Eternal Power and Godhead

For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen,

being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead,

so that they are without excuse, because although they knew God,

they did not glorify Him as God, nor were they thankful,

but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened.

Professing to be wise, they became fools, and changed the glory of the incorruptible God

into an image made like corruptible man--and birds and four-footed animals and creeping things.

Romans 1:20-23, NKJV

 

The Bible says that God can be known by observing His creation and recognizing His creative power.  The heavens declare the glory of God, and the firmament shows his handiwork.  All creation speaks his majesty.  If we will just take a look around us, from the tiniest creature to the farthest star, we can see the wonder of God in all His work.  And when we see it, we should worship Him for who He is and for what He has done, is doing, and has yet to do.

 

This is His universe.  In the words of a great anthem of the church, "This is my Father's world."  It is His creation, and it is governed by His rules.  He who set the stars in place is far better than me to determine what is right and wrong for my life.  He who drew the circle of the firmament and established the boundaries of the sea is far better than me to declare what is righteous and holy, and what is not.  He who fashioned the first man from the dust of the ground and breathed into Him the breath of life, creating in Adam's seed all the men and women who would ever be, is far better than me to formulate a plan and fashion the unfolding history of mankind according to the purpose of His will.

 

But I'm afraid too many have lost sight of His eternal power and Godhead.  Too many have forgotten or never realized that all things were created by Him, and for His pleasure.  Too many have failed to recognize that it's not about us and our happiness; it's about Him and His.

 

Though the invisible God can be clearly seen and understood by observing the work of His hands in heaven and on earth, men have chosen to look to themselves for all the answers they think they need.  Rather thank acknowledging the sovereignty of God, they refuse to promote His excellence and be thankful for His power.  And so we find ourselves in a sad state of cultural affairs.

 

We have abandoned the knowledge of the Creator in favor of an atheistic mythology of accidental, incidental, mathematically and scientifically impossibly coincidental evolution.  Based upon the premise that there is no God, man has tried to reason out the origin and progression of an infinite universe with his tiny finite mind, rather than trust the Inspired Word of God. 

 

We have abandoned the knowledge of the Great Lawgiver in favor of a humanistic set of ever-changing morals and norms.  Overriding the righteous principles of a Holy God, we have pursued pleasure and self-fulfillment, insisting that each one is capable of determining what is acceptable for their own person.  But with no authoritative Word, with no Higher Moral Law, there is not solid ground upon which to stand and say something that wrongs us is truly wrong.

 

We have abandoned the knowledge of the King of kings and the Lord of lords in favor of a self-centered religious philosophy that says, "I am a god unto myself", therefore allowing every person to do what is right in their own eyes, worshiping self above all else, pursuing self-determination above all else.  And then we wonder why the world is so selfish and cruel.

 

Thinking ourselves wiser than God, we have become fools.  Our thoughts are futile, our hearts are darkened.  And in this darkened, foolish, futility, we have set ourselves in the place of God.  How sad for us, when our Great and Powerful God has done everything for us, in order to bring us into a loving and everlasting relationship with Him.

 

The Power of Salvation, The Revelation of Wrath

"For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ,

for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes,

for the Jew first and also for the Greek.

For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith;

as it is written, 'The just shall live by faith.'

For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven

against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men,

who suppress the truth in unrighteousness,

because what may be known of God is manifest in them,

for God has shown it to them."

Romans 1:16-19, NKJV

 

There are so many things that can be said about this great Biblical passage, so many truths that can be learned from it.  But above all that we can gain from understanding the Bible in general and this passage in particular is the overriding and underwriting principle of the wonderful whole:  God wants us to know Him.  God wants us to know His will.  God wants us to know the way He has provided for humanity to be reconciled to Him.

 

Because humanity separated itself from God in the very beginning through our freedom to choose for ourselves rather than remain obedient to the simple commandment of God.  And we've been searching for a way back ever since.

 

Not wanting us to flounder on our own trying to recover the lost love we had with God from the beginning, God inspired the Bible as a record of His dealings with mankind, as an instruction manual for life that covers every eventuality, every circumstance and happenstance, every possible situation we might find ourselves in, and as a signpost to salvation that could most simply be summed up in the words of Jesus that declare, "I am the way, the truth, and the life.  No one comes to the Father except through me."

