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That is probably an unnecessary query but just the same I had to ask it. My wife and I have an almost nagging habit while driving along country roads, seeing something that ignites a series of questions. Maybe a property along the road that has changed; and we see that old house where an old lady was seen coming out to the road to get her mail, and later, now we see the grass growing up around the house. We would talk about it and wonder if the old lady died and now, we would wonder, what’s going to happen to her property.
We had noticed a semi tractor parked on the front of the property before, with a FOR SALE sign on it, and thought maybe a son or other relative was a truck driver and if we might see some more changes yet in the property. Just as we wondered, it wasn’t long until someone began to fix up the property, tearing down an old dilapidated barn, its usefulness probably ended twenty-five years or more ago and now the descendants finally got rid of it. Now that house looks a lot more lived in and those changes simply chronicled the same generational improvements that have been the norm for years.
Being “book nuts”, as some of our friends would secretly surmise, we become possessors of pieces of history that bring even more questions. Whenever a Bible or some devotional book is among the goodies in a book sale or yard sale (where we usually head for that book table first) we usually end up picking up yet another copy of the Bible. A discarded Bible is a yellow flag to people like us. WHY did they toss this in their downsizing or cleaning up the house? Something even worse than throwing a Bible away is getting rid of family pictures. History surely must be a dreaded subject to some; especially the kind of history that should live in the minds of descendants: What did grampa look like – perhaps he had died years before the person tossing the photos was born. What was their house like? Did they have a garden? Wasn’t there a big old tree out there next to the barn? Or the big grape arbor that made a virtual wall at the back porch?
Is there no longing or concern for such things, or does time just come charging along like a ravaging animal causing such confusion we simply go temporarily berserk? On one of our book finds I picked up one of the many devotional Bibles that a popular preacher or author edits; this one was by Max Lucado, whose popularity and obvious success has caused some people in his fellowship to wonder about him. Such observations are often responsible for on-lookers to be the judge and jury to write off successful people, especially if there is a twinge of jealousy to kindle the fire. Be that whatever it may, the bigger question to me is what ever caused a young girl to let loose of a Bible that was presented to them by a grandparent? The young lady, in this case, was obviously interested in this particular book for a while because there are notes written on various pages. There were even a couple other wisps of information – a bookmark that had been part of the presentation when the Bible was given to this young lady.
Why? What happened? Was there a tragic accident, or unexpected illness that interrupted this young life or did she simply lose interest in the spiritual part of life? We will probably never know the answers to our questions and perhaps this might be one of those little nudges along our way to remind us to cherish the moments in our own lives. Life is full of such nudges and whispers from the “great cloud of witnesses” as the book of Hebrews suggest. Year ago Dale Evans Rogers wrote a little book, “Angel Unaware” and thousands of people were blessed from her little book of less than 200 pages. Life is a proving grounds where we are given little or perhaps no information about what we might want to do with our lives. When I was in high school I did not have the slightest idea of what kind of a career I should search out, that is, once my Dad told me he didn’t want me to be a mold maker like he had been. That blew away my initial plans. Some kids seemed to have their thoughts or “soldiers lined up” just right; and today some I knew like that are themselves among those listed in “Deceased Classmates of the Class of 1950”. Here I am still observing others and wondering why.
I am grateful to have “found” a great lady to live out my life, 56 years so far, and together we can drive around, or maybe just read about people and wonder why. It gives great satisfaction and gratefulness to see people whose lives manifest they recognized a good way and chose that way. Others muddle through life without a clue. Perhaps as you read this you might need to sort out your life as well. Do you have a Bible your grandparent or parents gave you and it’s been on a shelf somewhere or worse, still in the box? Or maybe you have that Bible and haven’t been as faithful as even you would like to have been. I just hope your Bible and special gift is not found on a table with an assortment of books that someone like us will find and think, “I wonder why they got rid of this book?”
THE WORDWRIGHT
Life is full of facts, some interesting, some obviously incriminating. The Bible itself is replete with warnings secreted in the book of Proverbs or Ecclesiastes, and of course other writings from the sages of cultures not mentioned in the Bible. “For by wise counsel shall thou make thy war, and in multitude of counselors there is safety.” Proverbs 24:6 (Also read Proverbs 13:16; 25:8; or read Luke 14:28)
Whenever I think of this kind of circumstance and warning about “counting the cost” before going to war or just building something, I remember when there was an unfinished house we used to pass every time we went down a nearby street that obviously told a story. The house never was completed once they got the concrete block walls laid. At first only a few weeks went by, then a few months and still no roof, interior walls, doors or windows. Then several years passed until finally someone, most likely not the original builder finished that house.
