One of the great stories I’ve read recently is that of Lisa Gibson. Lisa lost her brother in the Lockerbie Bombing incident and recently met Muammar Gaddafi, as reported by ANS (Assist News Service).
"After waiting for several hours,” Lisa reports, “we got word that he had been delayed. So, I left. At 5:30 pm, I received a call from the Libyan Ambassador who invited me to come to the Libyan Mission to meet the leader at 7:30 pm. . ."So, myself and another young man who lost his father on the Lockerbie plane, were invited to a one-on-one meeting with Muammar Gaddafi.”
As she describes it, “He shook my hand and we exchanged the general pleasantries. I shared with him that I have been to Libya three times and have truly fallen in love with the Libyan people. I also talked about the projects we are engaged in there.
“He was grateful. I also gave him a gift. A 'Cross' brand pen and a card. In the card I shared that I have been praying for him since my first trip to Libya in 2005, wished him the best for himself and the people of his country, and blessed him--Not the expected response to a known dictator and terrorist.”
Lisa continues, “when he opened the gift, his countenance changed. His previously stern demeanor softened for a moment and a genuine boy-like smile came to his face.
"It was truly a historical day by many standards. I have the t-shirt and umbrella with a welcome for his first trip to America to prove it. The western media were not present, only a small delegation of Libyan reporters when I met with Gaddafi. They filmed and asked us questions, but the world may never hear about it. But as I walked out of the Libyan Mission and on the way back to my hotel, I felt God's peace. I had fulfilled that particular mission.”
As she describes it, while the rest of the world was spewing hate and rhetoric against him, one simple woman welcomed him to America and shared the love of Christ with him in the simplest ways she knew how. Let us all pray that it will in someway make a difference."
What we struggle with in Afghanistan and the Middle East dates as far back as the days of the Old Testament Patriarchs. I encourage political diplomacy but military forces remain powerless to resolve it. Religion contributes some understanding, including Islam, but the Prophet Mohammed failed to find a resolution. The Christian Apostle Paul reveals the one option in which I find the most potential (Ephesians Chapter 2 of the Bible).
Verses 13-15 read (Amplified):
(13) But now in Christ Jesus, you who once were [so] far away, through (by, in) the blood of Christ have been brought near.
(14) For He is [Himself] our peace--our bond of unity and harmony. He has made us both [Jew and Gentile] one (body), and has broken down 9destroyed, abolished) the hostile dividing wall between us,
(15) By abolishing in His [own crucified] flesh the enmity [caused by] the Law with its decrees and ordinances--which He annulled; that He from the two might create in Himself one new man - one new quality of humanity out of the two - so making peace.”
There is but one means of resolution: God’s reconciliation and forgiveness that transforms Jews and Gentiles (non-Jews) from two into one humanity. Lisa Gibson is a Christian peace-maker working to extend Shalom--Hebrew for peace. Shalom means more than the absence of peace. It refers to the SUM TOTAL OF HUMAN FLOURISHING, socially, emotionally, mentally and spiritually. It signifies the wholeness, rightness, and ultimate harmony of both victim and offender.
You can read more of Lisa Gibson’s story online at www.peaceandprosperityalliance.org.; you can find Shalom in the One Who said “Blessed . . . Are the makers and maintainers of peace, for they shall be called the sons of God” (Matthew 5:9, Amplified)!
These are not easy days, but they call us to walk the walk:speak that which is positive and uplifting, and walk authentically, as we carry a faith of forgiveness, reconciliation, and at least a cup of cold water (IN HIS NAME).
From Warner’s World, Wayne
Monday, September 28, 2009
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
Even a Cup of Cold Water
I borrowed the following paragraphs from Eric Denton's JACKETS FOR JESUS; it deserves a reading. No clue who those two are...reports Eric, just one of the hundreds of couples who passed by us in their limousines to People Magazine's Emmy Celebration Party for Entertainment Tonight- held in what was formerly St. Vibiana's- with a long, wide red carpet covering our former work area.
"If you ever served with us in the past, you beat the rich and famous to the place they stood in line to get into last night to hear Mary J Blige and celebrate their success. (If you want to read more about it or watch the video's of the night- the above photo's a link to their coverage of their own party.)
"Every limousine, literally every single guest to the party- less than two hundred yards from our line -had to drive to a roadblock at 3rd and Main, where the city closed off Main St, and only the invited were let in. The limo's formed long lines next to our line... long lines of dark windows... I'd wave at the line of staring limo drivers, who'd quickly look away, every star in every photo at their site- drove right by us.
"Not one of them rolled down their window to wave their Emmy and yell: "Hey! Look! I WON!" Not one stopped to invite someone into the party with them. Though the level of "call girls" on the corner had stepped up about twenty notches as they tried to get some limo business. Don't know how they came out. The men and women in our line barely bothered to look up.
"Talking with one man he said: "They never even look at us..." I said: "It must make you feel invisible." Looking down, he shook his head as if to say: "it is what it is..." and shuffled forward for his hamburger. I wasn't angry- in fact I went to security across the street to see if they'd let us drive the van through the limo line so our workers could enjoy the moment: "NO!"
"Thought about my evening... I had our workers walk down past St Vibiana's so they could see the stars- what fun! I drove the van around the corner and met them at the other side of the block. Driving, I thought about buying the burgers: Miguel, the manager of the McDonald's we've met at for over 20 years refused to discount the burgers Sunday night, the guard on a public street refused to let the Jackets for Jesus van cruise through and enjoy their moment in the spotlight, the stars- rich, famous, admired by millions - beautiful and many victorious, drove right by and wouldn't even roll down their windows... they all missed incredible opportunities to change lives- to be a blessing, to make the simple act of sharing themselves with those the world overlooks: the "invisible" poor, important.
