Articles from this month's issue of the Berean News

Perspective

by Larry Urbaniak

Quotes to Keep Our Perspective

From Henri Buber:
Community is the place where the person you least want to live with always lives.

From Dietrich Bonhoeffer:
It is not you that sings, it is the church that is singing, and you, as a member…may share in its song.

From Debbie Holland:
Forgiveness is a matter of your will – a choice to obey God regardless of your emotions. It’s a faith choice, not a feeling choice.

From Ziggy:
The only way I’m ever going to get out of debt…is by growing up and starting to act my wage.

From Samuel Johnson:
God does not propose to judge a man until his life is over. Why should you and I?

From Garth Brooks:
Some of God’s greatest gifts are unanswered prayers.

From the San Jose “Mercury News”:
Fear is just excitement in need of an attitude adjustment.

From Bumper Stickers:
If God is your copilot, then you better change places.
Lord, walk beside me with your arm on my shoulder and your hand over my mouth.
He died to take away your sins, not your mind.
Caution: Never drive faster than your angels can fly.
Know Sin. No God.
Know God. No Sin.

From Irenaeus:
The word of God, Jesus Christ, on account of his great love for mankind, became what we are in order to make us what he is himself.

From Lloyd John Ogilvie:
[The Lord] has loved us to make us lovers of people…, and how we react to people is the test of how we have responded to the Lord himself.
Prayer is not just to get God to do something, but to help us realize what he has done already.
Love extinguishes the fires of fear. Fear grips us when we lose our grip on grace.

From Yogi Berra:
If you don’t go to somebody’s funeral, they won’t go to yours.

From Martin Buber:
All life is meeting.

From Barbara Brown Taylor:
It’s hard to hug a bully.It is easier to repay evil for evil, but then all you’ve got is evil.

From Barbara Johnson:
Sympathy is your pain in my heart.
Patience is the ability to idle your motor when you feel like stripping your gears.

Roy's Reflections
by Roy Boswell

Original Hero

America loves a hero. Whether it is the puny player who suddenly rushes across the end zone to win the game for a hard luck football team, or the bravery of passengers who take on terrorists on a doomed flight, we have all experienced that mixture of pride, awe and gratitude that causes a lump in the throat or a tear on the cheek. We wonder: would we be as brave? As selfless?

Why do we hunger for heroes? There is something in us that loves a hero because we are made that way. And that takes us back to the original hero, who was brave, courageous, selfless and full of boldness. Jesus knowingly went through a gruesome, pain-wracked crucifixion on our behalf. Even though he prayed with all his being that he wouldn't have to go through it, in his heart he knew that he was the only perfect sacrifice that could take away the sins of the world. That's a hero. It's an old story that needs re-telling because too many in this day think Easter is just another shopping season: clothes for the family, candy, colored eggs and stuffed bunnies for the kids. Many people don't know the story of Jesus' death. Some take it for granted, or have heard of it so often they are no longer moved by its awesome power.

Now back to the story of the original hero. Jesus, the man who lived on earth, lived a double life. On one hand he was just like you and me: he got hungry, lonely, enjoyed being liked, loved his family, and had good close friends with whom he enjoyed sitting around, eating, relaxing and swapping stories. He knew the urgent needs of his people and that political answers didn't go far enough. But Jesus felt a higher call to obey and serve God as his number one priority. He knew his earthly mission was to fulfill the will of God no matter what it cost him.

Jesus also knew he was more than a man; others began to recognize it too, as he gave counsel, comments, and comebacks that left his religious and political adversaries gasping for words (see the Gospel of Matthew 22:15-46). Friends and foes both recognized "something more" in this man as they observed his healing powers, special love, mercy and forgiveness.

His death of course was not the end, and that is where religious faith comes in. It is what makes Jesus more than just a martyr for a worthy cause. Some may think it takes a giant leap of faith to believe that Jesus was raised from the dead as the Bible and other historical accounts indicate, but even for the Bible skeptic it should not be implausible. Historians Josephus (37-110 AD), Ignatius (50-115 AD), Justin Martyr (100-165 AD) and Tertullian (160-220 AD) all wrote about the authenticity of the resurrection. Their research and writings, hundreds of years after the event, validate the accounts of the Gospel writers.

Of course, ultimately, it boils down to faith, and what you want to stake your eternal life on. Jesus shows us not only what spectacular heroism is all about, but also that the unspectacular lives of ordinary men and women like you and me can have meaning, purpose and direction. The fact is that Jesus ultimately triumphed over death, and promised that we will too.

Recently there has been a great deal of controversy about Mel Gibson’s movie “The Passion.” Christian and Non-Christians alike are debating about who was responsible for Christ’s death, the Romans or the Jewish leaders. Jesus' crucifixion is not some tragic martyrdom of a Galilean Rabbi for challenging the religious establishment or unsettling the Roman oppressors. Scripture points to one inescapable conclusion, that Jesus’ crucifixion is fulfilling a mission and destiny that OUR HERO struggled with and then embraced.

Our joy in stories of heroism should point us back once again to the true joy and meaning of Easter. “Christ has risen!”

Viewpoints

Points of View
by Andy Weeks

I recall a day in 7th grade that shaped many years of my life that followed. I was in a drafting class with a crass old drunken teacher that enjoyed belittling his students. He asked a bunch of us to gather around a three dimensional drawing with the standard front/top/side views. He asked what he thought would be a question that would stump all of us. I will never forget how amazed and complimentary he was that I could explain it. I ended up working in the design and drafting field for 15 years; all because I understood a point of view that others could not.