I was in our favorite old-fashioned grocery store the other day and could not help but notice the well-worn butcher block where their butchers had apparently chopped, trimmed and cut up thousands of cuts of meat. But the wear on that “new” butcher block looked strange because great dips were all over that top with voids at least 1-1/2” or more deep. Questioning the butcher I said that block doesn’t look that old to be used that much. Grinning, the butcher said, “The guy didn’t make it right.” Then it was obvious the butcher block lacked a primary essential—the top had not been made or put together using lumber with end grain as the top or working surface. This butcher block was someone’s mistake and I could not help but wonder how long it took for the butcher shop to discover that error. Let’s face it, you would think “someone” who knew what a butcher block was supposed to look like would notice it but apparently when this new butcher block was delivered they were so busy no one took the time to notice the carpenter simply did not know what he needed to know about making a butcher block. So, obviously they had decided to go ahead and use the thing, right or wrong, but I imagine that carpenter was told in no uncertain arrangement of words that the butcher block he made was a lemon!
Have you ever tried to do something that you soon learned you should never have started? A quote I came across recently is a classic: “If you don’t know what you don’t know, you’re in real trouble.” I first heard that on C-Span as a politician told his sad story of becoming a failure in a very short time because he got involved in a job that required more knowledge and information than he had and he admitted to his interviewer, “I was just in the position of not knowing what I didn’t know.” As soon as he said that I could think of dozens of applications for that country wisdom. I say country wisdom because it seems far too many “city slickers” or what the military called “90 Day wonders” get themselves (and others) into deep trouble because they simply did not know that they did now know, or to put it another way, “too late smart”.
Life is full of circumstances that require a “Master’s Degree” in this field. People who were raised during the Great Depression, or as I hinted at, in the country where financial resources are not as handy as those living “in the big city” and they had learned to “do with what they had” and that develops a talent in a person that can make him (her) look like a genius. People like that often heard, “How in the world did you do that?” Simple, they learned the hard way and what they had was not handed to them on a silver platter or merely “given to them” or bought at a hardware store—they earned their knowledge the hard way. End-grain wooden surfaces are nothing new or surprising to professional carpenters who make butcher blocks or heavy-traffic floor surfaces. A newspaper plant I used to frequent as a youth had what looked like a strange floor to me – it looked like little cubes of wood. Actually that is about what that floor was, little cubes of end-grain lumber. End-grain lumber has been used for decades where the traffic demanded a surface that could stand or endure extreme weight and traffic of heavy-laden “turtles” or carts of type forms weighing hundreds, maybe even thousands of pounds of lead type forms. Linoleum or asphalt tile would simply not do the job. A butcher block, properly made with lumber milled and pieced together with blocks of wood cut specifically to expose the end-grain might outlast the lifetime of the butcher in a busy meat shop. This shop I visited was a perfect example for that unique quote: “If you don’t know what you don’t know, you’re in real trouble.”
THE WORDWRIGHT
THIS IS THE LAST GROUP OF SEVEN WORDS (in a total of 21 WORDS) that we have been sharing from the pen of Mart DeHaan of RBC. We hope these 21 WORDS Mart has pinpointed will be helpful as you continue your walk through life. The book of Proverbs makes "wisdom" sound like something you can obtain like going to the store and shopping for something. And then, on the other hand, Proverbs makes it sound like "wisdom" was a person standing along side God when He created the world. WHATEVER "wisdom" is, the Scripture urges us to GET WISDOM. Snatch it whenever those special experiences come along that I have called Providential Provisions -- God is THE original provider and He shares all truth and wisdom with those who take the time to search for wisdom.
15 -- GET KNOWLEDGE – but don’t depend on your knowledge. Seek to be wise but don’t rely on your wisdom. Work hard, but don’t trust in your hard work. Work smart, but don’t stake everything on your own cleverness and efficiency. Be ethical, but don’t lean on your own morality. Make plans, but don’t hope in your plans. Save money, but don’t trust your savings. Add up your numbers, but don’t count on them. Value people, but don’t depend on people. I’m intrigued with that lengthy New Testament letter that doesn’t ever mention the subject of idols by name – yet abruptly ends with the words, “Little children, keep yourselves from idols.” (I John 5:21)
16 – WE ARE SAVED BY GOD’S MERCY, not by our merit; by Christ’s dying, not by our doing; by trusting, not by trying. If it came down to having one or the other, we’d probably do well to trade all of our assets and education for this one thought (Ephesians 2:8-9).
17 – WORSE THAN BLINDNESS IS SIGHT WITHOUT VISION.” Helen Keller. This reminds me of Jesus, who said, “Take heed that the light which is in you is not darkness.” (Luke 11:35)
18 – WISE ARE THOSE WHO LOOK AT OTHERS with the same generosity they offer themselves, and who look at themselves with the same critical eye they have for others. Yet look what we do! We blame others to get the attention off ourselves (Matthew 7:3).
