Stushie’s Stuff

Ever since I started watching Doctor Who as a boy, I have loved the notion of Time Travel. Nowadays, as a Christian, I am confident of placing my future in Christ’s hands.

Podcast version here

I love the idea of Time Travel. I’ve watched practically every episode of Doctor Who and I think that the new series is absolutely terrific. In case you don’t know what I’m talking about, Doctor Who is a science fiction television series that began in Britain in 1963. I remember, as a six year old, watching the very first episode on a grainy black and white TV, whilst eating Heinz spaghetti and chips (French fries). I was absolutely captivated by the hero, Doctor Who, a Time Lord, who travels throughout space and time in his amazing vehicle called the Tardis. The series introduced me to my love of science fiction, as well as teaching me about British and World history.

Ecclesiastes 8:7          Since no man knows the future, who can tell him what is to come?

I’ve always wanted to travel into the future and see the wonders of the world hundreds of years from now. I know that the environmentalists are predicting gloom and doom for all of us, but I still believe that human beings have the intellect and innovative capacity to reduce greenhouse gases and invent new ways of creating energy. I’d love to see how the earth will look in five hundred, five thousand, or even five hundred thousand years, and see how humankind fares. I guess I’ll have to build my own Tardis if I ever want to see it happen.

None of us know what each day will bring. We can make plenty of plans and be anxious about the future, but as Jesus once said, “Do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” (Matthew 6:34)

We do not know what the future holds for any one of us, and perhaps we’re better off not knowing anyway. As Christians, we have faith in Christ and the assurance that He holds our future in His Hands. No matter what we experience or endure, Jesus will travel through Time with us. And if we trust Him completely, He will lead us beyond the shores of Time and into the realm of Eternity.

Prayer:                        Lord Jesus, we are glad that You are with us throughout each day of our lives. Your guidance and presence reassure our faith and hopes. As we journey through Life and travel through Time, grant us Your mercy and grace, love and leadership. In Your Holy Name, we follow and pray. Amen.

John Stuart is the pastor of Erin Presbyterian Church in Knoxville, Tennessee. If you would like to comment on today’s message, please send him an email to pastor@erinpresbyterian.org.

I cannot believe that after all of this time, essential supplies are still not reaching the proper hurricane Katrina victims.

Shame on you, GWB!

God calls all sorts of people to minister and preach the Gospel, no matter where they came from or what they have done.

Podcast version here

My hometown of Glasgow, Scotland, used to have a magnificent shipyard industry on the River Clyde. Thousands of men were employed in the building of some of the biggest warships and ocean liners in the world. When I was growing up, it was wonderful to see the shipyards at night time. From all over the docks, flashes of light could be seen as the riveters and welders worked on the hulls of the great ships.

1 Corinthians 16:13   Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be men of courage; be strong.

On Friday afternoons, when most of the workforce was paid, thousands of men would walk out of the gates to either go to the pubs and spend their wages, or head home to be with their families, possibly buying them a fish and chips supper for dinner. As these men walked out of the shipyard gates, a man, with his own portable platform, was preaching the Gospel to the huge mass of workers. Most of the men walked by, some jeered and some cheered, some hurled insults and called the preacher everything under the sun.

It was an amazing ministry to watch and, on some rare occasions, the preacher was able to reach into the heads and hearts of a few men. He had been a shipyard worker himself, so he knew of their hardships, addictions, and struggles with life. Jesus had changed him, so he wanted to help other men make that transformation. It was a courageous, yet often humiliating ministry. But every Friday, the preacher was there giving God’s message to thousands of men who had no time for faith.

The Church of Scotland was approached by some people and asked if they would ordain the Clydeside preacher. Sadly, they turned him down. He didn’t have the right academic qualifications, or the privileges of seminary training. This didn’t bother the preacher. He just kept turning up on Fridays to preach the Gospel. His strength was in the Lord, and not in an ecclesiastical certificate that proclaimed him to be an official minister of the church. I never knew his name, but I admired his ministry and he reminds me of this: God calls all sorts of people to minister, pastor, and preach in His Name.

Perhaps you are being led by God to initiate a new ministry in your church. Perhaps God is calling you to do something in Christ’s name for your community. Maybe you don’t feel qualified to start or accomplish it. Remember this: if God truly calls you, He believes you can get it done.

