jesus – Page 12

ferguson, jesus, new yorker, race, voddie baucham

New Yorker cover story shows St. Louis Arch divided, Tweet shows divided arch fixed

Posted on November 29, 2014May 9, 2016 by elizabethprata

It’s a clever cover. The art work, at least for secular, liberal people, seems to capture the cultural feeling as to the recent race issues in Ferguson, Missouri. Ferguson is a city on the banks of the Mississippi River near St. Louis that recently melted down in fire and riots after a Grand Jury issued a verdict the black folks of Ferguson disapproved of. St. Louis is known for its “Gateway to the West” arch.

Here is the cover art from the New Yorker:

Cover Story: A “Broken Arch” for Ferguson

The introductory sentence to their accompanying article is a quote,

“I wanted to comment on the tragic rift that we’re witnessing,” Bob Staake says about his cover for the December 8th issue, arriving next week. “I lived in St. Louis for seventeen years before moving to Massachusetts, so watching the news right now breaks my heart. At first glance, one might see a representation of the Gateway Arch as split and divided, but my hope is that the events in Ferguson will provide a bridge and an opportunity for the city, and also for the country, to learn and come together.”

I won’t comment on the actual events that sparked the article and story art. The news that inspired the story and cover art isn’t the point of this essay. You can read a summary here and also a very good essay by Pastor Voddie Baucham here. In it, Baucham speaks to the root of the problem and how to solve it.

Sinful people do what sinful people do. The opening sentence of the news story above is “the world watched live as crowds hurled bottles, looted liquor stores and set this city on fire in the 24 hours after a grand jury announced it would not indict police officer Darren Wilson in the shooting death of Michael Brown, 18.“

Didn’t the world watch live as riots occurred after the judicial verdict in the OJ Simpson case? The Rodney King verdict? (“Can’t we all just get along?”). The Zimmerman verdict riots? The 1965 racial inequality accusations that sparked the Watts Riot? Many people consider the Watts riot (which was the most bloody, violent US riot until Rodney King in 1992) to be a turning point in Black-White civil rights movement.

What are these systemic issues that keep turning a society upside down? Poverty? Racial inequality? Police brutality? Social oppression? Poor education? The post riot commentary on each of the above-mentioned riots all put forth different reasons for their cause and thus have different approaches to the solution.

However on Twitter, one man solved the St. Louis Gateway Arch divide this morning. Teaching Pastor of Summit Wentzville, Clayton Pruett, tweeted:

I fixed the New Yorker’s separated Arch problem #gospel #hope

This is more than a trite acknowledgement of Jesus as the solution to everything. It needs a deeper moment of thought than a nod, smile and a scroll past.

Some time ago I listened to Voddie Baucham preach his text. He had been alternating with another pastor as they went through Romans. Pastor Baucham was up to the closing, Romans 16:3-16. The title of his sermon is “An Extraordinary Affection for an Extraordinary Church” In the summary of the sermon, it is stated,

Most people today skip over sections of scripture like these because they do not see the relevance of a “list of names”. In this sermon, however, Pastor Voddie Baucham reveals the true depth of the affection that Paul has for the believers at Rome. It is an extraordinary affection for an extraordinary church!

Here are the names Paul wrote greetings for, and each name was accompanied by a commendation, which I have not included,

Greet Prisca and Aquila,

Epaenetus

Mary

Andronicus and Junias

Ampliatus

Urbanus

Stachys

Apelles in house of Aristobulus

Herodion

Greet those of the household of Narcissus

Tryphaena and Tryphosa

Persis

Rufus

Asyncritus

Phlegon

Hermes

Patrobas

Hermas

Philologus

Julia

Nereus

Olympas

This is more than a mere “list of names”. First, it reminds us that our Holy God has affection for individuals He inspired Paul to write by name. It gives us a picture of an an extraordinary affection the Apostle Paul had for an extraordinary church.

Pr. Baucham joked that as pastors when they look at the preaching schedule and see that they will be responsible for the passage that has the “list of names” they become overjoyed. He was speaking with a gentle sarcasm and a wry realism. He said more often they say, “Really? I got the list of names? Again?” [audience laughter]

But he said as he began to dig deeper, he found beauty. Allow me to summarize his sermon. Trust me, this will relate back to Ferguson and the broken arch that the cross fixes. In the Romans passage there is a picture of unity that had tremendous implications for Paul and his theology, that would have brought him great joy. It relates to the passage in Galatians 3:26-28,

So in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.

There is no other entity on planet earth that unites people across ethnic lines like the church. ~Voddie Baucham.
The Apostle mentions male and females, Jews and Greeks, slaves and freemen. Beyond the surface of thinking we are saturated in today’s culture, back then, women had little to no value. Even their testimony was counted for half of a man’s. Today in Islam, a female’s testimony is worthless in court. Yet one-third of the names in the list are women. That was not normal in the first century. And Paul not only included women int he list but commended them as co-laborers! This list is a beautiful picture of the unity of gender we share through Christ.

Andronicus and Junias were Jews, as Paul used to be, as were Prisca and Aquila and several other names. Their names are intermingled with Greek names like Hermes, Narcissus, Aristobulus. Paul had been raised all his life to believe that if you even came into contact with a Greek you became ceremonially unclean. He included Greeks in his list, commends them, and joyously shares equal standing with them.

“It is the work that Christ has done in us that draws us to one another in spite of the fact that we’re not the same,” Baucham preached.

There is no more Jew or Greek, but only brothers in Christ. From the beginning, Christ broke down dividing walls. It isn’t because of a common fear that we have of police or any other government authority. It isn’t because of a common enemy we have, (except the enemy the devil), walls fall because of the Savior we have in common, our common Father.

A surface reading of the text will not readily show the names that are male and female, unless you know the masculine versus feminine endings in the Greek. As for the slaves vs. freemen, a deeper reading will need to be done to show who they are. Several names in this passage were well known slave names. Many of these names are gathered at the end of the list. Persis was a common slave name. Rufus was an extremely common slave name.

