A New Day!

Dear Readers,

How many of you ever moved into a new house, to a new area, or started a new business? How did you feel about the move or the change? Did you feel apprehensive, did you feel full of hope, or did you feel both?

I can remember as a four year old boy my family’s anticipation of moving into a brand new home built by my parents in the beautiful countryside near Berlin, Ohio. Before our move we temporarily occupied the cramped quarters in the back of my uncle’s abandoned store in Bunker Hill.

I have fond memories of our vagabond experience in the apartment in Bunker Hill. My brother and I had fun rolling balls up and down on the sloped living room floor. We along with our cousins frequented the old storefront where we played with the cash register and found various sundry treasures like old squirt guns and bubble gum. Many hours were spent playing basketball with the hoop on the side of the old feed mill. The pungent grain odor and a rumor of many rats residing inside the mill is a distant but distinct memory.

Finally the day came for the move. No more visits to the mud puddles, large dirt piles, and make-shift ramps into the unfinished new house. We packed our belongings and left our year-long vagabond existence to go to a land of spaciousness and a shining, brand new home. What hope and promise we felt. A new day had arrived!

It reminds me of the story of the Israelites after Moses died, and with Joshua they cast lots to see which family would receive a specific tract of the “promised land”. Their fighting was almost over, and they were going to finally move into their new land. What hope! A new day full of promise had arrived. I can almost sense in my spirit their anticipation.

It also reminds me of the spring season and the Easter holiday. Jesus’ crucifixion was a time of great sorrow. Everyone close to Him may have felt like vagabonds not knowing what the future held. They may have shared fond memories of the Messiah and perhaps pondered what the purpose was what they just experienced in the last three years with Jesus.

Then it happened! Jesus was alive! How did it happen? They saw Him die? But here He was, appearing to one person, then another, and finally to many persons!

Then the unthinkable happened! Jesus ascended into the clouds! Before He ascended He told His followers to “make disciples of all nations” (Matthew 28:19) and to wait until they were “clothed with power from on high” (Luke 24:49). His followers were filled with great joy and they told everyone they met about the news. A great new day had arrived!

See you next time,
Arlen

"For My Yoke Is Easy, and My Burden Is Light"

Dear Readers,

In Matthew 11:28-30 Jesus is quoted as saying, “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” (NKJV)

This can’t be right, can it? I thought our life in Christ is supposed to be hard? I thought we are to suffer persecution? I thought we are to toil to reach a standard of perfection?

I am not a theologian, but it seems Jesus is saying to us that before we come to Christ we labor and are heavy laden with sin and condemnation. He then bids us to “come” to Him.

After we come He says He will give us “rest”. He then says to take His “yoke” because He is “gentle and lowly in heart”. I thought yokes are meant to be confining and perhaps even cruel when we try to pull a heavy load?

He goes on to say that His “yoke is easy and his burden is light”. A yoke cannot be easy and a burden light, can they?

These are just some thoughts to ponder. What do you think?

See you next time,
Arlen

Time Marches On....

Dear Readers,

The clock keeps ticking. The days on the calendar keep turning over. Change keeps happening.

The hit country song “Time Marches On” by Tracy Lawrence talks about difficult things that happen to a family as time marches on. The family starts out with fairly innocent beginnings. As the years march by the family winds down a path of separation and heartache.

“Sister cries out from her baby bed; 
Brother runs in feathers on his head. 
Mamma’s in her room learning how to sew; 
Daddy’s drinking beer, listening to the radio.

Mamma is depressed, barely makes a sound; 
Daddy’s got a girlfriend in another town. 
Bob Dylan sings “Like a Rolling Stone”; 
And time marches on, time marches on.”

The last verse:
“Sister calls herself a sexy grandma;
Brother’s on a diet for high cholesterol.
Mamma’s out of touch with reality;
Daddy’s in the ground beneath the maple tree.
As the angels sing an old Hank Williams song;
Time marches on, time marches on.”

As I journey toward being sixty years old I am ever closer to my inevitable end. I am not trying to be morbid, but realistic. With my Dad and Mom’s families I had nineteen immediate relatives. Of these nineteen only three remain living. 

