THE DYNAMIC COVENANT
Walking humbly with our God!
Apart from God's constant company the best of human intentions are actually
ARROGANCE!
Saying/thinking that WE know already what the Bible means-- we reflect thatwe have eaten from the Tree of knowledge of Good andEvil, but NOt from the Tree of Life!
Apart from God's constant company the best of human intentions
FAIL TO RELATE TO THE FULL ORD OF TRUTH.
"We put little parts of the puzzle together" with no understanding of the significance of the whole.
Apart from God's constant company even
THE SERMON ON THE MOUNT BECOMES AN IMPOSSIBLE IDEAL.
The law of love must be imprinted on the human heart by the fires ofa personal Pentecost, a time when the Holy Spirit comes to reside and to preside in the heart forever!
To walk humbly with our God means:
A deliberate CHOICE!
(Amos 3:3) "Can two walk together except they be agreed?"
To walk with God means there has to be some change/ someadaptation on the part both of God and of man!
What stooping God has done! But He cannot compromise
with falsehood and sin!
What JOY surrender means for us!
HOLINESS makes us fitto fellowship with God!
Such a walking means:
Fellowship with God!
Direction of life into MEANING!
An unbroken relationship that goes beyond DEATH into ETERNITY (Enock-like) for us ALL!
-from a sermon on Micah’s prophecy
Saturday, July 28, 2007
A Pattern for Private Prayer
Pattern for Private Devotions
This article was first published in the Herald of Holiness and reproduced for ENC Students for many years as the Fall semester began.
When the disciples asked Jesus to teach them to pray, they were looking for a simple lesson in how to conduct their personal devotions. instinctively they were reaching for the heart of the faith-life, for everything stops or goes in relation to the quality of our prayer - everything worthwhile in the church, that is.
Have you ever outlined your personal devotions?
What do you do when you get alone with God? Do you just sort of "let it happen"?
Here is a suggested pattern for personal devotions, based on Jesus' response to the disciples' expressed need (which of course is "The Lord's Prayer"):
FIRST, before you actually begin:
FOCUS! Just what is the aim, the purpose in your life? Why are you coming to the place of prayer? I find it helpful to repeat, not as a prayer, but as a "focus sharpener," these words:
God wants me to be primarily concerned with pleasing HIM, and not too much concerned with pleasing anyone else, no matter how good or godly. Think about that! It doesn't mean that you don't have varied and sometimes conflicting responsibilities -- as parent, as church worker, as citizen -- but in seeking to please God, you will more effectively do everything else that is needful.
THEN, ask God's blessing on the portion of scripture you
READ. Just as you pause to ask the blessing on your meals, ask for insight and illumination in the Word. Use a notebook, and read with pen in hand. Jot down thoughts that occur, questions that arise, words you don't understand. Always write down the date, for as months and years slip by you will be able to trace God's grace in growth and blessing in your life. Read by some plan that does not limit your reading to just a few choice passages.
BEGIN your prayer time with
PRAISE! Whatever you do don't give into the temptation to skimp on this part in order to get to the "important" part of the day's prayer. In fact, if you are heavily burdened take extra time in praising God. Be specific. I find it helpful to write out three things for which I wish to praise God; don't be afraid to tell God you appreciate His patience with you, or praise Him that you can see Jesus in fellow Christians. Praise Him for godly parents, for blue skies, for a warm home, for the person who introduced to Jesus, for being with you in hard times. Really tell God from your heart how much you love Him, and how you want to give Him praise!
NEXT comes
SURRENDER. Yes, I believe in consecration and crisis experiences of salvation. I also believe that in a practical way I can give to God in a daily way what I surrendered when I was saved, and when I consecrated my all seeking sanctification. Give God THIS day! Ask Him to make your appointments! Offer to be His instrument, to be used of God. He will use you -- every single day!
Surrender any failures, too. Don't let temporary setbacks harden. Don't gloss over stupidity or carelessness. Ask for forgiveness -- and give forgiveness, too. Surrender any temptation to harbor resentment, ill will, or even moodiness.
Surrender is quite naturally followed by
TRUST. But make it an active trust! Expect God! Expect a fresh infilling of the Spirit! Expect to be used during the day. Don't be surprised when you find yourself really ministering to someone's heartache. And finally, expect God to help you pray as you enter into the final phase of your devotions.
Expect His help as you make
INTERCESSION. Pray, by name, for every member of your immediate family. Keep a list of those you pray for daily. Be sensitive and the Spirit will bring to your mind names and faces and needs. How much more keenness and power your intercession AFTER praise and AFTER surrender and EXPECTANT FAITH.
Finally-- get up and leave the place of prayer, but seek to go in the spirit of prayer and thanksgiving. Be thankful God has heard you. Be thankful He is with you. Let your whole day be the "Amen!"
If you haven't tried patterned devotions before try it for 30 days. Pray all you want, any way you want IN BETWEEN regular patterned devotins. But every day FOCUS, and then prayerfully, with your pen in hand, READ, and PRAISE and SURRENDER and TRUST and make INTERCESSION AND PETITION, with THANKSGIVING AND OBEDIENCE as you depart the place of prayer. It is the pattern Jesus gave. It works!
This article was first published in the Herald of Holiness and reproduced for ENC Students for many years as the Fall semester began.
When the disciples asked Jesus to teach them to pray, they were looking for a simple lesson in how to conduct their personal devotions. instinctively they were reaching for the heart of the faith-life, for everything stops or goes in relation to the quality of our prayer - everything worthwhile in the church, that is.
Have you ever outlined your personal devotions?
What do you do when you get alone with God? Do you just sort of "let it happen"?
Here is a suggested pattern for personal devotions, based on Jesus' response to the disciples' expressed need (which of course is "The Lord's Prayer"):
FIRST, before you actually begin:
FOCUS! Just what is the aim, the purpose in your life? Why are you coming to the place of prayer? I find it helpful to repeat, not as a prayer, but as a "focus sharpener," these words:
God wants me to be primarily concerned with pleasing HIM, and not too much concerned with pleasing anyone else, no matter how good or godly. Think about that! It doesn't mean that you don't have varied and sometimes conflicting responsibilities -- as parent, as church worker, as citizen -- but in seeking to please God, you will more effectively do everything else that is needful.
THEN, ask God's blessing on the portion of scripture you
READ. Just as you pause to ask the blessing on your meals, ask for insight and illumination in the Word. Use a notebook, and read with pen in hand. Jot down thoughts that occur, questions that arise, words you don't understand. Always write down the date, for as months and years slip by you will be able to trace God's grace in growth and blessing in your life. Read by some plan that does not limit your reading to just a few choice passages.
