thoughts on life

The Greatest Influence In My Life

2011-06-11T06:49:00.001-07:00

It is great to be home from the hospital and back on my computer. God has really been working in the shadows as I have delved into some great subjects here in my blog space. I have just finished a series of writings about men who had great influence on my life. The title today is about the greatest influence in my life. Of course the greatest influence has been my lifelong relationship with Christ. I can look back on all that has happened in my lifetime and it is clear to me that God has been busy shaping and molding me. I do believe that He uses many things to accomplish His purpose in our lives. Primarily though, I believe He uses those people He surrounds us with to do His work. This brings me to this final post about the great influencers in my life. Today's subject is not a man but a mother, a son and a daughter. If you haven't guessed it by now, the greatest influence in my life has been my wife, my son and my daughter.

As I have mentioned from time to time, Sharon and I were married at the tender age of eighteen and nineteen, she being the older woman. We really grew up together and over forty years later we are happier today than ever. We were blessed by the birth of our son Jason in 1973 and our daughter Holly in 1977. These kids were truly a gift that God gave us. We really never felt that they were a burden and we did not want to see them grown and gone as I have heard many people say about their kids. Seldom does a day go by that they don't call home. This was the case long before I was diagnosed with cancer. Both Jason and Holly are married and have children of their own. They are both dedicated to their mate's and their children. I can truly say that Sharon and I are so proud of them both and we feel they are exactly where God desires them to be even though they are not here in Atlanta with us.

Sharon has been a true champion for me as I go through this journey with cancer. We have sat in the doctor's office and heard some pretty tough news concerning my health. We have held one another and shed tears together and prayed through these difficult times. We have learned to cherish each day we have and we have now been on this journey with cancer for over one year now. She has been by my side the entire time and has been the one who has had to deal with a wide range of my emotions from joy to depression. I pray and I know that she will have all the strength she needs as we continue down this path.

Our kids truly have been and are a great influence on my life. Jason has always been a caring man. He cares so much for his family and I know that he cares for Sharon and I as he has always been there for us both before cancer and even more since our diagnosis. He flew here last week with daughters Avery and Reagan for a visit. Unfortunately, I was in the hospital the entire time, but I know that he and the girls made the week they were here, a special time for Sharon during my absence. He brought the girls by to see me in the hospital and while it was a short visit, it made my week so much better. Jason's boyhood almost seems like a blur to me as I spent a lot of time on the road. I am thankful that I was there with Jason when he shot his first deer, caught his first fish, made a hole-in-one during our club championship and many other highlights. Jason never gave us a minute's trouble while growing up. He worked during the entire time he attended college and graduated with a degree in finance. He is in a management program with Home Depot and is on track to be a store manager in the near future. As stated earlier though, I am most proud of him as a dad. His girls are wonderful little girls and he puts them and their mom Jama first in all things. He truly has been an inspiration to me his entire life and continues to influence me even today.

Our daughter Holly came along when I was twenty-six years old and a bit more mature as a father. She was a little fireball in all that she did. She love sports and it was something we shared together and still do today. Her husband Mike has told me on more than one occassion that he is amazed at her knowledge of sports and that he can sit and visit with his wife about most any sporting event. Holly accomplished much during her time as an athlete. She ended up holding the Arkansas state half mile record for several years and ran track and cross country for the University of Arkansas and Southwestern Baptist University.

While I am very proud of what she did athletically, I am more proud of her character. While attending the U of A, she was around her team and when traveling the girls like to go out after a meet and do what most college kids do. These girls liked to party and I can say without a doubt that Holly never participated in the parties. She received some ridicule for her stance as some of the kids thought she was saying be her actions that she was too good for them. Her real reason was that she was a committed christian and felt uncomfortable in those situations. Before she left the U of A, many of these girls were attending a Bible Study and Holly had truly earned their respect for her unwavering position. Her mom and I were truly proud of the testimony of her life. Today she is a mom of three little girls and she is a great wife as well.

Sharon and I have been truly blessed by our kids and their lives. God gave me a great life and the greatest gift of this life has been my wife. Sharon has truly made my disease bearable and she means more to me at this moment than ever before. She was a beautiful blonde girl when we met and today after forty some years together she is still a beautiful blonde girl (with maybe a small tinge of gray). I thank my God each day for her. We do not know what tomorrow will bring. We do know that God is with us and He is our hope and our strength comes from Him. We pray that God will deliver us from this cancer but at the same time we pray that His will be done.

I close by again saying thank You Lord for my wife, my son and my daughter. They have been and are the greatest influence in my life.

Men of Influence Part 8: Bob Smith

2011-06-05T07:31:00.000-07:00

I can imagine God holding a staff meeting back in 2004 and asking the question as to what are we going to do with this guy Baskin? He needs a job and his background is in the poultry industry. One of the staff guys laughed and said "you know it would be fun to have him go to work for this guy Bob Smith in Cumming, Georgia. Imagine this southern boy with a tinge of red around his neck working for a bonafide yankee from New Jersey." God grinned and said, "you know that might be fun for both of these guys."

So a working relationship and a good friendship began in 2004. Bob and I worked pretty closely on a wide variety of projects. Bob was a CPA who found great joy in auditing everything that came across his desk, including your work. I am not an accountant but would describe myself as more of a generalist in the work I do. I can say that I enjoyed my work years from 2004 through 2011 than all the years I had worked in the past. Bob probably taught me more about how to analyze a project than anyone I had worked with in my thirty plus years of working. He taught me about the books of the world and really just plain old common sense analysis of some complicated issues. I thank him for making my work interesting and for sharing his knowledge with me.

In addition to our work, Bob and I enjoyed many conversations on a variety of subjects from politics to religion. Bob had a sense of humor that you had to learn to understand. We enjoyed reading and sharing what our latest book might reveal. We also enjoyed golf together, probably because we were neither very good at it. Bob probably enjoyed the mental aspect of the game and getting under my skin than any part of the game. On more that one occassion I would be leading a match with say five holes left to play and Bob would pose the question, "how many strokes are you up?" The next thing you know the match was over and he won by a stroke.

Bob has retired and I am battling this cancer each day but we still speak to each other frequently. One of my goals is to visit him in his new retirement home this year. I thank God that he brought Bob Smith and I together, even at the end of our careers as he made my past few years full of learning and at the same time fun. Bob would rank as one of if not the smartest guy I ever worked for. He taught me more than I could have imagined and I thank him for taking his time and sharing his knowledge with me. I really look forward to sitting in a rocker on the porch with Bob and sharing a few stories in the near future. Once again, thank you Bob for being my friend and influencing my life.

Men of Influence Part 7: Ed Rice

2011-06-03T13:03:00.000-07:00

Well there is little doubt that any of you know or have heard of Mr. Ed Rice. Outside of my dad and my family there would be no reason for you to have heard of Ed. But this man was my first boss who really had a major impact on my life in that he taught me most everything I know about poultry husbandry. Ed was a geneticist with a company known as Vantress Pedigree. This company sold day old breeder chickens all over the world. These were the best of the best chickens and are the grandparents of the broiler you buy in the store. Ed was a native of Ft. Payne, Alabama and was a close cousin of the vocal group Alabama. He moved the Vantress operation to Bear Hollow, Missouri (close to Jane,Mo.)when Tyson purchased his company. Ed hired me to replace his farm manager after the farm had been operable for about one year.

I was a twenty five year old, inexperienced young man who had no business being in the position I was in. I had some limited experience on chicken farms but primarily my experience was with a shovel. I was hired because of the reputation of my dad in the business and my knowledge of some key people at Tyson. So here I was with sixty chicken houses, a hatchery and about forty of the roughest mountain folks you can imagine. It was all mine to manage. Thank God for Ed Rice.

Ed had a unique way of training. He and I would sit in his office with a huge coffee pot(48 cup)and we would discuss every aspect of our work and he would answer every question I had. This happened at least two days each week. Our work would then move to the field. Ed taught me how to select future breeders based on multiple traits. We also took chickens apart and Ed taught me how to diagnose various diseases that are common to poultry. I never heard him raise his voice with me (though I probably deserved it). He was patient and I guess you would say he was a true mentor to a young man. I can say without a doubt that I would not have been able to succeed in this first job without Ed by my side and I will be forever grateful.

Ed breathed chicken dust and cigarette smoke for over forty years and he died from lung disease. He was a short man, probably 5'6" and weighed about 200. He was always on a diet that he never kept. Sharon and I lived on the farm about 100 yards from our office and Ed and I had lunch most everyday at Sharon's cafe, so this also hurt any chance of his dieting. Ed had rosy cheeks and heavy blonde hair and always was surrounded by laughter. He could walk into any room and people would gravitate to him. I was a blessed man to be able to spend my first seven years in the poultry industry with Ed. Things I learned then are still with me today. I truly received a college education during my time with Ed.

I owe Ed for the foundation he gave me. I only wish I could have been the kind of mentor and friend to folks who worked with me during the past few years. Ed, I really miss your familiar laugh and again I thank you for investing in a young man with no experience.

Men of Influence Part 6: Dad

2011-05-28T03:19:00.000-07:00

I probably have had a few readers wondering when is he ever going to recognize his Dad? As I have mentioned in prior posts, the order of the men I have written about are in chronological order. I chose this particular post to tell you about my dad. Part of the reason for now is that I have just graduated from High School and at a way too young age I also was married the same year. So basically I finished high school and married and left home later in 1969. Dad had done about all he could in shaping me as a man, or so I thought. The real truth is that even today he continues to influence. Dad is now 83 and I am 60.

I am not trying in anyway to gloss over our relationship. It has not always been the perfect father/son friendship or relationship. I think part of this was because it was life and we both were and are imperfect beings. I have thought a lot about dad and where we were and where we are today. As a young teenager, I once told dad that I dreaded seeing him walk in the door each evening because he was always negative and always finding fault in me. The truth is that I probably deserved the criticism and dad was there to dish it out. Even though it has been over forty years since I made that statement to dad, I can still remember the sadness in dad's eyes when I told him that I dreaded seeing him walk in the door each night. That was a truly callus thing to say and dad, if I haven't asked for your forgiveness, I ask you now to forgive me.

Many years have passed since that happened and I fast forward to the past few weeks. For the first time in our lives, dad and I talk every week via phone. Neither one of us can travel with ease due to our illnesses, etc. What I have noticed that when we get on the phone, our conversations have grown in the length of time that we simply just want to talk. The subject matter is not always about my cancer or his various ailments. Sometimes it is about our beloved Razorbacks or the latest things happening in my old home town. Dad keeps me posted about our family in Arkansas and I keep him informed about his grandchildren and great grandchildren. I guess that this awful cancer has done more to heal our relationship than any other thing.

So how do you come up with all the ways that your dad influenced your life? There is not a list of items to check off. Dad was never an extroverted person. He kept everything to himself and did not open up to folks about how he really felt. So my thoughts are that dad let his life do the talking. He is a man of integrity. He is honest to the core. I remember the last few years of my mom's life. It was a time of trials everyday in how to care for her. Dad did not take her to a nursing home. For the last couple of years, he did hire a couple of ladies to help him in caring for her. He also has some dear sisters who helped him all they could. Dad devoted himself to her care during her last couple of years. He bathed her, lifted her, cooked all of her meals and his life was all about meeting her needs. I don't know that I could have done what he did.

I can remember on more than one occasion that mom would tell me that your dad loves you guys so much but he just can't express that love and you need to know that you and your brother are the most important people in his life. Dad introduced me to the poultry industry and helped me land my first job in that field. I spent twenty years working for the same company that he retired from. I am convinced that dad's superior performance for that company probably helped me get a job I was not qualified for. The people who hired me probably said that if he is anything like his dad, we should hire him. I remember that I thought dad was one of the smartest men in our industry. Every time I would be in a conversation with someone in our company or industry, they always said that my dad was one of the best at what he did. Dad had several hundred people reporting to him in those days and they truly respected him.

There is always so much more that I wish I could fit into this format but you would probably tire from a too lengthy expose. I have not tried to leave out the bad parts and as stated earlier, I was not trying to gloss over our relationship. It was always real, not always pretty, but very real. Dad, I am who I am because you were who you were. My own children probably have some baggage due to my life but when they someday reflect on their dad, I pray they can sort out the good from the bad and that the good will far exceed the bad. Dad, I just want you to know that I am truly thankful that God chose you to be my dad. You and I did not have a perfect relationship, but I think I can say that I am closer to you than ever before. I said at mom's funeral that you were my hero and I still say that same thing today. Thank you for influencing my life in a mighty way and for being my dad. I love you dad and I look forward to those weekly phone calls.

Men of Influence Part 5: Grandpa Watkins

2011-05-15T13:22:00.000-07:00

This series of writings has been about the men who influenced my life. They are not in order of influence but in chronological order. Today I want to write about my Grandpa Watkins. His given name was Bruce and he was born in 1891. How I wish I could sit down with him today to ask him about his early years, but this cannot be done. I do have a photo of him on the wall of my office and he is pictured with his familiar overalls and is wearing a coonskin cap, tail and all and he is sitting with his favorite dog.

To my knowledge, Grandpa Watkins never learned to drive a car. My mom told me that Grandpa would come home from work and get his shotgun and dog and take off to the woods. This was a walk of five or more miles to reach the woods and the family depended on his efforts in order to have meat to eat. His game might be squirrels or coons and the family was not picky as this was meat on the table during the depression and the war years. I can remember going fishing with Grandpa and we always caught fish for dinner. He would bring in the stringer of fish and drop them in the kitchen sink for my Grandma (bless her heart) to clean and prepare for dinner. To say the least, he was an outdoors man of necessity. I am thankful that he was as I think I inherited my love of all things outdoors from him.

I know that he was a master carpenter and that he helped build Fort Chaffee in Fort Smith Arkansas. He would catch a bus on Monday to Ft. Smith from his home in Stilwell, Oklahoma and he would work all week for about $1.00 per day and return home by bus on Friday night. I don't remember him going to work during the times I spent a week or two in their home, though I am sure he did. He also sharpened tools and saws for a fee. He and Grandma grew a big garden and nothing was wasted. I have his handsaw and a wooden sheath he made to cover the blades. He also was a very talented wood carver. He carved with his pocket knife which was razor sharp. He would hand carve bean flips for us and he would practice with that bean flip all the time. He once carved twelve monkeys from peach seeds and placed them around a table he carved and he said that it was the supreme court.

He and grandma would come to our home in Arkansas and stay a few days with us from time to time. Dad and I would take Grandpa fishing. We always went night fishing for crappie. I can remember that Grandpa would never trust a rod holder. He would hold his rod so that he did not miss a bite. Many nights we would get home around three in the morning and I can remember Grandpa waking me up at seven, saying it was time to go fishing and we would go to a local lake and catfish the whole day. I do not know where he got the energy, but he could last much longer than us without sleep. He simply loved the outdoors.

My dad always loved big cars. He once bought a Chrysler Imperial. It was purple and featured gigantic fins on the back. It was loaded for those days and one feature was a radio that would change stations when you hit a switch in the floor with your foot. Grandpa was riding in the front seat with dad on a trip and dad started changing stations with his foot and continued until Grandpa could no longer take it. He said "Bob, you've got a problem with the radio that you need to get fixed."

There are so many stories I could tell you about Grandpa, but time and space will not allow. I remember one instance when he was cleaning his 12 gauge shotgun in the living room of their home. He was a very safe hunter but for some reason he left a shell in the old gun and as he was beginning to clean the gun it went off and tore the pages of the family Bible and blew the leg off of the coffee table. I don't think my Grandma was too happy.

Grandpa lived to the ripe old age of 85. They said he died because of smoking. He did love his tobacco. He smoked Prince Albert, roll your owns and eventually he switched to a pipe. I confess that I also loved tobacco and I probably came by this love from Grandpa. I can remember smelling that pipe and it smelled like heaven to me.

Grandpa was a good man. He loved kids and he always had time for us. He could tell great stories that would have us all laughing. He was an artist. He could make wood come to life with his little pocket knife. I doubt he received any education after grade school as times were hard as he grew up, but he was as smart a man as I ever met. I am thankful that I knew Grandpa Watkins and that he shared his life with the little children. I was twenty five when he left this earth and I regret now that I did not spend more time with this very talented man. I would urge my readers that even if you are older to seek out an elderly person from whom you may learn. Time on earth is short. I thank my Grandpa Watkins for always having a story for me and always teaching me about the outdoors.

Men of Influence, Part 4: My Grandfathers

2011-05-10T12:56:00.000-07:00

I am back at work on the blog. Having just spent a few days in the hospital, I had plenty of time to think about this post. As I stated in an earlier post, I am trying to approach this project from a chronological basis. So today, I am in my early teenage years and during this period, both of my grandfathers had passed away, but they both left a stamp on my life. They were really different men and I think this difference really broadened my perspective on life and living.

I will first write about my Grandad Baskin. We called him Grandad to distinguish him from our Grandpa Watkins. We would simply refer to Grandad or Grandpa and everyone knew who we were talking about. I cannot remember my Grandad ever working for a company. I had heard my dad and others talk about him working for a trucking company but I think this was a short lived career. What I can remember is that he always had a farm. This was a small farm by today's standards. He and my grandmother hand milked a few cows and I can remember the dairy picking up a few cans of milk each morning. He also had four or five small chicken houses. These were not automated at all. When we visited the farm we were able to help hand feed the chickens from wheel barrows and hand water via jugs. Later I can remember automatic waterers, only because they would stick and flood the house and we would clean up the mess afterward. Grandad might have an old horse and plenty of yard dogs and cats. I have no idea if he ever made any money in the farming venture. I have my doubts that it was profitable.

Some of the things I remember about Grandad are that he was a hard shell baptist deacon. He would not allow the girls to swim in anything less than jeans and a full blouse. He was always a member of the same church while I was growing up. He must have been held in high esteem as the district missionary would drop by the house just to say hi. His name was Doctor Best. I don't know if he had a doctorate but this is how people referred to him. One day I remember in particular, Duane (Granddad's youngest son) and my brother Steve and I were playing cards around the kitchen table. The game was probably war and was not harmful, morally or otherwise. I heard my grandmother scream at the top of her lungs to get rid of the cards as Doctor Best was pulling in the drive. We did not know what to do so we simply threw the cards in the air and they landed behind the old radio (a huge upright model) and luckily they all fell in behind the radio and out of sight. I always wondered what Doctor Best might have done had he seen the cards? I could imagine him bringing us ten and eleven year old boys before the church for punishment. It was our good fortune not to find out about his wrath.

One of the things we really loved about visiting granddad's house was that on a hot Saturday afternoon, he would load all the kids up and take us to the Blue Hole, our favorite swimming hole. As I write this I can't help but remember the smell of that water. It was clean as I know we swallowed large mouthfuls and I can't recall any of us being sick from the water. After swimming we sometimes dropped by Claude and Zell's grocery store in Tontitown, Arkansas and Grandad would pick up a pound of Dog (Bologna) and Grandmother would normally have a pot of pinto beans ready when we arrived home. That was a great meal and still is today, though I am sure it is enjoyed by few. My kids would run from a pinto bean while I still love them today.

Another thing I really enjoyed was fishing with Grandad in the various creeks and rivers in the area. We fished the Osage, the Illinois River and many other streams or small ponds or lakes. He was not a great angler but gosh we had fun. He would bang on a pipe driven in the ground and up came the earthworms, or we would catch big yellow grasshoppers for bait. Later when I was probably eighteen, I had the pleasure of taking Grandad fishing in my boat and I'll never forget he and I getting caught in a bad storm on the lake. I drove us back through blinding rain and he looked like death warmed over. I don't recall him ever asking me to take him back fishing, though we did catch a really nice string of Crappie that day.

Grandad died of Pancreatic Cancer while in his sixties. I was a teenager and now as I face my own battle with Cancer, I can't help but remember his battle. He was a tough man but at the same time a gentle man. I don't remember him ever showing anyone a lot of affection but you knew he loved you. His generation just did not let anyone know how they felt. I know that He is looking down on me today and his hand is probably extended ready to help me on my journey home when my time on this earth is over. I look forward to seeing Grandad and having a time to remember our time on earth together. I think he gave me some of my backbone that I now use to full advantage in this battle I wage against Cancer. Thanks Grandad, I'll see you in a little while. My next post will be about my Grandpa Watkins. I think you will really enjoy it.

Men of Influence, Part 3: Uncle Duane

2011-04-24T08:45:00.000-07:00

Today I continue in my writings about men who had a major influence on my life. I am trying to do these in chronological order. Today's man of influence in my life was my Uncle Duane. Duane is only one year older than me. He turned sixty one on April 23rd of this year and I will be sixty, Lord willing on April 30th. It is interesting that his mother (my grandmother) was pregnant just a year prior to my birth.

Duane always lived in the country while we lived in town (my hometown was not really a city). One of the thrills I enjoyed as a boy was visiting Duane's house in the country. Officially the area that he grew up in was known as Brush Creek and while he moved down the road a piece to Harmon, Brush Creek is still there. About the only sign of the community is the church where Duane attended as a baby and still attends sixty one years later. Today he is a leader of this church and has seen it through the good times and the bad.

One of the major influences he brought to my life was that he was always steadfast. He never wavered in his faith from his childhood until today. He amazes me in that he still lives in the same area, attends the same church, etc. I can remember as a young boy that he and I were tempted as all boys are and for the most part he always did what was right. I did say for the most part....once as young boys we decided that we would have the first yard sale ever. We started bringing all of my grandfathers tools, etc to the big front porch and set up a store. Needless to say the sale did not last long after my granfather came home. I think we sold an ink pen or two and that was about it. Another time we decided that we would cuss. It just came to us that we should cuss any and everything we saw that morning, from the blue jays to cars driving by. This also did not last long as we became bored with this activity. This was about as bad a thing as we ever did.

