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University News
WIU: "Best in the Midwest" 10 Years Running
August 19, 2013
MACOMB/MOLINE, IL — For 10 years, The Princeton Review has named Western Illinois University a "Best Midwestern College." Western was one of 155 regional universities, and one of three Illinois public institutions, named to the "Best in the Midwest" list by The Princeton Review.
The 155 colleges included in the "Best in the Midwest" list are located in 12 states: Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota and Wisconsin. Collectively, the 643 colleges named "regional best(s)" comprise 25 percent of the nation's 2,500 four-year colleges, according to The Princeton Review.
"We are pleased to be acknowledged for the 10th consecutive year by The Princeton Review," said President Jack Thomas. "We strive to provide our students with a quality, well-rounded education, and the continued recognition from The Princeton Review and others, indicates we are meeting this goal. We will continue to provide outstanding programs and services to our students."
The Princeton Review asks students to rate their own schools on several issues, from the accessibility of their professors to the quality of the campus food, and to answer questions about themselves, their fellow students and their campus life.
For more information about Western Illinois University, visit wiu.edu and wiu.edu/qc on the web or www.facebook.com/wiu.edu. The 2014 Princeton Review regional bests lists can be found at princetonreview.com/best-regional-colleges.aspx.
Posted By: WIU News (email@example.com)
Office of University Relations


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Long Day's Journey Into War: December 7, 1941
Plume, 1991 - History - 706 pages
This book recaptures the whirlwind events sweeping the globe on the calendar day that may be the most momentous of the twentieth century. In this riveting re-creation, the vast, worldwide scope of the major turning point of World War II comes to unforgettable life. In Washington, D.C., the U.S. and Japanese governments move toward irreversible controntation. In Tokyo, Emperor Hirohito strains to hear, amid the crackling radio static, the first reports of war. Landings in Malaya and Thailand at midnight are timed to coincide across the thousands of miles of ocean with carrier-plane and suicide-sub attacks at daylight on Hawaii. In Russia, in the subzero snows, the German onslaught crests against the furious counterattacks of a Red Army rising from its ruins. In North Africa, in the torrid sands about besieged Tobruk, Rommel's Afrika Korps discovers its limits. In Nazi-occupied Europe, in a bleak Polish forest, Hitler's "final solution" is given its first grisly trial run. - Publisher.
What people are saying - Write a review
LONG DAY'S JOURNEY INTO WAR: 12/7/1941User Review - Kirkus
Galvanic, hour-by-hour account that traces the events leading up to and following the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. Pennsylvania State Univ. arts-and-humanities professor Weintraub (Victoria, 1987 ... Read full review
Long day's journey into war: December 7, 1941User Review - Not Available - Book Verdict
Weintraub has a knack for presenting a kaleidoscopic view of the great pivot points of modern history. In this book he takes the reader hour by hour through the fateful weekend which changed the ... Read full review
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Common terms and phrases
A.M. December Admiral aftemoon aircraft airfield already Ambassador American Army arrived asked attack battleships began bomb bombers British buming Captain carrier China Chinese Churchill Clark Field Colonel Commander concemed crew cruiser December 7 December destroyers diary embassy Emperor enemy field fight fighters fighting finally find fire fired first five flash fleet flight floor flying force Ford Island German going govemment Gulf of Siam guns Hawaii headquarters heard Hitler Hong Kong Honolulu Island Japan Japanese Japs Kido knew Kota Bharu landing later leamed Lieutenant looked Luzon MacArthur Malaya Manila miles military Minister moming Moscow naval Navy night o'clock Oahu office officer oflice oflicial ordered Pacific patrol Pearl Harbor Philippines pilots planes President radio raid reported retumed Roosevelt Russian Secretary ships Singapore soldiers Sunday telephone Thai Thailand Tobruk Togo Tokyo told torpedo troops tumed waiting waming wanted Washington White House Wolfschanze

subset: commoncrawl


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Well That's Classy — Notre Dame Alum Promoting 'Catholics vs. Cousins' National Championship T-Shirt
Early January will provide the long awaited National Championship tussle between the Lord's team Notre Dame and Alabama. A month off gives players the chance to get arrested, cheerleaders the chance to get pregnant, and fans the opportunity to make themselves look like morons.
At this point, former ND quarterback Jimmy Clausen would classify as a fan. This is the same kid who, as a high school senior, rolled up in a limo for his college announcement. Clausen had one season starting with the Carolina Panthers in which his passer rating never topped the speed capacity of a jet ski. Now he's riding the bench behind Cam Newton.
Clausen is in the news again as a result of a photo of an idiotic shirt he tweeted out to his followers. In 1988, underdog ND beat #1 Miami in a game fans dubbed "Catholics vs. Convicts" but this time around the cheap shot is much more blue collar. Cousins. Get it? Because everyone from Alabama marries a relative. Oh, it's just a good-natured rib that the 1950's bigot in all of us can appreciate! The tweet has since been taken down.
All this hatred coming from fans of a Catholic institution? Didn't Jesus preach not to look down on others?
In this instance, we really wonder, WWJD? Probably buy one shirt in a medium and twelve others as XMas gifts for his friends.


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LEWISBURG, Pa. — Spring Break list:
1. work in clinic in Nueva Vida — check
2. deliver Meals on Wheels in Memphis — check
3. build homes in Rocky Mount — check
4. deliver food and medical supplies in the Dominican Republic — check
Alternative Spring Breaks have been a tradition at Bucknell University since 1999. This year, 52 students participated in service-learning trips to Nicaragua, to Arkansas, Tennessee and Mississippi, to North Carolina, and to the Dominican Republic.
Bucknell Brigade
Since 1999, Bucknellians have been volunteering in Nicaragua, making three service trips a year. Most recently, Brigade members spent four days working on assorted projects including painting, leveling an area for a roadway, building a small brick wall and working in the Nueva Vida clinic and pharmacy.
"I traveled on the Brigade in January of my freshman year, and spent much of these last three years planning Brigade fundraisers," said Katie McAvoy, a senior majoring in cell biology/biochemistry. "I wanted to go back to witness for myself changes that have been made as a result of the fundraising committee's efforts.
"There are so many highlights on this trip, it's hard to just pick one out. I enjoyed being in the health clinic in Nueva Vida, organizing medicines, working in the pharmacy, painting the exterior and reading to the children who were waiting to see the doctor. But my favorite aspect was the ability to interact with the amazing Nicaraguan people."
Civil Rights trip
Begun in 2005, the annual Civil Rights trip combines learning about the movement by visiting key locations including Central High School in Little Rock, where the Little Rock Nine integrated the school in 1957, and the University of Mississippi, where James Meredith became the first black undergraduate to be admitted in 1961.
"We did some service learning in Memphis, delivering Meals on Wheels to seniors through the Memphis Inter-Faith Association, founded in 1968 as an inter-faith organization to promote social justice in Memphis," said Sue Ellen Henry, associate professor of education. Her 12-year-old son accompanied the group on the trip.
Students on the trip also explored the contemporary civil rights situation by learning about life in schools and communities in Arkansas, Tennessee and Mississippi.
Habitat for Humanity
The Bucknell chapter of Habitat for Humanity, organized in 1993, partnered with students from Stockton College in New Jersey to finish one home and frame another. "On Wednesday morning, we arrived at the site of a new home that only had the concrete foundation poured," said Audrey Tolbert, a sophomore majoring in cell biology/biochemistry. "By Friday afternoon, we had constructed the exterior walls, framed the interior and put up half the roof trusses. This was the highlight of my trip: We started from a pile of wood and a concrete slab and in three days we were putting a roof over someone's home."
Thuyvan Luu, a sophomore majoring in biology, said the highlight of the trip was "definitely being able to stand in front of the house on the last day and see all of the walls and some of the roof up. There was such a feeling of accomplishment, teamwork, happiness and pride flowing throughout the group, knowing that we built that house together. I also loved knowing that one day, when the house is completely done after the work of some more kind hands, it will be filled with a deserving family." || Related coverage: Rocky Mount Telegram
Dominican Republic trip
Organized by B.A.C.E.S. (Bucknell Advancing Communities, Educating and Serving) five years ago, Bucknell students worked in Santo Domingo to hand out bags of food to feed hundreds of starving families, set up a medical outreach assisting in teeth extractions, distribute medications and teach the basics of hygiene and sex education. Bucknellians have helped to establish and maintain a school that serves more than 200 in one of the poorest communities in the Dominican Republic.
Daniela Calcagni, a senior majoring in Spanish and history, is a four-year veteran of the trip. "When I came to Bucknell, I knew that I definitely wanted to become involved with an international service organization," she said. "If I had to choose one value that I believe everyone should live by, it would be to give back. We are so incredibly fortunate to live the lives that we do here at Bucknell. Most of the world does not live the way we do, and it is our duty to humanity to help those who do not have the very basic necessities of life that we take for granted each day."
A four-year veteran of the trip, Calcagni has been group leader for the past three years. "The most rewarding part of this role is watching the students who have never seen third world poverty, or who have never participated in a service trip like this, transform in a week's time," said Calcagni. "It is incredible to watch the roller coaster of emotions that they experience and to watch their thought processes on culture, economics, politics, etc., develop throughout the week.
"The purpose of this trip is twofold: We serve some of the most impoverished communities of the Dominican Republic with food, medical supplies, resources and education, and we also learn about ourselves as individuals and as a part of the greater Bucknell community."
McAvoy echoes that thought. "I also enjoyed getting to know and work with a new group of Bucknellians," she said. "Our Brigade was made up of students of all different class years, majors, etc., so it's unlikely that I would have crossed paths with them otherwise. They are really accomplished, talented, compassionate and genuine people, and I'm so glad to have gotten to know them through our trip."
Daniel Eshleman, a junior majoring in computer science and engineering, spent previous breaks at home working in a warehouse. This year, he decided, "I wanted to spend my spring break helping others, and I've heard only excellent things about Habitat for Humanity."
