Beau

Beau”  is the name of a poem written by Jimmy Stewart and published in 1989. Not only was Jimmy, my favorite actor, but this poem is also my favorite about the companionship of a four-legged friend.  Strange, how those canines come into our lives and, though a nuisance from time to time, have a special place in our hearts. I know a lot of Christians who may also be a challenge, but, unbelievably, they spice up my life.

1 John 3:14 

We know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brothers. Whoever does not love abides in death.

1 John 2:10 

Whoever loves his brother abides in the light, and in him there is no cause for stumbling.

We’re all in this together and we shouldn’t wait to miss a person only after he is taken. Give it some thought.

Gary

Bad Decisions

If you want to read about bad decisions and needless deaths, consider the Book of Ruth. Senselessly, the patriarch of the family caused them to leave the place of God’s choosing, to inhabit a place with the curse of God on it. This is never a good move, but has been the practice for multitudes since the beginning of time. The place of death will never be maxed out. This family’s tragedies were spread over a period of ten years.

Ruth 1:5

Then both Mahlon and Chilion also died; so the woman survived her two sons and her husband.

Be firmly planted in the will of God and don’t move. Give it some thought.

Romans 12:2 

Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.

Give it some thought.

Gary

The Evening Show

It was time for the evening show. He stood there on that float, wearing his swimming trunks and being in no particular hurry. After stretching and making unusual facial expressions, he’d finally dive into the St John River, sailing for at least ten feet before breaking the water. We’d watch and wait. Long after the ripples had disappeared by his entrance into that water, minutes continued to pass.  It seemed like a quarter mile downstream, he’d finally burst through to the surface, walk to shore, get in his car and head home, all without saying a word.

For some strange reason, I’m glad there were people like him in my world. Our era is made up of so many individuals, with no two alike, God’s marvelous wonder.

Isaiah 13:12 

I will make people more rare than fine gold, and mankind than the gold of Ophir.

I appreciate the variety in our world of humans. Give it some thought.

Gary

The Carnival Is Over

It was belted out in 1967 by the Seekers, “The Carnival Is Over.” It’s been 55 years, but in my mind’s eye, I can see the workers taking down the tents that had announced that the carnival was in town. Nothing lasts forever, but try to make a fourteen-year-old understand that concept. In a lifetime, there are a lot of unexpected events that are misunderstood, but of necessity must be endured. The father of the Israelites stated it well.

Genesis 47:9

 And Jacob said to Pharaoh, “The years of my pilgrimage are a hundred and thirty. My years have been few and difficult, and they do not equal the years of the pilgrimage of my fathers.” 

The Gardner paraphrase of that passage is, “This has been some trip, but I can see a light at the end of the road, and that’s okay.”

Give it some thought.

Gary

The Cardiologist

The cardiologist said, “Until we run some tests, you shouldn’t lift anything heavy or put any stress on your heart.”

I wanted to look around to see whom he was advising, but the reality was that we were the only two in that room. Now, I want to lift heavy stuff and my joys in life involve stress. What do I do with this piece of information because I don’t like it, and the opinions of others could kill me before my heart fails? How do I handle this? “Help me, Lord, because I’m in uncharted territory here.” It’s not the first time I’ve sent that prayer heavenward, and it certainly won’t be the last.

Do you ever have days like that? How about some Scriptural advice?


1 Peter 5:7
 

Casting all your anxieties on Him, because He cares for you.

Jeremiah 29:11 

For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.

Give it some thought and remember these verses in those times when you leave the doctor’s office or receive unwelcome news.

Gary

Trucker Calls Home

It’s a winter night in 1975, and I’m in a telephone booth in Quebec.  The temperature is in the subzero range. The broken window in that booth allows for a constant breeze. I’m just calling home to make sure everything is okay in the middle of the week. Frozen water pipes were a worry with that mobile home we lived in. I’m telling my wife that I’m looking forward to Friday night when I’ll be home for the weekend and checking in on our son.

Fifty years have come and gone since I hung up and returned to the North Maine woods to finish my day, loading my truck one more time before calling it quits. It’d be almost midnight before I pulled into camp. Life was so unpredictable at that time; however, we had a short time ago allowed God into our lives. Thinking back, that was the best thing we ever did. That is the reason I am writing this today.

Isaiah 30:21 

And your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, “This is the way, walk in it,” when you turn to the right or when you turn to the left. 

Psalm 32:8 

I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with My eye upon you.

Give it some consideration.

Gary

The Transistor

It’s 1965.  I’m under the covers with my little transistor radio, listening to the Cyrkle singing “Red Rubber Ball.” I’m sure you’ve never heard tell of that group. They never really made it as a rock band, basically only one hit. I was just enjoying a short piece of their existence. Looking back, it amazes me how many insignificant events make up one’s life. The memory is there after sixty years but holds no context. I’m sure glad there are other memories that I can be thankful for because they have given me the life I have today.

Why do I write this? My answer – I want you to plug the memory stick in and review the things you should be thankful for, the things of God that have given you a real life, not the world’s offerings.

Ephesians 5:20 

Giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ,

Colossians 3:17 

And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.

Psalm 103:2 

Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits,

I’m glad I no longer go to bed with a transistor radio. Give it some thought.

Gary