FIX STRIPS

Who hasn't used duct (or duck) tape—the thick, sticky adhesive fabric now sold in a rainbow of colors and that's a mainstay for quick repairs. A few years ago, an intrepid teen I know fashioned her prom gown entirely of duct tape. (She could hardly wait for the evening to end so she could be cut out of it and use the restroom!) Give a home handyman a roll of duct tape, and watch him go to work. My husband has a whole drawerful in various colors. Mostly he uses them to patch gouged seats of bikes he refurbishes. Why replace a whole seat when there's just a gash somewhere?

As a baby-boomer, born after the war, I've always been around duct tape, but was surprised to learn the idea came from a mom with two sons in the Navy in World War 2. She wrote then-President Franklin D. Roosevelt, pleading for something better to seal the boxes of ammunition that she was helping pack in a war factory. The wax-and-paper-tape seals just weren't doing the job, and when they failed in the midst of a battle, the soldiers were left without access to more ammunition. The president liked her idea, and ordered up the invention and production of a pressure-sensitive cloth adhesive. “Duck tape,” it also became known, because moisture tended to roll off it like water off a duck. It's so versatile and reliable that it's gone on space missions!

So now you know! Besides its military and repair uses, it's made its way to the craft world. A few years ago I noticed an article about how to create your own wallet from duct tape! (One way to help money stick around...) And while people can joke about this “miracle” tape, I think of the greater miracle of God's fix-it strategies. Sometimes they're not what we'd come up with, but in the long run they're better. One of the Old Testament's frequently quoted verses about God's power is this:

I am the LORD, the God of all mankind. Is anything to hard for me? (Jeremiah 32:26)

It's part of a long prophecy about how rebellious Israel would be destroyed and its residents carted off to captivity—but eventually returned to their homeland (v. 37). Indeed that happened in small measure seventy years later and also hundreds of years later as World War 2 ended.

The bigger message from that miracle was how God still takes people from their “captivity” to sinful choices and gives them a new purpose and future hope. Jesus zeroed in on that when a rich young man asked Him the way to heaven. Jesus suggested he quit counting on his “moral life” and give up all his wealth to follow Jesus. The rich man's money was more important to him. He was like a loaded-down camel attempting to squeeze through the eye of a needle. When Jesus' disciples heard this, they asked who in the world could then be saved? Jesus replied, “With man, this is impossible, but with God all things are possible” (Matt. 19:26). This wasn't necessarily a rebuke of having wealth. God has blessed with wealth many who invest it in ministries. But in this case, the man preferred his wealthy comfort to following Jesus at any cost.

So, back to duct (duck) tape—is there anything not worth fixing? I look at this battered world and think, Yes, there's much worth fixing. That's why we have a Savior, who revealed God's eternal plan for “cross-repaired” people to live forever with Him.

FIRM FOUNDATION

(A monthly hymn story feature.)
The history of “big numbers” in English hymnody began with the brilliant Isaac Watts, who in his 74 years of life left a legacy of some some 750 hymns. But a few years after Watts' death, another little English boy was born, destined to continue a prolific legacy of hymns, or at least of published hymnals. His name was John Rippon, and after his youth in southwest England and university education, he ended up about 200 miles east, in London, as the 22-year-old pastor of a Baptist church. Unlike many pastors, who move around, Rippon stayed there for 63 years until his death at age 85, and the church became one of the largest congregations in the country. One of its later pastors would be the renowned preacher Charles Haddon Spurgeon.

Rippon, who also edited a Baptist magazine for twelve years, was known as the foremost authority on the hymns of Isaac Watts. He chose many for a hymnal for public worship, first published in 1787 and periodically revised. Eventually the hymnal, known as “Rippon's Selection” was reprinted 27 times with over 200,000 copies. Some of the hymns were his composition, but not all were identified by author. One of the most enduring of the hymns, “How Firm a Foundation,” had just an alphabet letter, “K,” for its credit. Many believe it was the work of his assistant, Robert Keene.

No one knows who wrote the hymn's melody, but it's believed to have been an American folk tune, probably from the South. Coming across the ocean, the hymn became well-known throughout the country. It was apparently a favorite of Andrew Jackson, president of the United States from 1829-1837. One time after Jackson retired to his famed home, The Hermitage, a local pastor was his guest. Jackson said, “There is a beautiful hymn of the subject of the exceeding great and precious promises of God to His people. It was a favorite hymn with my dear wife until the day of her death. It commences thus: 'How firm a foundation, ye saints of the Lord.' I wish you would sing it now.” The minister and his other visitors sang all seven stanzas for Jackson.

“How Firm a Foundation” was originally named “Scripture Promises,” with the words of 2 Peter 1:4 printed above the first stanza: “Exceeding great and precious promises” (KJV). Each stanza emphasized a different scriptural promise. Stanza 2 reinforces Isaiah 41:10: “Fear thou not, for I am with thee...I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.” The hymn climaxes with the last verse's proclamation that echoes Deuteronomy 31:6 and Hebrews 13:5: “The soul that on Jesus hath leaned for repose....I'll never, no, never, no never forsake.”

