THOUGHTS AT THREE A.M.

THE HOLY SPIRIT: DO YOU BELIEVE?

I hope you believe,because if you don't, then you will never feel what I felt tonight, and if that is not to be yours, I feel sorry for you.If you have no idea what it is I am talking about,I am so sorry. It means you will never feel the moving and operation of the Holy spirit in your body, your heart and life, and that's just a shame.Right now, I have no pain.I am not drunk, or insane or hallucinating.However, I am thrilled to the marrow of my bones.I have deep abiding joy and happiness within,and I feel light as a feather.And Love! Such an overwhelming sense of love for all mankind, and for God the Father, the Son, and of course, the Holy Spirit,just flowing through me...There are no worries on my mind,and no anxiousness or concern either.I know God loves me, beyond a shadow of a doubt,and I know that no matter what happens tomorrow, no matter how awful it may seem at the time, God will turn it around to my ultimate good. I have been spirit-filled for several years, yet it is always a wonderful experience to have that spirit renewed,and feel the presence of God in such a strong way once again. Lord! I want to feel this way every day!

Well, it's getting late,and I have a full day of praise and worship and family time tomorrow, so I'd better go to nest.I just know I shall sleep deeply and well, almost as soon as I turn in.

I pray that some day, if you haven't already, you feel what I feel tonight...it is the only way I shall complete the tasks the Lord has for me to do, whatever they are.Which, of course is the whole reason we have been given the Holy Spirit to begin with.There is no way we can live as we should without the Spirit!

OUI?

HOW LONG IS ETERNITY?

I know we have all heard the term,"eternity" But what does it really mean? We hear those words,forever and forever,and we tend to just shrug it off, mainly because we cannot conceive of such a length of time.Any time considered longer than how long it takes for a man's wife to get ready to go out on the town, is called, an eternity. Any time longer than a man's life-span on this earth is longer than he can imagine.We are filled with awe when we see an artifact brought back from an archaeological dig, that has survived more or less intact,from four thousand years ago. So, who can truly grasp the concept of the truth of Eternity? We cannot explain it in years, because it is an unbelievable concept simply to imagine the span of time the world we live on in those terms,which has been put at between 100,000 years, to a million or more. But, I have heard it explained in the best possible way ever, so I thought I would pass it along to you.

Imagine if you will, a snow white dove, flying around the world, with a silken scarf in it's beak, and every few times,say, every thousand years, It passes over a 10 ton granite boulder, and that silken scarf just barely grazes the very top of the boulder. By the time it takes for that boulder to be worn down by that silk scarf, into sand, just one second of eternity will have clicked by.That is a long time, my friend.

And yet, the Bible tells us that we will spend Eternity either in a beautiful heaven, or writhing in torment in hell. It also tells us that God won't put us in one or the other, but that we are on earth to choose to which place we will go. For me, the choice is simple.I choose heaven.I am an absolute baby about it when I burn my finger, so I am going to avoid burning in hell at all costs.So now, if you are still alive, it is time for you to choose, since you can't change your mind after you die, the time is now, because there are no do-overs.The myth of re-incarnation is a lie from the pit of hell,Because the Bible also warns us that it is appointed unto man ONCE to die.And, as we have all had pointed out to us very recently all over the globe,you can be here in perfect health,and the next moment, you can be gone! You can't even count on your next breath. Your next movement, your next step could be fatal!

God sets before you life everlasting in heaven, or hell.Even if you choose not to choose, that is still a choice! Not choosing God, is turning him down.

This is your chance.Where will you spend Eternity?

OUI?

LED OF THE LORD TO BE A BLESSING!

Sometimes the Lord gives us things, knowing we will follow his lead, when a need presents itself to us,knowing he can count on us to pass the thing along.I have a completely wonderful Rainbow Rexair(R) vacuum cleaner.It is an old concept, but you can still purchase a brand new one today, with all sorts of wonderful attachments,and there is never any dust flying around in the air while your using it, nor any bag, or cup, or anything messy like that to empty.All you do, is flush the water-pot down the drain, or throw it out in the garden.The dust, dirt, hair, pet dander, crumbs, and even liquid messes go into this pot of water it is attached to, and then when you shut off, you break it down, very easily, very quickly,and toss the pot! That's it,and I love it. So, about a year ago, Yon son comes home with an electric "broom-stick",which he had found, along side someones garbage, and sure enough, it worked.It was small, light, and simple to use,and with helpers coming in to assist in housekeeping, it was certainly easier than teaching them the ins and outs of the Rainbow Rexair every time we had a new helper.(The rexair isn't difficult, but you do have to know how to take care of it properly in order to use mine!) So, we used that light,simple vac for those newbies, who hadn't the time or the inclination to learn how to use the Rexair.It was a stop-gap measure, for our convenience. It got the job done, surface wise, even if it didn't manage any deep cleaning such as the Rainbow gives us.So, we had both, and used both.Mostly, on his day off, Yon son would run the Rainbow just to clean the air in the house, with a squirt of fragrance,letting it run in each room for about 15 minutes, without a hose or wand, just washing the air, so there was no dust or bad odors,which is a real blessing for a household who have allergies, such as mine.

