L'Engle's words

"I share Einstein's affirmation that anyone who is not lost on the rapturous awe at the power and glory of the mind behind the universe "is as good as a burnt out candle." - Madeleine L'Engle

End of the year thoughts

This is a picture of one of my sisters, Tammi, with her children following close behind. Tammi is the youngest in our family, residing in Pennsylvania near the lovely confines of Hershey. I haven't seen her in a few years and I miss her very much. Thank you for the picture, Tam!

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For those of my friends who will be taking my Greek class at school, please see our online tutorial page at http://drzockollgreek.blogspot.com/.

This will give you a step-by-step walk through our Greek class assignments and studies.

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I found it horribly fascinating in watching the eyes of Saddam Hussein in his final moments as the noose was slipped over his neck. What was a man like this thinking? Did he honestly believe that he had lived a life that was pleasing to God, or any god, for that matter? I wonder if he was repentent of the many atrocities her performed? I wonder what were the last words flitting through his mind as he stepped to the threshold of eternity?

"...it is appointed for men to die once and after this {comes} judgment..." Hebrews 9:27

TRUE LOVE

The best marriage advice I heard was when I was assisting in a wedding in Michigan. The preacher told the couple:

"You know, the are many kinds of marriage loves. One is the IF marriage love, as in,'IF you keep a good job, I will love you,' or 'IF you remain beautiful, I will still love you." Another is BECAUSE love, as in 'BECAUSE you are talented, I love you' or 'BECAUSE you have a great career planned out, I still love you.'"

The preacher went on to say,"The truest love is the IN SPITE OF love. It says 'IN SPITE OF the fact that you have had disapointments, I still love you,' and 'IN SPITE OF the fact that you have an illness that won't go away, I still love you." It's the love of 1 Cor 13 and it's a love that will make your marriage enduring and endearing."

How do evolutionists explain...?

Take a look at the above photos. This is known as the London Hammer, or London Artifact. In June of 1936 Mr. and Mrs. Max Hahn were hiking along the Red Creek near the small town of London, Texas, and found a small rock nodule with a piece of wood protruding from it. Later on, Max Hahn's son George broke open the rock and found the rest of the hammer, surrounded by a solid mass of cretaceous rock. The handle was partially PETRIFIED. The Hahns filed the metal to see if it was really metal; the spot has not rusted yet, even though it has been about forty-five years. The hammer contains 96% iron, 2.6% chlorine, and 0.74% sulfur.

The question is: is this hammer a hoaz? Numerous studies have concluded that it is not. What is its significance? That the rock/fossilization time frame cannot be as old as evolutionists and still coincide with their estimate of the origin of man. This hammer was supposed ly found in the Cretaceous layer, opening the argument that the introduction of mankind was not as old as evolutionists say.

Take a look at the information about this intriguing find.

A good reference page start would include:

http://s8int.com/page6.html

http://www.creationevidence.org
http://www.godrules.net/evolutioncruncher/default.htm

Chara Aneklaletos

1Pe 1:8
and though you have not seen Him (Jesus), you love Him, and though you do not see Him now, but believe in Him, you greatly rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory,

Chara Aneklaletos - joy inexpressible - the kind of joy that is so filling and powerful that you cannot describe it.

Think of the times you were so filled with joy that you could barely describe it...

...that surprise birthday party your family had for you.
...the reunion with your best friend after all those years.
...that special Christmas gift you thought you'd never get.
...the delivery of your first child.
...the award and recognition you received when you had no idea.

This same kind of joy is mentioned here as both when you first came to Christ and also as you realize what He can do for you. He's a Counsellor. Protector. Savior. Friend.

Especially friend.

A friend who forgives and forgets. A friend who listens, really listens. A friend who is always nearby. A friend who cries when you cry, laughs when you laugh, and picks you up when you've fallen.

I see why Peter gives the best possible explanation in this relationship: it can't be explained at all! It's a joy beyond words.

Steve came to my office, bitter and angry. But within the hour, he had his questions answered about Jesus, eternity, sorrow, love, and hope. Steve opened up his heart and let Christ take over. I will always remember the joy that came over his face. Steve was a changed man. He tried to describe the release, joy, excitement and hope he now had, but he couldn't get it out.

He didn't need to. Words wouldn't fit.

But his life helped make the description. Steve's life was one great big nonverbal description of his love and joy in Christ.

JOYOUS CHRISTMAS TO YOU!

Here is a picture of Peter and me taken some months ago. Believe it or not, this was on Halloween. We were part of a Trunk or Treat outreach to the city.

Each car was parked in our church parking lot (at least five acres of lot) and filled with enough candy to give away to little ones who came by. At my estimate there were 50 cars or more who participated. There was a decoration contest. With no theme in mind, Peter dressed in Steeler gear while I wore my graduation robe. The car? We grabbed about twnety strings of lights and covered the car. No theme in mind (which drive my wife Jill batty - "you're supposed to have a theme!")

