A Rooster Might Come In Handy

There was a man named Simon Peter. He was a fisherman, a tough, strong, fearless, man’s man who could take care of himself. Peter was full of pride, and he had a big mouth. He often spoke and then acted before he thought things through. Peter found Jesus and became one of the twelve disciples. He learned much, but made many misstakes along the way. One day he made a profound statement about who Jesus was, “You are the Christ, the Son of God.” That was an extremely high mountain top moment in Peter's life. His life was changed for the better, but his pride stayed with him. He bragged to Jesus before Jesus was arrested and tried by the religious leaders, that others would run away if threatened, but he, mighty-he-man Peter, would hang tough to defend Jesus his Lord. Jesus said, “Peter, before the rooster crows today you will deny me three times.”

Later that night when Judas, the betrayer, that mob of religious leaders, and a large crowd with swords came to arrest Jesus, Peter took out his sword and slashed off the ear of a servant. Peter and his little sword going against so many; he could easily have been killed. Foolish Peter acting without thinking. Jesus was taken away and Peter followed the evil entourage at a distance to the house of the high priest.

He waited outside and sat down with some others to warm himself by the fire. A young servant girl was there, and she noticed Peter by the glow of the fire. “You were with him!” Peter assured her that he did not know that man. It wasn’t long before someone else commented to Peter, “You also are one of them.” Peter snapped back, “Man, I am not!” That was twice Peter had denied Jesus, but apparently his acts of betrayal hadn’t sunk in just yet. After an hour had passed another person saw Peter and remarked, “Certainly this fellow was with him, for he is a Galilean.” The third time Peter denied Jesus, “Man, I don’t know what you are talking about!” Just then the rooster crowed. At that moment Peter looked up and his eyes immediately locked in with the eyes of Jesus. He remembered the words Jesus had spoken, “Before the rooster crows today you will deny me three times.”

Peter went outside and wept bitterly. He had been a prideful man, a strong man, a tough man, a Manucho man in every sense of the word, but after the rooster crowed Peter became a hopelessly broken man. After the resurrection Peter talked to Jesus. In that conversation Peter realized that Jesus still loved him, had forgiven him and had a very important job for him to do. And what a job Peter did as the Holy Spirit empowered him and guided him. But first Peter had to be broken. I don’t know, but I imagine Peter thought about that night of his three time denial whenever he heard a rooster crow. Like Peter there are times when we betray our Lord. We fail him by not allowing him to be the center of our lives. If we are truly his followers, and we don’t acknowledge him everyday as our Lord then we are guilty of betrayal. Maybe all of us need a rooster for those times we fail to stand up for Jesus!.

Runt of the Litter, February

Today is the last day of the month of February. You may have noticed that February only has twenty-eight days. The other eleven months of the year have at least thirty days. Now does that make sense?  It appears that someone decided, I guess, to try and satisfy this injustice by giving February, the runt of the litter, an extra day every four years. Even that only gives February twenty-nine days which is still one day less than the four months with thirty days. That leaves seven months which are abundantly blessed with thirty-one days. Seems to me that equality would have been better served if January and March had been thirty day months, and one day from each of those two months given to poor old February.

But what about that crazy leap year thing? I suppose we need to make room for that. My birthday month is October which currently has thirty-one days. I would be glad to offer to sacrifice October 31 to satisfy the need for leap year. October could bear the burden of having only thirty days with that one extra day every four years.

For those still reading this, (some stopped reading because they thought I had lost my mind) I think I know some influential people who may agree with me. One person who might wave the banner to bring equality to February is Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. She and many of her like minded contemporaries would jump on this bandwagon in a New York minute. As insignificant as this may seem I’m sure that this brilliant group would accept the challenge to change our calendar because it would be an excellent opportunity for them to screw up something that has worked for over 2,000 years. Goodbye February and happy birthday to those born on the 29th or whenever you celebrate.

Thirsty

A man will satisfy his thirst by drinking a glass of water. Yet he will become thirsty again, and again, and again. He returns constantly  to the source of that water to quench his never ending thirst. Man will die without water. He will died without proper nourishment. Man’s knowledge of what he needs to live is important. All of us know that water and food are necessities for life. But most people in the world do not know or accept the  knowledge which gives them eternal life. Where can man find the source for eternal life?

King David said, “As a deer pants for flowing streams, so pants my soul for you, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God.” Psalm 42:1-2

Jesus said, “Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them.” John 7:37-38

The world needs to know about this living water. Knowledge of God’s plan for eternal life is crucial. Knowledge about God’s saving grace, and it’s source is the most important knowledge that men and women can obtain. The true knowledge about Jesus is man’s only hope for eternal life, and it is our calling to let the world know.

Life’s Shopping Cart

Having been a Type 1 insulin dependent, diabetic for over fifty years I have to make decisions every day which involves doing what I need to do to stay healthy. If I mess up, even the slightest bit, I can do damage to my body. Just about every physical, mental, or emotional problem diabetics face can be traced back to the improper care of themselves. For instance I have come very close to dying several times because I have taken too much insulin or have waited too long to eat. My diabetes has damaged my kidneys, my eyes, my memory, my emotions, and the nerves in my feet my hands. However, I am blessed that at the age of seventy none of these problems are serious. Even though I have made many mistakes, my doctor says I am doing exceptionally well.

