Lord's Day 35
96. Q. What does God require in the second commandment?
A. We are not to make an image of God in any way,[1] nor to worship Him in any other manner than He has commanded in His Word.[2]
[1] Deut. 4:15-19; Is. 40:18-25; Acts 17:29; Rom. 1:23. [2] Lev. 10:1-7; Deut. 12:30; I Sam. 15:22, 23; Matt. 15:9; John 4:23, 24.

97. Q. May we then not make any image at all?
A. God cannot and may not be visibly portrayed in any way. Creatures may be portrayed, but God forbids us to make or have any images of them in order to worship them or to serve God through them.[1]
[1] Ex. 34:13, 14, 17; Num. 33:52; II Kings 18:4, 5; Is. 40:25.

98. Q. But may images not be tolerated in the churches as "books for the laity"?
A. No, for we should not be wiser than God. He wants His people to be taught not by means of dumb images[1] but by the living preaching of His Word.[2]
[1] Jer. 10:8; Hab. 2:18-20. [2] Rom. 10:14, 15, 17; II Tim. 3:16, 17; II Pet. 1:19.

After posting last week’s article on “Water to Wine,” I needed to go to Colville (population 4500), to pick up some supplies that included a used open top plastic drum. As a consequence I needed to take my Dodge Dakota, which has a hard-wired iPod connection to what once was called a radio. Cranking up my 5 star playlist, I was soon enjoying my favorite songs.

It was after about three songs when it hit me. I can bloviate about world and church problems until I am blue in the face. I can pontificate until the Pope becomes a Protestant. I can do that other stuff until the cows come home, but it really is not going to make a significant difference in the world unless written words, by me and more significant others, are interpreted in music. Music in all its forms is the ultimate human expression that we are indeed creatures designed in the image of God, for timeless fellowship with our Creator inclusively within a redeemed human family.

They say that music can calm the savage beast. None of us like to be considered savages, but music specifically, and other forms of art generically, are what is going to change or restore culture. I first began to understand this artistic concept through the work of Francis Schaeffer, but since that time, that has been confirmed by my own empirical evidence, as well as many other writers and musicians. If the current world is going to change significantly towards either a traditional or a more progressive agenda, it is going to be accompanied by music. As I once heard an old gospel musician say, music that gets down into your soul.

The latest world changing music experience probably began in the early 1960s with the emergence of rock and roll. This was really in many respects a rebellion of the tacit life of the post war prosperity of suburbia and American life in general. With the reality of the Viet Nam war these songs of rebellion became more vibrant, eventually being a causative agent for the hippie movement, as well as in the church where hippies got saved and were soon known as Jesus People.
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Tags: music, Jesus People, Christianity, Terry Clark, Bluegrass music, Gratitude - Praise - Worship, Natural Law, Kathy Mattea

Lord's Day 34

92. Q. What is the law of the LORD?
A. God spoke all these words, saying: I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. 1. You shall have no other gods before Me. 2. You shall not make for yourself a graven image, 2. or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, 2. or that is in the earth beneath, 2. or that is in the water under the earth; 2. you shall not bow down to them or serve them; 2. for I the LORD your God am a jealous God, 2. visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children 2. to the third and fourth generation 2. of those who hate Me, 2. but showing steadfast love to thousands of those 2. who love Me and keep My commandments. 3. You shall not take the Name of the LORD your God 3. in vain; 3. for the LORD will not hold him guiltless 3. who takes His Name in vain. 4. Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. 4. Six days you shall labour, and do all your work; 4. but the seventh day is a sabbath to the LORD your 4. God; 4. in it you shall not do any work, 4. you, or your son, or your daughter, 4. your manservant, or your maidservant, 4. or your cattle, 4. or the sojourner who is within your gates; 4. for in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, 4. the sea, and all that is in them, 4. and rested the seventh day; 4. therefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day 4. and hallowed it. 5. Honour your father and your mother, 5. that your days may be long 5. in the land which the LORD your God gives you. 6. You shall not kill. 7. You shall not commit adultery. 8. You shall not steal. 9. You shall not bear false witness against your neighbour. 10. you shall not covet your neighbour's house; 10. you shall not covet your neighbour's wife, 10. or his manservant, or his maidservant, 10. or his ox, or his ass, 10. or anything that is your neighbour's.[1]
[1] Ex. 20:1-17; Deut. 5:6-21.

93. Q. How are these commandments divided?
A. Into two parts. The first teaches us how to live in relation to God; the second, what duties we owe our neighbour.[1]
[1] Matt. 22:37-40.

