ON STARTING BACK TO SCHOOL...

1.	Be the best you can - remember, ability often begets opportunity. (Matt. 23:15). The harder you work, the more you will be able to accomplish.
2.	Treat your fellow students with respect and compassion. Show Christian kindness to those who others shun for being different. You will never regret treating the unpopular person like you would want to be treated if you were unpopular. (Matt. 7:12).
3.	Rise above the worldliness! Remember Daniel, who lived in the King's palaces, but didn't "defile himself" with the King's sinful ideas. Rising above the worldliness will effect:
	A.	The way you talk. Some parents have encouraged me to walk into the high school one day wearing blue jeans, (so to not be noticed as a preacher) and see what kind of language is used! Such language isn't a sign of maturity, but of immaturity; not of intelligence, but of smallness. Christians should practice control of the tongue. (James 3:12).
	B.	The way you dress. A teenage boy or girl who dresses scantily shows more than flesh...they show what is on the inside too. Dressing modestly will demonstrate moral strength that isn't pushed around by the pressure of "everyone else is dressing this way!"
	C.	The company you keep. While we should be friendly to everyone, we should select people for our close friends who have qualities we would like to develop. Humans have a funny way, you see, of looking like the people they spend the most time with. (I Cor. 15:33).
	D.	The way you treat your parents. While many teenagers are good to their parents, every generation also produces those who use these years making scenes that they can regret the rest of their lives. The right way to treat your parents is easy to sum up in five words...(Eph. 6:2).
4.	Be happy. Each day is a gift to be used for good.

(Phili. 4:8).
[from Meridian Messenger via The Church of Christ at Sycamore Chapel [bulletin], Aug. 24, 1997, p. 2]

A CLOSER LOOK
Many years ago, while on a visit to America, a wealthy Chinese businessman was fascinated by a powerful microscope. Looking through its lens to study crystals and the petals of flowers, he was amazed at their beauty and detail. So he decided to purchase one of these devices and take it back to China. He thoroughly enjoyed using it until one day he examined some rice he was planning to eat for dinner. Much to his dismay, he discovered that tiny living creatures were crawling in it. Since he was especially fond of this staple food in his daily diet, he wondered what to do. Finally he concluded that there was only one way out of his dilemma - he would destroy the instrument that caused him to discover the distasteful fact! So he smashed the microscope to pieces. "How foolish" you say. But many people do the same thing with the Word of God. They hate it and would like to get rid of it because it reveals their evil ways.
(Rom. 1:17-22).
[from The Church of Christ at Sycamore Chapel [bulletin], Aug. 24, 1997, p. 3]

PEOPLE KNOW WHAT YOU ARE BY WHAT THEY SEE, NOT BY WHAT THEY HEAR
While doing research for a doctoral thesis, a young man spent a year with a group of Navajo Indians on a reservation in the Southwest. He lived with one family, sleeping in their hut, eating their food, working with them, and generally living their life.

The grandmother of the family spoke no English, yet a very close friendship formed between the grandmother and the doctoral student. They seemed to share the common language of love and they intuitively understood each other. Over the months he learned a few phrases in Navajo, and she picked up words and phrases in English.

When it was time for the young man to return to the university and write his thesis, the tribe held a going-away celebration for him. It was marked by sadness since he had developed a close relationship with all those in the village. As he prepared to get into his pickup truck and drive away, the old grandmother came to tell him goodbye. With tears streaming from her eyes, she placed her hands on either side of his face, looked directly into his eyes, and said, "I like me best when I'm with you."
True friendship is letting those around you not only "be themselves" but "be their best."
(Matt. 5:16).
[from The Church of Christ at Sycamore Chapel [bulletin], Aug. 24, 1997, p. 4 and Oct. 4, 1998, p. 4]

BLOOMING WHERE WE ARE PLANTED
God wants godly children! (Mal. 2:15).
This is the message: God wants us to produce godly children right where we live! This, of course, means that He desires to have our natural children and grandchildren belong to Him.

This also means that He desires us to be active in bringing those around us in our communities to Him. He wants all people to be nourished, anchored in His love, and to grow in truth and love as His children. Godly children!

This is the only way we can bring our communities and nation back to God. We need to make godly children right where we are planted!

The process is simple. Just as it is not necessary to understand all of the available biological information to conceive and give birth to physical children, (God has planned and prepared the process - all we need to do is cooperate a bit!), the same is true with producing spiritual children. The process is His; we simply need to cooperate a bit. What is the process?
1) Pray. We should ask God to prepare hearts for our invitation to attend a Bible study, or in some cases, to start a new Bible study class. We should then ask God to help us be sensitive in noticing those that He has prepared for us to approach. Pray boldly, remembering Jesus' promise...(John 14:13) Remember also the admonition in the book of James (James 4:2).
2) Invite. Be bold in approaching those you believe God would have you invite. Remember that the enemy will place many good excuses in your mind not to do so, or will make you afraid to invite. Faith acts, and as you act in faith, you will discover that the Lord will help you!
3) Encourage. Encourage those you invite to come. Think of innovative ways to encourage, such as offering to take them the first time, etc. Once they start coming, encourage them to continue. Again, ask the Lord for wisdom in all this and He will give it to you. (James 1:5).

How exciting! When we pray, when we invite others to come to our Bible study or church, when we continue to encourage them, God is able to help them grow into godly children, making them strong in the Lord. These godly offspring are then able, in turn, to reach out as you did. Hopefully, now there are twice as many to repeat the cycle all over again, bringing many others to the Lord and to His Word.

So, let us bloom where we are planted. Pray for a lot of new growth around you, so that many others will also be blooming where they are planted. The Lord will be glorified as we pray, invite, and encourage.
This is not difficult to do, but it is so easy to neglect.
[by Lee Campbell from The Church of Christ at Sycamore Chapel [bulletin], Aug. 31, 1997, p. 2]

TIME IS MORE VALUABLE THAN MONEY BECAUSE TIME IS IRREPLACEABLE
How many times have we said, or heard others say, "Manana. I'll do it tomorrow." Sometimes people put off doing today what they know or want to do because they don't think they know enough or can perform well enough. The fact is, there is no "magic age" at which excellence emerges or quality surfaces.

Thomas Jefferson was 33 when he drafted the Declaration of Independence. Benjamin Franklin was 26 when he wrote Poor Richard's Almanac. Charles Dickens was 24 when he began his Pickwick Papers and 25 when he wrote Oliver Twist. Isaac Newton was 24 when he formulated the law of gravitation.

A second danger is to think that creativity and invention belong to the young. This is equally untrue! Emmanual Kant wrote his finest philosophical works at age 74. Verdi at 80 produced Falstaff and at 85, Ave Maria. Goethe was 80 when he completed Faust. Tennyson was 80 when he wrote Crossing the Bar and Michelangelo completed his greatest work at 87. At 90, Justice Holmes was still writing brilliant Supreme Court opinions.
Seize the day! Redeem the "now" moments of your life. The moment you wait for may never arrive. The moment once past will never return.
(Eph. 5:16).
[from The Church of Christ at Sycamore Chapel [bulletin], Aug. 31, 1997, p. 4]

A BETTER WORLD IS COMING
We assemble in the name of Jesus Christ, the Son of the Living God, Creator of heaven and earth. We believe the promise God gives us in His Holy Word.
A better place to live.
God has promised us a better world: (Isa. 65:17).
God's new creation will be so much better, we will not even think about the former one.
But first, this present world must pass away: (II Pet. 3:10-13).
In Revelation, we hear the promise of a better world spoken from the very throne of God. Listen to the testimony of John...(Rev. 21:1-7).
A new creation now.
God sent His Son to prepare us for a better world: (II Cor. 5:17). In Christ we are a new creation now. But how can we be in Christ? (Gal. 3:26-28). We are new creatures in Christ through faith and baptism. This comes through the power of the Holy Spirit: (I Cor. 12:12-13).

God's Spirit works through baptism to create us anew because of baptism's connection with the death, burial and resurrection of Christ. (Rom. 6:3-5). When we participate in baptism (an immersion), which resembles the death, burial and resurrection of Christ, we are promised likeness with the risen Christ. God has promised us a new spiritual body: (I John 3:1-2). In his reply to the question "How are the dead raised up?" Paul compares the resurrection body with a plant that comes forth from a seed: (I Cor. 15:42-44). When we contemplate the promises God has given us in Christ, a new heaven and earth where righteousness dwells, a new spiritual body like the risen Christ, we can say with Paul...(I Cor. 15:42-44).
[by Roy Davison from The Church of Christ at Sycamore Chapel [bulletin], Sept. 7, 1997, p. 2-3]

NOT GOOD IF DETACHED
Did you ever notice on a railroad ticket, or on many coupons of various nature, "Not good if detached"? The coupon was made of the same material as the rest of the ticket, was printed with the same ink, on the same press, and was kept in the same office and used by the same company. But it was not good if detached. Its usefulness, its ability to take you places, was dependent upon its relation to the rest of the ticket.

Of how much worth is a church member detached from the rest of the church? How much fruit can a branch bear detached from the vine? How good is your hand when it is detached from your body? A Christian is one who stays with the rest of the church. He can not serve apart from it. You may be a foot, a hand, or an eye of the body of Christ, but you are not worth much to yourself or to anyone else separated from the church, which is His body. Did you ever notice how quickly a banana gets skinned after it leaves the bunch? So remember...(Heb. 10:25).
[from The Church of Christ at Sycamore Chapel [bulletin], Sept. 7, 1997, p. 3]

PEOPLE DON'T CARE HOW MUCH YOU KNOW UNTIL THEY KNOW HOW MUCH YOU CARE.
Although the North American Indians had no written alphabet before they met the white man, their language was anything but primitive. The vocabulary of many Indian languages was as large as that of their French and English conquerors. Often, their expressions were far more eloquent. In an Indian tongue, for example, the concept for the word FRIEND is beautifully stated as "one-who-carries-my-sorrows-on-his-back."

A friend or family member who comes to you for solace...or even claiming to be seeking advice...very often wants nothing more than your presence, your listening ear, and your quiet caring of sorrows. A young man discovered this shortly after his marriage. His wife frequently came home from her job telling of the woes of her day. His response was to offer suggestions and give solutions. His wife finally said to him, "I've already solved the problems of the day." The husband asked, perplexed, "Then why are you telling me about them?" She replied, "I don't need Mr. Fixit. I need a loving ear."
The friend who provides both physical and emotional shelter is a true haven, one who helps another weather a storm in safety.
(Phili. 2:3).
[from The Church of Christ at Sycamore Chapel [bulletin], Sept. 7, 1997, p. 4]

DO WE REALLY BELIEVE?
Periodically, survey results are published by this group or that which indicate the religious activity level of people in America and around the world.

Without exception, these surveys show that the overwhelming majority of Americans believe that God exists. A somewhat lesser percentage will have at least attended an occasional religious service, and about half will claim to be regular participants in religious activities.

Valid conclusions are not easily drawn from statistics such as these. Rather than providing answers, more often than not, questions are raised. Does the simple acknowledgement of God's existence make us "God-fearing"? I think not, but we claim to be just that. Does once-a-week attendance at the worship services make one a devout Christian? Hardly - but about half of us believe we are.

