Fri.7.31.15...Remember...Eccles.11:7-12:8

"However many years a man may live, let him enjoy them all. 

But let him remember the days of darkness, for they will be many. 

Everything to come is meaningless...youth and vigor are meaningless." 

Eccles.11:8,10.  

Our bodies age quicker than we want. Our strength fades. Consider these two world records for bench pressing. In 2013, at age 37, Eric Spoto, set a new record for bench pressing- 722 lbs. Wow, what strength! That same year, at age 91, Sy Perlis set a new record for those 90+, bench pressing 187 lbs. Ugh! That reminds us of what we would rather not remember- we lose so much strength as we age. Yet Ecclesiastes stresses that it is important to remember that we are decaying and to remember our Creator in the days of our youth. For many of us, our youth is in the rear-view mirror. What awaits us? Read Eccles.11:7-12:8 now for a very poetic description of old age awaiting us.  

Old age does not sound inviting, does it? I lived with my aged grandfather while I went to Kellogg Community College before going off to Bible college in W.Va. He did not see, hear or walk well in his late years. He was unsaved and more than once declared, "There's not one good thing about growing old! Name me one!" My dad tried to comfort him by answering, "Memories." Grandpa lived to age 88. And my dad made it to 89. I'd like to think I could make it to age 90. Ever tried to guess-timate how long you might live? Will you make it to 90? What will you look like? Here's a great video of a man who was born in 1919, showing his appearance morphing until he died at age 90. Ugh!

Why all this talk about old age and death here and in Ecclesiastes? Solomon has already reminded us- since "death is the destiny of every man; the living should take this to heart" Eccles.7:2. So remember to honor the Lord before your life breaks down at the well of life. That's what 12:6 is describing- 

"Remember him before the silver cord is severed, (the cord to the bucket)

or the golden bowl is broken;

before the pitcher is shattered at the spring (which the water would be put in)

or the wheel broken at the well" (the wheel over which that the cord and bucket were lowered into the well.) 

Remember, Solomon has repeatedly commended the enjoyment of food, family, friends, work, rest, etc., as gracious gifts from God. Enjoy them in the midst of life that can be down-right confusing, frustrating and fleeting (meaningless). In light of our decaying and death, he is not advocating living for pleasure (hedonism), but living for the Lord, the Giver of all these good things (see James 1:17). And he calls us to remember that "for all these things, God will bring you to judgment" 11:9. 

With the progress of revelation, the NT reminds us to not only enjoy God's gifts, but to live to advance God's kingdom. A well said quote reminds us, "Only one life, 'twill soon be past; only what's done for Christ will last." Pastor Adrian Rogers told about visiting a dying, old Christian man from his congregation. The man said to him, "I'm not afraid to die, but I am ashamed to die." He had not lived to advance God's kingdom, to reach or teach others, to mature and multiply others. He had lived for himself. "A Christian wrapped up in himself makes a pretty small package. I'm so glad you are wrapped up in Christ and his kingdom cause. You are remembering what is vitally important.

"Remember your Creator in the days of your youth" Eccles.12:1

"Remember Jesus Christ, raised from the dead, descended from David" 2 Tim.2:8. 
We want to know him and to make him known.

Remember your epitaph and our GREAT commission- to Multiply MANLY Men.

1.- The average lifespan of American males now is 78 years of age. So imagine it's your 75th birthday. Let's say that each year until then you just recruited one new man to M3. Do the math. How many men would you have recruited by then? 

That's a lot of M3 men to come to your birthday party! But here is where it gets mind blowing. Imagine that each one of the men you recruited also recruited only one man each year. How many would be at your party? The math is mind bending. It doubles every year- 2, 4, 8, 16, 32, 64, 128, 254, 508, 1,016! And that's just each one reaching one for 10 years! Several of you have reached 2 or more in the 8 months since we started M3. That's why I scratch my head when men don't join or drop out of M3. They are like a farmer not planting any seeds. So glad that is not you!

2.- Who are the men you are now seeking to recruit to M3?

"Remember your Creator." You are remembering why you were left here by the Lord, to be fruitful and multiply- to make multiplying MANLY men.

3.- What's one verse from Eccles.11:7-12:8 that grabs your interest? Share it and and some of your thoughts about it.