There is always a strict divide between people who hire people to serve them and people who serve. “Upstairs, Downstairs” is a well-entrenched division. It would have been unusual enough for any organization or gathering of people to accept mingling of servant and employer. However Paul’s inclusion of slave names among the list of free names was a startling departure from a cultural norm. As Baucham says, no one thought favorably of the group of people known as slaves. No one can own another person and think favorably toward them as a group because they must be thought of less-than, not equal-to. So here in Romans we have a vision of extraordinary unity.

To further deepen the picture, think of the implications. A systemic and accepted dividing of men into different classes, here, slave and free, had disappeared on Sunday because slave and master sat together in church. Slave and Master attended together, worshiped together, and praised their Lord together. This is highly uncommon in any culture.

Where Christianity flourishes, slavery ends. Caste system ends. Dividing lines over race, status, ethnicity … ends.

Only Jesus can make a man realize he is no better than his slave. Only Christ can do that. We stand as one before the Lord.

After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, (Revelation 7:9).

For Ferguson Missouri, Christ is the answer, as it always has been and always will be. The transcendent cross, our Savior Jesus died on then rose from, unites us despite our differences, which are only surface after all. We share our sin in common, and we share our need for Jesus in common. Through Him and His blood, we unite, washed in common. The problems in Ferguson are no different than the problems in slave-saturated Rome, in caste-rigid India, in oppressed Iraq. The issues aren’t racial or ethnic, they’re sin-ful.

Please take another look at the marvelous cross and praise a Savior who is not from earth but came to earth to reconcile sinful men and people so fall races, tribes, colors and status to Himself as a united ONE.

atheist, blasphemy, discernment, flying spaghetti monster, jesus

Atheists, unbelievers, the foolish: Of pastafarianism, spaghetti monsters, and wearing a colander on one’s head

Posted on November 19, 2014May 9, 2016 by elizabethprata

I was once all of the above. Though I never went so far as to declare my godlessness to the world by wearing a colander on my head as a spaghetti monster statement, I very likely did just as many foolish things that blasphemed my God that were just as evidently foolish to the believers around me as wearing a strainer on my head.

Asia Lemmon, whose legal name appears on her driver’s license as Jessica Steinhauser, is shown wearing a metal colander on her head on her Utah driver’s license in this undated photo. Lemmon says the pasta strainer represents her beliefs in the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster and says state employees took the photo after she presented them with documents on religious freedom. (AP Photo/Utah Department of Motor Vehicles via The Spectrum). Source

Woman wears colander for driver’s license photo

The Flying Spaghetti Monster movement, also known as “Pastafarianism,” started in 2005 as a protest against teaching intelligent design as an alternative to evolution in Kansas schools. … Hats and headgear are not allowed for driver’s license photos unless they’re religious garments, Rolfe said. After the first few Pastafarians came in about two years ago, state officials determined the church is a recognized religion and its members don’t require any special paperwork, she said.

Wikipedia’s write-up of the Flying Spaghetti Monster movement/religion/parody.

On the one hand, it is difficult to live in a time where God is maligned on every side and at every turn. It hurts to see and hear our precious Savior mocked so badly. It just hurts.

To the choirmaster. Of David. The fool says in his heart, “There is no God.” They are corrupt, they do abominable deeds, there is none who does good. (Psalm 14:1)

On the other hand, it is wonderful to see people turn from their blaspheming ways, repent and be saved. We know those who are not saved are in darkness, and they are in despair. They would deny it, but they are. Being in Jesus is refreshing to the soul-

Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord, (Acts 3:19)

I often cry out to the Lord to come and get His Bride. It is hard to be around so much sin, and worse still, to sin myself. But then again, I am sure people were crying out to the Lord in 2003 for Him to return and I’m glad He didn’t then because I wasn’t saved until the end of that year. There are many we are praying for who aren’t saved yet.

At some point though, He WILL return and leave behind many unsaved people, some of whom may be wearing a colander on their heads. Meanwhile, two things. First, let’s be patient with them. They can’t help wearing a colander on their head. They think they are doing something good and wise and funny.

For what have I to do with judging outsiders? Is it not those inside the church whom you are to judge? (1 Corinthians 5:12)

And second, witness with urgency. Jonah preached,

But let people and animals be covered with sackcloth. Let everyone call urgently on God. Let them give up their evil ways and their violence. (Jonah 3:8)

Yes, let everyone urgently call on God.

heresy, jesus, prophecy

Apostasy: the church’s carbon monoxide

Posted on November 7, 2014May 9, 2016 by elizabethprata

Carbon monoxide poisoning occurs after enough inhalation of carbon monoxide (CO). Carbon monoxide is a toxic gas, but, being colorless, odorless, tasteless, and initially non-irritating, it is very difficult for people to detect.

Carbon Monoxide poisoning is deadly! Now that the heating season is here, we should be careful with woodstoves, gas stoves, and other heaters that incorrectly set or maintained, can emit this deadly gas. So what is carbon monoxide (CO) and how is it produced?

Carbon monoxide (CO) is a deadly, colorless, odorless, poisonous gas. It is produced by the incomplete burning of various fuels, including coal, wood, charcoal, oil, kerosene, propane, and natural gas. Products and equipment powered by internal combustion engines such as portable generators, cars, lawn mowers, and power washers also produce CO.

What are the symptoms of CO poisoning?

Headache
Fatigue
Shortness of breath
Nausea
Dizziness

High level CO poisoning results in progressively more severe symptoms, including:

Mental confusion
Vomiting
Loss of muscular coordination
Loss of consciousness
Ultimately death

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Heresy monoxide poisoning occurs after enough inhalation of heretical monoxide (HO). Heresy monoxide is a toxic gas, but, being colorless, odorless, tasteless, and initially non-irritating, it is very difficult for people to detect. Now that Perilous Times are here, (2 Timothy 3:1) we must carefully shepherd our faith, which incorrectly maintained, can succumb this deadly gas.

What is heresy (HO) and how is it produced?

Heresy (HO) is a deadly, colorless, odorless, poisonous gas. It is produced by the incomplete burning of various sins, including greed, envy, adultery, gossip, fornication, idolatry, and thievery. Products and equipment powered by internal combustion of false teachers, unsaved pastors, unqualified deacons, vision casters, and power mongers also produce HO. It infiltrates silently on the backs of words containing ideas contrary to what is written in the bible and entertained in the mind for any length of time. What makes it deadly is that it is difficult to detect and initially non-irritating and non-threatening.

