5/7/2019

Hard to believe it’s been a week since I wrote. I must be slipping. It isn’t as though the world will suffer great loss if I never wrote again, but perhaps one’s thoughts will lead to another’s and some usefulness will come out of it.

The trip to Indiana this past weekend has brought many thoughts to mind and I feel like I could write for hours—probably not too profitable for most of you, however. But, just a few of the highlights. 

I foolishly waited till the last minute to get a reservation somewhere and almost didn’t find one. You see, on the first Saturday of May, if you want to stay in between Louisville and Indianapolis, you should hunt for a room reservation now for the year 2020! 

In Louisville, Derby Day occurs and for miles going North, motels fill! In Indianapolis, several schools graduate (this year especially) on this weekend, besides the Indy 500 month-long festivities begin occurring, and for miles going South, motels fill! This year, they overflowed each other by about 40 miles!!

Here’s a bit of interesting info: In 1964, in Columbus, IN, I went to work for Smith’s Jewelers as a manager trainee. I worked with a lady (whose name I cannot recall) who attended a church named Berean Bible Church. Ten years later, in Alabama, I began to be taught bible by a man who pastored a Berean Bible Study church in Pensacola, FL. Right then, I should have found that woman to see what she had believed, etc., and perhaps created more fellowship. 

This weekend, I finally found a room (air bnb) in Columbus, which is owned by a 54 year old lady who had been raised attending that same Berean Bible Church in Columbus. We had a great bible discussion (just didn’t last long enough.) She had been taught by her mother who was in that church when my previous acquaintance went there in 1964. But I couldn’t remember her name, I was so completely lost at the time and cannot remember discussions with my jewelry store friend. (I do remember she was offended by the crass speech of the manager, who later told me the bible had messed up her fun!) The airbnb hostess would have loved making the association, I’m sure. But since I couldn’t remember her name and my hostess’ mother has passed away, I didn’t bring it up. It might have been poignant. Let’s list this as LOST OPPORTUNITY.

My trip’s main purpose was to attend my high school Alumni Banquet. It is now 52 years since the last graduating class, so the “youngest” alumnus is 69 years old. This was a tiny h.s., the largest class ever being about 38, or so, and we still have about 100 folks show up. This year, my brother Jack, my sister Margaret and I were there, being the last 3 of our family of 8 kids who all graduated from good old THS. We had a really good time and enjoyed seeing friends and classmates who come less frequently, but who attended this year.

The other real treat for me was the driving route I took to get there and return. I left from Chattanooga and seeing I-75 heavily backed up, I went straight North on 3 other highways to take me through Glasgow, KY, and then to I-65 at a much further North entrance. This took me through some beautiful Tennessee and Kentucky countryside I had never seen—thoroughly enjoyed! So, I returned the same way—I thought. But, the GPS had other ideas, taking me through even more countryside to get me to the same destination and highways assuring me I knew how to get home! I enjoyed that thoroughly, also!

Thanks for reading, the Elder

4/29/2019—promised on a FaceBook page earlier today.

A friend on FaceBook posed a good question, which I have an opinion as to how to answer. The question comes from someone who truly doesn’t know who Jesus is: how would you tell him? If time and attention span was not expected to be a problem, this is how I would answer him:

There’s a great book about this man named Jesus. The book tells in short, a history of mankind on the earth, not a complete history, but a timeline of how mankind came face to face with this man, Jesus. 

So, as we talk about who He is, we’ll use this book to keep from throwing in too many personal opinions, OK? The book tells of a need for a redeemer, a savior, a hero, if you will. Many parts of this book show hundreds and hundreds of expectations when this man finally appears. The first part of the book is called the “Old Testament” (a testament is a promise to an end—like someone’s “last will and testament”.) In this Old Testament, Jesus is referred to under several names, each of the names depicts something He is expected to be, or to perform, and the promise (testament) of the end result of it all. The Old Testament is, in all, 39 small books written by several men over a 2000 year period, the total years of history covered is about 4000 years.

All that being said, and holding all 39 parts of the O.T. as being important to this explanation, we’ll move into when Jesus finally showed up in the world. We’ll turn to the second part of this book, 27 more small books by 9 more men who were with Him and/or knew Him in a personal and spiritual way.

