9/11 seven years later

Anniversary of World Trade Center bombing—A Black Swan Event

Nassim Nicholas Talib, author of The Black Swan: The Impact of the Highly Improbable, provides insight to the significance of this event. It has some powerful lessons, but I am not going to deal with them now.

As part of an exam today I asked students to reflect on what happened on this day seven years ago. Most of them would have been 13 or 14 years old. Out of 20 students few seemed to have any appreciation for what took place. Some were not aware of the number of aircraft involved and none knew that 3000 people died in all the disasters.

Student observations

Several students recognized the new status that "terrorists" received. They also recognized that some people have a tendency to label all Arab peoples as terrorists, which is unfortunate and unfair. It is much like the time when the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. Immediately the Japanese in the continental United States, many of whom had been here several generations, were persecuted and moved to interment camps where they would spend their existence until the end of the war.

We also have the wars, first in Afghanistan and then in Iraq in the war against terrorism. But terrorism knows no battlefield. Anyplace can be the battlefield. The enemy can attack without warning and is difficult to control when we use conventional warfare tactics.

For a short period of time churches experienced significant growth, but it was not long lasting.

Good observations: "This event changed our nation forever."

"It showed the world what catastrophic damage a few people can cause."

"However, security, travel, and basic American freedoms have been altered."

Talib noted in his book we tend to spend our time analyzing what happened with the intent that we will keep it from happening again. For example, the intensity of airport security. Also the price of oil and petrol at the pumps. And the effect on Wall Street. But that is the nature of a Black Swan event. It comes in an unexpected fashion and thus there is no way to prepare to deal with it. Instead we have to deal with the aftermath.

The student who said, "This event changed our nation forever," saw the real picture. I'm sure studies will come out this week discussing the difference what it was like before 9/11 and what it is like after 9/11. The highest price we have paid is the loss of personal freedoms in the name of security.

The terrorists could not have found a more effective way to wage war than what they did. We are still attempting to bring them under control. They are still popping all over the globe and terrorizing people. If history has anything to say about this, we discover the terrorists usually win. A major change in the style of warfare gave the colonists the edge over the British who were still fighting wars in the old fashioned way. Terrorists exploit the statement, "All is fair in love and war." There are no rules. The one who is successful will be the winner regardless of the tactics.

Give Glory to God

A famous evangelist from the 19^th century put it well when he said, "Prayer honors God, it dishonors self."

The Pharisees were noted for prayers that were designed to bring glory to themselves. They wanted people to notice that they were at prayer. Even by the way they dressed and acted they were desiring the glory of men. Of course, it is easy to condemn them. They are a convenient target especially since they lived 2000 years ago and are really incapable of defending themselves.

One of the troubling things that we find in our generation is the general disregard for the Bible and its message. I realize that I am definitely out of synch with this society. I am not a pluralist nor do I have a strong desire to be politically correct. For example, you have to be careful about how you use the term "Blackberry" which is actually a high-powered cell phone and pocket computer. Already some members of the African-American society have taken offense at the name. In my history the term "blackberry" referred to a fruit on the vine that made great jam, jelly and ice-cream topping. I did not see any racial connections with it.

We find other teachers, usually claiming to be Christians, who tell us that we can demand things of God. Especially noteworthy is the health and wealth gospelers who are telling people God owes them and all they need to do is ask for it. In other words God can be manipulated to meet my own desires and wants. I come from the old school that says we do not demand anything from God. Everything we have comes from God to begin with, and we are never to demand anything. Even in prayer, we are in the asking mode, regardless of how desperate we might be. James reminds us in 1:5-8 and 4:1-4 about this.

 

When we see Jesus we realize that in his prayers his concern was for the glory of God. Three things should be evident in our prayers:

• Who God is
  
• What God wants
  
• How He can be glorified
  
• "Those who teach otherwise are not preoccupied with the extension of Christ's kingdom or the glory of God's name but with the enlargement of their own empire and the fulfillment of their own selfish desires. Such teaching attacks the heart of Christian truth—the very character of God."
  

 

Jonah learned how to pray in the belly of a great fish. Jonah may have thought that he had the right to demand that God deliver him from the disaster he had created for himself. Instead he chose to give glory to God.

 

1     ¹Then Jonah prayed to the Lord his God ^afrom the stomach of the fish,

     2     and he said,

"I ^acalled out of my distress to the Lord,

And He answered me.

I cried for help from the ¹depth of ^bSheol;

You heard my voice.

     3     "For You had ^acast me into the deep,

Into the heart of the seas,

And the current ¹engulfed me.

All Your ^bbreakers and billows passed over me.

     4     "So I said, 'I have been ^aexpelled from ¹Your sight.

Nevertheless I will look again ^btoward Your holy temple.'

     5     "^aWater encompassed me to the ¹point of death.

