Week Forty-Three, 2019

THE ASPENS

But now, O Lord, you are our Father; we are the clay, and you are our potter; we are all the work of your hand (Isaiah 64:8).

Fishlake National Forest sweeps across 107 acres of Utah. It is one of the world’s largest organisms, a forest of some 47,000 genetically identical quaking aspen trees, which all stem from a single root system that unites the forest. It is the biggest aspen “clone” ever identified; the single most massive living organism known on Earth. What appears to be a massive grove of thousands of individual trees is in fact one single tree, each genetically the same, sharing a single root system.

Compare that genetic sameness with God’s creation of people. We are all different. God created us all with unique features, personalities, and traits. We are not clones. We are all created unique and special. God is the potter and we are the clay. He made us all perfect having our own uniqueness, but different from anyone ever created. Some people have blue eyes, brown eyes, some people can do this, some people can do that, some people are right handed, some people are left handed. We were all made for a purpose.

God has a plan for everyone, and we are all an individual member of the body of Christ, but distinctively different from everyone else. You are a masterpiece. As you grow more and more as a Christian you will truly see how special and unique God created you. Wouldn’t an orchestra be boring if everyone played first violin?

Just as every snowflake is unique, every person is unique because God created him or her in his image—a simple reminder of God’s love for His creation. Millions of snowflakes fall every year around the world, and yet no two snowflakes are alike! Every single snowflake is completely unique.

Equally astounding is the variety of human beings who have lived, now live, and will ever live on the planet Earth. God has created each one of us as a unique creation. No one else is just like you. Your physical appearance, your voice and personality traits—your habits, intelligence, personal tastes—all these make you one of a kind. Even your fingerprints distinguish you from every other human being—past, present, or future. You are not the product of some cosmic assembly line; you are unique…. uniquely created by God, and He has a purpose for your like.

But the most important fact of your identity is that God created you in His own image (Genesis 1:27). He made you so you could share in His creation, could love and laugh and know Him person to person. You are special indeed.

What has God uniquely created you to do?

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SOMETIMES TRUE STORIES

Lincoln’s Warning

Long before serving as America’s president, Abraham Lincoln delivered one of his earliest known speeches in 1838, at the age of 28. Known as Lincoln’s “Lyceum Address,” he warned that America faced a great danger. Here’s what he said:

“At what point shall we expect the approach of danger? … Shall we expect some transatlantic military giant, to step the Ocean, and crush us at a blow? Never! All the armies of Europe, Asia and Africa combined … with a Bonaparte for a commander, could not by force, take a drink from the Ohio, or make a track on the Blue Ridge, in a trial of a thousand years.

“At what point then is the approach of danger to be expected? … If destruction be our lot, we must ourselves be its author and finisher. As a nation of freemen, we must live through all time, or die by suicide.”

— o —

Look at our culture and field of opportunity. Hillsborough and three other Florida counties have a majority non-white population. What is your ministry?

— o —

Often we have a consumeristic secular culture that focuses on what we want more than what others need. For followers of Jesus, however, manifesting his heart for the hurting is central to our faith and witness. Jim Denison

— o —

Oswald Chambers: “Our ordinary views of prayer are not found in the New Testament. We look upon prayer as a means of getting things for ourselves; the Biblical idea of prayer is that we may get to know God Himself.” When we pray for suffering people, the Spirit joins our heart to the grieving heart of God and we weep as He weeps (John 11:35) “Prayer changes me and I change things.”

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QUOTES YOU CAN USE

Goodness without courage is useless.

Feed the white dog in your life and starve the black one. —Jim Huhta

Don’t get puffed up over success and don’t get destroyed by failure. —Cary Gaylord

Often, we have a consumeristic secular culture that focuses on what we want more than what others need. For followers of Jesus, however, manifesting his heart for the hurting is central to our faith and witness. —Jim Denison

Money is like a fire. If you use it wisely, it will keep you warm. But if you use it poorly it will burn your house down. —Brig Sorber

Week Forty-Two, 2019

By Florida Senator John Grant, Retired

“We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed; always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body…. For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory; while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal” (II Corinthians 4:8–10, 17–18).

