Where Are the Heroes Now?—Peter Marshall (1902 - 1949), from "Kairos Journal"

With a heart for ministerial training, Peter Marshall moved to America in 1927. By 1937, he had completed his studies and led Westminster Presbyterian Church in Atlanta to prominence. That year, Washington’s New York Avenue Presbyterian Church called him as pastor. Before long, they had to turn away crowds of people who had come to hear him preach.

In 1947, he became chaplain of the Senate, a post in which he served until his untimely death from a heart attack two years later. His prayers were particularly memorable—"O Lord our God, even at this moment as we come blundering into Thy presence in prayer, we are haunted by memories of duties unperformed, promptings disobeyed, and beckonings ignored. Opportunities to be kind knocked on the door of our hearts and went weeping away . . ."

After his death, his wife, Catherine Marshall, went on to write many books, two of which (A Man Called Peter; Christy) found their way to the screen.

In a sermon from Isaiah 1:10, 15-20, Marshall calls his congregants and the wider audience he enjoyed to spiritual heroism. Though the words address post-WWII America, they apply timelessly to other cultures as well.

The heroes the Christian cherishes, Lincoln included, are no demi-gods; they were (or are) human. They have their weaknesses. Their faults are well-known to their friends, better known to themselves. But the point is that with God and His guidance, they can provide the moral leadership that our nation so sorely needs.

America needs heroes on the battlefields of everyday life—in our homes, in our schools, on college campuses, in offices and factories—who can lead us toward a return to idealism.

For time is running out for us. We are a country plagued by almost continual industrial strife, betrayed and exploited by political expediency, disintegrated by a steadily increasing divorce rate, weakened and sickened by lewdness and immorality, torn by racial and political hatreds.

But I know this—and it must be repeated over and over again: no nation ever made progress by going in a downward direction. No people ever became greater by lowering their standards, least of all by changing laws to suit the lower standards. No society was ever enriched or improved by a looser morality . . .

Where are the heroes now? They will be with us, God will raise them up whenever we are finally ready to listen to the strong words of our Father-God.1

Footnotes:
1 Peter Marshall, "Where Are the Heroes Now?,” in 20 Centuries of Great Preaching, vol. 12, ed. Clyde Fant and William Pinson (Waco: Word, 1971), 11-19.

Welcome to 2009 and Happy New Year! I was out in the cold until 2:00AM watching a bonfire die down enough to go to bed, and then took another hour to actually fall asleep…yeah, I'm in huge need of coffee right now. Regardless I do hope you and yours have a very blessed New Year!

Now on to getting some people upset with me…it's the final week of bowls for the 2009 season! Let's begin with a recap:

• Texas Bowl, apparently the home field worked for Rice…1-0
• Holiday Bowl, head there was some questionable calls…did the refs come from the Pac 10? The Ducks win…1-1.
• Armed Forces Bowl, what happened to the Falcons? 1-2
• Sun Bowl, was this a soccer game? Oregon State won 3-0? I fall to 1-3
• Music City Bowl, Vandy managed to win their first bowl game since 1955 by beating the team with the longest bowl win streak in the nation…1-4
• Insight Bowl, Jayhawks win big and win easily…2-4
• Chick-Fil-A Bowl, Oh you of little faith! LSU was given no chance against Tech's triple option spread offense, but pulled out the 38-3 win! Two things: LSU needs to work on their schedule so that they don't have to play 8 weeks in a row again, and Jefferson should have been invested in all season instead of Lee…3-4

OK, that stuck, and brings my overall pick total to 13-9 for this post season. Not bad, but not too good either.
Now on to the picks…

• Outback Bowl, Raymond James Stadium in Tampa Bay, FL
The Head Ball Coach brings his fighting Chickens south from South Carolina after a typical USC season to take on the Iowa Hawkeyes out of the Big 10. Spurrier has the ability to get his Gamecocks to win many games that they probably should not have won, while still managing to lose the big games. Iowa on the other hand did manage to hand Penn State their only blemish on the season.
MY PICK: I'm sympathetic to South Carolina as an SEC school, but I don't see them pulling this one out…I'll swallow my pride and pick the Big 10 team.

• Gator Bowl, Gator Bowl in Jacksonville, FL
Terry Bowden won't be escorting Clemson into the Gator Bowl this year having been fired for a totally lack luster start that gave them a 7-5 record and a midfield finish in the ACC. They match up against Bo Pellini's Cornhuskers of Nebraska coming out of the Big 12 with an 8-4 record. Usually the Gator Bowl is one of my favorite games, not so sure this year's is going to rate high on my scale.
MY PICK: Clemson is a mess and probably messed up firing Bowden, and even though Bo abandoned LSU for greener corn fields, I'll pick the 'Huskers in this one.

