In recent months news reports have surfaced of runaway cars complete with grisly details of accidents that have occurred as a result. In some cases police dispatchers can be heard offering counsel to those who automobiles are speeding down a highway out of control.

Even now automobile manufacturers are at work correcting this problem that has involved many vehicles. In some cases the auto’s engine has dropped back to slower speeds allowing the owner to bring it to a halt. In other instances more tragic results have occurred.

In years gone by a time or two, while I worked on my car, I have allowed the throttle linkage to become disconnected. Under certain circumstances this can allow the engine to “run off.” On older model cars the device that controls engine speed is often quite simple, merely a metal hinge or slide type device that is retained by a spring keeping the engine at a speed acceptable to the driver who works the accelerator pedal.

Newer and more sophisticated automobile engines have speed controls that involve throttle position sensors and other sensitive devices. At present opinion seems to be divided among those studying the problem of engine speed control as to the major causes that create this “runaway effect.”

Listening to a nationwide broadcast by an auto “expert” recently, I heard the following advice:

“If your car suddenly accelerates press the brake pedal firmly, pull over to the side of the road and turn the key off.”

My response to this advice was astonishment as to its simplicity. My response was also surprise at making the solution to the problem sound so simple. It is not! Here is the problem.

When a modern motor car goes to maximum RPMs (revolutions per minute) even a small engine can produce tremendous torque (twisting power). If it does, it is highly unlikely that applying the brakes of the vehicle will result in shutting down the engine — there is simply too much power for the relatively small brake surfaces to overcome.

At high speeds, applying the brakes while the engine is delivering power to the wheels will simply “glaze” the braking surfaces, making them of no effect. Once so disabled the braking system figures little in effectiveness.

One awful circumstance in which a gentleman’s expensive foreign car was running off, at speeds over 100 mile per hour, the terrified driver can be heard saying, “We are in trouble.” He had tried braking with no result. As it turned out, his cry was terribly prophetic. The car crashed killing him and his family. So very sadly, this driver had the means to save the lives of himself and his loves ones basically in his lap.

Here is what needs to be borne in mind by every driver when he or she pulls away from one’s home headed to an intended destination. No engine can operate if it is deprived of electrical power. This simply means that among the other alternatives at one’s disposal in such an emergency is the most simple of all: switch the engine ignition to the “OFF” position. In every vehicle I remember driving in the past many years this means specifically reaching up to the steering column with the right hand and, with hand on the key or ignition switch, turning the top of the switch back to the driver, this is counterclockwise. The result will be that instantly the engine will “die,” that is will shut off.

Whether the auto is traveling at high or low speeds the effect will be a noticeable slowdown almost instantly. Once the engine is no longer turning the brakes may then be applied with good effect to allow the car to be steered safely to the side of the roadway. In my opinion this is the simplest,  and probably safest means of overcoming the problem of a runaway vehicle.

Note: When the engine shuts down the power steering unit will no longer assist with steering.,  You can still steer the car to a safe stop!

A second solution to the problem of bringing a runaway car to a safe stop is to place the gearshift lever in “NEUTRAL” position. I do not advise this as a first resort for the following reason. A panicked driver may have a difficult time moving the shift lever the rather tiny amount to find the neutral position. Even if that is successful, the racing engine can be unnerving to the point of confusion as to whether what the driver did made any difference. Nevertheless, once shifted into neutral, the transmission will not convey power to the wheels regardless of engine speed. The vehicle in neutral can be guided to a safe stop.

Some have suggested that placing the shift lever into “LOW” or even “REVERSE” position. I am not knowledgeable enough about modern transmissions to speak to this issue. It seems highly unlikely to me that shifting at high speeds would effect a stop. Even if it did, the vehicle would be basically out of control. I do not see this as a wise or workable option.

Turning off the engine ignition switch or shifting to neutral are effective ways to overcome a runaway situation. When either of theses options is employed the vehicle’s braking system should be capable of maximum effect to bring about a safe stop.

Just one final word of caution. Most drivers have never heard their engine racing at full power. When shifting to neutral while engine is racing at its peak RPMs will create such a roar that many drivers can be unnerved to the degree that loss of control of the vehicle is a real possibility. Never mind the engine roar, a driver must tell himself or herself, if the engine is in neutral the engine’s power is not being transferred to the wheels. Turning off the switch will silence the engine.

Be careful, drive safely and work through your options. A runaway vehicle CAN be brought under control safely. If you suspect your vehicle shows signs of unexplainable power surges or abnormally high idle speeds it would be advisable to have the dealership of that vehicle check it out. The safety of you and your family and others on the road demands that we take proper precautions for safe driving and control.

To be sure one is prepared to shut down a runaway engine, I recommend that at slow speeds, perhaps in a relatively deserted place, the driver shut off the engine and coast over to a stop. By practicing this maneuver a driver may be better prepared to take emergency action.

Safe driving everyone!

Introduction
PRA-11

A man once adopted a young child into his family.,  He worked and sacrificed all that he had to provide for his child. He met the child’s every need. He showed the child his love and affection always.

Finally the day came when the child decided he wanted something from his father that he didn’t have as yet. First he called softly to his father and apparently the father did not hear for nothing seemed to happen.,  The child cried out more loudly, then even frantically.,  Not satisfied, the child tried to bargain with his father.,  After awhile he tried threats to his father and screamed and yelled.,  He even called out, “You don’t love me!”

At last the child lay down in exhaustion and concluded that his father was cruel and uncaring and that would never answer him.,  Little did the lad know that at that very minute his father was in the process of building a beautiful lodging, a mansion for the child, a place that would be his very own for his whole life.

Now this is not a real life story, but it could have been.,  It is merely my description of how many Christians view God, their heavenly Father, and the lack of answers they seem to receive when they pray.,  I am sorry to say but it is silent evidence that we do not know God very well.

Prayer is not a matter to be addressed as lightly as ordering up a rib-eye at your favorite steak house.,  It is not something to be “tried to see if it works.”,  The person who does not know Christ can hardly be faulted for reaching into his pocket to rub his rabbit’s foot. But, God has called His children to have a far higher view of prayer.   Make no mistake about it. God does answer our prayers.,  Let’s talk about it.

I. GOD’S PROMISE TO ANSWER PRAYER

A.   The logic that He will answer

1. “If his son ask bread, will he give him a stone?” (Mt. 7:9)
2. “If [a child] ask for a fish, will he give him a serpent?” (Mt. 7:10)
3. “If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your heavenly Father give good things to them that ask him? (Mt. 7:11)
Logic demands that He will give you an answer.

B. The promise that He will answer
1. “ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you” (Jn. 15:7)
a. You mean we can ask for anything? — Yes.
b. You mean God is prepared to open the windows of Heaven? — He is.
c. You mean this applies to everyday things? — Absolutely.
d. If this is so, then people right and left should be getting whatever they ask? — Right.

C. Supporting Promises

1. “Behold the Lord’s hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; neither his ear heavy, that it cannot hear” (Is. 59:1).
2. “Ask and it shall be given you, seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you” (Mt. 7:7)
3. “All things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive” (Mt. 21:22).
-God does promise to answer our prayers!

II. GOD’S PREREQUISITE TO ANSWERED PRAYER   (II Chronicles 7:13-14)

A. The Condition He Sets: Cleanliness from all known sin

1. The Psalmist said: “If I regard iniquity in my heart the Lord will not,  hear me (Ps. 66:18),  (“Cherished evil thoughts”, NEB)

2. The writer of the Chronicles, perhaps Ezra, addressed Israel’s,  national sins.,  The imperative of confessing and forsaking these sins is demonstrated in II Ch. 7 as God addresses Solomon: “If I shut up heaven that there be no rain, or if I command the locusts to devour the land, or if I send pestilence among my people” (v. 13)
-Why would God shut off the rain upon a nation? — Because of sin
-Why would God send a scourge of locusts upon a nation? — Because of sin
-Why would God send pestilence among his people? — Because of sin

Note: There is abroad today, in our land, and around the world, a scourge, a dreadful physical sickness (some refer to it as a judgment from God).,  Today it is at epidemic stage. Some medical people refer to it as a plague.,  This no- cure disease was unknown in the world until 1981.,  I refer to AIDS (Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome).,  Leading up to it is a condition referred to as “HIV.”,  Our present plague has, unfortunately, struck the innocent.,  At its beginning it was not so.,  It was a disease originally among only sin-laden, degraded,  victims because of immorality.

The condition He sets is a heart right with God, not one trapped in deliberate sin, such as Israel would enter here in this text (“but         your SINS!” Isaiah 59:2.,  Putting away known sin is God’s prerequisite to answered prayer.

B. The fivefold description He gives   v. 14

1. “If my people” (Those who know and belong to the Lord)
2. “shall humble themselves”- “be converted” (Douay, Catholic version)
3. “and pray” — many prayers are unanswered because they are unprayed- We didn’t even ask!
4. “and seek my face” (“search for me” — TLB)
5. “and turn from their wicked ways” — if the sins of America were piled in the middle of the world, like sacks of flour, they would make a mountain of stench in the nostrils of,  God as big as Everest- 29,000 feet of Divine heartbreak.
- God’s prerequisite is to make a clean break with sin!

III. GOD’S PATTERN FOR ANSWERING PRAYER

A. Union with Him

Note: The doctrine of “union with Christ” is much neglected.,  When the believer is in union with Christ in his or her heart and life, the attitude of prayer will be much different than many assume.

1. This is what prayer is

Andrew Murray, on prayer in his little book With Christ in the School of Prayer mentions that there are three classes of worshippers in prayer:

a. Some who in their ignorance hardly know what to ask
b. Others with a better knowledge who try to pray with their hearts set upon God, but they know no fullness in prayer
c. Third, those who ask of the Lord to take us into worship and into spirit and truth (p. 19)

Note: The palsied man of Mark chapter 2.,  The text notes that when our Savior saw “their faith” He said to the paralytic, “Son, your sins are forgiven” (v. 5).

Note: Misunderstandings that mislead us with respect to John 15:7

The phrase: “ask what ye will” is the heart of what we are talking about with respect to praying and receiving.,  It is very easily misunderstood.

Before we begin to interpret this all-important invitation of our Lord, we need to state clearly a principle of biblical interpretation. (Biblical interpretation is called hermeneutics in colleges and seminaries that train preachers.,  It is of critical importance in these days when attention to,  Scripture tends to be downplayed.),  II Peter 1:20 says “no prophecy of the Scripture is of any private interpretation.”

As plainly as I can break it down, here is what that comes to:
No interpretation of any passage of Scripture is necessarily correct until it is understood within the context of every other,  passage of Scripture that may bear upon that subject.

The late Dr. Arthur F. Williams,,  at Cedarville, said: “All truth is harmonious.”,  It is not being a good Bible student to try to make a passage of Scripture say something that other passages, if considered, would temper.

2. “Ask what ye will” John 15:7

Note: Now we come to the heart of the matter, why so many prayers are not answered.,  Negatively, “Ye ask and receive not because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts” (James 4:3).,  It is easy to,  pray either as a substitute for our own labor or merely as an extension of something we couldn’t finagle through our own effort. They are lustful things, that is things asked with wrong motives, to be “spent upon our own pleasures” (NASB).

This is to “regard iniquity in our hearts” thus to make even the act of praying itself a sin- we have not even met God’s first requirement.

a. It must be asked in Jesus’ name   ¦whatsoever ye shall ask the Father, in my name, he will give it you” (John 16:23).

ILLUSTRATION:

When my father passed away and went home to the Lord on October 22, 1980, my mother said to me on the phone a few weeks later, “Ken, your dad wanted you to have some of his things .,  The next time you come home, be sure to take them with you.,  When we did return home, I remembered what she had said.

- I walked into the garage and saw the old bench vise that had repaired many objects under my dad’s caring,  hands, many of them mine.

- I saw the post-hole diggers that had dug, I suppose hundreds of holes. I saw the worn places on the handles where my father’s hands had labored.

- I saw the old shoe last that had resoled so many of my brother’s and my shoes over the years, often from old discarded belting my dad had received permission to take from his employer.

- I went down into the basement and knelt at the base of the workbench. I opened the doors and saw many of my father’s machinist tools- the micrometers, the taps and bits, the delicate gauges and tools I couldn’t even name.

- There was the old corn cutter my dad had labored with literally under the light of the moon to provide a little extra before he went into work at midnight at the factory.

- I went into his study and stood, gazing. There was the old manual typewriter that my dad had used, two-finger style, to punch out a thousand sermons.

- I saw the papers on his desk just the way he left them after he prepared his final prayer meeting notes a few weeks before.,  I thought of his faithfulness, sitting at the pulpit, too weak to stand, only fourteen days to the hour, before his death when he delivered that final humble Bible study.

- I went to his gun case and saw his two shotguns, identical Winchesters. There was “old bellerin’ Betsy,” the 12 gauge, and “new bellerin’ Betsy, single barrels- Dad didn’t respect the hunters who shot up the woods with their pump guns.,  I remembered my dad’s careful woodsmanship.

Now came my mother’s words: “You have your father’s name, take anything you want.”

“Mom, I can’t take anything”¦,  It’s all sacred- it has my father’s blood on it!”

Yonder, on Calvary
-I see the cross and the blood that ran down upon it

-I see the rumpled grave clothes which released His triumphant resurrection body

-I rise to the mountain and I survey the riches of puny men whose selfish sin nailed my Savior there.

-I turn and look, down in the valley of death.,  I see the Son of God languishing under the terrible burden of every one of my sins.

Roy Hessian’s little book The Calvary Road tells of the vision of a Chinese Christian.,  The Christian is toiling up a huge hill in his Christian life.,  Down below him, he sees another man also making his difficult way up the hill.,  He sees the man has an enormous black bag, a burden on his back.,  As the man draws near, the Chinese Christian sees that the Man is Jesus.

