Keep God In Mind

      Well, it’s time to forget about all those things you promised yourself to accomplish in 2012 and get ready for lucky 13. If you’re superstitious I have good news for you. You’ve already experienced the thirteenth year of this century, so you have no excuses of being unlucky this new year. In recent conversation, my grandson said, “I can’t believe a whole year has gone by already.” Where have I heard that before? He’s 21 years-old and life is just now gearing up for him. I replied with the typical grand-parent answer, “The older you get the faster the years will fly by. Make the most of them while you’re young.” Where have I heard that one before. Here I am, old enough to pass on echoes of generational wisdom with experience and authority to back it up.


      Have you noticed that stairs are getting steeper, groceries are heavier, and, everything is farther away? I walked to the corner the other day and I was dumbfounded to discover how long our street had become. You know, people are less considerate now days, especially the young ones. They speak in whispers all the time. If you ask them to speak-up they just keep repeating themselves, endlessly mouthing the same silent message until they’re red in the face. What do they think I am, a lip reader? I also think they’re much younger than I was at the same age. On the other hand, people my age are much older than I am. I ran into an old friend the other day and she has aged so much she didn’t even recognize me. I got to thinking about the poor dear while I was combing my hair this morning and looking at my own reflection I discovered mirrors aren’t made like they used to be. Another thing; people drive so fast these days. They must wear out their brakes awfully fast the way I see them screeching and swerving in my rearview mirror. Clothing manufacturers are less civilized these days. Why else would they be labeling my small shirts as large and my thirty inch pant waist, thirty-eight. Bathroom scale manufacturers are pulling the same prank. I just don’t believe the digital number on the display, because I would never let myself weigh that much. I can’t even call someone in authority to complain about all this, because even the telephone company is in on the conspiracy; printing the phonebook in such small lettering no one could ever find a number in it. I never saw this unconscionable attack coming and unless something drastic happens, pretty soon everyone will have to suffer these awful indignities. I thought you aught to know.

      [Genesis 1] God made the heavens and the earth and all that are in them, including you and me. “…God saw all he had made, and it was very good” (V.31). As we promise ourselves to once again strive to live a more righteous life only to become discouraged when once again we discover life doesn’t always go as planned, remember these three great truths. 1. God has a purpose for your life: God said, “…If you listen carefully to the voice of the Lord your God and do what is right in his eyes, if you pay attention to his commands and keep all his decrees, I will not bring on you any of the diseases I brought on the Egyptians, for I am the Lord, who heals you” (Exodus 15:26). 2. God wants to provide for you: Jesus said, “…But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness and all these things will be given to you as well” (Matthew 6:25-34). 3. God is lovingly ever present in your life: “…because God said, ‘Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you’” (Hebrews 13:5). Fulfill your 2013 plans with God in mind.

Babies In The Manger

      As I write it is December 22, 2012. I woke up on the same side of the dirt I went to sleep on and the sun is still rising in the eastern sky. I, personally, would have been pleased to experience the end of the world and exit this retched sinful place. But alas, once again, cooler, calmer, sensible heads prevailed. Sure enough, the ancient Mayan astrologists were correct in their assessment of the movement of the heavens and as one cycle ends a repeat performance started without the slightest hic-up. Man looks to the heavenly bodies for guidance and security, but is repeatedly disappointed to find the product is nothing but a powerless hoax. I refuse to sit at the table of cosmic roulette wagering on the possibilities of doom and destruction, then waste my time on planning how I’m going to survive the next calamity. As fragile as life is, without warning, I could be dead in the next hour. The two greatest dangers in my life are myself and my fellow man, not the stars. Negotiating the highways and buy-ways of life every day is enough of a diversion to make me forget that everything is under control and the One who writes the rules is still in charge. It’s amazing to see how low we have stooped when one compares the Proverb of Solomon (15:1) “A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger” to the statement made the other day, “The only thing that stops a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun.” Hang up all the anti-gun signs in our schools you want to, they mean nothing to the unstable mind. Dust off and re-hang the Ten Commandment signs and resume teaching morality, responsibility and the sanctity of life. Life is fragile. Handle with prayer.


      [Hebrews 13:1-8] In a large orphanage of about 100 boys and girls who had been abandoned, abused, and left in the care of an unstable Russian government program, two volunteer western teachers relate this story …It was nearing the holiday season, 1994, time for the orphans to hear, for the first time, the traditional story of Christmas. We told them about Mary and Joseph arriving in Bethlehem. Finding no room to stay the couple went to a stable where the baby Jesus was born and placed in a manger. Throughout the story the children and the orphanage staff sat in amazement as they listened. Some sat on the edge of their stool trying to grasp every word. Completing the story the children received materials to fashion a crude manger, a yellow napkin to tear for straw in their manger, small squares of flannel for a baby’s blanket and a doll-like baby was cut from a piece of tan felt. While inspecting the progress of the children’s work, one teacher stopped at the table where little Misha sat. In the little boy’s manger were not one but two babies. Misha was asked about the babies. Crossing his arms in front of him the child repeated the story. Then he said Jesus asked him if he had a place to stay. “I told Jesus I have no papa, no mama, so I didn’t have a place to stay. He said I could stay with him. I told him I couldn’t, because I had no gift to give him like every one else. Then I asked Jesus, ‘If I keep you warm, would that be a good enough gift?’ He said that would be the best gift anyone ever gave me. So I got in the manger and Jesus looked at me and he told me I could stay with him …always.” There’s an old Indian Proverb that says: “What you’re full of will spill out when you’re bumped.” What used to come out of me has been diluted by the love of God. Since I became like a child and crawled into the manger of my Lord, I am warm and safe and loved, forever.

Crazy or Lacking Love?

      Artist, Billy Currington, wrote a song titled, “People Are Crazy” and the first verse reminds me of days past. “This old man and me, were at a bar and we, were having us some beers and swappin’ ‘I don’t cares’; Talking politics, blonde and redhead chicks; Old dogs and new tricks, and habits we ain’t kicked. We talked about God’s grace, and all the hell we raised. Then I heard the old man say, ‘God is great, beer is good, and people are crazy.’” A few years back NASCAR driver Michael Waltrip used a twist on the song when asked what he thought about before races, especially at the Daytona and Talladega tracks, knowing there will be a big wreck sometime during those races. He said the best possible way he could avoid being involved in what has come to be known as, “the big one”, is to remember, “God is great, Fear is good, and Drivers are crazy.” The more I watch video clips of some of the things people do, “just for kicks”, the more I’m convinced some people are “crazy”. I know very little about twenty-year-old Adam Lanza, but I suspect I’ll learn a lot more in the coming week. My thoughts at the moment are, “…let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins” (1 John 4:7-12). If death and destruction continue to be the educator of right and wrong, more of these tragedies will occur. God is great, Fear His wrath, Love, as He loves us.


      [Luke 1:26-38 & Romans 12:1-2] The more I learn of God, the healthier my fear of disappointing Him becomes, which moves me to forgive and serve others in love, the same love God shows me every day. “…Greetings, you (Mary) who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.” If an angel of God showed up and spoke to me I’d probably jump right out of my skin. I have to tell you though, I often find it hard to contain my emotions when reading and learning of God, for I’m not deserving of His love, or His promises. Knowing the life changing experiences of ridicule and shame she would be facing, Mary said to the angel, “I am the Lord’s servant …May it be to me as you have said.” I’m not perfect, never will be, and I’m a long ways away from being the innocent naïve young teenager I once was. Not that I haven’t always feared God and His impending wrath for my sins and disobedience, it wasn’t until I resigned my life to become a servant of God, was the Lord able to start changing me from the inside out. Some say, “Well, that’s your job!” It’s not my job. It’s my duty, as it is for every human being on the face of this planet that has received life from God. Mary was willing to sacrifice her all to give birth to “…the Son of the Most High”, because God asked her to do it for him. All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Jesus (Matthew 28:16-20). He commands those who are serving the Lord, to teach and give birth to new babes in Christ, that they also will serve God, and their fellow man, in forgiveness and love, following in the footprints of Jesus. I don’t know why Adam Lanza did what he did, but I do know it was pure evil that visited Sandy Hook Elementary School, not God. There was no love in what he did and it will take a lot of love and forgiveness to soothe the pain. Pray for Newtown, and the souls seeking God.

Handling Firestorms

   My voice has not been the best of late and I didn’t really look forward to my ENT appointment last week. Looking at and doctoring ones vocal cords is not like nursing a boo-boo on the skin, or sore muscles, or a headache. Until appointment time when a camera gets stuck down my throat do I get to see what’s going on and why my voice is fading, again. My biggest problem is myself and the overusing and stress I put on my voice, which I’m going to have to control from now on. I’m also not using my voice box correctly, which has my speech therapist all in a huff, so I’m on self therapy to break the habit of using my throat to speak instead of my vocal cords. Sounds silly, doesn’t it? Of course, the good news about any doctor’s appointment, I was given another appointment for three months from now, so things can’t be all that bad, right?

