"Gideon Not Welcomed Here"

I learned today of a major hotel contacting a local Gideons group, asking them to pick up all the Bibles placed in their rooms. They said it was no longer their policy to keep religious materials in their facility.

That's their prerogative, of course. Hoteliers are under no obligation to stock freely-accessible Bibles in their rooms. (Or $5.00 waters in their mini-fridges, for that matter.)

Nonetheless, it strikes me as a strange decision. The hotel is a privately-held company; there are no Church-State issues involved. And the Bibles are tucked away in drawers; nobody is forced to read them. (Though I have read of one-time atheists who came to faith in Christ as the result of reading a Gideon Bible in a hotel room one night.)

I suppose some might be offended by the presence of a Bible in the top drawer of their bedside stand and that this is what the hotelier is reacting to.

It just underscores the fact that we are living in an increasingly intolerant culture--much of that intolerance incited by so-called Christians bullying rather than loving their neighbors--and that, if Christians want to see Jesus' great commission (Matthew 28:19-20) fulfilled, we cannot rely on others to fulfill it. (We never should have relied on anyone else to do it anyway!) We must prayerfully prepare for opportunities to share the hope that we have in Jesus Christ by building loving relationships with those who don't yet know or believe in Him. As a former atheist myself, I can tell you that it was people who were prepared to tell me about the hope they had in Christ who opened me up to knowing Jesus and appreciating the Word of witness about Him we read in the Bible.

(By the way, the Gideons are preparing to distribute the Bibles they've collected from the hotel in other ways. So, Gideon checked out, but he's going no doubt, to find a place for his Bible.)

[I'm the pastor of Living Water Lutheran Church in Centerville, Ohio.]

Speaking of Gideon Bibles, this seems like a good place for the Beatles' Rocky Racoon.]

I'm a Loser by the Beatles

"Although I laugh and I act like a clown
"Beneath this mask I am wearing a frown
"My tears are falling like rain from the sky
"Is it for her or myself that I cry"

[Blogger Mark Daniels is pastor of Living Water Lutheran Church in Centerville, Ohio. Living Water is a congregation of the North American Lutheran Church (NALC).

Today's 11:11, August 14, 2017

This is isolated on George Harrison's lead vocal, with Paul McCartney's harmony, on I Need You. Harrison composed the song and it was included in the Beatles' second feature film, Help.



[Blogger Mark Daniels is pastor of Living Water Lutheran Church in Centerville, Ohio.]

I Want to Hold Your Hand by the Beatles

Her Majesty by the Beatles

Paul McCartney drew the curtain on the Beatles' years with this little throwaway.

I wanna tell her that I love her a lot
But I gotta get a belly full of wine
Her majesty's a pretty nice girl
Some day I'm gonna make her mine

So far as we know, he never did.

And I Love Her by The Beatles

Taken from A Hard Day's Night. It's such a simple, beautiful song.

When McCartney brought And I Love Her to the rest of the group, he simply played the chords with no thought of doing anything else to it. It was Harrison who came up with the deep little riff that introduces and moves through the song. It makes it memorable.

I Will by the Beatles

It's Only Love by The Beatles

Blackbird by The Beatles (rehearsal take)

Written by Paul McCartney as an encouragement to an imagined young black woman in the USA longing for the success of the civil rights, Blackbird remains a beautiful piece that stands on its own irrespective of context. Its words can encourage anyone.

I Will by the Beatles

Oh! Darling by the Beatles

I Will by The Beatles

I've posted it on several times before. Oh, well. I love this song...and I love singing it.

Good Day Sunshine by the Beatles

This was the first song heard when I arrived at a recent wedding reception.

I Will by the Beatles

I never get tired of this song. Totally sigh-inducing.

I Will by the Beatles

I'm Happy Just to Dance with You by the Beatles

This is a clip from the Beatles' first movie, A Hard Day's Night. The song was composed and led by George Harrison, one of his obligatory single songs on Beatles LPs in the early years. The band's sound was so fresh, so immediate, and so compelling from day one. That can be heard here, I think. And the harmonies...amazing.

I love the lines, "If somebody tries to take my place / Let's pretend we just can't see his face."

I Will by The Beatles

Yer Blues by the Beatles

I Will by the Beatles

"Love you forever and forever love you with all my heart,
"Love you whenever we're together, love you when we're apart."

Blackbird by the Beatles