Anyway, long story short, (too late!) we have a new helper, and as women do, we talked while we worked.Listening to her...I won't call her name, because I would never embarrass someone so vulnerable, I found out Lulu has had some rough times in the very recent past, and her family has just turned their back on her.She has started over, and has done it by the skin of her teeth.Yon son and I are fully aware of just how difficult that can be, but we always had each other to lean on, to count on to prop each other up when things were tight.Lulu has no one but the Lord.And even though you can't have a more powerful right hand man than that, sometimes, it takes a brother or sister in the Lord to be willing to listen and follow the Lords leading to make provision for you.So, today, I asked her to run the Rexair,and she was an apt pupil,and did very, very well.Though doubtful, because, of course she had never heard of a water-pot vac, she was efficient,quick,and did an excellent job of breaking it down just as soon as she shut if off,and had no problem with emptying it, or rinsing it out. Just as her time drew to a close, she just happened to mention that that was the first time in a long while that she had used a vacuum cleaner,and I swear to you,a light went on with both Yon son and I. When pressed for details, she admitted that she did not have a a carpet sweeper,or a vacuum cleaner.She uses only a broom and a mop to clean her floors.I caught Yon son's eye,and he caught mine.Wordlessly, he asked, and I inclined my head,and away he goes, gets the electric broomstick, wraps up the cord,and sets it by the door.As I signed her time sheet, I told her, If you want it, you can have it,and once she knew what I was talking about, she looked askance at me, and said, your not serious.Her eyes filled with tears.She said, I don't know how to thank you. I said, don't thank me, thank God I had it!

And we praised the Lord, together,and she was laughing and crying at the same time. I have to admit, we got a little emotional. Yon son and I both were so filled with the joy that comes from giving, and I believe the spirit of the Lord bore witness to our hearts that he was pleased with our obedience to his leading.Praise God, what a wonderful feeling!

OUI?

GOD BLESS BASKETBALL,BASEBALL, FOOTBALL, CBS AND NBC!!

These are some fascinating, blessed, wonderful people who work at CBS & NBC, helping God break me of watching television, when I should be reading, or napping, or blogging...taking a bath, doing my nails,and on and on.There are so many things I should be doing. So, thank you Network programmers! Thanks, ever so much, for showing me the way to catch up on my reading, and doing all those other ordinary things that I ought to be doing, rather than watching t.v. You have so loaded up the airwaves with this unending string of basketball,football and baseball games,that I am completely and thoroughly fed up to my eyeballs with the whole lot of you! It's bad enough that the daytime programing is filled to the brim with mindless soaps, which, by the way, I used to watch too, until I finally got so frustrated with the fact that they all use the same formula: First Sammi is good, then she's bad, then she's good again, but she never seems to grow up enough to come to an understanding about how love works,and how to kill it,and she just goes on plotting and scheming, manipulating and lying,so no matter how pretty and smart she is, she ends up losing every time. And then, there's Passions, with Teresa, who is much sweeter, but just as bad in her own way...so what is the point of watching? Exactly! There is none! So, the only daytime show left worth watching is Jeopardy!,but even that is preempted for more GAMES. Oh! I left out Oprah! Well, shame on me.I do like to drop in to see who she's talking to, or who she's giving cars or other free stuff to today, from time to time, However, she is another one they like to preempt, and then of course, there are those shows that are sad and disgusting,but oh well, at least she isn't out there throwing around a basketball, so she can stay. And, naturally, I do tune in for the news,but there again, they also have to show you the HIGHLIGHTS? of the latest game! And then they close out the news at six, saying, stay tuned, for the evening broadcast of the news, at ten o'clock, After the Game! They call it March Madness, I call it sickening and insane.I am so tired of games I could scream. So, thanks guys. I am cured of incessant television watching, to the nth degree, and I couldn't have done it without you, and God!

Oh, by the way.It isn't just week-day watching I dislike. On the week-end there is worse junk to try to avoid....just try! It can be summed up in four words.

Tennis and Golf! Yuk!

OUI?

SCENE OF ANOINTING OF KING DAVID!!

