MVHS Baccalaureate Address: Put Up or Shut Up! The Finale

Put up or Shut up

Welcome back. If you missed part one, follow this link.

After a brief scene setting up the action . . . the conclusion.

King Ahab summons all his heathen clergy members. 450 prophets of Baal and 400 prophets of Asherah head for Mt Carmel. Hundreds of citizens of Israel join tag along to see what’s up.

On the top of the Mountain, they meet Elijah.

21 Elijah went before the people and said, “How long will you waver between two opinions? If the LORD is God, follow him; but if Baal is God, follow him.”

But the people said nothing.

22 Then Elijah said to them, “I am the only one of the LORD’s prophets left, but Baal has four hundred and fifty prophets. 23 Get two bulls for us. Let Baal’s prophets choose one for themselves, and let them cut it into pieces and put it on the wood but not set fire to it. I will prepare the other bull and put it on the wood but not set fire to it. 24 Then you call on the name of your god, and I will call on the name of the LORD. The god who answers by [sending] fire—he is God.” Then all the people said, “What you say is good.” 1 Kings 18:21-24

The conclusion starts here!

The prophets of Baal and Asherah cry and pray all morning.

There’s no answer.

At noon Elijah begins to make fun of them. Perhaps their god is "daydreaming, or on a trip, or in the restroom, or even sleeping. He suggests they cry louder to awaken him.

The false prophets do just that. They even cut themselves with knives and rocks to show their sincerity through mid-afternoon.

Still no answer.

Finally, the prophets collapse from exhaustion.

Elijah rebuilds the Altar of God, digs a trench around it, puts the wood on the altar, cuts the sacrificial bull into pieces and lays them on the wood. Then he calls for four large jars, maybe 10 gallons each, of water. Don't forget we are in the third year of a drought, so even finding water is a chore.

Not satisfied by the dampness created by 40 gallons of water, Elijah calls for four more, then four more! The water soaked the bull, the wood, the rocks of the altar, and filled up the trench around the altar.

Remember, the God who answers by FIRE is to be declared the true God. Elijah has Heavy-duty faith.

Elijah prays:

“LORD, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Israel, let it be known today that you are God in Israel and that I am your servant and have done all these things at your command. Answer me, LORD, answer me, so these people will know that you, LORD, are God, and that you are turning their hearts back again.”  (I Kings 18: J6-J7)

THE FIRE COMES DOWN and consumes EVERYTHING.

During the baccalaureate address, I used flash paper at this point. It looked something like this. It’s an impressive display that leaves the audience looking for more.

The spectators proclaim God as their God.

The false prophets are all killed.

It even begins to rain, ending the drought.

When God puts up, He PUTS UP!

Back at the palace of Ahab and Jezebel, Ahab describes the carnage to Jezebel. She swears to kill Elijah.

Elijah has just had the awesome power of the Living God demonstrated at his request on Mt Carmel. Yet,

Elijah was afraid and ran for his life. When he came to Beersheba in Judah, he left his servant there, while he himself went a day’s journey into the wilderness. He came to a broom bush, sat down under it and prayed that he might die. “I have had enough, LORD,” he said. “Take my life; I am no better than my ancestors.” (1 Kings 19:3-4)

Why do you suppose that he would do that?

Because he’s just like of us. If it’s not happening now, we panic.

There he went into a cave and spent the night. And the word of the LORD came to him: “What are you doing here, Elijah?”

He replied, “I have been very zealous for the LORD God Almighty. The Israelites have rejected your covenant, torn down your altars, and put your prophets to death with the sword. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me too.” (I Kings 19: 9-10)

At this

The LORD said, “Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the LORD, for the LORD is about to pass by.” Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the LORD, but the LORD was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake came a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper. (1 Kings 19:11-12)

God has effectively said, "OK. I have put up, now it is time for you to shut up and LISTEN."

He spoke to Elijah in a still, small voice. Elijah had to listen to hear God speak to him.

Today if you hear a still, small voice, someone might make an appointment with a psychiatrist for you. Not only that, not all small voices are God speaking.

How can you know God is speaking to you?

• Through the Bible. Read it. It's good stuff.
• Through Christian acquaintances. Listen to the experiences of others.
• Through those who preach the Word of God, the Good News.
• And maybe even through Biology teachers who give baccalaureate addresses like this one.

You may be saying, “So now I know that God can speak to me and how He can speak. What do I do when I hear from Him?”

Each of us has a mind, emotions and a will—three separate and distinct parts of what makes you you.

This next section is the “real magic trick” I did that day. Watch the video to see how it looks when you get to the link.

The RED scarf represents your mind, the YELLOW scarf, your emotions, and the BLUE scarf, your will. They’re all housed in your body, this clear tube.

Pressures push against us from all sides. Sometimes we feel like we should PUT UP so everyone else would SHUT UP. <PUSH THE UNCONNECTED SCARVES OUT OF THE TUBE WITH A STICK.> We end up disjointed, as disjointed as we were when we started.

