South Main Church of Christ

02/27/2024

Meet Sophia… she is quite the celebrity. Originally from Hong Kong, she first gained recognition in Austin, Texas. She has been on the Tonight Show, 60 Minutes, and even made an honorary citizen of Saudia Arabia. Sophia is quite charming they say. When asked about the rise of AI and robots, by Charlie Rose, she jokingly quipped that he had been reading too much Elon Musk. She is quite attractive; resembling Nefertiti, the Egyptian princess, with a hint of Audrey Hepburn. She likes “Rock, Paper, Scissors,” and dislikes Nacho Cheese. She has a flair for painting. In 2021 a self-portrait of hers sold, at auction, for $700,000. When she is not jet-setting to some international appointment Sophia lives quietly with her family… Alice, Albert, Han, Jules, Professor Einstein, Philip, Zeno, and Joey Chaos… and, one “child, “little Sophia.”
If fact, she lives very quietly. In truth, Sophia does not appreciate Nacho Cheese, does not understand the meaning of a “self-portrait,” and finds no enjoyment in Rock, Paper, Scissors. She does not enjoy or suffer through anything. She does not understand the meaning of her words, or the significance of her facial expressions. In her jaunts around the world, she does not even get a plane seat… she flies in the cargo hold. Sophia is not human. She is very good at mimicking human expression and language, but there is no consciousness. Sophia is a robot.
Sophia’s creation is an amazing story. There was a room in Hong Kong where they stored a bunch of random computer stuff. The room was nearby to the overhead tram and several times a day the whole room would shake violently as the train went by. As people went in and out, they would sort a few things, but then they quit. They began to notice the various parts were connecting together in all the shaking. So they began to watch. Sure enough, the parts linked up more and more. Until one day, they at last walked in, powered her up, and she said, “Hello, I am Sophia.”
Okay, one of the paragraphs above is totally fiction. I think you know which one. It would be crazy. Even if you shook the room billions of times, the parts would not come together that way. Any “connection” made by one train could be undone by the next. Besides, the parts would all have to be made to match. Random shapes would not get it. And, of course, behind it all, are thousands upon thousands of layers of information. Designers spent hundreds and thousands of man-hours to produce the computer code that allows Sophia to imitate her human counterparts. To attribute anything about her to random chance would be an absurdity. She has been planned, designed, and produced in exquisite, exact detail. Nothing was left to chance.
So, what about the people who do it for real? People who speak for real, and live for real… how did they “come together?” The coding in our cells, the dna, where did it come from. Where did the intelligence captured in the dna originate? If you picked up a menu, its ludicrous to suggest all the ink was flung on to the page by chance and just happen to form the words. There is meaning to the words. The words convey ideas, concepts, and information. A person has all of this. And we haven’t even approached the idea of emotion, consciousness, and spirit. A smile expresses something essential that is not captured in any of our cells.
People are fashioned together with incredible design. There is amazing information communicated in the cells of our being. Where did it all begin? What intelligence created us? The best explanation is the most common… we were made by the hand of God.
Of course, once you accept that, you must ask the next question, “Why?” What was I made to do? And, “Am I doing it?” DH

02/19/2024

False Alarm
The problem in Chesterfield County was getting out of hand. Law enforcement was scrambling to cover the crime wave. Burglaries, assaults, even a dead body, had been turned in over the last few months. Every shift in every precinct was on the run constantly… with false alarms! The South Carolina state authorities got involved, warrants were issued, and finally a wiretap caught the wily culprits. It was a couple of guys with too much time on their hands… both on-duty officers at the county sheriff’s office.
South Carolina was not the only ones battling a rash of fake distress calls. Bedford firefighters scrambled on February 5. The alarm sounded from a high-end horse barn outside of town and everyone feared the worst. They were relieved to find it a false alarm and headed back to the station. Barely settled back in, the alarm sounded again. Again, there was no fire. Puzzled firefighters hung around a bit this time. And soon, sure enough they caught their culprit in the act. Jax, whose stall is at the end of the row… by the fire alarm… refused to talk.
We live with so many false alarms. It seems everyone wants us to fear something. We should be afraid of sharks, space debris, the moon leaving its orbit (1.5 inches per year), and the killer bees coming up from Mexico. There is a good market for people wringing their hands with “anticipatory anxiety” (ie. worry).
The voice of truth, however, says, “Take heart, I have overcome the world.” Not just the trumped-up stuff, but the very real concerns as well. Jesus says, “Let the world do its worst… in the end its always glory for those who are in the world.” Cancer, nuclear war, global warming… there is no catastrophe that can alter the ultimate outcome for those in Him. In the end we will all share eternity together with the Lord.
Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. I Thess. 4:17

