When Knights Were Bold (A Book Review)

When Knights Were Bold, by Eva March Tappan

Short Review:

First, I want to clarify a misunderstanding that I held from the book's title. It is not an adventure book. It is more simply an easy-to-read Medieval history. If you have an interest in the Middle Ages, I recommend this book as some light reading to broaden your understanding of the era.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It is neither boring, nor adventurous, and it found it to be the perfect book to read a chapter before bed. It broadened my understanding of the Middle Ages, and corrected some "fairy-tale" misperceptions.

Free Text and Pictures:

http://www.mainlesson.com/display.php?author=tappan&book=bold&story=_contents

Free Audio Book:

http://librivox.org/when-knights-were-bold-by-eva-march-tappan/

Don't Think and Drive (16)

Random and funny things observed while traveling.

I've decided to name my car Alexis. I just want to be able to say, "Yeah, I travel in Alexis . . . " "I own Alexis . . ."

I think I would rent the truck that advertised in large letters "fuel-saving chassis skirts!", except that no one had bothered to actually put them on the truck - they weren't there!

"Sorry restaurant closes at 9pm." Great restaurants are open all night?

"Subway parking only". - I expected to see this sign underground.

"Must be 21 to enter this area". I didn't go, because I'm not 21 anymore . . .

"No Parking: Doctors Only" So I can park there? (I'm not a doctor).

"Handwashing Instructions:
Thoroughly wash and dry hands" -- No kidding, lol.

"The firm concentrates on selling to either small, medium-sized, or large customers." LOL! (They meant small, medium, or large businesses.)

Restaurant sign advertising:
"NEW
Fajita
GrillBurger
Lemonade"
-- sounds positively disgusting.

Something about Wendy's "Natural-Cut Fries" bothers me. What? Do they grow them that way?

Some dress codes are strict, but this one takes the cake!
"Girls: Dresses or skirts and blouses with sleeves, knee-length or below" (Those are some LONG sleeves!)

Check out these great pictures, also!

1) Deanna spotted this one. The sign says "Walk-ins Welcome". LOL. I love this one.

2) We found a boy who fell in a puddle! lol

3) Now THAT is some AMAZING Cologne!

Evolution Died of Pneumonia

(Short version - read only until dashed line)

Bill: "Imagine you have severe pneumonia. You will die, unless you get the right medication quickly. A pharmacist escorts you to a room where base chemicals sit on shelves, clearly divided into types, but unlabled as to what they are. There are 60 different chemicals in the room, and you are assured that the correct chemicals to save your life are included. You must choose the right combination that will create the medicine that will save your life. Incorrect combinations create poisons that will kill you except for a few neutral combinations that won't hurt you (but you will still die of the pneumonia). Only one creates the drug needed to save your life. Remember, you don't even know the number of chemicals included in the lifesaving formula - you must guess that too. How likely are you to be right?"

Pete: "I am going to die."

Bill: "Now, let's say that the entire world's population has this severe pneumonia. Each one of them gets to try to create the formula that will save their life. We now have 6 billion attempts, instead of just one. How many people are going to survive?

Pete: "Well, I suppose a few would. Maybe a couple hundred?"

Bill: "Actually, as best as we can tell, the chance of anyone out of the 6 billion people getting the right combination is 1 out of 8 followed by 96 zeros. That's nearly a googol against any of the 6 billion surviving. But ... for the sake of argument, let's take your number. 200 people managed to guess correctly somehow and survived.

Now here comes the tricky part. How many of them could remember which chemicals they chose?"

Pete: "Oh dear - probably only 1 or 2."

Bill: "So how is the next generation (if there is one) going to survive the next pneumonia epidemic?"

Pete: "Well that's simple. The two that survived will write down or tell in detail the location and order of the chemicals they chose to their children."

Bill: "And here is the inherent problem with evolution, Pete. You see, in order for good mutations or accidents to be passed on to the next generation . . . you have to require intelligence. It's one thing to argue that chance processes can happen, but why can we simply assume that they're just 'passed on to the next generation'? You see, there has to already be an order, a system, an intelligence in place in order for those genes to be passed on. Where did THAT come from?