   It seems we’re always making dates and appointments for ourselves. Christmas is in 16 days, with New Years day following close behind in another 7 days; another year almost gone. I have a wedding anniversary in 4 days and another birthday in 65 days, which beats the alternative. School will be out for the summer in about 180 days. And most important for rednecks and competitive couch potatoes alike, the Daytona 500 is in 78 days. Of course all this could be null and void if we discover the Mayan’s were truly on to something when their calendar runs out of time in 13 days. Hide and watch.
   While tending his livestock one day, an Australian farmer spied a large plume of smoke on the horizon and feared the worse, a prairie fire. Known for their swift and inescapable all consuming fury, the farmer watched the smoke hoping to discover the direction of travel of the fire. As the smoke cloud grew taller and wider the farmer knew the fire was headed straight for his homestead. There was only one thing the farmer could do to save himself, his family and his livelihood, that was to burn his own fields before the fire reached his land. If he could burn his fields and spent the fuel needed by the prairie fire, he could stand on his porch and watch the fire pass him by. The area protecting the farmer had already been satisfied by fire and was protecting him from the firestorm. That which had been sacrificed, now protected him from death.
   [Romans 6:1-14; 13:14 & Galatians 3:26-27] We have, or will, at sometime in our life, face a firestorm or two and the greatest all consuming storm in our life is sin. When we disobey God and live life pleasing ourselves and not God, the one who gave us life, we suffer a spiritual death that we can never escape, outside of Christ. “…for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus” (Romans 3:23-26). Jesus went to the cross, gave his life for you and me, in love, for the atonement of our sins. When we are baptized into Christ for the forgiveness of our sins (Acts 2:38) and “…if we walk in the light as he is in the light” (1 John 1:5-10) or sins are forgiven daily. Our repentance of sin, baptism and continual obedience to God’s will has put us in Christ. We can compare that to the Australian farmer who is standing in the pasture already consumed by fire, it can’t burn again. Christ has shed his blood for the forgiveness of sin and has overcome death never to die again. I want to be in Christ when I face that appointment none of us likes to talk about, because the fury of God’s wrath can not reach me there. Jesus has already sacrificed himself for me so that I can be void of sin and eternal punishment.

Sinister Crowds

      Out of curiosity more than anything else, I was watching the “starless” Spurs basketball game the other night, just to see what the future roster looked like on the floor. I thought they put up a courageous front and showed some great potential. As I watched one of the Spurs players at the free-throw line, I noticed in the seats behind the basket, all the distracting white foam tubes waving in the air, combined with all the noise the fans could muster, and I had one of those childhood flash-backs. I had to be only eight or nine at the time based on the history of the people involved, which put my brother about fifteen. I don’t remember all the people involved, but my brother wanted to go to Syracuse University to watch a Harlem Globetrotters exhibition game. I had no interest in this, but I suspect our mom allowed the trip as long as I was tagged to my brother’s shirt-tail. I can’t remember the trip to Syracuse, probably because not only did my brother not want a tag-along, I probably didn’t want to go in the first place. I do remember sitting in the nose-bleed section among friends of my brother’s and seeing this player who stood head and shoulders above everyone named Wilt “The Stilt” Chamberlain at seven foot tall, 300 pounds. Well, at every exhibition game the home crowd, the sixth man thing, would do everything it could to distract the virtually unbeatable Globetrotters, giving an edge to the home team. Someone among the friends had brought a small cowbell to heckle the visitors, but was too timid to use it. Before I knew it, I had the bell in my hand and was being instructed to ring it as loud as possible, when told to do so. Totally ignorant of the flow of the game, basketball didn’t have wheels on it or a loud engine, and only amazed at the size of the crowd and the basketball players, I gathered no purpose of ringing this bell until I became the center of attraction in the immediate area and eventually throughout the arena. I was rather short in stature and easily hidden when the bell attracted too much attention from the floor, which became a part of the game. I soon caught on that when the ‘Trotters were at the free-throw line it was time to make noise and fun was had by all. It’s funny how memories can pop up like that and I do remember riding the last few miles home in a Greyhound bus, only because my brother woke me up, still laughing his head off.


      [Psalm 64; Matthew 27: 11-26] The psalmist writes, “Hear me, O God, as I voice my complaint; protect me from the threat of the enemy. Hide me from the conspiracy of the wicked, from the noisy crowd of evildoers. They sharpen their tongues like swords and aim their words like deadly arrows.” As the psalmist continues he writes about how the righteous deal daily with the world in fear. Even though the worldly ones think they are devising “perfect plans” in secrecy, God knows and will deal with the problem. “…Let the righteous rejoice in the Lord and take refuge in him; let all the upright in heart praise him.” Jesus had to deal with huge crowds that followed him everywhere, throughout his ministry of three and one half years. He taught; He healed the sick, the crippled, the blind, the deaf, and more; He fed them by the thousands and performed so many miracles John writes: “If they were all written down, I suppose that even the whole world would not have room for the books that would be written” (John 21:25) Yet, in God’s plan of sacrificial rite for the redemption of the sins of man the crowd traded Jesus for thirty pieces of silver and Barabbas, a worthless scoundrel. Sad!

A Cowboy's Christmas Prayer

      “…Aaand their off!” Like thoroughbred’s exploding from the starting gate, holiday shoppers raced to be first in line for the limited supply, special buys, offered on “Black Friday”. I used to be an alpha perfectionist in everything I did, resulting in finding fault in everything everybody else did, but I never got over the top crazy wanting to fight over a parking space at WalMart. I have been known to wave a few gestures of expression and use some unsavory language while unloading my disgruntled feelings toward a fellow alpha, but it was generally with the windows rolled up and my wife grabbing my arm, pulling it down out of sight. My bark has always been more intrusive than my bite, because I learned very young, when you bite, you generally get bitten. Well anyway, I’ve never gotten involved in the buying frenzy of the holidays, and what I read and hear and see on TV is frightening. It makes no sense to me that people are willing to fight one another, in an exhibition of terror and hate, to purchase an item that they claim will be given to someone in love. Like the insurance commercial running on TV lately says, “The greatest danger we face in this world is other people”, a fact with an abundance of witness. Self-centeredness does not compliment our love for others.

      Sometimes it’s a simply life that shows love and gives thanks best. “A Cowboy’s Christmas Prayer” “…I ain’t much good at prayin’, and you may not know me, Lord; I ain’t much seen in churches when they preach thy Holy Word. But you may have observed me, out here on the lonely plains, a lookin’ after cattle, feelin’ thankful when it rains; Admirin’ thy great handiwork, the miracle of grass, aware of thy kind spirit in the way it comes to pass; That hired men on horseback and the livestock that we tend, can look up at the stars at night and know we’ve got a friend. So, here’s ol’ Christmas comin’ on, remindin’ us again, of Him whose comin’ brought good will into the hearts of men. A cowboy ain’t no preacher, Lord, but if you’ll hear my prayer, don’t let no hearts be bitter, Lord; don’t let no child be cold. Make easy beds for them that’s sick, and them that’s weak and old; Let kindness bless the trail we ride, no matter what we’re after; And sort of keep us at your side, in tears as well as laughter. I’m just a sinful cowpoke, Lord, ain’t got no business prayin’, but still I hope you’ll ketch a word, or two of what I’m sayin’. There ain’t no Merry Christmas for nobody that ain’t free, so one thing more I’ll ask you, Lord, just help us what you can, to save some seeds of freedom, for the future sons of man.”

      [3 John 9-10] In John’s letter to Gaius, he writes there is a man in the church there named Diotrephes, who is refusing to welcome God’s messengers. “…Diotrephes, who loves to be first, will have nothing to do with us” (the Apostles). He is “…gossiping maliciously about us. Not satisfied with that, he refuses to welcome the brothers. He also stops those who want to do so and puts them out of the church.” Being first and always having your own way is very damaging to the spirit of others. “Do not put out the Spirit’s fire…” (1 Thessalonians 5: 12-19) Don’t be spoilin’ God’s party.

      [Luke 17: 11-19] Ten men with leprosy met Jesus on the road and begged him to have pity on them. As they did what Jesus instructed to do, they were healed. One out of the ten men returned to thank Jesus for his healing. God has given us his Son, yet in our “celebration”, we put ourselves first, and fail to give thanks for the greatest of gifts.

Thank God

      A poor man was given a loaf of bread. He thanked the baker, but the baker said, “Don’t thank me. Thank the miller who made the flour.” So he thanked the miller, but the miller said, “Don’t thank me. Thank the farmer who planted the wheat.” So he thanked the farmer, but the farmer said, “Don’t thank me. Thank the Lord. He gave the sunshine, rain and fertility to the soil, and that’s why you have bread to eat.” As we enter the season of giving, showing our love to one another in special ways and giving thanks for the bounty we enjoy in this life, whether great or small, take time to remember where it ultimately all comes from. Regardless of how sophisticated, how advanced we may be scientifically, we still can’t create; we still can’t make a kernel of wheat. That has to come from God. God has supplied all the things we need in order to survive on this planet. “…Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.” (James 1:17) When it comes time to share and give thanks for the bounties in your life remember, first of all it’s not yours, it never belonged to you. We are simply caretakers of what we possess. All we receive in this life will eventually be passed on to someone else. Give in the spirit that you never possessed it. Be thankful for what you have; care for it, for it is not yours; and do good with all that has been given you by your Father.


      [Psalm 32] “…Blessed is he whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered. Blessed is the man whose sin the Lord does not count against him and in whose spirit is no deceit.” Blessed means, happy. The Psalmist, David, tells of the days he suffered as he concealed his sin and the guilt was literally killing him. To be blessed, David needed to confess his sin to God, “…I said, ‘I will confess my transgressions to the Lord – and you forgave the guilt of my sin’.” The happiest I’ve ever been in my entire life is when I have no guilty conscience for the wrongs I have done. When I go to my Heavenly Father in prayerful confession, asking for forgiveness of my sins, I know I am forgiven and it’s time to move on, for what has been forgiven by God, has been forgotten forever. The greatest thanks we can give this season is thanks to God, who gave his Son as the perfect sacrifice for the sins of man. And all who believe and are baptized for the forgiveness of their sins, buried with Christ to rise and live a new life, are blessed, for their guilt of sin has been washed away (Romans 6:3-12 & Acts 22:16) “The Brush” by Chuck Millhuff: Life started like a canvas; And God started painting on me. But I took the paintbrush from Jesus; And painted what I wished to see. The colors I painted kept running; And the objects were all out of size; I had made a mess of my painting; My ways now seemed so unwise. So I brought my painting to Jesus; All the colors, the pieces so wrong; In the markets of the earth it was worthless; But His blood made my painting belong. He worked with no condemnation; Never mentioned the mess I had made. Then He dipped his brush in the rainbow; And he signed it, ‘The price has been paid’. When I gave the brush back to Jesus; When I gave the brush back to Him, He started all over life’s canvas to fill; When I gave to Jesus the brush of my will. He worked with no condemnation; He never mentioned the mess I had made. Then He dipped his brush in the rainbow; And He signed it, ‘The price has been paid’. I thank God for his renewing power of love and forgiveness.

