dIt is high time for a fall house cleaning!  As I went through books and papers and boxes of "things" I came across a book given to me years ago, called "Sportin' a 'Tude" by Patsy Clairmont.  An old bookmark was in place about one-third the way through the book, as is pretty common for me - as a "doer" who finds it next to impossible to stay still long enough to complete a book.

So I read from Chapter 10 about FortiTUDE and was encouraged to encourage those of us who are finding today's issues challenging.  Here is some of that chapter:

"In The Family Book of Christian Values, Stuart and Jill Briscoe quote a poem titled "Courage".  The last two lines read, "Courage is fear that has said its prayers".  Those words say to me that courage doesn't always start off strong, bit it can find the needed strength in spite of weakness - even in the midst of it.  That means little knee-knocking me can qualify as potentially courageous.

I used to believe that I had to feel brave before I could take steps in a scary direction.  I have since learned bravery is not what you feel but what you make up your mind to do.  The challenge is to "set (our) face like flint" (Isa. 50:7) in the right direction then take the first steps onto an unsure and sometimes intimidating path, with the willingness to see it through.  The result?  Voila!  Fortitude.

Fortitude is like buying a lifetime membership to an exercise club and then actually showing up for each session.  Whoa, thing about it:  This isn't a word, it's an aerobics course!  What an exhausting thought, a lifetime of courage!  Admirable, enviable, yet it seems unattainable.

Remember Daniel in the pen, though, accused unfairly by the men, then thrown into the den (not to be confused with the study).  He never gave up (his faith), he never gave in (to their demands), he never gave over (to their ways), but he walked through each difficulty one courageous step at a time. 

Or consider a more reluctant fortitude candidate: edgy Esther.  Talk about having to walk a knee-knocking line - between royalty and relatives, Ether's queenly position was precarious at best.  A pretty maiden, she was chosen as queen following a beauty pageant of sorts.  But unbeknownst to the king, Esther cam incognito.  She had conveniently withheld her Jewish origin so as to avoid unnecessary pressure and to respect her uncle's counsel.

Then an enemy in the kingdom, Haman, devised a treacherous scheme to eradicate the Jews,thus threatening Esther's and her people's lives.  She was alerted to the rascal's plot, thereby placing the future of her people in the trembling hands.  Esther reluctantly, after big-time nudges from her honourable uncle, proceeded with a daring dinner. . Between drinks and dessert, Esther served hard-boiled Haman to the king.  The king gratefully couldn't digest this sneaky snake in the grass but had Haman hung out to dry.  (See Esther 7.)

Esther didn't find it easy to put her life (she was young and beautiful) and lifestyle (cushy, spa city) in jeopardy for her people, especially since the last queen was banished forever for her unwillingness to be at King Ahasuerus's beck and call.  Young Queen Esther was hesitant to do anything that might vex his highness.  But Esther pushed past her feelings of fear and intimidation and became a female of fortitude.  She spoke the truth, spared her people, and exposed a sinister plot.

Then there's the apostle Paul, a man of sagacity and tenacity.  After his conversion, However, he didn't see himself that way, which was probably a key to his ongoing courage.  Paul faced shipwrecks, floggings, stoning, and imprisonment with strength and, of all things, joy.

Excuse me, but if I have to wait more than a few minutes in the checkout line at the store, I'm offended and think I'm really suffering for Jesus.  I don't mean to be flippant, but honestly, we in the western world seem to see simple inconveniences as indignations and hardships as unfair attrocites.  Paul, on the other hand, saw danger as the opportunity to trust the Lord and hardship as a way to identify with the Saviour.  What a 'tude!  I sure hope outrageous is contagious.

Actually, instead of waiting to perchance "catch" fortitude, we can prepare ourselves for the times when we'll need strength beyond our own and courage to replace our fear.  On close examination, we see the fortitude tactics implemented in the lives of Daniel, Esther, and Paul.

Repeatedly, Daniel presented himself to the Lord.  Repeatedly, he made his requests known and then leaned in to listen to God, who hears our words and sees our heart.  Repeatedly, amidst the demands of his influential position and threats to his life, Daniel stopped his activities to acknowledge and worship God.

No wonder enemies couldn't intimidate this mighty man of faith.  No wonder lions slept peacefully in his presence.  No wonder the king rejoiced at the miraculous deliverance of his esteemed counselor, Daniel the lion-hearted.

