Hymn of the Week: "O God, Our Help in Ages Past"

As one year draws to a close and another one opens, it is good to remember that God is not only "our help in ages past" but also "our hope for years to come." To me, the distinguishing characteristic of this hymn is that it gives great comfort—to know that God is near, is help, is hope, is eternally and ever the same.

Written by Isaac Watts nearly three centuries ago, the original title (according to cyberhymnal.org) is "Our God, Our Help in Ages Past." There are nine stanzas, which is several more than most hymnals contain—and yet, all are worth reading.

O[ur] God, Our Help in Ages Past

Our God, our help in ages past,
Our hope for years to come,
Our shelter from the stormy blast,
And our eternal home.

Under the shadow of Thy throne
Thy saints have dwelt secure;
Sufficient is Thine arm alone,
And our defense is sure.

Before the hills in order stood,
Or earth received her frame,
From everlasting Thou art God,
To endless years the same.

Thy Word commands our flesh to dust,
“Return, ye sons of men:”
All nations rose from earth at first,
And turn to earth again.

A thousand ages in Thy sight
Are like an evening gone;
Short as the watch that ends the night
Before the rising sun.

The busy tribes of flesh and blood,
With all their lives and cares,
Are carried downwards by the flood,
And lost in following years.

Time, like an ever rolling stream,
Bears all its sons away;
They fly, forgotten, as a dream
Dies at the opening day.

Like flowery fields the nations stand
Pleased with the morning light;
The flowers beneath the mower’s hand
Lie withering ere ‘tis night.

Our God, our help in ages past,
Our hope for years to come,
Be Thou our guard while troubles last,
And our eternal home.

They Got WHAT On The Head of a Pin?

According to this story from msnbc.com, scientists in Israel have inscribed the entire text of the Jewish Bible (a.k.a. the Old Testament) onto a space roughly 0.01 inches square. And it only took about an hour to do.

The process involved using gallium ions to "bounce off" gold atoms from a silicon surface, in a process described as similar to using hammer and chisel.

This is just one more illustration of the truth of Matthew 24:35, Mark 13:31, and Luke 21:33, which teach us that "heaven and earth shall pass away, but my [Jesus Christ's] words shall not pass away."

A happy thought!

Political Predictions—Iowa

For what it's worth, I will add my two cents:

On the Republican side, Mike Huckabee will complete his ascent by winning a modest plurality of the caucus vote. Mitt Romney will come in second, and John McCain will finish third. Giuliani and Thompson will lick their wounds and move on to New Hampshire. Ron Paul will be right behind them. This will worry Giuliani and Thompson...as it should.

On the Democratic side, Hillary Clinton and John Edwards will finish very close at 1-2...too close to call at this point. Barack Obama will be 2008's version of Howard Dean: Lots of noise but little results. Hopefully he won't scream when he comes in a distant third. This will be followed by all other Democratic contenders (other than the eternally stubborn Kucinich) dropping out of the race.

Hymn of the Week: Does Jesus Care?

I was reminded today that not everyone finds Christmas to be a time of joy in the pleasant company of loved ones. Some, quite frankly, dread the holiday—perhaps because they have no living relatives, or they are estranged from them, or because of dreadful memories that it brings of sad Christmases past.

This hymn is not a Christmas hymn. But it does remind us all that no matter what the time of year, God does care about each of us. The author, Frank Graeff, wrote the hymn in a time of difficulty in his own life; but the chorus echoes in his life and so many others: Oh, Yes, He cares!

If you are struggling right now, let these words uplift you.

Does Jesus Care?

Does Jesus care when my heart is pained
Too deeply for mirth or song,
As the burdens press, and the cares distress
And the way grows weary and long?

Refrain

Oh yes, He cares, I know He cares,
His heart is touched with my grief;
When the days are weary, the long nights dreary,
I know my Savior cares.

Does Jesus care when my way is dark
With a nameless dread and fear?
As the daylight fades into deep night shades,
Does He care enough to be near?

Refrain

Does Jesus care when I’ve tried and failed
To resist some temptation strong;
When for my deep grief there is no relief,
Though my tears flow all the night long?

Refrain

Does Jesus care when I’ve said “goodbye”
To the dearest on earth to me,
And my sad heart aches till it nearly breaks,
Is it aught to Him? Does He see?

Refrain

Substitute Teaching: Christmas Break Update

Mattawan HS has been the place to be recently; four of the last seven assignments have been there. In the last two weeks, all of them have been in Lawton (2), Lawrence (2), or Mattawan (5) school districts.

Through 12/21/07 (beginning of Christmas break), here is where I have been so far [Note: Frequency of substitute teaching will drop a lot after beginning work with H&R Block in January]:

• Mattawan (20; 11 in HS, 8 in MS, 1 in Elem.)
  
• Decatur (5; 1 in HS, 2 in MS, 2 in Elem.)
  
• Paw Paw (5; 4 in HS, 1 in Elem.)
  
• Gobles (5; 4 in HS, 1 in MS)
  
• Lawrence (4; 2 in HS, 1 in MS, 1 in Elem.)
• Bloomingdale (3; 2 in HS, 1 in Elem.)
  
• Lawton (2; 1 in Alternative Ed., 1 in MS)
• Howardsville Christian (2, HS)
  

I have so many interesting stories to tell....

