Tuesday, October 24, 2006
A Really Amazing Book
THIS MOST AMAZING BOOK- by Guy Andrews, copyrighted 2004
FACT: On April 18, 1942, the famous Doolittle Raid took place over Japan, where 16 B-25s attacked their mainland in reprisal to the Japanese offensive. Cpl. Jacob DeShazer was one of ten men who didn’t return. He became a POW for 40 months, 34 of which were in solitary, after his crew had to parachute into Japanese-held China. Wrestling as much over his hate-filled heart for his captors, as with his severe captivity, “Jake” gets his hands on a Bible in May, 1944. Though only allowed to keep it for several weeks, he devoured and memorized what he could, until on June 8, 1944, he encounters salvation.
1 Corinthians Chapter 13 came alive to him, as his heart became controlled by God’s love, ultimately leading him back to Japan after the war as a missionary for 30 years.
QUOTE: Sir Issac Newton; English mathematician and physicist (1642-1727) “We account the Scriptures of God to be the most sublime philosophy. I find more sure marks of authenticity in the Bible than in any profane history whatsoever.”
STATISTIC: Amount of television that the average American watches per day: over 4 hours. Approximate amount of time it takes to read the Bible daily to complete it in 1 year: between 13-22 minutes.
“WORD” ON “WORD”: Romans 3:2, “First of all, they have been entrusted with the very words of God.” Paul was referring to the unique honor given to the Jewish people, particularly over the prior 1500 years before Christ, when he made this observation. Can we look upon this journey through the Bible as a personal “trust” given to us?
SUCCEEDING IN READING THIS AMAZING BOOK:
1. ENERGY: There is something to be said about simple raw energy in getting the job done. The 2003-4 Chicago Bulls had the 2nd worst record in the entire NBA. Yet the fans seem to be drawn to the boundless energy pouring out from the many other attractions that flow through the United Center in Chicago during a game. Talented kids drumming on sheetrock buckets at halftime, the awe-inspiring “Matador” dance brigade of “plus-size” fellas, Mascots: Benny the Bull, accompanied by Da Bull, and the high stepping Luvabulls revue, all create an atmosphere of irrepressible energy. Therefore, the Chicago franchise finished with the 3rd Best Attendance record in the NBA this year. Sometimes, just applying the Laws of Energy to your reading quest can be the right ticket.
2. GOLF BALLS GO FIRST: A friend recently sent me a great story about filling up a mayonnaise jar with various items. If one fills up the jar with sand first (representing the hundreds of micro demands,) then there will be no room for anything else. But if one starts with golf balls, then adds marbles, he will still have room for not only some sand , but a cup of coffee as well to occupy the mayo jar. The moral: Start your “To Do” list with the biggest value tasks and add the contents of your day around these core works .They will fit a lot better inside your empty jar. Likewise, make your Daily Reading of the Word one of those invaluable golf balls and you will stay “on par” during the rest of the day.
TIP: I know I am easily deterred from my daily reading when I consider either the “whole lump” of that day’s reading or the “immensity” of tackling the entire Bible. What gives me momentum in succeeding for one day is when I simply concentrate on “just getting started.” In other words, even if I am only able to read the first sentence or first paragraph, this somehow gives me confidence and drive to do the rest.
MOTTO: US Navy SEAL’s motto: “The only easy day was yesterday.” Nothing worthwhile is without difficulty. In the movie, “Perfect Storm,” George Clooney plays sword fishing boat captain, Billy Tyne. When faced with an enveloping 100 foot (10 stories high) rogue wave, Captain Tyne decides to go “full speed ahead” into the middle of it. Jump into the fray and feel the intensity. The strain says, “something Big is about to happen!”
DAY 2: READ GENESIS 3,4,5 MATTHEW 2
GENESIS 3,4,5
OVERVIEW: Satan, the grand distorter of truth, attacked Adam and Eve’s faith in God’s binding word. They succumbed to his glittering lie. This staggering defeat dealt them a severe consequence.. In chapter 4 God extended grace to Cain by warning him. Yet Cain still killed his brother Abel out of jealousy. Chapter 5 gives an expanded genealogy of Adam all the way to Noah’s three sons. Enoch was rewarded for his enduring “walk with God” by side stepping death.
THEME: God must punish His first human children to teach them the crucial ness of relying on His Word by faith, not sight. In chapter 4 Cain’s crime reveals the lengths that people will go to in order to cover up their inadequacy. The detailed genealogy in chapter 5 points to God’s serious intent for multiplying the human race (cf. Genesis 1:28.) KEY WORD: “Curse” (Genesis 3:14,17) God’s curse doesn’t necessarily spell annihilation, as it does the annulment of the esteemed purpose that He had originally designed His first couple for. Yet, God also adds a ray of hope in forecasting the One who would crush the head of their enemy (Genesis 3:15.)
MATTHEW 2
OVERVIEW: Matthew contrasts the pagan astrologers with the pseudo Jewish King Herod. From the Gentile “wise men” comes true worship, while Herod offers only deceit and massacre. After being born in Bethlehem, the ancestral town of King David, as prophesied (Micah 5:2,) Joseph’s new family is detoured to Egypt. Later, they settle in the obscure, farming district of Galilee.
THEME: God delights in being discovered in the least likely places. Jesus’ first audience were pagan astrologers, his first trip was as a refugee to Egypt, and his first home state was the “blue collar, hard-hat” region of Galilee, far from the power and religious center of Jerusalem.
