Category: Thursday Thought

They needed a place to hide.  And fast.

Hearts heaving, horses foaming with sweat, Jesse and his friends dove deep into the cave—along with their loot from the a heist.  For three days a posse hunted these hidden fugitives throughout the cave's many tunnels… unsuccessfully. 

Having just visited Meremac Cavern, in Stanton, Missouri, I now understand how Jesse James and his gang eluded the law.  The place they hid is huge—taller than a 7-story building inside! 

The grand finale (if cave tours have such a thing) is a seating in a vaulted room that features what they call, “The Stage Curtain.”  A video begins to play.  At first, I thought it might be kitschy.  Then came the soundtrack: God Bless America, sung by Celine Dion–and scenes painted themselves on the 70 foot tall walls of mineral deposit.

Imagine my surprise at seeing the text of 2 Chronicles 7:14 blazing brightly,: “If my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.”

In the darkness of the cave, I thought of the horror of the recent night club shooting in Orlando, the vitriol masquerading as election year politics, the angst I feel as my country disintegrates .  But above it all, I heard that that sweet simple prayer, “God bless America, my home sweet home.”

Now I get the fact that biblically, we cannot wrap our Christianity in the American flag.  The Almighty is surely under no obligation to restore whatever Christianity might have once defined our Republic. 

And yet….it was hard not to squelch a tear sitting in the blackness of Meremac Cavern—especially as the video ended with Psalms 33:12: “Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord.”

A verse like that…in a public place like this?

I was blown away.   And to think it all happened in a cave. 

Now that summer is upon us, it's best we made peace with the insects around us.   Why, you ask?  Because….well…resistance is futile.  I was reminded of this when reading Anne Rooney’s book, You Wouldn’t Want to Live without Insects.  In it, she offers insect insight. 

Across our globe, there are six to ten million species of insects, although scientists have only named about 900,000 of those species. Insects are found everywhere in the world—even in frozen Antarctica!

And boy, are we outnumbered. There are 200 million insects for every person on earth.  About 90% of all life-forms on earth (not including bacteria) are insects. 

Wrap your brain around this: the mass of all the ants in the world is greater than the mass of all the people.  Still not creeped out?  Then process this: In a rain forest, insects weigh more than the all the animals with backbones put together!

Of course you knew that one bat can eat up to 3000 insects a night, right?  A single swarm of locusts can cover 460 square miles, destroying crops and causing famine.  Each locust eats its own weight in food every day.   Cockroaches can live for six weeks without any food—and four weeks without a head!  Wasps can survive 180 times more radiation than humans.

After the explosion in Ukraine's Chernobyl nuclear power plant, insects survived better than other animals.  Insects are often the first creatures to move back into a disaster zone. 

Nehemiah 9:6: "You alone are the LORD. You have made the heavens, The heaven of heavens with all their host, The earth and all that is on it.”  To which I add—even insects.

And now you know why I say, it’s better to learn to live with insects than to expect to exist without them. 

For Moody Radio, I’m Jon Gauger, and those are my thoughts.

Now…where’s my fly swatter?!

It’s the largest home in America. Can you name it?  It’s Asheville’s Biltmore estate.

When railroad and shipping magnate George Vanderbilt first visited Asheville in 1888, he fell in love with the place and promptly amassed land to construct his sprawling residence.  Forget acres.  The Biltmore sits on nearly 11 square miles!                    

Any sense of scale was out-scaled in the construction of this home.  To ship in the raw materials and labor, a special railroad spur was created.  Every day for nearly seven years, hundreds of workers plopped themselves on top of timbers, tile and stone bound for the construction site. 

By Christmas Eve, 1895, the home was finally opened.  And what a home!  

Imagine 250 rooms, including 35 bedrooms, 43 bathrooms, 65 fireplaces, three kitchens, a bowling alley, and even an indoor pool.  While you and I speak in terms of square footage, this estate boasts of four acres of floor space.  Truly, Mr. Vanderbilt…built more.