Guess what? We won first place!

The reason I post this picture today is to remind us all of the fun memories we've had this year in the Lord's service. It has been great fun serving the Lord Jesus Christ. I think of the Theology Camp we had in Gatlinburg. I think of the times I've debated my students in class, preparing theme for the naysayers of the world. I think of the middle school kids I teach each Sunday. I remember the Christmas concert we've just presented to the community. So many enjoyable times with my family on trips and special evenings of clowning around or even having quiet Bible reading together.

Then, of course, we've enjoyed the day with Marlene and Robert, my in-laws. The Lord blessed the day with great closeness and relaxation.

May you have a wonderful day. Thank Jesus for His wonderful gift.

CHRISTMAS EVE

The birth of the baby Jesus stands as the most significant event in all history, because it has meant the pouring into a sick world of the healing medicine of love which has transformed all manner of hearts for almost two thousand years... Underneath all the bulging bundles is this beating Christmas heart. - George Matthew Adams

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I believe we'll be having a pretty steady cold rain tomorrow morning and continuing throughout the day. Good! We'll sit inside and sip coffee and enjoy the warmth inside.

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Nicholas is in the front room assembling an early Christmas present from a friend: a camping tent. Yes, he'd going to try to construct it in our living room. Peter is upstairs sorting out his stocking stuffer gifts in order to pop them in everyone's stocking in a few hours. Jill is in the bedroom, taping up the final list of presents while Julianne sits and chats about Dora the Explorer. I'm going to go outside in a few minutes and start our "Yule Log" fire, even though it's mainly a tepee of wood from the yard, not an actual log. Our Christmas lights are on and the tree is lit. We'll be sitting down in a few minutes to enjoy a time in the fireplace room. I am so thankful that Jill has a temporary respite from her illness. The stress of college has left Nicholas temporarily, and Peter enjoys not having to study anything at all. Julianne is cooing over a tiny white tree with blue lights that I assembled just for her.

This has the makings of a nice holiday. Only five and a half hours to go.

Amazing to me...

The way that God chose to show us salvation's plan. It could have been by force, with a Messiah riding hard from the clouds, sword in hand and a fire-breathing steed beneath Him. God could have made salvation a high-intelligence attainment - a Rubik's Cube challenge with the afterlife as the prize for the intellectually gifted. God could have made salvation available through the arrival of an appealing personality with a velvet voice and a winning smile. Who doesn't love an attractive face?

Instead He came as a child among a brutish race. He made Himself vulnerable to the short-sighted and selfish race that populated this Earth. In doing so, He made it possible for every man, woman and child to see Him attainable. Race, color, creed - they all broke down in the pursuit of the carpenter's son.

He made it posslbe, and we celebrate this fact.

Don't ever let the gift-giving get in the way of this truth.

Eve of Christmas Eve

What a great time. Former students calling us and stopping by for cups of coffee and chatter. The final minute shopping. The Christmas concert tonight (I get to give the opening welcome and watch a tape of an interview I had with children about Christmas a la "Kids Say the Darnedest Things")

And Christmas letters.

I will tell you a secret.

I LOVE THEM.

I hear so many people complain about them. Send the letters to me. I love catching up with old friends.

Sure, some people brag a bit too much or give an embellishment here and there. Look, these letters are like the high school yearbook. It's a gentle ego thing and we all know it. Enjoy them! Brag about yourself! I promise I'll be impressed. Give me your latest news and your proudest accomplishments.

I thank my God upon every remembrance of you (Phil. 1:3)

I enjoy digging back into my memory and recalling your conversations, joys, challenges, victories and intelligence. I am gladdened by hearing of your growing strength in the faith. And, yes, you can throw in a few extra words about your kid winning a karate tournament or you bringing home the bowling trophy.

That's the stuff of friendship. That's the stuff I love.

Some reasonable thoughts

The family is in the hyper shopping-and-wrapping mode today. Hint: if you want to beat the crowds around here, go shopping around midnight. The boys and I have done it twice and it's not too bad.
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Thank you for your prayers. Jill is feeling much better. The current tests have come back with positive results and helps. We'll keep marching on and trust the Lord for Jill's strengthening. Two weeks ago, Jill collapsed at church and it has been the first priority to see her get the treatment she needs.
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HERE ARGUMENTS THAT I HAVE ENCOUNTERED ... AND YOU MAY, TOO.
Let's look at the statements:

"There are no absolute truths"

I hear this one quite often, and to be frank, it puzzles me. The statement that "There are no absolute truths" is an absolute statement itself! It is self-defeating. Why continue along that vein?

"What is true for you is not true for me and what is true for me may not be true for you"

But what if I believe that relativism is false, then would the truth be that relativism is false? If you disagree, then we have a universal quandry - somebody has to be right on this subject. Let's say you tell me that I am wrong - then relativism collapses and the statement above dies on the vine. You had previously said that everyone makes up their own right and wrong. But what if you say that i am right - then my assertion that relativism is false stands and the believe dies as well.

