Lessons for Wise Living

This summer I have been travelling, and on one of my trips, I ended up in Iowa, USA. This is one of the five main farming states in the USA: California, Iowa, Texas, Nebraska, and Minnesota. The farmland stretches for mile after mile; as far as the eye can see! We stayed on a farm, and in one of my jobs (apart from my initial reason for being there, which was to give a series of talks on the Bible), I helped ferry vehicles from the main farm site to the corn fields they were spraying. On another occasion, I sat in a 'Semi' (we would call it a forty-footer or an articulated lorry) on several trips from the corn bins to the depot where the corn was weighed, checked and then offloaded, waiting transport by freight train to various locations to be processed as either renewable fuel (ethanol) or animal feed. It was, for me, a good reminder that it takes hard work, the right weather and a lot of planning and logistics to earn money and make a living. The guys I talked to were very aware that a good year versus a bad one was often out of their hands. They were dependent on rainfall levels, how hot the growing season was, and many other factors. Mostly, it is out of their control. It's significant that people who work the land or are in high-risk occupations (mining, fishing, etc.) are often more aware of how fragile life is and are more down-to-earth.

How to handle fear

 

Photos courtesy of Unsplash

In the last month, we have witnessed the coronation of King Charles the 3rd and the ongoing devastation taking place in Ukraine. In addition, the aggressive acts of violence between Israeli and Palestinian forces continue. Shootings and violent crime are a regular part of life in the UK, and in the USA, mass shootings have become the norm, with over 200 in 2023 to date. These events, plus so many more, have a devastating effect on people's lives. People's hearts are failing them for fear, as the 'old book' says, Luke 21. 26.

I often speak to older people. They tell me that they are frightened after they've watched the news. They're anxious. They're worried about what's happening in the world. How do the events that you watch on the news or hear about in your town or neighbourhood affect you? Life can be traumatising and frightening, and many people don't know how to handle or deal with fear and the problems they face.

Some fear is generated because of uncertainty; sometimes, it's because we're out of control, and often it's the pace at which things happen. The other reaction is to be blasé, stick your head in the sand and pretend that nothing is going on. These reactions are not confined to world events - this is how we often respond to events in our lives. It might be in respect of your health, your finances or a relationship. Sometimes we convince ourselves that things will never happen or nothing will ever get worse, but then the reality hits us, and what we dreaded is happening.

Plastic Surgery

A few years ago an 82 year old woman in America had major cosmetic surgery involving a face lift, botox injections to smooth out the wrinkles, lip re-sculpting, and much much more. It all had required seven hours of surgery and had cost $25,000. When she was asked why in the world she would do this, she replied that there was no point in waiting until she got any older.

Somewhere on our planet today, according to scientists, is a child who they say will still be alive 150 – 180 years from now. That sounds so incredible until, according to the same scientists, we consider how our lifespan has increased over the years.

When Jesus died at around age 33, He would have been pretty old for that part of the world. At the beginning of the twentieth century, the average lifespan  was 49 and many women died in childbirth. Many more people died of disease. If they lived to be 60, they were pretty old. If someone died in 1965 at the age of 74 it was considered relatively old for that time, but now the average lifespan is just over 81 years of age. The retirement age is being pushed up and there are people in their 80’s who are running marathons.  

Should we be alarmed about war in the Middle East?

 

World events rush upon us and often take us by surprise. As a Christian, I believe that everything is moving towards the end times and that the events described in the Bible will come to pass. It was thousands of years between the initial promises of a Saviour (Genesis 3:15) and the coming of Jesus of Nazareth, but this, plus the fulfilment of other prophecies (see Daniel 2 and 7, for example), gives me the confidence that God's word will always be seen to be authentic in the end and will always be fulfilled.

I do not know (not being a prophet) how this emerging conflict between the USA, Israel and Iran will turn out, and I do not necessarily agree with everything they have done. However, it would appear that things are gathering pace and Biblical prophecy is nearing fulfilment.