BEGIN your prayer time with
PRAISE! Whatever you do don't give into the temptation to skimp on this part in order to get to the "important" part of the day's prayer. In fact, if you are heavily burdened take extra time in praising God. Be specific. I find it helpful to write out three things for which I wish to praise God; don't be afraid to tell God you appreciate His patience with you, or praise Him that you can see Jesus in fellow Christians. Praise Him for godly parents, for blue skies, for a warm home, for the person who introduced to Jesus, for being with you in hard times. Really tell God from your heart how much you love Him, and how you want to give Him praise!
NEXT comes
SURRENDER. Yes, I believe in consecration and crisis experiences of salvation. I also believe that in a practical way I can give to God in a daily way what I surrendered when I was saved, and when I consecrated my all seeking sanctification. Give God THIS day! Ask Him to make your appointments! Offer to be His instrument, to be used of God. He will use you -- every single day!
Surrender any failures, too. Don't let temporary setbacks harden. Don't gloss over stupidity or carelessness. Ask for forgiveness -- and give forgiveness, too. Surrender any temptation to harbor resentment, ill will, or even moodiness.
Surrender is quite naturally followed by
TRUST. But make it an active trust! Expect God! Expect a fresh infilling of the Spirit! Expect to be used during the day. Don't be surprised when you find yourself really ministering to someone's heartache. And finally, expect God to help you pray as you enter into the final phase of your devotions.
Expect His help as you make
INTERCESSION. Pray, by name, for every member of your immediate family. Keep a list of those you pray for daily. Be sensitive and the Spirit will bring to your mind names and faces and needs. How much more keenness and power your intercession AFTER praise and AFTER surrender and EXPECTANT FAITH.
Finally-- get up and leave the place of prayer, but seek to go in the spirit of prayer and thanksgiving. Be thankful God has heard you. Be thankful He is with you. Let your whole day be the "Amen!"
If you haven't tried patterned devotions before try it for 30 days. Pray all you want, any way you want IN BETWEEN regular patterned devotins. But every day FOCUS, and then prayerfully, with your pen in hand, READ, and PRAISE and SURRENDER and TRUST and make INTERCESSION AND PETITION, with THANKSGIVING AND OBEDIENCE as you depart the place of prayer. It is the pattern Jesus gave. It works!
Thursday, July 26, 2007
Poetry as Prophecy
Isaiah 56:8 "...the LORD GOD which gathereth the outcasts of Israel..."
It is impossible to "explain" poetry, even when that poetry is the living Word of God. But that can not prevent poetry from speaking deep and true into our very innermost being. And when that poetry IS the Word of God, the message that it speaks kindles life itself.
This portion of Isaiah (found in the 56th chapter,) flowing out of the "Servant Passage," speaks particularly of how the great Jehovah God loves all mankind, is willing, desires to be everyone's God, even -and perhaps particularly- those who seem to be hopeless or somehow "inferior."
Rather than analyze and dissect this chapter, I would let Isaiah lift us up on poetic wings for an overview of his joyful, hopeful, confident, gracious portrait of the great God we love and serve.
I. A GOD OF GREAT COMPASSION
42:3 A bruised reed He will not break, and a dimly burning wick He will not extinguish
God is in the life-saving, life-lifting business; not in the life-extinguishing, find-a-reason-to-kill-you business!
46:1-4 Bel, Nebo (Babylonian idols) ...the things that YOU carry, are burdensome, a load for the weary beasts... "Listen to Me..You who have been borne by Me from birth, and have been carried from the womb; even to your old age, I shall be the same, and even to your graying years I shall bear you!
The prophet contrasts His God with (and even makes FUN of) the idols of the nations. JHWH carries His loved ones!
God is not just interested in our "souls." He cares how we feel; His heart feels the good and the bad along with us.
I do not pretend to understand the apparent inequities of life; I do serve a God Who CARES about these inequities, and Who has promised that He would be with every one who calls on Him, and that His PRESENCE would give us REST.
II. A GOD OVER ALL THE EARTH
45:1 "The LORD says to Cyrus, His anointed ... "I will go before you and make the rough places smooth ...
I am the LORD and besides me there is no God I am the Lord and there is no other...
[God could and did take the king of Persia and subdue and chastise the king of Babylon, and in the doing (Romans 8:28) care for the Chosen, while establishing His name in all the earth.
And He can and shall do it again ... without (I might add) the frantic, sweaty help of those who think God NEEDS us! On the other hand, however, remember that God can and will use the human instruments that SUBMIT to Him!
The ancient world had pretty much divided itself into isolated armed camps, and each social group had its own version of deity. Most of these deities were pale reflections of human vices and virtues raised to the Nth power, and the concept of pure GOODNESS, or unfailing JUSTICE, or overarching HOLINESS seemed to be missing.
JWHW declared Himself to be concerned about ALL peoples!
The modern world creates its own gods in its own self-serving image, as well. There is really nothing new under the sun... and today God Almighty says:
I AM THE LORD! BESIDE ME THERE IS NO OTHER!
You Nazarenes do not own Me! You Roman Catholics did not create ME!
III. A GOD OF A SPECIFIC PEOPLE
A. He chose Abraham, and then formed a Covenant People. THERE IS ALWAYS A HUMAN RESPONSE TO GOD'S CHOICE INVOLVED!
Our God chooses people by making covenant with them!
B. But from the very beginning, God's plan has been that the CHOSEN, the "covenant people" always will share God's kindness and love to all the world:
49:5 And now, says the LORD, who formed Me from the womb to be His Servant -- My God is My Strength-- He says, Is it too small a thing that You should be My Servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob, and to restore the preserved ones of Israel;
I will also make You a light to the nations So that My salvation may reach the end of the earth Thus says the LORD, the Redeemer of Israel, and its Holy One, To the Despised One To the One abhorred by the nation, To the Servant of Rulers, "Kings shall bow down Because of the LORD who is faithful, the Holy One of Israel who has chosen you."
B. (We believe that THE CHURCH carries on this covenant relationship! Instead of circumcision, now the covenant is baptism, and also the covenant of the Eucharist.) And
God STILL chooses those who will listen to be HIS people! But He STILL chooses them in order to let the rest of the world know just what kind of God He IS! He still loves all people, everywhere!
IV. A GOD OF THE HOPELESS
[Which brings US/me to the passage for today... this great and gracious God speaks particularly to the disenfranchised, the minorities, the discriminated against, the "outcasts in Israel," the aliens, or, in our modern buzz-word jargon, the "victims."]
