A Good Run

Benny Locke, an engineer for nearly sixty years with the Lackawanna Railroad, prayed before each day's run. He received no mark of demerit. Here is a how he described one run:

"Number 6 was twenty-five minutes late out of Scranton. I stepped into the cab and prayer "Lord, help me to bring her in on time'. It was a stiff climb up to Pocono Mountains for the first part of the trip, and it never seemed so steep and when you were late. I couldn't gain a second, but after we dipped over the summit things began to break just right for me. We almost flew down the mountain. The air was clear and I just held her steady and let her go. At last the old train shed at Hoboken loomed ahead, and as we pulled under the edge of it, I looked at my watch, and we were just on the dot!

"As I stood wiping the sweat off my face, there was the tap of a cane on the outside of my cab, and when I looked out there stood the president of the road, all smiles. He said to me, 'A good run, sir! A very good run!' That meant more to me than anything that could have happened to me in the world. But friend when I make my last run and pull into the great terminal city (New Jerusalem), if I can just hear the Lord Jesus say, 'A good run, sir! Avery good urn!' then the 'toils of the road will seem as nothing when I get to the end of the way.'"

You too, sir, are in the running for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. Paul said,

Know ye not that they which run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize? So run, that ye
may obtain. And every man that striveth for the mastery is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a corruptible crown; but we an incorruptible. I therefore so run, not as uncertainly; Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.

Will the President of life's road commend you and me when we get to the end of the run? Sixty years is a long time to serve a railroad. Benny Locke did it, and faithfully. But such a time of service in the employ of the Lord Jesus Christ, and that without a mark of demerit, would be a thrilling experience, wouldn't it?

At the time of his conversion Saul of Tarsus was a young man on the Damascus Road. He became Paul, the aged. All his life was spent in the service of the King of kings. He received no mark of demerit. He finished his run in a blaze of glory.

We cannot stress too much the importance attached to Christ-surrendered men. There is no better way to live out a life than to live it in the service of the King of kings. To hear the Lord Jesus say, "A good run, sir, a very good run" will be worth it al. Here is the highest calling the most thrilling challenge and life at its best. It is yours, sir, for the taking.

Why I Am A Baptist - Noel Smith

Why I am a Baptist
by the late Dr. Noel Smith

Baptists are a people. They have a historical identity. They have a historical image. Their continuity is the longest of any Christian group on earth. Their doctrines, principles, and practices are rooted in the apostolic age. I am not a Pharasaical sectarian but I don't confuse Baptists with the Reformers. The Reformers wanted to reform the Roman Catholic Church; the Baptists were against the church, because it was not a New Testament church.

Protestantism originated in the Reformation. Protestantism is "protestism." That's a Negative. Negativism has within it the seed of its own disintegration. The Baptists were not reformers. They were not protestors. They were positive. Freedom of conscience is not a Reformation doctrine; it is a Baptist doctrine. Religious liberty is not a Reformation doctrine; it is a Baptist doctrine. Believer's baptism is not a Reformation doctrine; it is a Baptist doctrine. Baptism of the believer by immersion in water, symbolizing the believer's death, burial and resurrection with Christ is not a Reformation doctrine; it is a Baptist doctrine. The local, visible, autonomous assembly, with Christ as its only head and the Bible as its sole rule of faith and practice, is not a Reformation doctrine; it is a Baptist doctrine. Worldwide missions are not a Reformation doctrine; it is a Baptist doctrine. The Reformers had no missionary vision and no missionary spirit. For almost two hundred years after the Reformers, the Reformation churches felt no burden to implement the Great Commission.