At first it was a light pain and then it intensified. While I was in church that morning I was in a lot of pain. My wife insisted that we go to the ER and with her insistence, we did. An examination revealed that I had a large blood clot in my lower leg. I was immediately admitted and put on a blood thinner. After a couple of days, I was allowed to go home.

My cardiologist and friend heard I was there and came to visit. He said that as long as I was there, he was going to do a heart cath. He did and found that I had a significant blockage in my “widow maker” artery. He inserted a stent and all was well. My thought was what might have happened to me had I not had the clot and hospitalization. While the clot was not fun, it may have saved my life.

God does that …. Walking us through rough times to lead us where we otherwise would not have gone. James 1:1-4 tells us when we face trials, we can see it as a positive thing in our life because ultimately, we are going to grow from it. That’s hard to realize when our pain is all we can see and feel. But, after you’ve experienced life as a follower of Jesus, and you’ve experienced His faithfulness, then you know it’s true.

James regarded trials as inevitable. He said when, not if you fall into various trials. At the same time trials are occasions for joy, not discouraged resignation. We can count it all joy in the midst of trials because they are used to produce patience.

Faith is tested through trials, not produced by trials. Trials reveal what faith we do have; not because God doesn’t know how much faith we have, but so that our faith will be evident to ourselves and to those around us. Trouble is faith’s best friend

In God’s strange and wonderful ways of ruling this world, life’s most painful trials serve a special purpose for our good. God often draws his straightest lines from life’s greatest difficulties to our deepest and sweetest joys.

God’s preserving work in us through our pain and difficulty is essential to what matters most, and James makes that connection explicit: “Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him.” James 1:12

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SOMETIMES TRUE STORIES

PORN IN THE CHURCH (A Barna Study)

• Most pastors (57%) and youth pastors (64%) admit they have struggled with porn, either currently or in the past.

• Overall, 21% of youth pastors and 14% of pastors admit they currently struggle with using porn.

• About 12% of youth pastors and 5% of pastors say they are addicted to porn

• 87% of pastors who use porn feel a great sense of shame about it.

• 55% of pastors who use porn say they live in constant fear of being discovered.

• The vast majority of faith leaders who struggle with porn say this has significantly affected their ministry in a negative manner. It is not clear why, but youth pastors are twice as likely as pastors to report this kind of unfavorable impact.

• Only 8% of pastors think that a pastor should resign his/her position if he is struggling with porn. Most pastors think he should deal with the struggle through counseling or accountability.

• In contrast, 41% of adult Christians think that pastors should be fired or asked to resign if they are found to be using porn.

• 93% of pastors and 94% of youth pastors say it is a much bigger or somewhat bigger problem than it was in the past.

• More than half of youth pastors have had at least one teen come to them for help in dealing with porn in the past 12 months.

• Although teens seeking help are mainly teen boys, there is still a significant amount of teen girls seeking help from youth pastors.

• Men of all ages and stages, but especially married men, are coming to pastors for help with pornography struggles.

• Despite the awareness of the problem, most churches do not have programs specifically designed to assist those struggling with porn use.

— o —

The emerging generation that calls the shots:

If you want to gain a following today, emphasize community and tolerance. That’s the message of a recent report in the Wall Street Journal.

Here’s the good news: a survey revealed that Americans believe strongly in the principles of hard work, patriotism, commitment to religion, and the goal of having children. Here’s the bad news: that survey was taken twenty-one years ago.

When the same survey was conducted recently, it found that “religion, belief in God” was valued by 67 percent of older adults (ages fifty-five to ninety-one) but only 30 percent of young adults (ages eighteen to thirty-eight). Patriotism values ranged from 79 percent for older adults to 42 percent for young adults. Having children ranged from 54 percent for older adults to 32 percent for young adults.