What did Einstein and Solomon have in common? Find out Monday.

Thanks for putting all your points on the board, especially as I do the scoreboard tallying over the weekend.

Th.7.30.15 In Honor of Adrian...Eccles.11:1-6

Who is your favorite radio pastor? We are so blessed to be able to listen to some of the best pastors and Christian teachers in the country. Let their teaching and passion rub off on you. Eat much from the banquets they set forth to increase your growth in God. My all-time favorite radio pastor was Dr. Adrian Rogers. Not only was he an outstanding preacher, with a great voice for it, he also impressed me by his great love for the Lord, his wife and the lost. I listened often to his radio program, "Love Worth Finding," as did millions of other people. His broadcasts were heard in more than 150 countries. Though he died 10 years ago, his radio programs are still being aired in many areas and available anywhere via the internet at http://www.lwf.org/. 

Adrian and I were on a first name basis, though we never met. He was like a wonderful father or grandfather to many. He was so gifted at taking a passage and presenting it in such a simple yet powerful manner. Many places in my Bible you will find some of his points with his name by it. Today's passage, Ecclesiastes 11, is an example. So in honor of Adrian, I'd like to give you his six word outline of Eccles.11:1-6, followed by my comments. In his message, he applied the passage to one's financial fitness, but the passage can also be applied to one's spiritual fitness, which is what we will do here. 

1. Invest- 11:1. Invest in the lives of others. Like casting God's seed, God assures that you will reap according to how much you sow or invest in others. It will come back to you. Aren't you glad you're sharing God's word and the gospel seed (such as Greatest mini-movies) with others? Only those who don't will regret it. Adrian said, "I'm a nobody telling everybody about Somebody who can save anybody." 

2. Diversify- 11:2. "Give portions to seven, yes to eight" Don't keep what you have. Give. Many see a cross reference to Jesus' parable in Luke 16:1-9. When the "disaster" of death occurs, you will be very glad you gave to others. They will welcome you into eternal dwellings. May I challenge you to give to seven, yes to eight men. Strive to recruit seven or eight men over the next few years and give them lots of encouragement. They will create for you such a huge family tree as they give the same to others as well. Don't tell me you're too insignificant for God to use you in this way. Adrian said, "You can be too big for God to use, but you can never be too small for God to use."

3. Prepare- 11:3. Prepare for the certainties of life. "Where a tree falls, there will it lie." Duh! One of the certainties of life is that there will be uncertainties. That's why people buy insurance and have an emergency fund. Look down the road of your life. What do you see that you may need to prepare for? Paul saw "terrible times" coming (see 2 Tim.3:1). I think one of the best ways to prepare for such terrible times is to be in a strong band of brothers. So glad we are! Prepare. Mean business for God. "God does business with those who mean business." Adrian

4. Risk- 11:4. "Whoever watches the wind will not plant." Some will always find excuses not to improve their life or advance God's kingdom. They may fear possible failure or rejection, so they don't sow into their future or into the lives of others. Too many watch the wind, looking at people, trying to decide if they would be interested in spiritual things, rather than planting seeds. The power is in the seed of God's word. Risk sharing it with others. Take rejection as a badge of honor. The apostles were beaten for taking the risk to share God's word. They left the Sanhedrin "rejoicing because they had been counted worthy of suffering disgrace for the Name" Acts 5:41. They said, "Yes" to the Lord's will. "Two words that will change your life- Yes Lord." Adrian

5. Trust- 11:5. Solomon reminds us again that there is so much we don't know. So how then could we possibly know or understand the work of God? Thus, we need to trust. As it's been said, "When you can't trace His hand, trust His heart." When you have sought to do what's good and right and everything seems to be going wrong, "trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding" Prov.3:5. You will discover God can be trusted. "Our great need is to discover that Jesus is all we need." Adrian

6. Work- 11:6. "Sow your seed in the morning, and at evening let not your hands be idle..." Farmers had more than one field of endeavor. So do you and I. We need to work at our job and then come home to work on our marriage and family as well as our spiritual life. If a man is not liking his sparse harvest, he often just needs to increase the quantity and quality of the seeds he is sowing. "It's what you sow that multiplies, not what you keep in the barn." Adrian

Adrian worked so long and hard for the Lord. Here's a video tribute in honor of him. May his life inspire us as well.

