My Ongoing Thoughts

THE QUESTION REMAINS!

7/3/2020

It has now been 25 years since own of my favorite movies, Braveheart, was first introduced. The Hollywood blockbuster recounts the story of the Scottish patriot named William Wallace and his brave exploits during the First War for Scottish Independence back in the early fourteenth century. Mel Gibson both starred in and directed this Academy Award winning motion picture.

One particularly powerful scene depicts Wallace as he is preparing a rag tag band of rebels for battle against King Edward Longshank’s powerful English army. At the cusp of battle, the Scots are woefully outmanned and outgunned. They are also wavering.

Wallace rallies his troops by saying: “I am William Wallace, and I see before me an army of my countrymen here in defiance of tyranny. You have come to fight as free men, and free men you are. You are free, free from badges, free from flesh, and free to love. What will you do with that freedom? Will you fight?”

A tall soldier near the front, eyeing the huge forces arrayed against them across the valley, answers: “Fight against that? No, we will run, and we will live.”

To which Wallace responds: “Ay, fight and you may die, run and you'll live. At least a while! And dying in your beds many years from now, you would be willing to trade all the days from this day to that for one chance, just one chance, to come back here and tell our enemies that they may take our lives, but they'll never take our freedom.”

Wallace’s question remains with us this Independence Day weekend: “What will you do with your freedom?!” Hopefully, it always will!

Each generation of Americans would do well to ask this question afresh and anew. Wise men have always known that real freedom can only exist hand in hand with responsibility. Freedom, true freedom, entails assuming responsibility, both for our own lives and for the lives of others.

For this reason, each generation of Americans would also do well pause to remember those who came before us and sacrificed so much in order that we may have the freedoms that we claim to cherish so much! Had they not assumed responsibility in their day and age, it is doubtful that we would have the very freedoms we now enjoy.

Above all, each generation of Americans would also do well to give thanks to the God who bestowed our great freedoms upon us. We will always make a tragic mistake when we attempt to separate God from our freedom. Without God, our concept of freedom can easily degenerate into selfishness.

The testimony of the Psalmist was: “Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD!” I pray America will always remember that God is the source of our blessings; and that we will honor Him accordingly with how we choose to live.

Yes, my fellow Americans, William Wallace’s piercing question is well worth pondering as we celebrate this Independence Day weekend. “What will we do with our freedom?!”

I leave you with the prayer of Peter Marshall, famed Presbyterian Pastor and U.S. Senate Chaplain of an earlier era, who once famously said: “May we think of freedom, not as the right to do as we please, but as the opportunity to do what is right.”

SOURCES:

FILM: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Braveheart;
and https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0112573/;
as well as: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Wallace.

SCRIPTURE: https://biblehub.com/psalms/33-12.htm.

MARSHALL'S PRAYER: https://www.azquotes.com/author/9514-Peter_Marshall.

SEE ALSO: https://liberty-virtue-independence.blogspot.com/2011/08/prayers-of-reverend-peter-marshall.html.

LIKE FATHER, LIKE SON (AND DAUGHTER)

6/29/2020

Before the month of June passes, I thought it would be fitting to go back and address Father’s Day. An article in the news a couple of weeks ago was titled “Signs You're Becoming Your Father, and the Average Age It Starts: Poll”. Originally published on www.swns.com, it was later picked up and republished on www.foxnews.com on June 15, 2020.

According to the SWNS Staff, a new poll reveals that we all start becoming our fathers at around age 37. Additionally, 68 percent of those surveyed said they feel more like their father with every passing year.

The survey of some 2,000 Americans with living fathers was intended to get some insights into our relationships with our dads and how the pandemic may have shaken that up in any way.
Here are some of the more interesting findings…

Thirty-seven percent said they take grilling very seriously because of their dad.
One in three (thirty-five percent) said they get their handy skills from them.
Twenty-two percent mute commercials on TV because of their father.
One in four grunts when getting off the couch now.
Another one in four said they fall asleep on the couch with the game on — just like “Dear old Dad”.
One in five respondents even admitted that they no longer like it when someone in their family changes the thermostat.
Three in four Americans said the COVID-19 pandemic has actually made them appreciate their fathers more.
This last tidbit was attributed to having more time to talk. It seems that two in three said that “they’ve gotten to know their dads a lot more during the last few months.”
As a result, respondents said they now reach out to their dad on average six times a week, whether it’s a call, text, video call, or in-person visit.

Maybe the best news of all in this for “Dear old Dad” was the finding that Americans with living fathers planned on making this Father’s Day special for him! How special? According to the article, “So special, in fact, that the average survey respondent plans on shelling out close to $100 on a gift this year — while one in 10 said they plan on spending more than $200.”

What will (or did) this look like? The survey results showed that most respondents “will be opting for a nice dinner and something expensive, like a tech gadget or smartwatch”.

Four in 10 will be getting their dad something practical they know they want, like socks or a tool kit.