The great ^bdeep ²engulfed me,

Weeds were wrapped around my head.

     6     "I ^adescended to the roots of the mountains.

The earth with its ^bbars was around me forever,

But You have ^cbrought up my life from ¹the pit, O Lord my God.

     7     "While ¹I was ^afainting away,

I ^bremembered the Lord,

And my ^cprayer came to You,

Into ^dYour holy temple.

     8     "Those who ^aregard ¹vain idols

Forsake their faithfulness,

     9     But I will ^asacrifice to You

With the voice of thanksgiving.

That which I have vowed I will ^bpay.

^cSalvation is from the Lord."

 

The story of Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego.—Daniel chapter 3, see especially vv. 13-18.

 

There is not a hint of demand. These boys were innocent of disobeying God, but they about to die for their faithfulness. Why not demand the protection of God? Note again vv. 16-18.

 

Daniel in the lions' den. Entrapment involved. But Daniel does not cry out to God to demand that he be delivered.

 

And with that we are going to begin considering the various parts of the Lord's prayer, because it is a prayer designed to bring glory to God.

Lance Armstrong

For all you bicycling fans. Lance Armstrong is going race again in 2009. That will shake up the racing world.  He ought to be good for two or three more Tour de Frances. 

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2008/more/09/08/lance.ap/index.html

A Heart Set on God

 

John MacArthur reminds us that because we live in such a free and prosperous society we tend to put our security in ourselves and where we live rather than depending on God's grace. We have accepted the idea that we have the best in our physical blessings and are not really concerned about spiritual blessings. Why should I be concerned about my relationship with God as long as I have good health, enough money, a good home, good car, and for some of us, a good computer, one dog and one cat, a good wife and happy children?

 

Likewise we look at the church with the same eyes of prosperity. If things are going well we thank ourselves for doing such a good job. If there is growth then we are responsible for it and we confuse human success with divine blessing. The materialism of the world is present likewise in the church. Everything must have a numeric value to it or we are not interested. Many live as though God is not necessary. If we count the amount of time we talk to him, then he is not necessary at all.

 

Think about your own children. Arletta and I have five children and a foster daughter. We have nine grandchildren. Some of our children we hear from regularly, several times a week. We never hear from our foster daughter. Rarely do we hear from our grandchildren. Some of them have not even taken the time to say "Thanks" for expensive gifts. What does that say about our relationship. If we were pragmatic non-Christians, we might say to the non-communicators, "Someday, when the final will and testament is read, you may find yourself receiving a token dollar. You did not have time for us when we were alive and we have nothing for you in death."

 

People who choose to ignore God all their lives even though they claim to be Christians may find themselves in a similar boat, except that this boat is crossing the river Styx on its way to Hades.

 

MacArthur then adds, "Christians can actually behave like practical humanists, living as if God were not necessary. When that happens, passionate longing for God and yearning for His help will be missing—along with His empowerment." So we are called upon by Paul to "pray at all times" (Eph. 6:18) and to "devote yourselves to prayer" (Col. 4:2).

 

THE FREQUENCY OF PRAYER

• How often did Jesus pray?
  
  • Ministry lasted only three and a half years
    
  • Prayer was a daily habit
    
  • Often early in the morning
    
  • Usually alone
    
  • Had special places to pray, such as the Garden of Gethsemane or the Mount of Olives
    
  • "Prayer was the spiritual air that Jesus breathed every day of His life."
    

"He urged His disciples to do the same. He said, "Keep on the alert at all times, praying in order that you may have strength to escape all these things that are about to take place" (Luke 21:36)."    

• Frequency of prayer in the early church
  
  • The 120 before the Day of Pentecost gathered in the Upper Room, "with one mind were continually devoting themselves to prayer" (Acts 1:14).
    
  • The first 3000 converts were noted for being involved in prayer.
    
  • The apostles believed prayer was their most important ministry (Acts 6:4)
    
  • The consistent practice of the Apostle Paul(Rom. 1:9–10; cf. 1 Cor. 1:4; Eph. 5:20; Phil. 1:4; Col. 1:3; 1 Thes. 1:2; 2 Thes. 1:3, 11; Phile. 4)
    
  • Paul: "Pray without ceasing." Also Phil 4:6, Col 4:2; Romans 12:12; Ephesians 6:18
    

 

 

Olivia Jean Paddock, great grandchild #1

Well we welcomed Olivia into the world Saturday Sept 6, 2008 at 7:17pm. She weighs 6 lbs 14 oz, 20 inches long and eats like no other. She has her dads blue eyes and big ole nose and toes. Her hair is sandy blonde. She looks like a doll you would buy at the store. She loves to be held and just stares at you the whole time. Here is  a couple shots of the son and grandma holding her. Nate has changed every diaper since she was born. She is the light of his life and to see his happiness and joy is over whelming. More to come later.
 