19 – IT’S BETTER TO DESERVE HONORS AND NOT HAVE THEM, than to have them and not deserve them.” Mark Twain. Jesus gave an example of someone who takes a seat of honor at a banquet, but then is told to give it to someone else (Luke 14:7-11).
20 – I HAVE FOUND that the desire to have is soon replaced by the fear of losing. Solomon wrote a whole essay about this (Ecclesiastes).
21 – USE THINGS AND LOVE PEOPLE. Don’t use people and love things. Why, after so many complex and profound things are considered, do the most important things in life seem so simple?
Mart DeHaan concludes his article, BEEN THINKING ABOUT, with these words: “What I enjoy most about this collection is understanding how all good principles are rooted in the wisdom of Scripture – while pointing us to the Person of Christ.
The best ideas are like the star of Bethlehem. Their purpose is not to celebrate themselves, but to lead us to the One who offers us the forgiveness, patience, grace and wisdom we need.”
THANK YOU, Mart DeHaan (of RBC)
THE WORDWRIGHT
Please visit RBC - www.rbc.org
THE NEXT SEVEN THOUGHTS (Number two in a series of Three)
Radio Bible Class is the name RBC used to go by and for years this ministry has been a well of inspiration for many believers. This is the second of three essay entries in the plan to present twenty-one “words to remember” as written by Mart DeHaan of RBC ministries. Fuel is energy for our automobiles and all other vehicles of necessity in today’s world. Spiritual fuel is also essential for Christians to energize their lives as we face opportunities, trials and tribulations. It is hoped this group of thoughts might contribute to your supply of spiritual energy.
8 - THE POOREST OF ALL are those who don’t know the one to thank for the sunshine or to trust in the dark. Isaiah said it with an edge, “Even the ox knows its master, and the donkey knows where to find its food.” Isaiah 1:3. Those who don’t know their God are poorer than both of them.
9 – WE CAN LEARN MORE from our critics than our admirers. One group tells us how wonderful we are. The other tells us the truth. (Proverbs 27:6 and Psalm 141:5)
10 – WHEN I AM IN THE PRESENCE OF GOD, it seems profoundly unbecoming to demand anything. So said Francis Schaeffer. No one understood this better than our Lord, who said, “Nevertheless not my will, but yours, be done.” (Luke 22:42)
11 - ATTACK PROBLEMS, NOT PEOPLE. I get the two confused until I remember the words and spirit of Christ. (Matthew 5:43-44)
12 – FOR SOME TROUBLES, God has not given us answers – He’s given us His Son. That was His gift to the thief on the cross. (Luke 23:43) and to us.
13 – WHAT GOD THINKS OF IS more important than what we think of ourselves. Paul seemed to have this down pretty well. He showed that he not only took the opinions of others, but also his own, with a grain of salt. (I Corinthians 4:3-4 and Romans 14)
14 – FEAR GOD – not to run from Him, but to Him. This might be even more basic than loving Him. (Proverbs 1:7; 9:10)
(Full credit is given to RBC and Mart DeHaan for the above WORDS TO REMEMBER, which were copied, and shared with The Wordwright readers, from Mart’s “Been Thinking About” literature.)
THE WORDWRIGHT
Please visit RBC - www.rbc.org
Radio Bible Class is the name RBC used to go by and for years this ministry has been a well of inspiration for many believers. For the next three essay entries it is the plan to present twenty-one “words to remember” as written by Mart DeHaan of RBC ministries. Fuel is energy for our automobiles and all other vehicles of necessity in today’s world. Spiritual fuel is also essential for Christians to energize their lives as we face opportunities, trials and tribulations. It is hoped this group of thoughts might contribute to your supply of spiritual energy.
1 - WHAT WE HAVE at the center of our attention is what has us. King David is both a positive and negative example of this principle. WHATEVER he gave his attention to would either “make him” or “break him.”
2 - GOD LOVES US ENOUGH to accept us as we are, but He loves us too much to leave us that way. Could anything be better? -- “I am confident of this: that the One who has begun his good work in your will go on developing it …” Philippians 1:6
3 - NOTHING IS SO RELEVANT as the eternal. A Jewish man names Asaph learned this thousands of years ago while struggling with feelings of envy, disappointment and doubt. – Psalms 73
4 - WE SEE THINGS not only as they are, but as we are. Uh-oh – “To the pure, all things are pure, but to those who are corrupted and do not believe, nothing is pure…” Titus 1:15
5. – TO CHANGE, WE MUST WANT SOMETHING ELSE MORE than what we now have. Maybe this is why the Scriptures say we will find the Lord (and the heart-changing help of His Spirit) only when we look for Him, with all our heart "You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart." Jeremiah 29:13
6 – LIVE FOR WHAT YOU WILL NOT REGRET when you die. “What profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?” Matthew 16:26
7 – THE SECRET OF ABUNDANCE is found, not in what we have, but in what we enjoy (or are thankful for). Paul expressed this in his letter to the Philippians (Chapter 4). Nothing produces wealth more quickly or certainly than a heart of gratefulness.