I followed a referrer back, and the request was for the scene when David was anointed to be king,so now, here is that scene, straight out of my Expositor's Study Bible.  I Samuel, chapter 16 verse 6: And it came to pass, when they were come(Jesse and his sons), that he( Samuel) looked on Eljiab, and said, surely the Lord's anointed is before him.(This was David's brother,and he looked the part of a King. This shows us that even a great Prophet like Samuel cannot trust his own intuition. To have done so, would have been to have  grossly violated God's will. vs.7. But the Lord said unto Samuel, look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature, because I have refused him: for the Lord sees not as man sees, for man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.( and only God knows the heart of man) vs.10:  Again,Jesse made seven of his sons to pass before Samuel. And Samuel said unto Jesse, the Lord has not chosen these.vs.11: And Samuel said to Jesse, Are here all your children? And Jesse said, there remains yet the youngest, and behold, he keeps the sheep...(a type of Christ as the good Shepard) And Samuel said to Jesse, send and fetch him for we will not sit down till he comes hither.( David was the youngest,and apparently his father Jesse thought it would useless to bring him into the house. Generally, those who are totally rejected by men are the very ones whom God chooses.)vs 12: And he sent and brought him in. Now he was ruddy( red-haired) and withall of a beautiful countenance( The Hebrew says, with beautiful eyes) and goodly to look to (to look at, handsome) and the Lord said, arise, anoint him, for this is he! (it is believed that David was about 15 years old at this time,it would be years before he would take the throne,but this was the beginning of the glory days of Israel.) And I assume that at this point, everybody else was allowed, finally, to sit down! vs.13 Then Samuel took the horn of oil, and anointed him in the midst of his brethren,and the spirit of the Lord came upon David from that day forward.

And, there you have it. A very simple ceremony, with no trumpets blowing, no heads of state in attendance, no banquet, no parades. Just an old Prophet of God, pouring oil on the head of a 15 year old red-haired boy, and the holy spirit enveloping him, as he stood there dripping oil,his red hair shinning even brighter for the experience. Although on earth it was a quiet moment, you know that angels were shouting on the hills of glory, for it was through David's lineage that Christ would be born,and he would be called, The Son Of David!

OUI?

PERMIT ME, AS MOM USED TO SAY, TO SHOW YOU A TRICK WITH A HOLE IN IT, FOR CHRISTIANS!!

Today was so busy, it was a trick and a half just getting prepared for bible study tonight, but, oh, I am so glad that we did it! As I mentioned yesterday, there was so much to do,and so much going on, that Yon son's coattails were flying right straight out behind him all day long,and I was just torn in a bunch of different directions right up to the last minute as well. Which, I am sure, was partialy because the anti-Christ didn't want us to attend, and tried all he could to fix it so that if we did tune in on the Internet, we would be so weary and distracted, that the preaching and teaching and the lovely blessed music would be of no effect.However! It didn't work! I wasn't ready, Yon son wasn't ready, but the Lord saw to it that all things came together so that we were able to tape the message,and listen to it later, and that is just what we did.Praise God! Thanks be to God, no weapon formed against us will prosper! Now, we had a guest speaker,and although I love any preacher who gets up in our church to minister to us, at the same time,I am always (secretly) just the tiniest bit disappointed, that it isn't Jimmy.I know, shame on me, but after all, Jimmy is the man who got me saved, and I will always have a soft spot in my heart for him. Now, I only said that to say this, to me, Jimmy is a hard act to follow, if you will pardon the reference. Yet, this dear brother was one of the few whom, after just a few moments time, I forgot my personal reservations, as I should, and he had my total attention. Not only because he is well spoken and obviously spirit filled, but because he addressed an issue that has been on my heart for a while. And here's the trick with the hole in it. He started out by saying he didn't want to preach on this subject, considering where he was, he felt it wasn't necessary, or it was out of place, but what he didn't know was, he was picking up the same theme where Brother Jimmy,and Brother Donnie had left off! Not that they had preached a message incompletely, but because this is a very involved issue, and it is so on-going and serious, that it needs several hours to address it.In addition, his message was one that resonated in my heart, for reasons previously stated, and I had an almost instant response bearing witness to my spirit that this message was for me,as inspiration for a blog.Understand therefore, that I won't be trying to reiterate the whole evening's bible study, just the highlights,and salient points.In a nutshell, it has to do with those of us in the church being deceived, and the long spoken of "great falling away" of the church. He said, " Believe not every spirit!" Imagine that! Spirits on trial! He used First John,Chapter 4 verse 1, for his scriptural basis,and honey, if they can't find it in the Bible, either they need to study it more themselves,or it just isn't there,and if it isn't there, don't listen to them! So, here we go with testing the spirits.It says, "Beloved, believe not every spirit,but try the spirits, whether they are of God,because many false prophets are gone out into the world. Hereby know you the spirit of God(...and here it is..)."Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God !  AND EVERY SPIRIT THAT CONFESSES NOT THAT JESUS CHRIST HAS COME IN THE FLESH IS NOT OF GOD!! Whoa! Now, think about that for a while. Think about that in light of the number of  (ahem)" religious" leaders, who have gone on, oh, say, Larry Kings show, and refused to stand up for Jesus. Makes you wonder, doesn't it? I can see your head nodding.Personally, the ramifications of that statement alone had my hair standing on end.Then, this dear brother, (I'm sorry, I didn't catch his name, but he pastors a church, I believe in Wisconsin) went on to tell us about a certain special meeting, of " religious" leaders recently, whose aim it was, supposedly, to promote unity. It started out like an old joke, but it wasn't funny. A Rabbi, and some preachers from several different sects were there, and spoke,and prayed.The Mormon Tabernacle Choir was there and sang, I think. A Muslim leader was there, and he spoke, and everyone there stood and prayed to ALLAH with him.Rick Warren was there, and I assume he spoke about his program and his book. There were thousands of people in attendance, and Unity was the message,supposedly,but what kind of unity can be found in such a mixture? This happened February 2, the national day of prayer. The common enemy, according to the king of Jordan, is extremists. He read from the Koran,and prayed to allah, and all those Christians there listened! But we, as Christians, are to discern of what spirit those who preach to us are filled by, and to be aware that there are false prophets in the world, who present the doctrines of devils.

