Plagiarism Smagiarism

Recently Christianity Today reported that a minister had been disciplined and requested to leave his church because he had been preaching sermons that had been written by someone else. Poor soul!! He had the audacity to use someone else’s thoughts! I suppose no one else has ever done such a dastardly deed. In 63 years of attending church, I just wonder how many sermons I have heard that were originally preached by someone other than the current speaker?? Oops, and I wonder how many I have preached?
Plagiarism is an age old dilemma. It seems I remember an often quote wise King as saying, “The thing that hath been, it is that which shall be; and that which is done is that which shall be done: and there is no new thing under the sun.” (Ecc. 1:9) We are in a religious stupor today which seems to require the pulpitier to have stimulating, contemporary, “catchy” titles and contents, the which have never before been heard. Believe me; I’ve heard a few doozies! More than that, I’ve preached a few of those myself, and now look back “in awe of myself” and wonder where in the world I came up with that!!!
Probably more than 30 years ago now, my father shared with me a message he had preached the Sunday before. He was excitedly sharing with me his “new” message. You could hear the adrenalin rush in his voice as he begins telling me of this “brand new, never heard before” sermon that he had developed. I quietly reached over to my library and pulled out a book of messages preached over a hundred years ago by one of the great preachers of that day. I opened it and handed it to him, and there was his message, point by point, scripture by scripture, and thought by thought. He laughed, used his favorite bywords, “Oh good night,” and said, “Well, at least it was new to me.” I hated to burst his bubble, but truly there is nothing new under the sun.
The Word of God is ageless, timeless, and complete. It’s the same pie and there are only so many ways to cut a pie! Yes, perhaps the pastor could have or should have prefaced his remarks with, “as so and so said in his sermon, or, “I was reading so and so’s message on this subject and he said…” That possibly would have passed protocol. He didn’t, and I haven’t always either, and probably neither have 99% of all other preachers. Sometimes I wonder what really might be accomplished if no one cared who got the credit. Just because someone uses something that someone else has used, doesn’t necessarily mean he is dishonest, maybe he’s just honest enough to believe someone else has a better word or way of saying it than he.
As one radio personality in our area says, “You know what just burns me up??” I’m grateful for most of the contemporary music that we hear today, some of it though is of the stomach turning variety. I hear songwriters and musicians who have been made wealthy by their “ministries” say all teary eyed, “God gave me this song.” Okay God gave it; He should have the copyright, not them! However, if you use their song without their permission and paying them a fee, they will sue you for infringement. Now that’s just downright holy!! When I was growing up there were still hymnals in the racks at church that are now reserved for other things such as gum wrappers. I remember as a kid reading through them, I guess it was when the preacher was using someone else’s material to preach, and seeing the copyright notices. I recall one that stood out to me, as in the place of the copyright notice, it simply said, “Not copyrighted, and may this song never be. It is to the glory of God.” Now that writer has a reward in heaven. Perhaps others have their rewards now, in their bank account.
Through the years I have depended on the inspiration of the Almighty, and still do. However, I just wonder what I would have done without Pulpit Commentary, William Barclay, Vance Havner, Clovis Chappell, and the long list I have “plagiarized”. I thank God for them; they are my heroes and got me through many a Sunday morning!!
Incidentally, in the outside event anyone wants to quote anything here, it is not copyrighted and please don’t give me credit!!
As they say, “Use all of my ingredients you wish, just make your own chili!”

There's Always a Light in the House

Today I am intrigued with an Old Testament story with which most are familar. Jacob and his family had been relocated to Egypt due a great famine. As the story goes Jacob died, Joseph died, Pharoah died, and we are told that there arose another Pharoah. This Pharoah saw the Israelites as a way to cheap, no slave, labor. You know the story, over time there was extreme hard times for these people and they cried out to their God for deliverance...and along came Moses, after his visit with the burning bush.

Moses and his brother Aaron visited Pharoah, and this resulted in a series of plagues on the land. There were 10 of these plagues in all, intended to get Pharoah's attention, and cause him to release the children of Israel. It is the ninth plague that catches my attention today. It was the plague of darkness. For 3 days darkness enveloped the land of Egypt, it was so dark that it was a darkness that could "be felt." Can you imagine it being so dark that striking a match, flipping the light switch, or nothing else could penetrate it?? The Egyptians lived in this incredible darkness...yet there is a note in the story that I can't overlook. Exodus 11:23 says, "No one could see anyone else or leave his place for three days. YET ALL THE ISRAELITES HAD LIGHT IN THE PLACES WHERE THEY LIVED." Incredible, but while all their known world was shrouded in complete, devastating darkness, they had light in their homes!!!

There is darkness about us today, not literal of course, but darkness just the same. There is a darkness of war, depression (how many commericals do you see daily for anti-depressant medications?), distrust, disease, malady, and evil in the streets. In many ways it appears to be a darkness that prevades all areas of life and can cause us to wonder if there is any hope. That is the position that these people were in...yet we are told that IN THEIR HOMES, the places where they lived, there was light!!! It was a Divine provision and it sustained them. It does not appear that this light was a lamp, but an absence of the darkness on the outside.

In the midst of darkness, there is is light where I live!!! It is a light of faith, confidence, calmness, and assurance. It is a light of love, compassion, caring, and belief there is nothing that can come our way that can extinguish the beautiful light of God's day!

Is the light on where you live? No matter if you are sick with disease, aching in pain, depressed with family situations, worried over the economy, or whatever; there is a provision! The real light switch is just an humble prayer away!!!! The way you say it is up to you.