KEY WORDS: “…gold,..incense,..and myrrh.” (Matthew 2:11) These were precious commodities in the 1st Century Middle East, but were made more precious by the King-sized faith that led these Gentiles to risk their lives to honor the arrival of the Prince of Israel.
reubliished by permission of Guy Andrews
FACT: On April 18, 1942, the famous Doolittle Raid took place over Japan, where 16 B-25s attacked their mainland in reprisal to the Japanese offensive. Cpl. Jacob DeShazer was one of ten men who didn’t return. He became a POW for 40 months, 34 of which were in solitary, after his crew had to parachute into Japanese-held China. Wrestling as much over his hate-filled heart for his captors, as with his severe captivity, “Jake” gets his hands on a Bible in May, 1944. Though only allowed to keep it for several weeks, he devoured and memorized what he could, until on June 8, 1944, he encounters salvation.
1 Corinthians Chapter 13 came alive to him, as his heart became controlled by God’s love, ultimately leading him back to Japan after the war as a missionary for 30 years.
QUOTE: Sir Issac Newton; English mathematician and physicist (1642-1727) “We account the Scriptures of God to be the most sublime philosophy. I find more sure marks of authenticity in the Bible than in any profane history whatsoever.”
STATISTIC: Amount of television that the average American watches per day: over 4 hours. Approximate amount of time it takes to read the Bible daily to complete it in 1 year: between 13-22 minutes.
“WORD” ON “WORD”: Romans 3:2, “First of all, they have been entrusted with the very words of God.” Paul was referring to the unique honor given to the Jewish people, particularly over the prior 1500 years before Christ, when he made this observation. Can we look upon this journey through the Bible as a personal “trust” given to us?
SUCCEEDING IN READING THIS AMAZING BOOK:
1. ENERGY: There is something to be said about simple raw energy in getting the job done. The 2003-4 Chicago Bulls had the 2nd worst record in the entire NBA. Yet the fans seem to be drawn to the boundless energy pouring out from the many other attractions that flow through the United Center in Chicago during a game. Talented kids drumming on sheetrock buckets at halftime, the awe-inspiring “Matador” dance brigade of “plus-size” fellas, Mascots: Benny the Bull, accompanied by Da Bull, and the high stepping Luvabulls revue, all create an atmosphere of irrepressible energy. Therefore, the Chicago franchise finished with the 3rd Best Attendance record in the NBA this year. Sometimes, just applying the Laws of Energy to your reading quest can be the right ticket.
2. GOLF BALLS GO FIRST: A friend recently sent me a great story about filling up a mayonnaise jar with various items. If one fills up the jar with sand first (representing the hundreds of micro demands,) then there will be no room for anything else. But if one starts with golf balls, then adds marbles, he will still have room for not only some sand , but a cup of coffee as well to occupy the mayo jar. The moral: Start your “To Do” list with the biggest value tasks and add the contents of your day around these core works .They will fit a lot better inside your empty jar. Likewise, make your Daily Reading of the Word one of those invaluable golf balls and you will stay “on par” during the rest of the day.
TIP: I know I am easily deterred from my daily reading when I consider either the “whole lump” of that day’s reading or the “immensity” of tackling the entire Bible. What gives me momentum in succeeding for one day is when I simply concentrate on “just getting started.” In other words, even if I am only able to read the first sentence or first paragraph, this somehow gives me confidence and drive to do the rest.
MOTTO: US Navy SEAL’s motto: “The only easy day was yesterday.” Nothing worthwhile is without difficulty. In the movie, “Perfect Storm,” George Clooney plays sword fishing boat captain, Billy Tyne. When faced with an enveloping 100 foot (10 stories high) rogue wave, Captain Tyne decides to go “full speed ahead” into the middle of it. Jump into the fray and feel the intensity. The strain says, “something Big is about to happen!”
DAY 2: READ GENESIS 3,4,5 MATTHEW 2
GENESIS 3,4,5
OVERVIEW: Satan, the grand distorter of truth, attacked Adam and Eve’s faith in God’s binding word. They succumbed to his glittering lie. This staggering defeat dealt them a severe consequence.. In chapter 4 God extended grace to Cain by warning him. Yet Cain still killed his brother Abel out of jealousy. Chapter 5 gives an expanded genealogy of Adam all the way to Noah’s three sons. Enoch was rewarded for his enduring “walk with God” by side stepping death.
THEME: God must punish His first human children to teach them the crucial ness of relying on His Word by faith, not sight. In chapter 4 Cain’s crime reveals the lengths that people will go to in order to cover up their inadequacy. The detailed genealogy in chapter 5 points to God’s serious intent for multiplying the human race (cf. Genesis 1:28.) KEY WORD: “Curse” (Genesis 3:14,17) God’s curse doesn’t necessarily spell annihilation, as it does the annulment of the esteemed purpose that He had originally designed His first couple for. Yet, God also adds a ray of hope in forecasting the One who would crush the head of their enemy (Genesis 3:15.)
MATTHEW 2
OVERVIEW: Matthew contrasts the pagan astrologers with the pseudo Jewish King Herod. From the Gentile “wise men” comes true worship, while Herod offers only deceit and massacre. After being born in Bethlehem, the ancestral town of King David, as prophesied (Micah 5:2,) Joseph’s new family is detoured to Egypt. Later, they settle in the obscure, farming district of Galilee.
THEME: God delights in being discovered in the least likely places. Jesus’ first audience were pagan astrologers, his first trip was as a refugee to Egypt, and his first home state was the “blue collar, hard-hat” region of Galilee, far from the power and religious center of Jerusalem.
KEY WORDS: “…gold,..incense,..and myrrh.” (Matthew 2:11) These were precious commodities in the 1st Century Middle East, but were made more precious by the King-sized faith that led these Gentiles to risk their lives to honor the arrival of the Prince of Israel.
reubliished by permission of Guy Andrews
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