. We grow…we learn skills…we experience new things…and soon we feel confident and competent about most aspects of our lives. And as long as we make use of that knowledge we not only retain it, but we continue to augment it! But what happens if, for some reason, we stop using it? If you stop playing baseball, say, you soon loose your ability to play baseball. Your muscles and skills would slowly change so much that, should you ever decide to pick up a bat again, the experience could be both painful and embarrassing! And unless you find cause to use it, much of the information you learned in school and such will disappear. Just as an example, can you still name all of the states and their capitals? My point is this…in order for knowledge and experience to be of any value, we not only have to learn it, but we also have to make steady use of it!

The same holds true for our spiritual lives. We all begin as babes in the family of God. But slowly we grow in our knowledge of and faith in God. As that knowledge and faith grows, we become aware of God’s calling to each of us. And, as we each respond to that calling, we discover the ‘gifts’ that God has made to each of us! Today’s verses talk about the Holy Spirit delivering the first of these gifts. And in 1 Corinthians, chapter 12, Paul talks even further about them. He even lists a few of them…counseling, teaching, healing, prophesy, speaking in tongues… there are many, many others…

These gifts are not earned…they are not given to believers who ask for a specific one…they are not chosen by people! God alone controls these gifts! And as we begin to use them, we grow in our understanding of them, and in our understanding of God’s intent for them. We get better at using them…we get better at serving God in the service that He intended for us.

But what happens if, for whatever reason, we stop using the gifts that God gave? Someone gets ‘too busy’… somebody retires and figures others can take care of it… someone else moves or changes jobs…it becomes all too easy to start letting God’s work go by the wayside. And then, like anything else, we begin to loose our ability to make use of that gift!

Every one of us has a gift! I have seen many different people serve God in many different ways. And while some may not be as visible and obvious as others, every one of them is equally important to the over-all workings of the church. Every gift is a necessary part in God’s plan! That means that YOU are an indispensable part of God’s plan! Without you, God’s church will not operate as it should! Your gift is important… and appreciated by all who experience it!

But they will only experience it if you make use of it! If you choose NOT to make use of it, then you may well eventually loose the ability to use it.

And what will God think about that?

Primarily (Some changes to allow for the passage of time…) from my monthly article, ‘View-From-the-Point’ in the June 2003 issue of the monthly newsletter I used to do for a small church up near Jacksonville, IL. I have used parts or included all of this in various other writings/sermons over the years, but This is its original form!

      “’Nake comin’, Dad.” I wasn’t quite asleep, yet, but was headed there. “What?” I asked. “’Nake comin’, Dad! ‘Nake comin’!”

      My three-year-old son and I were spending the weekend with my mother and her husband at the trailer they owned and kept at a campground in Missouri. He and I were just settling in for the night when he sat upright and pointed down the covers, “’Nake comin’!” I rolled over to look and saw an inchworm making its way towards the pillows. Trying very hard not to laugh, I reassured him that it was only an inch-worm and nothing to worry about, then scooped it up and threw it outside. Thus reassured, we both settled in and went to sleep.

      Though very intelligent for his age (after all, I AM his father!), Ted’s vocabulary at three years of age just did not have enough words in it, yet, to fully describe what he was seeing. The word he did know that most closely described it was ‘snake’! He had seen them at the zoo and read about them in some of his books, and he knew that some snakes were dangerous… hence his insistence on getting my attention focused on what was steadily approaching up the sheet.

      Fast-forward a few years. I once had an opportunity to address a group of junior high students and their teacher as I explained the mechanics and theory behind the giant wooden turntable that drives the carding mill in the village at New Salem State Park. And as they all walked away I could tell from their comments that they had understood what I had been telling them, and were amazed at how everything had been put together to work with ‘Ox Power’. However, I couldn’t help but think that some, if not most, of them were still wondering why they hadn’t just installed an electric motor! They understood the nuts-and-bolts of the machinery, but were unable to deal with the concept of there ever having been a time when something like that was not only necessary, but would have been considered high-technology.

      Unfortunately, much of that same way of thinking has permeated the way youth (and many adults!) perceive religion and moral values. Through the magic of modern technological advances, ‘miracles’ occur around us everyday! Imagine the pioneer of nine decades ago walking into a modern home and seeing a television picture… a doctor transported from a Civil War surgery into one of today’s medical marvels… or a ‘mule skinner’ suddenly seeing a 747 overhead! These things which we take so much for granted would surely seem to be miracles to our forefathers. Yet, to us they are just part of our everyday life, with more ‘miracles’ being invented everyday. Is it any wonder, then, that many of OUR generation, let alone our youth, have a problem dealing with the miracles and ‘stories’ that we read about in the Bible as being anything too special?

      Note these statistics…

      Who cheats on tests?

            74% of Christian Youth

            76% of Non-Christian Youth

      Who lies to their parents?

            93% of Christian Youth

            93% of Non-Christian Youth

      Who physically hit someone when angered?

            63% of Christian Youth

            67% of Non-Christian Youth

(Source: The Ethics of American Youth Survey)

      The point is, there is little or no difference between our kids who are called Christian and non-believers! And that is because we have failed in passing on to them the full context and meaning of the Good News of Jesus Christ… and that is at least partly because that for all intents and purposes, many of us have failed, ourselves, to grasp the full import of Christ’s message.

      For the most part, many in the Church today, including our youth, have not been taught any of the ‘heavy’ ideas and ideals of religion… they have learned what I have termed ‘religion-lite’! Yet, since the only word in most vocabularies that came close to describing it was ‘religion’, that’s what most assumed they were learning. But the numbers in the survey above tell a different story!

      When I went on my ‘Walk to Emmaus’, many years ago, one speaker told us that, “When the church loses the word ‘SIN’ from its vocabulary, it loses the very language of salvation!” You see, Sin and Order are directly related. Our God is a God of Order! So, in its simplest terms, sin is merely a case of getting things out of the order that God intended for them to be, and a person must truly study and learn His word to be aware of what that order is. Without that awareness, right and wrong both become ‘gray’, not the ‘black and white’ that they should be.

We must all search out the truth… the order, if you will… of God’s plan and return to the basic principles and concepts that Jesus strove so hard to make known to us. Because, without a knowledge of and belief in the basics any lessons learned will be false, or worse, only partly true!

And there is no such thing as a Partial Christian. That would kinda’ be like being partly pregnant!