However, a higher percentage of young adults than older adults value community involvement (61 percent vs. 58 percent) and tolerance for others (83 percent vs. 79 percent).

One of the pollsters who conducted the report noted: “There’s an emerging America where issues like children, religion and patriotism are far less important. And in America, it’s the emerging generation that calls the shots about where the country is headed. Jim Denison

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QUOTES YOU CAN USE

But before God could change me, He needed to mature me. And before God could mature me, He needed to move me. Lecrae Moore

Obviously, I support abortion. I can’t believe people would want to protect unborn children. Taylor Swift

If you are not moving, you are not a part of the movement. Ken Whitten

Inspiration is a guest that does not willingly visit the lazy. Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, Master Composer

We never win at money by comparing our possessions with others. The Minimalist

Partial obedience is joyless because it entails partial sacrifice, but forfeits what God can give only to those who are fully his.

Jonathan Edwards helped spark the First Great Awakening that transformed our colonial nation and is widely considered the greatest theologian America has ever produced. His secret? He lived by the resolution “never to do anything, which I should be afraid to do, if it were the last hour of my life.”

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Week Forty-One, 2019

SATISFACTION GUARANTEED

We live in a world where satisfaction comes from things, achievements and money. “If only I had X, I would be satisfied.” We strive for material accomplishments to keep up with our neighbors and then they re-finance and the race starts all over again. People strive for certain goals and when they get there somehow it doesn’t seem that great. It was Alexander the Great who by his early thirties conquered all of the then known world and then cried out is despair saying, “Are there no more worlds to conquer. “

“For I will satisfy the weary soul, and every languishing soul I will replenish” (Jeremiah 31:25.”

Achieving the standards of the world simply will bring neither happiness nor satisfaction. Yet Madison Avenue spends millions trying to make people unsatisfied. True happiness is to enjoy the present, without anxious dependence upon the future, not to amuse ourselves with either hopes or fears but to rest satisfied with what we have, which is sufficient and to want nothing. A wise man is content with his lot, whatever it may be, without wishing for what he has not.

There are two ways to get enough. One is to continue to accumulate more and more. The other is to desire less. Those who are not satisfied with a little will never be with much. We should not spoil what we have by desiring what you don’t have.

There is a difference between needs and wants. The dictionary defines a necessity as “an indispensable thing” – something that everyone needs. There are some things that everyone clearly needs just to survive, such as food, water, shelter, and clothing. If a necessity is something that everybody needs, it seems logical that a luxury must be something that nobody really needs, but many people want.

The saving money can’t buy you happiness also means that it won’t prevent sadness. Some of the wealthiest are some of the saddest people. Affluence alone won’t bring happiness. Money will buy you a bed, but not a good night’s sleep, a house, but not a home, a companion, but not a friend. True love is not for sale at any price.

The apostle Paul was a man who suffered and went without the comforts of life more than most people could ever imagine. Yet, he knew the secret of contentment: “I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through Him who gives me strength.” Yet, people continue to seek after more of the things of this world, never contented with their lot in life. The bumper sticker that reads “He with the most toys wins epitomizes the worlds craving for more.”

*****

“Be content with such things as you have” means that as believers such should be our trust and confidence in God that we should be satisfied with our condition regardless of our circumstances. For we know assuredly that if we are faithful God will cause all things to work together for our good (Romans 8:28).

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SOMETIMES TRUE STORIES

Consider these national statistics: • Only 54 percent of foster children earn a high school diploma. • Only 2 percent earn a bachelor’s degree or higher. • 51 percent of foster care graduates are unemployed. • 84 percent of foster care graduates become parents too soon, exposing their children to a repeated cycle of neglect and abuse. On any given day, there are roughly 450,000 children in foster care. That’s one child per church in America. What are you willing to do about it?

— o —

Anxiety continues to escalate in America, especially among young people. According to recent data, nearly half of college students surveyed “felt overwhelming anxiety over the previous year.” A third “had problems functioning because of depression.”

