Summer Bay Resort in Clermont, Florida

"Sinkholes"

This is not the vacation they had planned! A week at a resort in sunny Florida sounds like the perfect prescription for relaxation and rest. But this past Sunday night those who were guests at the Summer Bay Resort in Clermont, Florida were rushed out of the buildings. Before long one of the buildings had mostly disappeared from sight, as a large sinkhole opened up beneath it. Fortunately, all 35 guests were safe.

Jeff Bush was not so fortunate. In February of this year, he was asleep when a 20-foot- wide hole opened up beneath his bedroom in Seffner, Florida. He was not rescued.

Here in the area where I live, sinkholes have been appearing more frequently. Last year an elementary school was closed when a large sinkhole was discovered nearby one Saturday morning. Just last week a main highway in the area was shut down when a deep chasm suddenly appeared.

Sinkholes are the result of underground erosion. In our area we're receiving far more rain than we normally do (about 15 inches above normal for the year). That water has to go somewhere, and as it rushes into unseen waterways it erodes the soil and rocks that form the foundation for the surface above. The hole may open up without warning.

Erosion can happen in other forms. The Bible speaks of the danger of allowing the foundation of our faith to be chipped away, a little at a time. David recognized this threat when he wrote this: "If the foundations are destroyed, what can the righteous do?" (Psalm 11:3). Care must be taken to guard foundations.

One vital foundation that must be protected is the church. Paul pointed to this in 1 Timothy 3:15: "But if I am delayed, I write so that you may know how you ought to conduct yourself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth."

Most know the importance of a pillar in a building. Such a column usually supports an overhanging part of the roof. If the pillar is removed, that part of the roof will collapse. If the church is not carefully guarded and preserved, just as the Lord gave it, how can the truth stand? The church must act as guardian of the faith that has been given to us.

The collapse of faith is presented in stark terms in 2 Thessalonians 2:11,12: "And for this reason God will send them strong delusion, that they should believe the lie, that they might all be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness." When a sinkhole opens up beneath our faith, destruction results!

Come to the light God offers! Study His word, the Bible. Worship Him in spirit and truth (John 4:24). Get in touch with us if you'd like to discuss these ideas further.

Timothy D. Hall

What is the fear of God?

                                            
                    "Behold, the eye of the Lord is upon them that fear Him, upon them
                        that hope in His mercy." Psalm 33:18

Today I’d like to look at and discuss a much-seen phrase from the Bible and give you my take on one of its meanings. That phrase is: the "fear of God." What brought this to my mind was a couple of terms I heard a lecturer mention the other day. Those terms were: "homophobia and Islamophobia." Perhaps you’ve also heard them spoken about lately.

It’s my prayer and aim here today to tie those terms into my thoughts on our topic and, hopefully, present a spiritual lesson for you to consider. Why I sometimes say that is because I know what I’m trying to say but, can I articulate my thoughts well enough that others can understand them? Again, hopefully I’ll be able to do that.

I’ve heard those two terms bandied about so much lately that I decided to do a little research on them and that research is what led me to this lesson. In this research, the first thing I thought necessary was to know and understand what a "phobia" actually is. It means: an "irrational fear" of something. That definition is a major factor in the underlying theme of today’s lesson. 

If you did a quick study on "phobias" you might be surprised at the number of them out there. As we mention a few, remember the definition - an "irrational fear." A good example is one that most of us experienced as young children - NYCTOPHOBIA which is a "fear of the dark/night." Aren’t little kids scared of the dark even though parents assure them that everything is OK. Thank goodness most of them grow out of it. They lose the "irrational" part of it, but still, we mostly prefer daylight over darkness, don’t we?

A few of the more common "phobias" are ACROPHOBIA (fear of heights), CLAUSTROPHOBIA (fear of confined spaces) and the opposing "phobia" of that is AGORAPHOBIA (fear of open spaces). It can cause those who have it to not want to leave their house and get out into the open. They don’t feel safe, as in not having a hiding place.
There’s even "phobias" that have to do with an "irrational fear" of modes of travel. One of them, very commonly seen, is AEROPHOBIA (aka: fear of flying). The other, not so common is AMAXOPHOBIA which is the "fear of riding in a car." At this point I’ll again remind you that a "phobia" is an "irrational fear." Let me also point out that "irrational" means "unreasonable or senseless." That fits with this lesson too.
In speaking about "phobias," I’ll just use myself as an example to get into the gist of my thoughts here. I don’t care very much for snakes, but I’m not an OPHIDIOPHOBIC. Plus, I do have a fear of falling, but neither am I a BASOPHOBIC. Why do I tell you that? It goes back to the definition "irrational fear." I have a "rational fear" of those things which allows me to use my reason and my sense to exercise caution in both situations.
I’ll even throw in another example - there are some people who are LILAPSOPHOBIC which means that they have a "phobia" about tornados or other violent storms. I don’t like them either and I and many others go into a storm shelter for safety from them. But, we have a "rational fear" of those things and we know that because we come out of the storm cellar, don’t we? We "rationally fear" tornados and hurricanes. I’ll stop with the examples before you develop PHOBOPHOBIA (fear of phobias - it’s real).