I rarely go grocery shopping, but when I do I never go down the candy aisle, or stop to look at the bakery displays. I don’t need to venture past the area with chips or any junk food lest I be tempted to buy things I should not eat. All of those food items, plus many others, would eventually kill me if I made a habit of eating them. I am thankful that I have refrained from eating foods that are no no’s for people with diabetes, whether it is Type 1 or Type 2.

In a sense all of life is a shopping trip involing going down various aisles where we are faced with making decisions that will help us to be well rounded healthy individuals or cause us to be very unhealthy as far as our spiritual condition is concerned. We must decide, as we push our cart down these aisles, if we are going to put in the junk offerings we are tempted to purchase, or if we are going to go after only the wholesome and righteous choices which are available to all of us. The problem we face is that the bad, unhealthy choices are usually displayed in flashy, beautiful packaging that is so tempsously appealing. Most don’t consider how damaging they are since they look scrumptious and at first taste so good.  Unless our minds have been renewed daily, and our hearts have been filled with God’s Spirit, we will grab the junk and toss it in our shopping cart instead of the wholesome bread and water based items which give us strength to live a God honoring life.

At the end of life’s shopping trip what will your cart be filled with. I want my cart to be overflowing with items that will be fit and pleasing to present to the King of Kings.

Just Wondering?

Did You Ever:

Wake up to the sound and smell of coffee being made in a percolator?

Eat a Miracle Whip sandwich? Just bread and light bread.

Ride a school bus that had three or four kids in every seat with students standing in the aisle all the way to the back of the bus while the bus driver was smoking a cigarette while looking in his mirror yelling at somebody to behave?

Eat home churned butter on saltine crackers?

Your favorite soda was a RC cola. Maybe a Moon Pie?

Listen to the family radio because there was no TV?

Turned the crank on a phone for the operator and tell her who you wanted to talk to so she can connect your call?

Have to wait for one of the six people on your party line to get finished talking before you can make a call?

Listen to the conversation of someone on your party line?

Did you ever hitchhike?

You hauled hay, worked in tobacco (setting, hoeing, cutting, housing and stripping), and other farm work for your dad, and even neighbors and rarely got paid.

Swam in a pond.

Your most common form of transportation was an old bicycle.

Played basketball in the barnyard in the cold and rain while wearing the Converse basketball shoes that you had to wear for your varsity basketball games.

Drink milk straight from the cow?

Coon hunt?

Snipe hunt?

Go frog gigging?

Go parking in a cemetery?

Drag race on a highway, maybe starting at Brady's stretch?

Take names in your class while the teacher left the room.

If you were a girl were you only allowed to wear a dress or a skirt to school?

Go to a sock hop!

Watched a magical show at a Southern Assembly program at school and only paid a dime.

Go to a donkey basketball game in your school’s gym?

Go to a drive-inn movie?

Sneak into a drive-inn movie in the trunk of a car?

Have a senior sneak day, and the school was okay with it?

Your memories of school are a lot better than the actual experience.

Couldn't wait to graduate, and then cried when you did?

I Remember awhen

“I remember when…”  I find myself beginning my sentences with those three words more and more these days. As I get older there are many things that I loved which no longer exist. I’m not going to list them, but every time I go back to where I grew up I notice something that is gone or that has been radically changed. Not long after I left Logan County in 1983 the old Lewisburg High School building was torn down as well as all the other structures on campus. The first time I returned and noticed that there was not a trace of my old school, I almost cried. I spent 24 years of my life at that place, 12 years a student and 12 years a teacher. There are thousands of memories from there and, you know what, all of those memories involved people.

Our memories of places in our past cause us to have warm feelings, not just because of a building, but because of the people we loved, the relationships we had which were in some way connected to the building or the site. When I see or hear something about a former student my memory of them is of a 7th or 8th grade student. They are not kids any more. They are moms and dads, successful business men and women, teachers, bankers, lawyers, doctors and are represented in other various vocations and by their achievements. And too often for me many are now grandparents. I think ‘Am I really that old’? When I remember some of my students I wish I hadn’t been so tough on them. I remember many of them as players on the Jr. High and high school teams I coached. I was really tough on those guys and gals. But most are good memories, I smile and when I hear that one has died I am sad. Most of all I’m proud of the people they have become.

Who do you remember when you are distressed about the destruction or closing of one of your favorite places? Think about it, was it not the people you knew and loved that made it an important place on your lives journey? You enjoyed going there because of the folks you would see. What place do you miss? Who are the people who made it special? I’m sure you have some stories you can tell!

Who Is Really Important

There are plenty important people in the world. Throw in all the important people from the beginning of time, and you would have an astronomical number of important people. What does one need to do to be counted among these distinguished masses? Who decides who is important? You know, I don’t think I’m important enough to make the decision on who is important. I would not want that job, and I’m not sure I like the way the world considers who is important anyway.