What are the symptoms of HO poisoning?

Headache from listening to emergent sermons
Fatigue from battling false doctrines
Shortness of breath from gasping at the loudness of rock and roll “worship”
Nausea from platitudes from the pulpit
Dizziness from being tossed back and forth over the waves (Eph 4:14)

High level HO poisoning results in progressively more severe symptoms, including:

Mental confusion
Vomiting
Loss of muscular prayer life
Loss of conscience
Ultimately death

To avoid Heresy Poisoning, breathe the pure air of biblical doctrine, congregate with fellow believers, pray constantly, remain vigilant about burning off sins completely, by casting them to the feet of Jesus and repenting of them.

jesus, moth, one world religion, pope benedict, pope francis, schism

Too Many Popes Spoil the Vatican: Is there a Catholic Schism Looming?

Posted on November 3, 2014May 9, 2016 by elizabethprata

Left, Pope Benedict (Emeritus) and Right, Pope Francis (Current)

On February 11, 2013, it was announced that Pope Benedict XVI was resigning his position as Pope. No pope had resigned in 600 years and only 5 of the 266 popes, including Benedict, have ever resigned. I wrote about it here, quoting a news article:

Pope Benedict XVI stunned the world and left the Catholic church reeling when he said on Monday that he would resign – the first pope to do so since the middle ages. The move, announced without warning, will take place on 28 February and leave the papacy vacant until a successor is chosen

That successor is Pope Francis. He ascended the papal monarchy on March 13, 2013.

Since then, Francis has garnered worldwide praise for his personal touch, his winning smile, his emphasis on the poor, and … his liberal views.

The Vatican & Cardinals are less impressed. The Daily Beast published an interesting article today. It’s titled,

Is the Pope Catholic? Critics Rally Around Benedict As Talk of Schism Looms

Almost from the beginning, there have been rumblings of discontent about Pope Francis. While the world’s media fell in love with him, there were more conservative bishops who felt that Francis’s popular appeal came at the expense of carefully worked-out Church rituals and teachings. They saw Francis as chipping away at established Church teachings on sexuality, kowtowing to the liberal media, and acting aggressively towards conservative church leaders. Criticism of Francis has come to a head with the publication of the final report of the Synod on the Family. Despite changing absolutely nothing doctrinally, the Synod’s recommendations for a more understanding attitude to those in unconventional family arrangements have ignited a firestorm of controversy among conservative commentators. The possibility that Catholics who had divorced and remarried without receiving an annulment might be readmitted into full communion with the Church has made many apoplectic.

In his short 18-month tenure, Pope Francis has seemed to have softened the traditional Catholic stance on homosexuals, has signaled a review of the traditional Catholic stance on female clerics and priests, noted that the traditional position of celibacy of priests can change, shifted a long-held stance on evolution and Big Bang, and now this week’s seeming change of stance on divorce. The Cardinals have had enough, and looking around, they notice that there’s another pope in town. One who was very conservative and is looking pretty good to them right now.

Pope Emeritus Benedict.

But there’s a reason to pay attention to this particular breed of shrill complaint: there’s more than one Pope in town. Much like an ex-partner you keep running into in the street, Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI’s continued presence in the church serves as a constant reminder of the way things used to be.
…
Benedict is hanging back for now, but there’s no doubt that he could easily become a figurehead for traditionalists harkening back to the good old days. In some ways, he already has. In somewhat ominous tones that have rightly been called threatening, Douthat exclaims to his “true Catholic” audience, “Remember there is another pope still living!” Having warned that Pope Francis and the Synod are leading us towards schism, does Douthat mean to imply that “true Catholics” will or should stage a coup?

The longest continuous monarchy in the world is generally accepted to be Japan’s, founded around 600BC. The Vatican records the first pope as Apostle Peter (which we know is false) but their chronological list of popes extends from Peter’s time to now with Francis, 266 in all. By that standard they are considered the second oldest monarchy in the world, and Denmark is third, founded in 935 AD.

A schism in the Vatican between liberal Francis and conservative emeritus Benedict could be very interesting. To fracture the long held power and remove the stranglehold the Vatican has on billions of false Christians known as Catholics would indeed be earth-shattering.

One does not know what the Lord is doing or will do, apart from what is recorded in the bible, but the mind reels with possibilities of how the final one-world religion predicted in Revelation 12-13 could come about.

I am reminded of a prophecy made in Hosea 5:12. The LORD promised this:

But I am like a moth to Ephraim, and like dry rot to the house of Judah.

Pulpit Commentary explains, “The meaning of the prophet is by no means obscure, and that is, that the Lord would by a slow corrosion consume both the people; and that, though he would not by one onset destroy them, yet they would pine away until they became wholly rotten.” The two agents of destruction here named – the moth which eats away clothes, and the woodworm which gnaws away wood – figuratively represent slow but sure destruction.”

Moths work secretly, unknowingly to the clothes owner. All one knows is that when the garment is needed, it will be full of holes and unwearable. The woodworm has been secretly gnawing out the wood and suddenly one day the ship sinks, or the building topples.

Has the Lord been working as a moth, secretly eating away at the foundations of this false religion?

We do know for sure that one day the evil false religion of harlot Babylon will fall! (Revelation 17) During the Tribulation, all peoples will worship the Beast (Rev 13:15-16) except for Christians, who will be killed for refusing.

These are exciting times to be living in, and we are grateful to the Lord for placing us here, now, to observe His mighty works and the end of all things. I believe the end is at hand, for many reasons, but one major indicator in my opinion is the collapse of Cultural Christianity and the wide apostasy infecting the church.

We watch in awe of the Lord at work in these tumultuous times. As Timothy Larsen said in his excellent essay Cheerful Confidence after Christendom,

THANK GOD FOR GRANTING US NOW

God has granted me the privilege to live now—in my own times. To wish otherwise is not only pointless, it is ungrateful. It is also self-defeating. Every season of life has its own joys. Foolishness is to want to have the joys of adulthood when still a teenager or the joys of adolescence when middle aged and so on. Likewise, there are unique joys, privileges, and opportunities for serving God in each generation. We are called not to hanker after a different age, but rather to jump in with relish to following Christ at this moment.