I mentioned in a post many months ago that Duane was my first boss. We started a lawn mowing service when I must have been ten years old and Duane was eleven. He was the foreman because he was older and because he had a big red Yazoo mower while I had a little green lawn boy. We would either push the mowers from job to job or sometimes we would ride our bikes and drag the mowers. Duane always went to the door to ask about the job, primarily because he was older, taller and had the big professional mower. Once the job was secure, I would come out with the little lawn boy to do the finesse work while Duane and the Yazoo tackled the tall grass. We made some pretty good money for a couple of young kids and had a good time. People did have us back so I guess we also did a pretty good job.

As we grew older, Duane always had some work. He ran his own hay hauling crew, worked in grocery stores or anywhere he could earn a few bucks. He of course had a car when he was old enough to drive and through all the teenage years when the pressure is on kids, he stood by the stuff. He was a great example to me as a young boy about how important it was to live an upright life. Duane was and is a great Christian influence in my life. He and I have discussed and digested the Bible together on many a night.

Today his children and mine are grown. We both have grandchildren and we are both married to the same woman we began our journey with. While we don't get to see each other too often, I still think about Duane each April during our birthday season and I thank God that Duane was there to provide a great influence too me. Most all the kids I was around growing up had no clue as to how one should live his life and Duane was that one that God brought my way so that I could see how one should live.

As I write these words on this Easter Sunday, April 24th, 2011, I again say thank you God for Duane and his impact on my life....even today.

Men of Influence, Part 2

2011-04-19T02:47:00.001-07:00

This series of posts has quickly become an interesting exercise for me as I think back on those men who have helped shape and mold me into the man I am today. Even at my age I find that there are men that continue to influence me. One of the questions that keeps popping up in my mind is "am I making an impact on those men that are in my circle of influence?" I feel that if we can influence other men for the better, that this is a great legacy.

A man who made a great impact on my life in a very short period of time was an Assistant Scoutmaster of my Boy Scout troop. I was a Boy Scout from about age 9 through age 12. The man I am speaking of is Ken Ray. Again, a name you will probably not recognize. In fact if you google his name and add the tag, Springdale, Arkansas you will find little if any information. I am recalling events from almost fifty years ago, so I will try my best to remember all I can about Ken.

Ken grew up in southwestern Arkansas near DeQueen, Arkansas. He was different from the other kids he grew up with in that he was born without arms. He had a single finger, like your pointer that grew from his right shoulder area. This finger had a muscle just like your arm has a muscle. I had read a newspaper article forty some years ago about Ken as a football player at DeQueen High School. He was a barefooted kicker and had become a great field goal kicker and had helped his team win many games.

As I recall Ken was probably in his early twenties when he was our scout leader. He always wore flip flops or slip on sandals so that his feet could be readily available. Most of the time he wore shorts. I can remember that he was a smoker in those days (I am sure he no longer has that habit) and that he had carved a long stick with a hole in the end that would hold a cigarette tightly. Ken would grab the pack out of his shirt pocket with his teeth and shake the pack till a cigarette would pop out and he could slip the stick over the cigarette. He then would produce a fire via a lighter with his feet and light his cigarette. I mention this to show that the guy was amazing in his creativity in overcoming his handicap.

A time I will never forget involved our troop going on a weekend survival camp out. We could only bring Bisquick as our food for the weekend. I am not sure why Bisquick was chosen but that was the case. Our bags were searched and a large cache of candy and other contraband were confiscated and we were off to the woods. Early Saturday morning we awakened with one goal....to find food for our survival. I had a few of my fellow scouts who found a pigeons nest in a barn and they robbed the eggs and made pancakes with the Bisquick. Others raided a farmers garden for fresh tomatoes and other veggies.

We were paired up with another scout to work together to search for our food. I can remember kids with bows and arrows (nothing like the ones available today) and they were trying to shoot squirrels. This was truly an exercise in futility. I think the squirrels were probably rolling in the leaves laughing at these crazy kids. I was blessed that day in that we did not have an even number of scouts and I was paired with Ken Ray. I experienced something that day that I shall never forget. Ken had a fly rod and we were camped on a river that weekend. So Ken and I headed to the river. I will try to explain as best I can how he was able to fish with a fly rod. He would hold the rod with the finger protruding from his right shoulder and he would strip line with his teeth. He could flip the fly rod with the finger and after stripping out enough line, he could reach the center of the stream with his fly.

In a short amount of time, Ken began hooking large bream and I found out my reason for being there. He could take off his own fish but it would take him some time and it was difficult for him to put them on a stringer. So that day I did not even cast my line into the water. I took off fish after fish for Ken and put them on the stringer. We headed back to camp and used the Bisquick to make a breading for the fish and had ourselves a feast. I had a great time and I guess the real thing I received from Ken was that we should never let our handicap keep us from living our lives to the fullest. I also learned that we should never give up when life deals us a tough hand. Ken could have given up at an early age and never enjoyed all that life has in store for us. I watched Ken over the next year or so shoot a bean flip and hit targets consistently (with his feet). He could turkey hunt with a crossbow (again using his feet) as he called the turkeys with his mouth. He could also shoot a shotgun with his feet.

Ken went on to receive a degree and the last I heard he was a social worker in Northwest Arkansas and he drives a car just like we do. I had the privilege of attending the same church with Ken when I lived in Northwest Arkansas. Ken married, had children and I would say he has lived life to it's fullest. I think Ken probably had choices to make as a young boy. Either quit and let others take care of him or ignore his handicap and get on with living. I think one of the things I took from my time around Ken was that whatever situation we find ourselves in (Cancer,etc.) that we should live our lives as normally as possible. We should not quit and give up and go home. It is really hard to keep your chin up when things are tough but I can always think back to Ken Ray, flipping a fly rod with his finger, or shooting a turkey with a shotgun (using only his feet) and I can say, I can do this....I will not give up...I will persevere through this ordeal.

Ken is a devout man and I am sure he would say with me "I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength". Thanks Ken..

Men who changed my life.....

2011-04-17T06:33:00.000-07:00

As a man who is growing older, I have a little more time on my hands to think about life and the influences that we encounter that help shape us as men. My own life was probably most impacted by men that I was fortunate enough to be around as I grew up and as I grew older. I will be sixty years old in a few days and I can say that even at my advanced age I still find that I am being affected by other men.

I felt it would be a good exercise to think about the men who have most influenced my life. I had planned to make this a single post with all of those men who influenced my life being on a list, but as I began writing I realized it would be several pages long, so I will try to do a post each day and share a little more detail about each man.

It is only fitting that today's post be about my first spiritual mentor. I hope you enjoy these posts. The Reverend Devoe Whitely of Springdale, Arkansas is the first name that comes to mind as I reflect on the men who truly influenced my life. This name will not ring a bell with most readers as they probably don't know anyone named Devoe. Devoe was my first pastor. He and his wife Lula Bell (bet you don't know many Lula Bell's either) served at Immanuel Baptist Church in Springdale, Arkansas.

I can't really remember the first time I attended church but I think probably my mom took me to church as an infant. I can remember that when I was six or seven years old that Lula Bell would let several of the younger kids sit on the front row of the church with her at every service. I can remember her large arms (she and Devoe were both very large people) wrapped around the little children as Devoe expounded his sermons that we did not understand at all. The little children always felt loved after being around Devoe and Lula Bell.

I mentioned that Devoe and Lula Bell were large people and they truly were. Devoe did not miss many meals and anyone that grew up in the Baptist Church in the late 1900's can attest that there was nothing spared at the pot luck suppers. Devoe loved people and he loved to dine with them. I can never remember seeing Devoe without a suit. I can remember a particular suit he wore from time to time. It was all white and he would wear a colorful shirt and tie with the suit. The one thing I remember in particular was that he also wore multi-color shoes. As I recall the shoes were brown with white on the upper portion of the shoes. Devoe stood out in a crowd because of his size and his wardrobe. Devoe had a booming voice from the pulpit. He never shy ed away from difficult subjects. He preached against sin and sinful lifestyles. I can remember a few times that my family had roast preacher for lunch, after one of Devoe's sermons happened to be very harsh and stepped on a few toes. My dad did not always agree with some of the tactics Devoe employed to raise money for a particular need but it seems he got over it rather quickly. Devoe did preach the Bible as he read it and interpreted it. He was a burly man but gentle and caring especially with the little children. He always spoke at our Vacation Bible School service each day. One morning he said something that directed me towards Christ and as a nine year old boy I began a relationship with Christ that continues even today. I can remember that when a child came seeking to know more about salvation, Devoe would take time with each individual child and many times Lula Bell would assist. I can remember when I went home that day that I could not wait to run and tell my friends and family about what had happened to me. I would love to have taped that experience to look back on but I only have my memory.

A few days later I was baptized by Devoe and it is a day I shall never forget. If you asked me to tell you about one of Devoe's sermons, I could not. Though I sat under his preaching from a very young age and until my early teenage years I cannot recall one sermon or one topic that he preached. I can tell you that he lived what he preached. He lived the Bible out loud and no one doubted his love of God. He and Lula Bell helped provide a firm foundation for my faith. They really loved people and they let you know that they loved you. I am thankful that they loved the little children.

A few years after leaving the church (I am not sure why we left) I asked Devoe to officiate my wedding. He had made such an impact on my life that I wanted him to be the man who joined Sharon and I in marriage. You could say that Devoe was an "old-time" preacher and you would be correct. You might say that he was "old school" and you would also be right. One thing that is also true is that when a person invests themselves in the lives of little children, those children's lives will forever be changed and this was true in my case. I also believe that Devoe and Lula Bell are in the arms of Jesus today and will enjoy great rewards in heavens because of their love of the little children.

Devoe was my first spiritual mentor and I thank he and Lula Bell for loving me and drawing me to the Savior. I know that my faith would not be what it is today had I not grown up in Springdale, Arkansas and attended Immanuel Baptist Church and started my faith journey under the guidance of Devoe and Lula Bell. Again I thank this dear, sweet couple for loving the little children.

A dreaded medical saga...

2011-03-26T12:33:00.000-07:00

Dear Friends,

You will note that it has been some months since my last post. My last post concerned where we were in our battle with cancer. It was written after six months of treatments and a whirlwind of medical activity. I chose to wait until additional time had passed and many more scans/etc had occurred before giving you any sort of medical update.

Since my last post I developed an infection in my lung that resulted from chemo actually destroying a tumor on the lung, leaving for lack of a better word...a hole in my lung. An infection developed resulting in a horrible daily cough, fluid build up on the lung, fever and in general just a continual horrible feeling. I could not walk fifty feet without losing my breath. I could not carry on a lengthy conversation as I would not be able to breathe. If you followed my caring bridge posts you know that I had surgery and an eight day stay in the hospital as a result of the infection. I am happy to report that the surgery was very successful and I am kind of back to a normal life and feeling great.

It is interesting though that during my hospital stay I was administered a catheter to assist me during surgery and recovery. I actually had the catheter for four days and I sensed that something was not right but the nurses kept telling me to look at the bag connected to the catheter and that it indeed was working. I never really contested that it was working but my contention was that it was very uncomfortable and something did not seem right. After four days I had a nurse who did not like me come by to remove the dastardly device and during extraction I think she did not deflate the balloon (they tell me this is very important) or she simply was not gentle as I came off the bed about two feet screaming out in pain as it was removed.

Being a novice at these sorts of things I did not realize that things were not quite right after the removal. I was very, very sore and always felt pain during urination. I began to express this discomfort but all the medical professionals told me that this was normal and that I would soon feel better. Well after a couple of weeks and much misery, I made an appointment with my primary care physician and he could not find any infection of the urinary tract etc. He did perform the test that men really enjoy (the digital exam of the prostate gland) and thankfully nothing was wrong. He also ran a PSA test and it too was negative. So in the midst of the pain and suffering, we were thankful that all was ok in regard to the prostate. My doctor then made an appointment for me with a urologist. This gave me much to think about for the next week as I recalled all the horror stories that I had heard all my life about urologists and the tools of their trade. At the same time I was suffering from severe fatigue as I had not had a full nights sleep in over six weeks. My bladder could not empty itself so I was up every two hours for six weeks and this was absolute misery.

My visit to the urologist confirmed that my bladder was not emptying and that we had to find out why. This led to the discussion of what I knew was coming....the test is called a cystoscopy. It is sort of like a colonoscopy except the orifice for entry of the urologists tools is much smaller that that of the gastroenterologist. Of course I thought of all the pain that I might suffer and I requested that twilight sedation be administered. The good doctor explained that they do not have this type of sedation available and that a local antestetic would be used. A lotion would be used that would deaden the area. If this truly worked I would think the area would be dead forever. I really did not feel confident in all this but I agreed to have the test the next week. Before departing the urologists office he insisted that we should check the prostate gland. I assured him that I had just had this test but he felt that he should make sure this area was ok. So we suffered this humility a second time in two weeks.

The week flew by and I am back in the doctors office and he has a wide array of tools available for the test. To make a scary story short....none of the tools could penetrate the restriction that was causing my problem. He assured me that he could break through but I would suffer great pain. He then scheduled me for the same procedure (the cystoscopy) at the hospital the next day. He said it would be the same procedure but that I would receive full sedation. I was thankful as I was never comfortable with the numbing lotion. The results of the tests were very good as my doctor agreed with my diagnosis of the catheter damage being the problem. I think I need to sue someone for this damage but I am so relieved to be back to normal that I have no malice in my heart. It is as if I have been given my freedom once again. As I told someone today....I am FREE...for I can PEE.

It has barely been twenty-four hours since the procedure and I am almost back to normal. The plumbing is once again working and I will never ever take for granted this vital function. I slept all night and in fact awoke at 6 AM this morning and was out of bed....a first for me since my surgery. I am feeling great and looking forward to maybe getting out on the golf course. As always I want to thank you for your faithful prayers for us as we know we would not have made it without you. I also wanted to tell my good friend Bob that while you attempted via various means to humble me that where you failed the medical community has succeeded. I am a humble man as every part of my body has now been examined. I truly am thankful to the docs and nurses for helping me through this latest adventure. I am feeling great today and am thankful for the time off my oncologist has given me. Sharon and I are going to make a trip pretty quickly to celebrate. Thanks again for your friendship.

Update on The Next Chapter

2010-09-16T14:41:00.000-07:00

I restarted my blog when I found out that I had cancer. According to the Doctor it is incurable cancer. I felt like this was the beginning of a new chapter in the life of Sharon and Doug Baskin. This chapter began in June. It has been three months since this chapter began and I felt that it might be a good time to share with you the status or an update on where we are in this chapter.

Three months ago I had to have a waste basket near me at all times because I was coughing up blood. I could not safely drive because I might experience a coughing fit and find myself unable to control a car. I could not attend church services or even my small group gatherings because of the coughing fits and pain from the cancer. I tried to work but could not last more than an hour due to fatigue. I was either in bed or my recliner 24/7. Most of the time it was the bed so I could use my cpap machine to aid my breathing. I could not walk up the stairs from the basement without stopping to catch my breath. I walked around the house in order to have the shortest incline to traverse to get into the house. I had only certain foods that I could tolerate and my cravings were for some very strange dishes. Now I don't know of any food that I can't tolerate and the quantities and frequency of my partaking of these dishes has increased. My weight dropped from about 220 to 178 three months ago. At my height the 178 was more desirable but the means to drop the weight is not for the best. My weight today was 194. I can almost comfortably wear my old slacks today. My left lung was full of fluid and today none exists. Three months ago we could not think about going to a restaurant to eat and now we eat out three times a week or more with no problem. I had hair three months ago and now I barely have any.....but I can live with that as my hair was not one of my better features.

My doctor was ecstatic about my progress the past two visits and while he did not comment on my prognosis he was very pleased with the impact the chemo had on my cancer. He also credited the Good Lord for His part in my progress. This all leads me to where my mind has been this week. For the past few weeks I have been so excited about my improved condition. I was able to work full days and just really have been feeling great. I would find that I could forget about the cancer for hours each day at work. I found that I would be planning for events months out as if I knew I would be able to participate. I was living my life as if the cancer did not exist and I could do about what I wanted and not worry about any limitations the disease might present.

Yesterday I began to have a reality check. My mind was full of negative thoughts about my disease and my prognosis. Who was I kidding?? At any moment this cancer was going to rear it's ugly head and end my euphoric feelings. I had a struggle all day at work..(somehow I was able to function pretty good despite these intervening thoughts) with where I was and what I would be facing in the future. Fear entered the thought process and I began to worry about the unknown things I would face in the days ahead. It took a lot of soul searching and deep thinking to settle this issue I was battling.

I realized that my disease is incurable by modern medical means. Any progress I experienced was a combination of medical treatment (as my Dr. said) and the Good Lord having His hand on my shoulder. The lady I work with pointed out to me today that we are all terminal and it is just a matter of when and by what means we will leave this world. All of us will not live to be full of years and die a peaceful death. Some will die young, some will die by means we deem to be unfair...the point being we all will die, but we do not know when. As a man of faith I am told in the Bible that it is better to die and be with Jesus than to live on this earth. I am also told that I have a purpose and I will not leave this world until that purpose is accomplished. If I desire to not fulfill my purpose for this life then perhaps I will end my time on earth prematurely? I don't know all the answers but I know my days are numbered as are yours. Each of us has an appointed time to die and we cannot control this time. To believe otherwise is to believe that we all live and die by chance. We live longer if we are very careful and don't put ourselves in risky situations (why then do we drive cars?).

So where am I today after all this deep thinking, etc. I went to the Doctor today and he insisted that I attend a cancer support gathering tomorrow to be attended by many survivors and many battling the disease today. He said that I should go if for no other reason than to give others hope because of my progress. He kind of planted a seed in my mind that this may be my purpose in having this disease. To help others who are fighting cancer and to give them hope. The Bible tells us that we may suffer so that we can help others later on who suffer from the same malady. I have always believed this. I have known people who lost a spouse at an early age who later helped others through this same tragedy. I also know that I have heard from people everywhere about my disease and how I am doing etc. and I have blown their minds with my faith and attitude about where I am in this journey. Most are surprised that I am not camped out at the Mayo Clinic or M.D. Anderson in order to get cutting edge medical treatment. I answer them with the fact that I had a peace about my great Doctors and Nurses at Longstreet Clinic and feel they are giving me the best treatment. This peace came from my Father in Heaven who directs my steps and leads me down the path He chooses. My strength and my improvement comes from God. He may use my Doctors and the meds to aid in this, but it is His choice that I have improved. My purpose is to tell others what is happening and to maintain my optimism and my faith even if things turn for the worst.

The bottom line is I really don't know what will happen tomorrow or next week. It truly is a one day at a time situation. I must rejoice each day that I can get up and feel pretty good. I must thank Him that I can go to work and play a meaningful role in our business and be of service to those I work with and for. I should have praise always on the tip of my tongue that I can drive to work and go to a restaurant when I desire...that I can attend church and gather with my friends. I should overflow with happiness that I have been able to spend quality time with my family the past few weeks. As I consider my blessings the fact that I can sit and write this blog (of great length) should bring joy to my being. God has blessed this old man, riddled with cancer and not given a great prognosis. I have been blessed beyond measure. If I should leave this world next week, I can say that I have seen the Lord do a mighty work in my life during this new chapter.

As many have said in the past..."Cancer is the worst thing that has ever happened to my but it is the best thing that has ever happened to me." I can truly say this though I am not sure I would want to face this disease if I had a choice. I can truly say the past three months of this new chapter have been full of a variety of emotions, of discouragement and more importantly it has been full of victories. I say thank you first to the Lord for His hand on me through this ordeal. I thank my family (especially Sharon) for being there for me each moment. For my friends as you have been a great encouragement to me and especially for your prayers that go up for us each day. I thank my employer for standing by us through this time and all those I work with for taking up the slack in my absence and finally to the Doctors and Nurses at Longstreet clinic for caring for me and doing all they can to make me comfortable and give us hope. It will be interesting to see an update three months from now. I have no idea where I will be or how I will be but I think I can say that I will be where God chooses and I will know that it is His will and I will be satisfied that I am doing what I should be to fulfill my purpose for the rest of my days.

Another Hero: Coach Mark Richt

2010-08-26T11:09:00.000-07:00

Well I am writing again about one of my passions; college football. I am also writing about one of my favorite coaches; Coach Mark Richt of the Georgia Bulldogs. I have classified Coach Richt as a hero because he understands what is most important in life. He has put Christ first, family second and his career as a coach third. This does not mean that he does a bad job in his career, he does it with excellence, having produced an average of ten wins per year for the past several years.

It is difficult for me to believe but there are some folks here in Georgia that are ready to show him the door because he has not produced a national champion and probably because last year produced only eight wins. I can tell you there are many college teams that would love to have the Bulldogs record the past ten years. Many even blame his devotion to God and family as part of the problem. God help us if we start selecting leaders and don't consider these qualities as extremely important in choosing who will lead us and our families. I think this may have happened in the 08 presidential election and we can see the results of using the wrong criteria to make a crucial decision.

I can tell you that my favorite team (the Arkansas Razorbacks) won only national championship in football (1964), one in basketball (1994) and more that any other team in track and field but I do not live and die by this being the measure of a successful team or coach. I guess I may be archaic in my beliefs, but I want to see what kind of citizens the coach helped produce via his influence. It breaks my heart when I hear of student athletes being arrested. At one time in Arkansas we had so many arrested for shoplifting or theft that it was rumored that the University had purchased a 7-11 for the sole purpose of allowing the athletes a way to legally shoplift merchandise....thankfully this was only a rumor and not true. The point is what the coach does with the young person and what kind of people they are when they leave school are the most important factors when evaluating a coach. Now I will say that if the coach is not capable of getting maximum effort from the players and does not have the skills to effectively coach, then as in any job he should be released.

Now back to Coach Richt; I have lived in Georgia since 2004 and I have come to truly appreciate the Coach of the Bulldogs. I have recently been reading about his family and how they came together and it is an inspiring story. Two of the Richt children are adopted from the Ukraine. The young girl they adopted had a facial birth defect that really effects her appearance. The Richts said that her parents dropped her at an orphanage because of the defect, possible because they could not afford the cost of medical treatment for her condition. The Richt's have helped provide numerous surgeries for this little girl. Coach does not toot his own horn but thankfully others have noted the sacrifice made by this family. They are doing what is right in raising their children and Coach is doing what is best for the young men he coaches.