--------------------------------------------------

Pete: "But early cells simply grew and divided - they didn't have to procreate,"

Bill: "They grew and divided? Why? Where did the information for growing and dividing come from? Do you see how this doesn't make sense? If a cell somehow did manage to come into existence, where did it get all that information that we just assume it had? We consider it simply inherent to cells -- simply inherent to life. Maybe it is exactly that - simply inherent."

Pete: "You're arguing for a creator?"

Bill: "Why not? I believe that Z-pak you're taking for your pneumonia was specifically designed and created by a drug company. It's not even living, and I don't think it's any more than 13 chemicals in combination. Why wouldn't I believe that our bodies, which are living and so very much more complex, were created also?"

Pete: "But science says--"

Bill: "Science says that the z-pak was created, yes. And it also says that the human body is much more complex. Science does NOT say that man evolved. Science is study involving the observable and repeatable. That's why we know the z-pak was created -- by observation and repetition. But science cannot claim evolution. Individual scientists can claim it, for they are men and women with beliefs and faith, just like us. And so many scientists have claimed it. And many scientists have also claimed that God created the world, humans, and everything else. Neither of those is science. That's faith."

You see, it is complete foolishness to believe that Zithromax was designed by a drug company and at the same time to believe that your body was just a random happening.

Don't Think and Drive (15)

Random and funny things observed while traveling.

Southern Trip Edition

When I was on trio, we stayed in "camp accommodations". You know, a sweaty-smelling room with humidity way too high, no air conditioning, with 14 other guys who have vowed not to sleep? And the shower you get to use is a concrete bunker with no windows and nobody bothered to change the light bulb, with cracks in the wall so large you can see through them, and 2 inches of standing black water in the bottom? (You think I'm exaggerating - ask me about some stories!)

Well, guess what the ADULTS stay in!? I am apparently old enough now to be an adult. I had a double-bed, A/C, and a private bath at most of the camps I went to!! Check out the best one:

One camp I went to had a resident peacock. I didn't know these things can fly, often hang out in trees, and crow ...!

Road Names are always interesting. But you don't have to be a genius to name a street. Here's some I spotted:

"Cross St"

"Minor Rd"

"Frontage Rd"

What's the next ones? "Narrow Rd" and "City St"? LOL

I just love the Signs you see along the roads:

"Caution: School". No kidding!

"Wi-Fi Hot Tub" - this I've got to see!

"Clay Building Supply" - convenient last name :)

"To Future 26-W" -- We only had enough money for the sign, lol. Go ahead, take the exit. Right now, you launch of a bridge that's yet to be completed, but in a couple years, we'll have that fixed!

Ok, seriously - a hotel sign that says "Clean and Nice Folks"? That's what I look for in a hotel.

"Horseback Riding Zip Lines" - sign me up! This sounds like the adventure of a lifetime! LOL

"Camping -- Next Right" - in light of recent events, I found this extremely comical. (For those of you who are wondering, Mr. Camping predicted the world was going to end, and was wrong. He predicted again ...)

"New Steak Menu!" - They discovered that old steaks don't sell well.

Billboards:

"Go to church or the devil will get you" - Sorry guys, but I had to laugh. On a billboard? For adults?

"Heavy Traffic Can Be Such a Blessing ..." (Unfortunately for the advertiser, the trees had grown so tall no one could read the next line ...)

"World's Largest Sheet Sets" -- huh? Unfortunately no one makes beds this size. :( (I believe this was a problem of placement on the sign. I think World's Largest was supposed to go with "As Seen on TV", but well, they put it iin the wrong place.)

"Sweet Local Peaches" - Spent the next 3 minutes trying to figure out if this was advertising a dating service ...

Churches:

"Kodak UMC" - Come experience a God-Moment! ... I mean a Kodak-Moment ...

"The Church" - Yup, that was their name. Says it all.