 

This gospel message is for everybody; I love it because it has saved me, and I am not ashamed of anything about the good news of Jesus Christ.  From Genesis to Revelation, it is and always will be the unchanging and unchangeable word of God.  And it is to that Word that we need to turn now, in these troubling times both in the world and in the church.  What does the Word of God actually say?

 

Take this passage in Romans Chapter One, for instance.

 

The Gospel of Christ is the power of God to save everyone.  That is absolutely true.  It CAN save everyone.  But it will only save those who believe in the message the Messiah it proclaims.

 

The Gospel of Christ reveals the righteousness of God.  That is absolutely true.  It shows us what God is like, and tells us that God wants us to be like Him.  God wants us to love good and hate evil, to pursue Him and flee from sin.  Repeatedly it tells us to be holy, because God is holy.  To be perfect (or be perfected), because God is perfect and wants to perfect us.  And throughout it upholds a high standard of life and living, of belief and practice.  It declares God's will for everything, and tells us how to walk in it.

 

The Gospel of Christ also records the wrath that God revealed from heaven against the unrighteousness of mankind.  Let the cringing begin.

 

God cast Adam and Even from His presence because they disobeyed His one command--don't eat the fruit.

 

God rejected Cain's self-determined sacrifice in favor of the offering He had established, the exiled Cain for his act of religious jealousy that murdered his brother.

 

God destroyed the entire population of the earth in a flood of water, saving only eight souls, because humanity had perverted itself with immorality and idolatry and corrupted itself with evil and violence.

 

God destroyed the four cities of the plain--including Sodom and Gomorrah--with fire from heaven because of rampant sin--homosexuality, sexual violence and perversion, pride, gluttony, laziness, selfish cruelty, and a haughtiness that hated anyone who spoke out against their behavior.

 

God punished his own people in the wilderness for the ultimate sin of unbelief that was acted out in strife, contention, rebellion, complaining, criticizing, idolatry, immorality, disobedience, and the rejection of God, His Word, and His prophet as they yearned to return to the bondage and slavery from which He had delivered them.

 

God commanded the whole-sale slaughter of seven nations who had defiled themselves with demons, idol worship, sexual perversion, and the sacrificing of their own children in hopes that it would give them a better life.

 

God sent famine and pestilence and disease and war and natural disasters of every kind imaginable to punish the willful disobedience of his people.

 

In 2 Peter 2:6 and Jude 7 it was written that these examples of God's wrath against sin--especially his wrath against Sodom and Gomorrah because they gave themselves over to sexual immorality and went after strange flesh--was set forth as an example, and  a warning against the vengeance of eternal fire that awaited those who did not learn and turn from their sin.

 

In the end of the Bible, an entire book is devoted to describing the wrath of God upon the world that has rejected Him and His Word, and though they understand where the wrath is coming from, the Revelation repeatedly states that the people "did not repent."  And they were destroyed as a result.

 

Romans Chapter One tells us that the wrath of God is revealed against and delivered upon three kinds of people:  the ungodly (those who refuse to believe in Him), the unrighteous (those who refuse to live for Him), and those who know and suppress the truth in unrighteousness.

 

Both the church and the world seem confused about God's righteousness, and His means of declaring it.  I don't enjoy preaching about God's anger over sin and His wrathful judgment of the same; it makes me fearful because of the stupid sinful things I find myself doing from time to time, even though I know better.  I would much rather preach about love and joy and grace and peace and blessing.  But those things are only available to those who believe.

 

I don't want people to die without Jesus.  I don't want people to perish eternally in a devil's hell.  I don't want my generation, and my nation, to suffer wrath because it would not heed the word of the Lord. 

 

So I must preach against sin--like Moses, like Isaiah and Jeremiah, Joel, Amos, and Malachi, like John the Baptist and Jesus and the apostles and prophets who followed them.  And like them, I must also preach salvation that comes through believing in Jesus Christ and Christ alone.

Because I Must

I have to say something.

Someone might be thinking, "Do you really have to?  Can't you just sit down and be quiet for a change?"

The answer is no.

And here's why.

I am a servant of the Lord Jesus Christ.  He has called me to preach the truth to His people, to preach the good news of salvation to those who are impoverished without it, and to preach righteousness in a world that doesn't understand the meaning of the word.  He has empowered me through the Holy Spirit to preach it boldly, without reservation, without hesitation, without equivocation.  And He has given me His Holy Word from which to preach.

So I don't have a choice.  I have the responsibility to say something.

