Another Great Coincidence

Back on Groundhog Day of this year, I blogged about running into folks.  Well, there's a new incidence of this occurrence. If you read this blog, you are likely aware that we were in England for 2 weeks this month.  One of my opportunities was to travel from Newcastle, England to Sunderland University to give my talk on Evidence of G^d in Human Physiology.

We had arrived on Monday, and it had started snowing and it snowed off and on most of Monday, and was snowing a bit on Tuesday when I hiked the mile or so from our hotel to the train station. I remembered a bit about the University, since Professor Dave had set me up with a talk there in 2015, when we were last there.  Dave had agreed to meet me at the train platform at Sunderland U a bit after 11 AM. I wanted to be a bit early, in case I got lost or missed a train or something, so I headed out a bit early.

Everything went smoothly, and I got my ticket and got on the platform just in time for the next train. I randomly picked a car, and saw an empty seat about halfway down the aisle. I knew I had a few minutes to ride and no one else wanted to seat so I plopped down.  Just as I did, the stranger across the aisle asked, "Are you Dr. Bishop?"

Yes indeed!.  With all the trains, all the cars, all the seats, I had sat down across from Prof. Dave, who recognized me from a picture.

So, what are the odds? Well, the odds of any particular occurrence of running into someone like this half-way around the world is very, very small. But, likewise, it doesn't really happen very often, so of all the possibilities, it happens about as often as the odds would predict.

But, it is still neat, and I thank G^d for these little coincidences. Of course, these aren't random, and the statistical odds matter little.  G^d is sovereign over schedules, trains, train-cars, and seats.

And that is neat!

Heaven Can('t) Wait

My Friend Dan, told the story in a sermon of the old evangelist, John Rice. Rice was giving a revival in North Carolina, and was know for speaking against tobacco. When he arrived in one NC town, some local ruffians took offense at Rice's objections to  tobacco and they grabbed Rice and threatened to kill him.  Allegedly, Rice responded to their threats, saying, "If you think you can threaten me with heaven, you got another thing coming!"

Now there is a man with his mind in the right place. I can fully comprehend non-Christians being apprehensive of death and what might lie beyond the grave, but us Believers have NO basis for fear of death! In fact, the temptation for us should be that we would want to leave this old earth before all our G^d-given tasks are done.

I am pretty unclear on exactly what heaven may be like, but I am absolutely sure it will be a huge step-up from this old earth-- and keep in mind that I have lived a pretty nice life!

My hypothesis is, most of us, including Believers, are pretty sure about the here and now, but that sweet-by-and-by isn't certain at all. Hence we prefer the life we know to the one we don't, despite the promises of heavenly bliss.

We believe L^rd, help Thou our unbelief!

Another End of an Era Thing

A few weeks ago I bought a new personal laptop to replace the 2 laptops that I must return to the U of AL. I have logged many a mile and many a word on those two oldies-but-goodies. I think the younger one is about 3 years old and the older one is about 8.

I am typing this on a new Dell latitude, a smaller version of my younger computer. I am trying to adjust to the new touch-pad which seems quite a bit more sensitive than my old one. Likewise I have new software to which I must adjust and a newer operating system. The old ones were quite familiar, but all good things must come to an end (except eternity, of course).

These two old laptops have traveled many a mile, and though they are a bit tired now, they are a bit like old friends with shared experiences. Perhaps if they could talk, they'd give this new machine some things for which to be on guard. I try to take care of my stuff, but a slip here and there seems inevitable.

The old machines have edited a lot of papers, written a lot of emails, and googled a lot of info. But, it is good to be reminded that everything on this earth will pass, except for the people. We alone are the immortals, and everyone we meet will live forever, in heaven or in hell.

That is important to remember. Everyone has one of only two eternal destinations. Sobering, but I intend it to be a motivation for us to ACT! So, don't be shy about telling your family and friends that "The bridge is out, down this road you are headed!"

That kinda info shouldn't be kept to ourselves!

To a Smart Guy, Now A Believer

This morning I learned that the great physicist, Steven Hawking, had died overnight at age 76. Dr. Hawking suffered from ALS, Lou Gehrig's disease. Dr. Hawking was famous for being so smart, with some calling him an Einstein-equivalent.

There is little doubt that the esteemed scientist was quite high on the IQ scale. But, like all of us, in the end time caught up with him, and he passed from this temporal world into eternity. I hope that somehow Dr. Hawking made peace with G^d before he passed. I guess no one knows. But, his death tells us one thing... intelligence is no means for immortality on this earth.