But according to the poll, when people were asked what they think their dad actually wanted, the popular answers were simply a juicy steak and an ice-cold drink — news that probably made the survey’s sponsor, Omaha Steaks, very happy.

Further findings revealed more stats on what the average respondent considered to be the most dad-like trait about him (or her) self, as well as what they think their dad really wants this Father's Day:

TOP TRAITS RESPONDENTS THINK THEY GET FROM THEIR DADS:

Take grilling very seriously: 37 percent
Repair things instead of buy them new: 35 percent
Get really into corny jokes: 28 percent
Tell your kids to ask their mother: 26 percent
Falling asleep on the couch with the game on: 25 percent
Grunt when I get off the couch: 25 percent
Mute commercials: 22 percent
Love to mow the lawn: 22 percent
Don’t like when people touch the thermostat: 21 percent
Finish everyone else’s plate at a restaurant: 18 percent

WHAT RESPONDENTS THINK THEIR FATHER WANTS:

An ice-cold beer: 36 percent
Steak dinner: 35 percent
Glass of whiskey: 31 percent
Phone call from his family: 31 percent
Peace and quiet: 30 percent
A physical expensive gift (tech, smartphone, etc): 26 percent
Watch whatever he wants on TV: 24 percent
To be left alone: 23 percent
To sleep in: 23 percent
Sports back on TV: 22 percent
A cheaper practical gift (socks, tools, etc): 21 percent

I do not know how many of my regular readers out there are actual fathers themselves; nor how many of those who are dads would actually agree with these findings. I myself am a father; and I’ll agree with the part about a good steak!

Seriously, for me, the best news in the article was that children are now reporting that they are getting closer to their fathers, primarily by spending more time with them. Most any father appreciates this as much if not more than anything else a child can give him.

Oh, and also to know that children admit to becoming more and more like their fathers. That too is very affirming for dads.

By the way, these last two things are true not only for earthly fathers, but for our Heavenly Father as well. He too loves it when we desire to spend time with Him and become more like Him! Given this, I hope we all will!

ARTICLE SOURCE: https://www.foxnews.com/lifestyle/signs-becoming-your-father-average-age.

DELIVERING THE GOODS

6/25/2020

A very gifted and gracious man in our church recently gave my wife and me a large black bear he had created out of a hardwood log. He had carved it with a chain saw and then painted it with such precision that it has a remarkable likeness to the actual thing. As if this blessing was not enough, he then gave us another bear to go with it. This second one was a cub, designed to accompany the larger bear he had created earlier.

We have now set them up in the edge of the woods in our back yard. From a distance, they look quite real. In fact, whenever I chance to glance upon them, for a split second, I am inclined to think they are real. I then remember their origin and thank God for this dear man. The goodness of his talent is surpassed only by the goodness of his generosity.

While out walking yesterday evening, my wife and I encountered a large doe that came up out of a patch of weeds and stood in the road in front of us. After a moment, she glanced over her shoulder and then proceeded to cross the road into the woods. A few seconds later, a beautiful young fawn came up out of the foliage and stood where she had been. It then walked across the road and into the woods after what was obviously its mother.

As I beheld this spectacle of nature, I was reminded of the bear and cub in our yard. Only this time, the creatures were indeed real. I say creatures because they too were created. And the One Who made them is even more talented than the man who carved our bears. The One I refer to here is of course Almighty God; and the goodness of His creativity too is only surpassed by the goodness of His generosity.

For the pinnacle of this Creator’s work was and is you and me. Despite the goodness He displayed in having created us, and despite the goodness of the beautiful world in which He placed us, we rebelled against Him. Yet even then, He did not abandon us. Rather, as His Word tells us In the New Testament Gospel of John, chapter 3, verses 16 and 17, NLT):

16“For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. 17God sent his Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through him.

These verses have special significance for my wife and me. You see, we were each created in the image of Almighty God. Yet, we each chose to sin against Him. Nonetheless, He loved us so much that He gave His One and Only Son on our behalf. We received the goodness of His grace by embracing His son. Thereafter, He chose to bless us with the goodness of a wonderful life together.

A part of that goodness has been three little ones of our own, as well as the opportunity to see each of these grow up, embrace God’s grace, and receive in turn the goodness of His blessings for them.

Part of their blessings is now intertwined with ours. For they have now given us six new little ones. That’s right, in addition to the four grandsons we now have (ages 3, 2, 2, and 1), my wife and I are about to blessed with two more grandsons. One will be debuting in September and the other in November.

I pray the Lord will give me many opportunities to see each of these new little ones running around our house and yard. And I know in my heart that each time I glance up and see one or more of them doing so, I will remember that these little ones are indeed real. For they are, one and all, real live human beings, created in the image of Almighty God!

And even though they will not be perfect, even though they will prove their sinful nature, God still loves them so much that He has already provided for their redemption as well. That redemption is found in the same One and Only Son Who redeemed their parents (my children) and their grandparents (my wife and me).

