Feeds:
Posts
Comments

The Original Sin

February 13, 2025 by bjcorbin

I grew up with the story of Adam and Eve, and their exploits in the Garden, which seemed pretty basic at the time.  There was good fruit, bad fruit, and God’s clearly stated expectations.  Man disobeyed those directions, chose the bad fruit, and sin was introduced to the world. 

My take away was that life is pretty much a struggle between good and evil, that choosing evil is sin, and that sin is what separates us from God.  From that I derived that the mission was to do “good” and not evil, so that at the end of this life I’d wind up with the good folks in heaven.

Throughout my formative years, this was my conception of what “Christianity” was all about.  As I stepped into adulthood and made my own way in the world, I left the church life behind.  I suppose if you would have asked me, I still considered myself a Christian, just not a church goer.  I tried to be a good person, and to live by the golden rule, but there was little evidence of the belief I claimed.

Years later, as I reached my early thirties, the life I’d built began to crumble, which forced me to reconsider my conclusions both about myself and about God.  I remember hearing someone quote the Matthew 7 passage that says, “Not everyone who says to me Lord, Lord will enter the kingdom of heaven (vs. 21).”  That was scary, because it seemed to be aimed at people who counted themselves as followers.  Even more terrifying was the ending of the passage, where despite the good things they had done in His name, they were disqualified because He never “knew” them (vs 23).

This immediately challenged my concept of what God was after.  The folks He was addressing in the text seemed to believe in Him, and to be doing good things in His name.  As far as I knew, that was what we were supposed to be doing.  And these verses were clearly saying that there’s more to it than that. 

Something like panic began to rise up in me, and I knew I’d better read this book (i.e. the Bible) for myself.  What I found not only changed my concept of the mission, it redefined what I consider “sin”.

When I revisited the story of the garden, I was surprised at how different it seemed.  Most important, was the realization that the choice Adam and Eve faced wasn’t between the fruit of what is good, and of what is evil, it was fruit from the Tree of Life, or fruit from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. 

The tree of life is pretty straight forward, it’s really just a picture of Jesus.  It offers us provision from the Giver of life, but like any fruit tree, we’ll need to come back daily to sustain ourselves.  He became our daily bread.  He is the vine and we are the branches.  The fruit is good because He is good.

Less obvious is the “Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil”.  After all, doesn’t God want us to know the difference between good and evil.  If life is really a battle between the forces of light and the forces of darkness, isn’t this essential information?  Why should God forbid that we eat of this tree?

It’s the serpent that answers this question.  He tells Eve that if they eat of the fruit, they will become like God.  In other words, they won’t have to rely on Him for this knowledge, they’ll be able to decide for themselves what is good and what is evil. 

Ultimately, it was the choice between being completely dependent upon God, and viewing truth through the lens of their relationship with Him, or living life on their own terms (i.e. independently from God) and by their own sense of what seems “good”.  Sin entered in when mankind chose the latter. 

The punishment wasn’t because God was mad at them, He was actually giving them the life they chose (i.e. the desires of their hearts).  A life lived by their own wits, and sweat, and sense of what was right.

I often hear people speak of sin in the third person, as though it is a separate entity, like a demonic spirit that tricks us into disobedience, or some stray cloud of evil that temporarily shrouds our vision, but that is deceptive.  The appeal of such an aesthetic is that it makes sin seem less personal, thereby making us seem less accountable. 

Like Adam, we want to rationalize that we’re not really disobeying God, as much as we’re just victims of an unfortunate set of circumstances (Gen.3:12).  But like him, we are making a definitive choice that has very real implications. 

As I read the whole of scripture, and have endeavored to walk with the Lord, it’s become clear that sin is much more than simply choosing to do evil or to disobey God’s commands.   Minute by minute we have the same choice as they did.  We can submit ourselves to the Lord’s leadership and live our lives through the context of His heart, or we can engage the world through the filter of our own perceptions, and persist in self-rule. 

God lets us know that His thoughts are much higher than our thoughts (Isa.55:9), that He can do exceedingly more than we could ever imagine (Eph3:20), and that the wisdom of men is foolishness to Him (1Cor.1:25).  Further, he warns that our perceptions are severely limited (1Cor.13:9), that apart from Him we can do “nothing” (John 15:5), and that the way that seems right to us will ultimately lead to death (Prov.14:12).  He literally sets before us life and death, blessings and curses (Deut.30:19).  But then He allows us to choose the path we follow (Josh 24:15).

Jesus said that He is the way, the truth and the life, and that no one comes to the Father except through Him (John 14:6).  He also let His disciples know that the way that leads to life is narrow, and that only a few actually find it (Matt.7:14). 

So, when we choose to rely on our own perceptions (i.e. thoughts, experience, knowledge, sense of justice, understanding, perspective, attitudes…) to guide us, we are willfully deviating from the way He made for us.  He is not distancing Himself from us, we are separating from Him.  I have come to believe that this is the very essence of sin.  Our penchant for choosing the way that seems right to us is fundamentally rooted in pride, which God detests (Prov.16:5).

This is why Jesus said that anyone who wasn’t willing to take up their cross daily (i.e. die to self), and follow Him (i.e. submit to the will of the Father) is not worthy of Him (Matt.10:38).  It is also why He said that the only way to find the abundant life He died to give us, is to surrender our life to Him (Matt.10:39).

Jesus demonstrated the life He’s calling us to when He expressed His unwillingness to do anything He didn’t see His Father do first (John 5:19), so that at the end of His life He was able to say that if you’d seen Him, you’d seen the Father (John 14:9).  He has destined us to be transformed into that same image (Rom.8:29).

Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross made a way for us, and His Spirit stands at the ready to share everything we need for godly living (2Peter 1:3), but the decision to yield our hearts belongs to us. 

Moment by moment, we can be driven by our own thoughts or guided by His thoughts (2Cor.10:5).  We can relate to people based on our feelings about them or we can manifest His heart for them (John 13:34).  We can view the world through the lens of current events, or from His eternal perspective (2Cor.4:18). 

If sin was simply about obeying commandments, then the rich young ruler should not have gone away sad (Luke 18:18-29).  But Jesus asked him to lay down the very things that identified him both as rich, and as a ruler, which was a price he wasn’t willing to pay.  I’ve no doubt He is asking the same of us. 

Yielding our mind, will and emotions to Him is ultimately the way to love Him with all our heart, mind, soul and strength (Matt.22:37).  At this point in the journey, I’ve come to believe that the mission is to keep my heart (i.e. mind, will & emotions) in step with His heart, which allows me to be available for whatever He chooses to do.

Posted in Commentaries | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a Comment »

The 7 Cultural Mountains Strategy

February 13, 2025 by bjcorbin

(Written several years ago)

Over the last several years the “7 Cultural Mountains” doctrine has become very popular in many circles. Ostensibly, it explains both the loss of “Christian” influence within the culture and gives “the church” a strategy for a return to prominence. At first blush, it sounds fairly plausible, but upon closer examination, significant flaws emerge.

For those who are not completely versed in this paradigm, it is based on the premise that there are seven primary areas that tend to shape any culture; which are government, religion, education, the family, business, arts & entertainment and media.  These areas have been dubbed cultural molders, pillars of culture, or more popularly the “7 Cultural Mountains”.  The idea is that if you can have an effect in those areas, you will in fact impact the culture as a whole. 

If you extrapolate from this solid base assumption, you can begin to trace the fall of the Christian influence within the larger American culture to its breakdown within these seven specific categories.  A study of the last half century in America’s history would certainly seem to confirm the steady descent of the Judeo-Christian influence within the culture; and it begs the questions, “What caused this descent?” and “How do we as Christians regain a place of influence within our culture?”  It is in the answer to these two fundamental questions that I find the most problematic elements of this movement.

The generally accepted answer to the first question is that Christians have separated themselves from the culture and essentially abandoned the other six cultural mountains in favor of camping on the religion mountain.  This claim is generally supported by pointing to the Christian subculture created by things like books, music, movies… that are specifically marketed to the church.  But a broader look at the people who count themselves as “Christian” in America doesn’t seem to support that premise at all. 

