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Articles by Terry C. Major
Now
There are a couple of forgotten folks when it comes to the telling of the Christmas story; a couple of very elderly people who encounter Joseph, Mary and the baby Jesus in the temple when he is being consecrated to the Lord as the firstborn son. (It is over a month after the miraculous birth – too long for our contemporary thinking to consider!) The one is named Simeon, and we find his story in Luke chapter two, verses 25 to 35.
The Mystery Man
Most of us are aware of the “Macedonian Call” story from Acts 16. In it the missionary/apostle Paul has “a vision in the night; a man of Macedonia standing there, urging him and saying, ‘Come over to Macedonia and help us.’” (Acts 16:9) After sharing this with his traveling companions and making the trip to Philippi, the main trading center of Macedonia, Paul doesn’t find a synagogue in which to share the gospel with the Jews so goes to the riverside and shares the gospel.
“Have To” or “Get To”
When it comes to living out the responsibilities of the Christian life and the call of God on your life you have two different options: 1) I have to obey the Bible and do what God wants; or 2) I get to obey the Bible and do what God wants. They may sound like they are the same, but they are diametrically opposed. Back in my Bible college days I was part of a travelling choir.
Fruitful Hearing
We often hear Jesus’ parable of the soils from Mark 4:1-20 and think about the heart, but Jesus’ message has just as much to do with our ears and with our hearts. The parable about the seeds landing on four types of soils and having four different results centers on the fruit of the seed that is given out. Jesus says that the seed is “the word” (v. 14) and it has four different results from being sown in four different soils.
Walk With the Wise
There is a “truism” that is not a Bible verse, but it is very much a biblical truth: it is “you are known by the company you keep.” In this day of social media consumption and social media “influence” I would like us to consider this truth as it relates to how we perceive reality and live out our values and convictions.
Watch
The recent tragedy from the flooding in Texas reminds us that life is fragile and that due diligence is necessary to be aware for possible dangers so that we might escape tragedy. Part of the tragedy in Texas was the reluctance of people to heed the National Weather Service alerts regarding the possible flooding that could occur. Another part of the tragedy was the remoteness of the campgrounds to any weather alert possibilities, which compounded the loss of life.
Four Words Define All
Who says? What is right? How do we know? We live in a confused time and culture where everyone has ideas and no one has truth; where everyone wants to be right, but no one knows for sure. How can we know for sure, or if there is a “for sure” to know? There are four words that answer that question, and they are the first four words in the Bible: “In the beginning God….” (Genesis 1:1). So much of the confusion of our age and this present culture comes from the problem of authority and truth.
Let Us Pray
I have shared in the past about the prayer that Jesus taught us to pray – what we call “The Lord’s Prayer” (Matthew 6:9-13). Jesus desires us to be people who talk to “the Father” in His name about every area of life and to live seeking to build His kingdom and share His gospel with everyone. Paul also speaks about the importance of making prayer a priority in your life.
Consider the Lilies
Jesus, in what we call “The Sermon on the Mount” taught about anxiety and worry with the command, “Consider the lilies of the field.” He also talked about the birds of the air in contrast to our “American way” of dealing with anxiety, stress, distress and consuming worry. As the beauty of Spring brightens the yards and hills around us here in West Virginia it is a good time to take Jesus’ instructions to heart and live out the kingdom values and kingdom priorities of the Sermon on the Mount.
So Help Me God
We recently witnessed again the inauguration of the president of these United States. The inaugural oath is very short, but it encapsulates the role and responsibility of the president as prescribed by the Constitution of the United States.
The Good . . . the Bad . . . the Ugly
Epiphany (also called Three Kings Day) was Monday and is the day many Christians celebrate the Magi’s visit to the house where Jesus lived with his mother Mary and step-father Joseph after his birth in the stable. It is traditionally celebrated 12 days after Christmas. It is what we would call the climax of the Christmas story, the last event in the birth story of Jesus Christ.
Clergy Corner
“Thou didst leave Thy throne and Thy kingly crown; when Thou camest to earth for me; But in Bethlehem’s home was there found no room for Thy royal nativity.” So begins the Christmas hymn written by Emily Elizabeth Steele in 1864. This classic old Christmas hymn was written for the children’s choir to highlight what Jesus gave up to become our Savior, and how cruelly His coming was received by the multitudes.
But God
What is the difference between hope and despair; between good and evil; between life and death?
Keeping in Love
In the benediction (closing thoughts) of the book of Jude in the New Testament is found an exhortation to “build yourselves up in your most holy faith.” The author goes on to give three activities that assist a person in this effort to encourage a stronger and more robust faith; the middle activity is “keep yourselves in the love of God.” What does this mean?
Aim to Please
I’m not a good hunter, probably because I can’t aim well. It might be my trifocals, it might be my astigmatism, or it might just be me! Whatever, I just have never done well with hunting or target shooting. But there is one thing I can be good at when it comes to aiming, and that is found in 2 Corinthians 5:9 “so whether we are at home or away, we make it our aim to please Him (Jesus).” I make it my aim it to do what pleases my Savior and Lord, Jesus Christ! How do I do this?
First Last - Last First
We like to keep up on the winners, those who come in first; but sometimes it is good to learn about the losers, those who come in last. In 1986, the person who came in first in the New York City marathon was Gianni Poli (2:11:06). That wasn’t too bad of a race. But the person who came in last really had a remarkable run. It took him 4 days, 2 hours, 48 minutes and 17 seconds! His name was Bob Wieland.
Sunday Satisfaction
Jesus tells a story about two men going home after a time of worship in the house of God. He states, “This man went down to his house justified, rather than the other,” (Luke 18:9-14). The first man was quite impressive and stood out in the church gathering; the other man wasn’t impressive at all, kept himself to the back. The first man was very pleased with how well he worshiped; the other struggled to even get adequate words out of his mouth.
Attenuation of thrombin-mediated fibrin formation via changes in fibrinogen conformation induced by reaction with S-nitroso-N-acetylpenicillamine, but not S-nitrosoglutathione
T. C. Major, E. J. Brisbois, M. E. Meyerhoff and R. H. Bartlett, J. Mater. Chem. B, 2018, Advance Article , DOI: 10.1039/C8TB02103A If you are not the author of this article and you wish to reproduce material from it in a third party non-RSC publication you must formally request permission using Copyright Clearance Center. Go to our Instructions for using Copyright Clearance Center page for details.
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