My Ongoing Thoughts

WORTHY WORDS OF WISDOM

12/13/2024

My sainted mother-in-law turns ninety in the coming year. Any way you look at it, that is a long and full life. And she’s not done yet.

These days, she rightfully engages in something she has certainly earned the right to - she dispenses a lot of wisdom. So, when she recently handed me a sheet of paper with the following, I took note. I post it here in the hopes that you benefit from it. It is titled…

AN OLD FARMER’S ADVICE

Your fences need to be horse-high, pig-tight, and bull-strong.
Life is simpler when you plow around the stump.
A bumble bee is considerably faster than a John Deere tractor.
Meanness don’t jes’ happen overnight.
Do not corner something that you know is meaner than you.
You cannot unsay a cruel word.
When you wallow with pigs, expect to get dirty.
The best sermons are lived, not preached.
Most of the stuff people worry about ain’t never gonna happen anyway.
Don’t judge folks by their relatives.
Remember that silence is sometimes the best ever.
Don’t interfere with somethin’ that ain’t botherin’ you none.
If you find yourself in a hole, the first thing to do is stop diggin’.
Sometimes you get, and sometimes you get got.
The biggest troublemaker you’ll probably ever have to deal with, watches you from the mirror every mornin’.
Always drink upstream from the herd. Lettin’ the cat outta the bag is a whole lot easier than puttin’ it back in.
If you get to thinkin’ you’re a person of some influence, try orderin’ somebody else’s dog around.
Live simply. Love passionately. Care deeply. Speak kindly. Leave the rest to God.

I was musing on the many truths reflected in these words purportedly presented by a wise old farmer when my wife came in with a similar, but stronger set of truths. She had been out “junkin’” - meaning she was visiting garage sales looking for interesting items – when she came across a plaque with the following “Country Commandments”…

There Is Only One God
No False Gods
No Cuss’n Gather on Sundays
Mind Your Ma and Pa
No Kill’n Cheatin’ Is Forbidden
Ya’ll Don’t Steal
No White Lies or Gossip’n
No Hankerin’ for Others’ Stuff

I trust you realize these latter admonitions are merely an intentionally rural way of re-stating the Ten Commandments. But, as such, they are much more than country aphorisms. For they are words of wisdom, not from a country farmer, but from a Heavenly Father!

For my part, I have learned to heed the advice of older, wiser individuals. And this especially applies to individuals like farmers, who have little time for either theatrics or pretense.

But if it behooves me to heed the wisdom of earthly sages, how much more does it behoove me to heed the wisdom of Heaven? For if scoffing at wisdom proffered from earthly sources will have earthly consequences, how much more will scoffing at the admonitions from Heaven have eternal consequences?!

SOURCE:

My immediate source was an old paper copy from my mother-in-law. After further research, I discovered that the same material occurs in numerous places on the internet. See, for instance:

https://m.farms.com/expertscommentary/27-important-lessons-from-older-farmers-87079.aspx.

SCRIPTURE:

https://biblehub.com/niv/exodus/20.htm;

https://biblehub.com/niv/deuteronomy/5.htm.

BACK IN STEP!

12/9/2024

Recently, while out on my daily walk, I came across some neighbors of mine. They were also out for their regular exercise. As I came down the hill toward the lake, they were coming up the hill toward me. Only, they were walking backwards up the hill!

I ventured a joke as we passed, telling them that we had that much in common, in that I had spent more time than I could remember in life going backward rather than going forward! They laughed; but then told me that this was a regular part of their walking routine, as it helped with coordination as well as working muscles not always used when going forward. In short, they were doing this on purpose as it was in their best interest!

As I walked on down the roadway, I reflected on the fact that what they were asserting was good for their physical health and vitality probably had applications for life in general. After all, does it not behoove each of us, periodically, to pause, take a step or two backward, and utilize the process to improve ourselves and our standing? It probably does.

At this time of year, as the twelfth and final month has now unfolded, you are probably a lot like me in that you are focused in on Christmas and all it entails. If you are, good for you! As I asserted in my last post, Christmas is God’s greatest gift to us! For Christmas represents God’s passionate desire to see us spend eternity with Him, all made possible through the person and work of His one and only Son, Jesus Christ.

