Sometimes  things come up and just can’t get them off your mind. Here’s one to ponder, just can’t get it off my mind so I brought it to the back porch. As I age I seem to be remembering things from my childhood…not in a morbid sense but of how they kinda shaped who I am today.  As kids we all had heroes, mine were always cowboys. Funny now that I think about it, might have been the reason I enjoyed it so much when my Dad drew Texas as our next duty station and home. Yep…home…I adopted Texas as home, the place where my heroes where born! Well that is a bit much but gosh darn it I was just a kid. Now as James Gregory would say… “well anyway, here’s the thing.” A few years back I wrote a blog about heroes. Was reading Hebrews 11 the other day and I remembered that blog. I want to share it with you…Ponder about it…Who are your Heroes?

Back in the day many young boys dreamed of riding the plains doing good and rescuing the young girls from evil. Mounting the trusty broom and riding the backyard range in search of stray cattle or damsels in distress and even hoping to come across a bad guy or two. Sporting a set of Gene Autry pistols and a new hat and cowboy boots from Sears or the local Western Auto store, we were the picture of young justice and any number of Saturday cowboy shows on the old black and white TV. Sneaking a bit of small rope from dad’s work bench for a lasso, even the dog and cat feared our pass through the backyard range. They were examples of what we admired or wanted to be in our adolescent dreams and wishes…I will not put the whole original blog here…but I do encourage you to read Hebrews Chapter 11. Think I will go to the bunkhouse now, get some rest.

Here is the url for that blog…

https://fromthepewblog.com/2016/07/24/my-heros-have-always-been-cowboys/

Yep, I’m still a kid at heart.

Kurt

Note: “The Pew” for the next few weeks will be a series of Bible Chapters that are a good read in these times of turmoil and uncertainty.  God’s word can and does bring comfort and peace to both believers and those seeking such in their lives. Today is the first of those Chapters…jk

Romans 8: 29 For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. 30 And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified.(NIV)

Jack Wellman in his article, “Good Chapters to Read During Tough Times”, refers to these two verses in Romans 8 as the “golden thread or chain of salvation.” In verse 29-30 there are some words we need to understand and for us who might need a little help with theological expression let’s start there. For the biblical meaning of foreknew… I reference this…

https://www.gotquestions.org  “The foreknowledge of God is far more than His ability to “see the future”; His foreknowledge is a true “knowing” of what will come to pass, based on His free choice. He decrees what will come to pass. In other words, foreknowledge is not just intellectual; it is personal and relational.”

Predestination is a doctrine that God has eternally chosen those whom he intends to save1. It means that God has a purpose that is determined long before it is brought to pass, and he is able to accomplish it2. Predestination does not mean that God determines all our actions, but that he has predetermined that all who are in Christ would be conformed to the image of Christ and adopted as children of God

Simply put, to justify is to declare righteous. Justification is an act of God whereby He pronounces a sinner to be righteous because of that sinner’s faith in Christ. According to one theologian, “the root idea in justification is the declaration of God, the righteous judge, that the man who believes in Christ, sinful though he may be, is righteous—is viewed as being righteous, because in Christ he has come into a righteous relationship with God” (Ladd, G. E., A Theology of the New Testament, Eerdmans, 1974, p. 437).

Glorified…reveal the majesty and splendor of (God) by one’s actions

These verses simply say…It is God who has done these things, not us and deserves all the glory. We find in verse 30 the fact that our security is in Jesus Christ and the Father, also that Christ is God.

Looking at other verses in this chapter 8 verse 8:28 gives us a perspective on life. In verse 8:18 we are given a reason to endure the present. Romans 8;1 gives us a clear conscience and of course verses 8:29-30 explains to us who is responsible for our salvation.Paul wraps it up in verse 8:37, we are conquerors, overcomes…but in Christ only. One thing God has provided for us in Hard Times.

