The Preacher May 2014

The greatest young woman in the world As I write, I am contemplating the pending high school graduation of my older daughter, Taylor. Frankly, this week it’s

challenging to contemplate anything else. I’m a bit sad, a bit scared, a bit nervous. The other 95 percent of me is proud.

I was scratching my head, trying to figure out how to refer to Taylor as the greatest kid I know without disrespecting her

younger sister, Kylie, who is herself equally outstanding. And it suddenly struck me. She’s not a kid. She’s 18 years old.

She’s a woman now. And that fixed the problem. Since the youngest woman I know who would compete with Taylor for

the top spot is my wife, Tracie, and since she is annoyingly on the record as considering herself (and her husband) as

being firmly ensconced in the “middle-aged” category, I can call Taylor “the greatest young woman in the world” without

fear of offending any family members. For the rest of you, I can write off your protests as simple jealousy.

Her title firmly settled, then, we move to the next obvious conversation topic, which is, “How did Hal manage to turn his

daughter into the greatest young woman in the world?” Well, I had some pretty outstanding raw material to work with. But

I do claim to have played a role, and I am glad to share with you all. If I can help parents out there create a host of run-

ners-up, and especially if I can eventually help Taylor and Kylie keep the title in the family, I am honored to do so.

First, trust in God. Make His word the pole star of your life. See every other aspect of your life in conjunction with it. Not

only will it supply you amply with the wisdom you will need for this daunting task (and yes, that includes Proverbs 23:13

and related discipline passages), it will provide a constant context for every decision you make, whether it impacts her

directly or indirectly. God’s word is tested (Proverbs 30:5). It will work. It is no guarantee that your daughter will wrest the

title from Taylor, or even that she will stay out of prison; but living judiciously and joyfully in Jesus is certain to be a power-

ful force in her mind when she decides for herself whether or not to live her own life in faith.

Second, love her mother. Dote on her. Sing her praises (Proverbs 31:28-29). Be as “yucky” as possible, and smile when

you do it. Never, ever criticize her mother in her presence. Give her a model of godly womanhood to strive toward daily.

Third, stay rational. If Taylor has faults (and she has plenty), I assure you yours does, or will, too. Admit them. Point them

out. Develop strategies to fix them, and include her in the process more and more as she grows. No child ever achieved

greatness by having their parent tell them they were already perfect.

Fourth, love unconditionally. No matter what her failings, keep loving her. Tell her. Tell her in the presence of others.

When she acts embarrassed, keep going. Underneath the protests, she is eating it up. She needs your approval. Spend

quality and quantity time with her. Teach her early that you genuinely value her, even more than whatever is on TV.

Fifth, celebrate everything. A big part of training up a child (Proverbs 22:6) is letting them know when they get it right.

Don’t be so fixated on what she could do better that you fail to praise her for what she does well enough.

That’s it. That’s the secret. Now get to work, pronto. My future grandson will need a good wife.

Hal Hammons thepreachermag.com

The Preacher Hal Hammons thepreachermag.com

Babbler

In the “more than you ever wanted to know about words” department, I refer you to Acts 17:18, in which the Athenian

thinkers referred to the apostle Paul as an “idle babbler.” Scholars tell us the word in the Greek literally translates as

“seed-pecker,” referring metaphorically to someone who gathers bits and pieces of information he does not understand

and cobbles them together into something he ignorantly thinks to be a philosophy.

Kind of like a writer hunting and pecking through dictionary.com in search of a topic of pseudo-intellectual conversation.

Not this writer, of course.

There are babblers out there, though, although I would hardly call the divinely inspire apostle one of them. They may find

(or, more likely, trip over) a word of wisdom. But he is no better off with it than he was without it, nor is the one to whom

he tries to impart the wisdom. “Like the legs which are useless to the lame, so is a proverb in the mouth of

fools” (Proverbs 26:7). Would you take advice from the village idiot, even if it was the best, sagest advice ever offered

from human lips? Me neither.

