Faith

How do I know? Anything for that matter. It involves a certain amount of trust. I believe the grass is green in May because I trust my eyes that saw it, my memory that remembers it, the lessons on chlorophyll that explain it to me, the poem books that rave about it, and countless human beings who have made reference to it.  Granted, in South America grass may be green in November, so I may have to qualify my assumption, but most of the time I don't bother. I just accept it. Healthy grass should be green during the growing season. That's the nature of grass. I don't have to live in a state of constant doubt and verification attempts. I just believe it.

Everything we know is the same. There is no one way of knowledge. We build. We rest  on past assumptions that held water. There is no need to blow up everything and begin anew, and if we try to go that route, we end up bleeding, confused, and no nearer the answer than we were.

Is there a God. Yes. What language did He speak? Well, DNA, for one. It's a complex living program more intricate than the finest code our programers have seen, and they, more than anyone should realize that code can't randomly make itself and function. Messed up code brings the program to a halt. Do we see glitches? Sure. We see where things went wrong and were replicated that way, but we also see the "how they should be" sitting right there above it...to the extent that we can repair some of it and are learning every day how to fix the rest.

There is a God.
So how do I know?
I am drawn to find Him. There is something within me that wants to know Him, and feels secure that I have found Him. That's intuition.
How do I know?
I am pushed to find Him. There is a world without that defies explanation in the absence of Him. That's reasoning.
How do I know?
I trust my memory--a thousand times He nudged me to an answer and reassured me in times of fear and frustration. That's experience.
How do I know? I trust the witness of thousands who have embraced Him and lived; I've listened, read their testimonies, and seen the difference in the lives of those who tried to follow Him closely compared with those who didn't. That's culture.
How do I know? I've seen miracles. And I've heard of amazing incidents in the lives of my grandparents and parents. Was I there? No. But I know these people. They never lied to me. Why should they lie about their faith, to which they held fast until we buried them in hope of resurrection day. That's testimony.
How do I know?
I trust the scriptures...internal evidence, external evidence, the historicity and veracity of narrative and prophecy. I'm not going into all that this morning. But I will say that I never study the scriptures without a sense of the value they impart to me.  I watch the impact of their presence in lives and civilizations. I believe they bring revelation. What men do with that is their own choice.

Simple. Sure. I agree. If you want complicated theses on the subject, there are countless very good books. Your mind will follow whatever you keep reading and you have a choice to feed the doubt or feed the faith. I choose faith. And I feel very confident about that choice.

Nothing but the Truth...Senior Play

The seniors just finished performing their fall play, "Nothing but the Truth",  by Philip J. Anderson. I've posted the introduction to the program as a favor to them...just a little something to help them remember it always...or at least as long as the internet keeps this record.

Welcome to a cruise aboard an impressive ship:  "The Deja Vu". 

The year is 1913. Passengers are wary of ocean crossings for the name "Titanic" still makes everyone nervous. 

David McNeely and his younger sister Mary are on their way to China, where Mary plans to serve as a missionary. 

 


The beautiful Miss Kate Miller immediately catches David’s eye and aspires to capture his friendship as well.   

 
Of course, a stunning beauty like Kate cannot help but attract the attention of other eligible bachelors aboard the ship. Pete Jones soon singles her out and attempts a conversation. 

The room stewardesses, Stella  and Phoebe, work hard at making everyone aboard  less nervous about the trip.

Not all passengers are easy to please. Take Mr. Walter Elias and his determined wife Lillian. They are involved in a plot more sinister than sabotage: Finding a husband for their young ward and passenger.   

Their ward, Paulette Cartier, is a young French girl returning to her native Paris after having spent four years at the university in America.  

The captain of this cruise ship, Werner Krause, calmly hosts his nervous passengers, reassuring  them with pleasant conversation and invitations to dine at his table in the exquisitely decorated dining room. 

Our final member of the cast is the manager of that dining room, an opportunistic and pragmatic young waiter. 

So board this ship with us for the next few minutes. Ride along as we sail into the perilous Atlantic. The senior students extend to you a special invitation.

We're still recovering from all the late night practices and from the performances, but if you missed it, I'm sorry. It was wonderful fun to watch.

 

A Medical Mystery

Recently, my father bought a Portable Combustible Gas Leak Detector so he could check for leaks in one of his rent houses. Because my dad is a curious man, forever wondering about things, he blew into the flexible probe and was immediately surprised by the alarm going off. In fact the level of combustible gas in the air coming out of his lungs was over the top level. All the lights were on and the static-sounding alert went crazy. Perplexed, he took the machine home and asked others to try to set it off. Nobody could get even a crackle out of it or a flash of light.

Since Dad's been having gastrointestinal issues for some time, he had a doctor's visit scheduled for the following Monday. Carrying the device into the office, he showed the internist what happens every time he blows into it:  alarms go off.  The nurses in the office all blew into it with no effect. The doctor didn't know what was going on.  So I'm asking for help. Does anyone out there know what this might mean? I've seen a couple of possibilities, but I'd really appreciate more suggestions, since this might be very beneficial in solving his health issues.

Here is a list of the gases measured by the device: Acetone, Acetylene, Benzene, Butane, Ethanol, Ethylene Oxide, Gasoline, Hexane, Hydrogen, Industrial Solvents, Methane, Paint Thinners, Propane, Natural Gas, and Naptha.