by Mike Benson

"Frog Follies" sounds like something from an old episode of The Muppet Show, when in reality it’s the annual car exhibition held here in Evansville.

The display started back in 1975 when the Evansville Iron Street Rod Club hosted a “rod run” for local street rod owners. The event was dubbed “Frog Follies” due to the bullfrog race that was held at that initial show.

The very first FF registered 44 vehicles. Now, almost thirty years later, the event accepts between 4,000 and 6,000 entries, and is one of the biggest automobile swap meets in the Midwest. Owners bring their cars from as far north as Alaska and as far south as Australia. Proceeds from the event go to various charities and also provide scholarship funds for local high school students.

It’s not really necessary to look at your calendar and try to remember when Frog Follies comes about. Just wait—you’ll know when it’s in town. Those few days immediately proceeding the show, colorful street rods can literally be found all over Vanderburgh County. It’s not unusual to see dozens of flashy cars working their way through area traffic. Every vehicle seizes your attention; every street rod turns your head. Suddenly the family sedan seems incredibly lack-luster and boring.

In an odd sort of way, the best advertisement for the Follies is not the actual show itself when the cars are all together at the fairgrounds. Rather, it’s when those thousands of street rods are being driven throughout the community.

It occurs to me that Christianity is a lot like our local car show. Often times we think the best publicity for The Faith is the worship services held at the building each Lord’s Day. We reason that by virtue of the fact that we’re meeting as a group in one place, sinners will naturally want to attend. In reality, people are drawn to our assemblies when/as they see us in and around town (1 Pet. 2:12; 3:2). Our example (1 Tim. 4:12; 1 Pet. 2:21), the joy that we experience as members of the body of Christ (1 Pet. 1:8), the assurance we exude in terms of our salvation (Heb. 10:22), and the faithfulness we exhibit as we interact with our peers (Matt. 5:16; Phil. 2:15) prompts them to investigate our gatherings. Its not what happens behind the “closed doors” of the worship assembly that entices our friends to attend; it’s how the Word becomes flesh in our own lives.

Dear Christian, whether we like it or not, our lives are on display (Matt. 5:14;1 Pet. 2:9). If we really want to impact our friends for eternity and the sake of their souls, they’ve got to see us moving (1 Cor. 15:58) and heading in the right direction (Col. 3:1ff).

Are you just going to the local car show on Sunday, or are you driving around town during the week? “So continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they ate their food with gladness and simplicity of heart, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved” (Acts 2:46-47; cf. Eph. 5:8).

by Mike Benson

Those of us who graduated from the sixth grade long ago can still learn. Read the following and see if you don't gain some insights:

"Last fall I divided my sixth-grade Sunday-school class into three groups for an interesting contest. As my twelve-year-olds gathered in three circles on the floor, I explained that there was only one rule in our competition: Each group had to put together a 1,000-piece jigsaw puzzle without talking.

"I poured the contents of the puzzles on the floor in front of each group, warning them again that they could not talk. The first group went immediately to work, promptly setting up the top of the puzzle box, which gave everyone a clear view of the picture they were trying to put together.

"The second group tried to do the same thing, but they didn't know that I had switched the top of their puzzle box with the top from another puzzle. I had deliberately given them the wrong lid. Not knowing that, they set up their box top to use as a guide to assemble their puzzle and went swiftly to work.

"As the third group gathered around the pile of pieces I had poured on the floor, the kids were dismayed to discover that I had given them no box top whatsoever to use as a guide. They started to protest, but I reminded them that there was to be no talking!

"What followed was fascinating.

"The members of Group One were somewhat frustrated by not being allowed to talk, but they still made steady progress because they had a correct picture or plan to work from. Everyone in that group got motivated as the outline of the picture started to emerge.

"It didn't take the members of Group Two long to realize something was wrong. They kept trying to use the box top picture in front of them, but nothing seemed to work. And since they couldn't talk together, their frustration level soared.

"One boy waved his hand in the air and acted as though he was about to burst. I relented and allowed him to whisper in my ear, 'Mr. Rainey,' he muttered, 'you gave us the wrong picture. It's the wrong lid -— it's just not there!'

"I smiled, patted him on his shoulder, and said, 'Shhh, no talking.'

"As I turned away, others in his group looked at me with pleading eyes, wondering what they could do. Their puzzle just wasn't coming together.

"But Group Three really captured my attention. Because the group had no picture at all to go by, each kid was doing his own thing. There wasn't even an attempt at teamwork and, of course, there was no progress.

"Some members just sat individually, randomly searching for two pieces that seemed to fit. Two of the boys were so bored they started launching puzzle pieces like miniature Frisbees across the room. Others just lay there with their eyes closed. Hopelessness hung in the air.

"After letting them work a little longer, I called a halt to the competition and explained what was going on and then I made my point: you can't live life without a plan" (Dennis Rainey, "The Master Plan for Oneness," Lonely Husbands, Lonely Wives, 117-118).