I love the irony behind Proverbs 12:23 — “A prudent man conceals knowledge, but the heart of fools proclaims folly.” One

has stores of wisdom, including the wisdom to keep some of it to himself. The other is quick to share whatever tidbit he

comes across, including wisdom that is not wise, facts that are not facts, and help that is almost certain to hurt.

Not every bit of stuff out there is worth picking up — especially in the internet age. Get what you can use and learn to use

it; discard the rest. That’s this babbler’s advice, anyway.

The Final Word

Posted 5/21/2014

Page 8

The Preacher “The Preacher sought to find delightful words and

to write words of truth correctly.” — Ecclesiastes

12:10

Posted 5/21/2014

I Believe

in the Promised Land

When Abram was living in a land of sin,

God told him to take his wife

To a distant country that he’d never seen

Where He’d give him a brand new life.

He said, Leave everything you see here,

Live in tents in a strange new place.

And as years went by, when his sons asked why,

He told them, with a smiling face —

I believe, my children, in the Promised Land,

I believe in the word of the King of Kings,


And believe me when I say,

It will be my home one day.

When Joseph lay dying in a foreign land,

His heart longed to be at home.

And he told his people of a better place

That one day they would call their own.

He said, Don’t grow too fond of Egypt,

With its melons, leeks and grain,

Lay my bones to rest in the place that’s blessed,

Where milk and honey flow like rain.






When Moses took Israel to the riverside,

He knew he could not cross through.

Only from the mountain would he see the home

God would give those who had been true.

He said, Don’t you forget your Master,

How he saved you from slavery’s hold.

Greater things await those who place their fate

In Him who keeps you in His fold.






When life on earth seems to have a hold on me,

With comforts and pleasures dear,

I remind myself of greater things than these

Waiting there, drawing ever near.

I say, Don’t tarry long, dear Savior,

Pleasures here can be far too fine,

And I long to go to a place I know

To be greater than what here is mine.






Sing a New Song

Posted 5/21/2014

Page 7

Colossians 2:1-6 — “A true

knowledge of God’s mystery”

The mystery of God, fleshed out more fully in the book of Ephesians, is “Christ Himself” (v.2) — the Son of God coming to

earth to atone for the sins of mankind, Jew and Gentile alike, and usher the faithful into a relationship with God through

Him. Only in Jesus can “all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge” (v.3) be found. Therefore it is imperative that we find

Him, acquire Him, and hold onto Him fiercely, as though our lives depend upon it. Because they do.

Paul took his responsibility as apostle seriously. He was determined to reach as many corners of the world as possible to

“preach the gospel, not where Christ was already named, so that I would not build on another man’s foundation” (Romans

15:20). Perhaps that limited mandate was what kept him from taking the short trip to Colossae from Ephesus, where he

spent more than two years on his third preaching tour (Acts 19:8-10); he may have thought a visit would undermine the

good work of Epaphras (Colossians 1:7). In any case, though, he felt compelled to at least write to them, as they certainly

would have heard of him and the work he had done in Ephesus and other places.

Part of the reason he wanted to establish contact with the Colossians personally, no doubt, was the trail of malcontents

and backstabbers that seemed to follow him throughout his travels. Paul’s absence might have been construed by them

as indifference. So he insists in verse 5 that he is following their spiritual growth closely from a distance, “rejoicing to see

your good discipline and the stability of your faith in Christ.”

As is always the case, Paul’s desire for his brethren is that they find “all the wealth that comes from the full assurance of

understanding, resulting in a true knowledge of God’s mystery, that is, Christ Himself” (v.2). Further exposure to the in-

spired word will help them continue the growth process that began at their conversion and that would, Lord willing, contin-

ue for the rest of their days. The whole point of receiving Christ is to grow into a Christian. So he writes in verses 6-7,

“Therefore as you have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, having been firmly rooted and now being built up

in Him and established in your faith, just as you were instructed, and overflowing with gratitude.” It is our privilege, for

which we give thanks, to grow our faith. If we are “firmly rooted” in the fundamentals of faith and righteousness, we have

the necessary foundation to pursue obedience and true discipleship in every aspect of our lives.