For Eshleman, the highlight of his trip was the bonding he experienced, "not only with members of my own team, but with the team we partnered with and the workers in Rocky Mount, N.C. I made so many new friends. It was awesome to work together with many people I didn't know before toward a common goal."
Each trip included social activities for the group. Habitat volunteers spent time relaxing on the beach and bowling. They also visited an arcade and enjoyed a traditional southern hog roast. Members of the Brigade visited the plantation that provides coffee beans as a fundraiser for the Brigade, sold on campus and in local shops.
Contact: Division of Communications


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Many people who own livestock farms are full-time professionals in non-farming fields--doctors, for instance. The IRS often enough will assess deficiencies against these individuals based on the idea that the activity is simply a means of generating tax write-offs. The IRS might argue that, given your full-time day job, you don't have much time to manage the operations.
According to numerous Tax Court cases, working on the farm only on weekends and holidays is not enough time to devote to a cattle or other livestock venture unless you have a qualified farm manager whom you supervise during your absence. Hiring a qualified farm manager is evidence that you are conducting your farm as a business, particularly if you personally only can devote a minimal amount of time to the activity.
In addition, according to recent Tax Court cases, one of the most important elements in withstanding IRS scrutiny is to have some type of plan—a business plan – in which you set forth in writing how and when you expect to make a profit from the venture. It is important, as well, to maintain herd inventory records on each animal, including parentage, birth date, birth weight, and registration or other identification number. The growth of the size of your herd is evidence that you are engaged in a business rather than a hobby.
It is important to have a separate checking account for farm expenditures, and to maintain a ledger of transactions. It is important to keep recreational elements to a minimum so as to not suggest that is your primary purpose. If you maintain horses on the farm that you ride for pleasure, it is important to not take tax deductions in connection with their costs.
In an important case involving Dr. George Burrus, a physician in Nashville, Tennessee, the IRS sought to deny his tax deductions partly because of elements of personal recreation that the IRS said was his predominant motive. Family members rode four or five horses on the property, and they held an annual dove hunt and barbecue for about 50 to 75 guests. Children and grandchildren visited the property many times, and would often canoe and fish on a pond located at the property.
However, Burrus convinced the Tax Court that his cattle farm was a business, not a hobby. He had no written business plan, nor income or budget projections. However, he actively marketed his livestock, attended trade shows and conventions, and appraisals showed that the farm property had significantly appreciated in value. The Tax Court said that recreational elements were insignificant in his case. In other cases people have lost in Tax Court because they sought advice about operations in a haphazard manner. Unless you are an expert yourself, it is important to consult experts about how to make your farm profitable, preferably before starting the venture. You should keep records of your communications with experts or others whom you consult, and keep notes of the advice given as to the economics of the venture.
Another important piece of documentary evidence is a tax opinion letter, which is prepared by a tax attorney. It evaluates your overall operations and makes recommendations as to how best to comply with the IRS hobby loss rule.
Also, if losses are due to unforeseen circumstances, including disease or fluctuating livestock prices, you should maintain documentary evidence to prove these facts. There is a certain volatility to the livestock market, so that, as the IRS is aware, it is a dynamic industry with numerous variables. Each farm has its unique problems and strengths.
The IRS also wants to see evidence that you keep abreast of industry practices and that you investigate the possibility of changing or abandoning current methods of operation in an effort to mitigate losses.
The IRS is influenced largely by the magnitude of the losses claimed. If losses occur over an extended number of years without any changes in operations, the IRS will argue that this is not a business but a means of taking tax write-offs. If your cumulative losses are substantial, it is particularly important to have documentary evidence showing the businesslike manner in which the farm is operated.
It is important, in operating a livestock farm, to attend industry seminars to learn about breeding and about the economics of your particular field. For example, the National Cattlemen's Beef Association, holds national and regional meetings that provide the latest information about industry developments and animal husbandry practices.
Keep in mind that in many cases, taxpayers have convinced the Tax Court that their livestock farm is a business rather than a hobby despite over two decades of losses. In those cases the taxpayers had good evidence showing the businesslike manner in which they operate their venture. The livestock farmers who come through well in audits usually have a working knowledge about genetic principles and other elements of animal husbandry. They usually strive to raise high quality animals, and have a plan on how to market them or otherwise make a profit.
In any farming or livestock venture, it is important to comply with regulations of the Agricultural Department, and to obtain a commercial license if you are engaged in buying and selling animals.
Sometimes the IRS will inquire whether the taxpayer has obtained agricultural status to reduce the property taxes on their land. Small numbers of cattle have been maintained on large parcels of land in order to qualify for this agricultural status. In such situations, the cattle activity was not engaged in for profit, but rather for the purpose of reducing property taxes.John Alan Cohan is a lawyer who has served the livestock and farming industry since l98l. He serves clients in all 50 states, and can be reached by telephone at (3l0) 278-0203 or via e-mail at firstname.lastname@example.com.


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Zynthian UI Users Guide
The Zynthian's Hardware User Interface
The Zynthian's Hardware UI is displayed on a touch display and controlled by 4 rotary-encoders with switches (push). The encoders/switch knobs are used to navigate between the different screens/menus, select options and change the instrument parameters, acting as MIDI/OSC controllers.
Currently there are two screen types (layouts):
- Selector Screen: a list of items that you can scroll and select with the SELECT (4) knob
- Controller Screen: In the corners, 4 control widgets (one for each knob), with label and value indicator (graphic and numeric). In the middle, a list of controller maps which you can use to change or rotate using the SELECT (4) knob.
And there are 3 types of clicks (push) that can be performed, depending on how long you hold down the knob:
- short: less than 0.3 seconds
- bold: between 0.3 and 2 seconds
- long: more than 2 seconds
Actions for each knob and click type are context dependent. Generally, the SELECT knob and a short click is used to navigate and select items on a "Selector Screen". Inside a "Controller Screen", short clicks can be used to rotate between layers (LAYER) or between controller pages (SELECT). "Bold" clicks are intended as shortcuts for jumping to some specific screens. Clicking the BACK knob generally jumps to the previous screen in the sequence.
Loading and Saving snapshots: If you click SNAPSHOT (3) once, you get the Load Snapshot menu, another click and you will be in the Save Snapshot menu. If you bold-click SNAPSHOT then you will go directly to the Save Snapshot menu. The Snapshot menu have 2 levels: bank selection (directory) and snapshot (file).
The Zynthian UI Workflow
The next flowcharts show the different "screens" or "functions" and the way to reach each one using the 4 switches:
If you want to contribute improving these flowcharts, you can edit it using the Google Documents Tools:
- Main sequence: zynthian_ui_workflow_1 - Aux. Sequences: zynthian_ui_workflow_2
The UI Menus
Layer List
This is the first screen you see when you power on and no screenshots are stored yet.
Choose New Layer to get started. A layer is a synth engine preset assigned to one or several MIDI channels. You can adjust the preset parameters from the instrument control screen.
Engine Selection
When you create a new layer, you are asked about the engine synth you want to use for the new layer. You will see the list of synth engines to choose from. The zynthian logo on the right is animated while engine is being loaded.
MIDI Channel selection
This screen is shown after you have chosen a synth engine for a new layer. Also when, from the Layer Options screen, you want to assign the layer to a different MIDI Channel. Choose the MIDI channel you want to assign to the layer. You can assign several layers to the same MIDI Channel. In such a case, all the assigned layers will react to MIDI messages coming from the assigned MIDI Channel.
Bank selection
Presets (instruments, sound designs or patches) for a synth engine are organized into banks. Choose a bank to see the list of presets you can pick from in that bank.
Preset selection
Once you have chosen a bank, Preset Screen will be shown. Choose a preset to load the instrument/sound/patch you want and the Control Instrument screen will be shown.
If the "pre-load on note-on" feature is enabled, you can pre-load the presets by playing notes. The highlighted preset will be pre-loaded before select.
Instrument Control screen
This screen is shown after you have chosen a preset. Your instrument is now playable and you can modify the parameters.
Turning each of the 4 knobs change the values of the synth parameters displayed in the squares at the sides of the screen. The list in the center of the screen allows you to choose the page of parameters. You can step one page by clicking select. If the list is long, you can "bold click" the select switch for navigating the list.
If you click 2 switches at once, then you will select these 2 parameters for XY-controlling using the touchscreen (ala kaospad).
Press the back switch to return to previous screen. If you press bold-back, then you will go 2 screens backwards.
Admin Menu
Pressing the Back knob, when you are in the Layer List screen, brings you to the Admin menu. The last item is how you safely power off the Zynthian without corrupting data files.
Touch Screen UI
You can navigate and control the Zynthian UI without knobs/encoders/switches at all, using only the touchscreen.
You can "emulate" the switches by tapping the controller widgets (squares in the 4 corners of a Controller screen). There are short, bold and long actions. Exactly the same workflow as with hardware knobs. When the "back" widget is not available, you can go back by tapping the top bar.
You can change the values of the controllers by "sliding" over the widgets. This is the same as turning the knob.
When clicking (tapping/touching) the topbar, a "back" event is triggered. It's a quick & dirty fix and probably it will change in the future, but meanwhile it will enable you to fully control Zynthian using the touchscreen if you don't have knob hardware.
Global MIDI-learning
It allows to easily bind any parameter from the Zynthian UI to any CC knob/slider from an external MIDI controller. I intend to extend the feature to other MIDI messages, but currently only CC messages are supported. Anyway, MIDI filter rules can handle these special cases, so it's not an urgent task.
It works with ALL the engines, using the engine's native MIDI-learning when available (and convenient) or the Zynthian's MIDI-learning mechanism, based in the MIDI filter. To be more explicit, native MIDI-learning is used for MOD-UI and for ZynAddSubFX OSC parameters. All the MIDI-mapped parameters are managed by the Zynthian's MIDI-learning mechanism.
