25424 Aldine-Westfield, Spring, Tx. 77373

Our congregation Our nation, leaders and military

Various friends, relatives and co-workers James and Leon in the Army

George, Yevette and Sharnel will be traveling for a couple of weeks.

Mel will be out of town today.

EVENTS: Summer Youth Series (7 pm)

June 26 - Huntsville July 24 - Bammel (Lipscomb)

July 10 - West Houston (Harding) July 31 - Southeast (ACU/Acapella)

July 17 - First Colony (LCU - Rob Duncan)

There will be no bulletin until July 16.

"Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, trust also in me" (John 14:1).

We are all familiar with the story of Chicken Little who ran around crying "the sky is falling, the sky is falling" but said it so often no one would listen to him. Then there is the story of the boy who cried wolf one too many times. I don’t know about you, but it appears we live in a time with a lot of those kind of people running around.

The environment is heating up and it’s all man’s fault. The ice caps are melting, animals are disappearing, the oceans are rising, and it’s all one party’s fault (1). Then there is the supposed problem of over population; just far too many people in this world that we will run out of resources if something isn’t done. Like what? Of course, the war is dragging on, the borders are not secure, it is all a big waste of money and resources. There is the threat again of nuclear attacks from radical regimes. And we certainly cannot forget the prophets of impending doom who see the apocalypse just around the corner - the world is going to end, the "anti-Christ" is going to rise, the Lord is going to return, and the earth is going to be burned up and who will be left behind? Then there are the earthquakes, hurricanes and tornados. Movies and television give us an unending display of the end of the world, whether from aliens (The War of the Worlds, Independence Day), runaway comets, extreme weather (lightning strikes throughout the world), or extreme natural disasters (California falling into the sea - which might not be a bad thing - okay, I digress).

The apostle Paul had moments like that as well. He saw that Jesus would return in the not too distant future that in some ways it affected what he taught (see 1 Corinthians 7; 1 and 2 Thessalonians). But as the years when by, I think he "lightened up" a bit on the eschatology (a fancy theological word for the end). John too understood times would be difficult with the rise of anti-Christian ideas at the end of the first century. Of course, when we look at the Old Testament, we see people who ignored the signs of the times and the dangers they faced because of their disobedience and unbelief.

Throughout history, times often looked difficult. Victor Davis Hanson reminds us time and again that the most difficult days of World War II were in the late part of the war. In Europe it was the Battle of the Budge and in the Pacific, Iwo Jima and Okinawa. According to Harpers Magazine, Russia was looming on the horizon as a danger, the economy was in the tank, and a major energy source was scarce - that was 1856 (the energy source was whale blubber).

It is easy to see the worse in things. The same can be said in the church. We are only a generation away from apostasy some say. Others see a rejection of "the faith once delivered," of change agents trying to change the church, the denial of the Bible and the restoration movement as immediate threats. There are those who think that only a remnant remains of "the faithful," sort of like Elijah’s cry of "woe is me, I’m the only one left" (see 1 Kings 19).

We are not immune to the problem. So what do we do? I think that Jesus answers that one from John 14:1. We need to trust in God. God created this world and if He wants to take it out, He can. But when we read the scriptures we see that God has something more in mind. Paul teaches us that God plans to redeem creation as He has redeemed us (see Romans 8:22-24). Humans can be destructive. We can ignore our responsibility and pollute rivers and the earth. We can farm in such a way that will cause dust bowls (c. 1930s in the U.S.). We could unleash a nuclear holocaust that will damage the earth for years. But destroy the earth? Not with God as King. The problems of crying about impending doom ignores the fact that God rules.

Many in the environmental movement worship the earth to the point of paganism. Politicians worship themselves and see themselves as saviors of the world. Even in the church there are those who speak as though they are infallible, unwilling to recognize that they too could be wrong.

So it is easy to cry "the sky is falling, the sky is falling." But is it also very discouraging. It makes one just want to get away to some quiet place. A story is told by Paul Harvey about a man who understood the dangers before World War II. He studied and studied and determined that the safest place on earth was the island of Guadalcanal, after which was occupied by the Japanese and became the first battle for the U.S. in the Pacific. Escaping is just not an option, except going to escapist movies like Star Wars and Pixard cartoons. Vacations help and going to lectureships for renewal is always a good way to balance this all out. Be that as it may, right now we will trust in God and pray that God’s will will be done. Remember the media is always looking for the sensational and like an addiction, more is needed. We need to balance our lives with God and one another, looking forward and keeping the cross in mind. When things look bad, God does the unexpected; the resurrection, the parting of the Sea, the shutting of the mouths of lions. I think the best thing is to wait on God, knowing that He knows what is best and has His own timetable to accomplish His plan.

George B. Mearns

(1) Dennis Prager had a recent article called "Why liberals fear global warming far more than conservatives do" (www.townhall.com, 6/20/06). He lists several reasons for this including "The Left is prone to hysteria," "People who don’t confront the greatest evils will confront far lesser ones," "The Left is far more likely to revere, even worship, nature," and "Leftists tend to fear dying more."