Kindness

1 Peter stated that the Christian can taste the kindness of the Lord:

"now that you have tasted that the Lord is good."

That word for "good" is translated as "chrestos" and it means "kind," but not "Kind" in some sappy, emotional way. It means practical kindness – a "useful" outworking of goodness: kindness expressed to others. Peter says "you know you’ve seen God show practical kindness to you through your health, your friends, your good fortunes… you’ve seen the action (not the talk) of kindness. Why don’t you show it more?

Kindness is honored the world over. In the 1990s a world sporting championship was held in Copenhagen and one of the events was a marathon tandem kayak challenge. On international TV, Danish paddlers had pulled their kayak out of the water and were running to the next body of water when they broke the rudder. The British, in second place, stopped to help the Danish fix the rudder. The Danes got back into the race and after this three hour race, the Danes beat the British by one second. The British lost the race, but they were soon summoned and honored with a trophy that is not known in the USA but is highly regarded in Europe – the Pierre de Coubertin International Fair Play Trophy. Named for the founder of the modern Olympics, it has been handed out for over three decades to those people who have showed nobility and kindness in sports.

I, like you, keep looking for ways to honor Jesus for what He has done for me - and as I continue to see His love and care over me, I realize that I do not want to return a useless life. I think of the anonymous poem proclaimed years ago:

Some people die in ashes.

Some people die in flames.

Some people die inch by inch,

playing silly, little games.

I don’t want a false, self-congratulatory life like people make up on YouTube or MySpace. I want a real, God-honoring life. And in my pursuit in doing so, I see Galatians 6:3-4 that says

"Be sure to do what you should, for then you will enjoy the personal satisfaction of having done your work well, and you won't need to compare yourself to anyone else."

I want to do what I should and I don’t want to compare myself to anyone else. Let Jesus do the judging.

Useless

One of my favorite parts of the 2000 movie Remember the Titans is the scene where there’s a confrontation between football starters Gerry and Julius. Jerry explodes at the brilliant but moody football player Julius and says a memorable quote:

Honesty? You want honesty? All right, honestly, I think you're nothing. Nothing but a pure waste of God-given talent. You don't listen to nobody, man.

How many of us are a "waste of God-given talent" because we don’t listen to anybody? We don’t listen when God speaks to us through His Word and through His leaders to us. I wonder how many of us lack the drive to see God's great things done in our lives because we lack the convictions to see them through to the end? We have the faith needed to walk with Christ, for sure...but when it comes to the time to run with Christ, we wave our hand and shake our head. The blessing falls to someone else, simply because we did not have the drive.

In an earlier post I told you about the sad story of the lax attitude of inventor Walter Hunt. Time after time, Hunt had brilliant flashes of genius, but he lacked the essentials, the outlook, the overview…the commitment to carry them through. And the fearful, fearful thing to me is that the story of Walter Hunt ends in the fact that though he had great talent, in essence his life was basically useless. That’s one of the scariest words to me in the entire Bible. To a Christian, nothing could be more sad than to realize that you indeed have had a useless life.

In Romans 3:12 it talks about how bad that mankind has become. Listen to this description: ALL HAVE TURNED ASIDE, TOGETHER THEY HAVE BECOME USELESS." The passage in Romans gives one of the worst condemnations anyone could think of. Think about it. One of the worst, deeply-felt insults you could give someone is to say, "you’re useless." The word "useless" in Romans is achreíos and it means unprofitable - nobody benefits from it. Achreios is found only three times in the NT and it was known in its time to mean the picture of rotten fruit; something irrevocably bad and therefore thoroughly useless. The teaching in all three verses is that the people who have not stayed on the path to God have become useless. They cannot fulfill their purpose as creatures made in the image of God. They are like fish that cannot swim - they aren't performing the very thing they were created to do.