— o —

True joy transcends circumstances. While happiness is a product of happenings, joy is the “fruit of the Spirit” (Galatians 5:22).

Jesus promised his followers that, after his resurrection, “I will see you again, and your hearts will rejoice, and no one will take your joy from you” (John 16:22). The closer we are to Jesus, the more we will manifest his joy.

The key is to focus more on Christ than on circumstances. It is to live vertically in a horizontal culture, bringing every challenge to Jesus and finding in him the courage and hope he alone provides.

— o —

Because Jesus humbled Himself for us, it is our duty, obligation, and joy to humble ourselves as well. But to adjust ourselves into a radically humble lifestyle to escape the clutches of That Other God, the question we must ask ourselves is this: Have we lived so long worshipping our own egos that we’ve lost our ability—perhaps even our desire—to humble ourselves as Christ did?”

Peter and Jesus

Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus. But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, “Lord, save me!” Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. “You of little faith,” he said, “why did you doubt?” And, when they climbed into the boat, the wind died down. Then those who were in the boat worshiped him, saying, “Truly you are the Son of God.”

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QUOTES YOU CAN USE

Once abolish the God, and the Government becomes the god. G. K. Chestern

Live clean, innocent lives as children of God, shining like bright lights in a world full of crooked and perverse people. Philippians 2:14–15

The right way is not always the popular and easy way. Standing for right when it is unpopular is a true test of moral character. Senator Margaret Chase Smith

The Lord answers my prayers everywhere except on the golf course. – Billy Graham

The problem with today’s younger generation is that they believe there is not a power higher than themselves.

Hateful ideas lead to hateful atrocities.

What the world throws away still matters to God.

We do not exist for ourselves alone. Thomas Merton

Sin speaks a dead language.

Lust is when you entertain yourself with what Jesus died to overcome.

Week Thirty-Four, 2019

By Florida Senator John Grant, Retired

“Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruit” (Proverbs 8:21).

I have a confession. I like country music. I like the style combining the folk music of the Southeast and cowboy music of the West. I like the vocalized, simple in form and harmony music typified by romantic or melancholy ballads accompanied by acoustic or electric guitar, banjo and violin. It is always playing in my truck.

Recently I was listening to the words and was struck by the themes of one losing their truck, their dog and their girlfriend, often in a bar. Suddenly it hit me. I didn’t need to be filling my brain by those types of messages. Perhaps there is the same style of music with a better message. So, I went searching and found similar music with a Christian message.

The next day there was a little brown truck in my driveway delivering my new CD’s. I loaded them in my truck and have been enjoying them ever since. But here is the payoff. As I enjoyed the music, I found that my attitude changed for the good.

Recent studies suggest we get a very strong impression about someone when we ask them what music they like. Our music can become a badge of identity. All believers need to be careful about what they listen to. While our focus may not be paying attention, our brain hears and absorbs the lyrics.

Words are powerful and can influence us to pursue good things, give hope and spark inspiration. Or they can also cause us to pursue what is wrong, break our hopes, and cause us to lose our motivation to reach great heights. We can become what we listen to most.

If we aren’t very careful, we could end up being swayed and influenced by the words of the music around us. Proverbs 18:21 tells us “Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruit.”

Listening to the wrong things can be very dangerous to us. What we listen to affects what we meditate on. What we listen to or regularly hear tends to stick in our minds. Listening to the wrong words – whether sung or spoken – makes it harder for us to do what Philippians 4:8 tells us:

“Finally, brothers, whatever things are true, whatever things are honest, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue, and if there is any praise, think on these things.”

What we listen to influences us and fills our hearts and minds, and then eventually influences our choices. When a Godly person keeps hearing nothing but ungodly and wicked things, sooner or later that person becomes influenced. His faith can be negatively affected in many different ways: convictions get challenged, ideas become contaminated, purity is compromised, and decisions are influenced. What we listen to either help us grow in our faith or destroy it.

If we soak ourselves in condemning words and keep listening to lies and divisive arguments, we will end up having a shipwrecked faith.