56:3 "Let NOT the foreigner who has joined himself to the LORD say, "The LORD will surely separate me from His people" Neither let the eunuch say, "Behold, I am a dry tree."
MY house will be called a house of prayer for all the peoples!
The Lord GOD who gathers the dispersed of Israel declares, "YET OTHERS I will gather... to those already gathered!"
NO one! is "shut out" from God's love! We are separated from each other at times ... we separate ourselves from each other-- we think we are separated from God. That there are special "elite" called people! such as... The JEWS! Birthright Christians! Second generation Nazarenes! Gifted! Moneyed! Those "in the clique!"
SUMMARY:
THE GOD OF GRACE INTENDS THAT IN HIS RIGHTEOUS KINGDOM NO ONE WHO DESIRES TO HAVE LIFE SHALL BE SHUT OUT!
CONCLUSION
The ("bottom line") word that comes through loud and clear from this poet-preacher Isaiah is the fact that this great God wants very much to be YOUR God and YOUR Friend!
66:2 "To this one I will look, to him who is humble and contrite of spirit, and who trembles at (deeply reverences) my word." God wants a people He can love and that He can work with- - and who will be His witnesses: A GOD WHO WOULD BE YOUR GOD
(Exhortation:)
And just how important it is that you connect with the REALITY that is this great God!???
By "reality" I mean MORE than human thought, or human feelings, or human determination and will. To KNOW GOD is an exercise in TRUST, in FAITH that God IS! And that God is a Rewarder of those who seek to know HIM! God is as real a person as you are. Therefore you must not seek so much to know ABOUT Himm as to know HIM!
JUST ONE FACET OF THIS "IMPORTANCE":
My highest priority as a pastor is to save the children of the church family from losing their faith and slipping into the maelstrom of the world and being lost in time and eternity.
The best, the only real prevention for the loss of our children is a personal relationship with Jesus as Savior, Lord and Friend.
The way this is most likely to happen is if they have a model or models who have a "real" working relationship both with Jesus and with them. This is not to say that people cannot work their own ways through to genuine salvation without a Christian family or network. But the usual pathway is role model and example.
This makes the following question one which should not be avoided. [My problem sometimes is that people think I am exaggerating when I'm serious, or think I'm serious when I am having fun and exaggerating. I want absolutely no confusion here: I am as serious as I know how to be!]
The question is: HOW REAL IS JESUS CHRIST TO YOU? If you, as parent, role model, leader, have a "get-by" or "mediocre" friendship with Jesus, and your prayer life is not an increasing push into the adventure of the mystery of knowing God in Jesus Christ, then it is likely that those watching you will not be excited about the faith that you may well hold dear.
We need to talk with Jesus. We need to walk with Jesus, and tell Him constantly how we are, what we are thinking. And then we need to put at the top of our intercessory prayer list the people we do not want to be separated from for all eternity!
It is impossible to "explain" poetry, even when that poetry is the living Word of God. But that can not prevent poetry from speaking deep and true into our very innermost being. And when that poetry IS the Word of God, the message that it speaks kindles life itself.
This portion of Isaiah (found in the 56th chapter,) flowing out of the "Servant Passage," speaks particularly of how the great Jehovah God loves all mankind, is willing, desires to be everyone's God, even -and perhaps particularly- those who seem to be hopeless or somehow "inferior."
Rather than analyze and dissect this chapter, I would let Isaiah lift us up on poetic wings for an overview of his joyful, hopeful, confident, gracious portrait of the great God we love and serve.
I. A GOD OF GREAT COMPASSION
42:3 A bruised reed He will not break, and a dimly burning wick He will not extinguish
God is in the life-saving, life-lifting business; not in the life-extinguishing, find-a-reason-to-kill-you business!
46:1-4 Bel, Nebo (Babylonian idols) ...the things that YOU carry, are burdensome, a load for the weary beasts... "Listen to Me..You who have been borne by Me from birth, and have been carried from the womb; even to your old age, I shall be the same, and even to your graying years I shall bear you!
The prophet contrasts His God with (and even makes FUN of) the idols of the nations. JHWH carries His loved ones!
God is not just interested in our "souls." He cares how we feel; His heart feels the good and the bad along with us.
I do not pretend to understand the apparent inequities of life; I do serve a God Who CARES about these inequities, and Who has promised that He would be with every one who calls on Him, and that His PRESENCE would give us REST.
II. A GOD OVER ALL THE EARTH
45:1 "The LORD says to Cyrus, His anointed ... "I will go before you and make the rough places smooth ...
I am the LORD and besides me there is no God I am the Lord and there is no other...
[God could and did take the king of Persia and subdue and chastise the king of Babylon, and in the doing (Romans 8:28) care for the Chosen, while establishing His name in all the earth.
And He can and shall do it again ... without (I might add) the frantic, sweaty help of those who think God NEEDS us! On the other hand, however, remember that God can and will use the human instruments that SUBMIT to Him!
The ancient world had pretty much divided itself into isolated armed camps, and each social group had its own version of deity. Most of these deities were pale reflections of human vices and virtues raised to the Nth power, and the concept of pure GOODNESS, or unfailing JUSTICE, or overarching HOLINESS seemed to be missing.
JWHW declared Himself to be concerned about ALL peoples!
The modern world creates its own gods in its own self-serving image, as well. There is really nothing new under the sun... and today God Almighty says:
I AM THE LORD! BESIDE ME THERE IS NO OTHER!
You Nazarenes do not own Me! You Roman Catholics did not create ME!
III. A GOD OF A SPECIFIC PEOPLE
A. He chose Abraham, and then formed a Covenant People. THERE IS ALWAYS A HUMAN RESPONSE TO GOD'S CHOICE INVOLVED!
Our God chooses people by making covenant with them!
B. But from the very beginning, God's plan has been that the CHOSEN, the "covenant people" always will share God's kindness and love to all the world:
49:5 And now, says the LORD, who formed Me from the womb to be His Servant -- My God is My Strength-- He says, Is it too small a thing that You should be My Servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob, and to restore the preserved ones of Israel;
I will also make You a light to the nations So that My salvation may reach the end of the earth Thus says the LORD, the Redeemer of Israel, and its Holy One, To the Despised One To the One abhorred by the nation, To the Servant of Rulers, "Kings shall bow down Because of the LORD who is faithful, the Holy One of Israel who has chosen you."
B. (We believe that THE CHURCH carries on this covenant relationship! Instead of circumcision, now the covenant is baptism, and also the covenant of the Eucharist.) And
God STILL chooses those who will listen to be HIS people! But He STILL chooses them in order to let the rest of the world know just what kind of God He IS! He still loves all people, everywhere!
