Mental Musings

Have you ever been faced with a difficult decision? A life and death decision? Jim and Betty Elliot and their friends wanted to help the Auca (Ahka) Indians of Equador to learn about Jesus. The problem was that the Auca were very vicious, people and anytime someone had tried to approach them from the outside they had been killed. After months of trying to slowly connect, the Auca came to their camp in force and killed them. The Aucas always remembered those five strange white men who had been so kind to them and had not tried to kill them. And so, a year later when more missionaries tried again to speak to the Aucas about Jesus, they were ready to listen. Several of the men who had helped to kill Jim and his friends with their spears now became Christians. Lottie Moon was a single woman who had a passion for telling the Chinese about Jesus. In 1873 she started her missionary work in China. War broke out in China in 1894 and then widespread famine. Lottie shared her mone

I want to tell you about two stories that seem strange, but are absolutely, 100% true. Both stories had numerous eyewitness accounts and have been documented numerous times. The first that I want to tell you about happened on Christmas Eve in 1914 during World War I. This story seems too good to be true, but it did happen. About 100,000 soldiers participated in an impromptu truce that Christmas. Most of these truces ended later on Christmas day, but some continued until the New Year. Not all the stories from that night are as heartwarming. In a couple areas while soldiers on both sides attempted to engage each other in truce they were shot and killed by the opposing sides. But for the most part, on Christmas Eve 1914, thousands of soldiers set aside their weapons and the war so that they could take photos, play soccer, sing songs, and eat together. Most accounts suggest the truce began with carol singing from the trenches on Christmas Eve. Pvt. Albert Moren of the Seco

Have you ever heard of Casey, Illinois? No? That is hard to believe since it is home to 7 of the world’s largest items as recorded by the Guinness Book of World Records. That’s right, this little town with a population of 2700 people that is midway between Indianapolis, Indiana, and St. Louis, Missouri, along Interstate 70, has made a name for itself. They have the world’s largest wind chime that is 56 feet high with a 42-foot-long chime, a rocking chair that is over 56 feet high and weighs 46,200 pounds, a golf tee that is 30 feet high and weighs over 6600 pounds, a pitchfork that is 60 feet long, wooden shoes that are over 11 feet long and 4 feet high, a mailbox that is over 32 feet tall, a crochet hook and knitting needles that are 9 pounds and 25 pounds respectively. They also have 4 additional “big” items in their town: big coin, big pencil, big birdcage, and a big yardstick—that is 36 feet long rather than 36 inches long. They also are the location for the Illinois So

Sunday, November 27th was the start of the season of Advent. Traditionally advent has been the 4 Sundays prior to Christmas and Christmas Eve. It represents a time of waiting or anticipation for the coming Messiah. As believers we can also see this as a time to anticipate the return of Jesus. Each Sunday we light a new candle to represent an important part of the Christmas story. On the first Sunday the candle is the Prophet candle. I think it is perhaps the best candle to explain why this time of waiting, this time of anticipation, was seen and continues to be seen as a Season of Hope. The English poet Alexander Pope wrote, “Hope springs eternal,” but where do we turn when hope dries up? A terminally ill young man who came in for his usual treatment was seen by a new doctor who was on duty. This doctor said to him casually and cruelly, “You know, don’t you, that you won’t live out the year?”  As the young man left, he stopped by the front desk and wept. “That man took away m

It wasn’t until 5th grade that I understood the importance of style. Prior to that I wore whatever my mom bought, which was generally Sears Toughskins jeans and a matching shirt that were the norm back in the 60s. But in 5th grade, I had a teacher that had been a Broadway dancer. He taught us how to dance for a school show and he thought I was very talented. The only thing negative that he ever said was that he felt I needed to learn how to dress more stylishly. That was when I started noticing that none of my friends in our Rockville neighborhood wore clothes like me. We had moved to this middle class neighborhood from the inner city of Norfolk. I was still dressing like an inner city kid which did not match the style of the burbs. I was out-of-style. So it wasn’t long before I started wearing all of those wonderful styles of the 70s: oversized collars, patterned shirts, and bell-bottomed jeans. Then the 80s came and brought in the Preppy look with IZOD button-up shirts, M

Dr. Bronson Ray, a noted brain surgeon, was walking around his neighborhood when he saw a boy on a scooter smash headfirst into a tree. Realizing that the boy was seriously injured, the doctor told a bystander to call 911. As he proceeded to administer first aid, a boy not much older than the injured one nudged through the crowd that had gathered and said loudly, “I’d better take over now, sir. I’m a Boy Scout and I know first aid.” This Boy Scout was confident that he could help. I wonder if he would have been just as confident if he had known that he was talking to a skilled doctor?  In 2 Chronicles 18 we see how all of the fortune tellers and seers in Israel and Judah were telling Jehoshaphat that he would easily defeat the nation of Ramoth-gilead, but one lone prophet of God warned him that the battle would end in defeat. Jehoshaphat thought he was acting out of confidence when he ordered his army to war, but we can see from the defeat that he was actually acting out of

Pastor Stan was the only staff member of a small church. He showed up one Sunday after spending hours that week preparing for the worship service. He was the one that typically led the singing while playing his guitar. He was the one that usually unlocked the doors and turned on the lights. He was the person that would get everything prepared for the start of service. He was the one that preached the sermons. And he did all of that this week as he waited for people to arrive. Jim was always the first person to arrive on Sundays. He would greet Pastor Stan and then make the coffee. As Pastor Stan and Jim waited for the coffee to finish brewing, Jim talked about the weather, fishing, and his favorite football team. Pastor Stan did not engage much in the conversation because he was wondering when someone else would arrive.  It wasn’t that Pastor Stan disliked Jim, he just was a little worried that nobody else had shown up yet. He excused himself and went outside to look down t

Then Jehoshaphat stood in the assembly of Judah and Jerusalem in the Lord’s temple before the new courtyard. He said: "Yahweh, the God of our ancestors, are You not the God who is in heaven, and do You not rule over all the kingdoms of the nations? Power and might are in Your hand, and no one can stand against You." (2 Chronicles 20:5,6) Who is God and why should I worship Him? Jehoshaphat had just experienced a terrible military defeat because He did not do what God’s prophet told him to do. After that, God sends the prophet back to Jehoshaphat to basically say, “I told you so,” and to rebuke him for his unbelief. Then we see his total belief in God. It is impossible to describe God in just one sermon. It is impossible to describe God in weeks of sermons. It is impossible to describe God in any adequate manner that will satisfy those who must have a clear picture of who God is. You see, God is indescribable. There are some things that we can know about God, but ther

We continue our study on worship Then Jehoshaphat bowed with his face to the ground, and all Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem fell down before the Lord to worship Him. Then the Levites from the sons of the Kohathites and the Korahites stood up to praise the Lord God of Israel shouting with a loud voice. (2 Chronicles 20:18-19) Did you notice that all of Judah and Jerusalem fell down before the Lord to worship Him? This would be equivalent to seeing all of Baltimore and Washington D.C. worshipping God at the same time. Wow! They recognized that worship was not just something for the less educated or the less cultured. Praise is a natural response to God’s power and grace. God’s people have always praised Him in one manner or another. The Bible depicts close to 500 times of praise as well as a glimpse into Heaven where praise is something that continues for all of eternity. Praise is prevalent. While God desires praise from His people, He expects it from the rest o