Thoughts from Mark "Hat" Rackley

I’m Jemima L. Yeggs, a.k.a. Stinker.  Pink Lady Apple Yeggs, my landlady and my auntie, 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.

B.B. and I were in our “green room.”  Arabella was in her new hiding place, on the swooning couch.

I mentioned while she was working on my hair, “B.B., you joke about my lack of a good singing voice, but I sit next to you through our class here, Sunday school at the church, and then the worship service.  Have I ever heard you sing?”

B.B. moaned, “Stinker, haven’t you heard something angelic?”

I growled, “B.B., that is either Menzie or Arabella doing a descant.”

A familiar voice came from the swooning couch, “Angelic!  Wow!  I’m going to have to write that down.”

B.B. groaned, “No, Stinker.  I don’t sing really loud so that others can be heard.  You know, Menzie and Arabella need their chance to shine.”

I laughed, “I don’t force you to sit there.”

Arabella said, “I have an idea.  How about both of you sing a duet and we can figure out who sounds like a frog.”

I laughed, “Nope, let’s just leave it a mystery.”

B.B. laughed, “Arabella, you usually have good ideas, but today is not your day.”

Arabella shrugged, “I already know that the two of you can sing.  This joke about Aunt Jemima not singing is just friends jabbing each other.  And B.B. can sing too.  But I also know what both of you lack.”

I snickered, “Arabella, how do you know all this?  And what made you so wise?”

Arabella replied, “I have the Sunday school teacher who teaches a class in the den.  I have learned a lot.  I have another friend who is about to have a baby.  I have learned a lot from her too.  And as for knowing you can sing, the band sits in one bunch right across the table from you two.  I don’t need the freaky sound system to hear your voices. But neither one of you project because you lack the confidence in your voice.  Belt it out, you two!  But don’t strain.  That does not sound good even when you hit the right note.”

She opened the door, and we went to the den.

Rev. Joseph led us in prayer and the entire band and choir were ready.  They sang Psalm 19.

I said, “Emmett, that was wonderful, as usual.  And Mike, I liked that beat.”

Mike smiled, “We could tell.  We hid an extra microphone on your side of the table.  You and B.B. sounded great!”

I gasped, “Arabella, you should be the Stinker!”

Samuel asked, “Where are we searching for Jesus today, Aunt Jemima?”

I smiled, “We are looking into the book of Psalms.  Arabella, do you need Mr. Dictionary?”

Arabella shrugged, “Nope.  We covered that last week.”

Without opening his eyes, Easy said, “Good, I can take a nap then.”

I giggled, “You know, Sweetie, if you fall asleep, I will call on you.  But I am going to start with some people who just went down for an alter call last week.  They have been here before.  It seems like they are finding any excuse to be with their arm candies who work on the Turtle.”

Todd (Psalm 2:1-3) “Why do the nations conspire and the peoples plot in vain? The kings of the earth rise up and the rulers band together against the Lord and against his anointed, saying, ‘Let us break their chains and throw off their shackles.’”

Todd said, ”The quotation is in Acts. ‘You spoke by the Holy Spirit through the mouth of your servant, our father David: “‘Why do the nations rage and the peoples plot in vain? The kings of the earth rise up and the rulers band together against the Lord and against his anointed one.’’ (Acts 4:25-26).  This story starts in Acts 3.  Peter and John heal a lame beggar.  A crowd gathered because the beggar was known by a lot of people.  So Peter starts preaching about Jesus.  The church leaders find out and have Peter and John arrested and brought before the Sanhedrin.  They threatened them if they spoke about Jesus again, but Peter asked if it was right to obey God or to obey man.  Then when the two apostles got back to the others and told them what happened, it’s the others that make this quotation.  But aren’t the circumstances different?”

I smiled, “Very good catch, Todd.  King David wrote the psalm, and he is talking about the kings of other nations becoming enraged, but it applies to the regional kingdom of Judea, where David had been king who rage against the Lord’s anointed.”