What kind of world would the Western world have been had Protestantism became its master? Who but the Baptist kept Protestantism from becoming master? The general attitude today is that the truth is determined by the passing of time; that there aren't eternal, abiding truths. "You can't turn the clock back. Time invalidates all truth. Time invalidates one set of truth and fastens another set upon us." Baptist history repudiates this philosophy of fatalism. Baptists today are believing, teaching, preaching and practicing the truths that they believed, taught, preached and practiced two thousand years ago. It gives me a feeling of stability to reflect that I, as a Baptist, am in the stream of this long continuity of faith and practice. The Baptist people are a great continuity...a great essence...a great dignity. The world never needed them more than it needs them today.

Mormonism's Living Prophets ... pt 1

. . . and their mysteries!

I often visit with LDS friends who love to discuss temples. Standing thirteenth in line from Joseph Smith, Gordon B. Hinckley leads the way for temples. The Midwest has eight. So what is mysterious? The question is, what happened to the four that were revealed by Joseph Smith?

1) INDEPENDENCE, MISSOURI

AN INDEPENDENCE TEMPLE

Doctrine & Covenants 57:1-3

1 HEARKEN, O ye elders of my church, saith the Lord your God, who have assembled yourselves together, according to my commandments, in this land, which is the land of Missouri, which is the land which I have appointed and consecrated for the gathering of the saints.

2 Wherefore, this is the land of promise, and the place for the city of Zion.

3 And thus saith the Lord your God, if you will receive wisdom here is wisdom. Behold, the place which is now called Independence is the center place; and a spot for the temple is lying westward, upon a lot which is not far from the court-house.

Dated July 20, 1831. The missing temple is not to be confused with the temple in St. Louis. Noting his wisdom here at its best, Joseph Smith established the exact spot.

PRESERVED IN MISSOURI

Doctrine & Covenants 62:6,9

6 Behold, I, the Lord, have brought you together that the promise might be fulfilled, that the faithful among you should be preserved and rejoice together in the land of Missouri. I, the Lord, promise the faithful and cannot lie.

9 Behold, the kingdom is yours. And behold, and lo, I am with the faithful always. Even so. Amen.

Dated Aug. 13, 1831. Would God lie about preserving them? Is it evident that God was with them? Picture any people rejoicing while fleeing. This deity was not to be trusted and yet has claimed the LDS to be my church (vs. 1). The head of the LDS is not Jesus according to the D&C 28:6-7. What kingdom? History from 1837-1847 demonstrates that this revelation was a total failure.

POSSESSING ZION

Doctrine & Covenants 69:8

8 Preaching and expounding, writing, copying, selecting, and obtaining all things which shall be for the good of the church, and for the rising generations that shall grow up on the land of Zion, to possess it from generation to generation, forever and ever. Amen.

Dated as Nov. 1831. Generations rising from these people are to possess it forever? Fast forward and all can see what happened. God's Word always stands to last forever, but Joseph's could not last a generation. (Psalm 119:89) If Joseph Smith is right, then he is right for all eternity, but if he is wrong he is wrong for all eternity.

TEMPLE DEADLINE

Doctrine & Covenants 84:1-5

1 A REVELATION of Jesus Christ unto his servant Joseph Smith, Jun., and six elders, as they united their hearts and lifted up their voices on high.

2 Yea, the word of the Lord concerning his church, established in the last days for the restoration of his people, as he has spoken by the mouth of his prophets, and for the gathering of his saints to stand upon Mount Zion, which shall be the city of New Jerusalem.

3 Which city shall be built, beginning at the temple lot, which is appointed by the finger of the Lord, in the western boundaries of the State of Missouri, and dedicated by the hand of Joseph Smith, Jun., and others with whom the Lord was well pleased.

4 Verity this is the word of the Lord, that the city New Jerusalem shall be built by the gathering of the saints, beginning at this place, even the place of the temple, which temple shall be reared in this generation.

5 For verily this generation shall not all pass away until the house shall be built unto the Lord, and a cloud shall rest upon it, which cloud shall be even the glory of the Lord, and shall fill the house.