OK, let’s go back to my first two "phobias" for a moment. Anymore, if you are opposed to homosexuality you’re are branded as being HOMOPHOBIC. As I’ve been saying in my cited examples, I don’t have an "irrational fear" of homosexuals - I have a "rational fear" of them. I can "rationally" see that their lifestyle and behavior is very destructive to both themselves and society in general. Plus, it is, and has always been, an unrighteous behavior, an abomination, with God (Lev. 18:22, 1Cor. 6:9 & 1Tim. 1:10).

Let’s look at the second "phobia" that I mentioned - ISLAMOPHOBIA. It just seems that if you are opposed to or you speak against Muslims out comes the "phobia" branding iron. Immediately you are ISLAMOPHOBIC. You have an "irrational fear" of Muslims. No, I don’t. I have a "rational fear" of that religion.

I think that I can "rationally" apprise that false religion for several reasons. First off, God has told us throughout His Word that we are to have "no other gods before Him." The Muslims worship a man, Mohammed, in the place of Jesus Christ. Jesus is the very epitome of God (John 14:9) and the "Prince of Peace." (Isa. 9:6) The originator of the Muslim religion was a bloodthirsty bandit. I can "rationally" look at the history of Islam and see that it is an entity that began in violence, spread with the usage of violence and continues today being spread in that manner.

Let me say this also about Islam: it’s as much a political system as it is a religious system. The adherents of Islam can’t even agree amongst themselves as to how their laws are to be interpreted or how they are to behave both religiously and politically. Within that community, the ones who get to interpret what the civil law says is the faction that either has the most weapons or are the most ruthless in the use of them.

Here’s my point - I don’t have an "irrational fear" of homosexuals or of Muslims. I have a "rational fear." A reasonable and sensible fear of them. A "fear" that can "rationally" see, not only the temporal or worldly danger in being an adherent of either abomination, but the spiritual danger of following such a calling. And, it’s the "spiritual" that carries the most danger because it condemns it’s followers to an eternal damnation.

Now, here’s my connecting thought regarding "fear." There’s a myriad of scriptures that tell us, either directly or indirectly, that we are to "fear God." Probably as good a passage on this as we’ll find are the words of Solomon in Eccl. 12:13; "Let us hear the conclusion of the matter: fear God and keep His commandments; for this is the whole duty of man."
Do you think Solomon is talking about a "rational" or an "irrational" fear there?

It is my humble opinion, derived from studying most of the passages that speak to our "fear of God" that it is NOT speaking of an "irrational fear" of God, but rather just the opposite - a "rational fear" of Him. Let me explain my position this way: man was given an intellect at the time of creation. Because of that intellect, we have the ability to reason things.
With the ability to reason comes the ability to gain knowledge, to study God’s Word and thereby know and understand what pleases Him. Note again something said by Solomon: "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge..." (Prov. 1:7) Thus, our "fear of God" is one that is "rational" in that we know Who and What He is and that, speaking figuratively, He holds our souls in the "palm of His hand." (John 10:28)

That brings me to my concluding thought. In Matt. 10:28 we find the words so often used from the pulpit: "And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear Him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell." In other words: reverence and respect God, who created the world, mankind and everything on it, and has the power to bring eternal life or eternal death and suffering to your soul.

Yes, we can, and need to, have a "rational fear" about a lot of things that pertain to living on this earth because a "rational fear" allows us to be as safe as possible and avoid many problems while living our lives. But far more important than "fear" of earthly things, is a "rational fear" of God. He who issued us our soul and to Whom it will return. (Eccl. 12:7)

Ron Covey

Crime-Stopper Notebook

                "Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God  what you need, and thank Him for all that He has done. (Phil 4:6 NLT)
 
For today’s editorial I’d like you to consider with me some thoughts on an oft-heard subject from pulpits - prayer. And, as usual, I have a little story to help illustrate our lesson. However, this one is somewhat different than most of the others as it involved a good friend of mine. He told me his story as we were traveling cross-country together a few months ago. 