I have done many things during my seventy years: played baseball and basketball, worked on a farm, and in a grocery store, pumped gas, worked road construction, driven a school bus, graduated high school and college (with mediocre grades), and taught middle school 27 years, preached, and pastored 40 years, went to seminary (a lot better grades than college), and served in churches in various ways. I am a writer and I’ve written a book. I am a husband and a dad and a Pa. I guess because of my responsibilities I’ve been important to a few people. But in the scheme of things I don’t think that any of my accomplishments, anything I’ve done, makes me important. After all I’ve never been able to dunk a basketball and was never an outstanding baseball player. I have no trophies, wasn’t a notable preacher or teacher or writer. I have never been a hot movie star or a great singer; I am not rich; I can’t afford fancy cars or a huge house, nor can I afford to take exotic trips wherever I want every few months; all the things that appear to measure importance in today’s society.

I imagine many of you who grew up poor, and like me didn’t know you were poor, learned how to recognize when someone of importance tried to make sure you knew that you weren’t as important as them. I have experienced that from people all my life. I know that feeling very well. Even as a seventy year old man I can tell when my number is move further to the back to accommodate someone perceive better than me. It happens everywhere, even in the church setting. But I have learned to accept it, although I don’t particularly like it.

Finally, here is where my rambling has been going. Everyone of us who have been humiliated by those more important, more worthy than us, I want you to be sure that you know that you are important where it really matters. God thinks you are extremely important, and there is nothing you have to accomplish to be important in God’s eyes. He loves you so much. To him you and I are just as important as anyone who thinks they top us on the importance scale. God loves you and me and them the same, and that is a very good thing, and very comforting. Believe me, I am looking forward to going to heaven where all of us are the same.

For God so loved the world, you and me, every person, that he gave us Jesus to save us and keep us from perishing. That’s the Good News.

The Tragedy Of Roofgate

Those who regularly read the Bible have learned that in doing so they receive a rich perspective toward life in this world and also  life in the world to come. Something that I have learned is that the Bible is full of clues that we miss unless we carefully consider every sentence and every word. For instance in the first part of the first verse of second Samuel chapter eleven there is a very crucial clue to something King David is about to do which tragically affected several individuals and the whole nation of Israel.

“In the spring of the year, when kings go to battle, David sent Joab...But David stayed home.”

Think about what this tells us. Joab was not a King, David was! David was still able to fight. As leader of the nation, where should he have been? He should have been leading his army into battle against the Ammonites. But in the next few verses we see that he was on his roof after napping, spying on his beautiful neighbor who was taking a bath. Maybe he had seen her do this before. Perhaps he already knew that at that time of the day her routine was to bathe. That could have been the reason he stayed home. David committed a sin that led to other horrific sins.

The progression of King David’s sins:

He intentionally looked at Bathsheba lustfully. His eyes lingered.

Because of his power he was able to act to fulfill his sinful desire.

He ordered the lovely Bathsheba to come to him.

He slept with her.

As a result she became pregnant with his child.

David attempted to cover it up by bringing Bathsheba’s husband, Uriah, home from battle so that he would sleep with her.

That backfired on him because Uriah was such an honorable man that he wouldn’t even go home to be with her. That just didn’t seem right to him while his fellow compatriots continued to fight

David schemed to place Uriah in a position on the battlefield where he would be killed, and he was.

David took Bathsheba to be his wife.

The damage done by King David:

Uriah was killed because David wanted Bathsheba for himself.

Bathsheba wasn’t to blame for David’s lust driven actions.

The scriptures tells that she grieved for Uriah. She must have loved him. David destroyed her marriage.

During the time when David had sinned and turned from God, up until the point where he finally repented, he never wrote a single psalm.

David was never the effective King he had been prior to his sins.

Thus the whole kingdom of Israel suffered.

David’s family suffered for many years, and his and Bathsheba’s tiny son died as a result.

And David was tormented because of his sin and bore the guilt the rest of his life. When a man commits adultery he will suffer guilt until the day he breathes his last breath.

Worst of all David broke God’s heart.

All of this because King David did not do what kings do in the spring, and in David’s situation, as the leader of God’s chosen people. He should not have stayed home. Certainly It was not God’s will for David to stand on his roof and watch a beautiful woman take a bath. What about it men, what would you have done?

When Dark Clouds Appear

DEPRESSION:  Almost everyone experiences some level of depression at some point in their lives. For some this is a sadness they feel for a short time, and then it goes away. For others depression is an illness that seemingly comes from out of nowhere for no reason and remains for days, weeks or perhaps months. Clinical depression requires a lifetime of medication and in some cases counseling. What does this kind of depression look like?

Picture a bright sunny day, not a cloud in the sky when suddenly in the blink of an eye the darkest most frightening clouds hid that lovely day. Rain and fog accompanies those clouds, and the visibility diminishes to the point that you can’t figure out where you are going. You become frightened, and you begin searching for a safe warm place. There are many things you need to do, places you must go, and people you are expected to communicate with. You try to move ahead, but in your heart you dread every encounter that surely lies before you. But you put on your best smile and even attempt to carry on like nothing is wrong. At the end of the day you are even more depressed because in your mind you believe you have made a big mess of everything you’ve done and must have looked like a fool.