Hoover Hogs

It's been many years since the term "Hoover Hog," has crossed my mind. Many would not have a clue what I'm speaking about, "Hoover Hog, what the heck is that??" Well, I will tell you about the Hoover Hog, but just let me preface by saying that hearing the President speak last night, listening to all the prognostications of financial gloom, as well as checking my 401K all brought up the old Hoover Hog image.

In 1952 Dwight D. Eisenhower was running for president as the Republican candidate and Adlai Stevenson was running for the Democrats. At the ripe old age of 7 I was introduced to political scare tactics. One day on the school bus one of the kids asked me, "who are you for, for president?" I had no clue but I did know the names of the guys running so I said, "Eisenhower." My response was met with immediate howls and squeals of my classmates. "Don't you know if he's elected we'll be eating Hoover Hogs?" they chided. I didn't dare ask what a Hoover Hog was because I didn't want to sound stupid, but I did ask them who told them that. They said that's what their parents were saying.

I couldn't wait to get home and run to my Dad and ask him what in the world was a Hoover Hog. The first words out of my breathless little mouth as I rushed into the house was, "Daddy, what is a Hoover Hog?" With a big smile and a robust laugh he responded, "Son that's an armadillo." I immediately burst into tears and through sobs cried, "But I don't want to eat armadillo!" "Who said you were going to eat armadillo," he asked, and appeared still not taking my dilemma too seriously. My continued sobs did get his attention though when I told him my schoolmates said if Eisenhower was elected that's what we would be eating. He called me to his side and explained that back in 1929 when he was a boy just older than me there had been a great depression, nobody had any money, and people had to get by the best they could. He told me a man named Herbert Hoover was president and everybody blamed the depression on him and called armadillos Hoover Hogs because they said that was all they had to eat. He then gave me a big hug, told me that things would never be that bad and that he would make sure I didn't ever have to eat a Hoover Hog. There was something about the hug and reassurance that dried my tears, and I was off outside to play.

Today I tell you after more than 56 years since I was introduced to the term, I've never had to eat a Hoover Hog!! Yep, plenty of peanut butter sandwiches, but never a HH! It's not that there have not been trying times in life, but always my family and I have been sustained!

One might think that with the financial/political prognostications as they are we might be eating Hoover Hogs, the new name is "Roadkill," soon. Well, I dunno about that but I take comfort in the old King David who reminisced, "I was young and now I am old, yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken or their children begging bread." I'm not exactly sure what David meant when he said, "the righteous," but I do know that entails having a healthy fear of God, faith, and always trying to do the right thing.

Therefore, I won't do much worrying today, or tomorrow, or any day over eating Hoover Hogs! But Pshaw, who knows they might not taste so bad in some Sweet Baby Ray's Barbecue Sauce!!!!

The Simple Life

As of today I have lived 63 years, 7 months, and 10 days. Those are the days of my life, although not ALL the days of my life. Well, at least that's my plan! None of those days can be recalled or relived. One can only reminisce the past, and relish the pleasant memories not allowing the unpleasant memories cloud the present. The future, well that's just what it is: uncertain, unknown, yet at least loosely planned for.

As I write I hear the news channel in the living room speaking of economic despair as the stock market plummets again. They speak of the venomous words of world leaders, and tell of man's injustice to man. The funeral of a young American/Pakistani soldier killed in action is flashed on the screen. He came to America at the age of 8, and enlisted in the military to serve the country that had become his own. He served loyally, yet his father spoke of the paranoid questioning that he endured because his name was Arabic. Just yesterday a teen was arrested here in our home town high school for carrying a loaded hand gun on the campus. Despair would come easily if one is not rooted in something "far from the madding crowd." I call it the simple life.

Life has become complicated, frustrating, and to a great degree fatalistic. I remember my Dad, who lived through the great depression, speaking of those days as the son of a black land farmer. Life was simple. Grandfather had cows, pigs, and chickens which provided the family table with meat. Grandmother grew an acre garden for not only fresh veggies, but to can and jar for the winter. Dad walked to the little wooden country school for his education. I still here him say, "People were jumping out of skyscrapers because they had lost everything. No one was jumping off barns where we lived in the country, because we hadn't lost anything!"

I suppose it is true that we do not miss what we have never had. If we see life as a series of accomplishments, a list of gains and accolades, and money out the kazoo, there will always be anxiety and fear. Why? Because without those things we lose the meaning of life as we know and understand it.

However, if we practice contentment in whatever state we are in, learn that the really good things in life can't be purchased or earned, and express gratitude daily, then we approach the simple life!

My son Michael, and I traveled to Beavers Bend, OK. last weekend to get away and try our hand at a little trout fishing. (By the way, the trout weren't too impressed with our spinners and rooster tail lures.) Along the way we both pondered life and shared our thoughts. Michael spoke of readings that he had been perusing of an ancient philospher. He spoke of man striving and trying to make good and prosperous things happen for himself. Yet the philosopher saw life as a moving stream or river and declared that one should stand in the stream as it moved past and allow the things of life to come to him. Whew, standing still doesn't come so natural to us, does it? Yet, most of the good and blessed things of life come to us at that moment, still quietly in the stream as we allow ourselves the simple life. It reminds me of the great leader who declared thousands of years ago to a panicky people, "Stand still and see the salvation of the Lord." A great proverb simply says, "In quietness and confidence is our strength."

I looked across the stream and there was Michael, fishing rod high and waist deep in the rapids, with a huge grin on his face! He was in the stream waiting for that which was to come, yet totally content in the moment! Ah yes, the simple life!