Date of common ancestor determined?

I read a recent on-line article about science journalist Steve Olson, who has developed a computer program to determine how far back we would have to go to find a common ancestor for all people. Taking into account population changes over time, accepted past population growth rates, and a range of migration rates, Olson and his co-laborers determined that we would have to go back 5,000 to 7,000 years to find this single common ancestor!

Interestingly, if you go through the Bible and take note of the dates throughout, Adam and Eve would have walked this earth about 5,000 to 7,000 years ago. Makes you think, doesn't it?

Being a Christian in difficult work environments

One of the most difficult thing for many people is being a Christian in a work environment that is decidedly anti-Christian or that at least seems to reward approaches and activities that are un-Christian. The pressures on the Christian who works at home are real but far less than the pressures on the Christian who works in a situation that discourages a "black and white" ethic in favor of a "shades of gray" ethic. Among the professions that would fall into the latter category would have to be professional sports.

That's why it is so refreshing to see guys like Lovie Smith (coach of the Bears) and Tony Dungy (coach of the Colts) rising to the top in the NFL (their teams square off next weekend in the Super Bowl). Both these guys are professing Christians and publicly acknowledge this fact and, apparently, have coached and lived according to the Christian ethic they profess. In a recent article on the World Magazine website, Dungy is quoted as pointing to this aspect of Smith's life:

"He's [Coach Smith] going to get [to the Super Bowl] with a lot of class and no profanity," Dungy said...."We can show that not only can an African-American do it, but also Christian coaches can do it." (Click here for the full article, http://www.worldmag.com/articles/12639.)

I, for one, am pleased to see it. Christian coaches striving for and achieving success without compromising their Christianity in the process!

Demolition of Fellowship Hall

On Monday, we began the process of tearing down parts of the storm-battered downtown facility. The small and detached office building behind the main facility came down on Monday afternoon. Yesterday, the fellowship hall, which the storm had left without a roof or ceiling, was torn down. It has been difficult to see this work begin. Please pray for the congregation throughout this process.

We will be salvaging many items from the facility to use (when possible) in our new facility or for congregation members and friends to keep for themselves. Currently, we are trying to salvage the steeple and bell (and to re-use them, in some way, on the new facility), the monument, the top-piece of the pulpit, the library conference table, the brass chandeliers, the balcony pews, the balcony windows and shutters, the parlor fireplace mantle, and the letters across the front of the sanctuary (the ones that read “First Presbyterian Church”).

Admittedly, some of these items will not be able to be re-used. We may only be able to keep one or two of certain things to serve as “memorial stones” (Josh. 4:20-24)—along with the chapel pews that are now in the church office—so that when future generations ask “What do these ‘stones’ mean?” we’ll be able to tell them about the Lord’s redemptive work over the entire 108 years of the congregation’s history and, specifically, how He spared us, provided for us, and blessed us abundantly after Hurricane Katrina!

Service of thanksgiving and remembrance

On Sunday, we held our much-anticipated service of thanksgiving and remembrance and looked back over the last 42 years of the church's history and ahead to what the Lord has in store for us next. There were testimonies by long-time members (dating back to 1949), by members who have since moved away, and by former ministers. At the end, the bell chimed for the last time at the downtown location. Thank you for your prayers and encouragement.

If you'd like to read more about it, you can click on the following link and see what the Sun Herald had to say about it (http://www.sunherald.com/mld/sunherald/news/local/16516225.htm).

Sunday's service of thanksgiving and remembrance

This morning's local paper carried an article about the church and the special service of thanksgiving and remembrance that we are having on Sunday afternoon. I thought I'd pass along the link so that all can read the article and see the pictures. Pray for our service on Sunday. It will undoubtedly be a difficult time for many as we close this chapter in the church's history. Although the church has only been in its current facility for 42 of its 108 years, it has worshiped on the corner of Hwy 90 and 24th Avenue since 1922. We pray the Lord will continue to pour out His blessing upon our church for at least the next 108 years (or until the Lord comes!).

http://www.sunherald.com/mld/sunherald/16495323.htm

Upcoming Events

Just to let you know, if you are local, to tune in to your radios to American Family Radio (91.7 FM) at 4 pm today for an interview with Kendall Turnage and myself about the church and our upcoming Service of Thanksgiving and Remembrance.

Also, there should be forthcoming an article on the church in the Sun-Herald newspaper on Friday (I think), which will discuss our special service on Sunday and the fact that we are closing a very important chapter of our history on the beachfront and embarking on a new and exciting one together further north. We had a great time yesterday doing the interview with Jean Prescott in my office. The interview included myself and Joe and Elaine Brown, Paul and Sara Newton, Crockett Lindsey, and Butch and Linda Jordan. Look for it!

