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Vol 1                                                              Issue 4
			    The Edifier Online

Text Version                                                   Winter 1996
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			      FEATURE ARTICLE

	    Before Abraham was I AM: A study in the Scriptures 
			    by Thomas E. Mackey

Perhaps the most profound words to ever fall from the lips of Jesus are 
these: BEFORE ABRAHAM WAS, I AM!

	Let's go back a few verses to see the context of Jesus' words. 
(John 8:53ff)  The Jews asked Jesus "Are you greater than our father 
Abraham?  He died and all the prophets died!  Who do you make Yourself out 
to be?"  Jesus answered, "...It is My Father Who glorifies Me...of Whom 
you say that He is your God.  Yet you do not know Him...but I know Him....
Your forefather Abraham was extremely happy at the hope and prospect of 
seeing My day..."  Then the Jews said to Him, "...Have You seen Abraham?"  
(8:58) Jesus replied, "I assure you, I most solemnly tell you, before 
Abraham was [born], I AM." [Exodus 3:14]  (8:59) So they took up stones to 
throw at Him... [Amplified]

	Now, why in the world would these Jews want to stone Jesus?  
Because Jesus had just made the most clear, unequivocal claim of being 
equal to God Almighty that is possible for a human to make.  He took to 
himself, for his own identity, God's own name that He had revealed to 
Moses at the burning bush, as recorded in Exodus 3:14.

	In my opinion, there is no more profound proof of the inspiration 
of scripture and the unique nature of the Judeo-Christian faith than that 
found in this experience of Moses with God at the burning bush.  Virtually
all other religions of the world are the result of man's musings and 
philosophizings, trying to grasp by his own cogitation the eternal 
verities.  (Oh yes, there are a few that purport to be revelations brought
by angels, but they fail the test of scriptural scrutiny.  See Galatians 
1:8 "...if we or an angel from heaven..preach another gospel..let him be 
eternally condemned!")

	So here is Moses herding sheep on the backside of the desert, 
forty years after running away from Egypt and his failure to live up to 
his own sense of destiny.  Now eighty years old, with no more thought of 
ever being anything more than a "has been", he stumbles upon something 
that fills him with consternation...a desert bush aflame, but not consumed
...a voice that calls him by name...a voice that begins to tell him 
something beyond belief. Fully convinced he is no longer even remotely 
capable of bringing deliverance to his people in Egypt...yet this which is
beyond belief, this is precisely what the God of the universe intends for 
him to do!

	So naturally, Moses begins to argue with God, giving him reasons 
why God's idea won't work.  "Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh?" (In 
other words, I'm a nobody.)  Interestingly, God doesn't argue that point 
with Moses, or try to refute it with some positive-thinking, self-help 
affirmations of Moses' self-worth.  God's answer is simply, "Certainly, I 
will be with you."; like, that's enough!  Then Moses says. in essence, 
"Okay, let's say I go to the children of Israel and tell them the God of 
their fathers has sent me to them, and they want to know what your name 
is, THEN what am I gonna say?"

	Now, here is that profound answer, prima facie evidence that Moses
did't think this up himself...a deep and amazing revelation of the totally 
unique nature of the Creator God.  (Ex. 3:14) God said to Moses, "I AM 
THAT I AM...say to the children of Israel, I AM has sent me to you."

	God revealed about Himself what no time-bound person can even 
conceptualize; He is the Timeless One, the Eternal Now!  The closest our 
time-bound minds come to expressing the inexpressible is, "From 
everlasting to everlasting, Thou art God!"  But even that mind-expanding. 
limits-stretching attempt at expressing timelessness in human terms falls 
short of the profoundly simple, ineffable reality...I AM!