In light of current world events, we all need to be aware that time is running out for all of us. Time is a limited commodity, not just in what we can do in any 24 hours, but also in our lifespan. This means we need to take a relationship with God (or the lack of it) seriously.

The Batchelor President of the USA

 

James Buchanan was the fifteenth President of the United States and served just one term from 1857-1861.  During his presidency three new states were added to the Union, Minnesota, Oregon and Kansas.  It was a troubling time for the nation as the issue of slavery was high on the agenda which eventually led to the civil war during the presidency of his successor, Abraham Lincoln.  Buchanan was the only president who never married and he remained a bachelor all his life.

He had been born of poor stock in a log cabin in the town of Mercersburg, Pennsylvania and went as a student to Dickinson College in a place named Carlisle.  There he proved to be a high spirited student but his antics led him to being expelled for arrogance, disorderly conduct and drinking.  Thankfully he was reinstated due to the influence of his church minister, Dr. John King who was on the board of the college.  Dr King seemed to have a lasting interest in supporting and encouraging Buchanan through some stressful times in his life.

The Space Race

 

In the 1960s there was a Christian song in the songbook, “Youth Praise” which commenced with the words, ‘We are in a great race to put rockets in space’.  It certainly reflected the reality of the times.  In 1957 the Soviet Union launched Sputnik 1 from Kazakhstan and though it was hardly bigger than a large beach ball it was the first man-made object to orbit the earth.  It was hailed as a great victory for Russia and communism, though the Americans pretended it was of little consequence with President Eisenhower claiming it as ‘a small ball in the air’.  Yet the Americans knew they had lost that initial race as Sputnik 1 travelled overhead every ninety minutes, every day for three months.  The US government’s reaction was to increase the budget of its space programme from $0.5 Billion to $10.5 Billion.

Later the Soviets launched Sputnik 2 with a dog inside named Laila and that was the first animal in space but it did not survive.  America’s attempt two months after Sputnik 1 to send a rocket into space managed to reach  just one metre before it fell back and exploded.  It was sometimes referred to as ‘Flopnik’. In 1959 the Soviets again got a first by sending Luna 2 to the surface of the moon.  That was the first spaceship from earth to reach the moon, though it crashed on landing.  In 1960 with America trying to catch up with space exploration they launched a satellite to study weather patterns. The Soviets launched Sputknik 5 carried two dogs, Belka and Strelka and they both survived the experience.

Two famous men who got saved

 

Salvation is having faith in Jesus Christ. The Bible clearly teaches that it’s a gift from God, made possible through the death and resurrection of Jesus. Paul wrote to some Ephesian Christians stating that “…it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast.”

Faith in Jesus means trusting in Him as the Son of God who died for our sins and rose again. Such faith brings forgiveness, a new identity, eternal life and transformation. Christians then begin to reflect the characteristics of Jesus including love, humility, obedience, compassion, and perseverance.

One powerful story that illustrates this truth comes from Nicky Cruz, a notorious gang leader turned evangelist, whose story impacted Britain deeply through the ministry of David Wilkerson and the eventual film and book The Cross and the Switchblade. 

But perhaps the most relevant and influential British story is that of C.S. Lewis, the Oxford academic whose faith journey transformed lives worldwide. Clive Staples Lewis, better known as C.S. Lewis, was a professor at Oxford University and an avowed atheist for many years. Born in Belfast in 1898, Lewis was a brilliant scholar with a love for literature and mythology. His experience in the trenches during World War I left him further disillusioned with religion. Yet, through friendships with Christian colleagues like J.R.R. Tolkien, Lewis began to seriously reconsider the claims of Christianity.

In 1931, after a long intellectual and spiritual struggle, Lewis surrendered his life to Christ. He described himself as “the most dejected and reluctant convert in all England.” But this step of faith radically altered the course of his life.