Tad

Harry and Elaine Scates--missionaries par excellent

The following article was written in honor of Harry and Elaine Scates on their fiftieth wedding anniversary which they celebrated in Brazil. They are an excellent example of tent-making missions and commitment to God.

From: Harry Scates Date: 9/7/2008 11:31:42 PM To: HH SCATES Subject: A Love Story

This was written by Harry and Elaine's daughter Robin and was read at their 50th wedding anniversary celebration. Many of the people mentioned in this narritive were present.

HARRY AND ELAINE – A LOVE STORY

Source: Pes Formosos www.pesformosos.com for English click on the British flag

Married for fifty years and still in love. Fifty years in ministry together, and still active and fruitful. Forty-five years in Brazil and they still have a fire for missions in their hearts. Together, always together... united in dreams and fulfillments. Today we celebrate a Love Story which we all are part of. Right from the beginning we want to give all glory and honor to Jesus Christ our Lord, who has allowed us to take part in his redeeming plan. Thank God we are here as one family – God’s family! Let’s go back to our Love Story. Harry Dawes Scates and Helen Elaine Scates, for us here in Brazil, Ary and Helena, knew each other when they were still quite young. But, they only became good friends and fell in love at the age of 21. Three months after they had renewed their friendship they got married. A primary factor in this decision was their mutual commitment to serve the Lord in other lands. At the age of 26, (they are the same age with a 4 month difference) they came to Brazil by ship and arrived at the harbour in Santos after a 12 day journey. The date was January 04, 1963. But, how did it all begin? Well, Harry was born on February 14, 1937 in Palisade, Colorado, the fourth child (of six boys) of Erskine Edward Scates and Faith Marie Scates. His parents were people of faith and his father was the founder of many churches in western Colorado, Wyoming, and Utah and co-founder of Intermountain Bible College in Grand Junction. Harry accepted Jesus’ Lordship while still a boy he heard about Brazil for the very first time, through David Lloyd Sanders, a missionary who was a guest speaker at his church in 1947. Harry’s brother Richard used to say that he wanted to be a missionary. But, in 1950,Richard (Dick) passed away at the age of 16 due to a severe kidney disease and in the midst of the pain of that loss, Harry in tears said to the Lord that if Dick couldn’t be a missionary, he would take his place. Then at a summer church camp it became clear to Harry that the place he would serve the Lord was Brazil. Ever since then all his academic and professional preparation were directed to his calling. After high school he attended Mesa College and Intermountain Bible College. What about Elaine? This virtuous woman, with firm character, the second of 06 children was born on October 4, 1936 in Arthur, Nebraska to Chalmer and Coral Wade. Like everyone in her family she learned to work hard and at an early age, especially through the influence of her mother, she accepted Christ as her Lord and Savior. She prepared for Christian service by going to Moody Bible Institute in Chicago specializing in children’s education. She was always close to her folks and siblings and her sweetness and faith were captivating. After their wedding, Harry and Elaine moved to Grand Valley(Parachute),Colorado to pastor the Christian Church there. That’s where they received their practical ministry training. Later, Harry got a master’s degree in history at Kansas State Un. at Hays and after 3 years of marriage their first born, Robin Renee arrived. One year later they left for Brazil leaving behind their relatives and their nation, very much aware that they would never again come back to reside permanantly in the USA. The Lord had given them this conviction, that they were to be sown like seed into this new country that they had decided to love without first seeing it. After studying Portuguese for one year in Campinas, they were invited to help with the newly established church in the new capital, Brasilia. They served the Christian Church there under the pastoral covering of veteran missionaries David Lloyd and Ruth Sanders. In Brasilia, they adopted a beautiful baby boy, and they named him Todd Marcos. In 1965, another daughter was born, Ann Valette, and in 1968 another son, Lance Sergio. In January of 1969, under God’s guidance, the Scates family moved to Uberlandia, MG. They knew they were to start a new work there. God had given them a vision of a New Testament church with Holy Spirit power and love to win and unite people. Their conviction was that the Lord had told them to put roots down and learn to live off of the land. In order to do this they opened a private school to teach English as a second language. They named this school Escola Speak English, and initially Harry and missionary colleague Lynn Cleaveland taught. The Cleavelands helped out in several ways until they returned to the USA in 1974. A young Brazilian named Geser was their language lab technicion. When the children got old enough to go to school, Elaine helped out. This school served its financial purpose of providing a living for the family and it opened up contacts in the city during the17 years it was functioning. And with the profits from the school, the couple was able to buy several pieces of land behind the army base at a time when there was nothing but scrub forest there. Later on this property which was named Shalom was donated to the church that was to be birthed. From 1969 to 1975 many Bible study groups were formed. Harry and Elaine opened the first Christian bookstore in town, prepared a correspondence Bible Course, did radio evangelism, evangelized in the schools by projecting Christian movies and Harry and a team of men preached and taught regularly in the city jail. They were involved in social assistance of the most various kinds, but