Keeping It In Perspective

Earlier this week, I received a phone call from my brother-in-law, Ben, who lives in Tennessee. Ben had received a call from his brother, Dave, in Florida who had made an interesting discovery.

Dave had been making an effort to find my parents' address on WhitePages.com. He typed "Roark" into the name field, and their ZIP code into the address field. He found what he was looking for, but also came across an additional entry with my name listed.

This in itself was not an interesting discovery since Kelly and I did indeed live and work in this same Tennessee town for two and one-half years. The intrigue begins with the job title listed under the entry with my name. It still had me listed as an employee of the West Fayetteville church of Christ, but with the job title listed as "false teacher" (click on the image above to see the screen capture).

Apparently, anyone with internet access is able to submit a name and job title. Dave was somewhat hesitant to let Ben call me with this piece of news, but being my best friend and brother-in-law (some say we were separated at birth), Ben knew exactly how I would take it: with great amusement.

Now, don't get me wrong...being labeled as a "false teacher" is no laughing matter -- especially if there is any validity to such an assertion. Understand, however, that when someone anonymously submits someone's name with that label to a website, that can be somewhat difficult to take seriously. It shows a genuine lack of character and courage, to say the least. And so, one might have to say in a situation as this, "consider the source."

While Ben and I were having a good chuckle over this, he asked if I could think of anyone who might be behind this. My answer was that I had only one or two guesses (after all, I'm not all that well-known!), but it would be impossible to say with any degree of certainty. Besides, I was not overly concerned with the situation in the first place.

Had this situation arisen in my younger days, I may have been hurt, angry, and on a mission to find the culprit. Now, at the advanced age of 30, I've found it much easier to keep situations like this in its proper perspective. For this, I give God the glory...

For the whole law is fulfilled in one word: "You shall love your neighbor as yourself." But if you bite and devour one another, watch out that you are not consumed by one another. But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another.
Galatians 5:14-26, ESV

When we allow the Spirit of God to operate and mold our lives through the Scriptures, the difference will be plainly evident.

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Endless Stuff

Recently while stumbling around the "information superhighway," I came across one individual's list of the strangest items ever sold on eBay. These are merely the opinions of that author, but I am in agreement...these are some strange items...and they actually sold for real money on "the Bay." So, without any further ado, I give you the strangest items ever sold on eBay:

Girlfriends: Some girls auctioned their services as 'imaginary girlfriends', who would send the winning bidder pictures of themselves and loving letters, which they could use to pretend they had a girlfriend.

Wedding dress: Nothing strange about selling a wedding dress, you might think - but this was the guy's ex-wife's wedding dress. And he modeled it, as well as writing a long screed about his ex-wife in the description.

TV part: Producers on the TV show Ally McBeal once used eBay to auction off a walk-on part on the show.

Kidney: One man tried to sell his kidney on eBay - after all, you only need one, right? Unfortunately it's illegal to buy or sell human organs. Good thinking, though.

Toenail clippings: A girl once sold her toenail clippings on eBay, one clipping from each toe. She got a $1 for the set - a low price for the years of joy they no doubt provided to the buyer.

Britney's gum: Someone picked up Britney Spears' chewed gum at a London hotel and decided it'd be a great thing to sell on eBay. Oddly enough, they were right - they got $263 for it. A Britney fan probably has it framed in their house.

Ghost: Yes, a ghost. In a jar. Well, why not? The ghost was, apparently, 'terrorising' the man who owned it, and so he decided to capture it and sell it on eBay to someone who might be able to give it a better home.

Virgin Mary sandwich: A seller offered a grilled cheese sandwich upon which the Virgin Mary had appeared to her - and the strange thing is, she genuinely seemed to believe it. This item, unbelievably, sold for $28,000. Some people just have too much money to waste, don't they?

Fighter jet: A state brokerage in Virginia sold a U.S. Navy F/A-18A Hornet jet fighter on eBay for just over a million dollars. It was, unfortunately, in pieces and so unusable, but they offered to put it back together and make it ready to fly for the low, low price of just another $9 million.

So there you have it. Pretty odd, huh? It would seem there is virtually no end to the variety of items people will sell....and, perhaps more surprisingly, BUY!