When these times come, I will remember that my Heavenly Father has once again delivered the goods! For I will be witnessing again the manifold goodness of God on display - the goodness of His creativity surpassed only by the goodness of His generosity!

SCRIPTURE SOURCE: https://biblehub.com/nlt/john/3.htm.

THE MEAT OF THE MATTER

6/22/2020

During my daily walks for exercise, I pass by several farms surrounding our place of residence. As I do, I am continually reminded of my childhood days growing up on a farm in north-central Georgia. Like many here in east Tennessee today, we could more properly be said to have in the business of animal husbandry than farming. Outside of our garden, most all of the crops we grew were for the feeding of our livestock.

These included cattle (mostly Black Angus and polled, or hornless, Hereford), swine (mostly Hampshire and Yorkshire breeds that we just called “hawgs”), and poultry (mostly Rhode Island Red chickens, but also a few turkeys). Most all of these were raised for sale at auction. But some were for personal consumption.

I still have vivid memories of my father, grandfather, and two uncles butchering a steer each spring, to be divided equally among our families over the summer. The same was true for four hogs in the fall of each year in anticipation of winter. In short, we always had meat to eat. So much so that the phrase “Unless it has piece of meat, a meal will never be complete!” was not just a saying, but a way of life.

Fast forward a few years to when I first started dating my wife, whose parents had been raised in east Tennessee, and who grew up on a diet consisting largely of “pinto beans, fried tators, and cornbread”, but little meat. When I came over for Sunday dinner, my wife’s mother would prepare a couple of hot dogs for me to eat with my meal, just so I could have my portion of meat.

Consequently, when around this time, a certain hamburger chain scored big with its nationwide “Where’s the Beef?!” advertising campaign, I had the answer. It was in our freezer at the farm where I grew up. We had the beef!

Of course, in that day, with a freezer full of home-grown beef, we hardly ever ate hamburgers from fast food franchises. Not so today. While gardening is currently purported to be all the rage among millennials, statistics still indicate that only a small percentage of our society actually grows and processes its own food. This is no doubt due to our increasingly urbanized culture. Nowadays, the more metropolitan the setting, the less likely its residents are to produce their own food.

These things and others have all been on my mind during the recent coronavirus pandemic. Arguments rage over whether the virus has passed, has yet to peak, and/or will return with an even more devastating second wave. I do not know which is true.

But, even if it is now behind us, the one thing the coronavirus did is to illustrate to us how fragile our supply chain can be. No one foresaw the toilet tissue shortage that started it all. This was followed by a scarcity of hand sanitizers, as well as masks of most any kind. And now, we are being told that there is a nationwide meat shortage.

The shortage has become so acute that the same hamburger franchise mentioned above has once again left people asking a familiar question. According to a recent article over at Fox Business news, “Wendy's Customers Ask 'Where's The Beef?' As Restaurants Remove Menu Items”.

It seems that Wendy's, which is known for its claim of fresh, never-frozen beef, is taking burgers off the menu in some locations as the U.S. deals with a meat shortage traced back to the coronavirus. Wendy's officials gave the following statement to FOX Business News:

"As you've likely heard, beef suppliers across North America are currently facing production challenges. Because of this, some of our menu items may be in short supply from time to time at some restaurants in this current environment."

The article also reported that some social media users said the Wendy's locations they visited only allowed them to order single-patty burgers. For now, it seems, double and triple burgers are off the menu. Apparently, there’s just not enough beef!

In fairness, Wendy’s is not alone here. Costco, Kroger, and other major grocery store chains are rationing the amount of meat customers can buy at any one time as processing at U.S. meat plants has slowed down or stopped completely. Even Wendy’s chief competition, McDonald’s, has recently had to change its menu selection due to a shortage of burger meat.

These days, I no longer live on a farm, and no longer process my own meat. But given that my sons are both chips off the ol’ block, and, like me, are “hardcore carnivores”, we have now talked about splitting a side of beef and filling up our respective freezers. When we do, I will once again have the answer to the question: “Where’s the beef?!”

But while I may not yet have a freezer full of meat, neither am I expected to. That’s because I do not promise to provide a product that consists of “two all-beef patties, lettuce, cheese, pickles, onions, on a sesame seed bun”. Nor do I assert that my competitor has an inferior product by asking “Where’s the beef?!”

Most of all, unlike the slogan currently put forth by yet another fast food franchise, I do not boldly assert that “I have the meat!” If I did any of these things, it would be of crucial importance for me to make certain that I did indeed have the meat!

But as a follower of Jesus Christ, I do make other assertions. I do claim to have peace, joy, and love! As well as faith and hope! And if I do claim to have these things, is it not crucial that I make them readily visible and accessible to others who might desire to sample them?! Indeed, it is!

The Apostle Paul tells us that all who follow Jesus Christ will exhibit certain fruits of the Spirit. In the New Testament Letter to the Galatians (chapter 5, verses 22,23, and 25), he writes: “The Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control… Since we are living by the Spirit, let us follow the Spirit’s leading in every part of our lives.”