If Christians have truly segregated themselves to the religion mountain, then there ought to have been a marked shift toward orthodoxy in the church, instead of the rampant abandonment of traditional church doctrines and it ought to be easy to find groups of highly devout Christians, sequestered away from the culture at large (akin to the Amish people); but that doesn’t appear to be the case either.  Considering that more than three quarters of adult American’s profess to believe in some form of God and that most of those profess some form of Judeo-Christian basis for that belief, such a mass cultural exodus would be difficult to conceal. 

As I look around, I see people who claim some form of Christianity in positions of prominence throughout the culture.  The mayor of my town, the governor of our state, and the President of our country are all professed Christians; so is the Senate Majority Leader and so are the majority of people who hold government office in this country.  Many of teachers at my children’s public school are Christians, as are several of the players from the last Super Bowl teams, so was the winner of this year’s Daytona 500, and at the Grammy awards, several of the artists thanked their “Lord and Savior”.  Wherever you go in this country and no matter what field you look into, you can find Christian people in a position to influence their environment. 

The idea that the church has separated itself from the culture would seem to imply that Christians in America are so committed to their principles that they are unable to relate to the things of the world, but the overwhelming evidence suggests that the opposite is true.  Statistics for things like sex outside of marriage, divorce, abuse, addiction to internet pornography… indicate no discernable difference between the church and the world.  I would submit that the failure of the church to effectively engage the culture has more to do with the fact that the American brand of Christianity has become so dilute and compromised that the church as a whole has become undistinguishable from the culture.  I also believe that for those who have not compromised, the chasm between the pure truth of God’s word and what the culture holds as truth, has become so wide that they doubt their ability to bridge the gap.

A possibly more dramatic example of the flaw in concluding that Christians have cloistered themselves on the religion mountain can be drawn by an examination of the religion mountain itself.  If Christians have put all their eggs in that basket, than this is the one area of culture that they should firmly control; but the truth is that their influence appears to be diminishing just as rapidly on this mountain as it has on all of the others; as traditional forms of religion give way to the rise of Humanism, Scientology, Mormonism, Islam, New Age and Wicca. 

If we have drawn the wrong conclusion about the question of how we got to this point then undoubtedly our answer to the question of, where we should go from here, will be off base as well.  If the conclusion is that we’ve disconnected ourselves from the culture, than the answer is sure to be aimed at establishing a stronger connection; but if our problem is in fact that we’re already too connected to the culture, then such a strategy could be a recipe for disaster. 

As I review the strategy that’s being developed for “taking back the cultural mountains”, I caught myself trying to find some biblical context for it.  Undoubtedly we are meant to have an impact on the culture around us, but my understanding of scripture would indicate that this impact was meant to be a by-product of our on-going, dynamic connection to God and was never meant to be the object of our pursuit.  If Jesus was out to conquer the culture, why wasn’t He born in Rome or at least in Jerusalem; why did He spend His brief season of ministry with ordinary people instead of appealing to those in positions of power; and why don’t we see the apostles doing those kinds of things either. 

It is the enemy’s game to make us feel as though we lack what we need to live the life that God has ordained for us and yet this strategy seems to be predicated on the idea that “if we only had the right people, with the right credentials, in the right places, then we could impact the culture for Christ.”  If that is what it takes, then how did Jesus change the world with twelve uneducated men, who possessed little earthy influence?  This proposed strategy seems to be more rooted in futurist philosophies than in biblical principle. 

The sad news from my perspective is that we’re already in a position to impact the culture if only we’d surrender ourselves to God and to His purposes.  We seem to think that we can win the world with our ideas, but the word tells us that to those who are perishing, the cross is foolishness and it’s too easy for the world to see the disparity between what we preach and how we live. 

Our role has always been to be “salt” and “light”.  Salt was never intended to be the main course; it was only intended to flavor the things it touches.  Light itself is rarely the center of attention, but its presence is illuminating to everything it reaches.  If we’d simply live what we profess to believe, our culture would be revolutionized.  If we loved our wives like Christ loved the church, women everywhere would want to marry a Christian man.  If we loved our neighbors as ourselves, people would want us to live on their street.  If our “yes” meant “yes” and our ‘no” meant “no”, businesses would want us as their employee’s.  If we could be identified as Christians because of the way we loved & supported each other, we wouldn’t have any trouble getting people to come to church.  If people could see the character of Christ within us, they’d be drawn to it.  Unless the world sees something within our existence that they want for their own, they have no reason to accept that our version of the truth is any more credible than theirs. 

The danger in this doctrine is that it threatens to keep the church focused on the culture instead of the Author and Finisher of our faith; and as humans we tend to become whatever we behold.  It also threatens to keep us focused on what is seen, instead of looking to the unseen realm, which is where both our weapons and our enemy exist.  This philosophy seems to hinge the healing of our land on our ability to change the minds of the ungodly, while God’s word ties the healing of our land to His children changing their minds. 

It strikes me as more than a little ironic that the period in which Christianity reached its most prominent position within culture has come to be known as the dark age of the church.  Unless the church that bears the name of Jesus Christ becomes connected to Him in a way that causes His image to be accurately projected to the world, it will continue to be irrelevant to this or any other culture.

Posted in Commentaries | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment »

Blurred Vision

February 13, 2025 by bjcorbin

(Written many years ago)

One of the most effective tools of our enemy is the subtle redefinition of terms, especially those with biblical significance.  Within this pattern we see a word from scripture infused into our cultural vernacular, where it can take on all sorts of new connotations (i.e. it is secularized).  As such a term gains new relevance, there is often a renewed emphasis on its use within the church; but many times the word is not restored to its original context.  An example of such a term is, “vision”.

Like many words, “vision” can have different meanings based upon its context.  It can simply mean how well we see (i.e. our visual acuity); or it can refer to a dreamlike state where images permeate our conscious mind; or it can refer to our long term goals and the strategies we have for achieving them.  I believe that this final context is the most popular, and that its attractiveness can largely be traced to the business world. 

It is our human tendency to make successful people and/or entities into icons; and increasingly entrepreneurs have reached celebrity status within our society.  They are often hailed as visionaries based solely on their perceived success, and often in spite of their character.   These czars of popular culture rarely resist the urge to share their “vision” and often find a crowd willing to fall in line behind them. 

Unfortunately the church is amongst the leaders in this trend; as church growth experts study the successes of corporate entities in hopes of replicating their success within the church.  Though on a purely practical level this would seem to be a reasonable strategy, spiritually it is fraught with pitfalls.

While many might rationalize that there is nothing wrong with the church employing successful methodologies from the world; such a belief ignores that at the foundation of every methodology is a philosophy or ideology; and that embracing the method in the natural generally equates to embracing the corresponding philosophy in the spiritual (i.e. in essence we put our faith in it). 

The other problem is the aim of these strategies.  Corporate entities in the world are looking to attract consumers, to grow their businesses and to appeal to the masses.  Churches who’ve successfully deployed such methods have often achieved those same ends; producing consumers instead of disciples.

In the corporate world, the leaders (or visionaries) come together and cast the vision for the organization.  This is the exercise of visualizing where they want to go, what they want to achieve and then developing a strategy for getting there.  Once again this seems to be a very sensible approach for any corporate entity, including the church; but it ignores many principles of scripture. 

God clearly states that our ways are not His ways; that the wisdom of men is foolishness to Him and He warns us not to be taken captive through “hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the basic principles of this world rather than on Christ”.  He tells us not to be focused on what is seen (i.e. in the natural), but to be focused on what is unseen (i.e. the spiritual).  He tells us that not only is our struggle in the spiritual realm, but also that our tools, weapons and authority are in that sphere as well.  Sadly, when the church chooses to study and deploy worldly strategies to gain influence in the natural realm, we unwittingly lay down our weapons and forfeit our authority in the spiritual realm.