“Dear Lord,” he calls, “I see you there,  carrying the sins of the whole world upon your back!”

“No, my son,” the Lord answers, “These are your sins!”

“You have your Father’s name- take anything you want.
“Father, I can’t take anything.,  All this is sacred, it has my Savior’s blood on it.”
______________

3. Now, I know what union with my father (Father) is

a. I go back to my mother,  and father’s home and take:
- a big old end wrench, we called it the “knuckle buster.”,  The men who have worked with them know why it is so-called.

- the famous,  old half and nine-sixteenths box wrench we, Dad I, had used toadjust so many tappets.

- I take some precious volumes from his library- I dole them out to my four sons like nuggets of gold, including the four-leaf clovers old “Eagle Eye” had found and had pressed into the pages.

b. I go back to Calvary and to my Father’s house:
c.
- I brush aside my vision of the shiny car, expensive hobbies, fancy houses, the trinkets of human preoccupation!

- I see the one walking afar from His fold.,  I must have him for God’s kingdom.

- I see the sorrow on that wrinkled brow.,  I vow to have a blessing from my Father for this fallen one!

- I see my Savior’s work in disarray.,  By His grace I ask Him for the wisdom and courage to make a difference

Now I know His pattern for answering prayer. I am in union with Christ.,  I ask what I will and it shall be done to me.

B. The four patterns for answered prayer (I am indebted to Dr. W.W. Welch)

a. Direct- “Dad, may I have a bicycle for Christmas?”,  – And there it was.

b. Delayed- “Dad, I’m nine years old now.,  May I have a car for Christmas?,  “Son, I’m not going to give you a car for Christmas now.,  I will wait until you are 46, then I will give you a car.,  — And he did.

c. Denied- “Dad, may I have a box car full of dynamite so I can celebrate,  the 4th of July with my friends?” — NO!

d. Diverted- “Father, may I have Barbara for a wife, now that we are both six years old? (When I tried to kiss her on the way home from school, I got a nasty surprise on the side of the head.” That didn’t work out!)
“Can I have ________ for a wife?” (No, she will die of a brain tumor as a young woman.)
“Can I have ________as a wife?”,  (No, she will be murdered by age 50.)
Son, I’m going to wait until you are 21, then I am going to give you a little girl named Jane!,  (Hallelujah!)

-God’s four paths to answered prayer.,  They are all answers: Direct- Yes! Delayed- Yes, but later!,  Denied- No, that wouldn’t be good for you!,  Diverted- How about this instead!

Conclusion: “If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you” (John 15:7).,  — Amen

Pastor Kenneth F. Pierpont

Zechariah 14:4-5; Romans 8:18-22

Introduction

It has now been three weeks and five days since the mighty earthquake struck tiny Haiti on January 12, 2010.,  A school teacher in an orphanage was instructing his class.,  Suddenly the building began to tremble and shake violently.,  The terrified children scurried for the door as the,  teacher struggled for composure and shouted for them to flee. Thank God, they made it out!

The paved highway in the major part of the capital of Port-au-Prince began to pitch and sway, bucking up and down as security cameras recorded the terror of those moments.,  Soon the highway was a shambles,  as though some giant had kicked and torn it to shreds.

The National Cathedral, the pride of the capital city, with its majestic roof and ceiling in the shape of a giant cross, presenting a gorgeous aerial view,,  trembled and pitched,  before the entire roof collapsed making a mockery of this symbol of,  the pride of the tiny impoverished nation.

Government buildings constructed mostly of concrete and steel were quickly overwhelmed by the mighty power of this massive earthquake. Hundreds of them pancaked, floor after floor. Violent immediate death plunged many into eternity.,  The Richter Scale marked more than 7 which surely,  struck terror upon the seismologists who monitored it from numerous places around the globe.

So thousands of Haitians who worked in and around these large buildings were overcome in the awful fury of their collapse.   Known only to God are the names of this mass of humanity still buried under this crushing debris.

The Presidential Palace was not to escape this holocaust.,  Many parts of it lay in ruin after the short minutes of quaking it took to devastate the capital city and its environs.,  Haiti’s president was quickly made a homeless man.,  Before this evening of terror was over he was to have plenty of company.,  It is now believed that three million of the country’s nine million or so are now residents of the broken streets and applicants for a place in the tent cities donors are setting up for them.

The shantytown hovels where numberless thousands led squalid lives were unbelievable and tragic,  masses of ruin.

I was aghast at a large color photograph in the January 25, 2010 issue of Newsweek magazine.,  It pictured the front of a morgue.,  A man was making his way from the morgue and was sensitively stepping, again and again over a heartbreakingly large mass of corpses that lay on the ground but there was no room left for them inside.

On and on one might go with this catalog of human misery.,  I think it is fitting to,  remind ourselves of the statistics of death and privation it caused in terms closer to home for us in the good old U.S. of A.,  Let us move into south central Michigan, for example. Let us imagine what the statistics would look like due to a quake if one came in our area.

MICHIGAN’S EARTHQUAKE THAT HAS NOT COME— YET!

Had this mighty quake come in our area, it is possible to compare its
destructive force to some degree at least.

Therefore, in the mind’s eye we see what it did to our neighbors.,  All the residents of these cities combined would have been victims of a violent,  death: Hillsdale, Coldwater, Marshall, Jackson, Battle Creek and even Kalamazoo. No less than 200,000 people, souls for whom Jesus died, all gone in basically a moment of time.

Then there are the homeless.,  Imagine the size of the great metropolis of Detroit.,  In our imaginary setting of this earthquake’s power we see this city of Detroit where every citizen, every citizen, has one thing in common.,  Drive up and down the streets and boulevards, the freeways and side streets, the housing projects and,  businesses, the government buildings and the sprawling,  blue collar housing developments.,  Here is a city of well over a million persons and every single one of them is homeless.,  In fact as I speak news reports have stated that,  Haiti has an incredible,  three million such displaced persons. Such depth of human misery I am unable really to grasp.,  Even churches and mission stations were leveled, killing some of those who had come to Haiti to help.,  The United Nations Headquarters completely collapsed killing many hundreds who were there trying to make a difference in,  this poorest of nations.

DARE WE ASK GOD WHY,  THIS HAPPENED?

Not surprisingly, news magazines are already asking why.,  They are reminding us that God allowed this to happen.,  They openly ask: “Would a loving God allow the horrors of this enormous killer earthquake to happen.”

I find it interesting that secular venues that hardly ever give the subject of God a second thought or a first word are vocal in their offers of criticism.,  The article mentioned above in Newsweek depicted theologians and ministers as totally inept in coming to grips with any sensible explanation for the,  January 12th killer quake. The author’s glib remarks barely masked her scorn for the things of the Lord.

One minister, a television preacher, suggested the practice of voodoo in Haiti had led to a pact with “the devil” that had sealed the Haitans’ fate.,  In other words, because of their evil,  religion, God slew them hip and thigh.,  Many registered objection to this characterization of Haiti.

When sensible people look at this enormous visitation of death, destruction and human misery, I personally believe it is absolutely fair to ask ourselves, and even the Lord, “Why?” Let’s spend a few minutes asking the important “why” question.

We could simply do what one of our former presidents did when he was asked the “why” question about Hurricane Katrina that devastated New Orleans and other parts of the South.,  When questioned, he merely replied, “God has nothing to do with natural disasters.”,  Then he got on his airplane and flew away. Is that true? Is God uninvolved into natural disasters?,  Is someone else the author?,  The simple answer is, of course not!

It would be difficult to convince the Egyptians that the ten plagues visited upon Pharoah and his people were not from God.,  Those hail stones that killed animals and people and ruined crops certainly got Pharoah’s attention. He knew they were from God.

The wind storm God sent for Elijah the prophet’s benefit was from the Lord.,  So was the earthquake that followed it (I Kings 19).,  God also sent a miraculous fire.,  They got Elijah’s attention.,  But the lesson he learned came when he listened to the “gentle whisper”,  (,  v. 12).,  God sent the gentle whisper too.

Upon the death of our Savior the earth experienced a great quake.,  It caused the Roman Army officer to confess that the “criminal” they had put to death was really, in the officer’s words, “the Son of God” (Mt. 27:54).

No, it won’t do to try to shift responsibility away from God for natural disasters, whether from fire, wind, disease or the earth itself. And He wouldn’t want us to miss the meanings they hold for us.,  Let’s take a deeper look at the terrible earthquake of January 12th and how God might be using it.,  I don’t happen to have some new revelation from God as to the “why” of this most devastating disaster, but I don’t need one.,  I have my Bible and the knowledge of what God has done in the past.,  We have His infallible Word and we know the Scriptures,  give us warnings to about the future too (I Co. 10:1-7: READ).

DARE WE IGNORE THE LESSONS OF THIS EARTHQUAKE?

Let me spend the last of my minutes today sharing with you five lessons I believe the Lord has used to remind me of things I need to learn from this awful holocaust.,  I consider it my Christian duty to learn and remember them.

Lesson one:,  The Privilege of Being an American

Within hours after the quake soldiers of an advance party of our 82nd Airborne Division were forming up to go the Haiti to prepare for the sending of an entire brigade there to help.,  The first pictures showed them helping and speaking kindly to these Haitian survivors.,  Troops from an African nation, also shown, were addressing some of the same Haitians with kicks from heavy boots and threats from rifle butts. The compassion of our soldiers was clearly evident.

Soon, our Marines were there.,  They were not threatening the citizens. They were passing out MREs (meals ready to eat, the same as they themselves,  eat while in the field).,  They were passing them out at the rate of 50 per minute!,  Our Marines are trained to kill their enemies when they are called upon to do so.,  I loved it when I saw them feeding our friends instead.,  The morale among our soldiers and marines there is sky-high the reporters say.

Our giant aircraft carrier the USS Carl Vinson quickly turned to this island nation.,  As soon as it was within range combat helicopters began flying in our military and,  relief supplies.,  She is now tied up just off the coast, a floating command station.

The beautiful USNS Comfort, the most sophisticated hospital ship in the world, got up steam and made for Haiti, a week’s sailing distance away.,  As soon as she got within helicopter range her flyers began rescuing horribly injured survivors from Haiti for surgery in her dozens of operating rooms. Soon her mighty crew of doctors, nurses, technicians and support personnel were overwhelmed with the need.,  On they work to this day!

By God’s grace I will never lose appreciation for my beautiful country. God made me an American.,  Thank you Lord Jesus Christ!

Lesson two: The Privilege of being a member of the Church which is His body.

Every believer is a part of the church universal.,  Oh, yes, we may be and should be a member of a certain local church.,  But, every believer is a member of the body of Christ, the church universal.

You say, how did that happen?,  It happened when you got saved.,  You joined the ranks of those covered by His blood.,  Some day you will live and reign with Him in His Kingdom, praise God almighty!

As a part of that great company of the redeemed kindly missionaries are going about bringing water, food, tents, clothing and counsel about our loving Savior.,  I am so grateful for them.

Ten Baptist missionaries have been trying to get Haitian children to the neighboring Dominican Republic.,  They say they have signed papers allowing them to do so. Somehow, apparently, not everything was done right.,  If they are criminals, their pictures from jail cells are deceiving.,  Their faces and demeanor and testimony betray the innocence of new-fallen snow.
The missionaries are in a jail in Port-au-Prince. They may be prosecuted.,  I’m betting their motives were pure. Let’s pray for a good outcome that honors the Lord.

World Vision is the largest distributor in the world of food from the World Food Programme.,  When the quake struck they had about 370 workers there.,  They began distributing aid minutes after the quake struck.,  Now there are 700 there.,  In Christ’s name they are bringing life-saving help to multiplied thousands.,  I’m glad I am a part of the Church of our Savior. Many years ago their founder, Mr. Bob Pierce, coined a phrase.,  He said, “Let my heart be broken by the things that break the heart of God.”,  I know mine is.

Lesson Three: The Privilege to Know that God wants Haitians to be Saved

One man, in my hearing said, a day after the quake, “Those people in Haiti don’t do anything to help themselves. They just stand around.”,  I asked myself, “What would I do if I were in their shoes?”,  Well, for one thing, many don’t have any shoes.,  They don’t have clothes except for the soiled ones on their bodies.,  They don’t have a house to go to.,  They don’t have food to eat.,  They don’t have water to drink.,  They don’t have a place to get water,  to wash themselves.,  They don’t have toilets to use.,  They don’t have lights at night.,  They don’t have shelter from the sun glaring down its 100+ degree heat every day.,  They don’t have a Bible to tell them about God.,  They don’t have protection from the 5,000 hardened criminals roaming the streets of Port-au-Prince with machetes.,  And, finally, many have never heard the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ given even one time in their lives. I guess the man I heard was right: all they do is stand around or faint or die!

They don’t help themselves.,  Of course one of the things they also don’t have is tools and shovels.,  If they did they wouldn’t have to use their bare hands to try to dig their loved ones from under tons of concrete in which the earthquake buried them.,  Too bad. But, my Bible says God loves the world of men. Did you ever stop to think that God’s heart must be broken too?,  READ: Jn. 3:16-18, NIV.

16,  “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
17,  For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.
18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.

What a privilege to know that God wants Haitians to be saved.

Lesson Four:,  The Privilege to Knowing the truth that sin has awful consequences

But why would God allow Haiti to suffer such devastation?,  The answer if because of sin.,  The Bible teaches us that the very “ground” is cursed because of Adam and Eve’s sin (Ge. 3:17).,  Paul said the whole creation is in bondage because of sin with its decay, its groaning, its subjection to frustration (Ro. 8:18-23).

You mean, earthquakes come because there is sin?,  Absolutely.,  Do you think for one moment that God would have brought any earthquakes to the Garden of Even?,  Of course not.,  If I didn’t know the Bible, I wouldn’t know the terrible consequences of sin. God’s wrath is “being revealed from heaven against all godlessness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth by their wickedness” (Ro 1:18).

