Leadership Observations: Every man is either a leader or a follower; neither is anything without the other. A leader cannot be a true leader until he has followers; every leader needs followers. Every follower needs a leader too. The two work together for the betterment of one another; as a follower builds the leader, so the leaders draws more followers. One must conclude then that a follower is as important as the leader. Good leaders make followers, they gather them unto themselves. Every follower then, makes his leader stronger by merely following. To be a good leader, one must first have been a good follower; Good followers make the best leaders. It behooves us then, whether we are followers of leaders, to be the best we can be. As followers, we must work to promote the leader, so that when we become a leader, we can build new followers--and so the cycle goes. A leader is not a “pusher”, he leads from the front, and not from behind. Any leader that has to push his men into action is not a qualified leader, but a “wolf in sheep’s clothing”. Ambition makes a man want to be a leader, but it takes more than ambition to lead; zeal is fine, and a good quality to have, but zeal does not make a man a leader. We often confuse the issue, and elect a leader because of his ambition or zeal, but when we learn to look at his history, we can more rightly judge his abilities. A knowledge of the “battle” and knowing his enemy is important, but it is not leadership in itself; a leader becomes a number of good qualities, developed through experience and wisdom. A wise leader is a good listener. Leaders, take care of your followers, they are a ladder to your success. They will remain loyal to you when you desperately need loyalty, and that is an important commodity for followers. Respect is a two-way street; too many leaders demand respect because they have the title, and not because they are worthy of it. Work to make yourself worthy of their respect, and in return, respect them; like love, loyalty is reciprocated easily when given liberally.

Battlefields and broken bodies We have built great and magnificent buildings over past battlefields; we have erected sub-divisions, and built roads over parking lots of generations long gone. We have done wonders in the heavens and in the earth, but life has rolled over us all, and we have been cast upon the dung heaps of life. Today we tread over battlefields and bones long passed away, never stopping to give them a thought or a prayer, and still life goes on. It marches onward, as a great banner of evil and good; it marches on to a battlefield of a different sort, war waged on the brim of existence only to discover that age-old spirit that chases us all through life--the spirit of death. A continual struggle exists between the two, the one giving, and the other taking, and still life trudges on seeking more life, all the while ruining that which it has given until it is swallowed up by death. Yes, life squeezes a man until he dies, and then discards him in six foot of ground…and the end is not yet…. Some day, oh some glorious day, the Reaper will come and glean the wheat from the tares, and those that are found faithful will enjoy sweet rapture forever with the Lord. Let us remember those “glory days” when knights gave their lives in service for their country; when men bravely fought for the control of their own land, and for those who have fallen by the wayside. Let us remember those who fought on foreign soil so that America could be free from toil, and those who stayed home and fought from the factories and plants to feed the soldiers way off in who-knows-where. Let us give thanks for the pioneers that forged a path through the wilderness for others to follow, “trailblazers” they were, and for those who gave of themselves to serve the wounded soldiers at home and abroad. Yea, as we tread these turmoil-filled streets, let us consider how many thousands, yea, millions have went on before us, and made us what we are, and our country what it is today…and we walk over their graves! Give thanks, oh people, give thanks for the battles that led the way…for you…for me. May we step carefully and cautiously as we tread these not-so-hallowed streets and consider those forgotten men and women who believed in Truth, and went with faith forward into battle, to battle good and evil first-hand; let us thank the Lord for them, and whisper a prayer for their ancestors, of which may be our friends and neighbors. Mostly, my friends, give thanks for Calvary where the ultimate battle has taken place--for us.

The power of the cross

It is: 1. The power of God (1 Cor. 1:18) Salvation It is His means of reaching man. “Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.” (Acts 4:12) Muslims worship a dead god; Hindu’s worship an idol; Only One God is the True God… “Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” (Jn. 14:6) 2. It is Redeeming power (Rev. 5:9) It is God’s way of ridding us of sin, by His blood. “Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree:” (Gal. 3:13) 3. It’s reconciliation (Eph. 2:16) “And that he might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby:” Christ did away with hatred. And united us in the Father. 4. It is Peace (Col. 1:20) “And, having made peace through the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all things unto himself; by him, I say, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven.” Peace cancels out fear: “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.” (Jn. 14:27) 5. It’s quickening power (1 Peter 3:18) “For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit:” We too are “quickened by the Spirit” in Christ. “Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;)” (Eph. 2:5) 6. It is Keeping power (1 Peter 1:5) 7. It is soul winning power (Mt. 28:18, 19) 8. It’s healing power (1 Peter 2:24) 9. It is An offense (1 Peter 2:8) The preaching thereof is “foolishness” to some. 10.It is Eternal power Rom. (16:25) The power of the cross is seen in our lives in many ways; it motivates us toward righteous living as it provides new life in Christ.