1.- If you have a favorite radio pastor, please share who it is and where his broadcast can be found.

If you don't typically listen to sound biblical preaching apart from church, please take advantage of so much that is available to you via the radio and the internet. Check out what your other brothers are enjoying.

2.- What is one thing that strikes you from our passage, Eccles.11:1-6, and what we covered about it on the blog today? As always, write that down and look for opportunities (take risks) to sow that good seed in others lives today.

You will note that we didn't cover all of chapter 11 today. That's because I believe that 11:8-10 actually begins a new thought that goes into chapter 12. So we will look at all of that together tomorrow.

You may recall that chapter divisions were not introduced into the Bible until 1227 AD by Stephen Langton. These weren't always the best placed, as we noted today. The Hebrew Old Testament was divided into verses by a Jewish rabbi, named Nathan in 1448. Robert Stephanus did the same for the NT in 1555. Thank God for the work of these men. How easy they've made it for us to quickly find any passage. Otherwise we would be constantly saying, "somewhere it says." Note that is what the author of Hebrews said about the words of God in an Old Testament passage, "Somewhere he has spoken about the seventh day in these words, 'And on the seventh day God rested from all his work.'" We know those words can be found in Gen.2:2. 

PS- Adrian Rogers was also a master quote-smith. Enjoy!
"Death is just a comma to a Christian, not a period."
"Some people brighten up a room just by leaving it." :)
"I'm not always what I think I am, but what I think, I am."
"Failure in the past does not nullify purpose in the future."
"The weakest ink is stronger than the best memory. Study with pen in hand."
"What you are alone is what you are."
"Meditation gives you knowledge about God. Obedience gives you knowledge of God."
"You can save a lot of time waiting on God."
"You are free to choose; but you are not free to choose the consequences of that choice."
"Light refused increases darkness." 
"Never give the devil a ride. He will always want to drive."
"Discipline says, 'I need to." Duty says, 'I ought to.' Devotion says, 'I want to.'"
"We're to love people and use things, not love things and use people."

What if you could see yourself age from early childhood to old age in short order? You'll see that happen to a man tomorrow. How does that morphing man tie in with what you'll face tomorrow? Come back and see 

Wed.7.29.15...Clarify...Eccles.10

As a kid I regularly watched the original Star Trek TV series (It's five year mission: to explore strange now worlds...only lasted 3 seasons). At times Captain Kirk would be given some odd data to which he would then say to Spock, "Clarify." Maybe that's what you want to say at times if your wife begins talking to you in mid-thought about people you don't know who she is referring to. "Clarify." Being able to clarify info we hear is crucial to giving good responses and making good decisions.  

Several months ago, we looked at tools to better help us clarify our understanding of what God is saying to us through the Bible. We discussed how to REAP from God's word-
Read it prayerfully and carefully
Explore it by asking questions, clarifying terms, studying contexts, cross references, concordances and commentaries.
Apply it
Pass it on to others.

One way to also help clarify the meaning of a passage is to put it into your own words. So let's have fun doing so in Ecclesiastes chapter 10. I'll get us started. Here is 10:1 from the NIV.
As dead flies give perfume a bad smell,
so a little folly outweighs wisdom and honor.

Now here is my modern day paraphrase of it.
As one skunk ruins the sweet smell of roses,
so one dim-whit can ruin the careful whit and work of the wise.

If one dim-whit can ruin things, just see what three stooges can do! (This is an excerpt from one of my favorite episodes. My son and I have roared watching their amazing, creative antics!:)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a97J7j84gWY

Hope you enjoyed a good laugh watching such fools. You will notice Eccles.10 is dominated by contrasting fools and the wise. The fool is such a stooge, he shows everyone how stupid he is (10:2). He may get hired or put in a position for which he has no skill whatsoever (10:6). He is so dull that he doesn't figure the skillful way to do a job (10:10). Like the three stooges, his words are full of folly (10:13) and he doesn't know the most basic things (10:15). The house of his life leaks (10:18). He's so foolish, he thinks that money will solve all his problems (10:19). And his disrespectful talk is sure to boomerang on him (10:20).

