North Florida Writer

SUNDAY MORNING COMING DOWN: Of God, Guns and Pickup Trucks

7/25/2021

What does God, church and a pickup truck in a small town say to you?

The picture above was sent to me by one of my favorite followers and every time I see it, I am reminded of the term "God, guns and pickup trucks" which is so reminiscent of life in our rural Southland. The term could also be used to describe life in rural areas generally except that some states preclude gun ownership by establishing onerous tax policies or stiff administrative tasks which require legal expense and time to overcome. Such measures often to overcome often require expensive lawyers so they provide a way to thwart the constitutional will of so many until someone decides to take up a case and get the law changed.

But that being said, how should I describe that picture in ways that make it understandable to anyone? Well, let's start with the easy part, describing the picture itself. It is obviously a beautiful day in the fall, when the leaves are turning with the majesty that nature provides and the location looks like a very nice small town where people are friendly and most folks know one another and are kind. The beautiful and well kept traditional white clapboard church is likely a centerpiece of the town and its Christian neighbors and in the house right up the street lives someone who loves and drives an older Ford pickup truck. So, that of course, is what is in the picture, but what does it really mean?

I believe it tells me this. Since the church is likely the centerpiece of the town, the owner of that old truck likely lives in the house to the right of the tree in the picture, and that owner is also likely to be a regular at that beautiful old church. He is likely a man with family enjoying life in that pristine neighborhood, probably walks to church each Sunday with his family, after which they return home and enjoy a family dinner before spending the afternoon enjoying each other before preparing for the new work and school week. They probably hold traditional family values and believe the Word of God as written and require no fancy explanations. And they are careful with their money, hence retaining the old truck which is kept well maintained for his work. He likely also owns a hunting rifle and probably carries it hunting in his pickup truck, choosing to use it to keep the family car clean and neat. The old truck is his just for his uses, for work and hunting and he is likely its only drive, excepting his son who might very well learn to drive in that truck. The an is also not likely a wealthy man by the world's standards, yet he considers himself very rich, indeed, for his wealth is measured by what is inside his heart and the love that he feels and also provides for his family. But why, oh why does this picture touch me so?

It all boils down to this. It reminds me of my boyhood days, growing up in a small but bustling city where everyone could be found shopping downtown on Saturday and they were all kind and generous with others. Many knew one another, many were weekend hunters and they would often smile and wave and even talk together wherever they might gather on the city streets. And then on each Sunday, the traditional downtown churches, covering nearly the gamut of Christian Catholicism and Protestantism, were caring and sharing fellowships where all were comfortable with each other and tried to live as Christ would have us do. Then Sunday afternoons, following that wonderful mid-day meal was one of rest, visiting with family and friends and just savoring the beauty of the day, much like what was likely in the pictured small, picturesque town. Or maybe it was spent planning the next hunting trip, but somehow I think sadly that it is a glory to never be seen again and it truly makes me sad. But, it still will always give me hope that maybe there is a way to bring it back. That is my wish today, that America returns to her roots and turns her gaze away from today's anger and hate for one another , and comes together with love and respect for one another as God would have us do. And yes, I am truly a dreamer, but I ask what is the matter with that if the cause is a great one? Perhaps I just answered that, but I can hope and pray, can't I? Search your own heart as you go through the day and ask God to guide you. It might just provide the spur to positive action that we all need. God bless you and God bless the United States of America and may she ever be free as one nation under God. If we work for it actively, not willing to sit back and ask for others to do it for us, surely we all can keep her free.

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SUNDAY MORNING COMING DOWN: Is This the Great Awakening?

6/27/2021

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Are we near to the Second Coming?