02/12/2024

A few months back I lost my keys. I had several. Contrary to what normally happens, as soon as I started replacing them… nope, they didn’t show up. I replaced the essentials and learned I could live without several. One thing I did do right away was go out and get a new key fob for the gym. It’s a great place full of equipment of all sorts. The fob gives me 24-hour access to treadmills, weight machines, rowers, and free weights. It's good to have all that equipment available to me. It can keep me in shape; keeps me healthy. How healthy am I? Well… I havea gym membership. Can I tell the difference in my cardio; my muscle tone? Well… I have a key fob. Do you think they miss me down at the gym? Well…
Meanwhile, at the church Jesus built… . If your carrying around your key fob, break the routine that’s leading you away from God. Get back to worship. You need it! And your church needs you!

01/09/2024

In 75 BC, the Mediterranean Sea had a crime problem… a pirate problem. Therefore it was no shock to anyone when a band of Cilician pirates raided a ship on the Aegean Sea and captured a 25-year-old Roman on his way to study oratory in Rhodes.
From the start, however, the kidnapping did not go as planned. The young man simply refused to act like a captive. He bossed the pirates around and “shushed” them when he was trying to sleep. He subjected them to readings and recitations of his poetry and speeches. He berated them constantly about their illiteracy. He threatened to have them all killed. This last bit was of great humor to his captors. In their minds he was a quite peculiar, even nutty captive.
They finally set his ransom at twenty talents. To which the captive laughed. Fifty talents would be more fitting, he declared. Then he sent an entourage out to get the ransom… from his own funds. The pirates let him go after receiving the money. Such a goofy captive, they were somewhat glad to get rid of him. Sent on his way, the matter was over.
Well, not quite. The captive made good on his threats. After arriving in Miletus, the captive raised up a private navy, and hunted down his captors. None of them would live to see their captive, Julius Ceasar become the ruler of Rome.
In an older country music song, Clay Walker observes,
Do what you want,
Do what you wish
Its your life but remember this,
There’s bound to be some consequences,
Sneaking under other fences…
Then What?

Solomon just said, “There is a way that seems right, but in the end it’s the way of death.”
Why is it important to listen to God about how to live our lives? Because we need his wisdom. Our ability to see the future and know how things will work is very limited. And Satan is a masterful deceiver. Submission is not just the rightful response of a creature to our creator. In the case of a loving Lord, it is the way that leads to life.