And if the Lord sees fit to hugely shake Catholics to their core by creating a schism, perhaps making room in unconverted hearts for true Christianity to enter, is that not cause for celebration? Oh, to see hearts aligned with an antichrist in the form of a pope, minds blinded to the simplicity and beauty of the Gospel, tongues praying to Mary, spirits convulsed with doubt as their seeming foundation is revealed moth-eaten and worm-gobbled, converted to Jesus. A cause for celebration indeed. Peter is not the rock upon which the faith is built. The Rock is Jesus.

No matter what, the Lord is mighty, and He is always at work. Praise Him for His perfection in all He does.

This God—his way is perfect;
the word of the Lord proves true;
he is a shield for all those who take refuge in him.
31For who is God, but the Lord?
And who is a rock, except our God?—
(Psalm 18:30-31)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

ISIS threatens to conquer Rome and break the Vatican’s crosses

Posted on October 14, 2014May 9, 2016 by elizabethprata

ISIS, also known as Islamic State, publishes a glossy, slick magazine each month called Dabiq. It is propaganda, of course, but it is a nice production. In this month’s issue, the Islamic State threatened to conquer Rome and break the Vatican’s crosses.

The Clarion Project explains the magazine’s name:

Dabiq is a place in Syria that is supposed to be the location for one of the final battles according to certain Muslim myths about a final apocalypse. Choosing such a name for the magazine highlights the Caliphate’s goals.

In their eschatology, Sunni Muslims believe they must ignite a holy war to prove to Muhammad that they are serious about worshiping Allah and serious in seeking for Muhammad to return in ‘the last hour.’

The magazine is full of exhortations from “Allah”. They call westerners who are opposed to them “Crusaders”, whether they are military or Christian. Here is one example of their latest rhetoric:

From magazine Dabiq, page 37, Issue 4, The Final Crusade

This certainty was echoed by Shaykh Abū Muham – mad al-’Adnānī (hafidhahullāh) in his last speech when he said, “And so we promise you [O crusaders] by Allah’s permission that this campaign will be your final campaign. It will be broken and defeated, just as all your previous campaigns were broken and defeated, except that this time we will raid you thereafter, and you will never raid us. We will conquer your Rome, break your crosses, and enslave your women, by the permission of Allah, the Exalted. This is His promise to us; He is glorified and He does not fail in His promise. If we do not reach that time, then our children and grandchildren will reach it, and they will sell your sons as slaves at the slave market” [Indeed Your Lord Is Ever Watchful].

In other sections, the authors of the magazine reiterate that after conquering the Vatican they will sell all the women they capture into slavery. The magazine is full of articles with titles like “The Revival of Slavery: Before the Hour”, and “In the Words of the Enemy” (US Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel) and gruesome pictures of beheaded people and the slain ‘Crusaders’.

The cover photo of the current issue (October 2014) is of an image of the Vatican with a photoshopped ISIS flag atop the Vatican obelisk.

In May 2014, Pope Francis met with Grand Mufti of Jerusalem, Muhammad Hussein, and pointed to the fraternal dialogue and exchange between Christians and Muslims, this quote is from Vatican Radio Archives:

Dear brothers, dear friends, from this holy place I make a heartfelt plea to all people and to all communities who look to Abraham: may we respect and love one another as brothers and sisters! May we learn to understand the sufferings of others! May no one abuse the name of God through violence! May we work together for justice and peace! Salaam!

In September 2014, “Pope Francis Slams Extremists Who ‘Pervert Religion‘” saying,

“May no one use religion as a pretext for actions against human dignity and against the fundamental rights of every man and woman, above all to the right to life and the right of everyone to religious freedom,” he said. … Islamic State has declared a “caliphate” in the territories they control and have killed or driven out large numbers of Christians, Shi’ite Muslims and others who do not subscribe to their hardline version of Sunni Islam.

The acts of ISIL ARE Islam. They are the religious center, the non-violent Muslims are the extremists. Needless to say, the Pope’s entreaties are going ignored.

Islam is not a religion of peace. But God is using it to bring about His final peace, the Prince of Peace who will rule with a rod of iron, and minister justice to all the nations. He warned the ancient Ninevites (present day ISIL) against their unceasing evil, saying through Prophet Nahum,

An oracle concerning Nineveh. The book of the vision of Nahum of Elkosh. God’s Wrath Against Nineveh 2The Lord is a jealous and avenging God; the Lord is avenging and wrathful; the Lord takes vengeance on his adversaries and keeps wrath for his enemies. 3The Lord is slow to anger and great in power, and the Lord will by no means clear the guilty. (Nahum 1:1-3)

As long as a Muslim is praying to Allah, he has forsaken the only steadfast love there is. (Jonah 2:8). But as long as a Muslim draws breath, even one involved in an unholy war as the ISIS men are, he will receive mercy if he repents. (1 John 1:19).

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Grace upon grace

Posted on October 12, 2014May 9, 2016 by elizabethprata

Our church had ‘Homecoming’ today. Answers.com explains the tradition-

Church ‘Homecomings’ are special services usually set on the anniversary date of the founding of the church. Services are normally themed to acknowledge those saints who not only founded the church but over the years have contributed to the well being of the church and the body of believers. The services can also be a great aid in drawing the body of believers closer to God, one another and the church.

Our pastor preached about the older generation and the next generation, from 2 Chronicles where David was handing the reins over to his son Solomon.

After services, we had a pot luck lunch in the Fellowship hall, and also outside under tents, for the overflow. The buffet line is long and the table is laden with green bean casseroles, pork, fried chicken, and jello salads of all kinds, as well as many plates of deviled eggs. In other words, lots of cuisine representative of the South and it’s all delicious.

I stood in the slow-moving buffet line next to a young man who is a member of our church. He teaches the college and career class and he is of college and career age himself. I like talking with him because he likes talking of Jesus. So do I. He said that he was reading John 1:16,

For from his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace.

He said he was pondering that. All the examples of grace the Lord has given us. I started pondering that too, while he was saying it. It’s a good thing to ponder. Then he said he read a passage in Mark,

And if the Lord had not cut short the days, no human being would be saved. But for the sake of the elect, whom he chose, he shortened the days. (Mark 13:20)

He said, that’s grace. Jesus did not have to shorten the days. He didn’t have to give that grace, in order that some survive. He would be justified to slay all flesh on earth. Grace upon grace.