We can dismiss, for the most part, such surveys as irrelevant because most of the sample group will have been ignorant or misguided concerning obedience to God as taught in the scriptures. However, there are relevant aspects of these surveys of which we should even be cognizant.

Let's narrow the sample a bit and examine those of us in the Lord's church. The first question we must answer is, "Do you believe there is a God?" As one voice we will answer in the affirmative, but do we really believe? Can our actions be reconciled with our verbal expression of belief?

If the survey is made on a Sunday morning, about one half of the sample group will not be back on Sunday night, and even fewer will return for the mid-week Bible study. Can people who really believe that an all-powerful God exists be that lacking in devotion to Him? But what about those that attend every service, yet cannot bring themselves to teach their neighbor, much less a Bible class? Do we really believe?

The essential point is this: a true believer is one who not only acknowledges God, but dedicates and devotes himself or herself to obeying Him.
Perhaps our smaller sample is not unlike the larger!
[by David Griner from The Church of Christ at Sycamore Chapel [bulletin], Sept. 14, 1997, p. 3]

TRUE FAITH AND COURAGE ARE LIKE A KITE - AN OPPOSING WIND RAISES IT HIGHER.
Norma Zimmer, a well-known singer for Lawrence Welk, had a difficult childhood as a result of her parents' drinking. Singing was her escape! As a high school senior, Norma was invited to be a featured soloist at the University Christian Church in Seattle. When her parents heard she was going to sing a particular song, they both insisted on attending the service. She tells about that morning, "I stole glances at the congregation, trying to find my parents...then in horror I saw them - weaving down the aisle in a state of disheveled intoxication. They were late. Few empty seats were left...the congregation stared. I don't know how I ever got through that morning."

After she sang and took her seat, her heart pounding and her cheeks burning from embarrassment, the minister preached: "God is our refuge and strength, a tested help in time of trouble." She says, "My own trouble seemed to bear down on me with tremendous weight...I realized how desperate life in our family was without God, and that day I recommitted my life to Him...Jesus came into my life not only a Savior but for daily strength and direction."
Don't let a difficult time box you in. Let it drive you to Jesus.
(Isa. 40:31).
[from The Church of Christ at Sycamore Chapel [bulletin], Sept. 14, 1997, p. 4]

THE LITTLE SECRETS OF SNOWFLAKES
The complex shapes and uniqueness of snowflakes have confounded scientists for hundreds of years. In the past, it was generally recognized that the formation of a snowflake is a two-step process: making a single crystal and then having it grow.

This process begins as a microscopic speck of dust is trapped in a molecule of water vapor inside the winds of a winter storm. As the particle is frosted with droplets of supercooled water, it becomes heavier and begins its plunge to earth. The falling ice crystal is sculpted by the varying temperature and humidity - lengthening here, a spiky branch pushing out there - until it grows into a shape as unique as a person's fingerprint.

But in the past few years, as our ability to study these beautiful flakes has improved with the development of new technology, a great mystery has emerged. Scientists have discovered that very few snowflakes contain a speck of dust or any other particle which has long been believed to be necessary for a snowflake to form! How are these unique flakes formed?

Dr. John Hallett, a physicist at the University of Nevada, has discovered the answer. As snowflakes are being formed, extremely dry or cold air cause snowflakes to break up into smaller parts. The small fragments then act as seeds for new flakes to develop. In other words, it takes snow to make snow!

Sometimes we forget that it is necessary for Christians to give a personal account of their faith in order for others to discover the love and life Christ has for them. In other words, Christ uses Christians to make Christians!

Whenever we experience pressures and difficult burdens, when we see a part of our lives broken or shattered, these are often the circumstances God uses to let our faith touch someone close to us and be the seed for a new and beautiful life in Christ. To many, the reason we face difficulties in life is a great mystery. But to us, we live expecting to bear burdens for our Savior and anticipating that the pressures we endure will be used by God to produce new life in others!
Remember, Christ uses Christians to make Christians. Look for Him to use you!
[by Chad Miller from The Church of Christ at Sycamore Chapel [bulletin], Sept. 21, 1997, p. 2]

GETTING RID OF THE RODENT
Years ago, in the pioneer days of aviation, a pilot was making a flight around the world. After he had been gone for some two hours from his last landing field, he heard a noise in his plane, which he recognized as the gnawing of a rat. He realized that while his plane had been on the ground a rat had gotten in. For all he knew the rat could be gnawing through a vital cable or control of the plane. It was a very serious situation. He was both concerned and anxious. At first he did not know what to do. It was two hours back to the landing field from which he had taken off and more than two hours to the next field ahead. Then he remembered that the rat is a rodent. It is not make for the heights; it is made to live on the ground and under the ground. Therefore the pilot began to climb. He went up a thousand feet, then another thousand and another until he was more than twenty thousand feet up. The gnawing ceased. The rat was dead. He could not survive in the atmosphere of those heights. More than two hours later the pilot brought the plane safely to the next landing field and found the dead rat.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, worry is a rodent. It cannot live in the secret place of the Most High. It cannot breathe in the atmosphere made vital by prayer and familiarity with the scripture. Worry dies when we ascend to the Lord through prayer and His Word.
[by Clovis Chappell from The Church of Christ at Sycamore Chapel [bulletin], Sept. 21, 1997, p. 3]

BEHAVIOR CHANGE
A friend of mine tells the story of having counseled a man who was falling out of love with his wife. My friend advised the man to think of all the ways he could make life happier for his wife and then do them. A few days later my friend received a phone call in which the husband related the following:

Every day I leave for work, put in a hard day, come home dirty and sweaty, stumble in the back door, go to the refrigerator, get something to drink, and then go into the rec room and watch television until supper time. After talking to you, I decided I would do better than that in the future. So yesterday, before I left work, I showered and shaved and put on a clean shirt. On the way home I stopped at the florist and bought a bouquet of roses. Instead of going in the back door as I usually do, I went to the front door and rang the doorbell. My wife opened the door, took one look at me, and started to cry. When I asked her what was wrong she said, "It's been a horrible day. First Billy broke his leg and had to have it put in a cast. I no sooner returned home from the hospital when your mother called and told me that she was coming to stay for three weeks. I tried to do the wash and the washing machine broke and there is water all over the basement. And now you have to come home drunk!"
[by Tony Campolo from The Church of Christ at Sycamore Chapel [bulletin], Sept. 21, 1997, p. 4]

RADICAL GRATITUDE
The following is an excerpt from the diary of George Muller, who founded orphanages in Victorian England.

August 18, 1838: I have not one penny in hand for the orphans. In a day or two again many pounds will be needed. My eyes are up to the Lord. Evening. Before this day is over, I have received from a sister five pounds. She had some time since put away her trinkets, to be sold for the benefit of the orphans. This morning, whilst in prayer, it came to her mind, I have this five pounds, and owe no man anything, therefore it would be better to give this money at once, as it may be some time before I can dispose of the trinkets. She therefore brought it, little knowing that there was not a penny in hand, and that I had been able to advance only four pounds, fifteen shillings and five pence for housekeeping in the Boys' Orphan-House, instead of the usual ten pounds.

August 23: Today I was again without one single penny, when three pounds was sent from Clapham, with a box of new clothes for the orphans.

Muller was later to look back on the period from September 1838 to the end of 1846 as the time when the greatest trials of faith were exercised in the orphan work. They were not years of continuous difficulty: rather there tended to be a pattern of a few months of trail, followed by some months of comparative plenty. During the whole period, according to Muller, the children knew nothing of the trial. In the midst of one of the darkest periods, he recorded, "These dear little ones know nothing about it, because their tables are well supplied as when there was eight hundred pounds in the bank, and they have lack of nothing." At another time he wrote, "The orphans have never lacked anything. Had I had thousands of pounds in hand, they would have fared no better than they have; for they have always had good nourishing food, the necessary articles of clothing, etc." In other words, the periods of trial were so in the sense that there was no excess of funds: God supplied the need by the day, even by the hour. Enough was sent, but no more than enough.
[from The Church of Christ at Sycamore Chapel [bulletin], Sept. 28, 1997, p. 2]

RELATED TO THE CAPTAIN
A young boy happened upon an old man who was fishing in the mighty Mississippi River. Immediately the lad began to ply the aged fisherman with a myriad of questions as only young boys can do. With the patience of the ages, the old man answered each query.

Suddenly their conversation was interrupted by the shrill whistle of the majestic River Queen paddling relentlessly down river. The sight of the ship gleaming and splashing spray in the sunlight caused the surprised spectators to stare in awe and appreciation.

Then above the noise of the paddle wheel was heard a small boy's voice calling across the water; "Let me ride! Let me ride!"

The old man turned to the boy and tried to calm him down explaining that the River Queen was too important a ship to stop and give rides to little boys.

The young child cried all the more, "Let me ride!"

Old eyes bulged in disbelief as that great ship pulled for shore and a gangplank was lowered. In a flash two young feet scampered up and onto the deck. The ship with its new cargo safely on board began to pull back into the main stream. The old man continued to stare after the ship.

Then a shock of yellow hair appeared above the rail. It was quickly followed by two blue eyes, button nose, and cherub lips. "Mister, I knew this ship would stop for me. The captain is my father!"
[from The Church of Christ at Sycamore Chapel [bulletin], Sept. 28, 1997, p. 4]

SAVED ALONE
In the year 1873, Horatio Spafford, a Christian lawyer from Chicago, placed his wife and four children on the luxury liner Ville de Havre sailing from New York to France. Spafford expected to join them in about three or four weeks after finishing up some business, but with the exception of his wife he never saw them again. The trip started out beautifully. But on the evening of November 21, 1873, as the Ville de Havre proceeded peacefully across the Atlantic, the ship was suddenly struck by another vessel, the Lochearn, and sank a mere thirty minutes later, with the loss of nearly all on board.

On being told that the ship was sinking Mrs. Spafford knelt with her children and prayed that they might be saved or be made willing to die, if such was God's will. A few minutes later, in the confusion, three of the children were swept away by the waves while she stood clutching the youngest. Suddenly the youngest child was swept from her arms. Mrs. Spafford became unconscious and awoke later to find that she had been rescued by sailors from the Lochearn. But the four children were gone.

Back in the United States, Horatio Spafford was waiting for news of his family, and at last, ten days later (after the rescue ship had reached Cardiff), it came. "Saved alone" was his wife's message. That night Spafford walked the floor of his rooms in anguish, as anyone would have done. But this was not all. For as he shared his loss with His Lord, a loss which could not be reversed in this life, he found, as many have, that peace which indeed passes all understanding. Toward morning he told a friend named Major Whittle, "I am glad to be able to trust my Lord when it costs me something." Then, sometime later, as he reflected on the disaster at sea, he wrote the hymn It Is Well With My Soul.
[from The Church of Christ at Sycamore Chapel [bulletin], Oct. 5, 1997, p. 2]

LEADERSHIP - TWO EXTREMES
The frogs wanted a leader. They bothered Jupiter so much with their requests that he finally tossed them a log into the pond, and, for awhile, the frogs were happy with their new leader. Soon, however, they found out they could jump up and down on their new leader and run all over him. He offered no resistance nor even a response. The log did not have any direction or purpose in his behavior, but just floated back and forth in the pond. This practice exasperated the frogs, who were really sincere about wanting "strong leadership."

