“What a Day That Will Be” is, thankfully, on my mind this morning. After the “rant” yesterday, I’m sure all of you are glad to get some normalcy back to this column. This wonderful SIMH has a line that says, “there’ll be no parting over there,” a reference to not having to say goodby to the life of someone we love. While that is hard for the moment in time, and harder still if more than one “parting” occurs close together, what we go through should prepare us for our own departure should we go before the “Lord descends from  heaven with a shout,” and takes us off “this present evil world.”

Being prepared to go from here to “ever be with the Lord” is based on only one thing: placing our trust in the finished work of Christ on the cross. The Lord Jesus Christ died for our sins, was buried, and was raised again from the dead to show us our justification. If He had not died, there would be no sacrifice for sin (sins), and if He had not been buried, my sin and yours could not have been put away from God, the Father. Then, if Christ had not been raised from the dead, there would have been no proof God would raise us, and our sins would still be on us.

HOW WONDERFUL IS THAT GOSPEL AND THAT DAY WHEN ALL WILL BE COMPLETE?!

I’m very happy to be in association with many who know and love the Lord. It seems to always make the conversations complete to share words which contribute to our mutual faith in the Lord. For the sake of sanity and congenial goodwill if for no other reason.

While there is no reason to “kick down doors” to make known the gospel, there are many Scriptural admonitions to walk though the doors which the Lord opens before us. It has been my experience that these doors for opportunity open in least expected places, bringing to mind the verse “…be ready always to give a reason for the hope that is within (me)” and to “be instant in season and out of season.” Sometimes we have an opportunity when our mind might be a million miles away, yet, if we study the word (hiding it in our hearts, as it were) we can and will respond the way the Lord intended. Our daily prayer should be for those opportunities to not skip right past us, but that we will have the spiritual eyes to see what is before us to do.

If you belong to the Lord because of trusting Him and His work only for your personal salvation, then be ready always.

The Trip continues to day with a visit for just such as I’ve mentioned above, one who is about to pass away, and those who are near her.

Thanks for reading, the Elder

10/29/2018

It’s just incredible. The anger, the madness, the unmitigated gall of those who report on the horrible crimes that have gone on in the last few days, saying our president doesn’t “share in the responsibility” for these things. How can he share in the responsibility for these things when he isn’t the perp? These massive shootings and killings didn’t start when we changed presidents. Add them up. Look at the history, start in the 60s and come to today. IF anyone would dare to blame the then  president for the magnitude of mass killings, who do you think the arithmetic would  show was responsible? It isn’t the president’s fault there are crazy people with firearms. It, also isn’t the constitution’s fault crazy people have firearms. Many of these crazy’s have fooled the tester’s, some have firearms gathered illegally, and some just snap!

We live in a world gone after the things of the flesh and it has always been thus. However, I apologize to the next and future generations because I was here while it got worse and my generation hasn’t stopped the madness. (You might say no other generation did anything, either. Does that excuse my generation? No, it doesn’t.)

From the early 60s (vietnam) through the riots in California, the burning and looting of whole communities, clear up to and including what has happened this weekend, we have collectively been weak fish when it came to being able to correct anything. Instead, we have legislatively weakened every law enforcement tactic, and became worried over the perpetrator’s “rights” and his sensitivities, his comforts in his surroundings when we did bother to incarcerate; all this while “throwing the book” at lesser crimes or things which are not worthy of “jail time” in the name of politically practicing justice.

It’s time now to put even more people into law making and enforcement positions who will not mollycoddle the guilty and not make doing time look easy. It’s time to thank guys like “Sheriff Joe” and others who treat criminals the way they should be treated. He never beat them, he never abused their psyche, he had a very low % of return-to-prison inmates. It’s time to examine his tactics and principles and engage them.

But it is also time we stop dragging out the “call to justice” on the basis of a wily lawyer’s ability to delay, delay, delay.

Where and when will justice actually come back? Or will it?

SIMH. No, it isn’t on my mind at all. There was a fleeting song there earlier, but the news and all that is going on drowned it out rapidly!