A willingness to repeatedly bend our knee to the Lord prepares us to rise up clothed in His dignity and strength.  Daniel had learned through his life of exile to talk to God.  Daniel had years of prayer practice by the time he faced the lions. 

But Esther was a different story.  She was young and inexperienced in life-threatening dilemmas.  She appears to have been a cautious woman, an easy-does-it lady, a let's-not-make-any-waves kind of gal.  Along came her uncle and asked her to risk her throne and possibly her life by being a bearer of bad tidings.  The king had already eliminated one lippy queen, and Esther didn't want to further rile his royalty.  But knowing she must do what she must do, Esther asked that her people fast, as would she and her maidens, before she chatted with his hasty highness.

What a wise young woman to entreat her extended family of faith to fast, because witnesses in humble agreement before the Lord are a powerful fore.  Esther feared that if she proceeded and exposed the enemy to the king, she would perish.  Instead, she prospered even more than before.  Now Esther was secure not oly in her position with the king, but also in her position with the King of kings.

The apostle Paul knew the importance of both prayer and fasting, and he added a third cord to ouro rope of hope that will pull us out of fear and into courage - Scripture.

In 2 Timothy, Paul wrote to his beloved son in the Lord and reminded him of the importance of the Word of God.  It seems that those surrounding Paul had grown weary of prisons, punishments, and ongoing persecution, so they deserted him.  Paul reminded Timothy that difficult times (and people) would come into this life, and he must stand firm and be courageous (whether others were or not).  To prepare hi for hardships, Papa Paul told Timothy to remain faithful to the Sacred Writings, for they would profit hi, reprove him, correct him, and train him.

God breathed the Scriptures knowing we would need guidelines, encouragement, enlightenment, comfort and courage.

When I read that Daniel faced lions, it strengthens me to face the growling beasts in my life."

"Lost hope?  There is a rope (prayer, fasting, and the Scriptures), and "a cord of three strands is not quickly torn apart" (Eccles. 4:12b).  Remember, we're not born with fortitude, but we can develop into courageous people.  And it also help me to remember Who hold the other end of ouro rope - the One who will never let go."

Challenge:  see if you can read this without shedding a tear!

What would you do?...you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line, there isn't one. Read it anyway.  The question is: Would you have made the same choice?  At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves children with learning disabilities, the father of one of the students delivered a speech that would never be forgotten by all who attended.  After extolling the school and its dedicated staff, he offered a question:

'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does, is done with perfection.
Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other children do. He cannot understand things as other children do.  Where is the natural order of things in my son?'

The audience was stilled by the query.

The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, who was mentally and physically disabled comes into the world, an opportunity to realize true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people treat that child.'

Then he relayed this story:
Shay and I had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were playing baseball.  Shay asked, 'Do you think they'll let me play?'  I knew that most of the boys would not want someone like Shay on their team, but as a father I also understood that if my son were allowed to play, it would
give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.

I approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not expecting much) if Shay could play.  The boy looked around for guidance and said, 'We're losing by six runs and the game is in the eighth inning.  I guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth inning.'

Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a team shirt. I watched with a small tear in my eye and warmth in my heart.  The boys saw my joy at my son being accepted.

In the bottom of the eighth inning, Shay's team scored a few runs but was still behind by three.

In the top of the ninth inning, Shay put on a glove and played in the right field.  Even though no hits came his way, he was obviously ecstatic just to be in the game and on the field, grinning from ear to ear as I waved to him from the stands.

In the bottom of the ninth inning, Shay's team scored again.  Now with two outs and the bases loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be next at bat.

At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the game?

Surprisingly, Shay was given the bat.  Everyone knew that a hit was all but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly, much less connect with the ball.  However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the other team was putting winning aside for this moment in Shay's life, moved in a few steps to lob the ball in softly so Shay could at least make contact.

The first pitch came and Shay swung clumsily and missed.

The pitcher again took a few steps forward to toss the ball softly towards Shay.
As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball right back to the pitcher.
The game would now be over.

The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and could have easily thrown the ball to the first baseman.
Shay would have been out and that would have been the end of the game.
Instead, the pitcher threw the ball right over the first baseman's head, out of reach of all team mates.

