‘Tis a fearful thing
to love what death can touch.
A fearful thing
to love, to hope, to dream, to be –to be,
And oh, to lose. A thing for fools, this,
And a holy thing, a holy thing
to love.
For your life has lived in me,
your laugh once lifted me,
your word was gift to me.
To remember this brings painful joy.
‘Tis a human thing, to love,
a holy thing;
to love what death has touched.
-AUTHOR UNKNOWN
It’s that time of year where all the pretty lights and decorations drip from houses, stores, and even racetracks. Children are bright eyed and amazed at the sights. Passerby’s ogle the magnificence of it all. We sometimes forget the real reason for the season. It’s very simple actually and it’s only two words. Jesus Christ.
Our Lord and Savior’s birth is the reason for the celebration. No gifts any person could give would ever compare to the free gift of salvation He has offered to all of mankind. His birth is only the beginning. You must find out the rest of His plight. Just because He was born doesn’t make us all heaven bound. You must understand and accept this gracious gift that no one could ever match and we certainly do not deserve.
A wonderful experience without the glittery lights and glamorous displays of fictitious characters was offered within the community of Piney Flats tonight. Piney Flats First Baptist Church offered a free drive through experience of the life of Christ. It is called “The Journey”. The members of the church, young and old, weathered the cold and wind to give people a glimpse into the life of Christ. With real animals and scripture from the Bible, the display was wonderful and far different from the typical Christmas experience.
If you are in the Piney Flats area tomorrow night, weather permitting, stop by and take in this treat from 6-9 in their parking lot. You can’t miss it when driving through on 11-E. Bring the family and be prepared to interact with the characters. You will be given coins to pay your taxes in Bethlehem and you will receive a wooden cross necklace. If you only know of the birth of Jesus, you are missing out. There is so much more.
There was a little boy in 2nd grade sitting at his desk in school when all of a sudden there was a puddle between his feet and his pants were wet. His heart began pounding because this has never happened to him before. He knows when his classmates find out he will never hear the end of it. The boy thinks his heart is going to stop. He puts his head down and begins to pray. “Dear God, this is an emergency. I need help now.”
He looks up from his prayer and here comes the teacher with a look in her eyes that says he has been discovered. As the teacher is walking toward him, a classmate named Kelly is carrying a fishbowl that is filled with water. She trips in front of the teacher and dumps the bowl of water in the boy’s lap. The boy pretends to be angry but all the while is saying to himself, “Thank you Lord, Thank you Lord!”
Now all of a sudden instead of being the object of ridicule, the boy is the object of sympathy. The teacher rushes him downstairs and gives him a pair of gym shorts to put on while his pants are drying and the all of the other children are helping clean up around his desk. The sympathy is wonderful. But as life would have it, the ridicule that should have been his has now been projected to Kelly.
She tries to help but they tell her to get away, you’ve done enough and even call her names.
Finally at the end of the day, the boy walks over to Kelly and whispers, “You did that on purpose, didn’t you?” She whispers back, “I wet my pants once too.”
May God help us to see opportunities around us that we can use for good. Thanks for reading and have a blessed day!
Why are adults offended by a child’s smile? When my father passed away, one of the things everyone remembered about him was that he was always smiling. Even his pastor said, although he was in pain and suffered with cancer there was never a day he didn’t see my dad smile. It may not have been a bright and full blown one every day but it was there.
My teachers and classmates always commented on my smile, until I reached middle school. Enter the group of mean girls that just because I smiled all the time, they thought I was flirting with their boyfriends. This tainted my perception of people and I became very self conscious of my reactions. I was never flirting with anyone’s “boyfriend”. I simply was smiling. I had a great home life and I played sports, had friends, made excellent grades, and enjoyed many extracurricular activities such as music and majorettes. Why shouldn’t I smile?
Now my son is enduring the same torment simply because of the way he looks. Some people just naturally look like they are smiling all the time. This is a feature they are born with. But why is it labeled a terrible feature? I’ve pondered this over the years and still don’t have a solid argument for the opposing side. I tell my son that the joy of the Lord is his strength. We are Christians and we have so much to smile about!
I enjoy life and love to have fun. I will not apologize for smiling and will not make my child apologize for smiling simply because he is happy. He knows the difference between smiling and smirking. So attention teachers and authoritative figures that keep trying to reprimand him for having a smile on his face, I want you to know we are praying for you. We hope your life gets better and that you find peace and joy. I wish you could have the happiness in your life that we have and there is a way to get it. Seek the Lord, and ye shall find! Ask and it shall be given. Knock and it will be opened.
Matthew 7:7-8King James Version (KJV) “7 Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: 8 For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.”
In the meantime, stop allowing the devil to use you to try and steal the joy of others, especially from children. The world is full of sadness! Strive to be a difference. Smile!
John 10:10 New International Version (NIV). “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.”
A wonderful journey westward took me to the Cherokee Heritage Center, the Cherokee Family Research Center and to Diligwa, a 1710 outdoor Cherokee living village in Tahlequah, Oklahoma. As my kids and I drove through Oklahoma, we watched the signs change from entering Cherokee Nation to leaving Cherokee Nation and entering and leaving Seminole, Creek, and many other tribal territories. This was the highlight of my trip.
I have tried to trace my Cherokee ancestry with census records, marriage, birth, and death records but the need for a Dawes roll number has been a challenge. I have pictures and I have a number without a name and there are stories that have been recorded but so much is needed depending on what band of the Cherokee you are related too. Imagine my delight when I found a pamphlet at a hotel in Arkansas that told about this place in Oklahoma that is nestled back away from major traffic.