Ok, I thought this hilarious! "Department of Mental Retardation" Please call if you would like to become more retarded ...

I thought this department was housed in DC!

Just compare the "Uses Most Energy" rating with the "This model uses: "

1) They found it necessary to explain "qualified person".

2) "Failure to follow these instructions can result in death or explosion." Yeah, a friend of mine tried to service his own water heater. He must have done something wrong. He exploded.

P.S. Sorry I don't have pictures for all these signs, but I hear it's quite dangerous to take pictures while trying to drive ;)

The Club of Queer Trades, by GK Chesterton (Book Review)

The Club of Queer Trades,

by GK Chesterton (Book Review)

Short Review:

A mystery/detective book with very unexpected endings! Great book with a funny and witty take on businesses. Totally different perspective about some everyday occurrences and unfamiliar experiences.

Review:

This book stays strictly inside G.K. Chesterton's style. Or perhaps better stated, this book defines Chesterton's style. He starts with a situation that doesn't make any sense, builds a detective case about the situation or story, and then wraps up the story with a full and clear explanation that's almost hilarious. Different from the Father Brown series, this book focuses on explaining strange occurrences less related to crime, and more related to "business". It's a great light read.

Free Book:

http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/1696

Free Audio:

http://librivox.org/the-club-of-queer-trades-by-g-k-chesterton/

Did I Fail as a Mom?

A message to all those mothers today who feel like they've failed.

Jochebed (Moses' mother) was a Failure

(Part of the Biblical Failures Series)

--If you don't have much time, scroll down and start at the section titled, "The Story Goes Gray"--

Introduction

Many of us view Moses as a great man of God. He was an amazing leader who led Israel out of slavery and into the Promised Land! How grand it must have been to be the mother of such an amazing person.

Or not.

Jochebed was a failure.

It's a Boy! -- was NOT a celebration.

Or, at least, she probably thought she was. As far as we know, Moses was the second male child born to Amram and Jochebed. The conditions surrounding their births were very different. By the time that Moses was born, it was illegal for male children to live. In a spirit of heroic and loving motherhood, Jochebed managed to hide Moses for three months! (See Exodus 2). As any mother of an infant knows, this was no small achievement! But things changed, and after three months, his parents had to face the agonizing realization that if they tried to hide him any longer, he would be found, and if found, murdered. As my pastor mentioned this morning, Jochebed had to be willing to give up her motherhood of Moses in order to save his life. "In order for Moses to live, someone else would have to raise him." (Thomas Lorimer)

Losing Her Baby

Imagine the thoughts and feelings that Jochebed must have struggled with. If she puts him in the Nile, he is going to cry. If he cries, people will find him. If the wrong person finds him . . . He will die. It must have been a tremendous internal battle. Jochebed certainly realized that she may never see her baby again. But practically, their options were few. If they keep him, he will die, guaranteed. If they try to let an Egyptian find him, he has a very slight chance at living. But the Bible gives us a clearer perspective in Hebrews chapter 11, verse 23. "By faith Moses’ parents hid him for three months after he was born, because they saw he was no ordinary child, and they were not afraid of the king’s edict." Jochebed had faith in a great big God, and she trusted that God was in control. Though she would have to give her child up, and she may never see him again, she believed that God could take care of him.

Irony upon Irony

This story is full of irony. I find it comical that Moses' parents actually found a creative way to obey the law. The law stated that all Hebrew boys should be thrown into the Nile. That's exactly what they did -- they just put a boat underneath! lol.

But I'm sure that on that day they were not smirking to themselves about how clever they had been. Who wouldn't be crying on the day you see your baby for the last time? An interesting note is that Moses' parents did not turn their backs on him. Miriam, his sister, "stood at a distance to see what would happen to him" (v 4). By chance (or an act of God), the daughter of Pharaoh shows up! The hand of God is clearly evident. She has compassion and decides to adopt this child as her own. Miriam, obviously old enough to allow God to give her a clever wit, shows up (and no one is surprised?) and offers to find a Hebrew to be a nurse mother to raise the boy for the princess. The princess agrees. And in a powerful irony that only God can create -- Jochebed was hired by the princess to raise Moses! She's getting paid to raise her own son!