While it is true that my favorite team are the Razorbacks, you can guarantee when the Georgia Bulldogs are playing anyone else I am a supporter of the Dogs and Coach Richt and his family. I invite you to see the two attached videos about the Richt family. Forgive me for the commercials that may be attached to the videos. I hope you are fired up about the football season (starts Sept 2) as I am.

http://thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/justintaylor/2008/10/25/mark-richt-family-and-adoption/

http://www.bing.com/videos/watch/video/at-home-with-mark-richt-family/12m40thk

2010-08-26T10:51:00.001-07:00

The Deer

2010-08-24T13:50:00.000-07:00

I have titled this post "The Deer". The primary reason is that I had been pursuing this deer for over twenty five years. Over the years beginning at about age thirty-five I have enjoyed the pursuit of the trophy deer. I did not grow up hunting though I had a grandfather who supplied meat for his family during the 1930's to 1940's and perhaps I inherited my love for hunting from him? I do owe many hunters over the years a debt of gratitude for working with me on how to hunt and even how to dress a deer. How else could one learn the correct way to hunt unless he has teachers and I was blessed with many. Perhaps the one I remember most was a gentleman from Sonora, TX named George Washington Parks or G.W. to his friends. He was in his seventies when he taught me most of what I know about hunting and I am forever grateful.

Now to the hunt. I was on a company outing with customers from the poultry industry hunting with us in Midway, AL. We hunted a plantation known as "Paco Plantation". Midway is south of Union Springs if that helps you any. The weekend we went it was the peak of the "Rut" but it was also the peak of winter in South Alabama. I would never believe it could get that cold in the south, but believe me with a twenty mile per hour north wind and temps from 10 to 20 degrees F, it can be unbearable. It was my first time to ever hunt with a heater in my shooting house and I have hunted in Northern Arkansas and probably I had better sense when the weather got that cold and we also did not have shooting houses. We hunted Friday evening, Saturday morning and evening and Sunday morning. There were eight hunters on the trip including the owner of our company, Tommy Bagwell and his son Leland. The trip was organized by Fred Cespedes, the best organizer I have met in all my years. I will always be thankful that we were able to make this hunt.

To get to the story now, I mentioned that cold temps. Most of us just hung on for dear life in our stands due to the high winds. No one saw any shooter buck on Friday or Saturday morning. Fast Forward to about 4:00 PM on Saturday evening and the wind stopped blowing and the temperature was bearable. As I recall one of the guys on our hunt had an eight pointer before he could get in his stand. Another was taken shortly thereafter. A total of five hunters had shooter bucks harvested by 5:00 PM or so. One of the guys had a fourteen pointer. My deer was officially an eleven pointer though many have looked at the mount and think it was a twelve or thirteen pointer. We had the greatest one hour of hunting I have ever experienced. I have hunted in Texas on several occasions and while we took several deer we never had the quality we had on this hunt. I do not have a quality photo of all the deer but believe me, five bucks eight point or larger in one hour is unheard of and we were all blessed to have been a part of the hunt.

An interesting thing about my deer is (you may not believe what I am about to share) that the night before I had a dream and the very situation was in my dream. The deer came out of the woods one hundred fifty yards away and you did not need binoculars to know if he was a shooter. I did not do a lot other than be at the right place at the right time. I harvested this deer with one shot (I'll admit not exactly where I aimed). I shot this deer with an my first deer rifle (a 300 Savage saddle gun). This gun is an old gun with lever action. It is the same gun my son and I both used to take our first deer. I had a 7 mm magnum that would have perhaps been a better gun for this situation, but I felt the one I used was very appropriate as it could be my last deer I will take. Needless to say it was quite a few minutes before I could even move or go to the deer. My heart was beating non-stop and it was one of the thrills of my lifetime.

Another interesting fact is that this deer was probably only three and one-half years old according to the taxidermist (more about him later). Kind of in the prime of his life. Believe it or not at age 58 when I harvested this deer, I felt like I was also in the prime of my life. It was as if we were brought together for this event. Looking back I had some symptoms of my disease even then and my doctor confirmed this during a visit recently.

I felt a real kinship with this deer and felt that God was truly in this situation and I thank Him for caring so much about me that He helped me fulfill one of my life's goals. When I picked up the mount, the taxidermist, Chris Fortner of Fortner Taxidermy 770-480-5241 or fortnertaxidermy.com and I had a great visit. I had called him earlier and told him my health situation and told him that he might want to get the mount done pretty quickly. When I met Chris his work was tremendous. He was a great Christian guy and he said his prayer was that I would be back again this year with another deer for mounting and he genuinely meant what he said. We had a great visit and again I think God ordained our meeting.

I have spent way too much time on this story but it was one of the really important events of my life...almost up there with my children's birth's etc. (just kidding). I have tried to include a photo of the mount and I urge you to use Chris if the need arises. I also want to thank all the guys on the hunt and the folks at Paco for making us all comfortable during the tough weather. I must not fail to mention that Paco has nice rooms, great food service and plenty of deer. The ladies who prepared our meals knew how to cook deer meat. It was the best venison this old hunter ever tasted and I have tasted a lot. The owners are right there with you and are great people. You can google Paco Plantation for more info. If you made it all the way to the end, God bless you as I know it must have been a chore. I can't seem to finish a good story.

Doug

RANDOM QUOTES.....

2010-08-13T08:43:00.000-07:00

I have been thinking about how to share some of the riches I have enjoyed over the years. One of the things I have always tried to do is to record great quotes when I hear them. I have written many of these down in my old Bible and thankfully can share them with you. I have given credit when I knew the author. I hope you enjoy.

Peace is not the absence of problems, but the presence of the power of God. Rev. H.D. McCarty, Fayetteville, Ark. Note: I was fortunate to take two classes under him at Quachita Baptist University.
Nothing is as bad as it seems....we tend to overestimate our problems and underestimate our King. Mickey Bonner.
Grace: God gives us grace though we don't deserve it. Mercy: God lovingly doesn't give us what we do deserve.
How to focus on being Christlike in all phases of my life:

Everyday worship begins in Solitude (time with God.

is in service to others

is in struggles

is in sacrifice

Attributes of successful people:
Successful people have high energy levels
Success God's way is a life of stewardship (Joseph a great example)
A life of success is one that prepares for the future

Adversity comes because:
It is common among people
As a consequence of sin
Because as Christians we should expect trials and tribulations
Adversity causes us to come to God alone
Sin may separate you from God....circumstances cannot!
Forgiveness is me giving up my right to hate you for wronging me
Weak people don't forgive
Our view of God determines how we live...idolatry is saying to God..you're not enough
Now Moses was a very humble man, more humble than anyone else on the face of the earth. Numbers 12:3. One verse I struggle to live by..but I have a great desire to do so. Funny note: my current boss has made it his life's work to humble me and he has done a pretty decent job of it.
Never trust how things look or feel
Prayerlessness always keeps us from hearing God
It's never too late to be used of God
God can turn a curse into a blessing
The closer we get to God....the tougher the battle
We need to totally defeat sin in our lives, wherever we find it.
When we do battle with Satan we need to come from prayer first!
Whatever battle you fight, God will meet your needs (note: even when it seems the battle is lost, God has a plan and a benefit to the one who puts Him first and at the forefront of the battle)
You discover a person's greatness by what it takes to discourage him
Vision is seeing God's plan in spite of the obstacles
It's ok to ask God for big dreams, if you are willing to step out with single mindedness to reach it. If you are open to obstacles, if we are sure God wants us to have it, if we have been obedient in other areas of our lives.
You are as young as your faith and as old as your fears. God gives us what we are prepared to receive.
May the rest of my years be the best of my years (based upon Joshua 14:10.
Walk with God today not from yesterday.
Power from God today comes from purity with God today.
The size of our circumstances are in direct proportion to the size of your God
Doing business with God: Basis 2 Chronicles 7:14: Humble yourself, humility is honest recognition that I need God, Pray: prayer is a relationship not a religious activity or formula, Seek His face, Turn from your wicked ways (PS 66:18) God says if they will do these things I will meet their needs.
Trust God no matter what the circumstances (I would add here that we should trust God on the front end of any and all situations...not when we are in the midst of the storm) This quote is mine and I based it on Job 2:10 "Job says shall we accept good from God and not trouble...In all this Job did not sin in what he said."
My greatest challenge today is to forget yesterday and live for today...to live today and not dwell on tomorrow. I wrote this quote on July 13, 2006 after reading Isaiah 43:18-19" Forget the former things, do not dwell on the past. See I am doing a new thing!"
Disobedience:Based upon the book of Jonah. Disobedience is when there is a conflict between God's opinion and yours. You decide to choose your opinion over God's. Disobedience will always take you away from the presence of the Lord. Disobedience leads to dilemma. When you disobey God you invite the storms of life down on you. Delays because of disobedience are always worse than dilemmas.
No matter what I will rejoice...my joy should not be dependent upon my circumstances. I wrote this on 2/20/07 after reading Habakkuk 3:17-18.
If God can be trusted for salvation, can't he be trusted for everything else?
Worry is practical atheism..we are playing God. Worry is unnatural, worry is unhelpful, worry is unchristian, worry is unnecessary, worry is unreasonable, worry= a divided mind, we worry about the wrong things, worry is not trusting God, when we worry we do not understand God.
Peace is not created....it is found. It has always been and it will always be! I AM is peace personified. "Note I don't know who said this but wish I could have".
Discipleship is when it is my choice to deny myself and accept God's plan and terms everyday, even when we don't know the plan fully. Based upon Luke 9:23.
We must die to self to live for Christ: Three things that keep us from dying to self: 1. Affluence 2. Adversity 3. Apathy.
Do not become so obsessed with His return that you lose sight of the mission.
God does nothing apart from prayer. "John Wesley"
A great quote from Randy Pope, pastor of Perimeter Church, Duluth, GA: "you should attempt something so great for God that if He be not in it, it be deemed for failure." my paraphrase.
We don't always get what we pray for but we get what is best for us.
There is so little power in the church because there is so little purity in the church.
When we suffer we must believe in who God is and that I am a part of a bigger story...it's not about me. See PS 16:8-9
We easily give up because we do not seek the one who is invisible
Admit your shortcomings....God will help you without finding fault in your inadequacies.
Live as strangers here...Don't get too comfortable, don't love it here so much you hate to leave...Remember your true home.
Finally a quote from many people. I could not identify the original author: All people have this in common: they are either in a storm, leaving a storm or about to enter a storm...I even heard Rick Warren use this one recently. I do know this...with the Lord's help you can ride out any storm that may come your way...my quote.

I end my list here....what an exercise. I am sure there are many other quotes I have written in other places but these were written on the pages of my 35 year old Scholfield Study Bible. The Bible was given to me by a dear friend and Pastor, Reverend Stanton Cram in Pea Ridge, Ark. Stanton taught me how to dig into and study the Word and for this I am forever grateful. I hope you enjoy these random quotes and thoughts and don't hold it against me if I failed to give proper credit to the one who gave the quote.

Doug

FAMILY

2010-08-09T06:46:00.000-07:00

It seems that we have lately been besieged with birthdays. Birthdays are good in that we recognize the honoree with a special day or days just for them. This week my son Jason celebrated his thirty-seventh birthday. He was born on August 8th, 1973. Kind of a significant day in that this was the day that one of my favorite Presidents (Richard Millhouse Nixon) was forced to resign during the Watergate scandal. Many of you probably have no idea what I am talking about but it was an interesting era of American history.

Another interesting situation about Jason's birthday was that I was employed by Sears Roebuck and Co. This particular day our staff from the Kansas City office came to the store for a regular review and they were on a head hunting trip. It seemed the new guy in charge of my area (advertising-sales promotion) did not like my work and let the whole group know it. Me being full of pride and not prone to accept a head on attack told the whole group that they could take this job and shove it. I walked out that afternoon and went home. I proceeded to tell Sharon what I had done with no thoughts of ramifications to insurance etc. Well the interesting thing is that Sharon began to have labor pains after hearing the news. I being a detail man began to record every contraction as to when it occurred, how long it lasted and the frequency between pains When I called the Doctor I had a complete history of the pains. He told us to head to the hospital and a few hours later we had our first born son Jason. It was a proud moment for mom and I. The rest of the story is that my boss (Mr. Ken Perkin) called from Sears and said my walking out made a huge impression on the KC staff and they felt their approach was overbearing and somewhat cruel. I was reinstated with no loss of any benefits...pay, insurance, etc.

Jason has grown up to be a fine young man. He was always a great child. I can honestly say that he has never gave his mom and I any problems while growing up. We were never in a hurry to get him graduated and out of the house. We loved having him around. I was there when he shot his first buck (a seven point at 300 steps up a mesa in West Texas. I was playing golf on a different team during our club championship in Clarksville, Arkansas when he recorded a hole-in-one on a par 3 of over 200 yards. He got to buy the drinks and since he was a young teenager a coke was the strongest drink he could by. Jason excelled on the golf course all the way through high school and participated in the state tournament four years in a row. Now he is just like dad in that he works all the time and does not have time to play golf.

Jason married Jama in June of 2000 so they have been married ten years. They both graduated from the University of Arkansas. Their union has produced two lovely daughters, Reagan and Avery, ages 7 and 6 respectively. These little girls are absolutely brilliant and they are loved so much by Sharon and I and their families. We hope to see them here in GA over labor day. I will tell more about them as birthdays, etc occur. We also hope to post more recent pics of them on the website.

Jason is doing well in his career with Home Depot. He stuck it out during their long training period and was recently promoted to an assistant manager position. He will work in this role for a couple of years and hopefully continue to progress in his career. My main worry for Jason is that he watched his dad (me) work endless hours and spend days traveling away from my family. I did not have my priorities in order and hopefully he will not make the same mistakes. He is blessed with his wife Jama in that she makes sure the girls always have opportunities to participate in a variety of activities and always has meal time together etc. The family always manages to take neat vacations together each year. Jason and Jama are blessed with Jama's family being located close to their home in Edmond, OK. My advice to Jason or any dad is quite simple...Put God first in all things, your family second and your work third. If you follow this simple plan, your life will be in order. Needless to say I am proud to call Jason my son.

Finally I want to talk about our other birthday girl. Holly's eldest daughter, Ellie. Ellie celebrated her fifth birthday on August 5th. She was born in Charlottsville, Virginia. Ellie and her parents soon came to live with us temporarily here in Georgia when Mike was searching for a new church to serve. So I guess I got to know her probably better than my other grandchildren. I taught her how to dunk chocolate chip cookies in my milk while sitting in my lap and watching TV together. She learned how not to spill a drop. She and I really got to know one another during this year or so together. I remember her falling down a flight of fourteen steps to our basement...very scary. Another time she fell into our pool, fully clothed, long before the water was ready for swimming..scared me to death. She is a very loving child and she can melt my heart with a simple "I love you Papa". Ellie is so realistic about her relationship with God. She believes as a simple child that God can do anything. She is not shy to ask Him for what ever her little heart desires or her family needs. I know that her parents Mike and Holly spend a lot of time every night reading scriptures to her and her sisters and in prayer.

The bad thing about writing about particular loved ones is that the others may feel left out but all would agree the story would be too long if I tried to include a story about each one so the best way is to recognize them on birthdays or other special occasions.

I will close out today's post by saying that this past weekend was a wonderful time for Sharon and I. We were able to spend Sunday with our best friends in the world. Our small group from our church were all able to attend church together, shared lunch at Ted's and then regathered Sunday evening for a time of sweet fellowship including Bible Study, Prayer and of course some great food. These special friends have been beside us all the way through this cancer. They have brought meals, moved furniture, run errands, driven me to clinics but most importantly they have prayed without ceasing for this old man and my lovely bride. They are always there lifting prayers to heaven for us and for this we are eternally grateful. I would like to recognize them though many of you will not know their names. They are as follows: Rollie and Merlyn Bevers, Paul and Marcy Kreager, Joe and Laura Lynn Swafford, Steve and Dawn Renee Flynt, Jim and Kathy Stewart and of course Sharon and I. We along with these couples have been doing life together for over a year and we have become as close as a family. We have spent many hours learning together as we pour over God's Word. We have prayed for one another and our families. We have spent much time weeping together during trials and tests and also from joy of answered prayers. God truly brought us together for such as time as this and I know that with my Cancer that God had a plan long before my diagnosis that these folks would be there for Sharon and I.

My quiver is full and my heart bursts with love for all of you. How can we ever truly thank you all for your love and caring.

Doug

JOBS

2010-08-02T08:43:00.000-07:00

I awakened thinking about jobs I have had during my life. I have not actually been working now for several weeks due to my illness so I have created a new job that I am now doing. I am monitoring old TV series now shown on TV Land network. One show in particular is the Andy Griffith show. As many of you did I grew up watching this show weekly. I have watched thirty or more of the old reruns and discovered something I must have missed while watching this show growing up. There was evidently a time when Andy did not have a deputy? It must have happened after Barney left the show and the new deputy came on board. I have watched several shows lately with no deputy and they have used Goober, Floyd, Howard and other characters more to take up the slack. I have noted several other interesting points about the show that I will try to share later. One thing I will share with you is the target audience for these shows. It seems to be immobile senior adults. The scooter store is the main sponsor along with life alert. Not sure I am ready for this group but it's all a part of my new job.

Now to talk about jobs I have held in my lifetime. I believe that God puts us in situations or jobs that help build us into the people we become as we grow older. The experience of each job contributes to our ability to do the job that is really the one we are called to do. So I count each experience or job as a great benefit to my skills and ability. I will list the jobs as best I can in the order they occurred.

1. Landscape worker: When I was about nine years old I began mowing yards. My dad furnished a lawn boy mower and I entered this business with my uncle. My uncle Duane was the foreman or director of our business. I think because he was older (he was 10) and he had a yazoo mower. Many of you may not even know what a yazoo mower is but it was a heavy duty all steel red lawn mower. Sometimes the mowers were trimmed in yellow. They were manufactured in Yazoo City, Mississippi. They were purchased by those who were serious about mowing and a homeowner would feel very confident if the lawn mowing service had a yazoo. My little lawn boy was more of a finesse mower but did hold up well. Duane as the boss would go to the door to inquire about mowing the yard. I would stay hidden until the transaction was done. We did pretty well as we probably were paid $5 to $10 per yard. We had to push our mower from job to job or maybe ride our bike and pull it by hand. We had no weed eaters, edgers, etc. It was all handwork, no riding equipment, no self propelled etc. The biggest thrill about this job was the cold Mountain Dew you could buy for 5 cents after completing your work. Duane was a good boss and we both worked hard and earned a lot of money for nine or ten year olds.

2. Miscellaneous jobs: All boys my age worked at one time or another hauling hay and that type of summer work. One of the more interesting jobs I had was cleaning bricks. A local man bought an old brick building and wanted to use the old bricks to build a new house. The bricks were caked with mortar that had to be cleaned off. The method used was nails driven through a 2 x 12 board and each cleaner was given a board. We would scrape the bricks across the bed of nails (horrible sound and felt like scratching a blackboard) in order to clean the bricks. We were paid by the brick (about one penny each) so you had to really work to make 50 cents an hour. This job helped after school and Saturdays to earn some extra money.

3. Turkey Catcher: In my teen years, many farms grew turkeys outdoors on the range. We were hired to catch two big Tom Turkeys at a time and hold them by their wing joints and present the breast area to the technicians who blood tested, vaccinated and gave each bird a pill for Cholera. These birds weighed twenty to twenty five pounds each. We also did the same for hens (much smaller) at a later time. This job was a lot of fun after a heavy rain when you had to tromp through mud and manure all day in the heat to do this job. Don't remember what we were paid but it was not enough.

4. One Hour Martinizing: I did janitorial work for a dry cleaner along with waiting on customers after school and even closing the store each evening. I was only around thirteen or fourteen when I received this job. One of the highlights is that a few evenings a week I got to work with older teenage girls. About this time my hormones were in high gear and I did everything possible to steal a kiss from these girls. They finally got tired of my antics and allowed me an occasional kiss, for which I am ever grateful. I think I made 70 cents per hour and worked there for a couple of years.

5. Farm laborer: I began working for Tyson Foods the summer of my sixteenth year. The first day was pretty cool in that we (my good friend Jim Shepherd) and I were allowed to ride horses and round of cattle for vaccination and other medical procedures. I thought we were in heaven. Reality set in a few days later though when we had to haul hay in the daytime. We were paid $1.10 an your as I recall with no overtime, so you really earned your money. Later our real job we were hired for began. We shoveled manure from research houses and worked for a colorful pair of guys. Our foreman was named Glen and his asst. Junior. These guys liked to drive to Tontitown every afternoon and buy some really cheap beer and wine. They would drink all afternoon while Jim and I worked. We shoveled all types of manure including liquid manure from caged layers (really great experience). We also did some fun jobs such as bush hogging various Tyson farms, drove trucks and had a variety of jobs that taught us both how to do many different types of farm work that helped us later in life as we both ended up working in the poultry business.

6. Newspaper proof boy: I began working at the local newspaper running proofs of ads out to all the advertisers to check for errors prior to publication. After the ad ran I would deliver tear sheets (copies of the ads) to the stores to post on windows etc. This was a great job as I got to drive my car (paid me mileage) and run around all over town. This was a lot of freedom and paid me pretty good for a Junior in high school. I kept this job until I graduated from high school.

7. Newspaper Ad Sales: After high school I began calling on customers for the newspapers and was paid a salary plus commission. I was pretty good at this and made some good money at the same time. I was making such good money at an early age that I really did not see any value in attending college. This of course was a mistake but it was my choice. I continued in the newspaper work for several years.

