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Second Union Church of San Juan
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This new section is devoted to member's stories which bear witness to Christ in their life. Watch for coming stories. Index
Incontrovertible Proof of the Existence of GodIs there incontrovertible proof that God exists? I think so! And, that proof lies in the tiny corner of one human cell. Did you know that all human life, in fact all life, begins from a single cell. In the case of humans, that cell divides billions of times during gestation until a complex human being with every functioning organ is created and is born. A being with a heart, a pump that is millions of times more efficient and reliable than any pump ever created by man, and hundreds of more organs that perform beyond the understanding of man. At the top of the list, the human mind, a computer system infinitely more complex and capable than anything conceived of by the world’s best computer scientists. A computer that not only thinks, but stores nearly infinite amounts of information – so complex that it creates and even learns to love. The creation of new life occurs millions of time each day on our planet, and we take this miracle of birth for granted, but let’s take a moment to explore it a little. Scientists now know that the single cell from which you began your life actually contains all of the trillions upon trillions of instructions – an infinitely complex blue print – required to transform you from a single cell to a complex human being. And that’s just a small corner of this cell. The single cell is also capable of reading the instructions and acting on them – of beginning and continuing the building process of 50 trillion cells. All of this in a single microscopic cell! Contemplate for a moment the enormity of this concept. A single cell, from which all life emerges, contains infinitely more intelligence than we can imagine. We could place all of the scientists and scholars that ever existed into a room for a thousand years and they could not begin to duplicate the intelligence in this single cell – let alone miniaturize it to fit in the microscopic space where it resides. Miracle of birth? What an understatement! And it happens millions of times each day. My point to all of this? Is it possible that the enormously complex intelligence in that single cell happens by accident – is a random event? Only a fool would believe so. It is clear that there is a supreme designer who possesses infinitely greater intelligence – perhaps perfect intelligence – and that designer is God. Is it possible for God not to exist? Not if we exist! We are incontrovertibly the creation of God. If not God, who? Don Marx
"He Touched Me"Pastor David’s recent sermon, “He Touched Me,” caused me to think about the first time that the Lord touched me, and how it opened my spirit for the many “touches” that would come thereafter. I grew up in a “normal” Christian family in rural Indiana where my religious training at the Merrillville Methodist Church began in children’s Sunday School and expanded in my teen years as an active member of the Methodist Youth Fellowship (MYF), the junior choir, and church-sponsored Boy Scouts where I worked hard for two years to earn the coveted God and Country Award. I “believed” primarily because I was expected to, and all my training reinforced that expectation. My faith was based on what I learned from others, and Reverend Fred Wintle was an eloquent religious teacher with whom I developed a father-son-like relationship. My faith was strong, but untested. By all accords, I was a model Christian youth, but I had never been “touched.” I learned to pray, but I never heard God’s reply. Through my college years and into my early Air Force career, my religious faith remained a badge of honor, but I still had not really internalized my faith – I had not been “touched.” I was always an adventurous soul, and being a fighter pilot fulfilled some of my need for the zeal I would foster for the remainder of my life. When the call for the Vietnam conflict came, I expected to serve my country with the tools that I had been trained to use. But, that was not to be. The war brought new challenges and the Air Force quickly learned that supporting Army and Marine forces on the ground in thick jungle, where neither the enemy nor friendly forces could be seen from fast moving jets, meant learning new ways to deploy airpower. I was assigned to a new role as a forward air controller, flying a light unarmed observation aircraft in close proximity to the fight, in order to visually sort out the battle and direct the firepower of my fellow airmen in the jet fighters. In those days, airpower saved the day for many of our own troops. The most urgent missions were those all too frequent, desperate calls from small Army units that unknowingly walked into an ambush, or encountered a numerically superior force and could not disengage without risk of tremendous losses. Those desperate, begging calls from the young Army commanders who were being overrun were the most difficult. The ground situation was often chaos and airpower could save the day only if it could be pinpointed on the enemy while protecting collateral damage to our own forces. Often, the choices were all bad. As an Air Force FAC, my job was