But even as we mounted the stairs, trekked through the halls and gawked at the opulence, I heard the voice of One whose estate will dwarf anything Mr. Vanderbilt ever conceived.

Jesus said, “In My Father’s house are many dwelling places; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you. If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself, that where I am, there you may be also.”

And if Jesus is the architect and builder, it’s a safe bet those dwellings will be nothing less than spectacular:

What no eye has seen,

what no ear has heard,

and what no human mind has conceived —

the things God has prepared for those who love him

–1 Corinthians 2:9

 

Here’s to living forever in the house that Jesus is building!

The animals are leaving!

A favorite small town nature museum is about to get a make-over.  But maybe not for the best.   Currently on display are more than 50 mounted and stuffed wild animals ranging from a beaver to a bison. They represent life on America's plains and frankly, they are magnificent.

I never tire of crouching down and locking eyes with a trio of coyotes.  Processing the span of a wolf's paw is enough to bring a shudder.  And peering at a mountain lion up close jerks one into a fresh reality of the killing machine these creatures can be. 

But most of these beautifully preserved animal displays are about to disappear in a nod toward modernization.  They will be replaced by interactive displays–touch-screen monitors.  In the world of museums, this has become the de facto standard.

The new displays will share more information, but they will largely insulate visitors from a proper sense of wonder.   Providing more information in the information age might be like dumping water into a water fall.   We already have enough, thanks!

What we lack is a capacity for wonder.   In fact, I'd call it an endangered species.  Wonder is so rare, we don't miss it—and don't know that we should. 

It's almost as if curators and others are afraid to let us draw our own conclusions about the animals.   Or they fear that because the mounted bison currently on display doesn't spin, flash or make noise, it will fail to capture our imagination.  Not so.

Gauging that the back of a bison is as tall as my head is a wondrous reality that comes not from peering at an HD screen, but from standing next to the real thing.  I say, let’s learn to ponder the real thing and leave touch screens for video games.

Give awe some space.  Let it marinate in time–and wonder is the byproduct.

“O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name is your name in all the earth.”  –Psalms 8:1

Spring has finally reached Illinois.  And trust me, this year we had our doubts.

If you are fortunate enough to live outside the Midwest, kindly indulge my excessive jubilation over the sight of leaves on trees.  While you may have been enjoying them for weeks or months now, where we go camping, many of the trees are still only budding.

As I pondered their green grandeur, I was struck by the potential of just one tree. Consider this.   One single tree provides shade that means comfort for picnics…and lower air conditioning bills at home.

A tree provides food.  Caterpillars and other critters lunch and munch on every tree, while armies of ants trek up and down the trunk trafficking food. 

A tree provides homes for animals like birds, squirrels and raccoons.

Then there's the beauty of a tree…the sound of a tree, whether the rustle of leaves, or the whisper of a pine bough swish.

A tree provides a wind barrier a sound barrier, and natural privacy.  We haven't discussed lumber production.  Or paper.  Or, in the case of Maple trees, syrup.  Haven't mentioned apples and peaches and pears and almonds and walnuts or pine cones (with help from a seven year old named Joslynn, I collect them).

And did I mention an average tree absorbs about 48 pounds of carbon dioxide annually, while creating about 260 pounds of oxygen each year?

Now…put all of those factoids into perspective as you read Psalm One's description of a godly woman or man whose delight is in the Law of the Lord:

“He is like a tree planted by streams of water which yields its fruit in season and whose leave does not whither.   Whatever he does prospers.”

Want to provide shade, comfort, protection and life for others? God says,

     “Be like a tree.

      Delight in Me.”

Some missionaries work in foreign countries.

My friend Jack works as a missionary in (mostly) foreign cars—Chicago cabs (where the Toyota Prius is king). 

Crazy guy, Jack.  He'll talk to any taxi driver, any time about Jesus. But his latest ride in downtown Chicago is a conversation I just had to pass along.  Here's how Jack told the story to me:

“Clearly, my driver was not born in the U.S., so after the usual greeting stuff, I asked him straight up, 'What is your country of birth?'  He says, with a playful smile, 'Can you guess?'