Dated Sep. 22-23, 1832. Must we really charge Jesus Christ with this false prophecy? Restoration? If this is New Jerusalem, where are the 1400 mile walls (Rev. 21:14-16)? Did Independence citizens see God's Shekinah Glory? Can the LDS church find men over 170 years old to slap its brick and mortar? If God appointed it, Joseph Smith's generation has to build it. Men claiming to speak for God can lie, but God never lies (Num. 23:19; Titus 1:2). The Community of Christ or RLDS built a modern temple, but on the wrong spot. Another Mormon sect, The Church of Christ - Temple Lot, has the right spot and the markers from Joseph Smith's dedication service on Aug. 3, 1831, but no temple. They won't sell it to the LDS. We hear, what is a generation? Surely never by any standard over 100 years or up to 170! Mormon Apostle George Q. Cannon said 30 years (JD 10:344; 11:269; 13:138 & 362; 17:111). Orson Pratt confirmed this to mean the 1832 generation. (JD 9:71; 10:344; 13:362).

And what prophets? (Vs. 2) The true prophets always opposed error (Deut. 13:1-5; 18:20-22; Jer. 14:14; 23:16-32; 27:15; Zech. 13:2-5; Mat. 7:21-23; 1 John 4:4). But their purpose in prophesying is past until the Great Tribulation prophets (Heb. 1:1-2), just as building temples is a past covenant (Mat. 27:51; Acts 7:48; 17:24; 1 Cor. 3:16-17; 6:19; 2 Cor. 6:16; Heb. 7-10; Rev. 11:19; 14:17). God's more sure word of prophecy is the Bible (2 Peter 1:19), giving us history in advance with precise and observable details hundreds of times.

CHASTEN AND REDEEM

Doc. & Cov. 100:13-15

13 And now I give unto you a word concerning Zion. Zion shall be redeemed, although she is chastened for a little season.

14 Thy brethren, my servants Orson Hyde and John Gould, are in my hands; and insomuch as they keep my commandments they shall be saved.

15 Therefore, let your hearts be comforted; for all things shall work together for good to them that walk uprightly, and to the sanctification of the church.

Dated Oct. 12, 1833. Language cannot be stretched far enough to make any of it true. They lost! Such fantasy, like comforting Americans with a promise that the USS Arizona would be blessed and redeemed at Pearl Harbor.

ZION - NO OTHER PLACE

Doc. & Cov. 101:17-21

17 Zion shall not be moved out of her place, notwithstanding her children are scattered.

18 They that remain, and are pure in heart, shall return, and come to their inheritances, they and their children, with songs of everlasting joy, to build up the waste places of Zion--

19 And all these things that the prophets might be fulfilled.

20 And, behold, there is none other place appointed than that which I have appointed; neither shall there be any other place appointed than that which I have appointed, for the work of the gathering of my saints--

21 Until the day cometh when there is found no more room for them; and then I have other places which I will appoint unto them, and they shall be called stakes, for the curtains or the strength of Zion.

Dated as Dec. 16, 1833. The preface explains that they were driven from their homes that November. Why didn't they return with their children for otheir inheritances? To fulfill what prophets? Was it fully populated before settling Utah? Brigham Young claimed Utah is Zion (J.D. 2:253) but the future tense disqualifies it in verse 20.

PREVAILING FOREVER

Doc. & Cov. 103:6-7

6 Behold they shall, for I have decreed it, begin to prevail against mine enemies from this very hour.

7 And by hearkening to observe all the words which I, the Lord their God, shall speak unto them, they shall never cease to prevail until the kingdoms of the world are subdued under my feet, and the earth is given unto the saints, to possess it forever and ever.

Feb. 24, 1834. Immediately - until it is complete! The chapter notes read, The redemption of Zion shall come by power, and the Lord will go before his people. The time span came, is gone, and yet continues forever. God revealed in the Bible is never weak and never deceptive. "Ye shall know them [false prophets] by their fruits" [false prophecies] (Matt 7:15-20). [ My brackets ].

THE POWER OF THE GUN OR THE POWER OF GOD?

