Faith Story - Jake Matthews

Recently I received an email from Milton Slater. Milton wrote about a man from Norfolk, Virginia and how on Sept 11th, 2003, TWO YEARS AFTER THE TRAGEDIES OF 9/11/2001, he called a local radio station.

His name was Robert Matthews. Robert reported that a few weeks before Sept. 11th, that he and his wife found out they were going to have their first child. She planned a trip out to California to visit her sister. On our way to the airport, they prayed that God would grant her a safe trip. Shortly after Robert said 'amen,' they both heard a loud pop and the car shook violently. By the time they had stopped and replaced a blown out tire they had missed her flight. Shortly after they returned home, they received a call from Robert's father who was retired NYFD. He asked what his daughter-in-law's flight number was. He informed Robert that the flight she missed was the one that crashed into the southern tower. He also shared that he was going to help. He said, "This is not something I can't just sit by for; I have to do something."

Robert was concerned for his father's safety, of course, but more because his father had never given his life to Christ.

Before he got off of the phone, he said, "take good care of my grandchild." Those were the last words Robert ever heard his father say. He died while helping in the rescue effort. After receiving word that his father had died, Robert's joy over the safety of his wife quickly became anger. He was angry at God, at his father, and at himself.

Several months later Robert reports that he was sitting at home with his wife and son, when there was a knock on the door. When Robert opened the door he saw a couple with a small child. The man looked at him and asked, "Was your father's name Jake Matthews. When Robert said, '"Yes", the visitor quickly grabbed his hand and said, "I never got the chance to meet your father, but it is an honor to meet his son."

He explained to Robert that his wife had worked in the World Trade Center and had been trapped inside after the attack. She was pregnant and had been caught under debris. He then explained that Jake Matthews had been the one to find his wife and free her. He then said to Robert, "my wife has something else to tell you." His wife then told Robert that while his father worked to free her, she talked to him and led him to faith in Christ. To this good news Robert shared, "Now I know that when I get to Heaven, my father will be standing beside Jesus to welcome me, and that you will be able to thank him yourselves." To make the event even more exciting the couple shared that when their baby was born, they named him Jacob Matthew, in honor of the man who gave his life so that a mother and baby could live.

Scriptural Guide: "Give thanks to the Lord for He is good. His love endures Forever." Psalm 136:1

Faith Story - Bishop Fulton Sheen

Recently, through one of the religious broadcast networks, I was able to reach back into the past to the 1970's and listened to Bishop Fulton Sheen, a Roman Catholic priest, who was one of the first leaders of the Church to use television to share hope. He was seeking to bring a message of hope to what he called "a people caught up in the down cycle of life." He was speaking to a generation who had recently experienced World War I and World War II, and who were facing a future darkened by the mushroom cloud of the spread of atomic weapons. He called our attention to our grandparents who gave us hope because they were the people of the 19th century, a people of hope, living in one of the up cycles of life. The 19th century was one of many great inventions and heroes who refused to flounder in the ashes and wreckage of the moment and stood on something solid, called faith, and used the fallen stones of their civilization to build new homes and factories, and places of worship. A great missionary movement began in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. A cry went out from the youth, "Let us win the world to Christ in this generation." Young people, caught again the spirit of hope that was experienced in the eighteenth century when Francis Asbury, a 26 year old young man from England, landed on the shores of North America to lead and expand a Methodist movement that found thousands of young men eager to answer the call of spiritually leading the pioneers of hope on the frontier. Hope spread by providing "preaching places' and Christian communities, in nearly every community in this new land.

Bishop Sheen said these were people of hope, not because life was easy, but because they refused to be satisfied with just the answers of "how", but were determined to find answers to the questions of "Why." In the 1950's through the 1970's Bishop Sheen called the post war generation to seek from their faith the answer to the "why" question. He closed his message by pointing to Jesus Christ who lived and died victoriously because He knew why He was here up this earth. "If you seek to save your life, you will lose life, but if you give your life for my sake and the gospel, you will find life"(Matthew 10:39).