Could it be that the effects of sin extend even to the earth itself?,  I believe they do.,  The “creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the glorious freedom of the children of God” (Ro. 8:21). It will be liberated when Christ’s Millennial Kingdom comes.,  No wonder our Savior taught us to pray “Thy Kingdom come!” No wonder natural disasters take such a toll on life.,  All of nature is out of kilter because of sin.

Wow!   I’m glad I’m not in Haiti to suffer the wrath of God.,  Really!,  Me too, but I am afraid there is more.,  Please don’t misunderstand me.,  We can’t, any one of us, speak for the Lord, specifically why He allows this or that.,  I would never attempt that.,  On the other hand, when the Scriptures,  state that sin has consequences, it must be true.

We poor fallen men can easily rationalize: “Why can’t God just let bygones by bygones and take us all back into His good graces.,  Answer: He could if He were not holy.,  On the other hand, if He were not holy He would not be God.,  Therefore, sin has its consequences.,  To save all humanity, God had to do something. He did.

Sin nailed our dear Savior to the cross of Calvary.,  Sin breaks hearts, ruins marriages, perpetuates warfare, wrecks lives and,  plunges the whole civilization into failure.

When we face honestly,  God’s standard of holiness, we can understand why He says: ¦your iniquities have separated you from your God; your sins have hidden his face from you, so that he will not hear (Is. 59:2, NIV).

A lost world will never understand this but we who have been saved by the Lord are privileged to know this holy and awful truth: sin has consequences.

The big question that jars my mind is not why Haiti had a killer earthquake, but why we don’t.,  Between the years 1973 and 2005 45 million babies were put to death,  by abortion in the U.S.A.,  We don’t have statistics about the past four years, but it is bad.

Listen to the “Creation Psalm” as some like to say: Ps. 139:13-18, NIV

“you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb.
I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.
My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth,
your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.
How precious to me are your thoughts, O God! How vast is the sum of them!
Were I to count them, they would outnumber the grains of sand. When I awake, I am still with you.”

Ignorant of or hardened against the truth that all life comes from God, the slayers of little unborn babies, pull them,,  with their mothers’ permission, from the womb into this world where they never live to grow up, but are dead and discarded like road kill.,  And now the conclusion.

Conclusion

Lesson Five: The Privilege of Surrendering Myself to God to help hurting People

I can’t go to Haiti to help.,  But there are three things I can do:,  I can give of whatever resources God has given me to those who are there.,  I can, in Christ’s name, help someone here who is hurting. And I can pray for and encourage the cause of righteousness in Haiti.,  The real tragedy of Haiti is if I merely do nothing.,  If I forget why God allowed this worst disaster perhaps ever to occur in the western hemisphere, I am part of the problem.,  May the Lord,  God help me never to forget!

Ladies and gentlemen.,  Don’t you think there is something we can all do to help?,  I pray so! — In Jesus’ Name,,  Amen.

Major Nidal Hasan M.D. and his unthinkable crime of slaying and wounding dozens of our troops and others makes abundantly clear the fact that “radical Islam” is perhaps the most dangerous threat to peace-loving people in the world today.

Read again my paper “Muhammad’s Quran Examined by the Scriptures.”,  (below)

President George W. Bush referred to Islam as “that great religion of peace.” President Obama said, “Islam never has been the enemy of America and never will be.” Understandably, both presidents wanted to be fair to those followers of Muhammad who are peace-loving.,  Yet, all nineteen hijackers of those aircraft that brought down the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001, were followers of Muhammad.,  In both the Iraq and the Afghan Wars we have been fighting since shortly after that unspeakable crime, we have faced the same enemy: followers of Muhammad., 

The moral outrage of our American government at the cowardly attacks of September 11, 2001 is shared by multitudes of Americans and citizens the world over, as it should be.,  Counting those killed at the Pentagon where a third aircraft was intentionally crashed and those who died in Pennsylvania, where it is believed the passengers on a fourth hijacked plane fought their captors until the plane crashed in a field, the total loss of life was over 3200.,  This eclipsed the previous record for cowardly attacks upon U.S. citizens set at Pearl Harbor, December 7, 1941 where 2330 of our gallant servicemen died.

In addition our country has lost, in Iraq and Afghanistan, to injury and death, enough soldiers and marines to fill over two modern infantry divisions, eighteen thousand each, fighting on soil claimed by Islam.,  The response of some Americans to this is, “It is better to have them threatening us over there than over here.”,  The facts are, however, they are threatening the whole world, including “over here.”

Of course, many who follow Muhammad’s Quran (“Holy Book”) are not warlike terrorists trying to bring down our country.,  In fact, it is perfectly legal for them to exercise their religion in America and that fact is not the problem. Those who wish to peacefully follow the teaching of Muhammad are entitled to do so. Our courts are even used to protect the rights of Islamic prisoners taken in the Iraq and Afghan wars.,  Hopefully, we can take at face value the peaceful intentions of Muslims who plan no violence.

In the interest of truth and vigilance however, two facts need to be pointed out respecting Muhammad’s followers and the violence of September 11, 2001.,  First, “Where was the moral outrage by peaceful Muslims, in America and elsewhere around the world,,  at the destruction of the World Trade Center by fellow Muslims?”,  Its basic absence deserves serious thought.

The second fact is that the hijackers themselves cast their act as one of worship of their god.,  Mohammad Atta, the leader of the nineteen, wrote the following in a document he and his co-conspirators used in worship just before their dastardly act:

“As the prophet said, “˜A raid on the path of Godis better than this world and what is in it’” [ The Age of Sacred Terror, Benjamin and Simon, Random House, 2002, p. 40].,  In commenting about this act, the above authors concluded the following:

“The hijackings were the performance of a sacrament, one intended to restore to the universe a moral order that had been corrupted by the enemies of Islam and their Muslim collaborators” [Ibid.].,  And still later, this comment:

“What appears to be senseless violence actually made a great deal of sense to the terrorists and their sympathizers, for whom this mass killing was an act of redemption” [Ibid.).

The religious nature of the unspeakable crimes committed against thousands of innocent people on September 11, 2001 must not be ignored or gainsaid away.,  In addition, the television coverage of,  many acts of treachery,  against our troops in the Iraq and Afghan Wars has demonstrated, again and again the environment of acceptance,  by Muslim civilians over the carnage caused by fellow Muslim fighters to,  our soldiers and marines.

What American has not been repulsed by pictures of those our troops went to help dancing over the corpses of our fallen soldiers and marines It matters little that some Muslims do not share this sick amusement.,  The fact remains that these are religious zealots carrying out a jihad, a so-called "holy war," against freedom-loving people and they have plenty of sympathy among many of their Muslim friends. That is an unvarnished fact!

The question before us is this: "Is the religion of Muhammad, in whose name worldwide warfare such as we have described is being conducted, the truth or is it error?" Great deference is being shown regularly,  in American newscasts and by our governmental authorities to Islam. In some cases American public schools openly teach of Islam as an acceptable lifestyle. More than one American school district has gotten into trouble at the bare favorable mention of Christianity. It is high time we addressed this discrepancy.

If Muhammad's religion is the truth, it can stand on its two feet.,  If it is essentially error then we owe it to ourselves to recognize this and to repudiate it. After a brief overview of the religion of Islam and the background of the prophet Muhammad himself, we shall use the Holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments to find out.

Background Of Islam

The term "Islam" means, in Arabic, "submission," supposedly to Allah (god).,  That fact in itself is of no particular significance.,  Coupled with threats against non-Muslims, and Islam's history of conversion of multitudes at the point of a sword however, it renders a very ominous meaning.

There are more Muslims in America than there are Methodists.,  Their numbers are increasing rapidly.,  Everyone in America and around the world is,  entitled to know what they believe.,  The only safe way to know if what the followers of Muhammad believe is true is to examine their beliefs against the Bible, God's holy Word.

Christians do not apologize for their conviction that the Bible is God's true revelation.,  Followers of Muhammad claim his Quran is a true revelation from Allah, their god.,  As a Christian, committed to the Holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments, I wish to place the teachings of the Quran under the searchlight of the Bible.,  Let the reader decide which faith is true.,  We shall soon see that it cannot possibly be both.,  Some, even in Christian circles, try to reconcile basic tenets of Muhammad's religion with Christianity.,  Such a course is patently absurd if we allow the facts to speak for themselves.

Introduction To The Quran's Author And Personal History

"About the year A.D. 570 there was born in the city of Mecca near the west coast of Arabia [now Saudi Arabia] a boy who was named Mohammed, which means “˜praised.’,  His father Abdullah (“˜Slave of Allah’) died before his son was born, and the mother Amina died when Mohammed was only six years old.,  The child was brought up first by his grandfather and then by his uncle, Abu Talib, who were members of the influential tribe of Quraish in Mecca.” [Willim McElwee Miller, Religions in a Changing World, Moody Press, 1959].

“Muhammad,” (the currently popular spelling of the older Mohammed) as a boy took care of flocks in the desert and sometimes went with camel caravans carrying merchandise from Arabia to Syria.,  In so doing he came into contact with people of a higher civilization and religion that was “better” than the polytheism of the heathen Arabs. The boy grew up in relatively poor circumstances and is believed,  to have been a lifelong illiterate.

The people of Arabia worshipped a number of gods but believed in a supreme god they called “Allah.” Mecca had a small temple called “the Kaaba” where numerous idols were set.,  Built into the temple’s wall was a black stone which was considered very sacred.,  The stone was a meteorite.,  The heathen Arabs made pilgrimages to the Kaaba (sometimes spelled “Kaba”) to circle round it and to kiss the stone.

In this context the religious Muhammad became acquainted with a group of men in Mecca who rejected the idolatry there and followed what they called “The Religion of Abraham.”,  Being made somewhat acquainted with both Jews and Christians, no doubt Muhammad was influenced against the evils of idolatry and came to favor monotheism over the worship of myriad idols associated with the Kaaba.

The religious young man would retire to a cave a few miles from Mecca from time to time to meditate.,  It is there that he claimed to have received a visit from the angel Gabriel when he was about forty years old.,  Other revelations, he claimed, followed.

Muhammad later recited the words of the angel’s visits, as he claimed, and these became the basis for the Quran or Qur’an or the older name, Koran (“the Recitation)” considered now to be the most sacred of all writings by Muhammad’s followers. The writings, compiled later,,  were captured on the bark of trees, the skins of animals and any other object obtainable plus the memories of those who heard them from “the Prophet.”

Some, who have studied Muhammad’s so-called encounters with Gabriel,  and his subsequent conduct, have advanced the theory that Muhammad was probably epileptic.,  Of course that possibility may or may not have been the case.

At first, Muhammad’s only followers were members of his family.,  Gradually he quietly preached against idolatry and gathered followers.,  Mecca was not favorable to his views and he fled and established himself in the city of Medina where he gathered others.

Muhammad and his followers tested their strength by making raids upon camel caravans.,  Bloody battles followed which finally led him back to Mecca with a large army.,  He established a theocratic government in which there is no distinction between politics and religion.,  The result is that orthodox Muslims came to see the state and their religion as one. That Muhammad’s religion was established at the point of the sword cannot be denied.

Islamic law is the stated goal of Muslims living in many countries today. The concept of “separation of church and state” is a completely foreign notion in Islamic countries.,  Anyone who has studied the “progess” of the “new Iraqi government” since President Bush sent our troops in years ago can easily see that a truly,  democratic government in that Islamic setting may never materialize.

In later years Muhammad’s supposed “divine revelations” were used to justify actions that even some heathen Arabs opposed, suggesting some “revelations” to Muhammad were of convenience, something less than “divine inspiration.”,  The “revelations” forming the Quran were recited to Muhammad’s followers over a twenty-year,  period.,  We shall examine some of these as we move to place the Scriptures into contradistinction to Muhammad’s Quran.

The Substance And Organization Of The Quran

The finished Quran, dictated to his followers by Muhammad, forms a book approximately the size of the New Testament.,  Muslims disdain all translations of it from the original Arabic.,  There is the question of whether it is an accurate rendition of what Muhammad said.,  He, apparently, had no ability to read his own dictation plus the fact that many of the writings were produced after Muhammad’s death, through the memories of those who heard them from Muhammad.

There are, however, numerous translations of the Quran available today and it is relatively easy to make one’s way through it. The vocabulary is relatively simple as is its organization, if indeed there is real organization.,  After Muhammad’s death the Quran was arranged in “Suras” (chapters) with the criterion being to place them in the book by size, the longest to the shortest, without regard to any chronology or overriding theme.,  There are 114 suras in all.

The copy from which I have worked was translated by N.J. Dawood, an Iraqi scholar and obviously a practicing Muslim.,  Mr. Dawood sought to depart from the traditional arrangement to something more chronological but retained an index so the reader may work from the original order. Dawood states that his aim was to first present the more “Biblical and poetic revelations” and to end with “the longer and often more topical chapters.”,  The difference is hard to perceive. Let us get to their content.

An Overview Of The Quran

The translator’s Introduction of my copy of the Koran [spelling used by Dawood, the translator in this case] begins with these words: “The Koran is the earliest and by far the finest work of Classical Arabic prose. For Muslims it is the infallible word of God, a transcript of a tablet preserved in heaven, revealed to the Prophet Mohammad by the Angel Gabriel.”

Contrast that appraisal with these words of Scottish scholar Thomas Carlyle about the book: “It is a toilsome reading as ever I undertook, a wearisome jumble, crude, incondite [badly put together].,  Nothing but a sense of duty could carry any European through the Koran” [Islam Unveiled, Robert Morey, The Scholars Press, 1991, p. 104].

The Introduction also reminds the reader that in most of the Koran,  “God speaks in the first person plural which often changes to the first person singular or the third person singular in the course of the same sentence.”,  Each “Sura” [chapter] is also given a title.