Well,I don't mind being labeled as an extremist, because I am a Christian, and I am not going to go off and listen to, or accept, another gospel, or another God. I do believe in the Lord Jesus Christ,and I am not ashamed of it, nor should you be.Nor should you be convinced by some slick talking person that being on fire for God is a bad thing.God said he would rather you be either hot, or cold; what he hates is lukewarmness.If you are lukewarm, he will spue you out of his mouth, he said.Well, Blah! Nobody wants that!

OUI?

EVERYDAY MIRACLES

Tonight in church, was one of the most thrilling times of my life.Sounds strange, doesn't it? But it's true. After reading the scriptural basis for his talk, Donnie cut in on himself and told us about a man, named Oscar. He had met him just after this mornings church service as he stood talking to some folks.He introduced himself, and said he was from San Salvador,El Salvadore. The ministry has aired programs all over central and south America,and in that country for many years,and many years ago, they had a phenomenal, powerful crusade in the capital city, in a soccer stadium.And he said, 24 years ago,Oscar said, I was a sinner, on my way to hell, Satan had led me down,and beaten me down to the point that I saw no purpose in living.It reached a point, that one day, I was literally sitting in my house with a loaded pistol.I cocked it, I put it to my head,and I exaggerate not, I was putting the pressure on the trigger,when Oscar said, a voice, came into my spirit,so real to me that it could have been audible, and that voice said, "Turn on the television!" It startled me!  And again, it was so real, I put the gun down, and went and turned the television on! And he said, I lie not, I exaggerate not, Brother Swaggart came on the screen.And the words out of his mouth were," The devil has told you to commit suicide! But I'm here to tell you, that Jesus Christ can break the bondages of sin and save your soul!" And he said,in a moments time, Jesus Christ came into my heart...just a few minutes before I'd had a gun to my head, but now I had a song in my heart, a song of praise on my lips, because Jesus had saved me!" Donnie said he never gets tired of hearing of how sinners have been saved, but he was all agog,and said, well, what do you do now? Oscar said," I'm a Pastor" and he smiled",...I Pastor Family Worship Center,In San Salvador! I just came by to talk to Brother Swaggart,and he's left already,but I just came by because, I wanted to tell Brother Swaggart, that 24 years ago a sinner was rescued from the burning embers of hell! Once I was a child of Satan, but now I'm a child of God,preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ!" That's the power of the Gospel.You don't need a counselor! You don't need an AA meeting! You don't need a psychologist ! You need an encounter with the power of Jesus Christ,through the anointing of the Holy Spirit! And I stood there, Donnie said, and I hugged his neck,and you could tell that this man was on fire for God! And then, Donnie Said, I told you this man's testimony to ask you this question.  How did this man experience such a miraculous conversion? Now, Understand, he didn't go to church! He was raised a Catholic.But, Not even a faithful Catholic. All he knew and was told was,that baptism, saves. Membership  in that church, saves. All he knew was, that if you go to another man, and confess your sins, that man can absolve you of your sin. That's all he knew.(and it obviously hadn't worked for him) He didn't know the Bible. He didn't know that " IF any man will call upon the name of the Lord, they Shall be saved." He didn't know that! Dad did not even give the plan of Salvation. He made that statement, and he told me, " I believed it!" And the moment he believed it, he was SAVED! Now, Donnie's point he was trying to get across was, the ingredient, the foundation, the vehicle, by which this man was able to enter in from death to life,was the foundation, of faith! He didn't understand the bible story, he didn't know all that you know, or all that I know. He knew he was lost! And the moment he heard those words,"Jesus Christ can save your soul," In his heart, he believed those words, and the moment he believed, conversion took place! It wasn't something that happened a week later,it wasn't something he had to go to a preacher and have it explained to him. The moment he said, I believe, Jesus Christ washed every sin, every stain, his past was no longer,he was a new creation in Christ Jesus,old things passed away, all things have become new! FAITH! Faith, Faith! That's how you are saved, that's how I'm saved.By believing what Jesus Christ has done for me.