The Strange Case of Walter Hunt

I became fascinated when I first read the story of the late inventor Walter Hunt (1796 - 1859). Mr. Hunt was a brilliant man who lived in New York, working as a mechanic. We could put Mr. Hunt right up there with the likes of Edison, because when you realize that Hunt invented the the streetcar bell, a hard-coal-burning stove, artificial stone, thefountain pen, sewing machine, safety pin, a flax spinner, knife sharpener, street sweeping machinery, the velocipede, and the ice plough, and even a forerunner of the Winchester repeating rifle ... well, you see how brilliant he was.

And then you realize how sorry his story is.

You see, Hunt raely if ever followed through to make his invnetions stick. He often created the product and then let it lapse. For instance, Hunt created the safety pin, yet sold the patent for a only $400 to a man whom he owed fifteen dollars. He fumbled about and failed to patent his sewing machine at all, wondering if it would put seamstresses out of business. The subsequent men who grabbed the rights to it made a fortune.

Hunt lacked conviction. He lacked drive. With all the talent he had, he could not pull though.

I wonder how many of us lack the drive to see God's great things done in our lives because we lack the convictions to see them through to the end? We have the faith needed to walk with Christ, for sure...but when it comes to the time to run with Christ, we wave our hand and shake our head. The blessing falls to someone else, simply because we did not have the drive.

Great time at UT campus

I had a fantastic time at the Bible study last night on the University of Tennessee campus. The main introductory topic was "Why Should I Believe That There is a God?" We had a good strong exchange, and the questions brought up were very good. The students at CAK loaded me with boxes of food to give to the college students - who were very appreciative! (Nothing like combining a good study in 1 Corinthians with a box of Little Debbie Snack Cakes) Next week I will be teaching about the "Problem of Suffering in the World - Why Does God Allow It?" Please pray for me as I work with the Campus Crusade Ministry in this study.

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"A man can no more diminish God's glory by refusing to worship Him than a lunatic can put out the sun by scribbling 'darkness' on the wall of his cell..."

- CS Lewis

Some great links

Here are some powerful Bible study links that I use regularly. Perhaps they could be of use to you, too.

Blue Letter Bible. Commentaries and Hebrew/Greek lexicons make this a daily favorite of mine

http://www.blueletterbible.org/

Study Light. Excellent place to find good word studies:

http://www.studylight.org/

Christians Unite. You'll find devotionals, study guides and even biographies on this fine site:

http://bible.christiansunite.com/

God and Science. Contains and excellent section on the prophecies of Christ:

http://www.godandscience.org/apologetics/prophchr.html

William Lane Craig Debates. This is powerful stuff. Dr. Craig takes on all non-Christian comers in a stand-up debate that will amaze you on the truths of the Bible:

http://www.leaderu.com/offices/billcraig/menus/debates.html

Institute of Creation Research. Great site for learning scientific truth and God's Word:

http://www.icr.org/

There are numerous more fine places to study. I will be posting them in future weeks. I hope these help you as you lead your Bible studies or prayer groups.

Slow down and see Jesus

"You never hear Jesus say in Pilate's judgement hall one word that would let you imagine that He was sorry that He had undertaken so costly a sacrifice for us. When His hands are pierced, when He is parched with fever, His tongue dried up like a shard of pottery, when His whole body is dissolved into the dust of death, you never hear a groan or a shriek that looks like Jesus is going back on His commitment." - Charles Spurgeon

My greatest desire is to know more about Jesus and what He has for me to do on this earth. I have the chance each day to tell about Him in my Greek class - even in my Speech class I have the opportunity to share about the Savior. With each day, I want people to know how He's taken care of me and my family, leading us into both salvation and day-by-day care.

My passion, then, is to know as much as I am able about His will and His power in me and others. I want to know more about this Jesus! I am in total agreement with the Blaise Pascal who said "Not only do we not know God except through Jesus Christ; We do not even know ourselves except through Jesus Christ."