Faith Story - Cheyenne

Recently I received an email story from a good friend of mine. It has a powerful message. The author suggested that those who read it might want to forward the good news story to others. I have revised the story to be able to make it fit the newspaper column (and this blog.)

The daughter of an elderly father tells the story. Four days after his sixty-seventh birthday, he had a heart attack. He survived. But something inside Dad died. His zest for life was gone. Offers of help were turned aside with sarcasm and insults. His friends stopped coming.

She and her husband, Dick, asked Dad to come live with them. Within a week, she regretted the invitation. He criticized everything. Alarmed, her husband sought out their pastor. At the close of each session he prayed, asking God to soothe Dad's troubled mind.

But it seemed God did not hear. Finally, she called a mental health clinic. Just when she was giving up hope, one worker suddenly exclaimed, 'I just read something that might help you!' The article described a remarkable study done at a nursing home. All of the patients were under treatment for chronic depression. Yet their attitudes had improved dramatically when they were given responsibility for a dog.'

The daughter went immediately to a dog pound. There she discovered the pointer. He was a caricature of the breed. Years had etched his face and muzzle with shades of gray. His hipbones jutted out in lopsided triangles. But it was his eyes that caught and held her attention.

She pointed to the dog. 'Can you tell me about him?' The officer said, 'Appeared out of nowhere and sat in front of the gate. We brought him in, figuring someone would claim him. His time is up tomorrow.' He gestured helplessly.

As the words sank in she turned to the man. 'You mean you're going to kill him?' 'Ma'am,' he said gently, 'that's our policy.' She looked at the pointer again. The calm brown eyes awaited her decision. 'I'll take him,' she said. When she reached home she was helping her prize out of the car when Dad came up. 'Look what I got for you, Dad!' Dad looked, with his face in disgust. 'If I had wanted a dog I would have gotten one.'

Anger rose inside her. She yelled. 'You'd better get used to him, Dad. He's staying!' They stood glaring at each, when suddenly the pointer pulled free. He wobbled toward dad and sat down in front of him. Then slowly, carefully, he raised his paw.

Dad's lower jaw trembled as he stared at the uplifted paw. The pointer waited patiently. Then Dad was on his knees hugging the animal. Dad named the pointer Cheyenne. Together they explored the community, making many friends. They even started to attend Sunday services together.

Dad and Cheyenne were inseparable for three years. Dad's bitterness faded, and he and Cheyenne made many friends. Then one night Dad died in his sleep. Two days later the family shock and grief deepened when they discovered Cheyenne lying dead beside Dad's bed. They wrapped him in the rug he had slept on. As they buried him near a favorite fishing hole, Dad's daughter silently thanked God for the dog and the help he had given in restoring Dad's peace of mind.