What are you listening to?

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SOMETIMES TRUE STORIES

You’ve probably never heard of Ryan Hrelgac from Kemptville, Ontario, Canada. But he’s an incredible young man.

When Ryan was only 6 years old, he learned in school of children in African villages who didn’t have access to clean drinking water. So, he began raising money to help by doing household chores. In a period of 4 months, he raised $70.

Encouraged by his attitude and actions, others began to join Ryan and during the next 12 months, he raised $2,000. Within two years Ryan had raised $61,000.

Today, Ryan is 28, and is responsible for the foundation, Ryan’s Well, which has raised millions of dollars and completed over 1500 water projects in 17 countries, bringing safe water and sanitation to over 1 million people.

— o —

Fifty years ago, astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin separated the lunar landing craft from the Apollo command module. As they moved toward the moon, astronaut Michael Collins stayed behind. He was 250,000 miles from earth.

While Armstrong and Aldrin received much of the attention for their magnificent feat, their journey to the moon and back would have been impossible without Collins. He piloted the command module through maneuvers that detached it from the third stage of the rocket carrying them into space. He then pivoted the module and steered it as it docked with the lunar landing vehicle.

When the lunar module returned from the moon, Collins directed the command module to reacquire it, enabling Armstrong and Aldrin to reenter the craft they would ride for the journey home. Without Michael Collins there would be no lunar mission to celebrate.

Meanwhile, look at the fire at Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris. It turns out, the firefighters who saved the cathedral did so at great risk to themselves. According to the Paris mayor, “It was clear that some firefighters were going to go into the cathedral without knowing if they would come back out.” The iconic landmark is now being rebuilt and will be a lasting tribute to their sacrificial courage. Though most of us do not know the names of the firefighters who risked their lives to save Notre Dame, we stand in their debt.

The great conductor Leonard Bernstein said: “I can get plenty of first violinists, but to find one who plays second violin with as much enthusiasm. And yet, if no one plays second fiddle, we have no harmony.” – Leonard Bernstein

Remember it is the back-up people who make those up front achieve.

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QUOTES YOU CAN USE

Scars are the evidence that wounds can heal and don’t last forever and that healing is possible. —Lecrae Moore

The solution to each problem that confronts us begins with an individual who steps forward and who says, “I can help.” —George H. W. Bush

The growth of the Kingdom has blessed the world. Those trusting in Jesus and following His Word can be found in every corner of the world. Emerson once said that the impact of Jesus upon mankind was “…not so much written as plowed into history.”

If our relationship with God is based primarily on the relationship with our favorite pastor, speaker, or teacher, then it’s eventually going to lead to trouble. —Ryan Denison

Something is wrong when our lives make sense to unbelievers. —Francis Chan, Crazy Love

Discipleship demands my heart. My life. My all. —Ken Weliever, The Preacherman

To surrender is our heart admitting our weakness. To accept is our ego demanding the illusion of still being in charge.

Ability to resist temptation is directly proportionate to your submission to God.

The New Testament church was birthed in a cultural and political cesspool. There were no family values. Sexual perversion was normative, human life cheap, and justice nonexistent for anyone except the rich and powerful…. Yet none of the New Testament letters say anything about what we could call culture warfare. And the passages that deal with spiritual warfare are always framed in the context of personal spirituality and righteousness. —Larry Osborne

Week Thirty-Eight, 2019

PRESSING “UNDO”

“If the anger of the ruler flares up against you, do not resign from your position, for a calm response can undo great offenses” (Ecclesiastes 10:4).

Many items of computer software have an “undo” button. It allows us to erase forever your most recent action and redo it the way you first intended or should have attended. It allows you to dismiss mistakes and proceed as if nothing wrong had happened. It also allows you to restore something you mistakenly deleted. It is so easy.

Real life is so much more difficult. You can’t un-cook an apple or take back and forever erase words you have said and things you have done. We all make wrong decisions at some point in our lives. What’s worse is that no matter how much we repent and ask God for His forgiveness, what’s done is done and cannot be undone. While God in Heaven will forgive us, the consequences on earth are still there.