You get on-screen feedback during the learning process. When you enable the MIDI-learning for a parameter, a small green text with the string "??" appears on the botton side of the controller/parameter area in the Zynthian UI. When the parameter is bond, the number of the linked CC is shown in the same place.
The MIDI-learning configuration is stored in the snapshot.
How it works?
First, you need a working touch interface in your display. If not, you could use a mouse ...
1. In the "Instrument Control" screen, navigate the parameter screen list until having the parameter you want to learn. 2. On the parameter/controller area, slide with your nail from left to right. A green "??" should appear in the bottom side. 3. In your MIDI controller, move the desired knob/slider (or a CC-assigned pad). The green "??" should be replaced by a tiny number, and the parameter should change when you move the knob/slider or push the pad. CC-assigned pads can be very useful for "boolean" parameters (i.e. on/off).
1. In the "Instrument Control" screen, navigate the parameter screen list until having the parameter you want to unlearn. 2. On the parameter/controller area, slide with your nail from right to left. The tiny number, indicating the current CC bond, should disappear or change. If the parameter is an engine-specific controlled engine, the number will disappear. If the parameter is hardcoded MIDI-mapped parameter, then the number will change.


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Staff writer
Dylan Svitak went to the Herington Car Show wanting to show off his most prized possession: his 2002 Mustang GT.
"When you have a car like this people look at you like your something special," the 19-year-old Marion resident said. "People don't expect a young person to have a fancy car. It's not normal."
Svitak was one of more than 50 exhibitors at this year's car show. While he said he enjoyed looking at other people's cars, he said he more enjoyed talking to people about his car.
Many automobile enthusiasts, he said, would mutter "nice car" and other comments that made Svitak proud to be owner of the hot rod.
"It makes you feel good when people like what you have," he said.
Svitak said he originally purchased the car a couple years ago from a scrap metal dealer in Salina. Since then, he has saved and poured every extra penny into the car. He wanted to personalize it, and make it "truly his."
"The whole point of having a car like this is because it's different than what other people have," he said. "I didn't want it to look like every other vehicle on the market, but I didn't want it to look too different either."
Svitak said he kept the original paint color — fire engine red — but did some work on the leather interior seats.
"They were in pretty bad shape when I got the car," he said. "It was torn up a bit."
Now, no one would know that the car had seen once ounce of damage. Svitak said he spends every moment he can working on the car, so that it's always ready to go at a moment's notice.
"I didn't have to do anything to it this morning except bring it to the car wash," he said. "There was quite a bit of dirt on it and I didn't want to show it in that condition."
Svitak said he lives near Pilsen, and travels the Pilsen road often, which he admits isn't ideal for an expensive car.
"You've got to be real careful when you're driving that road," he said. "I have to go slow — about 20 or 25 mph — in order to not to have any rocks pop up and crack my windshield."
Svitak said there are many crazy drivers along that road, and he usually has to pull over to the side and let people pass him in order to protect his car.
"I got a lot of damage to my front bumper this winter," he said as he wiped a raindrop that had fallen on the car's pristine finish. "I just got it fixed; took $700 to replace."
Svitak said that as long as he is cautious – and doesn't do anything stupid – it doesn't take much to maintain the car.
"I just do the basics, like check the oil once every two weeks," he said.
He said part of being a responsible owner is knowing what will damage the car, and doing everything possible in order to avoid it. Svitak said he does everything he can, but said sometimes it's just not possible.
"I can't make the drivers more considerate," he said.
Svitak is a senior at Centre High School. He said he is looking forward to graduation, but not to what comes after: saying goodbye to his hot rod.
"I'm going to be going into the Air Force," he said. "I can't bring it with me but I know my dad will take good care of it while I'm gone."


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Will Michelle Obama Attend the Grammys? Your Burning Questions Answered!
The Recording Academy has spoken, and the nominees list for the 55th Annual Grammy Awards is now set in stone. While the news of some nominees was cause for joyful jubilation — heck yeah, Frank Ocean! — the absence of others left legions of (mostly teenaged, Bieber-loving) fans heartbroken. Other additions to this year's nominations list, including an Urban Contemporary category, left us scratching our heads.
Since we're sure we are not alone in our confusion, we decided to tackle the most burning questions presented by the list of nominees for this year's Grammy Awards.
Who was snubbed this year?
Despite releasing new albums in 2012, teen pop sensations One Direction and Justin Bieber were denied nominations. Nicki Minaj and Christina Aguilera were also passed over, and many were surprised to see that Lana Del Rey's name was missing from the list of Best New Artist nominees.
What is Americana Music, and how is it different from Country Music?
We were surprised to see that country stands alone as its own genre, likely singled out due to its immense popularity, but Americana Music — the category under which the likes of Mumford & Sons, the Avett Brothers, and John Fullbright are nominated this year — falls under the umbrella genre of "American Music" (as defined by the Grammy Awards). Also under the American Music title are the categories for Bluegrass, Blues, Folk, and Regional Roots. Interestingly, although Americana is grouped alongside these styles of music, it is actually a hybrid of all the aforementioned forms of American music — the separately grouped Country and Rock and Roll included — combining influences from the lot to produce something distinct. Also curious is that the "subjugated" Americana category seems to be swiping a few of the most popular artists in the game, most formidably Mumford & Sons. Without figures like these in its grasp, Country's luster might diminish in approaching years.
What the heck is the Urban Contemporary category?
New this year, the Urban Contemporary category — which includes nominees Chris Brown, Frank Ocean, and Miguel — is a sub-genre within the R&B field. The Recording Academy defines it by saying, "Best Urban Contemporary Album is for albums containing at least 51 percent playing time of newly recorded contemporary vocal tracks derivative of R&B. This category is intended for artists whose music includes the more contemporary elements of R&B and may incorporate production elements found in urban pop, urban Euro-pop, urban rock, and urban alternative." Um, okay, sure. Thanks, Grammys, for making this unnecessarily and overly complicated.
Will Michelle Obama attend the February ceremony?
The First Lady is nominated for Best Spoken Word Album for her reading of American Grown. Is there a possibility that she will attend the ceremony? Maybe! While the odds are stacked against her — White House dwellers Bill and Hillary Clinton (not to mention Michelle's husband, Barack) have all won Grammys but neglected to attend the ceremony — there is one shining ray of hope. Former Vice President Al Gore attended the Grammys in 2007, two years before the reading of his book An Inconvenient Truth snagged the award. Michelle also attended the 2012 Kids' Choice Awards, so a FLOTUS awards show appearance isn't unheard of. Fingers are crossed on this one — imagine what she's wear!
If a song that's featuring an artist gets nominated, does the featured artist get to accept the trophy as well?
Yes! Well, if you want to get technical only "records" get awarded to the performer — "song" awards go to the songwriter (see below). But yes, the performers as well as the producer, recording engineer, and mixer all get to accept the award for Record Of The Year. Example: When "Smooth" by Carlos Santana featuring Rob Thomas won Record Of The Year in 2000, Mr. Thomas got to go up on stage.
Jack White earned three nominations this year. Where's Meg White now?
Crying, probably. Meg and Jack announced in February of 2011 that they would be retiring their band The White Stripes. Since then, Meg has remained out of the spotlight. One thing we know she's not doing now is preparing for a White Stripes reunion. Jack White said to NME in March of 2012 of a White Stripes comeback, "I would probably say absolutely not. Absolutely no chance … If we were forced to change our mind about that, I can only imagine the reason being if we went bankrupt or really needed the cash, which would be a really sad thing."
Will the name of Fiona Apple's album fit on the winner's index card?
Fans of Fiona Apple will know that Apple's currently nominated album, The Idler Wheel Is Wiser Than The Driver Of The Screw And Whipping Cords Will Serve You More Than Ropes Will Ever Do (which is up for Best Alternative Music Album) isn't even Apple's longest album title. That distinction belongs to her 1999 album, usually abbreviated to When the Pawn…, which is actually a poem more than 400 characters long. If Apple wins, I imagine they will find a way to fit the title on the card. But, considering she's up against Gotye and Tom Waits, that's a big "if."
What is the eligibility period (a.k.a.: Why wasn't Red eligible for awards this year)?
For the 2013 awards, recordings (of singles and/or albums) had to be released between October 1, 2011 and September 30, 2012. Additionally, tracks or singles from the previous eligibility period may be entered in certain categories — but only if they were not entered in said category last year. Sorry TSwift fans, Red was released on October 22.
What is the difference between Record Of The Year and Song Of The Year?
Year after year, this is the most burning of all the questions. Therefore, we would like to answer it definitively. As such, this is lifted right from the Grammy.org FAQs page: "The Record Of The Year category recognizes the artist's performance as well as the overall contributions of the producer(s), recording engineer(s) and/or mixer(s) if other than the artist. The Song Of The Year category recognizes the songwriter(s)." So there you have it.
Follow Abbey Stone on Twitter @abbeystone
[Photo Credit: WENN]
Drum Roll Please: The Nominees for the 2013 Grammy Awards
Wait, Really? 12 Grammy Winners You Won't Believe
American Music Awards Winners' List: Did Justin Bieber Best Rihanna For Top Honors?
Kate Middleton Pregnant: A Look Back at Famous Royal Baby Portraits (PHOTOS)


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Monday, September 14, 2009
HDFS block replica placement in your hands now!
If all the datanodes on which the replicas of a block exist catch fire at the same time, then that data is lost and cannot be recovered. Or if an administrative error causes all the existing replicas of a block to be deleted, then it is a catastrophic failure. This is data corruption. On the other hand, if a rack switch goes down for sometime, the datanodes on that rack are in-accessible during that time. When that faulty rack switch is fixed, the data on the rack rejoins the HDFS cluster and life goes on as usual. This is a data avilability issue; in this case data was not corrupted or lost, it was just unavailable for some time. HDFS keeps three copies of a block on three different datanodes to protect against true data corruption. HDFS also tries to distribute these three replicas on more than one rack to protect against data availability issues. The fact that HDFS actively monitors any failed datanode(s) and upon failure detection immediately schedules re-replication of blocks (if needed) implies that three copies of data on three different nodes is sufficient to avoid corrupted files.