"Some day this party's going to be over. I don't think Jesus meant it as a threat when He talked about it- He just knew it better than the rest of us -and so He spoke from His Heart. Someday the simple acts of love done in darkness- when the spotlight of the world is shining brightly, literally, just down the street -will be remembered, when the real party starts and real rewards are handed out.
"None of us serve for that reason... but it hurts to think about how so many are missing out on the real joy and so many feel invisible because the world refuses to look or even to roll down their window. Thanks so much for your part in Jackets for Jesus. Thanks for your prayers, your support, you. Because of you a crowd of people lines up every week and knows that God- that God's people -remember, we're family. He's Our Father.
"You're invited to join us any Sunday night. To begin a legacy of change and love in your family, in your community. We're going to the streets this week. You're invited. You're needed. Now, more than ever for changing lives,Eric M. Denton."
From Walking with Warner, saluting all the faithful people out there who are giving their cups of cold water (and more)in the name of Jesus,
Wayne
Thursday, September 17, 2009
In Quest of Holiness and Unity
The “Saints Reformation” at Grand Junction, Michigan (1884-1896), as it was known, resulted through the ministry of Daniel S. Warner of the Northern Indiana Eldership of the Churches of God and Joseph C. Fisher of Carson City, MI.(the Michigan Eldership).
Daniel converted to Christianity in 1865, felt called to the ministry in 1866, was licensed in 1867, and began formulating his understanding of the Biblical message of John Winebrenner and his followers. He served as a pastor for 6 years, and a missionary--evangelist--publisher for 4 years.After discovering sanctification as a second blessing, He became part of the Holiness Revivals.
Warner founded the Gospel Trumpet publication, later known as Vital Christianity
(1880-1996). As a publisher-preacher--evangelist, Warner eventually became the patron saint of a reform movement now known as the Church of God, Anderson (1880-2009). John W. V. Smith summarized the first century of the Church of God (Anderson) in his centennial history, The Quest for Holiness and Unity (Warner Press/1880).
For us to continue that quest for holiness and unity is not to perpetuate the administration of Anderson, Indiana but to reclaim Biblical holiness and unity. I suggest we achieve this in 3 ways:
(1) We not simply denounce denominational exclusivity, as did the exponents of the “come-out” doctrine, but we overcome it by breaking down the barriers and joining ranks in cooperating in common Kingdom purposes
(2) We become intentionally “inclusive” within the full Family of God, cooperating with believers in the common cause of taking seriously Christ’s Great Commission to “Go into all the world. . .”
(3) We walk the walk we talked for 125 year; we must now reaffirm the first fruits of Christian experience (the essence of holiness--wholeness, and unity) and maintain what Gerald Mann called the salvage-ability of human worth in spite of the worst of circumstances.
This will help the Church of God to rediscover its own soul. If, as a Movement, we have the sense of a Mule, we will, unlike the horse that will eat anything, separate the Biblical Wheat from our “Evening Time” chaff, and join hands with Christians of all colors and nationalities and make a serious effort to teach the Love of Jesus to a world filled with the inhumanity of genocide, terrorism, unfettered greed, hatred, and fear.
If this is not worth OUR ABSOLUTE BEST, then in the name of God we need to find a more humane cause …
Wayne,
Walking With Warner
Daniel converted to Christianity in 1865, felt called to the ministry in 1866, was licensed in 1867, and began formulating his understanding of the Biblical message of John Winebrenner and his followers. He served as a pastor for 6 years, and a missionary--evangelist--publisher for 4 years.After discovering sanctification as a second blessing, He became part of the Holiness Revivals.
Warner founded the Gospel Trumpet publication, later known as Vital Christianity
(1880-1996). As a publisher-preacher--evangelist, Warner eventually became the patron saint of a reform movement now known as the Church of God, Anderson (1880-2009). John W. V. Smith summarized the first century of the Church of God (Anderson) in his centennial history, The Quest for Holiness and Unity (Warner Press/1880).
For us to continue that quest for holiness and unity is not to perpetuate the administration of Anderson, Indiana but to reclaim Biblical holiness and unity. I suggest we achieve this in 3 ways:
(1) We not simply denounce denominational exclusivity, as did the exponents of the “come-out” doctrine, but we overcome it by breaking down the barriers and joining ranks in cooperating in common Kingdom purposes
(2) We become intentionally “inclusive” within the full Family of God, cooperating with believers in the common cause of taking seriously Christ’s Great Commission to “Go into all the world. . .”
(3) We walk the walk we talked for 125 year; we must now reaffirm the first fruits of Christian experience (the essence of holiness--wholeness, and unity) and maintain what Gerald Mann called the salvage-ability of human worth in spite of the worst of circumstances.
This will help the Church of God to rediscover its own soul. If, as a Movement, we have the sense of a Mule, we will, unlike the horse that will eat anything, separate the Biblical Wheat from our “Evening Time” chaff, and join hands with Christians of all colors and nationalities and make a serious effort to teach the Love of Jesus to a world filled with the inhumanity of genocide, terrorism, unfettered greed, hatred, and fear.
