27. March 2007 by David Alexander.

It is amazing how that recognizing the blessings of God in ones life also brings a recognition of the Glory of God and makes ones heart turn to song which celebrates the God of Glory. The two songs that follow are an indication of that. Out of the confusion of their present and the uncertainty of the future both Hannah and Mary praise God.

1 Samuel 2 Hannah’s Triumphant Prayer
1 Hannah prayed: My heart rejoices in the Lord; my horn is lifted up by the Lord. My mouth boasts over my enemies, because I rejoice in Your salvation. 2 There is no one holy like the Lord. There is no one besides You! And there is no rock like our God. 3 Do not boast so proudly, or let arrogant [words] come out of your mouth, for the Lord is a God of knowledge, and actions are weighed by Him. 4 The bows of the warriors are broken, but the feeble are clothed with strength. 5 Those who are full hire themselves out for food, but those who are starving [hunger] no more. The barren woman gives birth to seven, but the woman with many sons pines away. 6 The Lord brings death and gives life; He sends [some] to Sheol, and He raises [others] up. 7 The Lord brings poverty and gives wealth; He humbles and He exalts. 8 He raises the poor from the dust and lifts the needy from the garbage pile. He seats them with noblemen and gives them a throne of honor. For the foundations of the earth are the Lord’s; He has set the world on them.

Mary’s Praise

46 And Mary said: My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord, 47 and my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior, 48 because He has looked with favor on the humble condition of His slave. Surely, from now on all generations will call me blessed, 49 because the Mighty One has done great things for me, and His name is holy. 50 His mercy is from generation to generation on those who fear Him. 51 He has done a mighty deed with His arm; He has scattered the proud because of the thoughts of their hearts; 52 He has toppled the mighty from their thrones and exalted the lowly. 53 He has satisfied the hungry with good things and sent the rich away empty. 54 He has helped His servant Israel, mindful of His mercy, 55 just as He spoke to our ancestors, to Abraham and his descendants forever.

The story is told of a young man from Ontario, Canada, who went to Chicago to make his fortune. He started with sixty dollars, with which he purchased a cheese wagon and a horse named Paddy. He bought cheese on credit from a wholesale merchant and tried to sell it. He would wake up at three in the morning and worked hard all day. At the end of his first year he found himself three thousand dollars in debt and with no one who would give him credit.
He thought the only one that he could talk to about his difficulty was his horse, Paddy. To his surprise he seemed to hear a voice saying, “You are trying to work without God.” The young man looked around to discover where the answer had come from but saw no one. He again addressed his horse saying, “Paddy, get up. If God can do any better with this cheese business than we have done, we will let him.”
The young man entered a partnership with God, and for the rest of his life he continually asked God for guidance. When he discovered a way to preserve cheese, his business grew fantastically and with God’s guidance James Kraft made Kraft a household name.
Before Hannah composed her song of praise to God, she experienced great struggles. But when her heart was at it’s lowest and her self-esteem was all but gone because of her childlessness, Hannah prayed to the Lord and He granted her request for a son. In what ways can you sing Hannah’s song today?

Just when I am disheartened, just when with cares oppressed,

Just when my way is darkest, just when I am distressed,

Then is my Savior near me,

He knows my every care;

Jesus will never leave me;

He helps my burden to bear.

J Bruce Evans

“What we win by prayer, we may wear with comfort, And must wear with praise.”

Matthew Henry

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21. March 2007 by David Alexander.

my child is egocentric. The world revolves around him. Now this is nothing new. Child psychologists have known this for centuries. I was once told this. But it doesn’t really sink in well until 2.30 am when chaos breaks loose in the split second it takes for him to leave the comatose stage and realize he hasn’t eaten since 3 hours ago - or he needs his passy - or to be held - or burped - or diaper changed - or etc.

I fully expect him to grow out of this, to have his worldview expanded. To finally arrive at global perspective bliss where he is able to not only think of others first, but also understand their point of view. This is indeed maturity.