In light of this, as a born again follower of Jesus Christ in whom the Holy Spirit of God now dwells, I hope no one ever looks at my life and says: “Where’s the fruit?!”

ARTICLE SOURCES:

https://www.foxbusiness.com/lifestyle/wendys-meat-shortage-menu-items-removed; and

https://www.foxbusiness.com/markets/mcdonalds-beef-canada-beef-shortage-imports.

SEE ALSO:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U80ebi4AKgs; and

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=idnwh6iDnXA.

SCRIPTURE SOURCE:

https://biblehub.com/nlt/galatians/5.htm.

HUNTING HIGH AND LOW

6/17/2020

We who proclaim the Gospel often hunt high and low for illustrations. They help us communicate more effectively. And sometimes, when we find them, it is in the strangest of places. This is exactly what happened to me earlier today.

Thus, in a continuation of my thoughts from my last post, I thought I would share another animal related incident that occurred as I was out walking this morning. I was a couple of miles from our home and headed down a road that leads to a nearby lake when I noticed a small animal about a hundred yards ahead of me.

I soon realized that it was small black house cat. It was not a kitten, but rather a cat. However, it did not appear to be fully grown. I’ll call it a teenage cat. In any event, it was on the edge of the pavement and intensely preoccupied with something in the tall grass in the ditch by the side of road. In fact, it was so engrossed that it did not notice me as I slowly advanced down the road toward it.

I managed to get within about twenty feet or so of it before it suddenly looked up and caught sight of me. Apparently, it was jolted to its senses upon discovering just how close I had gotten. Immediately, it bolted upright and then darted up the road about fifty feet before turning and then heading across to the other side of the road where it quickly disappeared into the woods.

I then walked forward to see if I could discover whatever had the little cat so preoccupied. I assumed there would be a small rat or something in the grass. As I myself was peering intently into the undergrowth, I suddenly heard a commotion in a tree directly overhead. I looked up to see a very large bird of prey as it launched itself out and away from the spot.

I do not know if it was an osprey or a very large hawk. Both are fairly common here; and so it had to be one or the other. Its cry pierced the air as is swooped out over the roadway and quickly ascended above the treetops. It appeared quite agitated, as if I had interrupted its meal plans.

As I have studied on this brief episode, I have concluded that I must have interrupted a hunt within a hunt. One hunt was happening up high and the other was happening down low. In the process, I inadvertently saved one or more animals from a terrible fate, while leaving one or more other animals frustrated at the loss of their next meal.

I am confident the little cat was hunting a mouse, vole, mole, shrew, baby rabbit, or something to that effect. But it was so intently focused on its own quarry that it failed to realize that it was being hunted itself! Clearly, whatever species of predatory bird was overhead was preparing to swoop down and snatch the little cat up for its own dinner.

Of course, neither predator probably factored me blundering into the equation and ruining their hunt. Nonetheless, I did; and though some went hungry as a result, at least others lived to see another day.

As I walked on down the road reflecting on this matter, the Lord brought a few things to my mind. To begin with, the Bible makes plain that we can learn a lot from nature. All through the New Testament Gospels, Jesus alluded to nature in His teachings. He talked about the wind and the rain and the flowers and the birds. He also answered questions raised by His disciples pointing to nature, as in the case of the fig tree and the color of the sky.

In other parts of God’s word, we see the same approach. The Old Testament Psalmist references many different species of both flora and fauna as he finds way to praise God and declare His glory. The Old Testament Book of Proverbs does the same. For instance, it bids us consider the ways of the ant as it works diligently to prepare for the future. Many other examples could be cited; but these few suffice to make my point. We can learn a lot from nature.

And I learned a good lesson from it today. In his First New Testament Letter to the Corinthians (chapter 10, verse 12), the Apostle Paul cautions us to be careful when he says “Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall.”

While stalking its hapless prey, the little cat I encountered earlier today was no doubt feeling “large and in charge”, to quote a common phrase. Little did it know, however, just how close it came to being “small and in trouble”!

Surely there is a lesson here for all of us. We can be riding high one moment; and taken down the next. We can be in complete control one moment; and be utterly defenseless the next. We can be supremely confident one moment; and worried and afraid the next.

It behooves us all, therefore to “take heed”. In the original “Koine” (or common) Greek in which the Apostle Paul first wrote this verse, the term he employed here was “blépō”, which in its simplest form means “to see”. But scholars tell us that it means much more. It means not just “to see”, but “to be observant”, “to be watchful”.

It is the sort of thing Peter had in mind when he wrote in his First New Testament Letter (chapter 5, verse 8) for us to: “Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour.” He says this no doubt because the one individual above all others who delights in seeing men and women go down is the devil!

In the incident I described above, the little cat was anything but alert, watchful, or observant. Instead, he was absorbed in his own world. As such, he was so preoccupied with own intentions that he failed to see the bigger picture and/or to sense the danger that came with his situation.

