Thoughts from Mark "Hat" Rackley

I’m Jemima L. Yeggs, a.k.a. Stinker.  Pink Lady Apple Yeggs, my landlady and my auntie, has decided that now that I am not off having adventures by chasing storms, warning people about the storm that is coming, and helping the people who are devastated by them, I should write about my Sunday School Class.  She wants to read about how younger people, especially couples respond to what the Bible says.  And she wants to know how God is at work at Lily the Pink.

It was the second weekend when Easy was off driving the Turtle.  This time, they had some storms that were close by.  Maybe just thunderstorms, but with the possibility of something more destructive.

I was still at home, but this week B.B. was out with the crew and Dr. Ben had brought Michael over early.  To answer a little thirteen-year-old girl’s questions, I invited her to the restroom to talk some girl talk.  She was convinced that B.B. (that is, Mary Sheltie Jones) and I were up to something in the restroom.  When we just talked about stuff in general, Arabella was disappointed, but she did help to make sure my altogether was all together.  The drawback was that Arabella was not the wizard at last minute hair adjustments that B.B. was.  But with Home Wrecker (Dr. Elvira Quinn Casey) off on storm chasing duties with B.B. and my Easy, the little girl talks were just with Arabella and me.

When we came out of the restroom, we had several people in the room.  Emmett had his keyboard set.  Menzie and Samuel were on one side of Emmett, and Dr. Ben and Michael were waiting for Arabella to sit next to Emmett so that they could scoot in close beside her.  Amazingly, Dr. Ben had a nice baritone voice.

The Drivers (Darrell and Sally Mae) and Zuzka and Otto were also there early.

Arabella said to Menzie, “Don’t bother going into the bathroom with Aunt Jemima (my name for the younger children).  She has you check if her hem line is straight and no TP hanging from a shoe.  She asks if her hair is okay in the back, and the rest is just girl talk.  You know, boring.”

Menzie tried to keep a straight face, but she did not succeed.

Zuzka said, “Do not worry, teacher.  I help with hair next time.”

Otto said, “And remind me to get a ladder.”

Zuzka asked, “Why you need ladder?”

“When you get farther along in your pregnancy, even with you sitting down, I’ll need a ladder to see if your hair is all together altogether.”  Otto replied.

Sally Mae Driver said, “We get here early to hear the comedy routine.”

I muttered, “Wait until you are further along with your pregnancy, and your arms can’t reach places, and your eyes can’t see places.  You’ll understand.”

Once a few more showed up, I started us with prayer.  Emmett and his growing choir sang Victory in Jesus, with Samuel trying to learn the tenor and Michael and his adoptive father joining in.  Not everybody else in the class knew it, but they joined in the chorus.

I started, “Last time, we talked about God’s Mercy, and then Pastor Joseph suggested we continue with that theme this week.  But where is he?”  The door burst open, and Pastor Joseph rushed in.

He nodded to me, “Sorry, teacher, I am tardy.  My wife called to tell me all the things we should pray for.  Dr. Ellie is still having morning sickness, which does not make a bumpy ride seem too appealing this afternoon.  And she, that’s Mary, wanted me to pray for you, since she wasn’t around to help you get presentable for class.”

I held out my arms.  “As you can see, I am in proper attire and the gig lines are reasonably straight.  Arabella did a great job.  But when you talk to Mary again, she has not been replaced.  If we are to be best friends, she can’t be.  No offense, Belle, but your best friend, other than the boy you are holding hands with, is a goat.”

Arabella starts giggling, “Nope, Aunt Jemima, my best friend is a llama, but the goats are kind of cute.”

I just shook my head.  “Okay, we had talked about second Peter 3:9.  Peter says that it is not God’s desire for anyone to perish.”

Catherine ver Waarloosd asked, “But Aunt Jemima, I was concerned last week about that.  If God does not desire that anyone should perish then why have Hell?”

I smiled, “So good of you to ask!  Catherine, look up Matthew 25:41.”

Catherine looked for the verse and then said, “ ‘Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels’ (Matthew 25:41).”  So. God only created the lake of fire for Satan and the fallen angels?”

I nodded, “Sort of, that was the intent for them, but then what could we call the fallen angels?  They are Satan’s helpers.  So, if we choose to reject God and rebel against God, we are, in a way, helping the devil’s cause.  Of course, if others see us drunk and laying in a ditch, that isn’t a sterling endorsement of that kind of life.  But before we get the idea that God is changing His mind about this eternal punishment…”

Dr. Ben Casey (Ezekiel 33:11): “Say to them, ‘As surely as I live, declares the Sovereign Lord, I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that they turn from their ways and live. Turn! Turn from your evil ways! Why will you die, people of Israel?’ “

Dr. Ben followed his reading with, “Wow!  I had heard 2 Peter 3:9 a few times, but I never knew there was the same idea in the Old Testament.  And it even gives our way to avoid that punishment.”