Observations:

1. God has given us a box-top.

   And He answered and said to them, "Have you not read that He who made them at the beginning 'made them male and female,'" and said, 'For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh'? So then, they are no longer two but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let not man separate (Matt. 19:4-6; cf. Gen. 2:18, 21-24).

   2. Every marriage needs this "guide" (i.e., box-top) in order to bring order out of chaos (2 Pet. 1:3; cf. 1 Cor. 7:2; 6:13; Heb. 13:4; 1 Thess. 4:3).

2. Husbands and wives can only find true joy, stability and intimacy when they pattern their lives after the divine plan (cf. John 10:10; cf. Eph. 5:22-33; Titus 2:4-5).

by Mike Benson

As long as there are people in the church, there will be conflict.

As long as people sin—and they do (cf. Eccl. 7:20; Rom. 3:23; Matt. 5:23-24; 18:15-17; Mark 11:15-17; 1 John 1:8), as along as two or more brethren have more than one idea on how to carry out a good work—and they will (cf. Acts 15:36-41), and as long as all communication in a congregation is less than absolutely accurate and perfectly timed—and it is (cf. Acts 6:1; 15:2, 7), there will be conflict (cf. Matt. 20:24; Mark 9:34; Luke 9:46; 22:24). It “is a part of church life that must be faced from time to time by every normal congregation [Edison, When Lines Are Drawn, 18-19]. “Disagreements are inevitable. Expect them” [Russell, Making Things Happen, 69].

How do you respond to that reality? I appreciate one author’s insight into this issue:

"In 1986 I was hiking with three friends in the Beartooth Mountains in southern Montana. It was early in the summer, and the streams were still swollen from melting snow. Ten miles into the mountains, we came to a stream where the bridge had been washed away. The water was deep and icy cold. There was one place where we might have been able to cross by leaping from rock to rock, but it would have meant risking a fall into the rapids.

As we stood there trying to decide what to do, three different perspectives surfaced. One person saw the stream as a dangerous obstacle. Afraid that one of us might fall in and be swept away, he wanted to turn back and look for another trail. Another friend saw the stream as a means to show how tough he was. He wanted to wade straight across, even if that meant we would be wet and cold for a few hours. But the two of us saw the stream as an interesting challenge. We studied the rocks leading to the other side and determined where we would need additional footing. Finding a fallen tree in the woods, we laid it across the largest gap between the rocks.

At this point, our two friends began to cooperate with us. Working together, we managed to get one person over to the other bank. Then two of us stood on rocks in the middle of the stream and the packs were passed to the other side. One by one, we jumped from rock to rock, receiving support from the person ahead. Before long, we were all on the far bank and we were perfectly dry and exhilarated by our accomplishment."

It’s been my life-long observation that we tend to view conflict in much the same way that these four men looked at that mountain stream:

. For some, it is a hazard that threatens to sweep us off our feet and leave us emotionally bruised and bloodied (cf. Matt. 25:18). It must therefore be avoided at all costs.

. For others, it is an obstacle that must be “strong-armed” and “man-handled” with a firm, heavy-handed, authoritative approach (cf. Matt. 20:25).

. For a few, it is an opportunity to solve common problems in a way that honors Jesus Christ and offers benefit to the church-body at large (Acts 6:5, 7; 15:6, 25).

Dear Christian, let me suggest that you engage in a little self-introspection (1 Cor. 11:28). How do you approach “the deep, icy-cold stream” in your congregation? Do you try to steer away from it? [That’s “peace-faking”]. Do you try to aggressively conquer it? [That’s “peace-breaking”]. Or do you try to build a bridge through and over it? [That’s “peace-making”].

Give it some thought.

“Therefore let us pursue the things which make for peace and the things by which one may edify another” (Rom. 14:19). “Now the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace” (Jas. 3:18).

by Mike Benson

From our twenty-first century perspective, Christian love is a sensate quality. It is something experiential; it is something that we feel internally. Love is a warm, affectionate, reciprocal bond that is shared by brethren.

When the apostle Paul petitioned God on behalf of the Philippian saints, he said,

"And this I pray, that your love may abound still more and more in knowledge and discernment" (Phil. 1:9).

Did you catch that? "... [T]hat your love [Greek, agape] may abound ... in knowledge and discernment." Arthur Pink, in his work, Gleanings from Paul, made the following observation about this passage:

"The apostle longed that their love might be so informed and their understanding so guided by spiritual judgment and sense that on all occasions they would be able to distinguish between truth and error in doctrine" (209).

His point merits our attention. The modern concept of love, in at least some segments of the church today, is more of an emotional sentimentality (cf. Rom. 10:2), as opposed to the informed, judicial agape which Paul desired for his brethren in Philippi./1 For many, love is an unconditional, familial acceptance that overlooks, and even ignores, objective truth. In fact, it is frequently viewed as an acceptable substitute for soundness of doctrine (cf. 1 Tim. 1:10; 2 Tim. 1:13; 4:3; Titus 1:9, 13; 2:1). Brethren are afraid to offend anyone -- under any circumstance -- and so their relationship to a brother, family member or friend supercedes their allegiance to divine will (cf. Luke 14:26).

