EGYPTIAN BIBLE SOCIETY - February 19,2015
Subject : Two Rows by the Sea
An English adaptation of the poignant poem which is on the back cover of a tract published by the Egyptian Bible Society.
Two rows of men walking the shores of the sea,
On a day when the world's tears would run free,
One a row of assassins, who thought they were right,
The other of innocents, true sons of the light,
One holding knives in hands held high,
The other with hands empty, defenseless and tied,
One row of slits to conceal glaring-dead eyes,
The other with living eyes raised to the skies,
One row stood steady, pall-bearers of death,
The other knelt ready, welcoming heaven's breath,
One row spewed wretched, contemptible threats,
The other spread God-given peace and rest.
A question ...
Who fears the other?
The row in orange, watching paradise open?
Or the row in black, with minds evil and broken?
Saturday, February 21, 2015
Saturday, January 10, 2015
Carl Eicker - Birmingham, MI.another very special man
Carl's memorial service was on December 27th - he would have 93 on December 19 - just did not quite make that magic number although he tried really hard to do so. As he said just 3 days before his death, "There is just too much sickness here!"
Having known Carl for at least 40 years there are hundreds of issues I could share. The most important was his relationship with Dorothy "Dottie" to me and so many others in his church and in the Tuesday morning group in Birmingham. We had a picture of the two of them on the brochure which was given to the people who came to the service. I wish I knew how to send a picture with this blog. During the planning for the service one of his daughters brought dozens of picture and one of them, more than all the others showed the relationship between he and Dorothy. Carl was absolutely focused on Dorothy and She on him. I asked a friend, who did not know Carl, to look at the picture, his response was so interesting, "I don't want to look at it, it makes me feel guilty!" A woman who was helping me to put the service together, also did not know Carl, commented, "I wish I had a man who looked at me that way!" This picture has been sent to each of his children and grandchildren and has become one of the "healing tools" throughout the whole family!
In the Tuesday morning group Carl was the person who reached out to every man. He was brought by a mane named Bob. Then Carl brought Murray and Murray brought John - something like Andrew bringing Peter to Jesus - and the story still goes on and on. Carl was a part of chain web that circles our globe. It is said that there is only a 6 degree of separation from one person to any other person on the whole planet. With Carl that degree of separation has to be 3 at the most. He is related to people all over the world through just the Tuesday morning group and his church, the First United Methodist in Birmingham. Ethiopia, Croatia, China, Costa Rica, India just to name a few. This chain of relationships is so huge, so personal, so much bigger than any group or even one church. Carl was an attractor to Jesus. Many people came to the group with a great logging chain weighing them down and Carl was often the one who lifted that chain and secured a person to Jesus - even a person whohad a 20 year struggle with marriage, the church, business etc.
I received a letter just today sharing with me how their inner life has been changed and the outer life,reflected in their home, has now been changed so much so that they are no longer afraid to have someone come to their home - it has been cleaned up!
Sometimes a memorial service can be used to change lives in very real ways. This is how Jesus has used Carl even today --- just wonder how the fellowship is in heaven. I'm a few years behind Carl - by birthday is on 12/20. Bob Sayed's birthday was on 12/21 - Bob is the one who brought Carl to the group one Tuesday morning and Carr brought others and stayed around for 40 years.
Influence ---- absolutely!!!
Two very special men
Two wonderful memorial services were held&in the last 3 month -- Sam Carpenter of Battle Creek, Michigan and Carl Eicker of Birmingham, Michigan. Both men were leaders of a group of men who met in those two cities - both groups gathered for over 40 years. The Birmingham group is still meeting on Tuesday mornings.
Sam was lawyer for over 50 years - but he was really more than even that - a "music man" for the whole of his city! Wherever there was a piano available Sam would play and people would listen, call out songs, hum a few bars, and Sam could play!
At his memorial service a few hundred people heard from family and friends about Sam's life, public and private, from his partners in the law firm and from his quiet work serving all over the city.For me the remarks of his pastor Bob Zuhl of the Weslyan Church,when he opened Sam's bible and read a few passages... in the margins of the bible were written the words WOW and WOW,WOW!!!
