Insights From The Rocking Chair

A couple of years ago, I was talking with my sister and remembered I needed to call my mom because it was her birthday. She said, "Today is really not her birthday." Well, I knew she was off her rocker because mom's birthday is on the 17th. "No", she said, "Mom received her birth certificate when she was retiring and it had the 18th on it". I called mom and sure enough, that was the truth. Imagine my surprise. But you know, I still call her on the 17th. There are some that would argue against Jesus being born simply because we can't prove the exact day he was born. My comeback is "Does it really matter"? Like my mom, the date could be messed up, but the fact is she was born and so it only matters that He was born! Christians today are becoming so marginalized that the true message of Christmas is being lost. But the message is not lost yet. God sent His Son to earth in the form of a baby and conceived him in the womb of a woman who had ...

This week has been a very reflective week for me. I have been thinking on Sunday and the time we will spend in worship. What do I hope to get out of it. A fuzzy feeling or something more? The world around me, the everyday stuff, is quite frankly going down the toilet! I have wondered why I am so content on the way things are. Of doing the same old thing day in and day out? Why doesn't a sense of urgency register in me that folks are dying eternally. Why don't I see that I am so much like the "prodigal son" wasting away in some ditch. Hasn't God proved his faithfulness? How many more times do I need to see it? What is it with the "Church" today? Why are so many becoming apostate? The Christmas season is at hand. I love this time of year not for what it brings, but for what has already been given. You have the opportunity to receive the Savior which is celebrated this time of year. You choose to believe or not. You choose to follow or not. You choose to se...

Stop a moment and think about what is going on around you; your family, your church, your work, and your activities. Are you like many, with all these things pulling you in so many different directions that you are out of control, or at least seem to be? Do you long for sanity? Do the little things irritate you? Do the big things overwhelm you? Does it seem that the world as a whole is moving at a fast pace down the wrong road? Do you feel helpless to stop it? Recently, I posed the title of this blog as a question on my facebook page. I got several answers differing in seriousness and that is OK. I didn't quantify what the response should be. I wanted to know what a person or persons were thinking at that moment. Not scientific, I was just curious. What are your answers to the questions posed above or the to the title of this blog? There is an uncountable number of steps that you take in an effort to answer the question, what if you...?. Some would actually be an answer while othe...

I have remained quiet on this blog about all that has happened since January. Not because I haven't had opinions, but mainly for a host of other reasons. That said, I believe that these 3 are the most pressing issues of the whole debate and should be dealt with before moving forward with a radical upheaval of the health care system in this country. First, on the list is portability. That has been addressed somewhat over the last few years but is still not as it should be. If you are covered by a company in your previous employment, then the new company's - if there is no break between jobs - insurer should insure you with no penalties or wait time. Currently there is a 90 day window. A lot of things can happen in that span of time. Second, on the list plays right with the first, pre-existing condition coverage. This one thing nails you when you find the need to change employment, either by choice or force. Most of us older Americans do have one thing or another wrong with us t...

There are many times that I am inadequate in expressing clearly my concerns on the plight of America and the need to pray. My wife's cousin's wife sent out her thoughts she gave me permission to share them with you here. Dear Christian Family, I took the time (5 minutes) to call on my representatives and Senator Cochran. I was pleased to find that none support this bill, but I want to challenge you to call on our Chief Representative , the Man Who represents us in Heaven and Who pleads our case before His Father through unending intercession. He and He alone is the one Person in all of heaven and earth Who can turn the tide in this nation. I beg you to consider persistent prayer like never before. Our nation is falling apart and our prayer rooms are empty, because we who belong to Christ and have access to the very answers to our problems wrongly think the best answer is bigger guns , more ammo, fall out shelters, digging wells, or simply calling their politicians! ...

I find it quite amusing, actually saddening, to see the "Reverends" Sharpton and Jackson jockeying for position in the Michael Jackson saga. First, before "MJ's" body had begun to cool, Sharpton has a press conference saying that he wants to bring Michael back to the Apollo to be memorialized. Do you really think the press wanted to know what he was doing and sought him out. I don't think so, I would bet, if I were a betting man, that he called the press to his side. Then a day or two later, "OLE" Jesse shows up in front of the camera. It really would be comical if it weren't really sad that these two make their living this way. James and John, the sons of Zebedee, did something quite similar. Mark 35 records them asking Jesus a favor to allow one to sit at his right hand and the other on his left. Obviously they understood the importance of the position. They knew it put them above the others. But they did not understand the cost associated to...