Many of us feel condemned by what we have done. We fail to understand when God forgives our sins, He also forgets them. He never condemns us for something He has already forgiven.

What many of us do not understand, however, is the fact that while God’s forgiveness erases our offenses from His sight, we still have to face the consequences of our wrong decisions. Life is not as easy as a computer program.

When we have done or said or written the wrong thing, we need to do what we can to right the wrong. Often is not easy and something the world says is unnecessary, but the Bible teaches us it is. So, whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin. James 4:17

One thing I learned as a pilot is that I should always be looking for a place to land. Life is like that. Whenever we make mistakes, we should always be looking for how to right our wrongs as best we can. Sometimes it is embarrassing. Sometimes it is expensive, but it is always the right thing to do.

We go through life making mistakes, some accidental and some foolishly intended. I have done my share and so have you. To err is human; to forgive, divine. (Alexander Pope 1711). The key is how we follow up. Young sailors are taught how to ride out a storm by heading into the wind, not from it. Don’t run from your mistakes; confront them head on. Try to undo as best you can.

As you ask forgiveness of others, ask forgiveness also of God, the ultimate forgiver. We do not earn our forgiveness. We do not pay for our own forgiveness. Jesus died for it before we ever committed a wrong. Unlike our forgiveness of others, He blots it out forever. God’s love can never be taken away from you, ever – Romans 8:37-39

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SOMETIMES TRUE STORIES

Public trust in government today stands at 17 percent. Trust in the church and organized religion has fallen as well. From 1973 to 1985, American confidence in organized religion was at 60 percent, higher than confidence in any other institution. Today, only 38 percent of Americans say they have a “great deal” or “quite a lot” of confidence in the church or organized religion.

— o —

We must never forget that the world is watching how we treat each other—and what they see can be far more powerful than what we teach. As it is, it’s no surprise that Christians do a less-than-stellar job when it comes to our attitudes toward each other and the world. It’s that kind of criticism that prompted Gandhi’s famous quote: “I like your Christ. I do not like your Christians. Your Christians are so unlike your Christ.” And his follow-up: “If it weren’t for Christians, I’d be a Christian.”

— o —

Let’s start by dumping the idea that “it’s all about me.” That belief alone will dramatically change our perspective on living the Christian life. Instead of being so “inward” thinking, it’s time to get “outward” in our thinking. Here’s a good scale to measure our progress: How many times do we say “I” or “me” in our prayers?

— o —

Three truths Christians should remember:

1. The loudest voices don’t represent all voices.

2. Don’t shout back. Listen.

3. God’s Word stands strong.

Jesus and disciples

“Who do you say that I am?” Jesus asked Peter. His response was immediate. Direct. Unequivocal. And divinely inspired. “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God” (Matt 16:15-16).

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QUOTES YOU CAN USE

You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.” —Jeremiah 29:13

A Bible that’s falling apart usually belongs to someone who isn’t.—Author and Pastor Charles Haddon Spurgeon

Christians are losing the battle for our culture because we would rather skip the training. We’d rather pursue our dreams than do the hard work. Phil Cook

What if we took Christianity as seriously as Navy SEALS take their training?

A tree that falls in a storm usually isn’t felled by the outside force of the wind. It falls because it’s already rotten on the inside. The same is true of Christians.