Patty (Psalm 4:4) “Tremble and do not sin; when you are on your beds, search your hearts and be silent.”

Patty said, “This confuses me.  Psalm 4 sounds like it is talking about sins in general, but then in Ephesians it says, ‘“In your anger do not sin”: Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry,’ (Ephesians 4:26).  So, why is it just looking at anger?  And is anger a sin?  Isn’t anger just an emotion?”

I smiled, “You’re putting me on the spot, but Jesus said in the Sermon on the Mount, ‘“You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘You shall not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.’ But I tell you that anyone who is angry with a brother or sister will be subject to judgment. Again, anyone who says to a brother or sister, ‘Raca,’ is answerable to the court. And anyone who says, ‘You fool!’ will be in danger of the fire of hell.’ (Matthew 5:21-22).  Later in that chapter, Jesus says to love our enemies.  And then early in Matthew 6, Jesus is teaching the disciples how to pray, and He makes it clear that if we do not forgive those who have harmed us, then we will not be forgiven.”

Patty sighed, “I have so many cyber bullies attacking me, I don’t know who my enemies really are.”

I nodded, “But if you forgive, their accepting or rejecting that forgiveness is on them.  You have some handsome arm candy there by your side and he is graduating in the top ten this year, or so I’m told.  Hold onto God.  Hold onto Todd.  And smile like nothing has happened.  Your enemies will not like that, or they will stop fighting against you.  That part of it is what you cannot control, but you can control how you react.  And Paul’s advice to the Ephesians applies to any sin against us.  We forgive.  We do not go to bed angry.  And we move on.  Easy wants me to forgive him before we go to bed.  Sometimes, I am still heated from the hurt, or the supposed hurt.  Often Easy thinks he is doing the right thing, and he may be doing the right thing, but I do not understand what he does.  I get angry.  He responds in anger because he felt he was protecting me.  At that point, if we hold onto the anger.  Easy cannot explain why he did it, and I cannot explain why I misunderstood why he did it.  Of course, the other times, he’s just wrong.  But as I sleep in my bed alone, and Easy sleeps on the couch, I feel Easy’s absence more than I feel the anger.  I can’t sleep. So, I go into the living room, wake him up, apologize for disturbing his sleep.  And then we kiss.  We talk rationally, without emotions.  Then, the hurt is over.”

B.B. asked, “And the bedroom gymnastics after you kiss and make up seem to be so much more intense.  Am I right?”

I huffed, “No comment,” but Easy, eyes closed, smiled and gave two thumbs up.

Bubba (Psalm 5:9) “Not a word from their mouth can be trusted; their heart is filled with malice. Their throat is an open grave; with their tongues they tell lies.”

Bubba said, “This is talking about some bad people.  But Isaiah says it a little differently. ‘Their feet rush into sin; they are swift to shed innocent blood. They pursue evil schemes; acts of violence mark their ways. The way of peace they do not know; there is no justice in their paths. They have turned them into crooked roads; no one who walks along them will know peace.’ (Isaiah 59:7-8).  Then in Romans, Paul writes, ‘“Their throats are open graves; their tongues practice deceit. The poison of vipers is on their lips.”’ (Romans 3:13).  What do you do when you run into someone like that?”

I smiled, “You treat them with love, but I would keep my distance.  It is one thing to try to witness to someone like that, but the Isaiah passage is important.  If you tag along with them, you will never see any peace in your life.  One lie leads to the next.  It hurts when that person is a family member or a close friend, but cutting ties for the reason of righteousness might be the best witness.  They may wake up in a gutter someday and decide you had followed the better path.  Often, that does not happen.  And Bubba, you have been working on the Turtle for some time, I have no idea what your given name is.”

Bubba smiled, “I rarely admit it, but I feel that I am in a classroom full of friends.  My given name is Willard Isbell Browden.  A lot of people make fun of the Willard.  I never mention the Isbell, an uncle who had no children of his own.”

