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A Profile of Christian Courage: Adoniram Judson (1788-1850)

5/1/2014

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PictureAdoniram Judson, Baptist Missionary
While we American Christians are often troubled these days with some of the changes we see in our great land, we have very little experience with what courage could be required of us in maintaining and proclaiming our faith in Jesus Christ.  Adoniram Judson, the first missionary sponsored by the Baptist Church, and the man who convinced the church to start its World Missions organization, is a good example of some of the extremes of sacrifice and courage that Christians are called to live.  I think he offers us a picture of what sacrifice and devotion really entails.

Judson was born in coastal Massachusetts, the son of a Congregational minister.  His promise was discovered early when he was able to read a passage from the Bible to his parents at the tender age of three and as a student he excelled, graduating from the College of Rhode Island (now Brown University) as the Valedictorian of his class at the age of 19.  To the regret of his parents, however, he fell under the influence of his best friend at college, Jacob Eames, a Deist.  While acknowledging the existence of God, he nonetheless began to doubt the active involvement of God in the life of man.

Starting work as a teacher, he lost touch with Eames but decided a year or so later that he wanted to find out where he was.  On horseback, he traveled around the New York City area looking for him.  Alas, after a futile search, one night he stopped at a roadside inn for lodging and, while having difficulty sleeping, listened to the man in the next room who sounded to be in agony.  The innkeeper told him he was caring for the man who was very ill.

Early the next morning, Judson inquired of his host as to the condition of the man and was told that he had passed during the night.  When he asked who the man was, he was told it was Jacob Eames.  He had looked diligently for his friend only to find himself lodging in the room next door at the time of his death.

Judson took this as a sign that he had better straighten up his life and get back to a godly life and he took heed.  He embarked on the road to the ministry and, while preparing himself, he saw an English sailor's
pamphlet about Burma and its lack of Christianity and saw this as a golden opportunity to serve his God in a special way.

Completing his studies, he requested and received assignment as a missionary and, with his new bride Anne, sailed for Burma.  Somewhere along the way he became convinced that immersion was the only way to be baptized and, as a result, became a Baptist.  Because of this belief and the resultant need for a new sponsorship, he was able to convince the Baptist Church through his initiative, good manners and conviction to sponsor him and several others as the first Baptist missionary to Burma.

Life and work were not easy for the young man in Burma.  He was harassed, even spent some time in prison, and it took him seven years to gain his first convert.  This task was made almost impossible by the Burmese Buddhist government which would issue a death warrant to any Buddhist disavowing his faith for Christianity.

Other problems came along because of the assignment and the circumstances.  His son died at eight months, his first wife and a later wife died due to health conditions caused by the climate and diseases of the time, yet Judson labored on.  His spirit and hope was reinforced at a time when he was doubting himself when he learned of his thirty-five year old brother's death, a man who had not been a  believer, who saw the error of his ways and accepted Jesus before his death.

In the end, following a forty year commitment to his mission in Burma, Judson left behind a legacy of seven thousand baptized converts, sixty-three Baptist congregations, and assignment of one hundred sixty three missionaries to the country.  He also translated the Bible into Burmese and his work is still followed by the large number of Christians in the country today.

Despite personal hardship and heartache, Judson never forgot what his mission was and what he felt was his duty to his Lord.  Today he is remembered with a college bearing his name, many Baptist churches throughout America doing the same and a following in Burma that would have never been possible without his hard work and sacrifice.

He died at the age of sixty two in 1850 but he is well remembered and he offers to each of us Christians, regardless of our denomination or church, a stellar example of what service to Christ really means.  May God bless his soul.

Let's use the example of Adoniram Judson, missionary extraordinaire, as a wonderful example of putting Christ first.  Are we Christians today willing to do the same?

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The Day Before the Day of Horrors

4/17/2014

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On the evening of this day so many years ago, Jesus gathered together His disciples for His last supper with them.  Here is where He taught them about communion, a way in which the Church which would follow could remember Him in a solemn ceremony in respect for the blood He shed and His body which was so brutally battered until He breathed His last breath as a human mortal on this earth.

Why do I call this day the "Day of Horrors"?  It is hard to imagine anything that could be worse than to be a man knowing that shortly he would be arrested and tried for a non-crime and then to be convicted and given a capital punishment sentence.  But what truly makes it the most horrific punishment of all is the way in which his sentence was carried out.  Flogged mercilessly first, he was then tasked with carrying his own Cross, two heavy wooden beams, on his own shoulders through the streets while the crowd hurled insults and mocked him and he was being prodded by the soldiers escorting him.

Finally, he climbs the hill to Golgotha, is staked by his hands and feet to the Cross which is planted firmly in the ground while the life slowly creeps out of him.  For approximately nine hours he slowly and agonizingly died while he had all the fears, pains and doubts of any mortal man.  He even questioned his Father as to why he was being forsaken, but he labored on until finally dying.