	How do people who exist in a time-space continuum conceptualize I 
AM, existing independently of time?  Before Einstein's Theory of 
Relativity this was totally unthinkable.  And even since, though we may 
use the term "timeless", philosophically we imply "time without end", 
since our brain's operation, rooted conceptually in a time-dependent 
epistemology, still finds "timelessness" impossible to grasp.  From a 
natural standpoint, the I AM is unknowable, which the scriptures confirm:

		"But the natural man receives not the things of 
		the Spirit of God; for they are foolishness unto
		him; neither can he know them, because they are
		spiritually discerned...Now we have received, not
		the spirit of the world, but the Spirit which is
		of God; that we might know the things that are 
		freely given to us of God...As it is written, Eye
		has not seen, not ear heard, neither have entered 
		into the heart of man, the things that God has 
		prepared for them that love him.  But God has 
		revealed them unto us by his Spirit..." 
		
		1 Cor 2:14,12,9,10 KJV
      
		"It is written, I will destroy the wisdom of the 
		wise, and will bring to nothing the wisdom of the
		prudent...in the wisdom of God, the world by (their)
		wisdom knew not God, (but) it pleased God by the
		'foolishness' of preaching (the gospel of Christ) to 
		save them that believe...in Christ Jesus, who of God
		is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanc-
		tification, and redemption..."

		1 Cor. 1:19,21,30 KJV


	So then, the incomprehensible Timeless One, "unscrews the 
inscrutable: by entering the time-space continuum, not just throwing hints 
by messenger service (angels and prophets), or by that still, small voice 
heard within; but by becoming uniquely human. The eternal Word of the I AM 
gets spoken into human personality.  "And the Word became flesh and dwelt 
among us.  And we beheld his glory as of the only begotten of the Father, 
full of grace and truth." John 1:14

	But the sceptic philosopher cries, "You can't do that!  By 
definition, it's impossible for timelessness to enter time."  Tell that to 
God and see how impressed He is with your worldly wisdom!  show me a 
time-bound man who thinks he can explain to you anything about "how it is" 
from his own mind, and I'll show you a man whose ideas and whose god are 
far too small and limiting!

	The only hope we have of even approximating the truth of "how it 
is" is to receive and believe the revelation of God which He has made of 
Himself through scripture, through the Word made flesh, and through the 
ongoing illumination of his Spirit.  "...so that (we) may have the full 
riches of complete understanding, in order that (we) may know the mystery 
of God, namely Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and 
knowledge.  I tell you this so that no one may deceive you by fine-sounding 
arguments. ...See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and 
deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the basic 
principles of the world rather than on Christ.  For in Christ all the 
fullness of the Diety lives in bodily form, 
	
		(that is, all of the infinite, Timeless One that 
		can possibly fit into a time-bound human was in 
		Christ Deity...'who, being in very nature God...
		stripped himself [of rightful dignity] assuming 
		the role of a servant...was born a human being...
		and became obedient to death on a cross...' 
		Phil. 2:6-8 Amplified)
	       
...and you have been given fullness in Christ, who is the head over every 
power and authority." Colossians 2:2-4, 8-10.

	Jesus said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to
me.  Therefore, go and make disciples of all (peoples), baptizing them into 
the name of the Father (the I AM unlimited), and of the Son (the I AM made 
human), and of the Holy Spirit (the I AM's presence in us in our time-space
world), and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you (in sub-
mission to my authority).  And surely I AM with you always, to the very end
of the age (and beyond)."  Matthew 28:18-20

	The Apostle Paul echoes Jesus when he writes, "therefore God (the I 
AM) exhalted him (Jesus) to the highest place and gave him the name that is
above every name (I AM), that at the name of JESUS (I AM's Salvation) every
knee should bow (in submission to the authority placed in him), in heaven 
and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ
is Lord, (I AM's Salvation and Anointed One is I AM's designated Authority) 
to the glory of God (I AM) the Father."  Philippians 2:9-11

	Our puny little space-time-bound minds will always have difficulty 
expressing adequately in our space-time-bound language the full reality of 
these truths about the infinite Timeless One who has entered into His own
creation.  For centuries theologians have wrestled with finding just the
right words to properly express these concepts in a consistent manner.  As
a result, Bible scholars have tended to gravitate toward one or the other of 
two "extremes":  Trinitarian, or Unitarian.  At the core of our dilemma is
our trying to make sense out of how Jesus can possibly be "fully God and 
fully man", as the ancient, historic creeds of the church aver.  I believe
any explanation of this truth which we think up, purporting to "solve the 
paradox" , automatically becomes inadequate.  Embracing this as ongoing 
paradox should not be so distasteful in a scientific age which continues to
uncover anomalies in the way the observable world functions.  After two 
centuries of experimentation with electricity, scientists still cannot 
agree whether electricity is made up of particles that act like energy 
waves, or every waves that act like particles.

