Have any idea what the hardest substance known to man is? Me either until I heard it. I knew it was a diamond, but not just any old diamond. It’s an aggregated diamond nanorod. You don’t just find those lying around anywhere. They have to be produced. Couple of years back my family went to the diamond mine in Murfreesboro, AR. Pretty much all we took away was a cold, wet rear, a hungry gut, & a good time. Apparently regular diamonds aren’t just lying around either! A German physicist came up with the procedure to produce the aggregated diamond nanorods & they have been known to cut steel.
While diamonds are among the hardest substances, another carbon based element is the softest: graphite. It can literally be crumbled in your hand. It can be paper thin & a child can crush the rock. Both carbon based, yet one is the hardest & the other the softest.
While a student in art class, we used to make art works of pottery. While not my favorite medium, I’ll have to say it was enjoyable ‘throwing’ a pot & molding something useful and artistic with your bare hands. Clay can be very soft & malleable, but left to the elements becomes rock hard. We would wet the clay, if a little stiff, & kneed it to make it useable. When it got too hard to kneed, we simply threw the clay into a vat of moist, stinky clay called, ‘grog.’ Beyond that, if it couldn’t be re moistened, it had to be discarded.
In my life & ministry I’ve come to understand that the hardest & softest thing known to man is really the human heart! It can be capable of the most heinous atrocities or the most divine acts of kindness. I’ve seen burly men do some incredibly kind deeds. I’ve seen small children, seemingly innocent; perpetrate actions that would make a demon smile. If you’re honest, you’ll have to admit that your own heart has led you to heights of joy & actions of angelic nature & the same heart on other occasions has produced the most vile, wicked thoughts or deeds. It pretty much lies within what’s motivating & directing us.
This world is hard. No doubt about it. If you simply watch the news or read the headlines you can get hurt & hardened. I can’t begin to explain why a man would walk into a nursing home & open fire on innocents. Or why a deranged man would come forward in a worship service & open fire killing those around him. Why would a mother drown her children? How can a man torture & abuse an innocent child? Perhaps the heart is hard as a rock. The elements of sin have weathered & crusted it.
Sadly, we’re all capable of great evil. Just depends on who is directing. Never had heart problems but friends & relatives have had open heart surgery. Doctors went into the chest cavity & repaired or replaced a damaged heart. That’s pretty much what we need spiritually. A new heart. When we find our heart hardened, it’s time to call in ‘The Great Physician.’ When we call out to God for help & healing, he does a true work of heart.
“And I will give them singleness of heart and put a new spirit within them. I will take away their stony, stubborn heart and give them a tender, responsive heart, so they will obey my decrees and regulations. Then they will truly be my people, and I will be their God.” Ezekiel 11:19-20 NLT
Life can really weigh down on you. Just as our physical hearts can become diseased, weak & sickened, so it is with our spirits. Don’t plow ahead stubbornly, sickened & weak. Call out to the Father.
www.myspace.com/davejacksonnewport.
Dave Jackson on facebook ASUN website www.bcmasunewport.org
Dave Jackson-Campus Minister djackson@absc.org
Cell: 870-217-9376 Dave’s Desk - http://bcmasunewport.blogspot.com
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
-Second Chances-
Have you ever done anything dumb? I mean REALLY stupid. You may not know it, but I might just hold the title of King of Stupid stunts. Of course, they all seemed like a good idea at the time! Kind of like the famous last words of a Redneck simpleton…. “Watch ‘is!”
I almost pulled one of those the other day. The ice storm a month back wreaked havoc on my trees & I needed to fell one or (a wiser choice) to pay someone to do the task. A friend suggested I use my climbing tree stand & go up fairly high, tie a rope off & have someone put tension on it as I notched & cut the top off. All worked well until I was about 25 feet up…on a very windy day! My prayer life increased incrementally as I swayed freely with the wind. I notched, yelled to my make-shift crew to put tension & pull the rope, & began cutting. As the tree began to fall, for a split second I thought it would ‘kick-back’ & eat my lunch. Thankfully, it fell as planned & I didn’t do the cartoon spring back like Wiley Coyote.
All went well, as I’m typing this with all ten fingers & no broken bones & one less tree! There have been some really crazy times in life that all didn’t go quite as planned. I hesitate to mention many lest you think I’m imploring literary license & fiction, or that you will be afraid to stand near me in the event it IS true. Had 9 car wrecks (learned to dodge better now!), Got cracked in head with a brick, shot with a .22, skewered with a rusty wire, impaled several times in feet & arm with nails during construction, spider bitten, hit in the eye with a nail, hit in the mouth with a table leg,… the list goes on, I’m just tired of typing!!