I simpy don't see how people can hold to relativism and call it a viable belief.

"Rome did not fall because of external forces such as the invasion by the barbarians. Rome had no sufficient inward base; the barbarians only completed the breakdown---and Rome gradually became a ruin."
Francis Schaeffer

The joy of apantesis

After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. - 1 Thess. 4:17

To Meet, apantesis

Definitions:
as an action of encountering
to come near to and to meet, ...the word was the official welcome of a newly arrived dignitary
Colin Brown, ed., New International Dictionary of New Testament Theology: "The ancient expression for the civic welcome of an important visitor or the triumphal entry of a new ruler into the capital city and thus to his reign is applied to Christ. "Then we who are alive, who are left, shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord (eis apantesin tou Kyriou) in the air; and so we shall always be with the Lord." The same thoughts occur in the parable of the ten virgins. The virgins leave to meet the bridegroom (eis apantesin tou nymphiou) i.e. the Lord, to whom they wish to give a festive reception (Matt. 25:1).

This word apantesis occurs three times in the New Testament, first used in the parable of the ten virgins: "Behold, the bridegroom! Come out to meet him (i.e., welcome him in and celebrate his arrival)" (Matt. 25:6). The second time is when Paul was traveling and the disciples in Rome went out to to meet him and welcome him in.

Ah, then we have the 1 Thessalonians passage, where we (during the rapture) will welcome Him back and celebrate. We'll celebrate! This powerful word apantesis gives an idea of what part we will play in His magnificent return.

Praise God! Jesus is coming back. No Christmas celebration will equal the wild festivities of that day.

THE UGLIES

Luke chapter 2:

And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ[a] the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger."
Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests."

My favorite part of the Nativity story involves the shepherds. The shepherds were how many people would today consider junkmen or sewage workers: necessary but lowly. Unfair, but nevertheless the opinions of many. Shepherds stood out in the fields at all hours, working "overtime" with no special recognition or thanks. They did not get a chance to further their education or climb the corporate ladder. Shepherds were looked down upon in the first century that it is said that their testimony in court would not hold up due to the lowly status of their lifestyle.

Yet God chose the "lowly" to deliver the message.

I like that.

I identify with them.

Thank God for the "uglies." Thank the Lord for allowing those of us who are unattractive and menial to carry His word and have such a special ministry. These shepherds weren't vying for a new job or a higher reputation. Based upon who they were, they were "stuck" in a niche in life, yet they received honor along with the magi. isn't it interesting, just like the wise men, we would never know their names? Such is the honor of serving the Lord. The recognition comes from Him, the greatest audience anyone would ever want.

I like these fellows. Blue-collar, dirt-under-their-fingernails types of guys who were privileged to see a universal event in one moment. And, like the humble men they were, they didn't want to keep it to themselves They shared it.

So must we.

"I care not where I go, or how I live, or what I endure so that I may save souls. When I sleep I dream of them; when I awake they are first in my thoughts…no amount of scholastic attainment, of able and profound exposition of brilliant and stirring eloquence can atone for the absence of a deep impassioned sympathetic love for human souls." - David Brainerd

The above picture was from the franciscan cyberspot http://198.62.75.1/www1/ofm/sites/TSbtpict.html

The Prophecies

Would people dare to say that the Bible is not a supernatural book? The first thing I ask them is, how can you then explain the fulfilled prophecies, separated by centuries? I have yet to receive an answer from a nonbeliever. here are but a few of the scores of prophecies concerning Christ as found in the Scriptures:

JESUS WOULD BE BORN IN BETHLEHEM: "But as for you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, too little to be among the clans of Judah, from you One will go forth for Me to be ruler in Israel. His goings forth are from long ago, from the days of eternity." (Micah 5:2)

FULFILLED: And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the city of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and family of David, in order to register, along with Mary, who was engaged to him, and was with child.... And she gave birth to her first-born son; and she wrapped Him in cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn. (Luke 2:4-5, 7)

JESUS WOULD BE BORN OF A VIRGIN: "Therefore the LORD Himself will give you a sign: Behold, a virgin will be with child and bear a son, and she will call His name Immanuel. (Isaiah 7:14)

FULFILLED: "Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city in Galilee, called Nazareth, to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the descendants of David; and the virgin's name was Mary.... And the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary; for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb, and bear a son, and you shall name Him Jesus." (Luke 1:26-27, 30-31)

HE WOULD COME FROM EGYPT: "and out of Egypt I called My son." (Hosea 11:1)

FULFILLED: And he arose and took the Child and His mother by night, and departed for Egypt; and was there until the death of Herod, that what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet might be fulfilled, saying, "Out of Egypt did I call My Son." (Matthew 2:14-15)