8. Director of Advertising/Sales Promotion for Sears Roebuck: I was hired by the big Sears store in the new Northwest Arkansas Mall to manage all the advertising/marketing for the store. This was a pretty good position. My boss was a guy named Ken Perkin and I owe him a debt of gratitude for teaching me all he did. I worked at this job for about five years when Sears started down sizing and doing away with our positions.

9. Farm Manager: I was hired with no experience to manage a primary breeder farm for Tyson. I owe this job to the fact that I had worked summers in high school for Tyson on the research farms and that my dad worked for Tyson. Dad was in charge of all hatcheries for Tyson, so this opened the door for my. I was twenty-five years old and suddenly managing a fourteen hundred acre farm with sixty chicken houses, a hatchery and about fifty hard nosed mountain folks. Most of the folks were related so when you made one made you had all of them mad at you. My boss was a guy named Ed Rice. Ed was probably the greatest boss I ever had. He would spend hours teaching me about poultry science, husbandry, genetics, how to manage people, etc. I actually became pretty good at this job after a year or so. After seven years I had peaked in this position and Leland Tollett the president of Tyson called with a new challenge.

10. Director of rendering: What in the world is rendering I wondered? I had never heard of this type of plant but Leland had a need for someone to manage this business for Tyson. Rendering is basically taking all the inedible parts of the chicken and cooking (removing water) and producing from this a pet food ingredient. Also we made a liquid fat for livestock feed and feather meal. The job really came down to this: You eat the best and we handled the rest. It was a dirty, stinking job but a highly profitable, capital intense business. It was the most challenging business I had ever been a part of. We had six small plants attached to processing plants. Over the next few years we closed the little plants and build one monster plant, located in Clarksville, Arkansas. I spent the next few years hiring managers, developing new managers and getting this plant built and operational. It is still operating today.

11. Director Tyson Animal Goods Group: This included the rendering business, fresh and frozen pet food ingredients, ingredients for hot dogs/specialty meat products, etc. Anything not a first line poultry product fell into our department. This job included a sales staff, operations, engineering, R&D. It was an integral part of the business at Tyson and I worked in this area until about 1996.

12. Owner/operator of True Value Hardware, Holiday Island, Arkansas: This was a job I always wanted to try. I wanted to work for myself and operate a going business. We build this new store from the ground up and started from scratch. We were doing pretty well the first few years but then 9/11 occurred and our business went into the tank. We lost all our savings in this business and it was a test that Sharon and I lived through but truly challenged us in our faith, etc. We came out with no assets but a much stronger marriage and and stronger faith and belief in God. We had many great experiences during this time that we will never forget.

13. Director of Business Development: I started over in the rendering business in 2003 with American Proteins. We located in Alabama where we stayed about sixteen months and transferred to our current home in Cumming, Georgia. I am in charge of all contracts with poultry companies for rendering services. It really is the job I was created for. I currently am unable to work due to my illness but it has been a great seven years I have spent with the folks at API. I was truly taken in and they have taken care of us. I have learned more about our business than at any time in my career.

I thank God for all the experiences I had in my lifetime. For the great people I came to know I will be forever grateful. Our work is important as it provides for our families but it also brings us into contact with many great people who help us to become who we are. We should value the jobs we have and the people we work with. Hope this was not too boring to the readers today.

Doug

The Next Chapter

2010-07-17T06:25:00.000-07:00

It has been months since my last blog. I lost interest and became busy with other activities. Now it seems I have a new reason to share my thoughts with you. My wife Sharon and I began seeking a diagnosis for a medical problem I was experiencing in April and May. Finally after many weeks we discovered that I have lung cancer and according to my Doctor it is not curable. That will take the wind out of your sails and turn your life upside down. I will try to tell our story below and where we are today.

A few weeks ago we were given the news by our Doctor and you wonder how you will react? Sharon and I had that peace that passes all understanding encompass us in that office and we walked out together with a purpose to live for. The first thing I wanted to do was visit the local Barnes and Noble and buy a new Bible for this next chapter in our lives. My favorite Bible has been with me for over thirty years and is worn, coffee and tear stained and written in to the point that it can be difficult to read. I chose a Max Lucado study Bible that is broken down with daily readings and study notes. The very first day I began to read this Bible was July 10th. That day's reading included 1 Chronicles 16:12. This verse says "In the thirty-ninth year of his rule, Asa got a disease in his feet. Though this disease was very bad, he did not ask for help from the Lord, but only from the doctors. Then Asa died in the forty-first year of his rule." As has happened many times to me over the years I was blown away by this message from God. Of course Sharon and I and our friends visited with the Lord long before we talked with the doctors. We continue to seek His wisdom in all things and we know that our situation is in His hands.

I want to say that this trusting in God happened long before my cancer. I made up my mind many years ago that no matter what the situation I would trust God. This give us much comfort for what lies ahead. I will tell you that a million questions go through your mind as the news sinks in. The unknown can be scary, but I really wonder what I would do without the Lord Jesus sitting beside me holding me up. That would be very scary to face this situation without His strength.

I am very early in this journey and I know that unless the Lord intervenes there are some tough days ahead for us. Where I am trying to get to is the place where I value each and every day and utilize each day to it's fullest. The physical limitations are there but I am praying for strength to overcome these.

There are always more people to thank for help and you don't want to leave any out, but I especially want to thank Sharon for standing by me and also my family for always being there. Our friends at Church have been wonderful and we don't know how we would have made it without them. Finally the folks I work with have been there for us and we thank you and want you to know that we love you very much. As strength allows I will try to update this blog with any new thoughts or insights.

A Century Turns

2010-02-23T16:06:00.000-08:00

Hello to my friends. Once again my busy life has consumed much of my free time. I have been blessed with two trips with customers on a quail hunt in South Georgia. Hunting quail in a southern pine Forest is a wonderful experience. The beauty of massive oaks draped in Spanish moss is something you don't see every day. In the midst of this traveling I completed reading a new book by William (Bill) Bennett, titled "A Century Turns".

This book is a true history book. While I must admit that I don't spend a lot of time delving in historical writing. This book however is a history of our country through the Bush One presidency all the way to our present leader Barrack Obama. I truly can say that each day I looked forward to my time with this book. I learned many things about the nineties that slipped by me when I was living during this time. Each presidency was analyzed with insights that few of us have the opportunity to hear during the actual time in which they take place.

I learned that I truly liked the Bush One presidency far more than I realized. President Bush made decisions that were right for our country and for this he was relegated to only one term. I also learned that Bush Two was not quite the man his father was. Perhaps it was the situations that he found himself in that caused some decisions that were not the best for the country. Each President during the nineties and the turn of the century are looked at from a historical perspective. It is also interesting how decisions made in early 2000 to 2008 will affect each of us for years to come.

I felt that Bennett writes from an unbiased viewpoint and really tells the story of a twenty year period of turmoil, terrorist attacks, economic disaster, social ills and all the good bad and ugly of our country during this time. His book will be used as a source of history recorded during these turbulent years. He also tells of where we are today and the challenges we face.

Did the book encourage me as an American for the days that lie ahead? I am not sure as I write this review that I know the answer to this question. He did help me understand how some decisions, good and bad are made during times of crisis. Mr. Bennett served during the Reagan and Bush One presidencies and has enjoyed a seat near great men who served our country. He writes from a perspective that few have experienced.

I think anyone that will take the time to read this book will walk away with a better understanding of where we have been as a country and where we are heading. I think that any serious student of history should read this book and even the person with a casual interest will find this book rewarding and enlightening. It is well worth the time spent and the person will be rewarded with much knowledge of our history and the future.

A Million Miles in a Thousand Years

2010-02-03T15:49:00.000-08:00

I just finished a new book by Donald Miller. The title is "A Million Miles in a Thousand Years." The author said this book is about what he learned while editing his life. The book describes a situation where a company was making a movie about the author's life. The author realized early on that his life was not worthy of writing a book about or making a movie. He realized luckily at a young age (mid-thirties) that he was not writing a very good story about his life. He did something about it and began to take on various challenges, such as climbing mountains in Peru and riding cross country from Los Angeles to the East Coast ( a two month bide ride). He also begain his greatest work....starting a mentoring program for fatherless children.

Miller points out that we all have a story to tell. Some are exciting some rather bland. He describes in the book that "a story is a character who wants something and overcomes conflict to get it." He goes on to say "if I have a hope, it's that God sat over the dark nothing and wrote you and me, specifically into the story, and put us with the sunset and the rainstorm as though to say enjoy your place in my story. The beauty of it means you matter, and you can create within it even as I have created you.

This book is not an action packed adventure, but a man pouring out his heart about his place in this life and the story his life will tell. Yet I found myself unable to put the book down. I read this book in a few nights and know that I must reread it for all the nuggets hidden in it's pages. While this is the first book I have read by this author I know that I will read his other works.

Now to my problem with applying this book. The author as stated is in his mid to late thirties. I am in my late fifties. Am I too late to edit my story and make it an exciting life? I believe that God writes a story for each of us. The question is do we live the story? Or do we live aimless lives, rolling with the flow and taking life as it comes? Can we make our latter years more exciting than our early years? My faith tells me that we can start where we are, today. We can make the most of the time God has given us.

I can say unequivocally.....buy this book....buy it today. It will change your outlook. It will change your life. I believe with all my heart that God ordains books such as this in the hopes that His children will live their stories as he wrote them. It is never too late to start. Today is the first day of the rest of your lives. Again the book is titled....A Million Miles in a Thousand Years by Donald Miller.

A Boring Life??

2010-02-03T15:18:00.000-08:00

Dear friends,

It has been many days since my last post and for this I apologize. It seems that things were so busy for a while that I got out of the habit of writing on a regular basis. I also began thinking that nothing really significant was going on in my life, so why bother with taking your time to read rambling from a boring life. I sat back today and realized that I really have been lazy. It is easier to sit in front of the tube than to share with friends via my blog. I also realized that I have in fact had a rather eventful life for the past 30 days. I will try to recap my life and forgive me if I get a date wrong, etc.

December 22nd: Drove straight through from Cumming, GA to Dallas, Tx to spend the holidays with my family.

December 24th: Witnessed the first white Christmas in Dallas since 1910.

December 25th: Enjoyed Christmas with my daughter and her family. My first Christmas with our newest "Baby Mary".

December 25th: Drove part way to Oklahoma City in slush, ice and snow. We spent the night in Gainesville, Tx. and enjoyed IHOP for dinner. I realized that I had eaten breakfast three meals in a row.

December 26th: Arrived in Oklahoma City. OKC had an all time record snowfall 14". My son's driveway had 4 to 5 ft. snow drifts. Temps were in the teens for a high. We celebrated a late Christmas with my son and his wife Jama and daughters Avery and Reagan. It was a time of joy. My daughter Holly and husband Mike and daughters Mary, Anna and Ellie joined us. It is a rare treat when all my kids and grandchildren are together at one time.

December 27th: My power window became inoperable (in the open position) while paying a toll at the toll booth. Drove around OKC in frigid weather with the windows open.

December 28th: Spent the day trying to get the window fixed. I finally was successful.

December 29th: My sons car had recently been pushing snow during the blizzard and lost a serpentine belt. To get to the belt the bumper had to be removed as well as a front tire and wheel. This was all done in cold temps. We finally decided we did not have the tools to do the job and had to reassemble the bumper and wheel and called a wrecker and paid a mechanic to fix the problem.

December 29th continued: My son's sink stopped up. We crawled on the roof and tried to unstop the vent, then tried to unstop the drain outside (in frigid weather). My son's father-in-law joined the fun and we disassembled the sink trap and unplugged one drain. In the process we broke a compression ring. Luckily there was a spare in the garage. We put it all back together and discovered the same problem with the other sink. Again we broke the compression ring...this time no spare. Drove 25 mile round trip and bought several compression rings and we cleaned the drain, reassembled and all worked well.

December 29th Continued: Celebrated my wife's 60th birthday and daughter-in-law Jama's (not sure how many) birthday at a great restaurant in OKC.

December 30th: during the evening I contracted a stomach virus. We had two rooms at the Hampton Inn in OKC (long story why we had two rooms). My wife and granddaughters were thankfully in one room and I was in the other. I spent six hours on the throne with a trash can in my hands (and read a good book in the midst of this problem). I don't need to describe what was going on but it was not a pleasant experience.

December 31st: We left for Springdale, Arkansas with clear roads to visit my dad and his wife. It was an uneventful trip. We had a nice dinner with dad and my brother and a nice visit with Dad and his wife. We spent the night in the Hampton Inn and were both asleep well before the new year.

January 1st, 2010: We celebrated the new year by driving straight through to our home in Cumming, GA. This was about 800 miles.

January 2nd/3rd: We crashed to get over the trip. Watched a few ballgames and slept.

January 4th: Back to work in order to get some rest and of course to get caught up on projects after being off for two weeks.

January 7th: Off on a deer hunting trip with customers in South Alabama. Up every morning at 4:30 and to bed at 10:00 PM. No deer were present on the 7th or the morning of the 8th.

January 8th: Shot the largest deer in my life. 11 Point buck. The deer had a lot of character. The rack told stories about the battles this buck endured to reach a ripe old age. I actually dreamed the night before about this deer coming out of the woods. The reality was exactly like the dream. I felt a spiritual connection with this animal. It took a couple of hours to regain my composure after taking the deer.

January 9th: Back home again

February 3rd-4th: Preparing to go on an annual Quail Hunt.

Other than all these events it has been kind of boring. Sometimes we need to sit back and think about our lives and how really full they can be. It is a shame that we neglect to tell our stories.

A Real Hero

2009-11-17T16:33:00.000-08:00

It is not often that I follow a story in the Atlanta paper. I usually get mad when I read the slanted news and editorials, but the AJC recently ran a two part series that captivated my attention and Michael Carvell did an outstanding job in his story. The story is about a small town football coach and his struggle with ALS (Lou Gehrig's Disease). The story is lengthy so my small blog will not permit telling all the details but I will try to summarize as best I can.

Jeremy Williams is the 38 year old coach of Greenville, Georgia High School. The town of Greenville is about 90 miles southwest of Atlanta and has a population of 946. The coach married his high school sweetheart and has two children, an eight year old daughter and a six year old son. His son was born with spina bifida and just last week underwent surgery on both legs. This coach not only faces a tough future with his disease but as any parent knows a real fear for his son who faces years of treatment.

Coach Williams received a last minute scholarship offer from the University of Memphis and started his freshman year as the 5th string safety. By the time the season was to begin he had moved up to second string and right before the opening game the starting safety was injured and he was elevated to the starting position. He never missed starting a game for his entire four year career. I think it is very clear that this man is a fighter and he has instilled that same never give up attitude in his players at Greenville High.

The coach is a devout believer and he stated in the article that he knows that in Christ he will someday be cured. I don't think he is speaking of a miracle cure in this life but a complete healing when he is in the arms of Jesus. He has become so weak that he must ride a golf cart to the field and his voice is so low that an assistant has to repeat plays to the team. The players have the utmost respect and belief in their leader and their play this year illustrates this. The team was 10-0 before the playoffs and recorded five shutouts. The first playoff game was a 26-0 win over Pelham High School. The coach could have wallowed in the prognosis of his disease but instead has chosen to coach his team and lead his family for as long as he can.

I would love to write the ending to this season with a state championship but that is not for us to decide. The players will play the games with all their hearts and win or lose they will be champions following a coach who is a true champion of men. I think of those that we put on pedestals and commemorate as heroes and I can't help but think that this coach of a small town high school in Georgia is a true hero, the truest of heroes. He may receive little renown outside of Georgia, but he is well known by his savior for whom he lives. He is a true hero to his wife and his two small children. He is a true hero to a group of players who have watched their coach in his struggles and they know that he has never given up. I think those players, win or lose will never give up. They play in the second round of the playoffs this week and I hope you will join me in a prayer for strength for the coach and success for his players. I will keep you posted on how they do the rest of the year. I would like to thank the author of the story as most of this information came from his article. You can google coach Jeremy Williams of Greenville, Georgia and get a link to the AJC article.

My President

2009-11-13T15:52:00.000-08:00

I have about had enough. I lived through the last presidential campaign where the "anointed one" ran against GW Bush. I lived through co workers continuously slamming my president. I lived through the quasi media elite making fun of my president. I will admit that he is not nearly as eloquent as the "anointed one" but I felt that when he looked you in the eye he was speaking his heart and he was speaking the truth. He was attacked because he did not hide his faith behind some political ideology. He was who he was and that's all that he was. You know, he did make some mistakes and I did not always agree with all he did but I will never forget that when the twin towers fell and we were under attack I had the utmost respect for him and his ability during this crucial time. I will never forget his greatest speech. He spoke from the national cathedral and gave me hope during the darkest days that I had ever experienced as an American. He has conducted himself with dignity since leaving the presidency and I can say that the First Lady, Laura Bush has been a class act both during her time in the White House and since.

I loved the man and I loved what he stood for. I heard daily in my office the slurs, the verbal attacks on the man and his character. I did not always stand up for his as I should have but I think most would agree that if we ever experience (hopefully we will not) another situation such as 9-11 that we will all be wishing that George W. Bush was still around. He truly had a deep faith in God (not so sure about the anointed one) and while he did not push his beliefs on others, you knew where he stood.

I write this today because of an article that my daughter sent me. I have attached this article and I urge you to read it. The article was written by a gay rights activist who truly says what needs to be said. I was truly touched by the authenticity of the writing. One might think that the activist is upset by the lack of progress he is experiencing under the Obama presidency but I think it goes much deeper than this. I urge you to read it in it's entirety and you will see why I was impacted by this statement from a most unlikely source. This story includes an account of a visit that the former President and First Lady made to the families at Ft. Hood.

I close by saying that I hope with all my heart that our President will come to understand the gravity of his decisions and his actions. My fear is that he is controlled by others who may not have the best interests of the American people. Go to the link below and read this amazing article.

http://hillbuzz.org/2009/11/10/thank-you-former-president-george-w-bush-and-former-first-lady-laura-bush/

The Right Time and The Right Place

2009-11-12T16:09:00.000-08:00

I had an interesting conversation with a co worker today about the traditions of our churches. The conversation drifted around to the invitation that many churches give at the end of each church service. While I grew up in such a church I do not feel it is a necessity in order for one to come to know Christ. In fact I witnessed the pressure exerted upon people to walk an aisle. I can remember as a young boy the many ladies of the church who would go to individuals they suspected might not be saved and trying to talk them into a decision. I can remember young children who walked an aisle because a friend walked an aisle. I'll probably make someone mad but in many revivals counselors are used to begin to walk an aisle so that others would follow. I will not say that churches should not give an invitation. I think God saves in many different environments but no one method is a necessity for coming to know the Lord. In fact my church does not give an invitation, yet people come to know Christ and are baptized on a regular basis. I feel that there is a time appointed that a person will come to know the Lord. The conversation led to my telling a story of one such time.

I owned a True Value Hardware Store in Northern Arkansas for several years. I decided to have a time of Bible study for those of my staff who could choose to attend. We met on Friday mornings before the business opened. It was attended by myself, two ladies who worked for us, a bi-vocational pastor and a young man who had no upbringing in the church. One of the ladies was a Methodist who was devout in her faith. The other lady was raised in a Jewish home in Chicago. The Jewish Lady (Harriet) is the centerpiece of this story. After we began our study I asked the group if they had any preference for the study and Harriet suggested we start at the beginning (Genesis). I thought to myself that this was a great idea. Perhaps she would not feel threatened by a study that did not center on Christ or the New Testament. I knew that the book of Genesis pointed to Christ on almost every page but I trusted that this would be a good way to start.

We worked through the creation, sin etc. and about the fifth week of our study we came to the story of Noah and the Ark. In this study I described how the Ark was a picture of Christ in that the Ark saved people from the flood and Christ saves people from their life of sin. During the discussion I looked over and Harriet had giant tears streaming down her face. I asked what was bothering her and she replied.."I want that, I want to be saved". Well you can imagine the impact on our group. I instructed Harriet on the how to....simply ask Him and He will come into your heart and you will be saved. It was a great day of rejoicing for Harriet.

All this in the back of a True Value Hardware Store at 7:00 AM on a Friday morning. No music, no invitation, no pleading, no preaching. It was the work of the Holy Spirit in Harriet's heart. It was the right time, the right place....it was Harriet's time. Later on the young man was saved in his home with his wife. All of this came about because the Word was given and this was their time. God used our group to slowly deliver the Word to a heart that had been prepared in advance. Before we get hung up on our traditions let's remember that it is God who Saves. It is the Holy Spirit at work in the heart and we are just the one's who receive the blessing of seeing God at Work.

MOM

2009-11-03T15:48:00.001-08:00

I confess to a real battle with Blogger's Block...I have really not felt inspired these past few days. I try to read passages of scripture but nothing seems to budge the block. I think about timely political topics but more block occurs. Today though would have been my mom's 80th birthday. She left us here on earth two years ago on December 3rd. I hate to admit it but it did not come to my mind that today would have been her birthday until lunchtime. I was blessing my food at Subway and had finished my prayer when it hit me that today was my mom's birthday. The reason I remembered was that I overheard a lady in the next booth say that her dad had passed away on this day a few years ago. This quickly brought to my mind that today was a special day. I quickly bowed my head and thanked God for the blessing that my mom was to me and I thanked Him that she was with Him in heaven.

As the day continued I thought of mom many more times. In my day timer I have a copy of her obituary that I read from time to time. As I arrived home this evening my wife told me that my Dad had called and he had been to her grave site to decorate the headstone. My daughter in Texas called and she was serving one of our favorite desserts that mom fixed (banana pudding). She was serving it in some of mom's dishes. I think it is safe to say that none of her children or grandchildren will ever forget what a special lady she was. She lives on in our hearts as every time we are together there will be some mention of her life or something she said.