They went back to Jupiter and complained about their log leader and appealed for much stronger administration and oversight. Because Jupiter was weary of the complaining frogs, he gave them a stork, who stood tall above the members of the group and certainly had the appearance of a leader. The frogs were quite happy with their new leader. Their leader stalked around the pond making great noises and attracting great attention. However, their joy turned to sorrow and ultimately to panic, for in a very short time the stork began to eat its subordinates.

This story, taken from Aesop, speaks of two kinds of leaders. The Lord does not want His leaders to be like logs who allow the people totally to run the church; neither does the Lord want His leaders to be like storks that eat up the people and only take advantage of them. May the Lord grant His leaders the divine balance that He so greatly desires.
[from The Church of Christ at Sycamore Chapel [bulletin], Oct. 5, 1997, p. 3]

ASSERTING LEADERSHIP
The lion was proud of his mastery of the animal kingdom. One day he decided to make sure all the other animals knew he was the king of the jungle. He was so confident that he bypassed the smaller animals and went straight to the bear. "Who is the king of the jungle?" the lion asked. The bear replied, "Why, you are, of course." The lion gave a mighty roar of approval.

Next he asked the tiger, "Who is the king of the jungle?" The tiger quickly responded, "Everybody knows that you are, O mighty lion."

Next on the list was the elephant. The lion faced the elephant and address his question: "Who is king of the jungle?" The elephant immediately grabbed the lion with his trunk, whirled him around in the air five or six times, and slammed him into a tree. Then he pounded him onto the ground several times, dunked him under water in a nearby lake, and finally threw him up on the shore.

The lion - beaten, bruised, and battered - struggled to his feet. He looked at the elephant through sad and bloody eyes and said, "Look, just because you don't know the answer is no reason for you to get mean about it!"
[from The Church of Christ at Sycamore Chapel [bulletin], Oct. 5, 1997, p. 4]

HAVING THE NERVE
When I was a young writer with a very uncertain income, I went into a quiet park to contemplate a serious problem. For four years I had been engaged but didn't dare to marry. There was no way of foreseeing how little I might earn in the next year; moreover, we had long cherished a plan of living and writing in Paris, Rome, Vienna, London - everywhere. But how could we go three thousand miles away from everything that was familiar and secure, without the certainty of some money now and then? At that moment I looked up and saw a squirrel jump from one high tree to another. He appeared to be aiming for a limb so far out of reach that the leap looked like suicide. He missed - but landed, safe and unconcerned, on a branch several feet lower. Then he climbed to his goal, and all was well. An old man sitting on the bench said, "Funny, I've seen hundreds if 'em jump like that, especially when there are dogs around and they can't come down to the ground. A lot of 'em miss, but I've never seen any hurt in trying." Then he chuckled, "I guess they've got to risk it if they don't want to spend their lives in one tree." I thought, A squirrel takes a chance - have I less nerve than a squirrel? We were married in two weeks, scraped up enough money for our passage and sailed across the Atlantic - jumping off into space, not sure what branch we'd land on. I began to write twice as fast and twice as hard as ever before. And to our amazement we promptly soared into the realm of respectable incomes. Since then, whenever I have to choose between risking a new venture or hanging back, those five little words run through my thoughts: "Once there was a squirrel..." And sometimes I hear the old man on the park bench saying, "They've got to risk it if they don't want to spend their lives in one tree."
[from The Church of Christ at Sycamore Chapel [bulletin], Oct. 12, 1997, p. 3]

COURAGE TO TAKE A STAND
When Honorius was emperor of Rome, about the year A.D. 400, the great Coliseum of Rome was often filled to overflowing with spectators. These had come from far and near to view the state games. Part of the sport consisted in watching as human beings battled with wild beasts or against one another until one of the other was killed. The assembled multitude made Roman holiday of such sport and found its highest delight in the death of a human being. It was on such a day when the vast crowd was watching the contest that a Syrian monk my the name of Telemachus stood up in the vast arena. Telemachus was torn by the utter disregard for the value of human life and so he leaped into the arena in the midst of the gladiatorial show and cried out, "This thing is not right! This thing must stop!" Because he was interfering with their pleasure, the authorities gave the command for Telemachus to be run through with a sword, which was done. Thus he died, but dying he kindled a flame in the hearts and consciences of thinking persons. History records that because of this within a few months the gladiatorial combats began to decline and very shortly they passed from history. Why? Because one man dared to speak out for what he felt was right.
[from The Church of Christ at Sycamore Chapel [bulletin], Oct. 12, 1997, p. 4]

THE SECRET OF HAPPINESS
We all know the story of the prodigal son. However, there is a part of the story which is often overlooked. In Luke 15:25-32, Luke tells us of the older brother who was unwilling to forgive his younger brother. It occurred to me recently that this story gives us an insight into something extraordinarily relevant to us today.

We need to remember that the older brother was a good man. He was hard working - Luke 15:29 says he was "slaving". He was obedient - he said to his father, "I have never neglected a command of yours..." He was certainly loyal, and by implication, moral. He was a good man!

But unfortunately, all of these good attributes seemed to be nullified or at least overshadowed because love was missing. As good as he was, he was envious - he said to his father, "You have never given ME a kid, that I might be merry with MY friends." Luke 15:28 says that he was angry. Obviously, he was self-centered, because he thinks about himself and what he didn't get, rather than his brother and father. And clearly, he was unwilling to forget his brother's wrong. However, there is absolutely nothing in the text to suggest that he was in any way happy. He was moral, he was loyal, and he was hard-working. But do these things make him happy? No. He was a good man, but he lacked love. And the principle here is that love is the only thing that makes one truly happy. That's why Paul said...(I Cor. 13:1-3).

The fact is that love produces happiness. You can hoard money and have more, but with love, you can hoard it and have less. With love, the more it is used, the more its supply increases. With love, the more you give, the happier you become. Do you want to be happier? Start loving more, and happiness will come.
[copied from Greenfield, Ind. Church of Christ bulletin via The Church of Christ at Sycamore Chapel [bulletin], Oct. 19, 1997, p. 2]

PAINFUL DECISIONS
Right next to our cabin near Austin there was an oak tree that my son, Albert Jr., who had died in his twenties, had insisted on saving when the house was built a number of years ago. For years I had tried to steer the tree away from the house so that it would not damage it. For a while I was successful, but as the tree grew thicker and taller, I was no longer able to control it. It kept coming closer and closer to the house, and when the wind blew, the main trunk began to sway and strike at the vital structure of the house.

That oak tree had much sentimental value for me. I had made up my mind that I would steer it away from the house at whatever cost. But each time, after a few months, the tension lines came loose or snapped and broke. Nature was too determined, too forceful for me. There was nothing I could do to control the tree and pull it away from the house. Prospects for the future seemed even worse. Within a few years, at the rate it was growing, it would cause even more damage.

Last Tuesday I made up my mind. The tree had to come down. As I cut its upper branches, then the lower ones and finally the trunk itself, it was as if I was cutting my arms, my legs and finally my own heart. I had cut the tree that Albert Jr. wanted so much to save. When the last section of the trunk fell to the ground I sat down and wept.

Decisions such as these are difficult. Yet decisions must be made, not on the basis of what is evil and what is good, but on the basis of what is good and what is better. I cut down the tree that our son loved. But, more important, I spared the house that he helped build and loved, too. When the day was over, I felt that it had been a good one. Though hurtful, I had made the right choice. Many of our decisions are painful because we are faced with choosing between what is good and what is better. Yet we must make them.
[from The Church of Christ at Sycamore Chapel [bulletin], Oct. 19, 1997, p. 3]

LOVE IS A PRODUCT OF HABIT
The traditional marriage vows recited by most couples include the phrases, "in sickness and in health," "richer or poorer," and "for better or worse." There's a reason! Even the best relationships include times that qualify as sickness, poorer, and worse.

A young woman once phoned her mother and cried, "Mother, I had no idea marriage meant washing and ironing so many shirts! Her mother wisely counseled, "Think of each shirt you iron as an act of love." The young woman took her mother's advice and just below the neckline on each collar she ironed, she planted a big kiss, one complete with a tint of lipstick.

A marriage may involve washing and drying millions of dishes and making millions of beds, and paying thousands of bills and scrubbing the floor thousands of times. It will mean emptying the trash and mowing the lawn thousands of times, and raking perhaps billions of leaves. But if you make each mundane, "dull" chore related to your marriage an act of love, you'll find your feelings for your spouse growing ever sweeter, not more bitter.

Love in a marriage means doing many things you wouldn't do otherwise. But it also involves reaping rewards you can reap in no other relationship!
[from The Church of Christ at Sycamore Chapel [bulletin], Oct. 19, 1997, p. 4]

THE QUAKER FATHER
A Quaker father lived in Pennsylvania. Against the father's wishes, the son Jonathan ran off and enlisted in the cause of the North during the Civil War. Time passed and no word from Jonathan. One night the father had a dream that his son had been wounded in action, was in distress, and needed the care of a father.
So the father left the farm, and discovered where the troops might be. He made his way by horse-drawn buggy until he came to the scene of action. He inquired until he found the commander and asked about his son. The commander replied that there had been heavy action earlier in the day and many had fallen wounded. Some had been cared for, but others were still left out in the trenches. But he gave permission to the father to go and try to find his son. He told him where the action had taken place.
It was now about dark, so the father lit a lantern, and the light fell across wounded young men, some calling for help, many too seriously wounded to cry for assistance.
The task seem impossible. How could he find his son among all those wounded and dying?
He devised a little plan, methodically he would comb the scene of action with his lantern. But that wasn't fruitful. As he stumbled over body after body he almost despaired.
Then he began calling loudly, "Jonathan Smythe, thy father seeketh after thee." Then he would walk a little ways and call again, "Jonathan Smythe, thy father seeketh after thee."
A groan could be heard here and there. "I wish that were my father."
He kept diligently at his search. Then he heard a faint, barely audible reply, "Father, over here." And then, "I knew you would come."
The father knelt down and took him in his arms, comforting him with his presence. He dressed the wound, carried him to the buggy, took him to a place of seclusion and nursed him back to health.
[from The Church of Christ at Sycamore Chapel [bulletin], Oct. 26, 1997, p. 2]

RIGHT BEHIND FATHER
A man and his young son were climbing a mountain. They came to a place where the climbing was difficult and even dangerous. The father stopped to consider which way he should go. He heard the boy behind him say, "Choose the good path, Dad; I'm coming right behind you!"
[from The Church of Christ at Sycamore Chapel [bulletin], Oct. 26, 1997, p. 2]

I like autumn best of all, because its leaves are a little yellow, its tone mellower, its colors richer, and it is tinged a little with sorrow. Its golden richness speaks not of the innocence of spring, nor of the power of summer, but of the mellowness and kindly wisdom of approaching age. It knows the limitations of life and is content.
[from The Church of Christ at Sycamore Chapel [bulletin], Oct. 26, 1997, p. 3]

WORTHLESS WEALTH
The children of a very wealthy family were put into the care of a very qualified nanny, as well as a host of other servants the family employed. When adverse market trends impacted the family's finances, the family moved into a slightly smaller home, but they kept the children's nanny. Eventually, however, the family's financial situation became severe enough that they had to let the beloved nanny go.