IV. A GOD OF THE HOPELESS
[Which brings US/me to the passage for today... this great and gracious God speaks particularly to the disenfranchised, the minorities, the discriminated against, the "outcasts in Israel," the aliens, or, in our modern buzz-word jargon, the "victims."]
56:3 "Let NOT the foreigner who has joined himself to the LORD say, "The LORD will surely separate me from His people" Neither let the eunuch say, "Behold, I am a dry tree."
MY house will be called a house of prayer for all the peoples!
The Lord GOD who gathers the dispersed of Israel declares, "YET OTHERS I will gather... to those already gathered!"
NO one! is "shut out" from God's love! We are separated from each other at times ... we separate ourselves from each other-- we think we are separated from God. That there are special "elite" called people! such as... The JEWS! Birthright Christians! Second generation Nazarenes! Gifted! Moneyed! Those "in the clique!"
SUMMARY:
THE GOD OF GRACE INTENDS THAT IN HIS RIGHTEOUS KINGDOM NO ONE WHO DESIRES TO HAVE LIFE SHALL BE SHUT OUT!
CONCLUSION
The ("bottom line") word that comes through loud and clear from this poet-preacher Isaiah is the fact that this great God wants very much to be YOUR God and YOUR Friend!
66:2 "To this one I will look, to him who is humble and contrite of spirit, and who trembles at (deeply reverences) my word." God wants a people He can love and that He can work with- - and who will be His witnesses: A GOD WHO WOULD BE YOUR GOD
(Exhortation:)
And just how important it is that you connect with the REALITY that is this great God!???
By "reality" I mean MORE than human thought, or human feelings, or human determination and will. To KNOW GOD is an exercise in TRUST, in FAITH that God IS! And that God is a Rewarder of those who seek to know HIM! God is as real a person as you are. Therefore you must not seek so much to know ABOUT Himm as to know HIM!
JUST ONE FACET OF THIS "IMPORTANCE":
My highest priority as a pastor is to save the children of the church family from losing their faith and slipping into the maelstrom of the world and being lost in time and eternity.
The best, the only real prevention for the loss of our children is a personal relationship with Jesus as Savior, Lord and Friend.
The way this is most likely to happen is if they have a model or models who have a "real" working relationship both with Jesus and with them. This is not to say that people cannot work their own ways through to genuine salvation without a Christian family or network. But the usual pathway is role model and example.
This makes the following question one which should not be avoided. [My problem sometimes is that people think I am exaggerating when I'm serious, or think I'm serious when I am having fun and exaggerating. I want absolutely no confusion here: I am as serious as I know how to be!]
The question is: HOW REAL IS JESUS CHRIST TO YOU? If you, as parent, role model, leader, have a "get-by" or "mediocre" friendship with Jesus, and your prayer life is not an increasing push into the adventure of the mystery of knowing God in Jesus Christ, then it is likely that those watching you will not be excited about the faith that you may well hold dear.
We need to talk with Jesus. We need to walk with Jesus, and tell Him constantly how we are, what we are thinking. And then we need to put at the top of our intercessory prayer list the people we do not want to be separated from for all eternity!
Saturday, July 21, 2007
Called unto . . .
HOLINESS AND CT
The latest issue of Christianity Today had a news article about the Church of the Nazarene in which it was reported that our basic focus or stated doctrines were being examined. Quoting a keen young author and a general superintendent the article failed to make clear just what the new emphases might be.
The idea of ‘secondness’ has been a cornerstone on which the Church of the Nazarene has been established. Subsequent- following- the experience of justification the ‘second blessing’ has been preached and has been testified to, and, in my opinion, has been demonstrated in thousands of lives across the past 100 years. Not that Nazarene have any monopoly on sanctification; many more thousands have made the consecration called for in Romans 12:1,2 and have discovered over and over into what deeper things God leads them as they live the covenant life.
There is a deep kernel of truth in that ‘secondness’ no matter how we define the doctrine. The Spirit bears witness when we are totally given over to God- God-committed- and when we ask for the faith to keep eternal covenant with Him. We need to keep challenging our people (and ourselves as ministers) to deliberately belong to God.
But what I read in CT leads me to believe that the reporter sees something other than holiness as “our watchword and song.” Like so much of American culture-driven Christianity from store fronts to cathedrals, Pentecostals to Catholics, we’re thinking spectacle- excitement- public relations.
I'm sure the motives behind the new study of entire sanctification is sincere. But the hard kernel of truth is still there: the challenge to belong to God without reservation, and to maske that covenant solemnly and forever.
The latest issue of Christianity Today had a news article about the Church of the Nazarene in which it was reported that our basic focus or stated doctrines were being examined. Quoting a keen young author and a general superintendent the article failed to make clear just what the new emphases might be.
The idea of ‘secondness’ has been a cornerstone on which the Church of the Nazarene has been established. Subsequent- following- the experience of justification the ‘second blessing’ has been preached and has been testified to, and, in my opinion, has been demonstrated in thousands of lives across the past 100 years. Not that Nazarene have any monopoly on sanctification; many more thousands have made the consecration called for in Romans 12:1,2 and have discovered over and over into what deeper things God leads them as they live the covenant life.
There is a deep kernel of truth in that ‘secondness’ no matter how we define the doctrine. The Spirit bears witness when we are totally given over to God- God-committed- and when we ask for the faith to keep eternal covenant with Him. We need to keep challenging our people (and ourselves as ministers) to deliberately belong to God.
But what I read in CT leads me to believe that the reporter sees something other than holiness as “our watchword and song.” Like so much of American culture-driven Christianity from store fronts to cathedrals, Pentecostals to Catholics, we’re thinking spectacle- excitement- public relations.
I'm sure the motives behind the new study of entire sanctification is sincere. But the hard kernel of truth is still there: the challenge to belong to God without reservation, and to maske that covenant solemnly and forever.
Thursday, July 19, 2007
God Connections
Have you considered how God communicates with us?
How does God reveal Himself to mere mortals like you and me?
The Bible?
Certainly-- it is the Word of God. The written word.
But the Bible has its limits. Not the least of these limits is the fact that most people never read it. And of those of us who do, we find it is not always as simple as some would seem to indicate.
"Search the scriptures, " Jesus told the learnd critics. "In them you think you have eternal life, and they are they that testify of Me!"
The Bible doesn't save anyone; it points to the One who does.
Jesus?
Absolutely! He is the living Word!
In the Bible's pages we begin to see Jesus, and the Holy Spirit brings that picture more and more alive until we realize God is speaking! The Holy Spirit makes it possible for us to begin a personal relationship with God through the living Word, Jesus Christ our Lord. It is the task and privilege and challenge of a lifetime to know the liing Word, and let God communicate with us.