After a few sentences of praise to Allah entitled,  “The Exordium,” the first full chapter, numbered “2″ begins.,  It is entitled “The Cow.” Try as I may, I was not able to find the word “Cow” in this sura, the longest in the Koran.,  I did find the word “swine” in the context of denying its flesh to Muhammad’s followers.

The subject matter of “The Cow” chapter encompasses in part the following by order of paragraph: Do not doubt the Book [Koran]; Grievous punishment awaits the unbelievers; There is a sickness in the hearts of unbelievers; Do not commit evil in the land; Unbelievers are fools; Allah will mock pretenders; Those who barter away guidance for error will be left deaf, blind and dumb; Allah has the power over thunder and lightning; If you,  doubt “what We revealed to Our servant,” try to produce a comparable chapter like this Book; Believers who have faith and works “will dwell in gardens watered by running streamsbe [w]edded to chaste virgins, they will abide there forever.”

The above is a simple summary of barely two pages of this rambling thirty-one page chapter.,  A skilled English teacher or writer would have an imposing challenge in constructing a sensible outline of this “chapter.”,  Before we leave it, however, note this passage, chapter and verse numbered 2:228:

“Women shall with justice have rights similar to those exercised against them, although men have a status above women. Allah is mighty and wise.”

Women are mentioned in “The Cow,” but mostly with respect to instructions to them.,  I found no word of comfort or assurance of salvation for women in the sura (chapter) at all, rather mostly thinly veiled threats such as the quotation above.

The various names of the suras mostly bear little resemblance to the content, as with this section, Suras,  3-8, for example:

“3. The Imrans; 4.,  Women; 5. The Table; 6. Cattle; 7.The Heights; 8. The Spoils.”

As we noted, nearly all the Quran is presented as though God (Allah) were speaking.,  All the pronouns, therefore with Allah as the antecedent are capitalized, as: We, Us, He, etc. For example Sura 21:27: “We inspired all the apostles whom We sent before you, saying: “˜There is no god but Me. Therefore serve Me.’”

Often, arguments are put forward to oppose “the unbeliever,” and many are prompters with the exact words with which to respond.,  Take these examples from Sura 13, entitled “Thunder”:

“All who dwell on the earth shall prostate themselves before Allahtheir very shadows shall bow to Him morning and evening.

“Say: “˜Who is the Lord of heaven and earth?’
“Say: “˜Allah.’
“Say: “˜Why then have you chosen other gods besides Him”¦’
“Say: “˜Are the blind and seeing alike? Does darkness resemble the light?’”

Scattered all through the book are these “Say” remarks, given at no particular intervals but are nevertheless profuse throughout.

The Quran ends with Sura number 114, entitled “Men.”,  It comprises only a single “Say” remark:

“Say, “˜I seek refuge in the Lord of men, the King of men, the God of men, from the mischief of the slinking prompter who whispers in the hearts of men; from jinn [spirits, created by God, some good, some evil'] and men.”

Such is the construction of this Muslim “Holy Book.”,  Subject and word flow vary,  and change unpredictably. One reading this document quickly learns to expect the unexpected. Constructed, as it is reported to have been, over a twenty-year period, often from the memories of those who listened to Muhammad recite to them, the reader is treated to a wide-ranging and rambling challenge.

Much of the Quran is simply a rehash and embellishment of Bible stories with fanciful additions of words put in the mouths of Bible characters. For example, the story of Joseph’s confrontation with Potiphar’s wife is given many fictitious details featuring generous additions to the dialogue of Joseph and others.,  The most noted Bible characters in the Quran,  seem to be: Noah, Moses, Lot, Abraham, Ishmael,,  Isaac, John, David, Saul, and our Savior referred to again and again as “Jesus, son of Mary.”

Bear in mind that the completed Bible would have been available in the seventh century in which Muhammad lived.,  Many sections of the Quran consist of paraphrases of and commentaries on Scripture. Any idea of an historical setting or a consistent narrative, however, is absolutely missing from the Quran.,  Often Old Testament characters are mentioned,  and mixed together in a given commentary without regard to chronological order, context or even the Testament in which they appear.

There is no attempt to deal with prophecies of Old Testament prophets and no reference to events of the Book of Acts, the Epistles or the Revelation.,  The term “Gog and Magog” appears a few times but not with any meaningful explanation.

One annoying fact about the Quran is its redundancy.,  Assembled, as it was, from memory evidently led to the repetition of numerous injunctions.,  It is difficult not to be impatient working one’s way through these.,  I, personally found it almost amusing, reminiscent of children play-acting the teachings of school or home.

The Overriding Theme Of The Quran

The pages of the Quran are filled with condemnatory references to “People of the Book (Christians and Jews), unbelievers, infidels, disbelievers [sic], idolaters, aggressors and transgressors.”,  A multitude of references to these are accompanied with threats using words like:,  “Hell, flames, grievous punishment, shameful scourge, evil fate, woeful punishment, lost, doomed, heirs of hell” and more. The relatively restrained truths of Hell written in the Scriptures are embellished with,  gruesome and terrifying details in numerous parts of Muhammad’s Quran.

The conflict between the forces of “Allah” and Christians, Jews and other “unbelievers” is unquestionably the overarching theme of this book.,  While there are pages devoted to regulations and in some cases protections and the offer of forgiveness, these do not apply to the enemies of “Allah.”,  It is not too much to say that the Quran, taken as a whole, must be considered a diatribe against the Christian faith, our Christ and Israel, the nation from which He came.

The Quran Is Not The Holy Scriptures

The Greek word for “Scriptures” is,  “graphas,” or “graphan,” depending on how it is used in a sentence.,  It is the standard Greek word for “writings.”,  It is used numerous times in the Bible with the definite article so as to render “the Scriptures” or “the writings.”,  It was said of our Savior, after His Resurrection that he appeared to two disciples on their way to Emmaus: “Then he opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures” (Luke 24:45).,  It could have been rendered “the Writings” at that point as well.

Our Savior, in instructing the Sadducees that there is no marriage nor marrying,  in heaven, rebuked their ignorance saying: “Ye do err, not knowing the scriptures” (Matthew 22:29).,  Our Lord used the words “tas graphas,” or “the writings,” as,  the consistent New Testament term for “the Scriptures.”,  In its many uses, it is clear that this is the Greek term for “the Bible”,,  as we would say today.

The word “Bible” never appears in the Scriptures, as any thoughtful Christian knows, the word meaning simply “Book.”,  The Quran refers many times to “people of the Book” or merely “Book.” Often it is in criticism or derision of the Christian faith and sometimes of the Jewish faith.,  As a Christian, I have no problem being referred to as a “person of the Book” or a “believer in the Book.”,  That simply means I exalt the Bible.

The important point, imperative point really, that I am making, is simply this: The Bible assumes its own place of preeminence.,  When we say “the Scriptures” or “the Writings” it is as though we are saying the Scriptures or the Writings.,  The Bible does not apologize for its own superiority over the writings of men for it is the Book of God, virtually unlike and unmatched by any other set of writings this world has ever seen or ever will see.

The claim of Muhammad’s followers that the Quran supercedes the Bible is something on the order of the elementary school child who sets about to correct his teacher on the basic facts of addition.,  No, 2 plus 2 are still 4 notwithstanding the little boy’s insistence to the contrary. The claims of Muhammad, that his Quran, diminishes the mighty truths of Scripture is as a child with a flashlight blinding out the sun!

Christ said: “Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away (Matthew 24:35, NIV).,  Further He said: “He that rejecteth me, and receiveth not my words, hath one that judgeth him: the word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day (John 12:48, KJV).,  According to the Bible, the words of our Savior hold absolute preeminence over any words that will ever be written or spoken subsequent to His.,  Christians need to get over apologizing for or negotiating with Muhammad’s followers about what is truth.,  Jesus said, “The words that I speak unto you, they are spirit and they are life” (John 6:63). He, personally said, “I am the truth” (John 14:6).

If it seems arbitrary to the reader that I simply state the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments are truth over the supposed “holy Quran,” the fact is that the Bible itself warns against elevating any other writings above itself.,  Isaiah wrote, more than fifteen hundred years before Muhammad’s birth:
“To the law and to the testimony!,  If they do not speak according to this word, they have no light of dawn” (Isaiah 8:20, NIV).

This consistent exclusiveness of the preeminence of Scripture carries through in the Revelation as well:
“For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book” (Revelation 22:18, KJV).

While this verse, and the one following, warning of detracting from the book, are understood to apply primarily to the Revelation itself, historically, Christians through the ages, have understood the words to apply to the entire New Testament as well.,  It is this universal recognition that stands as a bulwark of condemnation to tampering with God’s Word.

Muhammad and his followers claim to accept much of the Bible as from God.,  In fact, however they teach that the Scriptures “have been tampered with” and thus are not reliable.,  In their haste to claim the Quran supercedes the Bible they unwittingly bear testimony that they are elevating Muhammad’s bizarre claims above God’s holy Word, effectively making “the commandment of God of none effect” (Matthew 15:6), as our Lord said.

Informed Bible students are well aware of the truth that the Bible is the Word of God, that “the Writings” are the very words God gave mankind.,  The meticulous care of the manuscripts from which our English translations of the Scriptures have been formed is a science in its own right.,  No council of scholars or clergy ever “made” certain books into the Bible.,  The supernatural character of the Scriptures themselves emerged after the books were written to demonstrate this truth. To put it another way, the Scriptures themselves have inherent authority,  to exalt themselves above the writings that do not have God as their Author.,  Believers in the earliest history of the Bible books saw this truth for themselves.,  The scope of this paper does not allow us to delve into this beautiful tribute to the Scriptures.,  We will see glimpses of it, however, as we place them beside the words of Muhammad’s Quran.

Basic Scriptures That Contradict Muhammad’s Quran

Christ, the Son of God

The Quran: “They say, “˜Allah has begotten a son.’ God forbid! Self-sufficient is He” (Sura 10:68).

The Quran: “Those who say: “˜The Lord of Mercy has begotten a son’ preach a monstrous falsehood at which the very heavens may crack” (Sura 19:88).

The Quran: “Such was Jesus, the son of Mary.,  That is the whole truth which they are unwilling to accept.,  Allah forbid that He Himself should beget a son!,  When He decrees a thing He need only say “˜Be,’ and it is” (Sura 19:36).

The Scriptures: “No man hath seen God, at any time, the only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him” (John 1:18).

The Scriptures: “But about the Son he says, “˜Your throne, O God, will last for ever and ever, and righteousness will be the scepter of your kingdom (Hebrews 1:8, NIV).

The Scriptures: “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased” (Mt. 3:17).

The message of the entire New Testament is predicated upon the premise that Jesus Christ is God’s Son.,  That is the point of the visit of the angel Gabriel to Mary, His mother, and his,  announcement,  that the Lord Jesus’, conception would be a miracle provided by the Holy Spirit (Luke 1:35).

It was the angel Gabriel who was sent to Mary to announce the coming birth of Christ, God’s Son.,  This,  miracle of God is,  an inescapable fact reported in Luke chapter one.,  The angel, appearing to Joseph as recorded in Matthew was probably Gabriel.,  There is no way to reconcile how this same angel, who had,  appeared to Mary and Joseph would appear to   Muhammad six hundred years later with a flat contradiction to,  the Sonship of our Savior.

The denial that the Lord Jesus is God’s Son, expressed in the citations from the Quran, as quoted above, is repeated over and over again in Muhammad’s Quran, a blasphemous statement in hopeless opposition to God’s Word.

Salvation by Faith Without Works

The Quran: “On that day no soul shall suffer the least injustice.,  You shall be rewarded according only to your deeds” (Sura 36:14).

The Quran: “Those that give alms by day and by night, in private and in public, shall be rewarded by their Lord.,  They have nothing to fear or to regret” (Sura 21:274).

The Quran: “As for those that have faith and do good works, Allah will admit them to gardens watered by running streams.,  They shall be decked with pearls and bracelets of gold, and arrayed in garments of silk” (Sura 22:23,24).

The Scriptures: ” But that no man is justified by the law in the sight of God, it is evident; for, The just shall live by faith” (Galatians 3:11).

The Scriptures: “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God — not of works, lest any man should boast” (Ephesisans 2:8-9).

The Scriptures: “But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness” (Romans 4:5).

Any alert Sunday school child knows from his Bible that faith in Christ for salvation is the recurring theme of the New Testament.,  He has been taught the Scriptures’ most basic fact: “He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abideth on him” (John 3:36).

The Truth About the Hereafter

The Quran: “He that chooses a religion other than Islam, it will not be accepted from him and in the world to come, he will be one of the lost” (Sura: 3:81).

The Quran: “blessed shall be those on the rightthey shall recline on jeweled couchesthere shall wait on them immortal youths with bowls and ewers and a cup of purest winewith fruits of their choice and fresh fowls that they relish.,  And theirs shall be the dark-eyed houris [voluptuously beautiful young women- Webster], chaste as hidden pearls: a guerdon [earned reward] for their deedsWe created the houris and made them virgins, loving companions for those on the right” (Sura 56:3ff).

The Quran: “As for those who deny the life to come, We make their foul deeds seem fair to them, so that they blunder about in their folly.,  They shall be sternly punished and in the hereafter have much to lose” (Sura: 27:3).

The Scriptures: “I am the resurrection and the life; he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live.,  And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die” (Spoken by the Lord Jesus Christ, John 11:25-26).

The Scriptures: ¦Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God.,  And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain; for the former things are passed away” (Revelation 21:3-4).

The Scriptures: ¦Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him” (I Corinthians 2:9).

Muhammad’s Quran in reference to the joys of the hereafter for its devotees speaks consistently from the man’s point of view.,  Almost never is there any assurance to women respecting the hereafter.,  Here and there are a few mild references to the hereafter for Muslim women such as this reference: “Be they men or women those who embrace the faith and do what is right We will surely grant a happy life; we shall reward them according to their noblest actions” (Sura: 16:96). But note how vague is its promise!