On to The Woodlands! (the trip continues.)

Thanks for reading, the Elder

10/28.20118

One of the people who came to Navarre for this conference is a young lady who began singing at Bro. Barry Hampton’s assembly in Montgomery, AL, not too long before he passed away. It is a pleasure to hear her sing again. She sang two songs yesterday which truly gave the glory to the Lord Jesus Christ (as all songs should) and I don’t think I had ever heard either one of them. It’s astounding how many songs can be written and tunes sang from such a simple format as short poems and seven notes. Hmm, that might be a great title for a book about music: The Simplicity of Christ in Short Poems and 7 Notes. If Mo were here, he would say, “that’s another million dollar idea!”

This has been a very enjoyable weekend with 3 more messages to go. Bro. Brian Sipes, Bro. Robbie Sipes, my Bro. Jack Lockhart, Bro. Clyde Hearron and I will have all spoken twice. This isn’t usually the case, but 2 scheduled preachers were hindered from getting here. Another had a call concerning an accident at home and had to leave, yet another has a laryngitis type of discomfort and cannot speak well.

This will be the last bible conference for this year unless something special comes along. I have really enjoyed the year and each of the weekends. I look forward to planning another year of conferences. If the Lord is going to leave us here, we should seek fellowship with like-believers.

This morning’s SIMH was “7 Spanish Angels” —Willie Nelson/Ray Charles, and that really irritates me. It was a big hit for them and some others as well, but it speaks almost blasphemous words about what happens when someone dies. And “the altar of the sun”?? that’s just plain idolatry! But, if you’ll remember, I told you there was no particular reasoning to understand why certain songs pop into my head when I wake up. Remember the song that started this?

(If you don’t know why I do the SIMH, scroll back to Aug.27th, the first day I wrote this blog and I explain it there.)

It’s a quick start day and I have many things to do, so I’m cutting this one a little short.

But, thanks for reading, the  Elder

10/27/2018

It’s a beautiful morning on the gulf of Mexico! I’m in Navarre, FL for a bible conference and its a gorgeous day. I arrived yesterday from the East, I had been in Sandestin visiting a friend, and driving on U.s. Hwy 98 was like driving in downtown Houston. Traffic was slowed by crowded lanes and construction projects. But, that is a busy segment of Florida—I mean, there’s people everywhere!

Couple of friends here I haven’t seen in several years and some I was looking forward to seeing couldn’t make it. That’s just about always the way the conference crowds go. But, this is a good group of bible believing people willing to let random preachers speak and teach what they see in the Scriptures. If you’ve never heard 12 sermons in a weekend before, you may not be able to appreciate it as much as me. I see this as an assessment of how well the Word is going forth around the countryside and a time to be refreshed by the men’s perspective. Even if I think someone is better than me or not as good as I would have done it, I still thank the Lord for the strength He gives we who stand and deliver.

The South Alabama drive through small towns was event free yesterday, but as usual, I enjoyed seeing things I hadn’t noticed before. I ate at the famous restaurant with the strange name, It Don’t Matter, and the food was common and country. In other words, it don’t matter to me if I never go back again. Never actually stopped in any other town, but I would love to go back and visit Defuniak Springs, FL (northern edge of Florida was also on my route.) It looked like a great little city.

“Love’s Gonna Live Here” is a 1963 single by Buck Owens, who also wrote the song. When I stepped out of my motel room this morning, I was singing that song. Wow! I thought, 1963, how is that song possible that old? But, Ol’ Buck did alright with the songs he wrote and sang, didn’t he?

My Brother, Jack taught a great bible lesson last night. I heard an earlier version of the same subject several months back, but he carried his thoughts and support Scriptures through last night leaving no doubt he has this subject down really well. It is “how that Christ died for our sins…” In other words, what did Christ do which made His sacrifice sufficient for all sins of all mankind and make it possible for God to destroy sin (and sins), thereby raising the Lord Jesus Christ from the dead and giving you and me a privilege to receive eternal life through His atonement.