Pastor Joseph added, “But we can only turn from sin on our own for short spurts.  To rid ourselves of one sin or another takes the power of God working within us.  That does not happen until we accept God into our lives.”

I noticed the Drivers look at each other with concerned looks on their faces.  I was not going to press that button, but they moved to the top of my prayer list.  With them looking at each other, they’ve been talking about it.

Otto asked, “But still, why would God make people who have a miserable life and then go to Hell?”

I asked, “Otto, what was your name before Zuzka had it changed?”

Otto shrugged, “My birth mother knew that Dad was still in love with Pink Lady Apple.  She was connected to the Rotten Apple Gang, so she named me Rotten Yeggs.  My sweet wife told me when we first met that my name wasn’t Rotten at all.  The ‘R’ and the ‘N’ were silent.  So, we got my name changed at the courthouse to Otto.”

Some people in the room had not heard that story.  Their expressions were between shock and admiration.

I asked, “And how was your life as Rotten Yeggs?”

Otto shrugged, “Rotten.”  Then he saw me gesture to elaborate.  Otto turned red.  “Okay, I was in detention at school more often than I rode the bus home, from kindergarten through high school.  My friends helped me get into trouble.  It finally came to a head when I pulled a prank on someone, and they died.  I was sent to prison for manslaughter.  The prison got too full, so I was released.  But then, no one would hire me.  Dad married Pink Lady, and they only wanted me in this place if I would reform and not be so rotten.  I had to get better, or I would be homeless.  I started out working as security for shipping and receiving here and Zuzka became my teacher on how to not be rotten.  I accepted Jesus, but it was hard changing all my habits, but I had to change.  I had fallen in love with God, but I was also in love with my teacher.”  Zuzka smiled.  She leaned down and kissed him on the top of his head.  Even while seated she towered over him.

Darrell asked, “But shipping and receiving uses a gate and a squawk box.  The guard in the Big House buzzes them in.”

Otto nodded, “My new mom wanted to teach me responsibility, and they had some technical issues with the remote system.  So, while they worked that out, I worked out in that little guard house that’s now a big electrical room.  They worked out the bugs about the same time Dad and I started baking.  I never lost my job.  God is good.”

Zuzka smiled, “All the time.”

I added, “And All the time, God is good!”

Penny Williams (Exodus 34:4-7), So Moses chiseled out two stone tablets like the first ones and went up Mount Sinai early in the morning, as the Lord had commanded him; and he carried the two stone tablets in his hands. Then the Lord came down in the cloud and stood there with him and proclaimed his name, the Lord. And he passed in front of Moses, proclaiming, ‘The Lord, the Lord, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin. Yet he does not leave the guilty unpunished; he punishes the children and their children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation.’”

Blake Williams squeaked, “But I thought God only held us responsible for our own sins?  I know I screwed up, but if Penny and I ever have a baby, I don’t want my child paying the price for my sins.”

I anticipated that question.  “Our focus was that God does not wish for anyone to perish, but sin needs to be answered.  This one is long, so I will read it. (Ezekiel 18:19-32): “Yet you ask, ‘Why does the son not share the guilt of his father?’ Since the son has done what is just and right and has been careful to keep all my decrees, he will surely live. The one who sins is the one who will die. The child will not share the guilt of the parent, nor will the parent share the guilt of the child. The righteousness of the righteous will be credited to them, and the wickedness of the wicked will be charged against them.
“But if a wicked person turns away from all the sins they have committed and keeps all my decrees and does what is just and right, that person will surely live; they will not die. None of the offenses they have committed will be remembered against them. Because of the righteous things they have done, they will live. Do I take any pleasure in the death of the wicked? declares the Sovereign Lord. Rather, am I not pleased when they turn from their ways and live?
“But if a righteous person turns from their righteousness and commits sin and does the same detestable things the wicked person does, will they live? None of the righteous things that person has done will be remembered. Because of the unfaithfulness they are guilty of and because of the sins they have committed, they will die.
“Yet you say, ‘The way of the Lord is not just.’ Hear, you Israelites: Is my way unjust? Is it not your ways that are unjust? If a righteous person turns from their righteousness and commits sin, they will die for it; because of the sin they have committed they will die. But if a wicked person turns away from the wickedness they have committed and does what is just and right, they will save their life. Because they consider all the offenses they have committed and turn away from them, that person will surely live; they will not die. Yet the Israelites say, ‘The way of the Lord is not just.’ Are my ways unjust, people of Israel? Is it not your ways that are unjust?
“Therefore, you Israelites, I will judge each of you according to your own ways, declares the Sovereign Lord. Repent! Turn away from all your offenses; then sin will not be your downfall. Rid yourselves of all the offenses you have committed, and get a new heart and a new spirit. Why will you die, people of Israel? For I take no pleasure in the death of anyone, declares the Sovereign Lord. Repent and live!