As soon as possible, I took pen and paper and wrote down what he said because I’m well aware of my ability to recall things (or lack thereof). That’s why I always carry my "Crime-Stopper Notebook" (that dates me, doesn’t it?) just for that very purpose - my forgetfulness. But, in this instance, I took good notes and I can accurately relate my friend’s experience. Without further ado, here is what he told me.

My friend is a veteran of the U.S. Marine Corps and is also a veteran of the Vietnam War and (appropriately) we were on our way to the Vietnam War Memorial when he told me this. He said that, upon completing his basic training, he received his orders to Vietnam, however, as customarily done, he was granted a short leave before reporting for duty.

He was going to fly home to see his family and, having obtained his ticket, he boarded the plane to go to his seat assignment and he had to pass through the First Class seating section to get to it. (I should note that he was in uniform) As he was doing so a hand caught him by the arm. He looked down and saw that the hand belonged to a man he recognized as Johnny Cash along with his wife, June, seated next to him.

Johnny asked him, "Son, are you being sent to Vietnam?" to which my friend replied, "Yes Sir." Johnny then said, "I’ll pray for you to safely come home." My friend said, "Thank you, Sir" and proceeded on to his seat. He enjoyed his leave time at home and then reported back for duty and went on to serve in Vietnam.
Isn’t that an interesting story? That a famous celebrity would stop a young soldier and say that he’d pray for his safety? Just doesn’t fit the perception we have of entertainers and celebrities today, does it?

I ask you though, is that really any different than us today - IE: praying that we or a loved one will have a safe journey? We offer and hear prayers to that end all the time, don’t we? Don’t we pray for God’s "watchful care" over us? Or, that He will give us the strength to see us through perilous or trying times? Of course we do!
At this point in our discussion about prayer and prayers, I’m going to mention something that is just a personal opinion. Sometimes I think that we might get a little selfish in our prayers. What I mean by that is, I think that a lot of people only think about praying to God when they need Him to take care of them in some manner. To "pull their fat out of the fire," so to speak. Yet, never remember to pray for other things, such as; just to let Him know that we love Him and recognize that He’s our Heavenly Father and that we consider His name to be "hallowed" (holy).
Or maybe, just to say that we’re appreciative of all the wonderful things He’s already blessed us with. Things like this wondrous earth He created and even our very existence on it. Plus, shouldn’t we just pray to let Him know that we’re thinking about Him?

We know from the Gospel that Christians are God’s family (Eph. 3:14-15). When you consider that, in conjunction with our topic of prayer, as a human father, isn’t it pleasing when your children call you just to say that they’re thinking about you? Relative as to how we feel when that happens, is it hard to imagine that same scenario with God?

I don’t think that you can find a better picture of this than the one we read about in Rev. 5:8 and 8:3-4. There we see that our prayers are like a sweet incense (odor) when they "ascend up before God." Shouldn’t we want to please God in this manner? Or, should we just keep Him in reserve until something bad happens and then remember to pray? I’ll let you decide which side of that equation is best.
Those are a few short thoughts of mine on prayer, and there are many more passages we could look at on this subject, but we can’t cover them all in one editorial. We’ll talk more about this subject in future editorials.

Now, do you recall that I asked if you found the earlier story "interesting?" Well, it actually didn’t end there. I just interrupted it for several paragraphs of thought and so, as Paul Harvey used to say - "now for the rest of the story."

Years later, my friend, now out of the military, was on a business trip for his company. He happened to be in another airport catching a flight home. As he was passing through a passenger waiting area he saw Johnny Cash and his wife, June, sitting in that area.
He walked over to them and said, "Mr. Cash, I just wanted to tell you that your prayers were answered." Johnny looked up at him and asked, "What prayers?" My friend reminded him of the earlier incident when he was about to head for war and then said to him, "I made it safely home from Vietnam." 

At that, Johnny thanked him and said that he was very happy to see and hear that. Johnny then asked my friend if he’d return the favor and my friend asked him what he meant. Johnny said that he and his wife were there for a flight to the Mayo Clinic for some treatments as his wife was very ill. My friend assured him that he’d be honored to pray for them where upon he had to leave them to catch his flight.
June Carter Cash passed away from her illness just a short time after this meeting.
You know, I see in this a lesson that shows us that God doesn’t always answer our prayers in the way that we’d like them answered. Especially when it comes to the inevitability of death. God has blessed man with many great blessings in the area of medical practices and medicines, with more being discovered every day, yet still, "it is appointed unto man once to die..." (Heb. 9:27).