Book Review: "George Washington" by James Burns and Susan Dunn

This installment of the American Presidents Series features our first president, and is also the only one in the series (so far) to be co-authored. (Click here for a review of the biography of John Adams, and click here for the review of Andrew Jackson's biography.) The thesis of the book is that Washington's greatest achievement is the way he shaped the presidency and consolidated executive power.

Although the book is biographical, the book focuses, not surprisingly, on George Washington's shaping of the presidency itself. As the first president, and as the hero of a nation, Washington had the power and influence to shape the presidency in many ways—and he did. Where the Constitution did not "seem" to grant the president a lot of power (prevailing thought back then vested much of the power in legislative bodies), Washington used it to the full extent he could, while still being very respectful of his constitutional limits. The book is generally complementary on his presidential service, and why not? He was a fine president, and did a commendable job. It also speaks highly of his overlooked brilliance at selecting a first-rate cabinet.

The authors apparently felt obliged to take an almost-gratuitous politically-correct jab at Washington for being a slaveowner, and also minimize the influence of religion on Washington's life. The epilogue also seems to give a lower regard (than most people have, or than I think he should) for his moral legacy. Despite these weaknesses, the book does an overall good job of portraying President Washington as president, and can be recommended as a useful perspective on his life and presidency.

Book Review: "The Best Christmas Pageant Ever" by Barbara Robinson

From historical books to hysterical books: This humorous tale centers around the Herdmans, "the worst kids in the history of the world." These six siblings are nightmares to everyone in their path, and after they start coming to church, they become the characters in the church Christmas pageant.

Told from the perspective of one of the other children (whose mother was thrust into the role of director of the pageant), this short story is a hysterical look at what happened as the Herdman kids went from being everybody's worst nightmare to doing a reasonably good job at acting out the Christmas story.

Although it is an amusing story, two words of caution: First, there are a couple of times where God's name is used in vain by one of those Herdman kids. Second, this is not intended to be a serious Christmas story; nor is it intended to conclude with the Herdman kids getting saved or even repenting of all of their evil ways (which would naturally kill off much chance of similar sequels, which do exist). It is merely a humorous story—nothing more.

If you read at a moderate pace, ninety minutes will be all you will need.

Book Reviews: "Through Sunshine & Shadows", "The History of PBBC"

Obscure books? Admittedly so. Neither one ever had a massive publication total, but both of them contain topics familiar to me.

Through Sunshine and Shadows is the autobiography of Dr. Monroe Parker. Dr. Parker was born in 1909 (he was 77 years old when the book was published) in Alabama. His childhood is interesting, and his conversion to Christ at age 19 is the key to the book. After his freshman year, he transferred to Bob Jones College, then a new school in Florida, and was called into preaching and evangelism.

He entered evangelism near the start of the Great Depression. Most of his early ministry was in the Deep South, and it is almost shocking (to modern sensibilities) to consider today some of the things he did: Hitchhike long distances; travel with little or no money, relying on faith; and the conversion of large numbers of souls in multi-week evangelistic services. In fact, the large numbers of souls saved in his meetings are, sad to say, a phenomenon not seen much in the United States anymore.

His later ministries included a number of years at Bob Jones College (later University), serving as pastor of an Alabama church, president of Pillsbury Baptist Bible College, and president of Baptist World Mission. God used this man in many ways—ways that each of us should pray to be used in.

The book itself has an "anecdotal" style to it, sounding more conversational than literary. It will win no stylistic contests. But it tells of a man who allowed himself to be mightily used of God during times that would discourage most of us today, if we faced them.

Interesting tidbit: Dr. Parker was preceded in death by two wives, and married a third time at age 73.

I would recommend that Christians everywhere read this book...if they can get their hands on it (Sword of the Lord Publishers, 1987; ISBN 0-87398-844-2).

The History of Pillsbury Baptist Bible College, written by Larry Dean Pettigrew and printed by the school's Pillsbury Press, is perhaps even more obscure. I worked at PBBC for three years and was given a copy, but never completed it until after reading the Dr. Parker book. The school known today as Pillsbury Baptist Bible College has a very long history. The school was originally chartered in 1854 (before Minnesota was granted statehood) and existed in various forms until it became a Baptist Bible College in 1957. This book was written on the occasion of the college's 25th anniversary.

This is not the most readable book. Its strengths lie elsewhere, particularly in detailing how the school fluctuated between theological liberalism and conservatism over the years. It also tells a story nearly unheard of in the annals of American religious history: How a school that at one time was controlled by theological liberals was "reclaimed" and restored by Bible-believing conservatives.

If you are unacquainted with the school (and don't want to be) or have no interest in Baptist history, particularly in Minnesota, you will find this book highly boring. But if the opposite is true, this slice of history will probably appeal to you.

Interesting tidbit: The name comes from George Pillsbury, who was very generous financially to the school in the late 19th century...and, yes, he had a tie-in with a still-existing company with the same name.

If you want a copy of the book, your best bet is to contact the college directly at (507) 451-2710.

A Christmas Verse: 1 John 4:9

"In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him."

Contemplate that...God sent his only begotten Son into the world. We celebrate this every year. But there are two more thoughts here:
1. What precipitated this event? God loved us.
2. What is His desired result today? That we might live through Him.

Christmas is not just a time to give gifts, eat well, and take time off work. It is, more importantly, a time to remember that God loves us, and that we, in gratitude, should live in the power of his grace and strength. This should cause others to want to do the same.