	Albert Einstein writes in his treatise on "Relativity",

		"The non-mathematician is seized by a mysterious
		shuddering when he hears of 'four-dimensional'
		things, by a feeling not unlike that awakened by
		thoughts of the occult. And yet there is no more
		common-place statement than that the world in which
		we live is a four-dimensional space-time continuum."  
	       
(in which the faster matter moves the smaller is its dimension and the 
greater is its mass; in which a clock gradually accelerated to the speed of
light, if it were attainable.)

	I'll never forget the brief "aha" of fleeting insight experienced 
a number of years ago while listening to my brother, Charlie attempting to 
explain Einstein's Theory of Relativity.  Several times I had to ask him to 
stop and back up; he had lost me on the last curve, figuratively speaking.  
(Lots of things curve literally, in an Einsteinian universe.)  Then it  
happened!  For a split second, it was as though I was our whole universe 
wrapped in a cocoon of time.  Time did not exist outside of that cocoon.  
Time did not go back everlastingly into the past, nor proceed everlastingly
into the future.  Time was part and parcel of the essence of our universe 
which God had brought into being.  Apart from that created universe, time 
did not exist!  Only the I AM!

	Physics (the study of matter and energy), with the advent of the 
atomic age, has discovered that the atom (the supposedly indivisible whole)
actually has three interactive/independent components:  protons, neutrons, 
and electrons.  But further exploration of the atom continues to yield an 
ever-increasing myriad of sub-atomic particles, many with such strange 
qualities they receive names like "quark", and "anti-matter"!  Talk about 
paradox:  how can you logically have a small piece of "matter" whose 
properties earn it the name of "anti-matter"?!  Truly, the modern world of 
physics, as many scientists have confessed, is looking and sounding more 
and more like metaphysics!

	So then, if the material universe God created cannot be described 
without the use of paradox, how much more must it be true of any 
comprehensive attempt to describe the Creator Himself, and His interaction 
with man?

	Listen again to some of the words of Jesus Christ, The Word become 
flesh:

	"I and my Father are one." John 10:30

	"He who has seen me has seen the Father."  John 14:9

	"All things have been committed to me by my Father.  No one 
	knows who the Son is except the Father, and no one knows 
	who the Father is except the Son and those to whom the Son 
	chooses to reveal him."  Luke 10:22

	"I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you
	have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and re-
	vealed them to little children.  Yes, Father, for this was 
	your good pleasure." Matthew 11:25,26

	"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son,
	that whoever believes in him, shall not perish but have 
	eternal life...whoever does not believe stands condemned al-
	ready because he has not believed in the name of God's one 
	and only Son.  This is the verdict:  Light has come into the
	world, but men loved darkness instead of light, because their
	deeds were evil." John 3:16-19

	"I tell you the truth, the Son can do nothing by himself; he
	can do only what he sees his Father doing...He who does not
	honor the son does not honor the Father, who sent him...I 
	have come in my Father's name, and you do not accept me; but
	if someone else comes in him own name, you will accept him."
	John 5:19,23,43

	"I am the Bread of Life.  He who comes to me will never hunger
	...No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws 
	him...Just as the living Father sent me and I live because of
	the Father, so the one who feeds on me will live because of me."
	John 6:35,44,57

	"I am the Light of the world.  Whoever follows me will never 
	walk in darkness, nut will have the light of but...I know 
	where I came from and where I am going...I stand with the Father
	who sent me...I am from above.  You are of this world; I am not
	of this world...if you do not believe that I am the one I claim 
	to be, you will indeed die in your sins...I do nothing on my
	own, but speak just what the Father has taught me.  The one who
	sent me is with me; he has not lift me alone, for I always do
	what pleases him...If you hold to my teaching, you are really 
	my disciples.  Then you will know the truth, and the truth will 
	set you free."  John 8:12,14,16,23,24,,28,29,31,32