None of us leave very much behind of any significance. Mom did leave a legacy behind. We all remember her for different things. Her sense of humor, her love for family, etc. What I best remember was her encouragement. Mom was an encourager. She made us think that we could do anything that we set our minds to. We were capable of doing anything and she gave us all courage and a desire to do more with our lives. Mom was also my spiritual mentor. She and I spent many long hours discussing things of our faith. She was a reader and a writer....I think I inherited this from her. I often thought that I did not receive any gifts from my ancestors. My grandfather was a master carpenter. Some of our family are gifted musicians..I can't carry a tune in a bucket and every time I get my tools out my wife hits her knees in prayer. But mom did give me a love of books, of reading and of writing. I thank her for this. It is a gift that I treasure.

I am thankful that one day I will join mom in Heaven. Mom gave me the greatest gift I could ever desire...that of knowing the One who holds me in His hands. She showed me the way to my Savior. For this I say thanks mom and I also say that though you are gone my heart still beats for you and I love you now even more than before. I'll see you on the other side.

How to make tough decisions

2009-10-18T14:27:00.000-07:00

The most difficult thing in the world can be making a good decision. We all struggle with this regardless of our age, place in life, etc. We have all made bad decisions and we suffered the consequences of these bad choices. I can personally identify here in that I left a good job and started my own business and while I grew through the process I can look back and know that I made several bad decisions. Andy Stanley just completed a four part series titled "Your Move". This series dealt with some steps to making good decisions. As usual it was full of insight and how I wish I had heard this series when I was twenty instead of nearly sixty. I will try my best to keep this summary as short as possible, but my desire is that you could learn from this study. You can download this series at www.northpoint.org.

Andy spent four Sundays asking four questions to help us in making good decisions. I will list the four questions with a few comments:

Question #1: Am I really being honest with myself? Ask yourself this question when making a decision. Am I being honest about my desire for a particular thing. An example would be a newly wedded couple who are trying to decide on a new car. They have a desire to purchase a Hummer. Yep, 4 to 6 mpg but on the other hand, plenty of room, can be driven in all sorts of weather (big issue in ATL) and besides it is an impressive automobile. It will draw lots of attention.....I am sure these all sound like great features, but this couple makes about $60,000 between the two of them and the payments over five years are only $595/month with a fleece (lease). In Andy's words "we are on a happiness quest, not on a quest for what is best." Andy pointed out that the heart is deceitful above all things" Jeremiah 17:9.
Question #2: What Story Do I Want To Tell? When we make a decision we will later be telling this story to others about the results of a decision. My own story includes a bad business decision that impacted my life forever. What story do we want to be able to tell? Andy's illustration was from the book of Genesis where Joseph was tempted by Potiphar's wife and he withstood the temptation though he was thrown into prison as a result. Later though he could retell this story and explain that because he did the right thing he was in prison but the Lord restored him in a higher position through which he restored his family and saved Egypt from starvation, etc. So when you make a decision think about the story you will tell as a result.
Question #3: Is there a tension I need to pay attention too? When you are making a decision do you feel a tension in your heart? Is something telling you to hold on and reconsider the decision? This is a tension you should pay attention to. Christians will tell you that something didn't fit or add up and this was a red flag. Andy used the story of David in the cave with Saul with a chance to murder the king (who was trying to murder David) but something did not feel right and he decided not to harm the King. He later was made King by God. Charles Stanley (Andy's Dad) has a quote on his office wall that says " God will take full responsibility for my life and outcomes if I am wholly dedicated to Him." So don't make a decision if you have any second thoughts or tension in your life.
Question #4: What would be most honoring to God?" When making a decision ask yourself what choice would most honor God? Andy's scripture references are 1 Cor 6:19-20..."Your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, you are not your own, you were bought with a price, honor God with your body." Matthew 5:14-16, "Let your light shine so that glory is brought to God." Andy used examples of people downsizing in order to be able to give more to God's work of helping those in need. He also used as an example...keeping a difficult marriage together because it honors God. There are countless examples of God glorifying decisions that we make. A challenge Andy gave us was to use this criteria in every decision we make over the next few days.

In closing these are four questions to ask yourself when making decisions: to recap they are

Am I really being honest with myself?
What story do I want to tell?
Is there a tension I need to pay attention too?
What would be most honoring to God?

My hope is that we would all use these questions to help us in making the right decision....one that we can live with.

He Gave Everything He Had, that we might have everything He has

2009-10-15T15:14:00.000-07:00

He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but for the sins of the whole world. 1 John 2:2

No other aspect of our faith is more important than this one message. This is a message to every person, in every city and in every country in our world. This verse does not speak of anything we do, but about all that He did. His atoning sacrifice was the once, forever, for all sacrifice that took away the sins of the world....past....present and future. One time, forever for all. It is a message that knows no limits, no borders, no particular peoples. From the richest to the poorest, the smallest to the largest, the lonely to the lovely. It is for all people everywhere.

It is much easier to preach a message that makes people feel good. Perhaps a message about financial prosperity. A message about physical healing or a message of social giving to those less fortunate. These subjects all make people feel good. In fact when we give to those less fortunate it makes us feel good....but what about the sin, what about the sacrifice, what about the Savior (who takes away the sins of the world)? As Oswald Chambers says "Paul did not say...Woe is unto me, if I do not preach what Christ has done for me, but woe is unto me, if I do not preach the Gospel." The gospel is simple...a simple message about the Lamb of God who took away the sins of the world. The one who is carrying this message to people everywhere, must immerse themselves in this message...He was the atoning sacrifice for our sins....not just ours, but the sins of the whole world.

Today's post is from a verse featured in Oswald Chambers epic book "My Utmost For His Highest" I take the liberty to feature this verse and to phrase my own thoughts in regard to this verse. I would highly recommend that each person read Brother Oswald's book. It has had a significant impact on my life and I feel led to share this treasure with you.

My prayer for this day: Father, may I never forget the one who gave everything He had so that I might have everything He has. When all my important things have rusted or rotted, I still have the One who never perishes, who never passes away. May we give Him praise, honor and glory this day for His atoning sacrifice that takes away the sins of the World.

Where are we to go?

2009-10-14T16:13:00.000-07:00

In reading My Utmost For His Highest on this day, the great commission is the subject. The familiar verses found in Matthew 28:19 says "Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit." The key word here is GO! The question is where am I to GO? I love what Oswald Chambers said in his book. "Where we are placed is a matter of indifference; God engineers the goings, none of these things move me, neither count I my life dear unto myself....and that is how to keep going till we're gone."

One might read the great commission and feel that they must go to another land, another place in order to carry out the command of Christ. As Brother Oswald says.."Where we are placed is a matter of indifference; God engineers the goings." First Corinthians verse seventeen says; "Nevertheless, each one should retain the place in life that the Lord assigned to him and to which God has called him." In other words we should not be anxious to change our location or our vocation in order to carry out our calling to take the gospel to the world. I believe we are to stay right where we are unless strongly compelled by God to follow Him to another area or to a new vocation or ministry. Knowing that God is calling is the subject for another day but suffice it to say in the words of Henry Blackaby (Experiencing God).."that if you want to know the will of God for your life....then do what you know is the will of God." In other words do those things that we know God (from His Word) has called us to do. If we do this the direction, the location and the vocation will be revealed to us in due time.

Just before Christ proclaimed the Great Commission to His disciples they had joined Him in the mountains of Galilee and there they worshipped Him. In other words they spent some time with God before He called them to go (Matthew 28:16). It is no different for us. We must spend quality time with God before we are to go forth and proclaim His Word. In order to have a fresh message that is accepted by those around us we must spend time each day with God. In doing so we learn to know where God is leading us and what He would have us to do.

Now back to the GO of today's writing. We are to go to work, go to school, go shopping and go out among those people in our circle of influence. We are to live Christ amongst these people. Sometimes it will take an extended time with people before they are ready to hear our message. Having gone through various evangelistic programs including Evangelism Explosion, etc. I have found that to be to anxious (wanting to reach people on our timetable) does not always work. One first has to earn the respect of those he wants to reach out to. This is relationship building and it will in fact take some time. A second criteria is to be alert to where God is at work. I have found that many spiritual conversations with non believers takes place when the person asks a simple question about our faith or maybe something he or she heard that is in the Bible. Conversations also begin from something that occurs in our society. Patience and being alert to God at work are keys to knowing the right time to present our gospel.

So the GO is all about being prepared to do God's work in our world. Being prepared begins by spending time each day with God....in His Word. Step two is knowing that right now you are where you need to be and we need to not worry about where we need to go. When God is ready to move us to a new location or vocation, He will orchestrate this. Step three is to simply live a Godly life in front of others and to raise our spiritual antennae and be aware of where God is at work and join Him in His work. The going is not always easy but if we are not going we are standing still. As Brother Oswald says "keep going till we are gone."

The Basis For Your Beliefs

2009-10-13T16:39:00.000-07:00

Many an hour has been spent arguing the origin of man, the days of man and the eternity of man. You and I have heard every opinion imaginable as to the answers to these questions. The questions are simply how did I get here, how are my days directed and what happens to me when I leave this world? The question begs....what is the basis of my beliefs? I will not bore you with all the theories and belief systems but they vary from an accidental creation to evolution to a creator. I again ask the question, "what is the basis for your belief system?" When I ask this question to those who have beliefs that differ from my own, I never seem to get a substantive answer. The answer is usually "this is what I believe and I really don't know why but this is what I believe."

I can say without hesitation that my basis is the Bible. I have found no other document or explanation that can answer the key questions posed above. If you the reader can answer the questions via a viable alternative I would be happy to hear your answer. The question that begs to be answered is why do I believe the Bible holds the answers to life's most important questions. The following are the reasons I believe the Bible is God's Word to man as to the how, when and why of this life we live:

The Bible as any other belief system must be accepted by faith. I cannot produce a stack of documents to prove my belief. I accept the Bible by faith. Any other theory must also be accepted by faith.
The Bible has survived centuries. Attempts have been made to destroy the Bible. It is illegal to own and read a Bible in many areas of the world, yet it is present in these areas. It has been fought for, died for and is owned by people throughout the world.
The Bible is full of prophesies written thousands of years ago. These prophesies have been fulfilled on numerous occasions and are taking place before our eyes even today.
I simply cannot accept alternatives to the answers to those questions that have been asked by mankind over the ages.
The Bible is alive...it is supernatural...it speaks to me every time I open the pages and delve into the riches that are present in the books. My heart and soul are touched by the words written therein.
The Bible is full of wisdom, understanding, help for the hurting, hope for the hopeless.
The Bible is a guidebook to life. If one would simply sit down and read the Proverbs, it can change lives. It is full of wisdom pertaining to relationships, money management, decision making and other timely topics.

The question I pose to many critics is this: If you are so against the Bible and it's teachings and if you do not believe it to be truth then I would challenge you to read it! Before you are super critical of the Bible I ask you to read it. In most cases those who are adamantly against the Bible and the belief system of the Bible have never read it. They have heard from others that it is simply a fable and this belief is accepted by the critics. I challenge you to very slowly read it and absorb the words and allow it to speak to you. I would also advise you to start at the beginning as you would with any other book. Allow your mind to be open and let the words speak to you. This is a reasonable request that I would expect any critic to undertake before speaking against a subject.

I close with an excerpt from, The Hiding Place, a book written by Corrie TenBoom. Corrie's family hid Jews from the Germans during World War II. She and her entire family were captured and sentenced to concentration camps. In this living hell she and her sister lived among women from throughout Europe. Corrie was able to smuggle in a small New Testament and she kept it in a sack tied around her neck. She describes the little Bible and the impact on their lives. "Sometimes I would slip the Bible from its little sack with hands that shook, so mysterious had it become to me. It was new; it had just been written. I marveled sometimes that the ink was dry. I had believed the Bible always, but reading it now had nothing to do with belief. It was simply a description of the way things were....of hell and heaven, of how men act and how God acts. I had read a thousand times the story of Jesus' arrest...how soldiers had slapped Him, laughed at Him, flogged Him. Now such happenings had faces and voices."

There are countless similar stories told of the Bible and the impact it has had on the lives of people of all nationalities, ages, races, etc. It is alive. It is real and it is my basis of belief. This writing will probably not change many minds, but again I urge you to read it before you criticize it and write if off as just another book. Think about the history of the Bible and the fact that it lives on and is read by people all over this world. It holds the keys to eternity and is a guidebook to living out our lives here on earth.

Dan Brown...what is he all about

2009-10-05T19:40:00.000-07:00

I finally read the Davinci Code and Dan Brown's newest book the Lost Symbol. It seems I do not always read a hot authors books in a timely manner. I also read the author's books out of order as I read the Lost Symbol first and then the Davinci Code. I am not sure why I read these bestsellers at a later date..except of course the Lost Symbol (new bestseller)? This seems to be my pattern in that as an example I never watched Seinfeld during the shows airing. I watched every episode years later and I am a bit of an expert on Seinfeld episodes. I guess it comes down to when I find the time I delve deeply into the subject.

Now to author Brown and his epic works. I hungrily read the Lost Symbol and was impressed by the Author's ability to spin a tale. He keeps your interest up though he spends a lot of time on historical information. I found myself wanting to have my laptop close by to google his writings to verify if information is true. The one thing I noted was the education into some interesting topics such as the Masons, Free Masonry, etc. In the Davinci Code I found myself wondering about the true situation with Opus Dei and the Catholic Church. Again I complement the author for his research and his ability to hold my attention. One of my biggest gripes with some authors such as John Gresham is his inability to finish a novel and keep you in suspense. His endings are terrible and he has been told this on numerous occasions though he argues that his books keep selling so he thinks the endings are quite okay.

The one factor that I found coming through loud and clear to me was that I feel Author Brown has a hidden agenda. I felt throughout the reading that He was putting forth his own beliefs in regard to the origin of man and the eventual eternity of man. I sensed in the Lost Symbol that he was promulgating his belief in universalism. He felt that all religions lead to the same path...connection with God. As a Christ follower I could not of course accept his beliefs. I by faith accept that there is only one way to God and that is through His son Jesus. In the Davinci Code he puts forth the idea that Christ was married to Mary Magdalene and that through this union a child was born. I know that this sort of idea would stir the masses and create controversy and of course book sales. But I feel that Brown may truly believe this theory and he weaves this idea along with other radical ideas in the book. The mystery, the intrigue as I said are there and keeps the reader captivated.

My only fear is that if people are not well grounded in their faith that they could jump to these radical ideas and accept them wholeheartedly. To accept his ideas is to reject the true Word of God found in the Bible. It all comes down to faith and acceptance of God's Word the Bible. This is the case in any belief system. One can argue his beliefs for hours on end but when it comes down to it...it is faith that guides our walk through this life. As I have shared with friends who are not believers, I cannot prove my beliefs. I can share what the basis is for my beliefs and whatever one believes it comes down to a question....what is your basis? What is the basis for your belief system. Think about this. If you believe that many paths lead to God...I ask what is your basis for this belief? I can unequivocally say that my basis is the Bible. I believe it, I live by it and my eternity is based upon it. I ask what is your basis for your beliefs. I wonder what Author Brown has as a basis for his beliefs? We will probably never know. I do believe that the Bible is a supernatural work of God Himself. He framed it, fashioned it and it lives on supernaturally in our world. When it is read by a true seeker, it is supernaturally opened to the reader. It has meaning in the heart of the seeker and it speaks to the seeker. It is the basis for many changed lives. It gives hope for the helpless, healing for the hurting and life to the believer. My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus blood and righteousness.

The Best Church in America!

2009-09-27T17:54:00.001-07:00

Blessings to you and yours tonight. It has been a very good day. I wanted to share with you why today has been such a blessing...it started right. What do I mean? We began our day by attending what may be...no it is...the best church in America. Now that is a heady claim and how can one know that his or her church is the best church in America? Well you really can't make that claim but it is wonderful that you love your church so much that you make that claim.

I attend Brown's Bridge Community Church (BBCC) in Cumming, Georgia. It is a sister church to Northpoint Community Church in Alpharetta, GA. The founding and current pastor is Andy Stanley (son of Charles). I believe Andy is the most gifted communicator and leader of any church in America, perhaps the world. You could of course make this claim of many men, but for me he is the Man! Of course Andy is very humble and has no ego. He is all about growing the kingdom and growing those people he has influence over. A few reasons I think I attend the best church in America:

The church is full of people like me. We all are marred, yet redeemed.
The church has one purpose...to bring people into a relationship with Jesus Christ
The Worship is unbelievable
The messages are timely and non-threatening
Anyone is welcome and no one feels out of place
There is no dress code...come as you are
People are baptized regularly (this means people come to Christ regularly)
It is not about numbers or affiliations with any denomination
The numbers that do attend represent families coming together willingly and eagerly to share life together.
Small groups are the foundation of this church. You can't be a member unless you are in a small group.
My small group members are my closest friends. We literally are sharing life together...the good, the bad and the ugly.
I can be myself at BBCC. There is no agenda
I have never seen an invitation to accept Christ given, but people get saved weekly?? The people are going out to their workplaces, schools etc. and sharing Christ.
There are no business meetings...therefore no one is getting mad and leaving.
Buildings are not important. We have nice buildings but they are used to the max

There are of course many other reasons why I think BBCC is the best church in America but I think it comes down to this. I feel this fellowship mirrors the early church in Acts. The people shared everything. They met in homes. They shared food together and they shared their hurts, fears, needs and their lives. This could be why the membership is growing rapidly and new churches and new converts are being added daily.

I would never want you to think that I am saying your church is not great. That is not my purpose here. My purpose is to say that I am blessed to be at this place for such a time as this. God has led me here, God keeps me here and I pray that I never take for granted the privilege of being a part of this great church, among great people led by the finest staff of any church anywhere. We can do so much more but we are doing much in this shattered world. To God be the glory...great things He has done.

Small Groups

2009-09-25T17:09:00.000-07:00

This week in our small group we studied Philippians, Chapter 1. The topic seemed to be the suffering of Paul and how he handled adversity, jail, etc. It was a special time for our group. We delved into the wonder of community and sharing one another's burdens. We seemed to agree that doing life presents many challenges for each of us. We also agreed that God had brought this small group of believers together to share our hurts and challenges and that we should lean on one another. This is the way that God intended for us to face the trials we face. Man should not bear his suffering alone. This is indeed what friends and especially fellow believers should do in time of need.

One of the points made was that we are all in one of three categories. We are either in a storm, just leaving a storm or about to enter a storm. This same evening we all discovered that things were really going quite well for all of us. But we all understood that this can change at any moment.

As a grandparent I have learned that my heart truly aches for my little granddaughters. They are age 3 months to 6 years. All have blond hair and they are truly a joy. All was going well today with everyone in my family until I got a call this morning that Mary our 3 month old in Dallas had become ill. The visit to the Dr this afternoon confirmed that she has swine flu. Her temp is over 101 and as any parent knows this is a trying time as they really can't tell you how they feel, but her mom said you could see it in her little swollen eyes. I spread the word to my small group and other close friends and a wave of prayer rose up for her immediately. One close friend even emailed a prayer that was shared with other members of my small group. I ask all who might read this blog to pray a little prayer for sweet Mary...right now.

I close with a word of thanks to God for watching over little Mary. I know He has her in His hands at this very moment. Perhaps we are overly anxious for this little one...after all it is only the flu, but when a little one...so fragile is ill it breaks our hearts. I also say a word of thanks to my brothers and sisters in Christ that care enough for us to stop what they are doing and pray for our little Mary. This is why my small group is so precious to me and I thank God that He brought us together.

Wonder what President Obama thinks?

2009-09-12T12:29:00.000-07:00

It is cool Saturday afternoon here in Georgia and in the south football is always in the air. But today a rally is being held in the nations capital. The rally is a gathering of over 1,000,000 Americans who have come together to protest change. The desired change is actually a takeover of our country. The takeover is being orchestrated by a group hiding in the shadows. The representative of this group is our President, Barrack Obama. One sixth, almost twenty percent of our economy is the first target. This target is a takeover of our health care system. I am not going to get into any details....you have already heard the arguments. A second segment of our economy under attack is energy. The President hopes to pass the cap and trade (tax) bill. This will without a doubt increase costs for all forms of energy. We are kidding ourselves if we think green energy is the answer to our energy dependence problems. Once again I will not delve into the details..you have already heard the arguments.

The reason for my writing today is my interest in what the President thinks about this huge outcry against his plan for a perfect world. The dreams he dreams are for an America that mirrors Europe and other countries with government controlled health care and fashionable windmills on every hilltop. He dreams of electric cars, bio diesel fueled autos, etc. He has dreamed of a country where all have equal incomes (socialism) and a myriad of other cockamamie ideas birthed in his liberal dreamland. Americans are rebelling against his perfect plan and his lifetime dreams. They are spoiling his plan and in his opinion they are a group of malcontents who lack social graces and education.

It appears his plan will be to ram through his ideas despite the outcry and he must be willing to settle for a one term presidency. Of course one might consider the fact that he is in a hurry to get his ideas implemented with the hope that by the time the next election comes around the simple minded detractors will have given up and he will be reelected. After watching the rally in D.C. today I don't think America will have a short memory. In fact I believe we will see the rebellion in full bloom when the midterm elections take place in 2010. I believe this President is an intelligent man but his agenda is flawed and he can't see the forest for the trees. Americans do have the will to stand up for what is right. We have not yet slipped into apathy to the point that we will stand by and watch our country come apart at the seams.

I close by referring to my last post where I wondered what God might be thinking about our squabble over health care? God knows the end at the beginning and He has a plan for us. Though our President may not realize it, God is in control. I think God does allow his people to make decisions....even bad decisions. He allowed us to select this President (though many of us did not vote for him) and we are reaping what we sowed. But in the end God does have a plan, He is in control and His will be done. I think it is high time that our President spend some quality time alone. He needs to think about what his people (our country) thinks about his plans. He needs to realize that he works for us and that he best listen very carefully to what we are saying. He needs to stop listening to his large group of advisers and start listening to his boss. It also wouldn't hurt him to spend some time alone with God and listen to what His plan is. I pray that he would open his eyes, open his ears and open his heart. He needs to do what is right.