1.- So read through Eccles.10 and pick out one verse and put it in a short, pithy saying as well. 
This is different from sharing our thoughts about a verse. This is re-wording the verse. This forces us to think carefully about the verse and clarify its meaning to begin with. There are no right or wrong answers here. Go for it!

Paraphrasing a verse in your own words is helpful. But this brings up an important question. Should we use a paraphrase of the Bible? Here's how a good Christian question and answer site, Got Questions.org responded-
 http://www.gotquestions.org/paraphrase-Bible.html

Question: "Should I use a paraphrase of the Bible?"

Answer:A paraphrase is a retelling of something in your own words. A paraphrase of the Bible is different from a translation in that a translation attempts (to varying degrees) to communicate as “word-for-word” or as “thought-for-thought” as possible. A paraphrase takes the meaning of a verse or passage of Scripture and attempts to express the meaning in “plain language” – essentially the words the author of the paraphrase would use to say the same thing. The most popular example of a Bible paraphrase would be “The Message” by Eugene Peterson.

Many people use paraphrases as their “reading Bible,” preferring to read straight through as with a novel. This can be particularly helpful in long narrative passages such as found in Genesis, 1 and 2 Kings, and 1 and 2 Chronicles. Then they use actual translations—such as the New American Standard, New King James, and New International Version—for in-depth reading and study.

Should you use a paraphrase? A paraphrase of the Bible should not be used as a Christian’s primary Bible. We have to remember that a paraphrase is what the author thinks the Bible says, not necessarily what the Bible says. Eugene Peterson did a fair job on The Message, but there are many passages in The Message that do not accurately render the original meaning of the text. A paraphrase of the Bible should essentially be used as a commentary on the Bible, a way to get another perspective. A paraphrase can be used alongside a Bible translation to give insight into what the Bible means. A paraphrase of the Bible, though, should not be viewed as the Bible, but rather as an author’s idea of what the Bible says and what it means by what it says.

Just to clarify, when I got saved in 1976, my sister gave me a Living Bible. It was a very popular paraphrase by Dr. Ken Taylor. I devoured it! I also have Eugene Peterson's The Message and find it helpful in spots. Use such tools to help you dig into the Scriptures.

To further Clarify
We are on a serious mission, but there is a time and place for laughter. "A feast is made for laughter" 10:19. Solomon wrote in his previous book that a "merry heart does good like a medicine" Prov.17:22. Laughter has been proven to be so therapeutic. If you enjoy the humor of the Three Stooges, then here is the link to the full Plumbers episode entitled, The Vagabond Loafers (1949). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=08sCJVa32ik Dudley Dickerson (the black cook) played in several other episodes with the Three Stooges. He is hilarious in this one:)

2.- What was a favorite TV show you liked as a boy?

For my Thoughtful Friends
The OT abounds with Hebrew poetry and word play. One technique used often in Proverbs and Ecclesiastes is contrasting thoughts. Here's an example of this in 10:6. 
(A) Fools are put in many high positions, 
(B) while the rich occupy the low ones.
What's worth noting is that the very next verse amplifies the same contrasting thoughts of v.6.
(A) I have seen slaves on horseback,
(B) while princes go on foot like slaves.
Bible scholars use that A,B,A,B method and other arrangements to help identify or clarify the poetic arrangement. Be on the look out for such. 

Many believe he was one of the greatest preachers of modern times. What a voice! Who was he and what can he teach us from Ecclesiastes? Find out tomorrow. 

Dave DeBoer has taken the opportunity to give some Greatest Minimovies cards out to custmoers of his floor cleaning business. He wrote, "I have been sharing the cards with the owners of a certain tattoo studio I've been cleaning." Way to go Dave!

Tues.7.28.15...Forgotten Heroes...Eccles.9

He was such a celebrated American hero that he was given a ticker tape parade in New York. Then just three years later, his second act of peace time heroism brought him a second ticker tape parade. Wow! Two ticker tape parades for such a great man! Of course you know who I’m talking about; it was none other than Captain George Fried. Who???

“Even the memory of [the dead] is forgotten” Eccles.9:5

Inside the heart of all men is the desire for their lives to count, to make an impact, to leave a lasting legacy, to be remembered for doing something significant with their lives. Ben Franklin gave some pithy advice about having such an impact. 