An Exercise in Faith Building

Recently the National News reported the results of a survey,
"More Americans Have No Religion, They say."
Since a religion is an organized system of values,
Giving lives meaning, purpose and faith for each and every day,
What does it mean when an increasing number begin to say,
"The foundations of our family heritage now get in our way"?
Is it possible when people say, "I have no religion,"
That their conclusion fails to come from a well designed position?
Often, it is only an expression of a popular secular cliché?
After all, it usually takes finding a higher set of values,
Not less values to say,
"I have given up our God. Our family's faith has been a facade."
It may mean that some, answering the survey, are saying,
"I no longer practice a regular ritual of praying,"
Or they mean "I am not, at this time, active in a religious institution,
Where I am regularly confessing my sins, seeking absolution."
Or maybe, " We no longer belong to a fellowship of believers,
In practicing sacrificial service to be better achievers."
If you are not at this time practicing being religious,
How you are going to fill your need to be more prodigious?*
Begin by making a list of your time consuming activities:
List the ones you practice regularly to meet your daily desires.
Rate them on a one to ten scale, as to how much time each requires;
Secondly, based on which ones, in a crisis, you will definitely keep,
Note the ones, in an emergency, that go to the garbage heap.
Now make a list of the different ways you spend your money.
Then circle the costly practices you will never give up,
Even if your income is cut to "half a cup."
Write a brief paragraph indicating where you need divine intervening.
To help you establish what is important in your search for meaning.
Then make a list of persons with whom you spend most of your time.
List some of the values in these persons, which you consider prime.
Move on to make yourself a list of things you "must do."
As if, you discovered that you have less than a year to live,
List the causes to which you would want to give.
Then make a note by ones calling you to be more active.
Now underline the ones you consider most attractive.
Write a prayer, asking for a focus to make you more proactive
Make a copy of the commandments you find in Exodus twenty.
Rate each one of these commandments on a one to ten scale,
With number one meaning "definitely not important to me"
And number ten meaning "very important for me,
To become the person I want to be."
Then write a paragraph on what your ratings of the commandments reveal.
Conclude with a one sentence prayer appeal.
The final test is to go and buy a paperback Gospel of John.
Read one chapter a day, and use a yellow highlighter to mark verses,
Which are saying something with which you totally agree.
In other words, do not focus on the sayings with which you disagree,
That exercise is for another day. Do you not see?
For now set aside the statements that are questionable to you.
Focus only on the teachings, you have no problem saying, "This is true!"
Then conclude this exercise by asking a special friend,
To discuss the verses you believe to be true for you.
Asking the friend to help in this "faith battle" to win.
Following each faith conversation with your friend,
Use the Scriptural verses to help write a letter to God's Son,
A letter, stored in your Bible, saying "Jesus, You are the One."

*receiving power beyond human limitations

Are You Religious?

Recently Fox News reported the results of a survey, "More Americans Say They Have No Religion." Since a religion is a system of values that give human beings meaning, purpose and direction for their lives, what does it mean for a person to say they have no religion. Is it possible to have no religion? It takes a system of values of some kind to make a judgment that one has no religion. It may mean that the one answering the survey is saying, "I no longer practice the moral standards of my traditional religion," or it may mean "I am not active in any type of religious institution, such as a United Methodist Church, or the Roman Catholic Church, or a fellowship of believers in practicing a special activity that gives meaning and purpose for my life."

If you no longer consider yourself religious, how can you get some insight into what your new religion is? Begin by making a list of the following: List the activities you practice daily or weekly. Rate these activities on a one to ten basis; first as to how much time each requires; secondly based on which ones, in a crisis, you would definitely keep.

Then make a list of the different ways you spend your money. Then circle the items that you would definitely not give up if your income was suddenly cut in half. Write a brief paragraph as to what these exercises reveal about what is most important. Then make a list of persons you spend most of your time with. List some of the values of each of these persons, and underline the values of each you consider most attractive. Make a "to do" list. If your doctor told you that you have less than a year to live, what would be on your list? Circle the activities you consider most important and make a note by each, stating why you have circled each.

Another test I would ask you to do is to open the Bible to Exodus 20 and make a copy of the Ten Commandments. Then rate each one of these commandments on a one to ten scale, with number one meaning "definitely not important to me" and number ten meaning "very important to me." Then write a brief paragraph about what your ratings of the commandments reveal about you. The final test I would ask you to make is to go and buy a paperback New Testament. Then open your new Bible to the Gospel of John. Read one chapter a day, and use a yellow highlighter to mark each verse or saying that is something with which you totally agree. In other words, do not focus on the sayings that you disagree with or that are questionable to you. Focus only on the teachings, that from your own experience, you have no problem saying, "This is true!" Then conclude this exercise by asking a person, for whom you have great respect, to sit down with you, looking at your Bible and discussing with you verses you have highlighted. After the conversation with your friend, take the copy of your highlighted Bible and use it to write a letter to God which you will keep in your Bible as a future faith builder.

Christ the Lord is Risen Today

Yamauchi was sought out and found by Lee Strobel, an investigative journalist who was determined to discover any corroborating evidence about the life and teachings of Jesus and the early church. After a long conversation and examination of historical sources in Professor Yamauchi's study the investigative reporter asked, "What do we know about Jesus apart from the teachings and witnesses of the New Testament?" He followed up his question by asking, "What if we pretend we do not have the evidence of the New Testament or that of historical writings by ancient Christian leaders, what would we be able to corroborate from ancient non-believing writers about who Jesus was?