And, it is the same now, as it was for Abraham.Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for Righteousness. God being the unchanging one he is, the same yesterday, today and forever, the same is true for all of us.Jesus paid the price for our sins, and really, was the atonement for it all, so there can be forgiveness and healing. So, it doesn't have to be done again, Jesus did it all, all we have to do is accept him as the son of God,and what he did for us on the Cross. You believe. You just believe.And, since satan hates everybody, he attacks us, by attacking our faith. If he can rob you of your faith, then he wins.But if you can hang on to your faith, your going to make it.Or, if he can change the object of your faith, he wins. If you put your faith in anything, (I don't care how religious it seems) anything other than Jesus Christ,and him crucified, then he wins.But the wonderful thing about all of this, is, if you find yourself putting your faith in anything else, you can turn back to the Lord Jesus, and ask God to forgive you, and your Salvation is assured,and your no longer going in the wrong direction. However, you are still flesh and blood. Man fails.All have sinned and come short of the glory of God, so our Creator has made provision for that as well. Every champion in the Bible, one time or another, right up until Jesus Christ came on the scene, failed. David, the sweet singer of Israel, the one to whom God referred as a man after his own heart, failed, big time.And in each instance, each story was given to us as examples, of how God deals with man, how he redeems man, and how every time man relies upon his own strength and power, he will fail.It is only when we do things God's way, with his help, that we do not fail. God is our source.Our strength. The only true power any person can possess, comes from God. And, it is still that way today.We put our faith in Jesus Christ to be saved,and then, we have an advocate with the Father. Jesus Christ, himself, stands ready to plead our case, when we stumble and fall, because he is our great high priest! We ask forgiveness, and Jesus Christ, God's only son, goes to the Father,and asks forgiveness for us, saying, Father, I died for him! I died for her!  There is more, but this blog is huge already, so in brief, I have just one more thing to relate to you.Donnie made the point that the greater the call, the greater Satan will try to destroy you.It is a very noble thing, a desirous thing, to have the annointing of the Holy Spirit.We must pray for that, and ask for it.But so many times, with younger ministers, to get their eyes on the big things.And they pray for the annointing, not understanding the price that must be paid for that annointing. Because let me tell you something.The annointing can only flow in that which has been, broken.Humbled. Depending totally and completely, only upon the Lord God.As God told Simon, satan has desired you, to sift you like wheat.He was warning him that his faith would be tested. To whom much  is given, much is expected. And, the more you do for God, the more satan is going to come against you.You've seen big churches, big ministries, amassing huge congregations, who seem to have it all, and they just sort of float through life, without a worry or a care.They have no problems,and they preach with such light-hearted happy abandon, and never bring up anything that disturbs or upsets their people.Satan never seems to bother them. Well, why should he? That preacher is not doing anything to convict his church members of sin,never gives an altar call, or leads them in the sinners prayer. He's leading them down the broad, easy way that so many follow.Satan has no opposition to that.No. They get famous people up there to shake the preachers hand and give him great big checks to help pay for their latest project,and they smile and get their pictures taken with them, and then that rich and famous person says many nice things about the preacher,and everybody is all happy and cheery,and walks out with the same sin and guilt and stain on their souls they had when they walked in, all talking about what a nice  service it was,and nobody got saved. That's not a church that belongs to Jesus Christ. That's a social club. But, look over here.It's a small church, and there aren't a whole lot of members, and big, rich, famous, important people don't frequent that church, because sometimes you walk in, and the preacher is preaching on things that just might make you feel uncomfortable.No, he says things that make you think about your future,and you look around, and the members aren't sitting there with wooden smiles,and plastic faces.These aren't the beautiful people, but they have looks on their faces that makes you pause.They are involved with what the preacher is saying,and sometimes they smile and they laugh, but sometimes, they get tears in their eyes,and they respond to an altar call,and run down to the altar,and there are boxes of tissues there for them, because people cry when they come into the presence of the Lord,and they feel his glory! And, when someone comes to the altar,and they cry and ask for prayer, because they have failed at something, everyone gathers around, and they cry with them, and pray for them and with them, and that is what is so beautiful, because in a true church of God, everyone knows that a true man of God is going to experience opposition.

OUI?

THE GAITHERS HOMECOMING FRIENDS HAVE HAD A WHOLE LOT OF PEOPLE GOING HOME LATELY!!