It was a message of clarity for anyone ever wondering if 1.) they had unforgiven sins, or 2.) God was angry at them, or 3.) whether they could do anything to “help” God save them.

No, folks, it’s all been done for us. Salvation is a done deal. “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved.” (He bought us with His blood!)

I’m off to hear some more preaching. I’ll keep you posted.

Thanks for reading, the Elder

10/26/2018

Well it’s a different kind of morning here on the mountain. Windy, raining, and we’re up even earlier than normal. I have to leave in a couple of hours and head South. Getting everything together to leave is a little different for this trip. I will be visiting several people besides going to the weekend Bible Conference in Navarre, FL. and I have stuff to take to some of them. This is adventuresome, even for an old roadie like me.

I’ve always loved going places. Nothing like coming around a bend in the road just to see what’s there. Some days ago in this blog, I think I mentioned how much I enjoy small towns. Never has anyone been riding along with me who enjoys them the way I do. I could just stop and sit and watch the people in small towns go about their lives. Once I drove into a town of maybe 3,000 people, stopped at the first little “meat & 3” and went in. The owner/waitress was a tired 60-something lady who walked over and asked if she could “hep me.” I think those days were diet coke days so I asked for one. When she brought it she asked if that was all. I said, “does this town have a golf course?” She said, “why hell yes, what you think we are, back woods?”—my kind of place.

Two old men at a table by the window laughed out loud at her reply, and probably at my facial expression. One of them got up and come over to me and told me all about the golf course, 9 holes which had two separate tee boxes for each so you could play 18 holes with some differences to each. He said he had been the manager there for years. “So,” I said, “you were the pro?” The other man laughed again. He said, “no, I never played, just ran the place.” We introduced ourselves and I thanked him for the info and directions, drank my coke and left.

Further into town, I saw another restaurant, a bit more modern looking and busier. When I went in it was much nicer. I sat at the counter and a nice looking waitress came over and said, “Hi, where you from?” I said how do you know I’m not from here? She said, “Cause I know everyone from here.” (I believed her.) She wanted to know if I was just driving through or was I going to  play golf. So, I said tell me about the golf course. She said it was purty and clean looking, now. The old guy who ran it for years had finally quit and the new guy was much better… Local politics is everywhere.

I told her I had just met the one who was the retired one. She said, “did he tell you he never played the game?” I said he had. She said, “he tells everybody that. It’s a lie, he was a really good golfer for many years, won tournaments all around here.” Sigh.

The Oak Ridge Boys were on my mind this morning. They had an excellent musical run in the late 70s, on through the 80s. Today’s SIMH was “I’ll Be True To You”—written by Alan Rhody. Mr. Rhody has been at the songwriting business for a long time. Many Country music artists have recorded his songs for going on 50 years, now. That’s a pretty good run from a man most of us never heard of, right?

Before leaving this morning, I had to get in touch with a local business about something I failed to inform them of. When I looked for their business email—they don’t have one! Today? No email address? No website? No FB page? Yep, only a phone and an office mailing address, aargh! the snails! His business is used by more than 50% of the land owners in this county at one time or another, yet being run like a business was run prior to personal computers—1987?? Some would say, “good for him!” Oh, well. I bet I could pay him in cash, too!

If you’re a mind to, pray for this bible conference, we who will preach there will greatly appreciate it.

Thanks for reading, the Elder

10/25/2018

Here’s an interesting tidbit about the SIMH today. I woke up singing “Pure Love” —written in the early 70s. My head had Charley Pride singing it and that caused me to remember a great Charley Pride related story. (Back to that later.) So, after I was up and at the ‘puter, I googled Pure Love, Charley Pride. What came up was not about Charley Pride, it was about Ronnie Millsap who had the #1 hit with it. But, more interesting than the fact that my head had Charley Pride singing it, is the history of this song which showed a man named Tom Collins heard Eddie Rabbitt sing this song and talked him into giving him the chance to “take it” to Charley Pride. Pride didn’t think he should record it, but thought Millsap should. So, as history often unfolds strangely, Eddie Rabbitt and his wife wrote the song, Charley Pride rejected it, Ronnie Millsap recorded it and it became his first of 35 #1 hits!