Life is Good    

 jk     

References…https://www.christianity.com , http://biblestudytools.com   

Back on the porch! We have had  some hard rain here yesterday and today, but I seem to be able to find a dry phase to slip into between rains. Today’s Ponder actually came up Sunday morning church service…the Sermon was wrapped around the song Oh What a Wonderful World, sung by Louis Armstrong. The gist of the sermon was to strike a contrast between the words of the song and the turmoil we find ourselves in as a country and our own personal lives. Music is a wonderful way of to kind of get away from the stress of the day…Kinda like a Lyrical back porch. But like most things, let mankind get involved it can always be disruptive. That is the Ponder this evening on the Porch. Back in the day Disney Studios produced a movie called Song of the South, in 1946. The following is from Wikipedia: “Johnny befriends Uncle Remus, an elderly worker on the plantation, and takes joy in hearing his tales about the adventures of Br’er Rabbit, Br’er Fox, and Br’er Bear. Johnny learns from the stories how to cope with the challenges he is experiencing while living on the plantation.” Did well at the box office until the collective minds of those people got involved. It seems some folks can melt ice cream just by looking at it. The movie was declared to be racist and for some time it was banned from being shown or purchased in the USA. I brought a copy of the movie from a company in England. Here is my thought. We lost a treasure of whimsical story telling along with lessons for all people and a world of talent and ethnic wisdom of practical advice for everyone. James Basket played the part of Uncle Remus and sang “Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Da…Oh what a wonderful day… Then …Those People with an agenda that steal the little joys of life from us all came along. I am a great believer that even in the worst of times and events, with God’s help we can find some good. There was no good in slavery, no justification of such human mistreatment of others…We find good in the faith of the slaves, in their suffering and most of all the character and strength and wisdom they found in their suffering. Two songs, two reasons to keep the faith.

Click on these below and for the Wonderful World also click on the you tube link to see it.

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6bWyhj7siEY

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rBrd_3VMC3c

Now the rest of the story… and it is a rather interesting picture of the character of our Lord. Seems after some research that there was a Second Rejection In Nazareth. That is where we find ourselves in this week’s Blog.  The first visit is written of in Luke 4:16-30 and the second visit, the subject of our blog today, starts   in Mark 6:1-6 a record of the revisit to Nazareth.

There is an old saying “that you can’t go home again.” Mark Chapter 6: 1-6 does just that… We get to go go along via the writings of Mark. But things don’t turn out as expected for Jesus and his disciples. Instead it turns out to be a severe test and just as we have learned in this time, there are no harsher critics than those of family and friends; home ain’t always a friendly place. I don’t believe we would be wrong in thinking that Jesus just wanted to see his old home and be among his own people. Of course he was accompanied by his disciples, which in that day would be expected of a Rabbi. The Rabbis moved about the country accompanied by their little circle of disciples, and it was as a teacher, with his disciples, that Jesus came. Jesus would always go to the synagogue and teach whenever he could but on this occasion the result was somewhat different than elsewhere. What he taught was not accepted with wonder but with outright contempt. The ringer here was they knew this man, this Jesus and yet his remarks were rejected…they offended those there. They knew where he came from, his background…how could he have such wisdom, how could he say and do what he did? Their “Familiarity had bred a mistaken contempt.” Why do you suppose this happened? I found the question worth some time and interest to do some research and see if any of the sources I go to had an opinion. So here is my take on this …First they asked is this not the carpenter from Nazareth? The meaning of the word carpenter in those days holds part of the answer to this question. It also carried with it the fact that a carpenter was a handyman…a craftsman, why he could build you most anything. But the reason the people of Nazareth despised Jesus was because he was a working man. They looked on him as a man of the people… a layman an ordinary man. There is a tendency to place people by values other than their character and worth, by externals…you know, sorta judging a book by its cover. These people in Nazareth knew Jesus’ family. Perhaps they were to close to him and his family and this familiarity bred an atmosphere of un-belief…he is but an ordinary man…how is any of this possible?  Healing requires Faith, preaching and teaching requires an effort to listen and receive. When we are cold and unreceptive and indifferent…God does not abide in a place of hate and confusion. There is a truth here we miss. It is our responsibility to receive,  we can either help or hinder the work of Jesus Christ. We can open the door and receive or slam it in His face and be lost.

So why did Jesus go back to Nazareth…Because he loved the people there and he wanted them to believe and be saved. Jesus loves you also… believe and be Saved.…

Life is Good

jk

I am back on the “Porch” and so glad to be able to enjoy it again.    Thought I heard a Katydid this morning on the porch but I might be wrong. Some people call them “bush crickets” and I will admit they sometimes sound like crickets. Problem with this is that I might be a bit early… August is when they really sound off and it is usually around dusk. I love sitting on the porch in that light fading time as we work toward the dark on a hot, humid summer night. I got to “pondering” back in the day when no one threw anything away. That time frame would have been during and after the depression…Grandad and Dad’s time…they were a resourceful people and let nothing go to waste. I remember my wife’s dad, Elmo, he would throw nothing away. His garage…which he built himself… was a repository of failed lawn mowers but if you looked at from Elmo’s viewpoint it was a huge warehouse of used parts. Elmo was also a man who would not pass a bargain up. He once he bought a 3 legged electric fry pan from the Western Auto in Roseville, and an assortment of flash bulbs for a camera, which he didn’t have…simply because they were on sale…close out no less. He made a fourth leg for that fry pan, drilled a hole for it and screwed it on. Joyce used it for a few years. My Mom’s dad whom we all called “Pop” served in WW1 and went through the depression in New York City. They moved to Chattanooga Tennessee in 1946 or seven, not sure which. Nonie’s family were from that area. Well to get to the point, “Pop” was a sandblaster for TVA and a weekend car  mechanic. He had all kinds of tools and his garage was an electricians nightmare. Even the wall plugs were used and picked up from a friend of his who tore old houses down. Pop had a 1957 Rambler station wagon… six cylinder engine you could get under the hood and walk around while you changed the spark plugs. It was washed and engine cleaned…wiped down every weekend. Pop used water only, no soap or such and a large sponge to wash the car and then an old rag to dry it with…from his collection of old shirts and such that had been thrown away. The point of all this is that these were folks that were self reliant, practical and lived a simple life AND they were happy and thankful for what they had. It was a good time and full of respect for others. One other thing, not fashionable today…We were really “A Nation Under God.”