I didn’t have to hunt high or low to find this little lesson from nature illustrating a profound principle from God’s word. He provided it by placing it right in front of me. I just had to be alert enough to see it. I hope you have seen it as well.

SCRIPTURE SOURCES:

https://biblehub.com/1_corinthians/10-12.htm; and
https://biblehub.com/1_peter/5-8.htm.

GREEK:

https://biblehub.com/greek/blepeto__991.htm.

IN HIS HANDS

6/13/2020

Back in the day, a collection of animals was called a menagerie. While I have no such assemblage of my own, I have been blessed in my retirement to live in the midst of one.

You see, compared with where we lived previously, our new home is definitely out in the country. And as I have gone walking each day, I have found myself encountering an astounding array of God’s creatures. Some of these have been domestic. Given that we are literally surrounded by farms in every direction, it is not surprising that among those animals I have seen on my daily walks are horses, cows, goats, pigs, chickens, dogs, and cats.

But to this I can now add an assortment of wild animals as well. I have been blessed to encounter deer, coyotes, foxes, raccoons, groundhogs, rabbits, squirrels, and yes, even skunks.

Fortunately, I have yet to encounter a bear, although one was spotted and photographed by some local residents last week as he crossed the road about four miles away. If I ever do encounter one, a new world record for how fast anyone has ever run a mile will likely be set. I know this because I will be the one to set it!

Among the birds I have encountered in my walks are turkeys, geese, ducks, crows, cranes, buzzards, and ospreys. I have yet to see an eagle, but understand that they do inhabit the trees surrounding the large TVA reservoir about two miles from our house. It may just be a matter of time, then, until I spot one.

Reptiles have now included terrapins and turtles (one of which was a snapping turtle), and several snakes. One of the latter was even a timber rattler out sunning himself by a barbed-wire fence. Needless to say, I gave him a wide birth.

But my favorite creature has come to be one I see quite regularly. Here while back, my mother-in-law, with whom we live, found a wounded song bird and nursed it back to health. Though it now lives with a handicapped leg, it still gets along just fine. In fact, it chooses to dwell near the house.

Why? Because, along with around forty or fifty other regulars, it appears to know that several bird-feeders will always be full of bird food. It also seems to know that a bird bath sitting nearby will always contain water. What is more, multiple bird houses hang in the trees adjacent to our house.

In short, this little bird has apparently concluded that it has now found a veritable bird paradise. And it has prudently decided to revel in the goodness of life here under the watchful care of my mother-in-law. So much so that you know when it is nearby because you can hear the song of joy it sings as it celebrates its blessings.

Jesus once referenced the birds of the air and how they are cared for by our Heavenly Father. In the New Testament Gospel of Matthew (chapter 6, verses 25 and 26), He states:

“I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? Look at the birds of the air: They do not sow or reap or gather into barns—and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?”

I have reflected a lot lately on this very teaching. As I look back over my life, I wonder now why I spent so much time worrying over so many things – and especially inconsequential things!

Michel de Montaigne once satirically noted that his life had been full of terrible misfortunes, most of which never happened. How right he was!

The truth is that my life has been filled with many blessings as I have been continuously watched over and cared for by the loving hand of God! And this has happened even when that hand was unseen and/or unacknowledged. For any and all present and prior provision on my Lord’s part, I am now more grateful than ever. For any and all present and prior lack of appreciation on my part, I am now more regretful than ever.

Perhaps you too can look back and see the loving hand of God at work in your life. Perhaps you too have not always been as appreciative of this as you should. Today would be a good day to talk to Him about that. Today would be a good day to join the Psalmist, as I have done, and declare anew: “Give thanks to the LORD, for He is good; His loving devotion endures forever,”

He then goes on to repeat one phrase over and over again all throughout this 43 verse Psalm, “Give thanks to the LORD for His loving devotion and His wonders to the sons of men.” As he does, he intersperses it with gentle reminders of the Lord’s loving devotion, as He satisfies the thirsty, fills the hungry, saves the lost, protects the endangered, lifts up the afflicted, etc…

The Psalmist then leaves us with this concluding admonition: “Let him who is wise pay heed to these things and consider the loving devotion of the LORD.”

A little bird with a game leg and a big voice has taught me a good lesson. He has pointed me to the Word of God where I have been reminded to celebrate God’s goodness to me! May I be so wise! May I be so grateful! May I be so joyful!

SCRIPTURE SOURCES: https://biblehub.com/bsb/matthew/6.htm;
and https://biblehub.com/bsb/psalms/107.htm.

QUOTE: This quotation has been variously ascribed to Montaigne and to others. Cf.: https://quoteinvestigator.com/2013/10/04/never-happened/.

NOTE: In a moment of irony, as I sat on the porch typing this blog post, I glanced up to see an Eastern Wild Turkey crossing the road right in front of our house! How's that for a "Tennessee Bird Walk"?!

THE BIG HOUSE!