Then one evening after the father returned home from a day of great anxiety and business worry, his little girl climbed up on his knee and threw her arms around his neck. "I love you, papa," she said, trying to soothe the weariness she intuitively perceived in him.

"I love you, too, darling," the father replied, glad to have such a warm welcome home. The little girl then said, "Papa, will you make me a promise?" The father said, "What is it?"

So she said, "Papa, please promise me you won't get rich again. You never came to see us when you were rich, but now we can see you every night and hug you and kiss you and climb on your knee. Please don't get rich again!"
[from The Church of Christ at Sycamore Chapel [bulletin], Oct. 26, 1997, p. 4]

A METHOD OF PRAYING
Be simple and direct in your secret prayer. The grace of simplicity is not to be despised in public prayer; but when we call on God in secret, any formality or elaborateness in our petitions is an offense.

Pray audibly. You need not lift your voice to be heard in the street, but it is vastly better to pray not merely in your thoughts but also with words. The utterance of our wants helps to define them.

Be honest in your secret prayer. Do not express any want that you do not feel. Do not confess any fault that you do not mean to forsake. Do not keep anything back. Remember that it is He that searcheth the heart to whom you are speaking.

Pray earnestly. The words need not be loud, but the desire should be intense. "The fervent, energetic prayer of a righteous man availeth much." "The kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force." No listless, drowsy petitioning will serve.

Do not mock God in your prayers. Do not beg him to come to you. You know that his is never far from any soul that seeks him. That prayer is answered before you utter it. Do not ask God to do for you that which he has expressly bidden you to do.

Pray always with special reference to the needs of the day and the hour - the warfare to be waged, the temptations to be resisted, the work to be done, the sorrow to be borne; put your life into your prayer; and let it be the most real and the most immediate business of your life.
[by Walter Rauschenbusch from The Church of Christ at Sycamore Chapel [bulletin], Nov. 2, 1997, p. 2]

LIKE A FORT
Deep in the Arabian desert is a small fortress. It stands silently on the vast expanse of the ageless desert. Thomas Edward Lawrence, known as "Lawrence of Arabia," often used it. Though unpretentious, it was most sufficient. Its primary commendation was its security. When under attack, often by superior forces, Lawrence could retreat there. Then the resources of the fortress became his. The food and water stored there were life supporting. The strength of the fortification became the strength of its occupants. When Lawrence defended it, it defended him. As one relying on the garrison, he was the object of its protection. Its strength was his. Old desert dwellers living around there have told me that Sir Lawrence felt confident and secure within its walls. He had on occasion to depend on the fort; it provided his need. He learned to trust it; his experience proved its worth. Like that fort, "The Lord is good, a strong hold in the day of trouble; and he knoweth them that trust in him." Through prayer we enter God's fortress.
[from The Church of Christ at Sycamore Chapel [bulletin], Nov. 2, 1997, p. 2]

THEY WERE ALL WRONG
A good many years ago, a preacher went into a town where there was no New Testament church. He preached in a house of worship and then in the market place of the city. Soon the religious leaders of the city heard him and invited him to address them. They thought of his religious claims seemed meritorious to them, they would fellowship him. But to their dismay and confusion, he preached that they were wrong and he was right; that their worship was not acceptable to the God of heaven. He preached that the church to which he belonged was the only true church of the living God. Such a preacher! Don't you know he hurt their feelings? Evidently they were sincere. Surely he could have made a nice talk and gotten away without causing any discord! Who was the preacher anyway? His name was Paul, and he preached this sermon in Athens. It did cause some stir. It did not please those leaders at all. They got up and left before he finished. But the sermon pleased God. You can read it in Acts 17.
[from The Church of Christ at Sycamore Chapel [bulletin], Nov. 2, 1997, p. 3]

Our failure to think of prayer as a privilege may be partly due to the fact that we can pray any time. The door to prayer is open so continuously that we fail to avail ourselves of an opportunity which is always there.
[from The Church of Christ at Sycamore Chapel [bulletin], Nov. 2, 1997, p. 3]

PRAYER
Prayer sometimes changes things. More frequently, however, prayer seem to change the person who prays. In the case of King Hezekiah, prayer changed things. God told Hezekiah that the time had come for him to die. But Hezekiah prayed that God would extend his life and God gave him fifteen more years to live. (II Kings 20:1-11).

In the Apostle Paul's case, prayer did not change things. Paul prayed three times for an affliction, but his condition remained the same. Paul's attitude, however, changed toward the "thorn" in his flesh as he discovered new insight into the sufficiency of God's grace. (II Cor. 12:7-9).

We are basically selfish; therefore our prayer requests are often selfish. We desire God to change His plans for our benefit. What we must recognize is that while God does not promise us a problem-free life, He does promise to walk through our problems with us. And if we allow Him to do so, He will transform us ever more into the likeness of His Son Jesus Christ. Sometimes situations do need to change, but very often it is our own heart that needs changing.
The cause of our worry is not the real problem from God's perspective - rather, it is that we worry.
[from The Church of Christ at Sycamore Chapel [bulletin], Nov. 2, 1997, p. 4]

WE WALK BY FAITH, NOT BY SIGHT
As a boy growing up, I had memory verses that I had to learn for my Bible classes. One of the verses was II Cor. 5:7. As it is with many things one learns as a child, one can recite the words, but not have a clue as to its meaning. That was the case with me. I didn't comprehend the significance of these words, but I could recite them. All I was concerned about at the time was getting a gold star by my name on the bulletin board my teacher had made.

However, as I look back at that passage, it holds great meaning for me today. I am reminded daily how our walk is one of faith, and not sight. Do you remember the encounter Jesus had with the ten lepers? It puts into practice this principle. As you may recall, these lepers lifted up their voice and said, "Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!" Jesus' response was short and to the point, "Go show yourselves to the priests." These lepers, by law, had to present themselves for examination to the priests in order to be integrated into society (Lev. 14:1-33).

Jesus told these lepers to go show themselves to the priests. He instructed them to do what healed men should do. But these men were not healed; they were still lepers. But here's the point I want you to see. Rarely would one miss the intended lesson about ingratitude while reading this account, however many may miss the lesson this account teaches about faith. You see, Jesus told these lepers to go show themselves to the priests. Luke records that as they went, they were healed. These lepers, though nine was ungrateful, walked by faith and not by sight. They took Jesus at His word without seeing the cleansing He promised.

Doesn't that sound exactly like our walk of faith? Jesus said...(Mark 16:16). If we have obeyed his words, though we cannot feel or see the promised result, we have faith that it has been accomplished. We're told that God hears our prayers and will forgive His children who humble themselves and repent. Again, those who have obeyed this, though they cannot feel or see their forgiveness, by faith know that it has been accomplished. And the same is true in regard to the promise of Heaven, God's love for us, His providence in our lives, His victory over sin and death, and His faithfulness.

Yes, many of the things I value and the promises I cherish in this life, I have never seen. But I am confident of their reality and existence, for I walk by faith and not by sight.
[by Steve Higginbotham from The Church of Christ at Sycamore Chapel [bulletin], Nov. 9, 1997, p. 3]

THE BEST WAY TO FORGET YOUR OWN PROBLEM IS TO HELP SOMEONE SOLVE HIS
Sadhu Sundar Singh and a companion were traveling through a pass high in the Himalayan Mountains when they came across a body lying in the snow. They checked for vital signs and discovered the man still alive, but barely so. Sundar Singh prepared to stop and help this unfortunate traveler, but his companion objected, saying, "We shall lose our lives if we burden ourselves with him." Sundar Singh, however, could not think of leaving the man to die in the snow without an attempted rescue on his part. His companion quickly bade him farewell and walked on.

Sundar Singh lifted the poor traveler onto his back. With great exertion on his part - made even greater by the high altitude and snow conditions - he carried the man onward. As he walked, the heat cast off by his body began to warm the frozen man. He revived and soon, both were walking together side by side, each holding the other up, and in turn, each giving body heat to the other. Before long they came upon yet another traveler's body lying in the snow. Upon closer inspection, they discovered him to be dead, frozen by the cold.

He was Sundar Singh's original traveling companion.
Don't forget, by reaching out to help others you usually forget your own problems.
[from The Church of Christ at Sycamore Chapel [bulletin], Nov. 9, 1997, p. 4]

THE VALUE OF A CHILD
Africans have a different outlook on life than we do. One-half of the babies die before they reach their first birthday. One missionary saw a young child shivering with high fever and asked why something wasn't being done. The answer was, "Don't bother, it is just a child." (The Challenge of Africa)

This seems so foreign to our thinking and feeling. Our stores are filled with baby clothes, baby food, baby furniture, and baby toys. Parents spend millions of dollars to provide necessities and luxuries for children. Probably all of us would contribute money to a child we did not know if it meant the child having a transplant operation.

Yet, what is the value of a child? It can contribute little or nothing to a parent. It cannot hold a job. It requires attention, sometimes constant or at the most inappropriate times.

There are two important values in a child. A child is posterity for a parent. One philosopher said, "To have a son is to live forever." There is a part of us that will never die, as long as our family line continues. How thrilling it would be to see the future and see children, grandchildren, nephews, nieces, and other relatives who are Christians because of our influence. How we should desire an epithet like Abel,"...he still speaks, even though he is dead." (Heb. 11:4)

A baby is potential. Someone well said, "A baby is God showing us the future is worthwhile." What possibilities rest in a new life? Present children are the future presidents, astronauts, teachers and professionals. Even more, to us, a child is the future of the church. Why not begin looking on children as future teachers, elders and preachers?

The mind of a child is a blank tablet. For the first few years of life, someone other than the child will feed that mind. Parents, be sure to carefully select what you give your child to mold its mind. As leaders in the church, let's rededicate ourselves to molding the souls of men, and determine to start on them as early as possible.

I have often remembered the cartoon of two pioneer settlers meeting on a February morning. One asked, "Anything happening over your way?" Replied the other, "Not much, Tom Lincoln's wife had a baby - named it Abraham." Let's never overlook the potential of a child.
[by Ancil Jenkins from The Church of Christ at Sycamore Chapel [bulletin], Nov. 16, 1997, p. 2]

A group of kindergarten children visited the local police station and viewed the pictures of the ten most-wanted men. One child pointed to a picture and asked if it really was the photograph of the wanted person. The policeman guide replied that it was.
The youngster inquired, "Well, why didn't you keep him when you took his picture?"
[from The Church of Christ at Sycamore Chapel [bulletin], Nov. 16, 1997, p. 2]

BE SURE OF YOUR COURSE AND KEEP ON GOING

The setting was a cold January morning in a little town in Wisconsin, on the southern shore of Lake Superior. It happened to be the Saturday when they had their annual dog sled derby on the ice. A one-mile course had been staked out by sticking little fir trees in the ice. The whole course was easily visible because of the steep slope of the shore.