HE WILL BE OF GALILEE: "...later on He shall make it glorious, by the way of the sea, on the other side of Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles. The people who walk in darkness will see a great light; those who live in a dark land, the light will shine on them." (Isaiah 9:1-2)

FULFILLED: "and leaving Nazareth, He came and settled in Capernaum, which is by the sea, in the region of Zebulun and Naphtali. This was to fulfill what was spoken through Isaiah the prophet, saying, "The land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, By the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles-- "The people who were sitting in darkness saw a great light, and to those who were sitting in the land and shadow of death, upon them a light dawned." (Matthew 4:13-16)

TRIUMPHAL ENTRY ON A DONKEY: Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout in triumph, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your king is coming to you; He is just and endowed with salvation, Humble, and mounted on a donkey, even on a colt, the foal of a donkey. (Zechariah 9:9)

FULFILLED:And they brought the colt to Jesus and put their garments on it; and He sat upon it.... And those who went before, and those who followed after, were crying out, "Hosanna! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord;"... And He entered Jerusalem and came into the temple; and after looking all around, He departed for Bethany with the twelve, since it was already late. (Mark 11:7, 9, 11)

...these are just a few of the many, many prpheices. As time allows, I will show you more. Copy these down and share them with others!

AGE OF MANUSCRIPTS

Through the years there have been many arguments over the age of the New Testament manuscripts. Some would feel that later Bible writers may be exagerrating the age, or some may even have faked the writings. Here is a powerful bit of information from the Hyde Park Fellowship concerning the manusript of Matthew:

"...importance are the manuscript findings of Mark and Matthew! New research which has now been uncovered by Dr. Carsten Thiede, and is published in his newly released book on the subject, the Jesus Papyrus mentions a fragment from the book of Mark found among the Qumran scrolls (fragment 7Q5) showing that it was written sometime before 68 AD It is important to remember that Christ died in 33 AD, so this manuscript could have been written, at the latest, within 35 years of His death; possibly earlier, and thus during the time that the eyewitnesses to that event were still alive!

The most significant find, however, is a manuscript fragment from the book of Matthew (chapt.26) called the Magdalene Manuscript which has been analysed by Dr. Carsten Thiede, and also written up in his book The Jesus Papyrus. Using a sophisticated analysis of the handwriting of the fragment by employing a special state-of-the-art microscope, he differentiated between 20 separate micrometer layers of the papyrus, measuring the height and depth of the ink as well as the angle of the stylus used by the scribe. After this analysis Thiede was able to compare it with other papyri from that period; notably manuscripts found at Qumran (dated to 58 AD), another at Herculaneum (dated prior to 79 AD), a further one from the fortress of Masada (dated to between 73/74 AD), and finally a papyrus from the Egyptian town of Oxyrynchus. The Magdalene Manuscript fragments matches all four, and in fact is almost a twin to the papyrus found in Oxyrynchus, which bears the date of 65/66 AD Thiede concludes that these papyrus fragments of St. Matthew's Gospel were written no later than this date and probably earlier. That suggests that we either have a portion of the original gospel of Matthew, or an immediate copy which was written while Matthew and the other disciples and eyewitnesses to the events were still alive. This would be the oldest manuscript portion of our Bible in existence today, one which co-exists with the original writers!"

Hope

This is a picture of our son Nicholas on the left. Next to him is Pete McClain, his roomatte at East Tennessee State.

Nicholas will be home with us this Saturday for the holidays. He'll be with us for a month, so the fatted calf gets slaughtered on Saturday - our boy has returned! The big event in the Zockoll household occurs on Saturday - we go out and buy the Christmas tree!

Nothing in the world - no fame, fortune, corporate climbing, talent, sports championship - could ever match the power and joy of a close-knit family. Nothing.

And so now we see the holiday in a much closer view. One of my favorite passages is Luke 2:25-36 where it says
"a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon and this man was righteous and devout, looking for for the "Consolation of Israel " and the Holy Spirit was upon him and it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord's Christ (Messiah) and he came in the Spirit into the temple and when the parents brought in the child Jesus to carry out for Him the custom of the Law then he took Him into his arms and blessed God and said:

"Now Lord, You are releasing Thy bondservant to depart in peace, according to Thy word for my eyes have seen Thy salvation which Thou have prepared in the presence of all peoples, a LIGHT OF REVELATION TO THE GENTILES and the glory of Thy people Israel"

What a great passage!

Look at the name CONSOLATION OF ISRAEL. Jesus is the fulfillment of the hope that Someone would come and finally bring an answer to the grief that plagued the people. HOPE. His name was HOPE, and His reach would extend beyond the Jews to include the gentiles. That's me.

HOPE.