David with the head of Goliath. Caravaggio.

I thought about it on the drive home. I thought that definitely was a good example of the John verse. And I thought of another example of Jesus’ grace. Though we bemoan the liberal and often unfocused nature of the youth’s worship, and we know that many of that age are leaving the fold, and we also sadly know that many aren’t saved at all but are only looking for the next high (and it just happens to be Jesus for a moment), in His grace, He does send us the next generation of men. He raises up youths with a hunger for the word, with intent and focus and joy. He graces us with the knowledge that though today’s Christianity is being revealed to be false, the core is strong. The root is there bearing graceful fruit. Jesus is always going to raise up a generation for His holy name.

We know God raised up older men like Noah and Abraham and Moses, but he also raised up youths. He anointed David king as a youth, used Daniel for His name, gave us young Timothy, established young Jeremiah as His prophet. (Jeremiah 1:6-7). He is still raising up young men.

Find them, nurture them, encourage them. They’re there. The gates of hell will not prevail against His church, and so, there is always a strong generation coming up.

Command and teach these things. Let no one despise you for your youth, but set the believers an example in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, in purity. Until I come, devote yourself to the public reading of Scripture, to exhortation, to teaching. Do not neglect the gift you have, which was given you by prophecy when the council of elders laid their hands on you. Practice these things, immerse yourself in them, so that all may see your progress. Keep a close watch on yourself and on the teaching. Persist in this, for by so doing you will save both yourself and your hearers. (1 Timothy 4:11-16).

Grace.

Source

contending, encouragement, jesus

Encouragement for the battle-weary Christian soldiers

Posted on October 11, 2014May 9, 2016 by elizabethprata

Oh well, I’m tired and so weary but I must go along
Till the Lord comes and calls, calls me away, oh yes

Weary. CC

We’re all familiar with the opening lines of that beautiful song, Peace in the Valley. It is a song of comfort and promise, based on verses of comfort and promise. (Psalm 23, John 14:27, Isaiah 11:6…).

I believe all true Christians are also familiar with that feeling itself from time to time, perhaps more than time to time. It seems sometimes that a permanent weariness has settled in and we all feel it. The weight of our sin and the world’s sin presses down on us so heavily that ‘going along’ gets harder with each passing day. We’re climbing a mountain with a heavy load that gets heavier with each passing step.

Burdened. EPrata photo

The wolves come and snarl and claw at us. The lions prowl closer and closer, ready to devour. The enemy combatants lob word-grenades at us when we stand up for the truth. In some places, they lob real grenades.

It is a wild and unforgiving world out there, sometimes worst of all in the church! People definitely don’t want to hear about Jesus, sin, wrath, truth, vs. false doctrines today, do they?

The verse about tickled ears is coming alive before our eyes. (2 Timothy 4:3). I think wolves is a good and apt metaphor for those who reject the truth. When they surround us on social media or at home or in church or at work, they snarl and claw and do everything they can, including dirty tricks, to protect their false notions.

Paul experienced these things, constantly, from people he had nurtured and considered friends. He was betrayed over and over again by false converts who left him, (Demas), by true converts who went away (Mark), others who simply got drawn away into false teachings for a while or who became unruly (Corinthian church). In 2 Tim 4:16 Paul wrote that ‘all left him’ at his first defense. Ouch.

Of course, our highest example is Jesus, who was betrayed by an inner circle friend, by the Israelite people He had promised to deliver, and by the world. But He is full of grace and love and left his disciples (and us) with encouragement-

I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world. (John 16:33)

Source

In reading the verse, the phrase ‘take heart’ jumped out at me. I looked it up in the Lexicon. The Lexicon for the word ‘take heart’ is defined this way- and I hope all of you who are contending for the truth take heart from these words,

Take heart: tharséō (derived from /thársos, “emboldened from within”) –
–properly, bolstered within which supports unflinching courage
–literally, to radiate warm confidence (exude “social boldness”)
–because warm-hearted.

tharséō (“emboldened to show courage”) refers to God bolstering the believer, empowering them with a bold inner-attitude (to be “of good courage”). For the believer, 2293 /tharséō (“showing boldness”) is the result of the Lord infusing His strength by His inworking of faith (“inbirthed persuasion,” 4102 /pístis). Showing this unflinching, bold courage means living out the inner confidence (inner bolstering) that is Spirit-produced.

Do we have social boldness? If we do, the world tries to beat it out of us. That is the weariness many western Christians are feeling now. We crave that peaceful valley.

Digital art, CC

Contending for the faith is a process. We have faith in Jesus, He delivers the Spirit into us, the Spirit infuses us with Jesus’ strength to endure trials, and the knowledge that He does this gives us our confidence, because it is His confidence. He empowers us with a bold inner attitude and in that way we are His lights. The light shines and encourages others. Yes, the light draws the moths but it also shines truth to eyes that are blind and hearts that are dark.

Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven. (Matthew 5:16)

Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us. (1 Peter 2:12)

I am sure that though you’re being buffeted, Jesus looks down and says to His holy angels, ‘see that little light of mine? She is doing a good work for Truth in My name’.

We take the example of David, who lived a turbulent life. As I listened to the Phil Johnson sermon this morning called Sanctuary, Pastor Johnson said that the only peaceful time in David’s entire life was when he was a boy and youth. One day he was called from the fields and anointed King, and his life was never peaceful or calm after that.

Yet from that turbulence, we have the Psalms, songs from David where he poured out his anguish onto the Lord and from which we receive our comfort. As Pastor Johnson said,

As he pours out his heart to the Lord, He naturally begins to focus his thoughts on the Lord, and there he finds hope in the midst of every trial, because he knows the Lord is faithful. And Psalm after psalm that begins on a note of fear or crushing sorrow closes with a profound expression of hope and faith.

Turning your attention to Jesus helps loosen our burden as we lay it down before Him, and naturally then we ponder the greatness, tenderness, and faithfulness of our Shepherd. Focusing on Him, as Pastor Johnson said, helped David time and again

“…makes him look at his troubles from the perspective of eternity, and he realizes that even though it sometimes feels like he is on the precipice of hell, the trials of this life are as close to hell as he will ever come, but this is also is as close to heaven as his wicked adversaries will ever get.

