Prosperity Now and Then

I recently shared some thoughts on televangelism, and I hope I did it in the spirit of Christian love.  I am going a bit farther down that road with this post in which I simply present some things I believe about the teachings of the Master.

Some of today's ministers, both of the tv sort and of the pastoral sort, preach what has been referred to as a "prosperity gospel."  This is the teaching that God wants us to prosper in the here and now, physically and financially.*  I do not find much support for this in scripture, but I take great stock in the teachings of Jesus as I find them in my Bible.  I do believe that we are charged with the responsibility of stewardship of our resources in all areas of our lives.

In the Sermon on the Mount, found in the Book of Matthew, Jesus makes some blunt and very clear statements, many of which I suspect most people do not really want to hear.  In chapter five, we find these words:

3 Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

4 Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.

5 Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.

6 Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.

7 Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.

8 Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.

9 Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.

10 Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

11 Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake.

12 Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.

None of this strikes me as admonition to strive for worldly goods.  Moreover, the Master continues in chapter six:

19 Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal:

20 But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal:

21 For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.

Jesus goes on to tell us, basically, that we should trust in God for our needs and focus on right living, i.e., love God, and love our neighbor as ourselves.

*Someone who is near and dear to me was told by an adherent of this "theology" that her husband had died following a protracted illness because they had not sufficient faith for healing.  What I know is that because of his faith in his Savior, he was healed.  As Paul said, "To die is gain!"  Nothing like kicking people when they are down.

Old Silos

 Sharkbytes discovered a very interesting steel silo which she shared with us here.  

There is a wonderful old vitrified tile silo four miles from our house.  It is all that remains of an abandoned barn lot. The silo sits on the boundary between a soybean field and an old woods.

We drive by this location often, and BBBH and I have had some interesting conversations about a dream of building a home on this spot and incorporating the silo into our new digs.  I'll not rehearse the silliness of our "plans" but I will say that we have come up with some great ideas!

Less than a mile due south of the tile structure is the farm of a dear friend of ours.  This old banded stave silo sits about an hundred yards from the house.  There are numerous modern structures between the house and the silo.  I am sure that Little Jo Ann could have told us the history of this silo, but she passed away this summer.  As many times as we visited this farm, it never occurred to me to ask about that.

Go visit Sharkey's silo.

(Apologies for the photography.  These pictures were taken within five minutes of each other, but I had to shoot into the sun on the first one.)

From the Land Down Under

Bob Warr posted this yesterday.  He in turn got it from Leah.  It belongs here as well.

"The punters know that the horse named Morality rarely gets past the post, whereas 

the nag named Self-interest always runs a good race." 

~Gough Whitlam, writing in the London Daily Telegraph on October 19, 1989.

 Australia's 21st Prime Minister, Edward Gough Whitlam,

11 July 1916 - 21 Oct 2014 RIP

The War of Jenkins' Ear

In 1731 the English ship Rebecca¹ captained by one Jenkins was boarded by the Spanish coast guard, an encounter in which, Jenkins said, a Spanish sailor cut off Jenkins's ear.  In the interest of fairness, it might be noted that English and Spanish merchants and pirates were preying on each others ships. English merchants, Spanish pirates; Spanish merchants, English pirates, you know what I mean though I was not there.

Over a period of eight years resentments built, Walpole attempted to avoid war, the English subjects wanted war.  In 1739 Jenkins testified before Parliament, displaying the reputed severed ear.  War against Spain was declared October 23, 1739. This went on for some time, and lots of people died, including Colonial Americans who for the first time were engaged as British soldiers in a foreign war.²

This war had significance in the New World, for at the time the English controlled Georgia, whereas Florida was owned by Spain.  In raids on each other battles were fought up and down the south coast of Georgia, defended by Oglethorpe, not the least of which was Bloody Marsh after the Spanish landed on St. Simons Island.³

Jenkins War was soon folded into the War of Austrian Succession, all of which ended with the Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle in 1748.  The St Johns River was unofficially recognized as the border between Florida and Georgia, and other issues, including trade by the British in Spanish America, were settled by the Treaty of Madrid in 1750.²

Notes
1.  In addition to piracy and severed ears, it should be noted that underlying these hostilities were trade issues, including the "right" of the English to trade slaves in Spanish America, control of territory, and the general bellicose proclivities of mankind which seems to have persisted throughout history, and which still persists to this day.
2.  After eight years between the severing and the exhibiting of the ear, it could well have been a pig's ear, for all I know.
3.  There really is a lot of interesting reading on the subject if one wishes to follow some of the links provided below.

References
1. http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/ops/jenkins_ear.htm
2. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/War_of_Jenkins'_Ear

3. http://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org/articles/history-archaeology/war-jenkins-ear

Televangelism and the Written Word

I don't much watch television preachers.  I am likely to spend the time I might have done reading after bloggers who put their sermons and messages in writing and share with any who will read.  A few examples of writers in this realm whom I consider worthy of reading would include Matt, and Sarah, and Ken.

My reasons for avoiding most tv ministers are my own.  I see nothing to be gained by criticizing men and women who are engaged in the activity.  I encourage discernment and wisdom in selecting those with whom you spend your time and from whom you receive spiritual guidance.

I do, though, occasionally take time to watch that little white haired Louisiana dandy, Jesse Duplantis.  I watch him for the pure entertainment value of his presentation, and sometimes there is a bonus of enlightenment.  The man is funny.  The man could well have made his livelihood as a comedian, had he chosen the secular field of endeavor.

Once in a great while, and when there is nothing else on the Sunday afternoon tube, nothing other than football, that is, I will tune in to see what Freddy Price is on about.  That 's entertainment, too.

Disclaimer:  The mention of these ministers, whether bloggers or televangelists, is in no wise to be construed as an endorsement of their theologies or viewpoints.  I have already suggested wisdom and discernment.

As he told it:

Jesse:  Let me tell you something!
Cathy (Mrs. D): You listen to me.  I am not that naive little girl you married thirty-nine years ago!
Jesse:  I miss her.
Cathy:  She's dead!

Truth: His sermon on spousal interactions was excellent.  Oh, vanilla, do learn from it.

Probe, Pry and Test

     --Walt Kelly, 1961                  

Where are you

?

Perhaps "AT" means Any Town, Indiana

© 2014 David W. Lacy

It's a Dog's Life

and a totally uninhibited lifestyle it is, too.

"Dog" or "dogs" referenced forty-nine times in the Holy Bible.  The one that I most enjoy and appreciate is found in the seventh chapter of Mark.  (Matthew also gives an account of the incident.) A gentile woman, having heard of Jesus, and having a daughter that is possessed of an evil spirit, seeks Jesus out and asks for his favor in banishing the spirit.

Now Jesus, being a Jew, and devout, tells her that it is not right that dogs should eat before the children are fed.

Truth, Master, she said.  But even the dogs eat of the crumbs the children drop under the table.

Jesus, taking note of her faith, said, For this saying, go your way, your daughter is no longer afflicted.

It was not lost on the Syrophoenician woman that she was being likened to a dog, if not being called a dog.  Which of us would not resent such treatment, and that in a public venue?  But she was on a mission, a mission which she would not allow to be thwarted by hurt feelings or resentment.  Rather, she, in clear deference and in complete agreement with Jesus's assessment, pressed her case further, and her petition was granted.