I’ve never given much thought to turtles. Granted, I might think about them when I stop my car to help them reach the other side of the road, and I think of them when I see one smashed on the highway…which I seriously do not understand. I mean, how hard is it to avoid a turtle? Just move your steering wheel a teensy tiny bit, Turtle Torturer. It’s not like it’s an elephant, for goodness sakes.

Montana, my granddaughter, visited Dave and me in Florida last week. Yesterday we visited a “turtle sanctuary” where wounded turtles are treated. From the tiny ones (you know, the ones we purchase and stick in a cantaloupe-size fish bowl and then dump when they become a nuisance) to gigantic 300+ pound ones (there typically because they have been hit by boat propellers or have swallowed large hooks when accidentally nabbed by pier fishermen), they all were being treated in the sanctuary hospital and were on individual plans to heal.

I learned much from our tour guide and was in awe of how God’s design of these reptiles took so many details into account. For starters, pregnant female sea turtles return to beaches where they themselves hatched years before (sort of like a sandy trip down memory lane). The trip is laborious as they seek a nesting spot in the sand high above the sea level mark. (Freshwater turtles like we have in the Midwest will choose moist soil.) Using her back flippers, the mother sea turtle spends one-to-three hours laying up to 100 eggs in a tunnel she created nearly 18-inches below the sand surface. She then drags herself back to the ocean, never to see her babies again. (I think that’s very, very sad.)

We learned how the hatchlings use a temporary tooth to break from their eggs and how they move as a group at night to the ocean (for sea turtles) or leaf litter (for freshwater turtles) which helps the little critters avoid waiting predators. We were told that years ago, when people began to study sea turtles, they noticed that hatchlings would emerge from the sand at night; attracted to light, they would move the wrong direction (“disorientation”) toward street and home lights. None survived unless rescued. (I also think that is very, very sad.)

Now, to protect these animals, laws regulate that during hatching season here in Florida, all street lights and parking lot lights must be turned off. Homes recently built near hatching areas are required to install “turtle protection” windows (tinted to reduce light projection). Because of those changes, baby turtles rely on the reflection of the moon and stars on the water (God’s design). No longer are they fooled by fake light.

We Christians know what that’s like. Sometimes we become “disoriented” and follow one who masquerades as light: Satan (2 Cor. 11:14). You know, the one who works overtime to make us believe we are okay right where we are because we marched down an aisle and asked Jesus into our heart, so grace will cover our sins. But read Jesus’ words found in Matthew 7:21: Not everyone who says to me “Lord, Lord” will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven” Oops! Sounds like there’s a little more to this, doesn’t it? So, what is God’s will? Simple (well, writing and speaking about it is, but doing it? Lord, light our way). We are to love. We are to see all people as Jesus sees them. Only by relying on Him is that possible. He makes that clear in John 8:12: I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.

Unlike turtles (of whom only 1/10,000 survive—another sad thing and hopefully one turtle torturers will remember), God wants us all to spend eternity with Him. It’s our choice as to which light we will follow.

In 2002, when Richard Rodriguez was captaining a commercial flight, his lead flight attendant informed him that a soldier’s remains were in the cargo area. Rodriguez asked to meet the soldier’s escort. The captain later wrote of his experience. A perfectly dressed, young, army sergeant entered the cockpit and said, “My soldier is on his way back to Virginia.” After telling the escort that he had the toughest job in the military, Rodriguez and his co-pilot stood to shake his hand before the escort returned to his seat. About 30 minutes into the flight, the lead flight attendant called to say that the father, mother, wife and two-year old daughter were also on the plane. The family was upset because they were unable to see the container that their loved one was in before they took off. They were going to have to wait four hours for the connecting flight home to Virginia. The father of the soldier shared that knowing his son was below him in the cargo compartment was difficult and asked if it would be possible to be outside by the cargo door to watch him being taken off the airplane. Captain Rodriguez listened to the plea of the flight attendant and responded, “I’m on it.” He immediately contacted the air dispatcher, and two hours later, received this text: “Captain, sorry it has taken so long to get back to you. There is policy on this now, and I had to check on a few things. Upon your arrival a dedicated escort team will meet the aircraft. The team will escort the family to the ramp and plane side. A van will be used to load the remains with a secondary van for the family. The family will be taken to their departure area and escorted into the terminal, where the remains can be seen on the ramp. It is a private area for the family only. When the connecting aircraft arrives, the family will be escorted onto the ramp and plane side to watch the remains being loaded for the final leg home. Captain, most of us here in flight control are veterans. Please pass our condolences on to the family. Thanks.” Rodriguez wrote that after landing, when they checked in with the ramp controller, they were told that all traffic was being held for them and a team was in place to meet the plane. The captain recognized there was only one problem: when the seat belt sign went off, all the passengers would stand and prevent the family from exiting. Rodriguez asked permission to stop short of the gate to make an announcement. Upon receiving approval, this is what he said: “Ladies and gentleman, this is your Captain speaking. I have stopped short of our gate to make a special announcement. We have a passenger on board who deserves our honor and respect. Also on board are his father, mother, wife and daughter. Your entire flight crew is asking for all passengers to remain in their seats to allow the family to exit the aircraft first. Thank you.” When the family got up and gathered their things, a passenger slowly started to clap. Moments later, more passengers joined in, and soon the entire aircraft was clapping. Words of “God Bless You,” “I’m sorry,” “thank you,” “be proud,” were uttered to the family as they made their way down the aisle and out of the airplane. They were escorted down to the ramp to finally be with their loved one. Rodriguez concluded with this: “Many of the passengers disembarking thanked me for the announcement I had made. They were just words, I told them; I could say them over and over again, but nothing I say will bring back that brave soldier.” For the courageous men and women who fight for our freedom–too many times losing their lives in the process–thank you. May we remember them and their families this Fourth of July and every day.