But Christmas, coming as close as it does to the end of the calendar year, is also a time of reflection. Given that God has done so much for us, is it not prudent to take a little time at Christmas and ask just what we have done with what all God has given us?! In other words, to pause, take a step back, and reflect on what all we have devoted ourselves to over the past year of our lives…

For this reason, believe it or not, one of the songs I have come to appreciate this time of year was penned by John Lennon. It is titled “So, This is Christmas”, and contains these haunting lyrics as the opening verse: “So this is Christmas; and what have you done? Another year over; and a new one just begun…”

Perhaps this is why the Bible confronts us with a similar admonition, recorded in the New Testament Gospel of Luke (chapter 12, verse 48), where Jesus says: “To whom much is given, much will be required.”

As Christmas unfolds, therefore, why not pause, take a step back, and reflect on what all God has given you? And in the process, why not ask yourself what you have done with what all He has given you?

After all, everything you have is clearly God’s gift to you. But what you do with everything you have been given is surely your gift back to Him!

LYRICS SOURCE:

https://www.songlyrics.com/john-lennon/so-this-is-christmas-lyrics/.

SCRIPTURE:

https://biblehub.com/luke/12-48.htm.

THE BEST CHRISTMAS EVER!

12/4/2024

As I write this blog post, we are being told that Americans are going all out for Christmas this year. Apparently, consumer confidence is up since the election; and store receipts are showing it. Multiple agencies project that this Christmas shopping season may see records set for spending.

Already, we are told that Black Friday 2024 was the biggest ever by online sales volume, reaching $10.8 billion. This marks a 10.2% or $1 billion increase over last year. And Cyber Monday did not disappoint either, with receipts topping $13.20 billion, up 6.5% or $800 million from the previous year. Obviously, both days reflect record shattering numbers!

I’m all for that. After all, who wouldn’t be? It is good to see the economy humming again. But with that being said, it will still always be important to keep the material component of Christmas in its proper perspective.

To that end, I thought I would share a brief story Tony Cooke once told. It seems that…

A store owner was doing some last minute Christmas shopping with his young son when he saw another store owner with whom he had been friends for some time. The two of them exchanged greetings and spoke with each other about what a financially profitable season it had been for their respective stores. The small boy overheard his father say, “This has been the best Christmas ever.”

As the store owners parted company, the father and son continued their shopping, but the father noticed his son had become very quiet. He inquired as to his son’s silence, and his son replied, “Dad, you just told Mr. Johnson that this was the best Christmas ever.”

His dad replied, “I did, son. The economy is great, and people are really spending.”

“O.K.” the son replied, “It’s just that I always thought the first Christmas was the best one.”

Little wonder that folks often say, “Out of the mouth of babes!” The young lad in the story was right! For that first Christmas saw the most costly and most cherished gift ever given – the Son of God given by the Heavenly Father to all men and women! And why was this precious gift given?

As John tells us in his New Testament Gospel (chapter 3, verses 16-18):

“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.”

Have you embraced God’s Great Gift? Have you accepted His Son? If so, my friend, then you can appreciate why that very first Christmas truly was the best one ever!

ILLUSTRATION SOURCE:

https://tonycooke.org/holiday-resources/christmas_illustrations/.

SALES SOURCE:

https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/companies/will-black-friday-2024-be-the-biggest-ever-holiday-shopping-by-year/ar-AA1uSKEl.

SCRIPTURE SOURCE:

https://biblehub.com/niv/john/3.htm.

GRAND PASSION!

11/30/2024

My poor wife is exhausted. She is still recuperating from how hard she worked behind the scenes to make for a perfect Thanksgiving gathering for our family, and especially for our seven grandsons.

In addition to putting up an abundance of decorations, she cooked a full spread replete with meats, veggies, and deserts galore. Along the way, she managed to sew costumes for each of the seven grandsons reflective of the first Thanksgiving. And to top it all off, she choreographed a day of activities, games, the annual reading of the story of Squanto, and a tremendous feast for the entire family.

The least I could do was help with tearing down the decorations, putting away the leftovers, washing the dishes, and generally helping to get the house back in order.