"To every toiling, heavy-laden sinner, Jesus says, ‘Come to me and rest’. But there are many toiling, heavy-laden believers, too. For them this same invitation is meant. Note well the words of Jesus, if you are heavy-laden with your service, and do not mistake it. It is not, ‘Go, labor on,’ as perhaps you imagine. On the contrary, it is stop, turn back, ‘Come to me and rest.’ Never, never did Christ send a heavy laden one to work; never, never did He send a hungry one, a weary one, a sick or sorrowing one, away on any service. For such the Bible only says, ‘Come, come, come.’" - Hudson Taylor

Time for me to rest in Jesus.

Does relativism make ANY sense?

I am puzzled by people who truly belief that there is no universal Right and Wrong, that anyone can make up his or her own standards. You mean to tell me that there is NO universal agreement as to what is to be shunned?

I quote CS Lewis: "Think of a country where people were admired for running away in battle, or where a man felt proud of double-crossing all thepeople who had been kindest to him. You might just as well try to imagine acountry where two and two made five. Men have differed as regards what people you ought to be unselfish to - whether it was only your own family, or your fellow countrymen, or everyone. But they have always agreed that youought not to put yourself first. Selfishness has never been admired. Men have differed as to whether you should have one wife or four. But they have always agreed that you must not simply have any woman you liked."

I went over to University of Tennessee campus for the first Bible study. Campus Crusade for Christ set up the meetings which are held in Hess Hall dormitory. We had 16 students show up and all are eager to participate. A few a new Believers attended, and one is not yet ready to make a decision for Christ. Please pray for the students and for the leadership as we strive to make this a powerful ministry. Every Wednesday we will be meeting in the dorm lobby and going over the big questions in life: Why is there suffering? Who is Jesus? What am I supposed to do in this life? These will be some of the topics we will address in the UT Bible study.

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THERE ARE TIMES WHEN WE SHOULD WAIT ON GOD'S LEADING.

...just as I prayed about a college ministry as I continue to teach at CAK, I waited and the Lord brought this to pass. I have a lot of problems with waiting, but each year I see the wisdom in leting the Lord choose the paths, not me.

Oswald Chambers: "There are times when you cannot understand why you cannot do what you want to do. When God brings the blank space, see that you do not fill it in, but wait. The blank space may come in order to teach you what sanctification means, or it may come after sanctification to teach you what service means. Never run before God's guidance. If there is the slightest doubt, then He is not guiding. Whenever there is doubt - don't."

Hudson Taylor: "God's work done God's way will never lack God's supply."

James L. Christenson: "The purpose of Christianity is not to avoid difficulty, but to produce a character adequate to meet it when it comes. It does not make life easy; rather it tries to make us great enough for life."

But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew [their] strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; [and] they shall walk, and not faint. - Isa 40:31

but I discipline my body and make it my slave, so that, after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified. - 1 Cor. 9:27 (NAS)

The tests and appeals of a sinful world are enough to drive a Christian away from any profitable ministry. Paul was so adamant about wanting to be pure that he uses a powerful word here in the Greek. The word disipline means "I pummel my body."

The word is hupopiazo {hoop-o-pee-ad'-zo} and means literally = hit under the eye and figuratively knock out the bodily impulses.

What a powerful word! What a dedication of the soul and spirit to be able to want to cause pain to oneself in order to present oneself as pure and spotless before God! No, this is not talking about self-flagellation...this refers to self-denial, and the ability to turn away from lusts. The eyes of the Christian are on the bigger prize - that of pleasing Christ Jesus.

The puzzlement of profanity

I'm going to be disciplining a student today for profanity. This otherwise intelligent student is under the belief that the use of the f-word and other meaningless phrases of offensiveness is somehow going to make his stature appear greater. Besides being clearly against the rules of our school, he is presenting his speech as less than mature.

This has been a puzzle to me since my childhood. I find no sense in this whatsoever. For the life of me, I cannot understand those who delve into offensive language - especially Christians.

The use of profanity is really a surrender, linguistically. By using offensive terms you admit that your language IQ is limited. Or else you are freely admitting that you have no other course but to shock or offend. In either case, what does this say about the swearer?

