Tag / religion

by amandastiver

Arrowhead Journal: This IS Your End Time

Through his years of service as a minister of Jesus Christ, my dad, Randy Stiver, often examined certain themes, and prominent among them was the “year of last things.” It started as a lesson learned during his years at Ambassador College in Bricket Wood, England, when he was asked by a faculty member if he was truly appreciating his “year of last things” as a senior. Last dance, last Bible study, last Sabbath, all the many “lasts” of his college experience.

But as he meditated on it, and we discussed it as a family, it grew into a concept that was much bigger than youthful experiences. It developed a more somber tone, are we truly appreciating all of God’s blessings in our lives because we don’t know the day or hour of our death. We could all be facing our “year of last things” in life. 2026 was certainly my dad’s year of last things, according to God’s will.

More importantly, since we know that according to God’s plan, we who are called now have this one lifetime to act on our calling, there is an exponentially more serious tone to our own “year of last things”. We have a choice in this life, we can choose God’s way on His terms or we can reject it. Closely examined, there really isn’t an “in between” choice where we can sort of follow God’s way, but by our own standards. No soap, as the old saying goes.

When “year of last things” becomes our personal end-time

I remember that, in the course of one sermon on the year of last things, dad followed the thought through to its logical end. If our life-span is the test of our true commitment to God, then by extension, the end of our life is our, personal, end-time.

Most of us think of the “end times” as a narrow period of time that precedes the last days, a period of world conflagration and tribulation, the Divine justice of the Day of the Lord, and, ultimately, the Return of Jesus Christ. Those events will come to pass, and will be the defining moment of the generations that are alive when they transpire (perhaps even our own), but if we convince ourselves that we can live an endless summer existence of “good times,” being fairweather friends with God’s Law and way of life, and then “if things get really serious, prophetically” we shape up in the hopes (possibly vain) that God will protect us, we are deluding ourselves. We miss the reality that we are living in our own “end time.”

Our convictions should have deeper roots than that. This is a “live or die” calling. We aren’t here for the good times only, or the social outlet, or the fun Feast travel, or the doctrinal dabbling, or the [insert your distraction of choice here]. We are here for the whole life-long fight, as Paul put it: “For I delight in the law of God after the inward man: But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members” (Romans 7:22-23, NKJV).

We’re here for the overcoming because there is only one goal of any value and that is our calling to be born into the Family of God at the Return of Jesus Christ. It should shape us every step of every day.

This was what motivated my dad through the years to keep on with the extremely exhausting job of pastoring, especially when not everyone was receptive to God’s way, even in the Church of God. (Imagine that.) Nonetheless, he wanted to see that internal combustion engine of conviction and true faith chugging away in all the people of God he worked with through the years. He poured his energy into his preaching to try to stir up God’s Spirit in others. Sometimes it was effective, sometimes it felt like an endless uphill climb.

Berean brethren I have known

But there is a small subset of brethren that he, and my mom and I, found endlessly encouraging through the years. Even inspiring to our own faith. My own great-grandmothers and grandparents were among them.

They were people from, primarily, another generation. They lived life before the digital revolution, a few even before the electrical revolution. I remember some of them from my very early youth, I wasn’t yet 10 years old, and they would have been in their late 70’s and 80’s, close to the century mark in the late 1980’s. The world of their youth was less distracting, and they had a unique ability to focus on what mattered. Many of them came from an agrarian background, so being attuned to the patient perseverance necessary to grow crops and work with livestock was built into their perspective.

When they came to the knowledge of the truth of God, at that time through the work of Herbert W. Armstrong and the Radio Church of God, later Worldwide Church of God, and having proved it true from their Bibles they had a “pearl of great price” attitude. That was it, they had found the truth and a lot of the other distractions in life that people aspire to didn’t really interest them.

They loved to talk about the truth, especially as it was outlined in the literature of the church at that time. They loved to talk about what they read in their Bibles. Not to dispute or to dabble with various interpretations or misinterpretations, as is often the case, but to be profoundly amazed and appreciative that God had revealed the fullness of His plan of Salvation for all mankind to them, in their lifetime. To know that, if they remained committed to the end, they, too, would be a part of the very Family of God. Living out the most purposeful existence of which our minds can scarcely conceive.

They knew the cost and the price of being prepared for their personal, end time. One such man had been a minister in a mainstream Christian church his entire career and only came to a true understanding of Scripture late in life. Yet he embraced it with absolute enthusiasm. He knew the cost and value of God’s truth.

Their memory still inspires me, just as my dad’s unwavering commmitment to teach God’s way of life even as he declined in the hospital, inspires me. The same way that the record of the faithful in the Bible inspires me, and the commitment and struggle and suffering that the apostles lived inspires me. The way the suffering and commitment of Jesus Christ should inspire us all.