Of course, the question underlying all this is why. Why does she choose to utterly exhaust herself as she does whenever holidays roll around? And, of course, the answer is because she is absolutely passionate about our family, and especially about our grandsons!

All these thoughts were on my mind when I came across the following headline on www.newser.com: “This Fake 'Granny' Exists Solely to Foil Phone Scammers: British company O2 Creates 'Daisy' Chatbot to Waste Fraudsters' Time on the Phone”.

According to Newser Staff reporter, John Johnson…

Daisy Harris sounds like a phone scammer's dream target. But as Daisy herself says, she is, in reality, their "worst nightmare." Daisy, as it turns out, isn't real, explains CNN. She's a figment of artificial intelligence created by the British mobile phone company O2. The sole purpose of this chatbot's existence is to answer the calls of scammers, come off as a technically bumbling senior citizen, and waste as much of their time as possible in rambling conversation. "I drew a lot from my gran," Ben Hopkins, who worked on the project, tells the New York Times. "She always went on about the birds in her garden."

The tech team trained Daisy by bringing in an employee's grandmother for tea and recording hours of conversation. In a news release, the company says Daisy has wasted up to 40 minutes of scammers' time in various calls. Actual humans have delighted in pulling off the same trick, but Daisy's advantage is that she can take call after call after call. The company says it has worked to get various phone numbers answered by Daisy into scammers' circulation, but the Times notes she can only make a tiny, if satisfying, dent in the problem. "Although it does disrupt operations on a practical level, it doesn't stop fraud more broadly in any meaningful sense," says Elisabeth Carter, an associate professor of criminology and a forensic linguist at Kingston University London.

Having had my own life interrupted and my own time wasted more often than I prefer by scammers, I, for one, am thankful for this “fake granny”. Perhaps you can relate.

And yet, there is one thing I am even more thankful for. I am thankful that the Lord gave me two wonderful grandmothers, neither of which was in any way “fake”. Rather, both were as authentic a grandmother as anyone could ever hope to have.

The Apostle Paul once told the Philippians that he thanked God upon every remembrance of them. I can only hope that my grandmothers both knew just how much I loved them and thanked God for them. I probably did not tell them this as much as I should have; but, I look forward to seeing them again in Heaven one day, where I plan to thank them repeatedly.

But while I cannot now personally thank my own two grandmothers for the authentic love and favor they showered upon me, my sisters, and our cousins, I can personally thank my wife for doing the same for our own seven grandsons.

And I can trust that, in due time, they too will come to understand and appreciate what all she does for them. So much so that they will one thank God for every remembrance of her; and that they will then be sure to tell her what she means to them as a result.

SOURCE:

https://www.newser.com/story/360149/this-fake-granny-exists-solely-to-foil-phone-scammers.html.

SCRIPTURE:

https://biblehub.com/philippians/1-3.htm.

SERIOUSLY, THANK YOU!

11/25/2024

I love the story I once read about a four year old boy who was asked to return thanks before Thanksgiving dinner. The family members bowed their heads in expectation. He began his prayer, thanking God for all his friends, naming them one by one.

Then he thanked God for Mommy, Daddy, brother, sister, Grandma, Grandpa and all his aunts and uncles. After this, he began to thank God for the food. He gave thanks for the turkey, the dressing, the fruit salad, the cranberry sauce, the pies, the cakes, and even the Cool Whip.

After this, though, he paused, and everyone waited, and waited, and waited. After a long silence, the young fellow looked up at his mother and asked, “If I thank God for the broccoli, won’t He know I’m lying?!”

This story resonates with me as the Lord has now given me seven young grandsons. And as the old saying goes… “Out of the mouth of babes.” The point is that one never knows exactly what they are going to say. But one thing is for certain – whatever they say will always be something that comes straight from the heart.

And maybe, just maybe as Thanksgiving week unfolds, this is exactly what our Heavenly Father desires. Yes, He desires us to be thankful. But maybe, just maybe, He desires us to be sincere in our gratitude.

All of this is to say that yes, we absolutely should be thankful. But our gratitude should not be forced. Nor should it be pretentious. Rather, reflecting the innocence of a child, our gratitude should be voluntary, extensive, and, above all, refreshingly honest.

