Charlie's Journey's Journal

Now on the first day of the week Mary Magdalene came early to the tomb, while it was still dark, and saw the stone already taken away from the tomb.   So she ran and came to Simon Peter and to the other disciple whom Jesus loved, and said to them, “They have taken away the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid Him.”   So Peter and the other disciple went forth, and they were going to the tomb. (John 20:1-3) Can you imagine Peter’s thoughts as he was heading to the tomb:  Could it be true?  Just how wonderful would that be?  Didn’t we hear Him say something about that?  I imagine that Peter’s mind was going a thousand miles another, but I can’t help but believe there was another thought – maybe even the most prevalent thought – this means that I will get another chance!  The bravado Peter showed early Thursday evening had turned to cowardice by Friday morning and he denied that he even knew ...

There is adage that states, “The more things change, the more they stay the same.”.  The reason for this retrospective of pithiness comes from a question I was recently asked about Christian observances of Old Testament laws and regulations.  This issue has been a challenge for the church since its inception in the First Century and continues receive attention today.  While there are several regulations that pop-up, the two most common are “Sabbath Day” worship and dietary prohibitions.  In essence, why do we worship on the first day of the week (rather than on Saturday) and why do we eat foods such as pork, catfish and shellfish?  We don’t have the space for an depth study, but here is a brief synopsis for why we do what we do: Sunday Worship :   I believe that the concept of sabbath days worship is a bit of a misnomer.   The idea behind the sabbath was not a day of worship, rather it was a day of rest.   Exodus 20:8-9 states, “Remember the...

The other night we watched On Her Majesty’s Secret Service featuring Bond, James Bond.  This is an interesting entry in the Bond franchise:  first, because Bond gets married in the film and second, because it featured George Lazenby in his only appearance as Bond.  To me, there is only one genuine James Bond (Roger Moore), but in reality over a half a dozen men have appeared in the role.  Depending upon your age and your personality, you probably have your own favorite.  The reason for this movie trivia is to make a point about “roles”.   In many situations multiple people can fill the same role.   Even one of the most particular roles in our nation, our president, has featured over three dozen men who have occupied the position.   Yet, there is one role that is so unique that it can only be occupied only one – our Savior.   The role of Savior is a blend of two characteristics often described as God incarnate.   In essence:   ...

King Solomon wrote, “ Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before stumbling .” (Proverbs 16:18).  History shows an addendum to this proverb ... pride can also precede a foolish injury.  In his book, “Henry Clay:  The Essential American” David Heidler describes a time when the man who would later become known as “The Great Compromiser” initiated a duel with Humphrey Marshall.  What began as political differences eventually turned personal and on January 19, 1809 Clay and Marshall squared off to duel with pistols.  On the first shot, Clay escaped injury while Marshall was grazed.  This wasn’t good enough to abate each man’s ego, so they loaded and fired again ... this time Marshall missed and Clay’s gun misfired.  Still not satisfied, the duel finally ended after the third attempt when Clay missed, but Marshall struck Clay in the leg.  Nineteenth Century society might have called this “avenging a man’s honor”, but pride and arroganc...

Have you noticed how many people are wanting to tell us what to think?  Everywhere we turn someone is informing us what is correct – often, in direct conflict of what someone else has said.  Interestingly, this is not just a modern problem, it is something that has been going on since the beginning of time.  Thankfully, this age-old problem has produced some very insightful observations from the Bible.  Here are a few gems mined from the Old Testament:  Proverbs 14:8 - The wisdom of the sensible is to understand his way, but the foolishness of fools is deceit.   Proverbs 14:15 - The naive believes everything, but the sensible man considers his steps.   Proverbs 21:2 - Every man’s way is right in his own eyes, but the Lord weighs the hearts.   Proverbs 12:15 - The way of a fool is right in his own eyes, but a wise man is he who listens to counsel.   Isaiah 55:8 - “For My thoughts are not your thoughts,...

It had been several years since refrigerator art had hung on our appliance, but over the past couple of years it has made a comeback.  In fact, the artwork created by little people is not confined to the Amana – I find it in my jacket pockets, Bibles, car seats and office drawers.  Most of the masterpieces are the work of our granddaughters, but I will occasionally find a priceless piece created by the children of this church.  I love these renderings and I feel honored when someone gives me a picture, but I don’t always recognize what they depict.  The  designs, colors, spelling and symbols make perfect sense to the artist, but I have to admit that, periodically, I need to swallow my pride and ask “Oh, thank you!  What is this?”.  I have learned to be gracious when the child looks at me like I am a simpleton and explains that it is a beautiful flower ... or even more embarrassing, when it is their artistic interpretation of how I look to them. ...