Viewpoints offer a different understanding of the same thing. Take the Grand Canyon for example. For those of you who have traversed the bottom of the canyon, the walls give a completely different point of view than for someone like me who has seen it only from the air. The same principle is true of when it comes to understanding of where we are in our in spiritual walk.

We all have times in our life when all we can see are dark clouds all around us. The emotional air we breathe is heavy with discouragement. The longer that these clouds linger, the more our surroundings seem to breed pessimism while casting shadows of uneasiness on all our activities. A lot of the attitude we have in times like these is influenced by our general information flow. When we read the morbid bound news, and listen to the cynicism spewing from political campaigns, it makes our personal clouds seem to get blacker by the minute. Our perspective gets entrenched in the temporary things in this world while the reality of the eternal gets hidden from view. The encouraging words of Jesus seem to be far beyond our reach but that is only the adversary encouraging us to remain in despair and wallow in the gloom.

It is during these seemingly dismal times we must take hold of our courage. We are not like those without hope of victory. For those in Christ, there is always hope! Jesus dwells far beyond the clouds of our despair. He dwells in the power of heaven ready and waiting for us to grab hold of our faith and to rise up beyond the clouds of trouble. This is why the Apostle Paul uses the apt analogy of us being ‘seated in the heavenlies.’ While we don’t literally dwell there, every fiber of our spiritual being does. We have a Captain who is willing and able to come to our rescue.
When Jesus was on this earth, he went through all the same emotions we do. He knows what it is like to face seemingly insurmountable odds. He always kept his perspective far beyond the temporal conditions in his life. Consider a few of his encouraging words:

“Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.”
“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”
Jesus was firmly grounded in eternity. He never dwelled in the here and now. He always knew his home was with his Father whom loved so much. His faith never wavered not just because he was a perfect man, but because he perfectly trusted his Father. He could do that because the clouds never really shrouded his vision until he endured the cross for us.

So what should you and I do? We must consistently be feeding our psyches with the peaceable, pure, good things of God. Much of our attitude is tied into where our heart is. If our heart is in heaven, then we will feed more on the positive things of this life. God’s words and Jesus’ words are the very bread of our souls. The more we feed on this bread, the more easily we will see beyond the clouds of life. We will be able to see ourselves from a spiritual perspective as if we were seated in heaven itself. Seeing our lives from heaven’s view will always allow us to take courage for the day. Courage is only as good as the power we have to wield the weapons of our warfare. Fortunately for you and me, we have been graced with the love and power in Christ Jesus to effectively dispel any black clouds that blow our way.
 
A Daughter's Heart

The Father's Care
by Helayne Crawford

Jehovah’s mercies are new every morning: great indeed is His faithfulness! The following experience began over 4 years ago. The day was my husband’s birthday. We had an appointment to receive results from a medical procedure. The scripture reading for the day was from Psalm 41: 2-3:“The Lord will preserve him, and keep him alive; and he shall be blessed upon the earth: and thou will not deliver him unto the will of his enemies. The Lord will strengthen him upon the bed of languishing: thou will make all his bed in his sickness.” Surely this was a message from the Father. I expected that the medical report would be favorable, but that the experience was not over. Six weeks later Allan was under the medical knife again. The scripture reading for that day was from Mark 10:27 "Jesus …said, ‘With men it is impossible, but not with God: for with God all things are possible.’” Again the results were negative for the despicable disease of cancer.

By September 2002, test results indicated serious problems. It was not news that we wanted to hear. We also knew that nothing, absolutely nothing, catches God by surprise. Our prayer was that God would be glorified by our response as He carried us through this storm. “Thus says Jehovah…‘Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name; you are mine! When you pass through the waters I will be with you; and through the rivers, they will not overflow you. When you walk the fire, you will not be scorched, nor will the flame burn you….I am Jehovah your God.’” Isaiah 43: 1-3. More biopsies, more pain, more love, more care, more power, more grace! Our Father continued to affirm His care for us.

At critical junctures the scriptures for the day reminded us:
All things that are in harmony with God’s will are possible for the believer (that’s us!)
(to) Humble yourself under the mighty hand of God and exaltation would follow in due time
God is faithful, He keeps His covenant

Medical complications and several trips to the emergency room followed. God had His children stand by us. We were lifted up in prayer and meals were provided. Weeks later we received a good medical report. The morning scripture was from Psalm 126:3 “The Lord has done great things for us, therefore we are glad.” The evening scripture was just as encouraging: “The Lord lift up His countenance on you and give you peace.” I felt that this meant that this experience was nearly over- maybe a few more “bumps in the road”. Two weeks later “maybe” changed to definite as we went to the hospital emergency room. “Be still and know that I am God. I will be exalted in the earth.” These were words on a page in the morning and were transformed into a song in my heart by the evening.
The day did come when all medical issues were resolved. The scripture for that day was Psalm 118:5: "From my distress I called upon the LORD; the LORD answered me and set me in a large place.” Truly the Father is AWESOME!

This poem (author unknown) expresses my sentiments:
God is Everything
He is our strength each day
Our comfort in distress
In weariness He offers rest
And peace in times of stress
When tempted He is a shield
When doubtful He will guide
He is the rock of ages past
The hope of things to be
In Him we place confidence
And find security

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