THE FIFTH DAY OF JULY IN THE YEAR OF GRACE TWO THOUSAND AND FIFTEEN. In London, a historical marker identifies the longtime residence of Benedict Arnold, a name we Americans associate with perfidy and betrayal. But the U.K. takes a different look at the same circunstances and reaches its own conclusion. There, the historic marker reminds us, Benedict Arnold is remembered as a "British patriot." What we see has much to do with where we stand--people standing anywhere around the globe point away from the earth and perceive it as "up." This weekend in the USA, on a holiday associated … [Read more...]
TRIBUTE TO MY MOM
THE TENTH DAY OF MAY IN THE YEAR OF GRACE TWO THOUSAND AND FIFTEEN Sybil Belle Short Fudge Dewhirst -- or "Mother," as my five siblings and I are privileged to call her -- always was up to most any challenge. Perhaps it had something to do with her beginnings; born in 1923 to missionary parents in the interior of Africa, raised in general isolation 50 miles in the bush from "modern civilization," as a child going to sleep at night with lions roaring outside the family's house and sometimes a venomous black mamba snake inside. How does one begin to describe this woman, whose … [Read more...]
Prophet of Christian Unity
Today, May 25, 2014, marks the 25th anniversary of the passing of W. Carl Ketcherside of St. Louis, Missouri at the age of 81. I knew him for a few years in person as an adult, but I "met" him through his writings a quarter-century before that, as a young man about 14, growing up in Limestone County in North Alabama. My father, Bennie Lee Fudge, regularly received a wide variety of religious publications. I skimmed some of them, read most, and devoured a few--including Mission Messenger, Brother Ketcherside's personal monthly publication. Each issue contained two or three articles by him, and … [Read more...]
much thanks for many moms
Today is "Mother's Day" in the United States, and on this day I honor and give thanks to God for my mother--Sybil Short Fudge Dewhirst. Now 91, she surveys nearly a century, "rich in memories, friends and family." Hers is a life marked by strong faith, quiet strength, and great courage; a life in which she has outlived two husbands, raised six birth-children, claimed two equally-beloved stepchilden, and has been given more than twenty direct descendants besides. Mom has taught her share of top-quality Bible classes, but she teaches best, and most, and most effectively, using the language of … [Read more...]
WHAT ABOUT HALLOWEEN?
"Last year some people in my church hosted a Halloween party," writes a gracEmail reader. "When I got there I was very uncomfortable with the decorations, which included pictures of witches, ghosts and demons. I stayed about 30 minutes then made an excuse and left. People tell me this is harmless fun. Am I making too much of this?" * * * The truth is that very devout Christians hold a variety of views toward Halloween, sometimes with great intensity. The word "Halloween" is a shortened form of "All Hallow's Evening," which in Anglican and Roman Catholic practice designates the evening before … [Read more...]
GRACE–THANKS–FULL CIRCLE
This week we USAmericans celebrate Thanksgiving Day, arguably our favorite national holiday. This traditional harvest festival traces its roots to 1621 when the English settlers in Massachusetts Colony celebrated an abundant harvest with a four-day banquet and invited the Wampanoag Native People to join them as their guests. For the next 320 years, motivated by custom, spiritual instinct and numerous presidential proclamations, Americans celebrated Thanksgiving irregularly on a variety of days. In December 1941, the U.S. Congress finally made it a legal national holiday to be … [Read more...]
THANKSGIVING 2009
This Thursday, November 26, 2009, is Thanksgiving Day in the United States. This year, I particularly give thanks to God for salvation now and forever, and also, here on earth . . . For a 65th birthday this past Summer, for good health in so very many aspects and for God's continued enablement despite a few challenges otherwise; For Sara Faye, devoted wife of 42 years and mother of Melanie and Jeremy, for whom, with spouses Michael and Kristy, I also give thanks, and for grandchildren Julia, Brynna, Zeke and Addy, who are parented with extraordinary love and skill; For a godly … [Read more...]
IN REMEMBRANCE
On this Monday, May 25, 2009, Americans will celebrate Memorial Day (originally Decoration Day), by remembering all who have given their lives in the military service of our country. Estimates of war-deaths vary, but one source reports 1,321,000 American fatalities from 1775-2009, nearly half that number during the Civil War alone. Many more persons have been grievously injured, and millions of Americans have lost spouses, parents, children or siblings to the rapaciousness of armed conflict. Our hearts go out to them all this weekend as we recall their sacrifices. Throughout history, God … [Read more...]
GOD’S FLAG STILL THERE
This Monday, May 31, 2010 is Memorial Day here in the United States of America. Regardless of our antipathy to any particular conflict or even to war in general, on this national day of remembrance we honor the sacrifices of the fallen, the injured, and the families of them all. On Monday, patriotic music will fill the air. Some songs will highlight our country's natural beauty, others the virtues of its diverse and often dissonant people. Our national anthem recounts the heroics and horrors of battle, including the observation that "the rockets' red glare, the bombs bursting in air, gave … [Read more...]
TAX-TIME, GOD & CAESAR
"In view of governmental waste and funding of some projects which I consider immoral," someone asks, "can a Christian properly protest by refusing to pay income taxes on April 15?" (which is annual income tax day in the USA.) * * * Most thoughtful tax-payers probably share your frustration from time to time, but the biblical command is too clear to avoid. "Render to all what is due them," writes the Apostle Paul, "tax to whom tax is due" (Rom. 13:7). The Apostle Peter also instructs his readers to fulfil their civil duties (1 Pet. 2:13-17). The Roman government under which both apostles … [Read more...]