D&C 103:15-17, 20-21, 25

15 Behold, I say unto you, the redemption of Zion must needs come by power;

16 Therefore, I will raise up unto my people a man, who shall lead them like as Moses led the children of Israel.

17 For ye are the children of Israel, and of the seed of Abraham, and ye must needs be led out of bondage by power, and with a stretched-out arm.

20 But I say unto you: Mine angels shall go up before you, and also my presence, and in time ye shall possess the goodly land.

21 Verily, verily I say unto you, that my servant Joseph Smith, Jun., is the man to whom I likened the servant to whom the Lord of the vineyard spake in the parable which I have given unto you.

25 And whomsoever ye curse, I will curse, and ye shall avenge me of mine enemies.

Dated Feb. 24, 1834. The LDS were led to think of the war as initiated by God. Like the Roman Crusades, Joseph Smith led his army to Zion's Camp. (History of the Church, 3:39). But they failed, including the promise to possess it (vs. 20). What does that confirm about verse 21? Are we to curse (vs. 24) or to pray for our enemies (Mat. 5:44)? The contradictions mount. See the June 22 bait-and-switch (D&C 105:13-15), saying as I said do not fight, I will fight your battles. Behold, the destroyer I have sent forth to destroy and to lay waste mine enemies. Joseph Smith and the Mormon army got out there and failed. Why was that destroyer so slow if he was already sent? Why did the LDS keep disobeying that command as that god failed? Why were the enemies of this deity never destroyed as we see their descendents living there today? What kind of a god ever gets defeated in battle? Why were the LDS driven out in five years? Why was Joseph Smith dead in ten?

Determining whether Joseph Smith was a true prophet is quite easy. He said on February 1835, "I prophesy in the name of the Lord God of Israel, unless the United States redress the wrongs committed upon the saints in the state of Missouri and punish the crimes committed by her officers that in a few years the government will be utterly wasted, and there will not be so much as a potsherd left" (History of the Church, Vol.2, p.282). Was he right? And shortly before his death, he preached, "I will come out on the top at last. I have more to boast of than ever any man had. I am the only man that has ever been able to keep a whole church together since the days of Adam. . . . Neither Paul, John, Peter, nor Jesus ever did it." (History of the Church, Vol. 6, p. 408-409). And he died! Look around and we find a hundred sects and divisions of Mormonism.

Part 2 will be post Wednesday March 7

Article submitted by Charlie Carle charliecarles@yahoo.com

The Good Wife's Guide

This article was published in Housekeeping Monthly on May 13^th, 1955

The Good wife''s guide

Have dinner ready, Plan ahead, even the night before to have a delicious meal ready, on time for his return. This is a way of letting him know that you have been thinking about him and are concerned about his needs. Most men are hungry when they come home and the prospect of a good meal (especially his favorite dish) is part of the warm welcome needed.

Prepare yourself. Take 15 minutes to rest so you''ll be refreshed when he arrives. Touch up your make up, put a ribbon in your hair and be fresh looking. He has just been with a lot of work weary people.

Be a little gay and a little more interesting for him. His boring day may need a lift and one of your duties is to provide it.

Clear away the clutter. Make one last trip through the main part of the house just before your husband arrives. gather up schoolbooks, toys, paper etc and then run a dustcloth over the tables.

Over the cooler months of the year you should prepare and light a fire for him to unwind by. Your husband will feel he has reached a haven of rest and order, and it will give you a lift too. Afer all catering for his comfort will provide you with immense personal satisfaction.

Prepare the children. Take a few minutes to wash the children''s hands and faces (if they are small) comb their hair and if necessary, change their clothes. They are little treasures and he would like to see them playing the part, Minimize all noise. At the time of his arrival, eliminate all noise of the washer, dryer or vacuum. Try to encourage the children to be quite.

Be happy to see him.

Greet him with a warm smile and show sincerity in your desire to please him.