And my mind had Charley Pride singing it———TWFW (too weird for words.)

[Often when I get to relate short stories, they may seem as idle tales of simple human interest or some parts are too hard to believe. I may have an occasional mixup in memory, but nothing I write is just fibbing to write a good story (certainly not on purpose.) Some stories may have come to me as the truth, but not be an actual story. I can’t take the blame for that.]

A young friend of mine related this story to me when he was about thirty, saying this occurred when he was about 15, and how it changed his life. He said he had gone to a party which he was way too young for, where there were several adult items for drink and consumption, both legal and illegal. He was confronted, and in anger, he walked out. A young man followed him out the door and asked him where he was going. He said, “Home, I guess.” The young man asked, “walking?” My friend said yes. The young man said he’d walk along with him. My friend said it’s about two miles, the young man said it didn’t matter.

As they walked, the young man talked about the influence life brings to each person, regardless of their upbringing. He talked of how each of us must take responsibility for ourselves, not blame things on our parents, or being poor or rich, and how we should raise ourselves above the level which we can see exists all around us. My young friend took all this in, thought for a while and then, remembering he didn’t even know this young man who was saying these very important life-lesson things. So he asked, “What’s your name?” The young man gave him his first name, then added, just as they reached where my friend was turning to go into his house, “my dad is Charley Pride.”

It’s gonna be a busy week for me. Tomorrow I will head South to go to Navarre, FL for a great weekend of bible conference teaching. Then, head West to Houston, TX and on the way back, spend a day in Lake Charles, LA. Makes me tired already. But, I’m looking forward to visiting some friends in the Houston area, one not doing too well, others doing really great! Pray for the preaching, the miles and the sleepy-headed driver!!

If the blogs are later or even non-existent for some days, chalk it up to all that.

Thanks for reading, the Elder

10/24/2018

In one week, we will leave October behind, head into even cooler weather in November, but enjoy it all, just the same. Here in NE AL, hardly any leaves have fallen. Or, for that matter, hardly any color change. Last weekend the eclectic town of Mentone held its Fall weekend event called “ColorFest.” If the color was anything but green, someone must have gifted them with paint. Pretty sure a whole bunch of people had a really great time, anyway. I enjoy those kinds of weekends, but my timing was wrong this year and we couldn’t get to it.

We did, however, have a reason to go to Fort Payne on Saturday evening and the final 3rd Saturday Antique Car Celebration was going on in its last hours of the season. We saw a single hump camel (dromedary?), a beautiful pinto horse giving rides to children of different ages, and a piglet which has been raised by humans from the day he was born. He was “pretty” in a special sort of way (hard to find a way piglets are beautiful.) He was rather hairy for a piglet, sort of blond with a couple of darker streaks—I wondered who his hairdresser was—a cross between a Duroc, usually dark reddish brown, and a spotted poland china, usually black and white. Strange looking for a piglet. Didn’t catch his name.

We also saw a friend or two, a couple of talk sessions, listened to a little music, came home. An exciting evening, don’t you think?

Yesterday, I was writing a business plan. Ever written one? If you were going to ask for a SBA loan, you’d have to write one to tell them how your business would workout. If someone was interested in investing in your business, they might ask to see yours. It comes down to describing why a business or business idea like yours will succeed. The mere fact of writing it down makes one understand whether it will work or will not work, most of the time. It was exhilarating to write it. Whether I will be able to make heads or tails of it this morning remains to be seen. I haven’t braved looking at it yet.

SIMH is an old hymn we sang a lot when we were in the Baptist churches. “To God Be The Glory —great things He hath done, so loved He the world, that He gave us His Son! Who yielded His life an atonement for sin, and opened the Life gates that all may go in!”

When we moved to Oxford, AL in 1973 and began going to Meadowbrook Baptist Church, I believe that’s when I first heard this great hymn. We sang it often, and why not? It tells of how glorious it is to have been given the gift of salvation—eternal life in Christ Jesus!

