Fred Bowers reminded me of God.
Some time ago I read about Fred who worked the night shift in the Deck Park Tunnel, a half-mile section of Interstate 10 between Third Street and Third Avenue in Phoenix, Arizona. It took more than 5 years and 700 million dollars to build and a good deal of that went into the subterranean control booth where Fred took up his lonely vigil. From this booth he could...
...monitor traffic flow using 20 closed-circuit cameras and a bank of plasma screen monitors that gave him a constant view of the whole tunnel.
...alert motorists of accidents or traffic jams by tapping out warnings which appeared on message boards throughout the tunnel roadway.
...determine if smoke or carbon monoxide was being released in harmful levels, and literally blow it away by starting up several 750 horsepower fans to create 70 miles per hour winds.
...do everything, in fact, but contact the stranded motorists who could have talked to him just by picking up one of the emergency phones that were located at regular intervals (every 150 ft.). For that conversation to take place, they had to call him.
Yes, Fred reminded me of God. Think about it. God did not simply create State Route Straight and Narrow and then retire to His office to get away from the traffic jams of humanity. Instead, He wired Himself into His creation and the lives of His creatures. From the throne room of Heaven, He can...
...watch every soul on Earth as we pursue our seperate paths (Prov. 5:21; Prov. 15:3).
...use His Book, the Bible, to warn us of danger or trouble ahead so that we can avoid fatal collisions with sin (Psalm 119:9, 11, 105).
....send the mighty blast of the Holy Spirit to blow away the noxious fumes of sin (Gal. 5:16, 25).
...do everything but initiate the call for help. Actually, He can do that one too, if He so chooses, but He gives us the honor and responsibilty of making a choice.
Fred Bowers often fumed in frustration as a hapless motorist stumbled by phone after phone, too proud to make the call or not knowing what the phone was for. Just think, my friend, how often God must weep with compassion as stranded sinners stagger from heartbreak to heartbreak, leaving the phone of prayer useless on the hook of grace. God sees your need, and He has infinite power to meet it...but He waits for you to call (Psalm 120:1; Jer. 33:3; James 4:2).
Dial 911,
Pastor David Blevins
Wednesday, September 14, 2011
Thursday, September 8, 2011
Wanna Make Something Of It?
Lewis Carroll's poem, "Father William", describes a conversation between an old man and his son. The son interrogates the father as to the reason for his uncommon physical vigor. One of his questions concerns his father's ability to eat meat, though at his age, one would think him incapable of chewing it. Consider the reply:
"In my youth," said his father, "I took to the law, and argued each case with my wife; and the muscular strength which it gave to my jaw, has lasted the rest of my life."
Well, if a love of argument strengthens the jaw, I know some people who should be able to bite through steel! Do you know anyone like that? Hmmm.
What does the Bible say about this business of "argument aerobics"? Well, consider the words of Solomon in Proverbs 18:2, "A fool hath no delight in understanding, but that his heart may discover itself." The NIV states this passage of scripture this way, "A fool finds no pleasure in understanding but delights in airing his own opinions." I wonder how often we talk just for the pleasure of hearing ourselves, and how many of us love argument for its own sake? Former NFL Football great Jerry Kramer once said of Dave Robinson, his teammate on the Green Bay Packers, "Robby'll argue any side of any question, just for practice. I once heard him argue for half-an-hour that black-eyed peas are really black-eyed beans. Maybe they are, but who cares?!"
I sometimes think that we Christians have developed a whole subculture of this sort of thing. "Did Adam have a naval?" "Where did Cain get his wife, what with the shortage of computer or on-line dating services?" "How many angels can dance on the head of a pin, or the brain of a Christian who asks questions like that, both of which are about the same size?"
Someone has said that people will not care about how much we know (or think that we know) until they know how much we care. So, give it a rest. Focus on the big issues of being conformed to the image of Christ (Rom. 8:28, 29) and leading others to know Him (Matt. 4:19; Mark 16:15)! Don't love to argue; drop the modifier and just learn to love (Matt. 22:36-39).
"Wanna Make Something Of It?"