Homosexuality is wrong.  It's not just wrong, it is a sin.  It's not just a sin, it is an abomination to God.  It is not just an abomination to God, it is the result of godless thinking, dimmed understanding, wanton abandon, and total depravity of the human heart.

Homosexuality is a curse upon a culture.  It is an awful debasement of the image of God reflected in humanity.  It is a twisted perversion of the union God ordained between one man and one woman as an illustration of the Spiritual oneness He desires to have with us.

Homosexuality is unnatural and unholy, destructive, debauched, and despicable.  It is an act that cannot be blessed by God under any circumstances.  It is not an inclination one is born with; it is a lifestyle that one cultivates to satisfy their own ungodly desires.  It is not nature; it is nurture.  It is a choice.

Homosexuality is condemned in Scripture, in both Testaments, in the Law, the Prophets, the Gospels, and the Epistles.  And with it are condemned all the other things that God hates.

Yes, I said hates.  God hates sin.  God hates homosexuality.  And I have to say that.

But I also have to tell you that God loved the homosexual enough to send Jesus Christ to die for them.  God loved the homosexual enough to provide a way through the cross to eternal life in His presence.  God loved the homosexual enough to inflict upon Christ all the wrath and punishment deserved by the such a sinner.  God loved the homosexual enough to provide salvation to them.

But salvation, true salvation, is transformation.  It is the transformation of body, mind, soul, strength, and spirit.  It is the transformation of sinner to saint, of darkness to light.  It is the transformation of the homosexual from a lost and depraved soul enslaved to sin into a born-again, blood-bought, Spirit-sealed, set-free Child of the Living God.

And to receive that salvation, the homosexual has to be willing to acknowledge their sin and their need for a savior.  They have to be willing to turn from their homosexuality and turn to the way that God truly designed for them.  They have to be willing to forsake an old life and lifestyle in favor of a newly created and eternal life in union with the Savior.  And once saved, they will not continue in sin.

Homosexuality is wrong.  It's a sin.  It's an abomination.  And no court, no legislature, no president can change that.  They can declare homosexual marriage a civil right; but they will never be able to make it right.

Keeping Up with Casey...and everyone else

The choices of two men have dominated the news cycles lately.

One is a young man with a wife and almost four children.

One is a senior citizen with three failed marriages, six children of his own and he helped raise four more.

Both claim to be conservative Republican Christians.

Both are activists.

The young man, until recently, was working for the advancement of Christian family values in our culture.

The old man is calling for tolerance, acceptance, and equality for a plethora of alternative lifestyles that are completely opposite of Christian family values.

Both are Reality TV stars.

The young man has been featured with his family in a series about marriage, family & Christian values.

The old man has been featured with his family in a series about pleasure, luxury, and decadence.

The young man and his family have been under constant attack and criticism in the mainstream media and from many private sectors because their idea of having a Christian home and family flies in the face of everything our culture has come to accept as normal.

The old man and his family have been celebrated and idolized in the media and in many private sectors because of their indulgent and entertaining antics.

Both families are constantly on the covers of check-out line magazines, for one reason or another.

Both families are all over the internet.

Both families are household names.

Twelve years ago, when the young man was a young teenager (some might say he was still a child himself), he did some stuff that wasn't right.  In fact, the stuff he did was ugly.  Vile.  Reprehensible.  Sinful.  Inexcusable.  Criminal.  As a confused young man, he made a deviant choice to molest and violate the innocence of five young girls, including four of his younger sisters.

His actions were discovered by his family.  Right or wrong, they chose not to call the police.  They chose not to have their fourteen year old son arrested.  They chose not to drag their children through a ponderous court proceeding that would have helped no one.  They chose to discipline the offender themselves, something parents should do more of.  They sent him away to work.  They sent him to counseling.  They sat him down with a law enforcement officer and confronted him with the possible consequences of his actions.  And what happened to the young man?  He saw the error of his ways and repented.  He repented to God and accepted Jesus Christ as savior.  He repented to his family.  He personally repented to the girls he had wronged.  He repented to his church.  And as far as anyone has been able to determine, he never repeated.  He grew up.  He became a man.  He got married and started a family of his own.