The same Bible that says, “In everything give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you” (1 Thessalonians 5:18) also tells us that we are God’s children (Romans 8:16), and should approach Him as such (Matthews 18:3, Mark 10:15, Luke 18:7).

In other words...

“Seriously, Lord, thank you! Thank you for all the good things You have given me; but also for all the bad things you have allowed me to experience, because this just shows how You have been there with me in all things! Like a loving Father, You have provided for me and cared for me in all things! So, again I say ‘Thank you, Lord! Seriously, thank you!’”

STORY SOURCE: Available online in several places. Consider, for instance: http://jokes.christiansunite.com/Prayer/In_All_Things_Give_Thanks.shtml.

SCRIPTURES:

https://biblehub.com/1_thessalonians/5-18.htm;
https://biblehub.com/romans/8-16.htm;
https://biblehub.com/matthew/18-3.htm;
https://biblehub.com/mark/10-15.htm;
https://biblehub.com/luke/18-17.htm.

THE TALKING DEAD!

11/20/2024

We live in an amazing time. Advances in science and technology are making possible things only dreamed of in times gone by. By way of example, consider the following article in the news this week, titled “Hear Richard III Speak 540 Years After Death: English King's Voice Recreated, Revealing A Yorkshire Accent”.

According to the Nov 19, 2024 summary article at www.Newswer.com...

A decade after the facial reconstruction of England's Richard III, experts have delivered what is said to be "the most accurate portrayal" yet of the medieval king who's found new popularity since his remains were discovered under a Leicester parking lot in 2012. A digital avatar of the king was unveiled Sunday at York Theatre Royal, per the Guardian. Created by the Face Lab research group at Liverpool John Moores University, led by craniofacial identification expert Caroline Wilkinson, the avatar is based on Face Lab's 2013 facial reconstruction of Richard III but aided by state-of-the-art technology, allowing the king to speak for the first time since his 1485 death in the Battle of Bosworth.

In a video, the avatar recites a speech Richard III gave two years before his death while conferring his son, Edward, as the Prince of Wales and Earl of Chester. Most obvious is the accent, which "sounds more distinctly from Yorkshire than the English spoken by the likes of Ian McKellen and Laurence Olivier when portraying the monarch in the Shakespeare play," per the Guardian. "Light" is pronounced as "leet" and "shine" as "sheen," for example. Historian Philippa Langley, who discovered the king's remains in 2012, says "everything has been meticulously researched, meticulously evidenced," leading to "the most accurate portrayal of Richard III," per Sky News.

The project is the brainchild of vocal coach Yvonne Morley-Chisholm, who "went into a deep dive of finding evidence of how [the king] would speak through speech and language therapy, dentistry, forensic psychology and archaeology," she tells the BBC. She then worked with linguist David Crystal, an expert in 15th-century pronunciation, to come up with the king's voice. "This is as close as we can get," about 90% accurate, Crystal tells NBC News. The recording is from British actor Thomas Dennis, who was coached on how best to evoke the king's accent and personality. In terms of the latter, evidence suggests Richard III was kind, loyal, brave, and just, Langley tells the BBC. (That flies in the face of this theory of the king as a killer of kids.)

I don’t know about you; but I find it amazing that we can now hear from a man over half a millennium after he died. And yet, with 90% accuracy, here it is, available for all to hear. (Check out the YouTube clip below to see for yourself.)

As I read this article, I was reminded of the Bible verse that states: “he being dead yet speaketh”. The specific reference here, in the New Testament Book of Hebrews, chapter 11, verse 4, is to Abel, who was slain by Cain. Most scholars agree that what this means is that Abel’s righteous sacrifice was accepted by God while Cain’s was not. And for this reason, his approach testifies to us even today about the importance of what God expects of us.

Still, there are many examples in the pages of Scripture of the dead literally speaking from the grave. For instance, we read in the Old Testament Book of First Samuel (chapter 28) that the Prophet Samuel spoke to King Saul from beyond the grave.

In the New Testament Gospel of Luke (chapter 9), we read about Moses and Elijah, long since deceased, talking with Jesus as He was transfigured before the disciples.

