Without Shame

With Little Words

2008-05-11T17:22:00.000-07:00

Today is Mother's Day in America. As I stood before my church this morning to share a short message with them about this day I shared a little about my mother. I thought I would include some of what I said and little more that I did not because of time.

My mother, who I call Mama, was and still is a woman of few words. She was raised by a man, my grandfather, of few words. In my grandfather's generation you showed love by your actions. The term words are cheap must have been his favorite line because he didn't say much in the way of encouraging words. But he was a doer. Pawpaw would do anything for his children and grandchildren. Mama is just like him.

I can't remember too many words of encouragement coming from Mama. But I can tell how much she loved and still does by what she does. She reminds me of what James said in the Bible when he encouraged his readers to be "doers of the Word". There isn't anything that my mother hasn't and would not do for me.

From sunup to sundown Mama was either cooking, cleaning, mending, doctoring, or helping with homework. She looked after me, my brother and sister, and our father with great love and affection. She lost sleep too many times to count and because of me at times too many hairs from pulling them out when I drove her crazy.

But no matter what, she always loved us. She always cared for us, and she still does. I hope you can say the same about your mother. Call her more often than you do, and tell her each time how much you love her and what she means to you.

Have a blessed week.

The struggles getting here

2008-04-16T13:00:00.000-07:00

I thought I would post this blog from my former yahoo 360 page. It still brings tears to my eyes.

A blog from January 12, 2006

Well, where do I begin. This has been by far one of the craziest years of the 39 I've been living. I've lost the only grandparents I had left and I moved my family to Tennessee leaving everything I've known my entire life. We came to Tennessee to pastor a church and left one in Texas. The church here is very loving as is the one in Texas, which we miss very much. I left Texas once before when I joined the U.S. Army where I served for 1 1/2 years at Fort Knox, Kentucky where I met my beautiful wife Jennifer of 16 years, and then another 1 1/2 years in the Republic of Korea at Camp Kasey, 2nd Infantry Division.

What made this move so difficult is that it turned our whole world upside down. We left a church we loved deeply to pastor people we didn't know from Adam. I lost my grandfather at the age of 85 one month prior to our moving to Tennessee. He had lived with my family on Hospice care for two months in my youngest daughter's room. During that time my female yellow Lab (Lady) was pregnant with her first litter of 12 puppies. Papaw wanted a puppy and I promised him one when they were weened.

As the story goes, Papaw got worse each day and finally got to the point where my wife and I could no longer give him the care he needed to make his final days as confortable as possible. Add to that the fact that Rachael (our youngest) told her mama that she didn't want Papaw to die in her room. Needless to say I was going to protect the heart of my daughter and I made the very difficult decision, with my mother's consent, to place Papaw in a very nice nursing home that was right around the corner from our home.

During the time that Papaw was living with us and in the nursing home, my grandmother was in the Methodist Hospital of Houston, Texas recovering from open heart surgery at the age of 82. Add to that my impending departure from Texas and you have a very stressed out family because my parents, who I love and miss very much, were dealing (not very well) with all of this along with me and my wife leaving. By-the-way, I have an awesome wife. She helped me bath, feed, and take care of my Papaw like he was her own.

The date is May 8th, 2005 and I hear the very distinct sound of puppies whining from the kennel outside my bedroom window. I go outside and see 12 of the cutest Lab pups. Well that made for some good news to share at church that morning (it was Mother's day), and at work (Liberty County Sheriff's Office) later that day. Church was over and I was at work when I received a phone call from the nursing home. The nurse told me to call the family and get them to the home because Papaw was getting ready to leave us.

I rushed to the home and made the appropriate calls to family who met me there a short time later. We all took turns talking to Papaw and holding his hands as we waited or the inevitable. I was standing next to my grandfather when my father, who along with my mother had basiclly stopped talking to me, walked over to me and hugged me. I really needed that. I just began to sob on his shoulder like had done so many times before. My father is a very loving and affectionate man and I am thankful to the Lord for that.

After Daddy and I spent some time together we called Mama to Papaw's bedside and told her that she needed to give her daddy permission to go. She began to cry and said she couldn't do that. We assured her it was ok and that it was one of the final ways that she could show him uncondditional love by not being selfish and wanting to stay as he as. Mama agreed and gently leaned over her father, told him could go home, and just sobbed on his chest. It was a very sad, yet tender moment that I will always remember.

Well, Papaw did not leave us while we were all together. So everyone except my little brother (he's nearly a foot taller than I) Derek stayed with my for a while. We talked about our memories of going to the farm and visiting Gramma and Papaw. We laughed, cried, and felt blessed to be there each other at this very reverent time. Derek got tired and asked me if I minded if he went home. I told him to go and I would call if anything changed.

I stayed around for a few more minutes and decided to go back to work. My supervisor, Sgt. Darrel Elliott was very gracious and gave me as much time as I needed to take care of my grandfather. A short time later I received another call. The nurse told me to hurry because Papaw was slipping fast. I didn't even call anyone. I just went straight the there and hurried to his bedside. I sat there holding my grandfather's hand, stroking his hair, and quietly told him that it was ok. I told him that he could go home because I was going to take care of Gramma who was still in intensive care.

