Gary Crocker’s Blog

Lynda and I were pleasantly surprised to find “The List” in our local video rental store. It’s an adaptation of Robert Whitlow’s book of the same title. We hadn’t heard of it, but Lynda had noticed a book by that title on the “best seller” rack at the Christian book store an hour or two earlier. That’s what initially caught her eye. What surprised us initially was the the mention on the jacket that there was a group Bible study guide included in the extras. The movie’s theme surprised us even more - the prevailing power of prayer. It had established actors and was very well done.

I took two lines from this movie that I’m adding to my collection of quotes:
“God’s children and His enemies make the same mistake; they underestimate the power of prayer.”
and
“I have said prayers for you that I believe will be answered after my death.” (In a note left for Lenny, one of the main characters, by his mother before her death.)
– This last one reminds me of my aunt’s prayers for my cousin.

In an article reproduced on the movie’s web site (http://www.thelist-themovie.com/index.html), filmmaker Gary Wheeler says that he tells audiences that the movie can be condensed into one phrase - “the prevailing power of prayer.” He says, “We very much had someone on set praying all day, every day, because it’s a movie about the power of prayer. We had to live it out.”

Another line that struck me, which I didn’t copy exactly, is about forgiveness. The same character who referred to our mistake about prayer, Lenny’s landlady - a retired missionary - told how she was able to forgive. She wrote down all her complaints and took them before the Lord and let them go. Then she burned the list. (This isn’t the “list” of the movie’s title.)

Bottom line: We need to be taking prayer much more seriously.
“The prayer of a righteous person has great effectiveness.” James 5:16b (NET)

“If you haven’t got anything good to say about someone, don’t say anything at all.” (Mother)

“Tis never so, that the louder the voice, the truer the argument.” (Ching Chow, 1968, News Syndicate Co.)
addendum to Ching Chow: Unless the argument is over who is the loudest.

Important truths are often hidden in the minds of people who are afraid to express them.
Important truths are often hidden in the minds of people who are not allowed to express them.

Mark Twain used silence during his lectures for dramatic effect.

Think twice before you speak. It might prevent foot-in-mouth disease.

Don’t be quick to answer dogmatically about things.

“Silence is not always golden. Sometimes it’s yellow.” (author unknown)
- Learn the difference.

The best way to avoid an argument is to preclude it. If appropriate, bring it up it up and answer it first. That will diffuse it, and prevent him from thinking he has caught you off guard.
- “Asked and answered” as would be objected in the courtroom.
- Shows you are aware of the issue and have thought about it.

While Lynda and I were in Barnes and Noble last evening and I was on my usual path to the computer section, my attention was drawn to a prominently displayed book. It was a bright red book titled The Gospel of the Flying Spaghetti Monster, by Bobby Henderson.

It was rather obvious that it was a parody on something - very likely against theism in some way. And so it is. It turns out to be a development of the statement made by Mr. Henderson about a decision of the Kansas State Board of Education that intelligent design must be taught as an alternative to biological evolution in public schools. In an open letter to the board, Henderson calls for equal treatment of his belief in the “Pastapharian” theory of creation, obviously mocking their decision, but considering such an option as just as logical.

I wanted to say something clever to the Barnes and Noble lady who greeted me as I glanced through the book, questioning why such a volume should be so prominently displayed. But as usual I came up blank - until after bed time. (It was 11:20 pm as I penned the first draft of this.)

The book was resting in an acrylic stand on a workstation table about chest high and facing the incoming traffic along a narrow walkway beside the escalator. What I now wish had come to my mind then was to ask her how the book came to be placed in such a position, and then to proceed:
- What processes were involved in getting it into the hands of the intelligent person who made the decisions to place it in such a location?
- How did the book itself come together?
- What processes were involved
- in the pages becoming bound together?
- in the printing of the pages?
- in the arrangement of the letters into the words - sentences - paragraphs?
- in the fabrication of the paper?
- in the design and fabrication of the parts of and assembly of the machinery to print it?
- This could go on and on, but what about
- the transportation system to get it there (vehicles, roads, drivers, maps & navigation systems)
- Postal system to plan and take advantage of the transportation system
- Payment and accounting system to
- buy the books so they could be stocked
- sell the books
- pay the employees
- again, this could go on and on
How many of these and so many other systems involved in getting that book into place on its acrylic stand can, with a straight face, be attributed to time, chance and natural processes?

Which of the steps were just allowed to happen by chance?

Oh, and don’t forget that this is just one of thousands of books on tables, racks and shelves all neatly and intelligently organized and arranged (at least originally) for maximum sales appeal so that customers can find them, buy them and make money for a large national organization.