These were all, pretty much, accidents or being in the wrong place at the wrong time. There have been many times that I just flat did stupid things (jumping off a 80+ foot cliff into water would be one).I’ve often done something that hurt others or grieved the heart of God. I’m just thankful that God is a God of second chances.
Ever since, at the beginning, man first sinned in the Garden we have to deal with this sin nature; this bent to do & say dumb things. It not only hurts us but those around us. This evil virus of sin permeates even the best of us & leads to a wealth of hurt and death.
Today I had to reinstall security protection to my computer. Some of you, like me, may have known the damage caused by a Trojan and/or virus or worm. I had a computer once attacked & taken down to the partition or base. It was no more. No second chance there, irreparable damage. Again, even though we sin, rarely is our life beyond repair. God is all about restoring & reclaiming lives. I’ve seen thousands. I’m truly thankful that God has given me countless ‘re-do’s’ & the opportunity to learn from the mistakes in order to avoid the pitfalls!
This past couple of weeks I got to be a part of two great revival services where around 50 people experienced, for the first time, God’s love, forgiveness and second chance. I also saw scores of people find a new lease & second chance for broken hearts.
Life is about choice. God gives us the choice to recovery; we must choose to accept it. There is a verse that speaks of this second chance:“God is good, a hiding place in tough times. He recognizes and welcomes anyone looking for help, No matter how desperate the trouble. But cozy islands of escape He wipes right off the map. No one gets away from God. Why waste time conniving against God? He's putting an end to all such scheming. For troublemakers, no second chances. Like a pile of dry brush, Soaked in oil, they'll go up in flames.”
Nahum 1:7 The Message
I’ve been blessed with countless second chances (and third, fourth, etc)! I’m thankful God restores. I don’t know where you are in your journey, but if you’re in need of another chance cry out to the Father. Don’t connive & complain about your lot, just cry out! If you’re on solid ground then, by all means, reach & encourage others. There’s plenty of us that need reminding about a chance to start anew.
www.myspace.com/davejacksonnewport.
Dave Jackson on facebook ASUN website www.bcmasunewport.org
Dave Jackson-Campus Minister djackson@absc.org
Cell: 870-217-9376
I almost pulled one of those the other day. The ice storm a month back wreaked havoc on my trees & I needed to fell one or (a wiser choice) to pay someone to do the task. A friend suggested I use my climbing tree stand & go up fairly high, tie a rope off & have someone put tension on it as I notched & cut the top off. All worked well until I was about 25 feet up…on a very windy day! My prayer life increased incrementally as I swayed freely with the wind. I notched, yelled to my make-shift crew to put tension & pull the rope, & began cutting. As the tree began to fall, for a split second I thought it would ‘kick-back’ & eat my lunch. Thankfully, it fell as planned & I didn’t do the cartoon spring back like Wiley Coyote.
All went well, as I’m typing this with all ten fingers & no broken bones & one less tree! There have been some really crazy times in life that all didn’t go quite as planned. I hesitate to mention many lest you think I’m imploring literary license & fiction, or that you will be afraid to stand near me in the event it IS true. Had 9 car wrecks (learned to dodge better now!), Got cracked in head with a brick, shot with a .22, skewered with a rusty wire, impaled several times in feet & arm with nails during construction, spider bitten, hit in the eye with a nail, hit in the mouth with a table leg,… the list goes on, I’m just tired of typing!!
These were all, pretty much, accidents or being in the wrong place at the wrong time. There have been many times that I just flat did stupid things (jumping off a 80+ foot cliff into water would be one).I’ve often done something that hurt others or grieved the heart of God. I’m just thankful that God is a God of second chances.
Ever since, at the beginning, man first sinned in the Garden we have to deal with this sin nature; this bent to do & say dumb things. It not only hurts us but those around us. This evil virus of sin permeates even the best of us & leads to a wealth of hurt and death.
Today I had to reinstall security protection to my computer. Some of you, like me, may have known the damage caused by a Trojan and/or virus or worm. I had a computer once attacked & taken down to the partition or base. It was no more. No second chance there, irreparable damage. Again, even though we sin, rarely is our life beyond repair. God is all about restoring & reclaiming lives. I’ve seen thousands. I’m truly thankful that God has given me countless ‘re-do’s’ & the opportunity to learn from the mistakes in order to avoid the pitfalls!