It Is What It Is

      Well, the elections are over and the results are what they are. The winners claim it’s good that things will remain the same and the losers claim it’s a shame that things will be the same. The majority of candidates running for office had very little to say about how they would improve or build upon the great effort put forth by their current elected leader, no, rather all I heard is how wrong the office is being run and how inappropriate the policies of the current leadership are for the people. It’s like telling me about all my faults. I already know the problems we face in government today and it makes no sense to me that all anybody wants to do is make the problem bigger. Go on TV and tell me that greed is running rampant in government and it’s time to repent of this behavior. Ask me to pray for you that God will grant you wisdom to lead and give you the courage to stand up for the moral rights of the righteous citizens of this great country. That would be someone worth supporting and voting for. Quit borrowing money to pay the debt on the borrowed money that’s paying the debt on borrowed money. What Washington is doing is against the law for me to do. Why can’t anyone be honest without being accused of treason? It doesn’t matter who got elected, we have a new collar and lead; now, “Heel”! Or you could shuck your collar and lead.

      His teacher asked the class what their favorite animal was. When it came time for the kindergartner to answer he said, “Fried Chicken”. She said he wasn’t funny, but that couldn’t have been right because the whole class laughed. The teacher sent him to the office. He told the principal what happened. He laughed and told the boy not to do it again. His parents had taught him to always be truthful and honest. He told his dad what happened and he said she was probably a member of PETA and explained they love animals very much. The next day the teacher asked what their favorite live animal was. He told her it was a chicken. She asked why, just like she asked the other children. He told it was because you can make them into fried chicken. She sent him to the principal again. He laughed and said, “Don’t do it again.” The youngster couldn’t understand why the teacher didn’t like it when he was being honest with his answers to her questions. The next day she asked the class to tell her what famous person they admired most. He told her, “Colonel Sanders.” The principal fell out of his chair.
      [Habakkuk] “What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun (Ecclesiastes 1:9). This being true, read Habakkuk and see if today’s world isn’t the same as in his time. The teacher also said, “…Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man” (Ecclesiastes 12: 9-14). What if the Lord came tonight, and the way I lived has not been right? What would I give to turn back time, if the way I’d lived was not in line? If I knew the savior, but left Him behind, and lived my life as though I were blind, what would my fate be in the end, if I didn’t follow Jesus, my devoted friend? I’ll have to answer for my own fate, for at the last minute it will be too late, if I didn’t take time to fully prepare, and devote my life under His care. He’s given me time to get it right, and patiently wait both day and night. His coming should be my greatest hour, as He comes for me in a flash of power. God help me prepare for that sweet day, just help me stay in the narrow way. When life gets hard and I want to flee, I’ll strive to be ready when you come for me.

Get a Full Understanding

      I don’t know about you, but I’ve heard enough. This election year has reached a crescendo of in your face he said, she said mud slinging I’ve never experienced before. If everybody is in the wrong, as being portrayed by the candidates and their supporters of every office open for public election, it becomes evident why nothing constructive is getting done in our governments. Political correctness and fame have log jammed any sense of wisdom of accountability to, and representation of, the citizens of this country thus the citizen must get more involved. I pray you will vote, or have voted, this year and I also pray you don’t just sit in your easy chair gripping any more. The internet offers easy, instant, access to all elected officials with only a few minutes of searching. More time is spent every day texting and Tweeting our government dislikes, to folks who can’t do a thing about it, when access is available to the source for action. They don’t ignore you, but the old saying still holds true: “The squeaky wheel gets the grease”. Want a better government? You are the government and elected officials are your representatives. Don’t tell me, tell them! That’s all I got to say about that.

      There’s a lot of confusion in this world because of too much information received too quickly or the lack of proper instruction of what to do with the information. Case in point: An Italian, a Scotsman and a Chinese man were hired at a construction site. The foreman showed them a pile of sand to be spread as a landscaping base. He said to the Italian guy, “You’re in charge of sweeping.” To the Scotsman he says, “You’re in charge of shoveling.” And to the Chinese guy, “You’re in charge of supplies.” The foreman returned later in the day to find the pile of sand untouched. The Italian man told him, “I no hava no broom. The Chinese fella ina charge of supplies hasa disappeared.” The Scotsman tells the foreman, “Ah could nae get meself a shoovel. Ye left th’ Chinese gadgie in charge of supplies, boot ah couldna fin’ him neither.” The foreman storms off toward the pile of sand to look for the Chinese gent. All of a sudden the Chinese man leaps out from behind the pile and yells, “SUPPLIES!!!”
      Then there is information received from others that doesn’t necessarily ring true with the facts, a very difficult thing to deal with if not investigated thoroughly. In the comic strip, “One Big Happy” by Rick Detorie, Ruthie, a big story teller, and reminds me of my grand-daughter, is spinning a tale to her brother about a “…very bad girl”. Her mom fixed her some cottage cheese and the girl sassed her mom, “I hate this…” In the next panel appears and old man in the clouds and Ruthie narrates, “When God saw this he got all worked up…” (next panel) “So he sent her a spider that turned her into a pillow of salt!” (next panel) Ruthie instructs her brother to wait as she looks for her mom to check on something. (next) “Mom, I think I messed up! (next) “Is ‘Little Miss Muffet’ a Bible story?” Mom, on the phone simply replies, “Nursery Rhyme…”
      [Acts 17: 10-34] Without the full teaching and study of the Bible, the church has suffered over the years, because too many people take for granite what they are told is the full truth. While Paul was in Berea, John records “…for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true.” While in Athens, the Greeks didn’t settle for just one lesson, they wanted to hear more for a better understanding (v32). Our salvation is incomplete without study.

4EAE

      Oops! I sort of slipped in my own ignorance last week and got spanked for it. We tend to compartmentalize products under a more common name which has been used in advertizing so much it has become a household name. For instance, we don’t ask for a bandage to cover our boo-boo, we ask for a Band-Aid. In like manner we refer to facial tissues as Kleenex, cotton swabs as Q-Tips, and bleach as Clorox, as a sort of “genericization” of brand-name products. I referred to an aerosol string product as Silly String and in the process misrepresented the brand-name product as dangerous. In fact the brand-name, made in the USA, is environmentally and user safe. My ignorance of the no longer imported knock-off of the brand-name was triggered by once again seeing a couple of short video clips of the illegal imported product warming up some birthday parties. I wish to submit my apologies to Silly String Products and their Spray Streamer product. I need to be more careful comparing what’s and what-not’s.

      I always found it difficult to keep up with the ever increasing use of letters being used to represent government programs, corporations, non-profit organizations and the like. There’s now a whole new language being produced by the electronic, cyber-space, fast-paced world of today. The lingo of acronym-ism is off the charts with netlingo.com, alone, listing over 1800 texting shorthand acronyms. The one I had to chuckle at when I heard it the other day was, “FOMO” …Fear Of Missing Out. The average cell phone user sends 200 text messages per month, which includes the average teenager texting 3000+ messages per month. I grew up being taught that you couldn’t be in two places at once, but I think in the multi-tasking world of today a person has the opportunity to be in several places at once, in color and in real time. It’s only a matter of time before we discover that UFO’s really are futuristic time travelers.
      I found it to be a sort of split decision when it comes to the baby-boomers embracing, or not, all the gadgets of the 21st century. I was sort of dragged into the new millennium kicking and screaming but have since compromised to accepting and re-educating myself on the basics of the computer evolution and how I can use it without it taking over my whole being. I thought I would share a few senior citizen texting codes with y’all. ATD …At The Doctors; GGPBL …Got to Go Pacemaker Battery Low; BFF …Best Friend Fell; OMSG …Oh my! Sorry, Gas; TTYL …Talk To You Louder; GHA …Got Heartburn Again; BTW …Bring The Wheelchair; ROFLACGU …Rolling On The Floor Laughing And Can’t Get Up; FWIW …Forgot Where I Was.
      [Colossians 1:215-24] Many years ago I heard a hook phrase, acronym: BIBLE …Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth, which I guess fits, but first of all people need to know that Bible means book or a collection of writings. The Holy Bible is a collection of God inspired writings used to teach of God and the Way of our reconciliation to God. Our sins, which have separated us from God, must be removed, for God cannot be in the presence of sin, so that we can have a personal relationship with God. The Bible, God’s Word, instructs us in the way that will bring us into a sinless fellowship relationship with God, and what we must do to continue living as God wills us to live. We are made in the image of God, spirit. One day my spirit will return to God and judged as to what I did in the body. I can stand righteous before God.

The Writing Is On The Wall

      It has yet to be determined what happened to “Big Tex”, the iconic greeter of guests to the Texas State Fair. Personally, I think someone applied too much sunscreen to his face and it caught fire. Things like this happen when we don’t read the product use directions closely. Every time we think we’re having fun somebody does something stupid, then someone gets hurts and the party’s over. A simple fun product like “silly string” is very dangerous after reading the warnings on the can. “Highly flammable” and “Could cause irritations to skin and eyes” and “Should not be used in enclosed areas”, that means inside the house, should convince you to put it back on the shelf before taking it home for your child’s birthday party. I think the whole idea is, burning candles and the lack of fresh air don’t mix with evaporating petroleum products no matter how much fun you’re having. Sunscreen is supposed to keep you from burning!

