These Boots Were Made For Preaching
"I see you always wear boots when you preach." That was the statement made to me by a member at the South Stokes Church of Christ in King, NC. I was holding a meeting for them that week, and on the last night of the meeting, he and his wife had taken my bride and me to supper.
"Yes sir," I replied, "that is pretty much all I wear." He asked me what size I wore and I told him. He went on to explain that he had a brand new pair of Justin Ropers he wanted me to try. After services that evening I tried them on for size, and they fit. When I asked what he wanted for them, he said, "They are yours." As it turns out, he and his wife had bought them for their son's birthday the previous year. Their son, who was about my age, was killed in an automobile accident and they never got to give him those boots.
"Knowing you will be wearing them when you preach the Gospel would mean the world to me," he said.
In Exodus 13:3-10, the Almighty gave the Feast of the Passover to His people to remind them of what He had done, and to remind them to be faithful because of His blessing. In Genesis 28:18ff, Jacob anointed a stone to remind him of his vows to God. In Joshua 22, the tribes on the East side of the Jordan built a memorial for their sons to remind themselves of their responsibilities as God's children. In I Samuel 7, Samuel set up a stone as a reminder of what the Lord had done.
Of course, we also have such a memorial. In Matthew 26:22ff, Jesus instituted the Lord's Supper as a reminder of His sacrifice: a reminder that should stir us to be faithful. Perhaps there are other things you have accumulated that help reminds you of the importance of being faithful to God. Be it a Bible from a deceased family member, a picture of your baptism, or some other item that reminds you of your walk with the Lord. Cherish those subtle reminders and allow them to help you to remember.
Every time I put on those Justin Ropers I am reminded again of the precious gift that was given to me by two grieving parents. Every time I put them on, I am also reminded of the expectations of a father that I would be faithful to the Lord and His ministry while I wear them. It is one more reminder from the Father, who expects me to be faithful to Him and the ministry He has given me!
"How will they preach unless they are sent? Just as it is written, "How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news of good things!" (Romans 10:15).
The History of Booze in Space
According to Lauren Vogelbaum with HOW STUFF WORKS:
If you’ve ever suspected that some astronauts sneak a little bit of booze into space, you’re not wrong. A few tipples have even been state sanctioned.
Russian cosmonauts may have been the first to imbibe in orbit. According to Mir space station alum Alexander Lazutkin, cognac was part of cosmonauts’ rations dating back to the beginning of the Space Age. He said that their doctors recommended it to “stimulate our immune system and on the whole to keep our organisms in tone.” And Alexander Poleshchuk, stationed on Mir in 1993, once reported finding extra bottles squirrelled away on the space station.
Meanwhile, the earliest instance in NASA’s records is when Buzz Aldrin drank on the moon. No, it wasn’t an astro-frat party. Aldrin, an elder of the Webster Presbyterian church, brought small packets of communion bread and wine along with him. He partook of them in a nondenominational ceremony during the first few hours after Apollo 11 landed on the moon, though the event was never broadcast.
*Follow this link to discover lots of interesting details about the Buzz Aldrin communion
The first thing Buz Aldrin did on the moon was to sanctify that moment by taking communion! How cool is that? For the believer, everything is sanctified by the sacrifice of Christ. The first thing Noah did when he made land fall on a new world was to sanctify it by a sacrificial offering. And, no doubt, the first thing we will do in the New Heavens and the New Earth will be to sanctify it by commemorating the sacrifice of Christ.
There is a sense in which everyday presents us with a whole new world of possibilities and challenges. Before engaging that world, make sure you sanctify it by pausing to remember who has purchased you and at what price.
“And he took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, "This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me." In the same way, after the supper he took the cup, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you” (Luke 22:19-20).
Remember Your Creator In Days of Youth
"The human brain consists of about one billion neurons. Each neuron forms about 1,000 connections to other neurons, amounting to more than a trillion connections. If each neuron could only help store a single memory, running out of space would be a problem. You might have only a few gigabytes of storage space, similar to the space in an iPod or a USB flash drive. Yet neurons combine so that each one helps with many memories at a time, exponentially increasing the brain’s memory storage capacity to something closer to around 2.5 petabytes (or a million gigabytes). For comparison, if your brain worked like a digital video recorder in a television, 2.5 petabytes would be enough to hold three million hours of TV shows. You would have to leave the TV running continuously for more than 300 years to use up all that storage."
Even with all this great brain potential we are repeatedly told in the Bible to "remember" or "nor forget" the Lord. The minds of most young people seem to be so filled with images, music and unceasing entertainment that they have little time left for Jesus and His Word. But God has made sure that there is plenty of 'brain space' left for those who dedicate even a fraction of their amazing brain power to Christ.
"Don't let the excitement of youth cause you to forget your Creator. Honor him in your youth before you grow old and say, 'Life is not pleasant anymore'" (Ecclesiastes 12:1).