“Well, I've traveled a couple of times to West Africa,” Jack muses, “so I just guessed Ghana.  Looking into the rear view mirror, I could see a big ol' smile on the driver's face (name is James, by the way).”

 

The ride would be less than two miles, so Jack wasted little time moving into missionary mode. He continued:

“'Tell me, are you going to heaven?' I asked James boldly and with a smile.  A smile is a wonderful outreach tool, Jack adds parenthetically.   “The driver tells me, 'Well, I try to do good things, so I hope so.'”

Jack can be blunt—and I suppose when you have just a few seconds to get to the point, you better get to the point.   Jack told James:

“'I have bad news and good news.  The bad news is that you can't be good enough.  The good news is that the goodness of Jesus in dying on the cross for you and me—IS good enough.'  This, of course, sparked a whole conversation, and I quoted verses like Ephesians 2:8.9, reminding him that we are not saved by works, but by faith in Christ Jesus.”

“The ride went by fast, but when he pulled over to the curb, I asked the guy, 'James, is there any reason why you would not want to receive the gift of eternal life right now?'  He told me no, so I asked if I could pray with him in the cab.”

“Right there, he prayed with me to receive Christ.  What a great way to start your day,” concluded Jack.

What a great day, indeed!

The April edition of the American Legion Magazine featured an eye-popping article with regard to ISIS here in America.  According to the Foreign Policy Institute, the source of this article, in 2015…

• 56 Americans were arrested for their connection to ISIS.

• As of 2016, more than 20 American ISIS recruits have been killed in action.

• 71 Americans have been arrested, indicted, or convicted for joining or supporting ISIS.

• 250 Americans have attempted to travel to the Middle East to join ISIS.

• There are at least 900 active FBI investigations against stateside terrorists.  Most are linked to ISIS.

While on the one hand, it's encouraging to know that Homeland Security, the FBI and CIA are on the job, on the other hand, it's disturbing to ponder just how many Americans are lining up to join ISIS. 

These Americans have to know…

• Number one, they are not linking up with a mere political entity or philosophy.  They are signing up for a lifestyle that will engage them in torture, mutilation, murder, decapitation and worse.
• Number two, they are aligning themselves with a group viciously opposed to freedom of speech, freedom of religion, the right to assemble—and most every other right Americans hold dear. 

In other words, ISIS is committed to the destruction of America—and any nation like it.   Strict adherence to Islam—by whatever name it goes by—usually has the same objective.

Young Muslim children taught to recite the entire Quran are usually indoctrinated to believe that anyone who does not believe in Allah is an infidel.  Infidels, according to the Quran must usually be subjugated or killed.

But please (please!) note.  We are not at war with our Islamic friends and neighbors.  Our fight—a spiritual one, reminds Ephesians 6—is against the deception of a dark  system of belief.   

Got your armor on?

There is much to like about spending a night at the 1874 mansion known today as Pinehill Inn (http://www.pinehillbb.com/).  Upstairs in the Somerset suite, a full canopy bed, period furniture and a (non-period) Bose Wave radio wafting classical music all bid you welcome. 

The fireplace mantle is bedecked with lovely books, including several volumes by the room's namesake, author Somerset Maugham. I inhaled a 110 year old volume from the fireplace collection, then found myself absorbed in—of all things—a 1948 edition of The Handbook for Boys, published by the Boy Scouts of America.

Let me quote a few paragraphs:

A Scout is reverent.  He is reverent toward God….The Scout shows true reverence in two principal ways.  First, you pray to God, you love God, and you serve Him.  Secondly, in your everyday actions, you help other people because they are made by God to God's own likeness.   You and all men are important in the sight of God because God made you.  The “unalienable rights” in our historic Declaration of Independence come from God.