The Bottom Line by Jimmy Tucker

I recently watched the movie “Charlotte’s Web” with my granddaughters. The story begins with the birth of a litter of pigs, and one of them was a runt. When the farmer’s daughter saw the little runty pig, she fell in love with him and promised to provide the special attention he needed to survive. She was true to her word and the little pig thrived on her affection and became famous. It didn’t matter that he started as a runt. It’s not how you start in life, but how you finish. Is it possible for your life story to end well? “…with God all things are possible” (Matthew 19:26 NLT).

In Judges 6 and 7, we learn about a man named Gideon. The Israelites had committed sins and forgotten God, so He handed them over to the Midianites who treated them cruelly. When the Israelites planted their crops, the Midianites came in and destroyed them, so Israel was reduced to starvation. Finally, the Israelites prayed to God for help. Then one day the Angel of the Lord came to Gideon and said, “Mighty hero, the Lord is with you!” (Judges 6:12 NLT). Gideon felt like the runt of the litter, but God called him a mighty hero.

God had a plan that wasn’t based on Gideon’s feelings. The Lord told him to “Go with the strength you have and rescue Israel from the Midianites. I AM sending you!“ Based on the facts, Gideon replied, “My clan is the weakest in the whole tribe of Manasseh, and I am the least in my entire family!“ The Lord replied, “I will be with you. And you will destroy the Midianites as if you’re fighting against one man” (Judges 6:14-16 NLT). Your feelings and the bare facts do not faze our Great Creator God. He’ll use you to accomplish His will IF you’ll cooperate with Him.

After Gideon was fully convinced and truly believed that God would help him, he went into action. God gave him an unusual battle plan with specific instructions. Gideon did exactly what God told him to do. God’s Spirit gave him courage and total victory over the enemy.

The meaning of the Hebrew name Gideon is “Great Warrior.” The fact that his parents named him Gideon was no coincidence. Before this child was ever conceived, God knew that he would be a mighty warrior and rescue God’s people from their enemies.

When God needed a man to replace King Saul, he sent the prophet Samuel to Jesse’s house to anoint the next king of Israel. Seven of Jesse’s sons were presented to Samuel, but God had not chosen any of them. Finally, Samuel asked, “Are these all the sons you have?” He found out that there was one more son, David, the youngest, out in the fields watching the sheep and goats. David’s own father hadn’t even called for him to be in the lineup! But God knew all about David and had chosen him over his older brothers. The Lord told Samuel, “Don’t judge by his appearance or height…The Lord doesn‘t see things the way you see them. People judge by outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart“ (1 Samuel 16:7 NLT).

The Bottom Line: If you feel like you’re the runt of the litter or the butt of jokes, God’s not laughing; He’s wanting to work through you!

Run to the Finish

“Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God” Hebrews 12:1-2

“Are you sure that you are well enough to run?” Coach Tracy asked. “Yes,” Holland replied. “I feel great. I’m ready to run.”

Those words were spoken by Coach Jim Tracy and his sixteen-year-old star athlete, Holland Reynolds, back in the fall of 2010. Holland was one of the top cross-country runners in the United States. She ran cross-country in California for San Francisco University High School. Her cross-country team was running to win the state championship for Coach Tracy. He had Lou Gehrig’s disease – ALS. The girls on his cross-country team wanted to win a state title for their beloved coach. They didn’t know how much longer he had to live.