And one of the elders said to me, “Weep no more; behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has conquered, so that he can open the scroll and its seven seals.” - Revelation 5:5 (ESV)

Of all the books in the Holy Bible, none is as challenging as Revelation and I must confess that as a Sunday School teacher it was one challenge I have never taken. So many are frightened by it and just don't want to hear it, that I always leave it to someone else to discuss. But it is colorful and powerful and has a message that is very strong and, of course, that message is that without Jesus in our lives we can never weather what God promises will come at the end times. So, thinking of that, could we now be in the End Times? Many say we are, others say absolutely not, but yet we all see that things are so changed from the norms that we grew up with that we know what is happening is very serious. And for me, that makes me ponder the very issue and think of a very distinct possibility, at least in my mind.

We are currently in the midst of a worldwide struggle. On the one side, it is called "The Great Reset," a plan by many to institute a centralized worldwide government which will direct our lives. The schemers of this plan think that the average citizen is incapable of making his or her own life decisions and they will gladly do it for us. And to my way of thinking that there are many more people, particularly in the United States and other democratic leaning nations, where freedom of thought and action still have majority opinion meaning they are not willing to voluntarily comply. In such nations the governors must answer to us not their own whims. and the rules must answer to us. So, those desiring change will the control of us by the way monetary policy is used. That is what the Federal Reserve reset is all about

On the other side are those who support "The Great Awakening," a movement designed to maintain national sovereignty, freedom, fair play and a means of living up to the individual's wants and needs, not a centralized, all controlling state. As a free thinking citizen, I believe you have the right to think whatever you want and do what you want within reasonable limits for social order. Freedom with responsibility is what it is, not the capitulation to a mindless government that does what it wants. The wide differences make it likely to soon be coming to head with the final decision which each of us make which is what do you want, freedom and self-reliance or an all covering blanket of security which is likely to smother you with it?

If you think as I do that the concept of a "Great Awakening" is real, then you believe in support of individual control with a much less cumbersome governmental function under our control, not a large international bureaucracy. Let's look at the possibility from the position of the prediction of Revelation. Realize that to do that, we have to divorce our understanding from the concept of any one man at the helm for the ultimate decision in a God loving society is God Himself. So, forget about Donald Trump or any other particular individual so that we can look at it from the perspective of God and not a mere mortal man. And remember, however, that God's choice is whoever He wants to carry out His plan. Now God has chosen many unlikely candidates in the past, such as Moses, not a well-spoken or necessarily imposing man; King Cyrus, a Persian who didn't even believe in Jehovah; King David, who took another man's wife, for his own; and the Apostle Paul, a Jew who persecuted believers in Christ until he suddenly saw the light; and a man like Trump easily could be such a choice. But remember, temporarily get that out of your head and look at the concept.

"The Great Awakening" is a movement that has gotten nothing but bad press from a media that is no longer willing to face truth. And it is not just about the United States, but about a world where good people are subject to a government which is now being found to represent a New World Order more than its own land. The new movement is of people who are unwilling to do that. They are unwilling to give up their individual rights including the right to speak openly and honestly. They are unwilling to turn over their children to an educational system which indoctrinates rather than educates. They are unwilling to have their hometowns overtaken by illegal migrants that the government wants to force on them, along with the costs of supporting them. They are unwilling to give up their means of self-protection in a time when so many want to abolish the police and they are unwilling to accept what they don't believe in accordance with their faith due to a social upheaval that says you are made up the way you think you want to be instead of the way God intended. And they also refuse to accept the health edicts related to a virus which has never been fully vetted by facts and the resulting mandatory actions (masks and experimental shots) which are never accepted by thousands of doctors who are silenced by bureaucrats and media. All of this reaction is due to their revulsion for others who try to control what they believe and what they believe in, particularly God Almighty. And there are so many more things I could mention but I will leave it at this for now. And so, if you are of faith, you know that the time is now because it falls right in line with the words of Jesus when he told His disciples before facing human death that the world would be upside down with evil deemed right and goodness viewed as wrong.