It was a youngsters' meet and the contenders ranged all the way from large boys with several dogs and big sleds to one little fellow who didn't seem over five with a little sled and one small dog. They took off at the signal and the little fellow with his one dog was quickly outdistanced - he was hardly in the race. All went well with the rest until, about halfway around, the team that was second started to pass the team in the lead. They came too close and the dogs got in a fight. And as each team came up the dogs joined the fight. None seemed to be able to steer clear of it. Soon, from our position about a half mile away, there was just one big black seething mass of kids and sleds and dogs - all but the little fellow with his one dog that managed to avoid the fight, and the only one to finish the race.

As I reflect on the many vexing problems and the stresses of our times that complicate their solutions, this simple scene from long ago comes vividly to mind. And I draw the obvious moral: No matter how difficult the challenge or how impossible or hopeless the task may seem, if you are reasonably sure of your course, just keep on going!
[from The Church of Christ at Sycamore Chapel [bulletin], Nov. 16, 1997, p. 3]

IT DOESN'T MATTER WHO YOU MARRY, NEXT MORNING YOU'LL FIND SOMEONE ELSE
In Magnificent Marriage, Gordon MacDonald writes: "Conflict of a destructive sort breeds quickly if there is an inability to accept our partner as he really is. A dangerous marital game is called 'Why can't you be like?' It can work with effective force from both sides. The wife who knows that her husband is always comparing her appearance with another woman is hurt just as badly as the man who knows that he is being compared with another man who can afford to take his family to Bermuda very spring vacation.

"It was Keith Miller who first made me aware of this fatal cancer of relationship. 'In retrospect, I think Mary Allen's vision of a husband was perfectly balanced blend of big John Wayne, Jack Parr, and Father Flanagan. But in all honesty, I think my pre-marital vision of an ideal wife was probably a combination of St. Theresa, Elizabeth Taylor, and Betty Crocker.' Miller formed new depths to their companionship when he learned to love his wife for exactly what she was and not some plastic model of what he wished for her to be."
Our prayer is not, "Lord, You love him and I'll change him," but "Lord, You change him and I'll love him."
[from The Church of Christ at Sycamore Chapel [bulletin], Nov. 16, 1997, p. 4]

DeGENERES OR DEGENERATE?
On April 30, 1997 ABC (which is owned by Disney) aired their infamous one hour "coming out" episode of "Ellen." This show, and in particular this episode, received a season worth of media hype. The reason was because on this episode, Ellen DeGeneres, the star of the show, was going to announce that she is a lesbian. This lesbian role on camera will mirror her real life off camera lesbian lifestyle.

Are you shocked that this is the quality of programming that is being shown on television today? Don't be. You would think that from all the media attention and hype, this was the first time a homosexual character ever appeared on television. However, such is not the case at all. This show just happens to be the first show in which a leading lady is lesbian. But by no means is this the first homosexual role on television. In fact, in a recent interview Jerry Falwell said that right now, there are 22 homosexual characters in prime time programming.

While we comfortably sit back in our recliners, an anti-God, pro-homosexual agenda is being promoted before our very eyes. And I might add that their agenda to normalize homosexuality is working. Their propaganda is delivered in little light, humorous, bite-size portions, that can be swallowed without too much trouble.

One woman, who is the Organizational Manager for the Louisville Fairness Campaign, which deals with homosexual issues, was quoted in the Courier-Journal as saying, "If the program helps just one gay teen out there realize that there's nothing wrong with them and they aren't isolated, it will be worth it." Well, that's the very problem I have with such a program. It does indeed suggest that there is nothing wrong with sinful behavior.

God condemned homosexuality in both the Old and the New Testament. Listen to the apostle Paul's words...(Rom. 1:26-27).

Friends, homosexuality is a sin. It is not merely an "alternative lifestyle," it is an aberrant behavior. Neither is it a "gay" lifestyle. It is a tragic way to live. Again, the apostle Paul said that those who practice such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God (I Cor. 6:9).

One more thought: Homosexual conduct is a sin, and we ought to oppose programs that would normalize it. But don't forget, adultery, lying, fornication, violence, disobedience to parents, disrespect for authority, and filthy language are also sins. I would hope, and consistency demands, that we oppose programs that attempt to normalize and even glorify these sinful activities as well.
[by Steve Higginbotham from The Church of Christ at Sycamore Chapel [bulletin], Nov. 23, 1997, p. 2]

CHILDREN DON'T DIVIDE A COUPLE'S LOVE - THEY MULTIPLY IT
The book of Exodus tells the story of Moses' birth. As part of that story, we read how two midwives named Shiphrah and Puah were ordered by Pharaoh to kill all the male babies born to the Hebrew women. The Bible says...(Exo. 1:17). As a result, "God dealt with the midwives" and He provided household for them, a term that includes children. Children were their reward!

Interestingly, a famous obstetric hospital in Tel Aviv, Israel, is located today at the intersection of two streets named...Shiphrah Avenue and Puah Avenue.

Throughout the Bible we find that children are considered a blessing from God. In fact, to be without children - to be barren - was considered a curse. Many famous Bible stories tell how men and women prayed for children and God answered their prayers, sometimes reversing a childless situation that had lasted for decades.

The Bible does not tell a couple when to have children or how many children they should have. It doesn't command that a couple have children. The Bible says simply, "Children are a gift from God."
[from The Church of Christ at Sycamore Chapel [bulletin], Nov. 23, 1997, p. 4]

A LOVING SPOUSE CAN SEE THE GOOD IN YOU EVEN WHEN YOU CAN'T
Nathaniel came home heartbroken. How could he tell his wife that he had just been fired from his job at the customhouse? The last thing he wanted her to think was that he was a failure, and yet "failure" is just the label he felt was embroidered on his chest.
To his surprise, when he told his wife what had happened, she responded with joy. "Now you can write your book!" she said optimistically.
"And what shall we live on while I am writing it?" Nathaniel replied with dejection.
His wife Sophia immediately went to a drawer and to his amazement, pulled out a substantial sum of money and handed it to him.
"Where did you get this?" he said in great surprise.
"I have always known you were a man of genius," Sophia said. "I knew that someday you would write a masterpiece. Every week, out of the money you gave me for the housekeeping, I saved a little bit. Here is enough to last us a whole year."
So Nathaniel Hawthorne, buoyed by his wife's confidence, turned his hand to writing The Scarlet Letter.
[from The Church of Christ at Sycamore Chapel [bulletin], Dec. 7, 1997, p. 4]

A common greeting of these days is, "How are you?" The stereotype reply is, "Fine, and how are you?" I frequently give this reply to my friends who would be dismayed and bored if I tried to tell them the truth, for the edition of this jalopy which I call my body is getting worse and worse, and my friends recognize it and make mental note, "He is slipping fast." No one comments on the obvious and colossal lie that it is.

This jalopy is getting into bad condition. The steering gear is so worn and wobbly that I have to use a cane to keep it from running off the road. The headlights are so dim that they show up only about a half or a third as much as they used to. The horn is a mere squawk. I only get about a tenth of the speed out of it that it gave a few years ago. And as for climbing hills, or even gentler slopes, the less said the better. It is clear that it is going to have to be junked one of these days. But the real person who lives inside this jalopy is a different story. God is much more real and his truth shines more brightly. The companionship of Christ is more constant through His Holy Spirit, and He holds out a hope for a new model, after this jalopy is junked.

This, I think, is what Paul had in mind when he spoke of the reward that God, the righteous Judge, would give him on that day. I think it is also what he was writing to the Philippians about his own body which was in a hazardous state: "I rejoice and I intend to rejoice. I hope all of you will rejoice with me." Paul labeled his new model spiritual and eternal, as compared with our present model, physical and decaying. This then is the lively hope that I can have. I know I do not deserve a new model, and if God, the righteous Judge, determines that I should not have it, that is all right, too. In any case, Righteous Judge is His middle name, both of which are LOVE. So, I am fine, thank you. How are you?
[by Dr. Joseph Leroy Dodds from The Church of Christ at Sycamore Chapel [bulletin], Dec. 14, 1997, p. 2]

SUCCESS COMES IN CANS; FAILURE COMES IN CAN'TS
Perhaps more than any other leader in the twentieth century, Winston Churchill rallied a nation to believe in what it could do. His speeches during World War II not only express resolution, but a profound peace of mind and a feeling of "rightness". Here are some of his words to England and the world:

"You ask what is our policy? I will say: It is to wage war, by sea, land, and air, with all our might and all the strength that God can give us...You ask, What is our aim? I can answer in one word: Victory...at all cost, victory in spite of all terror, victory however long and hard the road may be; for without victory there is no survival....

"We shall go on to the end, we shall fight in France, we shall fight on the seas and oceans, we shall fight with growing confidence and growing strength in the air, we shall defend our island, whatever the cost may be; we shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills; we shall never surrender."

What wonderful words to adapt to any fight against evil!
(Phili. 4:13.)
[from The Church of Christ at Sycamore Chapel [bulletin], Dec. 14, 1997, p. 4]

SYMBOLS OF THE GREATER GIFT
At a Christmas celebration in a nursing home, I asked the folks to tell us about their favorite Christmas experience. The group seemed to light up. Spontaneously one by one they told their Christmas story. Each was unique except in one respect. Every experience was taken from their childhood. They did not remember Christmas as a parent, but as a child.

Then I turned the question on myself. I, too, returned to my childhood. The first, and perhaps most memorable, experience I recalled took place when I was seven years old. Early Christmas Eve, my mother took my brother and me out for a treat. It was her way to get us out of our fifth-floor apartment in the Bronx while my father prepared for the evening festivity.

As we climbed the stairs back to the apartment, the shrill sound of a whistle filled the hallway. What was that, and where did it come from? Our pace quickened and a second burst of the whistle could be heard. We dashed into the apartment. There was my father playing engineer with the biggest Lionel train ever made. It was so magnificent, so unexpected, so wonderful!

Some fifty years later, I still have the train set and cherish it as much as any material gift I ever received from my parents. The train is a warm reminder of the greater gift my parents gave me. This gift has nothing to do with any material advantages, or even with any piece of sage advice. Unconditional love was their gift. I never doubted their care for me, and from such grace sprang my own capacity to truth.

It was years later that I fully understood the gift my parents gave me had its source in God's gift of the Child to us all. The sound of the whistle and the song of the angels have become one and the same. They are both the signal of God's love.
[by Andrew Wyermann from The Church of Christ at Sycamore Chapel [bulletin], Dec. 21, 1997, p. 3]

THE RIGHT ANGLE TO APPROACH A DIFFICULT PROBLEM IS THE "TRY-ANGLE"
Many years ago, a huge oil refinery caught fire. Flames shot hundreds of feet into the air and the sky filled with grimy smoke. The heat was so intense that firefighters parked a block away, hoping for the heat to die down. Instead, the fire raged even closer to a nearby row of tanks.

Suddenly, a fire truck came careening down the street. With its brakes screeching, it hit the curb directly in front of the blaze. The firefighters jumped out and began to battle the blaze. Inspired by this act, the other firefighters drove closer and joined the fight. As a result of their cooperative effort, the fire was brought under control in the nick of time.