Pastor David Blevins
"In my youth," said his father, "I took to the law, and argued each case with my wife; and the muscular strength which it gave to my jaw, has lasted the rest of my life."
Well, if a love of argument strengthens the jaw, I know some people who should be able to bite through steel! Do you know anyone like that? Hmmm.
What does the Bible say about this business of "argument aerobics"? Well, consider the words of Solomon in Proverbs 18:2, "A fool hath no delight in understanding, but that his heart may discover itself." The NIV states this passage of scripture this way, "A fool finds no pleasure in understanding but delights in airing his own opinions." I wonder how often we talk just for the pleasure of hearing ourselves, and how many of us love argument for its own sake? Former NFL Football great Jerry Kramer once said of Dave Robinson, his teammate on the Green Bay Packers, "Robby'll argue any side of any question, just for practice. I once heard him argue for half-an-hour that black-eyed peas are really black-eyed beans. Maybe they are, but who cares?!"
I sometimes think that we Christians have developed a whole subculture of this sort of thing. "Did Adam have a naval?" "Where did Cain get his wife, what with the shortage of computer or on-line dating services?" "How many angels can dance on the head of a pin, or the brain of a Christian who asks questions like that, both of which are about the same size?"
Someone has said that people will not care about how much we know (or think that we know) until they know how much we care. So, give it a rest. Focus on the big issues of being conformed to the image of Christ (Rom. 8:28, 29) and leading others to know Him (Matt. 4:19; Mark 16:15)! Don't love to argue; drop the modifier and just learn to love (Matt. 22:36-39).
"Wanna Make Something Of It?"
Pastor David Blevins
Friday, September 2, 2011
What's A Matta, U?
What should the New Testament church be like? The best example I have read about in quite a while is Valenti's, an Italian restaurant in South Miami, Florida.
When Hurricane Andrew hit a number of years ago, Valenti's survived. The storm skirted the building, and a wiring fluke kept electricity flowing to the restaurant when the rest of the area went dark. As the owner, Charlie Valenti, Jr. crouched on the floor watching entire palm trees blow by, his only thought was how soon he could open his restaurant back up and how he could help the people caught in this crisis. He found several ways.
He could feed them, and he did, even though it meant spending hours on the phone to scrounge up tomatoes and cheese. Diabetic and Dialysis patients needed to chill their medication, so Valenti's provided ice. Babies needed fresh milk, and Valenti's gave it for free to all comers. A paraplegic needed power for her electric wheelchair, and Valenti's offered her a wall socket to plug into. Perhaps most importantly, shocked, storm-tossed people needed a quiet, clean place to sit and eat. Valenti's fed them all.
Not without sacrifices, of course! The first thing to go was the profits. Charlie Valenti never raised his prices, even though he had to pay five times the normal rate for Pepsi and boil his pasta in $3.25 bottles of Evian water. Convenience was another casualty: only four waiters could get to the restaurant and the boss himself helped them to serve the swollen crowd. The dress code suffered also, as people tramped in shoeless, with mud clinging to their clothing. The sick, the storm-shocked, and the soiled: Valenti's took them all.
How is that like the church? Hurricane Adam (Rom. 5:12) has made a mess of mankind (Rom. 3:23; Rom. 6:23), but the church is hooked up to the Eternal Power Supply (Psalm 62:11) and our one thought must ever be of spiritual service to those in need. It takes lots of money; we have to work very hard; and most of those we reach out to don't dress or act as we would like. But our calling is to serve, no matter the cost, and to provide a place of peace and refuge in the midst of disaster.
So church, let's get to work! God has not spared us by our own merit or for our own amusement (I Cor. 6:19,20). We are warm and well-fed in a cold, wet sinful world that is in constant turmoil: at all costs we must spiritually help those who stand outside.
"What's A Matta U?"
Pastor David Blevins
When Hurricane Andrew hit a number of years ago, Valenti's survived. The storm skirted the building, and a wiring fluke kept electricity flowing to the restaurant when the rest of the area went dark. As the owner, Charlie Valenti, Jr. crouched on the floor watching entire palm trees blow by, his only thought was how soon he could open his restaurant back up and how he could help the people caught in this crisis. He found several ways.