But that is not the end of the story.
How does God communicate with us?
The Church?
The Church! The Church is the incarnated Word. Not the institutions, now. Not the denominations, or the organizations, although they may (or may not) become vehicles by which the communication may take place. But by the church I mean YOU! I mean even ME! Every child of God is a member of the Body of Christ, the one true church. And the commandment is, "Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly!" (Colossians 3) We are the incarnate Word!
We- you and I- are the only "Bible" many of the people we meet may ever read. Every one of us came to know God because some meber of the Body of Christ, using the written Word in some way or other, introduced us to the living Word.
Written Word!
LIVING WORD!
The Word in shoe leather . . .in kitchens and calssrooms . . on the job..
THAT is how God communicates with us.
How does God reveal Himself to mere mortals like you and me?
The Bible?
Certainly-- it is the Word of God. The written word.
But the Bible has its limits. Not the least of these limits is the fact that most people never read it. And of those of us who do, we find it is not always as simple as some would seem to indicate.
"Search the scriptures, " Jesus told the learnd critics. "In them you think you have eternal life, and they are they that testify of Me!"
The Bible doesn't save anyone; it points to the One who does.
Jesus?
Absolutely! He is the living Word!
In the Bible's pages we begin to see Jesus, and the Holy Spirit brings that picture more and more alive until we realize God is speaking! The Holy Spirit makes it possible for us to begin a personal relationship with God through the living Word, Jesus Christ our Lord. It is the task and privilege and challenge of a lifetime to know the liing Word, and let God communicate with us.
But that is not the end of the story.
How does God communicate with us?
The Church?
The Church! The Church is the incarnated Word. Not the institutions, now. Not the denominations, or the organizations, although they may (or may not) become vehicles by which the communication may take place. But by the church I mean YOU! I mean even ME! Every child of God is a member of the Body of Christ, the one true church. And the commandment is, "Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly!" (Colossians 3) We are the incarnate Word!
We- you and I- are the only "Bible" many of the people we meet may ever read. Every one of us came to know God because some meber of the Body of Christ, using the written Word in some way or other, introduced us to the living Word.
Written Word!
LIVING WORD!
The Word in shoe leather . . .in kitchens and calssrooms . . on the job..
THAT is how God communicates with us.
Saturday, July 14, 2007
The 'Hayford Street Gang' Story
There was a short time in my life when I dreaded going to school. School itself was fine-- it was just getting there and getting home again-- you see, I lived on Magnolia Avenue, and I had to watch out for the Hayford Street Gang.
Most of the time I walked to school with the Magnolia Avenuekids. As long as three or four of us were together we felt safe. Butit could be seriously damaging to your health if you got caught allalone by the Hayford Street Gang.
And then one night it happened! I had to stay after school andthe rest of the Magnolia Avenue kids for some reason or anothercouldn't wait. I had to walk home alone. I started down KalamazooStreet with the sincere hope I wouldn't- - but I did!
I had only goneabout a block from the Allen Street School when I looked about anotherblock down the street and there-- there I saw--The Hayford StreetGang! I knew I was going to get beat up.
My mind began racing-- in one split second I thought--" I'll rundown this driveway and over the fence-- no, I'm not sure what's inthat back yard-- I'll turn around and run back to the school-- no,maybe its locked now-- O God! What will I do? "
Just then I saw HIM--a big kid from the Junior High School walking down Kalamazoo Street inthe same direction as I was walking, catching up with me.
I smiled at him:"Hey, Can I walk along with you? See those kidsup there? They're after me!" He said, "Sure-- I don't care!"
So I fell into step with him, just as if he was my big brotheror something. I really didn't know him at all, but I kept smiling athim and talking as we came nearer and nearer to-- the Hayford StreetGang! And when we came right to where they were they parted-- justlike the Red Sea-- and WE walked through and on past-- one block, twoblocks-- clear to my corner where I turned for home. And I said,"Thanks!" and ran down Magnolia Avenue where I was safe.
That day that big Junior High kid was my CHAMPION!
How many times since then I have faced situations where I wasgoing to get beat up! There have been threats far more serious thanthe Hayford Street gang.
Then I’ve ‘looked up’ and there was a Champion already walking beside me!
Where do you suppose Jesus is, right now?
-from the sermon "The Champion"-- a true story!
Most of the time I walked to school with the Magnolia Avenuekids. As long as three or four of us were together we felt safe. Butit could be seriously damaging to your health if you got caught allalone by the Hayford Street Gang.
And then one night it happened! I had to stay after school andthe rest of the Magnolia Avenue kids for some reason or anothercouldn't wait. I had to walk home alone. I started down KalamazooStreet with the sincere hope I wouldn't- - but I did!
I had only goneabout a block from the Allen Street School when I looked about anotherblock down the street and there-- there I saw--The Hayford StreetGang! I knew I was going to get beat up.
My mind began racing-- in one split second I thought--" I'll rundown this driveway and over the fence-- no, I'm not sure what's inthat back yard-- I'll turn around and run back to the school-- no,maybe its locked now-- O God! What will I do? "
Just then I saw HIM--a big kid from the Junior High School walking down Kalamazoo Street inthe same direction as I was walking, catching up with me.
I smiled at him:"Hey, Can I walk along with you? See those kidsup there? They're after me!" He said, "Sure-- I don't care!"
So I fell into step with him, just as if he was my big brotheror something. I really didn't know him at all, but I kept smiling athim and talking as we came nearer and nearer to-- the Hayford StreetGang! And when we came right to where they were they parted-- justlike the Red Sea-- and WE walked through and on past-- one block, twoblocks-- clear to my corner where I turned for home. And I said,"Thanks!" and ran down Magnolia Avenue where I was safe.
That day that big Junior High kid was my CHAMPION!
How many times since then I have faced situations where I wasgoing to get beat up! There have been threats far more serious thanthe Hayford Street gang.
Then I’ve ‘looked up’ and there was a Champion already walking beside me!
Where do you suppose Jesus is, right now?
-from the sermon "The Champion"-- a true story!
Thursday, July 12, 2007
DON'T CUT OFF YOUR CHILD FROM GOD!
Listen!What do you hear? There is a difference between hearing andhearing!Sometimes we hear only what we expect to hear-- or what we wantto hear!Do you think that maybe God has a problem 'getting ourattention?" How do we hear?How do we get our children to listen for God's voice?
We are so sophisticated that we think that being Christian is a HEAD THING! Intellectually conceived! If we understand it, then weARE it!
WRONG!
