Hauling Chickens

Steer Clear of Flatbed Chicken Trucks on the Road

Crates of birds can send a bunch of nasty bacteria flapping in your direction

ATLANTA - You've heard about the chicken that crossed the road. But have you heard the one about the chickens traveling down the road? It's no laughing matter. Crates of chickens being trucked along the highway in the back of an open truck can shoot a bunch of nasty bacteria into the cars behind them, researchers have found. Drivers stuck behind such a truck should “pass them quickly,” advised study co-author Ana Rule, a researcher at Johns Hopkins University. Even so, it's not clear that germy debris will make you sick. None of the scientists who studied this problem got sick. And the disease-causing bacteria in question are normally spread by food or water, not air.

Germy Travels

Rule and her colleagues at the Bloomberg School of Public Health focused on the so-called Delmarva Peninsula, a coastal area that includes parts of Delaware, Maryland and Virginia. The region is a chicken Mecca, with one of the highest concentrations of broiler chickens per acre in the nation.The researchers chose a 17-mile stretch of highway connecting chicken farms in Maryland to a processing plant to the south in Accomac, Va. They rode in four-door cars with all the windows down and the air conditioning off. They checked the cars for bacteria after driving when there were no chicken trucks around. And they checked for bacteria after 10 trips behind flatbed trucks carrying crates of broiler chickens.They collected bacteria from air samples, door handles and soda cans inside the car. In all the truck chases, they found high levels of certain bacteria, including some that are resistant to antibiotics.

‘Unnatural Experiment’

The study, released this week, is being published in the first issue of the Journal of Infection and Public Health, and it's billed as the first to look at whether poultry trucking exposes people to antibiotic-resistant bacteria. It was a casual conversation that inspired the effort. “Somebody said, ‘I went to the beach the other day and I got stuck behind a chicken truck, and boy, is that nasty,’” Rule said. She said studies to determine if chicken trucks can make you sick are somewhere down the road. Dr. Keith Klugman, an Emory University epidemiologist who was not involved in the research, said getting sick that way is unlikely. Most healthy people don't suffer serious illness from these bacteria even when exposed in more conventional ways.

“It was kind of an unnatural experiment, in that people were driving behind these trucks with the windows open and the air conditioning off — for 17 miles,” he added.

“If you were driving behind a truck that was spewing stuff out the back of it, the first thing you would probably do is close your windows.”
AP Story on November 25, 2008

G. Mark Sumpter

Fleshly Words Well-Pleasing to God

Some have expressed concern that Evangelical and Reformed churches offer to God man-made creeds, catechisms and confessions of faith, and it’s put forth, shouldn’t the Scriptures be our sole spoken word offered in the public service of worship?

Many claim the authority of Scripture—let’s recite sections of Scripture, say, a Psalm or one of Paul’s letters; that’s Scripture! We do not at all disparage the authority of the Bible when we cite the man-made creeds and confessions, any more than discredit or depreciate the office of the pastor when he’s in the pulpit preaching, teaching and exhorting. Just as faithful man-made words from the pastor in the pulpit make for a well-pleasing offering of worship, so are the faithful man-made words offered by the whole of the congregation with her collective confessing voice.

Biblical, expository preaching proclaims, expounds and applies Jesus Christ—and all full of Scripture, scriptural portions, allusions and points; in a like manner, historic creeds of faithful men as they are confessed are freighted full of Scripture and scriptural portions. In this way, the vocabulary word-choice and the specific phraseology of Christian doctrine recited in the creeds builds up God’s people with equipping as God’s visible people of history.

Confessions of the church make strikingly clear that the visible, historic church marks herself as earthly and this-worldly and tells God and one another that she’s catholic throughout the globe (He’s Lord of all places and peoples) and catholic down through the generations (He is Lord of time).

God is Lord in history and works through history; He works through those with bodies, brains and bowels. He works for “us men and our salvation.” The creeds and catechisms are the fruit of the church’s hands. Men and women who confess their faith are not afraid of fleshly, man-made words. God gave us the gift of the church, let's be the church.

G. Mark Sumpter

The Arch-Way of Tyre

The Trye of old Phoencia was situated on an island about one-half mile off the eastern coast of the Mediterranean Sea. This narrow water barrier fostered some protection and security for the citizens of the island. Of course, being an island-city, there were disadvantages; it meant having to maintain supplies from the mainland. The greatest import regarding Trye was her strategic location for overseas trade. She became a city to emulate, and many around the Mediterranean theater took economic and military cues from her.