If this is not worth OUR ABSOLUTE BEST, then in the name of God we need to find a more humane cause …
Wayne,
Walking With Warner
Monday, September 14, 2009
Finding Safe Haven
“If they told you that a murderer were to be released into your neighborhood, how would you feel?” asks Antoine Rutayesire, a survivor of the 1994 Rwandan genocide that left one out of eight of his countrymen dead. “But what if this time, they weren’t just releasing one but 40,000?” This chilling question is not hypothetical for Antoine and his small, African country. They released 40,000 prisoners in 2003, and 10,000 more in 2007.
The horrific genocide of Hutus slashing, bludgeoning, and burning of Tutsi neighbors in Rwanda has become familiar to many. A profound story continues to unfold. A sampling of redemptive stories has been published by Zondervan, 2009, written by Catherine Claire Larson.
Based on personal interviews and thorough research, As We Forgive briefly outlines the early colonialism that used racism to political advantage to shape the boundary lines for the 1994 genocide. Larson traces the route of reconciliation in the lives of Rwandans—victims, widows, orphans, and perpetrators—who’s past and future intersect. These stories reveal the suffering, memory, and identity that set up roadblocks to forgiveness, but they further reveal how mediation, truth-telling, restitution, and interdependence create bridges to healing. I found her book breathing with humanity and as haunting as it is hopeful.
We live in a violent world—Janjaweed raids in Sudan, brainwashed child-soldier attacks in Uganda, Sunni and Shiite conflicts in the Middle East. In Ireland, the Ivory Coast, and Eastern Europe deep wounds still separate people who have survived generations of conflict.
Nor are Americans immune to such violence and division. As recent as 9/11, I heard the word “revenge’ raised as a yet possible response. Jonathan Kozel, in his book The Shame of America, reveals some of the hidden racial tensions in our educational system. I cannot remember when I have seen such political polarization. I can scarcely believe the animosity and hatred I find in the current Health Care debates, following the election of our first black president. Broken marriages and splintered relationships assault all of us.
Is there any alternative to the collective devaluing of people currently taking place? Is there any roadmap to reconciliation? Is a shared future possible after unthinkable evil? Catherine Larson dares to believe that if forgiveness is possible after the slaughter of nearly a million in 100 days in Rwanda, then, we owe it to humanity--to ourselves--to explore how one country is addressing perceptual, social-psychological, and spiritual dimensions to achieve a more lasting peace.
If forgiveness is possible after genocide, then perhaps there is hope for the comparably smaller rifts that plague our relationships, our communities, and our nation. I am deeply saddened by the way we divide and devour one another verbally--using words like battering rams to assault, denigrate, dehumanize, and destroy.
There is only one proven response to the hostilities and broken relationships we face, and that is a love that is willing to value people and unwilling to devalue them.” It seems to me that is the bottom line of all that Jesus said and did--bottom line of love.
We cling to our treasured forms of war, nationalism, and personal independence and wonder why we have no peace. We forget that forgiving is an active form of suffering offered on behalf of the victim to create a pathway of redemption, of peace, of shalom. We want our peace halfway (on our terms), but Shalom provides for the well-being of all--victim--offender--the flourishing of humans, which comes only as a result of reconciliation
As many a preacher has proclaimed, when God raised the man, Jesus Christ, from the dead, he didn’t take away his scars. The scars testified to the pain, and the love--the extent to which God will go to conquer the evil of the world through the active suffering of forgiveness.
Only through such active love can such horrendous scars be transformed into emblems of triumph, concludes Larson.
Last summer, I met Pastor George Jordan, of Columbus, Ohio Hilltop Church. His business card tells us where to find a safe haven:
Help those in need
Adore God
Value God’s grace
Encourage one another
Nurture spiritual gifts
From Walking With Warner,
Wayne
The horrific genocide of Hutus slashing, bludgeoning, and burning of Tutsi neighbors in Rwanda has become familiar to many. A profound story continues to unfold. A sampling of redemptive stories has been published by Zondervan, 2009, written by Catherine Claire Larson.
Based on personal interviews and thorough research, As We Forgive briefly outlines the early colonialism that used racism to political advantage to shape the boundary lines for the 1994 genocide. Larson traces the route of reconciliation in the lives of Rwandans—victims, widows, orphans, and perpetrators—who’s past and future intersect. These stories reveal the suffering, memory, and identity that set up roadblocks to forgiveness, but they further reveal how mediation, truth-telling, restitution, and interdependence create bridges to healing. I found her book breathing with humanity and as haunting as it is hopeful.
We live in a violent world—Janjaweed raids in Sudan, brainwashed child-soldier attacks in Uganda, Sunni and Shiite conflicts in the Middle East. In Ireland, the Ivory Coast, and Eastern Europe deep wounds still separate people who have survived generations of conflict.
Nor are Americans immune to such violence and division. As recent as 9/11, I heard the word “revenge’ raised as a yet possible response. Jonathan Kozel, in his book The Shame of America, reveals some of the hidden racial tensions in our educational system. I cannot remember when I have seen such political polarization. I can scarcely believe the animosity and hatred I find in the current Health Care debates, following the election of our first black president. Broken marriages and splintered relationships assault all of us.
Is there any alternative to the collective devaluing of people currently taking place? Is there any roadmap to reconciliation? Is a shared future possible after unthinkable evil? Catherine Larson dares to believe that if forgiveness is possible after the slaughter of nearly a million in 100 days in Rwanda, then, we owe it to humanity--to ourselves--to explore how one country is addressing perceptual, social-psychological, and spiritual dimensions to achieve a more lasting peace.
If forgiveness is possible after genocide, then perhaps there is hope for the comparably smaller rifts that plague our relationships, our communities, and our nation. I am deeply saddened by the way we divide and devour one another verbally--using words like battering rams to assault, denigrate, dehumanize, and destroy.
