The invitation

The invitation…

I really looked up to my grand mother! She was an intriguing person I very much wanted to be like! She knew all of the trees of the forest, and she could name all of the birds and tell you of their habits. She could even throw an apple core through a hog wire fence at 50 paces. She was an amazing person. On the wall in the living room of my grand mama’s house hung an invitation. It was an invitation to President John F. Kennedy’s inauguration. How she got it I will never know other than the fact she was an amazing person. Recently I thought about that invitation and why it hung on her wall for so long. My grandmother and John Kennedy were in two different worlds. He was very rich she was very poor. He was Catholic; she was quasi Church of Christ and Free Will Baptist (what a strange combination) He was a Yankee and She was a Southern Lady so why this invitation was so important to her I have yet to figure out. My Grandmother did not attend the inauguration. There would have been no way for her to afford it. But she cherished the invitation anyway because it was an important event; she had faith in the office of the President of the United States of America. We too have been given an invitation…it is from the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords. It is an invitation to spend eternity with a Holy God. It is an invitation to experience heaven here, and in the here after. Jesus is calling! Will you accept the invitation that will totally change your life? I sure hope so. I love you all!

This old House

This old house! (September 30, 2008)

A creaking house reminds of familiarity…things that we know, things that we feel…settling…a history of a family…a reminder of times, events and memories…a reminder of the relentless motion that is always progressing…new progressing towards old; old…settling into the memory of all who inhabit her

This old house, every creak, crack, crevasse, crease and caulk…has a life of its own, a story to be told! Time passes, challenges, obstacles, and opportunity; opportunity for new, legacy, something to be remembered, and then forgotten, fading into the white noise of life

With every creak and groan, it brings reminders of a distant past…

Is grace still amazing

Is grace still amazing…

Do you feel close to God today? I am asking this question to hopefully gently remind you to evaluate your relationship with the Father. Do you feel close? In talking this morning with the warriors of the cross this morning, I asked what took place on the Thursday night of our summer camp this past summer. You did not have to be there to understand what I was talking about! Because every last Thursday night of every camp is all ways the same, no matter what church you belong to! What happens is that many reckless promises are made where every intention of keeping the promise is genuine! Only when we return home our lives settle back into what we think is normal and our intentions are swept under the spiritual rug! And often we feel overwhelmed and defeated! We start looking to the next “spiritual” event hoping we will feel better! Can I remind you this morning, that grace is still amazing! God reaching down and picking us up still baffles me to this day! Our God truly is an Amazing God! His grace is very sufficient, He truly can help me through any situation or problem, all I have to do is let go, to give in and let Him take total control of my life! Grace still amazes me, even after all of these years and all of the last night of camp experiences that I have had! God wants to use us, all we have to do is give Him control! Let go and let God today! I love you all!


Bro. J <><

September 10, 2007

The House downtown Starke

Wow, what a wonderful afternoon I have had! I have found this wonderful coffee shop in downtown Starke! Mark is the owner, he makes a great cup of coffee and the conversation was wonderful! To all the readers of my blog, living in or visiting Starke, make sure you stop by the House on Call Street in downtown Starke!

Do Hard things

I would love to recommend a great book to parents, grand parents and students! It is a book for teens, by teens and it is one of the most wonderful books that empowers students to rebel against low expectations. The book is called "Do Hard Things" and it is by Alex and Brett Harris. I would recommend that families with children sit down and read this as a family! Wonderful Book!

Walking in this world

In the city...in the country
we all walk through this world

Temptations haunt us
People daunt us...but our walk continues

People, places, attitudes and actions
Walk through life, head up, shoulders squared,
jaw set...walking

Feeling pressure, receiving platitudes
why do I feel so unprepared?
Is the walk worth it, can I even make it
where can I turn to, who can I trust...

The walk continues, highways, byways, towns, cities...
We walk; constantly moving...in motion...perpetual motion

Head spinning, mind reeling...looking for peace...peace that
comes from not conforming to worldly patterns...peace from walking

Autumn in the air

Autumn is definitely in the air (September 25, 2008)

Autumn is in the air...watching the changes...the metamorphosis...the transformation-taking place! Gone are the watermelon and strawberry yard flags, gone are the ladybug banners...the signs of summer and all of the heat that it brought!

The fall colors adorn front porches, mums, hay bales, scarecrows...how odd...

on main streets all over this country, scarecrows are stuck into flowerbeds to bring a sense of fall, of autumn, cooler temps...

I wonder if the crows are really scared...what is it that the autumn scarecrow is guarding? The mums, the pumpkins...the falling leaves

Are they really safe because of the ever-watching eyes of the scarecrow?

Gold and yellow...orange and red...smells of autumn...kettle corn, apple cider, cooler air, heavy dew...harvest!

Autumn...prelude to winter...postlude to summer...shorter days, pace picking up...this change, this time...autumn is definitely in the air...