• Capital One, Citrus Bowl in Orlando
The 2009 edition of the artist formally known as the Citrus Bowl that sold out to corporate sponsorship while still being played in the Citrus Bowl will once again match up Big 10 and SEC non-BCS runner ups. Former 1 Georgia enters the game having finished 2nd in the SEC East and losing to Georgia Tech in the last game of the season to face 19 Michigan State who matches the Bulldogs with a 9-3 record. Last year's game was a huge upset with Michigan pulling the surprise on Florida and picking up one more win for Lloyd Carr
MY PICK: I was way wrong on this one last year, but don't see anyone playing for Lloyd Carr this year…Bulldogs should win with a big game by Moreno.

• The Rose Bowl, Rose Bowl Stadium in Pasadena, CA
Joe Pa makes a return to Pasadena with his Nittany Lions and a single loss on the season to face off against USC playing what amounts to a home game and a single loss also. Joe Paterno is an old school, throw back coach of yeaster-year….especially since he is from the old school and is a throw back and from yester-year being that the guys is almost as old as the Rose Bowl parade. USC on the other hand is often compared to a pro team, and honestly I still wouldn't doubt some of their players getting paid as much as the pros.
MY PICK: On paper this should be USC's game to lose, but I'm not going to count the Lions out of it and I'm going to call the upset…Penn State wins.

• Orange Bowl, Dolphins Stadium in Miami, FL
Yes Virginia (Tech), Cincinnati does have a football program. Most people don't realize that the Bearcats have the oldest on campus stadium in the country, especially since most people don't realize still that they have a football team. Virginia Tech on the other hand has come so close so many times that they may not always be taken seriously.
MY PICK: My wife is a native of Cincinnati and since my father-in-law wore his Bearcat hat all last week I'll look at them to repeat their 1947 Sun Bowl win over the Hokies.

• Cotton Bowl, Cotton Bowl in Dallas, TX
Ole Miss fans were wondering around Texarkana yesterday…apparently they are so unused to playing in a bowl game that they didn't realize Texarkana wasn't Dallas. The Rebs bring a surprising 20 ranking and a 2nd place finish in the SEC west with a 8-4 record to face off against the Red Raiders of Texas Tech who bring an 11-1 record out of the Big 12 South which was a mess to pick a winner. And what a coaching match-up with the Mad Scientist facing off against….oh wait, no match up there, Ole Miss is coached by Houston "Sometimes you feel like a" Nutt.
MY PICK: Tech will run all over the Rebs.

• Liberty Bowl, Liberty Bowl in Memphis, TN
I love the Liberty Bowl, thought it has had some great match ups in the past…but to be played during BCS week? Why?
For what it is worth the Kentucky Wildcats come out of the SEC with a 6-6 record and they are playing in the 3rd consecutive bowl game for only the 2nd time ever to face off against the East Carolina Pirates who went 9-4 and finished first in the C-USA East. Only in this bowl scenario can a team that finished last in their division match up against a team that finished first in theirs.
Last year the Cats surprised me and won their bowl game, while ECU did manage to start the season with 2 wins against ranked opponents (Virginia Tech and West Virginia), but managed to lose to Mid-Major powerhouse Southern Miss.
MY PICK: Once again, I'm sympathetic to the SEC…but UK is a basketball school; I'll pick ECU.

• Sugar Bowl, The Louisiana SuperDome in New Orleans, LA
Nick Satan…oops, Saban brings his bunch of hooligans from Tuscaloosa after a surprising season which had them at 1 for a few weeks to face the party crashers out of the Mountain West, Utah. Most people assume Bama will roll over the Utes, but I expect Utah to be the only team the Tide faces that can put up more points than Florida. The Utes will have the distinction of being the only undefeated team in Div. 1-A with a win and a possible argument in the BCS championship debate.
MY PICK: On paper, should be Tide…but the only thing bigger than Saban's ego is probably the domed stadium this game is being played in; I'm pulling for Utah but wouldn't be surprised to see the Tide pull it out.

• International Bowl, Rogers Centre in Toronto, Canada
Buffalo making their first bowl appearance ever and facing U-Conn in Cananda…never mind, I won't say it.
MY PICK: The Saturday before my anniversary…I'm taking my wife out, WIN!