Isaiah 23, Jeremiah 25, Ezekiel 26-28, Joel 3, Amos 1 and Zechariah 9 bring words of judgment, in fact, each prophet made doubly-sure that the inhabitants of Tyre knew that complete devastation was in the forecast. Why the strong words against Trye?

1. The alliance between Ahab and the Phoenician wife, Jezebel? (1 Kings 16:30-31)

2. The self-proclamation of being a 'god'? (Ezek. 28)

3. For selling the inhabitants of Jerusalem into slavery? (Amos 1)

Scholars make the case that it was Alexander the Great that ultimately brought Tyre to her knees (332 B.C.).

Jesus heaped up words of confrontation to His very own people of Galilee, and He refers to Tyre: Matthew 11:21-2 Woe unto thee, Chorazin! woe unto thee, Bethsaida! for if the mighty works, which were done in you, had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. But I say unto you, It shall be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon at the day of judgment, than for you.

Trye, along with these other cities, should register a recall for us, a recall to plead with God for pliable consciences and supple hearts, to heed His Word.

G. Mark Sumpter

Sha-a-rim

This is located off the border-edge of the Valley of Elah, as mentioned in 1 Samuel 17:52, in the region where David conquered Goliath. Specifically, it's the location on the way of the rout carried out by the Israelites, when they chased the Philistines out of the area, back to Philistia. It's cited as the way of the Sha-a-rim.

1 Samuel 17:52 “....by the way to Sha-a-rim, even unto to Gath...”

Jeremy, my 16-year-old son and I, the Lord willing, will see places just like this one in the coming weeks. We're grateful for what's ahead. Stay tuned for more details.

G. Mark Sumpter

Friday Catechism

At the Sumpter home in Grants Pass on Friday mornings, we draw Westminster Shorter Catechism questions out of the basket and quiz one another. Below is an outline that I've used here at Faith OPC. I've seen these kinds of outlines and teaching helps on the web and in books, and what not.

An Outline of the Westminster Shorter Catechism

Catechism=orderly, sounding-over, sounding-through instruction “…to write to you an orderly account…” Luke 1:3 “Apollos…had been instructed in the way of the Lord…” Acts 18:24

I. Introduction to the Catechism: God's Summum Bonum (highest good) for Man
What is man’s purpose? Where is this purpose taught? (Questions 1-3)

II. What Man is To Believe: The Triune God, Creation and Providence (Questions 4-38)
The Doctrine of God (Questions 4-6)
The Doctrine of God's Works (Questions 7-11)
The Doctrine of God's Covenant of Life or Works (Questions 12-19)
Man's test or probation (Question 12)
Man's fall into sin, his misery (Questions 13-19)
The Doctrine of God's Covenant of Grace (Questions 20-38)
Jesus: The Redeemer and His Work (Questions 21-28)
Holy Spirit: His Work of Applying Redemption (Questions 29-38)

III. What Man is To Do: Obey the revealed will of God (Questions 39-107)
The Rule of Man's Obedience Summarized: 10 Commandments (Quest. 39-42)
The Rule Prefaced with God's Gracious Work (Questions 43-44)
The Rule of Man's Duty to God—Commandments 1-4 (Questions 45-62)
The Rule of Man's Duty to Man—Commandments 5-10 (Questions 63-81)
Man's Need for Faith and Repentance (Questions 82-87)
God's Gifts of the Means of Grace (Questions 88-97)
God's Gift of Prayer (Questions 98-107)

G. Mark Sumpter

Observing Advent with a Cheer Conscience

Faith OPC stands in the Evangelical and Reformed stream of historic Christianity. The matter of observing Advent, the coming of the Lord, though not being a matter of explicit command is, in our session’s judgment, a sound scriptural application of the teaching of the Bible. Israel learned from the creation account, Genesis 1:14, that God marks time, days and seasons by the sun, moon and stars, and the Lord provided a way of marking particular acts of His saving power, like in the setting up of the stones near Gilgal by the Jordan River after Israel crossed into the land of promise (Josh. 4:19-24).

All of the Old Testament historic signposts of grace, the days of offerings, feasts and memorials, are clearly fulfilled in the death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus on the Lord’s Day (Matt. 28:1-11; Col. 2:14-17). Faith’s session gladly leads the congregation to celebrate the grace and truth of the life, death and resurrection of Christ with the weekly memorial of the Lord’s Sabbath. But as an application of God’s work in history, we, along with other Reformed churches, place an emphasis for teaching and discipleship on the great gospel-based events of history: Advent, Good Friday, Christ’s Resurrection, His Ascension and Pentecost.