Like you, I have been following the economy all year, especially for my industry, that is suffering all over the country. It goes without saying, that many have lost their jobs and others are wondering if they will be next. Personally I have been there, twice. It is a very scary time and if you are debt laden and have no savings to draw on, it will be financially devastating. Today, I have relatives, friends, and fellow church members that are without jobs and looking and praying. I could give you all the biblical advice that I could think of and you may or may not listen or heed, but I want to share with you what a little girl once wrote that has meant the world to me. When I am feeling down or indulging in self pity I pull this out and read it. "Dear Daddy, I wish I could tell you this in words but for some reason sometimes I can't talk. To get to the point, Daddy I know by fact that you are going to get a job and do good. If nobody else believes in you and knows that you ...

Posting has become more difficult lately. I am not sure whether I am not allotting my time correctly or the enemy has thrown obstacles in my way, but I didn't want Easter to go by without acknowledgement. Easter means different things to people. To some, it is just some time off from work. For others, it is a time to raise retail sales, and for others, there is the true reason to celebrate. For me the latter is true. Throughout the years many men have been hailed as heroes. Their accomplishment was to deny their own lives and sacrifice it, if necessary, to save the life of a family member, comrade, or maybe a complete stranger. Many have done this and I believe without thinking, but reacting to the circumstance. Why then is it so hard for us to accept that Jesus, with much thought and prayer, would do the same after weighing all options? I have been exposed to the story of Jesus since I was a young boy. How he was born, why he was born, why he lived, and why he died. I also learne...

I have a Facebook page! Yes at my age, I've become a Facebookaholic. It has been a very useful tool for finding dear friends (notice I didn't say old) from high school and beyond. One side affect has been nostalgia. Yes, it causes me to think about those people and how they influenced my life. Today, however, I am thinking of a friend I wish I could re-connect with on Facebook. I didn't meet David until I was an adult and married with our first child on the way. But after meeting, we quickly became friends. Dave was, let me see, spirited. Today we would say he might have ADD or someother hyper- active disorder, but I like to think of him being spirited. Once, I looked out the window and saw Dave running over the hill toward my house with a pan in his hands. He ran up to the side of the house put what was in the pan into a bowl for my dog and then turned and ran back to his house. Sometime later I asked why he just didn't get in the car to bring it over? His answer was,...

I posted this back in February 08. Given the current condition of our country and in individual lives. It was the most read post last year, so I thought a re-post would be in order. I was flipping channels the other afternoon and came across the movie, "Facing The Giants". This is about the 3rd time I have seen it but I learn something new just about every time. At first I thought that too much of the feel good gospel was coming through. You know, if you believe then God will give it to you. After watching again and again, I really don't think that was the intention of the writers. I really believe that they were more in line with Psalm 42. Now, this didn't come to me until Sunday as I listened to our pastor's sermon on this chapter, especially verse-5. I know, I know I should have been on his every word and I was for the most part. But he got me to thinking and the movie came to my mind. I think most of us have times in life when life is just the pits. Everythin...

"Troubles nearly always make us look to God; His blessings are apt to make us look elsewhere." -Oswald Chambers

Back in the seventies a gospel/contemporary music group, "Truth" sang a song One Solitary Life . The words went something like this: " All the armies that have ever marched, all the navies that have ever set sail, all the rulers that have ever ruled, and all the kings that have ever reigned on this earth all put together have not affected the life of man on earth like this one solitary life" . Of course the song is written about the life of Jesus, and I would never compare our lives to His, but didn't He set the example for us to follow? From that example many have had a impact on humanity; Billy Graham, Mother Theresa, Dwight L. Moody, John Wesley, and if I could think of more I would put them here. These mentioned had years of impact on many lives then and now. Outside of our dedication to the Lord, does the length of years we live really matter. On Tuesday morning, Noah and Julie Roberts said goodbye to their little Magdalena Grace. Her life was a short one...