When you are surrounded by wolves because you’ve contended for the faith, whether online or in real life, turn to the Lord as your sanctuary. As you pour out your griefs to Him, you will find peace there as David did. Our Lord is faithful.

So, how can I go along when my strength fails? When I am so weary? I can do it

BECAUSE HE LIVES.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Christian missionary doctors fighting Ebola irritate Brian Palmer and other liberals

Posted on October 9, 2014May 9, 2016 by elizabethprata

I read an interesting opinion piece in the liberal online magazine Slate, by atheist Brian Palmer, who also writes for the National Resources Defense Council. He noticed that many of the people working in West Africa with the Ebola patients are Christians. Worse, they are Christian missionaries, Christian missionary nurses, and Christian missionary doctors. He is at once amazed that people would volunteer for such a task, and at no pay (which blows his mind!) yet at the same time he is irritated.

Caduceus, Wiki CC

Why? They talk of Jesus too much.

His attitude was, ‘if they want to be do-gooders, at least shut up about Jesus and keep the medical science free from all that … religion‘. He also notices that governments and corporations are not rushing in there to help, and that’s just too irksome to deal with. The Christians are showing up the organizations that are supposed to help.

You can read his original piece here. His title is telling, don’t you think?

In Medicine We Trust
Should we worry that so many of the doctors treating Ebola in Africa are missionaries?

This piece at NewsBusters responding to Palmer’s opinion about the Ebola missionaries is interesting. NewsBusters nailed Palmer’s tone. They put Palmer’s quotes in bold.

‘Mingling of Religion and Health Care’ in Ebola Crisis Stirs ‘Visceral Discomfort’ at Slate

Brian Palmer revealed what many secularists feel about Christian missionaries in Africa in a Thursday piece on Slate, especially the role on the front lines of the ongoing fight against Ebola. Palmer acknowledged how “missionary doctors and nurses…have undertaken long-term commitments to address the health problems of poor Africans,” but added that “for secular Americans…it may be difficult to shake a bit of discomfort with the situation….It’s great that these people are doing God’s work, but do they have to talk about Him so much?”

The writer later hyped that “some missionaries are incapable of separating their religious work from their medical work. Whether implicitly or explicitly, some missionaries pressure their patients, at moments of maximum vulnerability and desperation, to convert.” He admitted, “That troubles me. I suspect that many others have the same visceral discomfort with the mingling of religion and health care.“

Mr Palmer’s attitude is nothing new. It is as old as the hills. In 250 AD in northern Turkey, there was a terrible pandemic. Bodies piled up. Terrified healthy people fled. Some cities were decimated. Afterward, they found battlefields littered with dead soldiers but without wounds. They had simply dropped dead from the pandemic.

Camp Fuston, KS, Spanish Influenza

Christian pastors Dionysius and Cyprian, along with many deacons and laypeople, stayed behind to help. It’s not that they were immune, they weren’t. It’s that the Christians had the hope of Jesus in them, knowing He had come to earth to reconcile men to Himself. His loving sacrificial act spurred the Christians to do likewise of the pagans dying in droves. They laid down their lives for them. Dionysius later wrote about the nursing efforts of the Christians

“Most of our brother Christians showed unbounded love and loyalty, never sparing themselves and thinking only of one another. Heedless of danger, they took charge of the sick, attending to their every need and ministering to them in Christ, and with them departed this life serenely happy; for they were infected by others with the disease, drawing on themselves the sickness of their neighbors and cheerfully accepting their pains. Many, in nursing and curing others, transferred their death to themselves and died in their stead … The best of our brothers lost their lives in this manner, a number of presbyters, deacons, and laymen winning high commendation so that death in this form, the result of great piety and strong faith, seems in every way the equal of martyrdom.”

Dionysus noted next how the Christians even prepared the pagans for burial. He also described how the pagans reacted:

The heathen [pagans] behaved in the very opposite way. At the first onset of the disease, they pushed the sufferers away and fled from their dearest, throwing them into the roads before they were dead and treated unburied corpses as dirt, hoping thereby to avert the spread and contagion of the fatal disease; but do what they might, they found it difficult to escape.”

Screen shot, Monty Python & Holy Grail, “Bring Out Your Dead” scene

Human nature is no different then as it is now. When the Ebola deaths spiked this summer, The Liberian Observer reported,

Guarded by heavily armed platoons of officers from the Armed Forces of Liberia (AFL) and the Police Support Unit (PSU) several weeks ago, two mini trucks conveyed the corpses of Ebola victims to be buried in Johnsonville. This dumping of about 45 bodies on the bank of the Kpan-wein River under the heavy guard of police and soldiers immediately created a stampede, with people running in all directions, for fear of being contaminated or afflicted with the Ebola disease.

One hundred years after the plague Dionysius wrote about had abated, Roman Emperor Julian (the last Emperor) tried to get the pagan priests to perform such heroic acts of charity and care. They wouldn’t. It is perplexing to the unsanctified mind that people would lay down their lives for a stranger, would give and provide for them. It further perplexes them, as it does Mr Palmer now, that the government won’t step up neither will the pagan religions, but the Christians always do. Julian wrote,

“The impious Galileans support not only their poor, but ours as well, everyone can see that our people lack aid from us.”

Source

The bible tells us:
In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven. (Matthew 5:16)

Gill’s Commentary explains,

His sense is this; that the light of the Gospel, which he had communicated to them, the spiritual knowledge of the mysteries of grace, which he had favoured them with, were to be openly declared, and made manifest before men. Light was not given merely for their own private use, but for the public good of mankind; and therefore, as they were placed as lights in the world, they were to hold forth, in the most open and conspicuous manner, the word of light and life:

For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to good works, (Ephesians 2:10)

In 1 Peter 2:12 we read,

Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us.

We are called to live a good life before the pagans. This glorifies Jesus. In some cases, we are called to live a good death. This glorifies Jesus.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Coast Guard rescues man in Atlantic Ocean trying to “run” to Bermuda in an inflatable bubble

Posted on October 4, 2014May 9, 2016 by elizabethprata

I’m posting this because I think it’s extremely odd and weirdly amazing. Here is the story:

He alone stretches out the heavens and treads on the waves of the sea. (Job 9:8)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

COAST GUARD RESCUES MAN FROM HYDRO BUBBLE EAST OF ST. AUGUSTINE, FLA.