The Bible says...

When goods increase, they increase who eat them, and what advantage has their owner but to see them with his eyes?
Ecclesiastes 5:11, ESV

An increase of property almost invariably brings an increase of expense. This is not to say that it is sin to own some things...even some nice things. The point within the context of the book of Ecclesiastes is to show the vanity in piling up "stuff" while turning a blind eye to the inevitable outcome of all things material.

All will be left behind...even the precious few knick-knacks we find in our possession at the end of life. Not to mention the things we just "had to have" at some point, only to be peddled for pennies on the dollar at a yard sale, or the items which now rest beneath thousands of tons of other people's "stuff they had to have" at the bottom of some landfill.

The point to draw from these thoughts and the crazy list of eBay sales above is that you and I will be wise to keep this world and its wares in proper perspective. Yes, enjoy the plastic and wooden blessings of life and be thankful for them. However, keeping proper perspective of these corruptible materials will be essential in inheriting the incorruptible possession in heaven that awaits those who love the Lord.

r2

What Are You Worth?

It has been estimated that if a man were reduced to his constituent chemical elements, he would be worth approximately $54.

Reflecting on a man's worth on the spiritual plane, however, every man is of infinite worth! Jesus asked,

For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his own soul? Or what shall a man give in return for his soul?
Matthew 16:26, ESV

So, friend, if you ever find yourself attached more to the physical portion of your existence, just remember where your true value lies!

r2

Moth, Rust, and Concrete

British violinist, David Garrett, is finding out the hard way how fragile even the most valuable items can be. Dubbed "the David Beckham of the classical scene," the 26-year-old Garrett tripped while leaving London's Barbican Hall after a performance. His fall included tumbling down a flight of concrete stairs backwards.

Mr. Garrett fared decently, escaping the tumble without significant injury. Despite being in its protective case, the violin he was carrying over his shoulder did not fare so well. Much of the instrument was crushed upon impact. Garrett purchased the violin, a Guadagnini made in 1772, for $1-million in 2003.

Ouch.

Yet another reminder of the fragile nature of anything this world has to offer. Whether its money, real estate, automobiles, rare books, sports memorabilia, musical instruments, or anything else, there are just as many ways to lose our possessions as there are to acquire them.

Sell your possessions and give to the needy. Provide yourselves with moneybags that do not grow old, with a treasure in the heavens that does not fail, where no thief approaches and no moth destroys. For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.
Luke 12:33-34, ESV

This charge given by Jesus is one of those "easier said than done" items, but if we will challenge ourselves to implement this outlook in real life -- instead of merely acknowledging its philosophical merit -- contentment will be the result.

As for Mr. Garrett, he's playing a loaner Stradivarius (poor guy) until the company that insured what is now $1-million worth of sawdust replaces the irreplaceable.

r2

"God Made You. Be Happy."

The tallest man alive in the United States lives just down I-64 from Cold Harbor. George Bell of Norfolk, Virginia stands seven feet, eight inches tall, and works as a Norfolk sheriff's deputy.


Mr. Bell is a full two inches taller than the NBA's tallest current player, Yao Ming. He wears size a size 19 shoe (which actually isn't overly large for his height!), and wears pants that measure 43 inches at the inseam.


When asked how he feels about being so tall, Mr. Bell responded, "I have no choice but to like it."


Bell, 50, credits his late great-aunt for his positive attitude: "She always told me, 'Don't feel ashamed of yourself. Stand tall. God made you. Be happy and show your pride.' "


There is wisdom contained in such an outlook. No matter how big or how small, no matter where we have come from or where we're going, regardless of the color of our skin or how many friends we have, genuinely happy and content people are such by choice. If we live long enough here on earth, we will be faced with difficult days. People will be cruel, and those we count on will let us down.


Thus, we will be well served if we remind ourselves daily that we have inherent value in the eyes of the Lord by virtue of the fact that we are created in His image (Genesis 1:26). We set ourselves up for great disappointment when we lose sight of the fact that human relationships cannot provide all we need in life. Truly, "the arm of flesh will fail you," but the Lord will never leave you nor forsake you (Hebrews 13:5)!!


Be loyal to Him who made you, sustains you, redeems you, and loves you without measure.

r2