Remembering it this morning and looking forward to the weekend bible conference in Navarre,FL, is filling my mind with stuff I have to do to get ready, stuff I want to take with me on the extended portion of the trip (going on to Texas for a short visit) and so I’d better finish this blog, get out of this chair and get a move on!

Thanks for reading, the Elder

10/23/2018

We who are older than 50, or so, are watching the demise of many of the “big box” stores we knew well in our younger years. Stores such as Sears/Roebuck, J.C.Penney, Montgomery Ward, were all the mainstays of most cities above 15,000 population about 40 years ago and, for the rural and small town dwellers, THE reason to “go to town” on Friday night or Saturday. Fifty-four years ago, I was sent to Danville, IL to manage a jewelry store. I could have stood in front of my store and thrown a rock and hit all three of those stores and a smaller regional chain store (Carson, Pirie, Scott)—from Chicago. All these and about 20 other smaller stores in a two block area. Most all small store managers gauged their good days/bad days on whether the biggies had a sale going or were having down days. That was a gross error on our part.

Those four big stores are gone. Yes, a few Sears and a few J.C.Penney remain, but their numbers are shrinking. CPS is gone completely as is Montgomery Ward. The “times,” they do change things.

Many believe e-Commerce caused this. Or, discount chains, such as Walmart, or so-called “factory outlets.” I don’t believe that’s why the old biggies didn’t survive. Look who does make it: it is those stores who can see what people are willing to go buy. e-Commerce is not going to replace retail stores. When I first observed online buying, and heard the numbers claims on the first years of it, I thought small retail stores can’t stand up against that. But, a couple of years later, I noticed more retail shopping centers being built. I thought they’ll never rent these spaces! They did. Then, in close proximity, there came even more retail centers—in even larger stripcenters!

If you check the census bureau records, you’ll find retail establishments have been on the rise every year since e-Commerce existed with the exception of one year. That’s amazing! How can this be? How can more retailers make it every year? The overall answer to that is there are just gobs of people, everywhere!!

Small retailers will never be bested in service given. Oh, yes, there are some small retailers who fail this test or temporarily have bad help. But, here’s how they win against e-Com. They out service them. People love attention. People love to know from whom they buy. So, if you own or work in a small business, cater to your customers. They will be loyal and find you more customers like them.

Secondly, people like specialty items to be in small stores. (A small store would be about 2,500 sq.ft. of space or less. Some of the best specialty items are founds in less than 1,000 sq.ft. stores. It becomes an even more special purchase if their unique need is also thought to be unique by the store they go to for purchasing it. So, if your little store has one or two really special items, find 4 or 5 more special than the first and keep the interest up in why people come into your place.

The old biggies, they ain’t coming back. Too bad. They didn’t see the clear and big picture. They saw only their past success and their founders’ position. And so, in the absence of change and upgrading their business model and execution, they failed. (We could pick apart their management, their diversification and its costliness. But, that wouldn’t change the fact that people didn’t want to go there anymore and management didn’t see why.)

Oh, No! Music didn’t seem to be part of my morning. The only bits and pieces of a SIMH were bits and pieces which I didn’t like, too irritatin’! So none shall be mentioned.

Thanks for reading, the Elder

10/22/2018

Rodgers and Hart wrote many songs and one of them, “Blue Moon”, came to be my SIMH this morning and has lingered awhile. It’s been sung and recorded by many, Sinatra, Ella Fitzgerald, Elvis, even The Marcels! Says a lot about love and loves, but nothing about a “blue moon.”

A blue moon is the second full moon in a single month, happens about every 16-18 months. Hence, the saying, “once in a blue moon” means not oddly, but not regularly. The song may hit upon something in the true blue moon vein concerning how long it takes single people to find “the right one.” He/She only comes along once in a ……..

Well, this is a strange topic for me to be writing about since I married at 17 and she still can stand me (most of the time.), so I think I’ll change the subject.