I firmly believe that most of my family members had hope from a source that Tracy Lawrence left out of his song. I also firmly believe that I will see most of them again in the future. I also want to fervently pray for the generation remaining and the generations to come that they have hope and joy… “As Time Marches On”.

Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us. Romans 5:5 (NKJV)

See you next time,
Arlen

Look! Up In The Sky!

"Faster than a speeding bullet. More powerful than a locomotive. Able to leap tall buildings in a single bound."

"Look! Up in the sky! It’s a bird. It’s a plane. It’s Superman!"

Dear Readers,

Many remember the famous intro to the Superman television show. Every Saturday morning sandwiched between Sky King and Roy Rogers was the dream of almost every boy…Superman. My brother and I pinned capes (blankets or sheets) around our necks and “flew” to the rescue of people in distress.

During our monthly shopping trip to Millersburg, Ohio, the Holmes County seat, we occasionally entered Dewitt Drugstore where my brother and I went like magnets to the comic book section. We would try to scrape together the needed 12 cents to get a written and colorful dose of our favorite hero. We were little boys oblivious to our Amish and Mennonite heritage of peace and non-resistance.

As children we did not analyze too much whether Superman was real or make believe. We were drawn to his exploits of heroism and the ways he used to counteract evil.

Do we need superheroes today? Do we have the zest of a young boy or girl to pin on our capes to “save the day” from the likes of the dastardly Lex Luther who used green kryptonite to render Superman powerless?

And are we like the citizens on the streets of Metropolis who eagerly point to the sky to the real Superhero who is flying to the rescue?

Be merciful to those who doubt; save others by snatching them from the fire;…. Jude 22, 23 (NIV)

See you next time,
Arlen

Where Does It Come From...Where Does It Go?

Dear Readers,

This morning I felt a deep and meaningful presence of the Holy Spirit. I was at home in my basement, not in church. I was by myself, not with other people. I do not often feel His presence as I did this morning, in fact I can probably count the number on two hands when I have experienced Him so strongly. Which begs the question, “Where does the Holy Spirit come from, secondly where does it go, and lastly why don’t I feel Him more often?”

I am not an expert in theology to excavate the depths of the scriptures to discover the answers. Also, I am not a scientist to lay everything out on the table and by use of repeated experimentation hypothesize a formulary.

I would label myself an “experiential person”. Answers to questions do not come very easily to me. I basically experience feelings. If the feelings are good I want them to come more frequently. If they are bad I pray for them to stay away.

The scriptures do reveal, however, some insight into my questions, although I will never fully understand it. John 3:5-8 (NKJV) quotes Jesus in a conversation with Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews:

“Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not marvel that I say to you, ‘You must be born again.’ The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit.”

I understand that I cannot somehow conjure up the feeling that I had this morning, and I cannot just wish it upon others. The only thing I can do is apply another scripture found in James 5:16. It states that “the effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.” (NKJV) All I know to do is to pray fervently to the Lord that he sends the wind of His Holy Spirit to me on a more frequent basis, and especially for Him to send it to my family members and friends that do not know His wonderful love.

See you next time,
Arlen

Go Home

Dear Readers,

I sometimes question why God does not put me directly in ministry work. Living for Jesus is my passion, or I want it to be. I sometimes think I could do a lot of good ministering to others in some capacity as my full-time occupation.

I think I found the answer this morning in my devotions. It comes in Mark 5:18-19. It reads as follows: As Jesus was getting into the boat, the man who had been demon-possessed begged to go with Him. Jesus did not let him, but said, “Go home to your own people and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how he has had mercy on you.” (NIV)

These verses let me know that not all can be in full-time ministry. God needs many of us to go home to our own people and tell them how much the Lord has done for us, and how He has had mercy on us.

See you next time,
Arlen

Formula for Success

Dear Readers,

What do you think of the many formulas out there to bring you success? Kevin Trudeau hawks “Weight Loss”, “Natural Cures”, “Anti-Aging”, “Mega Memory”, “Debt Cures, and “Free Money” formulas “They Don’t Want You To Know About”. He is the ultimate multitask master, and dupes countless Americans who line his pockets with millions for his many formulas for success.

Anthony Robbins touts “Power Talk”, “Strategies for Creating a Compelling Future”, “A 7-Day Program to Transform Your Life”, “Harnessing the Power of Your Six Primal Needs”, and “The New Science of Personal Achievement”. He uses the insecurities of people to “Awaken the Giant Within”. I will give it another title: “Awaken Your Pocketbook to Pay Me to Awaken the Giant Within”.