Kurt

Paul’s Charge to Timothy … 2 Timothy 2:8-10…Always remember that Jesus Christ, a descendant of King David, was raised from the dead. This is the Good News I preach. 9 And because I preach this Good News, I am suffering and have been chained like a criminal. But the word of God cannot be chained. 10 So I am willing to endure anything if it will bring salvation and eternal glory in Christ Jesus to those God has chosen.

Paul’s charge to Timothy is still relevant to us today, in fact it might be even more needed now for us in this period of Anti-Christian rhetoric. Paul’s second letter to Timothy focuses on solemn charges to the younger pastor and is meant to inspire him to continue to serve. Timothy, Paul’s protégé, his son in the Lord, needed to carry on Paul’s standard of sound teaching. He also reminds him of his Godly parentage from which he has come.  Paul has presented him with many examples in order to impress him of the importance of his task but none greater than the challenge to Remember Jesus Christ. A writer has written in the past that these words are ‘the heart of the Pauline gospel.’ There is no need to use a bunch of words to state the very obvious…Without the cross and the resurrection our faith is without merit. This is a simple post and I will keep it short and to the point. Paul has made a point to Timothy that we all would do well to remember… As christians we can find comfort, strength and direction in memories… Our comfort and strength and faith rests in a fact, a certainty. Three things we should always remember. Paul reminded Timothy of these.

1. RememberJesus Christ risen from the dead. When fears overwhelm, when doubt weakens our faith, when we feel inadequate, remember the presence of the risen Lord. We are never alone.

2)   RememberJesus Christ born of the seed of David. We remember someone who walked this road, just as we do. We have the memory of the Christ who knew the desperate struggle of being human and followed the will of God to the bitter end.

3)   Remember The Gospel. The gospel will demand much, it will test us beyond what we might consider to be greater than our human abilities…it can even at times paint a picture of a future darkened by every kind of threat. Remember the “Good News.” The world is in need of it and that same gospel is the message of liberation from sin and victory over circumstances for us and for all people.

The message here is clear…we need God’s word in our lives every day… we must realize that Jesus Christ has risen…He is a very real presence among us… there is the glory of the gospel, the humanity of our Master, forgiving grace and presence…we must never forget …

Matthew 28:20

20 Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

Life is Good

jk   

Welcome back to “The Porch”. Lot been going on out front but here on the porch its quite and provides a time of much needed reflection. I remember when my grandmother’s sister…everyone knew her as Aunt Mattie, family or not it was Aunt Mattie. She would always show up if one of us kids got a cold or really came down with anything. Back in the day my grandmother, who we called…Nonie…would call Dr. Long and he would show up at the house. Thats right, a house call, little black bag and a shot of penicillin followed by a glass of buttermilk. What I could never figure out was how Aunt Mattie beat him there every time with her personal “the kid is sick” medicine. It consisted of a teaspoon of Jack Daniels, equal amount of sugar, then to bed and every blanket in the house piled on top of you. Come morning you were soaking wet…but no fever. You would celebrate that with a bowl of steaming hot cream of wheat toped off with a table spoon of butter on top…real butter. I do believe that nothing says I love You more than cream of wheat and butter on top…real butter. There was something else I began to ponder and it went back to a better time and a warm and safe feeling that our kids are missing out on these days.

Those old church hymns… There were still some of those Tent Revivals going on and while I only remember going to one I can still smell that musty sawdust smell and canvas on a muggy summers eve. But it was the hymns I remember most. There was what I came to know as I got older the usual Hell and Damnation preaching and in some cases it didn’t stop until the Preacher’s voice gave out from all that hollering. But then the lady that played the piano, the hymn leader, usually of a rather stout build started to play all those wonderful hymns and there was not a hand in that tent that wasn’t raised nor a voice not raised in praise to the Lord. So as I leave the porch this evening see if you recall any of these wonderful hymns from back in a time life was simple. This one is for all you old Methodists that weren’t aware that we were at one time a pretty lively group.

