Rain

We’ve recently experienced a good deal of rain here in Arkansas. I’ve been amazed at the variety of rains. “Big ol’ fat rain, and itty bitty stinging rain,” as Forrest would say. I’ve also been amazed at the sheer quantity of the rain. The evidence of which can still be seen in anything from the puddles in my street ditches to the east Arkansas towns that are many feet deep in the flow of the crested White River. While some of it is frightening and depressing, it’s reminded me of this humble and awesome bit of observation.


The Great Work of God: Rain
A Thanksgiving Meditation
By John Piper November 19, 1998

Job 5:8-10
But as for me, I would seek God, And I would place my cause before God; Who does great and unsearchable things, Wonders without number. He gives rain on the earth, And sends water on the fields. Job 5:8-10

If you said to someone: "My God does great and unsearchable things; He does wonders without number," and they responded, "Really? Like what?" would you say, "Rain"?

When I read these verses recently I felt like I did when I heard the lyrics to a Sonny and Cher song in 1969: "I'd live for you. I'd die for you. I'd even climb the mountain high for you." Even? I would die for you. I would even climb a high mountain for you? The song was good for a joke. Or a good illustration of bad poetry. Not much else.

But Job is not joking. "God does great and unsearchable things, wonders without number. He gives rain on the earth." In Job's mind, rain really is one of the great, unsearchable wonders that God does. So when I read this a few weeks ago, I resolved not to treat it as meaningless pop musical lyrics. I decided to have a conversation with myself (= meditation).

Is rain a great and unsearchable wonder wrought by God? Picture yourself as a farmer in the Near East, far from any lake or stream. A few wells keep the family and animals supplied with water. But if the crops are to grow and the family is to be fed from month to month, water has to come on the fields from another source. From where?

Well, the sky. The sky? Water will come out of the clear blue sky? Well, not exactly. Water will have to be carried in the sky from the Mediterranean Sea, over several hundred miles and then be poured out from the sky onto the fields. Carried? How much does it weigh? Well, if one inch of rain falls on one square mile of farmland during the night, that would be 27,878,400 cubic feet of water, which is 206,300,160 gallons, which is 1,650,501,280 pounds of water.

That's heavy. So how does it get up in the sky and stay up there if it's so heavy? Well, it gets up there by evaporation. Really? That's a nice word. What's it mean? It means that the water sort of stops being water for a while so it can go up and not down. I see. Then how does it get down? Well, condensation happens. What's that? The water starts becoming water again by gathering around little dust particles between .00001 and .0001 centimeters wide. That's small.

What about the salt? Salt? Yes, the Mediterranean Sea is salt water. That would kill the crops. What about the salt? Well, the salt has to be taken out. Oh. So the sky picks up a billion pounds of water from the sea and takes out the salt and then carries it for three hundred miles and then dumps it on the farm?

Well it doesn't dump it. If it dumped a billion pounds of water on the farm, the wheat would be crushed. So the sky dribbles the billion pounds water down in little drops. And they have to be big enough to fall for one mile or so without evaporating, and small enough to keep from crushing the wheat stalks.

How do all these microscopic specks of water that weigh a billion pounds get heavy enough to fall (if that's the way to ask the question)? Well, it's called coalescence. What's that? It means the specks of water start bumping into each other and join up and get bigger. And when they are big enough, they fall. Just like that? Well, not exactly, because they would just bounce off each other instead of joining up, if there were no electric field present. What? Never mind. Take my word for it.

I think, instead, I will just take Job's word for it. I still don't see why drops ever get to the ground, because if they start falling as soon as they are heavier than air, they would be too small not to evaporate on the way down, but if they wait to come down, what holds them up till they are big enough not to evaporate? Yes, I am sure there is a name for that too. But I am satisfied now that, by any name, this is a great and unsearchable thing that God has done. I think I should be thankful - lots more thankful than I am.

Grateful to God for the wonder of rain,
Pastor John

By: John Piper. © Desiring God. Website: desiringGod.org
Used with permission.

What Others Think

This was a lesson taught to the youth of our church a few weeks ago. I identified with the message, and I thought others might as well. So I’m sharing.

Life is too short to spend time and energy worrying about what others think of us. Or should we care about what others think precisely because that really matters in this short life? Should we be radically free from what others think, so that we don’t fall into the indictment of being a “second-hander” or “man-pleaser,” a slave to expediency? Or should we keep an eye out for what others think of what we do, so that we don’t fall into the indictment of being boorish and insensitive and offensive? The answer is not simple. John Piper, Life As A Vapor

This is an odd predicament that we often find ourselves in. Do we adhere to the teaching of and the sharing of the gospel in all situations, no matter who we may intrude upon, offend, or otherwise put off? Or should we focus on maintaining a good reputation among others by tending to their feelings and desires, and being a “real” person by having an open mind and relaxing our rigid boundaries of right and wrong?