Where can you find true formulas for success? Do you even know they exist?

If you want true success please read Psalm 37, especially verses 3-6. Then go on to read Matthew 7, especially verses 7- 8.

I believe these verses have unlimited power to transform you and bring you success.

See you next time,
Arlen

Poor Jud is Dead...

Dear Readers,

The musical Oklahoma portrays Jud Fry as maladjusted brooding hired hand who is infatuated with Laurey, the young lady on the farm. Curly, a handsome cowboy, finds himself also in love with this farmer’s daughter, much to the chagrin of his cowboy counterparts who are enemies of the farmers who have invaded the open range with their fences and strange ways. 

Jud tries to come between Curly and Laurey, but when he finally realizes that Curly is winning the courtship battle he becomes more and more menacing. It becomes evident that he is planning some dire consequences if Laurey spurns him.

Curly then tries to focus Jud’s attention off Laurey by enticing him to think about the benefits of committing suicide. He breaks out into song:

Poor Jud is dead
Poor Jud Fry is dead
All gather around his coffin now and cry
He had a heart of gold
And he wasn’t very old
Oh why did such a feller have to die?

Poor Jud is dead
Poor Jud Fry is dead
He’s lookin’ so peaceful and serene
He’s all laid out to rest
With his hands acrost his chest
His fingernails have never been so clean.

The song goes on to tell how much the community would make Jud into a hero if he died, and lulls Jud into joining Curly in the lament. Jud finally breaks out of his trance-like state and reverts back to being revenge-minded.

The story reminds me of myself, and how I will be perceived when I am gone, and why it seems that good things happen after I depart a scene. Some examples would be when I left Berlin, Ohio to live in Mansfield. Berlin soon became a prosperous Amish tourism haven. Also, Hiland High School sports vaulted into statewide prominence. And Martinscreek Mennonite Church, my family church home, went from having a new pastor every several years to having a steady one now for over twenty years and the church has experienced exponential growth.

If I had stayed in Berlin I might be rich now working in the tourism industry. If I had bought a house I looked at in downtown Berlin I could have sold it for a virtual fortune. I could have remained a Hiland sports booster and cheered our teams to about four or five state titles. I could have been a part of the growth of my family church. Why did good things happen after I left? Why? Why? Why?

I am like Jud Fry being lulled into a dirge chant. I am so enthralled with “what could have been” that I forget “what is”, and “what will be”. I moved to Mansfield to go to college, got my degree, have worked at one location for over twenty years, met my wife and son, got married, live in the wonderful home purchased by my wife’s late husband, my wife is an author who just has been accepted by a Christian literary agency to pursue publishing her first book, my son is an eighteen year-old aspiring graphic designer, our family is involved in Mission to Amish People (MAP) ministry, we have an “adopted” former Amish daughter… I could go on and on.

I still have a few aspirations that I desire before people sing over me at the end. I aspire to have many relatives and friends know and pursue a relationship with the wonderful Saviour that I know. I want myself and my family to continue to fulfill God’s calling on our lives, and I want Jesus to say to me, “Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share in your master’s happiness!” Matthew 25:21.

See you next time,
Arlen

Imagine!

Dear Readers,

John Lennon of the Beatles imagined “living life in peace”, with “no heaven”, “no hell”, and “no religion too”. He was a self-proclaimed “dreamer” that “the world will live as one”.

Is it productive to imagine things? Ephesians 3:20 would indicate it is. Paul wrote, “Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, …”

Imagining things is also closely tied to hope, and most of us are familiar with the fact that “hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.” Romans 5:5.

So John Lennon was justified to “Imagine” the earth with world peace. It will occur. The way it happens and the source of peace, however, is where he went wrong. It only happens when Jesus lives in our hearts by the Holy Spirit...and when Jesus returns to the earth to rule.

See you next time,
Arlen

"What Should I Do?"

Dear Readers,

This summer Lebron James left the Cleveland Cavaliers basketball team to sign with the Miami Heat. Cleveland sports fans felt betrayed as he finally gave us the best chance to win a championship...and now he was leaving. He made a Nike commercial mimicking the difficulty he had making “The Decision”. The commercial was called, “What Should I Do?”

