Ray Fowler .org

New world. A 65-year-old Polish man has woken up from a 19-year coma. Former railway worker Janek Grzebski fell asleep in a Poland under Communist rule in 1988 and woke up 19 years later to a whole new world. His wife, who fed and cared for him during this time, never gave up hope that her husband would one day recover.

Speed chair. A 21-year-old man in a wheelchair got the ride of his life when he was pushed down the highway by a semi truck at a speed of 50 mph. He had pulled his wheelchair in front of the truck at a gas station, and the handles got stuck in the front grille. The truck driver had no idea that the chair and rider were there until he was pulled over by the police four miles later. The man in the wheelchair was unharmed, but he did spill his soda.

Speeders repent! One Utah minister is taking on speeders and calling them sinners. Police received complaints about minister Alfred Pehl jumping in front of fast cars in his neighborhood, sticking brooms in their way and backing his own car in front of other drivers. Pehl was ticketed for disorderly conduct.

Here are four ways on how to get rid of your pastor (from Richard W. De Haan, Your Pastor and You):

1. Say “Amen!” once in a while, and he’ll preach himself to death.
2. Encourage him and brag on his work, and he’ll probably work himself to death.
3. Offer to help out with the ministry of the church and request the name of a person with whom you could go share the Gospel – your pastor just might die of heart failure.
4. Get the church to unite in prayer for the preacher, and he’ll soon become so effective that a larger church will take him off your hands.

DeHaan concludes the list by saying: “If we terminated more apathy and fewer pastors, we would see greater results.”

Okay, everyone. You’ve read the list. Now go get rid of your pastor!

Related post: You Might Be a Pastor If …

Here is a photo essay from Christianity Today featuring people and hymnals from around the world. The slideshow presents a brief history of hymnals as well as giving you a glimpse into believers from other cultures worshiping the Lord through song. Here is one example:

    Photograph: Jack Popjes from All the World is Singing

The Canela people of Brazil have a 24-hour song cycle and can tell time simply by what song people are singing, says Jack Popjes, who moved there with his wife in the late 1960s. This photo of one of the Canelas’ Bible classes, one in a 70-day string of such meetings, shows the attendees learning a new song. Popjes, ethnomusicologist Tom Avery, and Canela song and dance leader Abilio Tami created a small hymnal in the Canelas’ bafflingly complex musical tradition with lyrics from Scripture.

When I was in high school, I actually considered becoming an ethnomusicologist. I wanted to combine my love of music and worship with missions. For more on worship around the world, check out the International Council of Ethnodoxologists web site. (Now there’s a mouthful!)

The vision of ICE is that Christians from every culture will have the opportunity to express their faith through their own heart music and arts.

To further this vision, we seek to promote the application of insights drawn from the fields of ethnomusicology, worship studies, and other disciplines in Christian ministries worldwide.

HT: Challies.com

If you enjoy listening to audiobooks, you might want to check out this deal. Each month, ChristianAudio.com offers a free audiobook download. This month’s free selection is The Best of Jonathan Edwards’ Sermons (run time 3.5 hours; normally $14.98). Use this coupon code – JUN2007 – to download the book for free this month only. Here is a description from the site:

The Jonathan Edwards trilogy includes three of the most important sermons ever preached on American soil. Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God is maybe the most important and well-known sermon of his, but also included is A Divine and Supernatural Light describing and illuminating what Edwards describes as a supernatural light imparted by God. His farewell sermon was given in June of 1750 and is a commendation to those who are in the Lord’s service, a plea to maintain unity, avoid dissension and false doctrine, and a call to devote themselves to prayer.

All three sermons are good listening, but the farewell sermon is particularly amazing. Edwards preached it at the First Church in Northampton, MA on July 1, 1750 two weeks after being voted out as their pastor. Here are some exerpts:

Continue Reading »

Thinking of buying up lots of forever stamps as an investment for the future? Think again. Slate Magazine published this May 17th article revealing why forever stamps make for a bad long-term investment.

The postal rate climbed 2 cents on Monday, about a month after the United States Postal Service introduced its new “forever” stamp. As of last week, the USPS had sold more than $82 million worth of the forever stamps, which lock in the 41-cent rate for eternity. One man in Pennsylvania walked into a post office and made an $8,000 investment on his own. Should we all be stocking up?

Absolutely not. Since 1971, postal rates have increased more slowly than the actual inflation rate, as measured by the U.S. Consumer Price Index. So, despite the numerous rate hikes over the last 36 years, stamps have actually been getting cheaper. The 20-cent stamp from 1981, for instance, would be equivalent to 45 cents in today’s dollars—which makes today’s rate 10 percent cheaper than it was 26 years ago. Should this historical pattern hold, you’d be paying more for today’s forever stamps than you would for any stamp in the future, no matter how high the rate goes.