I quote Nellie Ugarte (who teaches English at Montwood High School, El Paso, Texas) in an essay about the use of profanity in the classroom assignments:

"It does not take any real effort on the students' part to use vulgarity in writing. They are exposed to it daily by the media. The real test is to challenge them to find other ways to express themselves that have the same effect as these profane words.

Profanity in writing is at times merely used as a shock element. Some students actually believe it is an expression of their generation. They think their generation invented profanity. My students find it humorous when I tell them I can easily conjugate those words in more creative ways than they ever knew existed.

Students will argue that it is their right to express themselves as they see fit. They may be right in a way, but reality is colored quite differently. Young kids still need to be guided by the adults in their lives.

When they spill into the community as adults, they will have choices to make for themselves. Wouldn't it be fabulous if they had a wealth of words with which to express those choices?"

I say amen to that. And Believers, we are appointed to a higher calling of setting a moral example. That would call for us to present our communication in a mature way.

Source: http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qa3617/is_200411/ai_n9460653

This is a print of Jean-Leon Gerome's The Christian Martyrs' Last Prayers. You might be able to see those on the stakes within the arena. They have been covered with pitch and have been set afire.

The early church writer Origen said that the populace was so enraged by the sound faith of the Christians that they "are greatly distressed at seeing those who bear outrage and torture with patience, but are greatly elated when a Christian gives way under it" (Contra Celsus, VIII.44).

Many fell under the spectacle of brutal torture and death in the arena of perversity. Yet they stayed fast in their faith.

Little needs to be said other than, in view of this picture of those who have suffered for the faith...do we really any reason to complain?

Mat 5:10 Blessed [are] they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

The Bible

Two young men came to my home, wanting me to change my faith from Jesus Christ. They were polite and very articulate, but I could sense that although they claimed to hold the Bible as one of their main texts, they were wildly off the mark.

"I guess I'm confused about your approach to sin, friends," I said. "I don't understand how you take way Jesus' saving work."

"Well, it's kind of hard to explain, sir," said one of the men, "but, you see, God had to create sin in order for the human race to understand about sex."

"See," he continued, "God created the Tree of Knoxwledge of Good and Evil, which told about the proper relations between a man and a woman in sexual union. Remember, after Eve had taken of the fruit and Adam also ate of it from that very tree, God tossed them out of the garden but then said, 'Now go, be fruitful and multiply.'"

"Gentlemen," I replied, would you take your Bible and go to the book of Genesis?"

They did.

"Would you look at chapter 1?" I asked "Read through the passage and tell me where the Lord tells Adam and Eve to be 'fruitful and multiply."

They found it in verse 28.

"Please tell me," I continued, "according to the narration, if that was IN the Garden or OUT of the Garden - was it BEFORE they sinned or after they sinned?"

The first young man looked and was literally speechless. He finally said, "uh, well, they said it before they sinned."

"In other words, " I continued, "Adam and Eve were given the gift of sexual union - it was not the cause of a sin. Sexual union is not borne of a sinful decision."

Both young men were taken aback. Their faith had made a distortion of the facts of sin.

What I'm trying to say here is that if we're going to claim to believe the Bible, then let's go by what the Bible says and follow it in the context in which God is teaching us. Distorting and bending truths to make the Bible more palatable or more malleable is a dangerous thing.

The incarnation of Christ

Sure, Jesus was an incredible teacher. As a moral example, He is unsurpassed. In humility, you will find no equal.

But the foundational block upon all of this was His incarnation. This was and is, after all, the Son of God. And this Son of God came down to earth to reach across my sin and shame and save me as I called out to Him.

C. S. Lewis, in his book Miracles writes: “In the Christian story, God descends to re-ascend. He comes down, down from the heights of absolute being into time and space, down into humanity, down to the very roots and seed bed of the humanity which He Himself created. But He goes down to come up again and bring ruined sinners up with Him.”