6/9/2020

I thought I would devote today’s thoughts to a continuation of my post from last week titled “A PLACE CALLED HOME!” (06/02/2020), in which I referenced an article titled “Titans’ Kevin Byard Buys ‘Forever Home’ For Mother: ‘Stuff Like This Is A Pipe Dream’”.

A related article by Jordi Lippe-McGraw occurred in The New York Post a week earlier on May 30, 2020. This one was titled “Maryland Mansion For Sale Comes With Christmas Village Complete With Cobblestone Streets In Basement”.

It describes an enormous home for sale in Potomac, Maryland that has even more than all those things one might expect from a stately mansion in a luxury neighborhood. Listed at $4.5 million, it comes with five bedrooms, a heated pool, a tennis court, and a library. That is one big house!

But it’s all the features that really make this house so impressive. The foyer sports a grand staircase, the music room has a Steinway piano, and there are floor-to-ceiling bookcases in the library. Moreover, every bedroom has an en-suite bathroom; and there are not one, but two formal dining areas.

If that is not appealing enough, then there is also an entire Christmas village in the basement. It seems that the owners of the red-brick estate decided to transform their 1,216-square-foot lower level into what looks like the Main Street of a quaint winter wonderland.

The listing on Realtor.com includes no less than 94 eye-popping photos, revealing that the first floor comes “complete with stores, cobblestone streets and cars”. We learn that there are 15 “storefront facades”, including a post office, a massage parlor, a sporting goods store, and a cozy-looking inn fitted out with a working bathroom.

Adding to the touch of realism, the “faux” town even has a movie theater with a marquee showing “The Exorcist” and “Mary Poppins”. Along the way, real, life-size vintage cars line the streets. Suitably festive snow covered pine trees, poinsettias, and gingerbread men complete the Christmas décor.

Topping it all off on the lower level is a separate game room with billiards tables, a fireplace and a TV, as well as a hidden garage (which helps move the classic cars in and out the village).

According to the listing agent, the owner “has a very interesting sense of humor, and he wanted something different in his basement. He wanted to make it fun.” He appears to have succeeded.

As I read this article, and looked at the parade of pictures, I begrudgingly had to accept the fact that I will very likely never reside in such a fine mansion – at least not in this world. To do so, I would have to hit it big in the lottery, which is highly unlikely as I never have and never spend my hard-earned money on a lottery ticket.

Beyond this, I would have to discover that some long lost, unknown spinster of an aunt or uncle died and left me a “gazillion” dollars. But let’s be honest, the chances of that happening are even less than my winning the lottery!

But that’s’ okay, because I already have a mansion waiting for me. It too is a really big house located by a river in a capital city – only it's by the River of Life in the New Jerusalem! And the street accompanying my mansion is not made of cobblestones, but of solid gold!

You can read about my mansion in the New Testament. Its builder, Jesus Christ, talks about it there in the Gospel of John, chapter 14. Later, He describes it in great detail to the Apostle John in the Book of Revelation, chapters 21 and 22.

The really great news is that I do not have to worry that I cannot afford this home. It has already been bought and paid for on my behalf. The One Who built it for me absorbed the full cost by sacrificing Himself on my behalf on an old rugged cross. Because of Him, I now get to live forever in a wonderful place called Heaven.

In that sense, my mansion, too, celebrates Christmas, when God sent His one and only Son into this world to seek and save that which was lost!

Of course, what He has done for me He has also done for you! By placing your faith and trust in Him, you, like me, can also be forgiven of your sins and receive the promise of eternal life in Heaven as a result! I hope you have done so. If not, I hope you soon will. It would a terrible thing to miss out on so wonderful a future in so wonderful a place!

STORY SOURCE:
https://nypost.com/2020/05/28/maryland-mansion-has-elaborate-christmas-village-hidden-in-basement/.

SEE ALSO:
https://www.foxnews.com/real-estate/maryland-mansion-for-sale-christmas-village-basement.

SCRIPTURE SOURCES:
https://biblehub.com/bsb/john/14.htm;
https://biblehub.com/niv/revelation/21.htm; and https://biblehub.com/niv/revelation/22.htm.

FOREVER GRATEFUL!

6/6/2020

Today marks the 76th anniversary of “Operation Overlord”, the allied invasion of Europe in World War Two — commonly known as “D-Day”. An Associated Press story earlier today fittingly recounted the heroic events of that day as it celebrated one man’s efforts on behalf of the world to show respect to all who died there.

The article, titled “One Man Lays Wreaths in Normandy on This Unusual D-Day”, was accompanied by several photos taken on Friday, June 5, 2020, in which British expatriate Steven Oldrid and his family honored the dead of Operation Overlord.

It has been widely reproduced throughout the day on various news websites. I quote the original article here in its entirety:

BENOUVILLE, France (AP) — The essence of war remembrance is to make sure the fallen are never forgotten. All it takes is a wreath, a tiny wooden cross, a little token on a faraway grave to show that people still care about their fallen hero, parent or grandparent.

