RAFTING THE GAULEY

Back in September of “08” I was blessed with the opportunity to take my adult children with me to go whitewater rafting on the Gauley River in West Virginia. Rafting the Gauley is a seasonal opportunity. Each fall the Corp of Engineers draws down the water stored behind the Summersville Dam to winter levels. The release of water results in the formation of the best whitewater river in the eastern United States. The Gauley is ranked among the top ten rivers for rafting in the world.

On our trip we were fortunate to be assigned a smaller five person high adventure raft. We were assigned an experienced guide named Liz. The main guide “Kip” took the larger nine person raft. A third guide brought another group of the Outfitter’s in-store employees. They had never been on the Gauley before.  On our second rapid of the day, a fairly easy class 3, we came to a “surfing hole”. There are places in the Gauley River and other whitewater where the water is churned up to such a degree that it gives the illusion, once you are caught in it, that your craft is floating on a cloud. Kip took his big raft expertly around the hole turned the raft and had all on board paddle hard back upstream to get into it. Once there they sat, literally floating on station, while the river rushed past on both sides. As we approached, Kip was trying to get his raft free so we could pull up into it. He was stuck (1Tim 6:9). That big ol’ raft just wouldn’t come out. We had to go on around and along with the third raft in our group we pulled up in to a calm area along the side of the river. The big raft was still stuck. It wasn’t wedged on a rock or anything. It was just being held by the circumstance of the river. The promise of an easy thrill had lured nine people into a trap that the river had decided to set that day. (If we had left them they could have been stuck there until the engineers stopped the water release at the dam that evening) But our guide, being the responsible and compassionate person she is stopped to effect a rescue. Now here watch and see a picture of grace and faith in action. Liz grabbed a throw bag. (A throw bag is a weighted canvass bag in which rope is loosely piled so when it is thrown the line plays out smoothly behind it.) Liz had my son in law get out onto the rocks to tend our raft. She then took the guide from the third group and one of the outfitters employees and walked upstream on the rocks to a level area  where she could safely throw the line  to Kip’s boat. She stood nearest the river with the bag the other guide and the employee lined up directly behind her each one grasping tightly the vest of the person ahead forming a human anchor. Watch as Liz tosses the bag through the air toward the trapped boat the line playing out behind it (Heb 2:9). Watch as hands in the big raft reach out in faith to grasp the grace and mercy represented by the life line (2Tim 2:25-26). We also have to realize here that some very important things had to happen before mercy could be extended and subsequently appropriated by faith. Kip had to realize his raft was in trouble (Luke 15:17-21 & 18:13-14) and couldn’t get out by himself and he had to ask for help (Acts 2:21).

This is our aim in evangelism, to bring people to this point. It is not something they can appropriate for themselves. It is not something that we can do for them. Before grace is offered it cannot be appropriated by faith.

In “All of Grace” Charles Spurgeon explains it this way:

”Faith which receives Christ is as simple an act as when your child receives an apple from you, because you hold it out and promise to give him the apple if he comes for it. The belief and the receiving relate only to an apple; but they make up precisely the same act as the faith which deals with eternal salvation. What the child’s hand is to the apple, that your faith is to the perfect salvation of Christ. The child’s hand does not make the apple, nor improve the apple, nor deserve the apple; it only takes it; and faith is chosen by God to be the receiver of salvation, because it does not pretend to create salvation, nor to help in it, but it is content humbly to receive it. “Faith is the tongue that begs pardon, the hand which receives it, and the eye which sees it; but it is not the price which buys it.” Faith never makes herself her own plea, she rests all her argument upon the blood of Christ. She becomes a good servant to bring the riches of the Lord Jesus to the soul, because she acknowledges whence she drew them, and owns that grace alone entrusted her with them.”

G.E.Hodges

Semi vs. SUV and The Laws of Physics

On the way home from an evangelism conference a couple of years ago I witnessed an event that made an impression on me. Valerie and I were traveling west on I-64 about a mile and a half before the Scott Depot exit when we watched a little white SUV race ahead of us and cut over into the right hand lane just inches ahead of a tractor-trailer. Thankfully the truck driver was alert and avoided running over them. Then he did something I found interesting. He laid on the air horn so long and so startlingly loud that I was impressed. (Have you ever heard an angry truck? This was an angry truck.) He followed the SUV for about a mile to the exit and then partway up the off ramp all the while blowing his horns in one long strident blast. I was beginning to wonder if he would loose air to his trailer brakes. Was the truck driver just enraged at the stupidity of the SUV driver? Was what I witnessed merely a case of road rage? Probably… I don’t condone road rage, but, in my mind I tried to justify his actions. Maybe he was trying to impress the SUV driver just how dangerous his (or her) actions were. Was he trying to teach them a lesson or scare some sense into them? 