There is only one proven response to the hostilities and broken relationships we face, and that is a love that is willing to value people and unwilling to devalue them.” It seems to me that is the bottom line of all that Jesus said and did--bottom line of love.
We cling to our treasured forms of war, nationalism, and personal independence and wonder why we have no peace. We forget that forgiving is an active form of suffering offered on behalf of the victim to create a pathway of redemption, of peace, of shalom. We want our peace halfway (on our terms), but Shalom provides for the well-being of all--victim--offender--the flourishing of humans, which comes only as a result of reconciliation
As many a preacher has proclaimed, when God raised the man, Jesus Christ, from the dead, he didn’t take away his scars. The scars testified to the pain, and the love--the extent to which God will go to conquer the evil of the world through the active suffering of forgiveness.
Only through such active love can such horrendous scars be transformed into emblems of triumph, concludes Larson.
Last summer, I met Pastor George Jordan, of Columbus, Ohio Hilltop Church. His business card tells us where to find a safe haven:
Help those in need
Adore God
Value God’s grace
Encourage one another
Nurture spiritual gifts
From Walking With Warner,
Wayne
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
Public Option Controversy
Eric Denton wrote on the wall of his Face book: “Learn to do good. Seek justice. Help the oppressed. Defend the orphan. Fight for the rights of widows. Isaiah 1:17 Written over 700 years before Jesus was born- same lessons of love and passion -stand with the overlooked. First words cut home: "Learn to do good." We take it in and teach it- love and passion -or we don't. Today, I want to learn to do good. It's the lesson of our lives... live it, teach it.”
I like that. It reminds me that even in the days of the Old Testament Prophets, and especially since the time of Christ, there have been those advocating for the common good of humanity, regardless of the political “stuff” that circulates endlessly.
I’m thinking of President Obama’s speech today; don’t know what he will say, don’t care in a manner, I salute the efforts of those trying to advance equal health-care reform for everyone. I’ve been married to the daughter of a Medical Doctor for 62 years, the daughter that was supposed to be a boy, that was supposed to become the next doctor. By a twist of fate, she left Pre-med and became Pro-ministry.
I’ve heard her stories and observed through the years, and strongly support a Public Option in today‘s Medical Market. She began as an early adolescent as Doc’s Assistant, helping with pre-natal needs, pharmaceutical needs that came out of Doc’s Medical Bag, shots and all the other stuff a Physician’s Assistant did in those “medieval medical years.” And yes, we still believe the way Doc practiced Medicine (Urban Houston; rural OKLA): equal access for all, first come, first served, pay accordingly, depending on circumstances--NO EXCLUSIONS!
We spent our 62 years together staying close to the medical community, wife’s fragile health is a story all its own, beginning with My Air Force discharge because of her malignancy, not to mention our raising a highly asthmatic child. We’ve dealt with such issues forever, and still do, but there was a time when we could obtain reasonable medical insurance, which did not become terminally inflated until after DEREGULATION under Reagan. Since that time, the Health-Care Industry giving Medical Insurance Companies a Monopoly. This has led to desk jockeys practicing medicine without a medical license, in the name of the bottom line.
I support Public option because I believe as an American citizen I have equal right to access health care equal to what the President and Congress have--as a citizen. I do not believe that health care should remain “FOR PROFIT!” President Reagan used the Government to turn over public health care to private interests--for profits which have been huge. Health care is up for grabs for “them what has the mostest of the money” and that is unAmerican and totally undemocratic.
There are good doctors and bad, and those profits did not all go to doctors faithfully serving patients. My wife still remembers how much her father lost in unpaid bills during the depression--a staggering amount, but whether or not Doc made money, Doc practiced faithfully being his brother’s keeper and he taught his kids likewise, both the democrat one’s and the republican one’s.
Consideration of the common good today is a lost concern. When I think of the common good, I think globally, but I have to admit I despise “my government” spending “trillions” 'warring overseas'(spending a majority of the national budget) while it cannot see that the man on main street has health care--that is Christianity in reverse. . .(AND CHRISTIANS AND REPUBLICANS AND OTHERS TALK ABOUT KEEPING GOVERNMENT OUT OF OUR LIVES……………what a joke!
Today, I want my life to be an expression, not of Eric, not of the President (a great model for family values), not whatever political party, but I want my life to be an expression doing good, the kind of goodness Jesus taught. As Eric wrote, It's the lesson of our lives... live it, teach it.” I've had enough failures of my own, but I'm working on it, Eric!
This is Wayne
At Warner’s World
I like that. It reminds me that even in the days of the Old Testament Prophets, and especially since the time of Christ, there have been those advocating for the common good of humanity, regardless of the political “stuff” that circulates endlessly.
I’m thinking of President Obama’s speech today; don’t know what he will say, don’t care in a manner, I salute the efforts of those trying to advance equal health-care reform for everyone. I’ve been married to the daughter of a Medical Doctor for 62 years, the daughter that was supposed to be a boy, that was supposed to become the next doctor. By a twist of fate, she left Pre-med and became Pro-ministry.
I’ve heard her stories and observed through the years, and strongly support a Public Option in today‘s Medical Market. She began as an early adolescent as Doc’s Assistant, helping with pre-natal needs, pharmaceutical needs that came out of Doc’s Medical Bag, shots and all the other stuff a Physician’s Assistant did in those “medieval medical years.” And yes, we still believe the way Doc practiced Medicine (Urban Houston; rural OKLA): equal access for all, first come, first served, pay accordingly, depending on circumstances--NO EXCLUSIONS!