One example of Reformed application of such teaching, is stated by the Second Helvetic Confession of 1566 (XXIV): “Moreover, if the churches do religiously celebrate the memory of the Lord’s Nativity, Circumcision, Passion, Resurrection, and of his Ascension into heaven, and the sending of the Holy Spirit upon his disciples, according to Christian liberty, we do very well approve of it.”

This Advent season, the four Sundays leading up to Christmas, and on Christmas Day, the session will lead in worship, teaching and preaching with:

Nov 30 Christmas Through the Eyes of the Angels (Sumpter)
Dec 7 Christmas Through the Eyes of Joseph (Sumpter)
Dec 14 Christmas Through the Eyes of Zecharias (Jeromin)
Dec 21: Christmas Through the Eyes of Mary (Sumpter)
Dec 25: Christmas Through the Eyes of TBA (Jeromin)

G. Mark Sumpter

More Gift-Giving Ideas

Carolyn Custis James writes:

A cartoon appeared in the October 1998 issue of Christianity Today, next to a book review titled, “Theology for the Rest of Us.” The reviewer was assessing Dr. Ellen Charry's book By the Renewing of Your Minds, in which she argues from Jesus and Paul through the writings of Augustine, John Calvin, and other church leaders that theology is (and always has been) good for every Christian in practical everyday ways.

The cartoon pictures a mother seated on a park bench with one hand resting on the handle of the stroller containing her wide-eyed, pacifier-plugged infant. Her other hand holds a book, balanced on her knees, which she is reading with the same undivided interest you would expect her to devote to the latest romance novel. The apprehensive look on the baby's face is explained by the title on the book jacket: “Theology for New Mothers.” What the cartoonist intended as a joke (or at best a bit of satire on the notion that a mother would find any use for theology) is, in fact, an excellent suggestion.

I have not yet attended a baby shower where the new mother unwrapped a systematic theology book, but upon reflection, that might not be such a bad idea. The value of reading Dr. Spock is negligible compared with the help a new mother would gain from focusing on her theology.

From her book, When Life and Beliefs Collide, pp. 138-139.

G. Mark Sumpter

Genealogy Whistle Stop

Bible readers have to stop at Matthew 1:6 when they note that the Spirit dropped in king when referencing David as a place-holder in the genealogy of our Lord Jesus Christ. No one else gets a handle in the flow of the names. Up to verse 5, and then picking up the account on to verse 7 and past, it's standard family-tree information, albeit, a royal one. But the train, noticeably, has pulled into Kingsville.

Some reinforcement on the importance of Matthew's use of the king with reference to David comes from the lone son of Jacob mentioned in verse 2, Judah. Jacob had twelve sons, only Judah is noted here. Genesis 49:10 tells us that Judah will have the scepter, that's reinforcement about royalty in the line from Judah to David.

The Gospel writer lays out quite a bit of literary groundwork with the Old Testament sweep of history, starting out the genealogy on a note of David (v. 1) and ending it on a note about the same royal figure (v. 17). Then Joseph is called the son of David (v. 20) at the very point of doubting the Spirit's work of conceiving this One within Mary. David's line is in full view.

Matthew 2:2 then gives us the question from the wise men on the whereabouts of the One born King of the Jews. Why is Matthew arranging his Gospel this way? His story about the baby Christ in Matthew 1:18-25 and 2:8-21 is the story of the One who has legal right to the crown. And this King brought His Kingdom in order to bring relief from sin's warfare and oppression (1:21). He is the Son of David, the son of Mary, and He is God with us.

G. Mark Sumpter

It's Not About Me and More

The legs of the stool for faithful singing in worship are: 1) the content of the words, 2) the muscial score of the tunes and 3) the manner in which worshipers offer the praise, thanksgiving, contrition and edification. Beauty is discovered when these three matters line up in a worship offering from the voices of God's people. Psalms 148 and 33, as examples, point us in the direction of keeping proportion about text, tune and a comely, fitting manner of expression.

The point of matching text, tune and manner of expression has not been an issue in the contemporary worship music movement. The issue rather has been the breadth of selections of text, tune and manner of expression. Contemporary worship music has settled for a reduced repertoire; her focus has been God's forgiveness through the cross of Christ. “It's not about me,” and that's so very true. CWM has rightly led the way in this one: God is holy and God alone has provided salvation through faith in His Son. So far, so very, very good. But CWM has neglected a theology of text, tune and manner of expression regarding the subjects of wisdom and warfare. Read the Psalms. God's Song Book calls us to greater faithfulness, a greater breadth, guiding us to round out what we sing and how we sing it.

Contemporary worship music has three legs of one particular stool, and it's a super, super vital one; but God has many more stools in His house.