This past couple of weeks I got to be a part of two great revival services where around 50 people experienced, for the first time, God’s love, forgiveness and second chance. I also saw scores of people find a new lease & second chance for broken hearts.
Life is about choice. God gives us the choice to recovery; we must choose to accept it. There is a verse that speaks of this second chance:“God is good, a hiding place in tough times. He recognizes and welcomes anyone looking for help, No matter how desperate the trouble. But cozy islands of escape He wipes right off the map. No one gets away from God. Why waste time conniving against God? He's putting an end to all such scheming. For troublemakers, no second chances. Like a pile of dry brush, Soaked in oil, they'll go up in flames.”
Nahum 1:7 The Message
I’ve been blessed with countless second chances (and third, fourth, etc)! I’m thankful God restores. I don’t know where you are in your journey, but if you’re in need of another chance cry out to the Father. Don’t connive & complain about your lot, just cry out! If you’re on solid ground then, by all means, reach & encourage others. There’s plenty of us that need reminding about a chance to start anew.
www.myspace.com/davejacksonnewport.
Dave Jackson on facebook ASUN website www.bcmasunewport.org
Dave Jackson-Campus Minister djackson@absc.org
Cell: 870-217-9376
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
A New Name
When I hear someone call me ‘David’ I realize it’s someone from ‘back
in da day.’ It’s not that I particularly changed my name; it’s just that most folks call me Dave. I used to sing with another guy name David Jackson & it was confusing. Folks often called me Dave or Davo or such anyway so it just took.
Heard about a man in East Tennessee whose parents named him ‘Oddly.’ Most folks just called him ‘Odd.’ He hated the nickname & told his wife when he was buried he only wanted the date of birth & death. Sure enough, at his death his wife honored his wish with simply the date of birth & death. To this day, though, people still walk up & say, “Isn’t that Odd?”
There’s a lot in a name. A name speaks of character. What if I were to say, “Benedict Arnold”? What would you think? How about ‘Judas’? ‘Adolph Hitler.’ You probably won’t be naming your baby girl ‘Jezebel.’ In biblical culture they tried to give a name to match or inspire character.
In our culture we go to lengths to protect our name & identity. People will try to ‘steal’ your name & identity to use for nefarious means. Our staff recently had to change our credit cards because the bank’s information (really OUR information) was compromised. You hear stories regularly of people stealing information of others. It’s called fraud.
The story is told of Alexander the great. He would often go about in stealth & disguise to move among his people. He came upon the city wall where a watchman was to be at guard. He found the young man asleep at his post (punishable by death). He woke the young man & asked his name. “Alexander, Sir.” His response, “Change your name or change your ways!”
Often in biblical times & in many cultures when someone had a life change they changed their name, again, to reflect a new character. For example: Jacob meant ‘cheater’ & God changed his name to ‘Israel’ meaning, “May God prevail.”
A friend of mine was a missionary to Botswana, Africa. He told the sad story of a young boy. His name meant “not human.” He asked how the boy came by such a name & he told him the chief had named him that because his mother & father were not married. When this young man accepted Christ as Savior he said, “My name is no longer ‘not human,’ but ‘human’ because God has made me His son!”
I’m not sure if you’re particularly happy with your given name. Some hate it to the point they change it for about $80. You can change your name all day long, but it’s the heart that really defines us. How about it? Have you ever truly had a change of heart? Have you come to the point in your life that you said, “God, I give you all of me. I take on Your name”? The first people who were called Christians didn’t coin the name. Others called them that because they emulated Christ so much. That’s something to be said of someone!
Do you have a ‘pet name’ for someone special? We laugh around my house & say no one there (animal or people) really is called their given name. All of us have a nickname (my wife’s family even more s. A pet name is a name of endearment you have for someone you care about. God has a special name for each of us that are His. We don’t even know it. But when Christ returns He’s reveal that special name.
"Are your ears awake? Listen. Listen to the Wind Words, the Spirit blowing through the churches. I'll give the sacred manna to every conqueror; I'll also give a clear, smooth stone inscribed with your new name, your secret new name."
Rev. 2:17 The Message
The crux of all this is, what kind of name do you have? What do people think when they hear your name? My prayer is that it is a special person God is using. Even more so, what does God think? I can tell you He loves you greatly & wants to give you a special name that He alone will call you.
www.myspace.com/davejacksonnewport.