      I have a hard time ignoring the history of the world and watching the blissful citizens of this country repeating the same devastating blunders that have brought other nations to ruin. “Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a reproach to any people.” We have heard it over and over again, but we don’t believe it. Douglas McArthur said, “History fails to report a single precedent in which nations subject to moral decay have not passed into political and economic decline. There has either been a spiritual awakening to overcome the moral lapse, or a progressive deterioration leading to the ultimate national disaster.” Sin is a nation’s shame. Lying, business dishonesty, pleasure-seeking, murder, rape, fraud, drunkenness, abortion, drug addiction, robbery, lust, selfishness, greed, homosexuality, pornography, gambling and such fill our newspapers and airwaves. Things like this can’t be ignored hoping they’ll go away. Peter Marshall once said, “By our tolerance of some wrongs, we have come close to being intolerant of the right.” I’m afraid we’ve surpassed that prediction as there are those who are pressing hard to muzzle the moral teachings of the Bible and those who herald it to the remnant of the faithful. In his “Farewell Address” George Washington stated, “Of all the dispositions and habits which lead to political prosperity, religion and morality are indispensible support. In vain would that man claim the tribute of patriotism, who should labor and subvert these great pillars of human happiness – these firmest props of the duties of men and citizens.” He went on to say, “…both reason and experience forbid us to expect that national morality can prevail in exclusion of religious principle.” He doesn’t sound like a supporter of “separation of church and state” to me.
      [Daniel 5] King Belshazzar was giving a big party in the palace for a thousand of his nobles and drinking wine with them. He ordered that the gold and silver goblets that Nebuchadnezzar, his father, had taken from the temple in Jerusalem, be brought in so they could drink from them. While the plunder of the temple was being desecrated, God’s judgment and wrath fell upon Belshazzar. A hand appeared and wrote God’s judgment on the wall for all to see. In the story no one could interpret the writing except one, Daniel, whom everyone said was a man with “the spirit of the gods”. Daniel reminded the king how his father fell from the throne and said, “…you his son, O Belshazzar, have not humbled yourself, though you knew all this.” Then Daniel interpreted the handwriting on the wall. Our days are numbered without God’s grace.

Overlooking The Obvious

      I was having a conversation with a man the other day, whose father had recently passed away, about how different the world is today compared to when we were kids. He was having a problem with where to start cleaning up and reluctantly disposing of a man’s life left behind. Being of the same age, growing up in the 50’s and 60’s, we remembered how our dad’s never disposed of anything. Even if something was worthless, it was cleaned up and shelved, because it had the potential to supply replacement parts, or bits and pieces to repair something else. All that stuff kept and protected for so long has become totally worthless in today’s mechanical world. If one were to break down any sort of gadget today, he might get it fixed and operating again, but getting it back together and useable is a whole other problem. It’s cheaper and less frustrating to simply throw it in the trash and buy a new one. The replacement will, more likely as not, be cheaper and have more features to do more things, faster and more accurately, anyway. It’s a throw-away world and I still see the potential in everything I hesitate to throw in the trash. Some day I’m going to need that.

      Just when we think things couldn’t get any worse, we’re being informed that a cyber attack on the US, and the world, could make any mechanical war of the past look like a sandbox squabble. The computer age and our dependency on the computer to regulate and operate vital life sustaining systems, has opened the door to malicious destructive programming directed to render operating computers useless, or to run out of control into a mode of self-destruction. Once again I think man has overlooked the obvious in his quest to dominate the world with his power of thinking, Samuel Clemens (Mark Twain) once asked, “Did you let your schooling get in the way of learning?” I remember as a child hearing the warning of letting machines run machines, it would be a great downfall some day. I think things are going to get real interesting, real soon.
      The Lone Ranger and Tonto were camping for the night in the desert. After they got their tent set up, both men settled down and fell sound asleep. Some hours later, Tonto wakes the Lone Ranger and says, “Kemo Sabe; look toward sky; what you see?” The Lone Ranger replies, “I see millions of stars.” “What that tell you?” asked Tonto. The Lone Ranger ponders for a moment, and then says, “Astronomically speaking, it tells me there are millions of galaxies and potentially billions of planets. Astrologically, it tells me that Saturn is in Leo. Time wise, it appears to be approximately a quarter past three in the morning. Theologically, the Lord is all-powerful and we are small and insignificant. Meteorogically, it appears we will have a beautiful day tomorrow. What does it tell you Tonto?” …“Someone steal tent.”
      [Psalm 33] Man’s thirst for knowledge and understanding has him seeking in places that only open doors to greater wonders. Bigger telescopes are being used in an attempt to find the edges of the universe and space probes are being distributed to discover life beyond earth. God has instilled in the hearts of men the want to, to investigate and discover and learn, but man misuses it. Instead of wanting to know the greatness of God, man is trying to discover the limitations of God. In His wonderful sense of humor, God is willing to entertain those who will not accept that this was all made for man alone. We seem to always overlook the obvious. The glory of God is everywhere.

I Pray I Never Forget

      Wow, it’s already October! Where has the year gone? The weather is changing and the evening sun is retiring earlier, leaving us in the dark sooner than we want. Snow is flying in the northern states reminding us that winter, such as it is in South Texas, will be upon us before we know it. This is the time of year when we misplace our sweaters and light jackets everywhere. We search for something warm to wear in the early morning only to remember we forgot it at work or it’s in the car, outside in the cold. So, we go to the closet, or open a dresser drawer and select another wrap to insolate our body from the uncomfortable cold, which we’ll probably forget when we go home in a lingering warm pseudo summer afternoon. I’ve never used up a jacket in Texas.


      I’ve been told, ‘Old age ain’t for sissy’s’ and ‘The first thing to go is the memory’. I do know one thing; in today’s world one can get multi-tasking and totally lose his way, I do it all the time. A poem, “Forgetter Be Forgotten” by James Casey says it best. “My forgetter's getting better; But my rememberer is broke. To you that may seem funny; But, to me, that is no joke. For when I'm 'here' I'm wondering if I really should be 'there'; And, when I try to think it through, I haven't got a prayer! Oft times I walk into a room; Say 'what am I here for’? I wrack my brain, but all in vain! A zero is my score. At times I put something away; Where it is safe, but, Gee! The person it is safest from; Is, generally, me! When shopping I may see someone; Say 'Hi' and have a chat; Then, when the person walks away I ask myself, 'who was that’? Yes, my forgetter's getting better; While my rememberer is broke, And it's driving me plumb crazy; And that's really not a joke.” This writer knows me well and we’ve never met.

      [Romans 1: 16] “I am not ashamed of the Gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes…” “I am a part of the ‘Fellowship of the Unashamed’. I have the Holy Spirit Power. The die has been cast. I have stepped over the line. The decision has been made. I am a disciple of Jesus Christ. I won’t look back, let up, slow down, back away, or be still. My past is redeemed, my present makes sense, and my future is secure. I am finished and done with low living, sight walking, small planning, smooth knees, colorless dreams, tame visions, mundane talking, chintzy giving, and dwarfed goals. I no longer need preeminence, prosperity, position, promotions, plaudits, or popularity. I don’t have to be right, first, tops, recognized, praised, regarded, or rewarded. I now live by presence, learn by faith, love by patience, lift by prayer, and labor by power. My pace is set, my gait is fast, my goal is Heaven, my road is narrow, my way is rough, my companions few, my Guide is reliable, my mission is clear. I cannot be bought, compromised, deterred, lured away, turned back, diluted, or delayed. I will not flinch in the face of sacrifice, hesitate in the presence of adversity, negotiate at the table of the enemy, ponder at the pool of popularity, or meander in the maze of mediocrity. I won’t give up, back up, let up, or shut up until I’ve preached up, prayed up, paid up, stored up, and stayed up for the cause of Christ. I am a disciple of Jesus Christ. I must go until He returns, give until I drop, preach until all know, and work until He comes. And when He comes to get His own, He will have no problem recognizing me. My colors will be clear.” (Authorship unsure) I pray I never forget the one whom I belong. I pray I never forget the one who saved me from the fall.

Stop The Presses

      “Stop the presses!” I’ll bet that phrase used to trigger an adrenalin rush in type setters, back in the days when newspaper type was hand set. It is a phrase, used in the news media industry as an exclamation indicating the arrival of extremely significant news or an extremely grave error. The term signified the discovery of the need to change the content of an issue just before, or during its printing. Since this meant that the printing press literally had to be stopped, or delayed, much of the existing copies of a publication, which had already been printed, would have to be discarded at great cost. Today print type is no longer set by hand, but stopping the presses is still a costly adrenalin rush; revising computer layouts, burning new ink plates and resetting the presses. Mostly, today, the phrase is used in a sarcastic way when a discovery prompts the need to immediately stop work on a project in any given industry. I had my week planned which included preparing a lesson to preach from the pulpit on Sunday morning in the absence of our resident preacher. Tuesday afternoon I was finishing a repair project in the church building when I was notified a member of the congregation had passed away, a friend and mentor of mine. “Stop the presses!” No one else was available to preach his funeral and I felt honored to be able to do it, so volunteered. I was told I did well, but believe me, preachers and ministers don’t receive enough praise for the work they do. The demand on their time, at times, is very stressful and I for one am happy I don’t have to do it every week. I’m not as young as I used to be.