Sadness rules the life of one who is going through this kind of depression. Some may advise “Get over it! Everything is going to be okay. You have so much to live for.” People may try to cheer you up, inviting you out to have a good time when the last thing you want to do is to be around people, especially crowds. You can’t imagine ”Getting over it”, or that everything is going to be okay. You might know you have much to live for, but if the dark clouds covering you are the very darkest dark you may not want to live. Those who are captured and confined in this dark dungeon of hopelessness just want to be left alone in that warm safe place that seems so hard to find.

Be sensitive to those around you who may be lost in a dark cloud. They may appear to be unfriendly or they may be like that old song which speaks of the funny little clown whose heart is breaking, but no one sees his pain. Pray for those who have this terrible disease, DEPRESSION.

Drudgery Of Donut Making

In 1984 a TV ad shows the sleep deprived Dunkin Donut man leaving early each morning, woefully exclaiming, “Time to make the donuts! Time to make the donuts!” Late in the evening this tired, bewildered man returns through the front door from which he had left that morning repeating,  “I made the donuts! I made the donuts!” The viewer sees only the monotonous part of the Dunkin Donut man’s life. I suppose his dedication to his employer should be applauded, yet you can’t help but feel sorry for the poor Dunkin Donut man and wonder, ‘Why!’ I can’t help but ask, “Was donut making all that this man did? Did he have an existence beyond the drudgery of his trade? This scene paints a dreary, gray picture of his dedication to please the thousands of donut connoisseurs around the world.

Those with a servant’s heart who diligently work to help others sometimes become like the Dunkin Donut man. Many have gotten so caught up in their effort to serve that it seems their mantra becomes, “Got to serve the people! Got to serve the people!”  Often a servant adds to an already too heavy of a load because no one else will do what needs to be done. Some reach a point beyond what they can physically and mentally do. Discouraged and exhausted the well meaning souls throw in the towel and in some cases even stop going to church.

The Bible says, “And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap, if we do not lose heart.” Galatians 6:9.

How do we keep from losing heart? We have to first temper our zeal to be a one person service team. Me, myself and I do not add up to three people. As we serve we must pace ourselves. Don’t try to carry the whole hurting world upon your shoulders. As you serve among the dreary, gray hurting masses pause and search for the beauty and the joy to be found within all the gloom. Cherish every smile, and hold on to every small glimmer of hope. If you look close you will find the tiniest ray of sunshine in the gray clouds and the joy of the Father will become your strength.

My Favorite Place

Pretend:  At the easternmost location of our farm there was a pond surrounded by magnificent trees. A long hill, a great place for sledding, was the path way to my favorite spot to go. With no one to play with except my little annoying brother this was the perfect place for me to spend a hot summer afternoon alone. I found, there around that old pond, many friends: squirrels, noisy crows, frogs, turtles, dragonfies.lizards and once a large salamander which at the time I thought must have been a creature never before seen by man.

Having adopted so many wonderful mysterious friends I used them as role players for my favorite game, pretending. The frogs and turtles became enemy battleships and submarines. The dragonflies were bombers hovering over the massive sea with a mission to drop their payload on those German or Japanese ships. I had an arsenal of my own ammunition that I would hurl at those enemy ships and submarines. From a beautiful mossy knoll just off shore I had an idea launching pad to deliver a barrage of giant acorn bombs. I gathered those huge acorns that had fallen from just one majestic oak. My stockpile lasted until the enemy had been defeated as the frogs and turtles had had enough of my invasion and submerged out of site.

I could spend hours around that grand pond becoming lost in my pretend games or simply lying on the mossy knoll which I thought was every bit as elegant as the finest carpet found in the nicest houses. In those relaxing quiet moments underneath my favorite oak tree I believe I encountered the presence of God. I spoke out loud to no one, yet to the One who listens even to a small child’s non pretentious voice. Often my journey to my pond was precipitated by my fears, my worries, or something I had done that I knew I shouldn’t have done, the times when I was bothered by a world I didn’t understand. I poured out my heart not realizing that my pleas were reaching far beyond the top of that oak tree. Now that I know better the ways of my loving Father I understand that He spoke to me words that touched my heart and were becoming for me the threshold to finding his saving grace.

That magical place was my cathedral, the mossy knol my sanctuary, the pond my beautiful world in which only I could go, all precious gifts to a little boy who was learning about the ups and downs of life, and the God who would always be with him.

Miss Agnes, The Lady In Red

As one ages there are more memories than new experiences which add to our list of past memories. A life well lived will provide good memories; the ones that make us smile and laugh, or bring a tender, happy tear to our eyes. Yesterday something I saw brought about such a memory to me. My wife and I were stationed at the main entrance of our church to thank any guests for worshipping with us and to invite them to return. We also bid farewell to the members as they departed.

