Believer's Heritage- Alexander Mackay

Alexander Mackay was born in Scotland in 1849. His father was a preacher, and often when he was away, his mother would tell him stories of the brave missionaries who changed the world for Christ.
He not only loved the Lord, but also was gifted at mechanics. He would go to the building site of the local church to watch the men work. The men would ask him if he was going to preach to them. Alexander's response was, "Give me a trowel, so I can build and preach at the same time."
He wanted to learn about the trains that passed through 4 miles from his home. He learned all he could about the ships in the docks. He wanted to learn about engineering, and went to Germany to further his studies in this field.
The stories of David Livingston never left his mind. "What could an engineer do in Africa?", he would ask himself.
One night, in 1875, he read an article in the Edinburg Daily review. The article was written by Henry Stanley. It told of King M'tesa of Uganda who wanted to know about the "white man's God". Stanley wrote that someone who could cure diseases and build dwellings would be welcomed.
Alexander always liked John the Baptist- the man who was sent to prepare the way for the Lord. Now, he saw that he could be both a minister and an engineer in Africa. He could build the village and show people the gospel of Christ.
He wrote the Church Missionary Society telling them of his burden. Just 4 months later, Alexander and seven others were on their way to Africa.
They landed in Zanzibar in 1876 and then had to make the 800 mile trip to Lake Victoria. Before leaving, however, Alexander got very sick. He had to stay while the others went on ahead.
When he recovered, he was told to wait until the rainy season had ended. He wasn't idle during this time, though. He built a 230 mile wagon road from the coast to Mpwapwa. What once was dense forest was now a road wide enough for 2 wagons to pass each other. Alexander said that he hoped this road would prepare the way of the Lord into the heart of Africa.
Alexander arrived in Uganda in 1878.
Uganda is the home of Lake Victoria. The people lived in fear of evil spirits and sorcerers. The natives had charms on their bodies and their homes to ward off these spirits, and would often offer sacrifices for protection. There were many different gods who each had a specific charm that was needed. People would have charms for snake bites, diseases, and and even to prevent earthquakes and famines.
At the time, it was ruled by King M'tesa of the Waganda. It was customary for King M'tesa to sell his people into slavery to Arabians in exchange for clothes and weapons.
The thought of human trafficking was unsavory to Alexander. He thought of John the Baptist losing his head for standing up to King Herod. But, he knew he must do what was right. He pointed out the as King, he was like a father to his people. He talked of the cruelty that his people would face if they were sold as slaves to the Arabians.
King M'tesa thought about what Alexander had said. He realized it was wrong and said he would no more sell his people as slaves. He later sent a present, a small goat, to thank the "white man". Because of his honesty the chief made him his blood-brother.
Alexander tried hard to show them that their charms couldn't protect them. One day, he bought a powerful charm and then asked the people if he could burn it. They said that he would anger the god of the charm.
He burned the charm to ashes. Half of the crowd fled, and the rest watched to see if some tragic disaster would claim his life.
When speaking to King M'tesa about death, he said that what you're buried with didn't matter. He pointed out that the Waganda lived in fear of witches and sorcerers, and the fear didn't end when they died. He said that their souls were lost in the darkeness of the belief of witches and charms, but that his own soul was saved by Jesus Christ and that he had no fear of what would happen at death.
Alexander set up a workshop and built things for the people. He was a curiosity to the Waganda who thought that women were for work and men were for war. They called him "White man of work".
Many of the people got sick from drinking the marsh waters. So, Alexander dug a well. The people thought it was funny because they knew that water came from the heavens, not the ground.
He took ox fat and made candles. This was very interesting to the Waganda, who watched him intently.
He started a school and taught some of the people to read and write Suahili (the native language). He translated and printed portions of the New Testament for the people to have their own copy of God's Word. He also translated the gospel of Matthew into Luganda.
His desire to see souls saved was never lost during his improvement of the Uganda civilization.
His life was not without it's problems. The Arabians were not happy about the loss of their "trade negotiations". And the French priests had come, and started stirring up trouble. King M'tesa himself turned out to be a blood-thirsty tyrant.
The King wasn't happy with Alexander because he didn't think having 300 wives was wrong. Though Alexander plainly told him the truth, the Arabians used subtlety and diplomacy and the French spouted policy and conduct. They even overlooked the 5 times in 2 years that King M'tesa sent his warriors to destroy and take captives and plunder from the neighboring villages.
King M'tesa's cruelty extended to his own people. Though he had stopped selling them into slavery, he hadn't stopped killing them to seize their assets. Alexander witnessed what he called their butchering almost every day.
On top of these routine killings, there was also a ritual where they would gather many victims and at the end of a certain amount of time they would be sacrificed to the various gods. In 1881, Alexander witnessed 2,000 people slaughtered in one day for this ritual.
In 1883, the King had come down with some sickness, and the witch doctor told him that he needed a mass killing to appease the god and so he could get better. Though Alexander tried to plead with the king that this was wrong, he was ignored.
When M'tesa died, his son M'wanga took the rule. He was a cruel child of 18. He blamed the Christians for his troubles. Along with an Arabian, M'wanga caught 3 of the converted Waganda. The oldest was 15 and the youngest was 12. They wouldn't denounce Christ, and so they were mutilated and burned.
A man who had come to help Alexander was met by his soldiers at Lake Victoria and speared before he had even made it to the village. His last words were, "Tell your king that I give my life for the people of Uganda."
Next, the king had 200 Christians tortured and killed. His head executioner told him that he had never seen such calmness and bravery from those who faced death.
Alexander was able to meet up with Henry Stanley, the man who's article had encouraged him to come to Uganda. Stanley wanted Alexander to come back to England and refresh himself, but Alexander wouldn't leave the work without someone to finish it.
Only a few months later, in 1890, he contracted a fever and went on to meet those who had gone before him. His life was spent teaching, building, helping, and serving- the impact of his sacrifice wouldn't be seen for a few more decades.
In 1922, Basil Matthews, Prime Minister of Uganda, told a story of being beaten by King M'wanga because he believed in Christ. But, he also told of M'wanga's son, King Kaudi the Christian. In the spot where the 3 young boys gave their lives for Christ stands a cross, erected by 70,000 Waganda Christians. And the capitol of Uganda has a beautiful church. No more slave trade or ritual sacrifice.
Alexander Mackay may not have lived to see these results of his life's work, but somehow he knew that his life wouldn't be in vain. He said, "The conquest of Africa has already cost many lives; but the end to be gained is worth the price paid. Let us not forget that the redemption of the world cost infinitely more."