As a poverty-stricken student trying to make it through college (many of my friends and roomates never realized that I was called in to the business office and told that I was the finanacially neediest student on campus in a university of almost 7000 students) I was constantly in hope for financial deliverance from the worry of being asked to leave because of my school bill. It wasn't like I wasn't trying; because I attended a nonpublic Christian university, I was not eligible for grants, so I held down three jobs: night cleanup, weekend yard maintenance for an elderly couple, and haircutting in the dorms. I took jobs wherever I could find them, but deep down I wished I would one day be delivered and given a reprieve from the money stress.

The day came in my Junior year when the school said I would need to leave because of my school bill, and I was crushed. I called to the Lord, hoping that there would be a miracle...

...and one came. A farmer in Virginia had set up a financial memorial for needy students - in honor of his late daughter- , and I was one of four receipients of a private gift - enough to see me through graduation. I thanked the benefactor and I thanked the Lord my Hope.

And I still see Him as my Hope.

The story is told that the well-known atheist Jean-Paul Sartre stated just before his death that he has such monstrous feelings of despair that he would tried to convince himself by saying...

“I know I shall die in hope.”

Then in profound sadness, he would add...

“But hope needs a foundation.”

Here is my hope: Jesus. I KNOW my Redeemer lives and I am going to Heaven when I die. This life is not the end of it all.

Jeremiah 29:11 Jehovah states: "I know the plans that I have for you,' declares the LORD, 'plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope."

My salvatio is secure because "The gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable." (Romans 11:29).

This is my joy this Christmas season.

I mean it.

A Different God

This is the last day of classes before exams start and the semester ends. For me, this will be the last time I get to teach some of the seniors at Christain Academy of Knoxville, and it's like seeing your kids head off to a foreign land. You're happy, but you know you're going to miss them. Terribly.

Jill will be taking her third day of medical exams. So far things seem to be going well. Please keep her in your prayers. Last night a good friend, Sharon McDuffie, stopped by and cheered her while Peter and I took care of things around the house. Earlier in the day, Marilyn and Christy Gillman kindly took little Julianne for the day, babysitting so that Jill could be at the doctors while I was at work.

That's a funny way for me to describe my job - work. It's hard for me to consider it that way. It's a missionary experience, and most of all, it's a joy. I don't don;t use those words lightly. God has allowed me to be part of life-changing opportunities. I get to make a difference - you absolutely cannot top that in my book. Sharing truths in the Bible that are of eternal consequence - it's fantastic.

Peter, Jill and I had a great devotional time last night, and Jill shared the strength of a friendship with God. We were looking at the love of God.

Psa 17:7 Shew thy marvellous lovingkindness, O thou that savest by thy right hand them which put their trust [in thee] from those that rise up [against them].

Think about this - are the Hindus' gods loving and kind? Can the Islamic god Allah be known as kind? Will Buddhists think of their lives awashed with kindness by any overseeing source? No - study all their doctrines and you will see spiritual oversight that doesn't include love. Yet, Jehovah God is love.

Jer 32:18 Thou shewest lovingkindness unto thousands

During these times of stress, I have seen God walk me through the fire and lift my head. What a devotional adventure I've enjoyed!

My family and I have personally experienced God's love in these past few months - mainly through God's children. When we were sick, fellow Believers rushed to our aid to help us along. When the bills started mounting up, secret gifts helped us carry on. When depression hit me like a bulldozer, there were plenty of gentle hands lifting me up. These were God's people, my friends. These were Christians who have the heart to listen to God's leading, and act. You can see it, too. You can read their hearts and see their compassion and as I look, I see Jesus written all over them. Best graffiti in the world!

Psa 138:2 I will worship toward thy holy temple, and praise thy name for thy lovingkindness

Seriously, now - is any other god known as loving? This is one of the great truths that separates and lifts Jehovah above and beyond. He cares. He loves.

MAYBE I DON'T WANT TO FORGIVE

Mark 11:25 - "And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive him, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins.”


It's hard to forgive, isn't it?

At a recent chapel I shared some of the dificulties of my childhood, but I entered into dangerous territory. As I was preparing for the message, I started remembering...

...remembering too much...

...too many details...

...too many feelings of hurt...

...and I started getting angry. All over again. Of things that occured over twenty five years ago.

Sometimes I don't want to forgive. I want to keep the anger and depression inside.

Then I look to Mark 11:25 and see the need to forgive. Forgive is the Greek word aphiemi and I find a powerful definition. Included in the explanation is that the word "forgive" means to "to let go", which is what I desperately needed to do. It has happened, it has happened. Nothing I can do now will change what has occured int he past, so why bring it up again. Then I see the definition includes "give up a debt". How many times have I heard a bitter person say, "Someone OWES me for my pain. The one who forgives will give up that "debt" of restitution.

Finally I see that the definition of "forgive" means "to leave in order to go to another place". It brings to mind a friend of mine who is in his fifties, but will not forgive nor forget. His life revolves around his childhood hurts but he will not release the grasp, just like the child who will not let go of the candy so that his hand can relax and he can be freed from the jar. Listen, I want to be able to move on. I want to go to another place, a place of peace that only God can explain (Phillp 4:7).