We spent our 62 years together staying close to the medical community, wife’s fragile health is a story all its own, beginning with My Air Force discharge because of her malignancy, not to mention our raising a highly asthmatic child. We’ve dealt with such issues forever, and still do, but there was a time when we could obtain reasonable medical insurance, which did not become terminally inflated until after DEREGULATION under Reagan. Since that time, the Health-Care Industry giving Medical Insurance Companies a Monopoly. This has led to desk jockeys practicing medicine without a medical license, in the name of the bottom line.
I support Public option because I believe as an American citizen I have equal right to access health care equal to what the President and Congress have--as a citizen. I do not believe that health care should remain “FOR PROFIT!” President Reagan used the Government to turn over public health care to private interests--for profits which have been huge. Health care is up for grabs for “them what has the mostest of the money” and that is unAmerican and totally undemocratic.
There are good doctors and bad, and those profits did not all go to doctors faithfully serving patients. My wife still remembers how much her father lost in unpaid bills during the depression--a staggering amount, but whether or not Doc made money, Doc practiced faithfully being his brother’s keeper and he taught his kids likewise, both the democrat one’s and the republican one’s.
Consideration of the common good today is a lost concern. When I think of the common good, I think globally, but I have to admit I despise “my government” spending “trillions” 'warring overseas'(spending a majority of the national budget) while it cannot see that the man on main street has health care--that is Christianity in reverse. . .(AND CHRISTIANS AND REPUBLICANS AND OTHERS TALK ABOUT KEEPING GOVERNMENT OUT OF OUR LIVES……………what a joke!
Today, I want my life to be an expression, not of Eric, not of the President (a great model for family values), not whatever political party, but I want my life to be an expression doing good, the kind of goodness Jesus taught. As Eric wrote, It's the lesson of our lives... live it, teach it.” I've had enough failures of my own, but I'm working on it, Eric!
This is Wayne
At Warner’s World
Monday, September 7, 2009
Integrity In the Church
Attended church…fixed lunch and spent the p.m. watching recent video’s of the Memorial Service of Bill Shrout in WPC's McGuire Auditorium. Bill married Julie (Julia Hilda Honeycutt) 62 years ago, the day before I married my spouse. The girls lived at High St. Dorm as AU students.
Flashbacks include overnight at the Shrouts--Amarillo, TX early 50’s, visitations at NAC, church leaders met on our journey, conversations about problems when struggling with debacles at Warner Press, Church Extension, et al.“Nowhere is the character crunch more critical than in today’s church,” wrote someone recently.(1)
BILL SHROUT--whatever his politics--was a man of integrity--a fun-loving man of faith and family. Shrout belonged to a Church culture that put self on the line rather than compromise integrity. He demanded it of himself, taught it to his family, and expected it of his church. His absence leaves us hitching ourselves together trying to take up the slack that he left.
Bill challenges me to reexamine myself, my integrity, and the integrity of “our church.” I see denominational successes, but I see integrity compromised--progress and public image. I see material successes, national recognition gained, personal advantages sought, but I fail to see stalwarts putting themselves on the line.
What we most need are humble disciples with the faith and fortitude to stand, even if failing--just because it is right, people of impeccable integrity who will stand for principle, even if it means bearing a cross (like Jesus).
Bill was such a man. He was part of a church culture that produced such people of impeccable integrity! Two that greatly impacted me were A.F. Gray and O. F. Linn. President Gray accepted me as an unproved student and gave me opportunity to redeem myself. He believed in his foundling Bible College enough to relinquish his salary to meet a financial crunch.
Gray hired teachers like Otto F. Linn, who dared to quietly face the political winds in the church and teach a better way of proclaiming our Church of God quest for holiness and unity than that of F. G. Smith.
Whereas Smith would have imprisoned the church in his compelling-but-contradictory come-out theology and final reformationism, Linn paid his dues academically and politically, but helped many of us better understand the true church. Linn could willingly mortgage his home to meet his faculty payroll on more than one occasion, but he brought a living bible to life for his students, of whom I am among the less significant.
Bill’s life supported what Winston Churchill proclaimed, “Never give in! Never give in! Never, never, never, never--in nothing great or small, large or petty--never give in except to convictions of honor and good sense.
This is Wayne at Walking With Warner, reminding himself that friends like Bill come at a premium, but they pay rich dividends.
_____
1 EJ FORUM at http://forums.ag.org/enrichmentjournal
Flashbacks include overnight at the Shrouts--Amarillo, TX early 50’s, visitations at NAC, church leaders met on our journey, conversations about problems when struggling with debacles at Warner Press, Church Extension, et al.“Nowhere is the character crunch more critical than in today’s church,” wrote someone recently.(1)
BILL SHROUT--whatever his politics--was a man of integrity--a fun-loving man of faith and family. Shrout belonged to a Church culture that put self on the line rather than compromise integrity. He demanded it of himself, taught it to his family, and expected it of his church. His absence leaves us hitching ourselves together trying to take up the slack that he left.
Bill challenges me to reexamine myself, my integrity, and the integrity of “our church.” I see denominational successes, but I see integrity compromised--progress and public image. I see material successes, national recognition gained, personal advantages sought, but I fail to see stalwarts putting themselves on the line.
What we most need are humble disciples with the faith and fortitude to stand, even if failing--just because it is right, people of impeccable integrity who will stand for principle, even if it means bearing a cross (like Jesus).