The scripture I’ve most often heard quoted in regard to the word “vision” is from Proverbs 29 (KJV), where it says, “Where there is no vision, the people perish”.  I’ve heard many leaders use this scripture in the context of talking about long term goals and strategies, but that doesn’t seem to be an appropriate application.  The Hebrew word translated as “vision” in the King James actually speaks of a revelation from God; and other translations actually use the word “revelation”. 

If our long term goals and strategies were established through revelation from God, it could be argued that these meanings are synonymous; but in terms of teaching the scripture, there is a large difference between the idea that people perish because they don’t have long term goals and strategies, and that people perish because they don’t get revelation from God.  The Lord has not entrusted the leadership and guidance of His children to anyone apart from Himself and thus the vision for our lives and His church must come directly from Him.

Just as the term vision has taken on a new context, so has the term “visionary”; whereas there was once a very spiritual connotation to the term, it now seems that anyone who has an active imagination or the ability to “visualize” their ideas can be viewed as a “visionary”.  The problem with such visionaries is that they can tap into any number of sources for their vision. 

Visions that are not birthed from the Spirit of God, but are instead derived from our minds, emotions, observations, experiences, imaginations… could more accurately be called goals, plans, wishes, dreams or fantasies.  Surprisingly, Proverbs 28 (NIV) addresses the idea of fantasies when it says, “one who chases fantasies will have his fill of poverty”.  In light of these two scriptures (i.e. Prov. 28 & 29), it would seem vital that we discern the origin of our “vision”; because apart from divine inspiration, a visionary will inevitably build a monument to themselves.

It is very much within our nature to want detailed information about the future; as such detailed plans for the future can seem very appealing.  But God’s interest in developing our faith makes such detail counterproductive.  He told Abraham to leave his home, but He did not tell him where he was going; He gave Joseph a dream of the future, but no road map or time table for getting there; When Paul had the desire to go preach in Asia, the Spirit would not let him, instead he was given a dream of a man in Macedonia and nothing more… over and over we see God give His servants a vision and then expect them to rely on Him to guide them to that vision.  Even Jesus said that He didn’t do anything that He didn’t see the Father do first. 

While God can and does give us a vision for the future, we must understand that our view of it is partial at best (i.e. we know in part, we prophesy in part, we see as through a glass dimly).  While the world casts a vision and then stays focused on it, we as children of God must remain focused on Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith.  If we become too locked into our vision, we can easily become task driven instead of driven by the Holy Spirit; goal oriented instead of people oriented and so focused on our long term goals that we miss what God is doing today. 

If we find ourselves stepping over, around, or through, people to bring about our vision, I’d suggest that we’ve lost our eternal perspective.  I do believe the Lord has a vision for our lives and His church, but that the biggest obstacle to His plan is our plan.  Without His guidance, the best we can achieve is a bigger and busier church.  Yet with His guidance, we can change the world.  Unless the house is built using the Lords plan, we labor in vain.

Posted in Commentaries | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a Comment »

Thought for the Day – Hating What God Hates

February 7, 2025 by bjcorbin

It is popularly held in Western Christianity that part of loving God is hating what He hates. But if we hate what He hates without loving what He loves (and how He loves – John 13:34), it all amounts to “nothing” (1Cor.13:1-3).

Posted in Thought for the Day / Quotes | Tagged , , | Leave a Comment »

Child’s Play

January 30, 2025 by bjcorbin

At the time of this writing, my two youngest granddaughters are 2 and 3 years old respectively.  Though they are cousins, they have spent a tremendous amount of their young lives together, and relate to each other more like siblings.  When they are apart, they pine away for each other, and whenever they come together, it is with great enthusiasm and affection.  But I’ve noticed that it doesn’t take very long for that initial excitement to wear off, and for contentiousness to rise up in its place.

It tends to start with one of them noticing what the other one has in their hands, or maybe what they’re wearing, and wanting it for themselves.  In such moments, you can offer them something else, but once they get their eyes (and hearts) fixed on that one “thing”, it becomes the only thing that will do.  There can be doll houses, and scooters, and stuffed animals, but they will suddenly be in a death match over some little plastic piece from yesterday’s Happy Meal.

One may like hamburgers, while the other prefers chicken nuggets, but when they’re together they insist on having whatever the other one is having, even if they won’t actually eat it.  If you don’t get them both the same thing, one will feel as though you have somehow favored the other, and treated them unfairly. 

When we have only one of the girls, they can go through long stretches of the day being fairly content, but when they are together, it is difficult to go 15 minutes without some form of conflict.  Despite their genuine affection for each other, this endless cycle of comparing, coveting and competing tends to steal the joy of their time together.

Anyone who has spent much time around toddlers, or young children would likely attest to the fact that this kind of behavior is typical, especially amongst children who grow up together (e.g. siblings).  But something that is rarely acknowledged is how intact this pattern carries over into our adult interactions. While we may eventually learn not to throw ourselves on the floor and cry over the sippy cup, we often remain just as prone to our emotional tantrums, which can be even more destructive than those of our childhood.

This becomes most evident when we try to gather with people we claim to care about, whether that is our family, our neighbors, or in our churches.  Though we enthusiastically endorse the concepts of tight-knit families, healthy communities, and Christian fellowship, we struggle to achieve or sustain any of them.  Like my granddaughters, we like the idea of being together, yet rarely experience the fulfillment that was meant to accompany it; because like them, we fall into this perilous cycle.

Jesus said the way people would be able to distinguish His followers from other groups would be by the way they loved one another, and that is a standard the “Christian” community has rarely risen to.  Indeed, “church people” are more typically known for their divisive and contentious behavior.

While some might want to rationalize that this is simply a maturity issue, I would beg to differ.  In my experience, the most seasoned congregants are frequently the most zealously quarrelsome, and sadly, gatherings of religious leaders are generally the clearest example of the compare-covet-compete dynamic.

As western Christianity continues to abandon concepts like dying to self, and being transformed into Christ’s image, in favor of promoting ideals like empowerment, and self-actualization, this issue is bound to get worse.  “Self” is the toxin that ultimately poisons unity.

We see this played out in the entertainment world, as young musicians band together in order to create something transcendent.  At first, they openly share their gifts, and often go through years of struggle together to achieve their dreams. But upon finding success, this bond is frequently destroyed by power struggles, greed and envy. 

Similarly, young athletes will often team together in pursuit of a championship.  On the way up, players will make sacrifices and accept the role the team needs them to play. But after a taste of success, everyone wants to be treated like a star, and the team chemistry is destroyed.

As disciples of Christ, we cannot afford to continue to fall into this standard pattern of human behavior.  Unless and until we confront the issue of “self”, we have no hope of ever functioning as a body, where each part provides something for the greater good of the whole (Rom.12:3-8, 1Cor.12:12-26).

Posted in Commentaries | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment »

Glory Train

January 23, 2025 by bjcorbin

(Written many years ago)

Barry stared at the seemingly endless and unchanging landscape of the Arizona desert, as the bus crept down the highway.  Though not even six months had passed since his 21st birthday, he felt much older.  His view of the world and of life itself had changed a lot in the three years since he’d left his hometown in Selby, Oklahoma, to join the Army.  Nothing in his upbringing there had prepared him for the things that he’d seen and experienced since he’d left. 

Selby was a very small town that was in the middle of nowhere; even the few people from Oklahoma that Barry had met while in the Army, had never heard of it.  The town had sprung up during the oil boom in the early 1900s, and years later a pipeline pumping station was built there to load crude oil into tank cars, which were then moved to refineries in the south of Texas.  Pretty much anyone who lived in Selby either worked for the railroad or the oil company, though a few people tried to raise some cattle or sheep on the side. 

There was no hotel in town because no one ever came to visit and no one had a television set, because there wasn’t a signal that reached the area.  Barry’s family lived on the edge of the community, on a ten-acre tract that most people would consider a “dirt farm”.  The soil wasn’t fit for growing anything, but Barry’s father managed to support enough livestock to keep his family supplied with eggs, milk, and on occasion, some fresh pork.  Though his father worked long days for the railroad, Barry tended to think of him as more of a farmer.