"If you would not be forgotten when you are dead and rotten,

either write something worth reading or do things worth writing."

But truth be told, even great heroes who have been greatly honored are still forgotten. Captain George Fried is a good example. He was celebrated with a ticker tape parade for his valiant rescue of the crew from a sinking British steamship in 1926. Then three years later, he and his crew, though once again having to battle icy, stormy conditions, rescued the crew from a sinking Italian steamship. He was so admired that New York honored him with another ticker tape parade. He became all the more known through his syndicated column, "My Thirty Years at Sea" which ran in hundreds of newspapers in 1929. Even though he fulfilled Ben Franklin’s advice by doing things worth writing and writing things worth reading, he still has largely become forgotten in less than 100 years. Solomon was right, even the memory of the dead is forgotten.

Yes, I know this seems pretty depressing. But that is exactly the point Solomon is seeking to make in this pre-evangelistic, "under the sun" book. Life is meaningless, confusing, frustrating, unfair and so temporary. Death is approaching. Time is running out as people run busily about. 

“And you run and you run to catch up with the sun but it's sinking,
Racing around to come up behind you again.
The sun is the same in a relative way, but you're older,
Shorter of breath and one day closer to death.” Time by Pink Floyd

In addition to death closing in and being forgotten with our passing, Ecclesiastes chapter 9 highlights a few more frustrating things about life, but I’ll let you discover them.

Eccles.9:7-10 is like the chorus that a song comes back to. Solomon comes back to his repeated advice earlier in the book to enjoy life in the midst of this meaningless life. He is not advocating the thought that the foolish farmer had, whom we read about yesterday; “Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry” Luke 12:19. God called him a fool because he lived life apart from devotion to God’s will. Solomon is calling people to thankfully enjoy the good gifts of God in this present moment. “Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, today is a gift of God, which is why we call it the present.” by Family Circus cartoonist, Bil Keane. May you enjoy this gift called the present.

1.- Read Eccles 9 and share one verse you picked out and some of your thoughts regarding such.

If we live to be remembered by people, we will likely be forgotten as was Captain Fried. But if we live to please God, we will be remembered and honored by him eternally. Nehemiah wanted God to remember him for his work on rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem. He closed his book praying, "Remember me with favor, O my God" Neh.13:31. He built up the city walls. How much better now to build up the lives of others. You are doing that as you are pursuing GREAT things each day- Sharing God's life transforming word with others, Recruiting others, Encouraging one another, Attacking in prayer and doing Acts of kindness and Telling others of Transformation. What a GREAT life you are building. What a ticker tape parade such GREAT men deserve in glory.

2.- Some wise person gave good advice for being eternally remembered- “Carve your name on the hearts of people, not on granite. So write more about your epitaph. What do you want to be remembered for by God? (If nothing has changed from yesterday, you can repeat it, but see if you can refine it.) 

Speaking of epitaphs, walls and the chorus of a song, I am reminded of another haunting song from my empty high school days. It was called, Epitaph by King Crimson (1969). So haunting are the lyrics, that evangelist/apologist Ravi Zacharias quoted from them in one of his messages. Here are some excerpts from Epitaph.

The wall on which the prophets wrote is cracking at the seams

Upon the instruments of death the sunlight brightly gleams...

Knowledge is a deadly friend when no one sets the rules
The fate of all mankind I see is in the hands of fools.

Confusion will be my epitaph as I crawl a cracked and broken path.
If we make it we can all sit back and laugh,
But I fear tomorrow I'll be crying, 

Yes I fear tomorrow I'll be crying.

3. Optional: For my lovers of thought and reflection. The songwriter is certainly giving us an "under the sun" view of life. What do you think he may have been alluding to in the first few lines of Epitaph?

In light of time running out for lost people, it's vital that we be looking for opportunities to share the good news with others. Sam did that recently. He wrote, "I gave a mini-movie card and a New Life card to my insurance agent." Way to go Sam! 

I was at Aldi's and ended up giving a card to a JW, which she thanked me for. I went away smiling because I know they are not allowed to accept "apostate literature." If she only knew! :)

What do Captain Kirk of Star Trek and the Three Stooges remind us of when we delve into Eccles.10? You'll discover that tomorrow.