HDFS uses a simple but highly effective policy to allocate replicas for a block. If a process that is running on any of the HDFS cluster nodes open a file for writing a block, then one replica of that block is allocated on the same machine on which the client is running. The second replica is allocated on a randomly chosen rack that is different from the rack on which the first replica was allocated. The third replica is allocated on a randomly chosen machine on the same remote rack that was chosen in the earlier step. This means that a block is present on two unique racks. One point to note is that there is no relationship between replicas of different blocks of the same file as far as their location is concerned. Each block is allocated independently.
The above algorithm is great for availability and scalability. However, there are scenarios where co-locating many block of the same file on the same set of datanode(s) or rack(s) is beneficial for performance reasons. For example, if many blocks of the same file are present on the same datanode(s), a single mapper instance could process all these blocks using the CombineFileInputFormat. Similarly, if a dataset contains many small files that are co-located on the same datanode(s) or rack(s), one can use CombineFileInputFormat to process all these file together by using fewer mapper instances via CombineFileInputFormat. If an application always uses one dataset with another dataset (think Hive or Pig join), then co-locating these two datasets on the same set of datanodes is beneficial.
Another reason when one might want to allocate replicas using a different policy is to ensure that replicas and their parity blocks truly reside in different failure domains. The erasure code work in HDFS could effectively bring down the physical replication factor of a file to about 1.5 (while keeping the logical replication factor at 3) if it can place replicas of all blocks in a stripe more intelligently.
Yet another reason, however exotic, is to allow HDFS to place replicas based on the HeatMap of your cluster. If one of of the node in the cluster is at a higher temperature than that of another, then it might be better to prefer the cooler node while allocating a new replica. If you want to experiment with HDFS across two data centers, you might want to try out new policies for replica placement.
Well, now you can finally get your hands wet! HDFS-385 is part of the Hadoop trunk and will be part of the next major HDFS 0.21 release. This feature provides a way for the adventurous developer to write Java code that specifies how HDFS should allocate replicas of blocks of a file. The API is experimental in nature, and could change in the near future if we discover any in-efficiencies in it. Please let the Hadoop community know if you need any changes in this API or if you come across novel uses of this API.
26 comments:
Policies always sucksReplyDelete
Correct me if I am wrong. Using this HDFS-385 patch we can make HDFS to store all blocks of a file on a same node (physically)?ReplyDelete
Hi Jenium, your reasoning is correct. You can now supply your ownblock placement policies to HDFS.ReplyDelete
Dhruba,thanks for the answer. May be it is not the best place to ask but what happened to HDFS snapshot capability feature? Is anybody working on it right now? If not then why? Incremental snapshot based backup is the only one from many other use cases. Actually, we have at least two of them at our company.ReplyDelete
Nobody is working on HDFS snapshots (as far as I know). Here is a v v preliminary design document that I had writtenReplyDelete
here is an example of ho we wrote our own block placement policy:ReplyDelete
Thanks a lot for your kind help...But I have still a difficulty on working with hadoop under eclipse..Please suggest me simple ways if you have..I think your help is very useful for me...Thanks you in advance..ReplyDelete
- HemanthNovember 9, 2011 at 2:28 AM
Hey Dhruba,ReplyDelete
It seems the link to Configurable Block Placement Policy example is broken.
Could you please re-post it?
Thank you.
- AnonymousNovember 9, 2011 at 6:02 PM
Thank you, Dhruba.ReplyDelete
on read the replicas are selected according to the distance with the client ,ReplyDelete
how hdfs calculate the distance
The distance is calculated via the network topology script, more details here: http://developer.yahoo.com/hadoop/tutorial/module2.html#rackReplyDelete
- AnonymousJanuary 7, 2013 at 10:22 PM
Can you modify your git hub file movement code to move ,
a from <192.168.1.1> to <192.168.1.2>
Thanks and Regards
Ram: I am not sure I understand your request.ReplyDelete
- AnonymousJanuary 7, 2013 at 10:24 PM
Can you modify your git hub file movement code to move ,
a < block >from <192.168.1.1> to <192.168.1.2>
Thanks and Regards
- AnonymousJanuary 16, 2013 at 10:18 PM
I have a small hadoop experimental setup with 1 Namenode and 3 Datanodes(say slave1, slave2, slave3) and replication factor of two
I did a CopyFromLocal command to store a small file into hadoop
When I tried hadoop fsck -files -blocks -racks , I found it is stored in slave1 and slave3
then when I tried CopyToLocal from slave1 and slave3 (where the data is stored) It takes more time than from slave2( where data is not present)
I checked "duration" in datanode log file as well as
And one more thing for the first CopyToLocal it takes more time (27341012) than corresponding CopyToLocal(562176)
Please tell me why it is so ?
Reetha, HDFS does bufferedIO which means data in HDFS files will be cached in the OS buffer. That is the reason why your CopyToLocal times might be faster the second time around.ReplyDelete
Regarding "why reading from slave2" is much faster, I have no idea. You could analyze network traffic, disk IO, etc that was happening simultaneously at the time of your test run to figure out what was going on.
where can i find details on how to use this plug-in??ReplyDelete
My requirement is actually very simple.When i place a block, i want to place it in the same datanode as another existing block. So i jus want to retreive the location of the previous block( using FileSystem) and force hdfs to place the new block in the same set of nodes. Will this plug-in be useful for my purpose??
Is there a simpler way to achieve what i want to implement??
we would like store 1 of the 3 replicas off-site for (possible) recovery on a siteReplyDelete
we have HDFS cluster as two replication in two different racks( rack0 , rack1). Now we need to keep one more replica iin aonther gepgraphical location for backup.Is it possible to configure? Do you know datacenter rack awareness in hdfs?
hey can anyone tell me how can u limiting the blocks to be located on a single node??i am working on this rite nw..ReplyDelete
Sir, I have an one doubt if one file of block stored in same node then how will you get the scalablity at the processing time in context of parallel processing?ReplyDelete
- AnonymousMay 22, 2014 at 9:27 AM
Does Hadoop 2.2 and on support this feature?ReplyDelete
- AnonymousMay 22, 2014 at 9:28 AM
does hadoop version 2.2 onward support this?ReplyDelete


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Colossians chapter 4 verses 7 through 18, and this is the part of the epistle to the Colossians that nobody bothers to read. They read, basically, through verse 6 and then it's all sort of personal data thrown in at the end and it's easy to assume that this is the dull part of the book. That this is just the ending and a few little amenities that don't really have anything to do with us because we haven't got the faintest idea who that 'first guy is and we're not too sure it even matters. But it does matter.
What you have here at the close of Colossians is a group photograph, frankly. Paul signs his letter and it includes a group photograph. He has grouped together in one portrait at the end of this epistle, all of the people who helped him in his ministry while he was a prisoner in Rome.
And so we've called this section "With a little help from my friends." Because it expresses the very deep-down satisfaction in the life of the Apostle Paul that he is able to accomplish his ministry only because of the faithfulness of many dear friends who have stuck by him and who have been helpful to him in his ministry. And in order to use them as an encouragement to the Colossians and to all the churches that would read this letter, including Grace Community, he tells us a little bit about them. And it adds a very warm, personal touch to what is a very doctrinal letter. It also indicates to me something of the magnetism of his personality and the deep rich love of which he was capable because of the fact that he had so many of these people with him for so many years and they had such a deep loyalty for the man.
So to Paul these are indispensable folks. These are the folks who have been making his ministry possible. He couldn't do it by himself, nobody ever can. Not even the finest ... not even the Apostle Paul could do it alone, he had to have help from his friends. And they supported him. But it's always been that way.
Look with me for a moment at some of the greatest in the history of God's working. In Exodus chapter 17 and verse 8 we find Moses and it says in verse 8; "Came Amalek and fought with Israel in Rephidim. And Moses said to Joshua, Choose us out men and go out, fight with Amalek; tomorrow I will stand on the top of the hill with the rod of God in mine hand. So Joshua did as Moses said to him, fought with Amalek and Moses, Aaron and Hur went up to the top of the hill. And it came to pass when Moses held up his hand that Israel prevailed; when he let down his hand Amalek prevailed. But Moses' hands were heavy and they took a stone and put it under him and he sat on it and Aaron and Hur held up his hands, one on the one side, the other on the other side and his hands were steady till the going down of the sun. And Joshua vanquished Amalek and his people with the edge of his sword."
Here you have the holding up of Moses' hands; with a little help from his friends Israel was able to win a great victory under his leadership.
Numbers chapter 11 indicates to us another similar incident. In Numbers 11 verse 14 Moses says to God; "I am not able to bear all this people alone because it is too heavy for me." I can't handle the responsibility of leadership, God, it's too much. "If Thou deal with us thus, kill me I pray Thee out of hand, if I have found favor in Thy sight let me not see my wretchedness." God, You have to do something or I'm going to die. "The Lord said to Moses gather unto Ale seventy men of the elders of Israel whom thou knowest to be the elders of the people and officers over them and bring them unto the tabernacle of the congregation that they may stand there with thee.'! And so again, with a little help from his friends God's leader was able to accomplish what he never ever could have accomplished by himself.
In Proverbs there are many, many statements about how important it is for a man to have companions. One significant one is Proverbs 27:17 which says; "Iron sharpens iron and so does a man sharpen the countenance of his friend." Men help men. They increase their effectiveness and as the case is indicated in Proverbs they increase even their satisfaction as it shows up on their countenance.