And this brings me to my last points. What if the pending conflict between these opposing camps leads to a resolution for the true good. Could this not be the precursor to the beginning of the thousand year time of peace under the rule of Jesus as Revelation ultimately says? Could not the seven seals represent the evil that is now finally coming out? After all, Revelation was written two thousand years ago and for the times in which Saint John lived. What if instead of a white horse and red robe, Jesus were to come in modern times in a flying saucer. Why wouldn't God who knows all things update his message in ways we might more easily accept. Perhaps the now recognized reporting of real flying saucers is part of the advance plan. Who are we to say it can't be? And then again, if good will rule and evil disappears in Jesus' perfect world, why wouldn't it be possible for the evil to disappear by differing means while the good after the tribulation period which some say is now beginning would stay to live with Him in a heaven on earth. Who are we to say this just can't be? And I pose this as something for each of us to ponder and evaluate for ourselves. It certainly makes as much sense as anything else right now.

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SUNDAY MORNING COMING DOWN: The Most Comforting Words

6/6/2021

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He awaits our acceptance of His offer?

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
- John 3:16 KJV

Is there anyone out there who is not fearful of anything today? Well, some might say so but in their hearts they are likely just fibbing a bit, for, of course, we have fears in this world. And today there are so many things that seem upside down that it would be nearly impossible to not be fearful, or at least very much concerned with the goings on in today's world. But there is much reason to be hopeful instead of fearful of the evil about us, for God has given us the answer that we need and it is very simple indeed. We must accept that Jesus Christ, God's only son, is our Savior and, in return, our fear of a final death never has to come. He offers us the magnanimous gift of forgiveness and eternal life if we truly believe in Him.

Think about the magnificence of God's commitment to us and His willingness to forgive us for all that we do if we only do one special thing. We must believe in Jesus Christ as our Savior based on faith alone. This requires us to forego proof, but believe in Him using our heart and mind and the discernment that God gives us when we truly focus on His goodness and light. And while it can be for some a very easy thing to do, carrying out the commitment to live accordingly is always more difficult in a world filled with sin. Whether we want to admit it or not, we mortals were born with sin and have to avoid the temptations that Satan offers to us, for he is a master of disguise who can fool those easily who want to give in to what he offers. So, we must hold fast to our faith with the one reason that has clearly been shown for us and that is the Cross.

The Cross is the symbol of the blood which was shed and the body which was broken and savaged on that Cross. Jesus, the first perfect man, was brutally put to death for no sin at all but for preaching against sin and calling out the people, including the High Rabbi and priests at the Temple who had used that hallowed place as a money-maker. He railed against greed and avarice and asked that we all live by God's law with the addition of the New Covenant that he brought with the power of forgiveness. Many, however, chose to scorn him and pummel him and put Him to a brutal and torturous death and He followed through and allowed himself to be sacrificed for the forgiveness of each of us. The rest is up to us to decide what we will do, but if we do as He wishes, our future is assured with the glory of eternity. Choose the opposition and a much darker ending awaits, a never ending time of nothingness but pain and fear for that same eternity.

So, you see, the opening verse of John 3:16 which is so often used today, offers the ultimate source of the answer to all that we face and it is up to each of us using the gift of free will which God gives us. God doesn't want to make the decision for us for that would indicate that we are unable to do so, yet He gave us free will and a brain, heart, body and soul to make decisions for ourselves. What will it be? Will we choose the Way of truth and light or the Way of solitude, darkness, and death? It's up to each of us so choose wisely, please.

And as a special added word for this special Sunday which is D-Day, honor those who so gallantly gave their own lives for us in that great invasion of France on this day seventy -seven years ago at Normandy (June 6, 1944). While Jesus made the ultimate sacrifice to allow us forgiveness for all of our sins and thereby become eligible to gain eternity by a decision to believe in Him by faith alone, many of our fighting soldiers on this day gave their lives to provide freedom for Americans of all future generations. Let's also pray that their work was not done in vain but for the good of man as well. Now have a blessed day.