Let’s look at what the Bible says about such issues. In Luke 6:26 Jesus says, “Woe to you when all men speak well of you.” In Galatians 1:10 the Apostle Paul says, “If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a servant of Christ.” Mark 12:14 and 1 Thessalonians 2:4 also contain similar messages. According to what Jesus and the Apostle Paul say here, we are not to be concerned with making everybody happy. In fact, we are to be concerned if everybody is happy with us. Furthermore, Paul says that you cannot serve Christ and worry about making everybody happy at the same time. The answer seems simple when you ask the right question: Do I please men, or God? Should I bend myself to please men who have the power to destroy my body, or do stand firm in order to please God, who has the power to judge my heart and appoint my eternity? In this light, obviously, I wish to please God above men.

However, continuing to use the Bible as our guide, we find what seems to be conflicting passages. Proverbs 22:1 says, “A good name is more desirable than great riches; to be esteemed is better than silver or gold.” Likewise, 2 Corinthians 8:20-21 says, “We want to avoid criticism of the way we administer this liberal gift. For we are taking pains to do what is right, not only in the eyes of the Lord, but also in the eyes of men.” And, 1 Timothy 3:7 says, speaking of church leaders, “He must also have a good reputation with outsiders, so that he will not fall into disgrace and into the devil’s trap.” Romans 15:1-2 and 1 Peter 2:12 also provide useful information to this issue. According to what we read in these verses, it is not only desirable, but also of very high importance to achieve and maintain a good reputation among your peers and all those around you. This is of such importance, that it is listed as a requirement of being a church leader, like an elder or deacon.

So which is it? What are we to do? Surely there are plenty of circumstances in which we must decide between pleasing people and pleasing God. How do we know when to please who? If we believe the Bible does not contradict itself, then what is it trying to say to us? Maybe we are asking the wrong question. Maybe we don’t have to view the decision making process as having an “either/or,” answer. Consider what Paul says in Philippians 1:20, “I eagerly expect and hope that I will in no way be ashamed, but will have sufficient courage so that now as always Christ will be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death. For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.” There it is – To live is Christ! What he is saying is that in everything we do, our primary concern should be to glorify Christ. If we keep that goal of exalting Christ in focus in our everyday decisions, big and small, easy and difficult, we cannot go wrong. Most certainly there will be times when we must do what others may not be pleased with, just as there will be times when we should bend over backwards for them. But if we consider Christ, we can both please our Creator and hold the respect of our peers at the same time.

Rodent Foliage

This visually-aided blog was inspired by a recent post by Matt Gumm and his apparently warm-blooded donut.

Just stepped outside the back door this evening and jumped back in terror at what lie before me. As you can see, it is fall here in Cabot. Horrifying!

Pride without lions

“There is one vice of which no man in the world is free; which every one in the world loathes when he sees it in someone else; and of which hardly any people, except Christians, ever imagine that they are guilty themselves…And the more we have it ourselves, the more we dislike it in others. The vice I am talking of is Pride.”

C.S. Lewis, in his book Mere Christianity, of which the above selection is from, calls pride “The Great Sin.” I would have to agree with that title. No matter how well we lead our lives, no matter how often we walk in the Spirit, no matter how hard we battle against sin, pride eventually slips into our hearts and causes us to stumble. It is one of Satan’s most perfect creations. His pride and joy perhaps.

My most recent circumstance, of which pride took center stage, happened at work. Out of the blue, it seemed, a co-worker of mine approached me in my office. (I share an office with four other people, so it’s not really ‘my’ office, but that’s what I call it.) Well, from the doorway of ‘my’ office, she addressed me in a tone that I could tell was not her usual cheerful way. She proceeded to tell me, in a very condescending style, how I had acted in an unprofessional manner and completely insulted her in a meeting we both participated in earlier that day. When she was finished, she turned her back and walked away. I was petrified. Not only was I horrified that I had done something to inflict so much hurt and pain, but I could hear the utter silence of my office, and I could feel the eyes of my four office-mates staring at the back of my head. There I was, embarrassed, covered in shame, totally unable to begin to explain myself. So I did the only thing I knew to do, avoid all eye contact, get up and go home.