- How does all this compare to the organization and order of a simple flower that grows, reproduces itself - attracting insects to help the process - and is beautiful to boot, and is a single example of a huge variety of plants and animals?

Which is more complex - the book store and its history and assembly, or living organisms?

Who’s really being silly?

[Reminder: See my caveat in the pages on the right.]

“…what I have called ‘chronological snobbery,’ the uncritical acceptance of the intellectual climate common to our own age and the assumption that whatever has gone out of date is on that account discredited. You must find why it went out of date. Was it ever refuted (and if so by whom, where, and how conclusively) or did it merely die away as fashions do? If the latter, this tells us nothing about its truth or falsehood. From seeing this, one passes to the realization that our own age is also ‘a period,’ and certainly has, like all periods, its own characteristic illusions. They are likeliest to lurk in those widespread assumptions which are so ingrained in the age that no one dares to attack or feels it necessary to defend them.”

C.S. Lewis, Surprised By Joy

• “You can’t be optimistic with misty optics.” (Charles Feinberg)
• “You can’t roller skate in a buffalo herd. But you can be happy if you’ve a mind to it.” (Roger Miller)
• “People are just about as happy as they make up their minds to be.” (Abraham Lincoln)
• Behave the way you want to feel. (me)
• “If the grass looks greener on the other side of the fence, start watering your own grass.” (Bayless Connelly)

In no particular order
• We don’t live in the world as God created it. (Gary Parker)
• Intellectual honesty is not the enemy of faith - even with respect to the Bible.
• Neither is logic.
• All truth is God’s truth.
• Not everything that happens has someone to blame.
• I don’t have to have an opinion on every issue.
• I don’t have to take a side in every conflict.
• The law of the harvest: We reap what we sow, more than we sow, later than we sow. (Charles Stanley).
• There are usually more ways than one to accomplish a task. The traditional way, or the “way we’ve always done it” may not be the best or most efficient - but not simply because it’s traditional.
• The comfortable or convenient explanation is not always the best explanation.
• Clever words do not in themselves form truth.

I’m neither as smart, nor as dumb as people think I am.

Therefore:
• I shouldn’t think of myself more highly than I ought to think. (Romans 12:3)
• I need to be realistic about what is said and shouldn’t take their praise more seriously than is really warranted.
• I shouldn’t worry about what others think.
• I shouldn’t quickly take offense at criticism since its intent is probably not as serious as I think.
• I should consider the validity of any criticism, and if valid, heed and grow from it.

This is a collection of thoughts, quotes and proverbs I’ve gathered over the years. Some have been guidelines I’ve tried to live by. I make no claim to mastery of any of them. Some are original as much as any of my thoughts can be considered as such. Most are gleaned from others over the years. The book of Proverbs in the Bible provides a much better collection, and I suggest a frequent reading it.

I begin this section under the conviction that God wants me to get on the stick and start using this blog and to get something posted - dare I say - daily, even if it’s a quick quote of someone else from my notes.

So here goes.
Gary

In order to post a comment here you need to be registered.
Here’s how to do that.

1. Scroll down this page until you see “Register” under the “Meta” category in the column on the right. Click on “Register”.
2. This will ask you to enter a Username (Make one up) and your e-mail address. Enter that information and click the “Register” button.
3. You will then get a message to check your e-mail. When you do, you should find a message containing your Username and a password.
4. If you have left the message box on the screen that told you to check your e-mail, you will notice that it has become a login (instead of registration) screen. You can login there using the information you received by e-mail.
5. The first time you log in you will be presented with a Profile editor, where you can, appropriately, edit your profile, including your password.

When you wish to make a comment to one of my postings, click on the word “Comments” under the article. This will show whatever comments have been made, if any, and provide a box where you can enter your own.

Please note that I have to review and approve comments before they show up. This is to prevent spam. If I learn how to allow trusted commentators to post directly, I’ll make that adjustment later.

There is a growing surge of books backing a movement toward the abolition of religion, especially Judaism, Christianity and Islam.

It is claimed in one of these books that prayer has been scientifically tested in blind tests and has failed.

I contend that the nature of answered prayer is such that no program of unbiased experimentation can test it. Jehovah is a God who sets His own terms and He must be approached on those terms. He cannot be told how He must respond.

Now without faith it is impossible to please him, for the one who approaches God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him. Hebrews 11:6 NET Bible

If I had harbored sin in my heart, the Lord would not have listened. Psalm 66:18 NET Bible

Any test of the validity of prayer must actually include bias in the sense of a commitment on the part of the ‘experimenter’ to respond to God if He answers. I know this is unscientific. I sincerely appreciate science. But God has not called us to science and experimentation; He has called us to trust and obey Him.

Taste and see that the LORD is good. Psalm 34:8 NET Bible