Cruising

Where are these folks going?  You ever look up and wonder?  I shot this jet at cruising altitude through my 102mm refractor using a Nikon D40 hooked directly to the telescope.  Watching jets fly over is interesting.  It is amazing how many people are overhead on any given day.  Imagine the stories of all the folks on this one plane.  Some may be headed out on a long overdue vacation while others are going to buried a loved one.  Maybe we should pray for the people who are jetting over us.  And, never lose the fascination of the invention.  All of that weight - thousands of pounds - five or six miles above the surface of the earth going over 500 mph.  Pretty impressive.

Whacked!

It has been an interesting week!  I told someone that this is what happens when you tell folks to "Repent"!  The truth is, this is what happens when a 53 year old father challenges his almost 15 year old son to a game of basketball.  Son says "I'm gonna drive the lane".  Dad says "No your not!"  Son does, dad doesn't.  Aaron felt bad about it, but I assured him it was not his fault.  His elbow looks much better than my eye.  The eye will heal, but I am not so sure I will challenge him again.  Maybe we will just play "Horse".  

Wild Game Dinner

This photo does not do justice to the setting of the first annual GCBC Wild Game Dinner.  Gloria and Bob Dickey decorated and the place looked awesome. Almost 50 guys showed up to dine on everything from deer roast to duck jambalaya. Some very kind ladies supplied us with sweets.  Larry David, retired Upland Game Biologist with the state of Illinois, was our keynote speaker.  He did a wonderful job on the topic of "A Hunter's Faith". We gave away 21 gifts. The overwhelming response has been positive.  We are already making plans for next year.  

Hallelujah Chorus and a Funeral

Today we had a funeral that ended with a benediction I had never heard before - the Hallelujah Chorus.  I told someone that we had to be careful lest the celebratory nature of the song be misunderstood. There was no delight in death or in the death of this particular person.  But, before she died, she made sure that those of us planning her funeral end it with this glorious song.  She was no a person to be easily denied. So we did - end with the Hallelujah Chorus.  Her family exited the building behind her casket as the Chorus was being played.  I don't want to deny the pain and suffering of death.  We should not be flippant about it.  But, there is something about reminding ourselves of the resurrection of Jesus and the victory He provides over the grave.  I can't think of a much better way to do that than the Hallelujah Chorus.

Country Church - Pine Ridge Baptist

The church is not a building.  The church is the body of Christ, a living organism over which He is Head.  But, there is something about church buildings.  Pine Ridge Baptist Church - the building - sits in the heart of Melder, Louisiana physically, spiritually, and at least in years gone by, socially.  It was there that I first heard that Jesus loves me, this I know, for the Bible tells me so.  Wonderful people who loved the Lord would gather in this place along with some not so wonderful people.  We would sing "Standing on the Promises" and "Revive Us Again" and "How Great Thou Art" out of the Broadman Hymnal.  Kind folks would teach squirmy kids Sunday School out of quarterlies and then help us spray paint macaroni gold before we glued it on poster board.  We had amazing home cooked meals there and we had some very raucous monthly business meetings there that hurt our testimony and sometimes hurt one another. Following Sunday morning worship, men would gather in the Louisiana heat near the front door and several would have a smoke together.  I was introduced to Jesus there and baptized there as was my mother before me.  Her funeral and my father's funeral was held there.  It still stands, a quaint building but so much more.  My life was changed there.  I am grateful.

Memories

My brother recently made this picture available to me.  The memories flooded back when I saw it.  J. D. Ford owned the store.  He and his wife were part of our lives because the store was such an essential part of our existence.  My parents did not buy all of their groceries there, but they did buy a lot of milk and ice cream and cola and chicken feed.  The Ford's allowed us to have a running tab which my dad paid at the end of each month. Occasionally, I could charge a cream soda or a moon pie.  The front porch of the store was a great place to hang out and hear the local news.  There was a post office inside the store where we received our mail.  And, we bought most of our gas there.  It saddened me to see the store close and then be torn down.  The Fords are now with the Lord; they were wonderful Christian people.  Many of the general stores like this one no longer exist.  We buy our groceries and gas from people we don't know.  And, who sits on a front porch to drink a coke and visit?   I am very grateful for those memories.

February 2011 Blizzard

Where were you during the Blizzard of 2011?  It was an awesome display - full of sound and fury.  Beautiful, actually.  Though, I know it caused some significant difficulties.  We cannot control the weather.  It helps put us in our place.  Personally, it could not have come at a better time.