The Coast Guard Cutter Bernard C. Webber arrives on scene off the coast of Miami to respond to a report of a man aboard an inflatable hydro bubble who was disoriented asking for directions to Bermuda Oct. 1, 2014. The man was later rescued on Oct. 4, 2014, after he activated his personal indicating radio beacon upon suffering from exhaustion. U.S. Coast Guard photo

An MH-60 aircrew with Coast Guard Air Station Clearwater assists a man they medically evacuated east of St. Augustine, Florida, Oct. 4, 2014. The man was rescued after suffering from exhaustion from an inflatable hydro bubble while enroute to Bermuda. U.S. Coast Guard photo.

MIAMI — A man was rescued from his hydro pod bubble 70 nautical miles east of St. Augustine, Florida, by a Coast Guard search-and-rescue crew from Air Station Clearwater Saturday morning.
Watchstanders at the Coast Guard 7th District command center received a report of Reza Baluchi, a U.S. citizen, floating in an inflatable bubble Wednesday. Baluchi was reportedly disoriented and asking for directions to Bermuda. The Coast Guard Cutter Webber arrived on scene, conveyed the dangers of his voyage and requested Baluchi terminate his trip due to the lack of supplies on board to sustain him.

On board, Baluchi had protein bars, bottled water, a GPS and a satellite phone.

After he refused to leave his vessel, the watchstanders continued to monitor his movements until he activated his Personal Locating Beacon (PLB) Saturday morning. Coast Guard HC-130 airplane and MH-60 helicopter crews out of Air Station Clearwater, Florida, were dispatched to Baluchi’s position along with the Maersk Montana, a vessel registered with the Automated Mutual Assistance Vessel Rescue System (AMVER).

Once the aircrews arrived on scene, a rescue swimmer from the Jayhawk crew safely hoisted Baluchi from his inflatable raft into the helicopter. The MH-60 crew transported Baluchi to Air Station Clearwater where emergency medical services evaluated him. There were no reports of any injuries.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The man planned this. He had forethought. He purchased the bubble, bought GPS, bottled water and protein bars. His goal was admirable, wanting to get to the other side. However, his efforts were so far short of the mark that it causes one to both laugh hysterically and mourn his massive inability.

His thinking just wasn’t right. It was very wrong. He woke up one say saying, “I can do this!” But reality showed him he could not.

Kind of like our efforts to overcome sin, without Jesus. Kind of like our plans, no matter how carefully thought out or earnest, will ultimately fail in the face of the utter reality that there exists a great gulf, over which we may not come. Reza’s great gulf was the Atlantic Ocean.

Ours is our sin.

The LORD knows all human plans; he knows that they are futile. (Psalm 94:11)

For a person may labor with wisdom, knowledge and skill, and then they must leave all they own to another who has not toiled for it. This too is meaningless and a great misfortune. (Ecclesiastes 2:21)

We cannot outrun our sin, we cannot dispense with our sin. It will hinder us in all our efforts to reach the other side. We need someone FROM the other side, holy and perfect, to cauterize our sin from us, burn it out and clean us. The someone of course is Jesus. Bless His holy name.

For he himself is our peace, who has made the two groups one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility, (Ephesians 2:14)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

More about the man Reza Baluchi, who is actually quite interesting. He escaped Iran on the bicycling team (after imprisonment and torture, and other hardships. “I was tired of having no freedom.”) Here are a few links to his story. I encourage you to read about him. He has run around the perimeter of the US once and across it twice. He has biked around the world. He planned to run up Everest. He has traveled the world for peace. The bubble was another of his efforts to bring attention to the need for world peace. Again, it is an admirable effort, and I do not believe any layperson has done more in constant and persistent effort in this goal, but it is for naught. One cannot have peace without Jesus. The world needs Jesus. It makes Mr Baluchi’s story doubly sad.

Iranian ‘Running Man’ spreads message of peace (essay)

Run Around The World with Reza Baluchi (2009 video)
I would like to introduce you to one of the most amazing athletes of our time, Reza Baluchi. He has run over 100,000 miles in the past 22 years and last year ran 11,720 miles in 202 days non-stop! He is about to embark upon an epic adventure in September of 2009. He will be the first man to run to every country in the world! Why? Check out http://www.runwithreza.org

ebola, jesus, pestilence, signs

Dallas Ebola updates, children exposed, person being monitored in Hawaiian hospital

Posted on October 2, 2014May 9, 2016 by elizabethprata

In 1976 Ebola was discovered. I was 16 at the time and I was absolutely freaked out by the discovery. I read about it National Geographic or Smithsonian Magazine I think. A disease that melts your insides? Perfect fodder for the overactive teenage imagination. The shock and horror of Ebola never quite left my mind.

It is a terrible disease, sneaky and final. Sneaky because it take up to 21 days to show its face, and final because the death rate can be upwards of 90%. The current outbreak has been showing a death rate of 55-60%. By comparison, the Spanish Influenza mortality rate was 2.5-3%.

In this NatGeo article from September 2014, we read,

Since the first outbreaks in Africa in 1976, three of the five species of Ebolavirus have accounted for almost all cases of the disease seen below: the Sudan, Bundibugyo and Zaire species. A fourth species (Taï Forest) caused one nonfatal case in Cote d’Ivoire in 1994. A fifth (Reston) has not yet been transmitted to humans.

Silverback Gorilla, CC

Ebola is named after the river in the area it first made an appearance. It was discovered in green monkeys and then gorillas in 1975-1976. This article from 2006 reports on the devastation the disease has been causing in gorillas.

Ebola Killing Thousands of Gorillas, Study Says
for National Geographic News, December 7, 2006

The Ebola virus is marching steadily across western and central Africa, wiping out more than 90 percent of the gorillas in its path and threatening the species with extinction, a new study says. About 5,000 gorillas were killed by the virus in one study area alone, according to results to be published in tomorrow’s issue of the journal Science. Ebola causes a hemorrhagic fever, resulting in massive internal and external bleeding that kills within two weeks of symptoms appearing. There is no known cure, and in humans the mortality rate is around 80 percent. The virus is named after the Ebola River in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, near where the first known outbreak occurred in 1976.