	"I tell you the truth, I am the gate for the sheep...whoever 
	enters through me will be saved...I am the good shepherd; I 
	know my sheep and my sheep know me---just as the Father knows
	me and I know the Father---and I lay down my live for the
	sheep...My sheep listen to my voice; I know them and they
	follow me...My Father, who has given them to me, is greater
	than all...I and my Father are one."  John 10:7,9,14,15,27-30

	"I am the resurrection and the life.  He who believes in me 
	will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes
	in me will never die."  John 11:25,26

	"I am the way and the truth and the life.  No one comes to 
	Father except through me.  If you really knew me, you would
	know my Father as well...The words I say to you are not just 
	my own.  Rather, it is the Father, living in me, who is doing
	his work.  Believe me when I way that I am in the Father and 
	the Father is in me...I will ask the Father, and he will give
	you another Counselor to be with you forever---the Spirit of 
	Truth.  The world cannot accept him, for he lives with you
	and will be in you...On that day you will realize that I am
	in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you...If anyone
	loves me, he will obey my teaching.  My Father will love him, 
	and we will come to him and make our home with him...These 
	words are not my own; they belong to the Father who sent me
	...the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send
	in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of
	everything I have said to you."  
	John 14:6,7,10,11,16,17,20,23,24,26

	"I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener...you are 
	the branches.  If a man remains in me and I in him, he will
	bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing...This is
	to my Father's glory, that you bear much fruit, showing your-
	selves to be my disciples...As the Father has loved me, so 
	have I loved you.  If you obey my commands, you will remain
	in my love...My command is this:  Love each other as I have
	loved you.  Greater love has no one than this, that he lay
	down his life for his friends...If the world hates you, keep 
	in mind that it hated me first...If they persecuted me, they
	will persecute you also...They will treat you this way be-
	cause of my name, for they do not know the One who sent me
	...He who hates me hates my Father as well."
	John 15:1,5,8,9,10,12,18,20,21,23

	"When the Counselor comes, whom I will send to you from the
	Father, the Spirit of Truth who goes out from the Father, he
	will testify about me...When he comes, he will convict the
	world of guilt in regard to sin and righteousness and judge-
	ment:  of sin, because men do not believe in me; of righteous-
	ness, because I am going to the Father where you can see me 
	no longer; of judgement, because the prince of this world now
	stands condemned...the Spirit of Truth...will guide you into
	all truth...He will bring glory to me by taking from what is
	mine and making it known to you.  All that belongs to the 
	Father is mine...I came from the Father and entered the world;
	now I am leaving the world and going back to the Father."
	John 15:26: 16:8-11,13-15,28

	"Father, the time has come.  Glorify your Son, that your Son
	may glorify you...Now, Father, glorify me in your presence 
	with the glory I had with you before the world began...I have 
	revealed you to those whom you gave me out of the world...For 
	I gave them the words you gave me and they accepted them...
	Holy Father, protect them by the power of your name---the name
	you gave me---so that they may be one as we are one...My prayer
	is not for them alone.  I pray also for those who will believe
	in me through their message, that all of them may be one, 
	Father, just as you are in me and I am in you.  May they also
	be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me."
	John 17:1,5,6,8,11,20,21

     
	Now a final word from Jesus regarding signs of his re-entry into 
this space-time world at the end of the age:

	"Watch out that no one deceives you.  For many will come 
	(using) my name, claiming, "I am the Christ", and will 
	deceive many...[Did you know there are many men living 
	today who literally claim to be a present-day manifesta-
	tion of Jesus Christ?  One of them called for a Million
	Man March on Washington, D.C. in 1995, and some Christians
	went!] You will be handed over to be persecuted and put to
	death, and you will be hated by all (peoples) because of
	me.  [Did you know a Regent University study showed that
	worldwide, more Christians were martyred last year, 1995,
	than in the first century:  156,000 people?]...many false
	prophets will appear and deceive many people.  Because of
	the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow
	cold, but he who stands firm to the end will be saved.  
	And this gospel of the kingdom