We’ll start in the first book, Matthew, chapter 1, verses 18 through 25. You see, all the things which happened to Joseph and Mary were part of what had been pre-told (or prophecies) concerning Jesus (Emmanuel and Jesus having the same meaning.)

When a later book explains Jesus being born, it talks more about Who He is, not so much about the birth and childhood, we now look at what John describes Jesus as being: John 1:1 through 18.

In the very next verse, John begins to show how opposition came to Jesus Christ (Christ is added to His name to depict His having been anointed by God, His Father). This opposition grew throughout the next 3 years until those very people who were looking for and expecting His birth, came to loathe Him and to put Him to death. Each of the first four writers which start this second part of the book wrote of how this death came about; how it was expected by Jesus Himself, how he taught His followers to not fret over it, that He knew it was going to occur, but that He also knew the Father had the power to raise Him from the dead. All four of these small books show that resurrection to be a real occurrence, being further testified of by another who saw Him in a different light a bit later (that man said over 500 people saw Him alive after they had also seen Him dead (referred to as his “passion.”)

Jesus Christ, raised from the dead, sent His 12 Apostles out to tell their people, Israel, all about the resurrection of Christ in order for those who had turned on Him and caused His death could see it didn’t stop His purpose, but magnified His power! The people of Israel still didn’t believe on Him for their salvation, refusing wide scale to bring to an end the time when anyone was sent to tell them.

Jesus, then, from heaven appeared to a rebellious Jew called Saul, who had done horrible things against Jesus the Christ! Because he had blasphemed against those people of God who had been baptized with the Holy Ghost, it was not possible for the rebellious blasphemer to join up with them (Matthew 12:31, 32 Jesus said he couldn’t be with the others.) Rather, the Lord Jesus Christ sent him to tell people like us: you and me. We too, were rebellious against the will of God, even though it might have taken a long time for us to become aware of just how far away from Him we were. 

Saul had his name changed by what people called him: Saul was a Jewish name, but he became Paul, a Greek name because the Lord sent him to us Gentiles. (Gentiles are people who are not  Hebrew (Jews). 

Paul carried a further revelation. The first recorded words of his which define salvation are these in Acts 13:38,39 “Be it known unto you therefore, men and brethren, that through this man is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins

And by him all that believe are justified from all things, from which ye could not be justified by the law of Moses.

Hmm, salvation without keeping the law? Yes, just a short time after that a man ask Paul and his companion Silas, “What must I do to be saved?” They answered him, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you shall be saved.” (Acts 16:31) No “do this or that,” No ritual to go through. No trial or probation period. Just believe ON! That is, trust that Paul’s words show “how that Christ died for our sins, was buried, and was raised again the 3rd day, for our justification.” (a combining of 1 Corinthians 15:3,4 with Romans 4:24,25.)

The words which will define for us for our position in Christ is found in the 13 letters which Paul wrote. they are all in a row; Romans through Philemon. It is simple for several reasons you’ll be able to see when you look at these thirteen small books in the middle of the New Testament—the second part of the whole book.

God has granted us life everlasting in Christ (meaning of “in Christ” is Saved by His gospel which he gave to our Apostle (Paul) to tell us.) It has been preserved and we have the true privilege to tell the world about it. This whole book is simple. But, the world of the “wise” has brought it to a state where enemies can change what it says, therefore what it means. But, we who know the King James Bible also know it is the truth. And we can trust its words, just like we trust the Lord Jesus Christ for our salvation. I hope you will “believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and be saved” today.

Thanks for reading, the Elder

4/28/2019

Abuse, as a noun: the improper use of something or someone. I don’t suppose anyone reading has any idea where I’m going with this. It seems we’ve moved into the exposure stage of just how bad and how much abuse is in the world around us. For the benefit of space and time (I can’t write about every kind of abuse) I will just note abuses most in the news in this post. There is zero reason for any abuse by anyone at any time for any purpose. The social “norms” of other eras of time and locale notwithstanding, my purpose is not to dredge up what society today thinks was wrong in the past in terms of simply offensive words or, in the case of disciplinary actions, suspect. But rather, talk about things which are extreme abuse and have become too blatant to ignore. (Good grief, that’s enough!)  (So much perversion!)