Dave Jackson on facebook ASUN website www.bcmasunewport.org
Dave Jackson-Campus Minister djackson@absc.org
Cell: 870-217-9376 Dave’s Desk - http://bcmasunewport.blogspot.com
in da day.’ It’s not that I particularly changed my name; it’s just that most folks call me Dave. I used to sing with another guy name David Jackson & it was confusing. Folks often called me Dave or Davo or such anyway so it just took.
Heard about a man in East Tennessee whose parents named him ‘Oddly.’ Most folks just called him ‘Odd.’ He hated the nickname & told his wife when he was buried he only wanted the date of birth & death. Sure enough, at his death his wife honored his wish with simply the date of birth & death. To this day, though, people still walk up & say, “Isn’t that Odd?”
There’s a lot in a name. A name speaks of character. What if I were to say, “Benedict Arnold”? What would you think? How about ‘Judas’? ‘Adolph Hitler.’ You probably won’t be naming your baby girl ‘Jezebel.’ In biblical culture they tried to give a name to match or inspire character.
In our culture we go to lengths to protect our name & identity. People will try to ‘steal’ your name & identity to use for nefarious means. Our staff recently had to change our credit cards because the bank’s information (really OUR information) was compromised. You hear stories regularly of people stealing information of others. It’s called fraud.
The story is told of Alexander the great. He would often go about in stealth & disguise to move among his people. He came upon the city wall where a watchman was to be at guard. He found the young man asleep at his post (punishable by death). He woke the young man & asked his name. “Alexander, Sir.” His response, “Change your name or change your ways!”
Often in biblical times & in many cultures when someone had a life change they changed their name, again, to reflect a new character. For example: Jacob meant ‘cheater’ & God changed his name to ‘Israel’ meaning, “May God prevail.”
A friend of mine was a missionary to Botswana, Africa. He told the sad story of a young boy. His name meant “not human.” He asked how the boy came by such a name & he told him the chief had named him that because his mother & father were not married. When this young man accepted Christ as Savior he said, “My name is no longer ‘not human,’ but ‘human’ because God has made me His son!”
I’m not sure if you’re particularly happy with your given name. Some hate it to the point they change it for about $80. You can change your name all day long, but it’s the heart that really defines us. How about it? Have you ever truly had a change of heart? Have you come to the point in your life that you said, “God, I give you all of me. I take on Your name”? The first people who were called Christians didn’t coin the name. Others called them that because they emulated Christ so much. That’s something to be said of someone!
Do you have a ‘pet name’ for someone special? We laugh around my house & say no one there (animal or people) really is called their given name. All of us have a nickname (my wife’s family even more s. A pet name is a name of endearment you have for someone you care about. God has a special name for each of us that are His. We don’t even know it. But when Christ returns He’s reveal that special name.
"Are your ears awake? Listen. Listen to the Wind Words, the Spirit blowing through the churches. I'll give the sacred manna to every conqueror; I'll also give a clear, smooth stone inscribed with your new name, your secret new name."
Rev. 2:17 The Message
The crux of all this is, what kind of name do you have? What do people think when they hear your name? My prayer is that it is a special person God is using. Even more so, what does God think? I can tell you He loves you greatly & wants to give you a special name that He alone will call you.
www.myspace.com/davejacksonnewport.
Dave Jackson on facebook ASUN website www.bcmasunewport.org
Dave Jackson-Campus Minister djackson@absc.org
Cell: 870-217-9376 Dave’s Desk - http://bcmasunewport.blogspot.com
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
-Turn On A Dime-
There’s an old saying someone coined (no pun intended), “Life can turn on a dime.” Boy is that true. There have been many phrases given to illustrate the same thought: “Some days a diamond, some days a stone.” “Into every life a little rain must fall.” “Gotta take the bad with the good”, etc. Someone said, “I used to have a handle on life. Then it broke!” Ever feel that way? Yep, life can turn on a dime.
Think of the Native Americans who were going about their lives oblivious…until the Pilgrims landed! When asked by an anthropologist what the Indians called America before the white man came, an Indian said simply, "Ours.". Life can turn on a dime.
Case in point, last week I spoke of whitewater rafting. I took a group of students to the Ocoee River on a whitewater trip & one of the students fell out of the raft. (We’re not talking about a little canoe trip here. This is the river they use in the Olympic trials.) Fortunately, for all concerned, the guide grabbed him & pulled him back on board. Thing is, the guide had been training for three months & was about to be certified to instruct solo. She had learned the chutes & undercurrents of the river stretch & was about to make river guide. She was immediately bounced back to square one. The student was having a great time but in a heartbeat could have lost his life. I would have had to go home explaining to a mom why I had lost her son!! Life can turn on a dime.