I am still upset with Lebron’s decision, and many other Cleveland sports heroes that “take the money and run”. I also never liked the fact that Lebron had tattooed on his back “Chosen 1”. My opinion is that no person except One should ever take on that moniker; I don’t care how good he or she is in a given profession.

I do, however, empathize with Lebron’s stated dilemma of making an important decision, and questioning “What Should I Do? Each of us faces life-altering question marks throughout our lifetime. Choosing a spouse, education direction, job or career changes, and moving to a new home are examples. Even seemingly less important choices such as choosing friends or changing churches can affect us dramatically. More recently my wife and I have been made keenly aware of former Amish young men and women making a critical decision to leave the Amish life and move into the strange new “English” world.

I am so thankful and in awe that we have a caring God and His Holy Spirit to consult about life-changing decisions. The Bible is chock-full of promises about us asking, and Him answering our prayers regarding the decisions we make!

I am also very thankful for the many sports stars that do openly acknowledge God and ask Him for divine guidance. They are the ones I want to come to Cleveland to finally bring us a championship.

“I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know Him better. I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which He has called you, the riches of His glorious inheritance in His holy people, and his incomparably great power for us who believe.” Ephesians 1:17-19 (NIV)

See you next time,
Arlen

How Will People Read Me?

Dear Readers,

Hal Lebovitz of the Cleveland Plain Dealer died about five years ago. Before he died I greatly anticipated reading his weekly column to hear what he had to say about my beloved Cleveland sports teams. Occasionally he had a week off and I found myself almost in withdrawal.

Great poets, authors, and newspaper columnists use words to great effect and seem to have an understanding of what their readers long for. Their passion about what they write is evident and their words almost pop off the page and into our minds and hearts.

It didn’t matter to me how long Mr. Lebovitz’s column was, I read every word. I was greatly interested in his opinion about the newest coach, manager, or player and how they would fare during the season. He got my juices flowing about the possibility of a stellar season, or occasionally he brought me back to the reality of another season of perpetual rebuilding.

I want people to read the story of my life like I used to read Mr. Lebovitz’s column. I want them to see the passion in which I live life, and try to figure out the source of it. Finally I want them to seek the source of my passion…and find it.

"Every word of God is flawless; He is a shield to those who take refuge in Him." Proverbs 30:5

See you next time,  
Arlen

Ask, Seek, Knock!

Dear Readers,

“Ask and it will be given you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be open to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and the one who knocks, the door will be opened.” Matthew 7:7-8 (NIV)

Wow, I need these verses often! I don’t think any more comments are needed.

See you next time,
Arlen

Become a Celebrity!

Dear Readers,

Growing up in the 60’s and early 70’s I had questions how rock band members, movie actors, TV stars, and especially sports heroes were vaulted into celebrity status. What could I do to become one of them? Did I want to become one of them?

I began my road to celebrity status by watching and emulating my favorite basketball and baseball players on TV. For hours I practiced driving to the lane and pulling up for patented fade-away jump shots to win games like John Havlicek of the Boston Celtics. I pulled down rebounds with the ferocity of Willis Reed of the New York Knicks. I raced to catch liners and sizzling ground balls like Woody Held, Max Alvis, or Rocky Colavito of the Indians.

My road to stardom was thwarted, however, by a lack of talent. I was a fair basketball and baseball player and was in the starting lineup in both sports in high school. My claim to fame was playing against and spending a little time at a conference choir event with Bob Huggins, the now-famed college basketball coach of the West Virginia Mountaineers.

But to thrive and become successful in either sport one had to be more than just good…one had to be ultra-good. I soon came to the realization I was not in that league.

Entertainers for the most part also have an extreme amount of talent. They are either prodigies, or have made themselves prodigies in their given field. In some cases their rising star results from who they know, or having celebrity relatives.

Being a somewhat despondent “wannabe” I recently came upon a Bible verse that I had never seen before that might raise my star appeal. It will not result in my becoming a “household name” in most families. But it may result in my becoming a household name in a few families.

