Fwd: THOUGHT

HERE WE ARE STUCK IN TRAFFIC ON A ICE COVERED FREEWAY. THIS IS UNSETTLING AND NOT ACCORDING TO PLAN IN OUR SCHEDULES AND PLANS. PANIC, GIVE IN TO FRUSTRATION, ANGER, BLAMING. BUT, THE TURTH IS NATURE IS CALLING THE SHOTS. IT IS WHAT IT IS. OK, LETS CALM DOWN, PAUSE, BE STILL AND QUIET IN OUR MINDS AND HEART. SLOWING BECOME AWARE THAT THIS IS ALL PART OF THE BIG PICTURE AND EVENTUALLY WE WILL BE LOOKING BACK ON THIS. WHAT IS THE OPPORTUNITY? WHAT IS THE CALL IN ALL THIS "MESS" NOW?  "I have called you by your name; You are Mine. When you pass through the waters(ice and snow or other trouble) I will be with you; And through the rivers, they shall not overflow you; When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned, Nor shall flame scorch you. I am the Lord your God….your Savior." —Isaiah 43:1-3—  NOW THAT I/YOU LOOK AT THINGS THIS WAY I/YOU CAN MAKE IT……

Fwd: THOUGHT

AS WE CROSSED THE MOUNTAINS TOWARD YOUNG HARRIS, GA IT WAS LATE NIGHT AND THE ROAD WAS SHROUDED IN FOG. ALL THE DRIVER COULD SEE WAS THE WHITE LINE IN THE MIDDLE OF THE ROAD. I DID NOT KNOW WHAT WAS AHEAD. I HAD NEVER MADE THIS TRIP BEFORE. IT WAS INDICATIVE OF MY LIFE JOURNEY YET TO COME. SOMETIMES DENSE FOX COVERS THE ROAD WE TRAVEL. WE TRAVEL ALERT, PATIENT, PURPOSEFULLY, IN FAITH AND HOPE. NOW AFTER MANY YEARS THAT NIGHT OF MY INTRODUCTION TO YOUNG HARRIS COLLEGE IS A DISTANT MEMORY. HOWEVER, THE LESSON REMAINS VALID. SOMETIMES THE ROAD NOW IS COVERED IN FOG AND THE WAY NOT CLEAR, BUT THERE IS INNER PEACE AND CONTENTMENT FOR I TRUST THE ETERNITY WITHIN, THE ONE WHO NEVER LEAVES US OR FORSAKES US IN THE JOURNEY.

DAD/PAPA

The Story of Moses

The story of Moses and the burning bush in the midst of the desert has long intrigued me. It was a pivotal point in his life. His awareness of Holy Spirit, his sense of purpose, turned his life around, lifted his vision of future. My awareness of Spirit activity in my mind and heart brought about new ways of thinking about future. One was to be off to college. Early one morning I stand at the bus station in my home town with a foot locker full of my clothes and other items. The goal that day was Young Harris College. I would ride the bus to
Augusta then Athens. There I would change to a bus to Gainesville and on through the mountains to YHC.arriving late at night. I had no idea where all this would lead. I did not have enough money to pay for seven years of higher education. I had hopes, dreams, a strong sense of responsibility. My "burning bush" moment resulted in a head full of ideas and new ways of thinking and I was going to travel down that road of life, and I am still on the journey……..every life is a story worth living!!!!!

But the word of the Lord endureth for ever

"For all flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man as the flower of grass. The grass withereth, and the flower falleth away: But the word of the Lord endureth for ever…." —1 Peter 1:24-25— As i read these words this morning I remembered  the last days of my brother's life. I noticed a Bible on the table close to him. I never said anything but I knew what he was doing. He had a library full of books but The Book was close at hand. He had spent his adult life proclaiming the unsearchable riches of God's Holy Word. In his last days he was drawing counsel and strength from words important to him. This is not a easy fix. It does give focus on truth that abides and moves us in the right direction even to the very end of this world's journey and thus I end the year and look toward the next.

Fwd: thought

I HAVE LIVED MY LIFE SPEAKING "ONE NOTE" - HOLY SPIRIT IS PRESENT, REAL, TRANSFORMING, MAKING ALL THINGS NEW—YOU, ME, EVERYTHING. AND SO IS IT THIS ADVENT/CHRISTMAS 2013. In a world of many negative, destructive, polarizing notes let us speak the One Note…….more than that let us live and function in the One Note: good news comes to us……

Fwd: thought

We call him our "grand cat".He is our granddaughter kitty and we keep him when she is out of town. Baci is his name. He is black with white splashes. Here I am on my 80th birthday thinking about my grand cat. Partly this is true because he stretches out in the middle of my dest so I can't do anything but pay attention to him. Now I am not a animal pet person and we never had a lot of pets when our children were growing up. Although I did have a beautiful white dog that just showed up one day. I was a young teen maybe- anyway he was our pet and he followed behind my daddy wherever he went. Well, this is the way I see it. God made these animals and us humans relate to them in all kinds of ways. I look into the faces of dogs and cats shown on TV where they have been rescued from abusive environments. I can see the pain and sadness in their faces and eyes. They are feeling the pain. Now back to baci. for some reason on this current visit with us he has taken to snuggling down in my lap in the warm blanket and sleeps. I watch him. He is peaceful, he is trusting, he is communicating his love in his way. It is a known fact that persons in nursing homes respond to the attention and affection of small creatures brought in for them to touch and hold. For some people this is about all the affection they get. So at this Christmas time i am mindful that our wonderful Creator has given us innocent, vulnerable animals and we chose our own way of relegating to them according to our need and their need.They call us to be kind and compassionate.  I don't know whether animals were really present at the birth of Jesus, but seems proper that they were there.

Fwd: thought

Subject: thought

One of my duties as pastor was regular visits in the homes of my parishioners. When first moving into a new community I would visit  the members homes for the first time. They did not know me and in those days I did not make appointments ahead of time. I just showed up. Once I introduced myself as the new pastor a smile came across their face and a welcome was extended for me to come in and visit. In todays world I would not dare just show up and knock on the door because I might get shot before any questions were asked. Seems we are a trigger ready and fear driven world. In those earlier days very likely most homes had a weapon but did not go to the door with pistol in hand. Well things change and times are different and I am left wondering if we are better off today than people in earlier days. Regardless it well to be mindful we are in the Advent time of the year in which we anticipate the birth of the baby in the manger. He grew up teaching persons to love one another and do all the good they could to make the world a more peaceful and caring place