How much does a loaded semi weigh? How much does a small SUV weigh?
BIG MISMATCH!




The laws of physics demand that for each and every action the will be an equal and opposite reaction. There just isn’t enough SUV there to absorb all the energy from that truck. If that truck driver hadn’t been alert there was going to be an accounting for the difference.
I hope that now the SUV driver understands that he is lucky that all he suffered was some embarrassment and that the only wrath he suffered came from some liberally applied air horns.
So too, our lives are inconsequential compared to the day that approaches each of us. We flirt with it all through our lives. We cut in and out of traffic and cross in front of the great terror of death each day. It isn’t so much that one day we’re the windshield and the next day we’re the bug it’s that one day the windshield catches us all.
It’s my hope that everyone who sees this article is saved. I know that many of you at least have some affiliation with or affinity for a local church.  Frankly, though, I have no delusion that everyone that reads this note is saved. So those of you who are not please listen to what I have to say.
Here is the Gospel message as plain as I can tell it.


It is appointed to man once to die and after this the judgment. You have to face God on judgment day. I’m going to ask you some questions. Please answer them with an honest heart. Have you ever lied? Have you ever stolen? Jesus said that if you have just looked with lust at another person you have committed adultery with them already in your heart. Have you ever done that? Have you always put God first in your life? Have you loved Him so much that your love for your spouse and your family seems like hatred in comparison? I’m not saying that you make it to Heaven by keeping commandments or laws. I’m merely demonstrating that no one is innocent. The Bible says that all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. Those are just a few of the commandments. On judgment day you’re going to end up guilty. God has seen every sin you’ve ever committed. The Bible says that all liars will have their part in the lake of fire. If you die in your sins you will end up in hell. Jesus suffered in your place. It’s as if you broke the law and Jesus paid your fine. He purchased everlasting life for you. What you must do before you pass from life into death is to repent before God. Tell God you’re sorry and put your trust in Jesus. Are you prepared to do that now? Right where you are, in the quietness of your heart, confess your sins to God. Put your trust in Jesus just as you would an airline pilot or a parachute. Trust Him with your eternal salvation.
 Gail


 Luke 10:2

8%

Someone forwarded this to me a few months ago. I don't remember who. I forwarded it at the time but I saved a copy to my hard drive just in case I ever wanted to use it in a sermon. Here it is as I received it. I hope you find this lesson on forgiveness a blessing as I did.

8%

One day a while back, a man, his heart heavy with grief, was walking in the woods. As he thought about his life this day, he knew many things were not right. He thought about those who had lied about him back when he had a job.
His thoughts turned to those who had stolen his things and cheated him. He remembered family that had passed on. His mind turned to the illness he had, that no one could cure. His very soul was filled with anger, resentment, and frustration. Standing there this day, searching for answers he could not find, knowing all else had failed him, he knelt at the base of an old oak tree to seek the one he knew would always be there. And with tears in his eyes, he prayed:
'Lord, You have done wonderful things for me in this life. You have told me to do many things for you, and I happily obeyed. Today, you have told me to forgive. I am sad, Lord, because I cannot, I don't know how. It is not fair Lord, I didnt deserve these wrongs that were done against me and I shouldn't have to forgive. As perfect as Your way is Lord, this one thing I cannot do, for I don't know how to forgive. My anger is so deep Lord, I fear I may not hear you, but I pray you teach me to do the one thing I cannot do: Teach me to forgive.'
As he knelt there in the quiet shade of that old oak tree, he felt something fall onto his shoulder. He opened his eyes. Out of the corner of one eye, he saw something red on his shirt. He could not turn to see what it was because where the oak tree had been was a large square piece of wood in the ground. He raised his head and saw two feet held to the wood with a large spike through them.
He raised his head more, and tears came to his eyes as he saw Jesus hanging on a cross. He saw spikes in His hands, a gash in His side, a torn and battered body, deep thorns sunk into His head. Finally he saw the suffering and pain on His precious face. As their eyes met, the man's tears turned to sobbing, and Jesus began to speak.
'Have you ever told a lie?' He asked?
The man answered - 'Yes, Lord.'
'Have you ever been given too much change and kept it?'
The man answered - 'Yes. Lord.' And the man sobbed more and more.
'Have you ever taken something from work that wasn't yours?' Jesus asked?
And the man answered, 'Yes, Lord.'
'Have you ever sworn, using my Father's name in vain?'
The man, crying now, answered - 'Yes, Lord.'
As Jesus asked many more times, Have you ever'? The man's crying became uncontrollable, for he could only answer - 'Yes, Lord'.
Then Jesus turned His head from one side to the other, and the man felt something fall on his other shoulder He looked and saw that it was the blood of Jesus. When he looked back up, his eyes met those of Jesus, and there was a look of love the man had never seen or known before.
Jesus said, 'I didn't deserve this either, but I forgive you.'
It may be hard to see how you're going to get through something, but when you look back in life, you realize how true this statement is.
Read the following first line slowly and let it sink in.
If God brings you to it - He will bring you through it.
When Jesus died on the cross, he was thinking of you! If you are one of the 8% who will stand up for Him, forward this with the Title 8%
92% of people won't forward this