What a surprise would soon show for this German soldier on June 6, 1944

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OH, THE MEMORIES OF MEMORIAL DAY AND WHAT THEY TELL ME TODAY

5/28/2021

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Newport News Victory Arch: Courtesy NNHS Class of '65

Pictured above is a view of the Victory Arch in my hometown, Newport News, Virginia. It was erected in 1919 to celebrate the returning American servicemen and women from Europe at the conclusion and then as a embarkation point for soldiers later serving in the European theater of World War II. My mom in those days lived nearby and often told me stories about looking out the window and seeing soldiers march through the arch on their way to their ship. It made her sad for she had her younger brother serving in the Solomon Islands and she was so worried about him. But since I was not alive at that time I will provide this Memorial Day commentary not on that but on my experience related to the arch, after which I will try and explain how our changes in lifestye since then have so created turmoil for good Americans.

It was a different time back then, with citizens of all background cheering our fighting forces on and wanting the enemy driven from the battlefield. Patriotism was high and I remember as a young boy trying to emulate those soldiers of less than a ten year prior time by playing soldier with reckless abandon in our quest for victory against Hitler and the Third Reich. Those were the days when Audie Murphy, himself a highly decorated Medal of Honor winner, Jimmy Stewart, James Cagney and others presented war in a way that made a little boy want to be a soldier and that also made the Boy Scouts prosper as just about every boy I knew was active therein. Yes, we would learn later about the other side of war, but it did inspire patriotism and pride in our country which has lived on with me ever since. What is sad, however, is that we as the adults did nothing to make sure those historical bonds remained and today we have generations that not only don't recognize sacrifice, they don't even understand the reality of our national past, substituting dogma and nonsense for what was true in real history.

Now concerning the Victory Arch, I can remember special ceremonies being held there with the one most prominent left in my memory coming from the Memorial Day holiday. On numerous occasions I attended the ceremony, both as a little boy and as one approaching full adulthood and getting ready to go off to college and the sessions were all very moving. While I always tried to hide my honest emotional feelings, I often had to hide a tear or two as I thought about what the ceremony and that glorious arch meant to me and so many others. But about the time I was in my early years of high school, I remember the arch was closed for sometime as it was redone like new, and when it reopened later in 1962 it had the luster Mom said that it had when she first saw it in the early 1940's. What's more the ceremony was unique because it honored the fallen not just in the United States Armed Forces but also in the Confederate Army for the other combatant, also full blooded Americans, in the Confederate Army who were Virginians. You see, back in those day Virginia memorialized Confederate soldiers with the day being designated officially as Confederate Memorial Day. All other fallen soldiers who were in the United States Army in all wars, including the Civil War, were also honored since it was not a sign of disrespect for the USA but rather, a sign of remembrance of Virginia's young boys who fought for the South. The event had costumed soldiers of that day and a speech by someone special coupled with color guards and pageantry made it a time for remembrance. It, of course, also highlighted the United States military, yet as even the Veterans Administration considers today, Confederate veterans were also considered American soldiers but, of course, none are left alive in this modern day.

I miss those days. I miss being able to take pride in my community and family and friends with heritage of the Old South. Why can't we understand that heritage is not about hate, but about honoring those who did what they did for all they right reasons? We can't judge yesterday by today's standards because they weren't real at the time. No one today know what it was like to live in an agrarian society with another half of that nation becoming industrialized and expecting the South to change on a whim and bankrupt itself. Furthermore, had Northern bankers not financed slavery, it would have never taken hold. But, of course, instead they wanted to blame the South for everything and suffer while to bankers gathered their fortunes and kept quiet. Do some reading about the later carpetbag era of Reconstruction and you'll find enough corruption to destroy any society and Lincoln understood that. Reconstruction would likely never have occurred as it did had he not been assassinated and that would have meant a much quicker and much more successful national return to a common union that would have avoided so much strife and aftermath that caused many of the later problems in our society. And neither my mother or father came from families that had anything to do with slavery since in the one case, they were hard working people in Scotland and in the other they were simple farmers who worked hard in their own fields or in subsistence fishing and selling of seafood products that they caught themselves. And today we even find people expecting special privilege who had family member who traded their own people into slavery in their past.