      A preacher spoke a little longer than usual one Sunday morning. A little old lady approached him after worship and asked “Has anyone ever told you that you’re a wonderful speaker?” (He immediately thought to himself, “Now isn’t that great. It’s always encouraging when the members recognize my abilities.”) He told her, “No, as a matter of fact no one has ever told me that I’m a wonderful speaker.” She quickly responded with, “Well then, whatever gave you the idea that you are?”
      The preacher was opening his mail one morning. Taking a single sheet of paper from an envelop he found only one word written on it, ‘FOOL’. The following Sunday he announced to the assembled congregation, “I have known many people who have written letters to me and forgotten to sing their names. But this week, I received a letter from someone who signed their name and had forgotten to write the letter.”
      [Isaiah 6: 8] Isaiah has learned of the judgment the Lord is going to bring upon Israel and in a vision, which he finds himself in the presence of the Lord, and like the lost son (Luke 15:17-20), Isaiah comes to his senses and confesses to the Lord he is one of the people God is distressed with. Because of his confession God takes away his guilt and gives atonement for his sins. The Lord needs someone to go to His people preparing them for His coming wrath. “…Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?” Isaiah has a decision to make about his new relationship with God. God has forgiven him of his sins, separating him from those he once associated with. He said, “Here am I. Send me!” When life screams out, “Stop the presses!” the dedicated minister will always answer the call. We all need to confess our sins to the Lord, come into His presence and be baptized for the forgiveness of our sins. When we do this, we establish a new relationship with God, and when the need arises, we’ll ever say, “Here am I. Send me!”

Tap, Tap, Tapping

      It is said that when pointing a finger at someone, three fingers are pointing back at you. I look out into the world today wondering why people can get so upset over the things of life that to me are quit meaningless. In retrospect, I have to confess I once had the patience of a junk-yard dog, which still has the presence of mind to pop out now and then with no excuse. When I examine the activities of the world today, I discover nothing new, remembering the several upheavals of riotous reactions that have occurred in this country’s past during my lifetime alone. It is said that age mellows the savage beast within us and I think that holds some validity when those lives are held up to the Light. I’m happy I have been blessed to live long enough to understand peace.

      New tenant complaining to his landlord: “The people upstairs are very loud. Last night they stomped around and banged on the floor until after midnight.” Landlord: “Did they wake you?” Tenant: “No, I was still practicing my electric guitar lessons.”
      A woman in a supermarket had been walking behind a grandfather and his badly- behaving three-year-old grandson. It’s obvious to her he has his hands full with the child, screaming for sweets in the candy aisle, cookies in the cookie aisle, and for fruit and cereal and soda in the other aisles. While granddad is working his way through the store, in a controlled voice he could be heard saying, “Easy, William. It won’t be long now.” Another outburst and the granddad says, “It’s okay, William. Just a couple of more minutes and we’ll be out of here. Hang in there boy.” At the checkout, the little terror is tossing items out of the cart and granddad repeats his calm statement, “William, William, relax, don’t get upset, we’ll be home in five minutes. Stay cool, William.” Very impressed, the woman goes outside where the grandfather is loading the groceries and his grandson in the car. “It’s none of my business, but I must say, you were amazing in there, I don’t know how you did it. The whole time, you kept your composure and no matter how loud or disruptive he got, you just calmly kept saying things would be okay. William is blessed to have a grandfather like you.” “Thanks”, said the grandfather, “but I’m William …the little brats name is Kevin.”
      [Galatians 5: 16-26] “…the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.” A pediatric nurse, as she often did, gently tucked the stethoscope into a little boy’s ears and placed the disc over his heart. ”Listen,” she said, “what do you suppose that is?” David drew his eyebrows together in a puzzled line and looked up as if lost in the mystery of the strange tap, tap, tapping deep in his chest. Then his face broke out in a wondrous grin and he asked, “Is that Jesus knocking?” The book of Revelation is centered on overcoming the trials of life, through faith in Christ Jesus, and if one pursues this endeavor throughout their life, the promise of everlasting life, by the grace of God, will be their reward. Revelation 3: 19-22, tells us that Jesus is ever knocking on our door. He’s not begging attention, nor will He try to force his way into our life. He just wants us to know he’s there; waiting. In our trials we cry out, “Oh, Lord!” but do we really believe he’s there to help us in our time of need? Remove the door of your heart from its hinges. Seek Him first in all you do and praise Him in the troubled times, as well as the good times (1 Peter 4: 12-19). When our patience and our faith are cultivated, our love for others will grow (James 5: 7-20).

Pssst! Did You Hear...?

      Well, it finally happened in a big way. The “freedom of speech” plus media of the “free internet” have combined to cause international upheaval over religious beliefs. Even at family reunions, everyone knows, there are two subjects one should not start as conversation; politics and religion. The anti-Islam, low-budget, short film, “Innocence of Muslims” by, as yet an unidentified or confirmed producer, has emerged out of California and onto the internet, essentially pouring gasoline on the smoldering ashes of burnt Korans and eleven-year-old crashed airplanes. The film portrays the prophet Muhammad as a womanizer and religious fake. I’m smart enough to know I’m not educated enough to comment, but I am concerned to what extent will people go before they realize that their “freedom of speech (expression)” has become totally detrimental to the coexistence of mankind? Even every computer questions your rationality from time to time when you’re about to do something that could damage it; “Are you sure?”

      One of the more shocking things I’ve discovered lately is the author, Madonna. Yes, I’m talking about the performer I would not walk across the street to sit in the presence of, even with a free ticket in hand. Among her thirty titles, many have been #1 sellers and of those, children’s books. One children’s book, “Mr. Peabody’s Apples”, an exception to my low esteem of the author’s livelihood, presents a great lesson about the damaging properties of gossip and lack of knowledge. Mr. Peabody is a school teacher and summer-time baseball coach of youngsters. Tommy, a student and ball player, witnesses Mr. Peabody taking an apple from the display while exiting the grocery store. Tommy reports to his friends that Mr. Peabody is a shoplifter. Gossip spreads that Mr. Peabody is a thief. Consequently, none of the boys will any longer play ball for Mr. Peabody. One of the boys tells Mr. Peabody about the rumor and that Tommy says he is a witness. Mr. Peabody takes Tommy to the grocer who explains that Mr. Peabody always pays for his apple before he leaves the store. Tommy apologizes to Mr. Peabody and says he will tell everyone he was wrong about him being a shoplifter. Then Mr. Peabody asks Tommy to meet him at the baseball field and to bring a feather-filled pillow with him. The feathers are released (like gossip), and instructions are given to recollect all of them. Tommy realizes the impossible nature of the task due to the wind blowing the feathers away. The moral is clear: gossip pollutes the world in a way that cannot be fully remedied, no matter how hard we try to clean it up.
      [Proverbs 18: 1-8] “…A fool’s lips bring him strife, and his mouth invites a beating. A fool’s mouth is his undoing, and his lips are a snare to his soul. The words of a gossip are like choice morsels, they go down to a man’s inmost parts.” Is it better to stop and investigate an alleged “fact” that doesn’t sound right, or add my personal thoughts and pass it along? How would I feel if an untrue rumor was circulating about me? “But, it’s not gossip if it’s true!” Really? Stop to consider if a negative truth about another person even needs to be spread at all. Often, the motivation for doing such is nothing more than retribution or joy over the sins of another. I recall, “People who live in glass houses ought not to throw stones.” How happy would you be, if while Jesus was on the cross, dying for your sins, he told the whole world the kind of person you really are? Sow the Seed; feed the Sheep; love the unlovable; forgive and be forgiven.

God Is Still On the Throne

      Well, the national political party conventions are over and done with, the new school year has started, football frenzy has begun and it’s time to start the search for your long sleeve shirts and blouses in anticipation of the first cool-front of the upcoming fall season. The temperature is predicted to plunge into the sixties in the early morning hours this coming week, which seems silly to say, except for the fact that we’re used to starting the day near eighty degrees and finishing the afternoon hours at and above the century mark every day. The daylight hours are already noticeably waning and it won’t be long we can say good-bye to the hot weather and high electric bills for a while.


      One day a florist went to a barber for a haircut. After the cut, the florist asked how much he owed the barber. The barber replied, “I cannot accept money from you, I’m doing community service this week.” The florist was pleased and left the shop. When the barber went to open his shop the next morning he found a thank-you card and a dozen roses waiting for him at his door. That day a policeman came in for a haircut and when he tries to pay his bill, the barber said, “I cannot accept money from you, I’m doing community service this week.” The policeman was very happy and went about his business. The next morning when the barber went to open up, there waiting on his doorstep was a thank-you note and a box of donuts. That day a Congressman came in for a haircut. When he tried to pay his bill the barber once again stated, “I cannot accept your money. I’m doing community service this week.” The Congressman was very happy and left the shop. The next morning, when the barber went to open up, there was a dozen Congressmen lined up at his door waiting for their free haircut.

      [1 Peter 2: 13-17] As I continue to “…seek first his kingdom and his righteousness” (Matthew 6:33) I am resigned to accept God as the ultimate ruler over all things. Many rule over us in government and employment alike, yet even Jesus laid this on Pilate, “…You would have no power over me if it were not given to you from above” (John 19:11). This, however, does not relieve me from my duties as a citizen of heaven and an alien citizen of the country I live in. The laws of both heaven and earth govern my daily living, that I may live worthy of the benefits bestowed upon me in my citizenships. I’m not a worthy politician, because everything to me is either black & white or true brilliant color. Sticking to my true colors, I’ll hold up those running for the offices of government in this country, to the precepts of God and his will for mankind, then vote my conscience. God is still sitting on the thrown and he alone is governing the future of this country and the world in accordance to the degree of obedience mankind displays toward his authority. The history of the world, be it secular of Biblical, has shown that when man attempts to wrestle the helm away from God, to govern himself and establish self-righteous living, God appoints rulers and authorities to squelch the mutiny. The greatest powers, the biggest kingdoms, the mightiest military forces have all been miraculously brought to their knees by unsuspecting forces. I expect to remain a remnant of God’s people who established this country and that my ways of living will continue to parallel that of God’s Word, the Bible, and not of man’s. I’m not rebelling against the government. It’s still the greatest in the world. Just a little reminder – You can ignore God, but you can’t dethrone HIM.