I smiled, “Everyone in class, here is a new member.  His name is Bubba.”

Anna (Psalm 6:8) “Away from me, all you who do evil, for the Lord has heard my weeping.”

Anna said, “This psalm is from David.  He must have had a lot of enemies and he was overwhelmed, but then he prays that those that do him evil should back off.  I think I read where Jesus said to Peter for Satan to get behind Him.  I guess that is the same thing, but in the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus says, ‘Then I will tell them plainly, “I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!”’ (Matthew 7:23).  And in Luke, Jesus says, ‘“But he will reply, ‘I don’t know you or where you come from. Away from me, all you evildoers!’” (Luke 13:27).  I am confused.  Did Jesus say the same thing in two different sermons?”

I smiled, “That is a good question.  Matthew is a first-person account.  Luke interviewed eyewitnesses.  I think Jesus used repetition.  Those truths that the disciples really needed nailed down were probably said several times.  John said that there weren’t enough books that could hold all that Jesus did and taught.  But the Holy Spirit could remind the disciples about something that Jesus said, maybe an aside comment, if that comment was worthy for teaching someone else.  So, in Luke’s Gospel, we see a lot of the teachings from the Sermon on the Mount scattered throughout his book.  Some people think Matthew consolidated the foundational writings in one sermon, but then again. Both authors used eyewitness accounts and some details might vary slightly, but none of the differences change the reliability of the Scripture in conveying who Jesus was or His message for us to love one another.”

Trey (Psalm 8:4-6) “what is mankind that you are mindful of them, human beings that you care for them? You have made them a little lower than the angels and crowned them with glory and honor. You made them rulers over the works of your hands; you put everything under their feet:”

Trey said, “The psalmist is wondering why humans are so special to God.  Then, in Hebrews, the author says, ‘But there is a place where someone has testified: “What is mankind that you are mindful of them, a son of man that you care for him? You made them a little lower than the angels; you crowned them with glory and honor and put everything under their feet.” In putting everything under them, God left nothing that is not subject to them. Yet at present we do not see everything subject to them.’ (Hebrews 2:6-8).  So, the author does not attribute Psalm 8 to David, he says someone, but the thing is that he quotes those verses and then the author adds a commentary that mankind had been crowned and all the earth was under mankind, but not anymore.  That’s because we have sinned.  And before you ask, Stinker, excuse me, for the sake of the young ones here, Aunt Jemima.  My given name is Billy Ray Taylor, the third.  It’s not William, it’s Billy.  Granddad had to explain why his initials did not start with a ‘W’.  Then, Dad was Junior, and I became Trey.  Trey is a given name, sometimes given to the third son, but in my case, it’s the family name for the third generation.  If you called me ‘Billy Ray’, I might not answer.  I’ve been Trey since I was born.”

Susana (Psalm 8:2, Reina Valera) “De la boca de los pequeños y de los que todavía maman has establecido la alabanza frente a tus adversarios para hacer callar al enemigo y al vengativo.”

Susana said, “And now in the NIV: ‘Through the praise of children and infants you have established a stronghold against your enemies, to silence the foe and the avenger.’ (Psalm 8:2).  Then in Matthew 21…  ‘“Do you hear what these children are saying?” they asked him. “Yes,” replied Jesus, “have you never read, “‘From the lips of children and infants you, Lord, have called forth your praise’?”’ (Matthew 21:16).  My surname is Pequeño, just like in this verse.  My father is from the Tz’utujil people.  He grew up on the banks of Lake Atitlán.  He did well in school and he went to Guatemala City.  He met my mother there and they changed the name to a Spanish name.  I was raised Catholic, but my mother gave me her Spanish Bible.  I bought a new one when I came to America.  It is the latest Reina Valera Bible.  The one my mother had was an older version.”

Hannah smiled, “Yes!  Jochebed reads French.  I read German. We needed a Spanish version.”

Anna said, “Hannah, can I borrow your German Bible next time?”