Later in Luke’s Gospel (chapter 16), we read of a deceased rich man who speaks from beyond the grave. In this same passage, the venerable, but long deceased Abraham, himself, speaks as well.

Even later, at the very moment of Jesus’s death on the cross, we read in the New Testament Gospel of Matthew (chapter 27) that the graves opened up and many “holy” individuals were raised to life, and arose and walked about the vicinity where they interacted with the people of the day.

Perhaps the best example of people speaking after death is from the book of Revelation (chapter 19). Time and again here we read about the saints of the ages opening their mouths and praising God in His presence.

And so, my friend, it does indeed seem that the dead can speak again!

However, a far better question than “Can the dead speak again?” is perhaps “What would the dead say to us if they could but speak?”

According to Jesus’ words in Luke 16, they would most likely admonish us to heed the truth of God’s Word and make certain that we are prepared for eternity before we ever leave this world!
Given this, as Abraham affirmed in this same passage, one wonders whether or not so many people in this world would actually listen to the dead if they ever did speak!

STORY SOURCE:

https://www.newser.com/story/359710/hear-richard-iii-speak-540-years-after-death.html.

Click here for a YouTube Clip of the Recreated Voice of King Richard III:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i9923JwzT10.

SCRIPTURE SOURCES:

https://biblehub.com/hebrews/11-4.htm;

https://biblehub.com/niv/1_samuel/28.htm;

https://biblehub.com/niv/luke/9.htm;

https://biblehub.com/niv/luke/16.htm;

https://biblehub.com/niv/matthew/27.htm;

https://biblehub.com/niv/revelation/19.htm.

FORGET SOMETHING?

11/16/2024

I have a confession to make. The older I get, the more I forget. It has almost become comical for my wife and me to get into the car to go somewhere and then be compelled to stop before leaving the driveway, as one or the other of us realizes that we have forgotten something. Her pocketbook, my phone, our shopping list – the examples are endless. Sadly, this happens all too frequently.

Of course, some things in life might need to be forgotten. A slight, a cheap shot, an angry word, a mistake, a failure… Again, the examples are endless. Unfortunately, however, this does not happen near frequently enough.

Other things, however, do not need to be forgotten. Be they simple matters like an appointment, a meeting, or a deadline; or be they more important matters such as a birthday, an anniversary, a commitment, a promise, or a vow. The jury is out on just how frequently such things are excusably forgotten.

But one thing should never be forgotten. I refer to simple gratitude. None of us gets through life without incurring a debt of gratitude to others in life. Without the infusion of a host of other individuals’ time, values, resources, and opportunities, few of us would ever have become who we have become, acquired what we have acquired, and/or accomplished what we have accomplished in life.

As this is the week leading up to Thanksgiving, maybe it would be a good time to acknowledge whomever played such a role in your life, and make a point to express your gratitude to them for their investment in you and your life.

And by the way, chief among those individuals should, of course, be Almighty God! Scripture affirms (in the New Testament Book of James, chapter 1, verse 17, AMP) that “Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above; it comes down from the Father…”

This same Bible also admonishes us (in the Old Testament Book of Psalms, chapter 103, verse 2, NLT) when we read “Let all that I am praise the LORD; may I never forget the good things he does for me.”

Many people have done many good things for me personally. To them, I owe a debt of gratitude. I hope I am faithful to express my appreciation to them. But one individual has done more for me than anyone else ever has or ever could. That individual is, of course, my Heavenly Father. To Him, above all others, I owe the most gratitude. This week, above all others, I hope I express this sufficiently.

To put it another way, God has been good to me. And I hope I never forget it, especially as Thanksgiving looms!

What about you? Have you forgotten anything lately? Specifically, have you forgotten what all has been done for you lately? If so, then to whom do you owe an expression of gratitude this week? And just who, among them all, most deserves your thankfulness?

SCRIPTURE:

https://biblehub.com/james/1-17.htm;

https://biblehub.com/psalms/103-2.htm.

NOTE: AMP refers to the Amplified Bible. NLT refers to the New Living Translation.

A MOTION AWAY!