Most of the seven hundred plus congregation had gone when I noticed a lady walking up the center aisle of the sanctuary coming my way. She wore a bright red hat and a long bright red coat. She was absolutely stunning; a bit older than me, a lovely gracious woman and well spoken. Immediately, one of those memories from my early boyhood years flooded my heart. I waited for the lady in red to get to me so I could tell her how she had carried me back 65 years to my home town.

I said to her, “I want to tell you how you have ignited a very pleasant memory from my early years growing up in Russellville Kentucky.” I complimented her on her red attire. The memory was that of a lady everyone called Miss Agnes. I called her the red lady when I was very young. Every time my mother took me to town I would ask her if we could see the red lady. Miss Agnes wore nothing but bright red clothes-red dress, red shoes, red hat, red coat, never any other color. I shared all of this with the lovely lady in red. Surprisingly she knew about Russellville. I laughed when she told me that most of her clothes were bright red. She seemed happy that I told her about the other red lady, Miss Agnes.

I suppose that experience touched me the way it did because of how my mother encouraged the wonder and excitement I felt about seeing that wonderful lady in red. Those simple moments a child spends with a loving parent remain, sometimes, hidden away somewhere in the heart and emerge even seventy years later to bring a smile and perhaps a tear. Miss Agnes was a foundational part of the bustling little town I remember. I am so thankful that I knew and now remember the old Russellville of the 1940’s 50’s and 60’s.

Attempted Murder

The elders, and teachers of the law tried to find ways to kill Jesus. After three years they finally did kill him, or so they thought. A few days after Jesus had been in the tomb they received word that Jesus was alive. There were reports that people had actually seen him. In a month or so the disciples of Jesus began preaching about their risen Savior. Thousand of Jews as well as Gentiles were believing them, and joined with them to spread the news. Every day more and more men and women decided to join with the disciples in proclaiming that Jesus lives. Miraculous acts, signs and wonders were being performed by the Jesus’ disciples. People were being healed in the name of Jesus Christ, and crowds were praising Jesus their living Lord.

The religious leaders noticed what was happening and wondered how these uneducated apostles could boldly speak about Jesus and work miracles of healing. They marveled in fear as they realized how quickly their plan to put a stop what Jesus had come to do had failed, and that the message of Salvation had exploded throughout Jerusalem and to other areas of the world. That small unassuming group of disciples had amassed into thousands in a very short time. They would never admit that their crime of murder had actually been reduced to attempted murder although this crime was every bit as heinous. They could not stop Jesus. His ministry would continue. And it miraculously continues to this day as modern day disciples go forth all over the world in the power of the Holy Spirit to proclaim the good news that Jesus lives. No one can kill Jesus. He lives and will live in the hearts of his followers until the day he returns to this earth.

Acts 4

Gentleness

Let your gentleness be evident to all…” Philippians 4: 5

No matter where you live or where you are from you know him. He may be seen today in the big city, in a small town, or on a farm far from any urban area. He may be on a mission field, a church, a hospital or in thousands of different places. He may be anywhere in the world. He speaks many languages. He is a huge man, strong with a rough appearance. He is small in stature, meek, and unassuming. He speaks with a booming voice. He is quiet, and doesn't have much to say. He has many names, and he is making a positive difference in our world.

This man is found in every occupation, and in every culture. He is rich, and he is poor. He is educated, or has no formal education, but most importantly he is a gentle man with a tender heart. And so it is with the women of the world. Their gentle hearts impact a child from the womb until the death of the aged. A gentle person brings calm to almost any explosive relationship, to any person that is hurting, or torn by conflict within the depths of their being. These gentle souls can lighten the heavy load. They can bring a hush over the most volatile situation.  The influence of a gentle presence is very much needed in our world today.

What is this humanity which wars on every front--within the heart and soul, toward its fellow man, and at the tremendous price of violating the right of every human to live in peace? What is this hatred which gave a young man the courage to destroy the lives of innocence? What misguided life path leaves a person void of even a hint of tenderness? No matter who you are, or what you believe you have to agree the world needs more men and women who bring a gentle influence to the hearts of people everywhere. Let your gentle, tender spirit touch the world wherever you go. May the gentle Spirit of Jesus be seen in each of us.

The Darkest Of Times

The darkness of night had come quickly. There was no light and the darkness was darker than any darkness they had ever known. Fear and uncertainty and hopelessness had paralyzed them, and they did not know which way to turn. This group of men from long ago had decided to go fishing. Fishing is what they had done; it was the only thing they knew to do. They had experienced their greatest loss ever. With that loss they had lost their hope. Their leader had been captured and killed. These men were together in a boat out on the sea going through the motions of fishing, but their minds were not on fishing. In their grief there was nothing they could say so they said nothing.

Finally on the horizon in the east they noticed the first signs of the sun's light. It had been a long miserable night. Slowly they headed to shore, burdened with darkened hopes despite the arrival of the morning sun. As they drew closer to the shore’s edge they noticed on the lonely beach just one man sitting in front of the fire he had built.