Losing Her Baby the Second Time

Or not. No, in a very real sense, this baby was no longer her child. She had in fact lost her motherhood of him in order to save his life. And when he was old enough, Jochebed lost her child again. She had to give him to Pharaoh's daughter. I have no idea whether this would have been harder or easier than the first time. Perhaps some of you mothers will be able to tell me. But I imagine that this loss was harder. Mothers often worry about their children, and I imagine that Jochebed was very afraid. Which is worse, to lose your child to death, or to lose your child's soul? The only danger she faced the first time was that her baby would die. But now she is turning over a young and impressionable child to an evil tyrant - to be trained in state, in court, and in politics. Moses would be trained to be exactly the kind of person that the Hebrews hated. Mom, isn't this harder than death? Jochebed had but a short time to try to instill every value she possibly could in this young boy. And then he was gone. Gone to be indoctrinated as a communist leader. Gone to a Muslim suicide bomber training camp. Gone to be trained by the enemy. ... Worry ...

The Story Goes Gray

So far, the story has been amazing. God has turned things inside out and done some really awesome miracles! But what happens now? She is no longer Moses' mother. She does not know what will happen. But the possibilities certainly don't look good. We don't really know what all Jochebed knew of Moses after that. But let's imagine what she might have known. After such a long time, how he had turned out? Would he turn on them and become a regular Egyptian? Perhaps a glimmer of hope comes when she hears that Moses is not really acting as the son of the daughter of Pharaoh, but has come down to see his fellow Hebrews. But hope turns to dispair, when just as quickly, she receives news that her son is a murderer. It sounds more like he has become an angry rebellious young man, who both turned against Pharaoh and against his own people. No, he didn't become who she had hoped. And in all too short a time, her little baby Moses has become a murderer and a fugitive.

Jochebed, You're a Failure

A murderer and a fuguive. With a price on his head, her boy flees from the country. And it's very likely that he's never heard from again. Not from his mom, anyway. He worked in the desert for 40 years, and certainly couldn't come back to visit. While it is possible that Jochebed had already passed away before Moses became a murderer, we can be quite sure that she was dead before he returned on God's business. Assuming she was still alive, the last she knew of her son was that he had turned out awful. She must have spent all too much time scolding herself for not telling him one more story about God, for never telling him that one important truth she forgot, for not doing enough ... for not being good enough. How could she have failed after God had given him back to her? But she had. She had failed as a mother, and her son was lost.

What About You? -The Rest of the Story

The story could end there. And perhaps it has for you. It may seem as though all is lost, and your children are lost forever. Perhaps you are crying, like Jochebed, "Why didn't he just die when he was a baby? Then he would have gone to heaven! Now his soul is lost, and however will he come back to God again?"

But the Bible never gives us this idea of Jochebed. Instead, she appears in God's "Hall of Faith", as someone who trusted and believed God to do what she could not! God had worked in Moses' life when it was impossible, and God could do it again! I imagine that Jochebed spent more hours than any of us could count praying for her son. Mom couldn't do anything for her boy anymore, but she could pray. She could pray ... she could pray until the day she died. I have heard so many testimonies about the power of a praying mom. Don't give up! Jochebed felt like a failure too. But her son was Moses, leader of Israel!

If you can do nothing else, pray hard! The God of Moses and his mom is still God today! I remind you that Jochebed never saw her son amount to anything. But we did. We see the rest of the story,

"By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be known as the son of Pharaoh’s daughter. He chose to be mistreated along with the people of God rather than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a short time. He regarded disgrace for the sake of Christ as of greater value than the treasures of Egypt, because he was looking ahead to his reward. By faith he left Egypt, not fearing the king’s anger; he persevered because he saw him who is invisible." - Hebrews 11:24-27

Evil People Get Away With Everything

Recently, while reading Psalm 37, I realized that it is basically written as an instruction booklet!

