"Vuvuzela"?

Our granddaughter Rachel Taylor, who teaches in a Christian day school in Memphis, TN, visited with us last weekend and we had a great time together. After attending morning service at Yeddo Baptist Church, we had a buffet dinner at the Old Town Chinese restaurant here in Crawfordsville. And then we watched Brazil defeat Ghana in the World Soccer Cup TV broadcast from South Africa. Our apartment building will never be the same after the victory yells from #54! The Taylors are life-long soccer players and FANS and this year we were tickled to see on their blogspot Rachel's dad Phil and brothers James and David (all missionaries in south Brazil), blowing those infernal plastic "vuvuzela" horns in celebration! Her mom, Mary Ruth, reported that while she was holding our newest great-granddaughter Julianna during the game, every "vuvuzela" blast the baby just about jumped out of her arms! While with us, Rachel helped us nail down a "Facebook" account, as David did with "Skype" and this blogspot over two years ago. The hi-tech savvy of these "kids" astounds us and we are grateful for the help they give us ... except that we often forget the procedures about 2 hours after they leave! Just think ... as a teen I really thought that the little 5-tube Emerson radio that brought in big-band music from New York and Chicago on Saturday nights was the ultimate in modern science! Like the "Waltons," each evening our family was riveted to the radio in the livingroom as we laughed at Jack Benny (sponsored by J-e-l-l-o) and Bob Hope (promoting Pepsodent tooth paste), or even a "Fireside chat" by President Roosevelt. But at the same time we weren't worried by news of "global warming," Gulf oil spills or Iran's nuclear bombs -- just Hirohito and Hitler!!! Some day very soon, we believe, "the Lord Himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God (not a plastic "vuvuzela"); and the dead in Christ shall rise first; Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air; and so shall we ever be with the Lord!" - I Thessalonians 4:16,17. We cherish the moments with loved ones and friends now, but we'll sure celebrate then! Are you ready for that event?

Remember?

The big event on Memorial Day in Indiana is, of course, the Indianapolis 500 Race! I recall as a kid lounging in or around Dad's car and with doors open and the radio blaring we listened to the exciting race. In the 30's and 40's it lasted over 4 hours because top speed was about half what it is today! And who ever imagined a young lady piloting one of those machines, like now! At home you might listen to a radio wrap-up or re-play later that day, but forget about seeing it in film until the newsreel showed at the nearest theater! However, most families took some time to visit cemeteries and remember departed loved ones, especially those who served in a war. The Grimes's, including Great-grandpa William Lewis Grimes who served in the cavalry in the Civil War, were mostly buried in the Lutheran Cemetery east of Wallace. But later my parents were interred near Mother's Pyle family plots at the Masonic Cemetery just west of Waynetown.

We presently have plots there also right close to our son Jim, and left a floral remembrance there recently. Mamaw/Mary K.'s Carmack family way back had a family cemetery near their farm on what was the Newport Ordinance Plant in WWII. One of her ancestors served in the Revolutionary War and we're not sure of his restingplace, but her parents and other family members are buried at the Methodist Memorial Cemetery on Plant property perhaps a mile or two away. Her father's family (Jackson) is buried close to the Wabash River to the east at the Cemetery near the old "O.P.D." train stop south of Newport. It's more difficult now to visit that area, but we try to remember our departed loved ones as often as we can. Some might think that visiting graveyards is depressing, but it's honoring to the dead and humbling to the living. Folks, believe it or not, "it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment" (Hebrews 9:27), so BE READY! And be thankful, too, for those brave servicemen who served and died to keep our nation free. Even Jesus wept at the grave of a dear friend, but He (and only He) could promise (John 11:25,26): "I am the Resurrection and the Life: he that believeth in Me, though he were dead, yet shall he live; And whosoever liveth and believeth in Me shall never die. BELIEVEST THOU THIS?" We do pray that you do or will do so soon!

