Monday, March 16, 2015

God Let Me Be A Preacher; B. H. Carroll

"I magnify my office, O my God, as I get nearer home. I can say more truthfully every year, 'I thank God that He put me in this office;' I thank Him that He would not let me have any other; that He shut me up to this glorious work; and when I get home among the blessed on the bank of the everlasting deliverance and look back toward time and all of its clouds and sorrows, and pains, and privations, I expect to stand up and shout for joy that down here in the fog and mists, down here in the dust and struggle, God let me be a preacher. I magnify my office in life; I magnify it in death; I magnify it in heaven; I magnify it, whether poor, or rich, whether sick or well, whether strong or weak, anywhere, everywhere, among all people, in any crowd. Lord God, I am glad that I am a preacher, that I am a preacher of the glorious gospel of Jesus Christ.” 
-B. H. Carroll, Belton, Texas; 1892. Carroll (AD 1843-1914), was a pastor and founding president of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary

I recall Evangelist Tom Clawson printing this statement by B. H. Carroll and handing it out at a state convention.

My dad, Joe Brumbelow, used to say he would not step down from the office of pastor to be the president of the United States of America.

Pastors, remember your high calling.

-David R. Brumbelow, Gulf Coast Pastor, March 16, AD 2015.

How To Keep Your Pastor
Random Advice to Pastors, Part 1
The Girl Who Saved His Ministry
How to Get a Life When Ministry Drains it Out of You
More articles in lower right margin. 
 

 

Thursday, March 12, 2015

Driving A Water Well

Recently I came across an old magazine with an article I had written; thought someone might enjoy it. The following article was published in Countryside & Small Stock Journal, vol. 81 No. 3, May/June, 1997. 

Driving a Well: It Really Works!

by David R. Brumbelow, Highlands, Texas

February 9, 1996 was an important day for me. That is the day we drove a water well on our property in Brazoria County, Texas.

I have been slowly making improvements to the property for the last three years or so. I first got the idea of driving the well from Countryside. I also got more information from the Lehman’s catalog. I had never personally known of anyone who had driven their own well.

I ordered a pitcher pump from Lehman’s (Box 41, Dept 2-KGB, Kidron, OH 44626; they can also be ordered from many local hardware stores), and bought 1-¼” galvanized pipe from a pipe company in Baytown near where I live. I also ordered the special drive cap and couplings from Lehman’s. The well point was purchased at Lowe’s in Baytown. I had the pipe cut into 10’ and 5’ lengths and threaded at the hardware store in Brazoria. I had them put more threads on the pipe than normal so the drive cap would screw all the way down to the top. That way when we drove the pipe into the ground, the force of the blows would be on the pipe itself rather than the threads.

My brother, Mark, borrowed a driver. It was just like a T-post (steel fence post) driver except much larger. It had handles on each side and was made from 4” pipe. It weighed 53 pounds.

The property has a creek running through it that will dry up in the summer. We had a bulldozer dig a small pond out of the creek bed. I selected the site of the well about 20 yards from the pond and near a small ditch that runs into the pond.

We began on the big day, February 9. I’m single, but I had the help of Mark, his son Daniel, and my Dad, Joe Brumbelow. We began by digging a post hole several feet deep. We then put Teflon tape on the threads of the well point and added a coupling and a 10 foot length of pipe. The drive cap screwed down on top of the pipe.

The length was a little difficult to work with. (I was trying to save on couplings.) To begin driving the pipe we had to climb a step ladder with the 53 pound driver. It was hard work but the pipe went down pretty good. A lighter driver would have been more work in the long run.

When we got the 10 foot section down we unscrewed the drive cap and were surprised that there was no damage to the threads of the pipe. The extra threads and the drive cap really work! (I recommend you buy the coupling and drive camp from Lehman’s since they are made especially for this purpose.) we added Teflon tape, another coupling, a five foot section of pipe and the cap. I backed up my pickup truck and drove the pipe for a while standing on the tailgate.

After we got this section of pipe down a couple of feet we decided to check for water. A small bolt (for weight) was tied on a cord and let down the pipe. When we brought it back up it was wet.

The pitcher pump was screwed on top of the pipe and the pump primed. After pumping for a few seconds muddy water began to pour out. A couple more minutes and the water cleared up. We then took off the pump, added the drive cap, and drove the pipe down another foot or so to where the pump would be at a comfortable level.

We then took a generator and air compressor to “blow out” the well. The theory is that by forcing air down the pipe you create a cavity at the bottom of the well where water can collect. We put the air hose in the pipe and duct taped the opening closed. We ran air down the pipe for several minutes. When it was taken out air rushed out of the pipe. You could then put your ear to the pipe and hear water flowing and splashing back into the cavity. We added a sack of concrete to stabilize the top of the pipe.