He could feed them, and he did, even though it meant spending hours on the phone to scrounge up tomatoes and cheese. Diabetic and Dialysis patients needed to chill their medication, so Valenti's provided ice. Babies needed fresh milk, and Valenti's gave it for free to all comers. A paraplegic needed power for her electric wheelchair, and Valenti's offered her a wall socket to plug into. Perhaps most importantly, shocked, storm-tossed people needed a quiet, clean place to sit and eat. Valenti's fed them all.
Not without sacrifices, of course! The first thing to go was the profits. Charlie Valenti never raised his prices, even though he had to pay five times the normal rate for Pepsi and boil his pasta in $3.25 bottles of Evian water. Convenience was another casualty: only four waiters could get to the restaurant and the boss himself helped them to serve the swollen crowd. The dress code suffered also, as people tramped in shoeless, with mud clinging to their clothing. The sick, the storm-shocked, and the soiled: Valenti's took them all.
How is that like the church? Hurricane Adam (Rom. 5:12) has made a mess of mankind (Rom. 3:23; Rom. 6:23), but the church is hooked up to the Eternal Power Supply (Psalm 62:11) and our one thought must ever be of spiritual service to those in need. It takes lots of money; we have to work very hard; and most of those we reach out to don't dress or act as we would like. But our calling is to serve, no matter the cost, and to provide a place of peace and refuge in the midst of disaster.
So church, let's get to work! God has not spared us by our own merit or for our own amusement (I Cor. 6:19,20). We are warm and well-fed in a cold, wet sinful world that is in constant turmoil: at all costs we must spiritually help those who stand outside.
"What's A Matta U?"
Pastor David Blevins
Monday, August 22, 2011
Faithful In Little Things
Frank A. Bergman sold products for International Business Machines (IBM) back in the 1940's and 1950's. He truly believed that IBM had the best devices around, but he also knew that a client could find fairly comparable machines elsewhere. Consequently, Bergman emphasized customer service in his sales pitch. William Rodgers, in his book, Think, quotes Frank Bergman as saying, "I sold them the blue sky with a gold frame around it. You never sold the product, you sold the blue sky."
Once he sold the blue sky to the General Motors Corporation. Along with that heavenly real estate went an order for 3,000 electric typewriters! At $90 commission per machine, Mr. Bergman stood to make a whopping $270,000! That was more than ten year's salary for him and an all-time IBM record for a single-sale commission!
IT NEVER HAPPENED!
WHY?!
A few days before all the necessary papers were to be signed, a GMC executive called one of Bergman's junior salesmen. He wanted the man to come and see him about "a couple" of typewriters. The ambitious but not too intelligent rookie told the GMC executive to send an order by mail; he didn't have the time to run all the way up to Tarrytown for a puny little two-machine order. The giant automobile company bought those two typewriters elsewhere. They also bought the other 3,000 typewriters that Bergman had received an order for, elsewhere! "That junior salesman forgot the blue sky, " lamented Frank Bergman.
We Christians have the best, greatest, most wonderful "product" to offer a lost world! Everyone needs salvation, the forgiveness of all their sins, and everlasting life; and they can't get it anywhere except through Jesus Christ (John 3:16,36; I John 1:7)! However, our enemy (Satan) has flooded the market with cheap imitations, and the competition for men's souls remains fierce. We literally offer the blue heavens with golden streets beneath, but people will look elsewhere if they are given the impression that we do not live what we talk about or that we really do not care about them.
None of us would miss church or visitation if we had the guarantee of another Pentecost where 3,000 souls would come to Christ. But how many of us refuse to drive across town or even go across the street because "only" one person needed the Savior? I think that the two are related, and that big blessings depend upon faithfulness in the small things (Zech. 4:10; Luke 16:10). So be aware (soul-conscious) of every person each day, and win them one at a time for Jesus' sake (Psalm 126:5,6; Prov.11:30; Matt. 4:19)!
Individuals Beget Multitudes,
Pastor David Blevins
Once he sold the blue sky to the General Motors Corporation. Along with that heavenly real estate went an order for 3,000 electric typewriters! At $90 commission per machine, Mr. Bergman stood to make a whopping $270,000! That was more than ten year's salary for him and an all-time IBM record for a single-sale commission!
