PD's Blog

I took my youngest daughter Sydney to school today and her teacher Mrs. Vanscoy showed me the new smart boards that they used to replace the old chalkboards. Those things are reall cool and it got me thinking how that my daughter may never experience that horrendous, bone grating  ”Squeaky chalk” sound that my generation grew up with.

So, Why does a piece of chalk produce that hideous squeal? According to the book, The Flying Circus of Physics (With Answers), squealing chalk results from the phenomenon of “stick and slip.” Incorrectly held chalk actually sticks to the blackboard. But when the writer bends the chalk enough, it suddenly slips and vibrates, sporadically striking the chalkboard and producing that squeal we hear. As the vibrations decrease, the friction between the chalk and the board increases until the chalk sticks again and the torture begins once more.

If you think about it, Christ followers could learn an important moral lesson from squeaky chalk: “Friction affects everybody”. Is it any wonder Jesus said, “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God.(Matthew 5:9) It makes me wonder if more people might entertain the Gospel of Christ if they weren’t holding their ears in horror because of the shrill sounds of Christian friction.

Just wanted to thank all of the NHCCers who showed up to contribute their time and talent to our parade float. You guys are so much fun to work with—-Okay I meant to watch work.

Sometimes I look around at all of the amazing people in my life and I think… are we really doing this? It is such an honor to live life with such amazingly talented people. I have never been so encouraged about the future than I was today as I watched so many people invest their time and talent to ensure that the most important message had the best possible presentation. It was more than amazing …it was inspiring!

I’m just practicing what I….. you know. And yes, I expect some other practitioners to jump on the bandwagon.

We had a great baptism service Sunday Evening! I again want to congratulate the 5 nhccer’s who took this bold ”Next Step”.  I also want to thank the awesome folks who work extra hard to make any event we do successful. Being a mobile church poses it’s own challenges and usually means a little extra effort. Thanks to the mikes for their effort. Also thanks to everyone who cooked cleaned carried or clapped to make our baptism a success. It is an awesome privilege to go public with our faith and bring recognition to Christ when we hold our events in the public sector. Here are some pics

Speaking of going public we have just begun airing the first of two television commercials on the CAS Cable system. you can see it on th ehomepage of our website at www.itsharvesttime.com/nhcc.html. Please let us know if you see our commercials live we would love to hear about it!

I recently went through, what some might consider to be a very humiliating ordeal. I will not torment you with the details but suffice it to say it wasn’t pretty! I am thankful that I was given adequate time to prepare myself mentally or I may not have managed so well. Throughout the ordeal I had plenty of time to think and my thoughts went to a story I read about  Booker T. Washington, the renowned black educator. The story told how that  shortly after Washington took over the presidency of Tuskegee Institute in Alabama, he was walking in an exclusive section of town when he was stopped by a wealthy white woman. Not recognizing him, she asked if he would like to earn a few dollars by chopping wood for her. Because he had no pressing business at the moment, Professor Washington smiled, rolled up his sleeves, and proceeded to do the humble chore she had requested. When he was finished, he carried the logs into the house and stacked them by the fireplace. Inside, a little girl recognized him and later revealed his identity to the lady.  The socialite was mortified when she realized what she had done, and of course made an appointment to see Mr. Washington in order to apologize. Washington received her graciously and his unfailing meekness so impressed her that she later convinced her friends to make a large donation to the Tuskegee institute. 

Great story. Great American, but my favorite part of that story is not the justification that Booker T received at the end when his humility was rewarded because so often in real life the good guys finish last. My favorite part is that Mr. Washington could find an opportunity to serve where others would only find offense.

 I want to be like that!

Okay January has come and is nearly gone which has given me just about enough time to maw over those pesky resolutions. Just the fact that I am mawing them over is evidence of the erosion already taking place. If I am not careful the termites of reasoning will perforate the entire foundation for a drastic change in my lifestyle causing my world to collapse like a trumped up housing market, but what do I know about the housing market? Ummmhh…… I know that my house is cold! Probably because the fire of my determination to keep my new years resolutions is fading fast!

Maybe you are having a similar struggle or maybe you have already buckled under the weight of familar habits that make it so easy to slip back  into the well worn rut of an ordinary life. Whichever the case, here is a match for the furnace of your life. Hold on to hope. As GK chesterton said, “Hope means hoping when things are hopeless, or it is no virtue at all…As long as matters are really hopeful, hope is mere flattery or platitude; it is only when everything is hopeless that hope begins to be a strength.”

So in these cold nights and dreary days of winter hold on to hope my friends. It may not keep you warm at night but it will give you something to dream about.

One can acquire everything in solitude except character. 

NHCCers Don’t Forget:
“Group Link” tomorrow 6:30pm @ the awakenings cafe on market street.