By this time my mother, Bonnie, and Mark’s wife, Cherry, and other son, Micah, had joined us. Driving your first well and hitting water is exciting. We all pumped a lot of water that day just for fun.

The entire project took about three hours. The well ended up 16’ deep (including the 3’ well point). Later we poured a half gallon of bleach into the pipe and left it for 24 hours to disinfect the well. The water has been checked and is clean and pure. The taste isn’t all that great but some wells in our area that are 200-300 feet deep are also lacking on taste.

We have used it often since then and it has never run dry. If it ever does, it should be a fairly simple matter to drive the well a few feet deeper.

I eventually plan to put an electric pump on the well when we get a house and electricity there. We like the pitcher pump so much, however, that when that time comes we will probably drive another shallow well just for it.

Note: have a couple of good pipe wrenches with you and remember to use a back-up when you unscrew the cap or the pump; otherwise you might unscrew the pipe underground from the well point or the coupling.

What happens if you don’t hit water? You will still gain a lot of experience, and with some effort the pipe can be pulled. We had a good location plus I did some praying about the project. I happen to be a pastor and as I sometimes joke, “If a Baptist preacher can do it, anybody can!”

Why not try it yourself? Thanks to Countryside for giving me the idea in the first place.

*******

-David R. Brumbelow, Gulf Coast Pastor, March 12, AD 2015.

Note: a link to Lehman’s is in the right hand margin. 


The Roman Road of Salvation
More articles in lower right margin. 

Tuesday, March 10, 2015

Bob Jones, Sr. on Wine, Alcohol, Christian Drinking

Bob Jones, Sr. (AD 1883-1968) was an evangelist, author, and founding president of Bob Jones University (established in 1927). His father was a Methodist, his mother a Primitive Baptist; some say he split the difference. 
Bob Jones’ early days were Methodist, then more nondenominational. He drew great crowds as an evangelist and it is estimated tens of thousands came to Christ through his preaching. Jones was a pioneer in radio preaching. His sermons were featured in John R. Rice’s Sword of the Lord.

Following are some of Bob Jones, Sr.’s comments on alcohol: 

Jesus Turning Water to Wine
“Well you know He always had good wine and He’s talking about the fruit of the vine, not the intoxicating stuff that makes folks get drunk. 
I know enough about Jesus to know what He made that day was not that kind.
They weren’t drunk either. They weren’t drunk. 
They’d been drinking that wine then and this occasion I don’t think there’d been a drunken party that would have invited Jesus. They knew something about the Son of God and His mother was there, they were good people.” 
-Bob Jones, Sr., Thou Hast Kept the Good Wine, John 2:1-11 (audio). 

“We should love sinners, but hate sin. It is all right to love gamblers, but we ought to hate gambling. We should love drunken ‘bums’ and pity them, but we should hate the liquor traffic.” -Bob Jones, Sr., Comments on Here and Hereafter, BJU Press; 1942.

“It is wonderful when God saves a drunkard which He sometimes does, but it is more wonderful still when God saves little children before they become drunkards, libertines, and degenerates.” -Bob Jones, Sr., Comments on Here and Hereafter, BJU Press; 1942.

“A man who had been married for a few months came home one night intoxicated. The young wife met him at the door and shrank back from her drunken husband, and began to sob out her heart. ‘What are you crying about?’ he asked. ‘You made me a drunkard. I was born with the appetite for whisky in my blood. My father died drunk when I was a little child. At my father’s coffin my mother made me hold my right hand up to God and swear I would never touch a drop. When we became engaged you stood at the punch-bowl and gave me my first drink. The appetite for whiskey woke up in my blood. I have been drinking secretly but periodically ever since. Yes, I am a drunkard. I am on my way to hell, and when I get there I will curse you for damning me.’ Men are not drunkards by accident. Every drunkard that ever staggered down a city street or traveled a country road was made a drunkard by somebody.” -Bob Jones, Sr., Comments on Here and Hereafter, BJU Press; 1942.

“Suppose I should run down a street in this town with a jug of whisky in one hand and a grindstone under the other arm. Suppose I say to my self, ‘Now. I ought not to have this jug of whisky. It is a sin to carry this jug of liquor. It is wrong. I am going to throw it down.’ I throw the jug of liquor down. But I have the grindstone. I say, ‘I will carry the grindstone; there is nothing wrong with that.’ The jug of liquor is a sin. The grindstone is a fault.” -Bob Jones, Sr., Things I Have Learned; 1944 (on Hebrews 12:1-2). 
[More quotes may be published here later.]

Bob Jones, Sr. (and many other Christian leaders past and present) never believed Jesus made or drank alcoholic wine. Much of the wine mentioned in Scripture is unfermented wine.
For a defense of this view see the following books:

Alcohol Today: Abstinence in an Age of Indulgence by Peter Lumpkins.
Ancient Wine and the Bible: The Case for Abstinence by David R. Brumbelow

-David R. Brumbelow, Gulf Coast Pastor, March 10, AD 2015.


