On Forwarding Eamil

Hardly a day goes by that I don't get an email that at the end wants me to forward it to 5 people or even everyone I know. They come in different forms. If I really love Jesus I'll forward this email on, indicating that if I don't forward it then I don't love Jesus. Others tell me if I'm patriotic then I'll send them on. Again it indicates that if I don't somehow I'm not a true American.

Next, there's the email that says I'll have good luck if I forward it to a certain number of people. Some of them even tell me the time the good luck will happen. On the opposite end are the ones that say I'll have bad luck if I don't send it on to someone else.

I've wondered, who is it out there that is determining if I love Jesus or if I'm patriotic or how lucky I'll be or not be by sending or not sending their email? What did they do before email to show love and patriotism? I don't ever remember sending a letter to prove my love or American pride. I do however remember getting a chain letter that threatened me with bad luck if I didn't send it to 5 people. I have had a little bad luck during the past 50 years or so. I guess I should have forwarded the letter!

Just to let you know, only on a rare occurrence do I forward an email and then only after I've removed all the meaningless threats at the end. But let me tell you something. I still love Jesus. My eyes still swell with tears when I hear the National Anthem at the Olympics. I've had all kinds of luck both good and bad and suspect I always will.

Simply put, forwarding an email gives us no assurance or promise whatsoever. We can share them if we think they are good, but not link them to who we are on the inside. We show we love Jesus by how we live every day. We show we are patriotic by flying our flag, by putting our hand over our hearts during the singing of our anthem or voting for our leaders. We realize that luck, bad or good happens, but by just living a good life we'll have more good than bad.

So next time you send me an email it will probably just stop right here on my computer. But you know what? I still love Jesus and my country and I still love you.

Oh, and by the way you might check Snopes and Truth or Fiction before you send me that 3 year old email about the non-existent virus that is going to wipe out my computer!

Tapley Holland

Who is Tapley Holland? That's the question that the majority of people who read this are probably asking. He's not a household name. He was not a movie star or great sports figure. He was never elected to public office or nominated for some political post. His chest was not covered with medals, nor was he in command of a great military regiment.

Tapley Holland was born in 1810 in the state of Ohio, the son of Canadian immigrants to the United States. Tapley's family moved to Texas in 1822 as part of the "Old Three Hundred" settlers.

On March 5, 1836 Col. William Travis knew that the fate of the men of the Alamo was sealed. For twelve days they had held off Santa Anna's slowly tightening assault. Now with the Mexican army a mere 200 yards away from the Northern wall, their fate was dim. Col. Travis vowed to stay and fight, but that was his choice. On that day he took his sword and drew a line in the sand. Looking across at the 180 plus men, mostly volunteers he told them that whoever wished to stay and fight should cross the line. No man would be shamed or looked down on for not staying. All the men crossed but two. One was Jim Bowie, who lay sick on his cot. He requested that he be carried across the line and four volunteers helped him over. The other was Louis Moses Rose.

The first man to cross did it as soon as Travis made his charge. The young man was 26 year old Tapley Holland. Upon crossing the brave volunteer stated, "I am ready to die for my country". Over 180 men crossed the line knowing fully that they would die within days, maybe hours. However they took the challenge led by this brave young man.

With such great names as Crockett, Bowie, Bonham, Dickinson and Travis an ordinary soldier's name can get lost in the crowd. Yet what he did on that cold March day of 1836 showed great bravery and love for his country.

Centuries before Jesus stood before a group of hand picked volunteers and figuratively drew a line in the sand. "All men will hate you because of me, but he who stands firm to the end will be saved." They are told they will face persecution, insults and even death. Yet they accepted the challenge because they knew the cause and were ready to die for their savior.

God needs men who are willing to serve. it doesn't matter to him whether we are a leader or a follower. What matters is are we willing to make the sacrifice. Do we have the courage to say, "I am willing to die for my God?" Do we have the love to say, "I will die so that others can be free"?

When was the last time you stepped across the line?

"Greater love has no man than this, that he lay down hi life for his friends" (John 15:13).

What Difference Do It Make

One of the most inspiring books that I have read over the past few years is Ron Hall and Denver Moore's book, "Same Kind of Different as Me." I've just finished reading their new book, "What Difference Do It Make?"