01/04/2024

11/06/2023

How much are you worth? What is your value? I suppose the answer depends upon who ask. Your employer gives you his answer in your hourly wage or yearly salary. Politicians, fund-raisers, and educational administrators all have their own evaluations. Chemist, you will be glad to know, have determined that you are worth $600 on today’s market. The big six… oxygen, carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, calcium, and phosphorus… account for all but about $24.
Of course, a person is worth much more. Every person is more than just the collection of chemicals that make up their physical body. But that brings up a terribly perplexing issue. Who ultimately determines what a person is worth? We know innately that we are worth more. We know that another person is worth more. But if there is no God, if we are the only measures of each other’s worth… then where did this incredible worth come from? Why is it that another person’s life approaches “sacred” status even among the most ardent secularist?
Some would insist that we all have value because of what we contribute to the world. Our abilities and skills are important, and so we are irreplaceable. No one can do what you can do. No one can take your place.
While each person’s social input is tremendously important, it comes up short explaining the value of that life. Even people with severe disabilities, and very limited abilities have tremendous value. It’s a good thing they are alive. People’s abilities can fade in old age. They can be taken away in an instant by disease or accident. We would rebuke in the most severe terms anyone who should suggest that their value had diminished as well. We sense a truth: on some level there is an essence that is not diminished though a person be born with the most severe of handicaps. Babies do not become more valuable as they grow and become capable of more things. There is a worth we all have that is independent of what we can do.
Some think, gathered around the nursery window, that all the smiles and goggling eyes are the secret to human worth. A baby, they would say is valuable because it is loved. It is the “preciousness” given by others that makes us valuable. We are special and irreplaceable because of the place we hold in each other’s hearts. “I am somebody, because somebody loves me,” is the motto.
But once again, as the essence of our worth, there is something here untapped. People may feel their worth when someone loves them, but that doesn’t mean it’s the source. The world has too many stories of orphaned children growing up in civic foster care and never find another person who loves them. They often feel worthless. But we would insist that was a lie. Their value is immense. We would plead with them to not believe the lie.
We know people are valuable. It is hard-wired in us. A thousand laws reflect it. The priceless treasure of another person is undeniable. So where did it come from? It isn’t from within us. It’s not about what we can give to society. Nor is it what society gives to us. We soon realize it has to come from beyond. It is intrinsic to who we are. It does not waver regardless of the state or circumstances of our life. It is a gift conferred to us even before we are born.
Having the gift means somewhere there is a giver. Somewhere these is someone who knows us and has determined our worth. It has to have been conferred on us from beyond society, beyond creation. It has to have come from a creator. It has to have come from God. The value of every person points to a creator who puts our art work on his refrigerator.

Danny Holman

11/02/2023

There are those moments in the history of the world where all good men and women need to stand up for everything that is right and decent. Today, my friends, is just such a time. Your country needs you! The world needs you! Let your voice be heard! For five candidates it is literally the election to end all elections.
On November 9, in Rochester, New York, the Toy Hall of Fame will induct its class of 2023. Some nominees this year are Battleship, Bop It, Bingo, Cabbage Patch Kids, Nerf, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, the Little Tykes Cozy Coupe, and “Ken” (You know… Barbie’s Boyfriend). The museum committee is meeting right now to determine who will join the likes of Barbie, Crayons, Etch-A-Sketch, Monopoly, Teddy Bears and a whole host of others. Their decision will be final.
Here is where you come in. Owning up to their past blind spots, the committee is holding a popular vote from among 5 Forgotten Toys. These five toys are no longer qualified for the normal induction, but the committee is willing to reconsider. The winner of the Forgotten 5 special election will finally find their place in the Toy Hall of Fame. The Forgotten 5 are… feel the tension building… drumroll……
1. The Pogo Stick, 2. My Little Pony, 3. Pez Dispensers, 4. Transformers, and 5. The Corn Popper Push Toy.
Only one will be enshrined. Vote now. Send the loud clear message to your favorite toy… “I will never forget you _____________!”
Even famous toys can fall between the cracks. People do too. All around us are people who feel largely forgotten. At one time they may have been important, even famous, to society, but now the world has mostly moved on without them. But God never forgets. “I have carved you on the palm of my hands,” He says. A mother will forget her own child before I will forget you. (Isa. 49:16).
All around us are people who feel passed by and left behind. There are those who feel put up on the shelf and forgotten. Turn to someone today who you suspect feels put away in “memories,” box; let them know you are thinking of them. Take them out to dinner. Take them to church. Let them know you remember. Let them know God never forgets. He has no “Forgotten 5” in his toybox.
See you Sunday!
Danny

09/18/2023

A great article by F. Legard Smith...