After I had gotten over some of the initial shock of what happened, I began to grow indignant, and be honest, mad. I had been publicly called out in front of my peers, and then been left without opportunity to counter. I couldn’t even think of what I could’ve said that would have offended her. How dare she? She should be glad that I didn’t retaliate, and berate her for breaking the chain of command, publicly humiliating me, and pretty much flat out lying. I thought I had handled the situation well. I had honored God in keeping my cool. Then it came to me, a verse from James 4, “God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.” Maybe I hadn’t sinned against my colleague. Maybe I had sinned against God, and this was his method of bringing me down a notch. Come to think of it, it had been a while since the last time I was taught this lesson. I prayed to God for his forgiveness and thanked him for his correction. As I began to pray, conviction overcame me. Not only was I guilty of the pride that began this whole scene, but also of the prideful thought that I had somehow honored God by holding my temper and not let flying the unwholesome tirade I had already scripted in my mind. I was reminded that I’m not the big man that I sometimes think I am. Usually the opposite, in fact.

The next day I offered a written apology to the co-worker that I upset and received her forgiveness. In recounting the episode, I was reminded of another C.S. Lewis book, “The Screwtape Letters.” In this book, a man overcomes some form of persecution with such Christ-like form, that he becomes proud of himself. Yet another example of how pride can bite at your ankles while you look to the Heavens for compliments.

Pride is strong. And pride will come at you. You may win often, but it will win some. If it seems that God has knocked you down a few rungs, just know it is because he loves you. He is pruning you, shepherding you, sculpting you to be more honoring of him. And be thankful that he does, because you are unable to do so yourself.

Smells Fishy

(With Japanese accent) “Today…one of these lucky contestants will win his or her weight in fish…right here on ‘Wheel Of Fish!’ Okay, let’s play the game! We start with yesterday’s winner…Mrs. Phyllis Weaver. Are you ready, Weaver?”

(With American accent) “I sure am, Kuni!”

“Okay, you get over there and spin the Wheel of Fish! Go ahead, give it a big spin…Come on, come on. A red snapper! Mmm, is very tasty! Okay, Weaver, listen very carefully. You can hold on to your red snapper, or you can go for what’s in the box that Hiro-san is bringing down the aisle right now! What’s it gonna be?”

“I…I…I’ll take the box!”

“You took the box! Let’s see what’s in the box….Nothing! Absolutely nothing! Stupid…! You so stupid…!!!”

I know that there is only a small fellowship of simple-minded people that will recognize and appreciate the above scene. If you don’t then you need to watch the movie, UHF. You can expect to laugh uncontrollably, and to be a few IQ points lower by the time the credits roll. In the above exchange, Karate instructor Kuni tries desperately to persuade Mrs. Weaver to keep the fish that she won; he obviously knows of the red snapper’s value and tastiness. The red snapper is a delicacy in the sushi world and can be quite expensive. It has gotten that way because it has been over-fished in recent years, causing the demand to out pace the supply. This has unfortunately led Sushi restaurant owners to do some underhanded deeds, and sushi consumers are getting a raw deal.

The Chicago Sun-Times newspaper investigated 14 different sushi restaurants in the Chicago area. They ordered red snapper from the menu, and then performed DNA tests (probably later, in a lab) on the served fish to determine if it was in fact, red snapper, as advertised. Here are their results: “Not a single one was really red snapper. In most cases, the red-tinged flesh draped across the small mound of rice was tilapia – a cheap substitute. Nine of the 14 samples were tilapia. Four were red sea bream – nearly as pricey but still not red snapper.” And we the people have been taking the bait…hook, line, and sinker.

According to the article, when the restaurant owners were confronted with the test results, they had some interesting explanations. The majority of owners played dumb saying, “Of course, its red snapper. If we order red snapper, we have to get red snapper.” The blame was passed to the supply company. At the reporter’s request, he examined the box the fish was shipped in. “Izumidai.” Izumidai is the Japanese word for tilapia. “I never thought to look at the description,” says the owner.

When faced with the DNA results, another owner responded, “Tilapia and red snapper look alike. They’re really close. They taste almost the same.” Good explanation except he didn’t deny the fish swapping accusation. A third owner, whose restaurant subbed the red sea bream for the red snapper, stated, “Most American customers don’t know the name sea bream.” Not very remorseful and again, not a denial. It seems as if they understand what they’re doing, and they expect the consumer to just deal with it.

In the United States, the Congressional Research Service, reported last month that 37 percent of fish examined by the National Marine Fisheries Service were mislabeled. A separate survey by the Fisheries Service discovered that close to 80 percent of red snapper was mislabeled.

If you think you are a victim of fish fraud, you can contact the Health Department or Department of Consumer Services.

Ahh…what some people will write about to get bad fish puns and UHF quotes circulating.