"Meaningful Moments"

“Meaningful Moments”

Life is a gift from God (“The Spirit of God has made me; the breath of the Almighty gives me life.”—Job 33:4). However, its duration on earth is limited (“You have made my days a mere handbreadth; the span of my years is as nothing before you. Each {one’s} life is but a breath. Selah”—Psalm 39:5 {see the article “The Selahs of Life” for the significance of this term, especially in this context.}) This suggests that each day, even each hour and minute, is important and God expects us to use it well (“…make the very most of your time….”—Colossians 4:5. Moffatt) as His “…good and perfect gift….” (James 1:17).

While all the days God gives us have purpose there are certain events which stand out as “meaningful moments”. In my case these include (among others) my salvation, baptism, call to ministry, graduations, Karen’s and my wedding day and the births of our children and grandchildren. There are also a number of noteworthy personal experiences which I’ll never forget. These include….

*While stranded in the Atlanta airport due to a New England snowstorm we saw a contingent of soldiers marching through the passenger waiting area. Spontaneously those seated stood and applauded until the last one exited. What a display of appreciation and patriotism!

*During an on-call night in my CPE training I was summoned to a “Code Blue” situation. The patient was an African-American man of about 40 who had many relatives, including his mother in a wheelchair, watching as the staff worked. I introduced myself and offered prayer at the family’s request. When the crisis had passed and the patient stabilized I prepared to leave. The patient’s mother then held out her arms and hugged me tightly. I had trouble holding back the tears at her expression of thanks and oneness of God’s people.

*Karen and I were leaving a musical program at the Holy Land Experience in Orlando when we saw a couple with a special needs adult daughter. Just then the actor who had portrayed Jesus came by, saw the family, knelt down by the wheelchair and prayed for them. He did just as Jesus would have had He been present that day (and I believe He was!).

*While clearing out a cabinet recently we found a tape of our wedding which we hadn’t heard in many years. As we listened memories of that special day 50 years ago flooded our minds. We thanked God for His blessings on our half century journey together.

What are some of your most “meaningful moments”? Cherish them and be thankful (“The memory of the righteous will be a blessing….”--Proverbs 10:7). And share them with others.

Grace and Blessings!

Jim McMillan

"Creatures of Habit"

“Creatures of Habit”

Between 1914 and 1947 Edgar Rice Burroughs published 22 novels in the “Tarzan” series. (Two more authorized by his estate appeared after his 1950 death.) In the third book, The Beasts of Tarzan (1916), he coined the phrase “creatures of habit” by which “…we fall naturally and easily into the manner and customs which long usage has implanted ineradicably within us”. This saying has crept into our English vernacular to refer to doing things automatically without thinking and likely explains some of the actions we take (or don’t take).

I remembered this expression recently as Karen and I have frequently observed a blue jay’s flying from a neighbor’s tree and perching on the same branch of a southern magnolia in our yard. Animals are “creatures of habit” by instinct but we as humans establish such practices by choice, often by not realizing what we’re doing. For example, some baseball players go through the same idiosyncrasies every time they come to bat (sometimes even between pitches). And think of how we tend to gravitate to the same place when we attend church. (A leader in our New Hampshire congregation once “threatened” to have everyone sit in different areas than usual to make me wonder if I was in the right building—thankfully he never did it.)  Being a “creature of habit” myself I find it comfortable but must be open to flexibility and change when circumstances and especially God’s leading call for it.

The American Heritage Dictionary defines habit as “a pattern of behavior acquired by frequent repetition; a customary manner or practice”. While we must be careful not to become slaves to a particular method there are several areas of our walk with Christ in which we’d do well to be “creatures of habit”. For instance, in our praying (“…Pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests.”—Ephesians 6:18 {note the emphasis on flexibility}). Then, too, in our reading and study of God’s Word (“…They…examined the Scriptures every day….”—Acts 17:11). Thirdly, in our service (“If anyone wishes to come after me, let {one} deny {oneself}, take up {one’s} cross day after day, and so follow me….”—Luke 9:23, Moffatt). And let’s not forget about sharing our faith (“…If you are asked about your Christian hope, always be ready to explain it. But you must do this in a gentle and respectful way.”—1 Peter 3:15-16, NLT).

Establishing good practices takes time and effort, particularly godly ones. But the results are worth it (“Be sure that nothing you do for {God} is ever lost or even wasted.”—1 Corinthians 15:58, Phillips). Let’s then strive to be “creatures of godly habits” on life’s journey.

Grace and Blessings!

Jim McMillan

"Role Playing"

“Role Playing”

Before the 2019 Super Bowl 2007 Heisman Trophy winner Tim Tebow observed, “The Patriots are great because each player knows his role in the system.” Their success over the past two decades bears up the truth of his statement. The same has been said of the Boston Celtics and Red Sox. What do these three storied teams have in common? Astute front office personnel who saw the roles that needed to be filled and did so through clever trades and draft choices. Their records speak for themselves.

The Patriots came into being in 1960. Between then and 2000 they made trips to two Super Bowls and lost both times. Enter Coach Bill Belichick. In 20 seasons under his leadership the Pats have won 16 divisional titles and made nine “Big Game” appearances, winning six championships. He has an incredible knack for finding the right player to plug a hole. Some say he’s arguably the best coach in NFL history.

The Celtics were a run-of-the-mill NBA team until Arnold “Red” Auerbach arrived on the scene in 1950 as Head Coach until 1966 then moved into the General Manager slot until 1984. During those 34 years the “Big Green” won 15 titles including 11 in 13 seasons (1956-1969). When a dominant center was needed he found Bill Russell; when a “sixth man” vacancy emerged he drafted John Havlicek. Both are included in the roster of the 50 greatest NBA players of all time.