Their faces and voices are legendary for those of us who have known and followed the appearances, and the television presentations of Bill and Gloria Gaither, since they formed the group of inspired, spirit filled, singing friends programs called the Gaithers Homecoming. I came on board late, but still have learned to love the dear singers who populate the one hour Gospel song shows.I just happened to catch the show one night, and was so thrilled, because one of my most favorite gospel singers has always been Janet Paschal...and to my great delight, one of my other favs, John Starnes also appeared on that program, and I was hooked. It went from looking for them to sing, to falling in love with Jake Hess, George Younce, All of the Gaither vocal band, The incomparable Vestal Goodman,and her husband, whose name escapes me for the moment, right up to and including Anthony Burger, who has typified the all-round pianist that he was, right up to when he died recently. I am still in shock over that one.But not only are Vestal and her husband gone,but it came about so soon after my seeing her in person, that I was literally in tears when I heard.And, it was so strange, because Yon son had moved heaven and earth to get me to the concert, and he had put my wheelchair on the back row, with a chair on one side for him to sit on, and on the other was two empty seats. Wouldn't you just flip, if you went to a concert, and one of the "stars" came and sat one chair over from you? Well, that is what happened to me, and when I realized that this tiny, well groomed, beautifully dressed lady was Vestal Goodman, I looked at her, and she made eye contact with me, and so as not to draw attention to her whereabouts I didn't get loud, or say anything out loud, but I gave her a great big grin and said, "WOW!" over and over,and she smiled,and every time I repeated my wows, her smile just got sweeter and sweeter.The song playing ended,and she stood up, put a mike to her lips,and began singing right there! A spotlight found her as she headed for the stage,and the crowd erupted in applause,and whistles, and wordless roars of approval! It was a great moment, in a great concert, and I often think about that night, and how neat it was, that by my discretion, her surprise entry was not spoiled.

Another homecoming program I'll never forget was the London one, where they had to announce that Rex, had passed away the night before, just after the rehearsal. Now, no one could have known by the attitudes or the tones of their voices, or looks on their faces that they had been visited by such a blow, just before the program was taped, but when they announced it, Bill's chin was trembling just a little, and several of the singers on the stage wiped their eyes,and throughout the audience, you could see several people were floored that the program had gone on anyway.And yet, as Christians, the Homecoming Friends closed out the show with a song of celebration, dedicated to Rex, saying, in effect, " See you at the house!" when we all go home!

And as the dedications at the end of the PBS Classic Gospel, hosted by Bill Gaither, are flashed on the screen every Saturday night, the list of those gone just grows and grows. I don't know all their names, but as I said, I've seen their faces,and heard their blessed voices raised in praise to the Lord, and they have blessed me immeasurably, since I have found the programs. Obviously there are a lot of you out there who know and love "The Gaithers", as they have come to be known, and you also grieve each and every loss when word reaches you, right along with me. Let's just hope and pray that this group that started just because Bill and Gloria had a few friends come together and sing, for the love of Gospel music, and which now has grown into such a large world renowned group, does not simply dissolve one day, when, God forbid, Bill and Gloria go home to be with the Lord.

OUI?

HOW TO BE A MUSE, OR INSPIRE ME, ASK ME A QUESTION!!