		(the good news of God's government that 
		comes on the inside of us when we submit
		to Jesus Christ's authority and are made
		one with Christ in God...
		Luke 17:21 and John 17:21)

						will be preached 
	in the whole world as a testimony to all (peoples), and 
	then the end will come...At that time, if anyone says to 
	you, 'Look, here is the Christ!' or, 'There he is!' do 
	not believe it.  For false Christs and false prophets
	will appear and perform great signs and miracles to de-
	ceive even the elect---if that were possible.  See, I have 
	told you ahead of time...Heaven and earth will pass away, 
	but my words will never pass away...Therefore, keep watch,
	because you do not know on what day your Lord will come...
	be ready, because the Son of Man will dome at an hour when
	you do not expect him."  
	Matthew 24:4,5,9,11-14,23-25,35,42,44

	And now, I pray, may the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious
Father (I AM) give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may
know him.

(All scripture references from the New International Version unless noted
otherwise)

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				OPEN FORUM
				The Bridge
			 by Kathleen Greenawalt
			 kath@cyberhighway.net

The old man tended to the rose bushes like a mother kneeling by her child's
cradle.  He pruned the branches he knew would never blossom, he plucked all
the buds from a stem except one so it could grow to be twice as large and
beautiful, and he lovingly watered each plant individually, talking to each
bush in the row.

Beads of sweat appeared to be playing a type of game bouncing over and
under wisps of hair, catching a ride on his eyebrow, then sliding down his
cheek.  But all his attention was on his roses.  If only those roses knew
how much he loved them - then again, maybe they did know.  There was only 
one thing he loved more and that was his son, Joshua.  For as long as 
Joshua had known it had been just the two of them in this huge beautiful 
mansion.

Joshua leaped from the porch barely missing a row of rose bushes.  

"Bye, Father.  I'll be home for supper," he said while running down the 
path.

"But where are you going?"  The old man asked albeit needlessly.

"You know...you know,"  was Joshua's only reply.

Every day it seemed to be the same:  The old man with his roses, Joshua
running out the door earlier and earlier and returning later and later.
Joshua didn't stop running until he reached the woods.  Here more careful
steps were necessary to keep from stepping in a rabbit hole or frightening
a deer.

Joshua loved the woods.  There were sounds only made with gentle breezes
and tall skinny trees.  The smell was a mixture of honeysuckle, evergreen,
and sassafras.  The temperature seemed to be always perfect:  cool enough
to keep you comfortable but not so cold to need a jacket.  But as much as
he wanted to, Joshua knew he couldn't linger.  He took the short-cut to the
river.  There was not, however, a short cut across the river.  It was just 
as deep, just as wide, and just as swift in one location as it was five 
miles up river and five miles down river.

In fact, in order to swim across Joshua had to start a half mile up stream
from his planned destination just so he would not get taken too far off
course by the swift current.  SPLASH!  "Ahh" the water felt so good after 
his dash through the woods. But there was never time to lie back and 
enjoy.  Joshua was kicking and stroking even before he hit the water.  When 
he reached the other side he was able to catch the same branch that was 
sticking out of the river bank.

His calculations had become precise - this was not a new trip for him.
When he first started making this trip he would stop on the other side of
the river and lie in the sun till his clothes were dry.  But that soon
became a thing of the past the more he fell in love with his time across
the river.  He first crossed the river out of curiosity and adventure.  But
after he met David, this trip took on more meaning.

Joshua was back into the woods.  He could barely see David's cabin.  But
the smell of burning hickory let him know David was up and there was a fire
in the fireplace.

"David, David!  I made it one more time!"  Joshua was running and yelling
at the same time.  Joshua burst through the door and David laughed when he 
saw his wet, muddy  friend.