On Mount Sinai, God gave to Moses the Ten Commandments.  He laid down certain definite Laws for all….Keeping these commandments is an important step towards being morally straight.

A morally straight Scout knows how to love and serve God in the way He wants him to.  We are created by God and we owe certain duties to this Heavenly Father of all of us.   You learn to perform these duties in your home and in your church or synagogue. 

Remember, this is the Boy Scouts handbook—not a church publication.  Clearly, this 1948 edition is a time capsule of the America that used to be.   Anybody still wondering just how far we've slid?

If you live beyond the reach of a Portillo's restaurant, I pity you.  Not just for your lack of access to their unequaled Italian beef sandwiches, but also for your dwarfed understanding of what a chocolate cake really can be.

I accept (even anticipate) your skepticism.  But be assured my chocolate cake claim is far from exaggerated.  Just check the buzz online.

So there we were, at our local Portillo's, sharing pieces of this fabulous fabled cake with our daughter and son-in-law and their three children.  Their eldest had just received her three-year Sparky Awana award and we were celebrating–big time.

Two year old Lucy wolfed down her half, worked on my wife's, then dug into mine.  As the wonderful wedge dwindled, there was one bite left.  The arc of my arm swooshed past Lucy's shoulder (she was nestled on my lap not so much out of affection as for better access to the cake: sitting higher = reaching farther).  Just before my fork plunged in, her little index finger wagged twice over the remaining cake as she mumbled (whilst chewing a large mouthful) “that's my bite.”

We learned long ago when Lucy declares a thing, it is so.  Do not question.  Do not doubt.  So I speared the last of the lusciousness, poked it in her mouth and smiled at the boldness of her claim. You might say—she took the cake.

As in love with that cake as Lucy appeared to be, your heavenly Father is even crazier about you.  When he thinks about you, He smiles.  When God looks at you, ponders you, says your name–He does so with an intensity far greater than Lucy's and declares, “That's MY daughter….that's MY son!  You are mine. Mine!”  

And when God declares a thing, it is so.  Do not question.  Do not doubt.   Just savor the sweetness of His love.

God says, "I have loved you with an everlasting love; Therefore I have drawn you with loving kindness.”  

–Jeremiah 31:3

 

Of course you've heard about Auschwitz.  The complex was the largest of its kind established by the Nazi regime, which included three main camps. There, 1.1 million people were murdered.  But it's rare to meet a survivor.   Raise a salute to one Fritzie Fritzshall.

Just 13 years old when she arrived at Auschwitz – Birkenau, her train car was so overcrowded, half its occupants were dead on arrival—including her own grandfather.  

“A Jewish man in a striped uniform was forced to clear out the train car as quickly as possible,” Fritzie remembers.  “He asked me how old I was and when I told him I was 13, he told me, 'You will tell them you are 15.'”   His kind advice saved her life, as Fritzie was separated from her two younger brothers who had survived the train ride, but were later killed.

“They immediately shaved off our hair,” Fritzie told me. “When you are 13, your hair is very important to you.  I remember standing there, tears rolling down my face, bits of hair stuck to my cheeks as I stroked my head.” 

Not knowing her mother's fate, Fritzie inquired when she would be able to see her again.  Authorities merely pointed to the column of white smoke belching from the furnace chimneys. 

Yet even in this ocean of cruelty, she found an island of kindness in a gaunt stranger so emaciated Fritzie failed to recognize her as her own aunt.  “At night, she would stroke my face and say, 'Well, we made it through this day.  Maybe tomorrow will be better.  Let's get through one more day.”

It was encouragement Fritzie seized like a life preserver.  Indeed, she credits her survival to her aunt's positive outlook, though her aunt was eventually killed by the Nazis.

More than seven decades later, Fritzie has nightmares.  With the rise of ISIS and its extreme hate for Jews and Christians, in concert with a global slide toward anti-Semitism, I shudder to think those nightmares could be as much about the future as they are the past. 

“Woe to those who scheme iniquity….”  (Micah 2:1)