Two very common bumper stickers are “Baby On Board and more recently someone put a redneck spin on the “No Fear” sticker with  ”I ain’t skeered”. Seeing both bumper stickers on one vehicle is kind of contradictory, right?. On one handed the driver is telling everyone to be cautious because there is a baby in the car and on the other hand they are saying they aren’t afraid of anything.

You might be amazed to know that God put both of those bumper stickers together and slapped them on the bumper of every believer. It reads “I ain’t skeered because I have a baby on board!”  Only God could concoct the idea of a helpless baby becoming the ultimate hero. the very thing that our natural instinct rises up to protect God sends to protect and save us.

The Christmas story is about a baby who came to eliminate all our fears. Have you noticed how many times the words “Fear Not” are used in connection to Jesus’ Birt? In Luke 2:8-11 The angel said to Zechariah: “Fear not!” He said it to Mary: “Fear not!” And He says it to the shepherds: “Fear not!” It’s a natural thing for people to fear. The more guilt we have, the more things we fear: fear of being found out for some indiscretion, fear of judgment, fear of dying and meeting God face to face. But even though it’s natural, God sends Jesus with the word: Fear not!

Bethlehems baby is the one who can destroy our guilt and conquer those tormenting fears. Hebrews 2:14 says: Jesus became man “that through death He might destroy him who has the power of death, that is the devil, and deliver all those who through fear of death have been held in lifelong bondage.” Doesn’t this last phrase imply something tremendously liberating for our daily life? If the worst fear–fear of death-has been taken away through the death of Christ, then surely God does not want us to fear the lesser things in life: job insecurity, not having enough time to finish a sermon, initiating a new friendship, failing a test in school, being rejected by your friends, etc.

 The message of Christmas is fear not! God is ruling the world for the great good of His kids. Believe His promises: “Fear not for I am with you. Be not dismayed for I am your God. I will help you; I will strengthen you; I will uphold you with the right hand of My righteousness… Do not be anxious about your life, what you shall eat or what you shall wear… Cast all your anxieties on God because He cares for you … The Lord is my light and my Salvation: whom shall I fear. The Lord is the stronghold of my life: of whom shall I be afraid?”

So, Honk If You Love Jesus!

Sitting by the pool at a Holiday Inn Express, Heather and I began to reminisce about how much we used to travel. I am scheduled to speak at a conference in Missouri, but I haven’t got my travel legs back so we stopped here last night to rest. I have to say that it is not as glamorous as it may sound. We laugh at how we use to put the baby in the bathroom in her crib so we could watch tv. LOL! One thing about itinerating is that people don’t know you and they just assume you are important, which is always hilarious. Heather and I used to own a dodge spirit that her dad and mom gave us. We live up a dirt holler and I don’t do a good job of keeping the car clean- so we affectionately referred to the  dodge as ”The Unclean Spirit” . We would return from these conference with people telling us how favored and blessed we were and we would laugh because we were driving the dirty dodge it was cocked up in the front from the weight of our luggage and the kids were screaming in the back. What a hoot! Looking back though, I guess we are really blessed and highly favored because we have joy- that God gives, we have memories-that life gives and we have family. I must admit that  a change of scenery is always refreshing but as I get older I am beginning to agree with Dorothy more and more…There’s No Place Like Home, There’s No PlaceLike Home…ruby slippers aren’t working today!

About halfway through (a PBS program on the Library of Congress), Dr. Daniel Boorstin, the Librarian of Congress, brought out a little blue box from a small closet that once held the library’s rarities. The label on the box read: Contents of the President’s Pockets on the Night of April 14, 1865. Since that was the fateful night Abraham Lincoln was assassinated, every viewer’s attention was seized. Boorstin then proceeded to remove the items in the small container and display them on camera. There were five things in the box: *A handkerchief, embroidered “A. Lincoln” *A country boy’s pen knife *A spectacles case repaired with string *A purse containing a $5 bill–Confederate money *Some old and worn newspaper clippings “The clippings,” said Boorstin, “were concerned with the great deeds of Abraham Lincoln. And one of them actually reports a speech by John Bright which says that Abraham Lincoln is “one of the greatest men of all times.” Today that’s common knowledge. The world now knows that British statesman John Bright was right in his assessment of Lincoln, but in 1865 millions shared quite a contrary opinion. The President’s critics were fierce and many. His was a lonely agony that reflected the suffering and turmoil of his country ripped to shreds by hatred and a cruel, costly war. There is something touchingly pathetic in the mental picture of this great leader seeking solace and self-assurance from a few old newspaper clippings as he reads them under the flickering flame of a candle all alone in the Oval Office.

Everyone needs encouragement!