IT NEVER HAPPENED!
WHY?!
A few days before all the necessary papers were to be signed, a GMC executive called one of Bergman's junior salesmen. He wanted the man to come and see him about "a couple" of typewriters. The ambitious but not too intelligent rookie told the GMC executive to send an order by mail; he didn't have the time to run all the way up to Tarrytown for a puny little two-machine order. The giant automobile company bought those two typewriters elsewhere. They also bought the other 3,000 typewriters that Bergman had received an order for, elsewhere! "That junior salesman forgot the blue sky, " lamented Frank Bergman.
We Christians have the best, greatest, most wonderful "product" to offer a lost world! Everyone needs salvation, the forgiveness of all their sins, and everlasting life; and they can't get it anywhere except through Jesus Christ (John 3:16,36; I John 1:7)! However, our enemy (Satan) has flooded the market with cheap imitations, and the competition for men's souls remains fierce. We literally offer the blue heavens with golden streets beneath, but people will look elsewhere if they are given the impression that we do not live what we talk about or that we really do not care about them.
None of us would miss church or visitation if we had the guarantee of another Pentecost where 3,000 souls would come to Christ. But how many of us refuse to drive across town or even go across the street because "only" one person needed the Savior? I think that the two are related, and that big blessings depend upon faithfulness in the small things (Zech. 4:10; Luke 16:10). So be aware (soul-conscious) of every person each day, and win them one at a time for Jesus' sake (Psalm 126:5,6; Prov.11:30; Matt. 4:19)!
Individuals Beget Multitudes,
Pastor David Blevins
Wednesday, August 17, 2011
Take Two Aspirin...
I had a headache last week. I mean a monster of a headache! The only reason it did not have "Excedrin" written all over it was because that space was occupied by a sign reading "Wide Load". It was the Moby Dick of headaches; I kept waiting for Donald Trump to offer to buy it and name it after himself. At first, I was afraid that I wouldn't live; then I was afraid that I would! It was some headache, folks!
What causes them, I wonder? Improper diet? Tension? Too much caffeine? A problem with my faith walk? I don't know what always causes a headache, but I take a certain amount of comfort in knowing that neither do the white frock-coated high priests of the medical profession!
I did remember one theory, which I heard mentioned several years ago, by comedian Bill Cosby. He explained the origin of headaches this way: "The little dudes in your head get bored. In an effort to relieve this boredom," he reasoned, "these tiny, little men take out axes, hammers, and drills and start thrashing your skull in an effort to escape." And why not? Forbes Magazine says that Bill Cosby has a net worth of $450 million plus as of 2009; maybe he deserves a hearing on this subject.
I wonder if churches get headaches for the same reason? The little men and women who compose the Body of Christ stop seeking to win the lost (Psalm 126:5,6; Matt. 4:19), to love the loveless (Matt. 22:36-29; I John 4:7,8), to meet the needs of the needy (James 2:15,16; I John 3:17,18), and we get bored. With "nothing to do", we take out our Bibles and our bats and turn on one another, thrashing away, resulting in massive contusions and fractured fellowship (Gal. 5:15).
Are you a "bored little dude" in the Body of Christ? Don't give the church a headache (Eph. 5:31,32)! You will find plenty to do (Ecc. 9:10; Col. 3:23), plenty of legitimate spiritual enemies to fight (Eph. 6:12), if only you will look around (Eph. 5:15; I Pet. 5:8). Remember to be "heads-up", not a headache.
Aspirin(g) To Serve,
Pastor David Blevins
What causes them, I wonder? Improper diet? Tension? Too much caffeine? A problem with my faith walk? I don't know what always causes a headache, but I take a certain amount of comfort in knowing that neither do the white frock-coated high priests of the medical profession!
I did remember one theory, which I heard mentioned several years ago, by comedian Bill Cosby. He explained the origin of headaches this way: "The little dudes in your head get bored. In an effort to relieve this boredom," he reasoned, "these tiny, little men take out axes, hammers, and drills and start thrashing your skull in an effort to escape." And why not? Forbes Magazine says that Bill Cosby has a net worth of $450 million plus as of 2009; maybe he deserves a hearing on this subject.
