Alternative History

Yesterday I went to the first Smithsonian Museum I have ever been to. The Museum of American History. I have to tell you what a refreshing experience it was.

After finally being run out of the Museum at closing time and finding Jennifer waiting on the front steps outside, we sat down on the steps to rest and reconoiter.

I asked Jen, "You know what I find most interesting about all the displays?"

"What?" She said.

"I have looked at three days worth of American History now, all over Washington, DC and I have yet to see one single reference to Joseph Smith, Brigham Young, or The Book of Mormon. We really do get a distorted view of American History when all we get is filtered through the eyes of Utahans."

P.S. I haven't found anyone who didn't know New Mexico is a state of the United States.

In Memory

I didn't know Virgil very well. We went to school together from Jr. High on. I was never in his home, nor he in mine. We played on the Jr High and High School football teams together. I was present at the state wrestling tournament in Johnson Gym in Albuquerque when Virgil won the state championship in his weight class.

Today I saw his name on the Vietnam War Memorial. Panel 34W line 61. KIA in Vietnam in 1969. I was a little choked up as I thought of a classmate who has missed these last 37 years. My thoughts go out to his family for their loss as well.

Then as we walked on a litte further there was an athletic letter lying among the tributes. It was a big blue K. And at that point I realized the loss of 58,000 guys who have missed the last 37 years. George W., we need to win this thing in Iraq so in 40 years the people looking at the Iraq War Memorial won't be struck by the number of their buds that lost their lives in an unsuccessful war.

Today's blog, In Memory, Virgil Jessie Roberts.

Dog Gone Vacation

This camping trip to the desert could be called the Dog Gone trip. We had some dog on problems. She got a bath before we left but we forgot to put her collar back on. So she had no tags, including identification. No problem right. Wrong. Cause we lost her.

That’s right, Ms, Uma Ruth, Ruth because where you go I will go, decided to go hiking by herself. Actually, while we were stopped at a remote wash, getting ready to go hiking we decided to try our hand at a little tin can plinking. (Jen said to tell you she hit the can) I guess the noise was too much even if it was only a 22. When we were through shooting and ready to hike, No Uma. After about an hour of searching, our friend Neal found her and we were able to take our hike.

The next day in a decision very unusual for us we decided to go hiking inside a National Park. Most of our hiking is in the wilderness areas. We knew that she had to be on a leash in the park. We left our Tahoe at trails end and got a shuttle to the trail head. There we started up the trial only to discover that even on a leash dogs are not allowed on the trail. So what could we do? The first guy we met on the trail thought we should just go back to the trail head but he was too obnoxious to offer a ride to the Tahoe.

So Ms. Uma Ruth got her second day in a row of breaking the law. We got her off the trail as soon as possible thanks again to Neal and his wife Cindy.

Anybody interested in a little white dog that got her start as a Texas tramp and has turned into a lawbreaker? I think it is appropriate that the hike she took with us illegally was to Cassidy Arch, named after the notorious outlaw, Butch Cassidy.

He is not here! He is risen!

He is not here! He has risen. Indeed the tomb is empty and the Lord is alive! It was the day of transformation for the followers of Jesus. It was the day they changed from a fearful band of disappointed men and women into the army of God that marched across the world with the Good News. He loves us enough to die for us. He is powerful enough to defeat death. He offers new life to you, too.

How can you be sure? Well look in the tomb. It is empty. He is not here! He has risen.

I know that an empty tomb today is not proof of something that did or did not happen 2000 years ago.I know that we cannot be positive we know which is the correct tomb. But the afternoon I looked into the garden tomb, my heart leapt for joy as I shouted, much as Peter and John must have shouted. “It is empty! He is not here!

You can visit the tomb of almost every other religious leader, founder, prophet, etc., but when you get to the tomb of Jesus, IT IS EMPTY! Praise God.

Happy Resurrection Morning.

Prepackaged Communion

I don’t know if this is the epitome of modernism or the proof that postmodernism is in full swing. Today I received in the mail perhaps the most ridiculous item ever. I mean, I can handle almost anything in the way of convenience. Years ago I had a church treasurer refuse to buy me a baptismal robe and waders until I convinced him that it would make it convenient for us to do baptisms in the middle of a worship service. He reluctantly agreed.

But this is over the top. Tell me, is it modernism run amuck or postmodernism getting a firmer foothold. The item: It is a prepackaged communion set. It comes in just the right size to fit in our service trays. There is a little cellophane tab that you pull up and the wafer is exposed. Then you pull the foil top and the grape juice is ready to drink.

The advertising says they will last without refrigeration for 12 months. They will be less expensive because there is less waste. No preparation time or clean up time is involved for the deacons/ communion committee. They are packaged and sealed for purity. I mean, haven’t we already sanitized our faith enough? And of course it would save time because the servers would only have to make one pass, you get the bread and cup at one time.

I can think of a couple of other ways we could use them. We wouldn’t need as many Deacons present for a service as they wouldn’t have to be hand passed, they could literally be passed out. If someone dropped one they wouldn’t spill. They are sealed.

If the service ran long, those who don’t have more than an hour to spare for worship could leave early and just pick up a pack on the way out and observe at the first stop light. The scripture is printed right on top of the cellophane so you could read it out loud to yourself as you opened the tab.

We might need to change some of the words. “This is my body, pre packaged for you.” Doesn’t that sound more sanitized than broken?

I am sure my postmodern friends and children will accuse us moderns of this abomination. I don’t know though. There has to be a reason it didn’t find its way to market until 2006.

Please pray with me that the Communion Packaging Company of Sanford, Florida will be short lived.

Think About This Too

In a book published so long ago the copywright date is in Roman Numerals, I think it says 1961, Vance Havner, long time evangelist made this statement.

"In this nuclear age we must remember that survival is not the chief end of man. A little boy was asked what he hoped to be twenty-five years from now. He replied, "Alive!" But it is better to die for a conviction than to live by compromise. 'Tis man's perdition to be safe when for the truth he ought to die,' said Patrick Henry. He did not say, 'Give me liberty, death, or peaceful coexistence with George III.' Teddy Roosevelt said that among the things which would destroy America were 'Peace at any price' and 'Safety first instead of duty first.'

from Pepper and Salt, page 31

Wanted: Dead or Alive

Therefore we also have as our ambition, whether at home or absent, to be pleasing to Him. (2 Corinthians 5:9 (NASB95))

Paul has just used “at home or absent” to refer to being alive or dead. (look at 5:6 & 5:8) In this sentence then he is saying that our ambition ought to be to please God whether we are dead or alive. Wow! I think it pretty much goes without saying, we will please God when we are with him in heaven. The question then is, “Do I please God more in life than I will in death?”

What do I need to do today to please God?