On Friday I drove to see one of the
men of the church. He was bird watching from his sun room when I drove in. He
asked me to come in and offered a chair. When he asked if I could stay for some
time I said, "YES". He told me that he built the house that he is living in.
He built a large pond by the house and stocked it with lots of fish. He shared
wit me that he and his wife were founding members of "Marathon Maple Festival"
which draws in over 30,000 people every year. As one of the maple syrup
producers of the area he produces around 500 gallons of maple syrup. He shared
about how the Lord has blessed him beyond measure over the years. His ancestors
came to North America on the Mayflower and he lives in the farm that goes back
to some of his ancestors. He shared that He is blessed to have over 12000 acres
of beautiful land in Central NY. Most of his children and grandchildren live on
the family land. He has planted lots of trees including many fruit trees.
He said he would like to take me on
a ride around his property, and I obliged, thinking that it might take 10 to 15
minutes to go around the property. So we drove around the farm and he showed me
where his children and grandchildren live. While driving we stopped by so that
I could meet them. Then he kept on driving and showed some of the neighboring
farms. One of the dairy farms is large, milking over 500 cows. Then he kept on
driving to show me some of the Amish farms, and some nearby ponds, lakes, and
rivers. I thought we were done. As he drove he told me that he was the Highway
superintendent for 30 years, and that he had built most of roads. He kept on
driving and pointing to each house, each farm, each road. Then he kept on
driving out of town to the neighboring county. We stopped at one of the natural
springs that dispenses pure spring water 24/7. The US Army Corps of Engineers
has installed some pipes so that people can easily collect the water. We
stopped to taste the water. I lapped at the fountain. The water was sweet and
pure. I told him I used to lap from the mountain springs in India. Then our
sojourn continued. He took me to the house where he was born, where his dad
worked and raised the family. We also stopped by his sister's house.
He kept on driving on the high ways
and byways pointing out the owners and dwellers, the builders and farmers, and
the growers in the area. After almost two hours he drove past our house and
back to his house. I thanked him, prayed with him, and came home after picking
up my car. The moment I got home dark clods moved in and it began shower. I
was nervous during the part of the trip because my newfound fellow traveler and
driver is 90 years old. I said, "Lord Jesus add some
those years, and energy to my life".
The Lord blessed us with beautiful
time in His house yesterday. It is exciting and thrilling to worship the Living
Lord and to declare His majesty and all his tender mercies. We spoke to our
daughter Laureen, who is in Washington, DC. She led worship at the David's
Tent at the Mall in Washington this past Saturday. She was blessed and
honored. We had our first snow yesterday. My wife Alice was thrilled and
excited. She has already started listening to her Christmas music. All is
well.
This
week I read again the story of Telemachus. You can find it in Chuck Colson’s
book Loving
God, pp. 241-243. It’s a true story about an Asiatic monk who
lived during the early part of the fifth century. One day, as he was tending his garden at the
monastery, he felt God calling him to go to Rome. He had never been there and
had no idea why God would want him to go. But the feeling grew stronger until
Telemachus knew he must make the long journey. So he set out across Asia Minor and caught a boat
for Rome. After many days he landed and made his way to the Imperial City.
When he got there, he found that the city was in the midst of a great
celebration. The Romans had just defeated the Goths. Telemachus still had no idea why he had come
but he noticed great crowds moving through the streets toward the famed
Coliseum. He followed the crowds and thought to himself, “Perhaps this is the
reason why God has called me here." It turned out that the crowds had gathered
for the gladiator contests. That meant that men would fight against men on the
arena floor until only one man was alive. Then the wild animals would be let
loose to devour the body of the dead gladiators. It was a violent, bloodthirsty
sport. The crowds had come to watch the action. At length, the gladiators marched in, saluted the
emperor and shouted, “We who are about to die salute thee."
Then the games began. Telemachus was shocked.
He had never seen such a thing. But he knew that he could not keep silent while
men killed each other for entertainment. In a flash of blinding insight Telemachus knew what
he must do. He ran to the perimeter of the arena and cried with a loud voice,
“IN THE NAME OF CHRIST, STOP!” The crowd paid him no heed. He was just one voice
among thousands. So Telemachus made his way to the edge of the arena and
stepped onto the sandy floor. There he was, rushing here and there, dodging the
gladiators as they thrust at each other. He cried out again, “IN THE NAME OF CHRIST, STOP!"
The crowd began to cheer, thinking perhaps that he was part of the
entertainment, like a clown at a rodeo. Then he blocked the vision of one of the gladiators
causing him to narrowly avoid a death-dealing blow. Suddenly the mood changed
and the crowd became angry. “KILL HIM! KILL HIM! KILL HIM!"
The gladiator he had
blocked took his sword and struck Telemachus in the chest. Immediately the arena
floor turned sandy red from his blood. The little monk fell to the ground and
as he died, he cried out for the final time, “IN THE NAME OF CHRIST, STOP!"
Then a strange thing happened. A hush fell over
the arena. All eyes were focused on the still form in the crimson sand. The
gladiators put down their swords. One by one the spectators left their seats
and emptied the Coliseum. Historians tell us that was the last gladiatorial
contest in the Roman Coliseum. Never again did men kill men for entertainment
in the arena. When Telemachus died, the gladiator contests died with him.
Think about that story
for a moment. Was Telemachus a man of faith? Yes. Did he obey God? Yes. Did
he have his doubts? Certainly. But he acted on the belief part without regard to the
consequences. Living by faith, in the end, meant dying by faith. But he
made a difference in the world. The strength to live and die for Christ is as
much a miracle as being delivered from the lion’s
den.
Lord Jesus make
us dangerous and courageous. AMEN.
In
Christ,
Brown
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