The Place of Women

On the whole, the Quran is a book written for men and it appeals again and again to men’s prurient interests.,  For example this blunt injunction: “Women are your fields: go, then, into your fields as you please” (Sura: 2:223).,  It is obvious what Muhammad taught as the “delights” of the hereafter for his followers.

The Quran: “Men have authority over women because Allah has made the one superior to the others, and because they spend their wealth to maintain them. Good women are obedient.,  They guard their unseen parts because Allah has guarded them.,  As for those from whom you fear disobedience, admonish them and send them to beds apart and beat them.,  Then if they obey you, take no further action against them.,  Allah is high, supreme” (Sura: 4:34ff).

The Quran: “A male shall inherit twice as much as a female” (Sura: 4:11).

The Quran: “Believers, you have an enemy in your wives and children: beware of them” (Sura: 64:14).

The Quran: “If you fear you cannot treat orphans ["Orphan girls"- footnote] with fairness, then you may marry other women who seem good to you; two, three, or four of them” (Sura: 4:3).,  This sura goes on to permit the marrying of “any slave girls you may own.”

The Scriptures: “ye husbands, dwell with them according to knowledge, giving honor unto the wife, as unto the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of the grace of life” (I Peter 3:7).

The Scriptures: “Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it”¦so ought men to love their wives as their own bodies. He that loveth his wife loveth himself” (Ephesians 5:25,28).

The Scriptures: “Let the husband render unto the wife her due; and likewise also, the wife unto the husband” (I Corinthians 7:3).,  It is important to note that in every context in the New Testament where husbands and wives are mentioned, monogamy is the standard.

God tolerated the sin of polygamy among Old Testament believers despite its heartbreaking consequences which those Scriptures dutifully record, sometimes in painful detail.,  It is worth noting that though Muhammad had access to both the Old and New Testaments, he patterned his own lifestyle against the monogamy of the New Testament marrying at least twenty-two women, one “woman” at the age of nine years!

The Lord Jesus clearly taught that the biblical ideal and proper life for men and women on this earth is one man and one woman for life.,  The easy divorce trumpeted throughout the Quran is also,  sharply contradicted by our Lord’s teaching, for example in Mark chapter 10:1-12.,  The sins of both multiple wives and divorce of the wife are there, as well as elsewhere, condemned.

The preoccupation of Muhammad’s Quran with acquiring multiple wives, ruling and divorcing them and focusing upon sexual appetites, creates a carnal atmosphere quite in contrast to the basic biblical purpose of sexual union and monogamy so clearly expressed in the Scriptures. The critical nature of the family unit, as a building block of society as taught by the Apostle Paul and elsewhere in Scripture, is a glaring and foreign concept to the Quran.

Conclusion

It is entirely possible to place the Quran side by side with the Scriptures and to find it wanting with respect to the Trinity, the regeneration of sinners, miracles, fulfilled prophecy and the host of other doctrines essential to the purpose of man upon earth and God’s plan of redemption.

Primarily, however, the fatal flaw of Muhammad’s Quran is that it is the product originating from the hand of a mere sinner who created a pagan religion attractive to the fallen appetites and warring propensities of lost human beings.,  That religion was foisted upon the world in the seventh century and its phenomenal growth stands as a testament not to truth but to a mixture of truth (borrowed and corrupted from the Scriptures) and Satanic error. Its devotees are driven not by a love for fallen humanity so singularly exemplified by our Savior, but by the hatred of the Jews, the Christians, “the people of the Book,” as Muhammad referred to us.

And what about this core question: “What is the Quran’s plan of salvation?” The answer is a startling one: “The Quran does not portray any “˜plan of salvation’” As shocking as this may seem, it is true.,  As we have shown above, there is a constant appeal for good works. There is the condemnation of “unbelievers,” a buzz word for all those outside the realm of Islam.,  But the Quran is simply devoid of either a path to salvation or the assurance that one is on it.,  This is a grievous and eternally fatal shortcoming in the religion of Muhammad.

It is high time the Church of our Lord Jesus Christ faced squarely the fact that we must stand without apology for the eternal truths of Scripture and renew our best effort to present them to a lost and dying world.,  If we do not, I am afraid the answer to the question of our Savior, recorded in Luke 18:8, may be recorded in the negative: “When the Son of man comes, will he find the faith upon the earth?”

To every Christian I appeal.,  Let us redouble our efforts to stand for the mighty Christ who yet holds out His offer of salvation to all the lost of this world so helplessly trapped in the quagmire of their own sins as you and I once were in ours.,  Dear Lord Jesus, make it so, I pray.,  Amen.

A Final Word To Muslims, The Followers of Muhammad

Nothing in this small paper should be interpreted by anyone as hatred or even dislike for the followers of Muhammad.,  Every Christian, including the one writing these words, is commanded to love others.,  Love for others, regardless of who they are or what they have done, is the Bible norm for every Christian.

Should someone, a Muslim, or someone sympathetic to Muhammad, read these words, please, allow me to reach out to you.,  Jesus Christ,,  God’s Son, the One who died for the sins of the whole word, loves you.

The Quran knows nothing of the debt of sin for which Christ paid on the Cross when He died there for you and me.,  The Bible speaks clearly and often of this fact:

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through him might be saved. He that believeth on him is not condemned; but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God” (John 3:16-18).

To anyone reading these lines from this simple attempt to describe and fairly analyze Muhammad’s Quran, please let me burden you with your need to open your life to the teachings of the Lord Jesus Christ. Receive Him as your own personal Savior from sin, as I did many years ago to my everlasting satisfaction. Call out to Him in prayer to make Him your Lord and Master.

Introduction

Two first-year deer hunters were high in the mountains in the State of New York.,  To their amazement, they had shot their first deer. He was a prize: an enormous,  buck with a majestic spread of antlers.,  They began dragging the huge animal out of the woods.,  They stopped to catch their breath again and again.

A veteran hunter not far away had heard the report of their weapons as,  they had blazed away over,  and over.,  He instinctively made his way toward them.,  Not long after, he saw them toiling along the trail out of the woods.,  They looked desperately tired.,  He offered them some advice.

“Boys,” he said, “if you let go of the hind quarters you are pulling, you can take hold of the antlers and pull him by the front quarters. you’ll be pulling in the direction of his coat — its much harder to pull against the grain of his hair like you’re doing.”

A few minutes later the two freshmen hunters were now moving along nicely when one of them remarked: “Wasn’t that a nice man to give us such good advice to drag him from the other end?”,  “Yeah, the other remarked but the problem is we’re getting’ so far from the car.”

Transition

That’s kind of the way life is — there appears to be only one path.,  But, the problem is it goes in two different directions.,  In our text, in characteristic fashion, a Hebrew parallelism is created:
“The path of the righteous” as opposed to “the way of the wicked.”
“Path” and “way” are intended to be synonyms.,  In other words, in this world one may tread on a path one way or may take a path in the opposite direction. One thing sure: one way leads to a far different destination than the other.

I. THE PATH OF THE RIGHTEOUS VERSUS THE WAY OF THE WICKED

It is usually fundamentally obvious to a person, the moment he receives Christ as Savior or shortly thereafter, if he or she is growing at all, that all this time in life, he was on the wrong path.,  Often a consciousness of this fact is a primary indicator that something vitally important was missing in his life: namely — clear fruitful direction. And now, the new Christian knows he is on the right path.

The Lord Jesus spoke of the two directions in life one may take — toward the Lord, or away from Him:   (Mt. 7:13-14, NIV)

13,  “Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it.
14 But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.”

Here our Lord made it crystal clear that of the two paths, the way of
the wicked is by far the more popular.,  It is “wide,” he said, and “many” travel along it.

On the other hand, He used words like “small” and “few” and “narrow” with respect to the right way and the number on it. Obviously, it is certainly the less popular way to go.

II. THE WAY OF THE WICKED

This past week (July 22-28, 2009) has seen the deaths of two people known to millions, a man and a woman.,  The former in his fifties; the latter in her sixties.,  These were not just any two people:,  These were stars, these were performers, these were “icons” as the term is often used.

There is a program on the television of which I am sure everyone here has heard.,  It is called “American Idol.”,  As far as I know it is a program that tries to find stars and performers for the future.,  When such a person is found, he or she is proclaimed an “American Idol.”

Apparently a lost world is totally unaware of the holy God’s warning to,  the world many, many years ago:,  “Turn not to idols” (Le. 19:4), “Do not make idols” (Le. 26:1).   Exodus 20:5, where the Ten Commandments are given, states that God’s is jealous for our worship and attention.,  Nothing and no one should be put in His place.,  To do so is idolatry.

Over 240 times the Bible brings up the subject of idolatry.,  To avoid false worship is extremely important to God.,  God calls idols “detestable,” and “lifeless,” and “worthless” and “shameful.”,  Yet a brazen modern group of media hold up modern so-called singers and actors as “idols.”,  Is it any wonder we are in trouble in our modern world; that our youth are confused?

Lest you think my point here is overdrawn, think for a moment about the notoriety accorded just the two big-name stars who died this week.,  One had arranged 50 rock concert appearances in Europe.,  Seating for all of them, hundreds of thousands of seats,,  sold out in just a few hours: not days- HOURS!,  All this in spite of the fact that the personal life of this “star” was in a shambles. He was a virtual recluse in his big mansion. He was known to have paid millions of dollars to settle a child abuse accusation against himself.

The other’s claims to fame, though tragic through awful personal illness, for which we should all be saddened,,  was best expressed in a racy swimsuit picture; one of the most famous in the world. Along the way there was divorce and the scandal that went with living openly with another, not her husband, for years and other sinful things.

It needs to be said that no honorable Christian wished ill-will on either of these “idols” of men’s making.,  Their deaths were unfortunate and broke the hearts of many, many people to say nothing of their families.,  How sad.,  It is right that there would be grief.

What is more, none of us should take smug satisfaction in the fall and death of either of these stars.,  These were sinners for whom Christ died, just as He did for us.   Hope against hope that each found faith in Him before they died.

But, it is more than sad, it is tragic that adoration of these mere human beings was far out of proportion to their accomplishments.,  One person interviewed on television said the male star’s death was “the most important thing that ever happened.”,  With due allowance for the hyperbole of the moment, if this doesn’t represent idolatry, I don’t guess I know what idolatry is.

By the way, what is the most important thing that ever happened in this world?,  A careful examination of I Corinthians chapter 15 will make it clear that the most important occurrence on this planet was the resurrection from the dead of our Lord Jesus Christ.,  Except for this fact, every man, woman and child who ever lived would be condemned to death and separation from God and all good forever.

The writer of the Proverbs here states: “The way of the wicked is like deep darkness.”,  If you or I, or maybe more to the point, any young person set out to pattern his and her life around these modern “so-called stars” where would that lead?

Could it,  honestly be said that listening to and watching this man,  perform on stage would produce anything of value in a youth’s life?,  Would making money posing in compromising ways in wicked magazines,  be the right path for any young lady to follow? Some might say, how dare you criticize,  our stars, our icons!

If we are afraid to compare the lives these of idols to the light of Scripture, how can we expect our youth to know the truth?,  No, I am afraid the truths of our text are tragically clear in making application:,  “The way of the wicked is like deep darkness.,  They do not know what makes them stumble.”

III. THE PATH OF THE RIGHTEOUS

I was out in God’s great out-of-doors this morning just as the sun was rising, what our text calls “the first gleam of dawn.”,  It was beautiful.,  As I looked up to the east the truths of God’s beautiful creation came upon me: “The heavens declare the glory of God and the firmament sheweth his handiwork” (Ps. 19:1).

That’s where the path of the righteous will lead — to the truths of God’s creation, His majesty and His love.,  As our Lord said, there is only one right path.,  It may be narrow and may seem small, even unpopular, but it is the right path.,  Mark this: the path of the righteous and the way of the wicked do not run along parallel trails — they lead in opposite directions.

The Bible says: “the path of the righteous shines ever brighter till the full light of day.”,  When one walks with the Lord, according to Scripture, there is a conscious realization of light and truth that comes to the believer.,  Assurance that one is on the right path will become more and more obvious from one victory in Christ to the next.

Conclusion

Mid-way through our Lord Jesus’ great Sermon on the Mount, Christ made this statement about self-deception: “If the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness!” (Mt. 6:23)

Ladies and gentlemen, if that is not an apt description of the foolish idol worship of our present world toward these so-called stars, and icons and idols, it would be hard to imagine what it might describe.

Sadly our text in Proverbs says: “the way of the wicked is like deep darkness, they do not know what makes them stumble” (Pr. 4:19).

It is said that our now-deceased “king of pop” received more money for his rock concerts than anyone in history.,  His earnings reached into,  billions of,  dollars.,  You say, boy I’d like to have his money!,  Are you sure?,  Would you really want to trade him finances?,  I don’t think so.,  He died over 300 million dollars in debt.

“The way of the wicked is like deep darkness; they do not know what makes them stumble.”

Dear Christian brother, sister, remember what the word of God says about possessions:,  “If we have food and clothing, we will be content with that”,  (I Tm. 6:8),  and Paul right here reminded us: “godliness with contentment is great gain.”,  (v. 6)

The truth is, that quite apart from jealousy or bitterness, we as those who have the truth of God are responsible for a consistent loving witness to those around us of the truth that the path of the righteous is the only right, the only successful the only path that pleases God.

Yes, the events of this past week have been heartbreaking.,  They should sadden us all.,  But there is at least one person who might consider himself fortunate over these premature deaths.,  It is the governor of a southern state who was discovered to have betrayed his wife and family and his whole state in a shameless affair. At least he could consider the spotlight of failure off himself.   O, ladies and gentlemen; how awful is the darkness of sin.,  By God’s grace we must rise above it and be daily faithful to our blessed Savior for the sake of those who need Him so much.