Second Amendment

The very atmosphere of firearms anywhere and everywhere restrains evil interference - they deserve a place of honor with all that's good.
George Washington

The Amish Bassboat

Have you ever had someone slap you in the back of the head? ”Wake up Boy! Pay attention!” Boy, I

did this week. Early in the week I couldn’t think of anything to write about. I figured, no big deal, I’ll

write something next month. I hadn’t really intended for this to be a regular monthly column anyway. I

thought the deadline had already passed. Well, this morning Valerie left a message on my voice mail

saying I still had until Thursday morning to submit something for the newsletter. Hmmmm What could

I write about? I still couldn’t think of anything. ….SLAP!…”What did you see that struck you as unusual

this week?” “I dunno” SLAP! ….”Do you remember those two Amish guys?” “Yeah, so…” Slap!!

“Write about that.” “OK………”

Monday morning I was leaving the store to visit customers. As I turned the corner on a short section of

Leading Creek road I noticed an Amish Buggy rounding the turn and out of sight just ahead. I began to

try to figure out just exactly what I was seeing. There were two Amish Guys driving a standard issue

Amish buggy being drawn by a standard issue Amish horse with a standard issue orange triangle on

the back. They were towing something. As I got closer I could see they were towing a boat! That’s

something you don’t see every day. As I pulled up and passed them I noticed their Igloo water cooler,

a couple of red and white ice chests and their fishing poles all tied firmly to the boat. I thought about

stopping to talk with them but business pressed me onward. I wonder what that conversation would

sound like……………………

That your boat?

Nope, we stole it from the Mennonite family up the road ;)

Been fishing?

Just a little, but my brother Zebedee here wanted to water ski so we didn’t get much fishin’ done.

Water skiing ?

Yeah, but we didn’t get to do much of that either.

How come?

It wears the horse out.

By now you’re probably wondering what the point of this silliness is. Its this, there is more than one

way to engage someone in a dialog. The first way generally gets most peoples attention but

immediately puts them on the defensive.  The second way is generally more winsome and works favorably on more people. Neither of these techniques may work for you so what you need to do is find an approach to people that works with your personality and temperament. The main idea is to start a conversation with the lost world around you. You can’t talk to someone about eternal things without first engaging them on a personal level.

Look at our Lord when He met the woman of Samaria. He began by simply asking for a drink of water.

As their conversation progressed He quickly moved it into matters of eternal importance. As a result

we see possibly the first woman evangelist in history. She simply went to those who knew her and said

“Come, see a man, who told me all things that ever I did: can this be the Christ?” ( Jn 4:29)

“And from that city many of the Samaritans believed on him because of the word of the woman, who

testified, He told me all things that ever I did. So when the Samaritans came unto him, they besought

him to abide with them: and he abode there two days. And many more believed because of his word;

and they said to the woman, Now we believe, not because of thy speaking: for we have heard for

ourselves, and know that this is indeed the Saviour of the world.”(Jn 4:39-42)

The Grandparent Gig

This grandparent thing is great! Valerie and I have been at it now for about five years since we were adopted by Brittany when Joshua and Melissa were married. She's been a joy!  Every so often we would go pick her up, see a movie and stop at "Bob's" for a kid’s meal with burgers and smiley fries and some kind of blue drink that looks a little like tidy bowl. Brit has “matured” quite a bit since then. I “think” she still likes us but with teens it’s hard to tell sometimes. Things have been even more fun since Nathaniel got here. With a newborn grandchild you have the perfect excuse to chase down people you see that you haven't had the chance to talk to in years .  You might be in Wal-Mart or the mall and  see  someone on the other end of the store (1/4 mile away). You look at your spouse and say, "Doesn't that look like 'ol Betty and 'ol  Bob? Why we haven't seen them since before the kids got married...........................”  Your eyes meet and all of a sudden your grandparent gene kicks in and off you both go after your next victim............. It’s like a scene from Animal Planet where the lions work together to run down their prey. I’ve figured out why you see so many knots of people just standing and talking in the aisles at Wal-Mart. They’re caused by new grandparents who’ve just made a fresh capture!