This year, though, the pandemic stepped in, barring all travel for families to visit the World War II graves in France’s Normandy, where Saturday marks the 76th anniversary of the epic D-Day battle, when allied troops successfully stormed the beaches and turned the war against the Nazis.

So anguished families turned to the next best thing — an Englishman living on D-day territory, a pensioner with a big heart and a small hole in his agenda.

For years, Steven Oldrid, 66, had helped out with D-Day events around the beaches where British soldiers had landed — and often left their lives behind — be it organizing parking, getting pipers to show or getting sponsors for veterans’ dinners.

Laying wreaths though, seemed something special, reserved for families and close friends only.

But in pandemic times, pandemic rules apply. Oldrid was first contacted in March. “I was actually choked up when I got the first request,” Oldrid said. “I’m always on the other side. Always in the background,” he said.

“They asked ‘Steven, can you lay our wreath’? Well, they sent me five, and then another one said, ‘Can you lay one for my granddad?’ ‘Can you lay one for my dad’?”

Before he knew, it in this extraordinary year, he had become the extraordinary wreath-layer — proof that kindness cannot be counted in pounds, euros or dollars, but in time and effort to organize a day around the wishes of others.

As June 6 approached, the boxes of wreaths and grave markers piled up in his garage. And to soothe the nerves of families, he has also been filming live for Facebook several ceremonies and wreath-layings.

Among those struggling with not being able to go to Normandy this year was Jane Barkway-Harney of the British veteran Glider Pilot Regiment Society, whose father participated in the D-Day landings.

“It makes me feel physically sick because you feel as though you’re letting everybody down,” she said. “I feel so strongly that it is our right and our duty to go.”

Still, whatever Oldrid is asked “I know he’ll say ‘yes’ because he actually doesn’t know the word ‘no.’ It is not in his vocabulary,” said Barkway-Harney.

Through it all, he keeps a smile. “It’s not ever, never will be a burden, he said “It’s a pleasure and an honor.” What does he get in return? On the internet it is “Thank you, Steve. A big hearts and thumbs up,” he said.

And from his previous work helping out families and friends of veterans, he knows something else is coming too. “They do actually bring me some English products like teabags and salad cream, baked beans and crisps for the kids.”

For my part, all I can say in response to this article is “Thank you!” “Thank you!” to Mr. Oldrid! “Thank you!” to all those who sacrificed to win World War Two!

And above all, “Thank you!” to those who paid the ultimate price and gave their lives on June 6, 1944, and/or on every other day of that terrible ordeal, to ensure our freedom! Indeed, “Greater love hath no man than this, that he lay down his life for his friend.”*

ARTICLE SOURCE: Written by Raf Casert and Alex Turnbull, this Associated Press story now occurs widely on the internet. The original source can be found here: https://apnews.com/4fa53d6362209571caf7e44f258db970.

*SCRIPTURE QUOTE: https://biblehub.com/john/15-13.htm.

A PLACE CALLED HOME!

6/2/2020

We all know what the headlines involve these days. The times in which we now live are indeed difficult ones. That is why headlines like the following are so significant: “Titans’ Kevin Byard Buys ‘Forever Home’ For Mother: ‘Stuff Like This Is A Pipe Dream’”. The article appeared on www.foxnews.com late last week (May 29, 2020).

According to the reporter, Pauline Dedaj, “Tennessee Titans’ Kevin Byard isn’t just one of the top safeties in the NFL - he’s also a great son.” The article then goes on to recount how Byard took to social media to share a personal moment with fans, in which he revealed that his former “pipe dream” of buying his mom a home has finally become a reality.

Byard, via twitter, is quoted as having said, “When you come from where I come from, stuff like this is a pipe dream that only a few are able to accomplish. I hate that we couldn’t be there but I’m more happy that everything worked itself out. I love you mom and enjoy your new forever home! ❤️”

Apparently, the young man’s dream to buy his mom a home was made easier after he recently became the highest paid safety in NFL history. Having been a third round draft pick in 2016, Byard was then selected for the Pro Bowl and named First-Team All-Pro in his second year.

After finishing last season with 84 tackles, nine pass deflections, and five interceptions, the talented and hard-working player signed a $70.5 million contract extension, making him second in annual salaries behind the Chicago Bears' Eddie Jackson, according to www.overthecap.com.

Kudos to this young man! He clearly worked hard to get where he is; and he deserves all he receives as a result. But what impresses me the most is that he now chooses to turn part of that personal reward into a blessing for others whom he obviously loves very dearly.

For my part, none of my three children is a professional athlete with a phenomenal salary package. Accordingly, I do not necessarily expect that I will be given a “forever home” from any of them, at least not any time soon. But I am completely okay with that. I love them all dearly and am so proud of them just as they are. What is more, I have already been blessed with comfortable home in which to live.

Besides all this, I already have a “forever home” that has been prepared for me. It was made possible for me by a very special Son – only not my Son, but God’s Son. And the home He has prepared for me is quite a place.