(Full credit is given to RBC and Mart DeHaan for the above WORDS TO REMEMBER, which were copied, and shared with The Wordwright readers, from Mart’s “Been Thinking About” literature.)
THE WORDWRIGHT
Please visit RBC – www.rbc.org
Proverbs 30:19 - “The way of an eagle in the air is too wonderful to understand.”
David Kline, in his book “Great Possessions” dares edit Scripture by adding, “I would include the peregrine as well.” Mr. Kline would find no argument with any theologian or God Himself as the birds of the air routinely manifest their Creator as the Source of their ways and abilities. There is a jet that has unique maneuverability to hover and I wonder if it was coincidentally named the Harrier Jet because it mimics the Harrier Hawk’s ability to maneuver so well in capturing its prey as it sweeps down showing a low V formation of its wings. There is also a Kestral jet, but for some reason in the references found on the Internet, or coincidental notes no mention was given about (its name) having any origin with antics and flying abilities of a Kestral Hawk. Perhaps some engineers (or inventors) would rather have us think they originated such abilities instead of copying the way of birds in the air.
David Kline’s quiet classic, “Great Possessions” is a book that ought to be a “must read” for anyone who works in the field, in the forest – really in any part of “nature”. Mr. Kline makes the world of nature live in his book of 235 pages.
Where man ever got the idea or inkling to call animals “dumb” is beyond me. It is probably just as inaccurate when they used to call deaf people, “deaf and dumb” – only ignorance of the facts would cause naming a disadvantaged person “dumb” just because he couldn’t hear or speak. We live in the same illogical world when people observe another individual who has no control over his body because of jerks, tics or spasms that make the person appear “abnormal”. In reality the cause of such spasmodic and uncontrollable movement is so small it takes an electron microscope to find the real problem. Persons who have such physical conditions can see, think and hear – they simply cannot control the spasmodic movements of their body.
It ought to be reassuring to discover Solomon, the son of King David, was a bird-watcher. Of all the attributes and abilities of Solomon it is no accident that he took the time to observe nature. The way of the eagle and a snake as they journey over and across over an apparently trackless route is truly a wonder to observe. Migratory birds fly thousands of miles over land and water to make their winter homes in locations as far away as Central and South America. They do this without an Atlas road map picked up at the service station (like auto travelers have done for years). Again, they are not “dumb animals”; they sometimes choose routes in the same manner of convenience humans would by staying close to visible ground references rather than flying over one of the Great Lakes for example. The migration of our winged friends is closely watched and studied by bird-watchers nationwide in the migratory routes.
Groups of conservation-minded people purchased hundreds of acres in the migratory paths so the mindless slaughter of hawks could be brought to a halt. Kline explains, “Before the founding of Hawk Mountain Sanctuary, the sandstone outcrops were the favorite hiding places for local gunners who lay in wait for the unsuspecting hawks as they passed close to the mountain. Hundreds of hawks would be killed in a single day…” Thanks to the Hawk Mountain Sanctuary this carnage was stopped. Years ago a young boy was supposed to have said, “God doesn’t make junk.” And neither does God make anything – hawks, skunks, snakes, spiders, etc., without a purpose. Man has typically tried to get rid of things he knows little or nothing about. “Step on it, kill it, “ is the mental message recorded in the minds of the uninformed. Because of education and increased wisdom, laws have been made to protect the birds of prey and other scavengers that “clean up our earth” – but there is still confusion as to what creatures on earth should be called “dumb”, man or the animals.
David Kline further educates us: “The migration begins in late August and early September with the bald eagles and ospreys on their way to the gulf coast. By mid-September, the broad-winged hawks appear, sometimes in immense numbers at the points of concentration. At Hawk Ridge in Duluth, for example, approximately 24,000 broadwings were counted on September 22, 1970. And on September 14, 1979, 21, 448 of these small soaring hawks passed Hawk Mountain in Pennsylvania!”
It is refreshing and should create a spirit of gratefulness that some people take bird-watching serious enough to keep such records. It is also refreshing, as David writes in the chapter, Autumn Hawk Flights, “It is good that hawks and eagles are now protected by federal and state laws, and that as the majestic birds wing their way south every autumn, they are greeted with binoculars instead of guns.”
THE WORDWRIGHT
“Great Possessions” An Amish Farmer’s Journal by David Kline was published by North Point Press, New York. ISBN 0-86547-471-0 Copyrighted 1990 by David Kline - Unfortunately, according to my brief search this book is no longer in print. Keep your eyes open at used book stores or local yard sales. If you want an eye opener of the worth of the book, go to Amazon.Com and ask for this book. Date on our copy is 1995.
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