Pictures are a must. I've carried a couple around in my shirt pocket for the first few months. When they got worn out I’d just print more. Valerie bought this large greenish-gold, yellow and pink striped purse the other day that has places for three photos with little clear plastic windows so everyone can see her grandchildren. This thing just screams LOOK AT ME !

Old friends aren’t the only targets. People you deal with on a regular basis like the pharmacist, the receptionist at the doctor’s office and your barber are all in for their share of the good news. You might even start thinking of excuses to run next door to talk to your neighbor. Even salesmen and Jehovah’s Witnesses that come to your door are blissfully unaware of the fate that awaits them.

Do you remember the time when your newborn faith in Christ caused you to act the same way? You couldn’t wait to tell everyone about your new found friend. You looked for opportunities to witness. You made time to tell others. Do you remember when you were carried on your quest by good old fashioned gratitude for your salvation? Are you still grateful to a kind and loving God that you’ve been saved from eternal wrath?

Paul said in Colossians 1:12 - 14    “I pray that you will be grateful to God for letting you have part in what he has promised his people in the kingdom of light.  God rescued us from the dark power of Satan and brought us into the kingdom of his dear Son, who forgives our sins and sets us free.” --The Contemporary English version--
I’ve said before that the greatest motivation for carrying the Gospel is gratitude. I think that most folks who know me know that I don’t have a particularly outwardly emotional demeanor but when I think of how Christ brought me from the edge of falling into hell and the price He paid for my salvation I can barely hold it together. If all it takes is willingness and shoe leather to present the Gospel I’m all in. Whatever I do for Him is too little. I’m sure most of you feel the same way.

Gail

2 Corinthians 9:15

My First Year On The Wing.

My First Year on the Wing.

I’ve learned a lot this past year. According to the receipt I purchased my 1981 Goldwing on June 26, 2009. Sure it’s an antique but it’s in tremendous shape. The previous owner had found it lying on its side in a rusty old steel yard barn. He gave it a lot of TLC and brought an old rusty barn find back to life. Every operating system on the bike was brought back to a safe and serviceable condition. Valerie and I have enjoyed our new found freedom. If we had understood how much fun a couple of empty nesters could have on the bike we would have gotten one a lot sooner. We have a whole new group of Christian brothers and sisters to share the journey and minister with.   

My first ride on the wing was also the very first time I had ever driven a motorcycle of any kind. It was mid July and I had finally gotten the tags and insurance all set up. The only thing it needed was a West Virginia inspection sticker for everything to be legal. The time had come for me to make the six mile trip to Possum’s. I pulled the bike around in the yard and did my version of a pre-ride check. Boots, heavy jacket, helmet, gloves, gas on, mirrors, tires and so on. Yep I got all that. I started her up and pulled up to the edge of the highway. I sat there and watched the traffic for a while. After what seemed like an hour I finally decided there was nothing coming in either direction. I gave it some gas and let the clutch out and the bike kinda jerked out onto the road. Here we go. Shift through the gears - second, third, fourth, fifth. I was hanging on with a death grip. I was terrified to look away from the road. When I finally looked down at the speedometer I was all the way up to 35. It seemed at least twice that. About a mile from home I pulled into the carwash at the Marathon station. I thought it was a “good idea” to stop for a minute and make sure everything was working the way I expected. I got off the bike and walked around it two or three times. I thought to myself,” It would be easy enough to leave the bike here and walk back to the house and get the truck and trailer….. No, if I don’t get back on this thing now I never will. I’m not going to let a piece of equipment whip me. “   Against the fear that was raging through my mind I got back on the bike and finished the last five miles to the inspection station. Every motion and operation on this huge powerful bike was completely foreign to me. Every mistake and poor skill that I demonstrated made me feel less confident. The turning, shifting, braking and all the other things that go along with the operation of a motorcycle required more concentration and determination than I had needed to muster in years.   Well, I finally made it to Possums’ and got the bike inspected. After taking some good natured ribbing from the mechanics about my riding skills I headed home, …….. in the rain.

It’s a lot like that when we first begin to witness on purpose. Anything worthwhile takes a certain amount dedication, determination and concentration. Our first steps in reaching out to our loved ones and neighbors sometimes seem be either daunting, stiff, or dangerous. It is real easy to stop and reassess what we are doing and decide to go back to where we started [i]  but, if we do that how can we say we love our neighbor as our self if we haven’t warned him about the wrath to come?[ii] Besides, If we quit and turn back to what we perceive as ease and safety, what fun is there in that?

 

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[i] Mark 4:17, Hebrews 3:12

[ii] Luke 10:27, John 3:36