Crawfish Pie recipe

3 TBS olive oil
3/4 cup diced yellow onion
1/4 cup diced green bell pepper
1 TBS salt
3/4 tsp cayenne pepper
2 lbs crawfish tails
1/2 cup chopped green onions
1 TBS chopped garlic
3 TBS finely chopped parsley
2 large eggs
3/4 cup Italian bread crumbs
1 can cream of celery soup
2 cups shredded mozzerella cheese
1/2 cup diced sun dried tomatoes
2 pie crusts with tops

Saute the onion bell pepper, salt and cayenne in a large pot in olive oil for 2 minutes. Add crawfish tails and cook for 2 minutes longer. Add green onions, garlic, and parsley and cook for 1 minute more. Remove from heat and add eggs, bread crumbs, cream of celery soup, mozzerella cheese, and sundried tomatoes. Mix all ingredients well.
Spoon into pie shells and cover with the pie crust top. Poke some holes in the top with a fork.
Bake  according to package directions on the pie shells.

Fleeing From The Presence Of The LORD (video sermon)

The Lord has led me to another sermon from Jonah. Again, we are going to look at his children's favorite story through the lens of grown up eyes.

This sermon is about how Jonah thought he could flee from the presence of the Lord. Jonah was told by God to go preach to the wicked, heathen city of Nineveh. But Jonah didn't want to. The Bible doesn't elaborate on Jonah's reasons; but really do we need to know the excuses behind disobedience?

Jonah was a preacher. A prophet. A man of God. The one who God sent to tell others His word. The Bible doesn't say that Jonah had any job other than this. And yet, in Jonah chapter 1, Jonah is doing exactly the opposite of what his job was suppose to be.

God didn't ask Jonah his opinion. God didn't wait for Jonah to say what his choice in the matter was. God didn't tell him to preach salvation. God commanded Jonah to preach judgement.

But, Jonah didn't like these people. He wasn't happy about being told to go to the evil Gentile nation and preach. Perhaps he thought the journey was too much to ask of him- 3 days of travelling. Whatever the reason, Jonah had made up his mind that this was too much for God to ask of him.

Jonah knew that God was merciful. He tells God, in Jonah chapter 4, that he didn't want to see these wicked people repent and receive mercy from the Lord. So, Jonah flees from the presence of the Lord.

What makes a person think that they can get away from the eyes of the omniscient, omnipotent God of all creation? Why would a God that would mete out judgement to an evil city not serve judgement of the one who was suppose to be His minister? Who is above the sentence of righteousness?

Not Cain when fleeing from the murder of his brother. Not Satan when he leaves God's throne to tempt Job to sin. Not the sinner in the last days. And not the prophet Jonah who was blatantly disobeying God's command.

How many times do we allow sin in our lives and then we try to hide from God's presence? We know we're guilty so we stay away from church. We don't want to hear from those who are trying to serve the Lord. We don't want our conscience to be pricked by God's Word. This stuff makes us feel bad because we're guilty.

We find ourselves in sin and we start doing the opposite of what God expects of us. We make excuses as to why we are justified in running away from God's will. But, the truth is, we cannot run from the presence of God.

A Daughter's Take On Her Father's Story (poem)

On the day of the surgery my dad did not wake up.

When he did not wake up, we wondered,

"How long will it take?"

When he finally woke up, we found that he could not speak.

Though his brain worked just fine, his body was weak.

We moved to a rehab called Shepherd,

A place to help Daddy get well.