I wonder if churches get headaches for the same reason? The little men and women who compose the Body of Christ stop seeking to win the lost (Psalm 126:5,6; Matt. 4:19), to love the loveless (Matt. 22:36-29; I John 4:7,8), to meet the needs of the needy (James 2:15,16; I John 3:17,18), and we get bored. With "nothing to do", we take out our Bibles and our bats and turn on one another, thrashing away, resulting in massive contusions and fractured fellowship (Gal. 5:15).
Are you a "bored little dude" in the Body of Christ? Don't give the church a headache (Eph. 5:31,32)! You will find plenty to do (Ecc. 9:10; Col. 3:23), plenty of legitimate spiritual enemies to fight (Eph. 6:12), if only you will look around (Eph. 5:15; I Pet. 5:8). Remember to be "heads-up", not a headache.
Aspirin(g) To Serve,
Pastor David Blevins
Monday, August 8, 2011
Aw, Nuts!
Technically, it is the "main rotor retention nut", but savy helicopter jockeys refer to it as the "Jesus nut". By whatever name it is called, it is the device that secures the front rotor-blades to the mast. They call it the "Jesus nut" because, the reasoning goes, if it fails you had better start praying to Jesus as it would take a miracle to survive!
A helicopter is an amazing piece of aeronautics. If a pilot loses power completely, he can still land safely by means of a maneuver called "auto rotation" in which the momentum of the whirling props and the upward rush of air give him enough lift to descend under control. He can fly for a very short distance without power, but not without rotor-blades! Everything hinges on the "Jesus nut"!
I wonder - what is your "Jesus nut"? You know - that thing that has to go wrong before you will throw away the self-help manuals and get down on your knees in prayer? Too many times in our lives, prayer is a last resort when in reality, it should be our first resort! Though we may have lost all power, we can, for a short time "auto-rotate" letting momentum and casual breezes be a poor substitute for the mighty rushing wind of the presence and power of the Holy Spirit (John 6:63a). We are descending - crashing actually - but seemingly maintaining the illusion of control.
I have learned a very important lesson that every Christian needs to learn and practice - God is NOT my co-pilot! He wants to be in charge and will periodically snafu the "Jesus nut" in my life to remind me of this fact as I am driven to my knees in prayer. But I have also learned that my life does not have to be a series of white-knuckle supplications, shouted at high decibels as I hurtle earthward. If I will pray when all is well, I can avoid the need of periodic terror as a stimulus to what should be my daily Bible reading and prayer (Psalm 119:105; Matt. 4:4; Luke 18:1; Rom.12:12c; I Thess.5:17)!
So, what is your "Jesus nut"? What has to go wrong before you will seek the face of our Heavenly Father? Let me give you a helpful word of advice: don't shut yourself up to failure-driven prayer. Pray now - don't wait for your life to go nuts!
Aw, Nuts!
Pastor David Blevins
A helicopter is an amazing piece of aeronautics. If a pilot loses power completely, he can still land safely by means of a maneuver called "auto rotation" in which the momentum of the whirling props and the upward rush of air give him enough lift to descend under control. He can fly for a very short distance without power, but not without rotor-blades! Everything hinges on the "Jesus nut"!
I wonder - what is your "Jesus nut"? You know - that thing that has to go wrong before you will throw away the self-help manuals and get down on your knees in prayer? Too many times in our lives, prayer is a last resort when in reality, it should be our first resort! Though we may have lost all power, we can, for a short time "auto-rotate" letting momentum and casual breezes be a poor substitute for the mighty rushing wind of the presence and power of the Holy Spirit (John 6:63a). We are descending - crashing actually - but seemingly maintaining the illusion of control.
I have learned a very important lesson that every Christian needs to learn and practice - God is NOT my co-pilot! He wants to be in charge and will periodically snafu the "Jesus nut" in my life to remind me of this fact as I am driven to my knees in prayer. But I have also learned that my life does not have to be a series of white-knuckle supplications, shouted at high decibels as I hurtle earthward. If I will pray when all is well, I can avoid the need of periodic terror as a stimulus to what should be my daily Bible reading and prayer (Psalm 119:105; Matt. 4:4; Luke 18:1; Rom.12:12c; I Thess.5:17)!