More Articles (Labels) in lower right margin.

Monday, March 9, 2015

Ancient Wine and the Bible - the Book; update


 Addresses the subject with keen logic, a grasp of history, and thorough exegesis of biblical literature.”
-Foreword by Dr. Paige Patterson, President, SWBTS.  


* Numerous quotes from ancient and modern authorities
* Examines ancient wine recipes, practices, and preservation.
* Study of controversial Bible passages.
* Chapter of quotes, stories, illustrations.
* Documents ancient methods of preserving unfermented wine.

Need the answer to the tough questions about drinking, alcohol, and the Bible? Find those answers here.

What people are saying about Ancient Wine and the Bible:


“I know of no definitive work offered today that does what Brumbelow does in his book. It is scholarly, sound and makes for an irrefutable argument in favor of abstaining from alcoholic beverages. I believe every pastor ought to have a copy.”
-Mark Creech, president, American Council on Addiction & Alcohol Problems (ACAAP).

“David, THANK YOU for your superb work entitled, Ancient Wine and the Bible. On several of my 41 trips to Israel I have talked with scholars about the subject and my research…confirms your splendid book. The subject needs to be addressed and you have done it masterfully."   
-Nelson L. Price, Pastor Emeritus, Roswell Street Baptist Church, GA; president of SBC Pastor’s Conference and Georgia Baptist Convention; BSU president

Destroys “myth that the ancients had no way of preserving grape juice…I happily, enthusiastically, earnestly, wholeheartedly recommend Ancient Wine and the Bible to every pastor, teacher, evangelist, deacon and humble Christian in America. It will be a good investment paying rich dividends in the days ahead.”
-Dr. R. L. Sumner, Editor, The Biblical Evangelist.

“David R. Brumbelow's passionate plea for abstinence from alcoholic drink needs to be heard attentively in our day.”
- Dr. Daniel R. Sanchez, Professor of Missions, SWBTS

“David Brumbelow has done the Church of Jesus Christ a great service by penning Ancient Wine and the Bible…This book couldn’t have come at a more opportune time…I urge all who take up this book to read it prayerfully and with a desire to understand what the Bible teaches on this serious matter.”
-Pastor Gary Small, Liberty Fundamental Baptist Church, Lynden, Washington 98264.

“A masterful job explaining the times and customs of Bible days and the scriptural use of the word ‘wine.’”
-Pastor Jeff Schreve, First Baptist Church, Texarkana, TX.

“Left no stone unturned…Comprehensive and thoroughly researched, Ancient Wine and the Bible deserves to be read, considered and heeded.”
-Mrs. John (Alice) Hatch, pastor’s wife and mother of three girls.

“Hip Christianity may make the appeal for the use of alcohol as a witnessing tool, but David Brumbelow’s exhaustive research presents a powerful case for abstinence. I commend him for taking an unpopular stand against a popular practice.”
-Dr. Jim Richards, Executive Director, SBTC.

"With the clarity, logic, and thoroughness, an outstanding attorney uses to prepare a brief in a major lawsuit, David Brumbelow approaches the question of drinking alcoholic beverages from a Biblical point of view. This work is outstanding. I recommend it strongly. The upcoming generations need to know the havoc brought on our society and upon individuals by the use of alcohol. If we use it ourselves, we recommend its use to others. A Christian should not exercise his freedom to put himself and others at such a risk.”
-Judge H. Paul Pressler, Justice for the 14th Court of Appeals, Houston, TX.

*******


Author David R. Brumbelow is a pastor and graduate of ETBU and SWBTS. He has previously authored a book about his dad, The Wit and Wisdom of Pastor Joe Brumbelow.

How to Order Ancient Wine and the Bible: The Case for Abstinence

Order from your local bookstore
Order from
Free Church Press
Order from
amazon.com
Order from
Barnes & Noble
Order from
Cokesbury
Order from
LifeWay
Order from Christianbook
And many others. 
 Or order a signed copy of Ancient Wine and the Bible directly from:
David R. Brumbelow, P.O. Box 300, Lake Jackson, Texas 77566 USA. $21 postpaid.

Ancient Wine and the Bible is 304 pages, contains over 400 reference notes (endnotes), and is published by Free Church Press.

Makes a great gift for your pastor, youth minister, student, Sunday School teacher, professor, anyone interested in this subject.
Makes a great gift to a Church or School Library.


-David R. Brumbelow, Gulf Coast Pastor, March 9, AD 2015. 

Note:  No comments at this post. 

Other Articles:
Dr. R. L. Sumner on "Ancient Wine and the Bible"
Deuteronomy 14:26 - Does it Commend Alcohol?
SCRIPTURE INDEX for Ancient Wine and the Bible
Adrian Rogers on "Wit & Wisdom of Pastor Joe Brumbelow"