• Fiesta Bowl, University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, AZ
The Ohio State Buckeyes bring a 10-2 record and a 2nd place finish in the Big 10 into another BCS game, which hasn't led to good results the last 2 years…both losses to the SEC. Lucky for the acorns, no SEC this year, but they do get to face the 11-1 Texas Longhorns who feel that they should be playing in Miami a few days later for the BCS championship. The last time OSU played the Fiesta they won, but the last time they played UT they lost.
MY PICK: It cracks me up that 2 time BCS loser Jim Tressel has a book out on winning at life! UT in a route.

• BCS Championship, Dolphins Stadium in Miami
OU brings a 4 game BCS losing streak, including 2 championship games, into the big one to face the home state team, the Florida Gators. Both teams are have a single loss and Heisman winning QB's…Tim Tebow last year, Sam Bradford this year. Tebow and the Gators have been on a mission since losing at home to Ole Miss early in the season while OU were playing for style points to wrap up the season putting up basketball game type scores week to week. Both teams can and will probably put up a butt-load of points, but I think the team that can play the best defense will pull it out…and lets face it, the Big 12 has no defense.
MY PICK: Florida will be the 2nd team to win a 2nd BCS championship and keep it in the SEC for yet another year.

Great article from Truth or Tradition concerning "gay marriage".

This past Wednesday night i based my Bible study lesson on the old chorus that says, "Give thanks with a grateful heart..." and what exactly that means for us as born again believers; especially at this time of year.  I was searching various translations of the Scriptures for references where the word "grateful" is used...and much to my surprise, i only found it once.  In the NIV translation of Romans 16:4 which reads, "They risked their lives for me.  Not only I but all the churches of the Gentiles are grateful to them."  The Greek word used here for "grateful" is the same word translated as "give thanks" or "thankful" in other translations. 

Obviously my one semester of Greek in college combined with one semester in seminary must have slipped away (SHOCKER!), because i forgot that the word translated as "grateful" or "give thanks" from Greek is "eucharisteo"...which sounds an awful lot like "eucharist", doesn't it?  Webster's dictionary defines "eucharist" as "spiritual communion with God".  This really got me thinking, how our giving thanks to God truly is a time of spiritual communion with Him. 

It is in giving thanks that we recognize the work of God's hand in our lives and in His creation; and that is best seen in a relationship with Him that comes by grace and through faith alone. 

This means thanking God in the "good" as well as the "bad", because if we are truly God's, then He is at work (Romans 8:28, Phil. 2:13) in any and all aspects of our lives.  That alone should garner our praise and thanksgiving to Him.  In fact, if you have experienced the life change that comes with salvation...that alone is worthy of praise and thanksgiving. 

So, do you feel like God is "distant" from you?  He is only as for as a word of "thanks" to Him.

With election day tomorrow, and the results, no doubt, are going to have some traumatic effect on our nation no matter what...it is fitting that we focus on what is most important; that is God.  No matter what the outcome He will still be on His throne and we will need Him just as much as we need Him today.  The following is a prayer from author David Bryant:

Awaken your whole Church in America — and through us awaken an entire nation. AWAKEN US to see ALL that the Lord Jesus is in this hour of great trial. AWAKEN US to who He is as the majestic Son of God. AWAKEN US to where He is leading in the Purposes of God. AWAKEN US to how fully He imparts the resources of God. AWAKEN US to what He rightfully must receive from the People of God. AWAKEN US to pursue Your magnificent promises, wonderfully defined by His supremacy! AWAKEN US to recover and spread abroad ALL the hope we are meant to have in our Sovereign Savior. AWAKEN US to plant that Kingdom hope among our fellow citizens, now trembling in fear and despair before a multitude of overwhelming crises. AWAKEN leaders, in all areas of our national life, who rise to exalt and serve the righteous purposes of the Lord Jesus Christ. AWAKEN ALL OF US to the supremacy of our King! AWAKEN ALL OF US to His fullness — for a deliverance of America that will bless all the peoples of the world. Begin in this hour. Begin in this place. Begin with us all. Amen.

I'm sick of the way the race card is being tossed around as of late in this Presidential election. John Murtha (D-PA) recently slammed his own state of PA by saying Barack Obama will have a hard time winning there because of people being racist. And of course not long ago James Carville claimed that an Obama loss in November will lead to alleged race riots in our country. These are just a couple of many statements made over recent months where race has been drug into the forefront.