So, on this Memorial Day, let's remember what is really important. Young men and women, most of common backgrounds joined the military to do what was expected of them and did so well and many died doing what they had to do. Yet, they did so with pride and determination and isn't that honorable as opposed to those who complain today while not offering a finger to do anything for anyone else. And, of course we learn from our mistakes but we need to apply common sense and a belief in God at the center of all we do. And if we do not, the America where we live today won't see many more memorial days at all. We will fall into disrepair, total confusion and chaos and destroy ourselves. Instead let's honor all Americans who fought and died for us regardless of their background or foundation and get on our knees and pray for redemption and salvation which only God can provide. May God bless and protect you as you remember what is important and what Memorial Day represents. It represents a way of life, courage, sacrifice and honor with God on our side. Let us try to reinstate it here and now in the United States of America.

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SUNDAY MORNING COMING DOWN: Honor Mom Today

5/9/2021

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My mom the nursing student at Bellevue in NYC in 1936

And“Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long in the land that the Lord your God is giving you." - Exodus 20:12 (ESV)

Today is Mothers Day, a day when we remember dear old Mom, the woman who bore us, raised us with caring and discipline and the one who probably put the most time in for us directly as we were raised. Sadly, there are many who didn't experience mother in the ways that I did and expressed, yet they still remember Mom, likely wishing there had been a better relationship. And, of course, there are those who don't even remember Mom for many different reasons, yet despite all these things we are expected to honor our mother as stated by the words of the Commandment above which was brought down from the mountain to the Israelites as a component of the law by which we were and are expected to live. And this, of course, includes those of the Christian faith who follow the Ten Commandments as also being law to us. So, what is so important about our mothers that we must honor regardless of time or age?

Well, regardless of anything else, Mom had the duty to carry us from conception until delivery and that time generated a bond which is everlasting, even if sometimes it doesn't seem like it. I know in my case that Mom was always paying attention even when I didn't realize it. I know if I got into mischief, she mysteriously knew about it before I got home and in my time of greatest need she was always there. Even at a time as a little boy when I was nearly late for school, when I hurriedly tried to zip up from the bathroom and the zipper found itself lodged on me in a most private spot, Mom calmly took care of me so that I could hurry to school. She told me not to be embarrassed for I needed her. She was a great philosopher with good, practical advice and always took time to discuss my day after school and was religious in her active involvement with the PTA, while volunteering one afternoon a week to give square dancing lessons at school where we all had fun. Yes, she was a professionally trained caller and she had great fun doing it, too.

Thinking back about dear Mom, one thing strikes me most prominently and it was her willingness to sacrifice herself for we children. After all, after arriving with Dad as a new bride in Newport News not long before the opening of World War II, Mom gave up her nursing career for which she worked so hard to devote herself to child rearing. And over the next ten years she bore Dad three children, one girl, the oldest, and two boys aged three and seven years behind our sister. And at the time Dad died, she had all by herself the responsibility of finishing the job of raising us, the oldest being seventeen, a senior in high school with plans to go to college, my older brother who was a eighth grader and me, a fourth grader. Now she could easily expressed her concerns since while Dad provided for her, it would never be anything like the days when he was with us, but she never showed any concerns over it with us, always showing a can do spirit which, with the aid of her faith, always worked out. And indeed it did, for she helped each of us get through college and be productive citizens and all three of us kept the basis of our faith which she always encouraged us to do.

Sadly though, sometimes I guess we never really appreciated fully what she instilled in us, because now that I am getting older I recognize the extra effort she made for each of us to succeed. She always put us first, never doubted for a moment that was expected of her and we all love her now, but with a much more reverent eye than before. In my case, that is something that always comes to mind for I was the last one at home, living for a number of years as the only other person in our lovely Newport News home and I think about her often and wish sometimes I had her here today to talk with. So, Mom, I just want you to know on this day for you on earth, I fully realize all that you did for me and I thank you for it. And, what's more, I look forward to when my days of earth finally come to an end, we'll have a grand homecoming again in heaven and Dad will be there with us as well. You, me, dad, brother and sister but with the added attraction of having the Lord there with us as well. Oh, yes, what a great day of rejoicing it will be. And friends, since each of you have a special memory of your Mom as well, hope to see you there at the grand party in the sky. It will be superlative and beyond our wildest imagination and fitting for the occasion. Happy Mothers Day to all. Enjoy this day of memories and remembrance and enjoy.