So, what is your "Jesus nut"? What has to go wrong before you will seek the face of our Heavenly Father? Let me give you a helpful word of advice: don't shut yourself up to failure-driven prayer. Pray now - don't wait for your life to go nuts!
Aw, Nuts!
Pastor David Blevins
Thursday, August 4, 2011
Messy Mugs
Last week I devoted an unbelievable amount of time to cleaning out my coffee cup. Imagine Alaska's coast after the Exxon Valdez and the Gulf coast after the huge BP oil spill. Imagine your teenager's room converted to porcelain. Get the idea?
It isn't that I am a slob. I simply forgot to empty the last swallow of coffee before the weekend hit and the water evaporated, leaving a resinous goop about a half-an-inch thick in the bottom of the cup. Adding to my disgust and revulsion was the fact that some helpless insect with a caffeine addiction had fluttered down and gotten mired in that muck. Eeew!!
The frightening thing to me is that I almost drank from that cup! You see, I discovered the residue while in the act of pouring in a fresh cupful of coffee on Monday. How could I have missed such a mess? Simple - the outside was clean. Had I not glanced within before drinking, I could have seriously fouled my stomach!
I have always suspected that drinking coffee must be a spiritual thing, if for no other reason than the sheer number of Baptists who do it. Now I have proof. Jesus, in Matthew 23:25,26, spoke about the surface religionists who keep a clean cup on the outside, while allowing scum and tar and dead bugs to lie a foot thick on the interior. Christianity in our day abounds with cup-scouring scribes who use the Bible as their personal Brillo pad against others. Envy, anger, lust, and deception may adhere to their hearts, but, armed with a "clean" surface and a few chosen Scriptures, they set up as "legitimate" dispensers of the pure water of life.
While scrubbing my messy mug, I pondered another passage, Mark 7:14-23, where Jesus says that what defiles us is not what goes into our mouths, but what comes out. In other words, drinking coffee from that dirty cup would have done a lot less harm than dispensing the gospel from a dirty heart. I then asked the Lord God Almighty to clean me up - insects and all - from the inside out with the washing of the water of His Word (Psalm 119:9,11; John 15:3; Eph.5:26). How about you, my friend?!
Bottoms Up,
Pastor David Blevins
It isn't that I am a slob. I simply forgot to empty the last swallow of coffee before the weekend hit and the water evaporated, leaving a resinous goop about a half-an-inch thick in the bottom of the cup. Adding to my disgust and revulsion was the fact that some helpless insect with a caffeine addiction had fluttered down and gotten mired in that muck. Eeew!!
The frightening thing to me is that I almost drank from that cup! You see, I discovered the residue while in the act of pouring in a fresh cupful of coffee on Monday. How could I have missed such a mess? Simple - the outside was clean. Had I not glanced within before drinking, I could have seriously fouled my stomach!
I have always suspected that drinking coffee must be a spiritual thing, if for no other reason than the sheer number of Baptists who do it. Now I have proof. Jesus, in Matthew 23:25,26, spoke about the surface religionists who keep a clean cup on the outside, while allowing scum and tar and dead bugs to lie a foot thick on the interior. Christianity in our day abounds with cup-scouring scribes who use the Bible as their personal Brillo pad against others. Envy, anger, lust, and deception may adhere to their hearts, but, armed with a "clean" surface and a few chosen Scriptures, they set up as "legitimate" dispensers of the pure water of life.
While scrubbing my messy mug, I pondered another passage, Mark 7:14-23, where Jesus says that what defiles us is not what goes into our mouths, but what comes out. In other words, drinking coffee from that dirty cup would have done a lot less harm than dispensing the gospel from a dirty heart. I then asked the Lord God Almighty to clean me up - insects and all - from the inside out with the washing of the water of His Word (Psalm 119:9,11; John 15:3; Eph.5:26). How about you, my friend?!
Bottoms Up,
Pastor David Blevins
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