The article goes on to explain why this pattern must hold for the future:

In December, President Bush signed the Postal Accountability and Enhancement Act, which ensures that future price increases will be kept below an inflation-based ceiling. In other words, postage hikes will never surpass inflation—and the forever stamp will never become a good investment.

In case you are wondering, the USPS announced the introduction of the forever stamp less than two months after Bush signed the new act into law. And apparently, the USPS is not the first postal agency to cash in on the benefits of forever stamps. Canada introduced them last November, joining a number of other countries including Finland, Israel, the United Kingdom, Belgium, France, Norway, Monaco, and Sweden.

The best time to buy forever stamps is just before an announced rate increase, but not long before.

Well, in honor of the Billy Graham Museum opening in Charlotte, NC today, I thought I would share my story about the day I met Billy Graham in person. (Thank you to those of you who shared your stories here.)

It was 1987, and I was in my first year serving as youth pastor at Calvary Baptist Church, in Burbank CA. This was an interesting position, because at the time, Calvary Baptist was a church without any youth. So, our “youth group” was made up of non-churched teens from the neighborhoods, none of whom had as of yet professed Christ.

I received a call from a woman at Billy Graham’s World Wide Pictures telling me about an advanced screening for their new movie, Caught. They were holding the screening at Universal Studios, and she wanted to know if I would bring my youth group to the screening. She told me that they especially wanted the reactions of non-Christians to the movie, and she asked me to encourage my Christian youth to invite their non-Christian friends. I told her I didn’t actually have any Christians in my youth group, but I would ask them to invite their friends anyways.

The night of the screening was a hoot. My friend Martin and I brought eight teen boys from the neighborhood to the screening. Other church youth groups were arriving by bus, dressed nicely for the occasion, walking quietly and politely in groups to the theater. Our guys were all over the place. They were loud and obnoxious, dressed for the street, running pell-mell here and there, excitedly checking out the grounds of Universal Studios after hours. We stuck out like sore thumbs in an elegant hand gallery.

After we finally gathered them all (and got them to put out their cigarettes), we made our way into the screening theater. It was a first-class theater with high-backed chairs that reclined all the way back. Our guys naturally pushed their way to the front of the theater where they proudly sat down front and center in full view of everybody.

One of them asked me where there was a water fountain. So, instead of releasing him now that we finally had them all together and sitting, I told him I would check. I walked up to a man in the back of the theater who looked official to ask him about the water fountain. He turned out to be Bill Brown, the president of World Wide Pictures at the time.

He asked me my name and said, “I have someone I would like you to meet.” Then he tapped the shoulder of a man who was standing with his back towards us and said, “Billy, I would like you to meet Ray.”

Billy turned around, and sure enough, it was Billy Graham. I had no idea he was even going to be there that night and was caught totally off-guard. I think I managed to squeak out something brilliant like, “Hello. Nice to meet you. I’ve heard you speak.”

Billy shook my hand, smiled at me, and, with a twinkle in his eye, nodded towards the front of the theater. “Are those your boys?” he asked.

I looked to the front of the theater where Martin was doing his best to contain eight overly exuberant boys who were rocking all the way back and up again in their high-backed reclining chairs as fast as they could go. They looked like eight alternating levers in some wildy gyrating machine. I said, “Excuse me,” and raced back to the front of the theater where we finally got the boys calmed down in time for the movie.

So that was the one and only time I got to meet Billy Graham in person. I got the impression he was glad that I had brought my wild “youth group” to the screening, and when he came up front after the movie to talk, he smiled at the whole lot of them. Of course, they were completely freaked out to see this man they had only seen on TV before suddenly standing in front of them talking about Christ. All in all it was a great night, and definitely one for the youth pastor books.

Feel free to share any more Billy Graham stories you might have in the comments section!

Related articles:

• Billy Graham – The Song
• Ruth Bell Graham – Poems
• A Quote from Billy and a Quote from Ruth
• Billy Graham Museum Opens in Charlotte, NC

Well, it’s not quite the Holodeck, but it still sounds pretty interesting. Has anyone ever heard about the Visualization Portal at UCLA before? I came across this in some reading this weekend.

A 40-seat theater with up-to-date virtual reality technologies located on the 5th floor of the Math Science Building, the facility is literally a portal into other times, places, and experiences. The Portal is used for both instruction and research, and has particular foci on Historical Architectural Monuments, Scientific Visualizations and Digital Technologies for the Performance Arts …

The historical architectural models shown in the Portal are an experiment in using virtual reality to recreate a place and time that no longer exist. Used both for research and instruction, there are currently 42 models under development to improve the understanding of the original historical site and to develop new applications that will ultimately heighten the research and instruction experiences.