94. Q. What does the LORD require in the first commandment?
A. That for the sake of my very salvation I avoid and flee all idolatry,[1] witchcraft, superstition,[2] and prayer to saints or to other creatures.[3] Further, that I rightly come to know the only true God.[4] trust in Him alone,[5] submit to Him with all humility[6] and patience,[7] expect all good from Him only,[8] and love,[9] fear,[10] and honour Him[11] with all my heart. In short, that I forsake all creatures rather than do the least thing against His will.[12]
[1] I Cor. 6:9, 10; 10:5-14; I John 5:21. [2] Lev. 19:31; Deut. 18:9-12. [3] Matt. 4:10; Rev. 19:10; 22:8, 9. [4] John 17:3. [5] Jer. 17:5, 7. [6] I Pet. 5:5, 6. [7] Rom. 5:3, 4; I Cor. 10:10; Phil. 2:14; Col. 1:11; Heb. 10:36. [8] Ps. 104:27, 28; Is. 45:7; James 1:17. [9] Deut. 6:5; (Matt. 22:37). [10] Deut. 6:2; Ps. 111:10; Prov. 1:7; 9:10; Matt. 10:28; I Pet. 1:17. [11] Deut. 6:13; (Matt. 4:10); Deut. 10:20. [12] Matt. 5:29, 30; 10:37-39; Acts 5:29.

95. Q. What is idolatry?
A. Idolatry is having or inventing something in which to put our trust instead of, or in addition to, the only true God who has revealed Himself in His Word.[1]
[1] I Chron. 16:26; Gal. 4:8, 9; Eph. 5:5; Phil. 3:19.

When the name of your organization is built upon the concept of refreshing water, it is always of interest how various enterprises use water in marketing their products. As a general rule, new and improved signifies that someone found a way to use more water and hence make the product weigh more, or be softer, or smoother, and still charge the same, or more money for the “improved” product. In reality the water is essentially a free filler to give you less of what you think you paid for.

I like to have bacon and eggs at least once on weekends for breakfast. A man can only live just so healthy and then life becomes a drag. The best bacon I ever had came from a meat packing plant in Wilbur when my mother lived there. They had to close their doors when the state required expensive upgrades to their facilities that could not be justified based on the potential returns.

I have made my own dry cured bacon, but it takes facilities that I no longer have at my disposal. Costco has dry cured bacon, one of the few places it is available, but I really don’t like the taste. So I am continually on the lookout for different brands of commercial bacon to try out. Last week at the supermarket, there was a 20 oz packet of thick sliced bacon, which was nearing the pull date and marked down. I decided to give it a try. When I open the package Wonder Springs, as I tried to guess how they got so much water in something that is supposed to cook up somewhat crispy.

Since that time, I think I have figured it out. Now the true goal is to sell you as much water as possible and still make you think you are getting a good deal. To do that you create a brine that will give you the smoke taste you think will sell. Once cured it is pretty squishy so you deeply chill and maybe even freeze the bacon slab so that it will slice evenly. Then while it is still frozen you package it for distribution. Once the frozen water thaws you have the squishy wet bacon I popped in the pan and it shrank to about two-thirds the precooked size.

Now that energy prices have made the transport of water much more expensive we are beginning to see many more drinks delivered sans water. You must add your own water in your own container. The manufacturer gives you a powder in a little Mylar tube and you add it to your own tap, bottled, or designer water, which saves everyone money, especially the luscious drink maker. However it does make you think, I am paying a whole lot of money for a few grams of artificial sweetening and flavoring, when the chilled attractive bottle looked like a better deal.
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Tags: bacon and eggs, water, health care, Chevrolet, Christianity, Jesus, Calvinism, evangelicalism, Gratitude - Praise - Worship

Lord's Day 33
88 Q. What is the true repentance or conversion of man?
A. It is the dying of the old nature and the coming to life of the new.[1]
[1] Rom. 6:1-11; I Cor. 5:7; II Cor. 5:17; Eph. 4:22-24; Col. 3:5-10.

89. Q. What is the dying of the old nature?
A. It is to grieve with heartfelt sorrow that we have offended God by our sin, and more and more to hate it and flee from it.[1]
[1] Ps. 51:3, 4, 17; Joel 2:12, 13; Rom. 8:12, 13; II Cor. 7:10.

90. Q. What is the coming to life of the new nature?
A. It is a heartfelt joy in God through Christ,[1] and a love and delight to live according to the will of God in all good works.[2]
[1] Ps. 51:8, 12; Is. 57:15; Rom. 5:1; 14:17. [2] Rom. 6:10, 11; Gal. 2:20.

91. Q. But what are good works?
A. Only those which are done out of true faith,[1] in accordance with the law of God,[2] and to His glory,[3] and not those based on our own opinion or on precepts of men.[4]
[1] Joh. 15:5; Rom. 14:23; Heb. 11:6. [2] Lev. 18:4; I Sam. 15:22; Eph. 2:10. [3] I Cor. 10:31. [4] Deut. 12:32; Is. 29:13; Ezek. 20:18, 19; Matt. 15:7-9.