to sort out the confusion, call in the air strikes and pinpoint the enemy targets for the fighters. To the uninitiated this was a brutal act of war – to a FAC it was all about providing assistance to your friends and countrymen locked in battle that they often could not win. It was all about saving lives. For the FAC, that often meant exposing himself to an onslaught of enemy fire for minutes, sometimes hours, before the battle lines could be arranged so that airpower could be employed with safety. Then there were times when the ground commander’s position was so perilous that he ordered, “drop the bombs on my position” – hoping he could sustain less damage than the enemy. For those who live protected lives, it might be impossible to understand facing those kinds of risks and having to make those decisions. As a FAC, those calls for help meant making impossible choices under desperate conditions with unpredictable consequences. I remember the first time the “call” came to me. Eight young infantrymen on long range patrol 30 miles from the nearest friendly forces, walked into an ambush by at least 200 enemy. The infantrymen immediately sustained four wounded and sought cover in a small ravine, where it was only a matter of time before the withering fire would end their day. Arriving overhead, I could see the seriousness of the situation; they were being flanked on all sides and would soon be overrun. Airpower was the only chance they had, but it took precious time to get fighters diverted and overhead – often 15-20 minutes, and these young infantrymen didn’t have 15 minutes. How to protect them until the fighters could arrive and save the day? That’s when “God Touched Me” for the first time. My choice was to wait until the fighters arrived, or do something to divert the fire from the infantrymen. An impossible choice! I loved life. I had a wife and two children back home. I didn’t know those people on the ground – perhaps they didn’t even have wives or children. Perhaps they weren’t even good Christians or even good citizens. Just poor souls called upon to fight for their country. They were my countrymen yes, but my friends no. I owed them nothing but to do my job. I could wait until the fighters arrived. No one really expected me to unduly risk my life in an impossible situation. Probabilities were that no matter what I did, they would all be killed anyway. All of that deliberation took but a few seconds. In that moment, the Lord “called” to me. He reached out and “Touched Me.” Christ had set the standard – he had given his life for his fellow man. Would he ask less of me? Would he expect less of me? In a flash the decision was made, I would do whatever it would take to sustain their lives for as long as I could. God was not my co-pilot, he was the aircraft commander. The tremendous strength of faith that was there in me, was waiting to be touched. The rest is history. Weeks later I celebrated with those eight infantrymen in a small base near Dak To. I would be called upon many more times during that year in Vietnam, and too often, it would be an impossible choice with men in great peril. The testament to my faith is that every time that the impossible choice came, “He” would reach out and “Touch Me.” My survival that year is a great testament to the power of faith and the importance of following His teachings. One can argue the terribleness of war, and few soldiers will ever willingly engage in it, but one cannot argue the importance of serving your God and your fellowman. For FACs like me, saving lives was what it was all about. The power of faith brought many home against impossible odds. In that year I learned the most important thing about my personal faith. You will be “touched” when you show your willingness to selflessly serve the Lord no matter what he asks. He will seldom ask more of you than you are capable of – and the rewards of serving are beyond imagine. I am blessed to have been “touched” many times in my life. “He touched me, yes, he touched me.” And, he continues to touch me. Don Marx
JOURNEY WITH CHRISTMy journey with Christ has been filled with the help of many people. There are those that stand out like beacons, whose words added flavor and whose faith caused mine to grow. They may not have always been aware of the impact they'd had on me, but it is there. And hopefully it shows. Recently, in the Bible study we are doing this summer (1 Timothy), I came across a question about our reluctance to disciple others. Looking at it from the receiving end I am eternally grateful for those that took the time to share their faith with me, to push me out of the sidelines and join in the pursuit of God more wholeheartedly. I am grateful to those who live their faith so abundantly I couldn't help but catch the fever. I thank God for their love for Him and the portion they shared with me. Have you ever been mentored in your faith? Then you understand when I say it is pay back time. Are you living a life of faith so lively that others can't help but catch it? You never know who is watching you or what they're learning. Command and teach these things. Don't let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith, and in purity. 1 Timothy 4:11-12. Anita Rodriguez
Evidence of GodSee the web site http://www.ridgenet.net/~vswin
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