The Beach Boys were able to make a lot of money out of a distorted historical record. The song in focus here is: “The Sloop John B.” Probably most guys between sixty and eighty still have an eight-track somewhere with that song on it. Those in that age-bracket reading this are singing it in their heads.

The song is about a grandfather and the trouble he can get his grandson into:

We come on the Sloop John B
My grandfather and me
Around Nassau town we did roam
Drinking all night
Got into a fight
Well I feel so broke up
I want to go home

There was a man of faith and action in the Scriptures by the name of Boaz, and, I believe, King David as a lad came under his influence. It may not have been during Boaz’s lifetime, but it could have happened because of the written record of his grandfather.

Grandfathers can influence their grandchildren for good or for evil.

It’s not too late to start, Pups (Pépère).

Think about it.

Gary

I had made a commitment to God in the twenty-second year of my life that alcohol would no longer play a part in my existence.  A vow is one thing and keeping it is another.

Loaded with logs for Canada and pulling up a long grade, with the heat of the exhaust against the cab and no air-conditioning, I decided to stop at the spring.  Many workers and fishermen would refresh themselves there with the cold water that sprang right out of the earth. Bending down to get a drink, I spotted the six-pack of beer resting on the bottom of that spring. Fishermen must have left it, intending to end their day with a cold brew.

No, I just looked at it, smiled, and hurried back to the rig to escape that temptation. I lived to fight another day and that was forty-seven years ago.

1 Corinthians 10:13

No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.

Next time you see something you shouldn’t, hurry away.

Think about it.

Gary

Some old song had this comment in it, “have squandered my resistance.” This started me thinking about the human experience that holds the truth of this statement. How many look back to events where lack of resistance led to disastrous consequences?

Joseph, a captive man in a strange land, was tempted by one of the most prominent women of that culture. The Scripture is very forthcoming with his reactions:

Gen 39:11-12

But it happened about this time, when Joseph went into the house to do his work, and none of the men of the house was inside, that she caught him by his garment, saying, “Lie with me.” But he left his garment in her hand, and fled and ran outside. 

This action resulted in a prison sentence for Joseph; however, a careful examination of his life-story reveals the fact that he believed God had an ordained purpose in every event of his existence. What seemed to be a mountain was only a pimple on the pathway to progress.

Don’t squander your resistance. Run.

Think about it.

Gary

I was a third-grader waiting for the day to come to a conclusion and feeling like I was in purgatory. Suddenly, I discovered I had a special talent; I could wiggle my ears. Having a hard time to believe I was a recipient of such a gift, I ran home to look in the mirror and make sure it wasn’t a figment of my imagination. Then I started sharing that phenomenon with friends and family. They soon got tired of my boasting. I had to learn that such demonstrations were not appreciated. Was it because of jealousy?

Just researching this topic, I discovered approximately 22% of people on the planet are capable of wiggling one ear, while no more than 18% can do it with both ears. Makes me special but doesn’t open the doors to much of anything lucrative, including the circus.

However, I discovered I had the gift of teaching the Word of God and the wiggling of my ears paled in comparison. That was apparent by opportunity given to me and appreciation by my listeners.  God’s Word speaks of such a thing:

Ephesians 4:11

And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers,

There are multiple gifts from God given to believers recorded in the New Testament. Have you made an attempt to find out what yours are?

Think about it.

Gary

If I were offered the life of one of the patriarchs, I would refuse. They had long, difficult struggles, which cause mine to pale in comparison. Here is how Jacob described his journey to Pharaoh:

Genesis 47:9

And Jacob said to Pharaoh, “The days of the years of my pilgrimage are one hundred and thirty years; few and evil have been the days of the years of my life, and they have not attained to the days of the years of the life of my fathers in the days of their pilgrimage.”

The word evil would refer to toil, trouble, sorrows, distresses, and crises. Life is a mixed bag and includes blessing along with heartache.  This is how Jacob expressed it. If you were coming to a conclusion after six decades, how would you express it?

Think about it.

Gary

“Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader,” was an American quiz game show. It originally aired on Fox where it was hosted by Jeff Foxworthy. Many of us found out that there were many fifth graders smarter than we were. However, there are no fifth graders smarter than Adam. Adam could name all the animals. Did you know the Erotylidae is a beetle? Even my spellchecker didn’t know that. Adam did.

Genesis 2:19-20

 Now the Lord God had formed out of the ground all the wild animals and all the birds in the sky. He brought them to the man to see what he would name them; and whatever the man called each living creature, that was its name. So the man gave names to all the livestock, the birds in the sky and all the wild animals.

When we go back to our first ancestor, we realize how much brain power has been lost. Most of us could only name a fraction of the animals.

There is so much we don’t know, but thank God for this thing we can know:  Our salvation is secure.

2 Timothy 1:12

For this reason I also suffer these things; nevertheless I am not ashamed, for I know whom I have believed and am persuaded that He is able to keep what I have committed to Him until that Day.

The word “know” or a derivative thereof is used 33 times in First John alone.

Be always learning, but don’t be overcome by what you don’t know. Just be thankful that you can know you have eternal life because Jesus purchased that for you.

If your hard drive is not full, think about it.

Gary

What happened to you, Noah? Was the pain of the loss of your old world too much to bear? Was the seemingly insurmountable challenges of starting over just overwhelming? Was the journey just too trying?  Were you afraid or did you have a lack-of-faith attack? Why did you keep that old recipe and decide a drug might be an answer to your state of mind?

Genesis 9:20-21

 And Noah began to be a farmer, and he planted a vineyard. Then he drank of the wine and was drunk, and became uncovered in his tent. 

This is one of the sadder scenes in Genesis. Life is hard for most, but reaching for a drug to escape reality only makes the journey more difficult. Don’t be deceived.

Proverbs 20:1

Wine is a mocker, Strong drink is a brawler, And whoever is led astray by it is not wise.

So many avenues to help escape reality are readily available for our generation.

Think about it before you reach out to that trap.

Gary