But, if we allow God to control our lives, we can allow Him to control, in turn, our mind (stuff RED in the tube), our emotions (stuff YELLOW in the tube), and our will (stuff BLUE in the tube).

When we listen to the still small voice, even though we still have the pressures pushing against us, we find that those three parts of our lives form ONE SPIRIT (WATCH THE TRICK!).

This unified spirit can join with God's Spirit, and you can know that we are God's children.

As God's children, we have both rewards and responsibilities. We become heirs with Christ in the fabulous riches of God. This is our inheritance. We must also accept the responsibility to become "doers of the word and not hearers only."

So, should you put up or shut up?

To rephrase the title of this address:

Shut up and LISTEN to God . . . today, tomorrow, and each tomorrow that follows.

Then . . .

Put up and DO what God has for you to do.

Thank you, and God bless you!

Next Timeless Truth: Keep Your Distance. 

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C.R.Downing's Book Tour 2018. Book #2 INSECTICIDE

Book #2:

INSECTICIDE - A Science Fiction Thriller

There is a link to Amazon for the title book in the line above this. Additional links are provided to original short stories involved in the development of the title book in the description of each story below.

Elevator Speech

Insecticide is the story of a bipolar planet. Bafwique is shattered into two planets by a meteorite. Civil wars, genocide, deception, exploration, and other struggles on and between the two planets lead to a search for a new home for the Clurn.

Background

INSECTICIDE began as a 4,200-word story. I suspect it was written sometime in the mid-1980s.

Even before I signed the contract to have Traveler’s HOT L published, I’d submitted a manuscript titled RIFTS to two publishers. Neither responded favorably, so the book became my first CreateSpace publication.

The photo below illustrates the similarities between RIFTS and INSECTICIDE. Both are iterations of the same manuscript.

The cover is the work of Alison Long, one of my students at Great Oak High. She is the model for Alis’o of Bafwique, artist spouse of Sar’a, one of Bafwique’s military heroes. In real life, Sarah Victor is Alison’s best friend. She’s also a brilliant researcher at UCSD.

The original INSECTICIDE ended with the main characters—giant insects—leaving a planet they’d hoped to invade after a crushing defeat. I’d considered having the invaders win, so I wrote ending #2, where they defeat the inhabitants by using a chemical to suffocate them. Both those endings are reprised in the novel.

RIFTS became the title after much soul-searching. Ultimately, this was the rationale I used to change the title.

Part 1 begins with the splitting of a bi-lobed planet into two words by a meteorite strike and records the formation of two distinct Clurn cultures. (RIFT #1) The Clurn on the half of the planet now called Narxon, are a militaristic society implement a plan to regain control of what they consider to be “their true home,” the other half of the original planet, still known as Bafwique.

Part 2 chronicles an invasion of Bafwique by the Narxonians. (RIFT #2) A civil war between invaders and the native Bafwiqueians follows the invasion. (RIFT #3) Part 2 ends with the reconciliation of the two Clurn civilizations.

Part 3 records events of the two millennia following the reconciliation. Included in this part are the search for, the location of, and the subsequent invasion of the planet designated as the new home of the Clurn. (RIFT #4)

This unconventional history ends on the bridge of a Clurn Colony Quest class space vessel as it first arrives at The Blue Planet. The Clurn appear to be defeated by dominant life form—bipedal mammals known to the local arthropods as humans. Bowed, but not broken, the Clurn retreat to Bafwique, regroup and return to The Blue Planet with renewed conviction and unique weaponry. Their goal is simple: rid the Blue Sphere chosen as the replacement for Bafwique of its human inhabitants.

The eradication of the humans from The Blue Planet disturbs the indigenous arthropod population, which begins to plan its own resistance movement for the time the Clurn return en masse. (RIFT #5)

It is a clever device. It’s also totally worthless as a sales pitch. I did a search on Amazon after this book had been published for over a year. RIFTS generated over 4000 items. My book appeared on page 100 of the search.

I searched for INSECTICIDE. There were two entries. Both were pest control items.

I switched the title.

In the original short synopsis, from which the blue text above was taken included this, too.

The account of an alien conquest of humans, RIFTS backfills the story of an expedition of the alien race known as Clurn as they search for and “conquer” a new homeworld after it becomes clear that the sun is dying. Researched with the help of the Intergalactic Alliance Archives, RIFTS includes nearly thirty source documents that support the narrative.

It’s still true. When I changed the name, I reorganized the front matter and deemphasized the book as what I’d originally called “an unconventional history of a planet.” The new emphasis is on the story. The source documents are still there—they were too cool to toss.

The next stop on this tour is Part 2 of this description. Details on inspiration and a glimpse at how the story now overlaps a soon to be published short story are the highlights.

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Timeless Truths. MVHS Baccalaureate Address. Put up or Shut up

Put up or Shut up

This phrase is usually heard as a part of a bet or brag challenge. It is sort of like "put your money where your mouth is."