Let God Pave The Way

      I was returning from San Antonio recently, cruising on down the road, listening to the oldies, scoping out the landscape as it whizzed past, with all the changes brought on by the oil boom influx of new residence, when in happenstance, what should start playing on the radio but, “Big Yellow Taxi” (They Paved Paradise). The song is from 1970 written by Joni Mitchell after taking in the breath-taking view of the mountainous Hawaiian skyline from her hotel room, then looking down to the ground where she saw nothing but buildings and parking lots. Several groups have recorded the song and some have twisted the lyrics a little, but the message has remained the same. “…Don’t it always seem to go; That you don’t know what you got till it’s gone; They paved paradise and put up a parking lot.” The big yellow taxi, of course, is the scene of the big break-up and the boy or girl is leaving in the taxi. “…you don’t know what you got till it’s gone.” The group, Counting Crows, early “Earth Day” environmentalists, added a verse to the song when they recorded it, to fit their agenda, “…They took all the trees and put them in a tree museum; And they charged the people a dollar and a half to see them; Don’t it always seem to go; That you don’t know what you got till it’s gone; They paved paradise and put up a parking lot.” We’re in a place in history where mankind has lost a lot of things and I think we’re all seeking to find it again.
      A man went to a fast-food restaurant and saw on the menu that you could have an order of 6, 9, or 12 chicken nuggets. He ordered a half a dozen nuggets. “We don’t have half a dozen nuggets,” said the teen behind the counter. “You don’t?” question the man in astonishment. “We only have six, nine, or twelve, sir,” was the reply. “So, I can’t order a half a dozen, but I can order six?” “That’s right, sir.” He shook he head in disbelief and ordered six nuggets. Clearly, something’s been lost here.
      A lady was checking out at a local retail store with just a few items, and the lady behind her began placing her many purchases on the conveyor belt close to hers. She picked up one of those square tube “customer dividers” and placed it on the belt. When the check-out girl got to the divider, she looked it over for the bar code so she could scan it. “Do you know how much this is?” asked the clerk. The lady said she changed her mind about purchasing that item anyway. The clerk said, “OK”. The lady paid her and left. The clerk had no clue what just happened. Clearly, something’s been lost here.
      [Romans 1:18-32] (v.28) “…since they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, he gave them over to a depraved mind, to do what ought not to be done.” Our Creator is not a puppeteer. Each and every one of us has the right to live as we see fit, but, that does not please God in the least. As mankind continues to press his will upon the world he is literally paving over the will of God for man, building a parking lot for all his toys and boasting, “Look at all my stuff; all the things I have made.” Earthly treasures are here today and gone tomorrow (Matthew 6:19-24). Me-ism and worry is not trusting in God (Matthew 6:25-34). Because mankind is not retaining the knowledge of God or practicing the wisdom of God, clearly, something’s been lost. In the Greek, paradise is a place of blessedness. The church is blessed of God and man’s rules and regulations are slowly turning it into a parking lot. You don’t know what you’ve got till it’s gone. God has paved the way to healthy righteous living.

Try And Take It

      Let me see if I’ve got this right. The U.S. Anti-Doping Agency has ruined the life of Lance Armstrong over some sort of physical enhancing “dope” he allegedly used during his seven Tour De France cycling victories, yet all the testing done at the time of his winning showed no drugs in his system. The USADA has “proven beyond the shadow of a doubt” that Armstrong cheated in his seven Tour wins and his Olympic Bronze win in 2000, twelve years after the governing agencies of the Tour and the Olympic Committee found nothing to accuse Armstrong of, hard as they tried. While your tax dollars are being wasted on the destruction of the life of a remarkable cancer survivor, someone our youth and cancer fighters alike can look up to with admiration, the metropolis of Chicago is under siege by three known drug cartels, destroying the lives of thousands of people, but you better have every “t” crossed and every “i” dotted before anyone gets accused of “doping” our entire country. That’s all I’ve got to say.

      After what this country went through in the ‘60s, a song made popular by Bill Anderson, lyrics by John Paul Moore (1970) titled, “Drinking From My Saucer” gave an insight to the thoughts of the country, before the electronic age. “I've never made a fortune and it's probably too late now; But I don't worry about that much I'm happy anyhow. And as I go along life's way I'm reaping better than I sow; I'm drinking from my saucer ‘Cause my cup has overflowed’. Haven’t got a lot of riches and sometimes the going's tough, But I've got loving ones around me and that makes me rich enough. I thank God for his blessings and the mercies He's bestowed; I'm drinking from my saucer 'Cause my cup has overflowed. O, Remember times when things went wrong my faith wore somewhat thin; But all at once the dark clouds broke and sun peeped through again. So Lord, help me not to gripe about the tough rows that I've hoed, I'm drinking from my saucer ‘Cause my cup has overflowed’ If God gives me strength and courage, when the way grows steep and rough, I'll not ask for other blessings I'm already blessed enough. And may I never be too busy to help others bear their loads; Then I'll keep drinking from my saucer ‘Cause my cup has overflowed.’” Amen!
      [Romans 8: 31-39] You’ve failed many times, even though you don’t remember. You fell down the first time you tried to walk. You almost drowned the first time you tried to swim. Did you hit the ball the first time you swung the bat? Don’t worry about failures. Think about the chances you miss when you don’t even try. Heavy hitters, like Babe Ruth, who struck out 1330 times, also hit 714 home-runs. R.C. Macy failed seven times before his New York store caught on. English novelist, John Greasey, received 753 rejection slips before he went on to publish 564 books. Thomas Edison denied failure and stated he had only found another way not to do something. Right, wrong, or indifferent, Lance Armstrong has been stripped and whipped. It’s a shame, but he has tucked his tail and yielded to the bureaucratic think-tank. I pray his work in the field of cancer has not suffered a death blow. Jesus my Lord was accused, stripped and whipped and yielded to the think-tank, even to his death. Because of his love for mankind and his obedience to God the Father, he gave his life for the sins of the world and arose victorious over death. My only victory in this life may be to share in the resurrection of my Lord at the time of my death, and nobody can take it away from me.

Secure Their Hearts

      It’s almost time for the school year to start. If you’re sending your baby to school for the very first time, trust me, they’re coming home a different person. If you’re sending your baby off to college for the very first time, trust me, they’re coming home a different person. The world is going to influence your baby in ways you may not like, so now is the time to influence them at home as to self-discipline and the consequences of disobedience. In today’s world, children have to make tough decisions at an early age and most are not prepared to do so. You’re not being a busy-body wanting to know about your child’s friends, who their teacher is, what they’re involved in at school. If your child is hiding these things from you, it’s a warning sign the world has your child.
      Teacher: “Johnny, why are you doing your math problems on the floor?” Johnny: “You said we had to do our multiplication without using tables.” Teacher: “Glen, how do you spell crocodile?” Glen: “K-R-O-K-D-I-A-L” Teacher: “No, that’s wrong.” Glen: “Maybe it’s wrong, but you asked me how I spell it.” Teacher: “Maria, go to the map and find North America.” Maria: Pointing at the map, “Here it is.” Teacher: Correct …Now class, who discovered America?” Class: “Maria!” Teacher: “Donald, what is the chemical formula for water?” Donald: “HIJKLMNO” Teacher: “What? Where did you get that from?” Donald: “Yesterday you said it was H to O!”
      A 15-year-old boy submitted the following School Prayer for your consideration of adoption in this year’s curriculum. “Now I sit me down in school where praying is against the rule; For this great nation under God, finds mention of Him very odd. If scripture now the class recites, it violates the Bill of Rights; And any time my head I bow, becomes a Federal matter now. Our hair can be purple, orange, or green, that’s no offence, it’s a freedom scene; The law is specific, the law is precise, prayers spoken aloud are a serious vice. For praying in a public hall might offend someone with no faith at all; In silence alone we must meditate, God’s name is prohibited by the state. We’re allowed to cuss and dress like freaks, and pierce our noses, tongues and cheeks; They’ve outlawed guns, but first the Bible, to quote the Good Book makes me liable. We can elect a pregnant Senior Queen and the unwed daddy, our Senior King; It’s inappropriate to teach right from wrong, we’re taught that such judgments do not belong. We can get our condoms and birth controls, study witchcraft, vampires, and totem poles; But the Ten Commandments are not allowed, no word of God must reach this crowd. It’s scary here I must confess, when chaos reigns the school’s a mess; So, Lord, this silent plea I make, should I be shot, my soul please take. Amen”
      [Proverbs 22: 1-6, 15] The song, “How Shall The Young Secure Their Hearts?” by Isaac Watts is inspired by Psalm 119:9 “How shall the young secure their hearts, And guard their lives from sin? Thy Word the choicest rules imparts, To keep the conscience clean. ‘Tis like the sun, a heavenly light; That guides us all the day; And through the dangers of the night, A lamp to lead our way. Thy Word is everlasting truth; How pure is every page! That holy book shall guide our youth; And well supply our age.” I think all parents, including myself, wish they could do it all over again armed with the wisdom and experience we now have. What I can do, though, is help keep the church strong in the truth of God’s Word, and teach it to all who will listen.