Let’s take Boy Scouts of America. The Scout Law says this: A Scout is trustworthy, loyal, helpful, friendly, courteous, kind, obedient, cheerful, thrifty, brave, clean, and reverent. How shall a Scout obey this if his Scout leaders are abusers of young boys? It is now reported that from the early 40s till now, there have been thousands of abuse cases investigated. Boy Scout leaders, both professional and volunteers have been proven to be abusers of their troops.

Or look at the Roman Catholic church: priests and other leaders found to be perverts in the thousands there, also. Many of the abusers being hidden, even simply transferred to another parish. Overwhelming numbers, lawsuits growing and being introduced rapidly and the evidence of coverup is rampant at all levels. 

Thirdly, every year in schools across the country, we hear of teachers, both men and women, engaging in affairs with teenagers whom they teach. 

When we add this all together, then consider the cross-dressing, gender identity crisis we hear about in the news nearly every day now. Plus the evidence is rising that aborted fetal tissue is being used in the medical world with male or female tissue being used indiscriminately! What kind of a people are we becoming!?

This is all too sickening to write about. We’re living in a strange world. Can we fix any of this? Where do we turn to get answers?

As near as I can tell, there is only one place to find the answers that will fix this many and these kinds of problems. The word of God. Not religion, not any of them. Not psychology. Not Dad and Mom. Not school counsellors, Not even more education. No, it’s The Word of God, where all truth and righteousness is held.

There we can find the method God has chosen to make any person acceptable to Himself. You see, He has not yet been surprised by mankind. God is not wringing His hands about how bad we’ve become. He’s known us all long. Our God is our sufficiency for forgiveness. In 2 Corinthians 5:19, He shows us “God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them…” What? God isn’t angry with us? No, He isn’t! God’s marvelous plan was to make a provision SO great that there wouldn’t be any sin held against anyone in the whole of creation—He put the task into the hands of His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ—He died for our sins, was buried, and was raised again from the dead for our justification! God can see us justified before Him! When you see the Lord, he won’t ask you if you’re sorry you sinned, he’ll examine you for whether you had a moment when, recognizing how much sin there was in your life, and nothing you could do about it, did you place your salvation into the hands of Christ and let Him save you. Did you? Have you? Will you? Just now do it, and the cares of this life will grow strangely dim. And His glory will belong to you.

But, the word of God doesn’t stop with the providing of salvation for eternity. If read and applied, it becomes a total guide for living in the world while the Lord tarries from ending it all. (One day, we’ll even know why He has let the creation sink to the degradation it is in and is going further by the day.) Still, as we remain, there is much to rejoice about. For one thing, the longer we are allowed to speak God’s word, the greater the number who will come to Christ and receive His eternal life.

There is much joy in knowing God’s word is a textbook for anyone studying it. Romans through Philemon is written in such a way to make us know how to apply the righteousness that God has explained in Psalms, Proverbs, and Ecclesiastes—principled living. The law of Moses eliminates questions of what is absolute righteousness.

One may ask, “I trusted Christ, how do I start to study?” First, read Romans 5:1-11 several times. Followed by reading Ephesians 1:3-14 several times. Then, turn to Romans 1 and read straight through to Philemon. That 85, or so, pages is a complete picture of you in the bible. “All the bible is written for you, but all is not written to you! The above is written to you. Continually ask questions about things you don’t understand, but ask a friend or bible teacher whom you are sure believes the bible is God’s word. Enemies of the truth will not go away because you study God’s word, but they will fall away, being unable to stand up to simple truth.

Yes, the Word of God will do all the correcting the world needs. It is preserved unto us and we are charged by it to pass it on to whomever we can who will be following us. (2 Timothy 2:1,2) We are still here for this purpose. 

Thanks for reading, the Elder 

4/24/2019

Just heard a song which was recorded about 10 years ago by friends of mine. The song is “The Ground is Level At The Cross”—written and recorded by a now defunct group known as berea. They recorded two CDs, the first called Children in Glory and the second called Frozen Lake. All the songs and music were done by Brad Davis, Scott & Sandi Mitchell, Carla & Stephen Cameron. They had 5 very in-sync, sweet harmony voices. All we who knew them and heard them and have their music wish they were still together, singing the praises of our Lord. But, alas, it was not to be.

