Hysterical or Historical?

 

Several years ago, my younger brother told a story from the pulpit that I've never forgotten. Wanting to use it for this article, I sent him a text asking for permission to use it and asking if I had the story straight. I actually thought the story was just one used for application purposes... but no... this actually transpired between my brother and a friend. My brother's friend told him that every time he and his wife got into an argument, his wife got historical.  And my brother said, "You mean hysterical?". His friend answered, "No! She gets historical! She brings up everything I've ever done wrong since we've been married!" It was funny when he told the story, but I had to look at myself and wonder if I had ever been hysterically historical. It did teach me to try to restrain myself.  

So historically speaking, I love it. I love history. I love antiques. I love the stories behind the antiques. We have traveled to our nation's capital on a couple of occasions. During those trips, we've seen where our country got it's beginnings... where people fought and died for our freedoms. And as I've told you before, we've been to Israel and Jordan. We've seen the locations of the beginnings of our faith and freedoms in Christ.

Lately, it seems to me that a lot of people are turning away from faith in God.  And that's disturbing to me.  What do people do who have no faith?  I don't get it.

So let's look at history.  How do you know about William the Conqueror, William Wallace, Mary, Queen of Scots, Henry the Eighth, George Washington and so many other historical figures?  We don't have photographs of these people.  There certainly aren't any videos of what happened in history during these times.  Did you know that even though we do have pictures and video records of what happened during the Holocaust -- there are those who deny it ever happened?

So how do we know about historical people in the past? Someone wrote it down. It's as simple as that... and that's what we have in the New Testament... history. Christianity exists because of what happened to the historical Jesus.  Luke is the author of the historical accounts of Jesus and the beginnings of the church in the books of Luke and Acts. He addresses both New Testament books to "most excellent Theophilus".  Theophilus is said to have been an official in the Roman empire. Read Luke 1:1-4 and Acts 1. It's like he was writing: "Here's what happened Theo." That's the way it's written... this happened and then that happened. I call it "Eye Witness News".  

John notes his testimonial regarding the crucifixion of Jesus in John 19:35:

"The man who saw it has given testimony, and his testimony is true.  He knows that he tells the truth and he testifies so that you also may believe." 

Then at the end of John's book, he writes:

"Jesus performed many other signs in the presence of his disciples which are not recorded in this book.  But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name."  John 20:30-31.

 There are those who would argue the validity of the New Testament. Well... there are several secular historians of the time who validate the existence of Jesus and Christians. The most famous Roman historian, Cornelius Tacitus, tells that the Great Fire during Nero's reign was incorrectly blamed on Christians. Then you are probably also aware of the writings of Flavius Josephus. He wrote:

"And there arose about this time Jesus, a wise man, if indeed we should call him a man; for He was a doer of marvelous deeds, a teacher of men who receive the truth with pleasure.  He won over many Jews and also some Greeks.  This man was the Messiah.  And when Pilate had condemned Him to the cross at the instigation of our own leaders, those who had loved Him from the first did not cease.  For He appeared to them on the third day alive again, as the holy prophets had predicted and said many other wonderful things about him.  And even now the race of Christians, so named after him, has not yet died out."  (Antiquities, 18, 3.3)

Wow! How about that!!  Of all the historical happenings and writings of the past, none of them contradict the New Testament.  

And I have to remind you of something that happened after the day of Pentecost. In Acts, chapter 3, starting in verse 1, we read about Peter and John as they were entering the temple courts.  They encountered a lame man whom Peter healed in the name of Jesus. After the miracle, Peter began preaching about our Lord and gave them a history lesson. The high priest ordered that Peter and John be put in jail. The next day, they were brought before the high priest and elders. Filled with the Holy Spirit, Peter gave them an earful! (Acts 4:5-14) They noted that the lame man was healed through the name of Jesus Christ--the man they crucified but was raised to life by the power of God.  They received a holy tongue lashing! The Sanhedrin court then met away from the apostles and discussed what they should do with these men. They couldn't deny the miracle of the lame man. So they ordered that they not speak or teach in the name of Jesus again. But Peter and John told them, "Which is right in God's eyes: to listen to you, or to him? You be the judges! As for us, we cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard." (Acts 4:19-20) After further threats not to speak of Jesus, they let them go.  

