Eagles

ByHal Hammons

I was distracted on my drive in to work today by a high-flying flock of gliding birds.  They acted very much like buzzards, except they were too high up and occasionally showed flashes of white.  I finally decided they must have been bald eagles.

It was really quite inspiring.  Buzzards fly to find food.  Grackles fly to catch food.  Finches fly largely to keep from becoming food.  But these eagles were doing none of those things.  As best I could tell, in my decidedly non-ornithologist viewpoint, they were flying just because they could.

Immediately, Bible students’ thoughts fly to Isaiah 40:31, which promises “new strength” to those who trust in God in times of weakness and trial.  “They will mount up with wings like eagles,” Isaiah tells us.  And truly, do we need a reason?

Life on earth is grand in its own way, but in many ways it gets more wonderful from a great height.  The ugliness that man creates fades, leaving only the glories of God — His forests, His rivers, His clouds.  Even the creations of man that still remain visible are mostly stripped of their ugliness.  A world without pollution, decay, stench and filth.  A world without arguments, horns and elbows.  How magnificent that must be!

Of course, altitude does not make problems disappear.  It merely emphasizes their insignificance in the big picture.  But considering the higher we rise up spiritually, the closer we get to Jesus (Colossians 3:1), that should be good enough for a typical Friday.

 

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Let’s get serious about Jesus

ByHal Hammons

In the late spring of 1994, as I rooted on the Houston Rockets on the way of the first of two “Thank you, Michael Jordan, for trying to play baseball” world championships, most of the world was watching another sport.  The World Cup had come to America.  (That’s a big soccer tournament, in case you were unaware.)  And the American home crowd got a thrill when the Yanks pulled off an upset victory over traditional power Colombia.  The 2-1 win was helped along when Colombian defender Andres Escobar scored an “own goal,” giving a point to the Americans and effectively eliminating Colombia from the tournament.

In related news, Andres Escobar was shot and killed in his hometown of Medallin a few days later. 

Priorities

ByHal Hammons

Here’s another Gene Stallings story.  Apologies if this offends any Auburn people out there.

Coach Stallings took his national championship team to the White House, as is customary.  (Or used to be, anyway.  Crazy world.)  Anyway, …

Why we left Egypt

ByHal Hammons

Throughout the Old Testament, “Egypt” is used as a metaphor for slavery.  The Israelites spent 430 years in Egypt, much or most of which was spent under the Egyptians’ thumb.  The kind behavior shown to Joseph and his family was not continued by the Pharaoh “who did not know Joseph” (Exodus 1:8).  Life soon became intolerable for the nation, even to the point of being forced to kill their own male children.  But God was watching over His people the entire time, even and especially during the worst days.  And when the time was right, God intervened.  Pharaoh was humiliated, Egypt was crushed and looted, and Israel emerged on the other side of the Red Sea as a nation to be seriously regarded and respected.

But the story was not yet over. 

A few words about “change”

ByHal Hammons

A Facebook “preachers” group that I somehow became attached to (you social media types know how easily that can happen) brought a preacher in Tuscumbia, Alabama, named Jesse Winn to my attention. After e-mailing Bro. Winn and exchanging a few thoughts and pleasantries, I decided (with his permission) to include his name and a link to the article in question. You can find the article here. I encourage you to read his article with the same prayer, spirit and consideration I ask when you read mine. The gist of his article was this (his emphasis):

I believe that, generally speaking, as a movement, we (the churches of Christ) need to be less afraid of change when necessary and more willing to question things.

Are you suffering from MIsophonia? Call 1-800-GetOverIt

ByHal Hammons

If you are driven to distraction by the noise people make when they are eating, chewing gum, or just plain breathing, you may have misophonia — which is an actual mental condition, according to the ever-reliable internet.

You also may be a human being.

The distinction between the two seems to be a capacity for toleration.