LORDS OF THE EARTH

Stanley Dale was an Australian commando in WWII. Don Richardson wrote this account of Stanley's life from childhood through his adulthood. Like Endurance, it is a study of leadership and what one man with an iron will can accomplish. Is there room for more than one leader in a small space? I'd like to get Teddy Roosevelt, Stanley Dale, and Ernest Shackleton together and then stand back and see what happens. (See my previous blogs on The River of Doubt and Endurance.)

Lords of the Earth follows Stanley Dale as he encounters and ministers to cannibals in Indonesia. This is not a book for the faint of heart. However, it is fascinating to read about a stone age culture and how it is changed when it encounters christianity.

EPIPHANY

Once in a while, perhaps once in a lifetime, something occurs that begins a dramatic shift in a person's world view. It's called an epiphany. The result is a long term change in how we relate to those around us, and if it is a spiritual awakening, it changes how we relate to God.

Here are accounts of three spiritual epiphanies:

C.S. Lewis (in a car on his way to the zoo)

In September, 1931, when Lewis was thirty three years old, he had a long discussion about Christianity with J.R.R. Tolkien (who was a devout Roman Catholic) and Hugo Dyson (a friend and committed Christian). That all-night conversation planted even more "seeds" in Lewis's heart. Lewis wrote in Surprised by Joy about what happened a week later as he headed out to a local zoo with his brother Warren: "When we set out I did not believe that Jesus Christ was the Son of God, and when we reached the zoo I did." Apparently sometime during that ride God touched Lewis's heart, and opened his eyes to Jesus' love and compassion. Was this his Damascus story -- conversion on the way to the zoo? Or was it a culmination of all the "seeds" that had been planted throughout Lewis's life? Only God and Lewis know for certain, but after his conversion, God certainly started to bless Lewis's life, including his writing.

Whittaker Chambers (in his kitchen)

I date my break with Communism to a very casual happening… My daughter was in her high chair. I was watching her eat. She was the most miraculous thing that had ever happened in my life. I liked to watch her even when she smeared porridge on her face or dropped it meditatively on the floor. My eye came to rest on the delicate convolutions of her ear – those intricate, perfect ears. The thought passed through my mind, ‘No, those ears were not created by chance coming together of atoms in nature (the Communist view). They could have been created only by immense design.’ The thought was involuntary and unwanted. I crowded it out of my mind. But I never wholly forgot it or the occasion. I had to crowd it out of my mind. If I had completed it, I should have had to say: Design supposes God. I did not then know that, at that moment, the finger of God was first laid on my forehead.

Charles Coleson (in his car)

I had the strange sensation that water was not only running down my cheeks but surging through my whole body as well, cleansing and cooling as it went. They weren’t tears of sadness and remorse, nor of joy—but somehow tears of relief.
And then I prayed my first real prayer. “God I don’t know how to find you, but I’m going to try! I’m not much the way I am now but somehow I want to give myself over to you.” I didn’t know how to say more so I repeated over and over the words “Take me.”
I had not “accepted” Christ—I still didn’t know who He was. My mind told me it was important to find that out first, to be sure that I knew what I was doing, that I meant it and would stay with it. Only that night something inside me was urging me to surrender—to what or to whom I did not know.

I have often wondered, do people have spiritual epiphanies away from God? I don't think they are as prevalent. Have you had one, either toward or away from God?

ISAIAH DANIEL

Meet Isaiah Daniel, our second grandchild. We enjoyed holding him and reveling in being grandparents on that first day of his birth. Now we look forward to many more years of enjoyment.

MONEY MAKING OPPORTUNITIES

Today I was staring at a picture on the wall and had a money-making revelation. It was a painting of a rushing river in the wilderness. You see them in every waiting room. I think they do that because when the nurse doesn't call your name in a timely fashion they are hoping you will lose yourself in daydreams of picnics and rafting experiences. It's the same reason that waiting rooms are painted in restful colors. It is not good if your blood pressure goes up higher than it already was. It was working with me. I was lost in a daydream of rushing water, and suddenly thought of a great opportunity for the right person to capitalize on it. You only need to have access to a rushing river, or waterfall, or pasture, or some other tranquil scene that transports the observer into a trance. It could even be an ant farm! You set up a camera and run it through a secure internet site. Those who join are given a password to access the video, and they run the signal to a framed flat screen in the wall. I can just imagine that first customer sitting in an office, figeting nervously. Then they happen to notice the painting on the wall. "Wait. Is that water moving? Is this some kind of trick?" People who are waiting to have their skin tumor examined are transported into a live world of action. When the nurse finally calls them, they are not only relaxed, but they don't care that it was an extra 30 minutes. They are waiting for the next raft of revelers to come around the bend. Meanwhile, the camera is sending out a 24 hour transmission to perhaps a thousand offices and homes, charging a nominal fee, which adds up to a sizeable sum. The possibilities are endless. The contracts could be set up similar to a cell tower, except the footprint would be minimal. If you are good with webcams, why not form a company setting up cameras in remote areas? Pay them $500 a month for camera privileges and make $5,000. Don't forget to send me 1% of the gross.

CENTRAL OREGON

Fall is the best season in Central Oregon. The nights are cold. Tonight it will be 20 degrees Fahrenheit. Days are blue skies and 65. The air is clear, and the mountains are all around. Morning walks are brisk. We have been staying at Eagle Crest just outside of Redmond every fall for about 15 years. It all started when Lin and I received an invitation for a time share presentation. We didn't buy one, but every referral to them generated "eagle dollars" we could spend in their restaurant. Lin's parents were the first, and they ended up buying a time share. Eventually that time share was passed on to a sibling, and we bought our own on Craig's List. Now the siblings can get together and enjoy the great climate. That reminds me of one of my pet peeves. I think time shares (purchased at the retail price) are a rip-off. The most a time share is worth is the annual maintenance fee. You can find them at great prices. Find your favorite place to go, and watch the internet for good buys. This economic climate provides an ideal opportunity.