Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
Several people expressed to me an interest in knowing a little more about Alexander Solzhenitsyn, the great writer and dissadent who defied the Soviet Union, after my sermon on Sunday on his life. I don't have enough space or expertise to share greatly, but I will give you a brief glimpse into the importance of the man from a historical perspective and into his soul through his own words. He became a powerful voice from behind bars that revealed to the world the evils behind the totalitarian Soviet state. Michael Kaufman wrote that Solzhenitsyn's Gulag Archipelago “was a monumental account of the Soviet labor camp system, a chain of prisons that by Mr. Solzhenitsyn’s calculation some 60 million people had entered during the 20th century. The book led to his expulsion from his native land. George F. Kennan, the American diplomat, described it as 'the greatest and most powerful single indictment of a political regime ever to be leveled in modern times.'” It is an irony of life that he outlived by 17 years the Soviet system that he battled through years of imprisonment, torture, and exile.
I believe his most inspirational legacy is that one person speaking out the truth with courage and God's help can literally change the world. Solzhenitsyn once wrote that “a great writer is, so to speak, a second government. That's why no regime anywhere has ever loved its great writers . . .” He wrote that while an ordinary man was obliged “not to participate in lies,” artists had greater responsibilities. “It is within the power of writers and artists to do much more: to defeat the lie! . . . If one is forever cautious, can one remain a human being?” He wrote that “men have forgotten God . . . spiritual death has touched us all.” He continued to tirelessly speak out throughout his lifetime. In 1977 Solzhenitsyn said in an interview, "My critics in the West are constantly saying, 'But what is he offering us in exchange?' Well, I could offer plenty if I wanted, but I'm not obliged to. It's not my job…The writer's ultimate task is to restore the memory of his murdered people. Is that not enough for a single writer?…They (the Communists) murdered my people and destroyed its memory. And I'm dragging it into the light of day all on my own. Of course, there are hundreds like me back there who could drag it out too. Well, it didn't fall to them; it fell to me. And I'm doing the work of a hundred men, and that's all there is to it…I'm no philosopher, I'm no politician, I get mixed up in this politics, but I loathe it..." Biographer Michael Scammell writes that, “Solzhenitsyn's allegiance [was] to the 60 million citizens murdered by the Soviet Communists.” No less than Mikhail Gorbachev said, “He was among the first to speak out about the brutality of Stalin’s regime and about the people who experienced it, but were not crushed . . . Mr. Solzhenitsyn’s books changed the minds of millions of people, making them rethink their past and present.”
I am always challenged by people like Solzhenitsyn. You and I have a voice too. How are we using our voices to speak out against evil, speak out for justice, speak the truth? With God's help, may we have the courage to speak. Selah.
Steve
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
Changing of Seasons
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
Summer is coming to an end, school is starting, and we are once again reminded of the rhythm of the seasons and of life. There are mornings and evenings, the weeks and months pass by, and we are both antagonized and reassured. We are antagonized by the knowledge that “all men are like grass, and all their glory is like the flowers of the field. The grass withers and the flowers fall . . .(Isa. 40)” -- life is precious but brief. Luke and I went to see the Etowah Indian Mounds last Friday and saw some very impressive trees on the banks of the river. I remarked to Luke that these trees were there when the Native American Indians actually lived there, and the wonder in his eyes was beautiful. I thought about how these trees would still be growing by that river long after I walk this earth. Nevertheless, we are also reassured by the changing seasons of time. There is a comfortable ritual about knowing that Fall follows Summer and that soon Winter will come. “There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven . . .(Ecc. 3:1)” God has so ordained life that there is a variety of seasons, but also a secure order of time. This reminds us that although our earthly life is fleeting, we have security in the knowledge of eternal life with an everlasting God. “As a father has compassion on his children, so the LORD has compassion on those who fear Him; for He knows how we are formed, He remembers that we are dust. As for man, his days are like grass, he flourishes like a flower of the field; the wind blows over it and it is gone, and its place remembers it no more. But from everlasting to everlasting the LORD's love is with those who fear Him” (Psalm 103:13-17).
Selah.