Though many a small town boy has entertained dreams of leaving the confines of their upbringing, Barry wasn’t one of them.  He loved his family and the life that they had in Selby.  It was a tight knit community, where everyone felt like kin and Barry had no desire to live anywhere else.  But in 1972, the year that he’d turned 18, the United States was still deeply entrenched in the Vietnam War, and he felt that it was his duty to serve his country. 

The week after he graduated, his father drove him to the nearest recruiting station, which was over two hours away.  Though Barry had not been anxious about this decision, a wave of loneliness and fear swept over him as he watched his father drive away.  He felt sure, in that moment, that life would never be the same, and the years since had been proof that he was right. 

Barry was a quiet and thoughtful young man with a very developed sense of right and wrong.  His upbringing had cultivated a deep and abiding faith in God, which seemed to affect the way he viewed everything.  In the Army, they often referred to him as “preacher man”, because of his habit of carrying his Bible with him everywhere he went; though Barry was never one to preach to anybody.  He was more of a listener and observer.  He seemed to run to the scripture more to find a context for what he was observing than to create a sermon for someone else. 

During his years in Selby, he had experienced very little turmoil, so as he ventured from there, he was shocked by the emotional pitch of the times.  In his mind, it was like driving into a tornado.  As grieved as he found himself over the condition of his own country, what he saw in Vietnam shook him to his foundations.  He was not one to question God’s goodness, and so he viewed these things as the byproduct of man’s fallen nature.  As such, they only served to reinforce his belief that God’s intervention is man’s only hope. 

As Barry laid his head back against the bus seat, the emotional and spiritual exhaustion of the last three years seemed to weigh upon him.  He wondered what the next chapter of his life was going to look like, and those thoughts of the future made him wish that God would simply come and take him to heaven, like He did with Enoch in the Bible.  As he drifted off to sleep, he whispered beneath his breath, “I just want to be with You, Lord.” 

In what seemed to be only a few short moments later, Barry became aware of his head resting on the shoulder of the man seated next to him, which caused him to jerk his body upright.  As he tried to clear his head & open his eyes, he said, “Excuse me sir, I’m sorry about lying against you like that.”  Before his eyes could focus, he heard a warm voice reply, “That’s not a problem son.”  As he regained his composure, Barry saw that this voice had come from a well preserved man who appeared to be in his early 60s; with a full head of silvery hair and very light blue eyes.  Just as his voice had managed to convey a sense of warmth, so did his glance, which helped to curb Barry’s embarrassment. 

Not really knowing what else to say, Barry began to sink back into his seat when another sudden realization struck him.  He was no longer on a bus; he was now seated in a train. 

Without realizing it, Barry let out an audible gasp and the man sitting next to him said, “Are you all right, son?” 

Again, Barry was at a loss for words, as he quietly stammered, “I must be dreaming.” 

As his eyes met the older man’s, the man said, “It is very dream like, isn’t it?” 

Both his glance and tone let Barry know that this man understood exactly what he was feeling. “So is this a dream?” asked Barry. 

The older man’s face broke into a broad smile as he said, “Sometimes it’s hard to tell what is real and what’s a dream.  Maybe we should just ride for awhile and see what happens.” 

Despite the strangeness of the situation, Barry felt compelled to trust this man, as he exhaled some of the tension from his body. 

After a few moments Barry asked the man, “Where exactly is this train heading?” 

To which he replied, “Everyone on this train is heading to a place that they’ve never been before,” and as their eyes again met, he went on to say, “This is the Glory Train.” 

While Barry didn’t really understand what that meant, he could sense that there was profound meaning in it.  He qualified, “God’s glory?” 

“Is there any other kind?” the man replied.

After another awkward pause, Barry reached out his hand to the man and introduced himself, “By the way, my name is Barry.” 

As the man grasped his hand he said, “Hi, Barry, my name is Raymond.”  

“I’m pleased to meet you, sir,” Barry responded, before going on to ask, “You seem to know something about what’s going on here.  Can you tell me about this train and how I got on it?” 

Raymond explained that the train had been created specifically for those who were seeking God’s glory and that Barry’s desire for that must have been what brought him aboard.  As Barry looked at the other passengers he noticed the various, and in some cases strange, ways that they were dressed.  When he queried Raymond about it, Raymond explained that the Glory Train itself existed outside of time, but that the passengers had come from many different periods in time.  Barry found the idea to be pretty hard to digest, but he reminded himself that this was probably just a dream and decided not to worry about it. 

For several minutes after that, he sat watching and listening to the other passengers.   The conversations seemed to blend into a low, undistinguishable murmur, until the heated words of a man sitting just in front of them cut through the background. 

“This is totally unacceptable!  I will not have my name attached to some third-rate, amateurish effort like this!  You’re not going to accomplish anything for the Kingdom unless you start demanding excellence from yourself and from everyone else!  You need to get this out of my face!” 

As the man’s terse words ebbed, a well dressed young man with a distressed look on his face moved quickly from the seats in front of them and down the aisle.  Raymond stood up and leaned against the seat in front of him, asking, “Is everything all right my friend?” 

The man sitting in front of them quickly stood to his feet and spun around; and with a tone quite unlike the one he’d used with his young assistant said, “Oh, yes, everything’s just fine.  It’s just this boy I’ve been discipling.  He just doesn’t get it.”  

“Get what?” asked Raymond  

“Oh, you know, the Kingdom,” replied the man. 

“Ah yes, the Kingdom,” Raymond said knowingly.  As he reached his hand out to the man, he said, “My name is Raymond.” 

“It is a pleasure to meet you, Raymond, I am Apostle Terrance Jones.” 

“Well it’s a pleasure to meet you Terrance.  This is my friend Barry,” Raymond said as he motioned toward Barry. 

Barry quickly stood, offering his hand as he said, “It’s a pleasure to meet you, sir.” 

“The pleasure is mine, Barry.  I just love young people,” Terrance replied.  “In fact, you may have heard of some of the youth-oriented programs our ministry offers,” he continued. 

But before he could go on, Raymond interrupted to say, “Barry comes from a different time period than that of your ministry.” 

“Oh, well that’s too bad,” continued Terrance, “But I just happen to have some samples with me.” 

Reaching down into his seat, Terrance pulled a laptop computer from his case and inserted a disc.  Barry watched in amazement as the disc played.  It detailed Terrance’s rise from the humble beginnings of a small rural church to the renown that accompanies international ministry.  There was footage of him storming across the stages of packed arenas, of people crying and falling on the ground as he lay hands on them, of the beautiful facilities that the ministry had built all over the world, and there were endorsements for all of the resources available from his ministry.  Barry had never seen anything like it, especially not associated with church. 

When the disc ended, Raymond said, “That’s very impressive,” which seemed to please Terrance, but he then went on to say, “We just wanted to make sure that your young friend was okay,” which seemed to make him uncomfortable. 

“Oh, yes, he’ll be fine.  He’s like my little Elisha.  He sees my anointing and wants to wear my mantle, but every once in a while I have to tell him to go away to test his desire for it.  I’ve told him many times that if he wants my anointing, he’s going to have to serve me without question.  This is all just a part of his discipleship,” Terrance concluded smugly. 

“Ah yes, discipleship,” said Raymond.  After a somewhat awkward pause, he continued, “Well we certainly didn’t mean to intrude, it was a pleasure meeting you, Terrance.” 

Terrance thanked them as well and upon gathering his things, he moved down the aisle in the same direction that his assistant had fled.

As they sat back down in their seats, Raymond could see that Barry was troubled, and he asked, “So what do you make of all that?” 

Barry thought about it for a moment and finally replied, “I find it kind of disturbing I guess.” 

“In what way?” asked Raymond. 

“In a lot of different ways, really; but I guess he probably knows a lot of things that I don’t, so it’s better that I don’t say anything,” Barry replied sheepishly. 