Then my grandfather took one deep breath, held it for a second, and let it go. I witnessed the man who had taught me the love of hunting, fishing, sitting in the swing and listening to the birds, and the love of a grandfather leave this cruel world and return home to his Father and mine. Other than the birth of my two daughters, witnessing the death of my grandfather was the most profound event of my life. I was honored to be with my Papaw as he went to see Jesus whom he had trusted as his savior. As it would happen, the day after Papaw died, the runt of Lady's litter, who we named Hope because she was very sick, died. If you believe all dogs go to heaven, then Papaw got his puppy.

If that were not enough on my plate, my grandmother took a turn for the worse and we had to place her in the same home Papaw was. It just so happened that she was in the same room as he was. Days went by and Gramma got worse. The day of our departure for Tennessee was fast approaching and it finally arrived. The night before we left I told my wife that wanted to go see Grama one last time because I knew it would be last time I would see her this side of Heaven. I stood by her bed and just looked at her. This little woman who I had always affectionately called shorty was slipping away. I leaned over, kissed her soft and tiny face, and told her she could go home to see Papaw. You see, I was the one who had to tell her Papaw had died.
I kissed her some more, cried some more, and walked out.

When I got home I grabbed my wife and cried some more. My family has always said that I am very strong man. That may be, but at that moment I felt like a weak little boy who had lost his way and didn't know what to do. But God is good and he has lifted my head so that I can keep on keepin' on.

I share this story with you first to tell you this; God will never leave you nor forsake you. Remember when you started learning how to ride a bike. Your daddy or maybe your mama would hold on the seat and the handlebars so wouldn't fall and they run along side of you. As time time went on they would gradually begin letting go of the bike so you could ride it on your own. But they never stopped running behind you to catch you if you fell. Then as you got more confident and could ride better on your own guess what they did. They got a bike and rode with you. That, is in my opinion, how the Lord deals with us. He shows us how, then gradually gives a little responsibility, and eventually lets us ride on our own. But He's always close by to help us if we need it.

The Bible tells us in Poverbs chapter 14 that "There is a way that seems right to man, but in the end it leads to death". Prov 3:5-6 says, "Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths." Trust in God friends, and nothing else!

By-the-way, Lady recently gave birth on New Years Eve 2005 to a litter of ten girls. Three were still born but the rest are perfectly healthy. There 5 yellow, one black, and one chocolate. The chocolate is mine.

See ya round
Shannon

That's a good question

2008-04-15T05:47:00.000-07:00

I went to my State Overseer's blog last night and read it as I do most everyday. His latest post was entitled "What do you believe?" That's a good question.

We live a very relative world today. The world view of many if not most people (including many in the church), is that truth is relative. That means what you view as truth is not necessarily what I might consider to be truth. It seems silly but you may actually believe that 2+2 doesn't always equal 4. That's relativism.

This world view is fueled by Postmodern thought (everything is subjective) and a Post-Christian world view (Christianity is not the dominant civil religion). Both views, in a nut-shell, believe that the absolutes that are claimed by Christianity are to be challenged and re-examined.

I am a member of a pentecostal movement known as the Church of God of Prophecy. At the very beginning of our organization, our founders made a statement of faith in their beliefs statement that included the following:

"It was a strong desire to rely solely on the Bible that led the early pioneers of the church to declare their willingness to be free from all man-made creeds and traditions, to take the New Testament as their only rule of faith and practice, and to give each other equal rights and privileges to read and interpret the Bible as their consciences might dictate. These basic tenets remain intact today; however, as the church grew and spread throughout the world, it was seen that there was safety in a "multitude of counselors" when making doctrinal decisions. Thus, today, all doctrinal matters are agreed upon in one accord by the General Assembly."

So what does that mean for me and what I believe.

I believe that God the Father sent His Son Jesus Christ, The Word made flesh, to this Earth to die for our sin.
I believe in the virgin birth of Jesus to Mary.
I believe He lived a sinless life and that He was crucified for my sin and the sin of all mankind.
I believe He was buried for three days and that He was resurrected by the power of the Holy Spirit on the third day.
I believe He was seen of many witnesses and that He ascended to the Father where He intercedes on my behalf to the Father.
I believe He is soon to return to this world to receive unto Him all who are true believers.
I believe in the priesthood of all believers and that the Lord has given each of us the responsibility to share the Good News with all people.
I believe in the apostolic authority of the ministry (multitude of counsel) of the church.
And, I believe in the absolute inerrant, infallible, and authoritative Word of God found in the pages of the Holy Scripture. It is my rule of faith, practice, and government in all things.

So, what do you believe?

I think that's a good question.

Have a blessed day.

First Blog

2008-04-13T21:25:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone. This is my first blog and my first blog entry. I hope that those who view it will enjoy and be blessed by what is written here. The purpose of this blog is to proclaim my love for the Lord Jesus Christ by sharing with you what he is doing in my life and the lives of those I have the privilege to serve and live with daily.

Today we had a great time in church. The presence of the Lord was very palpable. Our worship leader and worship team sang the song "At The Cross". It is a contemporary worship song that tells of how Christ Jesus suffered for us all and made a way for us to have fellowship with God the Father. The bridge of the song goes, "you tore the veil, you made a way, when you said that it is done". It was at that moment in the song that I just lost it and began to cry tears of awe and joy.

To think that the creator of the universe loved you and me so much that He came here in the form of a man to suffer for us is more than I can comprehend. It is my prayer that you all have a blessed week as you go to work or school knowing that God goes before you to love and guide you where ever your journey in life takes you.

God bless.