I then added, “So, God is talking to the Israelites here under the Mosaic Law.  The sacrifices were a temporary atonement for their sins.  These sacrifices did not wash the sins away, once, forever.  These sacrifices had to be repeated each year.  In a way, it was a constant religious reminder that we have sin in our lives.  But God clearly states that we are responsible for our own sin.  We continue to stumble here and there and the sacrifice that Jesus made on the cross is adequate for all our sins, but the Holy Spirit is inside us.  The Holy Spirit will remind us when something is not right and we must confess that sin even though God has already forgiven our sin.  And although we struggle, we need to remember that we must repent, turn away from that sin, to live.”

I turned to Blake, “Now to your question about generational sin.  That is mentioned a few times in the Bible including what Penny read.  This is talking about the consequences of our sin.  I don’t want to be forcing you into confessing more than you want to, but were either of your parents users?”

Blake nodded, “My Dad smoked weed and he popped pills when he could get some.  My mother drank in order to cope with Dad’s trouble.  I don’t have a driver’s license, but Penny borrows a company car, and we visit.  Sometimes, we have to just leave after we get there.  They are both incoherent at times.”

Penny added, “And my folks used to laugh about Blake’s grandfather.  When he got drunk, he was a mean drunk and he made so much noise, he woke the entire block.  And I heard his father, Blake’s great-grandfather, made the best bathtub gin in the city of Tracy.”

I nodded, “So, you have to pay the penalty for your substance abuse, but the sin was visited on at least three or four generations.  You grew up in that environment and with that being all you knew, you thought that was normal.  But now, you have stayed clean.  When, I will not say ‘if’, when you two have a baby, you will bring that child up in a household where there is no substance abuse.  See how it works?  What Ezekiel said, if you sin, you pay the price.  If you repent, you live.”

Joseph said, “I know we didn’t cover all the Bible verses in your email, but we covered the topic of God’s Mercy.  Let us close in prayer because the buses are probably already warming up.  Dear Lord, thank you for your Mercy.  You do not wish for any of us to go into the lake of fire, but that is our destination if we do not accept you into our lives.  Only from the precious blood of Jesus can we be washed of our sin.  ‘Oh, victory in Jesus, my Savior forever. You sought me and bought me with Your redeeming blood. You loved me ‘ere I knew You, and all my love is due You. You plunged me to victory beneath the cleansing flood.’  And thank you, Emmett for that song today.  I heard it as I ran into the Big House.  And all God’s children said…”

And everyone said, “Amen.”

He had quoted the chorus of Victory in Jesus, but since Joseph was talking to Jesus, he changed the pronoun.  It made it a bit more personal.

I had noticed that Tamara Collins and Bart Clarkson walked in a little late.  Just to break the ice on the way to the buses, I asked Tamara, “Penny mentioned bathtub gin.  And you are a bartender for parties.  How do you make a Tom Collins?”

Tamara turned crimson, “You know my secret?”  I shook my head. She then nodded, “Well you start with ice and Old Tom Gin, instead of London Dry.  You add lemon juice, simple syrup, and club soda.  But my first gig ever, a guy asked for a Tom Collins and I grabbed the London Dry Gin with Old Tom sitting right there.  And I grabbed a lime instead of a lemon.  The guy said that what I gave him was not a Tom Collins and I was not going to get a tip.  Then he sipped it and asked what I called the drink.  I told him a Tamara Collins.  He was confused until he saw my nametag.  He doubled his usual tip, and I have asked people if they want Tom or Tamara ever since.  It starts conversations, and the bold, and maybe a bit crazy, go for the Tamara.  But, Jemima?  Or is it Stinker?  Anyway, is there room on your bus?  I want to hear your Dad preach.  Bart, he has to go back upstairs and go back to work.”

I told her we had room for both of them, but she could sit with me since Easy was out chasing storms.

Credits

I am using suggested Bible verses from The Attributes of God, A Journey into the Father’s Heart by A.W. Tozer, in two volumes.  My two volumes have a Study Guide by David E. Fessenden, which is designed for each chapter of Tozer’s book.  I may review those chapters to keep Stinker from straying too much, but the nature of her class is that the class tends to stray anyway.  I am not using Rev. Tozer’s comments directly.

The questions and comments drove the conversation away from the verses that A.W. Tozer used in that chapter, but we will move on to God’s Grace next time.

Soli Deo Gloria.  Only to God be the Glory.