G. Mark Sumpter

Bulimia Matters.5

“God does not play dice with the universe.”
- Albert Einstein


“Einstein was doubly wrong when he said, God does not play dice. Not only does God definitely play dice, but He sometimes confuses us by throwing them where they can't be seen.” -Stephen Hawking


G. Mark Sumpter

Laws of Creation

“The laws of creation [are] no more or less sure than the laws of redemption. And these laws of creation are sure precisely because God has covenanted to make them sure as a part of His carrying out His own purposes [see Jer. 32: 16-23; 33:19-22]. If the laws that govern creation are covenantal in nature, we should expect that a study of the nature of God's covenant should give us insight into the character of the laws of creation. Yet at the same time we must not miss Jeremiah chapter 31 echoing the book of Job in saying that God's wisdom in His establishing and working out His purposes in creation is unfathomable to us:

Were you there when I laid the earth's foundation? Tell me, if you understand. Who marked off its dimensions? Surely you know! Who stretched a measuring line across it? On what were its footings set, or who laid its cornerstone--while the morning stars sang together and all the angels shouted for joy? Job 38:4-7

...By implication, all of creation, though mysterious to us in many ways, answers directly to God who upholds it...We should not expect the world to act entirely predictably as a big machine; we should expect that it holds surprises for us that we will never entirely uncover and comprehend.”

From Science and Grace: God's Reign in the Natural Sciences, p. 104

G. Mark Sumpter

Book Review: Pleasing People

In John Stott’s The Cross of Christ we read, “Bought by Christ, we have no business to become the slaves of anybody or anything else. Once we were the slaves of sin; now we are the slaves of Christ, and his service is the true freedom.” Freedom through our Heavenly Father’s gracious act of adoption because of Christ’s person and work includes freedom from man-pleasing. Author Lou Priolo aims to get our attention about this.

His 2007 publication, Pleasing People deserves a very high recommendation, and yet, a caution.

The book gets very high marks on its analysis of the sin of the fear of man. For nearly 100 pages, the author explores the labyrinth of deception regarding man’s own ways of self-promotion, self-service and man-pleasing. The look at biblical passages and quotes from the 17th century pastor Richard Baxter solidly point out the need of the Great Physician’s LASIK corrective surgery that gives liberating and glorious sight! You’ll read excellent commentary diagnosing man’s foolish ways with respect to:
▪hypocrisy
▪pride
▪fear of man
▪applause-seeking
▪excessive sensitivity to correction
▪self-centeredness about fulfilling man’s expectations

High marks here! Pastors, parents, Bible study leaders, Sunday school teachers, youth workers, here’s your practical guide!

However, readers must be cautioned. The book lacks attention on explaining God’s liberty for His children through justification by faith in Christ, His favor with adoption taking His children into His love, and the foundation of God’s definitive work of sanctification from which the believer moves forward walking in daily life. In short, the book fails to explicate the doctrine of the believer’s union with Jesus Christ. My specific concern? Just as the book turned over stone after stone with super exactitude for analyzing man’s sin, so I was seat-belted into the book anticipating the same stone-turning—appropriately geared for the popular readership—in the primary area for Christian faith and life: union with Christ. The book didn’t deliver the gospel mail. The counter-balance of expository work in the second half of the book was assumed, not handled and applied. The thorough diagnosis seen in Part 1 Our Problem needs the same thoroughness for antidote, healing and recovery in Part 2 God's Solution.

Priolo realizes that Pleasing People needs this caution. In the book’s preface we read: “It is possible to open up this volume at any point and read for pages without any apparent reference to justification by faith, the gospel of Christ or the ministry of the Holy Spirit, but these truths are to be understood throughout.”

OK. Acknowledgement and qualification appreciated. But the model of the rhythm of God’s indicative and then the imperative as in Paul’s letters urges us to follow that method of Bible teaching. There are places where the book rightly employs the indicative and imperative pattern, like on pages 173-175. But consistency with opening up vital truth about God’s pleasure in His Son’s life, cross-work and resurrection places a discussion on the far-reaching temptations of the fear man in the right spot. The book needs this balance of digestible expository practical help and hope. Such work in the truth, when applied with the Spirit’s help, sets a man free, and thereby, he's equipped to shake loose from the snare of being an approval junkie.

Proiolo's work over the years has shown that he knows how to use the Word well; this volume is super high octane in Part 1 about putting off the sin of man-pleasing; however, Part 2 needs to be throttled up with biblical line upon line, spoon-feeding and teaching on putting on Christ. Lou, revisit Part 2 and do a re-write, and you'll have World Series stuff.

G. Mark Sumpter