He gives this illustration: “One has the picture of a strong man, stooping lower and lower to get himself underneath some great complicated burden, he must stoop in order to lift. He must almost disappear under the load before he incredibly straightens his back and marches off with the whole mass swaying on his shoulders. Or one may think of a diver, first reducing himself to nakedness, then glancing in mid air, then gone with a splash, vanished, rushing down through green and warm water into black and cold water, down through increasing pressure into the death-like region of ooze and slime and old decay. And then up again, back to color and light, his lungs almost bursting till suddenly he breaks the surface again holding in his hand the dripping precious thing that he went down to recover. He and it are both colored now that they have come up into the light. Down below where it lay colorless in the dark, he lost his color, too.”

“The doctrine of the incarnation is emphatically at the center of Christianity, that the Son of God came down... No seed ever fell so far from a tree into so dark and cold a soil as the Son of God did.”

That's as good a way to illustrate Jesus' incarnation as any I have ever heard.

Simple talent, serious dedication

Bertoldo de Giovanni is a name even the most enthusiastic lover of art is unlikely to recognize. He was the pupil of Donatello, the greatest sculptor of his time, and he was the teacher of Michelangelo, the greatest sculptor of all time. Michelangelo was only 14 years old when he came to Bertoldo, but it was already obvious that he was enormously gifted. Bertoldo was wise enough to realize that gifted people are often tempted to coast rather than to grow, and therefore he kept trying to pressure his young prodigy to work seriously at his art.

One day he came into the studio to find Michelangelo toying with a piece of sculpture far beneath his abilities. Bertoldo grabbed a hammer, stomped across the room, and smashed the work into tiny pieces, shouting this unforgettable message, "Michelangelo, talent is cheap; dedication is costly!"

(Gary Inrig, A Call to Excellence. )

"...he is a double‑minded man, unstable in all he does..." James 1:8

The power of the Scriptures

Are you leading a Bible study? Do you have a chance to share with others in some Bible class? Here is a good thought to bring forth:

All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; - 2 Timothy 3:16 (NAS)

That's an interesting word - "inspire" - but aside from the lofty sound of it, what does it actually mean in this verse? In the Latin inspirare means "to breathe in," but the Greek word theopneustos means "God-breathed" and are breathed out, not in.

The Scripture is an apokalupsis, an opening of the lid to reveal universal truths. We see God showing Himself - His love for us, His wisdom for all ages, and His will for mankind.

Some days back I was stuck on a new program for our school grading system. The program was just not opening up for me and I found it quite frustrating. Then a good friend and fellow teacher came over and sat with me, showing me the key words and prompts that opened up the program and consequently cut my grading time in half.

That's how I find the Bible. Sometimes I might get confused at the sheer depth of it but along with good diligence, prayer and the assistance of helps, I am amazed of the incredible teaching I can receive. Let's not run from the Bible - let's run to it! God has breathed out the dynamics for our life.

This generation is coming dangerously close to being totally Bible illiterate.

This Book we read is absolutely dynamite from Heaven. It's above and beyond man's reasoning - the very words are God's.

"...which things we also speak, not in words taught by human wisdom, but in those taught by the Spirit, combining spiritual {thoughts} with spiritual {words.}" - 1 Cor. 2:13

Hello to all my new friends

Much to my surprise and delight, my tracking info shows that I have been having visitors to this page from American places as diverse as Texas to Michigan to Kentucky to Massachusetss, and international visitors from places like Britain and the Netherlands. I welcome you and thank you for stopping by!

"The best men know that they are very far from what they ought to be; and the very worst think that, if they were a very little better, they should be as good as they need be." - James Anthony

Can't wait to get to UT!

I'm extremely happy to tell you about my new ministry opportunity that's been added to my teaching duties at CAK. On Wednesday nights I will be heading to the University of Tennessee campus to be a weekly teacher for Bible studies sponsored by Campus Crusade for Christ. It'll happen in two weeks. I love working with college students! I've been praying about this for quite some time, especially the chance to get on the UT campus. Please pray for me as I present the Word of God to new Christians and even some non-believers.
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John 8:12 - When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”

Light was an ever-present symbol in the Feast of Tabernacles, giving rememberance to the pillar of fire that gave light to Israel during the Exodus. Jesus uses the symbol of light applies it to Himself, saying "He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness: Jesus, being the light of the world, helps the Believer walk...