Smoke and Mirrors

      The showman, P.T. Barnum, has been attributed with the statement, “There’s a sucker born every minute”, when in reality, even though he never denied uttering the phrase, it is very unlikely it was ever quoted by Barnum himself. All of Barnum's friends and acquaintances told Barnum’s biographer it was out of character. Barnum's credo was more along the lines of "there's a customer born every minute" - he wanted to find ways to draw new customers in all the time because competition was fierce and people could become bored easily. Another source credits late 1860s Chicago "bounty broker, saloon and gambling-house keeper, eminent politician, and dispenser of cheating privileges...", Michael Cassius McDonald, as the originator of the aphorism. According to the book Gem of the Prairie: Chicago Underworld (1940) by Herbert Asbury, when McDonald was equipping his gambling house known as The Store (at Clark and Monroe Streets in Chicago) his partner Harry Lawrence expressed concern over the large number of roulette wheels and faro tables being installed and their ability to get enough players to play the games. McDonald then allegedly said, "Don't worry about that, there's a sucker born every minute." (Wikipedia) Most of the time I try to investigate the history of what I share with my readers, and admittedly, I also enjoy spoofing you once in a while just to see if I receive any reaction. Most of the time I assume a good laugh, or at least a small giggle, is shared by all. Beware of untruths.
      [Galatians 6: 7] “Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows.” Singer, John Lennon, during his 1966 interview with American Magazine said, “Christianity will end; it will disappear. I do not have to argue about that. I am certain. Jesus was OK, but his subjects were too simple. Today, we (The Beatles) are more famous than him.” John Lennon was shot six times in an untimely death. Tancredo Neves, during his Brazilian Presidential campaign, said if he got 500,000 votes from his party, not even God would remove him from the Presidency. He won the election, became ill, never took the oath of office and died one month into his “presidency”. After the completed construction of the Titanic, a reporter asked the builder how safe the ship would be. With an ironic tone he replied, “Not even God can sink it!” I guess everyone knows what happened after that. Actress, Marilyn Monroe, was visited by Billy Graham during one of her shows. He said the spirit of God had sent him to preach to her. She bluntly stated, “I don’t need your Jesus.” A week later she was found dead in her apartment. Jamaican journalist and entertainer, .Christine Hewitt, said the Bible was the worst book ever written. In June 2006 she was found burned beyond recognition in her automobile. We are living in an age of smoke and mirrors, deception and lies. The internet and the television are mocking the very precepts of God which this great country is based upon. You don’t believe me? Go back and seek out the real historical beginnings of this country. God is not going to allow this to go on much longer. The “Day of the Lord” is coming to judge this country and bring it down. You don’t think so? For the past ten years God has been warning US to repent and return to Him. Unusual weather, disease, fire, drought, floods, quakes and coming soon, famine, are all warnings from God. You think it can’t happen? What has God done historically? Read the book of Joel. Hold it up to what you see in America today.

Wisdom

      If you’re in a pick-up traveling at the speed of light, what happens when you turn on the headlights? Why are there interstate highways in Hawaii? Why isn’t phonetic spelled the way it sounds? Why is it when you transport something by car or truck it’s called a shipment, but when something is moved by ship its called cargo? If a cow started laughing uncontrollably, would milk come out her nose? If you tied buttered toast to the back of a cat, and dropped the cat from a height, what would happen? Could the world get any more confusing? It seems our young people are constantly being bombarded with “cultural changes” at the speed of light and the longer I live the more oxymoron’s I have to deal with. No, an oxymoron is not a hyperventilating fool, although I think in the midst of the humanitarian invasion upon the private citizenry of this country, an additional meaning of sort could possibly be applied to the actions of some people today. An oxymoron is a figure of speech combining contradictory words. For example: act naturally; bittersweet; calm wind; constant variable; deafening silence; extinct life; found missing; freezer burn; guest host; half naked; larger half; plastic silverware; pretty ugly; real potential; paid volunteer; working vacation; liquid gas; little giants; least favorite; minor miracle; almost exactly; clearly misunderstood; even odds; good grief and my all time favorite – government organization. There are hundreds more in our “my way” vocabulary mold, but there just isn’t room for anymore today. Why do they put brail dots on the keypad of the drive-up ATM?
      The kindergarten class settled down to its coloring books. Willie came up to the teacher’s desk and said, “I ain’t got no crayons.” “Willie,” the teacher said, “you mean, ‘I don’t have any crayons; You don’t have any crayons; We don’t have any crayons; They don’t have any crayons.’ Do you see what I’m getting at?” “Not really,” replied Willie. “Say, what happened to all them crayons?”
      The teacher of the earth science class was lecturing on map reading. He spent the class time explaining about longitude and latitude, degrees and minutes. “Suppose I ask you to meet me for lunch at 23 degrees, 4 minutes north latitude and 45 degrees, 15 minutes longitude. Where would we be eating lunch?” A student’s voice broke the confused silence, “I guess you’d be eating alone, sir.”
      [Ecclesiastes 2] Solomon, the teacher, wanted it all, tried it all, experienced it all and had it all. In the midst of it all he never lost his wisdom, of which he recorded in the book of Proverbs. I think mankind is loosing all sense of wisdom in his daily affairs. The pleasures and follies that are satisfying man today are ever widening the chasm between man and God, which will eventually become an abyss that can no longer be bridged. The “innocent lie” has full blown, blossomed and flowered, into a lifestyle of complete contrast to the will of God for His creation. Wisdom will continue to decline and lawlessness will continue to bloom. Even the Lord’s church is suffering as the world is being forced into the pews and the pulpit. It’s like forcing a square peg into a round hole. Hammer on it all you want, you can’t change the Word of God, or the church, to fit your personal preferences, without chiseling away at the precepts of God’s wisdom. Solomon says wisdom, knowledge and happiness comes from God and it is given to those who please God. It’s all meaningless without the wisdom of God.

God's Standard Gauge

      I really don’t want to get on a rant here, but I have to tell you, I’m very disappointed in the major television networks with their continued support of alternative lifestyles and the “in your face” total lack of support or portrayal of the basic traditional family life. The fall “line-up” is almost completely void of any moral standards or teachings for our younger generations to learn from. Some say my ideals of morality are strictly Judeo-Christian (whatever that means) out of date ideals that I’m trying to force on others so they can be just like me. Well, look around. Do you truly think that total free-will is working out? It seems nobody is responsible for their actions anymore. It’s always somebody else’s fault that caused the decisive action taken at the time. Laws aren’t broken until one is caught breaking the law. I believe our grandparents were right. We would be better off without television. That’s all I got to say about that.
      I love learning things that really don’t amount to a hill of beans, most of the time, but they’re fun facts to know. I received this factoid about three years ago and to share it I had to clean it up a little from the language I received it, but none the less a fascinating story. Did you know that the width of the Space Shuttle solid booster rockets, those round things on either side of the white winged vehicle, was determined by the width of two horses’ behinds as they stand side by side? The U.S. Standard rail gauge (distance between the rails) is 4 feet, 8.5 inches. An odd number, don’t you think? That’s how the railways were built in England and English engineers helped design the first large scale usable U.S. railways. Pre-railroad tramways (horse drawn) used the same gauge copying that of the common freight wagon using the same manufacturing jigs. Why did wagons have that particular wheel width? It was the width of the already existing ruts in the roads all over the known world. How did they get there? The Roman Empire. The wheel width of the mass manufactured Roman chariot matched the width of two horses side by side. The wheels of the chariot would ride in the horse’s gait, re-packing the dirt loosened up by the horse’s hoofs. To keep from breaking wheels, everyone used this gauge. So, the solid rocket booster designers at Thiokol in Utah had a problem. In order to ship the finished rockets by rail from the factory, the train had to pass through several tunnels on the way. The tunnels are only a little wider than the rail gauge, setting the maximum width of the rocket body. I’ll let you expound on the story in your own way as you put this new information to work.

      [Galatians 3: 1-25] There are a lot of different opinions in the world today as to how the average “Joe” should live and the tolerant attitude he has to show forth to his fellow man in all circumstances. Christianity is slowly being molded into the total tolerance mold of the new order society that’s laying its rails around the world. The gauge being used by the new order is much wider than that set by God, but they say it will make traveling through life easier. As people switch to the new gauge, I’m surprised they haven’t already seen the wheels coming of our staunch social standards, which have so long governed and sustained our great country. God set the standard long, long ago and if we stray from His Word and substitute our faith for worldly lusts, we’re headed for a huge train wreck. Jesus said, “…narrow the road that leads to life and only a few find it.” (Matthew 7: 13-14) If your gauge is too wide, you not going to fit through the gate.

The One You Feed Wins

      Growing up I can’t remember ever hearing anything about a city-wide curfew, but I can remember being reminded often the curfew of my mother, and many other neighborhood mothers, placed on her children, “When the streetlights come on, I want you in this house!” There was no compromise, it was the law. Now, there are exceptions and ways of bending laws and, of course, when two or more children from different families with different ideals of living get together, some very rational schemes of individual development can emerge. During the days of summer the streetlights extended our days of growth and development to nearly nine o’clock at night. But, during the winter school-time months we were cut short of our time by nearly four hours. “Spend that time studying,” we were told, and I wish I had now. Anyway, that was leverage for a real negotiation and an opportunity to exercise a rational argument with mother to stay outside after the streetlights came on. I was also learning to seal selfish deals by laying a guilt trip on one’s senior, “Trust me. I’m not going to get in trouble.” So, we had a “time” we had to be in the house. That also brought about my first wristwatch and little did I know, the beginning of advanced responsibility training. Things must have gotten out of control across the country with kids negotiating after dark privileges, because before long there was a television public awareness commercial asking, “It’s 9 p.m. Do you know where your children are?” I also remember not too many years after that, SNL ran a spoof skit asking the question, “It’s 10 p.m. Do you know where your parents are?” I guess we grew up and forgot to come home at night. It’s sad to think we no longer teach our youth from our mistakes.