That fall day, Holland was the last runner – the three-mile runner to close out the race. The track meet was the last competition of the season. The team already had enough points to win the state title. Holland did not have to place first, second, or third. She only had to finish. If Holland finished the race, they would win the state title. She wanted desperately to win for her school and her coach.

Holland was a skilled athlete. Normally, she knew how to hydrate her body. However, she had been sick with the flu the week before. She was dehydrated, but she decided to run anyway.

Holland later recalled the race that day in an ESPN interview. She said, “At the two and a half-mile mark, my legs got rubbery.” At that point, she started staggering. She fell 10-feet from the finish line.

One of the officials ran out to help her. He later said he thought she was dead. If he would have touched her, she would have been disqualified – and her team would have lost the state title. However, right before the official touched her, Holland got up on all fours. With every ounce of strength left to her, she crawled over the finish line. She collapsed, and the paramedics came to help her.

After she was stabilized, Holland was loaded in the back of an ambulance. A television reporter climbed up in the ambulance to interview her.

“Holland, do you remember falling?” the reporter asked.

“No. I just remember finishing.” Holland said.

“Do you remember crawling?”

“No. I just remember finishing.”

“What was your motivation? Do you remember anything?”

“All I remember was seeing my head coach on the other side of the line. He was encouraging me to finish the race. I just crawled to him, and we won the state title.”

In the Christian race of life, we are not running to win – we have already won. We are just running to finish. Jesus has already finished the race, and He is standing on the other side.

The point is: Jesus didn’t fail in what He came to do. He said on the cross, “It is finished.” Since Jesus finished for you, shouldn’t you run for Him? Don’t run for your church, your pastor, or to please people. Run to finish the race for the Lord Jesus Christ.

Hit the tape with a blaze of glory. Look to Jesus and finish the race.

James Collins is the Pastor at Fort Scott’s First Southern Baptist Church. For more information about First Southern, call (620) 223-2986, go to the website www.fortscottfsbc.com, like us on Facebook, or view past sermons on YouTube.

The transgender issue has created a new set of challenges, as politicians, religious leaders and school administrators scratch their befuddled heads over what needs to be done. As soon as one mole is whacked (i.e., the use of public restrooms), another rears its non-gendered head and decisions have to be made. The most recent mole involves Mix Steel, as “they” wish to be called.

Stay with me.

Mix Vica Steel, formerly Mr. Vince Busenbark, a science teacher at Allis Elementary School in Wisconsin, received permission from his principal to show a video of him “coming out” (transitioning from male to female) to every K-5th-grade child. Only after children came home from school upset did parents learn about this incident.

In the video, Busenbark reads to the children They Call Me Fix, a book which includes dialogue like this: “BOY or GIRL? Are you a boy or a girl? How can you be both? Some days I am both. Some days I am neither. Most days I am everything in between.” At the video’s conclusion, Busenbark said, “And now, let me introduce myself anew. I am going to take my wife, Stella Steel’s, last name, and I am going to use not mister, not miss, but ‘mix.’ So, you can call me ‘Mix Steel.’ And for my pronouns, you can call me ‘they,’ ‘them,’ and ‘their.’”

“They” then suggested that people who disagree with “their” transgenderism are motivated by “fear” and “hate” and depicted those folks as ghostlike, scary people. On Busenbark’s Facebook page, “they” said the purpose of showing every student the video was so that “all [the children] can know who I am and who I am becoming.”

Liberty Counsel, a religious liberty law firm, claims the teacher violated district policy and the constitutional prohibition against schools enforcing any kind of “orthodoxy.” “It is outrageous that school administrators would allow a male science teacher to expose children to propaganda that promotes confusion about basic biology and to instruct students to address him by a false name, title and pronouns,” Liberty Counsel founder Mat Staver said. Liberty Counsel is demanding all public records be made available so they can find out why parents were not alerted and refers to this as “inappropriate activism in the classroom.” In an interview, Staver’s question “How do you unring that bell?” was, in my opinion, well-founded.

Immediately, an article appeared defending Mix Steel’s video and claiming that since no sex-ed was involved, no parental reply was necessary. “I happen to think that the teacher showed excellent judgment in her explanation. It reflects the real-life struggle of trans folks… Furthermore, the kids are learning a valuable lesson about tolerance and diversity which applies to the child with a physical deformity or the student with a learning disability or the kid with mixed-race parents or the kid with gay parents.”