The verse is found in Zechariah 8:23. It states the following: “Thus says the Lord of hosts: ‘In those days ten men from every language of the nations shall grasp the sleeve of a Jewish man, saying “Let us go with you, for we have heard that God is with you.’ ”

I was not born Jewish, but I am by adoption one of God’s chosen people. Therefore I can draw close to God, and the Bible clearly teaches that if we draw close to Him, He will in turn draw close to us. Then other persons will surely see it and grab onto our sleeve to “come along for the ride”… to heaven.

See you next time,  
Arlen

George Bailey...Everyone Needs a Clarence!

Dear Readers,

George Bailey in the movie “It’s A Wonderful Life” was ready to jump off the bridge into the frigid waters. He had reached the end and could not see any other way out. His idyllic fantasy of becoming a world traveling entrepreneur had long vanished. The honeymoon with his wife Mary Bailey now seemed like an obscure dream.

The demands of life became George’s reality. The family owned bank business was like an albatross around his neck. Mary and the kids turned from being a joy to a burden. Mr. Potter met him at every turn to thwart his success. George’s fond memories of his childhood town faded into the past and now Bedford Falls was his prison.

George felt out of options. The icy waters seemed to be his only way to find relief. He readied to jump, but a cry came out from the waters below. It was Clarence Odbody, the angel sent to save George from himself. George jumped in, saved Clarence, and the bumbling angel trying to earn his wings helped George see that “…no man is a failure who has friends.”

Do you feel like George this Christmas? I have felt like George from time to time. The demands of life start pressing in, the honeymoon feels over, and the options for relief, like the icy waters for George, seem the only way out.

Christmas is a time of expectation, but after Christmas day arrives and the fun ends, the expectation turns to the mundane task of taking down the decorations… and another year of hard work in our own Bedford Falls.

We all need a Clarence to help us to see our life with a fresh perspective, a perspective of hope and friendship, of the good things to come, of the fun of taking down the decorations and looking forward to the new things in the coming year.

I am not sure how angels really operate. I think that the movie used creative license to make the storyline more interesting. I do, however, think there is someone sent to save us from the icy waters and give us the fresh perspective we need of hope, friendship, and the possibilities of a new year. His name is Jesus!

See you next time,
Arlen

Smells, Sights, and Sounds of Christmas

Dear Readers,

Do you remember the smells of Christmas…the pine scent of the freshly cut tree, the cinnamon scent of hot cider, the hot electric odor of race cars speeding repeatedly around a track, the aroma of John Mary cookies in the oven? (I’m sorry if you never got to experience the aroma of John Mary cookies!) These smells have the uncanny knack to stay with you for the rest of your life. Even now many companies dealing with air fresheners capitalize on the déjà vu odors we remember from childhood.

What about the sights of Christmas? I was always fascinated by the lights, especially the bubble lights, ornaments, and tinsel of the tree. I sometimes would lay face-up on the floor under the tree looking upward to see my own personal twinkling light display. Also, I feel almost giddy when I remember spying a certain red plastic fire truck with a large bow on top. (I sure wish I could find that truck!) I could go on and on about frosted pictures on windows, never-lit candle figurines, a live puppy jumping out of a box, and our annual family trek to see an amazing house light display near Wooster, Ohio!

And who can ever forget the “Boofo Goes Where Santa Goes”, or Rabbits Have a Christmas” songs? (Well, maybe you never heard these specific songs at your house, but I am sure you remember songs like that!) My wife in recent years satisfied my childhood memories by purchasing the original Boofo/Rabbits record, and a remake of Boofo with additional songs that add to the Boofo storyline. 

My personal all-time favorite Christmas album, however, was, and I think still is “Now is the Caroling Season” by Fred Waring and the Pennsylvanians. I am convinced the “Angels We Have Heard on High” song about shepherds in a field hearing angels tell of Jesus birth played an integral role years later in my acceptance of Jesus as my Savior.

I think God gave us our senses and memories to bring us closer to Him. He understands our nature and wants us to have softness in our hearts to the beauty of things around us, which has the potential of creating softness in our hearts toward Him and His Son Jesus Christ.

See you next time,
Arlen

Boliantz Hardware Service vs. Megastore Service Malaise

VS Dear Readers,

Boliantz Hardware in Mansfield, OH = approximately 3000 sq. ft of floor space.
Menards Hardware, Lumber chain = approximately 140,000 sq. ft. of floor space.