Listen to him. You may have a dozen important things to tell him, but the moment of his arrival is not the time. Let him talk first remember, his topics of conversation are more important than yours.

Make the evening his. Never complain if he comes home late or goes out to dinner, or other places of entertainment without you. Instead try to understand his world of strain and pressure and his very real need to be home and relax.

Your goal: Try to make sure your home is a place of peace, order and tranquillity where your husband can renew himself in body and spirit.

Don''t greet him with complaints and problems.

Don''t complain if he''s late home for dinner or even if he stays out all night. Count this as minor compared to what he might have gone through that day.

Make him comfortable. Have him lean back in a comfortable chair or have him lie down in the bedroom. Have a cool or warm drink ready for him.

Arrange his pillow and offer to take off his shoes. Speak in a low, soothing and pleasant voice.

Don''t ask him questions about his actions or question his judgement or integrity. Remember he is the master of the house and as such will always exercise his will with fairness and truthfulness. You have no right to question him.

A good wife always know her place.

Mixed emotions ...

In Texas, ‘mixed emotions’ is seeing your ‘mother-in-law’ drive over a cliff in your new F-350 Diesel Dual rear wheeled Ford pick-up truck.

One fellow said that is not true for there are no cliffs in Texas. However, I asked him if he had ever heard of “Oak Cliff”? Enough said.

Why is there ‘mixed emotions’ today in my life.

Well today is my fifty-four birthday. My daughter Leah called this morning to wish me a Happy Birthday. I will no doubt hear from Sara, David and grandchildren today some time.

This morning Regena has treated me like a King, and our plans for going to the Caribou for supper this evening.

Yesterday, I received a call from Andy in Kuwait, Andy told me that it was the 23^rd of February there and he wanted to wish me a Happy Birthday.

I am truly blessed of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Here is where the mixed emotions come in. Today, Andy along with his company will be moving north out of Kuwait and into Baghdad. Andy will be in Iraq for the next year, unless there is a withdraw. So again, I ask for your prayers for our son, Andy.

Thanks so much,

Bro. Jeff Hallmark

A JOURNEY TO THE CROSS

On the way to Resurrection Sunday, there has to be the day Christ died. Let me urge you to spend some time pondering the cross. - Charlie

A JOURNEY TO THE CROSS

And the cost of saving me

What an honor to study 1 Peter 1:18-19 – and then to shed some tears! Words can never express the value of our Savior’s “precious blood”. We can identify with Paul in Eph. 3:17-19, having an ambition to comprehend, while the immensity is past knowledge. Christians may pause to question, I do, a bit fearfully that perhaps we are not grasping what it meant to God for Christ to take our place. Measuring this mortality against the incalculable work of the Savior - it’s hard to grasp. I penned my struggle:

TODAY, I journeyed in my thinking to the scene of the cross…

Somehow, it seems the crowd parts to stare as I make my way to the feet of the Savior. Death is often bloody, ghastly, shocking, but I was not prepared for the trauma that sweeps me now. These are the feet that carried my Lord down the sandy shores of Galilee. Reaching high, I touch the greatest Man who ever lived. My hands stop just above an incredulous reality - the punctured wounds, impaled right through Him! I cringe as every nerve is electrified in horror. Grasping His ankles, His hairs touch my palms. I think His flesh is quivering. Jesus groans! Time seems reluctant to move, like the sun stopped in the sky. I see it in His features, through the loss of blood and pain shooting from every direction, intensive shock seizes His body!

I lean against the cross, trying to understand. Do I really sense the infinite redemptive power present upon this hill? What a revolting sight! That labored breath is drawn from the One I love. JESUS! And I cannot help You! May God deliver His pitiful child from being so dull! – “Scary God! – As this is the spot! - This is the day! - This is the sacrifice! - And my future is right now being weighed in the eternal balance of destiny!”