“What do you think he knows that you don’t?” asked Raymond. 

“I don’t know, I mean he went to bible college and he’s been ministering for years and he’s obviously been very successful with it, so who am I to question what he says?” he answered. 

“Well, I’ve been around for awhile myself and some of what he said raised a few questions for me too; so why don’t we share our questions and see if we can help each other out?” suggested Raymond. 

“Well that seems like it should be okay.  You go first,” replied Barry. 

“All right”, said Raymond. “What did you think about his explanation of discipleship?” 

“I think that I understand the relationship between Elijah and Elisha, but I wonder if that should be our model for discipleship today?” he said.  “I mean, back then, they didn’t have Jesus or the Holy Spirit living inside of them, so I guess all they could do was to chase after someone who they figured had tapped into God in a way that they hadn’t.  For Elisha, Elijah was probably the closest thing to Jesus that he ever knew, but it seems to me that it shouldn’t work like that anymore,” Barry concluded. 

“Why not?” asked Raymond. 

“Well, because Jesus came and accomplished everything for us, He reconnected us to God, He gave us an example of how to live, He gave us the Holy Spirit, and so we don’t have to chase after someone else’s connection to God, we’ve got one of our own,” Barry replied. 

“That’s very good, Barry, but what about this young man’s desire for Terrance’s anointing?  I mean wouldn’t you like to have a big successful ministry like that?” asked Raymond. 

Barry thought for a moment and said, “I’d be lying if I said that I didn’t find that idea kind of appealing, but that sort of seems like covetousness to me.  I guess that I believe that God formed me with His very own hands for a specific reason, and that I ought to be seeking what He’s anointed me to do instead of coveting what He’s already done in someone else.” 

Raymond smiled and said, “Very good my young friend, very good.” 

Before they could continue their conversation, a monotone voice came over the railcar speaker, announcing that they were pulling into Kingdom Station.  This drew Barry’s attention away from their conversation, as he craned his neck to see what was happening.

As the train crept to a halt, Barry asked Raymond about what this stop was for.  Raymond explained that the Glory Train stopped at several stations, and this stop was for those who were seeking a revelation of God’s glory through His kingdom.  After explaining that he could only get off of the train at one stop, he asked Barry whether he felt that this was the one.  Barry asked how he could know and Raymond assured him that when the time came, there would be no doubt about where to get off the train.  In light of Raymond’s answer, Barry said that this must not be his stop, and within a few minutes the train was once again underway.  After the commotion of the stop calmed down, Raymond and Barry got back to their conversation.

“So we were talking about what disturbed you during our time with Brother Terrance,” began Raymond. 

“Oh yeah,” replied Barry.  “Well, I guess I’ve got a pretty simplistic way of looking at things, but shouldn’t a man who’s spent so much of his life in ministry seem a little more like Christ?” he continued. 

Raymond again smiled and asked, “Why would you expect him to resemble Christ?” 

“Well I guess it’s because the scripture says that we are destined to be conformed to the image of Christ and because of the fruit of Holy Spirit,” Barry replied. 

“What about the fruit of the Holy Spirit?” asked Raymond. 

“I don’t know, maybe I don’t have the right understanding of this, but I always thought that as we give control of our lives over to the Holy Spirit that people should start to see the fruit of the Spirit in us,” he replied. 

“So you didn’t see any of that fruit?” asked Raymond. 

“Well, not really.  I sure couldn’t use words like peace, patience, self control, kindness, gentleness, or joy to describe the way that he talked to his assistant, but honestly, I didn’t see any of that in his little movies either,” he replied. 

“How would you describe what you saw?” Raymond asked. 

Barry was quiet for a few moments and then his face broke into a smile. 

Raymond asked, “What is it?” 

“It’s nothing really,” said Barry. 

“No, it’s something, be honest,” he prodded. 

“Well, I don’t want to be disrespectful, but have you ever heard of the singer James Brown?” 

“You mean the guy they call ‘The Hardest Working Man in Show Business’?” answered Raymond. 

“Yes, that’s the guy,” Barry said with a big smile “Even though this pastor was talking about God, with all that running around and shaking, and shouting, and sweating, and working the crowd into a frenzy, he seemed a lot more like James Brown than Jesus Christ.” 

Raymond laughed loudly, but Barry only smiled, as he was still worried about appearing to be disrespectful. 

When Raymond’s amusement subsided he said, “I take it that isn’t how the pastor did it in your church back home?” 

“Well, actually we didn’t really have a pastor,” replied Barry. 

“Really, why not?” he asked. 

“Well, Selby was too small and too far away from anything.  Besides we couldn’t afford to pay a pastor,” Barry explained. 

“So what did you do?” 

“Well my dad pretty much led the services,” he answered. 

“Really.  So what were those services like?” continued Raymond. 

Barry’s eyes seemed to lock into a stare, as if he were reliving the past, and he said, “Everyone would come to the Union Hall at around 11:00 on Sunday morning, with pots, pans and bowls of food, which the ladies would put in the kitchen.  My Aunt Ruth would always lead us in a couple of hymns, then we’d have a time of prayer where anyone who had something on their heart could lead out.  When that was finished, my dad would always pray that the Lord would open our eyes, ears and hearts to the Word.  Then he’d read whatever scripture he felt the Lord was leading Him to share. 

Sometimes he’d say what he thought it meant, but he would always remind us, that as children of God, we needed to go to the Lord directly for our understanding of scripture.  He’d always end the service with a prayer of thanks for the previous week, for God’s hand to be on us in the coming week and a blessing over the food.  He’d also remind us that, ‘His sheep know His voice’ and to be listening for that voice in the week to come.  Then we’d all move into the part of the hall that had the tables and eat lunch together.” 

“Wow that sounds wonderful,” said Raymond. 

Barry’s eyes seemed to return to the present and he said, “It wasn’t very exciting, but it’s what I grew up thinking church ought to be.” 

“Now that you’ve been some other places, have you changed your mind about that?” asked Raymond. 

After a thoughtful pause Barry replied, “No, actually I think what I’ve seen since then has only made me believe that even more.” 

Raymond was shaking his head in agreement when the railcar speaker crackled with the announcement that the train was pulling into Firetown.

As they continued their journey, Raymond continued to ask Barry questions.  Even though Barry wasn’t very fond of talking, Raymond kept asking about things that were close to his heart.  Barry wanted to ask Raymond some questions too, but he wasn’t able to steer the conversation like Raymond seemed to be able to. 

At each stop, Raymond would ask if this was the one and when Barry would say that he didn’t think so, he would ask him why he didn’t think so.  It forced Barry to express his beliefs in a way that he never had, and even he was surprised at some of the things that came out of his mouth.  He hadn’t remembered thinking some of the things that he said, but they were, without a doubt, his convictions.  He was also surprised by how at ease he was with Raymond.  It normally took Barry awhile to warm to someone, but he seemed to have an instant bond with him. 

With each stop, they seemed to get deeper in conversation about the things of the Kingdom, like the fire of God, God’s grace, God’s love of the lost, knowledge, wisdom, miracles, the anointing, abundance.  It seemed that they had been riding all day, and as they pulled out of the Miracle City station, the expression on Raymond’s face grew serious.

“Barry, I have to tell you that was the last scheduled stop for the train on this run.” 

Barry’s looked somewhat distressed and said, “I thought that you said that I’d know where to get off and that there wouldn’t be any doubt?” 

“Indeed, that is what I said,” replied Raymond. 

“But I don’t understand.  I mean as attractive as all of those stops were, I didn’t believe that I should get off there.  Now you’re saying that I’ve somehow missed it?” exclaimed Barry! 

“Missed what?” Raymond asked calmly. 

“I don’t understand what you’re asking me,” said Barry. 

“I’m asking you what you came here to find?” said Raymond. 

“I thought you said that everyone came looking for God’s glory?” 