Bill was such a man. He was part of a church culture that produced such people of impeccable integrity! Two that greatly impacted me were A.F. Gray and O. F. Linn. President Gray accepted me as an unproved student and gave me opportunity to redeem myself. He believed in his foundling Bible College enough to relinquish his salary to meet a financial crunch.
Gray hired teachers like Otto F. Linn, who dared to quietly face the political winds in the church and teach a better way of proclaiming our Church of God quest for holiness and unity than that of F. G. Smith.
Whereas Smith would have imprisoned the church in his compelling-but-contradictory come-out theology and final reformationism, Linn paid his dues academically and politically, but helped many of us better understand the true church. Linn could willingly mortgage his home to meet his faculty payroll on more than one occasion, but he brought a living bible to life for his students, of whom I am among the less significant.
Bill’s life supported what Winston Churchill proclaimed, “Never give in! Never give in! Never, never, never, never--in nothing great or small, large or petty--never give in except to convictions of honor and good sense.
This is Wayne at Walking With Warner, reminding himself that friends like Bill come at a premium, but they pay rich dividends.
_____
1 EJ FORUM at http://forums.ag.org/enrichmentjournal
Thursday, September 3, 2009
Something to Think About
Do you ever wonder why people still look to the Jews (Israel) as the chosen people of God, divinely destined to return to Palestine and rightfully own that land and rule the nations of the world? Jews have long taught it. Pre-millennial Christians think in similar terms. This issue has compounded and confused global politics for generations.
The ultimate authority for advocates of this theory is the Scofield Bible. I find something to think about in THINE IS THE KINGDOM (H.C. Heffren/97-101/Reformation Publishers).
The Trial of Jesus before Pilate resulted from his “claim that He was the Son of God. This charge, however, was not a capital offense in the Roman state, so a different charge had to be made before Pilate. At first they tried to evade the issue by saying, “If he were not a malefactor, we would not have delivered him up unto thee” (John 18:30). They hoped to obtain a death sentence without revealing their underlying cause, but Pilate refused to grant it without further evidence of Jesus’ guilt.
Pilate demanded that they prove that Jesus somehow menaced the Roman government, as a basis for their charge of sedition. Heffren describes the seething mob of frantic men hurling torrents of indignant accusations against Him, calculated to result in His death. Above the din someone shouted, “We found this fellow perverting the nation, and forbidding to give tribute to Caesar, saying that he himself is ‘Christ, a king” (Luke 23:2).
This charge amounted to treason against the Roman state a crime for which death was the penalty and Barabbas was already in prison due on a similar charge.
Now, suggests Heffren,“Had Christ ever proclaimed an earthly kingdom, either present or future, this accusation would have been true, and capital punishment would have been warranted. Since there were no witnesses present to verify the accusation, Pilate took Jesus into the judgment hall and questioned Him privately.”
We tell this story every Easter and here Heffren protests “in strongest terms” against the “notes” in the Scofield Reference Bible from which he quotes that Jesus “first offered the Jews an earthly Davidic kingdom but later withdrew the offer because of Jewish opposition. In its place He substituted a Kingdom of rest and service” (see S.R.B., p. 1011).
Heffren argues that if we “accept the Scofield notes as correct, we must also conclude that the court testimony given by Jesus was perjury, since He disclaimed ever to have taught that His kingdom was of an earthly character. Had it been so Pilate could not have exonerated Him. Moreover, if the promises of the Old Testament demanded an earthly kingdom as fulfillment, then the only possible way Jesus could claim to be the Messiah was to fulfill them.
Jesus could not alter God’s eternal purpose and be “Jesus Christ, the same yesterday, today, and forever” (Hebrews 13:8). Any deviation from the prophetic fulfillment would immediately have convicted Him of being an imposter, as indeed that is what the Jews maintained He was.
Each of the four gospels mentions that Pilate expressly asked Jesus, “Are you the king of the Jews?” The question is of paramount importance! Jesus calmly replied, “You say that I am,” adding, “My kingdom is not of this world; if my kingdom were of this world then would my servants fight that I would not be delivered to the Jews; but now my kingdom is not from hence.”
What Jesus said really means, “But as it really is, my kingdom is not from hence;” it is not of an earthly character and there would be nothing gained by fighting for it.”
According to Matthew 27:18, Pilate “knew that for envy they [the Jews] had delivered him.” He therefore gave his verdict of not guilty, but tried to compromise with justice and pacify the mob by ordering Jesus to be scourged. Although he ordered an extremely painful punishment, the decision infuriated the people.
As Heffren reports it, pandemonium broke loose. Stentorian voices shouted, “If you let this man go you are not Caesar’s friend. Whosoever makes himself a king speaks against Caesar” (John 19:12). The people raged in this shocking manner until the blackest chapter in human history was written in the shed blood of the innocent Lamb of God. “The voices of them and of the chief priests prevailed, and Pilate gave sentence that it should be as they required” (Luke 23:23).
Of interest to me is that Scofield’s flawed thinking makes Jesus a liar and the bible an uninspired record, either that or God flip-flopped in sending Jesus as The Messiah.That I cannot accept!
Something to think about,
from Walking With Warner,
Wayne
The ultimate authority for advocates of this theory is the Scofield Bible. I find something to think about in THINE IS THE KINGDOM (H.C. Heffren/97-101/Reformation Publishers).
The Trial of Jesus before Pilate resulted from his “claim that He was the Son of God. This charge, however, was not a capital offense in the Roman state, so a different charge had to be made before Pilate. At first they tried to evade the issue by saying, “If he were not a malefactor, we would not have delivered him up unto thee” (John 18:30). They hoped to obtain a death sentence without revealing their underlying cause, but Pilate refused to grant it without further evidence of Jesus’ guilt.