Then the Son of God lowers His gaze from Jerusalem and the crowd on the hill. He looks down, deep and long - right into my eyes. I tremble! I’m amazed! I’m speechless! Wide-eyed, I stare back in awe! The powers of darkness must be attacking Him, but He is looking at me! The searing pain throbbing and convulsing across the face of the crucified is intensely evident. And I cry to see His awful sense of loneliness and loss. Never! Not an instant from eternity has the Son been separated from the Father’s fellowship. Carrying my sin so appalls the Holy One. “God, I’m appalled too!” He shudders again and again! The Just for the unjust! Holiness bearing sin! I know this old sinner rates nothing, and certainly not His agony - upon agony - upon agony. Whatever His thoughts through what seems like an eternity of torture, it is nearly hidden by a distinct expression as His eyes clear. He sees me . . . and I see love! Love and compassion! Even now? And why care, I wonder, why at any time ever? How can this be?

I lower my red-stained hands slowly and stare, gawking in wonder at the fresh blood! What can wash away all my guilt, my very filthiness and sin? Nothing but the blood of Jesus! Incredulously, I shiver, beginning to grow weak and faint! Tears fill my eyes, blurring my vision, flowing like the rivers of spring down my cheeks! Pain pulls violently at my breast! “God, maybe through this trip to the cross, it will help me to increase my gratitude to Jesus Christ and the holy Trinity.” Lonely and forsaken! - Tortured and soon to die! - Why would He intervene for me in this way? Nausea sweeps me! How vile the stench of human depravity and how evil this scene in its willful brutality. I’m terribly sick to my stomach and sick in my soul. “Oh, help Lord! No, I deserve no help, but I’m nearly drowning as the smell of death is overwhelming and all around us!” Pondering sadly… “I hate this sin! It's my fault! This is definitely vitally serious to see the blood of the Eternal, Almighty God that darkens my hand!” As I bow, beneath the cross, blood falls as rain across my shoulders. I whimper with my face on a stone. Alone with Jesus, and yet I feel the presence of a billion souls. I whisper – and was it the moan of the wind, or can it be that the souls of all the ages are speaking with me? “I take full responsibility. I’m responsible for this torturous altar, for the awful sacrifice of the Lamb of God!”

As the sun veils the scene, I’m being drawn away. The crucifixion begins to fade in the distance as I'm pulled back into the 21st century! Ah, I’m so upset! Why didn't I gently lay hold of His feet and cry out my thanks and praise? The vivid scene was almost like a silhouette focused against the panorama of the whole world of sin! But His sacrifice shook me beyond words! Shame fills my soul, but praise is warming my heart! Gratitude rises and cascades to cry afresh from my lips! How could the precious Lord Jesus Christ endure bearing my sin on that dreadful day, through those terrible and torturous hours - suspended high in nakedness, cruelty and pain?

I can’t stand as I slip to the ground, but here is where I belong on my knees as the posture fits. "Thank you, Lord Jesus! I've been silent for way too long! I know I need You moment by moment as the total focus of my life! I love You! Help me! I want to live for You!” How through my life on earth can I guard this moment, to forever marvel at the day when You died in my place! Without You and what You did, I would surely have suffered forever! I had no hope... but the very Son of God climbed Golgotha to enter the place of judgment, to face the omnipotent wrath of God for all of my sin! Jesus, You took my place!

False religion does not like it and the devil doesn’t like it much either, but here’s the real theme of our pulpit: “For I determined not to know any thing among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified.” (1 Cor. 2:2)

Enemies of the cross, come to Jesus! Let’s put our pride where it belongs. “But God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world.” (Gal. 6:14)

Our religious pedigrees and accomplishments are nothing. It’s all about the blood as my way to the Heaven of God.

“Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers; But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot.” (1 Peter 1:18-19)

Won’t you take your trip to the cross today and surrender to God? “But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him.” (Rom. 5:8-9)

Charlie Carle

charliecarles@yahoo.com

Test Your Senses

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This one will keep you busy for a while! AND, could drive you crazy too!
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