A few years ago I met an elderly man who went to one of the home bible classes my brother Jack teaches. We talked a while and he asked me if I had played sports in high school. I said yes, baseball and basketball. He asked what position in baseball and I told him bad pitcher and bad outfielder, but I could hit the ball. So, I told him Jack was my catcher until he graduated.

He said was Jack a good catcher, I said yes. He said, “What’s your best memory of a baseball game?” And so, this story:

We were playing a good school, probably the best on our schedule, but we were at home and optimistic. However, as usual, I wasn’t doing real well on the mound and the score was something like 5-4 in our favor when I weakened even more and they loaded the bases. The man coming up next was Bob Underwood, the best in the county, one of the best in the state and went as far as AA pro ball. He already had a double and a single off  my pitching that day.

Jack runs out to the mound and says, “Do you think you can throw him 3 straight curves”, “Sure,” I said. He said throw the slow curve first. So, I threw the slow curve and he just watched it go by for strike one! Jack ran out again and said, “Wanna do that again or the fast curve?” I said, let’s try the fast curve. He swung and missed!!

Jack came out a third time and said, “Throw the slow one and we’ll get him.” “No,” I said, “Let’s do the fast one, he missed it!” Jack said, no, the slow one. I said, no, the fast one. He said, “You’re sure?” I said, “Yep, I’m sure.” So, I throw the best fast curveball I ever threw in my life. He swung, the sound was deafening.

We didn’t have a left field fence. Somewhere out there way further than any outfield fence I’d ever seen anywhere, was a creek! The ball he hit from my best curve is still going, somewhere over that creek! They never found that ball!

Jack and I can still laugh about that today.

When I finished that story, the elderly gentleman from Jack’s bible class laughed and laughed, then put his hand on my shoulder and said, “You and Jack tell that story just exactly alike!” And we both laughed. It is nice to know that some memories remain the same to those involved, right?

Oh, and no, we never came back and won that game. the final score was even worse.

Thanks for reading, the Elder

10/21/2018

Eric Clapton lost a son in an accidental death, a true heart-breaking story. Along with his friend Will Jennings, they wrote a song called “Tears in Heaven.” Clapton recorded it (that must have taken a while ) and it was on my mind both times I awoke this morning. I’ve watched him sing that on videos and wondered to the Lord, would this be a good time for someone to tell him about the grace of God? Good thoughts from the SIMH. By the way, can hardly believe that was in 1992—Wow! 26 years ago.

Whether some celebrity is saved or lost is of no more importance than the next person we meet on the street. But, I have a lot of thoughts about various people because of something I hear them say or do. So opinions form about them. I’ve wanted to confront several different ones about their salvation over the years, but without being where they are it hasn’t been possible. I don’t go try to find them. There are stalking laws.

We had a great “training” day yesterday, for a new store owner (his store is in Gadsden.) We did it by doing for the Blue Jug of Fort Payne our normal maintenance on the system. Most every day the maintenance is very slight and no one is there when it is performed, so no one sees it. A new owner isn’t any different until he’s exposed to the hard work and the reality of it. It doesn’t take long, just not much fun. But it is packed with new information about how to care for a store’s system.

Water is more complex than it looks. Its characteristics are worth study. Did you know water, like plants, will react to the tone of words spoken? to the “air” of harsh conversations around it? The “purest” water isn’t when it has been filtered to be totally free of chemicals and all else. That’s just h2o, an elemental compound. The purest water is when, after falling from the sky, it is allowed to gather unto its h2o, the minerals and ions it readily desires—that’s water. Well then, what if water is forced to take on harsh chemicals? and what if it is relieved of the harshness of said chemicals? Water is very subjective and reactive. A very worth-while subject. We must have it at its best everyday in a fairly high quantity, if we are to maintain good health.

So cool this morning here in the great NE AL—down in the upper 30s. All those in favor of this for about 4 months, say “Aye!”….The Ayes have it! Don’t gripe to me about cold weather, I didn’t vote for it!

Thanks for reading, the Elder