Back when Ebola was first discovered both in primates and in humans, it sort of freaked out the medical world. It popped up out of nowhere and to this day they don’t quite know where it emerged from or why. Dr. Karl Johnson wrote in 1979 in the Annals of Internal Medicine,

Ebola Virus and Hemorrhagic Fever: Andromeda Strain or Localized Pathogen?
KARL M. JOHNSON, M.D.

The nearly simultaneous occurrence of major epidemics of acute hemorrhagic fever with high mortality in Sudan (1) and Zaire (2) during late 1976 serves as a poignant reminder that infectious “plagues” have not been, nor are they likely soon to be, eliminated from our world. The causative agent of these epidemics was found to be a virus new to science and was named Ebola after a small river near Yambuku, Zaire, a disease epicenter where the initial isolate was made…. Until effective vaccines are developed, careful management of patients and surveillance of their close contacts offer the only rational way to deal with agents sometimes viewed as Andromeda’s children.”

Thirty-five years later an effective vaccine is still not developed and the careful management of patients showing symptoms kind of went out the window in Dallas this week as a man recently returned from Liberia was sent home from the hospital he arrived at for treatment. He went back two days later, in an ambulance, after a chaotic scene outside his apartment building where witnesses say “he was vomiting all over the place.” The ambulance he was delivered to the hospital in is now under quarantine as a bio-hazard. The patient’s condition has been upgraded to serious, which is great, considering the only drug available, ZMapp, has been used up and further doses are not available at this time. Perhaps Thomas Eric Duncan will bounce back. I hope so. It turns out he had been a chaufferur in Liberia for the last two years before abruptly quitting in September and walking out without notice, His boss had no idea where he was until he saw Duncan in the news as the US Ebola patient.

The Andromeda Strain referred to in the 1979 Annals of Internal Medicine article, is the title of a 1969 novel by Michael Crichton. The Andromeda Strain is a techno-thriller novel documenting the efforts of a team of scientists investigating the outbreak of a deadly extraterrestrial microorganism in Arizona that rapidly and fatally clots the blood in most humans, while inducing insanity in a small handful of others. (Wikipedia)

The Dallas apartment complex where Duncan was believed to be staying was cordoned off Wednesday, and the management was turning away visitors. TV cameras lined the fence of the parking lot, and at least one helicopter hovered overhead.

Andromeda Strain, Russian release, 1971

The intense news interest in the story is indicative of the intense viewer interest in the story. This kind of interest was evidenced almost immediately upon publication of Crichton’s Andromeda novel,

“Written while Michael was still in medical school, it caused an immediate sensation: partly because the author was still in his twenties; partly because it focused on a biological crisis when most people were thinking about nuclear crises…”

The Dallas news outlets are reporting the Ebola patient, Thomas Eric Duncan, after he was sent home, had contact with close friends and family, including several school children who attend different schools. Several of the kids are being monitored, but parents are still pulling their children from school.

Twitter, Jake Tapper: “80 people being monitored for Ebola in Dallas: the patient, his contacts and anyone they contacted, officials say.” via @cnnbrk

Oops, since this morning, that number has risen now to 100.

The first person diagnosed with the Ebola virus in the U.S. wasn’t appropriately treated for suspected infection until after a relative personally called the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, his nephew told NBC News on Wednesday night. … Weeks said the CDC referred him to the Texas Department of Health and Human Services, which spoke to him and then took appropriate action. “I called the CDC and they instructed me of the process, and that got the ball rolling,” Weeks said.

A second person is being monitored for Ebola, “Let me be real frank to the Dallas County residents: The fact that we have one confirmed case, there may be another case that is a close associate with this particular patient,” he said. “So this is real. There should be a concern, but it’s contained to the specific family members and close friends at this moment.”

Five children from four DISD [Dallas Independent School District] campuses were possibly exposed to the virus. [Superintendent] Miles said none of the students have exhibited any symptoms of Ebola at this time.

Yeah, but doesn’t it take up to three weeks for symptoms to show? So of course after one day they would not be showing symptoms. Meanwhile in Hawaii, another possible Ebola patient is being monitored.

Ebola fears quarantine man in Hawaiian hospital: The unnamed patient has yet to be tested for the deadly virus, but Hawaii Department of Health officials said Wednesday they quarantined him at a Honolulu hospital after he showed symptoms.

At some point, the pale horse of pestilence is going to ride. (Revelation 6:7-8). The Seals will not be broken until after the rapture but we could be seeing a set-up. Or not. We never know at the time whether this is an outbreak or not. In Fort Riley Kansas in 1918 did they have a clue that when the camp cook came down sick he would be nearly the first victim of a worldwide Spanish Influenza pandemic that would eventually kill three to five percent of the entire population?

It infected 500 million people across the world, including remote Pacific islands and the Arctic, and killed 50 to 100 million of them—three to five percent of the world’s population—making it one of the deadliest natural disasters in human history…A large factor in the worldwide occurrence of this flu was increased travel. Modern transportation systems made it easier for soldiers, sailors, and civilian travelers to spread the disease. In the United States, the disease was first observed in Haskell County, Kansas, in January 1918, prompting local doctor Loring Miner to warn the U.S. Public Health Service’s academic journal. On 4 March 1918, company cook Albert Gitchell reported sick at Fort Riley, Kansas. By noon on 11 March 1918, over 100 soldiers were in the hospital. Within days, 522 men at the camp had reported sick. By 11 March 1918 the virus had reached Queens, New York.

The Dallas (and Honolulu) situation is of concern, as is the African Ebola situation in general. People are scared of pestilential disease, it is creepy in the way that the 1970s shark movie Jaws caught our deepest fears of being hunted while swimming in unfamiliar habitats. A primal fear, different from the horror of nukes falling on us, the enemy of disease invades our bodies and destroys from the inside.

I can’t help but remember that another of the books that caught my attention so deeply when I was a teenager, Stephen King’s The Stand, was about a superflu that killed 99% of the world population within 2 months. It, also, began in Texas, by a man named Campion…