This past summer a family in our area was on a drive celebrating the holidays. A man, drunk & high, ran into them killing the woman. In a split second two families’ lives changed. A few years back a good friend was riding his motorcycle on a warm, sunny afternoon. He hit a rough patch & lost control. An oncoming driver swerved & hit him, killing the father of four. The next day his son turned 2. Life can turn on a dime.
I could fill up pages with stories of how transitory our time is in this life. You could probably fill in many more stories of a split-second that changed your world. It’s not just the actions & incidents of this life that make us, it’s our reactions.
This week you may have received bad news: a pink slip, a failing grade, a writ of divorce, a bad pathology report, a past due notice, _________ you fill in the blank! How will you handle the hit?
In probably the greatest sermon ever shared, the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus gave some insight into how we should react to potential KO’s of life: “I say, love your enemies! Pray for those who persecute you! In that way, you will be acting as true children of your Father in heaven. For He gives his sunlight to both the evil and the good, and He sends rain on the just and the unjust alike.” Matthew 5:44-45 NLT
These trite little sayings & truisms offer little help in your hurt. I’ve walked with Christ, though not perfectly, the majority of my life now. I’ve found this to be true: I don’t have a pain-free life, but God has been my guide, my comfort & strength all along the way. It rains on us all. I simply want to be in the business of handing out umbrellas! Remember, life can turn on a dime, but that goes both ways. If today your life is the inspiration for a tragic, country song, tomorrow may be a soaring ballad! Contact me if I can be of encouragement to you… or you for me!
www.myspace.com/davejacksonnewport.
Dave Jackson on facebook ASUN website www.bcmasunewport.org
Dave Jackson-Campus Minister djackson@absc.org
Cell: 870-217-9376 Dave’s Desk - http://bcmasunewport.blogspot.com
Think of the Native Americans who were going about their lives oblivious…until the Pilgrims landed! When asked by an anthropologist what the Indians called America before the white man came, an Indian said simply, "Ours.". Life can turn on a dime.
Case in point, last week I spoke of whitewater rafting. I took a group of students to the Ocoee River on a whitewater trip & one of the students fell out of the raft. (We’re not talking about a little canoe trip here. This is the river they use in the Olympic trials.) Fortunately, for all concerned, the guide grabbed him & pulled him back on board. Thing is, the guide had been training for three months & was about to be certified to instruct solo. She had learned the chutes & undercurrents of the river stretch & was about to make river guide. She was immediately bounced back to square one. The student was having a great time but in a heartbeat could have lost his life. I would have had to go home explaining to a mom why I had lost her son!! Life can turn on a dime.
This past summer a family in our area was on a drive celebrating the holidays. A man, drunk & high, ran into them killing the woman. In a split second two families’ lives changed. A few years back a good friend was riding his motorcycle on a warm, sunny afternoon. He hit a rough patch & lost control. An oncoming driver swerved & hit him, killing the father of four. The next day his son turned 2. Life can turn on a dime.
I could fill up pages with stories of how transitory our time is in this life. You could probably fill in many more stories of a split-second that changed your world. It’s not just the actions & incidents of this life that make us, it’s our reactions.
This week you may have received bad news: a pink slip, a failing grade, a writ of divorce, a bad pathology report, a past due notice, _________ you fill in the blank! How will you handle the hit?
In probably the greatest sermon ever shared, the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus gave some insight into how we should react to potential KO’s of life: “I say, love your enemies! Pray for those who persecute you! In that way, you will be acting as true children of your Father in heaven. For He gives his sunlight to both the evil and the good, and He sends rain on the just and the unjust alike.” Matthew 5:44-45 NLT
These trite little sayings & truisms offer little help in your hurt. I’ve walked with Christ, though not perfectly, the majority of my life now. I’ve found this to be true: I don’t have a pain-free life, but God has been my guide, my comfort & strength all along the way. It rains on us all. I simply want to be in the business of handing out umbrellas! Remember, life can turn on a dime, but that goes both ways. If today your life is the inspiration for a tragic, country song, tomorrow may be a soaring ballad! Contact me if I can be of encouragement to you… or you for me!
www.myspace.com/davejacksonnewport.
Dave Jackson on facebook ASUN website www.bcmasunewport.org
Dave Jackson-Campus Minister djackson@absc.org
Cell: 870-217-9376 Dave’s Desk - http://bcmasunewport.blogspot.com
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