Chris Christ Sam's friend and law partner shared one of Sam's mottos, "When you are wrong, admit it. When you are right, shut up!" Sam did pro bono legal work for seniors at Burnham Brook and several other places, he was a man of great faith working in his church and the Gideons and numerous service clubs.
Sam taught the Wednesday morning group for a number of years, even when driving to the group was a slow drive. That was a thriving group until the drive became too much - another group leader or teacher has not shown up - yet! For Sam and the other men Wednesday was a time for understanding those WOW passages and discovering even more how deeply Jesus can and does influence our life!
I'll write about Carl Eicker's memorial and about his life in another blog
Bill
Wednesday, November 19, 2014
Sometimes we receive something in the mail which should not immediately be thrown into the trash. Year end solicitation, in our house, usually are thrown away with all there mailing labels - our address was recently changed so the throw away has been easy - we have a couple of thousand left over from the old address anyway - but one arrived which has lain around for a week or so. It is the annual Art Calender 2015 from the Mouth and Foot Painting Artists organization, How they got our names I don't remember but this years calender did not hit the trash.
Each month of the calender has a reproduction of a painting with the artists name and a quotation from some famous person. January 2015 artist Trevor Wells, the quotation by Ralph Waldo Emerson. "Write it on your heart that every day is the best day in the year." The painting that prompted this blog is from a reproduction of "Spirit Of The Season" by Tony Ryals. The quotation by W.T. Ellis, "It is Christmas in the heart that puts Christmas in the air."
Maybe this is the challenge for 2014 as well as 2015 ---- a whole year in advance!
Each month of the calender has a reproduction of a painting with the artists name and a quotation from some famous person. January 2015 artist Trevor Wells, the quotation by Ralph Waldo Emerson. "Write it on your heart that every day is the best day in the year." The painting that prompted this blog is from a reproduction of "Spirit Of The Season" by Tony Ryals. The quotation by W.T. Ellis, "It is Christmas in the heart that puts Christmas in the air."
Maybe this is the challenge for 2014 as well as 2015 ---- a whole year in advance!
Saturday, June 28, 2014
A WORKING MAN'S CROSS
The last time I saw Clint, a year and a half ago, was at the family farm - Bolton Ornamental Grass Farm - just south of Battle Creek, MI. M66 to H road S and about 2 miles west. Clint was working, running a front loader mixing dirt with cow manure to spread on his ornamental grasses. But, I'm getting ahead of myself...
Clint's funeral was yesterday at the North Athens Baptist Church. I believed that I had given myself enough time to get to Athene and to find the church. Driving south on M66 I began to wonder if Clint and Arlene would drive that far on a Sunday morning. Athens is really not that large but there was no Baptist Church sign. Getting through town in a couple of minutes, it was time to stop and ask for directions. I went into a small restaurant and asked the young lady if she knew the directions to North Athens Baptist Church? "Yes, it is north on M66 to M road S, then turn left." Thanks you, I still had time!
North on M66 - pasted N road S and the next sign I saw was L road S. I must have missed my turn. Back down M66 and turned into M road S just in front of 2 or 3 other cars with 2 or 3 other cars in front of me. This must be the right road! Two miles later I see the spire of a white church. As we neared the church we could see what must have been a couple of hundred cars and the hearse at North Athens Baptist Church.
I was dressed in my black suit, light blue shirt, dark blue tie and dress shoes and was completely over dressed. I go to city funerals.
Clint and Arlene's church is a country church. A group or 200 plus people who gathered as a community of believers had come their building for Clint's funeral. There were 3 generations of the Bolton's with their friends. Friends with whom they had lived their whole lives together. Clint and Arlene were married in the church with the white spire which was across the street, having been replaced by the new building several years ago.