      I suppose it will be months if not years before we understand what was going on in the brilliant mind of 24-year-old James Holmes. His planning must have gone on for months as he calculated the fulfillment of his attack How could, and why did he, bring himself to kill 12 people and injure 59 others? Entering probably what will be the last quarter of play in my life, I question my reasoning for being in crowds and staying out after the streetlights come on. I now prefer flying under the radar, out of the line of fire.

      All this brings to mind the old Native American proverb, Two Wolves. One evening an old Native American told his grandson about a battle that goes on inside people. He said, “My son, the battle is between two wolves inside us all. One is Evil. It is: anger, envy, jealousy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false, pride, superiority and ego. The other is Good. It is: joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion and faith.” The grandson thought about this for a minute, and then asked his grandfather, “Which wolf wins?” The wise old man simply replied, “The one you feed.”

      [Psalm 90] Man is either a lover of God, a negotiator with God to justify his selfish living or a lover of the dark where he feels free. People want to know, “How can this happen?” and “Where is God?” Rest assure yourself of these two facts: God is not a negotiator nor does God live in the dark. If you find yourself in either of these relationships with God, you won’t find Him. If, however, you are a lover of God, you will echo the prayer of Moses. Life is not fair, but God’s love and majesty will make all the trials of life and years of labor worth the glory we will share, if we live in Him.

Tater Bugs

     It didn’t take long for the grass to start turning brown and the back yard gardens to wither and die off. Shades of last year started to creep in with 100+ degree temps and low humidity, putting stress on every living thing in South Texas. What a wonderful surprise to have the weather pattern break, delivering us some much needed rain just in time. The local area has had three to six inches of rain and the forecast for scattered showers extends into next week. This is the kind of weather that glued me to this part of the country and maybe the weather is going to settle down finally, bringing us slowly out of the drought we’ve been under for several years. One can only hope. Change is good, but I’ve already heard someone complain about the rain and the mud. I was told when I moved here the only people allowed to complain about the weather were farmers and ranchers. It’s always too hot or too cold, too windy or too dry, but even they never complain about it being too wet. Water is liquid gold and without it we’ll all wither and fade away. So, for goodness sake, don’t complain about the rain.


     A highly publicized murder trial was about to begin. During the jury selection each side hotly contested and dismissed potential jurors. One prospective juror, Dan, was called into the room for questioning. “Property holder?” he was asked. Dan replied, “Yes I am.” “Married or single?”; “Married, for twenty years.”; “Formed or expressed and opinion?” Dan proudly admitted, “Not in twenty years, Your Honor.”

     Look hard enough and one can always find something to complain or worry about only to ruin a perfectly good day. One summer day a farmer sat in front of his shack, smoking a corncob pipe. Along came a stranger who asked, “How’s your cotton coming?” “Ain’t got none”, he answered. “Didn’t plant none; ‘fraid of the boll weevil.” “Well”, the stranger pursued, “how’s you corn?” Again came the response, “Didn’t plant none; ‘fraid of the drought.” ”And your potatoes?” the stranger asked. “Scairt of tater bugs,” the farmer replied. Finally the stranger asked, “Well, what did you plant?” “Nothin’,” answered the farmer. “I just played it safe.” Sounds like the guy of whom it is said: “He made no mistakes; He took no wrong roads; He never fumbled the ball; He never went down ‘neath the weight of a load; He simply did nothing at all.”

     [Matthew 6: 25-34] “Said the Robin to the Sparrow, ‘I should really like to know why these anxious human beings rush about and worry so?’ Said the Sparrow to the Robin, ‘Friend, I think that it must be that they have no Heavenly Father such as cares for you and me.’” (Elizabeth Cheney) Most of the people of the world spend each and every day worrying about the next day instead of making the most of the day given to them. In John 14: 1-14, Jesus delivers two very important messages to His followers, including all of those of the promise; you and me. (Acts 2: 38-39) One; There is more to come after this life is over. Two; He is God. We can also conclude from John 14: 6 that; “Without the (His) way, there is no going; without the (His) truth, there is no knowing; without the (His) life, there is no living.” (Thomas Kempis) Then comes the human rational, “I’ll become a follower just as soon as I get my life in order” and “I’ve done so much wrong in my life Jesus will never forgive me of my sins.” Just trying to play it safe, I suppose. What makes a person think their past can handicap the power of GOD? Repent of your earthly ways, be baptized and your sins will be forgiven by God.

Dig For More

     When one thinks of Easter Island, located in the southern Pacific Ocean, an image of one thousand plus “head statues” comes to mind. At higher elevations the statues are full bodied and very large. Since its discovery in the 1700’s, a mystery has hung over the island as to how the statues got there in the first place. In an attempt to solve the mystery of the head statues, and their placement all over the island, archeologists gained permission to excavate the ground surrounding two of the heads. They hoped to find the remains of tools and such to help them understand the meaning of the statues and how they got there. What they found was not at all what they had expected. As they dug, they discovered the “head statues” are not only “heads” but full bodied statues buried in the dirt, every bit as big as the statues above ground. The dirt that buried the statues was washed down from higher elevations and not deliberately placed there to bury, protect or support the statues. The statues were carved and erected in place, and stand on stone pavements (a man-made foundation). Evidence of how this was accomplished has been found and possible engineering scenarios have been theorized, but are as yet to be confirmed. The thing is, the whole island still remains a mystery and digging around only revealed what has always been there, adding even more intrigue to investigating minds searching for the truths of a forgotten people.

     Children don’t have a problem with questioning what they don’t understand. Little Johnny’s kindergarten class was on a field trip to the local police station where they saw pictures, tacked on the bulletin board, of the ten most wanted criminals. One of the youngsters pointed to a picture and asked if it really was the photo of a wanted person. “Yes”, said the policeman. “The detectives want him in particular very badly.” Little Johnny asked, “Why didn’t you keep him when you took his picture?”

     Other children just need more time to unbury the truths and ways of the world. A little boy was in a relatives wedding. As he was coming down the aisle he would take two steps, stop, and turn to the crowd (alternating between the bride’s side and the groom’s side). While facing the crowd, he would put his hands up like claws and roar. So it went on; step, step, ROAR; step, step, ROAR all the way down the aisle. As you can imagine, the crowd was near tears from laughing. The little boy, however, was getting very distressed from the laughter and was also near tears. When asked what he was doing, the child sniffed and said, “I was just being the Ring Bear.”

     [Galatians 1: 1-10 & 5: 7 – 6: 10] Paul’s letter to the church in Galatia expresses much frustration as Paul had discovered that someone had come into the congregation teaching something different than the gospel he taught, causing much confusion among the brethren. Confusion in the church is nothing new and it doesn’t have to be that way. Too many people simply maintain their religion by what they hear and are taught. They hear conflicting messages and eventually form personal thoughts about God and heaven, life and death and return to the world. Like the “head statues”, most believers’ introduction to the gospel is good, and they can see the truth. Can we accept that everything we are told from that point forward in our Christian walk is good gospel, or do we need to dig deeper into God’s word for a more complete understanding of God’s will? Investigate what you hear. (Acts 17: 10-11) Discover the whole body of Christ.

Faith Is A Blessing

The news from around the country and around the world every day of late is rather depressing, even though we’re being told things are getting better. Money matters continue to drag down countries all around the world and even here at home as governments continue to borrow on borrowed money to spend it on the most ridiculous things. Last year at this time tornadoes were tearing up billions of dollars of property in the U.S. and for the past several years fire has consumed billions of dollars more. This year seems to be the worst in history, at least for this country. These natural disasters are as bad as all out war and what is left behind after an invading force has passed over the land. At least with natural disasters most things can be compensated for through insurance, but the personal stuff like pictures and family heirlooms have been lost forever. People say there only “things” and they survived with their life which means more. True enough, but hearts are broken because of their great loss and life will not be the same again for these people. While sitting in a shelter with only the clothes on your back and a pile of ashes or debris on the piece of land you call home, what does one hang tomorrow on? I’ve gone broke a couple of times and health issues have brought me very low, but I’ve never been in a situation where my whole community has lost everything and instantly became totally dependent on someone else to survive. There’s not much I can do except pray that God gives them the strength to move on with a positive outlook and a stronger faith in the One who sustains their life day to day. While attending worship a six-year-old boy noticed a white flag with gold stars on it in the corner of the building. “What’s that, daddy?” asked the boy. “That’s a reminder of all those who have died in service,” his father whispered. The boy thought it over for a moment, then asked, “Did they die in the 9:30 or 11 o’clock service? While the family was sitting around the table eating, Jennifer, 5, turned to her brother, Andy, 3, and said, while pointing at their dad, “That’s not your real father”, startling the whole family. “Yes he is”. Andy replied. “No he’s not,” Jennifer insisted. “God is your heavenly Father”, and pointing again said, “That’s your homely father.” [Hebrews 11:6] “And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.” As is following most personal disappointments of life, people tend to turn to God for strength and understanding. Unfortunately, they also turn back to themselves as soon as life begins to run smoothly again. In Genesis 11:1-9, the people of earth traveled about to find a place where they wanted to live. “…They said, ‘Come, let’s make bricks and bake them thoroughly.’ They used brick instead of stone and tar for mortar. ‘…Let us build ourselves a city, with a tower that reaches to the heavens, so that we may make a name for ourselves…’” God confused their language and scattered the people of earth so they would not become great on their own. (Genesis 12:1-5 & Hebrews 11:7-16) On the other hand, Abram (Abraham), when called by God, followed the instructions of God by faith, for what God promised, Abram could not see. God said follow me and I will bless you and you will be a blessing. God is knocking on the door of the unbeliever and unfaithful. God is testing the faithful. The helping hands and the prayers of the faithful will be a blessing to those seeking God.