You have to understand something. Art comes from somewhere. I have heard several writers that I respect say, it is a discipline, and to a certain extent, that is true, but it's almost misleading. When a person who is not by nature a writer hears this, it is nearly telling them that it takes no talent to be a writer. All you have to do is sit down with a pad and pen, or word processor, or a typewriter for four hours a day, and you too can be a writer. Again, that is almost the case, but not really. Tactfully,yes, you can write something, and you may actually discover you are skilled at putting sentences together enough to form some readable essays, yet you might find it is an up-hill climb to attain a finished piece that others will enjoy reading,and actually finish,and sniff around for more. And, where that certainly is the goal of a dyed-in-the-wool writer,it is not just the finished work that is their goal, but the process itself is their passion! See, the difference is not in the composition, it is in the composing that the  joy lies.An analogy that has always driven me to distraction is the old saw about putting a gang of monkeys into a room full of  typewriters,and they could write a novel like War and Peace! Grudgingly I have to concede the point, but only if you have a bunch of editors that love those monkeys, with nothing else to do for the rest of their natural lives, the thing might be accomplished. But only if the editors in question had a real love of the job,and a flair for finding gold in garbage! Just as an aside, this famous phrase was probably in part responsible for my utter disgust of monkeys! My point being, anyone who can read and write, can write, the question is, how well? To my dismay, I have had friends and acquaintances who, from time to time, found out that I was a writer, and feeling that they had something to say, or a calling, if you will,and have come to me with a sample of their own writing, and asked me to read it. Always, with kindness and an open mind, I have taken the story...it's always a story, and agreed to let them know what I think of their creation. It is then I know what a creative writing professor at the local community collage feels like on a weekly basis.Some I have handed back almost immediately when I saw it was hand written on a legal pad,and given them a handful of typing paper,and the use of my flower and fairy filled machine,otherwise known as my Underwood scriptor typewriter, and asked them to type it up for me. Better they spend a few hours in my office doing the good old hunt and peck, than I burn my eyeballs to cinders trying to decipher their hand scribblings.Invariably at this stage I usually got the argument  that they didn't know how to type, and couldn't I do it for them? No, I couldn't.You know what you wrote, and will be able to figure it out better than I could.Besides,I have never had a rough draft that didn't improve greatly by being transcribed.This is the beginnings of the process.I write it down on my steno pad when the idea comes to me, and more or less block it out on paper first, then when I go to type it up, somewhere along the line, (If it's any good to begin with) a major inspiration will hit me,and from there on the piece writes itself,with breaks in between to look up words, visit Mrs.Murphy,obtain drink and eats.From that instance on, until I am done, nothing else exists, unless Yon son needs me,or I happen to fall asleep. Sometimes, I get through the whole schpeal to my impromptu pupil, and in wide-eyed amazement they take the legal pad and the proffered typing paper, and meekly go to the typewriter, close the door,and get to work. Some few have left all but the legal pad and escaped out the back door,and never bring up the subject again, but to ask how my book is going.Others spend an hour or two sweating and straining,and call me asking for help when they get hung up on something, and then say,I think I'll take it back and have my sister,(cousin, girlfriend, boyfriend, mom or roommate) type it out for me,and bring it back later. Sometimes later turned out to be never, or a year later, or a month later. Once, it was a week later, and the whole thing was just one word typed out without a break in between, except the title and the end! LOL! I just tried to duplicate this style with that last sentence, and my hands absolutely would not allow me to do it.That old thumb just kept hitting that space bar without my being conscious of it! Moving right along, the stories that have come back have been a real adventure.Most have been predictable, with lots of bad language and action, and very little in the way of plot, or conversation. Motivation and continuity was so laughable at times I have come back to the person and told them what a funny story I thought it was, only to be told it was a mystery. Now, I am going to correct myself here, because only one time did I make that mistake.I do try not to hurt people's feelings, because I have had my share of rejections, and I know how deeply that hurt can go. After that time, I chose my words carefully, and when I saw that I had miss-interpreted the author's intent, I salvaged what might have been another sad event. But, being a nice guy, so to speak, (hey! Ladies can be nice guys, too, you know! My rules, I make them up!) I have found myself slogging through some truly awful stories, full of bad grammar, mixed syntax, rambling on for two pages over something as insignificant as the color of the girl's hair,and how beautifully it blended with her coat, which was fascinating, but it had nothing to do with the plot, and she with the hair was only a peripheral character anyway! Even worse, that description was the best part of the story, so I couldn't ignore it.I cannot tell you how many started out with "the dark and stormy night" and the next sentence, the hero had not moved, or mentioned time passing,and the sunlight was burning his eyes! I have even been handed a typed up work that said: this is a story about Jack, a mechanic who met a girl called Alice one day, and they decided to do this and then that happened and so then this happened, and that is why you should never do this. the end. I handed it back,and said, it sounds like it might be a nice story.Go write it. They young lady said, I did write it. I said, no, you gave me an idea for a story. A description. Now, you need to go write the story. Don't tell me what happened, show me! And that, right there is the difference between a writer,and a non-writer.A non-writer can come up with ideas, but can't fill in the blanks. The writer, can't easily come up with just a brief description,if we could, we wouldn't have to write a book, don't you see?  It has to do with the way an individuals mind works. A word, a question, a phrase can inspire me to write, because that source, all unknowing, can touch in me a spark that will bring out a chapter, or even a whole book, because I make a connection, I fill in the blanks, automatically,and it's not something that can be learned, or taught.If one has "It" and the passion to pursue it, some way some how, the tools necessary will be found. I failed typing in high school, because I had other, more important things on my mind at the time. My father was dying. School was the furthest thing from my mind.Yet, later, when I decided to get serious about my writing, I taught myself to type. Except for some certain physical limitations, "I can't do it" is not in my vocabulary, if I want to do it badly enough. So, without being aware of it, I suppose you could say that my quirk of not reading budding writers offerings written out in long-hand, ( or worse, printed in pencil, or crayon!) on a legal pad, was just my way of weeding out the wannabees, who felt they had to prove something to the "writer",of whom they were in awe,or jealous of, or perhaps they thought, that I thought I was hot stuff, saying I was a writer,when down deep, their opinion was, " anybody can write." If only they had understood that there was no reason for them to feel such things for me, or my calling.I wasn't trying to be grand,or anything other than what and who I am. I am a writer.It is what I do, that's all. Real simple. To be fair, I never told anyone who tried, that they couldn't. That is not my call. If I did that, I would be no better than some to whom I have turned over bits and pieces of my work, and got back criticism that addressed everything but the actual story, such as punctuation, strike-overs,and other like technical stuff that obviously could be fixed later. Those comments never failed to fill me with frustration because I wanted to know what they thought of my ideas, the flow of the story,the plot, and how I did with fleshing out characters. Instead, I got the feeling they were taking the position of an English teacher. I didn't want it corrected, I wanted input! I still do. Leave me a comment,and see how easy it is to inspire me!