Located on the grounds of the First Cherokee National Female Seminary, The Cherokee Heritage Center preserves, promotes, and has been teaching Cherokee History and Culture since 1967. There are only three columns left from the original seminary that burned in 1887. One of the most fascinating facts was how valuable education was and still is to the Cherokee. The Cherokee schools were more advanced than the European, “white”, schools when the Cherokee rebuilt themselves in Oklahoma at the end of Indian removal and relocation to Oklahoma.
A new constitution was adopted in September of 1839, the same year the final group of Cherokee arrived on the Trail of Tears. Tahlequah, the new Cherokee capital, and nearby Park Hill, became hubs of business activity and centers of cultural activity in Indian Territory. In 1844, the Cherokee Advocate, printed in both the Cherokee and English languages, became the first newspaper in Indian Territory, and the first in a Native American language. The Cherokee Messenger was its first periodical. Soon, the Cherokee’s educational system of 144 elementary schools and two higher education institutes, the Cherokee Male and Female Seminaries, rivaled all others. Many white settlements bordering the Cherokee Nation took advantage of the superior school system, and paid tuition to have their children attend the Cherokee schools.
Other bilingual materials, which had been made possible by Sequoyah’s syllabary in 1821, led the Cherokee people to a level of literacy higher than their white counterparts, all before Oklahoma statehood in 1907.
I was amazed at the explanations our young guide gave to questions asked by visitors. When explaining the seven main clans within the Cherokee, the guide said that the Cherokee always knew not to marry within their own clan because it was family and they knew the DNA would be messed up if relations were too close. She also explained that once a family had affiliations in each clan that they also married outside of Cherokee and also married white people.
There were wonderful exhibits but the Trail of Tears, in which no photography was allowed, yanked at my heart strings at the treatment and conditions that were endured by those being removed. The Cherokee were more educated and civil than the government that was removing them. It was proven even in their educational systems that were established after their cruel and inhumane treatment. A higher road was taken and they achieved excellence that was coveted by the whites.
There was so much history and education in this short visit of several hours. A Cherokee Family Research Center and Library is located on the premises. If you are looking for family connections and genealogy tracking, this is a wonderful resource. There is a fee for searching records in this library.
I could go on and on but this is well worth a trip if you are planning a trip to Oklahoma. The demonstrations of flint mapping, weapons, games, finger weaving, and the village itself is amazing. Most of all, I can’t brag enough on the young ladies and men that guided us and demonstrated the skills along with the cultural education. I am proud to be Cherokee. They are a highly educated, kind, and family value driven society. Amazingly, they gave women respect in affairs of the tribe and the matrilineal honor is phenomenal. Their women didn’t have to fight for equality or for a vote. Beloved women have been a very respected part of the culture, sitting among chiefs and making decisions with them.
If you’re ever in Oklahoma and have a chance to visit the Cherokee Heritage Center in Tahlequah, please take advantage of this opportunity. You won’t be disappointed. I am happy to announce this has been an inspiration for book 5 of the Birdie series. Wa-do. (thank you)
As my readers know my favorite sport is baseball followed closely by hockey. Since we are in baseball season I thought I would share some giggles.
A doctor at an insane asylum decided to take his patients to a baseball game. For weeks in advance, he coached his patients to respond to his commands. When game day came, everything seemed to be going well. As the National Anthem started, the doctor yelled, “Up Nuts” and the patients complied by standing up.
After the anthem he yelled, “Down Nuts” and they all sat back down in their seats.
When a home run was hit, the doctor yelled, “Cheer Nuts” and they all applauded and cheered. The umpire made a particularly bad call against the home team and the doctor yelled, “Boooo Nuts”, so they started booing and cat calling.
Considering things were going very well, the doctor decided to go get a beer and a hot dog, leaving his assistant in charge. When he returned there was a riot in progress. He found his assistant and asked what had happened.
The assistant replied, “Well, everything was going just fine until the vendor passed by and yelled peanuts!”
Q: What takes longer: running from first base to second, or from second to third?
A: Second to third, because you have to go through a shortstop.
A conceited new rookie was pitching his first game. He walked the first five men he faced and the manager took him out of the game. The rookie slammed his glove on the ground as he yelled, “Darn it, the jerk took me out when I had a no-hitter going!”
I hope everyone has a blessed day. Remember! Gryphon will be released this month. Watch for updates! Thanks for reading.
Join me tomorrow for Free Comic Book Day at Mt. Empire Comics in Bristol. Festivities begin at 10am. Come get a free comic and pick up your copy of Birdie and Rakshasi. Find out how to order Wayah and ask about the upcoming book, Gryphon that will be on sale June 15th. I can’t wait to meet some enthusiastic readers and check out all the fun that Mt. Empire Comics has in store for everyone. Hope to see you on 6th Street tomorrow.
A very poor woman called a radio station asking for help. A bad, evil man who was listening to this radio program decided to make something out of it.… He got her address, called his secretary and ordered her to buy food and take to the woman with the following instruction, “when the woman asks who sent the food, tell her that its from the devil.” When she arrived, the woman was so happy and she started putting the food inside. The Secretary asked her, ”don’t you want to know who sent the food?” The woman answered. ”NO , it doesn’t matter, because when GOD orders, even the devil obeys.” The secretary broke into tears.
Romans 8:28 – And we know that God works all things together for the good of those who love Him, who are called according to His purpose.
Blogging Baseball and more
Fun, unusual and forgotten designations on our calendar.
A Perfect Practice is in the Cards
Tales from the mouth of a wolf
.......is writing
BOOKS II MUSIC II PHOTOGRAPHY
open a book, open your mind
Destination Inspirations for U.S. Travel
Let everything that has breath praise the Lord
Little value...lots of fun!
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