The Greek word for walk is peripateo, and it speaks of making progress; to take advantage of opportunities. The Hebrews added that the word meant "to regulate one's life, to conduct one's self ."

The passage says that those who follow the Light called Jesus will progress in the bright path, not move along in the confusion of darkness. ("I don't know where I'm going, but I'm sure making good time...") How often do we read aboout those who wish to stay busy, but really have no progress. They are enamored with activity more than accomplishment.

What kind of regualtion would you give to your car if nobody established rules or standards of how the car should run? Well, what kind of rules and regulations should this world have if there were no Universal Right by which we set our standards?

What is the purpose of life if we make no preparation for the eternity beyond it? If there is no reason to believe that we live beyond this mortality, then we're truly running onward through the fog. Jesus, however, shines the light that tells us of not only the next step, but the proper path way on down the road.

I headed up to Kroger's tonight to pick up and few odds and ends and met some fellows stranded on the side of the store's driveway. Their month-old car had cut out in the middle of the intersection and the two Spanish-speaking gentlemen were trying to tell me of their dilemma. Strange to me that in this crowded thoroughfare that nobody else stopped to try to help these men - even lean out and ask if they could put in a call via cell phone.

I'm not mechanically inclined but I offered the best help I could, ending in assisting them in pushing the car to a nearby parking lot and trotting over to a local auto parts store. Surprising to me, as I explained the situation to the on-duty manager I was met with a cold stare and a quick refusal to help: "We're not mechanics here. We don't do that kind of stuff."

You don't do what kind of stuff? Try to help a needy motorist?

I'm amazed at the diminshing desire to help our neighbors. We seem to treat others as strangers who should not be dealt with at any costs.

The story is told of Catherine Booth of the Salvation Army of years ago.

"Wherever Catherine Booth went," said Campbell Morgan, "humanity went to hear her. Princes and peeresses merged with paupers and prostitutes." She was known as the matriarch of the organization, and people loved her compassion.
One night, Morgan shared in a meeting with Mrs. Booth and heard her speak to a huge crowd of blue collar workers. Her message was powerful and brought many to Christ. After the meeting, Morgan and Mrs. Booth went to be entertained at a fine home; and the lady of the manor said, "My dear Mrs. Booth, that meeting was dreadful"

"What do you mean, dearie?" asked Mrs. Booth.

"Oh, when you were speaking, I was looking at those people opposite to me. Their faces were so terrible, many of them. I don't think I shall sleep tonight!"

"Why, dearie, don't you know them?" Mrs. Booth asked.

The hostess replied, "Certainly not!"

"Well, that is interesting," Mrs. Booth said. "I did not bring them with me from London; they are your neighbors!"

Greek word "allos"

This is a picture from one of my novels written for Focus on the Family's publication Breakaway. The serialized novel is titled The Silmarillion Weekend, and the science-fiction novel concerned two boys who accidentally brought back CS Lewis and JRR Tolkein through a laboratory accident.

Though the action in the novel concerned the two boys' challenge to get both men back into their own time zones before the 48 hour limit was up, the real story I embedded in the pages concerned how Lewis and Tolkein viewed the modern-day Christian movement. Both men questioned the authenticity of a teens' faith that was built on emotion and entertainment.

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I am arranging the Gatlinburg lodges for our second Theology Camp summer Bible getaways. If you are interested in saving a place, please contact me through my e-mail address: bradzockoll@hotmail.com
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The greek word ALLOS...

John 14:16 : "I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter." The Greek word "another" is the word allos, which means "another of the same kind." Christ is telling the disciples as well as every Believer that He was sending back His own Spirit. This means that the Holy Spirit is the Spirit of Jesus Christ Himself. He wasn't leaving us and deciding on a future date to return. When He ascended as Jesus, He decscended as the Holy Spirit, to indwell the Believer and give him hope and comfort.