You can still buy their music on iTunes, I believe—you’ll love their sound and their songs. I remain astounded that some of their songs have not been picked up by other recording artists; songs such as the two title songs: Children in Glory and Frozen Lake, or the one mentioned above, or (my favorite) Someday Soon. Their departure as a group reminds me of what I considered one of the best sermons I ever heard preached—it was entitled “Lost Opportunity,” by Bro. E. C. Moore. He did this message about 1984-85, as a Thursday night bible class at an in-home setting in Fairhope, AL. What a great picture he painted of our failing to notice how the Lord will use us to bring about His own will.

I listened to Bro. Moore preach very regularly for about 36 years until his mind gave way to a dementia and he couldn’t function as normal. He was an awesome teacher of the word of God and how he understood ministries to be formed and carried out. He loved the group berea, and the songs they sang. Not long before his mind was slipping, he did a brief “invitation” type of message, as a closing for the song, Someday Soon. It was truly compelling. I hope you get a copy or a chance to listen to it.

Speaking of opportunities, I have an opportunity before me next Saturday night which is a bit unique. Every year I go to my home town, Trafalgar, IN, on the first Saturday of May (Derby Day)(the day for Straw hats for men, white shoes for ladies) for the Trafalgar High School Alumni Banquet. Last year, they had a little tougher time finding a person willing to be the President of the association. They had one willing to do it all except the speaking at the banquet and the introduction of the agenda items. I offered my services as an EmCee. (I deemed myself as living too far from home to be a good president) He has taken me up on my offer, so I will emcee the banquet program. Somebody send me some clean jokes!!!

Just kidding, I’d really like some unique school stories, but it has been so long since that old HS actually existed, perhaps I can just tell stories and everyone there will think they were from THS. You know, I’ve written several short stories about things and people at my school or in my town. I think I have ample stories to tell if I can remember them at the proper time. I wrote of an old man named “Cort,” and of a first-grader who nearly got another first-grader killed one day. I’ve written about a few basketball stories, a few incidents in school. Maybe asking for a few stories from the audience —memorable moments —once-in-a-life-time events. Perhaps there is more help from the old folks than one would think…Looking forward to the night. (If you think about it next Saturday, May 4th, pray I don’t just butcher the hour, ok?

The SIMH over these last few days has been wide and varied. So much so that I just didn’t want to write about any individual song or songs. Barb and I did find a group of unique musicians we’ve enjoyed watching and listening to in the last week. These people do several unique musicales with their ukes! They are called The Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain! Much of their music is on YouTube. We really enjoy their style, the music they choose, the comedy they insert—really good entertainment. Try them and see if you think the same thing.

Thanks for reading, the Elder

4/22/2019

We stand here in this world hoping for a good ______. You can fit any of several words into this blank spot: day, season, crop, profit, pain-free (hour, day, treatment), or some other hope. Today is a good day to align our expectations with life’s reality. It’s called “Earth Day.” It was started in 1970, by those who expected more from the earth than they were able to see come to pass. The day doesn’t improve the earth, but perhaps there is more awareness of certain principles which might be forgotten through the normal days of our particular environs. 

Some of these principles are taught pretty universally, but some are thrust aside as being unimportant. I can remember as a high school student, the beginning of a “trash-off-our-highways” plan to clean up the roadways. Indiana enacted a state imposed fine if caught throwing trash on the highways. (I can’t find evidence they were the first, but certainly they were one of the first states to do this.) It took most Hoosiers a while to make it a part of their highway usage to stop being casual about trash. Since the mid ‘50s, our population has doubled (160 million to 325 million) and our highway paved highway miles have quadrupled, up to 2.3 million miles, with more coming everyday. The startling part of the statistical list of comparisons is how many more vehicle miles travelled (in the trillions) there are without (relatively) keeping up with enough roads to accommodate that—traffic snarls and miles of backed up sitting on interstates, thusly explained.

So, now imagine what all that might look like without awareness to our personal trash containment. Ergo: Americans love driving, Americans should work at keeping the roads clean. Prior to post-ww2 emphasis, the paved road percentile was pretty low. (Gravel, caleche, and dirt.) In mostly rural America, household garbage and old unwanted metals were thrown into gulleys and ditches (the origin of landfill?) and everything which would burn, the people burned. I remember going with my lifelong friend and his father (who was a disabled man) to many of these places with magnets in hand (a forerunner to metal detectors) to find salvageable materials he could sell for pocket change. Those places stank! I’m glad of many things, but the gulleys and ditches not being strewn with trash ranks right up there for the way the land looks. So, we now have all these roads paved and we gripe if we have to go down “dirt roads.” 