And two weeks ago, one of those check-out line magazines followed a nine-year-old piece of information to the police report regarding the investigation into wrong doing committed twelve years ago, and published it.  They exposed a secret from a young man's childhood, and from the childhood of five girls, at least one of whom is still a minor.  The result:  the young man lost his job.  His family may lose their reality TV show.  He may never be able to publicly do the work that he was so devoted to.  To our knowledge, he hasn't transgressed again in the last twelve years; he may never do it again.  But because of that expose, he is now branded a pedophile and a child-molester by an enraged public that is crying out for his punishment--even though there is nothing legally that can now be done about those awful things that he did.  And his victims, who may have never wanted anyone to know that this happened to them, have all been exposed and left open to the gossip and speculation of a world that is obsessed with knowing every detail of everyone else's lives.

And no one is better off by knowing that Josh Duggar did some stupid things when he was fourteen years old.

Bruce Jenner was an American hero forty years ago.  A college football star, Olympic gold medalist, race car driver, successful entrepreneur, TV personality.  His face adorned the Wheaties box when I was a kid.  For the last eight years (about the same amount of time the Duggars have been on TV), he has starred with his family in their own reality show.  And after his divorce from his wife of 23 years, he underwent a curious transformation.  Rumors were floated.  Pictures were published.  And finally an official announcement was made.

This old man was becoming a woman.  Yesterday, one of those check-out line magazines published the story, complete with a cover and inside photo spread of the new person.  Wikipedia has already been updated with the new name and new gender pronouns.  Bruce is gone, they say.  Now he's Caitlyn.  But the reality is, it's still the same person with a makeover and an ongoing renovation.  Nothing has changed except the way he looks.

And our culture has embraced this deviance from normalcy.

This is a man so confused that his own self-description defies any understandable definition.  He's a woman in a man's body who has never been attracted to men, married three women, fathered six children, and calls himself asexual.  And this is the person our culture is applauding as so brave, so modern, so chic.  People ought to be more like Bruce Jenner, and less like Josh Duggar, they say!

But do you know what the difference between the two men really is?

One is living out a lie, pretending with all the trappings of a kid playing dress-up to be something he is not nor will ever be, and wanting the world to accept him as he thinks he wants to be.

One manned up, confessed his sin, repented, changed, and when the world went crazy with weeping and wailing and gnashing of teeth calling for his complete obliteration, he manned up again and faced the challenge with grace and dignity that I believe comes from truly knowing Christ in all His glory.
But his sin from long ago no more defines him than does Bruce Jenner's transsexual charade.

I can't say that I've ever been confused about who or what I was.  And I can honestly say that I have done things of which I am today ashamed.  If your waiting for a full confession here, you'll be disappointed.  Confession to God is good for the soul; confession to people is bad for the reputation.  I know who I am, I know what I've done, but the greatest thing of all is that I know what Jesus has done.

And I'm glad my life isn't on Reality TV.

My Family Tree Doesn't Fork...part two

I ought to blog about something serious.  Something deep.  Something profound.  And maybe I will...but not today.  Today, I'm obsessing over intermarriage in my family tree.  Fifteen generations of my ancestors have lived on these shores; the same goes for my wife, by the way.  Some of our people got here before the Pilgrims landed at Plymouth in 1620, at Jamestown and in New Hampshire.  They came by boat, because that was the only means of travel.  Then there were those other ancestors, the ones who met the boat.  Suffice it to say, we've been here a long time.

In the fifteenth generation, approximately 400 years ago, we each had 16,384 ancestors...a combined total of 32,768.  All of them Western European or from the British Isles.  All except the ones who met the boat.  Except in our family tree, it's actually less people.  Because along some of those branches, there's no fork...just a straight line.

 Take for instance a pair of ancestors from 9 generations ago, my gggggg grandparents:  Johann Peter Lechlider, born 1756 in Berks County, Pennsylvania, and his bride Mary Magdalena Mueller, born 1766 in Philadelphia.  They were first cousins.  His mother and her father were sister and brother.

How many times did this happen in my ancestry, and in my wife's?  At least seventeen times!

Jabez Mapes married Elizabeth Roe in 1689, Suffolk County, New York.  They were first cousins, and my great (to the 8th) grandparents.

Moses Huckins of Stanstead, Quebec, married twice, to sisters Tamar and Mary Heath.  They were also first cousins, and my great (to the 3rd) grandparents.  Moses' mother Abigail Heath Huckins and Mary's father Isaac Heath, sister & brother, were the grandchildren of Nathaniel Heath & Sarah Stevens, who were themselves second cousins...their grandfathers were brothers.

Abel Aldrich married his first cousin Elizabeth Aldrich in Uxbridge, Massachusetts, in 1732, my great (to the 7th) grandparents  Their father's were brothers. 

