Copyrighting the Gospel

The written word is powerful but tone of voice can be hard to convey. The following is an attempt at humor and is not meant to be critical in any way.

I recently purchased a new Bible. I was looking through it to see where it was made. It was relatively inexpensive so I will just admit right now that I was assuming it was not made in the USA. And that thought in and of itself is sad. How easy I forget that the body of Christ is not my church or my city or state or country. It's the whole world.

Anyway as I was looking for this information I came across some copyright information. I guess I found that kinda pretentious on the part of the publisher and sorta funny. I have always believed that the Bible was written by..........umm.........not the publisher! What, are they sending royalty checks to Moses and David and Paul and......

Okay, I guess business is business and my thoughts are over simplified, but it all struck me as funny. You might enjoy it too. Here are a few of the statements......and I quote:

"The NIV text may be quoted in any form (written, visual, electronic or audio), up to and inclusive of five hundred (500) verses without express written permission of the publisher, providing the verses quoted do not amount to a complete book of the Bible nor do the verses quoted account for 25 percent or more of the total text of the work in which they are quoted."

"When quotations from the NIV text are used in non-saleable media, such as church bulletins, orders of service, posters, transparencies or similar media, a complete copyright notice is not required, but the initials (NIV) must appear at the end of each quotation."

"Any commentary or other Biblical reference work produced for commercial sale that uses the New International Version must obtain written permission for use of the NIV text."

Thanksgiving

I wish I had some big family thanksgiving tradition to write about. You know, one of those stories where the whole family gathers and there are dozens and dozens of people. And we talk to relatives we haven't seen for awhile and learn about what each other is doing, about lost or new jobs; what our kids are up to and where they're going to college, and share stories of successes and failures. About good times and bad. I can see a big long table filled with grandparents and babies and everyone in between. I see laughter and love and lots of food.

But I have no tradition like this to write about because of divorce. Besides the word "hate" I think I hate that word the most. So does God ( Malachi 2:16 ). Divorce. Sounds final and violent.

Here is what I'm not saying: that this is any one's fault.

Here is what I am saying: I love my parents and God is desperately in love with divorced people. Today I am thankful for the marriage examples set by my Grandma and Grandpa Evans, Grandma and Grandpa Royer ( 66 years ), Nana and Pop Scheiring ( 68 years ), Grandma and Grandpa Glass. They all lived and are living the "till death do us part" thing.

Me too.

waiting room dynamics

Today I took my grandfather to the eye doctor. We were there for over 2 hours so I had a chance to observe what this did to my fellow waiting room prisoners I mean occupants.

I did hear a few complaints but most of those were in my head.

Here is what else I saw:

One patient was telling the receptionist of her difficulty finding a reliable ride from Wooster to North Canton to visit this doctor. Before she left she had the name and phone number of a Wooster resident who overheard the conversation, offering help.

People offering to change seats so friends and family could sit together.

One man offered his seat several times to others when the seats were all taken ( umm.....this wasn't me ).

Husbands helping wives and wives helping husbands.

Oh and I had the honor of spending a couple of hours with my grandfather on his 91st birthday.

Good news for all?

Serve God Save The Planet is a new book by J. Matthew Sleeth, MD. I think it asks an important question: Shouldn't the gospel be good news for all creation?

Let me just say right up front this is not a tree hugger book. It's about stewardship and treading lightly on the environment God meant to sustain us, our children and future generations. It's an invitation to a simpler and more fulfilling life.

How does my work, rest, play and Sabbath day effect both my immediate surroundings and the sea level on the coast of Haiti?

The author has some very interesting views on modern medicine, especially for a former purveyor of it. How much money should we spend to prolong life? In the United States $5,000.00 healthcare dollars are spent annually on average for every man, woman and child. The average life span for a woman in US: 79. $500.00 is spent annually in Mexico for every man, woman and child. The average life span for a Mexican woman: 76.

What about population growth? Can the current rate be sustained on an earth we can add no land mass to?

Here's an interesting one: If every household in the United States changed their five most used lights to use the long lasting energy saving bulbs: twenty-one power plants could immediately shut down.

Pick this book up. It's well worth your time and is filled with real and practical ways to "tread lightly".

3 weeks and 3,000 miles ago……..

3 weeks and 3,000 miles ago I spent the day with Karen and Richard. They are the kids in Ecuador that my wife and I sponsor through Compassion International. They are both in the sixth grade. And that is the age that most Ecuadorians quit going to school. They go out and find jobs to help support their family. Then many end up not so many years later with a family of their own. Kids having kids.

This is a cycle that must be broken.

So I spent some time encouraging Karen and Richard to stay in school and to stay in the Compassion program. I met their mothers, Sarah and Azucena, and encouraged them in the same way.

We met in a park in Quito, Ecuador and spent some time playing and talking. Then we all went to the mall across the street to order lunch for the rest of our group. As we were going up the escalator I asked them if they had ever been on one before. They said only one other time. And that was in 2005 when my wife met them. To go back down they wanted to ride the elevator. Stuff I take for granted was like an adventure for them.

After lunch we went to an amusement park. They went straight to my least favorite ride…….the roller coaster. But I got on anyway and found myself thinking as we climbed the first hill: “Okay, I’m on a roller coaster in a third world county…..who inspects these things?” And then down the hill and through the loop we went.

The best part of the day for me was something Richard’s mother, Azucena, said. She said she was having a lot of fun ( she rode all the crazy, upside down, twirly shaky things with her son ) and that she thought it “was a good day because she could forget all her problems.”

I would love to see the cycle of poverty broken in these families.

If God has a refrigerator...........

Meet my nephew, Francis. He's the son of my Aunt Carol and Uncle Al. They dressed him up for Halloween the other night. And that is no small effort. You see, they have been taking care of kids for like 40 years. They've adopted 3, raised 4, had over 150 foster kids pass through their home and decided that Francis would not lay in an institution to die on their watch. So they took custody of him.

"Fronk" as we so affectionately call him, needs extra care. A lot of extra care. When he needs to go to the bathroom, they change his diaper. When he needs to eat, they hold his bottle. When it's time to move from one place to another, they carry him. Supposedly Francis will never eat, speak or move on his own.

But I don't believe that. God says in His word that He is "making all things new." And that sounds to me to be proactive. Like He's not done yet. He isn't. I would love to be in heaven when Francis gets his new body. It would be neat to witness him say "thanks" to my aunt and uncle and wrap his arms around them for the first time. What a sweet union and reunion that will be. I can't wait to see him play soccer and baseball with his dad.

If God has a refrigerator.................. I think these pictures are on it.