Pilate demanded that they prove that Jesus somehow menaced the Roman government, as a basis for their charge of sedition. Heffren describes the seething mob of frantic men hurling torrents of indignant accusations against Him, calculated to result in His death. Above the din someone shouted, “We found this fellow perverting the nation, and forbidding to give tribute to Caesar, saying that he himself is ‘Christ, a king” (Luke 23:2).
This charge amounted to treason against the Roman state a crime for which death was the penalty and Barabbas was already in prison due on a similar charge.
Now, suggests Heffren,“Had Christ ever proclaimed an earthly kingdom, either present or future, this accusation would have been true, and capital punishment would have been warranted. Since there were no witnesses present to verify the accusation, Pilate took Jesus into the judgment hall and questioned Him privately.”
We tell this story every Easter and here Heffren protests “in strongest terms” against the “notes” in the Scofield Reference Bible from which he quotes that Jesus “first offered the Jews an earthly Davidic kingdom but later withdrew the offer because of Jewish opposition. In its place He substituted a Kingdom of rest and service” (see S.R.B., p. 1011).
Heffren argues that if we “accept the Scofield notes as correct, we must also conclude that the court testimony given by Jesus was perjury, since He disclaimed ever to have taught that His kingdom was of an earthly character. Had it been so Pilate could not have exonerated Him. Moreover, if the promises of the Old Testament demanded an earthly kingdom as fulfillment, then the only possible way Jesus could claim to be the Messiah was to fulfill them.
Jesus could not alter God’s eternal purpose and be “Jesus Christ, the same yesterday, today, and forever” (Hebrews 13:8). Any deviation from the prophetic fulfillment would immediately have convicted Him of being an imposter, as indeed that is what the Jews maintained He was.
Each of the four gospels mentions that Pilate expressly asked Jesus, “Are you the king of the Jews?” The question is of paramount importance! Jesus calmly replied, “You say that I am,” adding, “My kingdom is not of this world; if my kingdom were of this world then would my servants fight that I would not be delivered to the Jews; but now my kingdom is not from hence.”
What Jesus said really means, “But as it really is, my kingdom is not from hence;” it is not of an earthly character and there would be nothing gained by fighting for it.”
According to Matthew 27:18, Pilate “knew that for envy they [the Jews] had delivered him.” He therefore gave his verdict of not guilty, but tried to compromise with justice and pacify the mob by ordering Jesus to be scourged. Although he ordered an extremely painful punishment, the decision infuriated the people.
As Heffren reports it, pandemonium broke loose. Stentorian voices shouted, “If you let this man go you are not Caesar’s friend. Whosoever makes himself a king speaks against Caesar” (John 19:12). The people raged in this shocking manner until the blackest chapter in human history was written in the shed blood of the innocent Lamb of God. “The voices of them and of the chief priests prevailed, and Pilate gave sentence that it should be as they required” (Luke 23:23).
Of interest to me is that Scofield’s flawed thinking makes Jesus a liar and the bible an uninspired record, either that or God flip-flopped in sending Jesus as The Messiah.That I cannot accept!
Something to think about,
from Walking With Warner,
Wayne
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
Reform Peace Efforts
Learn about ONE MINUTE FOR PEACE, sponsored by AFCS (American Friends Service Commission). You can find it at www.OneMinuteFor Peace.org. This effort seeks to raise the equivalent of ONE MINUTE of what the military spent last year $1.9 million.
Most noteworthy is seeing how much of YOUR MONEY AND MINE will go to military causes next year. Based on President Obama’s Budget to Congress check whitehouse.gov/omb/budget (Percentages are rounded off for the following list):
1% Interior
1% Treasury
1% Labor
1% NASA
1% Environmental Protection Agency
2% Justice
2% Agriculture
2% Energy
3% Homeland Security
4% Other Agencies
4% Education
4% Housing and Urban Development
4% State and Other International Programs
6% Transportation
6% Health and Human Services
57% Department of Defense, War, Veterans Affairs
It is not health-care reform that threatens to bankrupt the country! For Senator Orrin Hatch to castigate his friend Robert Kennedy for insisting on health care for ALL AMERICANS is a disservice to all of us; it is unpatriotic,and un-American,while protecting special interests--just so he and fellow Republicans can spend 57% of our Tax Dollars for military purposes.
President Eisenhower’s second inaugural address warned of the day when the Pentagon would be the tail that wags the dog. We are there and I protest because that does not accurately represent American citizens, which is what the job of Congress used to be.
Either WE THE PEOPLE ARE the government, or we now have a caricature of what democracy was supposedly about. To promote this caricature of democracy is merely to promote another form of militarism among the world powers.
We do not need more of what we already have. Less Nationalism and the right kind of diplomacy could powerfully extend democratic principles and reduce the Pentagon to Homeland Security issues. It is past time for real reform--less militarism, no private contractors, agencies accountable to the Public and additional Health-care Reform.
This is Wayne at
Walking With Warner
“All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all” (Isaiah 53:6).
Most noteworthy is seeing how much of YOUR MONEY AND MINE will go to military causes next year. Based on President Obama’s Budget to Congress check whitehouse.gov/omb/budget (Percentages are rounded off for the following list):
1% Interior
1% Treasury
1% Labor
1% NASA
1% Environmental Protection Agency
2% Justice
2% Agriculture
2% Energy
3% Homeland Security
4% Other Agencies
4% Education
4% Housing and Urban Development
4% State and Other International Programs
6% Transportation
6% Health and Human Services
57% Department of Defense, War, Veterans Affairs
It is not health-care reform that threatens to bankrupt the country! For Senator Orrin Hatch to castigate his friend Robert Kennedy for insisting on health care for ALL AMERICANS is a disservice to all of us; it is unpatriotic,and un-American,while protecting special interests--just so he and fellow Republicans can spend 57% of our Tax Dollars for military purposes.