The man stood and yelled to them, “Haven’t you caught any fish?” They answered that that hadn’t caught a single fish. The man said, “Cast your net on the right side of the boat.” When they did what he said, immediately, their net was so full of fish that they could not bring it in the boat. A man by the name of John recognized the fellow on the beach. He cried out, “It is the Lord! It is Jesus,” Simon Peter, the one who had denied Jesus three times shortly before his death, jumped into the water, and made his way to shore as quickly as he could to be near his Lord.

The other men, the disciples, followed in the boat. Their mood had changed. Their darkened spirits had been filled with light. Their hope had returned in the person of Jesus. Jesus had destroyed everything that had plunged them into the valley of despair. Their Hope would remain forever despite the persecution that would follow them wherever they went.

Jesus is our hope. No darkness will overtake us if stay near him. A few lines from a song written in 1883 by Edward Mote should encourage us to find our Hope in Jesus. I changed some of the words to make it a little more understandable for those who might not be familiar with the song.

“On Christ the Solid Rock”

“My hope is built on nothing less-Than Jesus’ blood and his

Righteousness;

I dare not trust in the sweetest things of this world, but I will wholly lean on Jesus’ name.
When the darkness tries to hide His lovely face,
I will rest on His unchanging grace;
Jesus is my anchor, He holds me within his care.
When all around me comes tumbling down,
Jesus remains my hope, my life, my all.
When He comes back and the trumpet sounds at the end of time,
Oh, may I then in Him be found;
Dressed in His righteousness alone,
Pure and Holy to stand before the throne.

Jesus is my solid Rock, and on that Rock I will always stand.

Valentines Day 1950’s Style

I know what you’ve been thinking about this morning—Valentines Day. Some of you that are my age have thought about the Valentines parties at school when you were a kid. A good portion of the school afternoon was spent eating cookies, cupcakes and sometimes cake. These delicious treats were baked by room mothers and decorated in Valentines Day fashion. I remember that my mother was a room mother. I can’t remember there being any bakeries where I lived, and I’m pretty sure the grocery stores in the 1950’s didn’t sell bakery items. So the room mothers had to be able to make the cakes, cookies, cupcakes and decorate them.

Just about every student decorated Valentines boxes to hold the Valentines they were given by their classmates. Most of the time a prize was given for the best Valentines box. Now a second or third grade boy could not make a decent Valentines box. If a boy brought a pretty Valentines box you could bet the farm that his mother did it for him. I imagine that the girls had a lot of help as well. At some point students were told to deliver their Valentines to the proper box. Our Valentines were those cute little ones with some silly Valentines greeting spoken by a male and female chipmunk or some other kind of cute animals. They came from the dime store usually in a package that held more than enough for all the students in the class.

Me and my little Chipmonk

For me that was a long time ago; I guess it was 64 years ago when my Valentines school parties began. To this day I can remember things about some of those parties. The first one I remember was in Mrs. Graham’s second grade class which must have been 1955, and I remember something about the rest up to the last one in Mrs. Forgy’s fifth grade class. How funny that is that I can remember some of those events, and now I have a hard time remembering if I have taken my medicine for the day. A few times I’ve taken it twice. It’s a wonder I’m still alive.

Speaking of dying, Sherri and I have been putting off making plans for our deaths. We have gone back and forth between cremation or burial. If we decide to be buried we must decide where to be buried. I thought about being brought back to the town where I enjoyed those Valentines parties. But if I decide to be buried my body will have to be flown over six hundred miles from Raleigh to Nashville and then driven on to Lewisburg. I asked Sherri if she thought our skymiles would cover the tab for a cargo ticket. After that Sherri decided that we should just be buried in Wake Forest. I guess that’s best. With my luck I will outlive all of my old friends in Logan County Kentucky, and there would be no one left to attend my graveside service anyway. Oh well, I wish everyone a very happy Valentines Day! Kisses and hugs y’all!

Rambling Thoughts

DISCOURAGEMENT:  Being the author of a blog brings discouragement, at least it does for me. Pastoring and preaching did, teaching and coaching did and just about every one of the leadership tasks I have ever done have brought me discouragement.

I pray to God about this. He hears many “Whys” from me.  I pray why do my readers prefer the funny, personal posts I write rather than the spiritual things I write? Why do I worry about this? Why do I become discouraged? The same “Why?” prayers I have prayed about everything I’ve ever done.

TRUTH: God knows everything. God is greater and smarter than we are. Our knowledge is less than the tiniest drop in the ocean compared to God’s perfect knowledge. God’s perfect, holy existence demands that he receive all the glory from our accomplishments. Discouragement comes when we are too concerned about the glory we receive from what we have done.

SERVICE:  A survey revealed that only twenty percent of the people in the greater Raleigh metroplex attend a church, and sixty percent of those who are members of a church admit they have never had a first time personal relationship with Jesus.

“Our culture measures spirituality by what we do on Sunday. God measures what we do on Sunday by what we do on Monday.” Jim Denison

Most people see the church as that building on the corner where people attend on Sunday. A great number of church members have that view. That is not what the church is. The church is every person who really has had a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. The real church of God goes out into the world serving and ministering to people who need the tender, compassionate touch of Jesus.