11/11/2024

Like many folks my age, all throughout my childhood, I listened to many a song by the folk rock duo “Simon and Garfunkel”. Among them were such classics as 1965’s “The Sound of Silence”, 1966’s “Homeward Bound”, “I Am a Rock”, “Scarborough Fair”, and 1970’s “Bridge over Troubled Water” and “Cecilia”.

Yet, by the time I was a teenager, Paul Simon was recording hits on his own. These included 1972’s “Mother and Child Reunion” and “Me and Julio Down by the Schoolyard”, 1973’s “Kodachrome” and “Loves Me Like a Rock”, and 1975’s “50 Ways to Leave Your Lover”.

At the time, I took notice of the fact that the two had split up and that Simon was continuing to record, while Garfunkel was largely inactive. I just never knew why they split up. Until now. The answer came in an article by John Johnson at Newser.com titled: “Garfunkel On Rift With Simon: 'I Was A Fool': He Says The Two Recently Met For A Friendly Lunch For The First Time In Years”.

The article states:

Simon and Garfunkel Appear to Have Made Amends. They're not getting the band back together exactly, but it appears that Art Garfunkel and Paul Simon have made peace with each after years of friction. Garfunkel tells the UK Times that he and Simon had an emotional lunch earlier this year:

"I looked at Paul and said, 'What happened? Why haven't we seen each other?' Paul mentioned an old interview where I said some stuff. I cried when he told me how much I had hurt him. Looking back, I guess I wanted to shake up the nice guy image of Simon & Garfunkel. You know what? I was a fool!"

The details of that offending interview aren't spilled, but the Guardian notes that both have said caustic things about the other over the years. So does this mean a Simon & Garfunkel show might be in the offing? If so, it will likely be a private one. Garfunkel says the two plan to meet again, and Simon may or not bring his guitar. Garfunkel still performs with his son Art Jr., but Simon has largely retired after suffering hearing loss last year while recording an album. Both are 83 now.

Wow! Two guys who were the best of friends and who lived their dream together and made history. Yet, they had a falling out and have been on the outs with one another for almost fifty five years! When all it took was one or more parities bein willing to say I was wrong and I’m sorry I hurt you so! After all this time, their reunion, to quote Simon, was “only a motion away”! Kudos to whichever one took the first step and moved in the other’s direction.

Still, just think what they could have accomplished if they had worked things out early on and gotten back together sooner! Alas! The world will never know.

Perhaps the reason this story so resonates is because all of us, including me, have had unfortunate and unnecessary fallouts with friends and/or loved ones. I include myself because I know firsthand that I have travelled just such a path. More than once, I have parted ways with others. At times, it was clearly my fault. At times, perhaps it was the other person’s. Too many times, though, I cannot even remember what the fallout was all about.

Let’s face it; life is short – way too short, in fact, to spend on the outs with others. For my part, I am nowhere near 83. Still, I find that, especially as I age, I increasingly feel compelled to seek out those whom I am aware that I may have wronged.

Two of the hardest words to say in the English language are “I’m sorry”. And yet, these two words are undoubtedly two of the most productive words in the English language as well.

In the New Testament Epistle of Colossians (chapter 3, verse 13), the Apostle Paul encourages us to “Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. “ He then reminds us why we should do this, as he adds “Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others.”

How much better of a world would it be if we all just learned the wisdom of these words?! How much better off would we ourselves be if we would just set forgiveness and reconciliation in motion?!

After all, it’s not only mothers and children who occasionally need a reunion; it’s also brothers and sisters!

STORY SOURCE:

https://www.newser.com/story/359315/simon-and-garfunkel-appear-to-have-made-amends.html.

SEE ALSO:

https://simonandgarfunkel.com/;

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Simon_%26_Garfunkel;

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Simon;

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Art_Garfunkel.

SCRIPTURE:

https://biblehub.com/colossians/3-13.htm.

DID SOMEONE SAY CHEESE?

11/6/2024

I have a confession to make. Like the famed Chester Cheetah, I simply love cheese. Especially Extra Sharp Cheddar cheese! I will eat it on most anything! Anytime! Anywhere! The cheesier the better!