On being a "town farmer"

Almost all of my buddies at the Wallace school lived on the farm, and I envied their acqaintance with livestock, farm machinery and crop-growing ... oh, to drive a tractor! But, as a smalltown boy in my teens I joined the local 4-H Club (heart, hands, head and health) and chose as my spring and summer project GARDENING. We had a nice garden plot north of our home, and Dad hired a local horse owner to plow it up for planting. I enjoyed laying off the rows with a hand plow and then putting the seeds and plants in due order. As things grew it was special joy to cultivate the rows and at last to start reaping fresh green onions, tomatoes, radishes, corn, etc., for Mom's table. Since we then had no power tools, all that manual labor was good for developing my muscles, which then made moving 100-lb. bags of "taters" around at Dad's store a little more bearable...maybe even impress the local girls(?)! Speaking of "taters," later on the folks added a bigger garden plot on the northwest corner of our property which we called "the truck patch," especially to grow potatoes. Yes, I learned to place the seed spuds with the sprouts UP, to facilitate early growth. Looking back, I lacked a truly Biblical understanding of God's creation and the wisdom He put into every facet, but I am glad now for the experience of being a "town farmer" and realizing that gardens and farms and people are all totally dependent upon our loving Creator/Savior! Being a child of God these many years now I can only agree with good King David: "Praise waiteth for Thee, O God, in Zion ... Thou visitest the earth, and waterest it: Thou greatly enrichest it with the river of God..." (Psalm 65:1,9) And the Apostle John completes the record of God's creative and saving power in Revelation 22:1 - "And He shewed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal out of the throne of God and of the Lamb." For the believer there's not only present, but eternal refreshment from above!

"Now, this won't hurt...!"

The recent health care debate and subsequent passage of the new law brought back memories of doctoring as it once was in Wallace. Dr. H.M. Rusk, a graduate of Northwestern U. and their medical school, had his office in the old bank building on "Main Street" and the bank vault always impressed me as the safest storage place for drugs, even back then. The office smelled like a pharmacy and, since the nearest drugstore was miles away, the doctor supplied patients with just the right prescription out of the office or out of his bag, just like "Doc" on Gunsmoke! His wife Vivian was also his receptionist and nurse, making folks comfortable as possible in the waitingroom or assisting him in the examining room, with no long waiting time or paper work! Doc always made house calls anytime and anywhere he was called, but his wife told how he was sure hard to live with when his patient was terminal. As I recounted earlier, as a 10-12-year-old I went through several health "crises" but the two surgeries stand out. Doc was there at the hospital to stand by me and assist the surgeon. To this day, I don't know how my father paid for all the medical care to our family ... besides borrowed cash, I think Dad would allow Doc and Vivian (as well as plumber, electrician, etc.) to "take it out in trade." Every bill was paid, sooner or later, without credit cards or government assistance! His favorite pastime was hunting with some of the prettiest bird dogs you could imagine, but I don't ever recall his taking a vacation. Now in our senior years Mamaw and I have enjoyed good health care, thanks to many good family doctors, specialists and surgeons, WalMart pharmacy, supplemental insurance AND Medicare with "Part D" Drug program. The Lord has provided the premiums and out-of-the-pocket expenses and we are very grateful to Him. We are very concerned about the new law and changes involved, but, at age 85 we realize that time ahead will continue to be a "bonus". We just don't want our children, grandchildren and great-grand children, etc., to be burdened with a ever-more-expensive healthcare system. So we have prayed and are praying that the best system will finally be adopted. Meantime, we look forward to the time and place when, for Christians, "God will wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain; for the former things are passed away!" - Revelation 21:4.

Sugar Out Of A Tree?

I just read a critical review of the new movie "Avatar" with statistics on its cost and popularity around the world...already grossing over $2 billion at the box office! As I understand it, the film is filled with Hindu teachings... "Avatar" is a blue-skinned bio-tech version of the god Krishna... and a "Tree of Souls" is the center and power source of that demon-inspired civilization! Well, this leads me to reminisce once again on my growing-up years in Wallace, and the blessing of God's unique creation, a TREE. I recall sledding on the farm slopes of my buddy "Pooch" Owens east of town one late winter/early spring. After sliding down the hill and then huffing and puffing back up the hill a feller becomes thirsty, of course! Sorry, no water in sight and who wants to go back home for a drink? But...notice those buckets hanging on those Maple trees all over the place? You guessed it...we slaked our thirst with good ol' delicious sugar water that was being tapped and later taken to the local sugar camp to be boiled down to Maple syrup! By the way, that's a treat in itself, to visit a sugar camp in operation. Now trees do not have any power in themselves, but all the many varieties have been created by God to help sustain His creation and creatures! In the beginning the Tree of Life was intended for the good of Adam and Eve, but their sin excluded them from its enjoyment. In Exodus 15:23-27, when the Children of Israel on the way to Canaan "could not drink of the (bitter) waters of Marah," God instructed Moses to throw a certain TREE into the water "and they were made sweet" (Maple tree?)! Well, human sin has made the waters of our existence bitter, but God in His love, mercy and grace has solved this problem with another TREE, the Cross of Calvary, where the sinless Savior Jesus Christ "His own Self bare our sins in His own body on the TREE"! (I Peter 2:24). We don't worship the tree, but we are saved eternally by believing on the One who hung there in our place, and we can sing: "I love that old cross where the Dearest and Best for a world of lost sinners was slain"!