The image in verse 2 of “having been knit together in love” is remarkable. It is as if the people of God are a basket, and

the basket contains all the blessings God has in store for His people. Certainly God gets the bulk of the credit and glory

for this arrangement. But the willingness of brethren to come together in close spiritual proximity helps retain the bless-

ings for the group, and by necessary extension for each individual in that group. The closer the weave, the easier it is to

see Jesus at work — not just in ourselves, but in other as well — and the tougher it becomes for Jesus to “leak out.” On

the other hand, as he writes in Galatians 5:15, “if you bite and devour one another, take care that you are not consumed

by one another.” Loving brethren can be our greatest asset in our walk with Christ (apart from the word itself); hateful,

selfish brethren characterized by selfishness and jealousy (James 3:16) can be our greatest obstacle.

Acceptable to God

Posted 5/21/2014

The Preacher Hal Hammons thepreachermag.com The Preacher Hal Hammons thepreachermag.com

Stuff About Things

I like brown shoes, and wear them most of the time. However, if you insist upon wearing black

shoes I will not argue the point. Go right ahead! I’m a very tolerant man with respect to shoes.

But some of my friends tell me I am intolerant in religious matters. They just can’t understand why

a kind-hearted, tolerant fellow like me would say that they MUST obey God’s commands, and prac-

tice in religion ONLY that which God has authorized. (Well, maybe that is the way they put it.)

Sometimes they find it difficult to tolerate my intolerance.

Some “intolerance” is born of egotism — the product of self-centered individuals who think they are

the center of the universe, hence their ways must be accepted by all. This is very bad. (Jas. 4:11-12)

And there is an “intolerance” of sort, which is born of love. I love my granddaughter, and insist that

she must not eat the shoe polish. (The brown, that is.) I can’t bring myself to be unconcerned about

this matter.

And there is an “intolerance” born of respect for authority, and deep concern for those who fail to

respect the divine will. Paul contended with the Israelites frequently because (a) he loved them, and

(b) he knew they could not be saved while they followed their own erroneous ways. Paul’s convic-

tions, and his concern for men, made him seem intolerant. (Rom. 10:1-f)

People who really believe something — strongly enough to work for it, teach it, practice it — are

often called “narrow” or “bigoted.” Meanwhile, the shallow-thinking, crowd-following, spineless

fellow is likely to mistake his own lack of conviction for “broadmindedness” and congratulate him-

self for being such a wonderful person.

It is well and good to be tolerant in matters of indifference — where the rights of men are equal.

But to “tolerate” sin and transgression of God’s law is to assume the right to “judge” that law; (Jas.

2:9f) or to relegate divine matters to the category of black and brown shoes.

In the final analysis “tolerance” is often a disguise for the lack of conviction and concern. That fel-

low had better forget shoe colors, and concentrate on a robe and crown.

— From PLAIN TALK, November 1964

More “PLAIN TALK”

Posted 5/21/2014

Psalm 84 — “How blessed are

those who dwell in Your

house” If I were the psalmist, this is how it would have happened: I saw a bird’s nest tucked, however improbably, in some remote

nook of the church house. And as I weighed the factors involved with a forced relocation of this little family, I stopped to

marvel at how this, a daily recipient of God’s blessings and singer of His praises, found a way to raise Her children

among the people of God. And I thought to myself, “How marvelous it would be if this bird and her young could stay here

and sing along with us as we glorify our common Creator!” Some might find it distracting, to be sure. (And an increased

usage of hats among our ladies would almost certainly ensue.) But perhaps the tradeoff would be worth it. And with that

in mind, I hurried to the office and wrote my thoughts down — “The bird also has found a house and the swallow a nest for

herself, where she may lay her young, even Your altars O Lord of hosts, my King and my God. How blessed are those

who dwell in Your house! They are ever praising You.”