These kinds of thoughts are traced throughout all the Old and New Testament and you're familiar with them. But let me draw you to one other one, Jack mentioned this to us in our study on Wednesday night and it's a very appropriate text. Ecclesiastes chapter 4 verse 9, it says this; "Two are better than one because they have a good reward for their labor." In other words, two can work harder and earn more than one. "If they fall the one will lift up his fellow, but woe to him that is alone when he falls for he has not another to help him up. Again, if two lie together then they have heat, but how can one be warm alone." And, of course, in those days you got heatedbecause of somebody'sbody lying next to you. Even when David was old and infirmed and was just a decrepit old man they had to find a young virgin to crawl in bed to keep him warm so he didn't die, just to make sure nobody thought there was anything going on it says - "And David knew her not." All he wanted at that point in life was a heater, frankly.
So Ecclesiastes 4:9...Ecclesiastes 4:9, 10 and 11 tell us two are better than one. If one prevail against him, two shall withstand him. And threefold chord is not quickly broken.
Now when you get into the New Testament you find this principle of two better than one, and three better than two illustrated in the life of the early church. For example, if you were to read in the 13th chapter of Acts about the first church outside the city of Jerusalem, the church in Antioch, you would find that they had five leaders. Five; Barnabas, Simeon, Niger, Lucius, Manaen and even Saul was brought into the situation. They ministered for the Lord. And when the Lord called out Saul to be a missionary, he didn't call him alone, he said; "Separate me Barnabas and Saul," and from the very beginning of Saul's ministry, at that point, he never spent any other part of his ministry alone. He always had companions. In fact, the only time you'll ever see him alone in the entire book of Acts is a brief period of time in Athens while he was waiting for his friends to arrive.
So the Apostle Paul has always been the kind of person who needed help from his friends. As great as he was he could never do it alone. And it's still true. We can't do it alone. We have to have each other. And that's the message of this text to us tonight.
Paul, as we look at Colossians 4, is a prisoner in the city of Rome. It is the first of two imprisonments. The second one will issue in his death. During this imprisonment he has some friends with him. And he gives us a portrait of each one of them in a composite photograph. These are the friends who helped. Sometime during this two year imprisonment he wrote the letter to the Colossians, around 60 AD or so. And during that time these are the people who were very special people in his life. They are heroes of a sort because there was a price to pay to be associated with a prisoner. There was a certain social association that maybe didn't put you in the classiest group when you were attendant upon a prisoner. There was a certain element of looking down the nose of somebody like that and there was always the possibility that you could find yourself in the same fate as that prisoner, should the tide turn against him. So they were kind of heroes. They paid a price to associate themselves with Paul who was a prisoner in Rome. But they counted the cost, they made the commitment, they hung in there and Paul tells us about them in this tremendous passage.
Let's meet them. The first one is a man name Tychicus, ch is pronounced like a k, Tychicus. I call him the man with a servant's heart. And each one of them has something unique about them and we'll just go through and look at them. It isn't really going to be like a sermon, too much, more like just a character study or two. Tychicus, the man with a servant's heart, verse 7 -- let's meet him. "All my state," or "All my condition," the situation I'm in at the present, "Shall Tychicus declare unto you who is a beloved brother and a faithful servant and a fellow slave in the Lord whom I have sent unto you for the same purpose that he might know your state and comfort your hearts." The name Tychicus means fortuitous or fortunate. And indeed he was fortunate. We don't know much about him. There isn't much said in the Bible, he's mentioned five times and every time it's very, very brief. But we know one thing; he lived up to his name because he was a fortunate man to be able to spend as much time, in fact, as many years as he did in the ministry with the Apostle Paul.
The first time we meet him is in the 20th chapter of Acts and the fourth verse. And in that chapter the Apostle Paul is at Ephesus. You don't need to turn to it, we'll just talk about it a minute. The Apostle Paul is at Ephesus. He's kind of winding down his third missionary journey. And he has a plan. His plan is to go to Macedonia. And over in Macedonia he wants to collect some money, you remember that? And he has in mind collecting from the Thessalonian church, the Philippian church and the Corinthian church which were the major churches of the area of Macedonia. He has the idea of collecting from those congregations money as a love gift to the saints in Jerusalem. He is going to return to Jerusalem because he wants to get there to conciliate with them the Gentile church. He realizes the Jews have one thing going, even the Jewish Christians and the Gentile Christians have their own thing going and he's fearful that they'll never be that unity that he really was really supposed to preach. After all he was the Apostle of the mystery of the unity of the Jew and the Gentile. So his great burden was to collect some money from the saints in the Gentile lands and to take that money to Jerusalem and give it to the saints there as a show of love from the Gentile to the Jew in hopes that it would kind of unite them together.
And not only did he want to take money, but he had in mind taking certain Gentile Christians. Some from each of those congregations. And if you were to read the 20th chapter of Acts and the fourth verse you would simply be reading the names of the people who accompanied him back to Jerusalem. The names of the Gentiles from the churches in Galatia, from the churches in Asia Minor and from the churches in Macedonia, there were certain Gentiles who went along with him on the journey to confirm their love to the Jerusalem Christians. One of those was Tychicus. And so he appears, first of all, as he joins the Apostle to go to Jerusalem.
Now this gives something of the indication of his spirit. He is a man with a servant's heart. He realizes this is a long journey. He's leaving his home, his job, his friends, the fellowship of his church; he's going on a definite adventure. One step out of town with Paul was an adventure. One step into town was equally an adventure. Now he knew that this was going to be an adventure. He didn't know how long it wasgoing to take. A journey in those days wasn't hopping on a jet, landing, turning around and hopping back. It was very arduous, very difficult and very long range. And yet he was willing to do it. And all along the way, you remember in the book of Acts as Paul goes, at every city somebody warns him what's going to happen when he gets to Jerusalem. And yet nobody, at least not recorded in the book of Acts, nobody bailed out. They stuck with him. So that when you get to Jerusalem it's obvious that Tychicus is still there. And already we begin to see his servant's heart. A lot of people gave money but a few people gave themselves, he was one of those.
And so now when we see him as Paul writes Colossians, he's still with Paul. He's still around. He's stuck by him for a long time now. He went to Jerusalem with him. It may be that he returned with him. He for sure is with him now in the imprisonment in Rome. And what is even more exciting is that later on Paul has another imprisonment, a second imprisonment in which his life was finally taken. And at the end of Titus, chapter 3 verse 12, he says; "When I shall send Artemas unto thee or Tychicus, be diligent to come to me to Nicopolis for I have determined to spend the winter there." In the second imprisonment of Paul, Tychicus is still there. Here's a loyal man. And you know what? He says - I'm going to send him, Titus, to take your place, either he or Artemas. We don't know which one he sent but it may well have been Tychicus.
Now what Paul wanted was -- Paul loved Titus. Titus was the pastor of the congregations in the island of Crete. And Paul wanted Titus to come and spend the winter with him. Paul knew it wasn't only the winter of the year but it was the winter of his life. And Paul wanted the fellowship and the love of Titus. And so he said to Titus - Look, if you'll come and meet me in Nicopolis and spend the winter with me, I will send this man Artemas -or this man Tychicus, to take care of your church.
Now it's kind of an interesting thing. Here is a man who started out as a messenger and wound up substituting for a very great man, the man by the name of Titus. The man with a servant's heart made himself available and God used him in ways, I'm sure, he never dreamed possible.
Now later on, I want you to notice something, Paul wrote the last letter that we believe he wrote II Timothy chapter 4 verse 12. And he says this, writing to Timothy; "And Tychicus have I sent to Ephesus. The cloak that I left at Troas." I'm glad he has that same problem that all of us have. He left his coat somewhere. "The cloak that I left at Troas with Carpos, when you come would you please bring it and my books and especially the parchments?" Good to know he's human, isn't it? He left almost everything there. So he says - When you come will you bring all that stuff I left over there? Now you see what he's saying here is Timothy, I want you to come and be with me. I need you.
And in order that you can come and be with me I know you'll have to leave your congregation in Ephesus so I'm going to send somebody to take your place. And who is it? Tychicus again. He's making a career out of being an interim pastor. And he's filling in for some pretty ... pretty high class men; Titus and Timothy. He would reflect to both of those congregations the character of Paul, the life of Paul, the ministry of Paul. And they would love him because he would bring Paul to them. Now that's the kind of man he was. He was a messenger. He was a pastor. In fact, he was anything Paul wanted him to be. We never find any bit of argument. We never find any bit of anxiety. We only find Tychicus doing what Paul told him to do.
Now let's back track a little bit and find him in Rome, in Colossians chapter 4. This is during the first imprisonment. We aren't as far as the Titus event or the Timothy event. That's yet in his future. And by the time Colossians is written, four years have passed since Tychicus joined Paul in the trip to Jerusalem. He's proven his loyalty. He's still available. He's still open to Paul. And this is a great thing, folks. You know, it isn't everybody who can keep somebody for four years. You know that. It isn't every great man who can keep people for four years, five years, six years, ten years like Paul did. But this is a faithful servant. He loves Paul. He's loyal. He'll be a messenger. He'll be a pastor. He'll be anything. And Paul here has in mind sending him with the letter to the Colossians. He isn't going to pastor; he's just going to be a delivery boy.