This book tells of how the story they shared in the first book changed the lives of people who read it. In addition it is a heartwarming story of Ron Hall and dealing with a tough relationship with his father. It's another book that you'll have a hard time putting it down.

What I like about it most is how it shows that the principles of dealing with the homeless should also be used in dealing with all others around us. Love, compassion, encouragement, devotion and the like are qualities that should be a part of us no matter who we are around.

Isn't this exactly what Jesus and his follower taught! "Do for others as you would have them do for you." "Love one another." "Let us do good to all people." "For we are God's workmanship created in Jesus to do good works." "Who is going to harm you if you are eager to do good." "Clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience."

It's amazing to see how one woman, Deborah Hall, is changing the world because one day she wanted to go work at a homeless shelter in Ft. Worth, Texas. We just never know how God can use us for His glory.

The Blue Butterfly

"The Blue Butterfly" is probably one of those movies that when you see the title you keep on scrolling down the menu. It's not a real exciting movie. There are few action scenes and basically no violence.

But it is a love story. It's the story of a mother who wants her 10 year old terminally ill son to be able to travel to the rain forest to capture a rare blue butterfly. He has heard an entomologist say how that when you hold the blue butterfly it unravels the mysteries of the universe.

The young man is determined to capture the butterfly before he dies from a brain tumor. He actually is obsessed with obtaining this one certain butterfly. Along the way he meets a young girl who questions why he wants to find this butterfly so badly. After his explanation she tells him "the blue butterfly" is really everything. The idea is to look around and see all the things he is missing by being so focused on one single insect. He is in the middle of one of the most beautiful places on the earth where life and color abound, but passes it all by with little interest.

Then one day he opens his eyes and notices a scarab. He realizes that there are things in this world more important than the elusive blue butterfly. There are people who care. There are unnoticed mysteries that come to life. He realizes he is trapped in a world of which he wants to be freed.

When he finally obtains the blue butterfly he sits outside on a bench, opens the cage, removes the butterfly and sets him free. He tells the butterfly instead of being trapped it will live.

Unfortunately, that's the way a lot of us are today. We are trapped in worlds headed in the wrong direction. We may be obsessed with making money, climbing the corporate ladder or some personal goal. We become so entangled in our obsession that we fail to see the world around us. We let life go by in a desire to reach a goal that in the end gives little satisfaction. Once we realize where we're headed and the emptiness it holds we long to be free.

Jesus had the answer when he said "Seek first the kingdom of God and then all these things will be given to you." Very simply to be free we must be obsessed with seeking God.

By the way the movie is based on a true story. When the young boy returned home his tumor was gone. He was set free from his illness to live a long life.

Yale vs Harvard

It was in the early 1920s and Yale was preparing for it's big game against rival Harvard. These schools along with Princeton were the powerhouses of the early years of football, dominating the game until 1919, and this was always a big game. The quarterback and one of the captains was Charles Buell. Charles along with teammates George Owen and Charles Hubbard had been selected to the consensus All-American team in 1922.

In 1921 Charles along with Owen were named team captains. On the night of one particular game between Yale and Harvard Charles Buell was injured. He had injured his shoulder in a previous game but was going to play in this particular game anyway because it was so big.

The sentiment going around the Yale team was that a few good hits on Buell's shoulder and they could knock him out of the game giving Yale a decided edge. Coach T.A.D. "Tad" Jones then spoke to his players. Earlier in 1916 when he coached Yale before going off to WWI before a game with Harvard he challenged his players, "Gentlemen, you are now going to play football against Harvard. Never again in your whole life will you do anything so important."

But this was 1922. Coach Jones stood before his team and told them he was aware of the injury to Charles Buell. He then admonished his team telling them that any member of the team who deliberately hit Buell on his injured shoulder would be pulled from the game. If they were to win it would not be by taking advantage of injured players with cheap shots.

Late in the fourth quarter the score was tied 3-3. Charles Buell then took the ball and made the winning touchdown for Harvard with the game ending, Harvard 10, Yale 3.

However, while the winner on the field may have been Harvard the true winner was the man in the Yale locker room before the game. T.A.D. "Tad" Jones had shown his players that there is much more to football than winning the game on the scoreboard. True athletes know the value of sportsmanship. When you loose that you lose the game no matter what the score.