Abel's mother was first cousin, once removed, to Abel & Elizabeth's fathers--making Abel & Elizabeth Aldrich second cousins, once removed.

Moses Willis married Susannah Fields in Grainger County, Tennessee, in 1815.  It is said that their mothers were Davidson sisters, making Moses & Susannah first cousins.  They were my great (to the 5th) grandparents.

William Hundley was the great-grandson of Ambrose Hundley; William married Elizabeth Hundley, granddaughter of Philip Hundley III.  Ambrose & Philip were brothers, making William & Elizabeth second cousins, once removed.  They were my great (to the 6th) grandparents.

While still in France, Rene Chastain married his second cousin Helen de Dampierre--his grandfather and her grandmother were siblings.  They were my great (to the 10th) grandparents.

In one of my more mixed up branches, Jeremiah Clark married Susannah Clark in 1755, my great (to the 7th) grandparents.  They were first cousins, because their fathers were brothers.  They were also 1st cousins, once removed, because her mother and his grandmother were sisters.  And they were also third cousins, because one of her great-great grandmothers and one of his great-great grandfathers were sister & brother.

In April's family, her great (to the 7th) grandfather Abraham Van Tuyl married Maritjie Van Pelt, his first cousin once removed.  His father and her grandmother were siblings.

Joel Thayer married Susanna Cheney were April's great (to the 4th) grandparents; they were also fourth cousins, twice removed, two times over.  Her great-grandparents Nathaniel Thayer & Sarah Wales were second cousins to each other, and 3rd cousins to Joel Thayer's grandfather Isaac.

Samuel Hancock married Johann Hancock; they were first cousins and April's great (to the 7th) grandparents.

And finally, William H. Hatter married his second cousin Mary A. Durham.  Their grandmothers were sisters.  William & Mary were April's great (to the 3rd) grandparents.

If my calculations are correct, these intermarriages (and these are just the ones we know about) eliminate 482 of my 15th Generation ancestors, and 196 of April's.  But then consider this...

April and I are 8th cousins, 3 times removed...four times over.
We are 9th cousins 2 times removed...four times over.
And we are 12th cousins, 4 times removed...four times over.

Out of 32,768 ancestors of the 16th generation, my children are missing at least 878 contributors.  I hope they don't come up short in the long run.

Taste

We don't usually keep junk food around the house, and there's a reason why.  We tend to eat it.  The other day I had the munchies and convinced April to let me buy some jellied fruit slices and some Cheezits by encouraging her to buy some Skittles and Wheat Thins.  That way, no one gets left out.  Last week it was Oreos and Rocky Road Ice Cream.  I hadn't had junk food in so long, I tore into those snacks like a starving hog at the trough.  One taste wasn't enough, I wanted more.

The thought occurs to me that we are that way about a lot of things.

Lay's Potato Chips (or Doritos, or Cheetos, or Pringles, or Ruffles)...no one can eat just one.

There are some foods that are so delicious to me that I will want to keep eating them long after I'm full.

And when I'm thirsty, one taste of cool clear water will only whet my desire for more.  That's why I usually keep a half-gallon of water within reach.

The Bible talks about sin as if it was food.  Stolen bread, a snack sneaked into the mouth when no one is watching.  These taste pleasant, but they lead to the depths of hell.

Kisses are wonderful things, but they always leave you wanting more.  And kisses of the wrong kind lead one to a bitter end.

But the Bible also talks about the things of God as food.

The law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul, more precious than gold, and sweeter than honey.

Like a babe, desire the pure milk of the word.  Our nursing infant hates to be detached from that wonderful source of comfort and nourishment when he's hungry.

Jesus said, "I am the bread of life.  Eat of me, and you'll never go hungry, and whoever drinks of me will never thirst."

This morning I sat at the breakfast table with my Bible, my markers, and my son.  I meant to read a couple of Psalms; I ended up reading 5.  Then I turned to the Proverbs.  Then an Epistle.  Then the wife and baby were up, and my quiet time was over.  But it left me wanting more.  Even a morsel of truth stirs my appetite for a banquet of the Word.  And so it should be.

 

Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good;

Blessed is the man who trusts in Him!

Psalm 34:8, NKJV

Simeon: Destiny

 

And Joseph and His mother marveled

at those things which were spoken of Him.