This famous person's passing ought to be a good reminder to us. We too will follow him, some of us sooner than others. Scriptures assure us, "it is appointed unto man, once to die, and after that the judgement." (Heb 9:27). Yep, it applies to us all, smart or dumb, rich or poor.

Scripture tells us that this life is short, so we are wise to use this life to invest in the future in eternity (I wrote about Matt 6:19-21 a while back I believe) The Bible in Luke 12 tells us about a rich man who was making a fortune in his successful farming venture. The rich guy goes to bed thinking about building bigger barns to store his wealth, but as the saying goes, "he woke up dead". Actually Scripture says it this way, "But God said unto him, Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided?" Luke 12:20.

That's a good question. Why do we spend soooo much time and effort accumulating stuff which will be left behind.  But Jesus in the Scripture doesn't leave us dangling, it gives us this advice later in Luke 12, "31 But rather seek ye the kingdom of God; and all these things shall be added unto you."

Sounds clear enough to me.

x

Not So Fast!

“The best laid plans o mice and men aft gang agley”!  R Burns

Indeed.  Who knew that the Monday we arrived in New Castle would coincide with the biggest snow event in over 20 years.  Newcastle England is much farther north than Alabama, but due to it’s location in the east of England, and it’s position west of the European mainland, it does NOT generally get all that much snow.  But this was different.  Almost every night of the 7 days we were there it snowed; sometimes during the day. It was a great reminder of living in Sweden!  Like AL, Newcastle is NOT well prepared for this.

I (Phillip) was scheduled to give a talk at Sunderland Uni on Tuesday after we arrived, at noon.  So, he set out to arrive there a bit after 11. As we have mentioned, that talk was cancelled because the university was closed beginning at noon.  And, it appears when the close the Uni, it is not optional, everyone leaves.

I was looking forward to giving that talk, a brand new one, and I was even more looking forward to meeting with some Christian Faculty after the talk, but our plans, are not necessarily what G^d has in mind!

In fact, many of our plans over the next two weeks were altered substantially.  But, our team of 6 never despaired.  After all, as our friend Dick, pointed out, G^d had other plans, plans much better than ours!

So, our lesson learned was, hold your plans loosely, after all, “… the best laid plans…”.

The Beast from the East

We arrive in Newcastle England in the middle of what is called, "The Beast from the East". It is a cold snap accompanied by snowfall from time to time.  The high temps are right around freezing, so there is some thaw and some melt and some snow falling from hour to hour. And surprising to us is that this is surprising to them.  This is England, not Scandinavia, and apparently this does NOT happen very often. Consequently the local Highway Dept. is not overly supplied with snow-handling equipment. Consequently the roads are nearly impassable.

I am scheduled to speak at noon- the exact hour when the University of Sunderland is officially closing all buildings.  Over here in England, they seem to take their closings a LOT more seriously than we do in the USA. At noon, most everyone evacuates the campus.  The noon talk is hereby cancelled.  OK, G^d is sovereign in the disappointments, as He is in delights.  G^d controls the weather and "The Beast from the East" does NOT catch Him off guard.

I smile, and, though a bit disappointed from preparing for this, I know in the grand scheme of things, it will matter little. I get to chat with some Christian profs in the little time we have on campus.

The Beast from the East may disrupt our plans, but hey, it's just weather!!  We will survive, we will thrive.  Thanks be to G^d.

Growing older...and older...and...

I have now passed my 68th birthday anniversary! Whew, never thought about this.Any ideas I may have harbored about "not really that old" are now surrendered. I am old, and yes, really that old. My body is failing, bit by bit. My mind, likewise, is not as agile as it was once.

Some wiseacre has said, "It's not the years it's the mileage that counts!" Well, I am not sure that works for cars, but it sure doesn't apply to bodies. I have a lot of age, PLUS a lot of miles. I have no idea how many trips to Europe I have made. If I count carefully, I think I have made 4 trips to Africa and probably about that many to the Middle East. I have made lots of trips to Central America, and maybe 4 or 5 to South America. Plus I have made a few trips to the far East, plus once to Australia, several to the Azores, and once to Cyprus. We have been to Canada lots and crossed the USA on occasion. Plus I have run, walked and biked quite a few miles over these 68 years. Whew, makes me tired just recalling these.