“Again, you are correct, I did say that.  But as you can see God manifests His glory in many things, which is why there were so many stops.  But none of them represented His glory sufficiently enough for you to choose them.  So the question that I’m posing to you is where do you hope to find God’s glory?” 

Barry was confused by the question and he didn’t understand why Raymond seemed to know everything else, but that he couldn’t (or maybe wouldn’t) tell him this answer.  He closed his eyes and began to silently pray that God would help him, and he began to have a vision of a hand reaching toward him.  It was a strong, rugged looking hand, but it moved in a manner that seemed very gentle.  As the hand reached him, it lovingly stroked his face, and he began to weep. 

Barry opened his tear filled eyes and quietly said to Raymond, “Jesus… it is Jesus that I’m looking for… that’s where I hope to find God’s glory…Jesus.” 

Raymond’s eyes seemed to be filled with loving approval, as he slowly put his hand on Barry’s shoulder and whispered, “Very good son…very good.” 

Barry dropped his head and quietly wept, as Raymond rubbed his shoulder.  After a few minutes Raymond asked, “What is it, son?” 

As Barry raised his head, he said, “I just want to see Him glorified in my life.” 

As Raymond looked deeply into his face, he replied, “Do you understand how rare that is?” 

Barry looked confused and said, “I thought you said that everyone on this train was seeking to glorify Him?” 

Raymond shook his head vigorously, “No, no I said that everyone was seeking His glory, not that they were seeking to glorify Him.” 

Still confused, Barry said, “I don’t understand, if it’s not to glorify Him, then what are they seeking His glory for?” 

“It can be different things with different people, but rest assured that His glory will expose the motivation of every heart.” 

For several minutes they rode quietly as a profound sense of God’s nearness resonated in Barry.  Suddenly, he was aware of the train slowing and Barry looked to Raymond for an explanation.  Raymond didn’t seem at all surprised and said, “We’re here.” 

“We’re where?” asked Barry. 

“At your stop,” he replied. 

“But I thought that you said that there were no more stops?” Barry said. 

“No, I said that there were no more scheduled stops.” 

As the train crept to a stand still, Raymond led Barry to the door of the railcar.  As they stepped into the warm outside air, Barry could see that there was no station, no platform, not even a marker.  The only thing that Barry saw was a dirt road that seemed to lead through the desert, to an empty horizon.

“What is this place?” asked Barry.

“It is the way,” he replied. 

“The way to what?” Barry continued. 

“The way to what you’re looking for.”

“I don’t understand, if this is the way to Jesus, then why is there no station or scheduled stop here?”

Raymond’s face grew serious as he replied, “Because the train is normally empty by the time we get this far.” 

A sense of wonder and grief washed over Barry, as he stared across the landscape.  “How will I know where to go?” 

“Stay on the road and you won’t be able to miss it,” replied Raymond. 

As Barry stepped off the train, he could feel the sandy soil shift beneath his feet and his eyes strained to look for any sign of life on the horizon.  Now that he was standing on it, Barry could see that the dirt road that cut across the desert was really just a narrow path that appeared to be perfectly straight and level.  He breathed a heavy sigh and turned to say farewell to Raymond, when he saw that he, the train, and even the tracks were gone.  There was no sign that they’d ever been there. 

Suddenly feeling very alone, Barry tried to console himself that this was probably a dream, but fear and discouragement began to well up inside of him.  He closed his eyes and prayed beneath his breath, “Help me, Lord Jesus, help me.”  This seemed to curb his apprehension some, and he slowly began down the path.

As Barry shuffled along, hunger, thirst and fatigue began to gnaw at him.  His mind began to drift back to the train and his conversations with Raymond.  He wondered if he’d made a mistake by not getting off the train sooner, but he quickly consoled himself with the thought that nothing was more worthy of his pursuit than Jesus. 

After several minutes of being lost in his thoughts, it occurred to Barry that he hadn’t checked the horizon for a while.  Without any real sense of expectation, he raised his eyes and glanced down the path.  To his surprise, he saw a wooden shed just a couple of hundred feet ahead of him.  His heart began to throb in his chest, as his anxiousness at not finding his way became anxiousness at what he might find.  He instinctively began to pray, “Help me, Lord Jesus, help me.”

The shed was the size of a small barn, with darkly stained, vertically mounted boards covering the outside.  The wooden-framed windows and the single entry door in the front gave it the appearance of an old general store, like the ones Barry had seen in pictures from the frontier days.  Though there was a large window near the front door, he could not clearly see what was inside. 

As he approached the door, he noticed an old paper sign in the lower corner of the window, which said, “Open, Please Come In.”  Even though he hadn’t seen any indication of life within the shed, the invitation of the sign helped to calm him some.  His hands trembled as he reached for the door, and he unconsciously held his breath as he stepped across the threshold into a large open room. 

The air within the room seemed cool and light, compared to the heavy warm air of the desert.  The interior of the room seemed dark because of the rich cherry-stained wood that covered the walls and floor.  The room had the appearance of a furniture gallery, with many different pieces of wooden furniture throughout.  Several of the pieces were beautifully stained and polished, with each piece taking on a different wood tone. 

In one corner of the room there were other pieces that appeared to be constructed of raw wood and not yet stained or finished.  The smell of wood stain and varnish filled the air.  Though Barry knew very little about woodworking, he sensed that these pieces were very special.  The atmosphere in the room heightened his sense of being invited and a fresh wave of peace washed over him as he slowly moved amongst the furniture.

Suddenly a voice from behind him said, “You’re here.”  Barry was startled by this break in the silence, and he quickly spun around to see a tall man standing in the doorway to what appeared to be a back room.  The man had on a sleeveless linen work shirt, long linen pants, and what appeared to be a tool belt around his waist.  Though he was not exceptionally large, he was powerfully built.  His bearded face was rugged but pleasant, and as Barry looked into his eyes, he immediately understood that this was Jesus. 

Along with this realization came a sense of awe that caused Barry to remain motionless and speechless.  His heart was filled with emotion and there were so many things that he wanted to express, but his mouth was as dry as the desert sand and he could not seem to move.  In his mind, he pictured himself falling at the Lord’s feet, but his body remained unresponsive.  Jesus seemed to understand his dilemma and said, “Here, why don’t you sit down,” as He pulled a chair away from a nearby table. 

Barry was embarrassed, and he felt as though he was underwater and moving in slow motion as he struggled to get to the chair.  He tried to muster a loud, clear voice, but his “thank you” came out in a whisper, as he came down heavily on the chair.  Jesus smiled knowingly and said, “Let me get you something to eat and drink.”  As He disappeared into the back room, Barry tried desperately to gather himself.

In what seemed to be a very short time, Jesus returned, carrying a tray with a glass pitcher of water, two water glasses and what smelled like a loaf of fresh bread.  Barry’s perceptions still seemed to be overwhelmed by the presence of the Lord, so he stared intently as Jesus poured them each a glass of water.  He studied Jesus’ strong hands as He placed the glass in front of him and said, “I’m glad that you’ve come.” 

Barry took the glass in his hand, nodded to Jesus and brought it to his lips, just as Jesus did.  As Barry began to drink, the cool fresh water seemed to touch every part of his inner being; a wave of joy and strength seemed to surge through him and his thirst was quenched in a way that he’d never experienced.  As he lowered the glass from his lips, he could perceive Jesus’ face with a clarity that he couldn’t before and he began to ache to be closer to Him.  He felt as though his soul was going to rip itself from his body in order to reach Jesus. 

He then took the loaf in His hands, pulling it into two pieces and reaching one of those pieces across the table to Barry.  Barry’s heart and eyes overflowed at the realization of what was happening between them.  He hesitated to take the bread as he pondered his unworthiness, but the Lord said, “take and eat this bread, it was made especially for you.”  Tears streamed down Barry’s face and his hands trembled as he took the bread. 