little fruit was gathered. It was time for much sowing, but still not time for the harvest. Many did not trust these foreigners and many times they were misinterpreted. But, they remained firm. They raised their four children teaching them to love God above all things and to love people regardless of colour, race or economic standing. They loved Brazil to the point they were willing to abnegate their American citizenship to become Brazilians. The law at that time did not accept dual citizenship. They wanted to vote, be like the people, and in many ways participate in the building of this great nation. Also, the country was under a military dictatorship and Harry was threatened by a local authority because he was hosting a meeting where the only crime was hearing the witness of an ex-drug trafficker they had won in the city jail and who had served his time. At that time, because they were foreigners, the family could be expelled from the country within 48 hours without any legal recourse. They decided to become Brazilians to make that possibility a little harder. (Today, they have both their Brazilian and American passports). As of 1975 Harry and Elaine together with new missionaries Jim and Carol Sturgeon and Jim and Sandy Bunch began to reap the first fruit that has remained to this very day. Jose Pereira and his wife Ana were baptised in June of 1975 and Marcia Batista in September of that same year. In 1976 something wonderful began to take place...dozens of young people began to come to Christ, and their lives were profoundly changed. This fire began to spread from some meetings held Saturday afternoons at a school. Robin Scates (16) was one of God’s instruments in lighting this fire. Most of these young people had no family reference and were helped by Harry and Elaine, who opened their home for these youth. They needed to be taught and needed orientation. Above all they needed a father figure... This revival and love time was remarkable! The church that was then birthed had a face: Love! Harry and Elaine’s care was a consolidating force in this Godly move in the lives of so many. Their home seemed to be a bus station... and many ended up living in this home-bus station. Some had no home and ended up being included in the family as children. The family went from 04 children to 09. Beginning in 1980, leadership training became the emphasis of Harry and Elaine’s ministry. Leaders and pastors were prepared for the local church and in order to open up new works in other cities in Brazil and in other countries. During those years the coming of pastor Iron Bernardes and his family was really important for the structuring of the church in areas in which Harry felt weak. (Evangelism, and Prophetic gifts). His humility in sharing the ministry with Iron turned the church into a richly blessed community with the flowering of many gifts among so many and it grew a lot. Beginning in 1983 and until now (2008) leaders were sent to the cities of Cuiaba, São Miguel, Anapolis, Ribeirao Preto, Maraba, Patos de Minas, Ibia, Coromandel, Capinopolis, Prata... and daughter and link churches from these and other cities and towns (almost 60) were adopted; Araguari, Uberaba, Belem, Brasilia, Ceilandia, São Paulo besides the churches in other nations such as France, England, Ireland, Spain, India. One can say that one of the main attributes of the couple’s life and ministry is that they are always PRESENT... they are accessible, they are wonderful friends, they are wise and humble. They are an example of a lasting marriage, of good parenting, of family values, of Christian ministry. Their hearts are generous and their acts full of compassion and love. They are always inclusive and hospitable. They are servants... Tonight we want to honor you! The city of Uberlandia has already honored you. The city’s ministerial council honors you as one of its founders. The local church that you founded composed of 3,500 members honors you. Your co-pastors honor you as father and mother of this ministry. Ministries of other cities and nations honor you. Your children honor you, they are an extension of your lives and ministry. Your grandchildren honor you for they carry a precious inheritance of faith, love, character and faithfulness. We were all marked by God through your lives. You have always given us your best and we want to give you our love. Your marriage Harry and Elaine is an example of companionship, mutual care and marriage covenant. Always together... be it walking around the park for exercises, or be it during the great number of trips around Brazil and to other nations. Wherever you pass by, your influence continues on, each person is treated as special. We feel special for being part of your lives, your family, your ministry... Time goes by... but your influence remains... you will never be forgotten... we will be together

Todd Scates

tmscates@yahoo.com.br

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Sarah Palin under siege

As I watched the news this morning on the sacred channel, source of all truth, wisdom, and culture--GMA--I realized that the media has decided that Sarah Palin is a dangerous entity. This bunch of hypocrites who push abortion and euthanasia, homosexuality, and blatant immorality now are complaining because Sarah Palin's daughter is pregnant outside of marriage. Thus the younger Palin is being treated that girls in this condition were treated 50 years ago. Yet many of the media culture are either unmarried or openly approve such relationships. But this is a smokescreen for the real purpose in the attacks.

Why is Sarah Palin dangerous? She represents a real threat to the present status quo. So it is important to do all that can be done to destroy her image and discredit her as a person. Every potential adversary is being interviewed in Alaska to demonstrate that Sarah is not who she claims to be.

Why don't we have some interviews with people who don't like Senators Biden and Obama? Simple. The media wants them to win.