Then Simeon blessed them,

and said to Mary His mother,

"Behold, this Child is destined

for the fall and rising of many in Israel,

and for a sign which will be spoken against

(yes, a sword will pierce

through your own soul also),

that the thoughts of many hearts

may be revealed."

Luke 2:33-35, NKJV

Though Simeon had many duties, for many years he had lived with the promise of one destiny.  He had received from the Lord a revelation of his days, that he would not pass from this life before he had seen the fulfillment of God's promise to Israel of a Savior.  So on that autumn day when he encountered Joseph and Mary and the infant Jesus, it was the meeting of a lifetime, the culmination of an long-awaited appointment with God's purpose for him.  It was more than a chance encounter; it was his destiny.

Can you imagine what that must have been like for Simeon?  Taking the child in his aged arms, perhaps he cradled the savior to his chest.  Perhaps he bent his face low over the baby and let the luxurious whiskers of his long white beard tickle those cherubic cheeks.  Perhaps he caressed that tender forehead with lips dry from excitement, and perhaps a little holy fear.  Perhaps there was a gentle smile, even through a flood of tears.  Perhaps his pulse raced as his heart pounded inside his chest.  Perhaps his entire frame quaked with the knowledge that he was holding the Savior of the world.

And then the Word of the Lord came.

"This Child is destined..."

Whether or not Simeon realized this was the very son, the only begotten, of God, Mary and Joseph knew.  They had been told by an angel.  They already knew that their Child was destined.  Inspired utterance had already poured forth from the lips of Elizabeth, Zacharias, and Mary herself regarding the pre-born Offspring of the Almighty.  Angels sang destiny's great song over the hills of Bethlehem in celebration of His birth.  And shepherds woke a sleeping village to tell them their Savior had come.  That Jesus had a purpose in life was already clear.

Now came the details, perhaps Mary's first glimpse into the agony she would have to endure as her Son, God's Son, was first accepted, applauded, adulated, adored, and then abandoned, betrayed, and condemned to death.

"This Child is destined..."

What mother wouldn't appreciate assurance and direction from the Lord God Almighty regarding the future of her firstborn child?  But what if it wasn't what you expected?

He was destined for the fall and rising of many in Israel.  Cryptic, yes, but not a bad start.  And indeed, Jesus certainly brought low the proud and exalted the humble throughout His ministry.

He was destined to be a sign that would be spoken against.  Well of course, if He was the personification of God come into a world alienated from that Person, then surely some would speak out against Him.  After all, no one is liked by everyone.

Then came the parenthetical prophetic insert about the Mother--a sword will pierce through your own soul as well.  What?  A sword?  What's that supposed to mean?  Ominous apprehensions began to whirl in her young mind.  And thirty-three years later, as Jesus was abused, beaten, crucified, denigrated, scourged and pierced in so many ways, and finally impaled on a centurion's spear, she would fully realize what that sword was all about.

He was destined for such, that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.

But would she also understand that her Son was also the Word?  That He was the revelation of God to mankind, the necessary ransom paid by the Creator to redeem all of Creation?  And that Jesus Himself was the living Word of God, sharper than any two edged sword, that he would divide soul from spirit, bone from marrow, and reveal the deepest intentions of every heart?

This wasn't a negative word spoken over an unsuspecting child.  This was the revelation of God's destiny for His Only Begotten Son, a destiny that was done before Jesus was ever born.  Before there was need for an atoning sacrifice, Jesus was the lamb slain from the foundation of the world.  Before there was a problem, God had the solution.  Before there was a fall, God provided forgiveness.  Before there was a sinner, God sent a Savior.

This was the destiny of Jesus Christ.  And a good one it was.

That's Right...My Family Tree Doesn't Fork

Here’s a nice little genealogical tangle to consider:

Richard Thayer was born 1562 in Gloucestershire England.  He married Ursula Alice Dimery, and they had several children, including Richard Thayer (1595) & Thomas Thayer (1596), both of whom their families to Braintree, Norfolk, Massachusetts, in 1630.

Another early settler of Braintree, Massachusetts was William Hayward and his wife Margery Knight.  Among their children were Huldah (1636), Samuel (1641), and William (1647).

Thomas Thayer was the father of Ferdinando Thayer (1625), who married Huldah Hayward in 1652.  They were the parents of Huldah (1657) and Isaac (1671).