“I see Jesus in every human being. I say to myself, This is hungry Jesus, I must feed him. This is sick Jesus. This one has leprosy or gangrene; I must wash him and tend to him. I serve because I love Jesus.” Mother Teresa

Cousins, God’s Wonderful Gfts

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Diane, Bill and me. Not sure about the model of the car. I know it’s an old Chevy.  Maybe some of you old people will know.

A few days ago I posted some old pictures on a historic web site from my hometown. The pictures I posted were of my home place during a massive snow in 1960, the old store that my dad owned, and my grandfather standing in his peach orchard. Those three pictures represent so much of who I am today. My home was in a rural area. The only people I knew were the country folks that came to our store, those I briefly saw at church on Sunday, and two older cousins, Bill and Diane McElwain who were pretty much my playmates and best friends during my first six years. They were always around, and not having a sibling for almost five years, became as close to me as if they were my brother and sister.

In the late 1940's and early 1950's and the rural setting of my upbringing, cousins were, at the least, a child's best friends. Most rural people stayed on or near their home place. Cousins grew up seeing each other and playing together often. Families were close. No doubt, cousins managed to get in trouble together. They took up for each other, and, yes, some tines they got mad at each other and fought. Unfortunately, all of my cousins except Bill and Diane lived too far away for us to be together much. But several of them would come to our house in the summer and spend a week with us on our farm. I was very excited when they came although most of them were older than me, and pretty much considered me a little pest, and that I was.

Sadly many of them are no longer with us. I praise God that they are in heaven. Our parents were godly people and taught us to love Jesus. They instilled in us the importance of going to church, obeying the command to worship the Heavenly Father, and that it is an honor and a privilege to serve him. Thus, many of my cousins became church leaders, pianist, music directors, preachers, and some of our children and grandchildren have been called to a vocational ministry. God has richly blessed our family all the way back to our grandparents. But we have not been perfect. Most of us have had our bumps in the road. Yet, the Heavenly Father forgave us and set us back on the right path. My brother, Mike, and I are very grateful to Him for placing us in such a wonderful family, and for a dad who prayed without our knowledge that we would become preachers. And I thank God for every one of my sweet cousins.

Sufferings Deceptive Work

“Suffering, failure, loneliness, sorrow, discouragement and death will be part of your journey, but the Kingdom Of God will conquer all these horrors. “ Brennan Manning

There are different degrees and kinds of suffering, and all of us experience suffering at some level. The severity of ones suffering cannot be measured by anyone. Some suffering appears not to be too extreme while the suffering of others puts them in a state where they can barely exist. I have heard individuals tell someone going through a terrible experience, “God will not give you more than you can handle.” How helpful and encouraging is that bit of advice? That statement is simply not true. Those words from the Bible are not referring to the physical and emotional suffering that we encounter. Some people hurt so much that they are not able to function.

There are stops on our life's journey in which our suffering is obvious, like when a family member or a close friend dies. But sometimes, more often than we know, people are hurting and suffering, and no one else has a clue what is going on. Deep inside that person there are, what I call, tears that are constantly flowing. These poor souls have learned to disguise their pain. When they are in the public eye they flash a big smile and seem to be the life of the party. Their job or position in life may dictate such deception. They think they have to be strong for others.

One such position are those who are pastors. Pastors carry great burdens, not only from being the undershepherd of the flock, but also from burdens in their personal lives. Many pastors feel they cannot let anyone see their suffering. I know because i have experienced this personally. I got very good at hiding my feelings. Well, this is where pastors make a huge mistake. They need to seek help because they will reach a point where they will become ineffective.

This is true with any profession. It is true for mothers and fathers and couples. Hiding one's suffering is like having a time bomb inside of us  waiting to go off. There are times when we do not have to smile, or be the life of the party, or be strong. There are times we need to openly cry and let others know that we need help.

How often have you longed for a friend or anyone to put their arms around you and give you a big hug of encouragement and support? If you want those tears deep inside of you to go away, allow yourself to shed tears that all can see. Cry out to others and cry out to God. Most often God answers our prayers for help by giving us someone who will love us and help us in our time of suffering.

The Smart Phones And Smart The Smart TV

I just watched an old movie and when it was over I realized that today's movies do not have “The End” to let us know when it is over. That explains why I have been finding myself sitting in an empty theater all alone.

Suddenly at some point in our lives we venture out into the word we have known for 60 or more years and we can’t find much of what once was very familiar and comfortable. Today’s technological advancements change just about the time we think we might be catching on. I balk at purchasing anything that is more advanced than what I already have. The new phones are just one example.

We bought a new smart TV when we move to our new house a few months ago. My advice to my friends is don’t let the word smart fool you. That doesn’t mean it will be easy to operate. Yes it will do many things older TVs can’t do, but sometimes when I want to watch a show it’s almost over by the time I figure out where it is. The remote is small and complicated. When I turn on the TV there are all these little boxes showing networks I never knew existed. There are no indicators showing channel 3 or 6 or 9. And with my fat fingers I have a hard time operating the skinny remote. I hit something and the wrong show appears, usually something like a cooking show, and then I have no idea how to get rid of it. I get very frustrated.