Then later, reading beginning with Acts 5:12, the apostles were healing sicknesses of all sorts at Soloman's Colonnade--which was inside the palace gates. The high priest and all the Sadducees were filled with jealousy. They arrested the apostles and put them in a public jail with a guard at the gate. During the night, an angel opened the jail doors and brought them out. The angel instructed them to go back to the temple courts and tell about a new life in Jesus. When the high priest arrived, they called together the full assembly of the elders and sent officers to get the apostles. When the officers got to the jail, they found gate locked and the guard still at the door, but the apostles weren't there. The officers went back and reported that they were missing. Then someone came in and reported that they were in the temple courts teaching! The captain with his guards went out and brought the apostles in to appear before the Sanhedrin.

"We gave you strict orders not to teach in this name. Yet you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching and are determined to make us guilty of this man's blood."  Once again Peter and the apostles answered that they must obey God rather than men.  They went on to further place blame where blame was due.  Needless to say, the high priest and the court were furious and wanted to put the apostles to death.  But a Pharisee named Gamaliel who was a teacher of the law stood up and ordered that the apostles be put outside for a little while.  He addressed the court and reminded them of two different men who rose up with a great number of followers -- but after both men were killed, the followers fell away and were scattered.  He suggested that the apostles be left alone -- because if the Christian movement was of human origin, it would fail -- but if it was from God, they would only find themselves fighting against God.  BAM!  And here we are today.  Not wise to try to fight against the Lord Almighty!

 All scripture is inspired -- or God breathed. (II Timothy 3:14-17).  No fairy tales here.  Just the facts.

Please get out your bible and read the book of Acts.  It reads like a novel to me. Search out the truth for yourself and use your knowledge of historical facts to teach and inspire others...leading them to a powerful faith in our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.  You'll be hysterically historical for Him.  And that's a good thing.

Love till next time,

Lanna

For your consideration:  Luke 1:1-4; Acts 1:1-2, Acts chapters 3-5.   John 19:35 & 20:30-31;  II Timothy 3:14-17

 

 

   

 

  

  

 

 

 

 

 

The Chair

"Well excuse me but I think you've got my chair.  No that one's not taken, I don't care if you sit here, I'll be glad to share..."  

If you're a George Strait fan like me, you know that's the opening line to his hit song, "The Chair".  It's said it was written in 20 minutes by Hank Cochran and Dean Dillon.  Smiling, I remember going to my first and what we thought was possibly his last concert at the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo on March 17, 2019. I heard that very song and so many of his hit songs live!  Our daughter and daughter-in-law cooked up this deal where they would both be online when the tickets went on sale.  Our daughter was going to buy tickets for my husband and myself and our daughter-in-law was going to buy tickets for her parents and we would go to the concert together.  The only problem was, our daughter was able to get tickets but it sold out so quickly that our daughter-in-law was unable to get a set.  My husband wasn't thrilled about the idea of the crowd so I asked our daughter-in-law's mother to go with me. We had a ball!  

There we were singing our hearts out and beaming with the excitement of middle schoolers.  The music was so loud that we couldn't hear ourselves sing.  But I can tell you that even as loud as it was, my phone holds recorded proof that I can't sing "The Chair'' nearly as well as I thought I could.  (Among one of cell phone's useful tools...it's also an ego buster!)  We had a great time!

It's funny what you remember as you get older.  I don't remember going many places as a family when I was a young girl.  On one occasion, I remember we went to a county fair.  Dad went off with my older sister and brother and mom and I went to play bingo.  We hadn't been there long when "BINGO" mom had won!  WOW!  I never dreamed she would actually win!  There were all sorts of prizes in the center of the bingo play area...sparkly lamps, watches, other jewelry...wide-eyed and excited I wanted to help mom choose which item of bling that would come home with us!  She scanned the items..."Mom, look at that!" or "How about that!?!"  After examining the prizes, she chose...a plain, unstained, wooden folding chair.  Wait...what?  That?  Why?!  She chose the chair because her feet hurt and she wanted a place to sit -- that was valuable to her.  Looking back, I'm sure that's why she chose Bingo -- so she could sit.  I had no idea.