Live like this is your year of last things, as if your personal end time is upon you. Eyes forward. Onward and upward as my dad used to say. You will not regret it. We will not regret it.

*If you wish to reprint this commentary or learn more about how to do so, please contact me in the comments below. I reserve my rights to this content, it is not in the public domain for use or reprint without my permission. **All images are property of Amanda Stiver, unless otherwise noted. Please do not re-use without permission.

by amandastiver

Notre-Dame, the News, and Resurgent Religions

Many years back in my elementary school days, I remember a project our teacher gave us. For our current events class, we were to script a newscast and film it.

This was back before the Internet. We had to read the newspaper, watch the local TV newscast, and call the national weather service to learn which news items we wanted to portray on our news program. It may not have been efficient, but it certainly gave us opportunity to interact with others, to learn what they thought was important, and to get advice from our parents about which news items were affecting their lives. The lesson: automation has a downside, it severs the human connections that are the reason our lives have meaning.

Back to the story…this childhood newscast taught me a few things: how to speak clearly and communicate before a camera, and how to find resources of information about what is happening in the world around me. It taught me to sift, sort, and discern the news both at face value, and for what dynamics might be at work underneath. I learned the nascent art of spotting “fake news” long before that catch-phrase was news, and to question my first reaction to a story. That emotional reaction is frequently self-deceiving, a reaction to how a news story is presented or written, rather than to the actual facts of the situation.

Gauging fact vs. reaction

Attribution: By Pline – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=4279202

Which brings us down to a recent news event, an actuality, which is the French word for a current event. Let’s look at the burning of Notre-Dame de Paris on April 15, 2019. Situated on the Île de la Cité in the River Seine, it has been at the heart of Paris for 856 years from the day the first stone was set in 1163.

It is not the spiritual center of historical France, that was the cathedral of Reims where many French kings were coronated, but it has become a symbolic center of historical France and Paris. Thanks in part to the story by Victor Hugo that was, after many interpretations, turned into a Disney cartoon film, “The Hunchback of Notre-Dame.”

*For an off-site article recommendation to learn more about Notre-Dame, please see link following this post.

Rather momentously, it (mostly) survived the brutality of the 1790’s, during the philosophically atheistic Reign of Terror of the French Revolution. A few statues lost their heads, and it was turned into a secular-religious church of the cult of the Supreme Being. Alas, the neglect it suffered in the ensuing decades led to a restoration in the 1840’s directed by Eugene Viollet-le-Duc. The very spire, the tower that went up so dramatically in flames on April 15, dates from this period.

And ironically, it was in the midst of restoration once again when it caught fire. Which brings me back to the news. How it sometimes pays to reserve our judgment on the cause of events.

It is tempting to think that the fire was the result of a malfunction of restoration equipment and computer systems, which, of this writing, it appears has become the official cause. On the other hand, we may be tempted to ponder the proximity to the traditional Christian religious festival of Easter, and the occurrence of other fires and defacements of cathedrals and churches around France, and indeed, Europe. It is logical to wonder if there is religious conflict at the heart of the conflagration. And this is where patience is the best perspective because, ultimately, time will tell.

Rapidly raising funds

But what I find more interesting, and illuminating (pardon the pun), is the speed with which over 1 billion Euros were raised to support reconstruction of Notre-Dame. Roughly, two days.

Much has been made of the secularization of the religious world, and specifically of Christianity, and precisely, the Catholic Church. Scandals, a Pope with sometimes seemingly mixed messages, has led many to assume that this ancient religious movement is defunct. I think it is unwise to make that assumption, and the rapidity with which funds were raised is just a slight rumble of a still active entity.

As tensions increase, and national identities, and identities of all kinds are debated, people will begin to move back to what is familiar. Atheism as a belief system (and it is one) has little hope to offer, but religions, of various definitions, do (however much we may debate whose belief system is truth).

This of course, as any student of Biblical prophecy knows, means increased conflict among religions, which is, unfortunately, the human experience. But it’s also history-in-the-making.

So when you read the news, take time to look behind the headlines. Consider the possible conclusions, have patience because the truth will eventually become clear. Guard your initial reaction to a news event, be ready to discern between how a story is presented and what the actual facts are. And most importantly, look at the news with an eye for what we can learn, just as the fund raising for restoring Notre-Dame was unexpectedly rapid, look closer, and consider further implications.

Keep thinking history!