Steve
Summer is coming to an end, school is starting, and we are once again reminded of the rhythm of the seasons and of life. There are mornings and evenings, the weeks and months pass by, and we are both antagonized and reassured. We are antagonized by the knowledge that “all men are like grass, and all their glory is like the flowers of the field. The grass withers and the flowers fall . . .(Isa. 40)” -- life is precious but brief. Luke and I went to see the Etowah Indian Mounds last Friday and saw some very impressive trees on the banks of the river. I remarked to Luke that these trees were there when the Native American Indians actually lived there, and the wonder in his eyes was beautiful. I thought about how these trees would still be growing by that river long after I walk this earth. Nevertheless, we are also reassured by the changing seasons of time. There is a comfortable ritual about knowing that Fall follows Summer and that soon Winter will come. “There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven . . .(Ecc. 3:1)” God has so ordained life that there is a variety of seasons, but also a secure order of time. This reminds us that although our earthly life is fleeting, we have security in the knowledge of eternal life with an everlasting God. “As a father has compassion on his children, so the LORD has compassion on those who fear Him; for He knows how we are formed, He remembers that we are dust. As for man, his days are like grass, he flourishes like a flower of the field; the wind blows over it and it is gone, and its place remembers it no more. But from everlasting to everlasting the LORD's love is with those who fear Him” (Psalm 103:13-17).
Selah.
Steve
Tuesday, June 10, 2008
Newsletter Article June 11, 2008
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
We have been blessed for the last three years to have Michael and Tina Dunbar serve us here at First Methodist. Michael has led many of you on mission trips to Mississippi, Louisiana and Mexico, prayed with you at difficult moments in your lives, touched you with his messages, and taught you scriptural truths about God. The love of Christ that he shared with us will always be a part of our lives. God sent him here at a special time in the life of this church, and our prayers will go with Tina and him as they embark on a new ministry and challenge in Social Circle. Selah.
Steve
We have been blessed for the last three years to have Michael and Tina Dunbar serve us here at First Methodist. Michael has led many of you on mission trips to Mississippi, Louisiana and Mexico, prayed with you at difficult moments in your lives, touched you with his messages, and taught you scriptural truths about God. The love of Christ that he shared with us will always be a part of our lives. God sent him here at a special time in the life of this church, and our prayers will go with Tina and him as they embark on a new ministry and challenge in Social Circle. Selah.
Steve
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
Newsletter Article May 14, 2008
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
I am reflecting on the events on the day so many years ago that we celebrate at Pentecost when the Holy Spirit empowered the disciples to begin the church. I am praying for a renewal of that same fire to engulf our Nation. I fear that the idea of human beings created and beloved by God has given way to a crude view that we are merely cogs in a vast machine. The overriding philosophy of America has become that we are not made for eternity but are useful only until broken. We are desperate to maintain youth and seek an immortality of flesh instead of spirit. This superficial understanding of life is shallow water which cannot sustain the health and well-being of a Nation for long. This reduces people to far less than God intended them to be; discounting compassion, morality, integrity, creativity, imagination, and lovingkindness for the sake of productivity and marketability. However, it is the Spirit which helps us to understand that for which God created us -- what historian Russell Kirk called “the ethical understanding and the religious sanction upon which any life worth living is founded.” I pray that God's Holy Spirit will enlighten and guide us to all truth so that we may again understand the worth of every person and the everlasting love of God. Selah
In Christ,
Steve
I am reflecting on the events on the day so many years ago that we celebrate at Pentecost when the Holy Spirit empowered the disciples to begin the church. I am praying for a renewal of that same fire to engulf our Nation. I fear that the idea of human beings created and beloved by God has given way to a crude view that we are merely cogs in a vast machine. The overriding philosophy of America has become that we are not made for eternity but are useful only until broken. We are desperate to maintain youth and seek an immortality of flesh instead of spirit. This superficial understanding of life is shallow water which cannot sustain the health and well-being of a Nation for long. This reduces people to far less than God intended them to be; discounting compassion, morality, integrity, creativity, imagination, and lovingkindness for the sake of productivity and marketability. However, it is the Spirit which helps us to understand that for which God created us -- what historian Russell Kirk called “the ethical understanding and the religious sanction upon which any life worth living is founded.” I pray that God's Holy Spirit will enlighten and guide us to all truth so that we may again understand the worth of every person and the everlasting love of God. Selah
In Christ,
Steve
Wednesday, April 30, 2008
Newsletter Article for April 30, 2008
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
Springtime in Georgia is about as beautiful a place as you can be in this world. I love to marvel at the blooming dogwoods, azaleas, and various other flowers popping out of their buds. My daughter Faith is getting excited at the rosebuds at our house; she is waiting in anticipation for the coming blooms. We are also going to raise some butterflies and watch them go through metamorphosis and then set them free. It is a time of patience, it is a time of anticipation, and a time of great hope.