How I wish to go back to the old days when there were just a few channels with less news, no political channels, no reality shows, and more shows like Lucy, Mayberry, Little House On the Prairie, and of course the Three Stooges . That causes me to pause realizing that I am a stooge when I try to operate these new devices which are smart and make life easier for us. Who remembers the days when all you had to do was pick up the receiver and tell the operator who to call? Even a stooge could do that.

Jesus’ State Of The Union

What if Jesus could have given the State of the Union address to our nation? The introduction of Jesus would have gone something like this: Almighty God, the Author of all life, the King of Kings who humbled himself coming to the earth as one like us to die for every human to save them from sin. While on this earth he owned nothing but the clothes on his back. This man Jesus loved the poor, the weak and the sick; he loved the rich, those in power, even those who hated him. For three years he taught and ministered to those who would receive him. Few believed in him, and the religious hypocrites and the government leaders killed him.

Would his reception have been any different on Tuesday night than it was when he walked this earth over two thousand years ago. Sitting there in that great historic place how would those present have responded to Jesus? Oh I imagine the power hungry hypocrites, those who's decisions have been guided by the pleasures of man, not God, those who had never believed in him nor believed that he ever existed would have sat with smirked faces, arms crossed, shaking their heads in disgust that a fake like Jesus would be allowed to stand in their most honorable presence. When it comes to decisions about Jesus times haven’t changed. The majority of those there in the Capital and those watching on television, if their reaction to Jesus were true to their hearts, it would have been the same as the reaction of the people in the last moments of his life on earth.

I don’t think Jesus’ speech would have been about the state of our nation’s economy or other material matters. I think it would have been about the state of our nation’s hearts. We must know that Jesus is more than God of the New Testament. He is God of the entire Bible. Jesus is the one who said, “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you”, “For you created my inmost being, you knit me together in my mother's womb”. Jesus loved the little children. They were precious to him, and I’m sure just as precious to him are the unborn children. He had a special holy effect on John the Baptist when he was still in his mother's womb. This happened when Mary was with child, the baby Jesus, “When Elizabeth heard Mary's greeting, the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit.” Think about it; what if these two babies had been aborted?

Abortion is a brutal act. It is murder. I can’t imagine how any God honoring person can commit the heartless act of killing a child minutes before it is delivered from its mother's womb, or making that child “comfortable” while its parents decide if they want to keep it. This kind of legislation which makes it legal to perform an abortion defines us as a godless nation.

Scripture References: Ezekiel 16, Leviticus 20, Psalm 139,

The Ear

The ear! Most everyone has two of them. They are quite useful. Most importantly they are vehicles for hearing. As we age some of us find our ears failing us a bit. What we hear becomes jumbled up with other sounds around us, and we don’t understand what others are saying. Often our replies  are, “huh”, “what did you say”, “could you repeat that, please”, or if someone is telling a story or explaining why they don’t feel well, we nod our heads, laugh, or give a sympathetic look or whatever response we think appropriate. We then walk away wondering what in the world did they say. The ear is useful for more than hearing.

Both females and males poke sharp objects called ear rings  through their ear lobes. The ears position on the sides of our heads along with our noses support our glasses. The ears are very instrumental in forming our overall appearance. The size and shape of the ears defines what we look like. Some people have very large ears. Some ears tend to bend outward away from the head. Others have tiny ears and then there are just average ears. As men get older hair tends to grow on the ear in different places. Have you ever noticed hair growing out of an older man’s ear? Ears also catch the rays of the sun a little more than other parts of the body. I suppose the nose runs a close second to the ear as far as receiving those dangerous rays. Many of us develop skin cancers on our ears.

Yesterday I had to have surgery to remove a skin cancer. It wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be. The surgeon removed a layer of skin, and then I waited in a room with some other old men while that layer of skin was frozen so that it could be examined through a microscope to see if the surgeon got all of the cancer. I waited a little over an hour to find out that I still had more cancer. I went back to have more skin removed and waited some more. Still there was cancer remaining. I went back the third time before my ear was cancer free. The waiting was long, but those other seniors and I had a good time telling our stories which had to be repeated because none of us could hear.

The experience wasn’t too painful, but I don’t want to do it agin. From now on I am going to protect these old ears of mine with sunscreen, and by wearing a hat. If a skin cancer goes undetected it will eat away the tissue in that area going deeper and deeper. I can imagine my ear getting so bad that it would have fallen off. I want to keep both of my ears, hair and all. Someone told me last night about a man who actually lost one of his ears. He did get a prosthetic ear which was magnetized. Magnets were implanted in the side of his head and in his fake ear.  He could pop that ear on and off anytime he wanted. That would be pretty neat. I thought how funny it would be to pull your ear off when a waitress asks you what you want to drink, hold it up to her and yell, “What did you say?”