But, paved roads cause their own set of problems: first, they create miles and miles of “impervious surface”—a term I used when I built a large building and paved a parking lot. This creates, in any given area such as a county, 15-18% greater water runoff. If the water running off was just rainwater it would be fine, However, there are three sets of additional problems because this runoff exists. One is the paving is largely made from petroleum byproducts creating a wear and tear runoff into the soil of those altered organics. Secondly, the cars have a “shedding” from exhaust to tire wear to oils, coolants, and gasoline spills. Thirdly, roadways are kept free of weeds and spreading ground cover by sprays of herbicides, free of mosquitos and other pests by insecticides, while fielding the slough-of of mowers and trimmers.

We’re a mess, folks! …But, the good news is this: We who know the Lord Jesus Christ and the Word which He left us know there is (every day we are still here) at least 1007 years of good earth days to come!! That’s the promise. If you want to understand that, first trust the Lord for salvation, after all, He died for our sins, was buried, and was raised again for our justification. Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and be saved….and then—go clean up our environment!

Thanks for reading, the Elder

4/20/2019

Today is Saturday, April 20th—and it is cold outside! what happened to Spring? Ah, well, I know exactly what I’m going to do about it: nothing. “Everybody talks about the weather, but nobody does anything about it.” —Mark Twain, again. Pretty sure he was the first American author to use that phrase, though it’s been true since always. So, let’s move on. 

Earth Day. There’s an earth day? Yes, why not? we have a day for bologna, a day for this, a day for that—secretaries get a whole week! Basketball gets a whole month! (March Madness, which runs into April.) Football, on the other hand gets 365 days per year in the press. Some think that’s important, as if it were the best sport. OooooKayyy. Better not get further into this, cause then I’d have to prove my point as to why Basketball is the best sport (not a good thing to try and prove when you live in Alabama.) But, Earth Day is Monday. 

I’m sure all of you are planning huge Earth day festivities; gonna plant a tree, go to a parade—-say, since we know what certain other paraders dressed up as for their special parade (we’ll try not to describe it) I wonder what the earth day costume expressions will be: dirt, grass, roots, flowers, trees, or become a mountain for the day?!? What about becoming a mountain gap? 

Seriously, there is nothing wrong with having an earth day. It is a good reminder of our fundamental stewardship requirements to live here. To me, it starts with trash which is not handled properly. Strewn along the road is not proper. dropping things on the streets and sidewalks and not picking up after yourself is the most selfish thing people do in public. I know accidents occur and sometimes these things are truly unseen. But, come on, we can clean up after ourselves and our children and pets if we put it into our minds to do so. And, there is an added bonus to cleaning our own messes: no one can snitch on us to the city, county, state, and bring the giant fines down on us! (I’m really opposed to snitch ordinances, which cause fines and reward the snitch.) We should not have to live in a snitch environment. So clean it up, folks!

One more thing to rant about: I hate shoestrings! I’m so tired of living with shoes which are still dependent on a 230 year old invention to keep our shoes in place. Oh, yes, I know there’s new technology, if you want to pay over $200 for tennies! But, we need a good alternative for everyday and dress shoes that the public can afford. A common shoe restraint which does not require what shoelaces require. Why doesn’t someone invent something? Do you know that the same man (Harvey Kennedy) who invented shoelaces, also invented the aglet? Sounds like collusion to me! 

I thought, about 30 years or so ago that velcro straps would replace shoestrings, but here they came back about 7-8 years later and laces still rule the men’s shoe market.

Hmm, maybe it’s me, maybe I should invent the replacement for the shoelace. A new shoe enclosure, or a foot belt, ped-latchet, or “ped-i-fly!” Before strings, we had hooks—hooks to strings to zippers? Now we’re talkin’, help me out here folks. . . . What? You have something better to do today? Ok, tomorrow get back with me —we’ll make millions!!

Thanks for reading, the Elder

4/16/2019

TAX day aftermath—-don’t it make you proud!?

Well, of course, it does. Us proud Americans just love to pay taxes. One hundred and 6 years ago, someone (not the general public) decided that we should just open up our pockets and our good fortune to the federal government and let them know how much we loved them. (We must have had a mental “skip” in 1913.)