It was December in 1940.,  Usually we didn’t have much snow in Ohio that early but Mom and Dad said Santa Claus would be coming to the square in downtown Newark on Saturday.,  I was a little puzzled because his reindeer and sleigh, it seemed, would have to make a landing on the bare courthouse lawn.,  But, there were a couple of days to go so maybe it would snow in time for the sleigh runners to use.

The days passed slowly as I got half-way through my,  Dick and Jane reader at Conrad School and the teacher said tomorrow would be the last day of school until Christmas. She said we would have our Christmas program the last thing in the PTA room in the afternoon.

Mom came to my program and brought Bill and Ann too.,  I can’t remember much about it now but the Rhythm Band played for the program.,  The PTA room was packed with parents and little kids.,  When it came time for the Rhythm Band to play the teacher had us all come up front and sit in the red wooden chairs.,  The sticks sat in the front row with the other kids around with their things to play.,  The tambourines stood up to play because they had to hit the side of their tambourines every once in a while to make a sharp sound.,  One pretty girl stood up with her triangle that had a metal stick to it for ringing at the right time.,  There were more shakers, the ones who sat by us, along with the sticks, than anyone else. My red sticks were okay but they just clicked.

I always wondered if the teacher would ever ask me to play the triangle or the tambourines, to make a pretty sound,,  but she never did. We played a song or two and everyone clapped.

Mom always talked to the teacher when she went to PTA meetings and programs like this.,  She didn’t say much so I thought maybe I was doing all right in school and maybe I would pass and be in second grade next year.,  I liked to read and use the big red pencil Mom got at Emersons Store.,  They cost a lot, five cents I think, but the lead was big and you could use both ends because they didn’t have an eraser. Finally the program was over and we all went home for our Christmas time off.

I dont remember how many days before Christmas it was but I think we all went in the old Hudson downtown the next day to see Santa.,  His red suit and snow-white beard made me scared but I knew I didn’t have to sit on his lap because he was in a little house.,  It was about as big as Grandpa and Grandma Pierponts outside toilet except it had windows on the sides and the front was open with a shelf and there sat Santa!,  I dont remember what I asked for that year either but he gave me some candy and Bill and Ann got some when they saw him too.,  Then we walked around the square and places and then got some food at Doniffs and went home.

Dad wasnt around at night because he worked at Owens-Corning late at night and didn’t come home until almost time for me to get up.,  Mom and Dad kept saying “Santas coming, youd better be good.”,  I knew from before if you werent good you might not get anything for Christmas so I tried not to hit Bill or Ann too much.

Our Christmas tree had short green needles and some pretty balls on it with silver tinsel and Mom had put a sheet around the bottom. That was where the presents would be when we got up on Christmas morning.,  We didn’t have a very big chimney for Santa but I thought maybe he could sneak in the front door if he didn’t make too much noise on the front porch.

Since I was six, I knew where to turn the radio knob to listen to Santa read letters from other little kids.,  He was on in the afternoon before supper and I think the program came from Columbus which I knew was a long way off, maybe over thirty miles.,  But I didn’t think they had any trouble over there tuning in to the North Pole because they did it every year. Santa had a friendly big voice and his laugh made me feel good even though I knew I had never mailed a letter to him.,  Other kids did and he promised them nice things so I knew he would have something for me too.

Finally the night before Christmas came.,  Mom never set anything out for Santa like other moms were supposed to do.,  But, I knew the letters of other kids had said he would be getting hot cocoa and cookies and sandwiches and things, so he probably wouldnt be hungry.

Dad was getting ready for work before we went to bed and I knew he remembered it was Christmas because of the tree and how excited us kids were.,  There was just a little snow on the ground now and it was pretty cold outside but the stove in the living room put out nice heat that reached my room and Bills.,  Anns little bed was in Mom and Dads room that was at the front of the house and the heat went through that door to her bed too, I suppose.

We never prayed before bed that I remember but we were excited this night because Santa was coming so we went right to bed.,  In later years I got to stay up longer than Bill and Ann because I was the oldest, but I think Mom put us to bed early so she and Dad could listen to the music on the radio sometimes before he went to work.

Sometimes Mom would have me stay up a little bit though, because we made Dads cigarettes on the little machine.,  I would sort out the little papers and have one ready to put in the little canvas swing between the rods on the machine.,  Then Mom would pour some of the tobacco from the Bugler bag into the swing where the paper was.,  I turned the crank and out came a cigarette.,  We were pretty busy sometimes because Dad took a whole Bugler package with them in it to work every night.

But, this was Christmas so we went right to bed.,  Bills bed was across from mine and had wooden sides like mine with a feather tick too.,  Our room had a doorway to the left of my bed with Bills bed on the other side.,  At the foot of my bed was the doorway to the living room.,  I was pretty excited that night but I finally got off to sleep anyway.

I usually thought of lots of things to do during the daytime.,  Mom got really mad at me sometimes because I would start fires.,  I think I must have started most of them when dad was away hunting or working during the day for someone to get extra money.,  One day I put a bunch of leaves in Dads trailer and set them on fire.,  One cold morning I put the bathroom comb in between the little slits of the gas stove Dad had put in the bathroom.,  I jerked it out when it caught fire and threw it down on the floor.,  Mom ran in and stomped the fire out. She was upset.

The fire I started in the outside basement window ledge must have been the worst one though.,  I packed the hole full of leaves and set them on fire.,  I think when the neighbor lady saw the flames licking up the side of the house that she called Mom on the telephone because she raced out and threw water on the fire.,  I dont remember if I got a licking for it but I probably did.

But, now it was Christmas Eve and I know I was really excited this year.,  I tried to think of waking up early and catching Santa at work putting things under the tree.,  It must have been about 12:30 that night that I did wake up.,  I even startled myself thinking, “Im awake and its not even Christmas yet.,  Maybe I can catch Santa!”

I got out of bed, scared, and tip-toed around the corner to see the tree.,  I was really surprised: under the tree were several things I had told Mom that I wanted Santa to bring me.,  Some other things were there too.,  There was no bike or sled like some of the kids asked for but I saw two wind-up little tractors that Bill and I liked.,  There was a doll there too, for Ann and some other things and a red wagon, I think.

I stood there in my night shirt that went down a little below my knees.,  For a while I looked at the tree with the presents.,  Then, I began to feel like I was doing something wrong.,  I thought, “I can’t help it if I woke up.,  At least I didn’t catch Santa.,  I better tell Mom, Im sorry I got up.”,  I turned around and went into Mom and Dads room.,  There was Ann, by the wall,,  asleep in her little bed.,  But, Mom and Dads bed was empty.,  I couldn’t believe it.,  Mom was still up.,  What if Santa had seen her?,  But where was she?

The basement didn’t have any lights and the floor was dirt.,  I knew she couldn’t be there.,  I ran to the back door and pushed it open.,  I looked around it down the long back yard.,  The light down to the old barn was on and it was hazy.,  Mom couldn’t be there.,  But I yelled for her anyway: “Mom!”,  “MOM!”,  “MOOOM!”,  She didn’t answer.,  She was nowhere around!,  What could I do!

Then I started to remember.,  Our neighbor lady, the one who told on me, had been asking Mom and Dad to come over.,  I didn’t think they ever would because they had a really nice house and things and I think Mom didn’t want to try it.

But I remembered, this was Christmas.,  Maybe the neighbor lady and man, who knew Dad was at work, had asked her to come over.,  But, even if not, maybe they could help me find her.,  I opened the front door and ran out onto the porch and down the two steps.,  When I hit the yard the cold snow under my feet shocked me.,  I hardly noticed.,  I ran past the big sycamore tree up toward the neighbors house.,  Buena Vista Street was on a big hill, too big even for the Soapbox Derby because they only ran it one year starting right at our house.

When I got to the neighbors high porch I didn’t know what to do next.,  So, I yelled!,  “Mom!” I called.,  I was really scared now and a little ashamed too. I was the biggest and there I stood in the snow, yelling for Mom.,  I yelled again, really loud.,  There were lights in the neighbors house so they must have been up.,  Just as I yelled again, the door opened and there stood the neighbor lady at the door.,  Mom ran out and they brought me into their nice room.,  Now I was really embarrassed.,  I saw they had little glasses with something to drink.

Moms glass was at a nice chair she went back to with me but I could see she was upset.,  I think she was very embarrassed too.,  She said, “Im sorry” and “Thank you” to the neighbors and then set her glass down and,  rushed me home.,  I dont remember anything else about it that night but I am sure she put me back to bed.,  And the next morning, sure enough, the tractors were for Bill and me and the doll was for Ann.,  We played with them.

Mom and Dad may have put our things for,  Christmas under our tree instead of Santa Claus.,  Maybe they put them there just before Dad left for work.,  Maybe Mom was lonesome and needed someone to talk to.,  Im sure it wasnt easy to raise two ornery little kids plus me.,  I guess, when I ran to the neighbors I was really thinking, maybe Santa Claus was next door.,  Now that I think of it, that was probably right.

The next time I saw the little red chairs like we had in Rhythm Band was the Sunday morning, not long after that, when Mom took us kids to St. Pauls Lutheran Church.,  It was what they called “Sunday School.”,  There, in the big room for boys and girls they had an altar, smaller than the one in the church, but it had candles on it with what I learned later was a Bible.
It was Grandma Sassers church, I found out later.,  I dont think we went there very often then but later we got started going to the church service.

Just before Christmas time the next year the Japs bombed Pearl Harbor.,  Dad went into the Navy and we came to live with Grandma and really started going to her church then.,  When I was nine, all of us kids were put into the Youth Choir at church.,  Sometimes we went to Sunday school too, but I dont remember that much.,  We did take Mrs. Tiner to church with us though.,  Some people said things about people like her because she was German.,  She was very small so I know she couldn’t hurt anyone.,  Mom made Bill and me help her and Grandma into church.,  Everyone always came up to Mom and said what nice boys we were.,  But, I knew it wasnt true because most Sundays Mom had to pinch us during the service.

Sometimes I remember back to that night when I couldn’t find Mom.,  I think when she heard my frantic voice on the front lawn as she sat there with the little glass it did something to change her.,  I dont know if that was the time but I do know that several years before she died she told me, “Ken, I wish we had all been Christians when you were growing up.,  It would have been a lot different.”,  I felt sorry for Mom that night because I knew I had embarrassed her.,  In a way, though, I guess I was really just looking for Santa Claus.,  As it turned out, I think he really was next door.

Merry Christmas!
Kenneth F. Pierpont

As one who had plied the highways and streets for more than fifty-eight years,,  and having been a former discourteous driver, I can say with assurance that courtesy is critical to being a good safe and, yes, happy driver.

Hopefully, one of the following suggestions will help you or someone you influence to realize that, as we drive, courtesy is critical.

1. Hand Signal Courtesy

There are occasions when we note almost universal courtesy among drivers.,  This is refreshing.,  I experienced one today.,  I had rolled up to a light and was about the third car back.,  To my right a ladys car was poised to enter the highway from a gasoline station.,  A line of cars was behind mine.,  As the light changed for our lane I motioned for her to enter the lane ahead of me.,  She smiled and waved as she drove out.,  Probably you have benefited from this small kindness several times as have I.,  Wouldnt it be nice if this level of courtesy permeated many more driving situations?

A word of caution is in order even here though.,  Any time I give a hand signal to another driver I try to remind myself of my responsibility.,  I might accidentally signal a driver into a lane and into the path of a car that driver could not see.,  In other words, before giving an “go ahead” signal to another driver, I need to be sure it is safe for that driver to proceed.,  It takes only a moment make sure it is safe, but it is vitally important to do so.,  If in doubt, of course, it is better not to signal at all.

2. Driving With the Traffic Flow

I have heard law enforcement people mention the importance of “driving with the flow of traffic.”,  What is meant is that everyone is probably safer if all who are traveling along that roadway in the same direction are going approximately the same speed.,  Of course, this rule of thumb, like others may be abused.,  Driving above posted limits is still illegal regardless of whether or not several around you or me are doing it.,  But, as much as possible, we ought not to,  allow our presence on the highway to be an obstacle to other drivers who are driving legally and safely but faster than we.

3.  ,  Courtesy in Passing

Bicycles, Amish buggies, motor scooters and pedestrians are all traveling much slower than the average automobile.,  For safetys sake all whom we pass deserve our care in their behalf.   As we close quickly on these in our driving, it is vitally important to,  be alert that there is ample space available for safe passing.

It is unsafe (and probably illegal) to squeeze past a bike or motor scooter giving just inches in order to meet an oncoming vehicle at the same time.,  We have all seen this, probably.,  What if the biker spills at that moment–very easily a mishap, even a tragedy.,  Wouldnt it be better to hold up and pass the small vehicle or pedestrian as though we were passing an automobile?

In our area it is common to come upon an Amish horse-drawn carriage.,  I try to remember two things in such cases: the horse is an animal that can be startled and may bolt into my path.,  That small vehicle affords no protection for its occupants.,  These are reason enough to pass with wide, generous clearance and with the least disturbance possible.

During inclement weather, often there is water on the roadway in seams or puddles.,  As a courteous driver I dont want to splash that water on the people who are depending upon me to give them a break.,  You have probably been walking somewhere and have had a passing car splash you.,  I dont need to ask you how you felt.,  No fair chuckling with your passengers about how the column of water you sprayed almost knocked a biker off his two-wheeler.

3. Responding to Discourteous Drivers

It took me many years to give a proper response to discourteous drivers.,  If I had not been a Christian, it would probably have taken a lot longer.,  Let me give a few examples.

Driving at night we are often approached by drivers who have the high beams of their headlights blazing into our eyes.,  It doesnt hurt to give them a quick flash of ours to remind them.,  What happens after that is most important though.,  If the person doesnt go to low beams there is the temptation to “bright light” that driver.,  Stop and think!,  When I do that, I am setting up a dangerous situation.,  Neither driver can see very well; there could be a head-on collision.,  That is very high-priced retaliation.