Boliantz = variety of specialty items driven by local customer and community demand.
Menards = conglomeration of miscellaneous items driven by corporate office mandates.

Boliantz = family owned.
Menards = corporate owned.

Boliantz = consistent good customer service with helpful store associates at every turn.
Menards = sporadic good customer service if a store associate can be found.

You probably get my gist. I am a “mom and pop” owned business enthusiast. My family and I go to the megastores to get bargains and variety, but I miss the “good old days” of personal customer service and a sense of community like Boliantz Hardware currently offers.

I am not against entrepreneurship and big business as a whole. They provide many people with jobs. I just wish they would learn that a personal touch and a sense of community is what people crave and I think would flock to if companies implemented them effectively.

My wife affectionately tells the story of her dad Ray who owned Ray’s Sohio, a combination gasoline station and auto repair garage franchised from Sohio. She said Ray offered a friendly greeting, good customer service, and a smile to every customer. She said he especially loved the car repair side of the business. Sohio, however, began phasing out car repair in all their gas stations. My wife said that Ray hated that.

The final straw, however, came when Sohio mandated Ray to switch exclusively to self-serve gasoline pumping. They wanted to put in a cashier window and have Ray just sit at the window and collect the money for the gasoline. She said that he thought it a travesty to allow a woman to get out in the cold weather to pump her own gasoline. It was almost in Ray’s blood to offer direct help to his customers. Ray soon sold out his share of the business and went to work at Westinghouse.

I can understand why Ray felt he had to quit, even with the urging of his family to continue in what many might consider an easier way to earn a living. Sohio took away the personal touch for the sake of progress. While it might have helped their immediate bottom line, I wonder if it really helped them in the long run, and whether becoming impersonal helps the bottom line today with many companies.

I think that many persons enjoy watching television shows like American Pickers to gain a sense of a time when business was conducted face to face and good personal customer service was a high priority. The show is produced by the History Channel and is about two men who scour the countryside to find a treasured antique like a rusty old tin Sohio sign.

I think shows like American Pickers reminds people of days gone by. Days where many stores like Boliantz Hardware and gasoline stations like Ray’s Sohio thrived because of a good personal customer service and a sense of community.

I also see some parallels of the above dilemma to today’s church, but addressing that will have to wait for another time.

“Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward.” Colossians 3:23.

See you next time,
Arlen

Mr. Robert Prigmore, A True American Hero

Dear Readers,

Tonight my wife and I went to a local funeral home to visit some family friends who lost a loved one. The lost loved one was not just any man. He was a true American hero.

We got to know Mr. Robert Prigmore, his wife Anna, his daughter and son-in law, grandchildren and their families through a church small group. Mr. Prigmore did not accompany his wife to the group at the outset, but came later, and I am so thankful he did.

Mr. Prigmore was by all accounts “a character”. He was outspoken about his beliefs and had many stories to tell from a long full life. I especially enjoyed listening to stories about his many years as the head of the records department at the Mansfield Reformatory. 

Mr. Prigmore was a devoted family man. Every Tuesday evening of the year it was dinner at the Prigmores. He took pride in being the chef to feed a household of descendants.

I was especially interested in the fact that the obituary said that Mr. Prigmore was to be buried with full military honors, and that he won the Purple Heart for being wounded serving in the Army during World War II. Anna said that he also won the Bronze Star for bravery in carrying a wounded soldier to safety.

My feet were hurting, so I asked Mr. Prigmore’s grandson Jeremy if I could take a seat beside him. He told me a story that almost brought tears to my eyes. He proudly spoke of his grandfather’s exploits in the Battle of the Bulge, where 19,000 soldiers died. Mr. Prigmore was severely wounded and lay in the battlefield for three days surrounded by dead comrades. At night German soldiers scoured the area for wounded allied soldiers. Their goal was to bayonet living ones to death.

Jeremy said that his grandfather camouflaged himself from the Germans by pulling over himself anything he could reach nearby, even dead bodies. He identified Germans in the area by their speech. He passed out several times and finally woke up one time to hear men using English. The allied forces finally invaded the area to rescue survivors.

Mr. Prigmore survived some major innovative surgeries of the day. Jeremy and his wife commented that if Mr. Prigmore had not lived they would not even exist. I am very thankful for his survival, and I'm proud to have known Mr. Prigmore…and his family.