We “progressed” into a really stupid system to finance two World Wars (stupidly called “wars to end all wars”—how’d that work out?) by being even more stupid and allowing “progressives “ to convince us that if a person earned more money they should pay a higher percentage! How idiotic and “non”-progressive! That’s “re”gressive, going backwards! It has a point of diminished return for someone having any incentive to do better, make more, or change one’s standard of living. It is ridiculous. When the Lord taught Israel how to manage their nation EVERYONE paid to the caretakers 10%—rich people paid the same percentage as poor people. It is obvious rich people paid more taxes (tithes) because they made more (had more increase.)

But, somehow, and probably with the support of all the mainstream religions, the government of the US of A made the recessive, ever increasing income tax percentages acceptable to nearly everyone. What a shame. It rose to be as high as 90% of “taxable” income. The foolishness of that was this: it built an industry of accountants who specialized in gaining exemptions and exceptions for how to arrive at “taxable income.” So, in walked the loopholes, griped about by everyone in the low income, lower tax brackets, made to think the “rich people” were getting away with something. Income tax is an abomination to this nation. It should be done away with. All people in every walk of life should pay the same percentage of their income and it should be 10-15%, and never higher, with 0 exemptions, 0 exceptions, 0 deductions. 

And, it should be paid on what one spends, not on what one earns. It is not the government’s business to know our income. That’s private and nobody’s business but our own. I’ll get off this rant in a moment, but I will join a movement and speak out for a national sales tax (or something) if it will stop the invasion of our privacy. Will you join me?

Finishing the trip back home from Austin, TX where we had a very enjoyable Bible conference (in Round Rock.) The folks gathered there were very gracious, very interested in bible study and the fellowship was sweet! We had a slightly smaller crowd than last year, but with more local people and more from up in northern Texas (McKinney.) I was privileged to do more than one message and I can only hope the folks enjoyed it as much as I did. Several friends, normally attending, were unable to make it for a wide variety of reasons. Those who attended were from as far east as the North edge of Houston, as far North as the far edge of the Dallas metro, as far West as Castroville, and as far South as Corpus Christi.

Over the many years of going to and hosting bible conferences, it has been my experience that a large number of interferences will rear their ugly heads and get in the way of people coming to Bible conferences. It can be physical, natural phenomenon, or a personal interference from so-called friendly people. Once, as my family prepared to go to Florida for a conference, the host, Bro. E.C. Moore called me and said he had to cancel the conference due to a hurricane headed toward the city we were to be in. I said something glib like, “haven’t you been praying?” He laughed and said yes, but, “I couldn’t figure out who to want the hurricane to turn towards, so I just cancelled!”—Ha, good answer, good answer.

But, interferences have a chief designer in the devil, so it can be many things: one’s babies, one’s work, interruptions of all sorts. The interference I dread to hear about most, however, is that some saint has made another saint upset or even angry enough to not want to be near all the others if that one is going to be there! I don’t understand that. We are flesh and we will have disagreements about non-essential doctrines. Why do they separate us? Why can we not learn from our apostle as he taught the Lord’s way of loving folks for Christ’s sake? Forgive as God, for Christ’s sake has forgiven us.

Thanks for reading, the Elder

4/10/2019

Studying for upcoming bible classes is an inexact practice. Does that sound weird? Probably, a little. But, what I mean by inexact is this: seldom does the outline of a message from God’s word ever flow out of the deliverer’s mouth with the same thoughts and reasoning which caused the outline to be written in the first place. Why would that be? Because the messenger is not to stand and deliver his own message, but the message of Him Who called the messenger to stand and deliver.

Several years ago, I began to notice that when I studied Scripture, I would shortly feel “full”—as if I had eaten a huge meal which, of course, I had. But, it was really terrific “food” and made me eager to get back to it whenever I could take in more. But, one of the 3 evil detriments to excellence (laziness) would set in and it became so that I would run for days on the fuel of that one study session (meal). I hope you are not like that. Become better than that in your personal study. I’ve often mentioned some of my strange methodology in study, but deep down, never believed anyone else should follow most of it. So don’t—get better study habits than me.