Being God's people is a head thing and a heart thing and asit-down thing and a stand-up thing and a Monday thing and anall-the-time thing!
We do it best by building our lives into thechurch!
God will and does speak beyond the regular services of the church,certainly!
BUT THE REGULAR SERVICES ARE THE HEART-LINE, THEMAINSTREAM!
IF WE TAKE THAT AWAY FROM OUR CHILDREN, WHERE WILL THEIRCHILDREN GO TO HEAR ABOUT GOD?
[There is a difference between religion and spiritual life. Butreligion is the conduit, usually, and certainly there is a need forreligion, the Christian religion--]
When God goes looking for a man or woman of God,He often starts by speaking to a girl or a boy! But I know boys andgirls that seem to me to be so busykeeping a non-God schedule that they don't have time to breathe, letalone listen to God speak in the quiet of their heart.
GOD IS ALWAYS SPEAKING IF WE CAN GET QUIET ENOUGH TO LISTEN
Right now God is saying to YOU: I LOVE YOU!"Troubled Christian, I know-- and I care!" "Sinner person, I loveYOU-- and not just your 'soul.' You are GOOD! You are worth saving! Idied on the cross for you-- to make you good-- to lift you up to beclean and pure and to walk with Me right down here on this earth!"
Right NOW God is saying to all of us:"I really want to have you walk with Me! I really want to beyour best Friend! I want you to share every part of your lifewith Me!"
God is speaking just now!But we need to stop and listen! We need to deliberately listen!
If WE try, then perhaps we will be able to encourage our children tohear God's voice, too.
That is my prayer for you- and for me- today!
We are so sophisticated that we think that being Christian is a HEAD THING! Intellectually conceived! If we understand it, then weARE it!
WRONG!
Being God's people is a head thing and a heart thing and asit-down thing and a stand-up thing and a Monday thing and anall-the-time thing!
We do it best by building our lives into thechurch!
God will and does speak beyond the regular services of the church,certainly!
BUT THE REGULAR SERVICES ARE THE HEART-LINE, THEMAINSTREAM!
IF WE TAKE THAT AWAY FROM OUR CHILDREN, WHERE WILL THEIRCHILDREN GO TO HEAR ABOUT GOD?
[There is a difference between religion and spiritual life. Butreligion is the conduit, usually, and certainly there is a need forreligion, the Christian religion--]
When God goes looking for a man or woman of God,He often starts by speaking to a girl or a boy! But I know boys andgirls that seem to me to be so busykeeping a non-God schedule that they don't have time to breathe, letalone listen to God speak in the quiet of their heart.
GOD IS ALWAYS SPEAKING IF WE CAN GET QUIET ENOUGH TO LISTEN
Right now God is saying to YOU: I LOVE YOU!"Troubled Christian, I know-- and I care!" "Sinner person, I loveYOU-- and not just your 'soul.' You are GOOD! You are worth saving! Idied on the cross for you-- to make you good-- to lift you up to beclean and pure and to walk with Me right down here on this earth!"
Right NOW God is saying to all of us:"I really want to have you walk with Me! I really want to beyour best Friend! I want you to share every part of your lifewith Me!"
God is speaking just now!But we need to stop and listen! We need to deliberately listen!
If WE try, then perhaps we will be able to encourage our children tohear God's voice, too.
That is my prayer for you- and for me- today!
Tuesday, July 10, 2007
Running to God . . .
Teaticket, Massachusetts
THE PRESENCE
Hebrews 11:6
I have not always been a good Christian. I have been an utterly sincereChristian. One thing that I did, shortly after I made a 're-commitment' at ageseventeen, has become a symbol in my own mind of my entire relationship withGod across the years.I ran, physically, after God, trying to reach Him, to find Him, to comenear to Him.
Maybe I had an over-simplified, even arrogant idea about being aChristian. I had the idea that now that I am a Christian, I will give iteverything I have, and I'll be a pretty good one! I'll be spiritual! I'llget my prayers through, and I'll do everything I know and be a credit to Godand the church.What's wrong with that? There are a lot of "I's"in that thought, aren't there?Anyway, I ran after God, literally. Maybe more than once-- but Iremember one time vividly-- it was in a bit of woods, no one else around tosee or hear.
I prayed, I called, finally I got up and simply ran, hoping thatthe energy would bring me closer to God.Maybe I am still running after God! Maybe sometimes I need to run. ButI have been discovering these past 60+ years that God is near when I realizethat He is near-- and that God is near even when I do NOT realize that He isnear.It isn't bad to run to God. James tells us, "Draw near to God, and Hewill draw near to you!" Perhaps it is even all right to go running after Him.But I'm not sure that it is necessary, or that a physical nearness is whatJames means at all.
I. DISCOVERING ISAIAH 41:10I discovered Isaiah 41:10 on the way to Eastern Nazarene Collegein early September, 1949, in the Durkee's new Plymouth. The occasionwas evening bible reading. I didn't know where I was, but God notonly knew, He let me know that He knew.A few weeks later in the jail in Wareham (my two room mates and I hadbeen dropped off in the middle of the night, a college prank on freshman, andactually a kindly police sergeant offered us the use of his brand-new jailcells- 1949) it stood me in good stead.
II. THE WALK TO THE HAMBURGER STANDDid you ever have God slip up beside you, like the Emmausstory tells? One night three college boys decided about 10 p.m. to gofor a hamburger in the only place (then) in North Quincy that wasopen-- a diner across from Sacred Heart Church. We talked of anythingand everything, but somehow on the walk home the conversation turnedto God, and to the desire we had to know Him.When we turned off Hancock Street onto Elm Avenue we fellsilent. We walked maybe a block, and then we said to one another,"Did you feel that, too?" Each of us in the deepest parts of ourhearts had sensed that God Himself had walked along with us. I cannottell you any significance for you. But I have never gotten over thethrill of knowing that one time as we talked about God He joined inthe conversation with indescribable love.
III. I KNOW I AM SAVED! EDISON STUDY, 1970 OR SOThe occasion was a seemingly totally unprovoked, simply goingabout my God-called task. There have been many times when I have"felt" close to God, or have been moved to a deep sense of gratitudefor His blessings. But this day as I sat at my desk it "dawned on me"with sheer and deep persuasion of joy that I knew I was accepted, thatI was saved. That is the only way I can describe the assurance. I donot try to catalogue the experience as being "saved" or "sanctified,"for I am sure I had been saved a long time before.I would give a lot to have that experience repeated over and over--and there certainly are times when I "feel" anything but right withGod. But that afternoon I *knew* and the memory of that certitude isprecious indeed.Experience is not the be-all and end-all of faith. Experience isnot to be trusted apart from scripture and from covenant-making faith.But experience is a powerful witness in the journey with God.