You say - Well, that's not too tough. Listen, if you knew what the trip was like from Rome to Laodicea and Colossae you might not say that. It's a long trip. A perilous trip. He had to cross Italy on foot. And then he had to sail the Adriatic. And then he had to cross Greece. And then he had to sail the Aegean. Then he had to walk, after he had landed at Miletus, up the steep Lycas River Valley to Laodicea and Colossae, and it wasn't easy. It was a very difficult journey. But Paul says - He's going to come and he's going to bring the letter. And you know something? He didn'tjust have the letter of Colossians, he had another letter too. You say - Well, what other letter did he have? Well, I believe, if you look at Ephesians 6:21 it says; "But that you also may know my affairs and how I do, Tychicus a beloved brother and faithful minister in the Lord shall make known to you all things whom I have sent unto you for the same purpose that you might know our affairs and that he might comfort your heart." You see, that's almost an exact quote out of Colossians. So, now we know he's... he doesn't have one letter, he's got two letters tucked somewhere in his robe is Colossians and Ephesians. And incidentally, the book of Ephesians, it was not just written to the Ephesians. In fact, we find many manuscripts and in the beginning of Ephesians there is a blank where it says; "Paul an Apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God to the saints who are at ... blank." You know why? This was a general letter to all the churches. It's just that one of the manuscripts we found happened to have Ephesus written in it. In the whole book of Ephesians there's not one allusion to a person in Ephesus. There's not one statement relative to the city of Ephesus. There's not one statement relative to an incident in Ephesus. It's a general letter. And we find that there could be any name stuck in. Maybe he was taking it to Colossae and Laodicea and Hierapolis and then to Ephesus and who knows where. But those are the two letters he had.
And just incidentally, that isn't all he had - he had another letter, Philemon. He had the letter to Philemon. And--look at verse 9 of Colossians 4. "And along with Tychicus I'm sending Onesimus." See? And Onesimus was the slave that was returning about whom the book of Philemon is written. And we'll see more about him in a minute.
So off goes Tychicus and he doesn't have too big a job, just deliver Philemon, Colossians and Ephesians. You say - Do you think Paul trusted him? I think Paul trusted him. That's a big assignment. For him it was a joyous mission.
And he says - When he gets there, he's not just a delivery boy, verse 7; "All my state shall he declare you." He's going to tell you all about me, and ease any anxiety. Verse 8 says; "I have sent him to you for that purpose that he might know your estate and comfort your hearts." He's going to tell you about me. He's going to find out about you. And he's going to add a personal word of comfort to this letter. He's an encourager.
Now here's a man who did whatever Paul told him to do. He saw himself as a servant. You know something? We don't find that he had any credentials. We don't find that he had any doctor's degrees. That he had any seminary. He had no particular heritage. He had no great sermons that he preached. We don't know anything he ever said. I'm sure he wasn't mute, but we don't have a word that he ever said. He didn't have any particular unique talent like Luke did or ability. But he was the personal envoy of the Apostle Paul. And Paul has three things to say about him. Let's see them very quickly.
Number one, verse 7, "Who is a beloved brother." I'll tell you if I could have the Apostle Paul say that about me I'd be a happy man, wouldn't you? If I could labor with Paul for four years and say - This man is a beloved brother - that would be the essence of commendation. He was a brother, one of the family. He was beloved. He had earned that designation. And I suppose it's the fulfillment of a man's life to know he's loved and how much fulfillment there must have been in knowing that he was loved by the most beloved of all human beings at that time, the beloved Apostle himself.
Second thing he says, and this gets us into the thought that he is a servant's heart, he is a faithful minister, verse 7, and the word is diakonos, or servant. He is a faithful servant. He never attained prominence, he just served. He was an invaluable liaison between Paul and the churches. And he was faithful. He stuck with it. He was one of those I Cor. 4 kind of stewards that was found faithful. He just did it, whatever it was. And you know something? There's no other way to get the work done, and Paul knew it. You've got to have people who have a servant's heart.
And further, look what it says, he not only was a faithful servant of Paul but he was a fellow slave in the Lord. The first phrase has to do with Paul. He is a faithful servant of mine and a fellow slave in the Lord. And Paul uses two different words. The first one is diakonos which just means servant. The second is sundoulos which means bond slave. He is not a bond slave to Paul, don't confuse it. He's a bond slave to Jesus; he's just a willing servant to Paul. The New Testament words are important.
So here we meet one of Paul's friends. An indispensable man. I'm glad for Tychicus, aren't you? I'm glad he was loyal. I'm glad he was faithful. Somebody stopped me in the patio this week and said - John, I want to tell you something. I've been listening to the studies on Ephesians and I want to tell you my life has been transformed. You know what I thought? Tychicus, wherever you are, thank you. He made it possible. It takes people like that. Got to have them, Tychicus - a man with a servant's heart.
Let's meet another man--looking back at our group photograph, the second man in line, second from the left -- Onesimus, the man with a sinful past.
We met the man with the servant's heart. Now let's meet the man with the sinful past. It's great, people, to know you can have a sinful past and still be useful. Isn't that great? This ties us to Philemon because Philemon is the book about Onesimus.
Now let me give you a little picture here. Colossians was written to the church at Colossae. Philemon was written to one family in that church. The family of a man named Philemon.
Now Philemon was one of the pillars of the Colossian church. He loved the Lord. His family was very involved. It's most likely if you were to look at Philemon and read it, it's most likely that the church met in Philemon's house. It says in verse 2 of Philemon; "The church in your house." Now Philemon was a convert of the Apostle Paul. Verse 19 of Philemon he says that a ... "You owe to me your own self." So he was a convert of Paul and he's a very wealthy man. He owns some slaves. One of the slaves Philemon owned was a man named Onesimus, this man. But Onesimus didn't like living in Philemon's house and he didn't like being a slave so he ran away. And you know what a slave was to do when he ran away if he was caught? He was to give his life. He was executed. Runaway slaves were executed.
But this one was willing to make the gamble and he ran away and he ran all the way to Rome. And you know what happened? Amazing thing... he ran right into the Apostle Paul. And you know something? Just as the Apostle Paul had led Philemon to Christ, the Apostle Paul led Philemon's runaway slave to Christ. Isn't that amazing when you think there were two million people in Rome? Not so amazing when you see what God had in mind.
And so Philemon also owed Paul his life. Now Paul writes a letter, the letter of Philemon. And sends Onesimus back and the letter says--Say, Philemon, I know he ran away but don't kill him, he may have gone away a slave, he's coming back a brother and he's willing to serve you as a slave and a brother in Christ. So open your arms of love and take him, will you? And so here's Tychicus with Philemon, the letter in his pocket, and Onesimus the slave walking beside him. Paul writes the letter to establish in Philemon's heart acceptance for a returning slave whose now a brother. Think of it. When he left Colossae he must have been shrinking from his master with stolen property in his clothes and that vice burning in his heart, sensualities, the carnality that was driving him to the excitement of Rome and he gets there and he meets Paul and when he comes back all he desires is holiness, all he desires is to be a servant to his master that he left. All he wants is the light of the knowledge of the pure God in his soul. And so the two go off with the message.
And what does Paul say about Onesimus? Look at it. "Onesimus, a runaway slave." No. "A faithful, beloved brother who is one of you." You want to hear something great? Christ makes sure a man with a past has a past that's passed. He says to the Corinthians; "And such were," what? "Some of you." He says to the Ephesians, "And you were once dead in trespasses and sins but Christ has made you alive." Man, I'm telling you it's exciting to know that in Christ people with a past have a past that's passed.
And in Galatians 3:28 Paul said; "There is neither Jew nor Greek, bond nor free, male nor female, you're one in Christ." He's a brother now, Philemon. Take him in. You see, Christianity ultimately destroys slavery because it breaks the caste system and makes everybody brothers. That's one reason in America they stopped educating the slaves was because when the slaves got educated they started to read and when they read they read the Bible and when they read the Bible they got converted and when they started getting converted they could see the end of the slave trade so they stopped teaching them to read.
He calls him a brother then notice he calls him beloved, he calls him faithful. And in the letter to Philemon he says; "Onesimus is," and I love this, "is my very heart." "Onesimus is my very heart." I love this man, this once slave now brother. You know I think one reason whyPaul loved this man was because he was just another illustration of the principle that moved Paul. "If any man be in Christ he is," what? "A new creature. Old things are passed away behold all things are become new." I just think having Onesimus around was just another great testimony to what God's transforming power can do in a life. And Paul loved to see the past in the past.
So Paul saw a man with a past and he saw Christ make him a man with a past that was a past. I'm so glad God can use people with a past. Aren't you? You know something? Paul was a man with a past. A sinful past, wasn't he? I'm sure he identified with Onesimus. You want to hear something kind of interesting? We have found a letter written by Ignatius, one of the early church fathers ... a few years after the New Testament era. And in that letter Ignatius, who is a pastor of the Smyrna church writes these words:
"Since then in the name of God I received your entire congregation," he's writing to the Colossians, "Since then in the name of God I received your entire congregation in the person of Onesimus, a man of inexpressible love and your pastor, I beseech you in Christ Jesus to love him and all who are like him."
The statement of Ignatius may mean that Onesimus actually became the pastor of the Colossian church. It's a great ending to a story, isn't it? It tells us whether Philemon took him back or not. He became his pastor. Ha-ha--terrific. From runaway slave to pastor and only Christianity is going to do that.
So what do we find? We take a look at the picture; we see a man with a servant's heart and a man with a sinful past. Let's look at the third man, Aristarchus, verse 10. Aristarchus is the man with a sympathetic heart, the man with a sympathetic heart. You know what you need if you're a leader, if you're in the Lord's work? You need some people who are just around to feel your burdens with you. You need some burden-bearers. They aren't whirlwinds at anything, they just care. You know, they don't put on great programs and do great things and astounding prominent out-front things, they just care. And you've got to have them and Aristarchus was one of those people with a sympathetic heart.
Verse 10; "Aristarchus my," now here it comes, "my fellow prisoner greets you." Those are deep words. Aristarchus is a Jew with a Greek name which was common in the dispersion. When the Jews were scattered they often took Greek names. So he says Aristarchus sends his love and his blessing, he greets you.
Now Aristarchus' name appears elsewhere in the New Testament in association with the town of Thessalonica, It's very likely that he came from that town. And at Ephesus, you remember Paul ministered at Ephesus for three years, and during those three years Aristarchus was with him. And you remember when finally in Ephesus the riot broke out? When the riot broke out Aristarchus and Gaius were seized by the mob and Aristarchus found out what it was to be a prisoner. They recognized him as one of Paul's companions. And so they seized him. Now that's in chapter 19.