Those who witnessed these events decided to honor the man who had driven the lead truck to the brink of the blaze. In preparing for the awards ceremony, the mayor said, "Captain, we want to honor you for your fantastic act. You prevented the loss of property, perhaps even the loss of life. Is there something we can give you as a token of our appreciation?" The captain replied without hesitation, "Your Honor, a new set of brakes would be dandy!"
Acts of heroism all begin the same way; one person is willing to try when all others are not.
[from The Church of Christ at Sycamore Chapel [bulletin], Dec. 21, 1997, p. 4]

WHAT'S A DAD WORTH THESE DAYS?
The fellow on the aisle, "Fred," was going through a messy divorce. He said he would love to get back together with his wife, but he knew it was not going to happen unless they both got some serious help. In the meanwhile, he's been trying to "be there" for his kids. He's in the business of putting on seminars, but he canceled everything on his schedule so he could spend more time with his kids.

"I'm tired of this," he confessed. "I've been so focused on my work that I lost sight of my family. You know what really blew my mind? Whenever I go to spend time with my kids, I tell them we can do whatever they want to do. I guess I've been willing to compensate for the pain they were going through because of the divorce. My time with them is limited, so I wanted our time to be special. You know what they say? They say, 'Dad, we just want to go back into the backyard, sit around the barbecue pit and cook hot dogs with you.'"

Imagine that. Fred was willing to do anything...and his kids thought the most important thing he had ever done for them was to build a backyard fire pit, surrounded by a simple bench. When their family was intact, they would all sit on that little bench and cook hot dogs over the fire in the pit. That meant more to them than anything else their dad could do. Why? Because their dad was with them, having fun. That's it.

"I've been looking at my life and realizing that all the 'important stuff' I've been doing doesn't amount to a hill of beans," Fred continued. "What really matters in life is going into the backyard and cooking hot dogs with my children..."

People talk about building memories. What father doesn't want to build lasting, positive memories with his children?

Eventually, our children are going to leave home, and the memories that they carry with them will take on great importance. What will our kids say about us after they leave the nest and after we are gone?

We don't have to do something spectacular to make special memories for our kids. What we must do is to love them and be there 100% when we are with them.

That's what it means to live out your worth as a man. That's how your kids will see the unbelievable worth that God has already built into you. Of course, should you mess up in this area of your life, and lose your kids along the way, you won't lose your worth as a man - but believe me, you will make it a lot harder for your kids to believe in their own worth. You will have an even harder time convincing yourself of your own worth.

A man who understands his God-given worth and who lives it out is giving his kids the richest treasure imaginable. It's a lot easier than most of us think. We don't have to be supermen. We just have to let our kids know we love them. We have to be with them, really be with them.
[excerpted from The Worth of a Man by Dave Dravecky via The Church of Christ at Sycamore Chapel [bulletin], Dec. 28, 1997, p. 2]

THE SKILLED BLOWS OF GOD
Many years ago, there was found in an African mine the most magnificent diamond in the world's history. It was presented to the king of England to blaze in his crown of state. The king sent it to Amsterdam to be cut. It was put into the hands of an expert lapidary. And what do you suppose he did with it? He took the gem of priceless value, and cut a notch in it. Then he struck a hard blow with his instrument and - lo! - the superb jewel lay in his hand cleft in two. Did he do this out of recklessness, wastefulness, and criminal carelessness? Indeed not! For days and weeks that blow had been studied and planned. Drawings and models had been made of the gem. Its quality, its defects, its lines of cleavage had all been studied with minutest care. The man to whom it was committed was one of the most skillful lapidaries in the world.

Was that blow a mistake? No! It was the climax of the lapidary's skill. When he struck that blow, he did the one thing which would bring that gem to its most perfect shapeliness, radiance, and jeweled splendor. That blow which seemed to ruin the superb precious stone was, in fact, its perfect redemption. From those two halves were wrought two magnificent gems which the skilled eye of the lapidary saw hidden in the rough, uncut stone as it came from the mine.

Sometimes, God lets a stinging blow fall upon your life. The blood spurts; the nerves wince. The soul cries out in agony. The blow seems to you an appalling mistake. But it is not, for you are the most priceless jewel in the world to God. And He is the most skilled lapidary in the universe.

Let us beware of questioning the methods and approaches of almighty God. We lie in His hands, and He knows just how to deal with us.
[from The Church of Christ at Sycamore Chapel [bulletin], Dec. 28, 1997, p. 3]

THE TEA KETTLE CONTINUES TO SING WHEN UP TO ITS NECK IN HOT WATER
An old legend tells how a man once stumbled upon a great red barn after wandering for days in a dark, overgrown forest. Seeking refuge from the howling winds of a storm that seemed to rage perpetually in the forest, he let his eyes grow accustomed to the dark and then, to his astonishment, he discovered that this was the barn where Satan kept his storehouse of seeds to be sown into human hearts. More curious than fearful, he lit a match and began to explore the piles and bins of seeds around him. He couldn't help but notice that the containers labeled "seeds of discouragement" far outnumbered any other type of seed.

Just as the man had drawn this conclusion, one of Satan's foremost demons arrived to pick up a fresh supply of seed. The man asked him why the great abundance of discouragement seeds. The demon laughed, "Because they are so effective and they take root so quickly!" The man then asked, "Do they grow everywhere?" At this the demon became sullen. He glared at the man and admitted in disgust, "No. They never seem to thrive in the heart of a grateful person."

Be thankful for what you have, today. And trust the Lord to take care of what you don't have.
[from The Church of Christ at Sycamore Chapel [bulletin], Dec. 28, 1997, p. 4]

HOW GREAT THOU ART
These four words are from the title of one of my all time favorite songs. This marvelous work was written by Stuart K. Hine in 1949. Countless times these words have been repeated throughout churches. I can remember as a small boy in Detroit, Alabama, hearing this song and being swept away. I could often close my eyes and try to picture the story as it unfolded. As you read the words to this song, clear your mind and let the message come alive before you.

"O Lord my God! When I in awesome wonder, consider all the worlds thy hands have made, I see the stars, I hear the rolling thunder, Thy power throughout the universe displayed.
"When through the woods and forest glades I wander, and hear the birds sing sweetly in the trees, when I look down from lofty mountain grandeur, and hear the brook and feel the gentle breeze."
"Then sings my soul, my Savior God to Thee; How Great Thou Art! How Great Thou Art!"
Psa. 86:8-10 says....
As the famous poet Emerson wrote, "Nature is too thin a screen; the glory of the omnipresent God bursts through everywhere." The evidence of God is apparent throughout all of nature.

David recorded these beautiful words in Psa. 19:1. No matter where we may live on this great big planet, God can be seen clearly. He can be seen in the morning dew on the wild flowers; in a winter forest caked with new fallen snow; or in a glorious sunset on a western desert.

Psa. 46:10 says.... In today's hustle and bustle world, we never seem to take the time anymore to just "be still". Maybe that's why this song still gives me chill bumps whenever I hear it. It allows me to stop for a moment and see those stars and hear that rolling thunder. Take time out each day to "be still" and know that God IS, and thank Him for the wonderful blessings of life.

The third verse of the song says: "And when I think, that God His son not sparing, sent Him to die, I scarce can take it in. That on the cross, my burden gladly bearing. He bled and died to take away my sin."
John 3:16 says....
I John 4:10 says.... This is how God demonstrated his love for mankind. He gave what was dearest to Him - His Son. This was the high cost of sin.

God would love for all of mankind to dwell with Him for an eternity in heaven, but not everyone will be there. Jesus said...(Matt. 7:21).

Those who obey God's commandments will be heaven's inhabitants. Heaven is a prepared place for prepared people. To those who are prepared, it will be a place beyond imagination and the coming of the Lord will be the spectacle of all time.

The last verse of Mr. Hine's song says it best: "When Christ shall come, with shout of acclamation, and take me home, what joy shall fill my heart! Then I shall bow in humble adoration, and there, proclaim, my God how great Thou art!"
Indeed, Lord, How Great Thou Art!
[by Travis Brown from The Church of Christ at Sycamore Chapel [bulletin], Jan. 4, 1998, p. 2]

I HAVE THE PEACE
A friend visited an elderly woman badly crippled by arthritis. When asked, "Do you suffer much?" she responded, "Yes, but there is no nail here," and she pointed to her hand. "He had the nails, I have the peace." She pointed to her head. "There are no thorns here. He had the thorns, I have the peace." She touched her side. "There is not spear here. He had the spear, I have the peace." That is what the atonement of Jesus Christ means for us - He gave of himself so that we might have the peace.
[from The Church of Christ at Sycamore Chapel [bulletin], Jan. 4, 1998, p. 3]

COURAGE IN THE STORM
Do you remember Tom Dooley, that young doctor who organized hospitals, raised money, and literally poured out his life in the service of the afflicted peoples of Southeast Asia? Here was a man whose deep relationship with God motivated him to abandon a soft career in the United States for a desperately difficult ministry overseas. In the end that relationship enabled him to die victoriously at the age of thirty-four. Here is the letter which on December 1, 1960, he wrote to the president of Notre Dame, his alma mater:

Dear Father Hesburgh: They've got me down. Flat on the back, with plaster, sand bags, and hot water bottles. I've contrived a way of pumping the bed up a bit so that, with a long reach, I can get to my typewriter.... Two things prompt this note to you. The first is that whenever my cancer acts up a bit, and it is certainly "acting up" now, I turn inward. Less do I think of my hospitals around the world, or of 94 doctors, fund-raisers, and the like. More do I think of one Divine Doctor and my personal fund of grace. It has become pretty definite that the cancer has spread to the lumbar vertebra, accounting for all the back problems over the last two months. I have monstrous phantoms; all men do. And inside and outside the wind blows. But when the time comes, like now, then the storm around me does not matter. The winds within me do not matter. Nothing human or earthly can touch me. A peace gathers in my heart. What seems unpossessable, I can possess. What seems unfathomable, I can fathom. What is unutterable, I can utter. Because I can pray. I can communicate. How do people endure anything on earth if they cannot have God?
[from The Church of Christ at Sycamore Chapel [bulletin], Jan. 4, 1998, p. 3]

TOO MANY PEOPLE QUIT LOOKING FOR WORK WHEN THEY FIND A JOB
In her autobiography, Who Could Ask For Anything More, Ethel Merman tells how Cole Porter and a buddy of his had a game they played with Irvin Berlin. Says Merman, "When they see Irving coming they look at their wrist watches and make a five-dollar bet. Then they pick a topic and start in on it. Anything will do: Victor Moore, Mount Everest, volcanoes, Eskimo Pies, Philadelphia, the Dalai Lama of Tibet. The bet is based on the number of minutes it will take Irving to bring the conversation around to one of his own songs, no matter where it starts. The average time is said to be less than five minutes."

Merman notes, "I wouldn't go so far as to call this ego on Irving's part. It's just that he's so absorbed in his work and so intense about it that what he writes is the most important thing in the world to him. To me, he doesn't seem so much egotistical as enthusiastic."

