Basics: Business and Bible

5/15/2019

It is cool here for the middle of May. Spring is playing some funny days game with us. After considerable rain in March & April, it is at last, sunny and bright but not very warm. One day of hot last week, then back to chilly—low forties in the morning, barely 70 in the afternoons. I like it, but it is not the norm. When weather isn’t doing what we expect, we get suspect, don’t we? I think I’ll let that slide over into the what-difference-does-it-make category and accept it: even enjoy it.

Yesterday, Barb and I took our son back to his travel connection for his journey home. What an enjoyable week we had with all 3 of our children around us (the other two live close by) and the get togethers were uproariously fun! I hope other families have as much fun as we do. Some conversations are serious, but there is much comedy material being slung around most of the time. I think I can safely speak for everyone when I say it was a great week. 

However, we did miss the rest of his family and four of our grandchildren. Perhaps this Fall we’ll get to be with more, if not all of them. 

Working on a more sophisticated start-to-finish “flow chart” for getting new Blue Jug stores open. The further we go, the more we see how to handle and even shorten the process. I recently listed 17 specific, time consuming tasks which must be performed for every store, though some cities/counties/states have differing requirements. In the end, almost all accomplish the same rules, but the route to take, the authorities involved and/or the number of inspections and their timing can be different. 

We’re at a slow spot in new store development so it is a good time to evaluate our own work and observe the sophistication we find in the owners of the ones already open—we have some really good store owners. Our association doesn’t make many demands on our individual stores (that’s a good thing) and they are very forthcoming to discuss with us what is unique to them and their particular situation. We look forward to the rest of this year in anticipation and expectation of more stores being opened in, hopefully, a more efficient way.

On the bible study front, I am once again going back to the grace believing church in Alexandria, AL twice a month. I enjoy it very much and I hope the folks there at Grace Bible Church receive some good from it. I’m still doing the Monday night online class and broadcasting it on YouTube after uploading it on my channel, Brother Jerry Lockhart. (If you’re over 60, doesn’t that sound weird? even silly? “online” “broadcasting” “my channel” “uploading”—what world are we in???) I’m also open for more opportunities to teach, if you know of who or where I might be helpful.

You might remember last year we were involved in several bible conferences, almost one per month. This year, because of one thing or another, some conferences were taken off the schedule and so far, I’ve only been to 3 conferences and only spoken in 2. the next one coming up is in September, followed by one in October. that’s all I know of that I’m going to be involved in. Short schedule this year.

Interesting how many people see the same truths in Scripture as do many others, but the basics of bible study are not the same in each person’s mind. If I list the 10 most basic doctrines, and you listed the 10 most basic doctrines, would our lists be alike? I trow not (trow: another great old English bible word no longer in use much, unless read in the bible—modern language ruins so much good stuff!) Teaching the basics then, would not be the same for us. For instance, I teach what I think is a basic and show much Scripture for verification, that there are 3 eternal inheritances found in Scripture. Easy to see, easy to prove. But, not at the ready in people’s minds for verse application. So, it must not be called a basic by very many teachers. But if they study it out, it will be. It will be. Too hard to deny. It is a fun study and the only difference in seeing 3 versus 2 eternal inheritances is to simply look at the book of Matthew for what it is: an explanation of the kingdom of Heaven. That makes  the kingdom Heaven not to be either of the other two; neither the land to Israel nor the church, the body of Christ! Doesn’t that sound basic to you?

Thanks for reading, the Elder