Our home in the Boulevard section of NN from 1947-65. Still there today.

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SUNDAY MORNING COMING DOWN: The Flag and My Faith

5/2/2021

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What does it mean to you?

On this Sunday Morning Coming Down, I was challenged about the meaning of the American flag. Oh, it really wasn't a challenge, but rather an offer of comment on the way I am displaying my flag currently. You see, I am currently flying my flag upside down as as sign of national distress (and much more) and a friend commented that he disagreed since he didn't believe it should be used in a political context. Now, I have no big issue with him, a man I very much respect, but I decided perhaps I should explain the context from which I see things, something that I believe shows we are in much more agreement than others might think. And that is why I decided to write today's blog for Sunday Morning Coming Down.

The flag as shown above is, of course, the way it is normally flown, but of late I have been flying it upside down. Upside down is the way it is flown as a sign of national distress and my friend, clearly well intentioned for sure, was concerned that I was using it as a political sign and certainly someone could consider that the case if he so chose. I am doing so, however, for a reason much bigger than politics, for it is one based on how I live my life and the place that my faith as a Christian plays in that life. Perhaps if I spend a moment discussing the symbolism found in the flag it might help explain.

Now we all know that the flag contains a blue rectangle on the upper inside containing fifty stars, one for each state in the Union. It also has thirteen stripes, seven red and six white, representing the thirteen original Colonies, then States, that made up our nation from the beginning. The colors are also significant, with red representing valor, blue vigilance and white signifying purity and innocence. But especially remember this. The fifty states are represented by stars signifying the relationship to heaven above and the concept of a Providence, or Great Creator at the center of the new nation, clearly relating to the words used in our Declaration of Independence and thereby assumed as part of the later written Constitution. So, keep that in mind, for I think it makes clear there is a direct relationship between our nation, created by a Divine Creator, God, which has direct implications for faith far beyond politics.

When I look at the beauty of the American flag which I fly daily, it reminds me of how the connection of my faith to the purpose and meaning of the flag is foremost in what I believe. God, the Creator of us and this nation, gave His blessing to Washington, Jefferson, Franklin and a host of yearning Colonials for freedom from servitude and subservience to a foreign land to which they had previously owed allegiance, but one which had forsaken their interest for self-serving British interests without Colonial participation and those brave Colonists balked. Were they perfect? No, far from it, as none of us are, yet they had a vision for a future of freedom and self-determination which God gave to them in accordance with free will which drove them on. And today, when I sadly watch an out-of-touch government hellbent on destroying our Constitution and the will of the governed, I know that my feelings are far greater than political life, rather, they are inclusive of my very existence. And that is why I am flying my flag in accordance with national distress, for the nation is under distress and we Christians and Jews of faith who know from which the nation was formed, not from a historical re-write, are fully aware. So I fly my flag upside down directly showing what I believe by my faith. It extends far beyond politics and I see it as a way of speaking our for my faith as well as my love for my country, not based on any political party, but based on common sense, honesty and my faith. And that's why I have done what I have done and write this today. You don't have to like it, you can despise it if you wish, but please don't say it is about politics for it is, frankly, about the totality of life and my freedom to live it under God.

Dear Lord, We thank you for being here for us always and for providing so many wondrous things that we sometimes take for granted, including our own country. We know you are eternal, almighty and can do anything you wish, and we ask you to guide us in doing what is needed to retain this great country in whatever way you would have us do. And we ask this prayer in the name of Our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, Amen.

A nation of faith under distress.