Interesting that Cole Porter would play such a trick since he once told an interviewer, "If I don't seem to be listening to what you're saying, it's because I'm writing a song in the back of my head. Some people think work is a four letter word. I don't."
[from The Church of Christ at Sycamore Chapel [bulletin], Jan. 4, 1998, p. 4]

Several years ago, Coach Joe Paterno and his Penn State football team were playing for the national championship against Alabama in the Sugar Bowl. They probably would have won, but they had a touchdown called back because there was a twelfth man on the field. After the game, Paterno was asked to identify the player. "It's only a game," he said, "I have no intention of ever identifying the boy. He just made a mistake."
[from The Church of Christ at Sycamore Chapel [bulletin], Feb. 8, 1998, p. 1]

ACTIVE FORGIVENESS
A small boy at a summer camp received a large package of cookies in the mail from his mother. He ate a few, then placed the remainder under his bed. The next day, after lunch, he went to his tent to get a cookie. The box was gone.

That afternoon a camp counselor, who had been told of the theft, saw another boy sitting behind a tree eating the stolen cookies. He said to himself, "That young man must be taught not to steal."

He returned to the group and sought out the boy whose cookies had been stolen. He said, "Billy, I know who stole your cookies. Will you help me teach him a lesson?" The puzzled boy replied, "Well, yes - but aren't you going to punish him?"

The counselor explained, "No, that would only make him resent and hate you. No, I want you to call your mother and ask her to send you another box of cookies."
The boy did as the counselor asked and a few days later received another box of cookies in the mail.
The counselor said, "Now, the boy who stole your cookies is down by the lake. Go down there and share your cookies with him."
The boy protested, "But he's the thief."
"I know. But try it - see what happens."
Half an hour later the camp counselor saw the two come up the hill, arm and arm. The boy who had stolen the cookies was earnestly trying to get the other to accept his jackknife in payment for the stolen cookies, and the victim was just as earnestly refusing the gift from his new friend, saying that a few old cookies weren't that important anyway.
[from The Church of Christ at Sycamore Chapel [bulletin], Feb. 8, 1998, p. 3]

IF A TASK IS ONCE BEGUN, NEVER LEAVE IT 'TILL IT'S DONE
The order from the head teacher was abrupt: "The classroom needs sweeping. Take the broom and sweep it."

Young Booker T. Washington knew that this was his chance. He swept the room three times, and then dusted the furniture four times. When the head teacher came back to evaluate his work, she inspected the floor closely and then used her handkerchief to rub the woodwork around the walls, the table, and the students' benches. When she could not find one speck of dust anywhere in the room, she said quietly, "I guess you will do to enter this institution."

Cleaning a classroom was nothing less than Booker T. Washington's entrance examination to Hampton Institute in Virginia. In later years, he would recall this as the turning point in his life. He wrote in his autobiography, Up From Slavery, "I have passed several examinations since then, but I have always felt that this was the best one I ever passed."

Slacked off, goofing off, and dozing off rarely open doors of opportunity. Those doors are opened best by a consistently excellent effort. Give the world an effort of that caliber today!
[from The Church of Christ at Sycamore Chapel [bulletin], Feb. 8, 1998, p. 4]

An athlete was blinded in a freak boxing accident. The doctors told him, "You'll never see again." The social workers said, "Learn braille, stay home, accept the fact that you will be dependent on others for the rest of your life." But Morris Frank fought to regain his independence. The result was the development of "The Seeing Eye," the organization that trains seeing-eye dogs for the blind.
[from The Church of Christ at Sycamore Chapel [bulletin], Feb. 1, 1998, p. 1]

USE OF SUNDAY TIME
"Dear brothers: I am aware of what Jesus says in Matt. 12:11-12. A man working on Sunday ever now and then seems okay. But what of an elder who opens his retail business during worship hour? Or what of a preacher who plays golf between services? Who is right and how do we handle this?"

(Matt. 12:11-12). As Jesus spoke these words He was being criticized for healing a man on the Sabbath. Doing good was never prohibited by Sabbath laws. Helping an ill person, feeding the hungry or visiting the sick were never prohibited under the Sabbath law. Doing good is always right.

I am not sure any of this applies to your concern. We are no longer under the old law (Col. 2:14) and its rules concerning the Sabbath. There are no New Testament commands concerning Sunday as some sort of replacement for the old law's Sabbath. Jesus' principle is still valid: doing good is always right, on any day at any time. But to apply these words to Sunday is out of place.

How can believers use their Sundays? If there are no special days commanded, nor special rules governing days, then each believer must decide how best to use the time available on Sunday. For some that might mean turning off the television and spending time in prayer. For others, it might mean turning on the television and relaxing. For some it might mean taking a quiet walk. For others it might mean taking a walk on the golf course. Each individual must decide how best to use that time. None of us can decide for someone else.

One other issue seems obvious to me as well. We should be ready to worship when we assemble with other believers.

Anything that disturbs that process to be ready to enter into God's presence and offer praise to Him and His Son should be avoided. Some shouldn't work on Sunday, because it interrupts their ability to worship. Other shouldn't play on Sunday, not because it is wrong, but because it detracts from their ability to center on God. Some shouldn't watch football on Sunday, since it forces them to think on the world and its activities rather than being centered on God. But, again, each individual must decide this for self, and not for others.
[by David Thurman from The Church of Christ at Sycamore Chapel [bulletin], Feb. 1, 1998, p. 2]

BETRAYING THE SECRET
A group of prospectors set out from Bannock, Montana (then capital of the state) in search of gold. They went through many hardships and several of their little company died en route. Finally they were overtaken by the Indians who took their good horses, leaving them with only a few limping old ponies. Then they threatened them, telling them to get back to Bannock and stay there, for if they overtook them again, they would murder the lot of them. Defeated, discouraged, and downhearted, the prospectors sought to make their way back to the capital city. On one occasion as they tethered out the limping ponies on a creekside, one of the men casually picked up a little stone from the creek bed. He called to his buddy for a hammer and upon cracking the rock, he said, "It looks as though there may be gold here." The two of them panned gold the rest of the afternoon and managed to realize twelve dollars' worth. The entire little company panned gold the next day in the same creek and realized fifty dollars, a great sum in those days. They said to one another: "We have struck it!" They made their way back to Bannock and vowed not to breathe a word concerning the gold strike. They secretively set about re-equipping themselves with supplies for another prospecting trip. But when they got ready to go back, three hundred men followed them. Who had told on them? No one! Their beaming faces betrayed the secret!

If we have been enamored with Him, whom having not seen we love, we should be unable to conceal the treasure: Our beaming faces should betray the secret!
[by L.E. Maxwell from The Church of Christ at Sycamore Chapel [bulletin], Feb. 1, 1998, p. 3]

ABILITY WILL ENABLE A MAN TO GO TO THE TOP, BUT IT TAKES CHARACTER TO KEEP HIM THERE
Convicted Watergate conspirator John Ehrlichman wrote of his experience: "When I went to jail, nearly two years after the cover-up trial, I had a big self-esteem problem. I was a felon, shorn and scorned, clumping around in a ragged old army uniform, doing pick and shovel work out on the desert. I wondered if anyone thought I was worth anything. For years I had been able to sweep most of my shortcomings and failures under the rug and not face them, but during the two long criminal trials, I spend my days listening to prosecutors tell juries what a bad fellow I was. I'd go back to a hotel room and sit alone thinking about what was happening to me. During that time I began to take stock. I was wiped out. I had nothing left that had been of value to me - honor, credibility, virtue, recognition, profession."

Then he began to see himself...and to care deeply about his own integrity, his capacity to love and be loved, and his essential worth. He concluded about the Nixon years, "In a paradoxical way, I'm grateful for them. Somehow I had to see all of that and grow to understand it in order to arrive." Sadly, the inner character Ehrlichman developed came too late to impact his political career at the top.
Keep a daily check on your character. Of all the abilities you may possess the one to develop a good character is your greatest.
[from The Church of Christ at Sycamore Chapel [bulletin], Feb. 1, 1998, p. 4]

We heard of a man and woman who gave a sizable contribution to the church to honor the memory of their son who lost his life in the war. When the announcement was made of the generous donation, a woman whispered to her husband, "Let's give the same amount for our boy!" Her husband said, "What are you talking about? Our son wasn't killed." "That's just the point," she said. "Let's give it as an expression of our gratitude to God for sparing his life!"
[from The Church of Christ at Sycamore Chapel [bulletin], May 10, 1998, p. 1]

What we give to charitable concerns during our life produces benefits in three directions: (1) it helps those in need, (2) it inspires others to give, and (3) it forms an inner character in the giver - one marked by less selfishness and fewer materialistic tendencies, greater generosity and a heightened awareness of and concern for other people.

Keep in mind that when you give, you are ultimately giving to people, even though your gift might be made to an institution or organization. Churches and other charities are made up of people. Your giving brings sunshine to the lives of others and will return to you.
[from The Church of Christ at Sycamore Chapel [bulletin], Apr. 26, 1998, p. 4]

Some years ago Alexander Woolcott described a scene in a New York hospital where a grief-stricken mother sat in the hospital lounge in stunned silence, tears streaming down her cheeks. She had just lost her only child and she was gazing blindly into space while the head nurse talked to her, simply because it was the duty of the head nurse to talk in such circumstances.
"Did Mrs. Norris notice the shabby little boy sitting in the hall just next to her daughter's room?"
No, Mrs. Norris had not noticed him.

"There," continued the head nurse, "there is a case. That little boy's mother is a young French woman who was brought in a week ago by ambulance from their shabby one-room apartment to which they had gravitated when they came to this country scarcely three months ago. They had lost all their people in the old country and knew nobody here. The two had only each other. Every day that lad has come and sat there from sunup to sundown in the vain hope that she would awaken and speak to him. Now, he has no home at all!"

Mrs. Norris was listening now. So the nurse went on, "Fifteen minutes ago that little mother died, dropped off like a pebble in the boundless ocean, and now it is my duty to go out and tell that little fellow that, at the age of seven, he is all alone in the world." The head nurse paused, then turned plaintively to Mrs. Norris. "I don't suppose," she said hesitantly, "I don't suppose that you would go out and tell him for me?"

What happened in the next few moments is something that you remember forever. Mrs. Norris stood up, dried her tears, went out and put her arms around the lad and led that homeless child off to her childless home, and in the darkness they both knew they had become lights to each other!
[from The Church of Christ at Sycamore Chapel [bulletin], May 10, 1998, p. 3]

A soap manufacturer and a preacher were walking together down a street in a large city. The soap manufacturer casually said, "The gospel you preach hasn't done much good, has it? Just observe. There is still a lot of wickedness in the world, and a lot of wicked people, too!" The preacher made no reply until they passed a dirty little child making mud pies in the gutter. Seizing the opportunity, the preacher said, "I see that soap hasn't done much good in the world; for there is much dirt, and many dirty people around." The soap manufacturer replied, "Oh well, soap is only useful when it is applied." And the preacher said, "Exactly, so it is with the gospel."
[from The Church of Christ at Sycamore Chapel [bulletin], May 3, 1998, p. 1]

THINGS MORALLY RIGHT BUT RELIGIOUSLY WRONG
Some things are wrong within themselves. It has always been wrong to lie, steal, murder and commit adultery. These are sins against our fellow men. They violate the moral law, hence, those who are guilty of such are immoral.

There are other things that are right only because God commands them. Most of these commandments have to do with our relationship with God. They are a test of man's faith and many of them are contrary to human reason. In religion, we walk by faith and not by sight (II Cor. 5:7).