Right now there are many of you who are anxious about something in your lives. It may be family problems, economic problems, health problems, or just life problems. You need to remember that hope is a real gift from God and can keep you going. As the Psalmist writes, “Those who sow in tears will reap with songs of joy. He who goes out weeping, carrying seed to sow, will return with songs of joy, carrying sheaves with him." (Psalm 126). Life is a mixture of barren winters and beautiful springs, and we always look forward to the blooming spring. God has made the birds to sing to the dawn – while it is still dark. As the Apostle Paul reminds us, “For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what he already has? But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently.”(Romans 8:24-25). Keep faith in the Lord and never give up hope. Selah
In Christ,
Steve
Springtime in Georgia is about as beautiful a place as you can be in this world. I love to marvel at the blooming dogwoods, azaleas, and various other flowers popping out of their buds. My daughter Faith is getting excited at the rosebuds at our house; she is waiting in anticipation for the coming blooms. We are also going to raise some butterflies and watch them go through metamorphosis and then set them free. It is a time of patience, it is a time of anticipation, and a time of great hope.
Right now there are many of you who are anxious about something in your lives. It may be family problems, economic problems, health problems, or just life problems. You need to remember that hope is a real gift from God and can keep you going. As the Psalmist writes, “Those who sow in tears will reap with songs of joy. He who goes out weeping, carrying seed to sow, will return with songs of joy, carrying sheaves with him." (Psalm 126). Life is a mixture of barren winters and beautiful springs, and we always look forward to the blooming spring. God has made the birds to sing to the dawn – while it is still dark. As the Apostle Paul reminds us, “For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what he already has? But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently.”(Romans 8:24-25). Keep faith in the Lord and never give up hope. Selah
In Christ,
Steve
Tuesday, April 15, 2008
A Hero for Our Time
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
Many of you have expressed an interest in the Jacob Deshazer story that I shared in my sermon on Sunday. I think that more people should know about inspirational heroes, so I am giving you a bit more insight into this one. Here is part of his story as reported in “Christianity Today”: “December 7, 1941—the bombing of Pearl Harbor—changed the world. For Army Corporal Jacob DeShazer, an amazing drama was just beginning. Like most young Americans in the armed forces, DeShazer was eager to strike back at the enemy. He volunteered for a dangerous secret mission under Lieutenant-Colonel Jimmy Doolittle—to bomb Tokyo and surrounding cities. When two Japanese ships were sunk by the Americans nine hundred miles offshore, the command was given on the Hornet: "Army personnel, man your planes." It was April 18, 1942. They were eight hundred miles away from land, four hundred miles further offshore than originally planned for launching. The planes would not be returning to the carrier. They would have to land in China and elude the Japanese occupation forces there. It was a great risk for Doolittle's raiders. But the men were willing to take the risk in order to strike a demoralizing blow to the Japanese homeland . . . [After the mission, Deshazer’s plane failed to make it to safety in China]. Four other American prisoners and DeShazer were flown to Nanjing (Nanking), China, to a prison camp. There was more interrogation before a judge. Finally, the judge said in English, "In Japan it is a great honor for a judge to cut off a prisoner's head. Tomorrow at sunrise, I will have the honor of cutting off your head."
Their captors tortured them, trying to get information. They put DeShazer on his knees and beat him. They handcuffed one prisoner, Lt. Nielsen, hanging him for eight hours by his hands on a peg, his toes barely touching the floor while others were stretched out on boards for hours. The Japanese strapped others to chairs and beat them. They put towels over their faces and had water poured into their noses and mouths until they nearly drowned . . . A short time later, DeShazer learned that Emperor Hirohito (on Tojo's recommendation) had commuted his sentence to life imprisonment. This gave him little hope. For almost two years, DeShazer and the others struggled with starvation, fought dysentery and other illnesses, froze in winter without blankets, and baked in summer with no ventilation. At times the airman grew so angry at the brutal guards that he worried about his sanity. In quieter moments he wondered how they could be so inhumane.