"Christmas Vacation Is Over, And..."

My Moody Bible Institute roommate Bob would often relate how his older brothers loved to tease him after the holiday break by singing, "Christmas vacation is over...and we can't have no more fun!" As I recall, in my life not every vacation was a FUN time! For example, at 12 years of age I had to undergo an emergency appendectomy at old Lakeview Hospital in Danville, IL, during Christmas break. And since I was just getting over a chest cold and ether (main anesthetic in those days) may have brought on pneumonia, the doctors gave me a "spinal block," rendering my lower limbs paralyzed for a few hours. The procedure (with a monster needle to my lower spine) was uncomfortable, but it was "cool" to be awake during the surgery and hear the doctors talking. It was not so "cool" afterwards to sense the doctors' concern about feeling to return to my legs (it did in a few hours), nor when I had to cough and a nice but hefty nurse (built like a pro wrestler) would hold me down! Strangely, two other boys from Wallace school had the same surgery at the same time, and old buddy "Pooch" actually got to be my hospital roommate! We stayed a week or so in recuperation, and there really was a little FUN then ... especially when we discovered that the glass drinking straws were angled so that we could blow blasts of water onto the large cloth window blind in the room, leaving a spectacular wet blob for a few hours ... creating a new art-form? It was good to get home and back to school, even if we couldn't "have no more FUN" till next vacation. This Christmas (70 years or so later) Mary K. (Mamaw) and I had BLESSED Christmas and New Year celebrations, including the special 60th anniversary as reported in the previous blog. We also heard from our scattered "kids" via internet e-mail and "Skype," and received lots of anniversary and greeting cards. THANKS to loved ones and friends for all the "FUN"! Our New Year's Eve afternoon Bible Class here at Rosedale Court centered on Isaiah 9:6,7 with the two truths of Christ's first coming - "unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given!" We hope you enjoyed the holidays and will keep looking UP in this new year, relying on Him who is called "Wonderful, Counsellor, The Mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace" and who will ultimately rule this world "upon the Throne of David!" HOW? "The zeal of the LORD of Hosts will perform this!"

60 Years With The Right Woman!

I remember the Wallace town wags who occasionally came into Dad's store singing "20 years with the wrong woman," and I would wonder what qualities the right woman was supposed to have! Well, in God's grace He sent me that right woman shortly after discharge from the Navy, but it was another 3 years before we would be married. This December 18 we celebrated 60 years together and we can only praise the Lord for His goodness and faithfulness to us. We had greetings from loved ones and friends from all over, but our dear Yeddo Baptist Church family honored us on December 20 with a beautiful placque and delicious Anniversary cake during their Christmas Dinner. Then the cake top layer became a treat at our Thursday Bible Class here on Christmas Eve afternoon! It was a treat for us on Christmas Day to enjoy dinner with sister Joan and husband Russell Gooding and their oldest daughter Susan Hesler with husband Sherrill and son Tim. Joan and our younger sister Jean had befriended "Mamaw" Mary K. in school at Wallace and this later set the stage for my courtship with "Mamaw"! I could write a volume on the "right" things about my spouse, but the outstanding attributes are her love for the Lord Jesus Christ and His Word, and her love for me. Proverbs 18:22 puts it this way: "Whoso findeth a wife findeth a good thing, and obtaineth favour of the LORD." A pastor-friend of mine noted a few years ago that this verse really means "whoso stumbleth over a wife..." and that was it! Well, later after pondering this a good bit, it struck me that a guy really has to be moving in order to stumble! When teen "Mamaw" agreed on the phone for our first date (a Sunday p.m. church revival service) I got moving! Dad's great old 1937 Pontiac set a new speed record west out of Wallace making a cloud of dust down the road to Whitfield Jackson's farm that could be seen for miles. As her Mom used to say, "WHOOPEE-DOODLES!"