Everyone from the stands and both teams started yelling, 'Shay, run to first!  Run to first!'

Never in his life had Shay ever run that far, but he made it to first base.  He scampered down the baseline, wide-eyed and startled.  Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!'

Catching his breath, Shay awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the base.  By the time Shay rounded towards second base, the right fielder had the ball.  The smallest guy on their team who now had his first chance to be the hero for his team.  He could have thrown the ball to the second-baseman for the tag, but he understood the pitcher's intentions so he, too, intentionally threw the ball high and far over the third-baseman's head.

Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him circled the bases toward home.
All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the way, Shay'

Shay reached third base because the opposing short stop ran to help him by turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!  Shay, run to third!'

As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on their feet screaming, 'Shay, run home! Run home!'

Shay ran to home, stepped on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the game for his team.

'That day', said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face, 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity into this world.'

Shay didn't make it to another summer.  He died that winter, having never forgotten being the hero and making me so happy, and coming home and seeing his mother tearfully embrace her little hero of the day!

A wise man once said "Every society is judged by how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them".

We all have numerous opportunities every single day to help realize the 'natural order of things.'
So many seemingly trivial interactions between two people present us with a choice:
Do we pass along a little spark of love and humanity, or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little bit colder in the process?  What would Jesus do?  What will you do?

"Let me explain the problem science has with religion."  The professor of philosophy pauses before his class and then asks one of his new students to stand.  'You're a Christian, aren't you, son?'

'Yes sir,' the student says.

'So you believe in God?'

'Absolutely.'

'Is God good?'

'Sure! God's good.'

'Is God all-powerful? Can God do anything?'

'Yes'

'Are you good or evil?'

'The Bible says I'm evil.'

The professor grins knowingly.  'Aha! The Bible!?  He considers for a moment.  'Here's one for you... Let's say there's a sick person over here and you can cure him.  You can do it.  Would you help him?  Would you try?'

'Yes sir, I would.'

'So you're good...!'

'I wouldn't say that.'

'But why not say that? You'd help a sick and maimed person if you could.  Most of us would if we could.  But God doesn't.'

The student does not answer, so the professor continues. 'He doesn't, does he?  My brother was a Christian who died of cancer, even though he prayed to Jesus to heal him. How is this Jesus good?  Can you answer that one?'   The student remains silent.. '

No, you can't, can you?' the professor says.  He takes a sip of water from a glass on his desk to give the student time to relax.  'Let's start again, young fella.  Is God good?'

'Er... yes,' the student says.

'Is Satan good?'

The student doesn't hesitate on this one.  'No.'

'Then where does Satan come from?'

The student falters. 'From God'

'That's right. God made Satan, didn't he?  Tell me, son. Is there evil in this world?'

'Yes, sir...'

'Evil's everywhere, isn't it?  And God did make everything, correct?'

'Yes'

'So who created evil?' The professor continued, 'If God created everything, then God created evil, since evil exists, and according to the principle that our works define who we are, then God is evil.'

Again, the student has no answer.  'Is there sickness?  Immorality?  Hatred?  Ugliness?  All these terrible things, do they exist in this world?'

The student squirms on his feet.  'Yes.'

'So who created them?'

The student does not answer again, so the professor repeats his question.  'Who created them?'  There is still no answer.  Suddenly the lecturer breaks away to pace in front of the classroom.  The class is mesmerized.  'Tell me,' he continues onto another student.  'Do you believe in Jesus Christ, son?'

The student's voice betrays him and cracks.  'Yes, professor, I do.'

The old man stops pacing. 'Science says you have five senses you use to identify and observe the world around you.  Have you ever seen Jesus?'

'No sir. I've never seen Him.'

'Then tell us if you've ever heard your Jesus?'

'No, sir, I have not..'

'Have you ever felt your Jesus, tasted your Jesus or smelt your Jesus?  Have you ever had any sensory perception of Jesus Christ, or God for that matter?'

'No, sir, I'm afraid I haven't.'

'Yet you still believe in him?'

'Yes.'

'According to the rules of empirical, testable, demonstrable protocol, science says your God doesn't exist... what do you say to that, son?'

'Nothing,' the student replies.. 'I only have my faith.'

'Yes, faith,' the professor repeats.  'And that is the problem science has with God. There is no evidence, only faith.'