Sportswriter Grantland Rice is credited with coining the phrase "It's not whether you win or lose. It's how you play the game." At the time he was referring to a golf match and the gentleman atmosphere. However, it does hold true in all parts of life, although there are those who disagree with the phrase. It does tell us that in life there are more important things that always being first.

"For to me to live is Christ." Philippians 1:21

Clean Dirt

I was traveling down one of the commercial streets here in Abilene one day and saw the sign, "Clean Dirt". That struck me odd since I was always told that dirt was "dirty". I was told to wash the dirt off my hands before I ate. I washed the dirt out of my hair and my mom cleaned my "dirty" clothes.

There was a time that I had my "dirty" mouth cleaned out with Lifebuoy soap. I listened to guys tell "dirty" jokes and even saw them pass around "dirty" books. I had to take off my "dirty" shoes before coming into the house and couldn't sit on the couch until I had taken a bath to clean my "dirty" body.

But one thing I never did was try to clean dirt. When we try to clean it it just becomes mud and then when it's dry it is harder than it was before. After it's hardened it's even more difficult to get rid of. In reality it's impossible to "clean dirt". Dirt is always dirty no matter how much you wash it.

That's the way it is with sin in our lives. If we allow our lives to be mired in sin it will keep us from being clean. As long as we live in sin we're going to be dirty. We can hide it from everyone else, but it's still there. We can disguise it, but it's still there. We can ignore it, but it's still there. The more we hide it or the more we disguise it or the more we ignore it trying to make it look okay the harder it becomes and more difficult to remove.

The only way to get rid of the dirt is to wash it away completely, for in reality there is no such thing as clean dirt just as there is no such thing as good sin. They are both an oxymoron.

The Word as recorded in Isaiah "Wash and make yourself clean. Take your evil deeds out of my sight! Stop doing wrong, learn to do right! Seek justice, encourage the oppressed. Defend the cause of the fatherless, plead the case of the widow. "Come now, let us reason together,' says the Lord. 'Though your sin are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are as red as crimson, they shall be like wool.'" Isaiah 1:16-18.

"Clean Dirt" simply means no trash or impurities. So it should be with our lives.

Devil in the White City

The 1893 Chicago Columbian Exposition World's Fair was to be one of the greatest events of the 19th Century. The previous fair in Paris highlighted by the Eiffel Tower was to be nothing compared to what Chicago had to offer.

There would be grand buildings all whitewashed that gave a gleaming portrait when the lights were turned on at night. It was labeled the "White City". The fair would introduce a host of new products. The first dishwasher would be displayed. Cracker Jacks, Wrigley's Juicy Fruit Gum, Aunt Jemima Pancake Syrup, Cream of Wheat and picture postcards would all be introduced to the public. In all there would be more than 65,000 exhibits.

The biggest attraction meant to "Out Eiffel, Eiffel" would also make it's debut. It was a gigantic wheel support by two steel towers. Around the wheel were 36 wooden cradles each with a capacity of 60 people. For 50 cents a person, one could take two complete revolutions on the 26 story high contraption built by George Washington Gale Ferris, Jr., the Ferris Wheel.

However, in the midst of the excitement only a few blocks away from the "White City" stood "the Castle" as people called it. It was a ominous looking building designed and constructed by a man named Herman Webster Mudgett aka. Henry Howard (H.H.) Holmes. In a world of wonder and amazement where people were laughing and enjoying the sights and sound of the world's greatest fair the first know American serial killer took the lives of 27 by his confession, but the number is said to have exceeded over 200.

Erik Larson details the story of both in his book The Devil in the White City. Holmes is quoted as saying of himself, "I was born with the devil in me. I could not help the fact that I was a murderer, no more than the poet can help the inspiration to sing -- I was born with the "Evil One" standing as my sponsor beside the bed where I was ushered into the world, and he has been with me since."

In a way this is exactly how Satan works in today's world. His ways are subtle and hidden and often go unnoticed by the world until it is too late. When things are going well , life seems smooth we become complacent with what is happening around us he reaches out and drags us down with his sly, evil ways. It can happen when we least expect it.

Paul wrote to the Thessalonians "the Lord is faithful and he will strengthen and protect you from the evil one." 2 Thessalonians 3:3. As we live our lives we must learn to be careful of becoming complacent in life and to always be aware that there is one who is always watching over us to protect us from the one who is working against us.

A Message From Space?