The first time he walked my heart soared like a bird,

The whole world I wanted to tell.

Now, praise be to God, my father can talk.

Still working on it, but he also can walk.

It wasn't doctors or nurses, although they've all been great!

It's certainly not luck, and I know it's not fate.

We have so much to thank Jesus for,

When we needed a miracle, He opened the door.

He's been the best friend that we ever had.

And if anyone asks, it was He who saved my dad!



-Iris Fredrick

Funny Happenings- Counting

As I've stated before, I've got 5 younger siblings. I had a lot of time helping them learn different things- there was some softball practice, boot camp where we all did sit ups and push ups, and swimming.
There was also some help with schooling. My brother, Josh, was a very literal person. You couldn't just say something to him. Once I told him that Mom was down the road and around the corner, and he went to find which corner.
While we were outside one day, Josh yelled, "I can count to 10!" And then as he lifted one finger at a time he called out, "1...2...3...4...5...6...7...8...9...10!"
"That's great!", someone hollered back. "Can you count higher?"
Josh thought about this for a moment and replied, "yes." And then raised his arms above his head and said, "1...2...3...4...5...6...7...8...9...10! See!"

Musical arrangement

When Lust Conceives

There are just some sins that are hard to talk about. Gluttony, oversleeping, under sleeping, working too much, not taking care of the temple of God, etc. are just some sins that pastors tend to overlook. 

These over-looked sins are the ones that are the most damaging because they take root and grow into a strong deterant before many people even realize they were there. Lust is one of these sins.

James 1:13-15- Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man: But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed.  Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.

Lust is what allows sin to be appealing to us. Lust is what makes us desire to sin. And when lust gets it's way, the consequences aren't so pleasant!

II Samuel 13:1-2- And it came to pass after this, that Absalom the son of David had a fair sister, whose name was Tamar; and Amnon the son of David loved her.  And Amnon was so vexed, that he fell sick for his sister Tamar; for she was a virgin; and Amnon thought it hard for him to do any thing to her.  

The Bible says that it was love. The Bible says that Amnon loved her.

But lust is an interesting thing. He never should have entertained the idea of Tamar because she was his sister. If you ponder it, you will start believing it. And when that happens, the devil will make sure you believe you deserve the object of your desires.

II Samuel 13:3-5- But Amnon had a friend, whose name was Jonadab, the son of Shimeah David's brother: and Jonadab was a very subtil man.  And he said unto him, Why art thou, being the king's son, lean from day to day? wilt thou not tell me? And Amnon said unto him, I love Tamar, my brother Absalom's sister.  And Jonadab said unto him, Lay thee down on thy bed, and make thyself sick: and when thy father cometh to see thee, say unto him, I pray thee, let my sister Tamar come, and give me meat, and dress the meat in my sight, that I may see it, and eat it at her hand.

The devil gives him the opportunity to take his desires. This isn't true love. True love doesn't go about getting what it wants for only itself. True love doesn't think of it's own pleasure. But lust does. 

What is the end of this?

II Samuel 13:14-15- Howbeit he would not hearken unto her voice: but, being stronger than she, forced her, and lay with her. Then Amnon hated her exceedingly; so that the hatred wherewith he hated her was greater than the love wherewith he had loved her. And Amnon said unto her, Arise, be gone.

The Bible shows us that what Amnon thought was true love was actually a counterfeit. It was lust. It was a fleshly desire fueled by lust.

Amnon ends up being killed by Tamar's sister as a consequence for his actions. But, poor Tamar lives the rest of her days as a devastated shadow of her former self. Lust never thinks of the consequences to the other person, either.

There are many people who say they love someone so they sleep with them- they don't realize the damage they are doing. Even if they get married later, there are consequences to that sin that don't just go away!

Colossians 3:3-6- For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God.  When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory.  Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry:  For which things' sake the wrath of God cometh on the children of disobedience: 

The wrath of God is the consequence you will face for these sins.

I just have to have it! I desire it so much and I just know that my life will be better with it! We've all heard it before- from our children, from our friends, and even from our own hearts. It's my life, let me live it.

James 4:1-4- From whence come wars and fightings among you? come they not hence, even of your lusts that war in your members? Ye lust, and have not: ye kill, and desire to have, and cannot obtain: ye fight and war, yet ye have not, because ye ask not. Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts. Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God.

Can a Christian become God's enemy? Certainly, if he follows his own desires instead of God's will for his life. He won't lose his salvation, but he can certainly lose a whole lot besides that! 

What do you do when you are being tempted by your own desires?

I Corinthians 10:13- There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.

II Peter 1:4- Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.

Just rest in God's promises and flee youthful lusts!

But, I've already given in to the temptation. 

Isaiah 55:7- Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the LORD, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.

You've got to confess and forsake it. Why do I say forsake it? Because, you will be confronted with it again. It can grab a hold of you and deceive you; It can own you and destroy you if you aren't ready to fight it!

Galatians 5:16- This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh. 

Get close to God. Read your Bible, Pray, Witness, and Memorize! Prepare your spiritual weapons against the day of battle!