The student stands quietly for a moment, before asking a question of His own.  'Professor, is there such thing as heat?'

'Yes.'

'And is there such a thing as cold?'

'Yes, son, there's cold too.'

'No sir, there isn't.'

The professor turns to face the student, obviously interested. The room suddenly becomes very quiet.  The student begins to explain.  'You can have lots of heat, even more heat, super-heat, mega-heat, unlimited heat, white heat, a little heat or no heat, but we don't have anything called 'cold'.  We can hit down to 458 degrees below zero, which is no heat, but we can't go any further after that.  There is no such thing as cold; otherwise we would be able to go colder than the lowest -458 degrees.  Every body or object is susceptible to study when it has or transmits energy, and heat is what makes a body or matter have or transmit energy.  Absolute zero (-458 F) is the total absence of heat.  You see, sir, cold is only a word we use to describe the absence of heat.  We cannot measure cold.  Heat we can measure in thermal units because heat is energy.  Cold is not the opposite of heat, sir, just the absence of it.'

Silence across the room.  A pen drops somewhere in the classroom, sounding like a hammer.

'What about darkness, professor. Is there such a thing as darkness?'

'Yes,' the professor replies without hesitation.  'What is night if it isn't darkness?'

'You're wrong again, sir.  Darkness is not something; it is the absence of something.  You can have low light, normal light, bright light, flashing light, but if you have no light constantly you have nothing and it's called darkness, isn't it?  That's the meaning we use to define the word.  In reality, darkness isn't.  If it were, you would be able to make darkness darker, wouldn't you?'

The professor begins to smile at the student in front of him.  This will be a good semester.  'So what point are you making, young man?'

'Yes, professor.  My point is, your philosophical premise is flawed to start with, and so your conclusion must also be flawed.'

The professor's face cannot hide his surprise this time.  'Flawed?  Can you explain how?'

'You are working on the premise of duality,' the student explains.  'You argue that there is life and then there's death; a good God and a bad God.  You are viewing the concept of God as something finite, something we can measure.  Sir, science can't even explain a thought... it uses electricity and magnetism, but has never seen, much less fully understood either one.  To view death as the opposite of life is to be ignorant of the fact that death cannot exist as a substantive thing.  Death is not the opposite of life, just the absence of it.  Now tell me, professor... do you teach your students that they evolved from a monkey?'

'If you are referring to the natural evolutionary process, young man, yes, of course I do.'

'Have you ever observed evolution with your own eyes, sir?'

The professor begins to shake his head, still smiling, as he realizes where the argument is going.  A very good semester, indeed.

'Since no one has ever observed the process of evolution at work and cannot even prove that this process is an on-going endeavor, are you not teaching your opinion, sir?  Are you now not a scientist, but a preacher?'

The class is in uproar.  The student remains silent until the commotion has subsided.  'To continue the point you were making earlier to the other student, let me give you an example of what I mean..' The student looks around the room. 'Is there anyone in the class who has ever seen the professor's brain?' The class breaks out into laughter. 'Is there anyone here who has ever heard the professor's brain, felt the professor's brain, touched or smelt the professor's brain? No one appears to have done so. So, according to the established rules of empirical, stable, demonstrable protocol, science says that you have no brain, with all due respect, sir.' 'So if science says you have no brain, how can we trust your lectures, sir?'

Now the room is silent.  The professor just stares at the student, his face unreadable.  Finally, after what seems an eternity, the old man answers, 'I guess you'll have to take them on faith.'

'Now, you accept that there is faith, and, in fact, faith exists with life,' the student continues.  'Now, sir, is there such a thing as evil?'  Now uncertain, the professor responds, 'Of course, there is.  We see it every day.  It is in the daily example of man's inhumanity to man.  It is in the multitude of crime and violence everywhere in the world. These manifestations are nothing else but evil.'

To this the student replied, 'Evil does not exist sir, or at least it does not exist unto itself.  Evil is simply the absence of God.  It is just like darkness and cold, a word that man has created to describe the absence of God. God did not create evil.  Evil is the result of what happens when man does not have God's love present in his heart. It's like the cold that comes when there is no heat or the darkness that comes when there is no light.'

The professor sat down.


The student was Albert Einstein.
Albert Einstein wrote a book titled God vs. Science in 1921.