On December 1, 1943, Lt. Meder died, weakened from dysentery. After his death, things suddenly changed. Someone among the Japanese "higher-ups" decided to keep the Americans alive. Food rations increased and a few books were given to the prisoners. Among them was one Bible . . . DeShazer memorized Old Testament passages, the Sermon on the Mount, and the first Epistle of John. He thought about what his parents and sister had tried to tell him for many years. Now it all made sense. When his three weeks were almost up, he read again Romans 10:9—"If thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved." DeShazer prayed, "Lord, though I am far from home and though I am in prison, I must have forgiveness." He continued to pray until he was filled with inner peace and joy. His dirty cell and the abuse no longer held any horror. Death held no threat. On June 8, 1944, although imprisoned, he was free. A year after his conversion, in June 1945, the Americans were transferred to a prison in Beijing (Peking). Conditions were worse than in Nanjing (Nanking). DeShazer nearly died of starvation and disease, but he grew spiritually [and was liberated at the close of 1945]. In 1948, Jacob DeShazer returned to Japan with his wife, Florence, as a missionary. By that time, Army chaplains had distributed more than a million tracts containing DeShazer's testimony titled, "I Was a Prisoner of the Japanese." Thousands of Japanese people wanted to see the man who could forgive his enemies. In his first few months in Japan, the former Jimmy Doolittle raider had spoken in two hundred places. Soon he, with his wife Florence, helped Japanese Christians to establish churches. Although the church planting was going well, early in 1950, DeShazer longed for a revival for Japan. He fasted 40 days, praying for the salvation of the Japanese. A few days after he ended his fast, a man came to his home and introduced himself—Mitsuo Fuchida, flight commander of the 360 planes that attacked Pearl Harbor. After reading DeShazer's testimony, Fuchida had purchased a New Testament, read it, and had accepted Christ. DeShazer welcomed him as a brother and counseled him to be baptized. Within a short time Fuchida became an evangelist, preaching in Japan and all over the world.”
Jacob Deshazer’s life bears witness to the power of Christ to transform our lives so that we can make a difference in this world.
Steve
Many of you have expressed an interest in the Jacob Deshazer story that I shared in my sermon on Sunday. I think that more people should know about inspirational heroes, so I am giving you a bit more insight into this one. Here is part of his story as reported in “Christianity Today”: “December 7, 1941—the bombing of Pearl Harbor—changed the world. For Army Corporal Jacob DeShazer, an amazing drama was just beginning. Like most young Americans in the armed forces, DeShazer was eager to strike back at the enemy. He volunteered for a dangerous secret mission under Lieutenant-Colonel Jimmy Doolittle—to bomb Tokyo and surrounding cities. When two Japanese ships were sunk by the Americans nine hundred miles offshore, the command was given on the Hornet: "Army personnel, man your planes." It was April 18, 1942. They were eight hundred miles away from land, four hundred miles further offshore than originally planned for launching. The planes would not be returning to the carrier. They would have to land in China and elude the Japanese occupation forces there. It was a great risk for Doolittle's raiders. But the men were willing to take the risk in order to strike a demoralizing blow to the Japanese homeland . . . [After the mission, Deshazer’s plane failed to make it to safety in China]. Four other American prisoners and DeShazer were flown to Nanjing (Nanking), China, to a prison camp. There was more interrogation before a judge. Finally, the judge said in English, "In Japan it is a great honor for a judge to cut off a prisoner's head. Tomorrow at sunrise, I will have the honor of cutting off your head."
Their captors tortured them, trying to get information. They put DeShazer on his knees and beat him. They handcuffed one prisoner, Lt. Nielsen, hanging him for eight hours by his hands on a peg, his toes barely touching the floor while others were stretched out on boards for hours. The Japanese strapped others to chairs and beat them. They put towels over their faces and had water poured into their noses and mouths until they nearly drowned . . . A short time later, DeShazer learned that Emperor Hirohito (on Tojo's recommendation) had commuted his sentence to life imprisonment. This gave him little hope. For almost two years, DeShazer and the others struggled with starvation, fought dysentery and other illnesses, froze in winter without blankets, and baked in summer with no ventilation. At times the airman grew so angry at the brutal guards that he worried about his sanity. In quieter moments he wondered how they could be so inhumane.