“O for a Thousand Tongues to Sing.” Charles Wesley

Amazing Grace // John Newton, England (1779)

How Great Thou Art // Carl Gustav Boberg, Sweden (1885)

It is Well // Horacio  Spafford

Blessed Assurance // Fanny Crosby, New York City, USA (1873)

What a Friend We Have in Jesus // Joseph M. Scriven and Charles Converse, Ireland (1868)

“The Old Rugged Cross” – George Bennard

 “Great Is Thy Faithfulness” – Thomas Chisholm

“Rock of Ages, Cleft for Me” – Augustus Toplady

God Bless…Come back to “The Porch” next week.

This is classic evangelism. Jesus was arguing with the legal experts and Jewish leaders about the effect of the aspects of traditional law. I feel the use of the word arguing is a bit misleading. They, the Sadducees and the Sanhedrin Were jealous of the attention Jesus was getting and his growing influence among the people. It threatened their authority over the people and they were afraid of losing power and influence within the Roman system of government. Jesus recognized that the Scribes inclusion of the traditional law could actually mean disobedience to the law of God. There are some factors here we must take notice of. Jesus’ declaration that what goes into the person cannot possibly cause defilement, because the body itself gets rid of it in the normal physical way. These were astounding words as no Jew ever believed that and even today no orthodox Jew believes that. Just a quick reference to some interesting scripture fact found in Leviticus 11. There is a long list of clean and unclean foods. A Syrian king had determined to root out the Jewish faith. He decreed that the Jews were to eat pork and pig flesh, they refused and so strong was that covenant among the Jews that they chose to die by the hundreds rather than than betray it. With this one statement Jesus wiped out the laws which the Jewish people had suffered for and died, his disciples were amazed. Jesus had decreed that it was not what went into the body that made them unclean, it was what comes from their hearts that mattered most. Jesus made it clear that to knowingly sin was a choice we make on our own.

Here is a list that of things coming from the heart that make people unclean.

*evil designs-every outward sign is a result of an inward choice.

• Next The first word is fornications- we could say simply adultery but the first word and wider term is more appropriate as it includes every type of sexual vice.
• Next to keep it simple- thefts…a thief.
• Murders (phonoi) and adulteries come next in the list and their meaning is clear.
• covetous deeds- the love of having more.
• Evil deeds- That which a person has in their heart, the desire to harm others.
• Guile or trickery and deceit- an act of crafty, cunning, deceitful, clever treachery.
• Wanton wickedness- resenting all discipline, ignores all restraints, pure and wanton insolence. People of this nature have no shame or decency.
• Next is envy… resents others success and blessings…actively insulting other people or God.
• Pride… best describes the attitude of people ‘who have a certain contempt for everyone except themselves’.
• Last in the list is Folly…it is about people who are not fools or are brainless, but about those who chose act as such to seek an excuse for their behavior.

This list is about things that come from the human heart. It is not meant as a means to put humans down but to encourage an honest self- examination of our own hearts. You will find these listed in Mark 7:20-23. Examine your heart, what is in your heart?

Life is Good

jk

If you remember when I first started “The Back Porch” I referred  to it as a place to come to to clear your mind…a light exercise in thinking about something other than the day’s problems. The word I used to set the mood was to ponder about most anything you wanted to. A good ponder doesn’t require a great deal of knowledge about the subject, there are no rules and it does not require a solution. The following sorta breaks the rule but there are always going to be exceptions. This evening let’s ponder Compassion :

“Compassion involves “feeling for another” and is a precursor to empathy, the “feeling as another” capacity (as opposed to sympathy, the “feeling towards another”). In common parlance, active compassion is the desire to alleviate another’s suffering.”

Remember the old Laurel and Hardy movies, they were the Dean Martian and Jerry Lewis comedy team of the mid-twenties. They meant well but just couldn’t get it right… “another fine mess we are in Ollie” That is in a sense where we are as a country today…July 9, 2024, we are in a fine mess.There was a saying back in the day that the problem was “you couldn’t see the forest for the trees.” That may well be the problem today. Every pundit, talking head and media elite think they know it all… but they don’t know. I will not waste time making lists of what is wrong or how to fix it. Joe Biden is not physically or mentally able to serve another four years leading anything…most especially the USA. So…here is the ponder for this day. Do I want the good of this nation to be in the hands of those who have demonstrated such careless regard and disrespect for another person as have they for one Joe Biden. They have put their own selfish quest for power ahead of any reasonable care for a person who it is painfully apparent…struggles each day to meet the ordinary challenges of life itself.

My Goldwater Pin will most likely melt…and if he could, Ronald Reagan would choke on this one. I’m an American, Joe Biden is our President……God bless you Mr. President… May the goodness and grace of our Lord and savior be upon you.