It seems like God doesn't punish bad people. It seems like evil people get away with everything. What's the use in being good and doing the right things?

Here's God's answer, straight to us. (Psalm 37:1-9)

These are commands. They are not based in feeling, but in what God directs us.

1) Do not fret

because of evil men or be envious of those who do wrong; for like the grass they will soon wither, like green plants they will soon die away.

2) Trust in the Lord and do good;

dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture

3) Delight yourself in the Lord

and He will give you the desires of your heart.

4) Commit your way to the Lord; trust in Him

and He will do this: He will make your righteousness shine like the dawn, the justice of your cause like the noonday sun.

5) Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for Him;

do not fret when men succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes.

6) Refrain from anger and turn from wrath;

do not fret—it leads only to evil. For evil men will be cut off, but those who hope in the LORD will inherit the land.

Devotional Thought:

Three times the command, "Do not fret" is repeated. This phrase basically means to not allow yourself to be worked up in anger or vexation. Don't be angry about it, don't worry about it, don't get worked up about it. Instead,

• Trust in the Lord -- focus on God, and not the evil person, have faith in Him.
• Delight in the Lord -- moving from faith to emotion; this is becoming real to us
• Commit your own way to the Lord -- Now the focus is on us. What about the way we are living and acting? Is it pleasing to the Lord? Is it committed to the Lord?
• Wait patiently for the Lord. Oh dear. We thought that after we did the right thing, He would punish those people .... Sorry, but He basically says that the wicked will continue to succeed. This is not a formula for expecting God to act. These are instructions to change our focus.

So now, after telling us that the situation is not likely to change, and He wants us to wait for Him, He again reminds us: Do not fret! Refrain from anger! Turn from wrath! Do not fret! Lol, I think God understands us. About this time, we were getting upset again, so He again instructs us four times in a row to not worry ourselves about it!

Trust, delight, commit, and quietly wait. Lord, help us to think and act in a way that pleases you!

Don't Think and Drive (14)

Random and funny things observed while traveling.

Has anyone ever noticed that Terminal Lane has no ending? (it's a loop)

While it's perfectly appropriate in most places, it seemed a bit strange to hear "Please come again" in an airport restaurant.

"Warning: Our delicious cookies contain nuts." Apparently their mediocre cookies do not.

"Grout Museum" -- Sounds positively thrilling.

I know what they're trying to say, but this just sounds wrong: "Women - the world's largest untapped natural resource."

Now boarding all first-class passengers . . . .

Immediately after getting off out little 4-seat wide passenger jet, I looked out the airport window and spotted a large jumbo jet titled: "First Class Equine Transportation."

"There are no smoking and seatbelt signs on this aircraft." I'm sorry, that sounds like a serious design flaw.

Gas prices just keep going up . . . I saw a FedEx delivery guy on a bicyle! (Not kidding! - I wish I had a picture!)

I was in a store the other day and saw a sign that read "50% off - Entire Store"

I was going to inquire how much they were asking for it.

Textual Criticism and Lyrical Acceptance

Why your favorite singer is preaching your sermons.

"As God has shown us by turning stone to bread, So we all must lend a helping hand." - We Are the World by Michael Jackson

By nature, we are evaluative creatures. Very few of us start eating a meal without gaining a pretty good idea of what is sitting in front of us. We want to know what we're getting ourselves into. And we want to know the truth.

So it's really no surprise that when we hear a speech or a sermon, we immediately evaluate what the speaker is saying. And woe to the speaker who misspeaks. After the lecture, the halls will be filled with people asking, "Did you hear him say that Asia is the largest country in the world? The guy doesn't know the difference between a continent and a country." or, "His comment about economics was totally wrong - I'm an accountant, and he was way off-base." Whether intentional or mistaken, any known error is likely to be evaluated and criticised. The same happens with print. For example, a promotion was just placed in front of me on the plane. Though produced by a major company, the promotion includes a logo that has the human heart located in the wrong place. Though I noticed quickly, my reaction was not to the degree that it was a few weeks ago when I saw inaccurate information presented in our newspaper regarding a case for which I was a Jury member. We are "textually critical" of words we hear spoken or see in print.