Prayer:                        Lord God, we are all so different and we each have various gifts, talents, and skills. Sometimes you call us out of our comfort zones and specialized areas to do something beautiful and completely unexpected for You. Grant us the courage to respond to Your call and give us the strength to successfully fulfill all that You ask of us. In Jesus’ Name, we pray. Amen.

John Stuart is the pastor at Erin Presbyterian Church in Knoxville, Tennessee. If you would like to comment on today’s message, send him an email to pastor@erinpresbyterian.org

I think Obama just handed the election over to McCain. He should have avoided speaking about nuclear disarmament until after November.

This will play directly into the hands of those who say that the US will be insecure and weaker under his leadership.

I have ministered to churches in Scotland and the United States. What would happen if they all became one congregation?

2 Corinthians 7:4       I have great confidence in you; I take great pride in you. I am greatly encouraged; in all our troubles my joy knows no bounds.

I have been fortunate to serve three great congregations. I know of other pastors who have not enjoyed even serving one church successfully. I sometimes wish that I could merge all three – Maybole West, Fisherton, and Erin into one large congregation – a mixture of Scottish ingenuity and American innovation. It would be a wonderful witness to the world and a great encourager of faith to the Scots-American community.

Both time and tide separate all three of us from doing this, so the faithful individuals in each Presbyterian community – Maybole, Dunure, and Knoxville – have to carry on the work of the Lord alone. Then I start to read some of Paul’s letters to faraway churches that he had served, and I suddenly realize that the bridges of faith remain connected despite the distance and time difference.

Through these devotionals, I get the opportunity to minister with people of many congregations. I take great pride in the faithfulness of those who read these messages and pass them on to relatives, friends, and other church members. Our joy together, through the internet, knows no bounds or geographical limits. Even my youngest daughter in Tabora, Tanzania is part of our cyberspace fellowship!

I guess what I’m trying to say is this: we are all serving the Lord in His Church and that together we fulfill what’s called the communion of saints in the Apostles’ Creed. I have every confidence that the work we are doing for Him – in Scotland, USA, Canada, Brazil, Japan, Tanzania or wherever – both glorifies and pleases Christ. One day, we will all be together in heaven; at the moment, we are scattered because the Lord needs us to faithfully witness to our own communities. It’s His special way of getting His holy work done.

Prayer:                        Lord Jesus, we live in different communities and yet we belong to One Church. We face different situations, but we share One Faith. Toda,y we pray for one another and ask that You will bless the congregations that we each serve. They are full of good and faithful people; they have the potential to fulfill wonderful and great things for You. Bless us all as one Family of Faith, serving One Lord forevermore. In Your Holy Name, we joyfully pray. Amen.

John Stuart is the pastor of Erin Presbyterian Church in Knoxville, Tennessee. If you would like to comment on today’s message, please send him an email to pastor@erinpresbyterian.org.

Religious fanaticism needs to be confronted and denounced no matter where it originates or operates. Christ is the Prince of Peace and we, as Christians, have a holy calling and distinct obligation to seek reconciliation and promote His peaceable Kingdom throughout the world.

Podcast version here

Proverbs 20:22          Do not say, “I’ll pay you back for this wrong!” Wait for the LORD, and he will deliver you.

Yesterday, I read an article about a Muslim cleric in Britain who is calling for Sharia laws to be upheld by British courts. He preaches vehemently and insists that thieves, male or female, should have their hands cut off, and that unmarried couples who have sex should be publicly flogged.

Meanwhile, over here in Oklahoma, a Baptist Church is giving away a semi-automatic assault rifle as a door prize at a YOUTH Conference.

What on earth is going on? And why isn’t God doing something about these fanatics?

We live in troubled times. I know that I can be ornery and stubborn when it comes to faith matters, but I would never dream of calling for punishing amputations or giving teenagers a machine gun. These people, pastors, and clerics are crazy and no matter how zealous they are for Allah or the Second Amendment, this is not faith as Jesus would have described it; this is religious fanaticism at its worst and we should all denounce it as an evil under the sun.