On December 1, 1943, Lt. Meder died, weakened from dysentery. After his death, things suddenly changed. Someone among the Japanese "higher-ups" decided to keep the Americans alive. Food rations increased and a few books were given to the prisoners. Among them was one Bible . . . DeShazer memorized Old Testament passages, the Sermon on the Mount, and the first Epistle of John. He thought about what his parents and sister had tried to tell him for many years. Now it all made sense. When his three weeks were almost up, he read again Romans 10:9—"If thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved." DeShazer prayed, "Lord, though I am far from home and though I am in prison, I must have forgiveness." He continued to pray until he was filled with inner peace and joy. His dirty cell and the abuse no longer held any horror. Death held no threat. On June 8, 1944, although imprisoned, he was free. A year after his conversion, in June 1945, the Americans were transferred to a prison in Beijing (Peking). Conditions were worse than in Nanjing (Nanking). DeShazer nearly died of starvation and disease, but he grew spiritually [and was liberated at the close of 1945]. In 1948, Jacob DeShazer returned to Japan with his wife, Florence, as a missionary. By that time, Army chaplains had distributed more than a million tracts containing DeShazer's testimony titled, "I Was a Prisoner of the Japanese." Thousands of Japanese people wanted to see the man who could forgive his enemies. In his first few months in Japan, the former Jimmy Doolittle raider had spoken in two hundred places. Soon he, with his wife Florence, helped Japanese Christians to establish churches. Although the church planting was going well, early in 1950, DeShazer longed for a revival for Japan. He fasted 40 days, praying for the salvation of the Japanese. A few days after he ended his fast, a man came to his home and introduced himself—Mitsuo Fuchida, flight commander of the 360 planes that attacked Pearl Harbor. After reading DeShazer's testimony, Fuchida had purchased a New Testament, read it, and had accepted Christ. DeShazer welcomed him as a brother and counseled him to be baptized. Within a short time Fuchida became an evangelist, preaching in Japan and all over the world.”
Jacob Deshazer’s life bears witness to the power of Christ to transform our lives so that we can make a difference in this world.
Steve
Tuesday, March 25, 2008
Celebrating the Resurrection
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
What a great celebration of the Resurrection we had this past Sunday – the music was tremendous, the baptisms were moving and the living cross was a beautiful witness to the city of Dallas about our living Savior. It is wonderful that we take a Sunday each year to proclaim the Risen Lord with such magnificence. It is right for the Church to do so, but it is interesting to note that the Gospel writers who proclaimed the Resurrection of Jesus Christ, did so in whispers and not pomp and circumstance. We are not told in the Scriptures how Jesus was resurrected, only that it was by the power of God. We don't know if there was an explosion, if beams of light shot out from Heaven, or if Jesus just sat up. It was not revealed to the Gospel writers how it took place; the importance of the Resurrection was simply that it occurred.
This is why the next few weeks ought to be spiritually precious to us. After all the celebration has calmed down we go about celebrating the Resurrection in our daily lives in the same way as Jesus' disciples did so many years ago. It is important to remember that Easter begins a seven week period of celebration of Jesus' Resurrection which culminates in Pentecost Sunday when we once again celebrate the initiation of the Church through the empowerment of the Holy Spirit. These next few Sundays are the “Sundays of Easter” and not the “Sundays after Easter.” A world of difference hinges on understanding this. Now is the time to continue to read Scripture and meditate upon the Resurrection, but also begin to seek to understand the Holy Spirit and its importance in your life. This is the way to peace and joy which Jesus promised to us when He spoke to His disciples just prior to His death and resurrection, “All this I have spoken while still with you. But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you. Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.” (John 14:25-27). Selah.
In Christ,
Steve
What a great celebration of the Resurrection we had this past Sunday – the music was tremendous, the baptisms were moving and the living cross was a beautiful witness to the city of Dallas about our living Savior. It is wonderful that we take a Sunday each year to proclaim the Risen Lord with such magnificence. It is right for the Church to do so, but it is interesting to note that the Gospel writers who proclaimed the Resurrection of Jesus Christ, did so in whispers and not pomp and circumstance. We are not told in the Scriptures how Jesus was resurrected, only that it was by the power of God. We don't know if there was an explosion, if beams of light shot out from Heaven, or if Jesus just sat up. It was not revealed to the Gospel writers how it took place; the importance of the Resurrection was simply that it occurred.
This is why the next few weeks ought to be spiritually precious to us. After all the celebration has calmed down we go about celebrating the Resurrection in our daily lives in the same way as Jesus' disciples did so many years ago. It is important to remember that Easter begins a seven week period of celebration of Jesus' Resurrection which culminates in Pentecost Sunday when we once again celebrate the initiation of the Church through the empowerment of the Holy Spirit. These next few Sundays are the “Sundays of Easter” and not the “Sundays after Easter.” A world of difference hinges on understanding this. Now is the time to continue to read Scripture and meditate upon the Resurrection, but also begin to seek to understand the Holy Spirit and its importance in your life. This is the way to peace and joy which Jesus promised to us when He spoke to His disciples just prior to His death and resurrection, “All this I have spoken while still with you. But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you. Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.” (John 14:25-27). Selah.
In Christ,
Steve
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