Huldah Thayer married Jacob Aldrich (1652); their son Seth (1679), married his mother’s first cousin Deborah (1682), daughter of Samuel Hayward.  Seth & Deborah had a son Abel (1704)) who married his first cousin Elizabeth, daughter of his father’s brother David Aldrich.  As already mentioned, Seth & David Aldrich were sons of Jacob Aldrich & Huldah Thayer; Jacob Aldrich was the son of George Aldrich (1605) and brother to John Aldrich (1644), whom we will discuss in a moment.

Abel Aldrich was the father of Benjamin Aldrich.

Benjamin Aldrich was the father of George Aldrich.

George Aldrich was the father of Rhoda Aldrich (1799), who married Isaac Heath (1779), son of Peter Heath & Abigail Crawford.  Isaac & Rhoda had three or four daughters—Tamar (1818), Judith (1822), Mary (1832) and Celina (1843).

Peter Heath (1742) was the son of Nathaniel Heath (1708) & Sarah Stevens (1705), who were second cousins, their grandfathers being brothers Josiah Heath (1651) & John Heath (1643), sons of Bartholomew Heath (1615), a native of Naezing, Essex, England and early settler of Haverhill, Massachusetts.

And Peter Heath’s sister Abigail (1776) married Ebenezer Huckins (1775), a descendant of the Huckins, Burnham, Thomas, Goddard, Edgerly, Whidden, and Ault families who were among New Hampshire’s earliest settlers.  Two of Ebenezer & Abigail’s sons were Moses (1814) and William (1815).  Peter & Abigail Heath and Ebenezer & Abigail Huckins moved their families from lower New Hampshire to Stanstead, Quebec, Canada, about 1825.  In 1835, Moses Huckins married Tamar Heath; after Tamar’s death in 1853, Moses married her sister Mary.  William Huckins married Judith Heath.

Moses Huckins fathered 17 children, 7 with Tamar and 10 with Mary.  He moved his family from Canada to Bureau County, Illinois, about 1855, where his son Sherman Alberta Huckins (1865) was born.  Sherman worked for the railroad in Kansas, and there he married Phoebe Louisa Vansell in 1892.  Their son Cleon Gerold Huckins (1905) met Laura Gertrude Rhodes (1903) while cowboying in Western Oklahoma and married her in 1927.  They moved to Hutchinson County, Texas, where their first child  Gerold Edward Huckins (1929) was born.  Gerold married Naomi Joy Bigham in 1950, and my mother Donna Gail Huckins was born the following year.  Donna married Bryan Stafford in 1969, and I am their only child, Casey Lynn Stafford (1972).

In 2013, I married April Lanae Paschen, and we have two sons—Conlan Ray & Joseph Bryan. 

April (1988) is the only child of Eldon Ray Paschen (1947) and Nancy Ann Harris (1947), who married in 1972 in Ardmore, Carter, Oklahoma.

Nancy was the daughter of William Guy Harris (1897) & Delta Malissa Matilda Smith (1909).

Guy Harris was the son of George Roswell Harris (1869), born in Shasta County, California.

George Harris was the son of Jackson Harris (1836), a native of Canada, and Susan Cheney Thayer (1836).  Remember that Thayer name?  Well hold on, and I’ll come back to it.

Jackson Harris was the son of Nathan Kendrick Harris (1799) and Orpha Aldrich (1803).

Orpha Aldrich was the daughter of George Aldrich (1770), who was the son of George Aldrich (1738), who was the son of Benjamin Aldrich (1684), who was the son of John Aldrich (1644) whom I mentioned earlier.  John was the brother of my ancestor Jacob Aldrich (1652), which makes me a 9^th Cousin, once removed from my wife April.

But wait!  There’s more!

Susan Cheney Thayer ( 1836) was the daughter of Asa Thayer (1794), who was the son of Joel Thayer (1760) & Susannah Cheney (1760).  Joel Thayer was the son of Samuel Thayer (1713), who was the son of Isaac Thayer (1671).  Now I’ve mentioned Isaac before; go back to the beginning of this story.  My wife’s g⁶ grandfather was a brother to my g⁹ grandmother, making us related again, 8^th Cousins, three times removed.  And Isaac Thayer married his own first cousin Mary Hayward (1680), who was the daughter of William Hayward, brother to Isaac’s mother Huldah.

But there’s more.  Susannah Cheney, wife of Joel Thayer, was the daughter of Wales Cheney (1732), who was the son of William Cheney (1700) and Joanna Thayer (1706).  Yes, there are more Thayers.