Lewis didn’t simply believe in Jesus—he allowed that faith to reshape his values, purpose, and actions. He became one of the most prolific Christian writers of the 20th century, authoring Mere Christianity, The Screwtape Letters, and The Chronicles of Narnia. His writings have reached millions, presenting the good news of Jesus Christ, the gospel,  in a compelling, logical, and imaginative way.

What marked Lewis’s life after conversion was not just intellect but humility and love. He gave generously, responded to personal letters from readers, and bore personal suffering—such as the loss of his wife—with quiet faith. His salvation didn’t make him perfect, but it made him new.

Faith in Jesus Christ brings about real change. Notable characteristics evident in Lewis’s life, and in any truly saved life, include a recognition of personal sin and dependence on God. That’s humility. It also includes a growing love for God and others as well as a desire to follow God’s Word, even when facing difficult situations. 

Perseverance is also involved which is a steady faith that endures trials and suffering and is a life that points others to Christ, whether through words or actions.

Salvation through faith in Jesus Christ is not merely a religious decision; it is a life-changing encounter with the living God. C.S. Lewis’s journey from scepticism to vibrant faith reminds us that salvation is available to all, regardless of background or intellect. It’s not about joining a religion, but about entering a relationship with Jesus, who said “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”

Faith saves, but true faith also transforms. As Lewis’s life shows, salvation through Jesus Christ creates a legacy that can echo across generations. What about your relationship to Jesus? Do you have a faith and daily seek to live life God’s way with God?

All photos courtesy of Unsplash 

DAILY MESSAGES WITH MEANING (01/10/25)

Written by NIGEL BINDING 

What if living in an advanced society is not enough?

The ongoing development of technology is revolutionising every dimension of the human experience. Advances in genetics are helping doctors diagnose, treat, and prevent disease on an unprecedented scale. Retailers are developing ways to deliver their products to our homes via drones. Mobile devices allow people to work remotely more easily than ever. Autonomous vehicles may eventually enable people to commute to the office while working in their cars (if people go to an office at all). As a result, suburbs will extend farther from city centres than ever before. It’s hard to identify a dimension of our daily lives that is unaffected by the amazing advances of technology. Those with the skill and discipline to create and market such remarkable inventions deserve the gratitude of those of us who benefit from their expertise daily. And yet, despite all our astounding scientific progress our world is still in trouble. For instance:

Letter from America

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I remember listening as a teenager to my old transistor radio and being entranced by Alistair Cooke’s  “Letter from America “. It was a weekly 15-minute radio series broadcast on BBC Radio 4 and its predecessor, the Home Service and also to the whole world through the BBC World Service.  

Throughout its history, it was presented by Alistair Cooke, who would speak on a topical issue in the USA, tying together different strands of observation and anecdote and often ending on a poignant note. The series ran from 24 March 1946 to 20 February 2004, making it the longest-running speech radio programme hosted by one individual in history.

It got me thinking about the possible contents of a “Letter from Heaven”. Of course, we already have one written in the 66 books of the Bible, making it the longest-running letter put together by God from the beginning of time. It too, ties together different strands of observation and anecdote and often ends on a poignant note!    But what would an abridged letter contain?

How will you serve this year?

Omar Nelson Bradley was by any standard or measure a remarkable man.  He was born in Missouri in 1893, and his parents were humble people. Interestingly, he was born on President Abraham Lincoln’s birthday, Lincoln is generally considered America’s greatest president, and his memorial in Washington DC is one of the wonders of that great city. Bradley seemed to inherit something of Lincoln’s greatness. 

Bradley learnt early in life the necessity of working hard and of personal integrity. His father died when he was fifteen, and he had to give a lot of help to his mother, who took in lodgers to make ends meet. Despite the work he did at home, he was also a hard-working student, and maybe this trait was due to his late father’s influence as his father had been a school teacher. Bradley graduated from school with high grades and then went to the military training school at West Point. There, he was a hardworking student, an excellent athlete, and a wonderful marksman. Out of a class of 164, he graduated forty-fourth in 1915. Yet he was the first in his class to reach the rank of general.