Back to what’s coming up: This weekend, in round Rock, TX, the bible conference will be done just a little differently. The group there has asked one other preacher(Brother Steve Atwood) and me to each do several classes, the intention being to give us the privilege of carrying a thought or doctrine or subject to a further conclusion than what can be done in one message. I’m honored to be put into that position, I’m praying and studying (in a mostly satiated way) that it will be worthwhile to those who attend. 

SIMH this morning (I might add early this morning), is “Here We Go Again”—by Ray Charles—that was what was in my head, but especially like the version compiled for his voice with Nora Jones. Wonderful blues song about making the same mistake over and over. Ever do that? Maybe you’ve escaped that little problem. May be, may be.

In the business world, my partners and I have come to a conclusion we wish we had not ever seen: the plastics industry has got to be the most unstable in all the world! We must buy containers of various sizes, shapes and configurations. From 16.9oz. all the way up to 5gal. capacity we find little uniformity. For instance, the manufacturer of most containers is not the supplier of the lids for said containers—is it just me? or is that weird? That’s weird. 

Also, since containers do not weigh very much, shipping a few or a truckload seems to be hard for anyone to get a grip on and do consistently: order today, pay one price, order a few days from now, it may be twice as much. Next time, you decide to buy twice as many and shipping costs might just go another direction, OR they might just say, we can’t ship that way, anymore. Strange things happen in the plastics industry. So, if anyone out there wants to get innovative on something, take on the plastic water jug containers. If you can figure it out, you might hit the 21st Century’s greatest “home run” yet!

My teams didn’t fare well in the two post season basketball tournaments. I did really enjoy watching Purdue, Auburn, and Texas Tech do extremely well in the NCAA. And, actually, I thought Duke did very well considering the “Player of the Year” had missed several games just before the Tournament began. (Basketball excellence is based upon all moving parts of the team performing with a near perfect precision against other excellent players trained to do the exact same thing—become the best conditioned and practiced machine in the game.) I didn’t see all the games, but I enjoyed what I saw of both tournaments.

Thanks for reading, the Elder

4/8/2019

The further I delve into my mind to formulate the writings here, the more lengthy stories become. It isn’t my intention to just write out long, boring paragraphs of remembrances. Rather, to relate something that is either amusing, poignant, or note worthy (worth something to somebody.) I learned many years ago that telling jokes was not my forte, neither was the biting, snarly kind of “Don Rickles” ribbing. In fact, if what I tell or write isn’t funny in itself, I probably cannot dress it up as humor. So, hopefully, I don’t embarrass myself by trying. That being said….

Neither shall I attempt poignancy. If it is poignant (touching, moving, sad or heart-rending) I just don’t want to foul it up! And, if it is either funny or poignant it will, hopefully, be note-worthy (the kind of story the details of which you want to remember to relate.) ( Aw, this seems like I’m re-introducing myself, sorry.)

When and if a certain young man in the DFW area might happen to read this story, I hope he chuckles and thinks, “How did that old man remember this?” 

He was about 13, tall, skinny and very smart. His family (military dad) had just moved to the San Antonio area and they had begun to attend our church. His father was a good golfer and invited another man and myself to play with he and his 13 year old son. When we walked out of the clubhouse to the first tee, his dad insisted he put on sun screen. He reluctantly did as soon as he had taken his warmup swings. He then took his turn at teeing off. It is always a bit unnerving to tee off, not only in front of guys like your father, your pastor, and arguably the best 60year old golfer in our region and a not so small gallery of golfers waiting on us. But, how the young teenager handled this is classic!

The club house was about 75 feet away from and in back of the #1 Teebox. The building was about 40 feet wide. The 13 year old teed his ball, approached his stance, and with one more practice swing (his hands slick from the sunscreen), slung his driver clear over the top of the clubhouse on to the front lawn of the golf course! I don’t know how to describe the look on his face, or his father’s, but the laughter from the rest of us, including the crowd gathered to tee off soon, was uproarious. (I laughed out loud just thinking about it as I wrote it.)

He said, “sorry,” ran around the clubhouse to see if he had killed anyone, came back with his club, took his turn and played rather well, even with such an inglorious beginning. Always wondered about his and his Dad’s conversation on the way home.

This morning, the SIMH was “Love, Oh Love, Oh Careless Love”—written by Bessie Smith, sung by Hank Williams, Johnny Cash, Bob Dylan, and many others. It’s a great blues song which tells the story of the feelings of many who remember lost loves. 