Mon.7.27.15...Who Knows?...Eccles.8

We live in an unprecedented era- an explosion of knowledge. With the advent of smart phones, we can find the answers to almost any of our questions right at our fingertips. Want to know who the first man was to make it to the South Pole? Google it! "The first expedition to reach the geographic South Pole was led by the Norwegian explorer, Roald Amundsen. He and four others arrived at the pole on 14 December 1911." Want to know who the oldest person alive now in the USA is? Google it. It's Gertrude Weaver, born in Arkansas on July 4th 1898. Want to know what year the war of 1812 was fought? Okay, maybe you don’t need to Google it. Want to know what date Benjamin Franklin died? Google it. April 17th, 1790. But there is one question that Google can’t answer- What day you will die? Apart from suicide, and many of those attempts fail, how can anyone in good health predict the day of his death? The future is a mystery. Who knows? Notice this theme of lack of knowledge in chapters 8-9 of Ecclesiastes:

“Who knows the explanation of things?” Eccles. 8:1

“…no man knows the future” 8:7

“No one has power over the day of his death” 8:8

“No one can comprehend what goes on under the sun” 8:17

“No man knows whether love or hate awaits him” 9:1

“No man knows when his hour will come” 9:12

We may pride ourselves on how much we know of the past, but we are clueless regarding our future. Yet, we are reminded that “Death is the destiny of every man” 7:2. That is something we can know for sure- we will die. It’s been said that two things are for sure in this life, death and taxes. Al Capone tried to evade taxes and ended up going to Alcatraz for such. After serving his time, he was released and died 7 years later in his mansion in Florida. Syphilis had reduced his mind to that of a 12 year old. He was buried in Chicagoland. Do you know the year of his death? Now you do-

I took that photo of his simple headstone at Mt. Carmel cemetery in Hillsde. Sometimes the wicked live long, other times they don’t. “Although a wicked man commits a hundred crimes and still lives a long time, I know that it will go better with God-fearing men” 8:12. That's one thing we do know.

Since we don’t know the day of our death, some people have already bought cemetery plots with the day of their birth embedded in marble, leaving off the day of their death to be filled in later. At one cemetery near my house where I like to pray, I came across a unique plot. It cost Dan "the Cat Man" Chaplick thousands and thousands of dollars to have this large memorial made, though he is not dead yet. What’s more, he wants the world to know about his devotion to cats. Check out this picture I took-

The ending of his inscription reads, "Save a life- adopt a pet from an animal shelter. Live your life by the "golden rule" and you will be with God."

I shake my head over this. First, Dan the Cat Man's belief about entrance into heaven is dead wrong. Second, he spent a small fortune on this memorial to cats. That to me is a big waste of money.  Third, I don’t want to live for cats, but for the King. I want to be remembered for what He highly values. 

Have you ever written out how you want to be remembered? It’s a sobering exercise. If you had to summarize what you want to be remembered for on a tombstone, what would you say? There have been some funny ones. One lady’s tombstone read, “I told you I was sick!” Many that I’ve read, speak of “loving husband and devoted father.” Here's a suggestion- Don’t write what you are now, but what you want to be remembered for. I know I want my epitaph to include, “He Multiplied Many MANLY Men.” What is the benefit of this exercise? It helps you begin with the end in view. It helps you focus on what is truly important. It helps you put first things first. Jesus said, “Seek first the kingdom of God” Mt.6:33.

Remember the story Jesus told of the farmer that had a bumper crop? The farmer said, “I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. And I’ll say to myself, ‘You have plenty of good things laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry.’ But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?’” Luke 12:18-20. God gave the epitaph that would accurately belong on that man’s tombstone- “Fool!” That is not how you and I want to be remembered.

1.- How do you want to be remembered? Write your own epitaph. Just jot down some initial thoughts. It doesn’t have to be set in stone yet. :)

Epitaph: From a Greek word- epi: upon / taphos: tomb. Thus, a saying written upon a tomb.

2.- Read Ecclesiastes 8 and share a verse and some of your thoughts on it.