Generally Americans are considered egotistical ethnocentric monolingual narrow minded people. Having lived in a rural corner of a southern state, I would definitely agree that there are prime examples that would be defined as such. But it will always amaze me to find long standing church leaders who continue to think that all people would be comfortable attending their church. If that is the way it will be in heaven, then it should be so now. I can already hear Belinda Carlisle singing “we’ll make heaven a place on earth.”

I long to one day be part of a multi-ethnic church. I have seen some in action - read books by leaders and pastors of such. O the bliss of that glorious thought. However, it is missiologically impossible to have a multi-cultural one. I have observed that those that say they have one ignore that all ethnicities present have compromised bits of their own cultures to adopt a common church culture in order to find some sort of unity within the body.

What is needed are more partnering churches that would unite forces to provide a third culture that would reach third culture kids trapped in the middle of parental and host nation cultures. A regional multi-cultural network of missional churches. Now that truly would be “heaven on earth.”

If someone knows of one, let me know.

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20. March 2007 by David Alexander.

America is definitely a disposable nation.  From baby diapers, mop pads, and drinking cups to athletic wear, contacts, Baptist preachers, and red shirted crewmen on intergalactic vessels, convenience demands easy disposability.  If it takes up too much room, causes too much work, or gets in the way dispose of it.    It is all good, society can adapt without it.  When needed later, this is America, we can purchase it again.  Even if God decides to dispose of it for us, if we think we need it, we can buy it back.             

Not even life is sacred to our dispose-all mentality.  If the child will cause inconvenience, choice demands expendability.  Mississippi Baptists through The Memorial to the Missing emphatically declare otherwise.  As each penny has value, even more so does the life of each unborn child that each penny represents.  And as a whole, America has discarded a priceless treasure chest of valuable life.           

As irony would have it the latest would be casualty of American convenience is the penny.  As of May of this year, the cost of fabricating the penny is more than the value of the penny itself.  Supposedly, the 1.23 cents it costs to make each penny and the 5.73 cents spent on each nickel have made these two coins conveniently expendable according to a bill introduced to the House.  And in America, the inconvenience of something is directly proportional to its disposability.  In order to adjust to a new financial reality without pennies, ideas are being formulated for efficient rounding of prices.  I can only imagine that in a world run by politicians this means a liberal method of rounding up.  If my High School economics is right, get ready for an increase in the cost of living.  Is our society soon to be completely “centsless?”            

The Memorial to the Missing flies in the face of convenient disposability.  According to the US Department of Agriculture in 2001, the cost of raising one child from conception through college is estimated at $250,800.  This obvious inconvenience coupled with the inconvenience of the costly coins inside produces a conveniently extreme consistency in inconvenience.  Aside from the fact the memorial was neither convenient to erect, nor is it conveniently disposed of, each saved penny shouts defiantly that the child’s worth is not determined by convenience.  Although viewed by many as insignificant, each life is priceless.  Life is not to be idly discarded for the sake of societal convenience.  To rid ourselves of life simply because it will cost us too much to keep is senseless.  Ridding society of pennies might simply increase the cost of living, but ridding ourselves of children has greatly decreased our value of life.              

All things were created by God and for the purposes of God.  Christ’s suffering and death were inconvenient, but He went through them anyway because their long term value and significance were not determined by their convenience.  The cost of following Christ is great and definitely not convenient.  Christ’s command for us to lead by servanthood is not intended for our convenience.  The cost of fulfilling the Great Commission and Acts 1.8 is not even close to convenient.  Certainly our lives were meant, not for our convenience, but for God’s purposes.  In the postmodern society dictated by convenience, the Church, like the memorial, is the monument to purposeful inconvenience.  The Church participates in Christ’s inconvenience so that others may rejoice in purposeful living. 

            Rid the world of pennies and I might be able to adjust and conform to a world without cents, but I despise the mere thought of adjusting, and reject the idea of conforming, to a world without sense.

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