Oh, excuse me! I mentioned money and three ushers got out offering plates. You guys can sit down again.

Anyway, does this statement have any other relevance? If it doesn't, this will be a short baccalaureate address.

Thank you. You are dismissed.

No, not really.

Actually, punctuation is the key to unlocking the mu1.tiple meanings of this phrase. Traditionally, we read, 

“Put up (COMMA) or shut up (EXCLAMATION POINT)!

However, we can find equal meaning if we punctuate like this: 
"Put up (QUESTION MARK) or shut up (QUESTION MARK)”

Let’s look at practical applications of this saying with both punctuations for our spiritual lives. There may be some other grammatical gymnastics as we go along.

We’ll start with an example from the Old Testament.

The Children of Israel conquered the Promised Land. After a several hundred years, they demanded a king to lead them. God, while not happy with their decision, granted their request, even though He wanted to be their only leader. 
Aside: God isn’t happy with many of our decisions, but He still lets us make them.

Saul was anointed the first king of Israel.

Because Saul disobeyed God's Laws while he was king, his family line ended when he died. The House of David became the ruling family.

First David and then Solomon, his son, ruled a powerful, prosperous Israel.

The death of Solomon brought a divided country. The Southern kingdom became Judah. It occasionally saw what the Bible calls a "good king.” The

Northern Kingdom, which kept the name Israel, never again had a good king." In fact, the Northern Kingdom got worse and worse.

One of the peaks of worseness was AHAB.

29 In the thirty-eighth year of Asa king of Judah, Ahab son of Omri became king of Israel, and he reigned in Samaria over Israel twenty-two years.

30 Ahab son of Omri did more evil in the eyes of the LORD than any of those before him. 31 He not only considered it trivial to commit the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat, but he also married Jezebel daughter of Ethbaal king of the Sidonians and began to serve Baal and worship him. 32 He set up an altar for Baal in the temple of Baal that he built in Samaria.

33 Ahab also made an Asherah pole and did more to arouse the anger of the LORD, the God of Israel, than did all the kings of Israel before him. 

1 Kings 16: 29-33

Ahab was so bad that his entire family was wiped out before the next two kings completed their reigns.

Ahab is, however, only a bit player in the story, but you needed to understand something of him before being introduced to our hero, ELIJAH, a Prophet of God.

ELIJAH is first mentioned as he goes before Ahab with this message:

1 Now Elijah the Tishbite, from Tishbe in Gilead, said to Ahab, “As the LORD, the God of Israel, lives, whom I serve, there will be neither dew nor rain in the next few years except at my word.” I Kings 17: 1

You can imagine how popular that message made him around Ahab’s palace. 

Elijah hot-footing it out of Ahab's palace to hide in the countryside.

At God's direction, ELIJAH spent the next few years in hiding. First by a stream, later as a boarder in the house of a widow and her son. While living at the widow's, ELIJAH performs two miracles in God's name.

     1.    Wheat flour and oil last indefinitely even though looking into the bowl of flour and jar of oil only showed enough for "one last meal" every time they looked.

     2.   The widow's son dies and is revived by ELIJAH.

It’s obvious that God was with the Prophet.

In 1 Kings 17: 7-8a, ELIJAH meets one of the king's servants who is looking for water for what was left of the livestock after three years of drought.

7 As Obadiah was walking along, Elijah met him. Obadiah recognized him, bowed down to the ground, and said, “Is it really you, my lord Elijah?”

8“Yes,” he replied.

At ELIJAH’s direction, Obadiah tells Ahab that he has found Elijah. The king goes and meets with the prophet.

Ahab went to meet Elijah. 17 When he saw Elijah, he said to him, “Is that you, you troubler of Israel?” I Kings 18:16b-17

At this point, ELIJAH says "Put up (COMMA) or shut up!"

The king summons all his heathen clergy members. 450 prophets of Baal and 400 prophets of Asherah head for Mt Carmel. Hundreds of citizens of Israel join tag along to see what’s up.

On the top of the Mountain, they meet ELIJAH.

Elijah on the mountain with the people of Israel behind him.

21 Elijah went before the people and said, “How long will you waver between two opinions? If the LORD is God, follow him; but if Baal is God, follow him.”

But the people said nothing.

22 Then Elijah said to them, “I am the only one of the LORD’s prophets left, but Baal has four hundred and fifty prophets. 23 Get two bulls for us. Let Baal’s prophets choose one for themselves, and let them cut it into pieces and put it on the wood but not set fire to it. I will prepare the other bull and put it on the wood but not set fire to it. 24 Then you call on the name of your god, and I will call on the name of the LORD. The god who answers by [sending] fire—he is God.” Then all the people said, “What you say is good.” 1 Kings 18:21-24

Tune in next Thursday at the same time for the exciting conclusion!

Arraugh! Not a CLIFFHANGER!

Yep

Next Timeless Truth: MVHS Baccalaureate Address: Put Up or Shut Up! The Finale

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My website is: www.crdowning.com

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