The remains of Ryan’s Cabin about a quarter mile hike down and east of the Kettle Crest Trail in the Kettle River Range of Northeast Washington State.

Link to Kettle Crest Hike & Road Tour photo album.

There are times in life when you just need a good excuse to do something you really want to do, but for some reason you just can’t make the commitment. Up in Northeastern Washington State in the fall that is when the mighty hunters go “road hunting.” The reason for road hunting is you really don’t want to get anything from the hunt, you just want to drive around on back country roads and admire God’s handiwork.

If you move that October event forward to late July or August instead of road hunting you go prospecting for huckleberries. In this case if you find some - you don’t want to find too many, maybe enough for a pie. However you want to store that secret patch in your mind for the time you might really want to return and seriously pick some of the delicious berries on some perfect future date.

With the open ended desire to go prospecting for huckleberries, last week my cousin Stan Miller and I got into my Saturn to test the waters, or the bushes in the Kettle River Range. The first turn off the paved Boulder - Deer Creek Road was onto the Bull Dog Cabin Road some 15 miles or so from the junction with US 395, which continues north to the Canadian border. As far as my memory served me I could not remember being on that road. Way back there we came to sort of a summit that marked the divide between the north and south forks of Boulder Creek. The first picture of the camp at that summit in the photo album confirmed that new territory in my mind.

In the past access to this part of the backcountry was through the South Fork Boulder Creek Road, but a large slide about three miles up from the turn off the Boulder - Deer Creek Road, closed this access about a decade ago and it has not been restored.

From this drainage high point it was down hill to the remaining South Fork Road about 7 miles upstream from the slide. So far no significant huckleberries. Eventually the South Fork Road ends at a fork, one going up US Creek between US Mountain and the Twin Sisters, the other becoming the Albian Hill Road that eventually joins SR 20 (Sherman Pass Scenic Byway). Now on familiar ground it was forward to the next prospecting spot, Ryan’s Cabin.

We had hiked to Ryan’s Cabin over 20 years ago, but I remembered little other than being there. Back then we followed the trail directly off the road, this time there was an access road that took us up to a little simple campground and sort of a combined trailhead to Ryan’s Cabin and the Stickpin Trail. The Ryan’s Cabin Trail said the Kettle Crest Trail was 1.5 miles distant and we were off. When we reached the cabin, it being near the Kettle Crest we decided to adventure to the top. Once there and only picking about 7 huckleberries along the way, we decided to continue down the Crest Trail and pick up the Stickpin Trail to return to the car. The Stickpin Trail descends from the Crest into the South Boulder Basin for about 2.1 miles, making our round trip about 6 miles total. The elevation gain was about 1100 vertical feet and with frequent stops for pictures and huckleberry prospecting we were out about 3 hours.

After that we knew the next stop on this prospecting adventure would be the “Old Stage Road.” This road was build in 1892 to connect the then thriving town of Marcus on the Columbia River above Kettle Falls, with the Puget Sound. This short stretch of road is all that remains of that old stage line. In 1898 the road was abandoned for a new road over Sherman Pass, where SR 20 now crosses the range. Again the last time we were up there, there was just a marker and a very overgrown trail. Now the road has been restored so that horse drawn wagons, as well as other non-motorized transport can make the journey back in time. Part way through the stage road is the trail to Copper Butte the highest mountain in the range, which is next on my agenda of this time maybe “summit prospecting.”

After the Old Stage Road we continued huckleberry prospecting towards Sherman Pass, deciding that this was too late in the season and that many heavy rains in June and July may have adversely affected the local crop. Along the way there were other developed trailheads with rustic campgrounds well worth a visit. Once on the Sherman Pass Scenic Byway we headed east towards Kettle Falls.

As we were nearing the junction of SR 20 and US 395, I remembered that I had not been to Trout Lake since I was in high school. Hence at the turn off we were on our 5 mile journey to Trout Lake. My memory of Trout Lake was similar to huckleberry prospecting, only that time it was fly fishing. With one cast I hooked a 16 inch trout, and that was the fulfillment of that fly fishing adventure.

Trout Lake is now the southern terminus of the Hoodoo Canyon Trail that passes from the Sherman Pass drainage at Trout Lake into the Deadman Creek drainage, passing Emerald Lake along the 4.7 mile journey. Last year while prospecting for huckleberries, I discovered that our family’s secret huckleberry patch was now the site of the northern terminus of the Hoodoo Canyon Trail.