A thing may be morally right and at the same time religiously wrong. We must respect God's religious laws as well as his moral laws. Many fail to comprehend worship of God and service to him because they look at everything from a moral viewpoint only. We must love and respect God as well as our fellowmen.

We must view spiritual things from a spiritual viewpoint, (I Cor. 2:14) and remember that God's ways are higher than man's ways. (Isa. 55:8-9).
The prophet Jeremiah declared...(Jer. 10:23).

What men think is right may not be right. We are commanded to...(I Thes. 5:21). We must search the scriptures and prove that what we teach and preach is in harmony with the same. Again from the Bible we have this warning...(Prov. 16:25.)

Many today are guilty of walking by fleshly and physical feelings, that is, being governed by what they know naturally. This is what people in Jude's day were guilty of as well.
(Jude 10.)
We must not be governed in our worship and service to God by what "we love" and by what appeals to us. We must be governed by what the Holy Spirit has revealed in the Bible for our spirits to read and understand. Jesus said...(John 6:63).

Let us do our best to see things from God's viewpoint. We should respect and be governed by his will as revealed in the Bible. Consider the following examples:
Eating fruit
It is not morally wrong to eat fruit. However, Adam and Eve sinned by doing so (Gen. 3:1-24). Why was it wrong? God said not to do it. To transgress a moral law is to commit immoral sin. To transgress religious law is to become guilty of religious sin. God requires that man respect and obey religious law, as well as moral law. Eve failed to do so. Many today are following in her footsteps.
Offering strange fire
(Lev. 10:1-2.)
Here we have another example of a thing being morally right but religiously wrong. No act of immorality was committed by offering strange fire, yet it was a sin. According to the record, they just offered fire that God had not commanded. God told Adam and Eve specifically not to eat fruit from the tree in the midst of the garden. God had not commanded Nadab and Abihu not to offer strange fire. He had simply given instructions as to what kind of fire to offer. This prohibited every other kind. We must follow the positive instructions of the Lord. If he has not authorized a thing in worship, we must not use it. To worship and serve him as he directs in his word is to walk by faith. To presume that something else will please God just as well, and to follow in the steps of Nadab and Abihu is to commit religious sin.
[by Ron Brown from The Church of Christ at Sycamore Chapel [bulletin], May 3, 1998, p. 2-3]

I read about a grandfather who found his grandson jumping up and down in his playpen, crying at the top of his voice. When Johnnie saw his grandfather, he reached up his little chubby hands and said, "Out, Gramps, out."
It was only natural for the grandfather to reach down to lift him out of his predicament, but as he did the mother of the child stepped up and said, "No, Johnnie, you are being punished - so you must stay in."
The grandfather was at a loss to know what to do. The child's tears and chubby hands reached deep into his heart. But the mother's firmness in correcting her son must not be taken lightly. But love found a way. The grandfather could not take the grandson out of the playpen, so he climbed in with him. Beloved that is what our Lord Jesus Christ did for us when He came to earth. In leaving heaven for earth, He climbed in with us. The Bible says...(John 1:14).
[from The Church of Christ at Sycamore Chapel [bulletin], May 3, 1998, p. 3]

"NO" IS ONE OF THE FEW WORDS THAT CAN NEVER BE MISUNDERSTOOD
Although taken captive as children, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah were so wise that as adults, they were put over the affairs of the Babylon province. Then the king they served built a gold image some 100 feet high and placed it in their province. He invited the empire's leaders to a dedication of the image and gave a command that when a tribute of music was sounded, all should fall and worship the golden image. Whoever didn't do so would be thrown into a giant furnace.

The music played, and all fell on their faces...except Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. They were Jews, and had been taught from earliest memory never to worship a graven image. Word of their refusal quickly came to the king, and in a rage, the king summoned them. The three leaders didn't hesitate in saying to the king...(Dan. 3:18).

Furious, the king had the three cast into the fire, only to find that they did not burn. They emerged unscorched! The "no" of these faithful men resulted in the king decreeing that no person in the land speak anything against their God. And Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah - whom the king called Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego - were promoted.
If your answer is "no" then make it mean something. When you stand by your word, God will stand by you.
[from The Church of Christ at Sycamore Chapel [bulletin], May 3, 1998, p. 4]

Richard Halvorson tells the story in Leadership about the frog who fell in the pothole and couldn't get out. Even his friends couldn't get him to muster enough strength to jump out of the deep pothole. They gave up and left him to his fate. But the next day they saw him bounding around just fine. Somehow he had made it out and so they asked him how he did it. They said to him, "We thought you couldn't get out." The frog replied, "I couldn't, but a truck came along and I had to."
[from The Church of Christ at Sycamore Chapel [bulletin], Apr. 26, 1998, p. 1]

GODLY PEOPLE DO NOT DO WRONG TO ACCOMPLISH GOOD
From time to time we hear the idea expressed that in order to accomplish some worthy goal we need to, or ought to, do what would otherwise be wrong. "The end justifies the means" or other words to this effect are sometimes spoken or thought by those who ought to know better. But it is never right to do a wrong thing for a right cause.

The church of Christ is engaged in a battle with the forces of evil (Eph. 6:12) and every faithful soldier in His army (composed of every Christian) is to arm himself only with God-given weapons and protect himself only with God-given armor (Eph. 6:10-17). Armed and protected with these he is to "be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might" and to firmly "stand" his ground (Eph. 6:10, 14). His armor is composed of truth, righteousness, the gospel of peace, faith, and salvation. His only weapon is "the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God".

The enemy has a vast array of weapons, tactics, and defenses. Lies, falsehoods, evil speaking, political manipulation, innuendo, false teaching, and other such wiles of the devil are carried to the battlefield and employed against God's army. When confronted with such "fiery darts of the wicked" (Eph. 6:16), some of God's soldiers tend to want to lay aside their shield of faith, pick up those fiery darts, and hurl them back at the enemy. They think that it is only right and reasonable to "fight fire with fire." They are wrong. They have no asbestos gloves to protect them and they have discarded their only piece of equipment capable of quenching the fire of Satan's darts. They get burned (Prov. 6:27-28). Satan rejoices to see another defector coming to his side.

Let's never forget that even in the midst of the most intense battles there is always a divinely-ordered right course of action (I Cor. 10:13). At such times we need to rely to the fullest extent upon our God-given equipment by which we are "thoroughly furnished" for the battle (II Tim. 3:17). Our own notions about what "ought" to be done need to be replaced with what our commander has instructed us to do.

These instructions must be acted upon as given and not surpassed because of any desire for vengeance or ignored because of our feelings of sympathy for Satan's soldiers who may not be fully aware of what they are doing (Luke 23:34). Knowing that soldiers in Satan's army are opposing themselves, have been deceived by Satan, and are in a trap from which they can only escape by acknowledging the truth (II Tim. 2:25-26), let's think of the battle as a compassionate rescue attempt.

Even while they hurl their hatred, lob their lies, and fling their fire into our camp we can see them as fallen creatures who were created in the image of God and for whom Jesus died. When we view the enemy in such a light and when we are aware that their destiny is to be in torment for all eternity if they do not repent, - feelings of anger and efforts for vengeance ought to melt into feelings of pity and compassion and efforts to redeem.
(Matt. 5:10-12; Matt. 5:43-48; Rom. 12:17-21).
[from The Church of Christ at Sycamore Chapel [bulletin], Apr. 26, 1998, p. 2-3]

To laugh often amid much; to win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children; to earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends; to appreciate beauty, to find the best in others, whether by a healthy child, a garden patch, or a redeemed social condition; to know that even one life has breathed easier because you lived.
This is to have succeeded.
[by Ralph Waldo Emerson from The Church of Christ at Sycamore Chapel [bulletin], Apr. 19, 1998, p. 1]

TURN IT AROUND
"Ask not what your country can do for you. Ask what you can do for your country!" This challenge, made famous during the Kennedy presidency, suggests a like principle which should guide every Christian's attitude toward the church. We should be less concerned about what is being done for us and more attentive to what we are doing for others.
Ask not therefore...
* whether this is a good congregation of which to be a member, but ask whether I am a good member of the congregation.
* how much I am loved, but how much love I have shown.
* how many get-well cards I received, but how many I have sent to others.
* who visited me, but whom have I visited.
* how much I get out of classes, but how much I contribute to make the classes interesting and edifying.
* Whether I was remembered in prayer, but whether I faithfully prayed for others.
* who did or did not speak to me, but how many others I greeted.
* whether my good work is recognized, but whether I have given honor to whom honor is due.
* how many of my prayer requests God has granted, but how grateful have I been for his innumerable blessings.
* to what extent my deeds have profited me now, but how my life will be remembered when I am gone.
[by David Pharr "Banner of Truth" Martin Church of Christ via The Church of Christ at Sycamore Chapel [bulletin], Apr. 19, 1998, p. 4]

Ramsey MacDonald, one-time prime minister of England, was discussing with another government official the possibility of lasting peace. The latter, an expert on foreign affairs, was unimpressed by the prime minister's idealistic viewpoint. He remarked cynically, "The desire for peace does not necessarily ensure it." This MacDonald admitted, saying, "Quite true. But neither does the desire for food satisfy your hunger, but at least it gets you started toward a restaurant."
[from The Church of Christ at Sycamore Chapel [bulletin], Apr. 12, 1998, p. 1]

We have forgotten the gracious Hand which has preserved us in peace and multiplied and enriched and strengthened us, and have vainly imagined in the deceitfulness of our hearts that all these blessings were produced by some superior wisdom and virtue of our own.
[by Abraham Lincoln from The Church of Christ at Sycamore Chapel [bulletin], Apr. 12, 1998, p. 3]

A MINUTE OF THOUGHT IS WORTH MORE THAN AN HOUR OF TALK
When William Gladstone was Chancellor of the Exchequer, he once requested that the Treasury send him certain statistics upon which he might base his budget proposals. The statistician made a mistake. But Gladstone was so certain of this man's concern for accuracy that he didn't take time to verify the figures. As a result, he went before the House of Commons and made a speech based upon the incorrect figures given him. His speech was no sooner published than the inaccuracies were exposed and Gladstone became the brunt of public ridicule.

The Chancellor sent for the statistician who had given him the erroneous information. The man arrived full of fear and shame, certain he was going to be let go. Instead, Gladstone said, "I know how much you must be disturbed over what has happened, and I have sent for you to put you at ease. For a long time you have been engaged in handling the intricacies of the national accounts, and this is the first mistake that you have made. I want to congratulate you, and express my keen appreciation."
It takes a big person to extend mercy
...a big person to listen rather than talk
...a big person to think before jumping into action.
[from The Church of Christ at Sycamore Chapel [bulletin], Apr. 12, 1998, p. 4]

A farmer was paid a visit by one of his city relatives. Before dinner the farmer bowed his head and said grace. His sophisticated relative jeered, "This is old-fashioned; nobody with an education prays at the table anymore."
The farmer admitted that the practice was old and even allowed that there were some on his farm who did not pray before their meals. Justified, the relative remarked, "So enlightenment is finally reaching the farm. Who are these wise ones?"
The farmer replied, "My pigs."
[from The Church of Christ at Sycamore Chapel [bulletin], Apr. 5, 1998, p. 1]

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