Fast forward many years later, I was trying to think of something special for mom for Mother's Day.  Someone said she and her mother were going for pedicures.  What a great idea! I thought mom would enjoy some pampering of her feet.  I made the appointment for the Saturday before Mother's Day and called mom to surprise her with news of our up coming mom-daughter date.  When I told her, instead of the expected excitement, there was a moment of silence and then she said flatly, "No, I don't want that."  Oh.  "Okay...well I'll just cancel the appointment and figure out something else", I answered.  She said, "I just don't want anyone touching my feet."  

On the evening before the trial and subsequent crucifixion of Jesus, he shared the Passover meal with His disciples.  There were miracles in the preparation for the meal.  Jesus sent Peter and John into Jerusalem.  Upon entering the city, they were to look for a man carrying a pitcher of water.  So what's so unusual about that?  Women were the ones who carried water! When they found the man with the pitcher and they were to say, "The teacher asks where is the guest room where I can eat the Passover meal with my disciples?"  With that, the man takes them to a large upstairs room that is already set up for them to prepare the Passover meal. (Luke 22:7-14)  So at some point during the evening, Jesus takes another opportunity for a teaching moment...for His time with them is now very short.  He removed his outer robe, took a basin of water and began to wash His disciples' feet -- a task reserved only for slaves to perform.  Jesus was trying to teach them how to lead as a servant with humility --- they just had no idea.  Poor Peter, he was as skilled at chewing leather as I am!  He said, "No! You will never ever wash my feet!" Jesus said, "You don't understand now what I am doing, but some day you will." (John 13:7)  After Jesus finished washing the disciples' feet, he sat back down and tried to further explain the idea of servanthood.  Did they get it?  They should have -- they had seen our Lord perform so many, many miracles in service to others with humility.  That same evening, they argued for a second time about who among them would be the greatest!  Our Lord was patient with them-- promising a "Helper"-- the Holy Spirit would be coming.  They just really didn't get it until later when they received the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost.  They had no idea.

Paul explains it well in Philippians 2:1-11...saying that Christ took on the human form of a slave in full submission and obedience to God the Father.  He further encourages us in verses 12 through 18 to show the manifestation of our salvation in faithful service to God with joy!  

All those years seeing mom mess with the corns and callouses on her feet -- I didn't get it.  I had no idea her feet hurt so badly.  I should have paid attention.  Ok so what's the point?   We're all busy...no matter the time of year.  But we need to pray that the Lord helps us see the needs of others no matter how busy we are...to serve others with quiet humility.  We are the Lord's ambassadors...His conduit connecting souls to Him.

So in George's ballad, the guy used the chair as a pick up line...not very honorable but it was effective.  Mom used what I saw as the ugly chair prize as sweet relief...not pretty but effective.  Lord, please allow your Holy Spirit to open our eyes to those who need us.  And please help us to act on the "Chair" moments that come our way effectively and to Your glory.   

Love till next time,

Lanna

For your consideration:  Luke 22:7-29, John 13:1-17 and Phil. 2:1-18.  

Remembering

Well here it is the last day of January.  How are those New Year's resolutions holding for you?  My husband's diet is still going well and is down several pounds.  I didn't set any resolutions this year...well I do have that perpetual one about keeping my mouth shut...but that's an ongoing struggle.  Someone once said -- "The Lord gave us one mouth and two ears to do twice as much listening."  I just keep trying.  I also always seem to be on a perpetual diet as well...so no sense in setting a new resolution that I'm bound to break.  