As with the water, they both raised the bread to their lips at the same time; and as Barry put the bread in his mouth, it once again seemed to go all through him.  A sensation that he imagined was something like swallowing burning candle wax moved through him; as the initial sense of burning quickly cooled and seemed to coat the inside of him.  He sensed a fullness and completeness within himself that he never could have imagined was possible. 

His eyes remained locked upon the Lord, and he once again found himself full of things that he wanted to say, yet unable to speak.  He thought of the little drummer boy, who wanted to give his best to the Lord, but felt as though he had nothing worthwhile to give.  The Lord’s eyes were filled with understanding as He asked, “do you know what the treasure of heaven is, for Me?”  Barry gave a shallow nod to indicate that he did not.  “It is your heart,” He said. 

The revelation of those words hit Barry like lightning, and in that instant, he remembered the Lord coming to walk with Adam and Eve in the cool of the day, the hurt in the Lords voice as He conveyed His unrequited desire to be Israel’s King, Jesus calling His disciples “friends”; and the day that he first knelt on the floor of the old Union Hall and told the Lord that he wanted to live for Him.  He profoundly understood how valuable his love was to the Lord and how immense the Lord’s love for him was. 

Waves of emotion swept through Barry – joy at the love of the Lord, shame at the imperfection of his love for the Lord, love and gratitude for his Savior, fear of the treason within his nature, warm security in the Lords sovereignty.  They all bubbled within him, though everything seemed to melt into tears of joy. 

Barry desired to express his love to the Lord, but all that came from his lips were the whispered words, “I am Yours, I am Yours.”  The Lord’s eyes blazed with love as He reached across the table and took Barry’s hands, saying “Yes, you are Mine.”  It was all more than Barry’s senses could process. 

He felt at once completely broken & yet wonderfully whole, totally inadequate & yet completely accepted, without any strength of his own & yet totally empowered.  He lowered his forehead onto Jesus’ outstretched forearms and wept without restraint as his heart continued to overflow.  After what seemed to be a long time, waves of peace began to wash over him, as the emotional intensity ebbed and he began to feel weightless.  In this quiet state of euphoria, he drifted into a deep and restful sleep.

Since this place seemed to exist outside of time, it was impossible to tell how long he had slept, but Barry felt completely refreshed when he awoke.  As he raised his head from the table, he looked longingly for Jesus, but he could sense that He was no longer there; though even the residue of His presence brought a sense of great peace. 

As he sat back in the chair, he noticed a small piece of paper on the table.   Picking it up, he saw that Jesus had written the words, “Please come again.”  His heart once again welled up with emotion and he smiled, saying “I will, Lord, I will.” 

Barry briefly wondered what to do next, but his profound sense of well being prevented him from worrying about it.  He slowly got up and took one last look around the room as he found himself wanting to remember everything about it.  With one final glance over his shoulder as he turned the doorknob, he stepped from the coolness of the room into the warm air of the desert. 

To his surprise, he found that the Glory Train was waiting for him just outside, and that the tracks that had disappeared earlier were now routed up to the shed as if it were a station.  Raymond was standing in the doorway to the passenger car with a big smile, and for the first time it occurred to Barry who He was. 

“Did you find what you were looking for?” asked Raymond. 

Barry smiled, and replied, “Like all of the other questions that you’ve asked me, you know the answer.” 

Raymond laughed and said, “Indeed, I do.  Are you ready to go home?” 

“Can I stay here?” he asked, with a knowing smile.

“No, there is much left to do,” replied Raymond.

“Then I guess I’m ready.”

Barry stepped onto the rail car and followed Raymond to their seats.  “Where is everyone?” he asked. 

“Well this train is still bound for glory, so everyone who missed this stop still has some traveling to do,” replied Raymond. 

“I guess I understand what you’re saying, but how will me going home be anymore glorious than this?” he asked. 

“Because it is Christ in you that is the hope of glory for the world,” answered Raymond. 

The train lurched forward and Barry sat quietly pondering what Raymond had said.  After a few minutes, he turned to Raymond and said, “thank you.” 

“For what?” asked Raymond. 

“For being my comforter and counselor and for guiding me to my destiny,” he answered. 

Raymond smiled and it appeared as though there were tears in his eyes as he said, “It is my pleasure.”  They sat silently for a few more minutes before Raymond said, “maybe you ought to get some rest, it’s a long way home.”  Barry nodded, and laid his head back against the seat.  Within a couple of minutes he was asleep.

He felt as though he’d just dozed off, when something fell on his feet and woke him.  He quickly looked down and realized that his Bible had slipped off his lap.  As he picked it up, he recognized that he was no longer on the train, but back on the bus.  He leaned back against his seat and stared out the window.  Somehow the Arizona desert didn’t seem so desolate anymore.  In fact, he could see that it was really quite beautiful in its own way.  The vastness of it seemed to stir a sense of endless possibility within him, and the long highway gave him a sense that he was heading toward his destiny. 

He wondered if what he’d experienced was a dream or a vision or some sort of out of body experience, but in the end he supposed that it really didn’t matter; because the truth of what he saw and felt was undeniable to him.  He understood that whatever his new life would bring, it would be Christ in him that would be the hope of glory.  After a few minutes of soaking in this blessed assurance, he decided to read his Bible for awhile.  As he opened the book, he saw a small piece of paper between the pages; pulling it out, he read the words, “Please come again.” 

Looking upward, he whispered, “I will, Lord, I will.”

Posted in Stories | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a Comment »

The Resume of a King

January 23, 2025 by bjcorbin

(Written many years ago)

Long ago, in a kingdom far away, there was a magnificent king, whose reign was without precedence.  His wife the queen had borne him many sons, and with each kingdom that his army conquered, he would crown one of his sons as the ruler over that new land.  This continued until all of his sons were on the thrones of their own kingdoms.  Yet even then his domain grew.

On this night, the king’s palace was filled with the noise that accompanies a large celebration; there was music and laughter and occasionally boisterous shouts of joy.  Despite these festivities, the king’s personal servant (Thaddeus) noticed that the king was alone on the vast balcony adjacent to the ballroom.  Though Thaddeus knew from the king’s posture that he was deep in thought, his affection for the king compelled him to interrupt.  He was not afraid to approach, as the king was always patient and kind with his servants.  As Thaddeus reached him, he bowed low and said,

“Begging your pardon, sire, is all well with you?” 

The king’s eyes remained fixed on the dimly lit horizon, but his face shifted into a shallow smile; “You are a faithful servant, Thaddeus, and I am thankful for your concern,” he said. 

This response left Thaddeus in the awkward position of not knowing whether to dismiss himself or to wait for additional response.  As Thaddeus was prone to, he chose to wait.  After a thoughtful pause, the king continued

“I am pondering matters of the kingdom and I find myself with the need to speak of it.”  At that, he turned to Thaddeus and looked him in the eyes.  “Would you be willing to serve me in such a way?” he said. 

Thaddeus felt the blood rush to his face.  While the king had, on occasion, asked him about happenings within the household, he wondered what he could possibly contribute to a discussion on matters of the kingdom.  His voice broke slightly as he responded, “Sire, I will endeavor to serve you in any way that you see fit, but wouldn’t the members of your court be better suited for such a dialogue?” 

“Indeed, that would often be true, but these matters concern them, thus it would seem imprudent in this instance,” he replied. 

Thaddeus bowed his head and said, “Let it be as you wish, lord.”

The king began, “Today, we celebrate the victory over still another foreign kingdom and yet, for the first time, I have not a son to crown as its king.”  Then, after another thoughtful pause he continued, “Many suppose that I have bestowed each of my sons with his own kingdom as a gift to them, yet in truth I meant for each of my sons to be a gift to the people within those lands.  I know the hearts of my sons and had one of them not been true, I would not have entrusted him with a crown.  I have found that royalty is not passed through the bloodlines, but that it is carefully nurtured in one’s heart.  As I look out on the vast horizon, I must now distinguish the man whose heart is prepared to sit upon the throne of this new kingdom.”  Again the king paused, and then thoughtfully said, “The heart of a man is not easily judged by the heart of another.” 