Wonder what God thinks?

2009-08-28T15:43:00.000-07:00

As I sit on my porch this evening, I am enjoying a beautiful (cool) August, North Georgia evening. My thoughts have drifted to a question. I wonder what God thinks about our national debate on health care? I cannot speak for God nor know His thoughts. But I wonder if He perhaps is amused by the passion we have on both sides of this issue? God knows the number of our days and He has a plan for each of us. I believe that His children are in His hands and that He is faithful in His promises to each of us that He will never leave us or forsake us.

I personally can see agree with opinions from both sides of the issue and I can also agree that it is a complex problem we face. I think back to my childhood and I wonder if my parents had health insurance? When I was a young boy I can remember the family doctor making house calls. Most of the time his remedy was a shot of penicillin. I don't remember him asking for our insurance card or even discussing payment. He was a model servant working tirelessly to meet the needs of his patients. There was no discussion of whether the insurance company would approve our treatments, etc. It is amazing where we have gone in the health care world. I also feel that we as a community and we as a church have failed in our care and concern for those in need. We as a society have become dependent upon our government to solve all of our problems.

The issues are complex, but I as a simple citizen can see obvious things that are wrong in our society. I'll try to list a few of these things below:

We need tort reform. Those in the health care community are very concerned about not being served with a lawsuit for malpractice. To the point of doing unnecessary tests to protect their practice.
We need to be able to purchase health insurance across state lines. It is ridiculous that we do not have the freedom to do this.
I read where about eleven million folks that earn $75,000 + per year choose not to purchase health insurance.
I also read that about eleven million illegal aliens are part of the uninsured folks in our country...many of these show up in emergency rooms for care (we pay for this already)
Many self employed people pay up to $20,000 per year for insurance, that features a deductible of $5,000 or more...this is ridiculous.
I cannot change jobs today for fear of losing my health insurance or facing a waiting period on the new job before I am eligible.
If I have a prexisting condition such as diabetes, high blood pressure or the worst case cancer, even in remission...I will probably be denied coverage.
Today, I must get permission from my insurance company for some tests/treatments. Many of these will be denied.
My doctor or hospital will not be paid anywhere near the charges for treatment.....again the insurance company denies the payment.
Medicare is broke along with medicaid and social security (government furnished and managed)
I am spending a fortune on taxes for the above
My company and I spend a fortune for health insurance and the price increases every year.
I wonder how many doctors today recognize a calling to their profession or are they seeking only a high income? I can't fault the income part due to the cost of education but feel they should be a group of folks who truly care first and foremost for the patient.
I notice my doctor rushes through check ups in order to minimize the time spent on each patient (insurance company driven)?
Finally, I once owned a small business and felt an obligation to provide insurance for my employees. The cost to my business was over $800 per month, per family. This was in 1999-2000. There was no way we could do this and stay in business. The current proposed plan would fine my business if I did not.

In my heart I realize that something must be done. In my heart the last thing I want is for the government to manage any part of health insurance and health care. I think both sides of this debate are sincere in their opinions and feel they have all the answers. I feel that neither side has all if any of the answers. The shouting in the town hall meetings does not provide an answer. I truly enjoy a group of people from all sides of the issue who sit down and honestly discuss the problems and the possible answers. Until we have more clarity I feel we should all move very slowly. There are unintended consequences to all actions and to move with haste will surely produce waste if not catastrophe.

Again I go to the question....what does God think about all of this? I think He may be amused at our uproar over this issue. Again I cannot speak for God but He must wonder about our dependence on answers from our government to this complex issue. Life is truly a short season and He numbers our days and He has promised that He will never leave us or forsake us. Our hope is in Him alone. In the meantime we will all sit and watch the debate....but it is comforting to know that He is in control.

OBITS

2009-08-16T16:51:00.000-07:00

I have always had a fascination with Obituaries posted in newspapers. Not sure why but since I was a young man I have read them with interest. Of course some of it is to make sure my name is not listed but also I try to keep up with those I know personally. Hopefully their names will not appear anytime soon. I confess that I go online everyday to my hometown newspaper...the Morning News of Northwest Arkansas. On many days I recognize one of my old friends or friends of friends or friends of my family. On a few days I have read of the passing of my own family members. It is also interesting that since moving to Georgia some five years ago I know few if any persons that make the obits page. I guess it comes down to living in a place for several decades before you actually know folks who make the page.

Now to what has intrigued me lately in obits from papers locally as well as my hometown newspaper. It is that with the passing of many folks there is no service planned. Most are cremated and they say there will be a service held at a later date. I really wonder if they ever have a service to commemorate the passing of a loved one. I also wonder if it is the economy that has caused this frequent choice of how to handle a deceased loved one? No casket, so service, no plot....just an urn placed on the fireplace or the ashes thrown to the four winds. In any case it makes one stop and think about what we should do when the death of one close to us occurs?

Many of the elderly (I don't count myself as one yet) go to extreme means to plan their funerals. They pick the hymns, what they will wear, who will preach the funeral, the pallbearers, the flowers, etc.... they call this a prudent practice, in that your bereaved loved ones will not have to make all these hard decisions. Having gone through this with my mom I can somewhat agree. I know my dad wants one song played at his funeral "It's party time" I can't quite bring myself to request this song and in fact I am not sure who sings this song.

On a more serious note, I have participated as a speaker at both of my grandmothers funerals as well as the funeral for my mom. It is interesting that I was never asked to speak at the funeral of my grandfathers? I have spoken at the funeral of a dear friend of mine. I am in the camp that feels we should hold a service for the deceased. I am not really sure about the cremation thing....I know that the spirit is not present with the body and that the body is simply an empty shell but I don't find anywhere in my reading of scripture that defines what we are to do. I do know that in the day of Christ that bodies were placed in a tomb and that they were wrapped in burial cloths and fragrances. I am not sure that there is anything at all wrong with cremation as it somewhat gives closure to the loved one we mourn. I know that when my mom died I thought many times about her in a cold grave and it truly bothered me though I know it shouldn't have as I know she was in heaven and the body was truly a shell. Still it bothers you to think about it.

I have noticed here in the south that visitations are huge and that funerals can have as many as four or five pastors to deliver one to the final resting place ( I don't really think of the grave as a resting place). I have also noted that decoration day is huge here in the south. Back home in Arkansas it is a little less elaborate but is still celebrated. There is a lot of grave visiting by my relatives in Arkansas and I too have visited my mom's grave on more than one occasion. I am not sure of the benefit other than to one's own soul.

I'll close here with my thoughts on funerals....many pastors think that this should be a time to present the gospel and scare the "hell" out of people. I believe that it should be a celebration of a life. It should be held to bring comfort to a family and help them remember the good times. It should include joyous music and even some laughter. At the same time it should recall the good things the person who has passed accomplished. It should note the Christian attributes in the persons life as well as the story of how they found God and there is nothing at all wrong with urging those in attendance to find this same peace. It is a sad occasion when the one who passed never knew God and it is difficult to celebrate at this service. It is important that all men come to know the Saviour as we all must face this day at some point. I do feel saddened when I read that no services are planned as I feel the folks involved have nothing to celebrate. I do know the maker of life, the preserver of life, the redeemer of life and while I in no way hasten my death I think I can face it realizing that it is a part of living.

North Point Online

2009-08-06T15:07:00.000-07:00

North Point Online hey guys....go to link and view the new upcoming event for our church. We will begin a church on line beginning August 16th. The online church will be from our Buckhead campus and be an actual live worship service beginning at 6:00 PM every Sunday. It will include worship etc...it will be great for anyone including small groups etc.....we invite you to give it a try.

I missed it.....

2009-08-02T13:58:00.000-07:00

Almost two weeks in Florida and finally back home and back to my normal routine. I realized this morning while attending church that I had not been in a worship service for two weeks. Little did I know how much I missed it. It is so easy to drift away from our daily walk with God. We get busy with vacations, work and even family activities. As I sat in church this morning I was overwhelmed with emotions as I eased back into communication with my God. He was there with me while I was gone though it seemed I was a million miles away from Him.

I have heard it said by many people that they do not have to attend church to worship God. This may very well be true for some but I am one who needs to be amongst other believers in a place of worship. It is so true for me that if I attend worship my week just seems to go much better. This morning at my church....Browns Bridge Community Church...we had a first. We were linked by satellite to our other churches. Northpoint Community Church, Buckhead Church and Browns Bridge. We saw and heard our sister churches in live worship...they heard us. I am amazed by the technology involved but more amazed by our kindred spirits linked by an eye in the sky. Our worship today led by Corrie Moon was simply a time of blessing. Corrie led us in Laura Story's song.."Indescribable" along with "Breathe on Me". I was back home again and I was drawn closer to the Lord. Emotion was swelling up in my heart...my eyes were filled with tears...it was good to be home.

Andy Stanley as always just simply brought it to us today. He communicated the mission of our church and why we do what we do. On August 16th at 6:00 PM we launch a new ministry...a church online. Our church will begin an online, live worship service from our church in Buckhead. It will include the worship music and the sermon each week. I reflect on the fact that my God has blessed me with the privilege of being a member of this ministry. I could be anywhere but God chose me to be here for such a time as this. Thank you Lord for this blessing. You should be able to connect on the 16th by going to NorthpointTV.org. If this does not work go to Northpoint Church.org and you should be led to the service.

I thank God today that I am back home. I also realized that it had been many weeks since we gathered with our small group and I truly miss this time. The summer has been loaded with activities to the point that we could not meet for our weekly time of fellowship and prayer. This also creates within me a void. By coming together with my brothers and sisters in Christ and sharing our trials and our victories we are drawn closer to the Lord. I do not believe that God ever intended for man to be alone. He has a place for each of us to join with others in worship of Him. I want to say a word to those in my small group....you are loved and you are missed. We must work hard to come together as often as possible as when we are together God is there amongst us. Don't know about you but I am ready for summer to end so that we can get back to our normal routines.

I

The guide to the almost perfect marriage

2009-07-29T15:57:00.000-07:00

Finally we are back home in Georgia after 10 days in Florida. Vacations are wonderful but I now need a vacation after the vacation. During my time away I was able to read a new book by two of my favorite people. They are Rick Burgess and Bill "Bubba" Bussey. These two good old boys from Alabama have had a nationally syndicated radio show for years. I first discovered them when I lived in Alabama. They came along after a really challenging time in my life and I was trying to recover from a difficult financial crisis. My wife and I were making a new start at age 50+ and these guys gave me a lot of laughter during these trying times.

They just finished their new book "Rick and Bubba's guide to the almost perfect marriage". Let me first say that I think it is difficult for masters of one media (radio) to sit down and write a quality book. I cannot begin to tell you how many great speakers (pastors) have written books that were far below the quality of their speaking. I think the biggest challenge is that people have enjoyed their humor on radio and to transfer this to a book is not an easy task. In fact with this book you also receive a CD with about twelve episodes from their radio show. The CD is hilarious and worth the price of the book.

Now back to the book. It is laced with humor but at the same time takes a very serious look at marriage and relationships. I think one of the things I gained from the book is that to have a happy marriage you must have a sense of humor and not take yourself too seriously. Also this book focuses on the need for a Christ centered marriage in order to survive the trials one will face in any marriage. These guys are not trained marriage counselors but the simplistic look at our marriages has many valuable lessons we all need to learn. I have been married for forty years and still find that a book such as this will help in my own marriage.

Near the end of the book Rick shares the recent story of the loss of he and Sherry (his wife) of their two year old son in a tragic drowning accident. I heard the story on the radio show as well on national TV (Fox News) and it broke my heart. Rick shares how he and Sherry are overcoming this tragedy and the fact that they did not allow this tragedy to destroy their marriage as often is the case when a couple loses a child. This story is very inspiring to any couple and made me think about how precious my children and grandchildren are. At the same time it is wonderful when one can suffer through a crisis with their mate by their side.

It is easy to recognize that Rick and Bubba are not professional writers...in fact on their radio program they many times destroy the English language but the reader will recognize that these guys understand the value of their marriage and families. They unashamedly put God first in all things, their spouse second, their children third and themselves fourth. The book will make you laugh, make you cry and is an enjoyable read. It is a bestseller on Amazon.com and worth the time you take to read it.

Hopefully now that I am back home again I can get back to serious blogging. Hope you and your family have a wonderful rest of the summer.

The Hole In Our Gospel

2009-07-19T16:28:00.001-07:00

I am enjoying a time in South Florida. I was able to complete the reading of the book, A Hole In Our Gospel by Richard Stearns, The President of World Vision. I am not going to go into a lot of the details found in the book, but I am going to recommend that everyone read this book. I would say that this book has caused me to pause and reflect on my standing as a Christian. I know after reading this book that I am not doing what I am called to do. In fact I would say that a majority of professing Christians have forgotten a major part of the Gospel.

Mr. Stearns has given us some shocking statistics in this book that woke me up to the dire situation the children and families of our world are in. The most shocking fact is that 25,000 children in our world die everyday due to hunger, unsanitary water and lack of medical care. An ear infection can be a death sentence. Mothers cannot produce enough milk to sustain their newborn infants. So what are we to do? We cannot solve all of the worlds problems and after all Christ told us that there would always be poor people among us. Also most of those suffering are not in our country. I have heard many people say we must take care of our own before we worry about the rest of the world. I do not think that God called us to worry about only those in our neighborhoods or our own country. We have been blessed in the United States and I feel that God expects us to use the resources He has given us to help those in need, no matter where they are located.

What are we to do? How can we solve the problems of the hungry thousands of miles away? There are excellent organizations including World Vision, the Southern Baptist Convention and countless others that can take our funds and maximize the value of these gifts to help the most people. If we help just one or a few we can change countless lives. One person directed by God in the midst of Africa can change lives all around him. It is up to us to give this one person a chance. You might say I am only one person. I am too small to make a difference. A quoted African Saying is "If you think you are too small to make a difference, try spending the night in a closed room with a mosquito."

Another hindrance for many would be that they do not trust some of the organizations that offer aid to those in need. Some of these might include World Vision or the United Nations, etc. The sad thing is that our churches have for the most part dropped the ball in having a burden for the least of these. Again it is not in our backyard so we turn a blind eye. This is not to condemn the efforts of all churches but you would have to agree that many of the mega churches have massive budgets but contribute a small percentage to missions. Should be spend huge amounts on buildings or feed the poor? I would say that I would be slow to condemn any organization or individual who helps the hurting and the dying regardless of their affiliation as the church has failed miserably. It was amazing to me that the amount of money required to eliminate hunger, disease and premature death in our world is a small amount in comparison to the dollars spent on other ministries by churches. I also think about the stimulus money being spent by our country on the most foolish things in the world, such as tunnels for turtles to cross the road in Florida when we have 25,000 children dying everyday in the world.

I can remember the debate surrounding the Aids epidemic. It was not our problem because the people contracting the virus were participating in behaviour that contributed to their illness and death. What about the children born with Aids? Is it their fault? Are we to turn a blind eye to this crisis? If we knew that a home full of children were dying in a fire and we could help them, would we? Of course and we would not have a second thought. Yet we turn our backs on people everyday only because they are not in our neighborhood or our community. We have an obligation from God to feed and care for the poor. I feel He will hold us accountable for ignoring them.

We are not all called to travel to distant lands to lend a hand to the hurting. But we are called to do all we can to support those who can. As you can tell this book has inspired me to open my heart to listen to God and what He would have me to do. I think each of us must ask the question "What would God have me to do?" I personally spend enough money on frivolous things to care for several children who are dying today. I could save lives tomorrow with just a stroke of a pen.

This book was put into my path so that it would cause me to reflect on my calling from God. It is a book that really stirred up within me a burden for those who suffer today. I know that I must spend some time digesting the book and what it is I must do. In some ways I wish I had never picked it up as it made me uncomfortable but it also made me realize that I have neglected a major part of the gospel. Our gospel is about more that getting fire insurance. It is about our obligation to reach the world for Christ. If a child or an adult are suffering we must first alleviate the suffering. The love of God will shine brightly to those we minister to. I invite you to step up to the plate. Read this book and open your heart to the love God has for the least of these and join Him in caring for them.

She'll Grow On You.....

2009-07-06T17:09:00.000-07:00

Ellie, my granddaughter from Texas has come to visit with us for a few weeks. I am amazed at the energy of a three-year old. She has had us on the go since arriving last Friday. How children can change your lifestyle. I have little down time and I am learning all about the attention span of a little girl. But oh how wonderful our grandchildren truly are. I am blessed with five granddaughters. Ellie is from Texas and has sisters Mary Caroline now one month old and Anna who is two. In Oklahoma my granddaughters Reagan and Avery age five and four reside.

I reflect on the joy these little girls bring me every time they call me on the phone and say "Hi Papa" and they are not bashful at all. They will tell me how much the love me and they know just how to melt my heart. While I basically give up all quiet time except for the early mornings...I learn so much about them while chasing them around the park or the mall. This past Sunday Ellie and I went to the park and she moved nonstop for two hours with me in close pursuit. At the end of the day on our way home I heard Ellie in the backseat say "Thank you Papa for taking me to the park" I said you are welcome Ellie to which she replied "I love you Papa". Talk about touching your heart. Tears formed in my eyes and I silently thanked God for the precious little girls He blessed Sharon and I with. I also am thankful for their parents and that God chooses to give little ones to young folks. We love for them to stay with us but I am not sure how long we could keep up with them.

As I close this post I say simply "Thank You Ellie, Anna, Mary, Reagan and Avery for loving this old Papa and for always telling me so. Thank you for the hugs and thank you for the honesty from your little hearts.

Shorts in Church

2009-07-05T11:29:00.000-07:00

One might think I am running out of ideas but this one came to me as I was entering church today at Brown's Bridge Community Church. I am nearly sixty years of age and my estimation is that I have attended church services on at least 75% of Sundays since my birth. That is about 2,200 church services in various denominations in the U.S. On many of these occasions I wore a tie or a suit. Gradually the ties went away and then we went to khaki slacks and polos, then no socks and then the khakis were replaced by jeans and finally today for the first time I wore shorts with boat shoes (no socks of course) and a nice golf shirt. My grandfather one of the greatest Baptist deacons of all time probably did a flip in his grave and I can even hear my mom talking about wearing your best to services.

It was interesting but no one seemed to notice at my church. It helps in that our pastor, Andy Stanley came out on stage with jeans, a polo not tucked in and that some of the members of the band have rings in ears, noses etc and that the common trend at the church seems to be not to put a lot of emphasis on dressing up. I truly think this is all a relief to many folks. They do not have to meet a certain dress code or standard. If they don't have the latest fashion trends they can still come to our church and feel comfortable. I do have a few hangups though about what one wears to church as follows:

*You really should wear clothes that have been laundered and pressed
*You really should comb your hair and perhaps shower and shave before attending
*I am not ready for flip-flops ( I guess I am still a little conservative)
*Ladies..I don't think swim suit cover ups are appropriate
*I do have a little problem with ladies wearing strapless gowns with tattoos on their shoulders
*Also I think bare midriffs and short skirts don't quite fit at church
*Guys I think you need to leave the logo tees at home as well as old SEC champions tees, etc.

It's kind of interesting that a few months ago I commented to my wife that a lot of the guys looked like they barely were out of bed when they grabbed the nearest pair of wrinkled shorts and t-shirts, threw on the flip-flops and headed off to church. As mentioned above I do have a bit of a problem with this but I find that I am perhaps more understanding in this age of dress down. I admit that I like the idea of casual wear to church.

I realize that the subject today may be a bit controversial as some churches today still require a stringent dress code especially for pastors, deacons and leaders but also for those who might want to be in these positions but I really wonder what God might be thinking about all this? I'll ask a few questions to sum up:

*Does God look more on the outward appearance or what's in the man's heart?
*Did the early Christians dress up for services or gatherings in their house churches?
*Were there fashion trends in the early church?
*How about more recently, let's say the 1800's, did men wear coat's and ties or a clean pair of overalls?
*Does the Bible spend a lot of time on fashion? I recall a passage about not wearing anything that might distract from worship, but that is about it.
*Is it possible to worship God and be touched by God while wearing a pair of shorts?
*Does it really matter to seekers if we are all dressed up at Church? Do they feel more comfortable if we are not overdressed? Do they feel that they don't have to fit a certain dress standard and does this make it easier for them to attend services?

It is hard for me to believe that what we wear can be a point of contention in many of our churches today but it is. I do know that I probably would not want to be a part of any fellowship that would think less of a person because they do not meet the criteria established by this body. I am thankful that my own church has figured out that this is not high on God's list of priorities for the church. I truly feel that He is more interested in what the person's heart is all about and what he does with the gifts and talents that God has given him.

Does all this mean that we throw away all tradition such as music, Bible teaching etc. Absolutely not. But when our emphasis on man designed criteria takes the place of the true reason for worship then we do have a problem in the church. Another question I will pose is why for the most part is church attendance and membership declining? Perhaps it is the inflexibility of the church in general today. Not meeting people where they are and how they are and the famous words of the dying church "we never did it that way before".

One thing I don't mean to do is to belittle those who choose to worship via traditional means. If one wants to attend services where everyone wears a suit and tie and sings traditional hymns and reads only from one version of the Bible this is fine. These folks should not however looked down on those who choose a different path. The gospel is the same..always has been and always will be...In the meantime I just received a pair of madras shorts for Fathers Day and I've got to get a shirt that will match for next Sunday's services.

Left To Tell

2009-07-02T18:21:00.000-07:00

It is a beautiful evening here in North Georgia. It is amazing for the July 4th weekend. This of course is a time when we celebrate our Independence. Over the course of this week I completed reading a book about a country that struggled with freedom. It is a true story of a young girls journey through the civil war in Rwanda. The story takes place during the 1990's. The author of the book is Immaculee Ilibagazi. The full title of the book is Left To Tell Discovering God Amidst the Rwandan Holocaust. She was assisted with the book by Steve Erwin. It was a great story of an evil time in the life of the country of Rwanda.