Obviously I have no idea whether this or any other actual story was weighing on the minds of the sons of Korah when the

Holy Spirit guided them to write Psalm 84. But the notion of a bird — whether literal or a figure for a human who would

sing his or her Creator’s praises — finding her way into the house of God to make a permanent home there for her and her

offspring, that’s a beautiful thought.

The dwelling places of the Lord are indeed, as verse 1 proclaims, lovely. First and foremost, of course, the Lord dwells in

the hearts of the believers. Paul prayed that the Ephesians “be strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner

man, so that Christ may dwell in your heart through faith” (Ephesians 3:16-17). When we give Jesus a home in our hearts,

we become better people in all aspects. By thinking on “whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, what-

ever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute” (Philippians 4:8), we gradually find ourselves transformed,

being conformed to His image (Romans 8:29). And if every individual Christian is lovely because of his or her dealings

with Jesus, imagine how marvelous it must be when a company of such ones bind together in harmony! When we come

together as the people of God in “the household of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and support of the

truth” (1 Timothy 3:15), the glories of the house of God are brought to our attention that much more. Surely this is our true

home, where we were always meant to be.

As verse 10 states, “For a day in Your courts is better than a thousand outside. I would rather stand at the threshold of the

house of my God than dwell in the tents of wickedness.” What point is there in bickering over position, as the disciples

constantly did (Matthew 18:1, etc.), when even the lowliest of positions in God’s house is one of unimaginable glory that is

unattainable anywhere else? Being privileged to simply be a part of this, the most glorious family imaginable, is better

than any sort of life, however long it may last, that is attainable anywhere else. The one who glories in God’s presence

looks for opportunities to revel in the splendor of His house. The one who embraces excuses for not doing so is one who

has no idea of the value of the privilege he possesses.

Words of Wisdom

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Page 6


Building better, not just

building deeper

Scenic Highway here in Pensacola, Florida, is aptly named. It runs alongside Escambia Bay, giving car passengers a

great view of one of the best things about living in this part of the world. (Car drivers are encouraged to watch the road,

not the scenery.) But it’s not so “scenic” these days; in fact, it’s not really even a highway. Recent flooding washed away

the sandy soil underneath two sections of road, hopelessly compromising the pavement and eventually causing it to col-

lapse. Helicopter photos of the road were amazing. The eroded soil, which actually is composed almost entirely of sand,

created a brand new section of beach that had never existed before — or at least, not in the last century or so.

It reminded me of a Bible story. Actually it reminded one of our deacons. A few days after the event, he directed the

church’s thoughts, and mine, toward Matthew 7:26-27. I almost literally slapped myself on the forehead. Why didn’t I

think of that? So thanks, Mark Godwin. You are an inspiration.

“Everyone who hears these words of Mine and does not act on them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the

sand. The rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and it fell — and great was

its fall.”

A forty foot bank of sand is still sand. And a foundation built upon it is still structurally unsound. In retrospect, it was only

a matter of time until enough water fell in a short enough period of time to create a current strong enough to wash all that

sand away. (This is hurricane country, after all.) Lesson learned. I am sure the construction crews hard at work even as I

type are doing more than just scraping up the sand and putting it back in place. If not, I’d like to know now so I can get

used to taking a different road to the mall from now on.

Failure is costly sometimes — in money, in time, in emotion. But if we survive (and, thankfully, we all did), we can use the

experience to build better the next time. And that doesn’t mean doing a better job of building in the same place with the

same materials. There can be no good foundation on sand.