And then there is the age thing.  Sixty-eight is a lot of years, a lot of trips around the sun (even more miles)! That's a lot of Mondays, and Saturdays! That's a lot of running, hunting, talking, writing, thinking, even praying!

But even with an abundance of miles and years, that is NOT the substance of which life is made! No, G^d created us for relationship. He created us foremost for a relationship with Him, and secondarily for relationships with a spouse, children, friends, neighbors.

And, that has been the BEST part, by far, of these 68 years!

The Promise of Youth

We just spent a day and a half in a regional Christian Faculty Conference. One of the most encouraging things was to meet a newlywed couple, just married last June, who had driven a bit over 5 hours to get to the conference. The young wife had stumbled on some mention of the conference. Her goal is to earn a Ph.D. and teach, and her philosophy is that teaching Christianly is her calling. In one of my talks I emphasized the difference between Profs who happen to be Christian, and Christians, who are following Christ as professors. She, even before starting her Ph.D. already is seeking to follow Christ as a prof.  Wow!

I am obviously, an old tired, retired prof.  But this coming generation, they are clearly our future. If one of these young ones, catches a vision for what G^d can do through their career, thousands of students can be impacted; not to mention the scores of other profs and staff.

Thanks be to G^d for allowing us to be involved in what He is doing!

Life review: Childhood

I only recall small bits of childhood.  I do not know if this is normal, as I have a sample of one- me. I do recall building forts, and throwing rocks.  I recall camping out in the backyard and a little later, in the woods behind our house.

I recall being worry-free, playing sports in the yard and school sports.  I recall swim practice, and fishing and squirrel hunting.  As a high-schooler, Mr. Mark Hitt took a bunch of us deer hunting in the North GA mountains, and that was a big deal.

I recall floating the Etowah River in my aluminum canoe with a gang of buddies and brother David, and we put our lives at risk to occasionally harvest a duck, but more often a bunch of squirrels.

Our Mom cooked great food- especially desserts, and my Dad reliably provided what we needed. We did chores, but nothing too time consuming, because studying was a high priority in our culture.

We went to Sunday School, morning church and what was known then as Baptist Training union, but typically described as BTU.  Most every church was Baptist or Methodist, and my one Roman Catholic friend had to go almost to Atlanta for Mass. One of my best friends was Presbyterian, but I didn't understand that to be any different from Baptist.

Our family was a bit atypical of rural Southern families with minimal education, in that we pretty much assumed we were going to college, and never thought of any alternative.

We pretty much grew up in the arch typical small southern environment.  It was pretty much idyllic, and a person getting drunk was noteworthy.  Everyone knew everyone, and why would anyone want to live anywhere else?

Ahhhh, what a life?

Life Review: Automobiles

My FIRST vehicle was a 1967 Chevy Pickup with a camper shell on the back.  My Dad gave it to me as a graduation gift, in 1971, at the start of my senior year at the USNA (you could not have cars before your senior year).  That truck was awesome and we were crushed when the truck was crushed by someone who ran a stop-sign and t-boned us.  That was about 1975 or 76.

In San Francisco in 1973 Brenda and I bought a 1969 (I think) Toyota Corona which we drove back across country to Pensacola, FL.  I remember towing that little white Toyota up to Doug's place in MD where we left it whilst we went to Rhode Island for schools to which the Navy had sent me.

We had an old Chevy full-size van in which we modified the to give more like "in-the-round" seating and toured in all over the central USA.  We also had a "woody" station wagon which a lady t-boned in Northport, within a mile of our home.

All, 100%, of our autos have been used.  I think $6000 is the most we have paid for one. We usually carry only liability insurance, with $1000 deductible. We drive them until they are used up, or maybe a bit passed that, and then donate them and deduct whatever they are valued from our taxes. If we need to make a long trip, for the last few years we have simply rented a car.

I say all this to illustrate our view of economy.  Perhaps someone has found a more economical approach to driving, but if they have, I wish they'd share with me. Many folks identify with their auto, so I understand that most folks want to drive something pretty nice. When we drive a rental, I get to enjoy the latest gadgets, and cruise control with radar is pretty neat. I am not a good driver (ADHD), so that gadget may be especially useful for me.

I have a VERY strong aversion to "wasting" anything, including money, so I approach everything with economy in mind.  I do the same with time. I hope I am a good steward of the manifold gifts G^d has given me. By economizing we are able to give away considerable sums of money, with no pain.

Scripture tells us that "every good and perfect gift is from above...", and so I want to recognize these as gifts from G^d.  And, He has been generous indeed.