Forgiveness can make that happen.

Thomas a' Kempis was right

On the left is a picture of the Zockoll House in London. I have a relative, Jim Zockoll (distant uncle) who is a very successful entrepreneur in the London area.

We had the opportunity to visit him two years ago when we were in England and enjoyed the visit with a relative whom I've never met. Uncle Jim is retiring now, selling his Dyno-Lock and Dyno Rod companies, but staying very active in the London business scene.

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I can't tell you how much we appreciate your prayers for Jill. She will be seeing a specialist today; in fact, she'll be making three visits to find some specific answers about her collapse on Sunday and her continuing physical decrease. Discouragement is the biggest enemy right now, but even as the enemy tries to frustrate us, I keep seeing more and more answers in ministry come our way. There have been great joys in watching young people take a serious step toward serving the Lord at CAK and the chapel messages by Dave Park of His Passion Ministries seemt o be getting more and more strong. The battle is before us, and I don't want to back off.

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I find it almost incredible the lengths that people will go to make a name for themselves without so much as a thought about eternity. Matthew's words come to mind: "What good is it if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul?" How can people be so short-sighted? I recall a man standing face-t-face with me and telling me that the most important thing in his life for his son was to get him a sports scholarship. A sports scholarship is the most important thing in his son's life? Through the years I've heard people obsessing about money, fame, career, and other mundane pursuits...and Heaven is nowhere to be found.

For a small reward, a man will hurry away on a long journey; while for eternal life, many will hardly take a single step.
... Thomas a' Kempis (1380-1471)

A time of trust

Thanks for the e-mails of support, my friends. Jill seems to be doing much better. I'm writing this Monday morning (6:30 a.m.) so I do not know how Jill is doing since she's still asleep. The latter part of yesterday was uneventful, with Jill getting up and eating a bit before heading back to bed. She was able to sit up and talk with me for awhile, but

mostly she's been getting rest. Please pray that we get to see the needed specialist today. Please pray that discouragement not set in. We've been watching Jill battle this for years, and just when we seem to see some light, darkness sets in again.

When things like this occur, it really puts our lives in perspective. In view of concern for the health of a loved one, each family member's thoguhts become more focused on dependency on the Lord. I pray that Jill will have a strong recovery and that in the process, I might see Jesus more clearly and trust in Him.

Psa 56:3 What time I am afraid, I will trust in thee.

Jer 39:18 For I will surely deliver thee, and thou shalt not fall by the sword, but thy life shall be for a prey unto thee: because thou hast put thy trust in me, saith the LORD.

We often think of great faith as something that happens spontaneously so that we can be used for a miracle or healing. However, the greatest faith of all, and the most effective, is to live day by day trusting Him. It is trusting Him so much that we look at every problem as an opportunity to see His work in our life. It is not worrying, but rather trusting and abiding in the peace of God that will crush anything that Satan tries to do to us. If the Lord created the world out of chaos, He can easily deal with any problem that we have. - Rick Joyner

Need your prayer

It's Sunday afternoon, and I am writing and asking for special prayer. During the church service Jill came to me and tearfully told me that she was losing feeling in her right leg and couldn't hold her head up. We immediately got a nurse and had her attend to Jill. We were to bring her home and keep a close watch on her to see if we needed to get her to the ER.

This may be a reaction to new medication or it maybe Epstein Barr/Fibro Myalgia or the other diseases taking a new attack. I have had nurses and doctors on the line and although they said this was not a stroke necessitating a trip to the ER, they said to keep her flat on her back and keep watch on her.

My mother in law Marlene is here helping Peter and I on this watchcare duty. We have been to doctors for over 12 years and have really seen no breakthrough and this has been a very scary incident.

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I jsut got off the phone with the doctor and he said the problem was more sensory than motor so no need to go to ER, but to keep a close watch on her through the day. Jill has severe aches and burns in her muscles.

Friday thoughts

I delight greatly in the Lord;
my soul rejoices in my God.
For he has clothed me with garments of salvation
and arrayed me in a robe of righteousness,
as a bridegroom adorns his head like a priest,
and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.
- Isaiah 61:10

I can be in complete agreement with the words of the prophet as I sit here at our house on 609 Fernwood at 6:33 a.m. and consider:

As I've been told my wife Jill suffers from Epstein-Barr and a low grade form of measles along with mono on top of her Fibro Myagia, I can rejoice that last night we all enjoyed her darting about the house putting up Christmas decorations and laughing the whole time;
As I remember the horifying night of trauma, seeing little Nicholas almost die from a suffocating seizure when he was one year old, I rejoice in the fact that he is at collge now, involved in Bible studies and sending home word of yet another A on his test. He's well and good;
As I look and see the patch up jobs we've had to do in our old antiquated tile shower, I rejoice int he fact that we DO have a shower - in fact, two of them, and the hot water flows faithfully every morning;
As I recall a pretty brutal week at school, especially with an irate parent who was overly bitter and cruel, I can honestly rejoice in the fact that the Lord has given me five classes chock full of 12th grade students whom I love, and that I can play a small part in their Biblical training;
As I fuss over a slow computer and call the help line to get it up and running, I can rejoice that through this little computer I've been able to write and publish six novels and a devotional, reaching people with the written word and telling them about Christ through the message of story-telling and devotionals;
As I sit here and shake off the chill of the morning, I rejoice that Jesus has given me Peter, my 14 year old whom I will take across town to breakfast as is our regular Friday custom since school started, and I can hear Peter crack up about some weird news item or odd program while we watch the overhead TV;
As I go under the house and try to clean out the remining smell from a cat who got under our house and tried to "mark his territory" (you get the idea); I can glance up and see the insulation underneath the florring and be glad for a warm house that takes care of keeping my family safe;
When I sit in my classroom and wrestle with the grades or a whining student who just can't understand that you really must study if you wish to pass the class, I get gladdened when I have a grad pop in to say hi or for a student make me promise that we'll get together for a meal during the holidays;
When I sit here in the silence of the morning, I truly rejoice in the Lord that Jesus is watching over a struggling person like myself and has prepared a place for me when I leave this life. I cannot even begin to imagine how fantastic that will be.

The word from the local Tennessee weather station is that we'll have a smattering of snow. Now, that may not sound like much to my friends in Colorado and in Michigan, but it's been quite awhile since we've seen anything white coming from the sky in a large amount here in East Tennessee. I was chatting with a gentleman at a restaurant last night (Jill teases me about how I'll get into casual conversations with total strangers, but I can't help it - talking with other people is like reading a book. I feel like I'm browsing through a library.) who reminded me that it has been five years since we've seen a snowfall of any significance. Here's hoping that we get a nice snowfall on Friday. It's a 30% chance, but it just might happen.

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Nicholas will be home in a little less than two weeks from ETSU. He got a 98% on his computer test, and his grades are great so far. He's as hyper about the holidays as we are.

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Dave Park has been our speaker in chapel for the last two weeks and will continue through the month of January. Fantiastic man and a strong, strong speaker of the Word. His ministry is His Passion and you can see some of the God-honoring work they do by clicking here:

www.davepark.com

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This has been a trying week. I have had one counselling session after another, and many are of students who are hurting....really hurting. I feel quite drained but I am also encouraged by the magnificence in the steady climb of these young people through the reaching out of Jesus in their lives.

"Oh, this is a reality, not a fable, that the Lord Jesus Christ is our friend. And we should not be satisfied till we are brought to this." - George Muller

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Please pray for some major decisions we must make soon. Please pray also for Jill to be relieved from some of the many sicknesses that plague her. She has been diagnosed with numerous disease infestations in her body, one of which has stripped her of all energy. She is told that in effect, she has had a form of mono for years! It is very hard for her during the winter months.

Christ: a burnt offering?

Paul tells of the life and work of Jesus in Ephesians 5:2: "... Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God."

He was referring to one of Jesus' names, that of a burnt offering.

Wait, you say. I knw Jesus as Savior, and Whose names include King, Lord of Lords, and Everlasting father...but Burnt Offering?

Yes.

When you would first walk into the tabernacle, you would immediately see the Burnt Offering Altar in the Tabernacle's Outer Court. In the Burnt Offering Altar the priests sacrificed animals for their own sins and for the sins of the people. The first chapter of Leviticus tells us of the necessity of this sacrifice in order to be accepted before God and forgiven (Leviticus 1:4).

The requirements weret that a male animal be sacrifice, and this could include a a ram, a goat, a bullock or a a pigeon. (Leviticus 1:3-17). The animal must be without blemish, just as Jesus was the Perfect Lamb who died, totally consumed as this offering, so that we might be made alive.

By all accounts of justice, we should die for our sin. However, God made a way, first told in the Old Testament: "the life of the flesh (of a burnt offering or sacrifice) is in the blood, and I have given it you upon the altar to make atonement for your souls; for it is the blood that makes atonement for the soul" (Leviticus 17:11,8). The death of the one offered means you can have restoration to the God (Leviticus 1:4).

Just like Abraham told Isaac that "God Himself will provide a lamb for the burnt offering" (Genesis 22:8), Jesus was given for our sins that we wouldn't have to suffer the penalty of death.

Ephesians 5:2, shows that Jesus became the burnt offering as the One who "loved us and gave Himself up for us" on the cross, "an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma".I am reminded that Jesus, "Who did no sin, neither was there any deceit found in His mouth" (I Peter 2:22) was wholly consumed in death "carrying up our sins in His body onto the tree" (I Peter 2:24), so that we can be made right with God.