I do realize there is a small percentage of people who will not be voting for Obama because of his race, and i think that is ignorant and personally i hate the fact that they will be cancelling out someone else's hopefully educated vote. In the same way though, we have people who are plan on voting for Obama simply because of his race without a hint of consideration as to what his views are...and of all people Howard Stern recently gave proof of this.

People should not, should not, SHOULD NOT be voting for anyone because of their race...for or against! Look at the issues, educate yourself and vote on what really matters! People have given their lives for you to make this important choice, honor them by doing your homework.

My vote for John McCain has NOTHING to do with his race of the race of Barack Obama! I was an ardent supporter of Alan Keyes in 2000 and i am still praying for JC Watts to return to the political scene and throw his hat into the national arena...oh yeah, the last time i checked these two men are African Americans. My vote is on real issues: the economy, our national protection, sanctity of life, etc.; and i would hope that your vote is based on the real issues also.

We are a better country than this, and we ALL need to be better than this also!

I couldn't help but laugh the other night when i was visiting a church member in the ER, i found this sign:

All i could think of was "hurry up and wait", especially since it was right down the hall from the ER waiting room...which is notorious for being slower than molasses more often than not. 

For most of us we feel like we are in a constant state of "fast track waiting", where we are sitting tight, and just waiting, and waiting, and waiting some more for something to happen.  It may be a new job, it may be that much needed vacation, it may be Mr. or Mrs. Right...what ever it is for you, all you know is that you are waiting. 

Isaiah 40:31 is a very familiar verse for many, "Yet those who wait for the Lord will gain new strength; they will mount up with wings like eagles, they will run and not get tired, they will walk and not become weary." (NASB)  Looks like God understood that we would have to wait from time to time, and that we would hate the wait...so He addressed it for us.  Wait on the Lord, sounds simple enought, right?  OK, maybe not, but it does sound pretty "spritual" to say, "Why yes, i am waiting on the Lord" as we puff out our chest in pride. 

Let's face it, we know the verse, we love the verse, we are comforted by the verse, but we don't know what it really means to wait upon the Lord.  Might i suggest we flip over to the New Testament to see a possible plan for "waiting on the Lord"?  How about looking at 1 Corinthians 13:13?  Yes, that 1 Corinthians 13:13, the one at the end of the "Love Chapter"; stick with me for a moment.

1 Cor. 13:13 tells us, "But now faith, hope, love, abide these three; but the greatest of these is love."  Think about it, the Apostle Paul was inspired by the Holy Spirit to say when all is said and done, we have faith, hope and love to hang on too.  Wouldn't that also mean that when we are waiting...we also have faith, hope and love to hang onto then also? 

First of all there is faith...faith in God alone.  Proverbs 3:5-6 tells us, "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding.  In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight."  When we wait it is so easy to focus on what we can see, or worry about what we cannot see...but God says not to do that.  Don't focus on what you can see, and don't worry about what you can't see, but trust in Him alone and put your focus on Him and He will direct your steps. 

We are also told that there is hope...and some translations of Isaiah 40:31 actually translate it as "Those who hope in the Lord...".  We have lost sight of the true meaning of hope in our society.  When i was a kid we would take the Sears Christmas catalog and go through with an ink pen marking what we wanted and dog earring those pages so that we can go back to them.  All the while saying, "I hope i get this...i hope i get that...i hope, i hope, i hope", knowing good and well that we wouldn't get the vast majority of what we had "hoped" for.  I think this attitude has ruined what hope is for us, because hope is a confident assurance of our future.  Psalm 39:7 says, "And now, Lord, for what do i wait?  My hope is in You."  When our hope is in the Lord then we have a confident assurance that we don't need to worry and we don't need to fret, even when we are waiting.

And finally there is love...which is said to be the greatest of the 3 according to 1 Cor. 13:13.  Jesus is the one who told us in Matthew 22:37 that the greatest commandment is that "You shall love the Lord your God will all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind."  What this says to me that if i am truly loving God with all that i have in me, then the wait will seem so much smaller since that is not the focus of my life.  Do you love God above all else?  Is your waiting bigger than what it should be?  You think there may be a link here? 

I hate waiting as much as the next person, in fact in the wrong situation my ADD will kick in and i will hate the wait even more...but if i have faith, hope and love abounding, the wait becomes more bearable.  So if you are in the "fast track waiting" area, sit tight, look to God with faith, hope and love, and just enjoy the ride because He will make it worth it.