I interrupted, “Why not I buy you your own, Anna?  But as for your verse, this class is a good example that the children are praising God.  God hears everyone in this room, young and umm, not so young.”

Luke (Psalm 10:7) “His mouth is full of lies and threats; trouble and evil are under his tongue.”

Luke said, “This is similar to what Anna read, with falsehood after falsehood, and when you add what Bubba read from Isaiah, it adds a more sinister tone. ‘“Their mouths are full of cursing and bitterness.”’ (Romans 3:14).  So, while telling lies may be a sin by itself, there is an underlying problem of not loving.  We should be open and honest with each other, especially romantic couples.  And my name is simply Luke Andrew Young.”

I replied, “Thank you, Luke.  And where did you first meet Marika?”

Luke blushed, “My parents were missionaries in Burkina Faso.  They had witnessed to a young couple from the Marka tribe.  They accepted Jesus and soon after, they were threatened by the tribesmen.  They escaped to the missionary compound.  Marika was born there.  For about five years, Marika and I and a few others grew up together as one big family.  Then the tribesmen made threats, and Marika’s family obtained asylum in the USA.  We lost contact.  About a year later, the tribesmen gave my parents a beating, and it was decided for us to return.  We moved here, never knowing that Marika and her family were nearby.”

I asked, “Marika, do you have a Bible in your original language?”

Marika shook her head, “My original language was English.  I grew up with Luke.  We also spoke some French, but the Burkina Faso government made a strong break from the French colony tradition.  They went back to the different tribal languages.  As of yet, there is no Bible for Marka-Dafin.”

Marika (Psalm 18:49) “Therefore I will praise you, Lord, among the nations; I will sing the praises of your name.”

Marika said, “I have been singing praises to God ever since I was reunited with Luke. ’Therefore I will praise you, Lord, among the nations; I will sing the praises of your name.’ (2 Samuel 22:50).  But they are the same psalm, with one written into the history book.  ‘and, moreover, that the Gentiles might glorify God for his mercy. As it is written: “Therefore I will praise you among the Gentiles; I will sing the praises of your name.”’ (Romans 15:9).  And with Paul changing that one word, instead of ‘nations’, he wrote ‘Gentiles.’  This explains what David meant.  The Israelites were supposed to shine God’s glory so that the Gentiles would praise God also.  But they kept God for them alone and worshipped other gods.  So, they fell into sin while not shining God’s Light.”

I smiled, “There is a lot of quotations left.  When there are only a few, I just skip that and move on.”

Marika said, “Please, I got a lot out of the study today.  Can we continue?”

Arabella laughed, “I liked it too, but it gives my brother heartburn finding another psalm turned into a song.”

Emmett said, “Don’t worry, Aunt Jemima, I can come up with something.”

I asked, “Does anyone disagree with staying in the psalms?”  No one did.

Grannie Fannie (2 Corinthians 13:14) “May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.”

Grannie laughed, “Right when I had the other one memorized.”

Lauren ran up to Grannie Fannie and hugged her.  “Are you ready to drive us?”

Brooke picked up Stormie and strapped her into the carrier.

Credits

I have known many people who had olden given names in honor of dead relatives.  I know of no Bubbas who were hiding their given names.

As for Billy Ray Taylor III, I had a Bunny Rae who was a third in my platoon.  I have a Trey in the family, nicknamed that due to being the third generation.  But Billy not being a William came from a friend on the NASA project.  He told all the people who moved to the site from California that his name was Bobby Ray, but he went by his initials, B. R.  You wouldn’t believe how many of these rocket scientists replied, “I don’t understand.  The ‘R’ stands for Robert, so what does the ‘B’ stand for?”  As if slowing down might help them understand, Bobby Ray would slowly say, “Bobby Ray.”  They still didn’t get it.  They shook their heads and walked away, confused.

Here is Psalm 19 sung by Sounds like Reign.

Soli Deo Gloria.  Only to God be the Glory.