Rhett Smith shares about his experience touring the Second Temple in the Visualizaton Portal. (The Second Temple was the reconstructed Temple in Jerusalem which stood between 516 BC and 70 AD. Solomon’s Temple, also known as the First Temple, was destroyed in 586 BC.)

Bel Air Presbyterian attender and UCLA Chair for the Department of Near Eastern Languages and Cultures Bill Schniedewind was our host, as he walked us through the Second Temple. In just that short time the Bible was brought to life for me in ways that I could not have imagined. I have been to Israel, Syria and Jordan before, but even being there in person didn’t compare to walking through the Second Temple in practical “virtual reality.” Dr. Schniedewind also walked us through Qumran and the Dead Sea Scrolls which was also very, very fascinating.

You can view a sample video of the Portal here. The video takes you on a brief virtual reality tour of the Second Temple, the Coliseum, Port Royal, the Roman Forum, and of course a virtual UCLA campus. The video also includes samples from some of the scientific visualizations such as simulations of the creation of the universe, weather models, antibodies, etc. This sounds like a fascinating project and well worth a visit if you are ever in the area.

Yesterday’s message was the seventh in the Doing Church Together series from the book of 1 Timothy. The message was called, Choosing Qualified Deacons, taken from 1 Timothy 3:8-13.

1 Timothy 3:8-13 8 Deacons, likewise, are to be men worthy of respect, sincere, not indulging in much wine, and not pursuing dishonest gain. 9 They must keep hold of the deep truths of the faith with a clear conscience. 10 They must first be tested; and then if there is nothing against them, let them serve as deacons.
11 In the same way, their wives are to be women worthy of respect, not malicious talkers but temperate and trustworthy in everything.
12 A deacon must be the husband of but one wife and must manage his children and his household well. 13 Those who have served well gain an excellent standing and great assurance in their faith in Christ Jesus. (NIV)

The main idea of the message was that we should choose qualified elders to lead the church. Here is a brief recap of the message:

Elders and deacons fulfill different roles in the church. Elders provide the spiritual leadership and teaching for the church; deacons serve the church in more physical ways. A similar distinction of ministry is found in the Old Testament with the priests and the Levites. We also find this two-fold distinction of ministry in Acts 6. Both are ministry, and both are vitally important. They are just different ways to serve. The elders serve by leading and teaching. The deacons serve in ways that free the elders to focus on the spiritual leadership of the church.

What are the qualifications for a deacon?

1) A deacon must exhibit godly character (verse 8 )

The character traits here are similar to those for elder – worthy of respect, sincere in speech, exercising self-control when it comes to alcohol and to money.

2) A deacon must demonstrate maturity in the faith (verses 9-10)

A deacon must hold to the truths of Scripture with a clear conscience. A prospective deacon should first be examined concerning his or her character and maturity of faith. Then if no one brings forth any charge against them, they may serve as deacons.

3) Men and women may both serve as deacons (verse 11)

Verse 11 is a difficult verse to interpret, but I believe that it allows for both men and women to serve as deacons. The phrase translated “their wives” in the NIV is simply the word, “women,” in the original. Literally, this verse reads: “In the same way, women are to be worthy of respect, etc.”

Who are these women that Paul is talking about in verse 11? Four main interpretations have been put forth:

1. Paul is talking about women deacons who serve along with the men deacons.
2. Paul is talking about deaconesses, a separate office in the church from deacon.
3. Paul is talking about women in the church who assist the deacons in their work.
4. Paul is talking about the wives of deacons.

Good arguments can be made for all four interpretations, and churches have to make their decisions accordingly. However, I believe that this verse, taken along with other Scriptures, allows for both men and women to serve as deacons.

4) A deacon must manage his family well (verse 12)

Just like the elder, the deacon must be a one-woman-man. If married, he must be faithful to his wife. If he has children, he must manage his children well. Once again, a man’s family becomes part of his resume for holding office in the church.

5) A deacon who serves well will grow in standing and assurance in the faith (verse 13)

Paul speaks of two benefits for the deacon who serves well. These two benefits have to do with the deacon’s standing and the deacon’s assurance. “Standing” probably refers either to the deacon’s standing within the congregation or their standing in their faith in Christ. The word translated “assurance” can also mean confidence or boldness.

When God gave instructions for the church, he did not leave out instructions for leadership. God’s plan was that each local church would be led by a group of godly elders and deacons who together would minister to the spiritual and physical needs of the church body. A church will only be as strong as its leadership. And so the church should choose its leadership carefully and wisely, choosing only qualified leaders to serve.

Note: To read the complete message, go to the Sermons tab at the top of the blog.