President Eisenhower’s second inaugural address warned of the day when the Pentagon would be the tail that wags the dog. We are there and I protest because that does not accurately represent American citizens, which is what the job of Congress used to be.
Either WE THE PEOPLE ARE the government, or we now have a caricature of what democracy was supposedly about. To promote this caricature of democracy is merely to promote another form of militarism among the world powers.
We do not need more of what we already have. Less Nationalism and the right kind of diplomacy could powerfully extend democratic principles and reduce the Pentagon to Homeland Security issues. It is past time for real reform--less militarism, no private contractors, agencies accountable to the Public and additional Health-care Reform.
This is Wayne at
Walking With Warner
“All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all” (Isaiah 53:6).
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
Commitment
Not new, but accurate, information from the Iraq War is summed up in a report from NBC’s Brian Williams:
1. 750 injuries monthly (2-07);
2. Traumatic brain injuries (TBI) possibly 1825;
3. 23,000 injuries (non-fatal casualties,205,000 treating in VA facilities at that time, plus 72,000 mental health patients (Bob Woodward);
4. 754,000 homeless people, 1/3rd being families with children (Brian Williams);
5. 300,000 more people than VA beds seeking help (Bob Woodward).
Such information is old hat with us. We take it for granted, all the way from war abroad to neighborhood violence. Our world pays a terribly high price for our low level of living. Without turning to further sources, Iraq offers more than 2,754,750 reasons for advocating more actively for the common good of humanity.
As we wrap up the (Iraq) war, we ramp up another--Afghanistan. Further conflicts confront us elsewhere--already responsible for cleaning up some of the other political messes we have made.
The bottom line calls for every citizen to become pro-active in building new and better relationships in our world. The one sure way to eliminate enemies is to build constructive friendships; that calls for less hostility and more mutual sharing.
Edward Kennedy was a man who had the best of everything. In that, he found strength to take on what he felt was his moral responsibility--improve life for those less fortunate. Thus, he became the face of Health Care Reform. While watching the reviews of Kennedy’s death, I heard the recurring phrase “moral responsibility” as a driving force in his life.
Not everyone agreed with the Senator; some wrote him off with distracting designations. He failed miserably at times in his personal life. Yet, through his Catholic Faith, and fortitude,this man focused on and found a level of redemption by focusing on the needs of others.
The Christian faith calls us to live our lives responsibly--mutually accountable to each other. Jesus taught us to love others as we love ourselves. He invites us to live with that commitment until we stand before Almighty God--for the common good.
Foy Valentine, a great Southern Baptist preacher-author, valued this word “commitment.” We need, wrote Valentine, to make our world a better place in which to live, admitting his greatest concern was our commitment. He concluded: “My concern is that we shall one day stand before the Judgment seat of Christ and in shame be forced to confess to Him who has the print of nails in His hands that we were not outnumbered but out committed.” (Valentine/THE CROSS IN THE MARKETPLACE/Word/1966/73).
From Walking with Warner, this is Wayne,
pressing forward with commitment...
1. 750 injuries monthly (2-07);
2. Traumatic brain injuries (TBI) possibly 1825;
3. 23,000 injuries (non-fatal casualties,205,000 treating in VA facilities at that time, plus 72,000 mental health patients (Bob Woodward);
4. 754,000 homeless people, 1/3rd being families with children (Brian Williams);
5. 300,000 more people than VA beds seeking help (Bob Woodward).
Such information is old hat with us. We take it for granted, all the way from war abroad to neighborhood violence. Our world pays a terribly high price for our low level of living. Without turning to further sources, Iraq offers more than 2,754,750 reasons for advocating more actively for the common good of humanity.
As we wrap up the (Iraq) war, we ramp up another--Afghanistan. Further conflicts confront us elsewhere--already responsible for cleaning up some of the other political messes we have made.
The bottom line calls for every citizen to become pro-active in building new and better relationships in our world. The one sure way to eliminate enemies is to build constructive friendships; that calls for less hostility and more mutual sharing.
Edward Kennedy was a man who had the best of everything. In that, he found strength to take on what he felt was his moral responsibility--improve life for those less fortunate. Thus, he became the face of Health Care Reform. While watching the reviews of Kennedy’s death, I heard the recurring phrase “moral responsibility” as a driving force in his life.
Not everyone agreed with the Senator; some wrote him off with distracting designations. He failed miserably at times in his personal life. Yet, through his Catholic Faith, and fortitude,this man focused on and found a level of redemption by focusing on the needs of others.
The Christian faith calls us to live our lives responsibly--mutually accountable to each other. Jesus taught us to love others as we love ourselves. He invites us to live with that commitment until we stand before Almighty God--for the common good.
Foy Valentine, a great Southern Baptist preacher-author, valued this word “commitment.” We need, wrote Valentine, to make our world a better place in which to live, admitting his greatest concern was our commitment. He concluded: “My concern is that we shall one day stand before the Judgment seat of Christ and in shame be forced to confess to Him who has the print of nails in His hands that we were not outnumbered but out committed.” (Valentine/THE CROSS IN THE MARKETPLACE/Word/1966/73).
From Walking with Warner, this is Wayne,
pressing forward with commitment...
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