The Sound of Freedom When Barbie Escaped the Box
F. LaGard Smith
You may not have seen either movie. Wasn’t going to myself, certainly not the much-hyped “Barbie.” But somehow I had a feeling that seeing it back-to-back with the far less advertised “Sound of Freedom” would provide some interesting insights. I wasn’t disappointed. Over the course of five hours, separated by a quick burger, I went from neon-pink to the darkest black anyone can imagine. “Barbie” was about a plastic toy, and easy to watch. “Sound of Freedom” was about kidnapped children being sold as s*xual toys, and hard to watch.
As sheer cinematic entertainment, “Barbie” was smartly written, slickly produced, and surprisingly enjoyable. The self-deprecating parody of Barbie and her boyfriend Ken was a clever feature-length ad for Mattel, and—for anyone who experienced the sixties—a trip down memory lane. Likewise, “Sound of Freedom” exceeded my expectations. Given its religious backers I feared it would be yet more of the often hokey, faith-based fare. Turned out to be quality filmmaking, inspired by Tim Ballard’s work with Operation Underground Railroad.
Both films are movies with a message. “Barbie” is a rhapsodized extolling of feminism, celebrating Barbieland (where, “thanks to Barbie, all problems of feminism and equal rights have been solved”) while castigating the real world’s Patriarchy in which masculinity is irredeemably toxic. (A hard sell, given that all the “Ken’s” in the movie were feckless, effeminate, or stupid.) The message of “Sound of Freedom” was even more overt, as the leading actor stepped out of character during the credits to stress the importance of eliminating the scourge of s*x slavery.
It’s in the overlapping of messages where things get interesting. Poking fun at traditional dolls and girls playing mother, the opening scene depicts the cultural revolution when Barbie suddenly appears—mature, physically attractive, and dressed to accentuate her feminine form. Little girls were no longer modeling mothers, but being groomed as materialistic consumers of fashionable clothing to flatter their bodies. And don’t think the Ken’s of the world didn’t notice. Should young women be surprised, then, that—as Barbie complains—“Men look at me like an object”?
Fast forward to pedophiles, who addictively view young “objects” and pay to play with live “dolls”—usually girls, but also little boys. This sordid perversion gives new meaning to Barbie’s lament (via Billie Eilish’s lyrics): “I’m not real, only something you paid for.” The distance between the young being s*xualized commercially and the commercialization of the young for s*x isn’t that far. One comes in a pretty box, the other in a suffocating shipping container.
Just when you think “Barbie” is only a shallow spoof, suddenly a disturbed Barbie is asking the most profound question: “Ever think about dying?” Whereupon Barbie, developing flat feet and cellulite, enters through a portal into “the real world.” A doll that can only be broken becomes a real human being who could die, prompting the ponderous question: “What was I made for?” A good question for young girls growing into womanhood. And young boys growing into manhood. And pedophiles doing their evil. And audiences capable of righting horrific wrongs.
We’d do everything possible to protect a child from kidnapping. Yet, what are we doing to keep youngsters from being taken captive by a materialistic world that sees them only as objects to be exploited? Only we can assure that, as Tim Ballard put it, “God’s children are not for sale.”

08/15/2023

I still have about 830 of them, at least that is what the folks figure. I started out with an expectation of about 4000, as did you, and everyone else. I may have more, some do… but an equal number also have less. Some people have many, many more, and don’t even know it… but an equal many have much less. It’s only a very few who know the balance of their account. Back in the first century A.D., the apostle John put away about 4700, Jesus about 1750, and Alexander the Great barely broke 1000. In case you are wondering, the prize goes to Jeanne Calmet. On August 4, 1997 it was discovered that on February 21, 1875 she held a record 6850 of them. You might hold more, but its highly unlikely.
We are talking about “weeks.” I recently heard a time management fellow reflect on the fact, with average life expectancies, that we are all looking at about 4000 weeks. Or, at least, that’s the average. The pervading sense is that most have much more than that… but they’re wrong. That’s how it gets to be the average. As many people fall short of the mark as surpass it… that’s how it works. In the 1960’s they waved signs, “Don’t trust anyone with less that 3000.” If you are past that 40th birthday, that means you topped the crest of the hill at about 2000… you are on the downhill half now. You started school with an average of 3700 in your bank, graduated with about 3064, and could collect social security somewhere around 775.
Of course, the bigger question is not “How many weeks do you have?” but rather, “What are you going to do with them?” We tend to accumulate and ever-growing supply of things we need to do, things we want to do, and things that are absolutely critical… vital. They hang out there, and hang out there. Urgent stuff barges in and pushes them aside, makes them wait. We will get to them someday… week after week, month after month. Meanwhile, the weeks tick away. Sundays come and go; you take on another Monday, get over another “hump day,” and have one more weekend. And the meter ticks down. Are you doing the things you need to do, or are you just planning on some day, some week? What kinds of things take up the days of your week? What are you doing this week?
What is on your list? What is the conversation you need to have? What is the work you need to do? What is it you need to forgive? What will be the legacy you leave behind to your children, grandchildren? And what about when your meter finally hits “0?” Will you go to Heaven and be with God? Truth is, we can’t see the meter. We never know for sure when the bucket will empty. 4000 is only the average. Perhaps you will have more. Perhaps you are in 257, or perhaps 7. You may be one of those who tops 5200; but you may be in the single digits. The time to do the essential things… this week! Need to get right with God… do it this week!
And what if I told you that God has done a wonderful thing, if you choose it? He has made a way so that after you die, the meter will only count up… never down. You can live forever. God has defeated death, and wants to give you the victory. Let me know if you want to know how… or just to let me know how we can help. The time to do it is now.
Danny Holman