If David had any neighbors they surely would have complained about the
noise.  Joshua and David were like long-lost brothers.  One minute they
were playing checkers and the next minute they were wrestling on the floor.
Joshua would play David's guitar, fix lunch and even do the dishes.  This
was a friendship that surely would last forever.  But as sundown was
quickly approaching Joshua knew he would have to make the long trip home.
Oftentimes David would plead with him to spend the night.

"Please, Joshua, you're the only person I see each day.  Please stay just
one more hour."  The closer the friends became, the more difficult it was
for Joshua to leave.  He was to leaving later and later each day hoping to
make up the time in the woods.

But today Joshua was leaving even later than ever before.  The sun already
was on the horizon.  He knew he would be crossing the river in the dark.
He could only hope that his father would not punish him for missing supper.
Joshua reached the house long after suppertime.  He removed his muddy shoes
and attempted to get upstairs without seeing his father.

"Son?  Is that you?"

"Yes, Father.  I'm sorry I was so late.  But I am so tired I thought I
would go right to bed."

"Joshua, come here." He sounded more serious than angry.

"Yes, Father,"  came Joshua's compliant reply.

The old man assessed his son's muddy appearance.  The silence seemed to
last forever  Then, in the most serious tone Joshua had ever heard, he
said. "Son, you cannot cross the river ever again."  

Joshua was stunned.  Bed without supper, grounded for a month - those would
have been reasonable punishments.  But he couldn't believe what he was
hearing - No more trips across the river!?!

"But Father..."  Joshua didn't continue the argument.  But the pain and
astonishment on his face filled the room.

"David will have to come here if you want to see each other," The old man
said firmly.

"But he can't come, He..."  Joshua struggled for words but it was obvious
that he was keeping a secret.

"Why not, Joshua?  Why can't David come here?"

"He just can't!"  Joshua left the room just as tears started to rolled down
his face.

The next morning when Joshua came downstairs he discovered that his father
was gone.  The old man was standing on the river bank.  He could see a 
branch downstream on the other side and he began to calculate how far 
upstream he would have to jump into the river so he could land at that 
branch.

He, too, after reaching the other side, was tempted to lie on the bank and
let his clothes dry in the sun.  But he knew he couldn't be gone too long.
Finding David's cabin wasn't hard.  It was the only one within miles and he
followed the scent of burning hickory through the woods.

Since he had never met David he felt compelled to knock even there was a
handwritten note on the door saying "Please Come In."  But the old man's
knocks met with no answer.  Just as he turned to go back home he heard a
faint "Come in" from inside the cabin.  The old man slowly opened the door
and began to look around the one room for David.  When he finally saw David
he gasped and he found it impossible to hide his shock.

David was lying over by the fireplace and it was obvious that in order to
build a fire each morning he had to drag himself from his bed in the
corner.  In fact, each day Joshua came he would take care of David in
everyway, from clothing him to making his meals.  The smile on David's face
showed he was glad to see a new face but he was also puzzled over Joshua's 
absence.  The old man was instantly filled with compassion and 
understanding.

"David, I am Joshua's father.  I actually came to tell you that I could not
allow Joshua to cross the river anymore but I didn't realize that is, he
never told me...I mean he never mentioned..."  The old man was looking for
the words, any words.

David's speech was slow and labored but he managed a soft "I understand."

"But I see things differently now, David.  I told Joshua that you would
have to come to our house but now I understand why he said it would be
impossible.  But I really do want you to come live with us."  Suddenly the 
old man slapped his leg.  "We'll build a bridge!  That's the solution, 
David.  We have to build a bridge."

Suddenly David looked at the old man and rage filled his voice.  "How will
I ever build a bridge you foolish old man!  I can't even dress myself.  If
you have come here just to point out my weaknesses then leave.  Don't you
think I would like to come to you?  But all you can say is  'you must build
a bridge.'  Get out of my cabin and out of my life!"  David's whole body
shook with rage.

"But David, I never said 'you.' "  The old man was about to weep.  "I 
said..."

"GET OUT!!  DO NOT TORMENT ANYMORE!"

The old man backed out the door in unbelief.   Tears were doing the same
dance down his cheeks as the beads of sweat had done yesterday.  But tears
do not play joyful games when they fall.  The trip home seemed twice as 
long and difficult.  He couldn't even seem to find the short-cut through 
the woods (even though he was actually on the shortcut).