The writer of the New Testament Book of Hebrews (chapter 11, verse 10) refers to a place “designed and built by God”. Revelation chapter 21 describes it in great detail. And Jesus Himself spoke of this place in the New Testament Gospel of John (chapter 14, verses 1-4), when He said:

1“Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God a ; believe also in me. 2My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? 3And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. 4You know the way to the place where I am going.”

That is the place that will be my “forever home”; and I cannot wait to see it, and to dwell in it. But I am not alone. What Christ has done for me, He has done for everyone, including you, my friend. Listen to what the next two verses in John, chapter 14 record:

5Thomas said to him, “Lord, we don’t know where you are going, so how can we know the way?” 6Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”

Do you desire to have a “forever home”? You can! For Jesus Christ Himself, the Son of God Who loves you dearly, desires to prepare one for you. To receive it, all you must do is embrace Him and the claims He makes upon your life.

If you have not done so, I hope you soon will. I would love to live beside you in our “forever homes” in Heaven!

ARTICLE SOURCE:

https://www.foxnews.com/sports/titans-kevin-byard-buys-forever-home-for-mother.

The reporter, Paulina Dedaj is a writer for Fox News. She can be followed on Twitter @PaulinaDedaj.

SCRIPTURE SOURCES:

https://biblehub.com/hebrews/11-10.htm;
https://biblehub.com/bsb/revelation/21.htm; and
https://biblehub.com/niv/john/14.htm.

IMPORTANT DISCLOSURE!

5/29/2020

As is likely the case for many of you, now that things are beginning to open back up, we Jacksons are boldly venturing out into society once again. The week has been consumed with tune-up, oil changes, and tire rotations for our vehicles, and with haircuts, doctor’s appointments, and the like for us.

On the list for the coming week are our periodic dental cleanings. I do not dread such experiences near as much now as I did when I was a child. All throughout my adult years, as a preacher, I have always tried to take care of my mouth. This has involved regular brushing, flossing, and gargling with mouth-wash. So, other than a little scraping for minute deposits of virtually unavoidable plaque, I generally come away from the dentist these days unscathed.

Of course, such never seemed to be the case when I was a child. In those days, I invariably faced an onslaught of cavities; and I still have the fillings in my teeth to prove how vigorously my dentist worked to win that battle!

All of this has reminded me of a conversation I had with my local dentist on my last trip to see him back before things shut down. I inquired about the process we used to undergo as children when we were given nasty tasting red tablets to chew on during our dental visits. He laughed and told me that these were called “dental disclosing tablets”. He then showed me a sample of them in a small package labeled “GUM Red Cote”.

It seems that they are still in use today. They remain a very effective means of doing just what their name purports. Whenever patients chew them, they discolor and highlight cavities in the teeth, thereby “disclosing” any place where attention is needed.

Thankfully, I did not have to chew any that day. But even without having to endure their terrible flavor all over again, I can still recall their awful taste so many decades ago.

Here’s a thought. What is true of overcoming cavities is also true in other areas. Sometimes in life, we may have to go through distasteful experiences. We may even have to swallow a thing or two that we would have not preferred to face. But such things can actually be quite beneficial for us, especially if they help to disclose our weaknesses and/or shortcomings.

The Bible gives us several examples of this. One such instance occurred in the life of the Apostle Peter. All four New Testament Gospels relate the story of Peter’s threefold denial of Christ: Matthew 26:69–74, Mark 14:66–72, Luke 22:55–62, and John 18:15–18, 25–27. As you may recall, earlier that evening, Jesus had predicted that Peter would deny Him three times before the rooster ever crowed the next morning.

In response to that prediction, Peter had asserted that even if others denied Jesus, he himself never would (Matthew 26:33). He had then added that he was personally prepared to follow Jesus to prison, and, if need be, even to death (Luke 22:33). Yet, when the time came, he did exactly as Jesus had predicted, denying Him three times in rapid succession.

One can only imagine how bitter each of those three experiences was to Peter. The process was no doubt distasteful, even repugnant. And yet God knew it was exactly what Peter needed to experience in order to force him to come to grips with his true level of commitment (or lack thereof) to Jesus Christ as his personal Lord and Savior.

Ironically, however, in the long run, Peter very likely cherished that difficult night. Why? Because he knew that it changed him forever. It forced this man whom Jesus had called be a fisher of men to “fish or cut bait”, as it were! It drove him to embrace Jesus Christ fully as his Savior and to commit fully to serving Him as his Lord!

Is anything in life presently leaving a bad taste in your life? Are you currently chewing on something that you are finding a bit hard to swallow? Could it possibly be that God is allowing you to undergo this precisely because He desires to disclose something in your life that desperately needs attention?

If so, then why not take a long hard look at what is coming to light?! Embrace this important disclosure, and take whatever steps that are necessary to address any flaws you uncover. In the long run, just like Peter, you’ll be glad you did! For the result will produce much more than a pretty smile. It will bring about joy in your heart as well!

SCRIPTURE SOURCES: All above referenced scriptures verses can be found at: www.biblehub.com.

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