Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!wuarchive!julius.cs.uiuc.edu!rpi!uupsi!njin!paul.rutgers.edu!aramis.rutgers.edu!athos.rutgers.edu!christian From: garyh@crash.cts.com (Gary Hipp) Newsgroups: soc.religion.christian Subject: Re: Frames of Life Message-ID: Date: 26 Nov 90 02:19:07 GMT Sender: hedrick@athos.rutgers.edu Organization: Crash TimeSharing, El Cajon, CA Lines: 96 Approved: christian@aramis.rutgers.edu In article quintro!daf@uunet.uu.net (Doug Flesner) writes: > I am, by the grace of the Lord, living in the seventh frame. I am still >holding on tightly to Jesus as we walk. I have to, because the sea is yet >black, it still smells as bad as it ever did, and the debre is still afloat. >The waves are always lapping at the shore, trying to lure me back in. But the >Lord is between me and the sea. He heard my cry and He answered my prayer. >I am back on shore, I am a child, not as before, this time I am a child of God! Is it possible that the following frames will read like this? As I looked around me, I all of a sudden noticed there were others. There were myriads of poor human beings plunging and floating, shouting and shrieking, cursing and struggling and drowning; and as they cursed and screamed, they rose and shrieked again, and then some sank to rise no more. But, I saw with delight a number of other poor, struggling, drowning wretches continually climbing out of the angry ocean. And I saw a few of those who were already safe helping the poor creatures still in the angry waters to reach the shore of safety. On looking more closely, I found a number of those who had been rescued, industrioulsy working and scheming with ropes, boats, and other means more effective, to deliver the poor strugglers out of this sea. There were some who actually jumped back into the water, regardless of all consequences, in their passion to rescue the perishing. As I looked on, I saw that the occupants on shore were quite a mixed company. That is, they were divided into different "sets" or classes, and they occupied themselves with different pleasures and employments. But only a very few of them seemed to make it their business to get the people out of the sea. What really amazed me most was the fact that though all of them had been rescued at one time or another from the ocean, nearly everyone seemed to have forgotten all about it. Anyway, it seemed the memory of its darkness and danger no longer troubled them at all. They didn't seem to care about the poor perishing ones wo were struggling and drowning right before their very eyes...many of whom were their brothers and sisters, and even their own children. Now this astonishing unconcern could not have been the result of ignorance or lack of knowledge, because they lived right there in full sight of it all and even talked about it sometimes. Many even went to hear lectures and sermons in which the awful state of these poor drowning creatures was described. Many of those on shore spent their time in amusing themselves with growing flowers on the side of the rocks, engaging in business and trading, painting, or in dressing themselves up in different styles and walking about to be admired. Some occupied themselves chiefly in eating and drinking, others were taken up with arguing about the poor drowning creatures that had alrady been rescued. But what was most amazing was those on shore whom He called, who heard his voice and thought they ought to obey it - or at least they said they did - those who said they loved Him much-who worshipped Him or professed to do so - were so taken up with their trades and professions, their families and circles, their religions and arguments about it, that they did not listen to the cry that came to them from this Wonderful Being who had Himself gone down into the sea. Anyway, if they heard it they did not head it. They did not care. And so the multitude went on shrieking and struggling and drowning in the darkness. Then I saw some of these people on shore whom this Wonderful Being had called to, wanting them to come and help Him in His difficult task of saving the drowning creatures, were always praying and crying out to Him TO COME TO THEM! Some wanted Him to come and stay with them, and spend His time and strength in making them happier. Others wanted Him to come and take away various doubts and misgivings they had concerning the truth of some letters which He had written them. Some wanted Him to come and make them feel more secure on shore- so secure that they would be quite sure that they should never go into the ocean again. So these people used to meet and get up as high on the rock as they could, and looking inland (where they though the Great Being was) they would cry out, "Come to us! Come, help us!" And all the while He was down (by His Spirit) among the poor, drowning, struggling creatues in the angry deep, with His arms around them looking up in vain to those on the rock. Crying to them with a hoarse voice, "Come to ME! Come and help ME!" ----- All of us as Christians can see ourselves in this allegory and my intent is certainly not to take away from your joy, we all need times of rest with our Lord. Next time as you are walking along the shore, take another look out into the dark ocean. Listen. What are you going to do? Gary Hipp The above allegory was adapted from "Who Cares" an article in Last Days Magazine, Last Days Ministries, Box 40, Lindale, TX 75771. It was originally by William Booth, founder of the Salvation Army.