This night we celebrate the birth of the Last Supper, our Holy Communion sacrament, as our living tribute to the Christ who died for us.  We don't understand all of what he was going through, but we do know that it was all for us.  And we even get a picture of just how corrupting Satan can be under any circumstances as we watch one of his principal followers, Judas, betray him while Jesus knows it will happen. Because of all of these things culminating in the Cross, we have been given the ultimate gift available possible from a loving God: the gift of everlasting life.

I hope each of you will have the opportunity to take communion this day.  If not, pray and read the story of the Last Supper in your Bible, for no gift could ever match this one and we must always remember it and use it as a way to keep us on the straight and true path to be with our Lord and Savior.

Remember Him, love Him and believe.  That is our charge this day.  That is the meaning of the Cross.

Have a wonderful day with Christ in your heart.

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Are Democrats at War With God?  PART ONE

2/25/2014

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I realize that the question cited is one that can be quite controversial and many people will see it differently from me.  Having said that, however, I think it is important to put on the table what I think the evidence shows is clear and, in doing so, I must start by defining who God is from my perspective.  This will constitute Part 1, today's blog entry.  Tomorrow I will address the actual question based upon my concept of God. So here goes.

God is the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.  He created the earth, man in His image and gave humans the dominion over all other living things on this earth. He knows everything and everyone and He knows what they are doing and thinking at all times.  In attempting to get man to live life the way He desires, He commissioned many individuals to help Him get His message out.  In the Old Testament they include brave me like the aforementioned Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Also included are others like Job, Noah, Moses, Joshua, King David and many more.

Man has been a sinner since the very beginning with Adam and Eve and God gives each of us great latitude in making our own decisions. He gave Moses the Ten Commandments as rules for a godly man to live but he has left us with the decision and temptation to test us. That's what free will is all about. We get to choose the good or bad, but we also must suffer the consequences of the same, consequences which are harsh and severe. 

With the birth of His only Son Jesus Christ, the immaculate birth, His love unfolded in a more readily seen and understood form.  While Jesus is of the Father, He also walked the earth as a mortal but with one major difference.  He was perfect, He never sinned and He was full of love, for love is what He seeks from all of us.  If we love Him openly and totally, we will follow Him and God's edicts and live the Christian life that He seeks for us.  And by His death by the horrific way of Crucifixion, He gave the ultimate gift that He was sent to deliver: the gift of Eternal Life after we die.  And He also directed that those who were left to spread the Word would do so to all corners of the earth and to all people. We can accept it, or reject it, but He wants us to be with Him forever and His arms are open to give us the opportunity.

After His death, Jesus wanted to leave us with something that would guide us and help us always make the right and godly decisions in things that we do.  This was accomplished by His sending to us the Holy Spirit, that unseen part of God that enters our heart and serves as our constant counselor if only we open the door to our heart to let it in.  The Spirit infected the early Christian teacher like Paul, Barnabas, Aquila and Priscilla and others found in the Book of Acts and the torch has been passed to men and women of faith throughout the world ever since.

So in a nutshell, I believe that God is of the Old Testament, but He is also God in the form of Jesus as taught in the New Testament and finally, He is the Holy Spirit sent to us by Jesus after His ascension into to Heaven to keep us on the straight and righteous path, following the grace of Jesus to Glory. These three components, God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit are the Holy Trinity, the totality of a loving and caring God.

Now having defined my concept of God, we will turn tomorrow to directly answering the question: Are Democrats at war with God?  But before leaving you with an opening but no answer I will add one qualifying point.  When I refer to the term Democrats, I am not talking about all individuals who call themselves Democrat by way of political affiliation.  What I am referring to is the organization, the party, which sets policy and operates political action groups on behalf of the organization's candidates who support these policies as well as those who support each of those policy points. And that's what we will discuss tomorrow.

In the meantime, have a great day and treat it as if it is the last day of your life.  Since we never know when our earthly life will end, be prepared.  God bless you all.


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On this Sunday, Make Your Commitment to Stand Up for Christ

7/21/2013

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As all Christians know, God sent His Son to earth to show us how we must live and ultimately to give the ultimate sacrifice for us through His horrific and slow death on the Cross.  This was very painful to our Father, knowing what was going to happen to His only Son and then watching it happen.

Why would He do this?  He did it for love. He did it so that our sins would be forgiven.  And He did it to show his grace, for only through His grace can we enter the Kingdom of God when our days on this earth are done.

And what do we do to thank Him?  Well, even though we Christians claim Him as our Father and His Son as our Savior, we often falter and cower in fear when the time comes to stand up for Him.  Remember the hymns "Stand up, Stand Up for Jesus" and "Onward Christian Soldiers" and take the time to refresh your memory of the lyrics to those traditional hymns and you'll know what to do.  We must act as true Christian soldiers and stand up for Him or not only will we ultimately be lost when our time is done here, the land that we love will be lost as well.


Think of the things that have happened very quickly while we have been quiet and timid.  Our country in many ways no longer recognizes God and His Son, we took God out of our schools and in the process also destroyed our moral code and discipline and quality learning, our soldiers and their chaplains are being openly persecuted by their leaders for recognizing and worshiping him, and even our President continually states that we are no longer a Christian nation and, by his actions, favors any religious activity other than Christianity.  These are just a few of the active examples.