Now Paul decides to go to Jerusalem. You know what happens? He takes Aristarchus along. So he goes on that trip. Paul gets on the boat. You remember he was captured as a prisoner in Jerusalem and then he was moved to Caesarea on the coast? Where he stayed as a prisoner? And then finally in Acts 27 he gets on a boat to go to Rome to be tried in Rome and he's a prisoner on the ship and Acts 27:2 says when he got on the boat Aristarchus was with him. Had Aristarchus been with him through all the imprisonment? Very possible. Very possible since the time he identified with Paul in the city of Ephesus and escaped from the riot and went to Jerusalem from that time till now he has stayed with Paul as a prisoner in Jerusalem he hung around. Caesarea -- he may have hung around. On the ship, and you remember what a ride that was -read Acts 27 again. I mean, that was something exciting and he was there. Now here he is back in Rome and guess who is there? Aristarchus and Paul calls him my fellow prisoner. The guy hasn't committed a crime he just hangs aroundwith criminals. So he spends his time in jail.
Now the word fellow prisoner is a beautiful word; aikmalotos. You know what it means? It means one caught with a spear. Literally it means a war captive or a prisoner. Aristarchus is a captive like me. You say - well why did they capture him? They never did.
Well, why did they put him in prison? They never did. But why does he call him that? Because he just spent his time with a prisoner, he might as well have been a prisoner. He is chosen to be beside Paul. If Paul's in prison, he's in prison. That's his choice. It's unlikely that he actually became a prisoner in Rome. More likely that he chose to make Paul's lifestyle his lifestyle. Because he was sympathetic, because he cared, because he loved, because he knew Paul needed him. He was a man with a sympathetic heart.
Listen, as I said, there are people who can't lead a meeting and they can't speak and they can't be prominent in the church and maybe they're the most beloved of all because they're the burden-bearers. And you know, we don't know what Aristarchus did, it doesn't tell us. It doesn't tell us he delivered anything or did anything but you know something? We know that whatever he did he gave up his freedom to do it...to be a prisoner with Paul. And I'll tell you something. The Lord's work would never be done if it weren't for people like this who are willing to give up their liberty to be a prisoner to accomplish what God wants to be accomplished. Here's a sympathetic man. I call him the man for all seasons, the bad weather friend. Thank God for men who stick with you when it's hard because all of them won't. When it gets rough and really rough and Paul says - Who will volunteer? Aristarchus - the first one with his hand up. Me, Paul. Where we going? To what prison? Yeah, true greatness for those who help, believe me.
So Paul's special friends; a man with a servant's heart, a man with a sinful past, a man with a sympathetic heart. Fourth, Mark, verse 10, the man with a surprising future, the man with a surprising future.
Verse 10, in the middle; "And Mark, sister's son to Barnabas." He's a cousin of Barnabas. "Concerning whom you received commandments, if he come unto you, receive him." Mark sends his greeting along. Now maybe we shouldn't call him Mark - the man with a surprising future, maybe we ought to call him Mark - the man with a second chance. You remember about Mark? Early on in the story of the book of Acts as the Apostle Paul is moving into the excitement of the ministry as God has called him to the ministry, he decides to take this marvelous young man along. Saul and Barnabas are separated to the work of the Holy Spirit calls them in Acts 13 and verse 5 says; "And when they were at Salamis, they preached the Word of God in the synagogues of the Jews and they also had John as their helper." And it's John Mark...hey, we've got this young helper along. Paul always took somebody, he was always discipling somebody. He took this young man along. You say - Boy, it's great for him. Ohhhhh, fantastic, just fantastic.
But in verse 13 of Acts 13 it says; "Now when Paul and his company loosed from Paphos, they came to Perga in Pamphylia." Now that was going to be the dangerous part of the trip. They had to cross those dangerous mountains to get up into Galatia. They were full of robbers and brigands and you were taking your life in your hands. And it says; "And John departing from them returned to Jerusalem." When the going got rough, Mark bailed out. He can't hack it. If it was easy, smooth sailing, he was gung-ho. They hit the tough part and he caught the quickest ship back to Mother. And Mother's house was the center of the Jerusalem church, And it says in verse 11; "Aristarchus, Mark and Jesus Justus are of the circumcision." They're Jews. "And these," watch this, "These only are my fellow-workers for the kingdom of God who have been a comfort unto me." You say - Wait a minute - what happened to Tychicus and Onesimus? No-no, you misunderstood. These are the only Jewish fellow-workers who were a comfort to Paul. Isn't that sad? Do you know that the Jews for the most part in Jerusalem had rejected him? Except for Aristarchus and he had been around for a long time. And Mark, and he had been around for a long time too. And then this new one, Jesus Justus. He was a man with a strong commitment; I know that, because he had to step out from his people.
You know, in Acts chapter 28 when the Apostle Paul arrived in Jerusalem the first thing he did was begin with Jewish evangelism. And he started to preach to the Jews. And some believed ... that's true, verse 24 of Acts 28 ... some believed that things were spoken but some believed not. "And when they agreed not among themselves, they departed." And even the ones that believed, apparently, never got behind Paul. They just got into an argument with their own people ... and Paul says - "Well spoke the Holy Spirit by Isaiah saying, Go to this people and say, Hearing you shall hear and not understand, seeing you shall see and not perceive for the heart of this people has become obtuse (or fat), their ears are dull of hearing, their eyes have they closed lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears and understand with their heart and be converted and I should heal them. Be it known, therefore, unto you that the salvation of God is sent to the Gentiles and they will hear it and when he had said these words the Jews departed and had great arguments among themselves." Even the ones that believed apparently never made a commitment to Paul, only three, only three Jewish fellow-workers stuck by him.
Two of them have been around a long time but this one, Jesus Justus, just may have been won right out of that Roman group. And so I call him the man with the strong commitment because he paid a big price, didn't he? He walked right out of his own people. It's hard to believe the pettiness that occurred in the life of Paul. But it did. He calls him a fellow-worker, a fellow-worker for the kingdom, sunergos, co-laborer. And notice this beautiful statement about Jesus Justus, it says; "These have been a comfort to me." Have you ever heard of ... of the medical word paregoric? It's from the Greek word pareegoria--pareegoria, and it means comfort, a paregoric medically means something that is a medicine that lessens pain. It's a soothing thing. It's a balm, it's a comfort. And so he says These are the ones who have soothed me. These are the ones who have comforted me. It's interesting that the same word is found on gravestones where words of comfort are written about people who have died.
So here was a man who was a source of comfort, a source of soothing because he had a strong commitment, he was willing to pay a price, he was willing to walk away from the opinions of people and take a stand with Jesus Christ no matter what it costs. That's the kind of man it takes.
So we meet Paul's friends; a man with a strong commitment, man with a surprising future, a man with a sympathetic heart, man with a sinful past and a man with a servant's heart. Let's go to the next one quickly. Look at verse 12, here's one you might remember. We call him Epaphras or if you really wanted the Greek pronunciation Epa-phras but Epaph-ras sounds nicer. This I call the man with the single passion. I love this man. I am going to get a corner in heaven with him and talk to him. Because he's a man after my own heart. If I couldpick a pastor out of the New Testament and go be in his church, I'd pick this guy.
Verse 12; "Epaphras, who is one of you, a servant of Christ." And incidentally, he was the founder of the Colossian church and most likely its pastor. "Greet you." And you say - What was he doing there if he was the pastor of the Colossian church, why was he in Rome? Because he had come to Rome to tell Paul the trouble that the errorists and the false teachers had brought to the Colossians. And Paul is writing this letter to the
Colossians in answer to what Epaphras has told him. And he wants to stay a while, spend more time with Paul. So Paul says he sends his greeting. Now listen to this, "He is always laboring fervently for you in prayers that you may stand perfect and complete in all the will of God and I bear him witness that he has a great zeal for you and them that are in Laodicea and in
Hierapolis." Those are the two cities within a ten mile radius of Colossae. He's one of you. He's your pastor, your founder. What a man. It says he's a servant of Christ, doulos again, a slave. But verse 13 says; "I bear him witness, he has a zeal." The word zeal incidentally should be translated pain p-a-i-n; he has great pain for you. In fact in Revelation 16:10 and 11 and Revelation 21:4 the word is used to speak of intense pain. The man is in intense pain over you. He hurts for you. I'll tell you, people, that's a pastor's heart. He hurts.
You say - Well, what can he do so far away if he hurts so much? I'll tell you what he can do. He's always laboring fervently for you - how? In prayer. The word laboring fervently, I want to hit this because it reiterates what I told you about chapter 4 verse 2 - about perseverance. Listen, laboring fervently is the word to agonize. He was on his knees agonizing in a prolonged, intense, effectual, fervent prayer. It says always laboring...working at it, agonizing in prayer. This is what we've been talking about. Prayer is not simply flipping up little thoughts to God, it is agonizing, it is struggling, it is wrestling with God like Jacob and saying - I'm not going to let go until You bless me, God. It is the word used in I Corinthians 9 of an athlete who runs a long race and beats his body to make it go - drives it, agonizes it.
You want to hear something interesting? This same word in John 18:36 is translated - fight. He fights for you in his prayers. He wrestles with God for you. He persistently struggles with God for your blessing.
In Romans 15:30 Paul says - "I beseech you, brethren, for the Lord Jesus Christ's sake for the love of the Spirit that you fight together with me in your prayers to God for me." Again he uses the same word.
In Luke 22 the same word appears in verse 44, 1 think it is. You can see the meaning of it there comparatively. "And being in an agony he prayed more earnestly and his sweat was (as it were) great drops of blood falling to the ground." Jesus prayed with such agony and such strain and such persistence that He began to ooze blood.