Make it a point to join us on Sunday morning at the Bayou View Elementary School gym at 11am and on Sunday afternoon at the downtown facility at 3pm.

The latest in free will

I recently read a newspaper article on the question of whether or not we, as humans, actually have free will. The article cited a scientific study that has been repeated over and over again ever since, in which volunteers' brains were wired up to an electroencephalogram to monitor their brain activity as they made several random choices and actions. The findings were that the brain signals associated with the random actions and choices occurred 0.5 seconds before the individual was conscious of making that decision to act. In other words, as the article states, "the conscious brain was only playing catch-up to what the unconscious brain was already doing."

I find this very interesting in light of the debate over free will and the two main views of free will--Co-operationism and Pre-motionism. Whereas Co-operationism says that God cooperates with human action and decision in bringing an event to pass (i.e., both God and man work independently but cooperatively to bring an event to pass), Pre-motionism says that God first "pre-moves" the human individual to act or to choose and then cooperates with that decision in bringing things to pass (i.e., man is dependent upon God's "premotion" before he wills or acts of his own free choice).

Although both the co-operationist and the pre-motionist claim to believe in God's sovereignty and in man's free will, the co-operationist position emphasizes human free will to a greater degree than God's sovereignty, whereas the pre-motionist emphasizes God's sovereignty to a greater degree than man's free will.

The interesting thing about the newspaper article is that the recent scientific findings would appear to favor the pre-motionist position over the co-operationist position. In other words, the study seems to support the Calvinist belief that even in mundane random actions and events, God is sovereign, and that NOTHING happens or is decided apart from God's sovereign "pre-moving." Or, as the Westminster Confession states, "God from all eternity did, by the most wise and holy counsel of His own will, freely, and unchangeably ordain whatsoever comes to pass."

Comments?

King Henry V and our situation

One of our elders and I were discussing the church situation here after the hurricane and all that we have been through and are now facing in the future late into the night last night. He reminded me of King Henry V's famous speech to Westmoreland before the Battle at Agincourt. We looked it up and read it together. And I wanted to share it with you this morning.

You remember the scene in the English camp: the Dukes of Gloucester, Bedford, and Exeter, and the Earls of Salisbury and Westmoreland, were discussing how they were outnumbered five to one and were growing discouraged, when Westmoreland says to the king, "O that we now had here but one ten thousand of those men in England that do no work to-day!"

The king's response?

"What's he that wishes so? My cousin Westmoreland? No, my fair cousin; if we are mark'd to die, we are enough to do our country loss; and if to live, the fewer men, the greater share of honour. God's will! I pray thee, wish not one man more.
"By Jove, I am not covetous for gold, nor care I who doth feed upon my cost; it yearns me not if men my garments wear; such outward things dwell not in my desires. But if it be a sin to covet honour, I am the most offending soul alive. No, faith, my coz, wish not a man from England. God's peace! I would not lose so great an honour as one man more methinks would share from me for the best hope I have. O, do not wish one more!
"Rather proclaim it, Westmoreland, through my host, that he which hath no stomach to this fight, let him depart; his passport shall be made, and crowns for convoy put into his purse; we would not die in that man's company that fears his fellowship to die with us.
"This day is call'd the feast of Crispian. He that outlives this day, and comes safe home, will stand a tip-toe when this day is nam'd, and rouse him at the name of Crispian. He that shall live this day, and see old age, will yearly on the vigil feast his neighbours, and say 'To-morrow is Saint Crispian'. Then will he strip his sleeve and show his scars, and say 'These wounds I had on Crispian's day'. old men forget; yet all shall be forgot, but he'll remember, with advantages, what feats he did that day. Then shall our names, familiar in his mouth as household words--Harry the King, Bedford and Exeter, Warwick and Talbot, Salisbury and Gloucester--be in their flowing cups freshly rememb'red.
"This story shall the good man teach his son; and Crispin Crispian shall ne'er go by, from this day to the edning of the world, but we in it shall be remembered--we few, we happy few, we band of brothers; for he to-day that sheds his blood with me shall be my brother; be he ne'er so vile, this day shall gentle his condition; and gentlemen in England now a-bed shall think themselves accurs'd they were not here, and hold their manhoods cheap whiles any speaks that fought with us upon Saint Crispin's day."

The outcome of the battle?

The English won; ten thousand French were killed.

King Henry's response to the victory?