1. I intend to live forever – so far, so good.
2. How do you tell when you’re out of invisible ink?
3. I made a chocolate cake with white chocolate. Then I took it to a potluck. I stood in line for some cake. They said, “Do you want white cake or chocolate cake?” I said, “Yes”.
4. I eat swiss cheese. But I only nibble on it. I make the holes bigger.
5. If you tell a joke in the forest, but nobody laughs, was it a joke?
6. In my house there’s this light switch that doesn’t do anything. Every so often I would flick it on and off just to check. Yesterday, I got a call from a woman in Germany. She said, “Cut it out.”
7. When I was a little kid we had a sand box. It was a quicksand box. I was an only child … eventually.
8. It’s a good thing we have gravity or else when birds died they’d just stay right up there. Hunters would be all confused.
9. I met this wonderful girl at Macy’s. She was buying clothes and I was putting Slinkies on the escalator.
10. A friend of mine once sent me a post card with a picture of the entire planet Earth taken from space. On the back it said, “Wish you were here.”

Other Posts in the Series:

• Ten Steven Wright Jokes (1)
• Ten Steven Wright Jokes (2)
• Ten Steven Wright Jokes (3)
• Ten Steven Wright Jokes (4)
• Ten Steven Wright Jokes (5)

Related story: The Day I Met Billy Graham
______________________________________________________________

Contact and address information for the Billy Graham Library (Museum):
Billy Graham Evangelistic Association
1 Billy Graham Parkway
Charlotte, NC 28201
Phone: (704) 401-3200

The Billy Graham Museum in Charlotte, NC is set to open this Tuesday, June 5. The official dedication was held Thursday.

Hundreds of friends, family members, ministers and politicians had gathered to dedicate a library celebrating the ministry of Mr. Graham, whose vast popularity lent him the title “America’s pastor.”

Standing on a platform before the Billy Graham Library, former President George Bush delivered the keynote address, his voice cracking into a sob as he said Mr. Graham was “the man, the preacher, the humble farmer’s son who changed the world.” Former Presidents Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton also spoke of how Mr. Graham had transformed their lives.

Infirm and rarely appearing in public now, Mr. Graham approached the dais using a walker and noted the sense of completion and twilight that marked the speeches before his.

“I feel like I’ve been attending my own funeral, listening to all these speeches,” he said to the crowd’s nervous laughter. “I’ve been here at the library once, and my one comment when I toured it was that it is too much Billy Graham. My whole life has been to please the Lord and honor Jesus, not to see me and think of me.”

The museum, also known as The Billy Graham Library, will hold various memorabilia from Graham’s life including childhood photos, his college yearbook, personal papers, and his wife’s engagment ring. There will also be footage of Graham’s evangelistic crusades from around the world.

Billy Graham is a wonderful man of great character and integrity, and I am glad they have put together this library to honor his work for Christ. Does anybody have any favorite Billy Graham stories they would like to share? I have one, but I think I will save it for a separate post next week. (Update: Here it is! The Day I Met Billy Graham)

Related articles:

• Billy Graham – The Song
• Ruth Bell Graham – Poems
• A Quote from Billy and a Quote from Ruth
• The Day I Met Billy Graham

Ben Witherington was in Turkey last week and offers some pictures and commentary from the town of Harran. Modern-day Harran is the site of the Biblical Haran where Abraham and his family settled before moving to Canaan. (“Together they set out from Ur of the Chaldeans to go to Canaan. But when they came to Haran, they settled there.” – Genesis 11:31.) This is a picture of an ancient astrological tower located in the ruins of Harran.

From this very tower in the second century B.C. the distance between the earth and moon was correctly calculated. Ancient astrologers were not tawdry palm readers– they were mathematicians scanning the heavenly realms and making calculations. Think of the wise men in Matthew’s Gospel. For someone on a spiritual journey, coming to Harran was like finding the ultimate ancient GPS device– you fell right into the lap of the greatest stargazers and mystics available. It is no surprise then that Gen. 12.1-3 depicts Abram himself as receiving a revelation in this very place to move on to Canaan. As a crossroads town, Harran was an important watch and signal post as well, and they sent messages by means of trained birds to the next caravanserai– trained birds like small hawks and carrier pigeons, just like the ones still nesting in the tower today. Imagine my surprise when I huffed and puffed up the tower only to find such birds still nesting there. Also in the center of the ruins was a huge reflection pool, also used for stargazing as in the movie ‘The Nativity’.

I thought the reflecting pool in The Nativity Story was awesome, so it is very cool to know these things actually existed. You can visit Ben’s site for more background information and more pictures from his trip.

Finally Master Yoda can fight someone closer to his own size!

Related posts:

• Star Wars Pumpkins
• Yoda Promotes Small Groups
• Tim Keller and Darth Vader
• Darth Vader Plays a Mean Harmonica
• George Lucas Syndrome

(From Flickr.   HT: Challies)