The real surprise is in the words we don't evaluate. I submit to you that words couched as lyrics are accepted without the same degree of evaluation. In fact, I would argue that they receive little evaluation at all. Why is it that songs are so readily accepted? I have heard songs with lyrics that are dumb. I have heard songs with lyrics that are untruthful. I have heard songs with lyrics that are morally bad. But consistently, if these songs are criticized, others defend them. In fact, it seems to be a social taboo to speak badly of a song. "If you don't like it, then don't listen to it," we're told.

It appears to me that our recording artists have more of a ready pulpit than our preachers. Our pop stars have a more accepting audience than our professors. And our favorite bands' words are more quickly accepted than those of the world's greatest professional.

Textual criticism. Lyrical acceptance.

The Crisis and the Process of Growing Up

Growing up is a process. Slow and gradual.

But there comes a point where everything changes. Thinking changes. From that point on, one understands that they are now a man, and no longer a boy; are now a woman, and no longer a girl.

That doesn't mean there won't be some boyish/girly behavior. But the thinking is different. The understanding and the goals are different. Today, he understands that he is a man.

Some cultures have a specific rite to commemorate or encourage this occurrence. Some hold special ceremonies, others require deeds of bravery to done at a certain age. Some have initiation, and some simply give more responsibility. But in most cultures, there is a community expectation that encourages this change.

The United States doesn't have a specific rite. The closest would probably be gaining the right to vote at age 18 and being able to drink at age 21. I wonder if our lack of emphasis on and recognition of growing up has contributed to some of our cultural concerns -- "soft men", immaturity, and children who happen to be 35. . . .

I think this change often happens naturally at key events. High School Graduation, College Graduation, Marriage, etc. Perhaps the most specific change would be at marriage. There is a community expectation that behavior will change when someone gets married, and they will act 'more grown up'. How many times have we heard the phrase "settle down and get married"?

This change is a not a point where we are suddenly "grown up". It is a point where we decide to be grown up. Something changes on the inside. Our goals change. Our focus changes. All of a sudden, at one point or crisis, life begins to revolve around "grown up" things. We understand new responsibilities. We must no longer act as children. We have had the crisis; we will be grown up.

The process does not stop; the crisis accelerates the growth.

(A life illustration of sanctification)

In so many similar ways, our spiritual life reflects our physical life. Our spiritual life has been described as both a crisis and a process. When we were saved, we began a consistent pattern of spiritual growth (I hope!). But there often comes a point where God challenges us with the question of how "grown up" we will be spiritually. Will we really commit everything to Him? Will we love and serve Him no matter what happens - good or bad? Our response to this challenge determines our spiritual maturity. Will we remain a spiritual child, or will we accept the responsibility and make the commitment?

The process does not stop; the crisis accelerates the growth.

Doubts and Distrust? -What do we do when we cannot trust God?

What do we do when we cannot believe God?

"One of the devil's favorite temptations is the kind we cannot argue out of.

We simply have to believe.

That's what we call faith."

Satan wants to make us doubt God. He wants to get us to the place where we cannot trust God.

How can we win a battle if we cannot trust God?

Examples:

In the garden of Eden, the devil challenged Adam and Eve with this question, "Did God really say? ..." (Gen 3:1) Then he directly contradicted God's words. As an argument, the devil probably won. The only way to win that battle would have been to stop arguing, and claim faith -- "God said it, I believe it, and I'm going to follow and obey Him!"

When Satan tempted Jesus in the desert, logically, Satan's first temptation made very good sense. "If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread." (Matt 4:3). Logically, it makes sense. Jesus is hungry. He understands that physically, he is near the point of starving to death. As the Son of God, he has the power to turn the stones into bread. And most importantly, what Satan has suggested is not wrong. He's not even suggesting that Jesus do anything bad at all. In fact, it would probably be the smartest thing to do.