Jesus assures us of the solidity of His words. The apostle born out of due season calls them “sound teaching” in 1 Timo-

thy 1:10, “sound doctrine” in 1 Timothy 4:6, “sound words” in 1 Timothy 6:3. A life built on those words is built to last —

not just through our threescore and ten on earth, but on into eternity. As He, through the Spirit (John 16:13) gives us

“words of eternal life” (John 6:68) with regard to morality, family life, doctrine, worship, church organization, and countless

other particulars of our lives, we have confidence that we are safe in His hands. “Faithful is He who calls you,” Paul writes

in 1 Thessalonians 5:24. He will never let us down. We trust and obey, and He supplies. Always.

Philosophers, gurus, thinkers, scientists — they all come and go; if they do not live to see their words questioned or de-

bunked, their followers eventually will. Sand washes away to the sea. Don’t build there, however easy or trendy it may

seem to be. Work a little harder and build on the good foundation (1 Corinthians 3:11).

Exhort with Patience

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Page 5

The political Christian I have a preaching acquaintance in another state who is politically active. I

know that because I follow him on Facebook, and his political posts out-

number his religion-centered posts about twenty to one. Literally. I

checked. And this is someone who takes his relationship with Jesus and

the church very seriously. I know him well enough personally to have confidence this is true. But I can’t help but wonder

what sort of impression this leaves with others, particularly those who see Jesus as a “Sunday morning only” feature of

their existence and who might think my friend sees Him the same way.

I’m on the record as being an advocate of “tithing Facebook” — that is, making sure at least one post out of ten directly

reflects your commitment to Jesus Christ. That is an almost entirely arbitrary number, I admit. I certainly am not suggest-

ing my abovementioned friend or any other similarly obsessed Christian is in danger of losing his or her soul over a pauci-

ty of religious Facebook posts. But Facebook provides a rather easy way of accurately and quantitatively examining the

priorities you place before the world. It would seem silly not to take advantage of it — and outright reckless, having detect-

ed a trend not leading toward Christ, to refuse to make any changes.

Being married to Tracie has helped me grow in innumerable areas, but particularly with regard to my role in forming my

public perception. Yes, it may be unreasonable for people to jump to conclusions about me based on surface considera-

tions. That doesn’t mean they won’t do it; in fact, I know for a fact that some of them will — and not just almost-total

strangers, either. I can fuss about being misunderstood, or I can go the extra mile to make sure I am not misunderstood.

Maybe the second option isn’t fair or convenient, but then who ever said serving Jesus would be fair or convenient?

Here’s the bottom line: I don’t want to be seen by my neighbors, first and foremost, as a political activist. Or a golfer. Or

a foodie. Or (as I loosen my collar a bit) a college football fan. I want to be seen as a Christian. My other interests don’t

have to be sinful to detract from Jesus’ work in me; they just have to get in the way. So I am eager to govern my outward

actions so as to portray Jesus’ prominence in my life accurately. That doesn’t have to mean plastering my Facebook page

and rear bumper with wall-to-wall religious affirmations. But it very well may mean slowing the rate of increase in my affir-

mations of concepts, activities and goals that, quite frankly, have absolutely nothing to do with heaven.

Perception is reality. If a significant number of my friends think I prioritize worldly interests over Christ, then I do. I can

deny it, I can know it to be untrue in my heart, I can complain that they have not taken the trouble to learn about “the real

me,” and, placated, I can go right back to my previous ways, assured that they are wrong and that I, as usual, am right.

But what is gained by that? If people don’t see my light shining because of the bushel of worldly concerns I have placed

over it (to borrow from Matthew 5:14-16), then why bother having a light at all? Why not just remove the bushel?

Online relationships can help break us of the “attendance is submission” mentality if we let it. Few of us would argue that

simply showing up in the right place at the right time secures our salvation; it is our attitude of heart that really matters.

Well then, fellow Facebookers, read your own wall. Go back a month or so. See yourself solely on the basis of how you

present yourself to the world instead of solely on the basis of where you spend your Sunday mornings. You may be

shocked at what you find out about yourself.

Reprove and Rebuke

Posted 5/21/2014


The Preacher May 2014

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