Nothing can destroy Christianity if we live like Christians.—A. W. Tozer, Culture

The truth does not change according to our ability to stomach it emotionally. Novelist Flannery O’Connor

You are called to a mission! Not just to bask in his glory on the mountaintop, but to share his message with a lost and dying world. Pastor Jack Graham

No one who has ever bowed before the burning bush can thereafter speak lightly of God. A. W. Tozer

In whatever way God is calling you to be a culture-changing Christian, know that the culture will likely resist. Those who hate our Father will hate his children. Jesus warned us: “If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you” (John 15:20). Jim Denison

A person can be removed from slavery in an instant, but it takes a lifetime for slavery to be removed from a person.” Lecrae Moore

Week Thirty-Seven, 2019

“The proverbs of Solomon son of David, king of Israel: for gaining wisdom and instruction; for understanding words of insight; for receiving instruction in prudent behavior, doing what is right and just and fair; for giving prudence to those who are simple knowledge and discretion to the young—let the wise listen and add to their learning, and let the discerning get guidance—for understanding proverbs and parables, the sayings and riddles of the wise. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fool despise wisdom and instruction” (Proverbs 1:1-7).

Microsoft is investing $1-billion in Open AI, a partnership intent on creating artificial intelligence that rivals the human brain. Artificial intelligence as it currently exists involves training machines to solve specific problems or perform particular tasks, like filter spam emails or predict an earthquake. The Microsoft and Open AI collaboration will zero in on artificial general intelligence: machines capable of learning and operating just as well as, or even better than, a human.

Should AGI became a reality, it could be used to tackle humanity’s greatest ills. “We want AGI to work with people to solve currently intractable multi-disciplinary problems, including global challenges such as climate change, affordable and high-quality healthcare, and personalized education” Open AI wrote in a blog post announcing the partnership. “We think its impact should be to give everyone economic freedom to pursue what they find most fulfilling, creating new opportunities for all of our lives that are unimaginable today.”

Because AI will affect so many areas of life, Christians need to be prepared to maximize the benefits of such technology, take the lead on the question of machine morality, and help to limit and eliminate the possible dangers.

Spiritually, we understand our own limits because, being creations of God (Genesis 1:27), we can’t outdo God’s creative power (Isaiah 55:8–9). Also, God’s depiction of the future does not seem to include any kind of technological singularity (see the book of Revelation).

AI might be able to perform certain, limited tasks better than a person can, but there is no logical, philosophical, or biblical reason to think it can be “better” in a meaningful sense. AI might emulate the patterns human beings use when we think, but it can never replace the prowess, dexterity, and creativity of the human mind.

God is still the master creator of intelligence and it is real, not artificial.

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SOMETIMES TRUE STORIES

Tolerance is the last virtue of a depraved society. When you have an immoral society that has blatantly, proudly, violated all of the commandments of God, there is one last virtue they insist upon: tolerance for their immorality. D. James Kennedy

— o —

In North Korea possession of a Bible is a capital offense and that regime officials have pledged to “wipe out the seed of Christian reactionaries.”

— o —

A stunning 83% of the world’s population lives in nations where religious freedom is threatened or even banned.” Mike Pence

— o —

The technology that enabled Apollo 11 to travel to the moon and back was remarkably effective and sophisticated for its day, but its computational capacity pales in comparison with the smartphone in your pocket.

— o —

Currently, the average American household carries $137,063 in debt, but only makes $59,039 in income per year. Debt to income ratio is an important measure of how people are handling their money. It’s not the only measurement, but it can tell us a lot.

— o —

77% of all Americans support Roe V. Wade

— o —

Pastor Kelly Knouse on Servanthood:

• Servanthood Begins with Attitudes Before Actions

• Servanthood Focuses on People Before Programs

• Servanthood Elevates the Mission Before Myself

— o —

Netflix Sees Historic Subscriber Drop, Loses 126,000 Customers After Threatening to Boycott Pro-Life Georgia

— o —

How courageous will you be for Christ today?

QUOTES YOU CAN USE

A New Planner Won’t Change Your Life.

Every other religious faith wants to escape the world, but Jesus wants us to renew the world. That must start with a renewal of ourselves. Phil Cook

My husband said he needed space, so I locked him outside. Anonymous wife

We were fixed by Jesus to be fixers of others. Fixed people fix others. Mondonico Williams

Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has. Jim Denison

The greatest mission field in North America is in the public school classroom. Kelley Knouse

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Week Thirty-Two, 2019

By retired Florida Senator John Grant

“You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people’s feet” (Matthew 5:13).