Jesus the Burnt Offering!

Bravo, Oscar!

This is a commentary posted on a great site by one of my former students and a great friend, Oscar Hyde (the fellow in the picture with the great grin). This is in response to an article he read by an evolutionist. For the whole post, click on the link at the bottom of this post.

...here is Oscar's response to the evolutionary claims (highlighted in yellow). Please read carefully:

There are actually certain creationists who do happen to believe in devolution by natural selection. In fact, natural selection is the greatest idea that Darwin ever presented to the world, because it’s actually evidence for creationism - at least, against evolution.

Now, I’m not committing the same error for which I just corrected Mr Kealey above.
Because it is against evolution.

Let me explain:

#1. I am a creationist, and I do actually believe that the earth is roughly 6,000 years old.

#2. I believe that God created original “kinds” of animals. Many people (including some creationists) read this as “species”, but it’s not, partially because it was written over 3000 years before Carolus Linnaeus.

#3. Said original kinds had far more genetic information than today’s animals. As these kinds bred, genetic information was transferred from generation to generation… however, various information was lost in each offspring. This would explain, for example, different types of dog/wolf/dingo/etc. - there was an original dog “type”, which has devolved (by losing information) into the vast range we have today. (Think of inbreeding amongst modern pets, but on a larger scale.)

#4. Now, after the Flood, the animals on the Ark bred, and their descendants moved around. Different groups of descendants had different concentrations of information. Those with the information to survive in that environment did; those who didn’t didn’t (natural selection). But - and here’s the important thing - all the information was originally present.

That’s quite diffent from “goo-to-you-via-the-zoo” evolution, where huge amounts of new genetic information are added (unless you think that an amoeba has more genetic information than you do).

Bravo, Oscar!

Read more of Oscar's insight at
http://completegeek.nfshost.com/2006/11/08/what-the-papers-say/#comments

Thankful for your prayers

These past few months have been a very trying time for me, but I feel the prayers of my fellow Christians as I endeavor to serve the Lord daily. At a spiritual retreat last month for our school, I asked for prayer; the pressure was just too great. Satan was trying to wreck our household, what with Jill's sickness, my deadlines, Nicholas' college bill, Peter's schooling challenges and various counseling emergencies. I could hardly raise my head.

Yet without so much as a word, the entire group of retreat leaders and the student senate came over and laid hands on me, praying fervently for my recovery and wellness in Christ.

It has helped.

I have been able to take steps in seeing my faith strengthened. Jill's latest doctor's visit has given us hope. Other answers, small but evident, have been popping up here and there.

We received an anonymous letter from some dear Christian people that has been a nuclear answer to prayer.

Look, I don't seek some miraculous response that knocks me over with piles of money or total recovery. I'm not looking for a me-first life. I jsut want to be able to draw closer to Jesus and know that I can take the steps He shows me.

In ther words, I don't want me to trip over me. I don't want to be in the way of myself.

I want Jesus to have total leadership, and I'm seeing Him doing that more and more each day.

Psa 3:4 - I cried unto the LORD with my voice, and he heard me out of his holy hill. Selah.

Psa 18:6 - In my distress I called upon the LORD, and cried unto my God: he heard my voice out of his temple, and my cry came before him, [even] into his ears.

Psa 120:1 - In my distress I cried unto the LORD, and he heard me.

Jon 2:2 - And said, I cried by reason of mine affliction unto the LORD, and he heard me; out of the belly of hell cried I, [and] thou heardest my voice.

Simon the Zealot

A lot of times I think about how I must constantly be aware that friendship builds bridges of relationships to those who do not know Christ. Often my excuses are "I'm too busy," or "That person isn't exactly in my circle of acquaintances," or simply, "They're different from me." Then I think of Simon the Zealot.

Simon Zelotes, (the Zealot) was one of the twelve disciples of Christ's earthly ministry . "Zealot" was added not only to distinguish him from Simon Peter mainly to display that he was a member of an organization that was a nationalistic political group. These members were a rough crowd. They were violent, emotional and especially anti-Roman. The Zealtos were a branch of the Pharisees that had a no-nonsense appraoch to traitors.

Simon was most likely 40 years old when he became a disciple, follwing Jesus for most likely nationalistic purposes. Initially he could have imagined that Jesus would head the revolution to rid the Romans ruling their land. Jesus has other plans.

Simon changed from violence to peace. Jesus knew that the Zealots and Publicans were bitter enemies. One group worked against the Romans, the other for them. Even so, Jesus chose a disciple from both groups.
Please understand...Matthew was chosen by Jesus. His name was initially Levi and he was a tax collector, the very people Simon's group went after.

Yet through Christ, the two opposite poles not only got along, they prayed together and ministered alongside one another.

"Our love to God is measured by our everyday fellowship with others and the love it displays." - Andrew Murray