In recent years this is what I do: I quickly ascertain whether or not those bright lights are really a danger to me or merely an annoyance.,  In most cases I dont even use my high beams to flash the driver–I simply concentrate on doing my part.,  Usually in seconds we pass each other and the incident is over.,  My reward: I feel a lot better about myself and I know,  my conduct,  has not endangered another.

There are situations in which overly aggressive drivers use their vehicles to “run a bluff” with us in order to be first or to take some perceived advantage.,  What is the best response?,  I believe it is simply to let them do it.,  Vehicles are expensive.,  Safety to lives is important.,  Peace of mind is enjoyable.,  Courtesy has hidden dividends.,  Many have been the times when for the above reasons I have relinquished “my rights” in such situations only to see the discourteous driver embarrassing himself by blundering into an error brought on by his own thoughtlessness.,  We ought not be courteous drivers in order to bring smug satisfaction to our lives but an occasional soft chuckle might not hurt!

4. “Have a Nice Day”

Have you ever seen a discourteous driver race an elderly couples car to a vacant parking place in a shopping mall only to notice him holding the door for someone on the way into the store?

What does this tell us?,  To me it indicates that when we get behind the wheel of a car it is easy to forget our manners.,  Most strong young men would not elbow an old lady out of the way to go through a door first.,  Why would we do that in a car?

If, when we are driving, we keep ourselves aware of courtesy to others around us, it is easier to remember that peace of mind is the path to a nice day.,  Usually honorable conduct does not go unnoticed.,  If you are a Christian, I know the Lord will help you have a nice day as you simply do what is right.,  Have you ever thought about the effect upon others your conduct has?,  Negatively, the exact opposite of courteous driving, a thing called “road rage”, will not only steal your peace of mind, it has been known to take lives.,  Do you see why I say “courtesy is critical?”

Yes, our conduct does impact others.,  This example took place as I was walking from my car to a shopping center.,  I noticed a discarded bottle on the pavement in my path.,  I picked it up and tossed it into a nearby trash receptacle.,  On the way back out of the store a distinguished elderly gentleman walked up to me.,  He said, “Sir, I saw you pick up that old bottle.,  You did a nice thing.” I felt good.,  Yep, courtesy is critical.

Have a nice (driving) day!

By the time I had arrived in the world and was old enough to know them, my grandparents Pierpont were retired and lived in the lazy little village of Chatham, a few miles north of my hometown, Newark.,  Neither of them lived very far into my adulthood, so my memories of them were mostly as a child.

Grandpa (William) Pierpont passed away in 1955 while I was in the Navy and Grandma (Lily) lived only until about the time our daughter, Melony was born in 1956. Their home was simple and my grandfather raised gladiolus to make a little money selling them on the Columbus farmers market.,  He had lost “the old home place” early in the Great Depression.,  A deficiency judgment had been taken against him as a result.,  They had very little of this worlds goods but always radiated peace and contentment.,  They were members and workers in the Chatham Methodist Church, just on up the road from their home.,  Across the corner to the south Roberts Grocery and filling station presided over the village as its only business.

Their second eldest son was my dad, Kenneth.,  A sister had died in infancy and a brother, Elmer, and a sister, Dorothy, were older than he.,  The other children were brothers Orville and Arthur.,  Only my Uncle Arthur, in his nineties, is still living.

I begin my dads story with an experience his mother had as a young woman.

“One Of My Sons Will Be a Minister”

Whether a dream, a vision or a settled conviction is a matter of how it is remembered.,  But, Grandma Pierpont always claimed one of her sons would be a minister.,  And when he was, she insisted, he was to “preach the Bible and believe it from cover to cover.”

Grandma Pierpont was not to live to see her dream fulfilled, but eventually it was.,  For many years it did not appear that such would ever happen though.,  The boys, my dad and his brothers, were rugged and ornery farm boys, quite accustomed to slipping around their old-time Methodist fathers strict rules of conduct.,  The boys were not to be seen in public with sleeves rolled up.,  There was to be no smoking and certainly no alcoholic beverage.,  The occasional slipping off to the neighbors watermelon patch went unknown to Grandpa so far as I ever knew, to say nothing of imbibing upon their hidden-away hard cider.

Dad did know hard work, though, early in life.,  At nine years old he worked for fifty cents a day hitching, working and caring for a team of horses in the fields.,  The fields and woods there in central Ohio were a great love for Dad and he learned nature like the back of his hand.,  Dad loved animals and had a deep respect for Gods creation.   In later years, teaching my brother and me to hunt, he insisted that we never shoot a songbird, keep an undersize fish we had caught,,  or shoot game over the limit.,  In my case getting any fish or game was usually challenge enough. But, to tell you more I have to involve my mother.

Mother and Dad

In the tribute to my mother I told you the story of how Mother and Dad met.,  At age twenty-four my dad had dated numerous young ladies and had been around them in farm community social settings and church.,  By the time little Grace Sasser came into his life he knew what he wanted.,  Their courtship was brief.

On September 5, 1933, they stood side-by-side in the living room of the Methodist parsonage across the road from the church there in Chatham and were married.,  Their first home was Dads parents “Old Home Place” at the top of the hill northwest of Chatham on Ohio Route 657.,  A modern ranch house now occupies the place of their old house.

The young couple was not to live there long, however, for Grandpa lost the farm that year and Mother and Dad moved to Newark to stay with her parents, Grandpa and Grandma Sasser.,  At this point, my dads job at Owens-Corning in Newark materialized.,  Dad was a hard worker and not long after hiring in as a laborer he was able to obtain a place in the machine shop.,  From there he gradually learned the machinist trade.

With no car and my birth coming on, Dad decided he would “build” one.,  He made the rounds of the junk yards in Newark and obtained enough parts to put together a T Model Ford.,  Satisfying himself that it would run, he asked Mothers brother, Uncle Carl (Sasser) to tow him around the block to get it started.,  The engine was too tight to crank it, the usual means of bringing a T Model to life.,  Sure enough the old car coughed to life–they had a car.

During the winter of 1934 I was a baby and had experienced some sickness.,  The old car had no heater and they wanted to go downtown.,  Dad took several bricks into the house and deposited them on the coal stove.,  After ample heating, he wrapped them in burlap and placed them on the floor in front of Mothers seat.,  She got herself and me into the car and we were off to downtown.

After just a few minutes, they began to smell something.,  They remarked and guessed back and forth what the smell was.,  Shortly thereafter they noticed smoke curling up!,  It took only a few moments, then, to realize that the hot bricks had set fire to the burlap.,  The car quickly filled with smoke.,  Rolling the whole thing out into the snow, Dad was able to rearrange things and get going again with their shopping errands.

When they appeared in a couple of stores the noses of the clerks before them began to sniff.,  “I smell something,” one said.,  “Somethings burning,” another remarked, glancing around.,  The young couple could hardly contain their laughter after realizing that the burning burlap had left its telltale odor on their clothing and my blanket.   Mercifully, Dad was able to get a little better car not long after.

As I also related in Mothers story, the folks were able to get the little cottage at 151 Buena Vista Street in Newark.,  It was a simple cottage with two very modest bedrooms and a partial basement at the back of the house where, on the dirt floor, Mother washed our clothing on a scrub-board over two washtubs.,  Dad worked hard to keep us together.

A major incident occurred at approximately this time in Mother and Dads lives together.   Coming home from his second shift work one night, in their old Hudson bought from our neighbors as an upgrade in their transportation, Dad noted through the dim headlights the figure of a man in our front yard, staring through our front bedroom window.,  He instantly realized the presence of a “peeping Tom,” apparently observing Mother inside the house.

Dad decided not to slacken his speed as he approached our house so as to avoid scaring the man off.,  However, just as he reached the front of our house, Dad killed the ignition and bailed out of the car.,  The man turned to flee but Dad caught him just as he reached the sidewalk.,  I have heard my dad describe this decidedly one-sided fight many times.,  Knowing as I do, my dads ability with his fists, I would not have wanted to be in the intruders shoes that night.

As those early years quickly passed, first my brother, Bill, and a year and a quarter,  later, my sister, Ann, were born.,  Dads job at Owens-Corning met needs but times were difficult and Dad took extra work to help ends meet.

Across the street from us a vacant field boasted a very large sycamore tree, not unlike the huge one in our front yard.,  The owner wanted the tree removed and Dad offered to saw it up, once it was down.,  As I recall, one or two others came a time or two to help Dad on the two-man crosscut but, for the most part, he worked along, removing the second handle and labored away until the job was done.,  I dont know what Dad got for the job but I am sure he earned every cent.

Dad worked night shift and got the idea to cut corn for some farmers to make extra money.,  I remember the day he brought home the green-handled corn cutter, the blade was,  about two inches broad and about two feet long.,  When I saw it I had no idea how much hard work over several years Dad would do with it in his strong right hand.,  In all those early years I never heard him complain.,  Looking back now, I realize what is really meant by “moonlighting.”

Late in the evening in the fall, after dark but before his factory shift, Dad cut corn by the light of the moon.,  Very few times in my life did I ever hear my dad say, “I love you,” I assure you, he didn’t have to say it! His commitment to his family spoke for itself.

The War

The old floor radio blared out the news as I sat in front of it, age seven.,  “The Japs have bombed Pearl Harbor!”,  I was thrown into confusion.,  Not so long before, I saw Dad go into action as he hung up the old black phone on the living room wall.,  That was the death notice of Grandpa Sasser.,  Now, another phone call and much excitement broke out.,  We were at war!,  I wasnt sure what it all meant, but I knew it was big.

Unbeknown to me, Mother and Dad were apparently planning for Dad to go into the service.,  A ride in our old 1934 Ford to see Congressman Ashbrook in Johnstown had me standing on the floor in back.,  It was winter and Mother and we kids waited in the car.,  Later it was warm weather and we were in a large park overlooking recruitment offices in Columbus.,  Dad and Mother had bought the three of us red and black balloons portraying Mickey Mouse.,  We played with them unaware that Dad was in the Navy Recruiting Office signing on the dotted line.

Just days later Dad realized that had he not signed up to be an enlisted man in the Navy Seabees, his warrant would have come through that the Congressman was trying to arrange.,  He would have been an officer instead of a first-class petty officer.

We moved to west Newark, combined our belongings with those of my Grandma Sasser, and the folks sold out on Buena Vista Street.,  Instead of being a third-grader at Conrad School, I would now be enrolled as such in Maholm School, just a strong block from the house at 51 Bowers Avenue.,  Dad shipped out with the Seabees to train in Providence, Rhode Island.

On his first leave home Dad took Bill and me into the backyard and showed us some of his “Judo tricks.”,  He became very good at it and was soon an instructor in hand-to-hand combat.,  I was hoping he was not intending me to use any of it on my school guys who didn’t like me.,  About that time Dad wrote home to explain that he would be a “diver.”,  This meant that he worked under water in both shallow and deep-water gear.,  One of his fellow trainees was killed under water during the training phase.   Later Dad told us how he passed the qualifying test to hold his breath for two minutes under water.,  He rolled a pebble around in his mouth to distract himself from the lack of oxygen.

Overseas

Mother and we kids got on a train in Newark and went to Providence to see Dad.,  I was not aware of all the circumstances but the last day there Mother and Dad clung to each other and us as Dad said goodbye.,  He would be going overseas to help win the war.,  It was most of two years before we saw him again.,  He was shipped to Guam with a Seabees battalion. The Seabees was a gutsy group of skilled builders and workers who did construction in hostile-fire zones.,  The initials “CB” on their dress blues stood for “Construction Battalion.”,  They were deeply respected by fellow sailors.,  Their motto was “We can build and we can fight.”,  They took Marine combat training as a part of their preparation.

From Guam Dad wrote home as often as he could.,  One Christmas, he was able to send home a $5 money order for each of we kids.,  We used it to go Christmas shopping for weeks!,  Dads stint on Guam lasted until the end of the war.,  Early on, he reported “the Japs run through the camp pitching hand grenades, yelling ‘Banzi — a guy could get hurt.”,  But, eventually American air power, including the dropping of two atomic bombs, finished the Japanese Empire forever.

On one occasion, an officer came to Dads shop.,  He needed someone who knew blasting.,  He heard dad was a demolition diver and blaster.,  Dad tried to explain that blasting under water and “topside” were probably far different.,  The officer insisted that Dad blast for him to cut out a road up a mountain there on the island.

Over continued protest, Dad set his charge as he would below water.,  When he detonated the powder he said “Rocks as big as pianos flew everywhere.,  It took two days to fill in the crater.”,  After that he wasnt asked to blast anymore!

Dads eldest brother, Elmer, a Seabee Chief Petty Officer was stationed on Tinian, another of the Marianna Islands.,  Dad and, perhaps, Uncle Elmer, were allowed to fly in a B-29 at least once, even though they had nothing to do with the air wing of the military.,  But the Seabees were very good at “commandeering” all kinds of things–food, equipment, fuel, et cetera.,  A ride on a military aircraft by an unattached serviceman is not unheard of.,  It was from the island of Tinian that the atomic bombs were delivered.

When on September 2, 1945 “VJ Day” (Victory in Japan) came, our family all rode round the square in downtown Newark to celebrate as did thousands of others.,  I was in the rumble seat of an Model A.,  What a time it was.,  Tears,,  hugs and kisses all round, wildly honking horns, shouts of victory, just about every means of celebration took place not only in Newark that day but throughout the world.,  The war was over and “our boys were coming home!”

Dad Back With Us

With a wife and three children at home, Dad had a priority number by which to “muster out.”,  In just a few weeks after wars end, we noted a big man in a white uniform with a huge duffel bag making his way proudly down little Bowers Avenue.,  We were ecstatic.,  The war was over, Dad was home and would soon be back to work at Owens-Corning.