An Ode to Prayer Many things are lacking in the church today, but probably the greatest of these needs is diligent, fervent prayer. (descending verse) Prayer is the essence of the Christian life; It is the Christians’ joy, to the glory of God; It transcends all boundaries, It defeats all problems; It strengthens the weak, And feeds the hungry. Prayer obtains the unreachable; It lightens all burdens; Comforts the broken heart, And changes lives; And, most of all, it pleases God. (“Men ought always to pray”) Prayer brings us before a Holy God; It bends His ear to our needs; Prayer taps the endless resources of Heaven, And obtains a power unfathomable to man; It is an amazing thing, Allowable by an even more amazing God; Prayer opens the heart of God, And through it is poured out great blessings; Prayer reaches out to a Living God, And returns with arms full of love. Prayer calms the storm, As it soothes the troubled soul; It brings joy to the woeful heart; Prayer—is it for God or for us? Often our prayer is complaining; What does this do for our God? Yet it moves Him to action on our behalf; It stirs His loving heart; And we receive His abundant grace. It recognizes His greatness, “Men ought always to pray, and to not faint.” Prayer works; It works for us And pleases our Lord at the same time. The prayer of faith moves mountains; It redeems lost souls; It is a blessing to all. “Men ought always to pray, and faint not” “Pray without ceasing” For the seasoned veteran, It is His hope. Prayer makes a difference to all involved; It works wonders, and obtains much; It is just right to do. It is commanded of us, And expected of us. Pray, pray, pray.

Evolution 2 It is easy to see why Darwin came up with his theory of evolution; though I abhor the teachings of it, I can see the animal-like nature of man in many different aspects of his life. It would be easy to believe that man, at best, is a mere beast, and guided only by his instincts to survive. Man is unique in his creation, and yet, it seems that he insists on mimicking the animal in his appetites and attitudes; he, though a living and intelligent soul, seems to fall from his place of supremacy and dominance over the animal kingdom and into the abyss of equality with primates and beasts. Yes, and a great abyss it is, a pit that descends to the furthest limits of hell, and always leads to a hellish life and death. It is no wonder that Darwin was fascinated by the likenesses. An animal, for one thing, has no perception of others. His existence is all for him, and it becomes the “survival of the fittest”. This is because “others” thinking is a product of love, and that, not necessarily a human trait, is not a possibility in a true sense, for animals. Love is from God. It is given unto man, and shared only by mankind and his God, and is a two-way communication for them both. Love is received, and love is given. Even the vilest of humans has loved someone at sometime, and yet they resort to animalistic behavior in their personal every day life. It ought no to be so. An animal, when he finds food, thinks it is for him, and fights to keep it until he is satiated. If we set seed out for birds, the squirrels help themselves, and have no thought for the birds. Consideration is for man, and is not a process that animals employ. Consideration is born of love. It may be the embryo of love, the very early and weak workings of love, but nevertheless, love is the root of it. If we put corn out for the squirrels, the foxes will rob them of it; the entire animal world is of the “me first” mentality. Thus, when men fail to consider others in their dealings, are they not acting like animals? We fight and struggle for dominance among each other, as do the animals, and often we can be very vicious in our actions. The real deception in the matter is that we blame it on human nature, and confess that we think ourselves ancestors of monkeys or other brute beasts! Our nature is to be self-centered, and to care only for ourselves in all matters of life and lust, and so, by our actions we support Darwin’s theory and strengthen his cause. There is but one remedy for our folly, and that is a re-birth; a renewing of our spirit by the sacrificial blood of Jesus Christ. That, my friends, is our only hope of living above the animals, as we were created to do. One peculiarity that animals and man share is the preservation of the species. An animal, in a mock love, will fight, and even die to protect their own as if there were a bond of love between them. I wish to say that animals cannot love: Love is of God, and in fact, God is love, therefore animals cannot and do not know how to love. What we consider love from our pets, is a loyalty rather than a love. It is instinctive for them to protect their own, for the preservation of the species. This instinct was instilled in them from creation, so that they would not fall into extinction. When mankind fights to protect those he loves, it is an entirely different thing. Man does not act on instinct, that is a trait given to animals. We function, at times, on intuition, which is far different than instinct. Intuition is given to man for his protection and discernment in important matters, and is in some cases supernatural; it is not given to animals. Because of the confusion of the two, many have surmised that we share a common trait with these beasts that have no reasoning, and in fact, no sense. Let me add that even a dog can be loyal; loyalty is of a lower degree than we usually suppose. What we call loyalty, (as the Bible also does) is actually “faithfulness” and is directed toward God, and not necessarily toward man. Even the Parable of the Good Steward is just that, a parable depicting our service and loyalty to the Master. Loyalty is won out of respect, and is in a sense “earned” from others, it is not “automatic”. Even a dog will not remain loyal to a master that is cruel.