Ummm, seriously? Comparing disabled children who did not choose that path to someone who opted to transgender is preposterous. Also, disabled people, mixed-race or gay parents do not have days in which they are “in between.” Nor do they show personal videos, claiming those who have issues with them are motivated by fear and hate. Could one not say the same of Mix Steel who offers those who disagree no respect? Where is “their” concern for the rights of malleable children when “they” force the children to call “them” by a neutered name? (Trust me, I’m driving myself nuts here.)

In response, one involved parent wrote on Facebook, “I’ve had to sit down with my kids and explain that what they heard is flat-out wrong and incorrect. We will be kind to others, but we WILL NOT be involved in adult games of make-believe. Shame on those that support this!” Pay attention, Readers. It’s just a matter of time before our communities are going to have to choose which mole we want to whack.

Ask a pastor to name his greatest frustration as a church leader, and typically the answer will be people who complain but never step up to make a difference. One woman blogged that her father pastored a church in which a member approached her mother, saying that the pastor and his wife should put curtains in the nursery. The writer’s mother, knowing the complainer was a seamstress, said, “That sounds like a great idea. Why don’t you get on that right away?” The windows never got curtains.

As the body of Christ, we all have a role in the church. Tithing is necessary to keep the church functioning, but Scripture makes it clear we all have been created for different purposes beyond that. Look at what 1 Corinthians 12: 14-20 says about our giftedness: … the body is not made up of one part but of many. Now if the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason stop being part of the body.  And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason stop being part of the body. If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be? But in fact God has placed the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be. If they were all one part, where would the body be? As it is, there are many parts, but one body.   In verse 27, Paul summarizes what he has just written: Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it. Last year when I pulled up to the front of the church I attend in Fort Scott, a middle-aged couple was re-landscaping the area around the entryway fountain. The day was hot, the work laborious, but when I thanked them for volunteering to take on such a task, they shared that it was their gift and they were glad to help. I was grateful for their generosity, knowing that it definitely is not my gift, since anything green, flowering and of the plant kingdom dies rapidly when I add my black thumb to help. Unfortunately, there are those who never volunteer. Too many times the comment “Don’t you think we ought to…?” really means, “Don’t you think YOU ought to…?” (You know, too many chiefs, not enough Indians.) There was a time I volunteered for everything…even gardening. “No” was not in my vocabulary because I was all about earning grace points, pleasing God, no matter how out-of-my-area-of-expertise the task was. Dave, my husband, constantly asked me to put on the volunteer brakes, but, for goodness sakes, there was a need, and SOMEBODY had to meet it. When I really began to understand the meaning of the verses in 1 Corinthians, I realized that I was denying someone else the opportunity to use his/her gift instead of focusing on where I should be utilizing my talents. For most people, that is not the issue. Churches are full of Sunday-only pew-sitters who never volunteer. Here in Florida where I will live for the next few months, the church I attend is determined to “plug in” all of its 14,000 members somewhere. Four classes are scheduled each month to introduce newcomers to the church dogma, to test people’ spiritual gifts, and to offer places where those gifts can be used. From parking lot attendants to equestrian experts to members of the sex-trafficking team to prayer warriors, the seemingly endless list recognizes the need for everyone to contribute. If you are curious as to where you have been spiritually gifted, there are dozens of tests on line. And here’s the cool part: where God has equipped you is probably something you love to do…which is why, not surprisingly, gardening was found nowhere on my list.

The Bottom Line

Do you have a habit of putting off a dreaded chore until you feel like doing it? One thing on my to-do list is cleaning the garage, and that’s the one job I tend to move down to the bottom of the list. If I procrastinate too long, it becomes even harder to get done. I’ve learned that it’s better to keep it clean than to wait until it’s an overwhelming mess. If you’re not careful, your whole life can become cluttered and miserable with problems that you put off until “tomorrow.“ You have to quit putting things off because it only makes matters worse.

In the Book of Exodus, God sent Moses to deliver the children of Israel. The time had come for the Israelites to be set free from their 400 years of bondage in Egypt. Ten plagues were sent by God to make Pharaoh let His people go. The second plague was a mob of frogs that covered the entire land. Just imagine what it would be like to have slimy frogs knee-deep and jumping everywhere! Frogs were in their beds and in their drinking water. They were in their mixing bowls, pots and pans, and ovens. They were on the table and in their food — millions of frogs everywhere.

So Pharaoh begged Moses to plead with the Lord to take away the frogs. Moses asked him when he wanted to get rid of the frogs and Pharaoh said, “Tomorrow.“ Wow — that meant he had to spend another night with frogs in his bed. Why in the world would he put it off until tomorrow? I don’t know — maybe for the same reason people wait until later to do something that will change their life for the better. How long are you willing to let “frogs” make your life miserable? Those frogs will stick around as long as you let them, so get rid of them now!