Joshua was waiting for him.  He had quickly figured out where his father
had gone.  He was hoping that the disclosure of David's secret would change
his father's heart and he was deeply disappointed to see him even more set
in his ways.  The only thing he heard his father muttering was "we must
build a bridge we have to build a bridge."

For days Joshua saw nothing of his father.  Many times he would stand
outside his bedroom door starting to knock but he would drop his hand each
time because he could hear his father sobbing.  Finally his father came 
down to the breakfast table.  In his arms were mounds of paper which fell 
over the table and Joshua.  

"This is it, Joshua. This is how we will bring David to live with us."  The
papers were filled with elaborate plans for  a bridge. "Not only will David 
be able to come here, but anyone will be able to safely cross the river.  
We will care for everyone who crosses the bridge."

For the first time since his father's mandate Joshua was filled with hope.
"There's just one thing, Joshua.  You will have to build it."

Now to build a bridge just for the sake of building one would have never
appealed to Joshua.  But to build a bridge for his father who he loved and
trusted and for David for whom he had so much compassion was much easier to
accept.

"Whatever you say, Father. I will build the bridge."

For days the wood resounded with the sound of chopping wood and hammered
nails.  The sound traveled down the river and began to attract a crowd of
on-lookers, Many laughed.  Others shouted words to discourage Joshua.  "Say
boy, do you think you're the first to try building a bridge?  Many have
tried and the river is littered with the wooden remains and even their
blood."  It was true that many had tried to build a bridge but none from
Joshua's side of the river.

Joshua continued to work.  His compassion grew, especially for the 
scoffers.  But Joshua was becoming weak.  His hands seemed permanently 
wrapped around the hammer.  He couldn't even uncurl his fingers at the end 
of the day.  The closer he came to finishing the more into the night he 
worked.  The sound of pounding became a song in the night.

"What is that noise?" David shouted but only to himself.  "I cannot sleep
by night or by day."  No one had bothered to tell David about the bridge.

Joshua was closer to finishing than ever.  But his wounded hands were
filled with blisters and splinters and left stains of blood on each board
he laid.  Then, as he laid the final board, Joshua collapsed.  The bridge
was finished but Joshua had given his life to build it.  The old man had 
been watching his son and with tears streaming down his face he picked up
his lifeless son and carried him into the house.

He carefully washed Joshua's wounded hands and knees and laid him in his
own bed. Then the old man ran through the woods, across the finished 
bridge, and on to David's cabin. This time he didn't stop to knock.  

He burst in the door shouting "David, it's finished!  The bridge is 
finished."  

But when he finally saw David he realized that David was laying on the 
floor trying to drag himself across the room.  He had a hammer in one 
crippled hand and a single nail in the other.

"David, I said the bridge is done.  You can put down that hammer.  I will
take you across the bridge myself."

"Your bridge is finished, but not mine!  I'm still trying to build my
bridge.  Are you here only to torment me again?"

"No, David, don't you see?  There only needs to be one bridge.  Joshua
built that bridge.  In fact... '  the old man began to choke,  'Joshua 
died building that bridge for you."

"You mean you killed him!  David shouted and cried at the same time.  "You
made him build that bridge just so you could come here and torment me.  
And why should I even try to build a bridge now that Joshua is dead?  
Leave, Old Man.  Leave me alone!"

"David, no.  Don't turn your back on Joshua or me.  There is a bridge.  If
only you will let me..."  But the old man's heart was so broken he fell on
his knees pleading and crying uncontrollably.

"Old Man you have tormented me enough with your foolish talk.  If I am
going to cross the river it will be on a bridge of my own doing.  I will
not accept your GIFT (David nearly spit the word 'gift' on the old man's
face.) of a bridge.  Now leave me for the last time!"

The old man didn't want to go.  He knelt there weeping until David's rage
forced him to back out of the cabin. By the time he had reached the bridge 
there was a crowd waiting.  "So you really think this will work?"  "How 
much is the toll?"  "What do we have to do?"  The old man answered question 
after question.  He even walked across the bridge and back several times to 
prove that the bridge was safe.  