Random Thought: The name of this blog post is "Who Knows?" That reminds me of what my son and I have affectionately named what we will be eating, when my wife doesn't have a dinner menu planned yet. You might want to teach your kids to say it with a foreign accent- "whoknows" :)

He was such a celebrated American hero that he was given two separate ticker tape parades in New York. Who was he and how does that relate to Ecclesiastes and to us? Find out tomorrow :)

Announcements
Congratulations! Almost all of the squads scored 25 or more. Good things happen when you remember to put your points on the board. Squad 5 won with a weekly average total of 36.05. I see why. All their men on both fire teams 1 and 2 were unstoppable and put their points on the board. Other fire teams who were unstoppable included Fire Team 2 of Squad 1, and Fire Team 1 of Squad 4. A few guys were out of commission, but will be back with us this week. Once again, your squad leaders points are not figured in. They are focusing on helping you. Please make their voluntary service a joy by remembering to put your points up without being reminded. Thanks. Jack has been on vacation that's why he's struggling with scoring :) 

Squad 1			0	28.55	Squad 3			0	19.8
Eddie Morales	U	R5	47		Robert Roman	U	R1	27
Fire Team 1				28.5	Fire Team 1				13.75
William Dyckman	U	R1	34		Vince Diaz	U	R1	44
Phil Raymond	U		31		Antonio Palomar		R1	0
Ismael Andrade		R2	20		Nic Palhegyi	U	R1	11
James Schmidt	U		29		Rich Petre			0
Fire Team 2				28.6	Fire Team 2
Gary Remson	U	R1	39		Osiris Alday	U		44
Luis Ortiz	U		21		Squad 4			0	29.8
Alex Dyckman	U		26		George Rabiela	U	R1	69
Fire Team 2			0	32.25	Fire Team 1				30
Sam Vargas	U	R3	64		Dave Heidekruger	U	R2	32
Fire Team 1				44	Michael Gonzalez	U		27
Oscar Nunez			27		Chuy Cervantes	U		31
Lou Ojeda	U		61		Fire Team 2				29.6
Fire Team 2				20.5	Rich Guardiola	U	R1	38
Israel Fuentes		R1	24		Mark Estrada			14
Dave DeBoer	U		17		Horacio De La Torre	U		37
					Squad 5			0	36.05
					Jack Rogers	U	R4	94
					Fire Team 1				35.6
					Roger Vinlasaca	U	R1	35
					Armando Hernandez	U		36
					Jose Billegas	U		36
					Fire Team 2				36.5
					George Doherty	U	R1	35
					Andre Vargas	U		38

Fri.7.24.15...Man's Search for Meaning...Eccles.7:15-29

His name was Viktor Fankl, a Jewish psychiatrist, who suffered the horrors of the Auschwitz Nazi concentration camp for three years. Frankl realized he needed to appear willing to work if he was to have any chance for survival, and also have a reason for living beyond the gates of that death camp. He witnessed horrific things and the degrading of humanity. He saw prisoners fight over the little food they were given. Yet he also saw how others gave the last they had to their comrades. He discovered that one's attitude was the one thing the Nazi's could not take away from a man. Frankl was one of the very few who survived. (Only 224 out of the 1.1 million who were put to death in Auschwitz survived to the end of the war.) Later, he wrote about his harrowing experiences in his world famous book, Man's Search for Meaning. But even Frankl couldn't tell you the meaning of life. 

It was a search to try and come up with one's own meaning for existing. He was limited to his observations and speculations, just as Solomon was in his "under the sun" view of life. Solomon saw a lot, and concluded that life was meaningless. Both Solomon and Frankl saw good or righteous people dying tragically, while the wicked managed to live on. Solomon saw people who were legalistic "overrighteous"and "overwise" (7:16; think of the Pharisees), as well as those who were "overwicked" (think of the Nazis and Isis). What he did rightly conclude was that "the man who fears God will avoid all such extremes" 7:18. He also rightly concluded that "there is not a righteous man on earth who does right and never sins" 7:20.. I'm sure Frankl also concluded that based on what he saw. You and I can conclude that as well, just by looking into our own hearts. "You know in your heart that many times you yourself have cursed others" (spoken badly of others) 7:22.