So, when I came across the following article in the news about a week ago, I was intrigued to say the least. The title of the piece, dated October 31, 2024, was “Arrest Made in 'Grate Cheese Robbery'”. Knowing little about any of this, I read on…

According to Rob Quinn at newser.com…

An arrest has been made in the theft of almost 50,000 pounds of award-winning cheddar in London, though it's not clear if the man taken into custody is the big cheese behind the scam. Police say a 63-year-old man was arrested in London on suspicion of fraud by false representation and handling stolen goods, the Guardian reports. The man was questioned and released pending further inquiries in the ongoing investigation, reports the BBC. The Neal's Yard Dairy specialist cheese distributor said almost 1,000 wheels of cheese, worth a total of around $390,000, were stolen by a con man posing as a wholesaler for a French distributor.

Earlier this week, celebrity British chef Jamie Oliver urged his followers on Instagram to be on the lookout for "lorry loads of very posh cheese" from the "grate cheese robbery," the AP reports. "If anyone hears anything about posh cheese going for cheap, it's probably some wrong'uns," he said, adding: "Remember, if the deal seems too gouda to be true, it probably is!"

Neal's Yard Dairy says it has honored its payments to the three dairies that provided the artisanal cheese. David Lockwood, a partner in the company, tells the New York Times that the cheese was sent in two shipments in September—but when payment was overdue earlier this month, their "contacts became uncontactable." He says the company went to police when it became clear they had been scammed. He says the company is treating it as a learning experience. "It'd be a great action comedy," he says. "Maybe we can sell the rights and get some of the money back."

Wow! Imagine losing 1000 wheels of cheese! I’d be crying! For now, however, it’s not my eyes that are watering; but rather my mouth! So much so that I’m gonna pause writing this blog post and go get me a slice of cheese! (Pause…) I’m back; and boy was that good!

Seriously, as I read this story, I could not help but think of Dr. Spencer Johnson’s book from back in the day titled “Who Moved My Cheese?” It sold thirty million copies and was translated into seventeen languages. For those of you who have never read it, I will not spoil the story here. But suffice it to say that the book addresses the fundamental issue of how we all address change whenever it comes our way. The title has since become an everyday phrase in culture.

Dr. Johnson was right. Even those of us who may never have our cheese stolen still will have it moved at some point. And when someone moves our cheese, how will we respond?

It has been said that the only thing that is constant is change itself! And so my friend, it behooves each of us to be prepared to deal with change whenever it comes out way.

Some change we may like. Other change we may not like. Some change may be beneficial. Other change may not. Some change may be easy. Other change may be hard. But whenever we find that we must face change, it is best to address it and not avoid it.

The Bible is full of promises that God will be with and give us the strength to face whatever we must face. Thus, we read in Joshua (chapter 1, verse 9): “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you…”

And whenever we work through change of any kind, remember this. God’s Word also tells us (in Romans 8, verse 28): “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.” This is to say that whatever changes come our way, God is still in control. No matter the difference we must face, He will still use it to work something good in our lives.

Above all, the Bible repeatedly reminds us that though all else may change, there is one entity that does not change, and never will. And that is God Himself! As He tells us in Malachi (chapter 3, verse 6): “For I the Lord do not change!”

Isn’t it great to know that, no matter else we have to adjust to in an ever-changing world, the one Person we can always count on is our Lord! He will always be with us. He will always care for us. He will always love us!

And if there’s one thing I love more than anything else, including cheese, it is knowing just how much Gods loves me!

STORY SOURCE:

https://www.newser.com/story/358759/arrest-made-in-grate-cheese-robbery.html.

SEE ALSO:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Who_Moved_My_Cheese%3F;

https://www.k-state.edu/registrar/intranet/who%20moved%20my%20cheese.pdf.

SCRIPTURE:

https://www.openbible.info/topics/change.

HONORABLE MENTION

11/1/2024

We all know how much bad news is in the world. We are inundated with it day and night, night and day! And we all also know why this is. Because bad news seems to sell papers, or rather drive clicks! But every so often, it’s just good to focus on a little good news.

This is why I periodically browse sites such as www.goodnewsnetwork.org. And I’m glad I did earlier today as I came upon the following article posted there by Andy Corbley, titled “When Missouri School Wanted to Rename Their Building, They All Agreed to Honor the Longtime Janitor”.