The Kettle River Range is one of the best kept secrets for the back country traveler and hiker in the Pacific Northwest. A popular backpacking trip along the Kettle Crest Trail, adventures from the Deer Creek Summit to Sherman Pass. South of Sherman Pass it continues to the Colville Indian Reservation and the 7000 foot summits diminish slowly. The whole range is about 80 miles in length, from near the Canadian Border, where the Kettle River bisects the mountains, to the Columbia River on the south where the Columbia Basalt Plateau becomes the southern terminus. As a general rule mountains north of Sherman Pass were covered during the ice age, Sherman Peak and those to the south seem to have had their summits above the ice.

For those unfamiliar with huckleberries they are smaller and much more flavorful than wild or domestic blueberries. They grow in abundance in the United States from the Cascades through the Rockies, even though most of the commercial activities surrounding huckleberries center in Northern Idaho and Western Montana. Last year a gallon of huckleberries fetched about $40. This year because of an abundant crop in North Idaho the price has fallen to around $30. So far huckleberries are only found in the wild, but many horticultural researchers are getting close to developing a domestic variety. Then huckleberry prospecting will diminish into a trip to the backyard.

Tags: huckleberries, Kettle Crest Trail, Kettle River Range, Boulder Creek, Ryans Cabin, Albian Hill Road

Back when I was in elementary school, many summer days were passed playing Monopoly. Most games were over in an afternoon; some took a couple of days. One that I remember dragged on for a week, for we were all so rich and the wealth so equally divided that no one ever gained enough of a strategic advantage to defeat the others. Eventually we just called it a draw and went out and rode our bikes.

The game of Monopoly was invented in 1935 by Charles Darrow during the real Great Depression, and uses simulated property and imitation money, by which each player attempts to amass all the imitation wealth and thus win the game.

If you pause for a moment and think about it seriously, the cause of this deep recession was a lot a people playing a global monopoly game, using simulated property and imitation money in an attempt to amass all the imitation wealth and win the game. The problem is that the global level game goes on, and nobody anywhere, except those living within local enterprise Main Street seem to understand the illusionary nature of the pursuit.

None of this twenty-first century Monopoly relates to the real world, where people are trying to get by with what is left of real money, no longer trying to get ahead, but just holding on until hopefully better times will again give them true hope for a better life.

For the last month or so the global Monopoly players have been encouraging each other that the recession has at least bottomed out and it is time for the depression to give way to active trading in the hopes that reality will soon catch up. The concept of buy low and sell high is tempered with the knowledge you can at least sell short. Just in the last century Monopoly game you have to buy when the opportunity presents itself, or else you will be left behind, and never make up the difference.
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Tags: Monopoly, United States, economic stimulus, Main Street, capitalism, health care, energy, Barack Obama, New Deal, Christianity

Part III
Man's Gratitude
Lord's Day 32
86. Q. Since we have been delivered from our misery by grace alone through Christ, without any merit of our own, why must we yet do good works?
A. Because Christ, having redeemed us by His blood, also renews us by His Holy Spirit to be His image, so that with our whole life we may show ourselves thankful to God for His benefits,[1] and He may be praised by us.[2] Further, that we ourselves may be assured of our faith by its fruits,[3] and that by our godly walk of life we may win our neighbours for Christ.[4]
[1] Rom. 6:13; 12:1, 2; I Pet. 2:5-10. [2] Matt. 5:16; I Cor. 6:19, 20. [3] Matt. 7:17, 18; Gal. 5:22-24; II Pet. 1:10, 11. [4] Matt. 5:14-16; Rom. 14:17-19; I Pet. 2:12; 3:1, 2.

87. Q. Can those be saved who do not turn to God from their ungrateful and impenitent walk of life?
A. By no means. Scripture says that no unchaste person, idolater, adulterer, thief, greedy person, drunkard, slanderer, robber, or the like shall inherit the kingdom of God.[1]
[1] I Cor. 6:9, 10; Gal. 5:19-21; Eph. 5:5, 6; I John 3:14.

Too bad you can’t survive.

So we now have the close, so what is the opening?

Could it be, to paraphrase an old song, “Your so vain, you probably think this article is about you?”

Or perhaps, using a little community spirit, “We’re so vain, we might realize that this article is about us.”

Or as they teach in business school, “MBA means, Mediocre But Arrogant.”

Then we imply that everyone else has an SBA, which means Stupid But Arrogant.”

However, I realize I must be in error, for as we learned last week many Christians are so humble that they know they are without sin.

In that “but arrogant” motif, it is nice to know that the government’s plan for “Cash for Clunkers” was such a hit that they ran out of money almost immediately. After all what better way to reward bad decisions made in the past, while still allowing the recipients to continue down essentially that same highway. That sure makes you feel real secure that the government can successfully operate a really big budget program like healthcare.

Of course this continues the late twentieth century program to live beyond your means with cheap credit and no thought for tomorrow, for tomorrow didn’t come until late 2007.
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Tags: survival, vanity, self esteem, prayer, recession, Christianity, Narcissus