IV. THE ROAD TO EMMAUS, THEN AND NOWTHE OCCASION: SEE LUKE 24They were sadThey were discouragedThey were sinfully behind in their faith . . . butunderstandably so--no different from what I would have been, I'm sureJesus was:A companion in their walkHe was an explainer of Himself in the scripturesHe revealed Himself in the breaking of breadThis experience brought:New joy, great assuranceA desire to share the seeds of the church that continue to this day
Many times I think that I am that new Christian, that teenager,running to Jesus-- seeing if I can find Him and use Him to make me asuper Christian.And other times I think-- yes, I am still running! I stilldon't know a great deal about being near. But then I quiet my mindand think:Where, do you suppose, is Jesus right this very minute?
There is a beautiful church in a central city square, CopleySquare, in Boston-- Trinity Church, Episcopal. On one side of thechurch, facing a little park, is a statue of Trinity Church's mostfamous pastor, Phillips Brooks. Phillips Brooks was a noted preacher,a silver-tongued orator that held hundreds spellbound each Sunday.But he is best known for a Christmas carol that you have probably sungmany times, "O Little Town of Bethlehem."The statue of the pastor is notable because there are actuallytwo figures in the statuary, and the pastor is the smaller of the two.He is standing in his pulpit, this figure of Phillips Brooks, with hishand on the Bible, but the larger figure, a hooded figure of theChrist, is standing just behind Phillips Brooks, and Christ has hishand on the shoulder of the man in the pulpit. There is a message Iget every time I see this statue, and even every time I think aboutit. For I know that whenever I think about it, the Presence is there!In the dark, in the sunshine, in the cold of winter, in the heat, thePresence is there backing up that pastor!I suppose I'm still running to Jesus! Not, now, to see if Hewill make me super-Christian, so that I can do great things. Butbecause I need Him! And He has promised never to leave me, and thatif I need Him, He'll come where I am.
Lord Jesus, thank you you are here!
THE PRESENCE
Hebrews 11:6
I have not always been a good Christian. I have been an utterly sincereChristian. One thing that I did, shortly after I made a 're-commitment' at ageseventeen, has become a symbol in my own mind of my entire relationship withGod across the years.I ran, physically, after God, trying to reach Him, to find Him, to comenear to Him.
Maybe I had an over-simplified, even arrogant idea about being aChristian. I had the idea that now that I am a Christian, I will give iteverything I have, and I'll be a pretty good one! I'll be spiritual! I'llget my prayers through, and I'll do everything I know and be a credit to Godand the church.What's wrong with that? There are a lot of "I's"in that thought, aren't there?Anyway, I ran after God, literally. Maybe more than once-- but Iremember one time vividly-- it was in a bit of woods, no one else around tosee or hear.
I prayed, I called, finally I got up and simply ran, hoping thatthe energy would bring me closer to God.Maybe I am still running after God! Maybe sometimes I need to run. ButI have been discovering these past 60+ years that God is near when I realizethat He is near-- and that God is near even when I do NOT realize that He isnear.It isn't bad to run to God. James tells us, "Draw near to God, and Hewill draw near to you!" Perhaps it is even all right to go running after Him.But I'm not sure that it is necessary, or that a physical nearness is whatJames means at all.
I. DISCOVERING ISAIAH 41:10I discovered Isaiah 41:10 on the way to Eastern Nazarene Collegein early September, 1949, in the Durkee's new Plymouth. The occasionwas evening bible reading. I didn't know where I was, but God notonly knew, He let me know that He knew.A few weeks later in the jail in Wareham (my two room mates and I hadbeen dropped off in the middle of the night, a college prank on freshman, andactually a kindly police sergeant offered us the use of his brand-new jailcells- 1949) it stood me in good stead.
II. THE WALK TO THE HAMBURGER STANDDid you ever have God slip up beside you, like the Emmausstory tells? One night three college boys decided about 10 p.m. to gofor a hamburger in the only place (then) in North Quincy that wasopen-- a diner across from Sacred Heart Church. We talked of anythingand everything, but somehow on the walk home the conversation turnedto God, and to the desire we had to know Him.When we turned off Hancock Street onto Elm Avenue we fellsilent. We walked maybe a block, and then we said to one another,"Did you feel that, too?" Each of us in the deepest parts of ourhearts had sensed that God Himself had walked along with us. I cannottell you any significance for you. But I have never gotten over thethrill of knowing that one time as we talked about God He joined inthe conversation with indescribable love.
III. I KNOW I AM SAVED! EDISON STUDY, 1970 OR SOThe occasion was a seemingly totally unprovoked, simply goingabout my God-called task. There have been many times when I have"felt" close to God, or have been moved to a deep sense of gratitudefor His blessings. But this day as I sat at my desk it "dawned on me"with sheer and deep persuasion of joy that I knew I was accepted, thatI was saved. That is the only way I can describe the assurance. I donot try to catalogue the experience as being "saved" or "sanctified,"for I am sure I had been saved a long time before.I would give a lot to have that experience repeated over and over--and there certainly are times when I "feel" anything but right withGod. But that afternoon I *knew* and the memory of that certitude isprecious indeed.Experience is not the be-all and end-all of faith. Experience isnot to be trusted apart from scripture and from covenant-making faith.But experience is a powerful witness in the journey with God.
IV. THE ROAD TO EMMAUS, THEN AND NOWTHE OCCASION: SEE LUKE 24They were sadThey were discouragedThey were sinfully behind in their faith . . . butunderstandably so--no different from what I would have been, I'm sureJesus was:A companion in their walkHe was an explainer of Himself in the scripturesHe revealed Himself in the breaking of breadThis experience brought:New joy, great assuranceA desire to share the seeds of the church that continue to this day
Many times I think that I am that new Christian, that teenager,running to Jesus-- seeing if I can find Him and use Him to make me asuper Christian.And other times I think-- yes, I am still running! I stilldon't know a great deal about being near. But then I quiet my mindand think:Where, do you suppose, is Jesus right this very minute?