Problems and/or sin in your life are stealing your peace and joy and they’re like those frogs. You know you should stop and deal with them; you want to do what you ought to do but you don’t. This is one way the devil traps you. “Remember, it is sin to know what you ought to do and then not do it (James 4:17 NLT). If you don’t deal with sin and problems now, they’ll dominate your life and continue to get worse until they completely destroy you. Pharaoh is a good example of procrastination because he said he would let the people go nine times, but didn’t. Not until after the final plague, which was the death of every Egyptian firstborn son — even the son of Pharaoh died.

It’s your decision whether to keep the frogs a little longer or get rid of them. Don’t delay another day! The Bible says that you can’t free yourself from sin without God’s help. “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 6:23 KJV). God can do anything. He rolled the Red Sea back so the Israelites could cross on dry land, and then He caused it to return to normal and all the pursuing army of Pharaoh drowned. God will deliver you just as He delivered the Israelites from Egypt. God will remove the frogs, but He waits for your decision to trust Him.

The Bottom Line: It’s your move. You set the time. Will it be now or ….

Pastor Jimmy Tucker

(620) 223-1483

Diamond Community Church

2591 Jayhawk Road

10:45 a.m. Worship

“Face it. Embrace it. Defy it.” That motto has become the driving force for Victoria Arlen who, at the age of eleven, slipped into a vegetative state from which survival was unlikely.

Arlen shared her story in her new book, Locked In. “My back and side ached, so doctors took out my appendix,” she wrote. “Then my legs began giving out. My foot dragged. Within two weeks, I lost all feeling and function in my legs. Next, my hands stopped working. I couldn’t control my arms, couldn’t swallow properly, or find the right words when I wanted to speak.” Arlen says she was “slowly slipping away” from her family before “everything went dark.” Two years later, she woke up but couldn’t move. She could hear the conversations going on around her—including doctors claiming there was “no hope”– but had no way of letting anyone know. After three years, she was diagnosed with two autoimmune disorders that caused swelling in her brain and spinal cord. Arlen’s family refused to believe the prognosis and set up a hospital room in their house. In December 2009, after four years in a vegetative state, Arlen made eye contact with her mom. Unbeknownst to her parents and twin brothers (they are triplets), Arlen had been writing screen plays in her head, practicing her times tables and listening to Good Morning America. More importantly, she constantly dialogued with God, promising if she was given a second chance, she would “not waste a single moment.” Over the next year she gained more control. “Raw sounds became words, became sentences. A twitch of my index finger became the wave of my hand. The ability to swallow pudding eventually led to me mowing on a steak.” The wheelchair became her legs, after being told she would be paralyzed from her belly button down for the rest of her life. Her brothers disagreed, and remembering what a “water baby” their sister was growing up, threw her into the pool. “I was terrified,” she wrote. “But it was a turning point in my life. It was the ‘jump’ I needed to get back to my life. When I was swimming, I was free from the chair. And to my surprise, I was still good. In the water, I found freedom — and my confidence.” Arlen’s difficulties were not over. After missing five years of school, she went back in 2010 and was surprised that she was bullied for being in a wheelchair. Instead of quitting, that fueled her passion to dig into her studies and graduate…and swim. At age 17, Arlen made the USA Paralympic swim team and competed at the London Games, bringing home three silver medals and a gold in the 100-meter freestyle and setting a world record in the 100-meter free. On March 3, 2016, six years after waking up, six years after working up to six hours a day learning to walk, Arlen, strapped into a harness above a treadmill, took her first step. You might know her better as a 2017 semi-finalist in the hit show Dancing With the Stars or as a television personality for ESPN. Both Victoria and her mother, Jacqueline, say all this tragedy happened for a divinely-appointed reason.  “I wouldn’t choose this life,” Victoria said, “but I wouldn’t change it…I think there’s a lot of people going through different things where you feel like your whole world’s imploded and you feel like you lost it all, whether it’s physical, emotional, whatever you’re going through…If I can be that beacon of hope for people that need it the most through dancing and through our storytelling, then I’ve done my job.”

And how does Jacqueline hope Victoria’s story “impacts the world”?  “Bring them to Jesus!” she exclaimed.  “That’s what we want to do, to bring them to find God’s light and love, to give faith and hope, and to realize that all is not lost.  That you can do all things through Christ who strengthens you.  That’s what we really want at the end of the day. I pray we all can say the same.