"O God, thy arm was here! And not to us, but to thy arm alone, ascribe we all. . . . Let there be sung 'Non nobis' [i.e., Psalm 115:1, "Not unto us O Lord but unto your name be all glory"] and 'Te Deum' [i.e., Te Deum laudamus, which means, we praise you O God]."

Insurance payout awarded

Today, as many of you may know by now, the U.S. District court in Gulfport ruled that State Farm is liable to pay a Biloxi family $232,000 for damage caused by the hurricane plus another $2.5 million in punitive damages. Apparently, State Farm was found guilty of rejecting this family's claim without properly investigating it. Thus the big payout.

As happy as I am for the family, and others like them who may also receive compensation for their losses (and, believe me, I am thrilled, because there are far too many that have received nothing from their insurance companies despite paying for policies for years and years--and I have spoken with many and seen their pain), I am rather concerned about what this will do to an EXTREMELY fragile insurance situation down here.

I mention this in order to ask you to pray. If ever there was the potential of a win-lose situation, it is here and now. Pray that this won't be a short-term win and a long-term lose, not only for the Coast but for the entire state and country. The implications of this could really be huge for the economy!

Service of Thanksgiving

Sunday, January 21, will mark 42 years to the day since the First Presbyterian Church of Gulfport dedicated its current sanctuary building to the work of the Lord in 1965. And over these last 42 years, the Lord certainly has blessed our church and used many to bring glory to His name.

Hurricane Katrina destroyed our sanctuary and facility (the initial estimate was $4 million to rebuild and, since that time, building costs have nearly doubled!), but it didn't put an end to the ministry of the church. First Presbyterian Church, by God's grace, has remained dedicated to the work of the Lord and, God willing, will continue to for at least the next 42 years.

For all of these reasons, we will be holding a service of remembrance for the past 42 years and of thanksgiving for the next 42. The service will be held on January 21, at 3 pm, in the courtyard of the downtown church facility. Many guests are being invited to join us as we look back and look ahead and praise the Lord together. Please mark the date on your calendar and stand with us in giving thanks to our great God and Savior! And soli Deo gloria!

Screwtape Letters

I have just started re-reading C.S. Lewis' The Screwtape Letters, a collection of fictitious letters from Screwtape, a senior devil in Satan's "organization," to his nephew Wormwood, a junior grade devil who is charged with keeping his "patient" (a human) from becoming a Christian (and, thus, going over to the side of the "Enemy"). Although the book was written back in the early 1940s, it contains some profound insights into the human psyche and our culture.

In Screwtape's first letter to Wormwood, he advises him to keep his "patient" from thinking, because, if he thinks, he is more likely to become a Christian and convert to the side of the Enemy. Rather, Wormwood is to keep his senses bombarded with images in rapid succession. (Note: this was written before TV had become what it is today! How much more would Screwtape speak these words today!) This is what Screwtape says:

"By the very act of arguing, you awake the patient's reason; and once it is awake, who can foresee the result? Even if a particular train of thought can be twisted so as to end in our favour, you will find that you have been strengthening in your patient the fatal habit of attending to universal issues and withdrawing his attention from the stream of immediate sense experiences. Your business is to fix his attention on the stream. Teach him to call it 'real life' and don't let him ask what he means by 'real.'

"You begin to see the point?....[Humans] find it all but impossible to believe in the unfamiliar [i.e., the abstract and universal] while the familiar [i.e., the concrete and particular] is before their eyes. Keep pressing home on him the ordinariness of things. Above all, do not attempt to use science (I mean the real sciences) as a defence against Christianity. They will positively encourage him to think about realities he can't touch and see [i.e., the abstract and universal]....If he must dabble in science, keep him on economics and sociology; don't let him get away from that invaluable 'real life.' But the best of all is to let him read no science but to give him a grand general idea that he knows it all..."

New Year's Resolutions

I would like to wish everyone a Happy New Year...and, since this is the time of year in which folks meditate upon (and embark upon) resolutions for the new year, I thought I would share my latest newsletter article for those of you who haven't been able to read it. It outlines several possible New Year's resolutions that we, as Christians, could adopt as our own in 2007. Here goes:

2007 Christian Resolutions
1. Resolve to know your Bible better. Commit yourself to a daily reading plan that will allow you to read the Bible through in a year (1 Tim. 4:7-8); to studying a portion of the Bible in greater depth; and to memorizing key Bible passages (Ps. 119:11). How can His Word be a light unto our path and a lamp unto our feet if we don’t even know it?

2. Resolve to approach the world each day Biblically, that is, to think through the issues of each day one by one according to what the Bible says and teaches rather than just accepting what the world says and does (Rom. 12:2). Take time to examine everything you do and say, and hold it up to the light of Scripture.