The young girl is an amazing young Catholic girl and her family. She was a brilliant student with parents who expected her to achieve both scholastically but also as a beautiful young girl. I don't want to tell the entire story but her native country was thrown into a violent civil war between the Tutsi and the Hutu's. During the struggle her mom, dad and all except one brother were violently massacred by the Hutu's. Many of the killers were neighbors and people her family had helped. Over one million were killed in this slaughter. The goal of the Hutu's was to eradicate the Tutsi race.

This young girl survived by hiding in a bathroom at a pastor's home. She along with six other women hid in the 4' x 6' bathroom for over ninety days. Barely with enough room to move, bodies upon bodies they survived. She lived to tell the story and of her close relationship with God through this ordeal. One interesting highlight is that she taught herself English while in the bathroom with no tutor. She went on to work for the U.N. but the most important point is that she found a way to go to the prison and forgive the one's who killed her parents and brothers.

My point in reviewing this book today is to express my confusion as to why no country came forward to prevent this holocaust? After WW11 it had been said by many that we should never allow what occurred in Germany to happen again. Yet we stood by and offered no help to stop this conflict. In fact France was the only country to move in initially though it was very late in the conflict. Eventually the U.N. sent peacekeepers long after the killing had transpired. Why would we allow this genocide to occur? I would very much like to hear from our leaders at the time as to why this was allowed?

Many feel we have enough problems of our own and do not need to become involved in another country's business. I disagree. We should never allow the wholesale slaughter of innocent people who are killed simply because of their race or nationality. It is our duty as the greatest country in the world (I hope we still are) to come to the aid of those who cannot protect themselves. Another thought I had while reading the book was why did these people not have weapons to protect themselves? The Tutsi defended themselves with rocks and sticks while the Hutu's were armed with Machetes and Guns. Perhaps it was not fashionable to own weapons or maybe they had no fear from attack. Whatever the case I feel it is imperative that we never lose the right to bear arms in our country.

I plan to do more research on this war and why we did not become involved. In the meantime this book will break your heart but it will also encourage you as to how great our God truly is and how He intervened in this young girls life. I am happy to tell you that she is now married to an American, has two children and works for the U.N. in NYC. She lived to share a gruesome tale of mass slaughter but also to tell of the victory she claimed through it all. If you get a chance check out this book on Amazon. Hope you and your family enjoy a wonderful fourth of July and take a moment and thank God for our freedom and say a prayer for the people of Rwanda.

Putting us to the test

2009-07-01T15:35:00.000-07:00

I think that God does challenge us from time to time. In a recent blog I wrote an expose on the Love Chapter in 1 Corinthians. Day by day I discussed the attributes of love. The first two discussed were "Love is patient and love is kind." I focused on these for several days and felt that I had progressed in these areas of my life. This brings us to the past two days.....

First my desktop computer at work crashed and burned. All of my spreadsheets, emails, etc. were lost (for now) we are trying to recover them from the hard drive. So I brought my laptop from home so that I could do my work from the office. This presented a major challenge as the IT guys spent the better part of a day reconfiguring my laptop so that it would match up with our system at work. I patiently waited on these wizards to do their thing and finally it was up and running. I am still patient. Then today my desktop with a new hard drive is online again. But my entire contact list is lost so I am slowly rebuilding it. I had to go back through all of my favorites list and locate them on the web and resave them etc. So things are going ok.

Now to the test of my patience and kindness. I arrive back home with my laptop and find that my wireless service does not work. In reconfiguring my laptop at work I lost everything at home. So it is time to call the dreaded help line of my wireless provider. Of course I am put on hold for over 15 minutes and finally hang up in frustration. I call back and ask for a connection to a live person. About this time I am reminded by the Lord that Love is patient and love is kind. I finally connect with a person and of course he is not a clear speaking American person. I have no idea where he is located but he speaks with an accent that makes it difficult to understand. I patiently explain my problem and he tells me that I must go to my modem and connect a yellow cable to my laptop in order for him to diagnose and solve my problem. Sounds easy but my modem is upstairs under a bed and I explain this to him in a nice soft voice. He says it is the only way to solve my problem so I take my laptop, my phone, my pen and pad and head upstairs. I move the bed, locate the modem and I find no yellow cable. I have a blue cable and he tells me that something is wrong but we will give it a try. I connect the cable and it actually works.

I am going to a new paragraph now just to break the monotony of this post. Everything works as it is supposed to and the technician begins to lead me through the steps to solve the problem. He is very difficult to understand and I have to tell him nicely on several occasions that I cannot understand what he is saying. In spite of this we work through the problem and slowly, step-by-step we reconfigure my system and at last it works and I am now back on line. My normal reaction to this would have been to lose my cool and let the tech know what I think about his company, being on hold forever, etc...but God through His Word had whispered in my ear to be patient and kind.

I think that God does use circumstances to test our patience and see if we really heed His Word. I am so thankful for this little test and that I was able to go through this and realize that He is at work in my life. The great thing is that I feel that due to my patience and kindness that the problem was solved much quicker and with less stress and I made sure that this tech person knew how much I appreciated his knowledge and his help. The lesson in all of this is to realize that many of the issues we have to deal with in our lives are simply tests of our faith and our application of God's Word. So the next time you have a stressful situation think about the fact that God may have put you in this situation to test your faith.

The Church....What has it become?

2009-06-29T17:14:00.000-07:00

Our world of many churches has become sort of like a shopping mall with every style, type, color etc. available to those who are searching for just the right fit. I wonder as I ponder the question above, what has the church become? I will not go deeply into what the church is, but it is not a building. It is the people who come together in faith and a belief in the One True God and His Son Jesus Christ. We come together to worship Him and to bring Him Glory. Of course we are there for each other to help one another through the struggles of this life. But our purpose is to worship and glorify our Saviour.

But the question begs...What has the church become? It is miles from where the early church began. In reading through the Book of Acts some descriptions of the early church are spoken of.

They devoted themselves to the apostles teaching(Acts 2:42)so they were a learning people. Are our churches today dedicated to teaching the Word? If so then people should be growing in their relationship with Christ.

They devoted themselves to fellowship (Acts 2:42)so they were a loving people. I feel they strongly valued the fellowship with other believers. A church must provide an environment for fellowship among believers. A great pastor and wonderful music etc. are just not enough. We must have fellowship with other believers in order to grow in Christ. It is such a blessing to have fellow believers to share our hurts and burdens with. It is a joy to share our victories together. It is just wonderful to be surrounded with like minded people that will let you be you. It is essential that you have a group that you can tell anything to and know that it is kept in confidence and that they are praying and pulling for you.

They broke bread together (Acts 2:42) so they shared life together. What one thing draws people together more than sharing a meal together? I think it allows us to share in the food that God blesses us with but also to share in a time of getting to really know one another. What is it about good food and good friends that not only fills our stomachs but also fills our hearts with love one for another. This was a common and frequent practice of the early church.

They prayed together (Acts 2:42) so they were a praying people. What is more important than praying together? It is a time of sharing our hurts, our needs, our burdens but most importantly it is a time for praising God together. I can think of nothing that Jesus was more devoted to than prayer. Why should we be different. I know in my own small group we are slowly learning to pray together but I feel it is delayed until the end of our meetings when we are all tired. I would suggest that this be how we begin our fellowship and I would bet that the fellowship, the study etc. would be much richer as a result.

They were together and had everything in common (Acts 2:44) so they were a united people. They were together much like a band of brothers. A close knit group that were very dedicated to one another. They had a deep love one for another. They left knowing that the others had their back so to speak or that they were in the hearts of the others always. They had everything in common. I think this speaks to their unified love of Jesus and each other. They loved being together and coming together.

They gave to anyone as he had need (Acts 2:45) so they were a giving people or a gracious people. They recognized needs and met them. They did not depend on the government to care for those in need. The grace that brought them to Christ was present as they were gracious in their gifts to the hurting, the helpless, the poor, the widows and the orphans. This is one area that I feel woefully short in my own life and I feel the church is the same.

This particular passage closes in verse 46 with these words:"They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved." I ask the question....is this the church of today? Many churches today use every method or trick in the book to add numbers and I think they have missed the mark. The early church described in a few verses in the Book of Acts the way to grow as believers and add to the church.

Let me close today with what prompted this post. Last night in our small group meeting a question was asked as to whether we could share communion together in our group? Would we need an ordained pastor, etc. I feel that without a doubt this early small group shared communion and I doubt they had any ordained pastors. I think they had such a love for the Saviour that they remembered Him at every gathering with grateful and loving hearts. So yes I think it is OK to share the sacrament together and we are remiss if we do not do it often.

The King is Dead

2009-06-27T11:34:00.000-07:00

Michael Jackson is dead. I have been around this planet for nearly sixty years and I cannot recall many events that have captivated the media the way this death has done. He has been called the King of Pop but I am having a bit of problem understanding the coverage this event has garnered. I as many sang along with his tunes on many occasions. I even danced to a few in my day. But this event has foreshadowed all the news on the airways. In Iran the country is being turned upside down, but Michael has gotten the news. The house of representatives passed the Cap and Tax bill yet it got little press.

I would guess that Mark Sanford and the democratic congress are most thankful for the distraction of this event. I am simply amazed that our country is so captivated by the passing of a fifty year old former star. I am not belittling the passing of Michael but it has received enough press already. We all are sorry for the turns his life had made but this is not the end of the world. I found it interesting that the only news source where I could get info on the Cap and Tax was on CSPAN. Even Fox News could not focus on the real news of the day. Here it is Saturday afternoon and the coverage continues.

The real story here to me is the wasted life that this man lived. He constantly tried to change his physical appearance...why? He holds his child over a balcony dangling him in the air....why? His problems with the charges of sexual abuse of young boys....why?? Absolutely blowing a fortune on who knows what...why? He was obviously a troubled man searching for answers that he never found. The confusing thing to me is why the obsession by people and the media in our world. He was a singer, a dancer, a performer. That was it. His impact on the entertainment world was monumental. People love his music, his performances, etc....but how can his death captivate our world 24/7 for several days? The king of my day- Elvis also caused shock waves with his death but nothing of this proportion.

The sad thing is that both of these men were floundering in their success...searching for truth they never found. They both discovered that fame and money did not have the answers. They both sought relief from drugs and they both were surrounded by an entourage to help them spend their money and feed their addictions. I guess the one question I ask is how we would have handled things had we been in their position?

It all comes down to what this life is all about. Our lives are not about ourselves. Life is for living to the fullest and for serving God and others to the fullest. When we have the proper perspective we will find that nothing except our relationship with God and others is of importance. God blesses us with many gifts and talents that were given to us for the purpose of bringing Him glory and impacting the lives of others.

It seems the past few days I have been drawn back to the importance of knowing your purpose and fulfilling this purpose. It is not about me and it is our responsibility to live life as God has predestined for each of us. We were created for a purpose and a mission that God planned before we were even born. Ephesians 2:10 says it all " For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do." At the end of the day and the end of our lives this is the question we should all ask....Did I do the good works that God prepared in advance for me to do?

The life of Michael Jackson has come to an end. The question I have is did he fulfill the purpose that was ordained for him? I do not know the answer to this but I fear that his was a life cut short and that he spent his years frustrated and searching for meaning that he never found.

This same week I attended a funeral for a man none of you knew personally. He lived to the ripe old age of 88 years. He knew God intimately and did all he could to fulfill his purpose. He touched many lives and he faced his death with a longing for the other side. He now sits at the feet of Jesus and I am sure Jesus told him "well done my good and faithful servant." He never received the accolades of the masses but to those of us who knew him, he did all that he was called to do. A much better end to it all than the life of the King.

Life Is a Short Season..How's your bucket list coming?

2009-06-25T16:54:00.000-07:00

As I sit on the porch tonight I reflect on what is happening in our world. This week Ed McMahon, Farrah Fawcett, Michael Jackson and countless others have left this world. A true Gentleman, Mr. Bill Carter also passed this week. You don't know him, but he was a former president of the company I work for and was serving on our Board. He exemplified Christ in his daily life and will be missed by us all for his wisdom, his attitude and his love of family. These folks are much like us....all struggled with the challenges of living. All came to know that life is short and our days are numbered.

I don't know where all these folks were spiritually but I do know that all of come to the same end. Life is but a vapor...here today and gone tommorow. I think of wasted days by all of us. Why waste the time we have here on earth? We should really live each day as if it were our last and we should count our blessings each day. I wonder what Michael would do if he had it all to do over again. How about Ed and Farrah? Would they live life differently? I would love to have the opportunity to hear from them if it were possible. Would their priorities be different? Would they cherish the little things?

I have come to realize that most of the things we spend our time doing here on earth will have little consequence in eternity. We should devote ourselves to those things that will live on. The answer is that men's souls are the only thing that will live on so we should be devoted to others. Our family should be high on our list. We have all heard of the movie The Bucket List. It is about doing all those things we want to do before we die. I am not sure if my bucket list is well defined today but it should be. However I wonder what would be on most peoples list? I would love to hear from any who might follow this blog about what is on your list. I am sure for many it would be a trip to some exotic location or some feat such as skydiving..etc.

My own list is somewhat completed such as the birth of my five grandaughters, the marriages of my children, growing old with the same woman but there are many that are not completed. I think my purpose as ordained by my Heavenly Father should be fulfilled. Am I working toward that end? Also I feel that my list should be to touch as many lives as I possibly can in this life...I am woefully short in this endeavor.

It is a good day to evaluate where I am in this life and where I want to go. One might argue that at my age I will run out of time but I think of some folks who accomplished more after age sixty than they did before age sixty. You can go down the list and find example after example. It is not too late to start fulfilling your purpose or your destiny. It is a matter of fixing on the future and not the past. Where are you today? What does your list look like. Share your thoughts with me and others. It is a good exercize that we all should go through from time to time.

Count Your Many Blessings...name them one-by-one

2009-06-24T17:53:00.001-07:00

I am back home after 5 days at Hilton Head. I enjoyed 4 days of golf in 100+ degree weather. Also 4 days of great seafood, etc. I stayed in a room at the beach and lived a charmed life for a few days. It is interesting though when I think about what I missed during my time away. I missed my home, my bed, my front porch rocker, my pool, my schedule but most of all my family. My family members are all in other places tonight. They are in Dallas, Oklahoma City, Arkansas and I have a son-in-law serving at a camp for children with severe disabilities in Missouri. As I sit in my chair I am thinking about how thankful I am for all that God has blessed me with.

I am nearly sixty years of age with relatively good health. I have never missed a meal in my life except for medical situations. I have never slept outdoors except by choice. I have been married to a wonderful lady for nearly forty years. I have two grown children who have given us five wonderful little girls. I have a great job that supplies our needs. I have much to be thankful for. On the other hand I had made a nice income for years then chased a dream and lost most all of my possessions. Yet God taught me many valuable lessons through this ordeal. Most of all He taught be about grace and being gracious to others. I have been restored financially and the second half of my life has been better than the first half.

I say all this to say that we should regularly count our blessings. In the book by Andy Andrews "The Noticer" there is a story of a man who was destitute and ready to end his life. A friend intervened and asked him what he did first thing in the morning when he arose. The man stated that he immediately started thinking about the things he had to do that day, etc. The friend asked him to try something new. He suggested that when the man was fully awake to jot down on a piece of paper the ten things he was thankful for that day and to do this every day when he began his day. This would then change his perspective.

I remember a song from growing up in church. The song said something to the effect of "count your many blessings, name them one-by-one". I feel that we get so busy in our lives that we don't stop and reflect on the blessings that God has given us. It is when we realize the bountiful blessings of God's grace that we can then be gracious to those around us. I mentioned earlier the time in my life when I lost all that i had. It was during that time that God began to open my eyes to His grace and His faithfulness. I had consulting work really sent from Heaven. I quickly found a job in Alabama. My wife and I were off to a new life in Alabama. We met a couple who graciously without asking built us a new home (our first new home) and financed the deal at a rate we could afford. I had never seen such graciousness expressed by others. Soon after we were promoted by our company and moved to Georgia. All this at fifty-four years of age. Our income has been restored but more importantly our faith has been transformed.

So I find myself counting my many blessings and naming them one-by-one on many days as I reflect on God and His Grace. Too seldom I find that I pass this on to others. The one thing I do know is that we all will be tested and challenged when life happens, but we should never forget the One who has us in His hands and in His heart. Take a minute today to count your many blessings.

Love always protects, trusts, hopes and always perseveres

2009-06-22T17:27:00.000-07:00

It was a beautiful but hot day at Hilton Head. First day under 100 degrees since arriving on Saturday. I played in a golf scramble that was supposed to be handicapped but my 21 hcap was the best on the team. Despite the lack of an A or B player we shot a -2 and it was a real team effort. The days have been very busy with meetings but the afternoons are free for golf.

I have arrived at the final day of the study of the attributes of love from 1 Corinthians Chapter 13. Today's topics are the always of Love. Love always protects, always trusts, always hopes and always perseveres. I think this verse speaks of the love we have for our mate but also the love we have for family and friends. Love always protects could mean from harm or disaster. I think it really speaks of protection from evil and the harm that can come from outside forces. It speaks of the destruction of marriages and families by society and from the enemy. As a father and a husband I know that my responsibility was to protect my family and keep them from harm. My children depended on my guidance to keep them from wrong living by establishing guidelines to live by that would steer them in the right direction.

Love always trusts in the other person. Our mates must trust us not only in the vows we took but also in our guidance and instruction. If trust is broken it takes a long time to rebuild this trust. Our children trust us to do what is right and also to guide their lives until they are old enough to go out on their own. Love always hopes for the other person and for the future. Love has a hope in Christ and His salvation, His faithfulness etc. Finally I come to the last attribute....Love always perseveres. This one I think is the key to any marriage or meaningful relationship. If a marriage is to last it must persevere through the hard times and I really think marriages must be built upon this principle.

Having been married nearly forty years I can say that every year was not an easy year. There were extreme days of testing but with a strong will and a trust in God alone we made it through the tough times. I also know that the tough times are not over. There will be more and again our hope, our strength and our hope is in God alone to carry us through these times. For I know whom I have believed and I trust that He is able to keep me through the difficult days. I think this is the greatest gift we can have to know that God is there, that He is faithful, that He will keep me and protect me. My hope and trust is in Him. The neat thing is that this gift is free and it's all I need.

Love does not delight in evil

2009-06-21T17:12:00.000-07:00

Love does not delight in evil. Had to think about this verse for a bit. I feel it means that we should not take pleasure in someone slipping into evil practices. It is kind of like when someone has a juicy bit of gossip to share and we listen with great intent and want to know all the details of the indescretion. This is especially the case in one we may envy. The verse goes on to say that we "should rejoice in the truth. Or our pleasure should be in sharing the word of truth or the good things about people rather than delighting in the unfortunate transgressions of other people.

So what does love do when presented with the gossip? It is difficult but we should explain that we are very sorry to hear about this and tell the person that you really don't want to hear about this situation. It is also our duty to pray for the one who conveys the gossip and to pray for the one whom the gossip is about. If we share in the gossip by listening we must also accept the fact that the one bringing this message of evil probably shares information about us that would hurt us very much. Again the right thing to do is to turn our ear from the evil and not delight in hearing this information. This is a witness to the one bearing the evil and tells them where we stand in regard to this practice. It is likely they will not share any information with you in the future.

This is nearly the end of the study of the attributes of love in 1 Corinthians Chapter 13. I sit at Hilton Head Island where the heat has been unbearable and now we are being blessed with a late evening thunder shower. It is fathers day and I am alone here on the Island and my family members are in Texas, Oklahoma and Arkansas. I miss them all and thank God for them everyday. I am about to go on Amazon.com and find a new book to read and enjoy the beautiful summer rain. May God bless you and yours on this summer day.

Love keeps no record of wrongs

2009-06-18T15:34:00.000-07:00

Love forgets....it does not keep a record of wrongs or past sins. Love forgives...it does not dwell on the past mistakes we have made. Love does not dwell on past failures or past sins. Our attitude towards those who have wronged us should be the same as God's attitude towards our sin. God forgives and forgets. This is not to say that there are no consequences for our sin. Either we suffer or innocent ones around us suffer because of our sin. However God in His Word forgives and forgets our sins. Therefore we should be quick to forgive others and forget the trespasses against us.

One of the problems we have in forgiving others is that we may not have accepted our own forgiveness. It is by faith that we believe that God has forgiven us and if we accept this gift of forgiveness we can then forgive others. I have heard it said that "we should keep a short list of our sins." In other words we should always confess our sins to the Lord and as for forgiveness. There is great freedom in realizing that our slate is clean and that we can go to God with a pure heart. If we allow sin to linger and do not ask for forgiveness this can separate us from fellowship with the Father. I can easily say that if we do not forgive others then we cannot enjoy fellowship with these same people.

In order to forgive others we must stop and think a moment about ourselves. We were forgiven by a gracious and loving God. How can we not then extend this same love to others? Our sins are many but we can go to the foot of the Saviour and He is quick to forgive us....again should we not be quick to forgive others? I think we all need a reality check. We are not perfect....we sin....we have within us a nature to sin...this is the reason we do others wrong.

What about those that do not ask for forgiveness? How can we forgive them if they are not humble enough to ask? In reading a great book by Frances Chan (crazy love) he talks about this and suggests that we forgive people even if they don't ask. It is all about realizing the inadequacy of man and extending forgiveness even when it is not asked for. This is love.

Life is much easier to live if we don't walk around with ill feelings toward others even though they have done us wrong. I go to yesterdays post with this thought....others treat us many times the same way we treat God. Therefore we should be like God in that we can forget our own feelings and extend love and forgiveness to others even if they do not deserve it. A great example is our children. They do wrong and perhaps they are too young to ask for forgiveness. We do not stop loving them and we look past their wrongs because of our love for them. Even if they are old enough to express sorrow for their inappropriate behaviour but don't we still love and forgive them. This should be the same for all men.