By nightfall only a few braved the walk.  Others laughed or predicted a 
future collapse of the bridge.  Some wanted to cross but were talked out of 
it by friends or family.
 
For those who crossed they saw more beauty than they had ever imagined.
The hundreds of rose bushes were blooming as if to celebrate their arrival.
And those who had seen the old man carry the lifeless body of his son
across the bridge stood amazed as they looked up and saw Joshua standing on
the porch welcoming them.  There were songs of joy and great feasts that
day and all the days to follow.

But Joshua also wept that day as he heard his father tell of David's
stubbornness and refusal to cross the bridge.  Now each day Joshua stands
at the bridge calling to his friend pleading with him to cross the river.
But all he hears is a faint, irregular pounding of David attempting to
build a bridge on his own.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

MUSIC REVIEW
		       SONS OF LEVI - "Enter In"
			Review by David Staley
			     staley@en.com

From the San Francisco area comes a band named Sons of Levi and their debut
CD, "Enter In".  I was sent a copy of the CD to review by Sam Hawk at 
Strata Records.  I was in for a pleasant surprise!
  
I found the CD to have a very clean and professional sound.  Also, the 
music was top notch and was enjoyable to listen to.  I find it a great 
soundtrack for driving, which is one of my favorite places to listen to 
music.  Also the content of they lyrics were great!  After listening to it 
numerous times, I was really refreshed with the central theme that this 
album contains.  And that is about aspects involved in having a personal 
relationship with God that only comes through Jesus Christ.

There are 11 songs on the Disc, and each one has a personality of its own. 
That is, the songs are each good on their own and not just fillers with a 
few highlights.  The CD starts out with 'Heavenly Father' followed by one 
of my personal favorites of the CD, 'I Couldn't Help but Notice'.  I like 
the second song because it really moves my heart about how we should be 
aware of the hurting world around us. After all, Christians have the 
greatest gift ever, and it isn't ours to keep on a shelf and polish when 
visitors come over.  We are to take this gift and freely give it away, in a
meaningful genuine way.

	I couldn't help but notice you were crying
	I couldn't help but notice that you needed a friend
	Won't you pardon me for just this moment
	I coulnd't help but notice you were dying

According to the letter that came with the CD, Sam Hawk said that the song 
'God of Abraham' is the first single off of Enter In.  The next single that
is to be released is 'Hamartia', which is a Greek word used to describe an 
archer's failure to hit a target with an arrow.  Quincy Follweiler, lead 
vocalist and writer of all the songs on the release, comments on 'Hamartia'
by saying, "Life is like archery.  Shooting arrows, trying to hit targets, 
and sometimes missing the mark.  Just don't spend a lot of time out there 
in the woods, in the bushes looking for those arrows that you've lost or 
missed.  Get another and try it again."

Here are two <sound> clips from "Enter In".  <These files are in .wav 
format.>

God of Abraham
	Yes, He's the God who spoke to Moses
	The God of Abraham
	He's the God who holds creation in the palm of His hand
	He's the God who was with Jonah in the belly of a whale
	His love endures forever and His power will prevail

Hamartia
	Every hunter knows you've got to sharpen your arrows
	Every hunter knows you've got to deaden your aim
	You've gotta shoot high and you never shoot low 
	You've got to focus on the target when the hard winds they blow
	I'm a bad shot with a shaky hand
	But I will try it again, do it again...
	Hamartia

If you have an opportunity to aquire this CD, do it.  You won't be 
unsatisfied, but encouraged.  If you can't find the CD anywhere near you,
you may want to check directly with Strata Records.

Strata Records
Sam Hawk - Promotions
Alison Moon - bird@ix.netcom.com
Strata Records
39120 Argonaut Way #572
Freemont, CA  94538

Phone: 510-657-8631
Fax: 510-657-7453

Here is a link to the Official Sons of Levi Page - 
http://members.aol.com/solevi/index.htm  
There is a lot of good information on the band here!

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