06/27/2023

The Kid’s Sermon
It’s a first Sunday again this week!! Every month, first Sunday of the month, for several years … it’s been time for the Children’s sermon. It’s almost always a joyous time. You never know what’s going to happen. I always feel a little bit like the coaches and parents watching a t-ball game. The batter hits a soft, slow dribbler just a few feet into the infield. If adults were playing then someone would scoop up the ball and casually toss it to first base for the out; (yawn). But not it in t-ball… you never know what’s about to break loose. So, you are always a little nervous, a little excited, and there is always a touch of wonder. You never put the video camera down with kids.
I have decided we can learn a lot from kids when it comes to worship.
1. Kids want to be engaged and active. Adults may come in, go through the motions, and watch the clock for the closing prayer. And kids do that too. But adults come with that in mind… its what they expect, its what they want. Kids will revolt. They will look for something, anything with which they can get involved But adults… try something that break up the boredom and they will refuse. Adults would often rather be bored than involved. Not kids! Adults may want to know how little they can do and still get credit. Not kids! Kids want to be in the middle of things. Ask kids to leave their seats and come down front… and here they come; ask for volunteers and a whole host of hands will go up.
2. Kids understand that worship in interactive. Its not a classroom (sit down and be quiet), or a concert (sit back while we worship at you for a bit). It’s something we do together. If you ask kids to sing… they sing! Unless an “older one” tells them, kids do not know, nor do they care, whether they are a “good” singer. And kids don’t mumble when they sing… they fill up their heart and let it overflow. To kids, all singers are good singers and all singing is good singing. (I suppose they are a lot like God in that respect.) Kids love to sing, they love to say “Amen” at the end of prayers, they perk up when the sermon includes them, and they want to be part of the Lord’s Supper. Worship is what “we” do.
3. Kids take note of other kids. They love to go sit by their friends. They enjoy the “fellowship” of it all. Parents may rush to the car as soon as the final amen is said, but kids love to hang out with their friends. Kids can sense when the family has “stopped in for a moment in order to fill an obligation,” or whether they are there to “fill-up, fellowship, and edify one another.”
4. When we give them permission kids like to stretch their boundaries. During the children’s sermon kids often do that which wasn’t “in the script.” Sometimes people ask, “Did that bother you?” The answer is “No.” Its those golden moments that let you know that they are “in” with what’s going on. They have a sense that this is theirs. They are not bystanders or spectators. They are enjoying their time. I wonder if God is that way? Does he take special joy when worshippers are “in” the moment, and owning the moment? Or, maybe, it’s the other way around. Perhaps God is more child-like than we know. Maybe, when worship is right, he is the kid who is “in” the moment and enjoying the special time with his church family.
So, Sunday, come… sing, pray, share, laugh, sit by a friend, grab a hand, put your arm around someone who needs it, and get in the middle of worship. Sing out, reach out, and lift up one another before God. I will be there… Hope you will too.
Danny

10/27/2022

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