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HE LIVES: A TRUE ANIMAL STORY MIRACLE

4/20/2021

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Freddie the Rooster

Living in rural America, one of the most interesting things I have witnessed is nature in action. I am referring to the animal life which surrounds me. Now some of them are, of course, wild and others are domestic and considered extended family, but domestic and wild alike teach us so much about nature that it truly amazes me. Other humans who have the opportunity in their life that I have are truly blessed and we need to think about what they teach us and how it can impact the very things that we find in our own daily lives. These creatures show a grit and determination and a strong will to survive that sometimes we don't even see in our own species and frankly, it should make us ashamed. I think that is something that God wants us to learn from as it will bring us down to earth about common sense needed to deal with nature. Why? Because if we do so we can see that despite our supposed superior smarts and sophisticated and advanced ways, sometimes animals know best just by understanding the raw power of nature that we seem to have forgotten. Never forget that the concept of survival of the fittest is a natural factor in life and we have largely forgotten that.

Our long-term and now aging rooster, Freddie, is a good example. Being a rooster, he gets into scrapes from time to time as he will guard his hens with his life. But generally it is just a little barnyard scrap since our two Great Pyrenees, Salvador and Anna, keep the wild things at bay around here and Freddie, when it comes to dealing with we humans is the consummate gentleman, never coming after us. He's a good old boy in the best Southern tradition. This isn't always the case with roosters and we even had to put one down because he was much too aggressive. And Freddie is very good at his job, he always wakes up the farm at the right time with his unique style of crowing and he keeps tabs on his free-ranging flock, including nighttime roll call before they go off to their special hide-away for the night.

But one day a few months ago, I noticed something that concerned me, for Freddie began to have some problems with his balance and within a week he was having trouble walking. When he would run after his hens to get them in line, he would constantly fall and have trouble getting up. The problem got progressively worse and within days his cock-a-doodle-doo also grew weaker and just stopped. I noticed it was like he had an air leak that would not allow his natural organ pipes to play. So, Freddie was then almost immobile and silent and he would disappear for days at a time until returning to a spot outside the garage where I gave him water in a large bowl and scratch on an old plate beside it. And each time he disappeared I was afraid he wouldn't come back again. I think he heard what I was thinking for, as if on cue, one day that happened and I just figured he was either under the garage or under the porch where we could not see him and I would not be able to get him out. About ten days went by with no sign of him and we just figured he was gone. I realized how much I missed his musical chords in the morning and watching him march his hens to their quarters in the evening until one day I just finally gave up, figuring he was gone.

A couple of weeks went by and then one bright and brisk morning I was fixing a pot of coffee and thinking about my morning blog when I heard a strange noise outside. It sounded like a rooster, yet the crowing was very weak and sounded far away and I just figured I imagined it. But on the very next day, I heard it again and this went on for several day and each day it was a bit louder and stronger, but I still couldn't believe it was real. I did realize as I thought about it, however, that if Freddie had stayed near when he was sick, he would have generated quite a stench as his body degenerated and that never happened. Thinking about that, I decided I had to find the source of the crowing when I imagined it again and it came very soon early one morning. So, I went outside and when I heard it I just walked toward the sound slowly and back in a little wooded area behind the barn there stood Freddie. His crowing was stronger and he walked toward me slowly and his balance seemed to be returning. I got a bowl of water and scratch and he settled down to quench his thirst and feed his hunger and within a week he was almost as good as new. That was a few weeks ago and now, as I write this, I can peer out the window and see Freddie in the middle of the yard between the house and the barn as he oversees his girls while they pick bugs out of the wet grass. And it makes me smile.

So, what happened to Freddie? Well, he could have had some kind of neurological problem, but I doubt it since those symptoms are gone so I think he had a chicken virus, since that is common. We have routinely given them medication to ward those off, but perhaps its no more effective than the flu vaccine for us humans. And that makes me think that dear old Freddie resolved his issue the traditional way. He relied on his own natural immunity. After all, he knew he had to rest and he did so in a place so private we couldn't find him, yet he was always near. If you agree with me, then I think you might clearly see, the valuable lesson we can learn from the story and it is this. Sometimes just good old common sense is the best cure of all. I think I like that for a happy ending so I'll just stick with my hunch. And how about you? What do you think? As for me, I'll stick with Freddie's natural common sense and I wish more of us today would apply such a view to our own situation. More often than not, our best hunch serves us best.