About this time the factory came to be called by most “Fiberglas”.,  Dad always felt that years and years of exposure to the “glass wool” contributed to his eventual poor health.

I bounded out of bed on Dads first morning home to rush downstairs and join the action where I heard Dad talking at the breakfast table.,  I slipped on the floor and put a nasty slice in my left knee due to the presence of the floor heat register.   Dads first order of business at home was to administer first aid and to take me up the street to the doctor for stitches!

The next few years were filled with experiences with Dad that now flood my memory.,  He always had a big garden at the end of our street.,  He pushed a hand cultivator, with its steel wheel in front, over the big stony garden, many, many times during the course of a summer.,  I learned to work there as did the whole family: setting out plants and bulbs, sprinkling seed, taking weeds out by hand, row after row.,  Dad had an eye for flint and the garden soil yielded many artifacts from Indian days.,  Dad seemed to know the various kinds and even made educated guesses as to their differing usage.

Life was full of berry picking expeditions featuring my Grandma Sasser against Dad for most berries with the rest of us distant third, fourth, fifth and sixth.,  I have seen them both pick gallons of berries never raising even one to their mouths.,  Dad considered “picking and eating a disgrace.”,  No matter how hard we tried, we kids could not disguise our purple lips from his disapproving glance.

One Sunday afternoon Grandma had fixed us Kool Aid from the kitchen sink for our afternoon family fishing trip.,  She did not go.,  After a blazing afternoon on a creek bank, few fish to show for our efforts, we broke out the picnic fixings with a burning thirst.   The five of us, as one, began to gulp down the drink.,  In seconds we were all sputtering, “Lifebuoy!”,  Grandma had inadvertently swept the bar of hand soap into the jug as she made the Kool Aid.,  Our soapy and thirsty throats put a permature end to our day of fishing.,  Of course we kids jockeyed for position upon arriving home to register Grandmas error to her.,  Our much wiser parents contained their bemusement

Brownie, our old Beagle rabbit dog lived through the war to once again hunt with Dad.,  By now I was eleven and Bill was nine.,  Dad said, one fall day, “Shoot Bellerin Betsy and you can have your own shotgun.”,  The old twelve gauge had a much-respected recoil that we called a “kick.”,  Nevertheless, Bill and I both shot it that year and Dad got us each a shotgun.,  Mine was an Iver-Johnson single barrel sixteen gauge.,  Bill got a single barrel 410 with a modified choke.,  He quickly got very good with it and always came home with game.,  My gun was much more powerful but I wasnt as good but did manage to be carrying a few rabbits in my coat from trip to trip.,  Dads love for the out-of-doors took us hunting numerous times every year — in the fall for squirrels and in the winter for rabbits.

Dad went fox hunting some also — usually alone due to school for us and the bitter cold in which he usually hunted them.,  He was known to be able to start out through a snow-covered field, pick up a fox trail and follow it all day to get a shot at it.,  After trailing a fox many hours he would walk up on one from downwind and kick it out of a sleep before shooting at it.,  “They deserve a chance,” he would always say.,  Fox pelts he had taken provided a wrap for Mother but she seldom wore it.,  She always said, “Its looking at me,” as she glanced over her shoulder and the impressive wrap stayed in the closet.

Dad always seemed to have nerves of steel. On a trip in our old 38 Buick to New York to visit our aunt and uncle we topped a mountain only to slip on the hot rainy blacktop highway.,  The old sedan, packed with the five of us, instantly spun out of control and started down the mountain road backwards.,  Dad deftly let the car come all the way around before applying the brakes.,  A Plymouth coming up,  the steep grade stopped as we slid toward it.,  Dad brought the big maroon Buick to a stop about six feet from the other car.,  He calmly got out, walked back to the terrified driver, whose hands were locked on the wheel,,  and said, “More fun than a rolly-coaster,” got back into our car, turned around and drove away.

On yet another trip to Cincinnati where my Uncle Jim Sasser lived with his wife, Jean, and my cousin Bonnie Jean, Dads first aid skills were again tested.   My uncle was talking to Dad as he showed off his nice 39 Buick coupe.,  He had the right side of the hood up and, at fifteen, I was looking into the engine compartment with my left thumb resting on the hood cage.,  Uncle Jim gunned the engine and the vibration kicked out the hood brace.,  Instantly the hood slammed shut with my thumb smashed in the works.

They got me out of the closed hood.,  My cousin Bonnie, a first-year nursing student , at the time, insisted that I go to the hospital.,  Dad calmly asked if they had a Band-Aid.,  With it he fashioned a “butterfly tie” as he called it.,  They cleaned me up, he applied the tie and I was put down on their guest bed with my hand above my head.,  The thumping went on for hours.,  As I glance down at my thumb now, forty-nine years later, I note Dads handiwork.,  He didn’t quite get the end of my thumb back on straight so there is a major indentation. But, it still works!,  Though left-handed, I was able to do my work as clean-up boy at the Jean Frocks dress shop back in Newark the next day.

I learned to drive from Dad instead of the school driver-education teacher and got my license about ten days after my sixteenth birthday.,  During the early days of my driving though, Dad was instructing me from the right side seat of my old, green,  33 Plymouth.,  On this particular day we arrived at the end of Bowers Avenue with me going a little too fast to make the corner.,  I froze on the wheel unsure of whether to go straight ahead or to try to turn.,  Dad began yelling, “Turn it! Turn it!.”   Crash!   I went on across the corner and knocked down the sign to the photography studio of Shirley Childrens parents.,  The impact knocked the left support off my front bumper and it fell, unceremoniously onto the curbing.,  Dad got under the wheel and drove the car down the street slowly as I walked carrying the end of the bumper–right past Shirleys house.,  I liked her but was fairly sure the feeling was not mutual and I am certain,  this escapade didn’t add anything to my image.

The Later Years

In 1952, just seven years after Dad came home, I joined the Navy Reserve at Port Columbus using Dads old uniforms to trade for some that fit me.,  Some time later I was taken on active duty and was transferred to Glenview Naval Air Station near Chicago.,  Hence, my “combat” during the Korean Conflict was with a typewriter in a Navy mail office.,  I found Christ as my Savior through the witness of Christian buddies and knew I must win my mother to the Lord.,  Thank God she was saved before long and I finally got up enough courage to face Dad with the claims of Christ.,  Obviously Dad was a strong and decisive man and I wasnt sure what to expect.,  Really, I expected extreme anger.,  Was I surprised!

Sitting at our kitchen table, Mother on my right, Dad on the left, while at home on leave, I took my dad on with the witness of Christ.,  After a few minutes going through the gospel, to my astonishment, Dad began to weep.,  Then he, in very manly fashion told me and Mother that he knew what I was talking about and that he had been saved at the Old Methodist church in Chatham when he was twelve years old.,  No one, that he remembered, had dealt with him at the altar and he seemed to attribute that fact to his lack of growth all these years.,  “Dad,” I thought to myself, “if you were saved during all the years we were growing up, it was a well-guarded secret!”

Dad, as well as the rest of us, had taken,  part in the activities of St. Pauls Lutheran Church in Newark during our growing-up years.   We kids and Dad sang in the choir.,  All three of us took catechism classes and were in church every Sunday.,  In later years Dad taught our pastor to hunt rabbits with him.,  But, the gospel was not preached and we all had to find the Lord, through His grace, from others who knew and witnessed for Him.

From that day at the kitchen table, when Dads tears fell softly to the old oil cloth,,  to the day of his,  death, he was a changed man.   After I was released from the Navy we were able to help Mother and Dad get into a good Bible-preaching church under godly Pastor and Mrs. H. E. Doyle, at Pine Street Christian Union Church, just one block from Bowers Avenue.   In a couple of years Dad got the victory over the cigarette habit, became a trustee at the church and grew strongly in the Lord.

In 1964, while visiting us in our pastorate in Michigan, Dad confessed to me that he believed God was calling him to the ministry.,  He and I immediately began a two-year study course with a core library of about twenty-five books I recommended.,  I had never dreamed that one of my earliest tasks after graduating from seminary would be to teach my dad to be a pastor.,  Gods grace is truly amazing!

During most of the last years Dad lived he pastored Linnville Christian Union Church, worked his way to ordination in 1967, raised Hereford beef cattle on the farm they bought while I was in college,,  and continued his romance with the things of nature. Dad had a name for each of the 47 white-faced cows and steers he raised.   It was common for Dad to pile off his old tractor to pick up a four-leafed clover twenty feet away.,  He had amazing eyesight.,  He loved to play with snakes, which, to show off, he would thread around his body when horrified bystanders were watching.,  On one occasion a six foot black snake was on the side of the house one day when we were all present.,  This time the snake was big enough for him to pluck it off the house and fashion a knot at the front of his waist using Mr. Snake s unfortunate body and head!

Over the years of Dads younger adulthood he had a very short temper.,  I have seen him advance on men over some argument or traffic altercation.,  If they didn’t back down he would begin pulling them out of their vehicle until they apologized or sped away.,  Today he would probably be shot.,  Thank God, after he began living for Christ he displayed the heart of a child.,  His previous capacity to tell dirty stories was replaced by the keenest of memories for funny songs like “The Big Rock Candy Mountain” and good clean jokes.

Finally, after seventeen years fulfilling his mothers prophecy that one of her boys would be a minister, Dads body began to run down.,  His great heart began to fail.,  He grew tired from simple tasks in stark contrast to his zest for backbreaking work in the past.,  Short jaunts with his modest fishing boat became fewer and fewer.   Near the end, our son-in-law, himself an avid out-of-doors-man, found Dad sitting against a tree in very cold weather, out on a deer crossing.,  Dad was unable to rise from his position.,  Jim probably saved his life that day.,  Knowing Dad as I do, he would not have minded going to sleep in a woods he loved so dearly “to meet Jesus,” as Dad would have put it.

Honorable Christian gentleman, great talker and listener, deeply faithful to my mother, gutsy and humorous,  preacher that he was, Dad spoke from a stool to his prayer meeting group on Wednesday October 8, 1980 for what was to be the last time.,  Shortly after, he was hospitalized for the final       time. Dads heart failure was complete.,  I walked slowly down the hallway to the nursing station in the Newark Hospital and, speaking for the family, agreed with the medical team that is was time to let Dad go.,  At the prayer meeting hour on October 22, 1980, the greatest man I ever knew slipped out of this life into the presence of His Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.,  If there is nature to explore in Heaven the old champion berry picker, hunter, fisherman and student of Gods creation is sure to be on the job when I get there.,  I love you, Dad.,  Ill never forget you.

Most passengers in a motorcar, I believe, appreciate a driver who is thoughtful of them. In fact, I honestly believe safety itself is a good reason to practice smooth driving. In this day of gasolines astronomical price rise, I am sure your fuel efficiency will improve, too, with the mastery of some simple but important principles of smooth driving.

First, lets talk about motion. A sure sign of either an inexperienced or thoughtless driver portrays itself as the driver approaches a stop light or sign. When the driver toes the brake to a stop and holds firmly to the pedal to the absolute stop, the auto will lurch, at least slightly. If you are coming down from a higher rate of speed and “pin” the brake pedal this lurch will be very pronounced. The forward motion of passengers (and the driver too, of course) will tend to continue as the vehicle beneath them lurches to a stop. That rocking back and forth, to me, creates the feeling that I am part of a rodeo on the receiving end of what is being dished out by a contrary horse! There is a better way.

With a little practice, during routine stops, the driver can let up the brake pedal, ever so slightly, just before complete stop. You will still come to a complete stop but the motion will be absorbed as you ease the brake and the passengers will experience a smooth ride during your stop.

The same is true as you accelerate. I have ridden with enough of those who practice “pedal to the metal” acceleration away from a light to wonder if they believe the purpose of the head rest is to prohibit the snapping off of the heads of the passengers. This is probably the single most expensive bad habit you can develop as a driver.

Fuel efficiency drops dramatically as the RPMs (revolutions of the engine per minute) spike. Two other bad things happen in this case as well. First, every engine has only so many RPMs available in its life. Wear on piston rings, rod and main bearings plus cylinder wear all contribute to the eventual demise of the engine. In a sense, the more you ask from an engine determines the length of its life. Secondly, greater stress on the rest of the autos systems will come into play. What starts must stop with respect to driving in traffic. Constant unnecessary use of the brake pedal places excessive wear on brake pads and linings and, to a lesser degree, the whole brake system. Remember what the man in the car care commercial said? “You can pay me now or you can pay me later.” Car work is expensive. Why not pay later? The whole drive train, especially the expensive transmission, is adversely affected by “jack rabbit” driving. Ugh!

The automobile I presently own, my wife and I bought used as a “one owner.” Every sign I could read of the car from its past told me it had received good care. Since I bought the car four years ago I have taken it to 159,000 miles from the 95,000 it had at the time. With just the decent maintenance we have given it, today you can barely hear the engine run. It burns no oil between changes. “Why is that?” you ask. The primary reason, I believe, is that I avoid high RPMs as I drive. Not only do I not drive at excessive speeds, I keep the engine turning at ample but not unnecessarily high speeds through the lower gears.

A driver can also contribute to the comfort of his passengers by paying careful attention to the grade you are on. As you round a curve and note a drop or rise in the grade, as you continue through that grade, you can minimize the discomfort of centrifugal force by alert driving. Stay within your own lane, of course, but practice “driving across the curve” you are approaching. That is, minimize the amount of “turn” you must place on the wheel. By dropping down to the bottom of the curve as the pitch of the roadway becomes more pronounced, you can gradually give way to the higher side with less effect upon your passengers (and yourself). The reverse is also true. As I said, stay within your own lane. But, most roadways are wide enough for a little latitude. Use it. None of your passengers will notice your thoughtfulness enough to say so, probably. But, if they have to “hold on for dear life” because you are ignorant or thoughtless of a few ways to enhance their comfort, you may hear about it.

Have a safe and happy drive!