I remember a sight which confronted me on the way to Amelia earlier this summer. It reminded me of a wonderful, insightful piece of classical poetry by Loudon Wainwright that he wrote for a novelty song in 1972: "There's a dead skunk in the middle of the road, stinking to high heaven."
There he lay, curled up in the middle of Rt.360, the afternoon breeze ruffling his fur. Like the cars behind and ahead of me, I whizzed on by, rolling my windows up a little higher and tighter. Still, I felt a pang of conscience even as my nostrils felt the mind-buzzing twang of odor (Believe me, it was enough to make my teeth sweat!). Perhaps a brief Hamlet-like, skunk eulogy was in order. "Alas, poor Yorick, I knew him well."
After all, skunks aren't such bad animals. They eat mice, rats, and a whole lot of pesky bugs. Also they have, for obvious reasons, virtually no enemies. As for their malodorous musk, they only spray when they are in danger, and they always give a warning by growling and stamping their forefeet. This useful, peaceful, and polite little animal, now was unmourned buzzard-bait.
Why so much sentiment, a couple of months later, for Pepe la Pew?
Well, I have been called a skunk a few times in my life. Sometimes out of camaraderie, ocasionally due to my hygiene (or lack of it!), and sometimes, even, by reason of my theology. You see, if life teaches us anything, it is that there is always someone around ready to call us names!
The thing to remember, then, is that most of the names we will be called, contain a seed of a compliment. We can truly believe these compliments, since the person who gave them meant to insult us, not flatter us. The cynics of Antioch branded the followers of Jesus Christ as "Christians" (Acts 11:26). What began as a term of derision, a slur by the enemies of Jesus Christ, has become our badge of honor!
So, hold your head up, and don't fear the name-callers! The next time that you run across what looks (or smells) like a skunk, four-legged or two-legged, remember this: all of God's creatures have a purpose, and yours may be to show the love of Jesus Christ to those that raise a stink and seem to be the least useful! It really does take God working on us, in us, and through us to love some people; Amen?
Aromatically Yours,
Pastor David Blevins
Thursday, July 28, 2011
Monday, July 25, 2011
Mush On!
I added a new hero to my personal "Hall Of Fame" recently! I firmly believe in having heroes and I constantly stay on the lookout for new ones. My latest addition is Iditarod dogsled racer, Ellen Halverson.
On Sunday, March 20th, Ellen finished the Iditarod, the famous dogsled marathon across Alaska which began on Saturday, March 6th. Ellen did not win; that honor went to John Baker who completed the course on March 15th in the new record time of 8 days, 19 hours and 46 minutes. Ellen lost big time; she came in 47th out of 47! For her efforts, Ellen received the Red Lantern award, given to the last one to cross the finish line in each Iditarod race. As a matter of fact, Ellen became the only repeat Red Lantern winner in the history of the Iditarod, previously "winning" the award in 2007 as well.
So what makes Ellen a hero? Finishing, that is what! In addition to the 47 racers, there were also another 15 racers who scratched and never finished the race! For 13 days, 19 hours and 45 minutes through the snow and slicing cold during the 1,000-plus mile race between Anchorage and Nome, with no hope of winning, she gripped the handles of her sled, stared out at her line of dogs, and kept mushing. She brought home the Red Lantern; she finished; she refused to quit! I regard that as hero material!!
Ellen's expolit, in fact reminds me of that wonderful Bible word, "endurance". Now there is a word for you! It literally means "to stay underneath" and is used to describe such things as the adolescent Jesus refusing to leave His Father's business (Luke 2:43) or Timothy and Silas hanging on in Berea when being a Christian became a lethal endeavor (Acts 17:14). Jesus remarked twice that the character quality of endurance, more than eloquent words or mighty works, marked the true believer.
So, here is to all those Christian believers out there who are faithfully running the race! Stay your course! One day you will find laid up for you in eternity the "Red Lantern" award, the crown of glory which our Lord Jesus Christ reserves, not for the fastest; but for the finishers (2 Timothy 4:7,8)!
Mush On!
Pastor David Blevins
On Sunday, March 20th, Ellen finished the Iditarod, the famous dogsled marathon across Alaska which began on Saturday, March 6th. Ellen did not win; that honor went to John Baker who completed the course on March 15th in the new record time of 8 days, 19 hours and 46 minutes. Ellen lost big time; she came in 47th out of 47! For her efforts, Ellen received the Red Lantern award, given to the last one to cross the finish line in each Iditarod race. As a matter of fact, Ellen became the only repeat Red Lantern winner in the history of the Iditarod, previously "winning" the award in 2007 as well.