Jonathan Bolton's remarks about his dad were incredible. He told about the wooden cross which hung back of the pulpit. Jonathan called the cross, "A WORKING MAN'S CROSS"! It had been hewn from a tree on the family farm and had been put together by his grandfather and his dad. The cross has been hanging in the church for over 25 years now. Four generations or more of the Bolton's have now worshipped under that cross, been part of that community of believer. Clint's grandchildren know about this Jesus whom grandpa served since he became a disciple of Jesus as a 14 year old boy.
In the biography they called Clint an agriculturist but he was really a farmer. .Farmer Bolton@ was his email address He was given the opportunity. to work with farmer and volunteers in over 25 nations. He was part of the Peace Corp in Cyprus and head of the Peace Corp in Sierra Leone West Africa. At the American University in Beirut, Lebanon Clint taught Farm Mechanization. It was at this school that he taught Jose Zaglul who is now the President of Earth University in Costa Rica. This agricultural school has students from all over South and Central America and, when I was there, from 9 countries of Africa.
For the past 10 or 12 years Clint and Arlene have gone to be a part of Earth University and to serve Jose in any way that he needed. True to himself, Clint was able to have a regular bible study with some of he students while he was on the campus. And now, after 10 years, some of the African students have picked up the vision to carry on - they now have 38 students with whom they now keep in touch for encouragement and discipleship!
Clint was a quiet, gifted, humble and dedicated student, teacher and disciple of Jesus until he died last Sunday. His community gathered yesterday. They sang, they spoke of Clint, they spoke of his work but mostly they gathered because he and Arlene are part of Clint's family!
From the grave site the people came back to their home building to talk and to eat. This was no ham and scalloped potato dinner. This was a family dinner from dozens of kitchens, family receipts, and loving hands who made salads and pies and loaded the tables! I entered the Fellowship Hall through a side door - a lady who was cutting a cake into squares was blocking my way, so I said to her, "You don't need to cut that cake, I'll just take it home as it is!" She had already heard that line so I too late. Besides, there were strawberry pies, brownies, berry cobblers, etc. I could not have decided any way,.
Lee, Joe and Gordan, men from the Battle Creek group were at the funeral to honor Clint's life.They were also there as a part of the Gideons and as a part of a 25 year old fellowship with Clint and Arlene - to encourage and to continue this community centered in Jesus Christ - the person whom Clint had worshipped since he was a 14 year old boy.
Because of Clint I had been introduced to Earth University and Tillers International.. Interacting with students at Earth I now share something of Clint's dream and hopes that Jesus will open the door for someone to fill Clint's shoes. I'm not an agriculturalist, but I'd be willing to try --- especially in February and March. Michigan winters don't need Wilma nor me and Costa Rica is far enough south ----- but more than that, the kids (students) at Earth are so open!
Clint's funeral was yesterday at the North Athens Baptist Church. I believed that I had given myself enough time to get to Athene and to find the church. Driving south on M66 I began to wonder if Clint and Arlene would drive that far on a Sunday morning. Athens is really not that large but there was no Baptist Church sign. Getting through town in a couple of minutes, it was time to stop and ask for directions. I went into a small restaurant and asked the young lady if she knew the directions to North Athens Baptist Church? "Yes, it is north on M66 to M road S, then turn left." Thanks you, I still had time!
North on M66 - pasted N road S and the next sign I saw was L road S. I must have missed my turn. Back down M66 and turned into M road S just in front of 2 or 3 other cars with 2 or 3 other cars in front of me. This must be the right road! Two miles later I see the spire of a white church. As we neared the church we could see what must have been a couple of hundred cars and the hearse at North Athens Baptist Church.
I was dressed in my black suit, light blue shirt, dark blue tie and dress shoes and was completely over dressed. I go to city funerals.
Clint and Arlene's church is a country church. A group or 200 plus people who gathered as a community of believers had come their building for Clint's funeral. There were 3 generations of the Bolton's with their friends. Friends with whom they had lived their whole lives together. Clint and Arlene were married in the church with the white spire which was across the street, having been replaced by the new building several years ago.
