Again on that 1974 mission trip, we stayed at a Mexican motel in the Sonoran Desert. This place was the nicest thing around, but like a run-down motel from the 1950s. We slept in sleeping bags spread around on the floor and shared a shower for the men and another for the women. Huge cock roaches crawled in and out of the shower drain.
It was really hot but dry. Our drinking water supply was low and purified water was hard to come by down in the desert. People drank a lot of pop and alcohol to quench their thirst. Our leader advised us to all get a pop or juice from the water cooler before we left on the drive back north. By the time I got to the cooler there wasn’t anything left but Mexican beer. That created a dilemma for me, because I am a recovered alcoholic who had pledged to the Lord I would never drink again. Besides, this was a Christian group.
When I asked our leader what I should do, he said, “You need to drink something, and don’t tell me about it,” and walked out of the room. So, I bought and drank the bottle of beer. I have no recollection of whether it was any good or not, and have never drank anything stronger than a ginger ale since.
What do you think about that? Was that a sin? Should I have not done that or what? I’m interested in your opinion.
On that same 1974 mission trip our class attended a church service on a Pima Indian reservation. I remember the little chapel was packed with both the bus load of students and the church in attendance. I was asked to share my testimony at that meeting. The head of the mission organization to this Pima reservation was named Tom Gossett. He was a big and heavy man. The church was very Pentecostal and expressive in their worship. When Brother Tom got excited he stamped his feet up and down on that platform and whooped like an Indian (although the Pimas there were very conservative). The platform was poorly constructed and bounced like a trampoline when Brother Tom danced.
Afterward, the ladies of the church prepared a traditional meal for us of homemade tacos and burritos. Half the bus had diarrhea the next day. We had been so careful what we ate in Mexico, but in Arizona we dropped our guard and paid the price.
Its easy to drop our guard and enter into temptation. Paul advised the church in Ephesus to put on the whole armor of God. Once it’s removed we are vulnerable. God help us to keep our armor on all the time.
Tags: armor, protection, temptation
Back in 1974 my CTC class went on a mission trip to Sonora, Mexico, to dedicate a church that had been constructed in the Sonoran Desert. On our way back we visited the mid-week church service of an Assembly of God Church in Phoenix, Arizona, where Pastor Paino met us and preached. It was a requirement of the trip that each of us students wear a suit or dress for this church service. I had to buy a suit to go.
You should have seen me! This was during my hippie days and most (not all) of the students were hippies. I had on a pale blue pair of dress pants, with huge bell bottoms and 2-inch cuffs, a pale blue sports jacket with bright blue, maroon, and yellow plaid, a bright yellow shirt and a maroon paisley tie. I was so proud of my dressed-up appearance.
When we all walked into that conservative church every eye was upon us. I know what I was thinking about my appearance, but I wonder what they all thought about my appearance. Someone once said “Beauty is in the eye of the beholder”, and that’s probably very true. Is it possible your Christianity isn’t what other people see when they look at your life?
What was the weirdest outfit you’ve ever seen, and why was it so weird?
The story is told that one-time heavyweight boxing champion Muhammad Ali was seated in a commercial aircraft that was preparing for takeoff. Ali became famous for his braggadocios attitude toward his opponents, referring to himself as ‘Superman’. A flight attendant noticed that he had not have his seat-belt fastened and asked him kindly, “Excuse me, sir, but would you mind fastening your seat-belt?”
Ali, always having a good sense of humor, looked up with that saucy grin of his and said in a slow, gravelly voice, “Superman don’t need no seat-belt!”
Without missing a beat, the flight attendant fired back, “Superman don’t need no airplane, so how about fastening up!”
Now, we know that Ali was only joking, but Obadiah 1:3 says it well: “The pride of your heart has deceived you.” Has the pride of your gotten the best of you today. Reevaluate.
Tags: Muhammed Ali, pride, weak
Have you ever referred to someone as “loony” who had some bizarre behavior or ideas? That concept is behind the name of the zany cartoon characters on ‘Loony Tunes’. Another name for the moon is ‘Luna’, and people used to be considered crazy when they stared at the moon.
But, another possible origin for the term ‘loony’ might be from the bird named a loon. Loons have this hilarious half-run, half-flap across the water for hundreds of feet before getting enough speed to left into the air. The reason is they have solid bones, unlike most birds. The additional weight makes it difficult to get airborne.
Loons also look funny on land because their legs are set farther back on their bodies then other birds. Walking is so diffcult that many loons simply ascoot across land to their nesting places.
But, because of their weight and leg placement, loons can dive deeper, farther, and faster. This is essential for catching fish and escaping predators. That gives extra meaning to Hebrews 11:34, which says, “Out of weakness they were made strong.”
Tags: weak
We now have two cats, a male and a female. Both have been fixed. The male is still young and playful. The female is older and very docile. They’re still testing their territory with each other.
Both cats know they can trust us. We’re the ones who feed and water them. But, they don’t trust strangers. When a strange car drives up, they’ll both run out the back door and find a hiding place. But when they see its either Anita or I, they come out of hiding and want our attention.
They both know who owns them. They can tell by our provision. Do you know who owns you? Do you trust who owns you? Think about this today.
Tags: faith, hiding, ownership, trust
Back in December 2004 there was a great earthquake deep under the sea in Asia. A resulting Tsunami destroyed hundreds of miles of coastline villages and thousands of lives were lost. But amazing survival stories began to leak out.
A news report said that only 7 of the remote Indonesian island of Simuelue’s 75,000 inhabitants died when 30-foot waves struck just half an hour after the quake. For decades, the people had heard stories told by their grandparents of giant waves that killed thousands on this same island in 1907. So, when the ground shook and the sea retreated from the shore, the people recalled their grandparents’ warnings and fled to high ground.
There is a moral, cultural, and economical earthquake going on in our world right now. We’ve got to be blind not to feel it shaking. But, will we run for high ground while we still have time? The book of Revelation warns: “Come out from among her.” Heed the warnings.
Tags: earthquake, flood, sanctification, warning