According to the article:

A Missouri K-8 school was debating long and hard over what to rename their school. The decision-makers could have picked any number of famous Missouri natives, or perhaps a national figure that would inspire the kids to strive for similar achievement and recognition. But no; in the end they picked the person they all decided meant the most to them: Claudene Wilson, the school custodian.

The 64-year-old has been at the Swedeborg District III Elementary School for decades, working not only as a custodian-janitor, but plumber, landscaper, school bus driver, in cafeteria service, and even as a greeter for the kids when they arrive at school. At a certain point, she told CBS News’ ‘On the Road’ with Steve Hartman, she would be working 13-hour days. Why did she tolerate such long hours? “The kids,” she said.

The school board, led by President Chuck Boren, voted unanimously over the summer to designate the school as the Claudene Wilson Learning Center. Boren was in the school’s 8th grade class when Wilson started working there. His son Canaan, now 14, spent his whole childhood learning the same lessons from Wilson that Boren did.

“That’s what makes Claudene what she is,” Boren told CBS. “…These kids get sick, you think they go to the nurse to start with? They go to her. If they had a bad night, they go to her. And she’s there for each and every one of them.”

You’ll find one gas station, a few churches, and a couple of restaurants on the single country road that runs through the unincorporated communities that make up the Swedeborg School District 100 miles from Kansas City in rural Pulaski County. “If you go out in the community and say you’re from Swedeborg, if they know anything about Swedeborg, the first thing they’re going to say is, ‘Is Claudene still there?’” Mark Sasfy, the school’s assistant administrator, told CNN.

Many of the school’s employees have never seen the building without her in it - even after she officially retired as the custodian in July. By the start of the school year, she was back as a bus driver. “It’s awesome that someone that’s been here, spent their whole life, for 30 years working at one place and having all those connections mean something,” added Jacob Miller, a fifth and sixth-grade teacher who remembers a moment during his first day in the classroom when Wilson passed by the door and gave him a thumbs up through the window.

There’s still one person in the school district who doesn’t feel the honor was deserved, and that’s Wilson herself, telling Hartman at CBS that while it touches her heart, her relationships with the kids are the only reward she requires.

As I read this story, I was reminded of what Jesus once told us. In the New Testament Gospel of Matthew (chapter 20, verses 26-28), He states:

“Whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be your slave - just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

It is interesting that this statement comes between two stories. The first (in chapter 20, verses 20-24) involves the mother of James and John asking Jesus to give her sons a place of prominence in His future kingdom, and the other disciples’ resentment of this.

The second comes in chapter 21, verses 28-32, and involves two sons working in their father’s vineyard, the first deciding to do so after first refusing, and the second agreeing to do so but never showing up. Jesus then asked which son the father wanted? His listeners’ reply that it was the first son prompted Him to remind them that many people looked down on in this world would inhabit the Kingdom of God long before others, thinking too much of themselves, ever would.

All of this echoed what Jesus had told His followers earlier in chapter 19, verse 30: “But many who are first will be last, and many who are last will be first.” Or as the New Living Translation puts it: “But many who are the greatest now will be least important then, and those who seem least important now will be the greatest then.”

The Apostle Paul (in his New Testament Letter to the Romans, chapter 13, verse 7) told us to “Give to everyone what you owe them: If you owe taxes, pay taxes; if revenue, then revenue; if respect, then respect; if honor, then honor.”

I’m happy for Claudene Wilson. Her many years of sacrifice were no doubt difficult. And now, at long last, she has been given the appropriate honor. And I am reminded that her dedication serves as a prime example of the truths Jesus taught. May I follow her example as I seek to live a life useful to others and glorifying to God!

STORY SOURCE:

https://www.goodnewsnetwork.org/when-missouri-school-wanted-to-rename-their-building-they-all-agreed-to-honor-the-longtime-janitor/.

SCRIPTURES:

https://biblehub.com/niv/matthew/20.htm;

https://biblehub.com/niv/matthew/21.htm;

https://biblehub.com/matthew/19-30.htm;

https://biblehub.com/romans/13-7.htm.

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