Finding the Cure
This time of year, the changing leaves look lovely on the campus of Heritage Baptist College. Thirteen years ago, when we acquired our present property, some of the prettiest varieties were the four Ash trees. The trees would golden up early, letting us know the red and orange colors would soon be following.
Then we experience what 95% of Indiana Ash trees experienced. A couple of decades ago, a foreign beetle called the Emerald Ash Borer was accidentally brought to America from NE Asia (China), probably in a wood crate. Since that time, the insect has proliferated, and destroyed millions of Ash trees across some 20 states. One of the hardest hit has been Indiana.
For the first couple of years, our trees looked healthy, and we didn’t realize that the eggs had been planted under the bark. The eggs hatched, and the Emerald Ash Borer larvae slowly ate the life out of each tree, remaining hidden under the bark.
Too late, the effects were seen, and two years later the trees were dead. Only as we began the process of removing the trees, could you see the work of destruction on the bare wood - little snaking trails under the bark.
In much the same way, sin can lay hidden in an individual’s life. Some may not even sense its existence, but it is there, eating the life out the victim. The Bible says, and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death (James 1:15).
Authorities state there is no cure for the damage from the Emerald Ash Borer, only treatments. Thank the Lord, there is a cure for sin...it is the Saviour!
Modest Wealth
A courier approached Albert Einstein at the Imperial Hotel in Tokyo, Japan. The setting was the fall of 1922, and Einstein had recently been selected for the Nobel Prize in Physics. The German-born physicist, most famous for his theory of relativity, was on a lecture tour in Japan.
Instead of a tip, the famous scientist took two sheets of hotel stationery and wrote his brief thoughts on the state of being happy.
It is reported that he said this to the courier after he gave the stationery: “Maybe if you're lucky these notes will become much more valuable than just a regular tip."
After years of being hidden, the notes resurfaced, were authenticated, and were offered for sale. On Tuesday, October 24, 2017, one of the notes was sold at auction in Israel for 1.56 million dollars.
The irony came in Einstein’s advice which was penned in German. The note read: “a quiet and modest life brings more joy than a pursuit of success bound with constant unrest." Einstein’s note on a modest life brought over 1.5 million dollars!
Solomon in the Bible penned that thought in a more spiritual sense. Better is little with the fear of the LORD than great treasure and trouble therewith. Proverbs 15:16
We Have Hope
At times we seem to be overcome with difficult circumstances, especially in the area of finances. Money often becomes “tight” in many ministries, and it takes strong faith to trust the Lord to provide. But we have hope.
I remember a story from 120 years ago, during the great Johnstown, Pennsylvania flood of 1889. The tragedy began when the South Fork Dam that was 15 miles upstream of the city gave way. As the water roared down the valley, it completely wiped out several small towns in its path toward Johnstown. That day, Mr. W.H. Pickerell was sitting high on the river bank in the railroad tower just below the town of Mineral Point. He saw the first surge of water coming down the valley, and spied one of his neighbors riding a roof as the flood passed by. The man, a Mr. Montgomery, yelled out that his family and the whole city was gone. W.H. Pickerell asked about his own family, and was told that he believed that they were all drowned. In the midst of this bad news, the railroad man shouted out to the survivor as he floated past on his roof: “Cheer up...don’t give up; as long as you’re on top, there’s hope.” Almost immediately the roof smashed into the bank and Montgomery clambered up the hill. Then he and Pickerell fled up the mountain to escape the surging waves. In the end, although 2029 folks died that day, both these men lived and as it turned out, so did their families. (McCullough, David. The Johnstown Flood. S & S New York: 1968 p. 109-111) In Christ, we are spiritually on top, meaning...that there is always hope!
Happy Earth Day
To ecologists, April 22nd is a special day set aside called Earth Day. To others, the special celebration is for the birthday of the Earth.
James Ussher (1581-1656), Archbishop of Armagh, Primate of All Ireland, and Vice-Chancellor of Trinity College in Dublin was highly regarded in his day as a churchman and as a scholar. Of his many works, his treatise on chronology has proved the most durable. Based on an intricate correlation of Middle Eastern & Mediterranean histories and the Bible, Bishop Ussher established the first day of creation as 9:00 a.m. Sunday the 23rd of October in 4004 BC. His dating method was incorporated into a printing of the King James Bible in 1701, and thus he came to be regarded with reverence.
Happy 6027th birthday, planet Earth! ...Well, at least Ussher was 1.2 billion years closer to the beginning of the earth, than many “scientific scholars.”
Dr. Don Strange to Speak at Autumn Banquet
Heritage Baptist College will host the Annual Fall Banquet at 7:00 p.m. on Friday, November 3rd. Dr. Don Strange, of Ft. Myers, FL is scheduled to speak, and he will spiritually feed your heart and soul. Dr. Strange pastored for over 30 years the thriving Winkler Rd. Baptist Church, in Ft. Myers, Florida. The Lord has blessed the church over the years with many souls saved.
Again this year, we will host the Autumn Banquet on the Hopewell Campus, and the food will be catered by Gray Brother’s Cafeteria.
Come and enjoy Dr. Strange’s message, along with a night of good food, Christian music, and great fellowship. Please call Heritage Baptist College to make a reservation. (317) 738-3791 or (317) 833-0172.