That is as much a certainty of life as is birth. Christians understand this, which is why we also pray for the "strength and comfort" to see us through that inevitable occurrence. That God can always give us those things because we believe that His promises are true and that He is faithful to keep them. That the eternity that awaits the faithful is far better than our temporal life here on earth. To me, that is another example of "the peace of God that passeth all understanding" and it "shall keep your hearts and minds through Jesus Christ." (Phil. 4:7)

Why don’t we close this lesson with a prayer thanking God for having provided a way for us to enter that heavenly, eternal home. Wouldn’t that be an appropriate prayer?


Ron Covey

Canadian Open and Hunter Mahan

More Important

After the second round of the RBC Canadian Open last weekend, Hunter Mahan, 31, had a two-stroke lead.  If he could continue playing well for the final two rounds on Saturday and Sunday, he could win the Open and $1 million.

Mahan was warming up at the practice range on Saturday morning in Oakville, Ontario, when his agent, Chris Armstrong, came to him with an important phone call.  In response to the call, Mahan immediately packed up his clubs, went to the hotel to get his stuff, and flew home in a friend's private plane to Dallas, TX.  He left behind a possible victory accompanied by a $1 million check because there was something far more important to him: his wife, Kandi, had gone into labor, three weeks early.

Mahan got there in time to witness the birth of the couple's first child.  Zoe Olivia Mahan was born at 3:26 a.m. on Sunday, July 30th.

Later that day, Brandt Snedeker won the Canadian Open and the $1 million prize.

But Hunter Mahan has no regrets.  "Both Baby and Mom are doing great," Mahan tweeted. "Thanks to all - to my sponsors who appreciate what's important in life and all my fans for being Awesome!"
"When I am done playing golf," Mahan told Jason Gay of the Wall Street Journal, "I'd rather be noted for being a good husband and good father than anything else." 

He explained that golf and golf titles were fleeting, that "success comes and goes," and that there were more important things.  "Seeing your daughter every day, having a family - that is stuff that makes you happy to your core," he said. *

What a wonderful lesson in priorities!  Some things are more important - like being there for your wife and the birth of your baby, even if it means giving up an opportunity to win $1 million.  The rewards of relationships are far more valuable than the awards of accomplishments.

THE most important relationship is our relationship with God!

SIN separates us from God (Isaiah 59:1-2) and "the wages of sin is death" (Rom 6:23) But God loves us so much that He gave His Son Jesus to die on the cross for our sins so that we can be reconciled to Him and receive eternal life (John 3:16;
2 Corinthians 5:18-21).

God will save and give eternal life to those who accept His offer on His terms by: placing their faith and trust in Jesus (Acts 16:30-31), turning from sin in repentance (Acts 17:30-31), confessing Jesus before men (Romans 10:9-10), and being baptized (immersed) into Christ for the forgiveness of sins (Acts 2:38).  Then, as one continues to walk in the light of His Word, the blood of Jesus continues to cleanse him from sin (1 John 1:7).

Thank you, Hunter Mahan, for reminding us of the priority of our relationships. 

May his example cause US to place a greater value on OUR relationships - especially the most important one: our relationship with God through His Son, Jesus Christ!

Won't YOU accept His offer of salvation, eternal life, and relationship?

David Sargent

survival training

Little Johnny sat playing in the garden. When his mother came out to collect him, she saw that he was slowly eating a worm. She turned pale. "No, Johnny! Stop! That's horrible! You can't eat worms!" Trying to convince him further she noted, "The mother worm is looking all over for her nice baby worm." "No, she isn't," said Johnny.
"How do you know she's not?" said the mother. "Because I ate her first!" answered Little Johnny.

 I know this story seems gross to most of us (unless you are in survival training). However as I read the story, I wondered how many of us have "eaten the worm," of sin and uncleanness the world presents to us.

God's word says stay away from sin, yet the world says, It's OK, a little sin won't hurt you. Yet, God's word says that Sin is Sin and it only takes a little bit to separate you from God.

A friend one day was eating a candy covered apple and said, "Yuck, I just found a worm in this apple."I replied, "It could have been worse." He said, "How?" I told him, "You could have found half of a worm." I was not surprised to find recently that there are websites that now sell chocolate covered worms. But you see, candy coating a worm doesn't change the fact that it is a worm.