The Red Sox hadn’t won a World Series title since 1918 (the year before Babe Ruth was sold to the Yankees) when 28-year-old Theo Epstein was hired as General Manager in 2002. He built a group through player acquisitions and the club’s farm system in which all the pieces fit together and led to the Bosox’ first World Championship in 86 years in 2004 and another in 2007. Before leaving he set the table for two more titles in 2013 and 2018. In 2011 he moved on to lead in the Chicago Cubs’ rebuilding effort which in 2016 resulted in their first World Series win since 1908, a gap of 108 years. He has the ability to see hidden talent that others don’t—that’s the stuff that brings success.

Just as each team member had a role in the examples above we as part of God’s team (Christ’s church) each has a place in the task to “…make disciples of all nations….” (Matthew 28:19). Our spot is determined by what Rick Warren calls our S.H.A.P.E., that individual combination of Spiritual gifts, Heart, Abilities, Personality and Experiences which makes each of us unique in the part we’re to play in fulfilling Jesus’ Great Commission. Paul reminds us that “…we are God’s fellow workers….” (1 Corinthians 3:9). Are we ready to play our role in His program?

Grace and Blessings!

Jim McMillan

"God's Library"

“God’s Library”

In early March I received an email from our local library that my card needed to be renewed. (The Coronavirus crisis hit about that time which put this and many other things on hold.) Soon afterwards I heard Dr. David Jeremiah speak about God’s books on his radio program “Turning Point”. I don’t remember what he said but I thought, “What books are in God’s library?” So I did a little research about libraries and books mentioned in the Scriptures.

The Library of Congress was established in 1800 and began with 740 books and three maps. Today its collection consists of some 16,000,000 books and 120,000,000 other items. The New York City Public Library was founded in 1895 and today has 92 branches housing 53,000,000 books and other materials. In 2016 there were 9,057 public library systems across our nation. (By contrast in the same year there were 14,146 McDonalds’ restaurants but since many local libraries have multiple branches they likely outnumber the “Golden Arches”.) Estimates of how many books are published annually in the U.S. range between 600,000 and 1,000,000. Solomon was right when he observed, “Of making many books there is no end….” (Ecclesiastes 12:12).

With the help of my trusty concordance I found the following books mentioned in the Book of Books, the Bible: the book of the annals of the kings of Israel/Judah (cited 32 times in 1 and 2 Kings); the book of the chronicles of Xerxes’ reign (Esther 6:1); the Book of the Covenant (Exodus 24:7); the Book of Jashar (Joshua 10:13); the Book of the Law (2 Kings 22:8); the Book of Moses (2 Chronicles 25:4); the Book of Psalms (Luke 20:42); the Book of Truth (Daniel 10:21); the book of the vision of Nahum (Nahum 1:1). Most of these refer to parts of God’s Word but some are likely ancient historical records which have been lost.

You may have noticed one missing from the above list: The Book of Life. (Growing up our family had a several volume set of Bible stories by this name.) According to the website Christianity.com, “In essence, the Book of Life serves as a testament to those saved who will enjoy eternity with the Lord.” This is vividly seen in Revelation 20’s description of the Great White Throne (sometimes referred to as God’s final judgment): “…Books were opened. Another book was opened, which is the book of life…each person was judged according to what (he or she) had done…If anyone’s name was not found in the book of life, (he or she) was thrown into the lake of fire (Verses 12,13,15).

All will spend eternity with or apart from God. Which book from God’s library describes where you’ll be?

Grace and Blessings!

Jim McMillan

"The Right Dictionary"

“The Right Dictionary”

One of the leaders of our church’s men’s group regularly sends out updates with information about coming events, the discussion topic for the next meeting and prayer needs. He usually includes a brief thought and nugget from Scripture as well. Recently he wrote, “We’re all entitled to our own opinion but not our own facts.” I don’t remember the context of these words but as I’ve thought about them I realized they can fit into many areas of life including politics, economics and even faith.

In an episode of “Hogan’s Heroes”, one of my all-time favorite TV shows, a German propaganda officer was planning a radio program when a colleague asked how much time would be needed for the military report. The answer: “It can be as long or as short as we want. We’re making it up anyway!” We may find this amusing in a sitcom but the twisting of real life facts to fit a particular agenda is misleading and dangerous. So before buying into what we read or hear we’d best make sure the sources are accurate, reliable and unbiased. (For other thoughts on this theme see “Check It Out” and “Coronavirus”.)

A major problem for the first century church was false teaching which arose in opposition to the truth surrounding Christ and His work. The New Testament epistles addressed these distortions and cautioned the believers, “Do not be carried away by all kinds of strange teachings.” (Hebrews 13:9). This and similar warnings are as relevant today as they were when they were written. In his helpful analysis of 2 Peter, 2 and 3 John and Jude in his “Be” series entitled Be Alert Pastor and Author Warren Wiersbe states, “False teachers use our vocabulary, but they do not use our dictionary.” Some today redefine biblical terms to mean something God never intended. So before accepting what anyone says follow the example of the believers in Berea who “…received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true.” (Acts 17:11, emphasis added).

The Bible consists of 66 books written over about 1500 years by some 40 authors moved by the Holy Spirit (see 2 Peter 1:20-21) conveying one consistent message. It’s been maligned, belittled and threatened with destruction but it’s stood the test and remains the all-time best-selling Book. Surprising? Not really (“Your word, O Lord, is eternal; it stands firm in the heavens.”—Psalm 119:89; “…the word of the Lord stands forever.”—1 Peter 1:25). Let’s let it be its own (and right) dictionary for what we believe and how we live.

Grace and Blessings!

Jim McMillan