Got the news last night of another Texas friend who has passed away. She was a beautiful lady well up in years before she came to the Lord for salvation. She laughingly told me once that driving around the country with her husband in a motor home would scare anyone into the need for being saved. (In other words, “scare the hell out of ya!”) So sorry for the loss of her companionship, but glad to know she’s out of pain and at peace.

We visited some friends yesterday in Birmingham and attended the bible class held in their home. It’s very hard to get caught up with old friends in just a few minutes before and after bible class, but the teacher was excellent, the lesson powerful, and the time spent was precious. These folks were the hosts of the very first bible class we attended in January, 1974. That was in Anniston, AL. About a year later, we moved the class to Birmingham where he and I had gone to work and the class has been continuous ever since. Many other classes have been spawned from that group, many bible teachers/preachers have come from it and the Lord has blessed many people with His salvation who in one way or another heard the Word of truth from others connected to this class. An amazing tapestry of lives and locations!

Thanks for reading, the Elder

4/4/2019

Simple things: most of us adults over 50 would say we lived simple lives. Our growing up years–40s, 50, 60s, 70s, were very easy times. O yes, I know about the wars (41-45; 49-53; 61-74), yet the way we lived was simpler than the way gen-Xers and millennials live today. 

You’ve heard me say before how I grew up in a small town, the last of 8 kids. The first 4 of those kids spent most of their growing up years on a farm. As near as I can remember from listening and talking to all them, only one liked it, the older 3 wished they had been somewhere else. Until I was 16, or so, the only broken bone any of us had was my sister Margaret broke her leg when a tree swing rope snapped or came loose, down on the farm. Cows got milked, the bottom fields grew great crops of alfalfa, corn or wheat, a barn burned and got rebuilt, water was carried “up to the house” from a well at the foot of the hill—these are great things. I was very small when we left the farm and moved to what is still my favorite town in the whole world, maybe a few months before I was 5. 

Simple: There are many words which describe what simple means. I want to talk about 7 of them as connected with what I truly believe is the best way to grow from infancy to maturity. You are more than welcome to describe simple, simple things, and simplicity with 7 (or more) different terms, if you want. This isn’t a contest, we’ll just keep it simple.

The first word is straightforward: this produces quick understanding and the ability to see things as if you are looking directly through them. Sees things as easy as pie, elementary, etc. I lived that way till once my mom was ill and people gathered to pray for her. That sort of interfered with the direct and painless way I had been seeing the world around me.

The second is clear: this is an uncomplicated approach. Stuff seems easy to understand. The sort of “I get it” result of a presentation. Arithmetic instead of mathematics. Completely through 8th grade I made straight As in arithmetic….we won’t talk about math that way.

 The third is plain: carries several explanations with negative notes. things like undecorated, or uncluttered, not flashy or not showy. A “plain” woman in my growing up definitions, never wore makeup or jewelry, never trimmed her eyebrows. A car in the 50s and 60s was plain if it didn’t have chrome showing itself flashy.

The fourth is candid: I was 32 years old till I came to understand what this simple term meant—frank, honest, sincere but unreserved and unvarnished when it came to truth. But, most of my acquaintances growing up were all quite candid, especially toward what they liked or disliked about others.

The fifthis unpretentious: this was the unassuming, and naturally honest-to-goodness attitudes I saw in the people who shaped my persona, the image with which I would face the grown up world. In our town, we only had 3 or 4 pretentious people and we all knew who they were.                                                                                   

The sixth is non-intellectual: Simple as it relates to a learning process, we come to find out, didn’t mean stupid, or unable. It meant different. Usually, the IQ was low, but still, many whom we would have lovingly called simple came to be of importance to someone or some group and defied our thoughts of whatever would become of them. I knew a few where I grew up who went on to become loving fathers, caretakers of those they loved and several other admirable traits as adults.

The seventh is noncompound: This simple approach is seeing things uncombined, standing alone, unblended, pure, like simple sugars. this isn’t always the best approach (certainly not in sugar), but the bare fact of the matter was a common approach. My absolute best example of noncompound is Christ, my Savior. The Apostle Paul warned against being fooled by the fake religionists, away “from the simplicity which is in Christ.” Christ died for our sins, was buried, and was raised again for our justification: believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you’ll be saved. Simple.

Thanks for reading, the Elder