I have heard it said that I can forgive but I won't forget. This is not true forgiveness. Of course we will be cautious with one that wrongs us but we must open the door of fellowship and pray that this one will truly cease the activity that resulted in wrong behaviour. After all how many times did Jesus say to forgive others? I believe it was 70 x 7 or numberous times. Mankind is still under construction and he will mess up...but thank God we have a patient, loving Father who keeps no record of our sins...we should do the same.

Love is not easily angered

2009-06-17T16:52:00.000-07:00

Love is not easily angered. Seems like this one is also a difficult one for me. I have found that by going through these attributes of love I have been challenged each day as I write. God's Word has a way of doing this. My own spiritual growth program has been to take each day's topic and focus on that one attribute. One problem in a busy day is to stop long enough to focus on that one thing. You really have to almost write it down and glance at it from time to time in order to remember that you are to focus on it often. The real victory for me is that by doing this I have grown so much in the past two weeks by simply practicing these things each day. Also I have even heard a comment or two around the office that the folks there have sensed something different. So to God be the glory...great things His word does!

Today's subject is that Love is not easily angered. Now let's face it....it is easy to be angered in a typical day. Either by circumstances that occur or people that interrupt or intercede into our perfect plan for the day. They mess up our agenda. I think it would be great to say that I am never angered. Or perhaps to say it is difficult for me to lose my temper and become angry. By saying that one should not be easily angered is to say that maybe it's ok if you become angry when you are challenged repeatedly to the point that you finally lose it. I mentioned yesterday that I can only recall one instance where Christ was angry and that was when He wrecked the temple. All other recordings of His life on earth never mention that He became angry. How about God? Did He finally have enough and destroy the world with a flood? Was He angry or was He only doing what justice called for? How about when He sentenced the children of Israel to wander in the desert for forty years? Was He angry when He put the sins of the world on His only Son? I am not sure I can answer this but I can say that He was very patient before He finally disciplined our wayward world.

Now back to you and me. Are we easily angered? Do we lash out at the tiniest insult or challenge to our agenda? What causes us to become angry? Is it from frustration or stress? Do we take out our frustrations on others (more than likely those closest too us?) Is it because of self-centerdness that we become angry? So many reasons may exist but it is clear in God's Word that He desires that we be slow to anger. Again the Proverbs say that we should be quick to listen and slow to speak. Anger has a difficult time getting a foothold if we are slow to speak. If we think about our words and the impact they may have on those around us. Also and probably most important is if we think about how God feels about us despite our weaknesses, our imperfection, etc.....we would know that He loves us so much in spite of us. If we were to but learn to love others as God loves us it would be very difficult to lose our temper and become angry with others.

I will throw out one more question....a heavy one. Do we treat others like we treat God? In other words to be angry with others may be the very way we treat God? This is scary. Do I treat others as I treat God? Do I become angry and frustrated with God when things don't go the way I want them to? When I don't seem to have enough money or whatever am I angry with God? Perhaps if we really concentrated on God's blessings we receive and show Him the proper love and respect that He is due, then we might just treat others with love, patience and kindness. Some difficult questions that only we can answer with some real soul searching.

Love Is Not Self Seeking

2009-06-16T16:33:00.000-07:00

Love means not seeking for self or seeking those things that please only me. Love is seeking what is best for others or contributing to the lives of other people. This is not to say that we should totally forget about self. We owe it to ourselves to seek those good things that do contribute to a full and abundant life. I think we should seek out great books and other media to add to our knowledge and wisdom. We should seek out other people who will add dimension to our life. A quote I have repeated numerous times is that "we will be the same people five years from now as we are today except for the books we read and the people we meet." This is why I feel it is so important to invest a portion of our time in the reading of the Bible and spend time with God and with other believers. As a result we will grow.

Here is the problem. Many seek only those things that bring fulfillment to them alone. They do this at the expense of disregarding others and their feelings. It is all about me seems to be a prevalent attitude in today's culture. The real purpose of our lives is to glorify God first and seek to add quality to the lives of those that God places us around in this world. So many would automatically think that they must become a Mother Teresa figure in this world and take on a life of poverty and serve the poorest of the poor. I beg to differ with this thought. God wants some of us to live right where we are and work at exactly what we do, but He wants us to look around us and observe and meet the needs of those He places us with.

The situations we find ourselves in today is a fast paced life with so many man-made pressures and distractions that we can't see the needs God has put us in the midst of. So we must prioritize our time and our days. We should set aside some time to spend with God and then spend some time simply observing or noticing the needs of others. This is truly seeking to add to the lives of others. Instead we find that our time is spent literally chasing the wind and feeling tired and frustrated at the end of our day. It is amazing what you can find out in ten minutes of simply listening to others and not talking and not rushing. I truly believe that God has a plan that we are in the middle of. He has us there with the sole purpose of lending aid and a caring heart to those who are hurting or those whom He is seeking.

Henry Blackaby in the book Experiencing God spends much time on the topic. His counsel to us is to watch where God is at work in our world and join Him in His work. He also has a great quote about knowing the will of God. People constantly say that they just can't find out God's will for their lives. His advice in finding God's will is to simply do what you know to be God's will. Then the question pops up again...what is God's will? How about the first great commandment to Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul and with all your might, and the second commandment to love your neighbor as yourself. If you do these two things with all sincerity and purpose God will fill in the blanks on anything else He decides is His will for your life. Doing these things is to not be self seeking. Once again we have made the obvious simple truth very complicated.

I charge you today as I challenge myself to put God first, others second and myself third. If we do these things it is truly an act of Love on our part.

Love is not rude!

2009-06-15T16:46:00.000-07:00

This daily study of 1 Corinthians Chapter 13 is really tough on the writer. I must think through each of the attributes of love and how they apply to my life. I consider if the attribute is present in my life and if not what to do concerning this situation. I have learned that to write about these things requires me to focus on them. If I focus on them I am more apt to practice them. If I practice them they can become a natural thing in my life. I know this....without them I do not love others as I should. I think to hear Christ say that He is proud of me and my efforts would be the greatest thing ever.

Today the thought is "Love is not Rude". Another gut wrenching analysis of my own life and disposition is in order. Have I been rude? Yes. Am I rude even today? Yes. Is my desire to not be rude? Yes. To not be rude is to be kind and patient. Again one begets the next. If am patient, I am kind. If I am kind I am not rude. To whom are we most likely to be rude? To those we love and are around the most.....our mate, our family, those we work with. Why is this? I think the real person comes out when we are around them long enough.

Rudeness is in a way self-centerdness. Our view must be heard and accepted or we become belligerent and rude. To not be rude is to accept another view point and often to keep our mouth shut even when we don't agree with the other person. What do we gain from always airing our view? Momentary satisfaction that I have been heard? Is it pride in our own agenda that causes rudeness? Many things contribute but again I think it is putting self first and not really caring about others and their feelings.

One of the ways I fight this characteristic is to speak slowly. Think before I speak, listen carefully and then speak softly. This defeats our immediate reaction to lash out. Another cause of rudeness is that we take out our frustrations over completely unrelated issues and those around us suffer the brunt of our assault.

The thing that enters my thoughts at this moment is to be a gentle person. This does not leave room for rudeness. By being gentle I do not mean to say that one should be a wallflower with no opinions or one who hides in his shell. I feel that we will always have disagreements but these should not lead to rudeness. There is not a lot that I respect about politicians but I do hold in high regard the man who can be lashed out at and not lose his temper and still present his argument. This is a wise man as he will never accomplish his task to present an argument if he gets caught up in rude behaviour.

I think on Jesus and His reaction to harsh words, criticism and being treated unfairly. I can really only think of one time in the New Testament that He really lost it and this was in the temple when he overturned the money changers tables. I do think on the many times he was verbally and physically abused but did not resort to rude tactics or getting even. He left room for God to take out any vengeance. Romans Chapter 12 tells us to get along peaceably with all men (as much as is possible). It tells us to not return evil for evil. This is a difficult calling but one for which we will receive reward if we are faithful.

Once again as I have said from the beginning....we must focus on those things that we desire to change in our lives. If we have a problem with rudeness we must focus on kindness. The best thing we can do in addition to prayer for strength is to listen quickly and speak slowly. To think about the words we may say and to consider how our statement may impact those we are addressing. If we are rude to others how can we show the love of Christ to those same people.

Love is not proud

2009-06-14T13:21:00.000-07:00

Continuing on with the attributes of Love we come to the statement that Love is not proud. Our past two posts were Love does not envy and Love does not boast. If one is not envious and one does not boast one is not proud. I think about the word proud and I think of the fact that I am proud of my children and I am especially proud of my grandchildren. It feels good to have someone close to you say "I am proud of you". I think the key here is that we are proud of others and not of self.

The other word that comes to my mind when I think of pride is humility. The greatest achievement I grasp for is to be humble. I am not doing well here. I like many can get all puffed up about my accomplishments. Whereas God would have us to be humble not self seeking nor arrogant and especially not prideful. I mentioned in an earlier post that Moses was called the humblest man who ever lived. What a statement for one who led the Children of Israel to the promised land. Yet Moses was humbled by the days in the desert, the bickering followers and the insurmountable challenges. He learned that God was truly in control of his every movement and his every moment. Then I think of Christ who could sat in the heavenlies with the Father and left this position to come to earth. He lived as we live and took upon His shoulders the sins of the world and died that we might live. He was a humble servant and died a submissive death that we might have life.

Proverbs 16 says that pride comes before the fall. God says in His Word that He hates pride. It is all about realizing the God is the one who is in control and humbling ourselves and allowing Him to live and work through us. In my work it is easy for me to say "I did this or I accomplished this" when in fact many others were a part of anything we do. Pride is thinking I am great, I am brilliant...etc. and not acknowledging that God gives me the talents and the gifts to accomplish whatever I am able to do. Eugene Petersen's Message Bible says it well in Proverbs 16:18 "It is better to live humbly among the poor than to live it up among the rich and famous".

I close with a final thought. If I am proud I do not make room for bringing glory to God. I am so full of myself that God cannot live through me and be glorified in me. I pray that God will show me how to be a humble man (this may hurt some). I pray that I would live for others and never think too highly of myself. I urge you to check out something I found on You Tube. Go to You Tube and in the search box type in "Validation". It is a long video (16 minutes) but it will show you how important it is to think of others and help them to have a better day. I practiced this at Subway today. Only one employee was on duty and she not only prepped and prepared my sandwich but she also took the money, etc. She was very busy trying to keep up. I told her how impressed I was with her efficiency and I saw a wide smile come to her face. A little thing but amazing results. Our reaction in this situation is to lose patience with what we deem as slow service. But with a little thought you can humble yourself and make the other person feel good about themselves and what they are doing.

Love does not boast

2009-06-12T14:38:00.000-07:00

I begin today's post with a quote that is really not related to the subject today but it is one of those quotes that stayed with me today and I think it says a lot to all of us about our lives in the future. It is especially meaningful to those much younger. The quote is from Truett Cathy, the founder of Chick-fil-A. He says "You will be the same person in five years as you are today except for the people you meet and the books you read." I have urged my children and the young people I work with to seek out books....books of great value (not cost) and read constantly...daily if possible. What you read will aid you in the pursuit of knowledge and wisdom. Books will make you more aware of the world and those that inhabit it. I think this is why it is so important to be a student of the Bible. It is a great work and worthy of our time and devotion. It is also interesting what you can learn from the people around you if you will but listen.

Now for today's subject. Love does not Boast. It ties in with yesterday's subject of envy. Love is not envious nor does it boast. I wonder why some people boast? I think it is perhaps due to a lack of confidence in themselves or their place in life. We always called it "tootin your own horn". When we center on self we cannot get to know others. Part of showing our love to others is to have a genuine concern for them and their situation. If you are calling attention to your self or boasting, you are not showing an interest in the other person.

Boasting can be done also through the things we possess. Our cars, our homes, our clothing or anything we possess that calls attention to us. Bragging about our accomplishments our standing, etc. is a form of boasting. The question begs us to think about what we want to be known for. What is our desire for a legacy? Do we want a building named after us or do we want to be known throughout the world for the things we have, say or do? I struggle with this one as one of my dreams is to write. What is my purpose in this? Is it to be known as a great author and to have people tell me how great I am? This is boasting. The real purpose for exercising the gifts God gives us is to bring glory to Him. My motive should be to encourage and help others. This in turn brings glory to God. I wonder about many of the great orators of our day, such as pastors, teachers and especially politicians. What is the motive. As Timothy says in 2 Timothy Chapter 4, "men will gather around them teachers who say what their itching ears want to hear." He also says in Chapter 2 of 2nd Timothy that in the last days people will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud...etc. I did not intend to go off into a study of the last days but his really points out where we are today and defines how much we need to understand and practice love in the midst of those all around us.

To be boastful is really to call attention to ourselves for whatever reason we find. The opposite of being boastful is to be humble. Moses was called the "most humble man who ever lived" and this should be a great thing for us all to strive for and attain. For when we are humble we put other people first and we are not boastful. We define what love truly is to those all around us. If our great desire is to truly love others but more importantly to love God above all else then we need to be humble servants who put God First, Others Second and ourselves Third.

2009-06-11T15:47:00.000-07:00

Today brings us to another attribute of Love. " Love Does Not Envy" from 1 Cor. 13:5. What in the world does envy have to do with love? I guess if a person has a problem with envying others he then has a problem with loving them and perhaps he is predisposed with efforts to attain what others have rather than focusing on loving others. I must confess that I have struggled with this problem myself. I desire a bigger home, a newer car, a set of X22 golf clubs..etc. We are instructed in the Bible to be content with what we have and where we are.

The question still begs to be answered....what in the world does envy have to do with love? Perhaps you can share your thoughts on this question by commenting on this blog at the bottom of the blog. I do think that we as a society are preoccupied with gaining possessions so that we can keep up with our neighbors and friends. Why are some blessed with a multitude of assets while some struggle to get by? I think we all know someone who has the biggest and the best but they spend all their energy trying to figure out how to pay for these things. Also we know those who attain wealth and the things that go with only to be in a constant search for bigger and better. There is no satisfaction.

When we literally read the Word of God we find that he tells us to give away our possessions. We are to help those less fortunate. This is Love. At the same time we have a responsibility to provide for our families. This I feel is speaking of food, shelter and our base needs. I find nothing wrong in having a comfortable home, nutritious food, adequate transportation and even an occasional trip to the beach or other places to relax. But do we need more house than we need or can afford? Do we need a Cadillac Escalate when a Chevy Tahoe or for that matter a Ford Focus will meet our needs to get from one place to another?

I feel God will meet our basic needs of an adequate comfortable home, good food, warm clothing and adequate transportation. I also feel He expects us to give away to others a portion of what He has given to us. This is Love. So envy can become a barrier to our fulfilling the 2nd great commandment to Love others. Again I welcome your thoughts and comments on this issue.

I will cite a couple of examples of sharing our wealth and truly loving others. Pastor Rick Warren has been wildly successful with his book the Purpose Driven Life. He chose to return to his church his salary for the past twenty five years. He tithes 90% of his income and lives on 10%. He has lived in the same adequate house for many years. Much of his income from book sales is given away to missions. Frances Chan is a pastor in California and has written a new book called Crazy Love. In this book he tells of being convicted of his lack of love for others. He is compelled to sell his home and buy a smaller adequate home so that he can have more money to give away. This is an example of putting your money where your mouth is or putting feet to your faith. I am not advocating selling all you own and giving it away but I am urging all of us to find contentment in what we have and asking God to direct your finances, your giving etc.

I will ask a final question....are you truly in love with God? That is a tough one. If we are then we will follow His commands and love others...more than we love ourselves, more than we love things. I will ask us to search our hearts and see if envy is a problem for us. I am speaking as the kind of contentment Paul speaks of when he wishes to not have too much or too little. It is a walk of faith to depend on God to supply your needs. One should not become destitute in seeking to give away his wealth. We should be good managers of what God has given us, but we should also realize that it is His and He means for us to share with those less fortunate that ourselves. Remember, Love does not envy. Search your heart today and ask yourself if this is a problem. Learn to be content and depend on God to meet your needs.

Love is Kind

2009-06-10T15:31:00.000-07:00

Now for the second attribute of one who loves. Remember the first was patience. The second is kindness. I won't go back over how the two are knitted together. I will just say that kindness is not an easy task. We are surrounded by influences that would cause us to act unkind toward those around us. I don't think we are surrounded by people with kindness as a natural part of their makeup. When I think on kindness it causes me to consider the word KIND. I use the word to describe things such as "that is a kind of tree" etc.... so when I think about it to be kind is to be kind of like Christ. To do so embodies love. Christ is Love and He is all about Love. So if we are to be kind we must be Christlike or like Christ. Talk about a challenge.

Once again I feel that I must really focus on being kind. It is not natural to me. I wonder if I took a survey of men and women what the percentage of each sex would be considered kind people? I even think it is more difficult for men to be kind than women? I wonder why this is? It probably all goes back to our growing up years. Remember these are my opinions....not necessarily facts. But I think we grew up to believe it was not manly to be gentle and kind. In fact I think it is something we must learn to be. One might argue that kindness will be the natural overflow of the Holy Spirit when a person accepts Christ and begins a relationship with Him. You could support this argument by examining the lives of men who were bitter, mean, depressed etc. and then after their relationship with Christ began their lives changed immediately.

For some of us this is not the case. To become kind and gentle is a process that can take some time. I really believe in my own case I had to be broken bit by bit for kindness to begin to take a foothold. So much had to be torn away...especially my pride. I am slowly learning to put others first. A great phrase I have heard is that "I am third...God First, others Second and I'm third." If we focus on this thought and practice it we will become people who are kind. I truly doubt that many people would describe me as a kind man. While I have known people over the years that are always described just that way. You know that when you are with a group of believers say on Sunday morning you can be the kindest most polite person in the world until you get in your car after church and tear your way out of the parking lot.

So this being kind can be a mystery. It can be a real challenge for us. I think again that I come back to this conclusion. Kindness is something we must focus on and then practice. When we focus long enough and practice kindness long enough it will become an attribute just like patience. So I would urge us all to not be discouraged but simply focus on being the kindest most Christlike person we can be and as always pray...pray hard for God to help us in this quest.

Love is patient= kindness

2009-06-09T15:24:00.000-07:00

I have been delving into 1 Corinthians Chapter 13..."the Love Chapter". I have spent many days digesting this passage. Beginning in verse 4, the attributes of love are listed. The first two have been my focus for several days. Love is patient, love is kind. The attributes are grouped in two's for the most part. I spent a considerable amount of time on the first "patience". I asked myself if I am patient with those around me? The answer was not good. I lose patience with chatty cashiers who spend too much time talking with other customers and we all relate to other drivers who don't fit our idea of how to drive...etc.

I am convinced that whatever we focus on will grow within us...both good things and bad. I focused for many days on patience and it actually began to grow in my life. I prayed for patience, I thought on patience and I practiced being patient. While not perfected it is growing within me. I then moved on to kindness and it struck me that if I am to be patient then I must be kind. I cannot be kind and not have patience. So I conclude that the two go hand in hand. If I am patient then I am kind. In order to be kind I must be patient.

While reading a great new book by Andy Andrews titled "The Noticer" a question is asked of one of the charachter in the book. The question was " what do you think other people would change about you if they could?" It hit me immediately that the answer would be that I would be more patient and kind...not harsh....not critical....not vindictive. I knew without a doubt this was my nature and this is not a nature of one who loves others. I knew then that this is where I needed to go to work. People like being around people who are patient and kind....not around impatient, harsh people who seem to be more concerned with their own agenda. So it was time to go to work.

I am happy to say that after focusing on this issue for many days I am beginning to see some progress. I know that I have a long way to go but through prayer and the power of God, I think I can do it. In blogs to follow I will touch on the other attributes of the "Love Chapter". I invite you to slowly read and absorb 1 Corinthians Chapter 13 and if you get a chance get a copy of "The Noticer" by Andy Andrews. The two go hand in hand and I think God gives us these multiple sources in His divine wisdom to help us grow if we so choose to focus on His Word. Patience does equal Kindness and I desire to be both to others around me.

Go Fish!

2009-06-07T18:42:00.000-07:00

I had an interesting study tonite with my small group. We were in the midst of a study titled "Go Fish". Andy Stanley does the series. Tonite's study centered on what is the Gospel and what is required for one to accept and know Christ and more importantly how does one obtain eternal life? Essentially the answer to these questions are found in John 3:16...There are four very important words.

1. God Loves (us so much)
2. He Gave (His only Son)
3. We Believe (Trust in Him)
4. We Receive (Eternal Life)

So it is simple...God Loves, God Gives, We Believe and We Receive

Note there are no works here, no ritual in fact there is no prayer (the sinners prayer). As was pointed out there is not a mention in the Bible of one praying to receive eternal life or praying to receive Christ. As I thought on this I could not remember an instance in the Bible where anyone was asked to say a sinners prayer. It was always you must believe and receive. So how did we get things so complicated? I think as in many things in our churches today we (man) has come up with methods or programs that are not always Biblical but serve a purpose.

I am not saying it is wrong to say a sinners prayer of faith to receive Christ. But it is not a prerequisite. I remember a very good friend of mine who came to Christ on his deathbed. He could not speak due to tubes etc. in him mouth, down his throat etc. I told him the way to Christ and he simply nodded that he accepted Christ. He then had a wide smile break out on his face and I know without a doubt that he is now with Christ. No invitation, no walking an aisle, no repeating of a sinners prayer. He was to weak to ever walk again, to be baptized or to even talk with others about his decision.

Today we have so many dogmas that tell one how to receive salvation. Folks do not think they can ever achieve enough or be good enough to enter into a relationship with Christ. Why not make it simple.... God loved, God gave, We believe and We receive. The key to fishing for men is to build relationships with people and when God opens the door share this simple way to Christ. You don't have to know anything about theology or for that matter you don't have to know a lot about the Bible. Just one verse...John 3:16.