3. Resolve to seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness rather than running after material things like food, clothing, and the accumulation of possessions (Matt. 6:25-34).

4. Resolve to lead your family in worshiping the Lord each day (Josh. 24:15b). One of the biggest reasons why the church is so insignificant in Europe is because of a failure here. Children have grown up and have rejected the God of their fathers, because their fathers chose not to teach them about Him.

5. Resolve not to be like the priest or the Levite but, rather, like the Samaritan, in Jesus’ parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:25-37). Reach out to those whom God places in your path.

6. Resolve to be Christ-like in your behavior. Instead of claiming your rights and prerogatives, choose to lay them down and serve others in humility (Phil. 2:5-8).

7. Resolve to grow in your prayer life. Set aside a certain time each day to be by yourself in prayer. Besides your own needs and those of your family, you can also pray for the church; for the members of the church (by praying through the membership roll); or for one non-Christian friend or family member each month to become a Christian (Eph. 6:18-19).

8. Resolve to grow in your understanding of the Christian faith. One way to do this is to become more regular in attending Sunday school, church, and Sunday night Bible studies (Heb. 5:12-6:2).

9. Resolve to put feet to your faith. One way to do this is to get involved in our Camp Hope ministry by coming out on Wednesday evenings and/or by volunteering one day a week or a month to work alongside our out-of-town volunteers in rebuilding people’s homes and lives (Phil. 2:12-13).

10. Resolve to disciple at least one other person either within the congregation or outside of it, with the goal of investing in that person’s life so that he/she grows spiritually (Heb. 10:24-5).

11. Resolve to use your gifts by serving in one of the many ministries of the church (Eph. 4:8-16): Camp Hope, youth ministry, music ministry, media ministry, men’s ministry, women’s ministry, LAMBs (Limited Activity MemBers) ministry, 3M’s ministry (More Mature Members), children’s ministry; or by serving as an elder or deacon.

Well, that should be enough to get us started. If anyone would like more information on anything mentioned above, please call or email my office.

Let me end with a quote from the late James Montgomery Boice that may give us some motivation in our pursuit of godliness: "I believe that if America could produce a generation of Christians who genuinely affirm and live by these teachings [i.e., Jesus' teachings that we must deny ourselves and take up our crosses and follow Him (Luke 9:23) and that our righteousness must surpass that of the Pharisees (Matthew 5:20)], that generation by the power of God could transform the world."

May we strive to be just this generation in the new year!

Bothered by Leaders

This morning I read of Nick Saban's announcement to leave the Miami Dolphins to become the new head coach of the Alabama Crimson Tide. Even though, as an Auburn fan, I'm disappointed to see a coach of Saban's caliber go to my archrival, I must say that my disappointment in seeing the announcement is mostly due to the deception that has surrounded it.

You see, Saban specifically and explicitly gave his commitment to Miami that he would do what it would take to turn that program around (and was given carte blanche authority do so too!), and he specifically and explicitly said publicly just over one week ago that he would not be leaving Miami for Alabama under any circumstances. Now, I understand that this was said to the press, who is starved for information in what probably should be a private decision, and I understand that it may actually be the best decision for him and for his family to leave Miami (and not just from a financial point of view). But why say anything at all about it publicly? Why give your commitment if you're not going to keep it? Why give your word if you're going to break it the very next week?

It bothers me, because it reeks of what is wrong in our day and time. No commitment. No honor. No integrity. No doing the right thing. It bothers me, because Saban is a leader with a lot of influence in our sports-crazed world. What is this "leader" teaching us? He's teaching our young people (and our old people) that it's okay to lie; it's okay to deceive; it's okay to break your word; it's okay to put yourself ahead of everything else. Can't we expect more from our leaders? Shouldn't we expect more? It also bothers me, because Saban is reputed to be a Christian (I think he's Roman Catholic). And, as such, he's teaching people that there is no difference between Christians and the world. He's teaching everyone that there is no difference in the way that a Christian approaches the world and the way that a non-Christian does so, when the Bible overtly teaches us the exact opposite.

I'm reminded of how this is so unlike Winston Churchill's famous line in his speech to the House of Commons as the nation braced for WWII: "Let us therefore brace ourselves to our duty, and so bear ourselves that, if the British Empire and its Commonwealth lasts for a thousand years, men will still say, 'This was their finest hour.'"

And, lest anyone think I'm being less than fair, I must also point out that the circumstances under which Auburn's current head coach left his previous position were equally as problematic. (Although Tuberville may have made amends in the way he responded when the university flew up to Louisville to interview Bobby Petrino.)