It's a very powerful way to explain why the writer said Jesus will never leave or forsake us (Heb. 13:5). He is with the Christian right now!

A bit of a problem for evolutionists

(To the right is the Glacier National Park in Canada)


I love to chat with evolutionists - I find that they are quite frustrated with many geological truths which cannot be explained by their own definitions. Take, for example, the layers of fossils (I speak briefly, here, because i'm not a scientist - I will recommend an excellent source for your further study) that range from the Cretaceous (135 million years ago) to the Cambrian Period (600 million years ago). These layers of fossils would be found in order, obviously with the older periods below the upper ones. What happens if the layers, though, are switched - for example, the Cambrian is above the Cretaceous? Evolutionists might say that because of upheaval (earthquake, etc), the layers could have been dramatically changed. If so, then geologists would find evidence of the violence - crushed rock, powder, etc.





But the evolutionists have a problem with the Glacier National Park in Canada. There is a place called the Lewis Overthrust which has these layers and strata in a jumbled order. The area was first recognized in 1901, a land area over 300 miles long and 15­50 miles wide. The problem is they have found Precambrian strata atop Cretaceous, throwing the "time table" out of whack! The fossils are way out of order. Here's the kicker: there is no crushed rock debris, no powder or evidence of violent action. The contact line between the two different strata is what is kown as a "knife-edge", showing that the strata were water-deposited in that order rahter than mashed and mingled.





The entire evolutionary time scale is in jeopardy. I would suggest you visit a report on this occurence at


http://www.rae.org/revev2.html

and read an excellent report by Douglas Sharp.


"For the wisdom of this world is foolishness in God's sight. As it is written: 'He catches the wise in their craftiness'” - I Cor. 3:19


"Christianity, if false, is of no importance, and if true, of infinite importance. The only thing it cannot be is moderately important." - CS Lewis

New site for learning Greek

This semester brings two new classes for me at the Christian Academy of Knoxville Speech and Greek. My students will be learning both in-class and online. To get an early glimpse of our study material, click here:

http://drzockollgreek.blogspot.com/

We're taking it slowly, step by step.

Special prayer request

I was sent some very sad news this morning. Would you put Haley in yur prayers today and in the next months? Here is the e-mail from members of my home church (West Park Baptist Church of Knoxville TN):

"We ask that you would all be in constant prayer for our friend Haley Chitty. She is one of our singles at West Park and has been serving in ministry with Campus Crusade at UT for the past 2 or 3 years. Yesterday morning her dad, mom and two younger brothers were flying back home to Shelby, NC in their Cessna when the plane crashed killing all four of her family members. She was at an annual Campus Crusade meeting when she received the news. Please pray for her as she attempts to make funeral plans and as she tries to make sense of this terrible tragedy."

Please be in deep and serious prayer during this time of extreme tragedy for Haley.

Jer 16:19 O LORD, my strength, and my fortress, and my refuge in the day of affliction...

Happy New Year

How many of us will be martyrs for Christ in 2007?

Of course I'm not talking about the looking-for-a-glorifying- death definition of the word.

The word witness is marturia, whose definition is what one testifies, testimony, i.e. before a judge (Strong's 3141)

John the Baptist was sent by God for a specific ministry: "He came as a witness to testify concerning that light (Jesus), so that through him all men might believe." (John 1:7) The word martyr comes from that word "witness". John came for a specific purpose: to present the truths about the Lamb who was to come. He was obsessed with getting the message out. He had a purpose. He had a goal.

He had a life.

I was just talking with a young person who was mired in, well, nothing. That was the problem: he was settling for mediocrity. I asked him if he had any higher goals in life. What was his desire in pleasing God? What did he want to be doing 12 years from now? How would he set up his household to please Christ?

He had no answer. His life was one of text messaging, iPods and Playstation games. In other words, his life was an innner sanctum of mediocrity. He was not stretching out. He was not trying to witness.

Dwell on the Greek meaning of "martyr" and ask yourself whether you are ready to be a day to day martyr for Jesus Christ.