As you look through the Hubble Telescope you view many wonders of the universe. But there is one galaxy 23 million light years away called the Whirlpool Galaxy. Located at its core is what astronomers call an "X" structure. However when you look at it at first glance it doesn't look like and "X" but a cross. In the depths of space a message is sent to us. It's a simple message. "No one comes to the Father except through me." (John 14:6) It's an interesting picture deep in space. I suggest another name for it instead of "X" structure. How about "Heaven's Gate"!

Photo courtesy of www.hubblesite.org

Cornbread

When Kathy and I first got married we lived in a little house on Orange Street in Abilene. We didn't have much. She was working for $50 a week at the Public Relations department at Abilene Christian. I was going to school and working part-time at Gibsons Discount Center.

We didn't have a lot of bills, but it was enough for a young college couple, I was 21 and she was 19, to have to struggle to make ends meet. Our rent was $60 per month and we were paying one of our old high school teachers $50 per month for a used car we had bought from them. I was able to purchase an old window air conditioner for the bedroom. We also splurged after the first six months and got a telephone. The biggest mistake that probably put us in a bind was buying a stereo and charging it. That was an extra $10 per month that we put out. Now days that doesn't sound like a lot of money, but remember to us that was a full days pay for Kathy or a couple of days of my part time pay.

There was one month that we got down to the last couple of days and we were out of funds. The bills were paid, but we had absolutely no money to buy food and it was a couple of days before either of us got paid. We had very little food in the house. There was notmeat or vegetables only a few eggs, a little milk and cornbread. So I remember the night before we got paid the next day, our supper was simply a plate of cornbread. That's it. There was no meat, no vegetables, no desert only cornbread and water to drink.

As I look back I guess we could have called our parents and gotten some help, but we didn't. We could have gone to the church and I'm sure they'd have helped us out, but we didn't. We even had friends that would have fed us, but we didn't ask. We even could have gotten an advance on her paycheck, but we didn't think of that either.

I guess we were college student poor. But you know, I believe that those were some of the happiest times of our lives. Happiness wasn't centered around the things we had or didn't have. Oh we wanted these things, but weren't obsessed with obtaining them. I was going to school to be a preacher. We wanted to share Christ with the world. We had cornbread, but more importantly we had each other.

When our priorities become the things of this world we easily lose focus on the things that are important. Our wives, our husbands, our children, our families are much more important than the physical things of this world. They are our treasures. Happiness comes, not from the riches we can obtain in this world, but from the loving relationships that we can grow with each other.

"Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." Matt. 6:19-21

Sometimes in my hectic world I think it would be nice to go back and have cornbread for supper.

Up and Over

Growing up I played a lot of sandlot baseball. In the summer every week we'd get a group together and head to the field behind the old high school building. Sometimes we'd have a dozen or so and other times we'd have only seven or eight.

It was when we had so few that we'd play scrub baseball with three batters and the rest would play the field. It took a lot more running and better play to move around, so the bigger boys were at bats a lot more than those of us who were smaller.

I was short and weighed about 60 pounds in those days. The first time I came to play with the big guys I wasn't expected to do much. During this first game it was my turn to bat. I remember it well. The fielders felt so threatened by me that the infield moved in right behind the picture and the outfield moved in to the edge of the infield sand area. You can imagine how embarrassing it was to see this. Everyone was so close I could have thrown my bat and hit any of them easily.

I was always a first pitch hitter, so when the pitcher threw the first pitch I swung hard. More action took place in the next few seconds than the entire time we had been playing. You see, not only did I hit the ball over everyone's head, it sailed out to where they would have been for any other batter. From there is was a mad dash around the bases for me as the outfielders were racing as hard as they could to get the ball as it rolled toward the street behind left field.

A scrawny 60 pound little kid had embarrassed them all. I can still remember it clearly. The next time it was my turn to bat no one moved in closer. The outfielders held their place ready to catch a fly ball that came their way.

Paul wrote to the Philippians, "I can do everything through Him, who gives me strength." (Phil. 4:13) Failure comes when we convince ourselves that we cannot succeed. If we believe in ourselves even when others don't we can do great things. Take notice that Paul did not say he could do anything, but that he could do everything. There is nothing that I can't accomplish with God on my side.

I was never a power hitter, but good enough with enough confidence that no one every moved up on me again.



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