Thaddeus could feel the weight of the king’s thoughts, and hoping to encourage him, he said, “You are a good and wise king, surely you will find this man whom you seek.” 

The king smiled broadly, and with warmth in his face, he asked Thaddeus, “Whom do you see who might be fit for the rule of a kingdom?” 

Thaddeus felt unworthy to even ponder such a thing, but he was intent on serving his king.  “Your court is filled with noble men, lord, surely one of them would be fit,” he responded. 

“Speak freely, Thaddeus, whom do you see?” asked the king.

“I see Sir Fredric, the governor of the southern province, sire.  He seems to be a man of influence and persuasion, knowledgeable in the ways of government and diplomacy.  Surely such a man would make a fine king,” said Thaddeus. 

“Indeed, what you have said of Fredric is true, he is a very capable man and certainly well respected, but while he is knowledgeable in matters of the kingdom, he seems to lack an awareness of those closest to him.  His own family suffers from his neglect of their most basic needs.  A man who fails to provide for his own family is not fit for the leadership of any other,” the king responded. 

Thaddeus was embarrassed by the king’s quick dismissal of his suggestion and he wished that the king would simply dismiss him, but instead the king nodded for him to continue.

“What of your scribe, Denard?  He is a man who knows your decrees and tenants well, a man who is knowledgeable in matters of truth,” suggested Thaddeus. 

“Again, my servant, you have spoken well.  Denard is a man who is knowledgeable of the truth, but, alas, his heart is full of compromise.  Many are the men who acknowledge the truth, but few are those who embrace it.  A man who does not hold to the truth is like a ship without a rudder, he is a vessel unworthy of being followed,” concluded the king. 

Again, Thaddeus yearned to flee from this dialogue.  He was clearly not fit to speak of such things, but again the king nodded for him to continue.

“Sire, what of Sir Stephen, the head of your royal guard?  He seems to be a man without fear, decisive and strong, a leader among men.  Surely such a man could lead a kingdom,” asserted Thaddeus. 

“Indeed, Stephen is a valiant warrior and quite naturally a leader, but he is also a man of little mercy.  While that quality may serve him on the battlefield, it is needful in matters of the kingdom,” said the king. 

Exasperated, Thaddeus allowed his discouragement to spill onto his face, but the patient eyes of the king quickly calmed him.  “Go on,” said the king.

“Lord, what of the sage, Philibus?  He is a man of great wisdom and learning, even you look to him for counsel.  Certainly he would have the wisdom to guide a kingdom,” said Thaddeus.

“Indeed, Philibus is a man full of wise words and I do value his counsel, but wise words are merely seeds, which will only blossom into wisdom when they find a fertile heart to act upon them.  Each person has been endowed with certain gifts, and to be sure, Philibus is among the most gifted men in the kingdom; but while the nature of a gift ought to breed humility, it has instead become vanity in Philibus.  He is a man of little discretion, blinded by his conceit and ambition,” said the king. 

At this, Thaddeus dropped his head, feeling as though he had failed in his service to the king. 

The king sensed this frustration and asked, “Thaddeus, are you my slave or my servant?” 

Thaddeus was surprised by the question and his eyes rose to meet the king’s.  “I am your servant, sire,” he said. 

“What do you see as the difference between the servant and the slave?” 

“The servant is free to leave whenever he chooses,” he replied. 

“Then what keeps you here, Thaddeus?” asked the king. 

“It is my honor to serve you, my king,” he said. 

“Do you despise your station as a mere servant?” asked the king. 

Again, surprised by the question, Thaddeus replied, “No, my lord, I believe that my service is virtuous.” 

The king again smiled broadly and said, “I believe that too.”

Thaddeus was confused by the king’s inquiries and again wondered if he should dismiss himself, but after another short pause, the king began to speak,

“Thaddeus, why shouldn’t I crown you as the king of this new land?” 

Thaddeus was stunned by the king’s question and he stumbled to find words, “I am but a lowly servant,” he said. 

“Do you believe that you are lowly by fate or by destiny?” asked the king. 

Thaddeus had never considered such a thing and was at a loss to respond.  Before he could answer the king answered,

“I believe that it is by fate, but that you have been destined for greater things” 

“My lord, I am honored by your words, but what do I know of ruling a kingdom?” asked Thaddeus. 

“You have been at my side for years, your understanding is deeper than you know and a heart that yearns to serve will always find a way to serve.  It is the only heart that can be entrusted with the lives of the people,” responded the king. 

Thaddeus stared into the compassionate eyes of his king and he felt hot tears streaming down his face.  The king reached down, placing his hand on Thaddeus’ head, and said, “You shall now have a whole kingdom to serve.”

In the years that followed that fateful day, the wise judgment of the magnificent king was affirmed as good king Thaddeus served the people of his kingdom with humility, honesty, wisdom and mercy.

“For it is the one who is least among you all who is the greatest (Luke 9:48)”

Posted in Stories | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a Comment »

Thought for the Day – Virtuous Words

January 22, 2025 by bjcorbin

God is not impressed by virtuous sounding words that come out of a heart that is far from Him (Isa.29:13), thus, we shouldn’t be either.  We ought to know them by their fruit (Matt.7:15-20).

Posted in Thought for the Day / Quotes | Tagged , , , | Leave a Comment »

The Wisdom of Men

January 16, 2025 by bjcorbin

Popular “science” claims that all of life evolved out of nothingness, and that the earth has successfully adapted itself through millions of years of history,

Yet, also aims to convince us that the planet now desperately needs mankind’s intervention in order to survive

We live in a culture that largely shuns the concept of committed relationships in favor of things like “MyFans” and “Friends with Benefits,”

Yet, where people chronically struggle with feelings of alienation and abandonment

We live in a society that touts the virtues of tolerance and inclusion,

Yet, where people routinely and openly attack and condemn anyone with a dissenting perspective

We live in a time with more medicines and treatments than ever before,

Yet, we find ourselves as unhealthy as we’ve ever been

We have a greater awareness of, and more resources for mental illness than any society before,

Yet, we are amongst the most medicated, depressed, and suicidal people on the planet

We live in a country filled with “Christian” churches, which feature more teaching than ever before,

Yet, the fruit of these efforts looks nothing like Christ (Rom.8:29)

We imagine that a world without boundaries and morality would result in Utopia,

Yet, all of human history indicates that it would be like an untamed jungle

Such is the wisdom of men (1Cor.3:19)

Always trying to gain their lives (Matt.16:25)

And following the way that seems right to them (Prov.14:12)

But narrow is the way that leads to life,

And only a few that will find it (Matt.7:14)

Posted in Commentaries | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a Comment »

The Blessing of Brokenness

December 31, 2024 by bjcorbin

There is a very human tendency to avoid discomfort of any kind, but the reality of our existence is that we aren’t likely to change until we absolutely have to.  Thus, it often takes adversity to bring about a significant transformation.  For those who count themselves as followers of Christ, we must grapple with the knowledge that Jesus (a man of perfect faith) learned obedience from the things He suffered (Heb.5:8), and that what is pleasing to the flesh is not pleasing to the Spirit (Gal.5:17).  Western culture aspires to create a pain-free existence, which fundamentally works against the process of spiritual growth.  Indeed, it is in the midst of a situation we cannot hope to control that we are most likely to cry out for help; it is the circumstance that we cannot wrap our hands around that we are most apt to release to God; and it is in those moments when there is no earthy wisdom to calm our anguish that we are best positioned to receive the words of life.  Despite our ardent desire to avoid anything that might challenge our perception of prosperity, it is in the midst of our weakness that His strength is made perfect (2Cor.12:9), and it is a broken and contrite heart that He honors (Psalm 51:17, Isa.66:2).  Most often, it is only when our capabilities are completely overwhelmed that we can achieve a thorough and genuine level of surrender.  But for those who emerge on the other side of such experiences, the reality of who God is, and of our place in Him are forever changed.

Posted in Commentaries | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment »

« Newer Posts - Older Posts »