Jonathan Bolton's remarks about his dad were incredible. He told about the wooden cross which hung back of the pulpit. Jonathan called the cross, "A WORKING MAN'S CROSS"! It had been hewn from a tree on the family farm and had been put together by his grandfather and his dad. The cross has been hanging in the church for over 25 years now. Four generations or more of the Bolton's have now worshipped under that cross, been part of that community of believer. Clint's grandchildren know about this Jesus whom grandpa served since he became a disciple of Jesus as a 14 year old boy.
In the biography they called Clint an agriculturist but he was really a farmer. .Farmer Bolton@ was his email address He was given the opportunity. to work with farmer and volunteers in over 25 nations. He was part of the Peace Corp in Cyprus and head of the Peace Corp in Sierra Leone West Africa. At the American University in Beirut, Lebanon Clint taught Farm Mechanization. It was at this school that he taught Jose Zaglul who is now the President of Earth University in Costa Rica. This agricultural school has students from all over South and Central America and, when I was there, from 9 countries of Africa.
For the past 10 or 12 years Clint and Arlene have gone to be a part of Earth University and to serve Jose in any way that he needed. True to himself, Clint was able to have a regular bible study with some of he students while he was on the campus. And now, after 10 years, some of the African students have picked up the vision to carry on - they now have 38 students with whom they now keep in touch for encouragement and discipleship!
Clint was a quiet, gifted, humble and dedicated student, teacher and disciple of Jesus until he died last Sunday. His community gathered yesterday. They sang, they spoke of Clint, they spoke of his work but mostly they gathered because he and Arlene are part of Clint's family!
From the grave site the people came back to their home building to talk and to eat. This was no ham and scalloped potato dinner. This was a family dinner from dozens of kitchens, family receipts, and loving hands who made salads and pies and loaded the tables! I entered the Fellowship Hall through a side door - a lady who was cutting a cake into squares was blocking my way, so I said to her, "You don't need to cut that cake, I'll just take it home as it is!" She had already heard that line so I too late. Besides, there were strawberry pies, brownies, berry cobblers, etc. I could not have decided any way,.
Lee, Joe and Gordan, men from the Battle Creek group were at the funeral to honor Clint's life.They were also there as a part of the Gideons and as a part of a 25 year old fellowship with Clint and Arlene - to encourage and to continue this community centered in Jesus Christ - the person whom Clint had worshipped since he was a 14 year old boy.
Because of Clint I had been introduced to Earth University and Tillers International.. Interacting with students at Earth I now share something of Clint's dream and hopes that Jesus will open the door for someone to fill Clint's shoes. I'm not an agriculturalist, but I'd be willing to try --- especially in February and March. Michigan winters don't need Wilma nor me and Costa Rica is far enough south ----- but more than that, the kids (students) at Earth are so open!
Wednesday, May 28, 2014
Idoltry - so easy
Please forgive the earlier Post, I hit the wrong button and don't quite know how to recover. I'll send the whole and finished post a little later - after I recover from my digital, spelling and other woes!
Recently a republished book by A.W. Tozier, The Pursuit of God -was given to each of us in our Tuesday morning group. First published in 1948 this book has become a classic i.e. challenging, deeply penetrating, gift for me and I hope for the others in our group.
In 1949 I first heard about Jesus, really heard, that is, and have believed in Jesus sense that evening in LaJolla, California.. By now dozens of books, including the Bible, have shaped and reworked my thinking and my life. Tozer's many books have sat on my bookshelf for many years, The Pursuit of God from at least 1980. My latest reading has again provided application challenges!
Chapter two titled, "The Blessedness of Possessing Nothing" provided the title for this blog. While leading discussions on the book of Genesis and re-encountering Abraham and Issac Tozer's insights into the impact of things and even people in our life is what has struck me.
"Our Lord referred to the tyranny of things when He said to His disciples", "If and man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. For whosoever will save his life shall his lose his life: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find his life." (Matthew 16:2-25)
Copyright laws prevent me from copying the next 2 or 3 pages of the book but I can copy the verses in Genesis 22: 1-2. "Some time later God tested Abraham. God said to him, Abraham! Here I am, Abraham replied. Then God said, "Take your son, your only son, Issac, whom you love , (my emphasis) and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice Isaac there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains I will tell you about." Sacrifice "whom you love" !t of his little sister a few weeks ago and remembered what a 6 year old felt like at her funeral.