So what makes Ellen a hero? Finishing, that is what! In addition to the 47 racers, there were also another 15 racers who scratched and never finished the race! For 13 days, 19 hours and 45 minutes through the snow and slicing cold during the 1,000-plus mile race between Anchorage and Nome, with no hope of winning, she gripped the handles of her sled, stared out at her line of dogs, and kept mushing. She brought home the Red Lantern; she finished; she refused to quit! I regard that as hero material!!
Ellen's expolit, in fact reminds me of that wonderful Bible word, "endurance". Now there is a word for you! It literally means "to stay underneath" and is used to describe such things as the adolescent Jesus refusing to leave His Father's business (Luke 2:43) or Timothy and Silas hanging on in Berea when being a Christian became a lethal endeavor (Acts 17:14). Jesus remarked twice that the character quality of endurance, more than eloquent words or mighty works, marked the true believer.
So, here is to all those Christian believers out there who are faithfully running the race! Stay your course! One day you will find laid up for you in eternity the "Red Lantern" award, the crown of glory which our Lord Jesus Christ reserves, not for the fastest; but for the finishers (2 Timothy 4:7,8)!
Mush On!
Pastor David Blevins
Wednesday, July 20, 2011
Zip My Lips!
Trenchmouth! No, that is not an insult. It is a disease, first diagnosed during World War I when soldiers in the trenches began developing foul breath, swollen glands, and gums spotted with a grayish-white film. The culprit: germs, normally killed off by the immune system, get the upperhand due to poor diet, stress, heavy smoking, and a person who neglects to brush their teeth after every meal. In short, the symptoms sound like something from a horror movie. Since reading about the disease, I have used Scope liberally after every brushing of my teeth!
Yet, for all of this looming dental disaster, I think that there is a worse form of trenchmouth - the spiritual variety!
James called the tongue "an unruly evil, full of deadly poison" (James 3:8). Solomon described the lips of a negative talker as a "burning fire" (Proverbs 16:27). Such a person's gossip, the wisest man who ever lived warns, is enough to destroy the best friendship (Proverbs 16:27, 28). David, who was never defeated in honest, open combat, learned to fear the cowardice of this secret warfare and cried to God for protection from those who "have sharpened their tongues as a serpent" (Psalm 140:3).
Adding all of this up, I find that it is possible to swear without ever using a four-letter word! Simply begin to spread negative talk, and the grayish-white blisters of Satan cling to your mouth like leprosy. And while the physical trenchmouth is not contagious, the spiritual kind is! Nothing is so easy, or so honoring to Satan, as the spreading of spiritual death through evil talk (Proverbs 18:21)!
Yet there is a cure for spiritual trenchmouth. The key is good oral/spiritual hygiene. When the spiritually evil germs attack as we fight the good fight of faith in the trenches, all we need to do is whip out the dental floss of Psalm 19:14, "Let the words of my mouth...be acceptable in thy sight, O LORD..."; and then we need to ask God to "Set a watch (a guard), O LORD, before my mouth; keep the door of my lips" (Psalm 141:3) so that we won't sin with our mouth ( Psalm 17:3)!
"Zip My Lips!"
Pastor David Blevins
Yet, for all of this looming dental disaster, I think that there is a worse form of trenchmouth - the spiritual variety!
James called the tongue "an unruly evil, full of deadly poison" (James 3:8). Solomon described the lips of a negative talker as a "burning fire" (Proverbs 16:27). Such a person's gossip, the wisest man who ever lived warns, is enough to destroy the best friendship (Proverbs 16:27, 28). David, who was never defeated in honest, open combat, learned to fear the cowardice of this secret warfare and cried to God for protection from those who "have sharpened their tongues as a serpent" (Psalm 140:3).
Adding all of this up, I find that it is possible to swear without ever using a four-letter word! Simply begin to spread negative talk, and the grayish-white blisters of Satan cling to your mouth like leprosy. And while the physical trenchmouth is not contagious, the spiritual kind is! Nothing is so easy, or so honoring to Satan, as the spreading of spiritual death through evil talk (Proverbs 18:21)!
Yet there is a cure for spiritual trenchmouth. The key is good oral/spiritual hygiene. When the spiritually evil germs attack as we fight the good fight of faith in the trenches, all we need to do is whip out the dental floss of Psalm 19:14, "Let the words of my mouth...be acceptable in thy sight, O LORD..."; and then we need to ask God to "Set a watch (a guard), O LORD, before my mouth; keep the door of my lips" (Psalm 141:3) so that we won't sin with our mouth ( Psalm 17:3)!
"Zip My Lips!"
Pastor David Blevins
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