Besides Andrew Jackson, the hymn was a favorite of Confederate leader Robert E. Lee, who wanted it sung at his funeral. President Theodore Roosevelt also considered it a favorite. And why not? It affirms we're loved by a God who says He will never, never forsake His children.

For listening, or singing-along, this video features vocals by Michael Card with inspiring artwork:

https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=how+firm+a+foundation+youtube+with+lyrics&ru=%2fvideos%2fsearch%3fq%3dhow%2bfirm%2ba%2bfoundation%2byoutube%2bwith%2blyrics%26%26FORM%3dVDVVXX&view=detail&mid=EC417756DB364E6C10A0EC417756DB364E6C10A0&&FORM=VDRVRV

HEART STRONG

How this squeezable heart ended up in our grandsons' toy stash, I'll never know. It's intended to help you squeeze away your anxieties, build up hand strength, or remind you how hard your real heart pumps to keep you alive! But I had additional thoughts--of the “heart” metaphor for the deep parts of our emotional and spiritual lives.

“The things that come out of the mouth come from the heart,” Jesus said about people whose “walk” didn't match their “talk.” Then He got very specific: “For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander” (Matthew 15:18). Reading that list, I thought: Those are the plot lines for television shows and big-screen movies. But sadly, “art” imitates life. I can recall the physical sense of heaviness in my heart when I suffered from others' verbal sins.

Those Jesus entrusted with leading the early church saw the same problems. Paul bluntly warned the Ephesians to be truthful, keep short accounts, and watch their words: “Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths....Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice” (Eph. 4:29, 31).

He similarly scolded the Colossians: “Rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips” (Col. 3:8). James shared the same advice after comparing the tongue to a fire capable of much damage (James 3:5-6). He was disturbed that people who called themselves Christ-followers could use their mouths to both curse and praise. “My brothers and sisters,” he said, “this should not be!” (3:10).

How much better when the name and character of Jesus are lifted up in our ordinary lives. I like how James characterized what that looks like: “peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere” (James 3:17). Such are the character qualities that are squeezed out of a changed heart—one transformed by love for Jesus Christ.

Maybe that's the message needed for Valentine's Day--not sappy “luv,” but genuine, sacrificial love. The one made possible by the One who died on a cross. The One who showed us how to live with kindness and care—wholeheartedly.

P.S. In thinking about this topic, I looked up sayings about kindness. I'd heard this one before: “Live simply, love generously, care deeply, speak kindly, leave the rest to God.” I never knew it came from former President Ronald Reagan. For more encouraging quotes about exercising that “kindness” muscle in your heart, try this website:

https://www.pinterest.com/stevenspianostu/speak-kindly/

And some more encouraging words...

I have a story in the newest "Chicken Soup for the Soul" book to be released this week, about "Making 'Me' Time." It's my seventh time in a Chicken Soup title, and I was especially grateful to be able to tell my story about donating home-sewn baby blankets to area hospitals and a pro-life clinic. I never dreamed that a simple project of a dozen blankets for my church's "community outreach day" would become more than 1,300, and also serve as emotional healing for me over the past decade. The story's title is "Patched-together Positives."

LITTLE CHURCH, BIG MESSAGE

For decades, it's anchored an intersection of the main roads of hilly orchard country near my home in Washington state. At one time, its pastor was my late father-in-law, who had a nearby cherry orchard. It's also the church where my husband and I repeated our wedding vows in 1981. With my parents both deceased, “simple” ruled my choices instead of a big and stressful wedding. Perhaps that's why I did a double-take when we recently drove past the church to visit some friends. The church reader-board offered a “simple” but profound message for our Covid-19 concerns and fears: “God is in control.”

I wonder if the simplicity of the church's surroundings made this message all the more powerful. While our world has magnificent cathedrals and sprawling worship center campuses, the Gospel can be powerfully lived out in simple ways. Witness, for example, the nostalgia presented in an old hymn, “The Church in the Wildwood,” written in 1857. Dr. William S. Pitts penned its lyrics after a stagecoach ride through Bradford, Iowa. Histories about this hymn said there wasn't even a “church in the vale” until one was built later and became known simply as “The Little Brown Church.” In such simpler times, more people of faith populated the towns, and their social events often revolved around church gatherings. It certainly wasn't exercise classes, sporting events, or rock concerts that brought out the community in those days!

Maybe we need to return to that sense of a “church in the vale,” a connection point, how humble it may be, which renews the ties we have with people of faith in our community. And, which provides a doorway for people exploring faith in Christ to come and watch. I know that's hard with the Covid-19 restrictions limiting those who attend worship services. These days, as “older people” with health risks, we've experienced the frustration of limited congregational fellowship. But God is in control. When our son recently experienced a very serious health crisis and emergency surgery, the church family came forth with prayers, meals, and practical help. Our current pandemic hasn't killed compassion.

“Come unto me,” Jesus said, “all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls” (Matthew 11:28-29). The church, of course, is not a building. It's the invisible bonding of people who love Jesus and in whom He lives. Who trust this truth articulated by the aging apostle John: “Little children, you are from God and have overcome them, for he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world (1 John 4:4 ESV, boldface added).

In other words, God is in control. No matter what.