Epaphras prayed like that. He prayed in an intense, spiritual wrestling with God. And when it says in Acts 6:4 that the Apostles gave themselves continually to prayer and the ministry of the Word, that's what it was. They were like Epaphras they prayed and they wrestled with God for the lives of people. I think we give up too easy. I don't think we know the meaning of that. We say Ahh, I've worked on so-and-so, they don't come around. Maybe we've never known what it is to pray the way they prayed.
And you say - Well, what is he praying for? "That you may stand perfect and complete in all the will of God." He wants you mature. He wants you telios, complete, mature, filled-out, fully developed, fully convinced. Incidentally, the second word, the word complete is an interesting verb that means fully assured. He wants you mature and confident that the truth is the truth and not having your minds messed up by false teachers. He wants your doctrine to be mature and he wants your behavior to be mature.
Now this guy's got the view of the ministry. This is it right on the nose, man. Every pastor in the world should have this same desire that his people be mature and convinced in their mind and assured that this is the truth. And only when they're mature will they be assured because Paul says in Ephesians 4 - "It's spiritual babes and children that are knocked to and fro about with every wind of doctrine."
And so Epaphras had one desire - I want to make them mature so that when they're mature they'll be fully assured of the truth and these false teachers won't have an affect. How do you make them mature? "All Scripture is given by inspiration of God and is profitable that the man of God may be mature, thoroughly furnished to all good works." It is the Word that brings maturity. Epaphras, I know from that, believed in teaching God's truth. He wanted his people mature. He wasn't satisfied that they were there, he wanted them grown-up. He wasn't satisfied that they gave their money; he wanted them assured that the truth was the truth so they wouldn't fall into error because he cared, because he loved them. What a man. I call him Epaphras - the man with a single passion. Epaphras - the man with a single passion ... that his people be mature. He was right on - Ephesians 4 - "And he gave some apostles and prophets and evangelists and teaching pastors for the maturing of the saints for the work of the ministry." He was a prayer warrior and he had a single passion - that the people be mature.
You can imagine what a blessing he was to Paul. Can you imagine what an encouragement he was to all the other guys working with Paul to see this guy praying like that, day after day after day and to see Paul praying day after day after day night after night after night - can you imagine the impact that the lives of those two men had on everybody else? And he knew what he was praying for ... for the maturity of the saints. You know something? Somewhere along the line we've got to get past-their broken legs and their bodily diseases and get praying for what really matters - you know that? It's fine to pray for physical things but sometimes that's an excuse, I think, almost a cop-out for not really laboring about people's spiritual welfare. I know I feel guilty about a failure to do that. I don't know why it is but it's so easy not to do that.
Let's meet another one. Luke - Luke, I call him the man with a specialized talent, the man with the specialized talent. You know what it was. Verse 14; "Luke the beloved physician and Demas greet you."
What was Luke? He was a doctor. I don't think he was a phony, I think he was the best kind you could have in that day. He was a physician. You can see that in the New Testament many places. For example, Mark will say about someone, about the lady with an issue of blood, she suffered many things at the hands of many physicians. But you won't find that in the book of Luke. Luke talks about the same incident, leaves that part out. We know he's a physician. And you know what he was? He was Paul's personal physician. I love this. This just thrills me. Here was a man who had a specialized talent. He was a doctor. That's what he did. But it's interesting to note that on Paul's first missionary journey he was sick all the time. And it's interesting to note that when he went on his second journey he took Luke. He felt the need of a personal doctor. So he took him along. God's work needs specialists, folks. Everybody doesn't have to go to seminary. There are some people who can do something else and fit in. And you say - Yeah, but you might get stuck doing that all the time. Listen, I don't know what he gave up. He may have given up a lucrative practice if practices were lucrative in that day. I don't know. But he must have been kind of fun for Paul to have along because he was an educated man, a cultured man, so was Paul and they must have had some great inner-action. I'll bet they were just bosom-buddies because when Paul was dying in II Timothy, he says - And only Luke is with me. I mean, they were close. He knew every pain and every sear on the body of Paul. He was his pal, and his doctor. And he calls him beloved physician. I like that.
Luke is a great illustration of a man who had a specialty to offer. Now watch...and he gave his specialty to God and God took his specialty and gave him back a privilege he never dreamed would even happen. Do you realize that Luke wrote fifty-two of the chapters of the New Testament? I'd say that's significant. Wouldn't you? Hate to do without them. The whole book of Acts and the gospel of Luke.
You say - How did he get to do that? How did he get such a glorious task? Because he had a specialty and he gave it to God and God took him where he was and used him where he never dreamed he could be used. He is living proof of Ephesians 3:20; "Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all we could ask or think according to the power that works in us." God takes people with special talent and gives them the ability to do things they never dreamed they could do and that's the way He works.
Let's look at the last in the portrait. This is the fly in the ointment. "And Demas greet you." I call Demas the man with a sad future. This is the last man in the photograph and he's a sad man. Oh here it isn't sad, he says - Demas' greets you. And at the end of the book of Philemon it talks about Demas. "My fellow worker." Man it sounds good, good old Demas, hanging in there. He's been around. I think he was around at least two years. I do know that he was with Paul in both imprisonments. That's ... that's substantial commitment. But there's a sad thing about him. Because it says in II Timothy 4:9, Paul says to Timothy, listen to this; "Do your diligence to come shortly to me," now listen, "For Demas has forsaken me having loved this present world and is departed to Thessalonica." Isn't that sad?
Yeah, he says - Demas was around the first imprisonment, Demas was around the second imprisonment, my fellow worker. But he left me because he loved the present system. So he went to Thessalonica. He abandoned Paul because he fell in love with the world. You know something? There are some of those kind in everybody's ministry. That's right. Jesus had His Judas and Paul had his Demas and all of us have the same kind. They're all there ... somewhere. And they show up and it's sad. And what's so sad about it is the privilege and the opportunity and the learning, the exposure that they had somehow never caught. And those are the people I know in my own life, those Demas' that have been in my life, those are the people that haunt me because I don't understand it.
But it's comforting to know that you can't be a winner all the time. That even the best are going to have those that fail. And like Paul's heart, they'll break our hearts. And we'll never forget and the scars will be deep and the questions will always be there. Well, that's the picture, A man with a sad future, a man with specialized ministry, a man with a strong commitment, a man with surprising future, a man with a sympathetic heart, a man with a sinful past, and a man with a servant's heart. Quite a team, isn't it? That's the Pauline Evangelistic Association, headquarters - jail, Rome. A great bunch.
Let me help you draw this together by closing with the book in verse 15. Listen to what he says, this his final words - "Greet the brothers who are in Laodicea," incidentally the letter was going to Colossae to he just says - say hi to everybody at Laodicea. "And Nymphas, and the church which is in his (or her) house," not too sure which, but either a man or a woman which would be rather obvious. "Greet the brethren in Laodicea" and the church in Laodicea met in the houseof Nymphas. It's interesting that the churches in those days met in houses. It wasn't until sometime later, third century, the church buildings developed. So he says - Say hi to everybody. "And when this epistle is read among you," and that's the way they did it, it's good insight into how these epistles were dealt with, they were read publicly. "Cause also that it be read in the church of the Laodiceans," and watch this, "And you also read the epistle from Laodicea." So after you've read it, pass it to Laodicea. And here's another indication that when these letters were written they weren't ever intended for one congregation, they became circular letters. They went all through the church.
You say - What is the epistle from Laodicea? I'll tell you what I believe it is ... the book of Ephesians. It's highly likely that the book of Ephesians was delivered to Laodicea by Tychicus and the book of Colossians was delivered to Colossae and then they switched. The book of Ephesians was a circular letter and passed around. Very likely. He's saying - Swap letters. I want you to get all the information.
And you know what they would do when they got a letter? They would copy it so they would have an abiding copy and then they would send it on.
And then I want to sum it up with verse 17. "And say to Archippus, Take heed to the ministry which thou hast received in the Lord, that thou fulfillit." Well, when I read that, it just knocked me over. You know why it knocked me over? Because I had just heard about a whole bunch of people who were so faithful to fill out their ministry. And I think Paul has just put a whole pile of illustrations right on the back of the neck of Archippus. And said - Say, by the way, Archippus, take heed to the ministry which you have received in the Lord and fulfill it. Tychicus has. Onesimus has. Aristarchus has. Mark has. Jesus Justus has. Epaphras has. Luke has. I'd like you to.
That's the exhortation to you tonight. I've showed you a portrait of men. All but one have been faithful. And it all comes down to this. You've been given a ministry. I don't know what it is or in some cases I do know what it is. God knows what it is. You received it, notice, in the Lord, it's a divine thing - fulfill it. Listen, the Word can't be accomplished in the world. The kingdom can't be advanced without a little help from our friends. Without you. Whatever your area of ministry - got to have it. Got to be done. Got to be faithful. Got to fulfill it.
And then he closes. "The salutation by my hand, Paul." I'm writing my own name now, folks. He dictated the letters and somebody else wrote them but he signed them so they would be known to be authentic. "Remember my bonds." Don't forget me, I'm in jail still. Just because things are successful it doesn't mean it isn't hard. You pray. "Grace with you. Amen."
What does it say to you tonight? It says to me this - MacArthur, you've just seen a portrait of some people who made the ministry possible. Are you doing your part? You're Archippus. You've just seen all the examples. Now fulfill your part that the kingdom may be advanced. I hope it says that to you. Let's pray.
Thank You, Father, for giving us the time tonight to share in this. Thank You for the patience of the folks as we finish the book. Lord God, we see again tonight the wonder of your working in the lives of people. We anticipate it in our own lives with great joy as we are faithful to fulfill our ministry and to know that with our help the work can be done. Caesar's household was being saved because Paul had some help from his friends. This valley can be reached, this state, our country and the world if we just have some help from the people around us. Or, we're going to have Demas' but in spite of them the work can go on if we're faithful. May we, like Archippus, take heed to the ministry that we received in the Lord and fulfill it. In Jesus' name - Amen.
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