– Amanda Stiver

*For an excellent article from Nation Geographic about the history and construction of Notre-Dame de Paris, with many images of the cathedral: CLICK HERE

by amandastiver

Tomorrow’s History: Weekly Roundup (Radio Drama – Faith and Health – History Gateways)

Theater of the Mind: Adventures in Classic Radio

Can you see it? The detective walks cautiously through the streets of 1950’s Cairo. An American he, owner of the Cafe Tambourine and subject to all manner of trouble, from old friends, shady ladies, and local desperates. Luckily, he is aided in his sometimes inadvertent quest for justice by the stalwart Lt. Sam Sabaya of the Cairo Police.

Sound intriguing? Imagine the possible sets, camera angles, visual effects and action sequences! So when is this series going to premiere? Which channel? Or is it on one of the digital media powerhouses, Netflix or Amazon Video?

Would you believe……radio? No visual effects, no screens, no adventure sequences filmed with the help of talented stunt teams, just……voices, music, sound effects, and some incredibly talented writers. The show?

The Adventures of Rocky Jordan, starring Jack Moyles and Jay Novello. It was on air from 1948 to 1951 and was one of many in the genre of post-World War Two radio detective-adventurers. But the era called “the golden age of radio” wasn’t just about detectives, it included all manner of entertainment, humor, music, drama, news, matching and often surpassing the content of today’s video media.

The common element was that it was all audio and though it allowed for amazingly low budgets it did require three vital elements. First, actors with tremendous voicing skills, a finely tuned ability to express all emotions, states of mind, and motivations with voice alone. Next, writers of unsurpassed ability who could develop a script that accounted for descriptions that would normally be explained by visuals, as a result many shows were narrated by the main character to allow for this device. Finally, a sound engineer with imagination, timing, and endless energy to produce all the sound effects that filled in the final details of the audio action.

If you want to learn more…start with a simple online search for “old time radio shows”. Since the copyright on this type of entertainment has mostly run out, there are many shows in the public domain and posted by various organizations and individuals. If you use internet radio look for WMKV – wmkv.org (FM 89.3, Reading, Ohio), Conyers Old Time Radio – conyersradio.net (FM 89.9, Conyers, Georgia) and others, or search for an “old time radio” app on your smart phone. Finally, to hear a sample of Rocky Jordan use this link to the comprehensive Archive.org (a site with many episodes of many series available): https://archive.org/details/RockyJordan

Have a listen! It’s one of the places where history and entertainment meet!

Faith and Health: What’s the Connection?

According to the findings from the Nurses Health Study, which tracked 75,000 female nurses from 1992 to 2012, the women who attended church most often (Protestant and Catholic were the most common denominations among the nurses studied) had a lower risk of dying. Those who attended church (or church activities) twice a week had the lowest risk of dying, while those who attended once a week or slightly less also had a significant, though slightly less-lower risk of dying. Churchgoers were also found to be more optimistic.

Experts have endeavored to determine why this is. Some have posited that it is the social support that improves longevity. Others believe it is the framework of a belief system that provides improved life stability (Corina Storrs, “Going to Church Could Help You Live Longer, Study Says,” CBS Philly at Philadelphia.CBSlocal.com, May 16, 2016).

An interesting statistic. Many will find a way to discount it, but it gives food for thought. How does what we believe actually affect us? Do we stand for something? Or not? To go beyond and connect to the study of history: does the historical tradition and impact of ancient documents, such as the Bible, bear more respect as sources of verified history with the ability to create positive change in the life of adherents?

Finding Your Gateway into History

Many times I’ve heard people say that studying history in school was their most dreaded class. And almost instantly, and somewhat sheepishly, comes the follow up that they actually liked some of the stories and they find it fascinating now, but history class was so hard to get interested in then.

There are many explanations, often it has to do with the teacher. Some history teachers are jewels, and imparting the fabric of the past is their highest goal. However, others taught history because it allowed them to do other things, like coach, or sometimes they had to double up and teach history and literature and they simply didn’t have time to dedicate to creating that gateway between the student and the continuum of history.

The gateway is the thing. Think of it as a doorway or passage of curiosity that allows you to enter into the study of history. Not necessarily academic study, but a gradual building of knowledge on a particular part of history or on many parts of history that helps you understand the meaning of it all.

There are many gateways. Sometimes a good film about a historical topic makes us want to know more. At other times a biography makes us curious to know more about the people surrounding the main subject. A living history museum might be it, or a piece of art work that begs the question, what was going on then that made the painter create this image, this way? Even religious belief can be a gateway to history, for instance wanting to know more about the lands in which the biblical record took place.

Whatever the gateway you find, take it! The value of historical knowledge in the quest for truth cannot be overrated.

Keep thinking history!

– Amanda Stiver