He was under six feet in height, weighed only 145 pounds, and was prematurely grey. Indeed, he started to go grey in his late teens. He lost some of his teeth in an ice skating accident and had to wear dentures from an early age. Yet he was determined at all times to pursue excellence, and through quiet determination and competency, he rose up the ranks of the army. He spent twelve years as a major, and at times, it seemed he would never rise further, and then he was promoted to Lieutenant Colonel. He never achieved the rank of full Colonel because  instead, he was made a full General.  

North Korea

All photos courtesy of Unsplash 

We know little of the real truth about the country of North Korea so to begin to understand this very independent country one needs to go back over a century. Following the Donghak Peasant Revolution the Great Korean Empire came into being in 1897, but Korea was strategically very important to Japan, who annexed the country and for years enforced its occupation in a ruthless way. 

Protest demonstrations took place but the military and police fired into groups of Korean Christians singing hymns. Christian leaders were nailed to wooden crosses to die. Police beheaded small children, besides burning down churches. It may surprise some that Korea was once considered a christian country and up to the Second World War was an active mission field. The Japanese did seek to counteract the growth of christianity by its pagan Shinto religion. The north actually had more christians than the south of the country but later the division of the nation saw many christians flee to the south.

The Japanese rule over Korea ended at the close of the Second World War. Korea then became governed as two countries according to a plan put in place by the U.S.A. The border being drawn across the 38th parallel on a map. thus dividing the nation into north and south. This was considered to be a temporary arrangement, the people having a desire for the country to be unified again. This sadly was not the case and tension between both sides led finally to the Korean War from 1950 to 1953 involving not only Koreans but the U.S.A. Britain, France, China and the then Soviet Union. The war was one of the most devastating in history and finally ended in an armistice in what is known as the Demilitarised Zone, that still divides the two countries today. North Korea continues to claim that they are the victors and annual celebrations coupled with a wealth of constant propaganda continue to declare this.

Oil disaster strikes unexpectedly

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Disasters can be due to many factors.  Some we call natural disasters such as earthquake, fire, storm, tornadoes, volcanoes or wave/tsunami damage and they can lead to many deaths and terrible destruction of property. Some disasters are man made and are the result of lack of knowledge, failure to gain information or simply stupidity.  

Some oil workers were employed by the Texaco Oil Company to drill for oil in a lake in Louisiana. The place was Lake Peigneur and so they went with the latest sophisticated equipment and started to drill.  This all took place in November 1980.  Apparently their calculations informed them that there was an abundance of oil in the area and that it would soon gush to the surface. They drilled for several hours and then they decided to sit back and wait for the expected upsurge of oil from below.  Their expectations were to be sadly dashed and a dreadful disaster took place that day.

Instead of oil gushing upwards a whirlpool formed and all the water in the entire 1,300 acre lake was sucked down below.  Also five houses on the shoreline were sucked in to the whirlpool as well as eleven barges, some tug boats, two oil rigs and a mobile home.  That was not all as the nearby botanical garden was also destroyed and Jefferson Island lost ten percent of its land surface.  The end result was a half-mile crater. One local fisherman said that he thought the world was coming to an end. It was a dramatic conclusion to an attempt to find oil.

Welcome home Mr President

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Hubert Horatio Humphrey Jr. was an American politician who served as the 38th Vice President of the United States under President Lyndon B. Johnson from 1965 to 1969.  When he died in 1978 hundreds of people from across the world attended his funeral. All were welcome, but one – former President Richard Nixon, who had not long dragged himself and his country through the humiliation and shame of Watergate. As eyes turned away and conversations ran dry around him Nixon could feel the ostracism being ladled out to him.

Then Jimmy Carter, the serving US President, walked into the room. Carter was from a different political party to Nixon and well known for his honesty and integrity. As he moved to his seat President Carter noticed Richard Nixon standing all alone. He immediately changed course, walked over to Richard Nixon, held out his hand, and smiling genuinely and broadly embraced Nixon and said “Welcome home, Mr President! Welcome home!”