There is a beautiful church in a central city square, CopleySquare, in Boston-- Trinity Church, Episcopal. On one side of thechurch, facing a little park, is a statue of Trinity Church's mostfamous pastor, Phillips Brooks. Phillips Brooks was a noted preacher,a silver-tongued orator that held hundreds spellbound each Sunday.But he is best known for a Christmas carol that you have probably sungmany times, "O Little Town of Bethlehem."The statue of the pastor is notable because there are actuallytwo figures in the statuary, and the pastor is the smaller of the two.He is standing in his pulpit, this figure of Phillips Brooks, with hishand on the Bible, but the larger figure, a hooded figure of theChrist, is standing just behind Phillips Brooks, and Christ has hishand on the shoulder of the man in the pulpit. There is a message Iget every time I see this statue, and even every time I think aboutit. For I know that whenever I think about it, the Presence is there!In the dark, in the sunshine, in the cold of winter, in the heat, thePresence is there backing up that pastor!I suppose I'm still running to Jesus! Not, now, to see if Hewill make me super-Christian, so that I can do great things. Butbecause I need Him! And He has promised never to leave me, and thatif I need Him, He'll come where I am.
Lord Jesus, thank you you are here!
Monday, July 9, 2007
A Renewal Weekend Agenda
Renewal Weekend Agenda
'Be Renewed in the Spirit of your Mind'
Ephesians 4:23-32
I. A Renewed Attitude "Humility"
"made new in the attitudeof your minds" 4:23
A Commitment to SEEKING God
II. A Renewed Relationship "Kindneess"
A Celebration of Family- as dealy loved children
III. A Renewed Energy "Covenant"
A Covenental Connection (Hymnal 484)
IV. A Renewed Assurance "Adequacy"
A Promise: Abide in Me and bear MUCH Fruit!
Abiding - Asking
V. A Renewed Conversation
"...do not let any unwholesom talk come out of your mouths" 4:29
Not one word of un-love! of dis-interested information (gossip)
Not even bearing malice IN THE HEART
Saturday, July 7, 2007
It's a "Destination"!
I saw yesterday on the 'net that Cape Cod is listed as one of the top ten 'destinations' in the country. This year I think it must be #1 according to the traffic. Two bridges- two lanes each- bring more people than you can imagine-- sometimes five miles of cars moving at a walking speed to get on-- or on Sunday afternoons, to get off.
The Cape IS beautiful- and yet there are some secrets-- (1) it has a lousy spring-- the water surrounding keeps the air coool and dank. (2) It has a beautiful summer (same reason.) But (3) October is the most beautiful month of all-- the surrounding water keeps a lingering, lucious autumn- and most of the toursist have gone.
Maybe we'll still be here in October . . .
The Cape IS beautiful- and yet there are some secrets-- (1) it has a lousy spring-- the water surrounding keeps the air coool and dank. (2) It has a beautiful summer (same reason.) But (3) October is the most beautiful month of all-- the surrounding water keeps a lingering, lucious autumn- and most of the toursist have gone.
Maybe we'll still be here in October . . .
Monday, July 2, 2007
The Willis Americar
It was about 1952, Christmas break from college. It was 800 miles from Boston to Akron, and this was before the Interstate, so getting home for Christmas was basically 24 hours on US 20 right through the towns like Albany and Syracuse and skirting Buffalo and the lake-snow belt.
Somewhere along the way the Willis had appeared. I still don't have a clue who offered it for sale- and I had never seen one up close before-- but for $65.00- a considerable sum for a part-time taxi driver- it was all mine. I think it was 1936 vintage.
The Willis was called the American Austin- just like other cars but smaller-- way before its time. It was streamlined, and instead of a hood, the whole front end lifted tilted up from the windhield forward. A two-seater, it was SMALL!
Ray Taylor, Helen, and I set outat midday to make the trip to Ohio-- three squeezed so tightly it was dificult toshift. Painful. The trunk was jammed full, but there was a sloping rear winscreen and shelf behind the two little seats, so Ray and I persuaded Helen to ride up there behind us, like on a very very small bunk. That lasted for, maybe, half an hour and then total claustraphobiua set in and we were back to sardine time.
Forty-fine was a good speed- and I noticed that going UP the hills the Willis had a tendency to sputter and lose power. It became a source of worry before we reach Albany, maybe five hours out. So we stopped at a roadside filling station. It "so happened" that the man who owned the station was a top mechanic and he soon discovered that there was a pinbhole radiator leak that was spraying a tiny bit of water back over the spark plugs only when the car was going up hill at a rather steep incline. He brazed a patch over the leak right there- little or no charge and that problem, at least, was solved, and on we drove through the night. And morning. And day. And snow. And all-- cramped. I hated the tension in wondering if my $65.oo car was going to get to Ohio.
So I couldn't understand after Christmas why both Ray and Helen decided to take the bus back to Boston. The ride back to school for me was solo. It was another adventure i I won't gop into. But as soon as I got back to school I sold the car- for $65.00- to Raymond Thorpe, who later was a missionarty to South ASfrica-- we called him "Gifty" for some reason. Gifty fixed up the little Willis and drove it bacxk and forth to Ohio many times.
I have a picture of this amazing little car somewhere. No insurance. What a way t0 go back then!
Somewhere along the way the Willis had appeared. I still don't have a clue who offered it for sale- and I had never seen one up close before-- but for $65.00- a considerable sum for a part-time taxi driver- it was all mine. I think it was 1936 vintage.
The Willis was called the American Austin- just like other cars but smaller-- way before its time. It was streamlined, and instead of a hood, the whole front end lifted tilted up from the windhield forward. A two-seater, it was SMALL!
Ray Taylor, Helen, and I set outat midday to make the trip to Ohio-- three squeezed so tightly it was dificult toshift. Painful. The trunk was jammed full, but there was a sloping rear winscreen and shelf behind the two little seats, so Ray and I persuaded Helen to ride up there behind us, like on a very very small bunk. That lasted for, maybe, half an hour and then total claustraphobiua set in and we were back to sardine time.
Forty-fine was a good speed- and I noticed that going UP the hills the Willis had a tendency to sputter and lose power. It became a source of worry before we reach Albany, maybe five hours out. So we stopped at a roadside filling station. It "so happened" that the man who owned the station was a top mechanic and he soon discovered that there was a pinbhole radiator leak that was spraying a tiny bit of water back over the spark plugs only when the car was going up hill at a rather steep incline. He brazed a patch over the leak right there- little or no charge and that problem, at least, was solved, and on we drove through the night. And morning. And day. And snow. And all-- cramped. I hated the tension in wondering if my $65.oo car was going to get to Ohio.
So I couldn't understand after Christmas why both Ray and Helen decided to take the bus back to Boston. The ride back to school for me was solo. It was another adventure i I won't gop into. But as soon as I got back to school I sold the car- for $65.00- to Raymond Thorpe, who later was a missionarty to South ASfrica-- we called him "Gifty" for some reason. Gifty fixed up the little Willis and drove it bacxk and forth to Ohio many times.
I have a picture of this amazing little car somewhere. No insurance. What a way t0 go back then!
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