Professor Yamauchi answered, "Even without the Christian writers we have several non-Christian sources that give us insights into who Jesus was. We have Josephus, the Jewish Talmud, Tacitus, Pliny the Younger, and others. From these records we know the following:

1. Jesus lived in the first century and was a Jewish teacher;

2. Many people believed that He performed healings and exorcisms;

3. Some people believed that He was the Messiah;

4. He was rejected by the Jewish leaders;

5. He was crucified under the authority of Pontius Pilate in the reign of Tiberius;

6. Despite his shameful death, his followers, believed He was still alive and spread the story so much so that a large group of Christians lived in the City of Rome in AD 64.

7. All kinds of people, across the Roman Empire, from cities and countryside -- men and women, slaves and free -- worshipped Him as God."(see Lee Strobel, "The Case for Christ" pp. 86,87).

In the early 1990's Clara (my wife) and I visited Jerusalem. We walked through the ancient city, tracing the last journey Jesus made through the city before his death. We stopped at the places, called stations of the Cross. These are places that tradition says certain acts of suffering happened to Jesus as He made his way out of the city to "place of the skull" to be crucified by the Romans, dying for the sins of all humankind. We ended the journey, outside the ancient city, at a place where a great stone cliff bears the image of a human skull. The scriptures tell us that Jesus was crucified out of the city at the place of the skull. Close by is an ancient garden. In that garden is an ancient grave, carved out of a large rock. It was there we paused for a worship service and including looking into the empty grave as some disciples did on Easter morning. Then we sang, "Christ the Lord is Risen Today." We concluded the service by the reading the Easter story.

Twenty four hours later we were standing in New Home Baptist Church near Trenton, Georgia singing with a wonderful choir, led by a member of our family, singing, "Christ the Lord is Risen Today." We thanked God for the many unknown witnesses who have carried the story of the death and resurrection to multitudes from the empty tomb outside Jerusalem to the dedicated group of Christian disciples in Dade Country, Georgia.

Lenten Insights From A Preacher*

We humans are part of creation; physical beings; considered the most complex of the mammals. We are also homo faber, the maker of tools; creating some wonderful and some monstrous ones. We are also the humanus, who can not only communicate with signs, but can speak. We not only maintain our existence, but also create and shape culture and civilization.

What is more amazing is we have an individual identity, like no other known created being. Soon after birth it is evident to those who care for us that we quickly become individuals. We each are a person, who becomes the 'I-Self' in union with the 'Thou.' We are also the creatures who are forever seeking to know ourselves, even while we flee from self. We are forever drawn and attracted to something higher than ourselves. We dream of 'eternity' and are forever trying to make an everlasting contribution.

Therefore, human beings have gods or a God, from whom we are seeking guidance. In other words, human beings are religious, always seeking a Higher Being; someone who can help us to make meaning and eternal purpose out of existence. Our sense of being related to a Higher Power drives us to seek to influence outcomes; not only in his earthly life span, but also in eternity.

Therefore, human beings are incurably religious, often even trying to substitute Self for God. We are never satisfied with accepting our physical and intellectual temporary existence. No matter how sophisticated and knowledgeable we become we are always homo religious. We are forever seeking to find meaning in our lives, not only for this life, but for eternity. We can no more rid ourselves of our homo religious nature than we can reject our need to experience life from the concepts of past, present, and future.

It is no wonder that from the time He was born until the present, 2000 plus years later, millions of human beings find in Jesus Christ the One who gives life meaning and hope.

During this Lenten Season we celebrate that in Jesus Christ, God became one of us; Even to the point of taking our sins upon Himself, in order to save us for God's eternal purposes.

*Curtis Schofield was moved by these insights while reading "Man In Revolt" by Emil Brunner.

(see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emil_Brunner)