No wonder so many people get turned off by religion these days. If worshipping God turns us into limb-hacking, gun-toting devotees, then we should avoid it at all costs. Human history is littered with enough corpses attributed to religious fanaticism. We don’t need another Holy War, genocidal jihad, or holocaustic crusade to glorify God. I’m sure He’s just as sick as we are with those who use His Name to maim or murder infidels and sinners. After all, the world painfully tortured and unjustly killed His Son on a cross – no more blood needs to be shed to reconcile, redeem, and restore humanity to God’s holiness.

The challenge for us today is to stand up to these belligerent bullies and misguided maniacs by promoting the peace of Christ in our lives. After all, if the world does not see the Jesus within us through our outward acts of mercy and grace, then fanaticism will contaminate our communities and put this planet in peril for generations to come.

Prayer:                        Lord Jesus, help us to find the high ground and empower us to effectively confront religious fanaticism without ourselves becoming vitriolic vigilantes or malicious messengers. Keep us on Your path to peace and reconciliation, without becoming appeasers or enablers to those who would forcefully oppress us with their fanaticisms. In Your Holy Name, we earnestly pray. Amen.

John Stuart is the pastor of Erin Presbyterian Church in Knoxville, Tennessee. If you would like to comment on today’s message, send him an email to pastor@erinpresbyterian.org.

I think it sums up the last eight years perfectly…

www.stushietoon.blogspot.com

KOLKATA, India - An Indian Muslim couple exchanged wedding vows by telephone after the groom, who lives abroad, said he did not have money to return home to get married, a cleric said on Friday.

Muslim clerics married Irin Biswas, 18, to Safikul Islam, who is employed as a labour supervisor in Kuwait.

The entire village in Murshidabad, West Bengal, watched as the clerics put a mobile phone on speaker mode, enabling them to hear the wedding vows.

“They said qubul (I do) thrice and the marriage was complete,” Maulana Alamgir, a cleric who solemnised the marriage said by telephone. He said modern ceremony was not against Islamic laws.

Read the rest of the story here

Just when John McCain was trying to re-spark his campaign…

…his adviser Phil Gramm sets the Press on fire…

If we accept Christ and His teaching, can we adopt a world view that all religions are equal and bring us to God?

Podcast version here

Titus 1:9         He must hold firmly to the trustworthy message as it has been taught, so that he can encourage others by sound doctrine and refute those who oppose it.

Some people wonder why I get bent out of shape when it comes to teaching and preaching Christianity. Why can’t I just evolve like the rest of the world and accept different ideas from different cultures, giving other religions and faiths the respect they deserve? Why can’t I acknowledge that there are many ways to God and that Jesus is only one of them? Wouldn’t it be much easier on myself if I would just let go of my dinosauric doctrines and outdated teachings?

Like Paul, I am the chief amongst all sinners and cannot claim to be perfect in any way. So why do I ‘self-righteously’ insist upon the uniqueness and exclusivity of Christ? What makes me think that I have it all right and the rest of the religious world is totally wrong?

I struggle with this and wrestle with my doubts. At times, I would like to capitulate and be all things to all people, as Paul once suggested. But if I did that, it would be insincere and hypocritical. It wouldn’t be me, and if I cannot be true to myself, how on earth can I remain true to Christ?

Let me put it this way: if Christ is only one way to salvation, then He is a liar, a charlatan, and a cheat. He Himself states “I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” If there are other ways, other doors, and other rooms to be eternally with God, then Jesus has lied across the centuries and Christianity is a false religion. So for me, it all boils down to this: Christ is who He insists that He is, or He is the biggest liar in the Universe.

My own experience of Jesus is this: His promises are true and He is true to His words, therefore I cannot accept that other religions can find salvation through their understanding of what God is. If that makes me a dogmatic dinosaur in the world’s eyes, then so be it. I stand alone in Christ, I can do no other.

If you’re having trouble with accepting this, please take time to read one of the Gospels. Each time you read Christ’s own words, ask yourself these questions: does Jesus mean what He says, and if He does, what does that mean for me?

Prayer:                        Lord Jesus, our world is so different from New Testament times. We have more information about other people and their religions. We have more access to other religious ideas and thoughts. Please show us the truth about God and help us, in this religiously diverse world, to know what You would have us accept, express, and do. In Your Holy Name, we humbly pray. Amen.

John Stuart is the pastor of Erin Presbyterian Church in Knoxville, Tennessee. If you would like to comment on today’s message, please send him an email to pastor@erinpresbyterian.org.