But Jesus understood that this temptation was coming from the devil, and should be rejected, even though it made logical sense, and was not sinful. Beware my friends, for the devil may first tempt with things that are not wrong. They help his logical case, and get you used to following him.

Contrary to logic, Jesus clung to the Word of God in faith. And He won the battle.

Recently, I have faced similar temptations. Logically, the devil had a very good point. Intellectually, he had beaten me. In fact, I was inclined to agree with him. I had to tenaciously cling to faith, against my intellect and reason. And I won. Not by argument or debate, but by faith.

Discussion

We cannot win spiritual battles intellectually. "The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds." (2 Corinthians 10:4). There is a reason that in God's armor our DEFENSE is called the Shield of Faith. Faith is the only way to win many of these combats. The devil will mess with our mind. We can only win by faith in the Word of God (the sword). (Ephesians 6)

One of the devil's favorite temptations is the kind we cannot argue out of.

We simply have to believe.

That's what we call faith.

We're used to being able to argue to what is right. But what about when we can't? What if there is no good argument? What about when we cannot answer why?

We must believe.

I just want to highlight some words from John chapter 14:

[Jesus] Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me.

[Us] Lord, we don't know ... so how can we know?

[J] I am the way. If you really know me, you will know ...

[Us] Lord, show us ...

[J] Don't you believe? ... Believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; or at least believe on the evidence of the works themselves.

Our most important choices in life must be decisions of the will, without the benefit of the understanding.

• Salvation requires an act of the will
• Marriage is a decision of the will without the benefit of understanding. "For better or for worse, for richer or for poorer, in sickness and in health." One simply does not know what is coming, but is deciding to be committed and faithful anyway.Too many marriages end because someone starts arguing "I didn't understand what I was getting into."
• Our dedication to the Lord must also be an act of the will, even without the benefit of understanding. He has promised persecution, pain, and that the world will hate us (John 15:18-21).

We won't understand what is happening, or why. But the most important decision is this -- will we serve Him, trust Him, and love Him, even when we don't understand?

Job is a constant challenge to my faith. In the midst of the worst (and no good intellectual argument, and no one could answer why), Job makes the strongest statement of faith:

"Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him." Job 13:15

Thoughts:

"I don't understand," said the blind man.

The guide replied with a chuckle, "That is because you cannot see."

Please listen to this song:

"The Promise" by the Martins

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k2Irtr3sbBM

What God Hath Promised - Hymn

Verse 1

God hath not promised skies always blue,

Flower-strewn pathways all our lives through;

God hath not promised sun without rain,

Joy without sorrow, peace without pain.

Chorus

But God hath promised strength for the day,

Rest for the labor, light for the way,

Grace for the trials, help from above,

Unfailing sympathy, undying love.

Verse 2

God hath not promised we shall not know

Toil and temptation, trouble and woe;

He hath not told us we shall not bear

Many a burden, many a care.

Verse 3

God hath not promised smooth roads and wide,

Swift, easy travel, needing no guide;

Never a mountain, rocky and steep,

Never a river, turbid and deep.

Car Wrecks and Culture

Today, I arrived shortly after an auto accident had occured. The car had gone off the road, through a fence, flipped, and landed in a creek. The rescue workers arrived shortly after I did, and immediately went to work. While a couple checked the driver to make sure he was stable, the others began cutting the fence apart. This struck me. No one there attemped to argue with them or stop them. That fence was installed by a farmer. He paid for it; he did all the work; he owned it. And they tore it out without the slightest consideration as to how much it might cost him to replace it. You see, here in the US, we value human life. The preservation of life is everyone's responsibility. That driver needed help. The farmer will have to pay to replace his own fence, but that is his part in helping to save human life.

In some countries, I have heard, this is not the case. Life-saving efforts may be hampered or stopped by individuals insisting on payment for damages to their property. Sometimes a badly injured driver may be chased all the way to the hospital by those insisting that he pay for the damages he just caused.

I'm happy I live in the United States.

Here in the US, we feel that the preservation of life is everyone's responsibility.