Being a Christian nation never meant that those who believe otherwise would be persecuted or required to worship as we do.  But being a Christian nation means that we are free to practice our beliefs and honor our nation's religious foundation.  You can try to rewrite history, Mr. President, but you can't change the facts.


And look what the result has been for our society.  America is dying a slow economic death, behavior has become abysmal, our youth have no role models or standards they are expected to follow, and the State more and more tries to place itself as the answer to our problems instead of our God.  If you open your eyes and look at what is going on around you, it doesn't matter what your religious beliefs are, you can't deny what you see.  Could it be that God is just tired of seeing us turn our back on Him and has decided to respond in kind?  If so, we really can't blame him.

A true story will show the idiocy of what is going on around us.  There was an action which took place recently that visually displayed the arguments of those who want to force all of us to live in their ungodly way.   For years there has been a display of the Ten Commandments in the courtyard of the Bradford County courthouse.  A group of atheists from New Jersey found out about it and demanded that it be taken down.  A judge came up with a compromise.  The atheists could install their own display adjacent to the Ten Commandments, so a bench was constructed with some type of content recognizing atheism.  They held a ceremony honoring their atheism at the unveiling.

You can't make this stuff up, folks.  Atheism now has a memorial honoring it.  And the amazing thing is this:  if you believe in atheism, why do you have to honor it?  After all, isn't it nothing but a big black hole, for it honors nothing, sets no standards by which to live, and offers nothingness when you are dead and gone.

Christians, the time for passivity is over.  And I'm not talking about violence or revolution or anything of the sort, I'm talking about being willing to truly speak out the truth in all that you do and wherever you go and whoever you meet.  We must be like those brave Apostles so many years ago and be Christian soldiers in every thought, action and deed.  If not, our way of life and our future, both here and hereafter, will be over.

Dear Lord, Help us to be strong, help us to be true, and help us to always have the courage and conviction to stand for Thee,  Amen

Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding.  In all your ways acknowledge him and he will make straight your path.  PROVERBS 3:5-6 (ESV)


Have a blessed Sunday and always walk on the side of the Lord.

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Go Ahead, Jesse, Boycott Florida

7/19/2013

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I am a proud resident of Florida.  I have found the people here to be friendly, I love the weather (even the hot summers are bearable once you acclimate yourself) and the variety of scenery and lifestyles offers something for everyone.  From the wild beach scenes of South Beach, to the Space Coast, the tourist attractions of Orlando and the Gulf Coast, and finally the Old Florida charm of the lakes region where I live, Florida is truly blessed with many natural gifts from God.

When I read of Jesse Jackson's desire to boycott the state I just said to myself, "Go ahead, Jesse, boycott Florida.  We don't need you and your rabble rousing here."  Florida, the Sunshine State, with our natural and man made attractions doesn't need you.  In fact, it may turn out to be a blessing in disguise.

The hypocrisy of the stand by a man who calls Chicago home is just astounding.  Young black Americans are being killed in record numbers in his hometown.  It gets no publicity, it gets no voices of concern, yet he wants to single out a single incident in my state where a duly appointed jury deliberated fairly and decided that the State didn't make a case.  There was no murder here; a tragic disagreement just got out of hand.  Even "Sir" Charles Barkley supports the jury's decision.  He's not exactly a man known as a right winger.

The "Stand Your Ground" law in Florida is a good one.  We were facing major murder and other crime problems here before the legislature acted.  Now, crime is down and criminals clearly think twice before they take on an honest citizen.  It's not the honest citizen that you have to worry about, it's those who want to prey on them.  The jury looked at the evidence and decided that Zimmerman was in fact under a threat of serious bodily injury or death and acted appropriately. 

What would you do,  Jesse,  if someone was banging your head on the concrete?  Oh, that's right, you'd have your bodyguards take care of it.  You, sir, are a major hypocrite.

So boycott away, Jesse.  I think that the good God-fearing people of America, the ones who pay their bills and want their children safe will love coming to Florida where things are safer and more secure than in the notorious blue states.  I would recommend that the good people of your hometown, concerned about safety of themselves and their families, come and visit Florida for a fun and safe vacation experience.

As for you, Jesse, you've got plenty to do in Chicago.  The streets resemble Iraq, the school system teaches nothing that will get students a job later on, and your government is close to that of California in debt.  Why don't you clean up your hometown and home state first?  The best way to do that is to honestly face the truth.

And, one last thing, as a man of the cloth why don't you take some time to evaluate yourself with your Lord and Savior?  Try love, not hate for a change.  It always works and you'll be happier and it will make you smile.

I don't agree with you but God bless.  As a child of God we all want His blessings.

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    ABOUT ME

    Hi, I'm James, a writer who studies nature,  animals and all things created by God. I also write from time to time about what I think God expects of us.  I would love to hear your thoughts on these subjects. I hope you enjoy my comments.

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