On the other hand, if you relly want to be a muse, adopt a writer who needs a companion to bounce ideas off of. Be a friend, who will come running at a phone call, any time of the day or night, to help them talk through a difficult passage, or tweak their vision of the work they're involved in.Stand ready to read their work for them, aloud, so they can get a sense of where they might have lost their focus when the work comes to a stand-still,and their biggest cheer-leader if and when they find themselves blocked.Sounds like a big job, I know, but what the heck? Do it well, and you just might find a novel dedicated to you one day...

OUI?

YOUR WAKE UP CALL! IF THE EVENTS OF THIS PAST YEAR HAVEN'T CONVNICED YOU, HOW ABOUT THE YOUTHS BEATING THAT MAN DOWN IN FLORIDA!?

I know that most people will say that these are just bad kids, but don't you let them get by with that! Those youths are a sign of the times that things aren't getting better and better, as some preachers would have you to believe. No! Their behavior is proof positive that we as a country, are in trouble.We have become gods unto ourselves, deciding who is to live, and when we shall die,and honey, that is just not our call. But, I will set that aside for the moment, in order to make it clear that the laws now being handed down in our country has made life...human and animal, domestic and foreign, cheaper and cheaper. The evidence is piling up, and you won't be able to look away much longer.No, I am not defending those young men, or what they did. I refuse to allow that impression to stand. They knew full well what they did was wrong...they just didn't think anybody would really care if they did away with a homeless man! After all, he was just another person whom they thought nobody would miss. Someone easily thrown away, like the woman whose plug they pulled because she was in the way,or the unborn who end up in the trash every day. An annoyance, an inconvenience,so, why not beat him to death, just to find out what it feels like to kill someone? It's not like he was somebody they had vowed to love, protect and defend such as a child, or a parent or a person under their care. Can you imagine the shock that must have gone through their heads when they realized that this man had a mother, who was captured on television, crying over him? What must they think of her? I can imagine two diametrically opposed trains of thought, that might have run through their brains. One is, if she cared so much about him, why was he homeless? Where was she,and why wasn't she out looking for him? The other is, could it be that mom and dad can't get me out of this? Is it possible that after being convicted of murder, and spending years in prison, I could be let out on the streets, only to end up being just like that man? Or, why didn't somebody tell me that the violence I see on t.v. and in movies and video games was wrong? How can it be wrong for me to use a baseball bat on a homeless guy, but it's okay for a lady to kill her baby? Why doesn't the law tell us that the same law is true for one,and not the other? How come the law says a doctor can kill a patient, who is going to die some day anyway, but I can't bludgeon to death another man, who is also going to die some day anyway? Why didn't anyone bother to mention that those lives were just as precious and important as my life? Why is the law so confusing? Why don't the same rules apply for everybody? Those are some really good questions. It's too bad, but the answers are weak and ineffectual. Well, these things are taken on a case by case basis.Or, how about, we can't legislate morality. Oh, really? Well, somebody's morality is legislated,isn't it? And what happened to equality under the law? If one group or class is protected, shouldn't all be protected, even those who are too weak and can't speak for themselves? Or, who are momentarily overtaken by dispare or pain and cannot fathom a time to come when they would once again be glad to be alive...who need that extra time to get right with God before they are no longer in a position to do so.Case in point, there was a dear, dear man. My father, God rest his soul, who was in such pain, and was given a very short time to live.Unbeknownest to us, he purchased a gun, and drove out into the country, and sat there for hours thinking, and looking at the gun, holding it...but in the end, he came home,and told mother all about it.Together they faced the situation and got through it, and he lived another ten years. TEN YEARS! If assisted suicide had been legal then, that would not have happened,and those golden ten years would not have taken place.In addition, when I asked Dad about it, he told me the thing that kept running through his head was the truth of  having been put here for a purpose. All of us have something we have been given to do, and we don't leave until that has been accomplished, unless we take our own lives.The catch, of course is, we don't know what that thing we are supposed to do is,but like ripples in a pond, our lives touch so many other lives, we are not the best judge of when we have lived enough, or how even our suffering may help or benefit someone else.

OUI?