Satan, through the world is trying very hard to candy coat the worms in our lives called Sin. He has taken the purity of life, sexual relations, pure worship, etc. and changed it into something God has called Sin. Notice what Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 6:9-11: "Don't you know that people who are unjust won't inherit God's kingdom? Don't be deceived. Those who are sexually immoral, those who worship false gods, adulterers, both participants in same-sex intercourse, thieves, the greedy, drunks, abusive people, and swindlers won't inherit God's kingdom.  That is what some of you used to be! But you were washed clean, you were made holy to God, and you were made right with God in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God." (Common English Bible)

Satan, through our Television programming, movies, books, etc. is trying to candy coat the worm. He is doing a good job of desensitizing us morally and ethically to accept the worm of sin, as something that tastes good, or at lease is not all that bad. They promote fornication (living together), Adultery (having sex with someone other than you spouse), homosexuality, lying, cheating, abuse of others and more other sins than I can list.

We need to start working very hard at regulating what we put into our minds and the minds of our children. I have had to stop watching televising programs which I enjoyed in the past, because they promote lifestyles and values that God condemns. There are movies I will not go and see and actors I will not support by watching them who are trying to feed me candy coated worms.

How about it, are you ready to eat the worm, or are you ready to draw the line and stand for what God stands for in the way of righteous living!

Russ Lawson

Grassy Ridge Bald on Roan Mountain

 Grassy Ridge Bald on Roan Mountain "Blazing My Trail"

In the past year I've taken some significant (for me) day hikes. A recent trek to Grassy Ridge Bald on Roan Mountain involved serious climbing up a steep Appalachian Trail. Another hike to Rock Creek Falls in Unicoi County found me huffing and puffing more than I'd like to admit. In most of these hikes there has been a reward for the effort, and I have returned home satisfied each time.

Earlier this week I took on another kind of trail. The Guest River Gorge Trail is 5.8 miles in length; I did 3 miles on a beautiful late-July day, totaling 6 for the hike. This trail involved no climbing to speak of; it was uniformly wide and had only a gradual, gentle slope. It was almost as if someone had deliberately made the trail easy.

In fact, the trail was once the roadbed for the Norfolk & Southern Railroad, which used this spur to haul coal from one point to another. In 1988 the tracks were taken up and the roadbed became a recreational trail. In the three or four times I've walked on it, I've envisioned men from long ago swinging picks and shoveling rocks as they carved this road through the rugged mountain terrain. My trail is smooth because of their labors.

My ultimate journey, however, involves the most serious climbing of all; I'm aiming to one day find myself in the actual presence of my Creator. Is such a goal possible?

For a long time the answer to that last question was "No". Even in the days of the temple in Jerusalem, coming into the presence of God was unthinkable. "... the way into the Holiest of All [the symbolic abode of God on earth] was not yet made manifest while the first tabernacle was still standing" (Hebrews 9:8). People could only stand outside the temple and imagine standing before God.

Christ, however, has blazed a trail for me: "Therefore, brethren, having boldness to enter the Holiest by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way which He consecrated for us, through the veil, that is, His flesh ... let us draw near" (Hebrews 10:19-22). It is now possible for any of us - through Christ - to stand before God with confidence!

Why would I want to go there? Jesus said He was going "to prepare a place" for His followers. When asked how to get there, Jesus responded: "I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me" (John 14:3- 6). Jesus is the trail to heaven, blazed at great personal expense to Him.

My day hikes through the woods are nice. But my lifelong journey to heaven is far more significant than any other trip I'll make. I must take the one path Jesus prepared.

Come to the light God offers! Study His word, the Bible. Worship Him in spirit and truth (John 4:24). Get in touch with us if you'd like to discuss these ideas further.

Timothy D. Hall

Questions about mission work

1.   Do you think it was easy for Paul, who was not born a Greek, to speak Greek as well as the native Greeks in Corinth?  2 Corinthians 10:10.

2.   What does language have to do with building up people in Christ?  1 Corinthians 14:11,12.                                                                                                                             

3.   A missionary uses the language of the people in the foreign culture because he/she wants the message to be possible. 1 Corinthians 14:6-11.

4.   How does speaking to people in their own language affect their attitude toward the speaker?  Acts 21:37-40; 22:1,2.                                                                                                         

5.   What did God do on Pentecost so that the people could best understand the message?  Acts 2:1-11.

 6.   What did Bible writers sometimes do to help their readers understand better?  Matthew 1:23;  Mark 5:41;  7:11.

© by G.B. Shelburne, III.  May be reproduced for non-profit, non-publishing instructional purposes provided this full copyright notice is included and document content is not altered.  South Houston Bible Institute, 14325 Crescent Landing, Houston, TX 77062-2178, USA, telephone 281-990-8899, email shbi@shbi.org, web site www. shbi.org