While there is certainly nothing wrong with enjoying warm feelings toward another child of God (cf. Phil. 1:3-8; 13-14), the real basis of any tie must be something much more tangible than the fleeting whims of emotion. Our love must not be a blind, unguided affection for any personality (cf. 1 Cor. 1:12), but one that is spiritually discriminating -- i.e., an "educated" devotion (cf. Heb. 5:14).

Give it some thought.

/1 It was a "knowing" (Greek, epignosis) love that enabled them to become better acquainted with the truth of Scripture (The New Strong's Expanded Dictionary of Bible Words, 1098), and it was a "judicial" (Greek, aesthesis) love that helped them to make proper moral decisions "in the vast array of differing and difficult choices" (Hawthorne, as quoted by Rogers, The New Linguistic and Exegetical Key to the Greek New Testament, 448).

by Mike Benson

My mind reels every time I read this story. The day had finally arrived for Jacob. For seven years he had looked forward to making Rachel his wife (Gen. 29:18). He had served the better part of a decade for his bride-to-be and it had seemed but a few days to him (v. 20).

Following the "wedding reception" (v. 22), Jacob's father-in-law, Laban, brought his new bride to him in the evening. The newly-married couple then spent their first intimate night alone (vv. 21, 23):

"It was the custom to have a great festive week after a wedding, beginning with a banquet on the nuptial night, with many male guests invited. At the proper time, when the wedding formalities had been observed, Laban presented his daughter to Jacob as his wife.

Although Leah was veiled, Jacob never questioned that it was really Rachel. The two sisters were no doubt sufficiently alike in stature and general mien, probably even in tone of voice, that the deception was fairly easy to accomplish on the unsuspecting Jacob. When he took her into his chambers and into his bed, it was dark, and no doubt much of the conversation that night was in whispers and in brief words of love. Probably also Leah had been arrayed in Rachel's clothing and perfumes. It was not until the morning that Jacob actually saw he had been grievously deceived" (Henry Morris, "Jacob and Laban," The Genesis Record, Baker, 461).

Amazing, isn't it? Rather than sleeping with Rachel, Jacob had spent the first night of his honeymoon alone with Leah (v. 17) — and he didn't even know it!

We can only imagine the anger and shock that he felt at the moment of discovery. The Bible says, "So it came to pass in the morning, that behold, it was Leah. And he said to Laban, 'What is this you have done to me? Was it not for Rachel that I served you? Why then have you deceived me?'" (v. 25). Jacob's kinfolk had conspired against him (1), and he found himself in bed not with the beautiful daughter of Laban, but with the tender-eyed(2) daughter of Laban. He must have been hurt.

May I suggest that Jacob is not the only person to have ever experienced this kind of "morning revelation"? Every day, newlyweds around the world awaken to the realization that they've married the wrong person. Like Jacob, they discover that they've joined themselves to someone far below their expectations:

"I never knew he had a drinking problem..."

"I always assumed she would attend worship with me..."

"I never realized he had such a temper..."

"I never imagined she could be so careless with money..."

"I never noticed when we were dating that he could be so possessive and controlling..."

The truth is, we ALL eventually "wake up" and find ourselves in this kind of circumstance (cf. Rom. 3:23; 1 John 1:8,10). Imperfections that were once hidden [or overlooked] inevitably come to light and the honeymoon draws to an end. But what happens at this juncture is critical, because when we experience real disappointment in our mates, the relationship then takes one of two directions. Either the union begins to dissolve and divorce ensues, or else we commit ourselves to making the marriage succeed (Matt. 19:6; cf. Rom. 7:3). Jacob decided to take the latter approach. Despite his frustration, he was able to "work through" (vv. 26-30) his unique marital problems and find an acceptable solution. Granted, the Patriarch lived under a different law and dispensation than we do today (cf. Gal. 6:2), but the principle remains the same. We can bemoan the fact we didn't marry a "Prince Charming" or "Cinderella", or we can make adjustments and bring real substance to our vows.

Dear reader, what will you do when you experience disappointment in your marriage? How will you respond when you realize that you've married "the wrong person"? Will you work like Jacob (cf. Luke 9:23; cf. Eph. 5:25, 28-29; Titus 2:4), or will you run?

/1 I find it noteworthy that Jacob earlier in life had deceived his father (Gen. 27:1ff), Isaac, about his own identity. Now the tables have been turned on him in return (cf. Gal. 6:7).

/2 The word "tender eyed" in Hebrew means weak-eyed, a turning eye, or cross-eyed. Evidently, Leah had a problem with her sight and the disfigurement made her face unappealing.