Recently a republished book by A.W. Tozier, The Pursuit of God -was given to each of us in our Tuesday morning group. First published in 1948 this book has become a classic i.e. challenging, deeply penetrating, gift for me and I hope for the others in our group.
In 1949 I first heard about Jesus, really heard, that is, and have believed in Jesus sense that evening in LaJolla, California.. By now dozens of books, including the Bible, have shaped and reworked my thinking and my life. Tozer's many books have sat on my bookshelf for many years, The Pursuit of God from at least 1980. My latest reading has again provided application challenges!
Chapter two titled, "The Blessedness of Possessing Nothing" provided the title for this blog. While leading discussions on the book of Genesis and re-encountering Abraham and Issac Tozer's insights into the impact of things and even people in our life is what has struck me.
"Our Lord referred to the tyranny of things when He said to His disciples", "If and man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. For whosoever will save his life shall his lose his life: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find his life." (Matthew 16:2-25)
Copyright laws prevent me from copying the next 2 or 3 pages of the book but I can copy the verses in Genesis 22: 1-2. "Some time later God tested Abraham. God said to him, Abraham! Here I am, Abraham replied. Then God said, "Take your son, your only son, Issac, whom you love , (my emphasis) and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice Isaac there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains I will tell you about." Sacrifice "whom you love" !t of his little sister a few weeks ago and remembered what a 6 year old felt like at her funeral.
Friday, May 2, 2014
Prayer Breakfast - Livonia,Mi Thursday A.M.
Thursday morning was the 40th annual Livonia PB. After all these year I have become a little jaded with another community breakfast. We have had some truly great speakers and some who were "marginal' and one or two who could have stayed at home and let us eat our quiche in peace. This was not one of those breakfast! Yesterday General Charlie Duke was the speaker. Humble, articulate, candid and really well received! "Charlie", as he prefers to be called, was the10th man to walk on the moon. He spent 72 + hours on the moon in 1972.
He and his wife Doris have written a book titled Moon Walker. A delightful conversational style of writing with candid details about what it take to become an astronaut and also how a marriage ultimate survived that quest. Are all we American males the same - really? I'm beginning to think that we are! The book is a great read and Doris' story within the total story can give hope to any one of us.
I share this blog because I've been around the Prayer Breakfast world for quite a long time 1959 - 2014 - another one comes up next Tuesday and then another on May 21st here in Michigan and who knows how many more will there be around the country. I'm forced to believe that each of them will be great - but I know better. Sometimes a "life of their own" just isn't that good and how many GREAT speakers are there ?. It also seems that the truly great speakers now charge and arm and a leg to make an appearance. So I carry on dreaming and hoping that Jesus will be, in some way or another, the focus of each PB as Jesus was the gentle focus of the Livonia PB. I was warmed and deep;y blessed by Charlie Duke and his book
A day and a time really worth while!
He and his wife Doris have written a book titled Moon Walker. A delightful conversational style of writing with candid details about what it take to become an astronaut and also how a marriage ultimate survived that quest. Are all we American males the same - really? I'm beginning to think that we are! The book is a great read and Doris' story within the total story can give hope to any one of us.
I share this blog because I've been around the Prayer Breakfast world for quite a long time 1959 - 2014 - another one comes up next Tuesday and then another on May 21st here in Michigan and who knows how many more will there be around the country. I'm forced to believe that each of them will be great - but I know better. Sometimes a "life of their own" just isn't that good and how many GREAT speakers are there ?. It also seems that the truly great speakers now charge and arm and a leg to make an appearance. So I carry on dreaming and hoping that Jesus will be, in some way or another, the focus of each PB as Jesus was the gentle focus of the Livonia PB. I was warmed and deep;y blessed by Charlie Duke and his book
A day and a time really worth while!
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