“Join with me in suffering , like a good soldier of Christ Jesus.” II Timothy 2:3 (NIV)

See you next time,
Arlen

Audience of One

Dear Readers,

Recently I was disappointed when things did not turn out as I had hoped, and I felt like people let me down. I then heard a song by Sara Groves entitled “This Journey Is My Own”. The phrase in the song that captured my attention was repeated several times in one of the stanzas. It is the following:

And now I live and I breathe for an audience of one.
Now I live and I breathe for an audience of one.
Now I live and I breathe for an audience of one.
Because I know this journey is my own.

The song addresses man’s attempt to gain “advice” and “approval” from others, and “to make a good impression”. Sara Groves points out, however, that there is “an audience of one” whose advice and approval is to be sought in this journey of life. He is the One for whom our quest should be to make a good impression.

How often I forget this. How often I feel hurt when other persons have not responded as I had hoped. How often I forget to seek the One whose advice and approval is steady and sure.

Other people are very important in our lives! Jesus emphasized this in John 13:34-35 (NIV) when he said, “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” Also, Paul addressed extensively the importance of loving others in I Corinthians 13. Approval from others, on the other hand, should be looked on as a gift, not a given.

Therefore, I pray for myself, my family and friends, and persons reading this blog to seek advice and approval from, and to make a good impression for “an audience of one”.

See you next time,
Arlen

Ignorant, Narrow-Minded, Intolerant, Racist, Right Wing Nut Jobs?

Dear Readers,

When was the last time you watched a movie, newscast, or television show where an evangelical Christian was portrayed as an interesting, fun-loving, learned, open-minded, and caring person? Can you count the times with your fingers on one hand?

My wife pointed this out to me. She said that in both old and new movies Catholicism is given some reverence. There are touching musical scores with nuns in “The Sound of Music”, magical Christmas scenes on “Home Alone” where Kevin finds refuge in a beautiful Catholic cathedral, and confessionals where a main character seeks solace from a priest. And on television, which baby boomers can ever forget the fun antics of The Flying Nun?

Evangelical Christians, on the other hand, are usually reenacted as being mean-spirited, narrow-minded, and intolerant. Robert’s parents-in-law on “Everybody Loves Raymond” are a prime example of that stereotype.

News anchors poke fun at “right wing, racist, nut job” Christians in the Tea Party. Their gun-loving ways are seen as threats to society.

What do you think? Do we have some of the above-listed characteristics? Or are these characteristics grossly exaggerated?

Isaiah 28 debunks the myth that God’s followers are always stuck-in-the-mud, unlearned, uncaring people. He wrote that persons who follow Him are instructed in the “right way” (vs. 26). He then goes on to explain the following: “All this also comes from the Lord Almighty, wonderful in counsel and magnificent in wisdom” (vs. 29).

So if God is wonderful in counsel and magnificent in wisdom, and He instructs us in this counsel and wisdom, that makes us the privy to the most creative, interesting thoughts in the universe. We cannot help but marvel at all He has given us, and especially the wonderful plan He has for us serving His Son Jesus.

See you next time,
Arlen

Difficult Realities!

Dear Readers,

This morning during my devotions a difficult reality hit me. Sometimes it is difficult for me to conceptualize God. Perhaps many of you reading this blog have a very firm idea of what God is like, and exactly who He is. Maybe questions never creep in your mind. (Note: I will not use the term “doubts” in the place of “questions”, because James 1:6 says directly that “he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind”.)

God sometimes seems an enigma to me. What form does he have here on earth? What form will He have when I see Him in heaven? I can sort of picture Jesus, because He had the form of a man. But God is a different story. How does one envision God who created the universe and every cell and atom in it, and is not bound by time and space?

Then another difficult reality hit me. It is a reality of a dire nature. It has implications for our loved ones and friends. The reality is this: why do people not read and understand the Bible and the story of Jesus, and what God wants to do for them through Jesus? If everyone would just read the Bible and try to understand it surely they would see the truth, right? What is the holdup? What is the barrier that holds them back?

Please pray for me as I pray for you as we sort out these difficult realities...and especially pray for our loved ones and friends who perhaps do not even think of these realities.

See you next time,  
Arlen