A Worthwhile Read

Discovering A Better Life
P.O Box 1540, Albany Western Australia 6331
Phone/Fax: (08) 98 418 418
E-mail: abl-alb@omninet.net.au

A Worthwhile Read
James Bracy wrote his wife a love letter, and she received it a few days ago. Nothing unusual about that, you say? Well, friend, what if I add the fact that this letter was written over 47 years ago? As you might expect, there’s more to this story… When Mr. Bracy was stationed in California with the U.S Army in 1955, he wrote to Sally Bracy at her parent’s home in Virginia. He put the then-required six cents of postage on his letter and dropped it off at the post office. And that’s where his letter stayed until it was found just last month by a construction crew who were in the process of dismantling the old building. It apparently fell between two walls in the mail room and lay there undiscovered for all these years. Friend, was Mrs. Brace disinterested in this letter because so much time had passed since it was written? Hardly! If anything, she said, “it means more to me now than when he wrote it so long ago.” And as I reflect on this remarkable story of a long-lost love letter, I can’t help but wish that more of us felt that way about heaven’s “love letter” to us. I’m also thinking back to 1998, when Jay Leno, who is one of America’s well known television and radio presenters, did one of this occasional on-the0street interviews. “Can you name one of the Ten Commandments?” he asked. “God helps those who help themselves?” offered someone. “Freedom of speech?” guessed another. “Name one of the apostles,” Leno challenged his audience. They couldn’t come up with even one. Then he asked if they could name the Beatles, and with one voice they shouted, “George, Paul, John, and Ringo!” Well, as funny as this might seem, recent surveys indicate that this sort of biblical illiteracy isn’t uncommon in the western world. One survey has 12% saying Noah was married to Joan of Arc. Another revealed that only 42% of those quizzed could identify who preached the Sermon on the Mount. Perhaps, in the light of this biblical illiteracy, we should ask ourselves some questions as to why we do not look to the Bible more often. Is it because the Bible is such an ancient document? Or is it because we have a mistaken notion of what we’d find there? Or are we just too busy to read it? Friend, Sally Bracy cherishes her husband’s four-page letter from 47 years ago. It is more precious than any other in her scrapbook because of the unusual and circuitous route by which it reached her. I don’t know about you, but I feel something similar to that about my Bible. Yes, it was first written a long time ago. But it has survived all these centuries against the determined efforts of many to destroy it. Then, when I finally pick it up to read, I discover it tells a love story that involves you and me. My friend, if time with the Holy Scripture isn’t part of your routine, may I suggest you bring with the Gospel of John? I think you will be thrilled by what you find there. However, if you would like some help in understanding your Bible better, Email me or write to me at P.O Box 1540, Albany W.A 6331. Telephone / Fax (08) 98 418 418 have a great day! Ron.

A Worthwhile Read

James Bracy wrote his wife a love letter, and she received it a few days ago. Nothing unusual about that, you say? Well, friend, what if I add the fact that this letter was written over 47 years ago? As you might expect, there’s more to this story…

When Mr. Bracy was stationed in California with the U.S Army in 1955, he wrote to Sally Bracy at her parent’s home in Virginia. He put the then-required six cents of postage on his letter and dropped it off at the post office. And that’s where his letter stayed until it was found just last month by a construction crew who were in the process of dismantling the old building. It apparently fell between two walls in the mail room and lay there undiscovered for all these years.

Friend, was Mrs. Brace disinterested in this letter because so much time had passed since it was written? Hardly! If anything, she said, “it means more to me now than when he wrote it so long ago.” And as I reflect on this remarkable story of a long-lost love letter, I can’t help but wish that more of us felt that way about heaven’s “love letter” to us.

I’m also thinking back to 1998, when Jay Leno, who is one of America’s well known television and radio presenters, did one of this occasional on-the0street interviews. “Can you name one of the Ten Commandments?” he asked. “God helps those who help themselves?” offered someone. “Freedom of speech?” guessed another.

“Name one of the apostles,” Leno challenged his audience. They couldn’t come up with even one. Then he asked if they could name the Beatles, and with one voice they shouted, “George, Paul, John, and Ringo!” Well, as funny as this might seem, recent surveys indicate that this sort of biblical illiteracy isn’t uncommon in the western world. One survey has 12% saying Noah was married to Joan of Arc. Another revealed that only 42% of those quizzed could identify who preached the Sermon on the Mount.

Perhaps, in the light of this biblical illiteracy, we should ask ourselves some questions as to why we do not look to the Bible more often. Is it because the Bible is such an ancient document? Or is it because we have a mistaken notion of what we’d find there? Or are we just too busy to read it?

Friend, Sally Bracy cherishes her husband’s four-page letter from 47 years ago. It is more precious than any other in her scrapbook because of the unusual and circuitous route by which it reached her. I don’t know about you, but I feel something similar to that about my Bible. Yes, it was first written a long time ago. But it has survived all these centuries against the determined efforts of many to destroy it. Then, when I finally pick it up to read, I discover it tells a love story that involves you and me.

My friend, if time with the Holy Scripture isn’t part of your routine, may I suggest you bring with the Gospel of John? I think you will be thrilled by what you find there. However, if you would like some help in understanding your Bible better,

Email me
or write to me at
P.O Box 1540,
Albany W.A 6331.

Telephone / Fax (08) 98 418 418

have a great day! Ron.