Joanna Thayer was the daughter of Nathaniel Thayer (1680) who married his second cousin Sarah Wales (1680).  Nathaniel was the son of Nathaniel Thayer (1658), who was the son of Richard Thayer (1625).  Sarah was the daughter of Joanna Faxon, who was the daughter of Thomas Faxon and Deborah Thayer (1634).  Richard Thayer & Deborah Thayer Faxon were the children of Richard Thayer (1595), and we’re back where we started.

So 400 years after these families came to America, the many intermarried lines intermarried once again in April Paschen and Casey Stafford, making our sons descended four times each from Richard & Ursula Thayer, William & Margery Hayward, and Bartholomew & Hannah Heath, and three times from George Aldrich and Katherine Seald.  Of course, since it happened twelve (or thirteen, fourteen, or fifteen) generations ago, we’re talking about 4 (or 3) among 2048 (or 4096, 8192, or 16,384) ancestors. 

So no chance of a chromosomal mix up in the shallow end of the gene pool.

Thank God.

And don’t get me started on the Clarkes of Rhode Island.  That’s another blog for another day (which I’ve already done before). 

Pursuit

And Lamech took two wives; the name of the one was Adah and of the other was Zillah.  Adah bore Jabal; he was the father of those who dwell in tents and have cattle and purchased possessions.  His brother's name was Jubal; he was the father of all those who play the lyre and pipe.  Zillah bore Tubal-Cain; he was the forger of all cutting instruments of bronze and iron.

Genesis 4:19-22, Amplified

 

It's a new year.  It's the time for resolutions and goals, for starting new things.  It's a time for vision, for looking ahead, for making plans.

 

It's also a time to start reading the Bible over again.

 

I have some friends who have faithfully and systematically read the Bible through, cover to cover, ever year for many, many years.  Each January 1, they start in Genesis 1, and each December 31, they end with Revelation 22.  I've been reading the Bible since I first learned to read, since 1979.  I must confess, I have never managed to do that.

 

I'm not saying I haven't read my Bible through.  I have.  Multiple times.  I never thought to keep track until now.  I read most, if not all, of the Bible every year.  Personally, I don't like the 3-chapter a day habit.  I prefer more.  In 2012, I completed a 30-day challenge to read the Bible through in a month.  At forty chapters a day, that was a pretty heavy reading load.  And I missed some days of reading, so there were other days where it was 60, 70, and 80 chapters a day, just to get finished.  Last fall, I challenged myself to a 60-day reading plan, and finished it successfully.  Yesterday, I began a 90-day plan.  My goal for 2015 is to read through the Scriptures AT LEAST 4 times in the next 12 months.  I'll let you know how it goes.

 

Early this morning, I was up reading in Genesis.  It's the first of the year, after all.  I'm reading the Amplified Bible for the first time ever, and I'm on the look-out for special meaning in those oh-so-familiar verses as I read.  Today, it was an interesting thought.

 

You know the story of Cain and Abel.  Each brother brought to God an offering.  Cain's was of the fruit of the ground, Abel's was of the flock.  God rejected Cain's offering, and accepted Abel's.  In offering the fruit of his own labors, Cain was trying to circumvent the notion that he had need of blood atonement for his spiritual condition.  Rejected by God, he killed his brother in anger, and God's judgment was to make him an outcast from his own family.  Seven generations later, Cain's family produced one of the most notorious sinners ever--Lamech, who killed a man and dared anyone to try and punish him.

 

Lamech also took two wives and had three sons and a daughter.  It is in the verses about his sons that I found some food for thought this morning.

 

Jabal spent his life accumulating stuff, expanding his tents and herds, likely also his territory, obtaining wealth that he used to buy more stuff. 

 

Jubal spent his life developing musical instruments such as the harp and the horn.

 

Tubal-Cain spent his life developing iron and bronze tools; the amplified refers to sharp objects which included (I'm sure) plowshares and pruning hooks, and swords and spears.

 

So the descendants of Cain spent their life in pursuit of possessions, pleasures, and power.  None of them made it onto the Ark.

 

But Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord.  The great-grandson of a man who walked with God and was not found because God took him, Noah was the child of promise of whom it was prophesied that he would give his people rest from their labors and redeem them from the curse upon the earth.  Noah was a man who pursued the presence of God.

 

I want to be that kind of man.  Possessions are temporary.  Pleasures are fleeting.  Power diminishes.  But the presence of God is forever!