We stood in awe a thousand feet below the surface in the salt mines of Krakow Poland. Dating back before the thirteenth century, these mines were of valuable importance economically and militarily. At one time, salt the greatest preservative had a value equal to that of gold.

In ancient times Salt was of crucial importance economically. The expression “not worth his salt” stems from the practice of trading slaves for salt in ancient Greece. Special salt rations given to early Roman soldiers were known as “salarium argentum,” the forerunner of the English word “salary.”

Salt is a necessity of life and was a mineral that was used since ancient times in many cultures as a seasoning, a preservative, a disinfectant, a component of ceremonial offerings, and as a unit of exchange.

The Bible contains more than forty verses about salt. The symbolism of salt is that It purifies. The Bible mentions that Sodom and Gomorrah were purified with salt. Sinners are changed into pillars of salt, and we can ward off evil and deter unwanted strangers by spreading salt. However, salt can also kill. It kills weeds, corrodes, dries up and can make water undrinkable.

Although salt is powerful in historical and metaphorical terms, its spiritual power often goes unnoticed. Jesus said that we are “the salt of the earth” and “the light of the world”. Being salt and light is not optional. Jesus did not say you can be…or you have the potential to be…He said you are.

Everyone who has trusted Christ for salvation and is born again is the salt of the earth and the light of the world. Jesus told His followers they were the salt of the earth. This was an obvious metaphor for how they should impact the world around them.

Jesus uses those who love and follow Him to help preserve this fallen world that has turned its back on Him. Jesus also uses you to spread the Word in a way that is easier for others to understand, easier for them to hear and digest, by adding flavor and depth to your words as you share the gospel. Salt brings out distinct flavors in food, just as believers can bring out the words of God to impact listeners in a positive way. Those who know Jesus, radiate His joy, and share His love add flavor to the world.

Are you spreading salt in this fallen world?

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SOMETIMES TRUE STORIES

When David found himself confronted by enemies (Psalm 139:19–22), here was his prayer: “Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts! And see if there be any grievous way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting!” (vv. 23–24).

What hard place is your address today?

Would you make David’s prayer yours right now?

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This ‘n That about Bats

• The bat is the only mammal that can fly. Bats are crucial for a healthy environment. Bats disperse seeds, eat loads of harmful insects and help pollinate plants.

• There are more than 1,300 bat species distributed across six continents; about 50 bat species live in national parks across the United States, and Indonesia hosts 219 bat species—more than any other country.

• According to Bat Conservation International, bats make up one-fifth of the mammal population on Earth.

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Chris Seiple is a graduate of Stanford and the Naval Postgraduate School with a PhD from The Fletcher School of Law & Diplomacy. He is a former Marine infantry officer and a founding member of the Pentagon’s Strategic Initiatives Group. He is also living with stage 4 cancer and a brain tumor.

Writing in the Washington Post, Dr. Seiple focuses on living today while trusting Jesus for tomorrow. He testifies: “I am grateful for the blessing of living in the present, between the ‘already’ and the ‘not yet.’ In the Bible, Jesus asks his followers: ‘If he made and cares for the ‘lilies of the field’ in all of their finite beauty, how much more will he care for us?’”

Dr. Seiple concludes: “I believe death is but the doorway to the rest of life, but until it is time to step through, I want to live like the lilies, expectantly, with enough for today.”

So should we. —Jim Denisen

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QUOTES YOU CAN USE

“Without religion, I believe that learning does real mischief to the morals and principles of mankind.” —Benjamin Rush (1783)

Some have more degrees than a thermometer but without Christ are still lost.

“We cannot be forgiven unless we are willing to forgive.” —John Morgan

“Be sure your sin will find you out” (Numbers 32:23). God’s word adds, “Whoever walks in integrity walks securely, but he who makes his ways crooked will be found out” (Proverbs 10:9).

Sin always costs more than it pays. The time to repent and make restitution is now. —Jim Denison

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