What is the meaning of life? Solomon was determined to find out God's ultimate scheme of things. Like a great research scientist, Solomon said, "I turned my mind to understand, to investigate and to search out wisdom and the scheme of things" (7:25). "Adding one thing to another to discover the scheme of things" (7:27). But despite his determination, he had to admit, "this was beyond me. Whatever (God's ultimate) wisdom may be, it is far off and most profound- who can discover it?" (7:23-24). But he did find some things along the way- "I find more bitter than death the woman who is a snare...(7:26). "I found one upright man among a thousand, but not one upright woman among them all" (7:28). Some have accused Solomon of being down on women. But perhaps he simply needed to expand his sampling data beyond the confines of his huge harem of 700 foreign wives and 300 concubines (see 1 Kings 11:3). Solomon had so many women, yet found that to be empty as well. Playboys need to realize they are on a dead end pursuit chasing sexual encounters (7:26). 

Men are no better than women. Solomon found that too. "God made mankind upright, but men have gone in search of many schemes" 7:29. The Hebrew word here for "schemes" is chishshabon. It's used only one other place in the OT (2 Chron.26:15), and it has the meaning of inventions. Lost man would rather search for and invent their own meaning in life, than follow God's meaning and will for their lives. Want evidence? Vicktor Frankl's book, Man's Search for Meaning has sold over 10 million copies and has been translated in 24 languages. I'm not bashing the book. His tales of concentration camp life and death are gripping. But many people have gone in search of their own meaning, having turned their backs on their Creator, who offers them meaning. Man invents his own meaning for life. It's like buying a dictionary with terms in it, but no definitions. Those are left for each person to invent and fill in. How crazy is that! 

How much better to search through God's book to find the meaning for our existence. One place it's revealed to us is in a story, not set in a concentration camp, but in a wilderness. The devil sought to lead the Son of God astray from the meaning and purpose God had for him and for all of us. He sought to get Jesus to bow down and worship him. But Jesus declared, "Away form me Satan! For it is written, 'Worship the Lord your God and serve him only'" Mt.4:10. There it is! Man's search for meaning is over. What is the meaning of my life- "Worship the Lord your God and serve him only." I am not to search for and invent my our meaning, but to embrace the meaning and purpose God has created and redeemed me for. Thank you Lord, for it is a good, pleasing and perfect will and plan that you have for my life. 

1.- Read Eccles.7:15-29 and pick out a verse or phrase and share it and some of your thoughts about it.

If you search in the Webster's dictionary for the definition of manly, you will find this: "having the qualities generally regarded as those that a man should have..." But once again, that leaves man to search for his own meaning. Instead, based on God's revealed word, I believe the following acronym reflects God's meaning and purpose for our lives. Man's search for meaning is to be MANLY:
Mature in character- for example- Hungry, Obedient, Unstoppable, Strong in the Lord, Encouraging.
Active in mentoring- pursuing G.R.E.A.T. things to help ourselves and others mature and multiply.
Noble in battle- being at W.A.R. to live Worthy lives, to Activate the sidelined saints and to Release the locked up lost.
Loving in relationships- for example, seeking to devotedly love my family
Yoked to Christ and a band of brothers- being devoted to Christ and your fire team, squad and the men of M3 to advance God's kingdom.

Yes, we certainly have reviewed that MANLY acronym before. But do you know it? Our mission is to Multiply MANLY Men. So do you know the meaning of a MANLY man? Could you share it with someone who asked you, "What is a MANLY man?" I use it often as a guide for praying for men we want to recruit and for ourselves. Please try it. I do. 

2.- What's one aspect of our MANLY acronym that you're glad we focus on?


Did you know former fire captain, George Rabiela runs O'Leary's Fire Truck Tours? Here's what he wrote recently. "Took some people out on a tour, but didn't have any business cards, so I gave them a mini movie card with my telephone number on it." Way to go George! Each man in M3 can now have his own sharp looking, personal business cards.

How does the death of Al Capone relate to Ecclesiastes and to us today? We'll discover that together Monday.

Enjoy the weekend and make sure to get all your points on the board for the sake of your team, yourself and even me. And text me if you're joining me for a walk tomorrow (8:00 AM starting at 9541 S. Oakley. Thanx :)

Please send a birthday greeting to Rick Barrera. His big day is tomorrow, but please encourage him today- c.309-242-0843.

Also please send an email to Ed Lake whom we've missed all this week as they are getting settled in to Kazakhstan from 
Singapore- edwardlake2006@gmail.com.