January 1st is a lot of things to a lot of people.  A time to make resolutions -- things like dieting, exercising, or reading your bible every day.  It's a time to start over...put away the things of the year gone by and get a fresh start.  But January 1st has an extra special meaning for me...it's my birthday.  Every year on my birthday I heard the same stories from my mom and dad.  Mom would say, "The doctor said I'd never carry you past Thanksgiving."  And she told the hospital staff after delivery, "Don't let that baby roll off that table!"  (I was a large, month old baby by the time I was born.)  And dad would say, "If your mother had just taken that caster oil when I asked her...you would have been born earlier and been a tax deduction for the year before!"  (Have you ever tasted caster oil?  It's really nasty!  I don't blame her for not taking it!)  I can still hear their voices in my mind.  Happy memories.

So this year when my sister called to wish me a happy birthday, she reminded me of a rather unforgettable milestone birthday...my 50th.

When she turned 50, I was so upset.  I couldn't believe my sister was 50 years old...I was only 5 short years behind her. I called to wish her a happy birthday and almost sobbing I said, "I can't believe you're 50!"  To which she replied, "What are YOU crying for?!  It's MY birthday!"  Then she said, "Just you wait..."  

And after 5 years, she didn't forget her veiled promise.

Fast forward 5 years and she called to say, "What's the significance of November 12th?"  And I answered, "um...I don't know...what?"  She said, "You'll find out..." and hung up.  Huh?  I thought about it for a few minutes and then shrugged it off and forgot about it.  On November 12th, I received a birthday card from my sister.  On the next day, I received another card...and another on the day after that...and another and another!  By the time my birthday finally arrived, she had sent 50 cards -- one every day for 50 days!  Sometimes I would get two cards in the mail because of the weekends!  I was never so glad for my birthday to arrive so I could get relief from the constant reminders that I was turning 50 years old!!  BAH!!

Now, if I ever mention something about getting older, my sister asks, "Are you complaining?"  And quickly I respond, "No no...I'm not complaining!"  It was a funny, unforgettable time...but I don't want to go through that again!

Women seem to have a good memory...of good things and bad.  I sure wish I could forget some of the bad things in life but I guess it's God's way of teaching us and trying to give us wisdom.  

Three days after Jesus' crucifixion, a group of women were on their way to His tomb with spices they had prepared for his body.  As they walked, they wondered how in the world they were going to move the stone away from the door.  Upon arrival to the tomb to their surprise, the stone had been moved and the body of our Savior was gone!  The Word tells us that two men dressed in clothing as bright as lightning met them there.  They said, "Why are you looking for the living among the dead?  Don't you remember that Jesus told you that he would be killed but he would rise on the third day?"  AND THEY REMEMBERED!  They were so excited that they ran back to the disciples and told them everything!  Now during the first century, the testimony of women was not considered credible.  Unbelievable right?!  And so the disciples didn't believe them! They didn't remember that Jesus had told them on three different occasions that this would happen.  In fact, the first time Jesus told them what was going to happen, Peter rebuked our Savior for suggesting such a thing!  Poor Peter...he needed that "keep your mouth shut" resolution because Jesus shot right back and said, "Get behind me Satan..."  No one dared ask Him about it when Jesus spoke of it again.  I'm thinking that Peter must have wondered if the women were telling the truth because he and John (probably John) ran to see for themselves. 

I think the disciples had a preconceived idea of Jesus' mission.  They thought He would be an earthly king like David.  They were fixated on the idea of sitting on His right or His left!  "Me, a fisherman...or me, a tax collector...sitting in the King's court!"  They just didn't get it.  They didn't soak up every word that Jesus spoke.  There were a lot of things they didn't get.  The Holy Spirit made all the pieces fall into place for them.  They finally understood our Savior and their mission...our mission.

So I've said all this to say, remember.  Write things down to help you remember.  Commit scripture to memory.  Do twice as much listening...listening to others and listening to what the Lord is trying to teach.  In this way, we can be a brighter light and more effective in our walk...glorifying our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

Love till next time, 

Lanna

For your consideration:  Psalms 90:12,  Luke 24:6-12,  

1st prediction - Matt. 16:21-28, Mark 8:31-33, Luke 9:22-27

2nd prediction - Matt. 17:22-23, Mark 9:30-32, Luke 9:43-45

3rd prediction - Matt. 20:17-19, Mark 10:32-34, Luke 18:31-34