The Land of the Free

I think that outright persecution of Christians who refuse to deny their faith or deny the Bible's politically incorrect teachings is a likely possibility, even in the "land of the free." I hope it doesn't come to that, but it may- despite the sincere efforts of the James Dobsenes to protect our religious freedoms.

But ultimately, it's going to be OK, because everything that comes about, even persecution, is part of God's providential working in his universe. I can't say that I understand this, but I accept it.

My personal fear is that I may not measure up when things get rough for us. The Bible tells us to not fear those who can only kill the body, but to fear him who can kill the body and cast the soul into hell - easy to do during the good times. I hope he will give me the grace be faithful when things get tough.

Twenty-Five Years

How can twenty-five years go by so fast? At this time twenty-five years ago I was dressed up in my new grey suit, white shirt, navy tie with small red dots, and matching pocket handkerchief. My brother, his wife and I were standing around in a back room of a small, grey stone church on East 19th Street in New York waiting for the ceremony to begin. It was a cold and snowy January day and I had walked to the church through six inches of snow after having a full breakfast with my father in the hotel restaurant. He had woken me at about six a.m. with a surprise phone call, to offer to buy me breakfast.

After the reception we went back to our apartment on East 34th Street and enjoyed a quiet evening (for a while) by ordering-in a Chinese dinner and watching a movie. Sometime that evening, my wife's family (parents, two sisters, their husbands, and two children) came to our door and instead of ringing the bell, quietly sang from the corridor, "I Love New York" (from the old tv commercial). We let them into the apartment since they needed a place to change their clothes (so they said) before starting the long journey through freezing rain back to Penn's Woods.

The next morning we took a cab to Penn Station and boarded our train for Williamsburg. My brother and his wife had been appalled the day before to learn that they would be on the same train (going as far as Baltimore or Washington). They chose to avoid us on the train and we began our official honeymoon.

In some ways, it's still a honeymoon, for which I'm thankful.

Metropolis

Metropolis is a science fiction/political thriller that was made in Germany in 1927. Don't get put off by the fact that it's silent movie- stay with it for ten minutes and you'll be hooked. Look for biblical allusions throughout the film.

Barna on House Churching

George Barna has done some research on house church people. Having been part of a house church for several years, I think his comments are valid and I tend to agree with him. This is not going to go away- for all the reasons he describes.

Beantown Hockey

Yesterday I was off for Martin Luther King Day. Chris wanted to see a Boston Bruins hockey game for his annual day trip. We left about 10 am and stopped at the Natick rest area on the Mass turnpike for lunch. In Boston we parked under the Common and took the T from Park St. to the Boston Garden. We had to use a vending machine to convert our tokens, which had been saved from an earlier trip to Boston, to a magnetic card, like in NY. Luckily it didn’t make us late for the game. The game started at 1:00.

It was a good game that went into overtime because of a tied score and the score was still tied at 2-2 after the five minute overtime period, so there was a “shootout” where the teams take turns trying to score a goal with only two players on the ice- one from each team. The goalie from one team and an “attacker” from the other. The Bruins won 3-2, over the Buffalo Sabres

It was also the Bruins’ first win after three losses. It was a typical Boston sports crowd- really into it. It was a lot of fun- hockey is a really exciting game to watch, especially when you are close to the ice- we were only seven rows away.

Going back to the car we had to walk through the Common again and it was really pretty- a typical Boston scene with some fog around the tall buildings with their lights at dusk and people with umbrellas hurrying through the cold drizzle.

We stopped at the rest area for gas and the traffic was heavy. After a quick supper at BK we went to the bowling alley and bowled a couple games and got home around eight.

Remember Those in Prison

This month I received two letters from Stephen. He's serving a sentence in a federal penitentiary in Pennsylvania. We have been writing for about four years or so. Since I've known him, he completed a sentence at a prison in Colorado and was released. After about two years he committed the same crime again and was back in prison.

Once on the phone he tried to explain why he committed the same crime. Sadly, he wanted to go back to prison because he found that while he was out, he realized that his life was gradually slipping out of control- unable to live the kind of life he wanted to be living- unable to live the life of a follower of Christ. His prior life in prison had provided a structure for his life and he found that without that structure things came apart for him.

Stephen's current term may be shortened due to an improper sentence. He won't be released anytime soon, but he already sounds worried about whether he'll "make it" on the outside. His ex-wife, daughter, sister, and father do not contact him or respond. His daughter is being raised by a lesbian sister and her partner.

Despite all this he doesn't despair and he's optimistic that he can reestablish his relationship with his brother. He is intelligent and well-educated. After completing his first sentence he held jobs of increasing responsibility and trust. The problems had begun many years ago with alcohol abuse and then one thing led to another.

The only difference between his life and mine is the grace of God.

If you'd like to join me in writing to Stephen to let him know that he is thought of and remembered, email me at betterpromises@yahoo.com and I'll send his address.