SO, HERE'S TO FREDDIE, THE PRACTICAL ROOSTER WITH A GREAT WILL TO LIVE. And I hope we will have him with us for a long time to come because despite the times that he woke me up too early, I know I missed his presence while he was gone. Don't worry, Freddie, you are welcome here at this, your home, for as long as you live.

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WOW! SPECIAL WORDS FROM A MAN NAMED DAVID TOUCH MY HEART

4/19/2021

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Those words truly touched my heart.

This morning I awakened early with many thoughts on my mind. First and foremost, my thanks were given to my wife who is up early this morning handling the horse chores for me before going to work. While I am feeling better, I still am not ready to perform those duties for another day and she is willingly going the extra mile for me until I am up to it again. But as I pondered the state of our world as I always do, I received one of the kindest messages that I have received in a long time and it was found on my blog website in the form of a comment from one of my readers. He is a man I know but not well, but I do understand that his heart is filled with God, and he paid me probably the best compliment I have ever received about my writing which I strive to make better each time I write. Now I focus on many things in my posts, but lately I try to focus more and more on the beauty of God's nature and the love He has for us. And yesterday I wanted to thread the needle properly and tie what we see in our current mixed up social and political world to what God expects of us. It was difficult to write about it and get it just right, but after a few hours of toiling over it I thought I had done my best and my wife read it and said it was very good. So, it was then published.

Sometimes when I write, I feel like the hand of God takes charge of the flow and I just go through the motion almost in a trance. And when I am finished, I look at my words and I wonder where they came from, then I know and yet to talk about it too much makes me sometimes feel like I am bragging about my faith so I just remain quiet and let the words speak for me. And I know in my heart that something is happening within me to drive me and I do recognize that it has to be the Holy Spirit. So, I want to publish those words that were sent to me. And you can even see them as a comment on yesterday's blog (Sunday, 4/18) for they are there to be seen. They truly touched my heart since I have never received such a compliment for my writing like this in my life and I know it is because they are not my words, but those given me by God as His messenger of hope and love. I am truly honored and I want to thank that man who I will merely identify as David for his kind words. Here they are.

James, I loved this message as you clearly delivered God’s Holy Word in such a manner that, I think, only a gifted author and writer full of the Holy Spirit could deliver. I rank this message as one of the very best after the Holy Bible. The power of your message, like in the days of Noah, people were warned of the reckoning that was to come, yet millions are turning their eyes and thoughts away from the Cross of Jesus and their only means of Salvation but instead they’re letting Satan dominate their lives and will lead them into the lake of eternal misery with no means of escape.
Thanks James, David

All I can add is WOW! And then I must ponder and say, thank you, David, and thank you, God, for giving me your vision of hope for our future and choosing me to use what talent I have as your messenger. There is no greater feeling that I can have than to realize that simple me, just a sinner like all of us are, trying to do my best to live appropriately for my God on this crazy mixed up earth. has something within me to help others deal with the same issues we all have to deal with. And God has provided that for me to be used for Him. Nothing on this earth that man provides can be better than that.

God bless you all and have a great day. And if you want to read my blog for yesterday, here is the direct link; just cut and paste.

https://www.northfloridawriter.com/blog/sunday-morning-coming-down-god-country-and-the-spirit-of-america

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SUNDAY MORNING COMING DOWN: God, Country and the Spirit of America

4/18/2021

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The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters. He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me. Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.
- Psalm 23 (KJV)

On this morning's Sunday Morning Coming Down blog I want to talk about God, country and the American Spirit. I do so because many of us of faith are very troubled about where we as a nation are headed and ask the question why is what we witness around us happening to us? We can easily be frightened, question and face internal turmoil at such times and I want to try as best I can to show why we should never let such things overwhelm us if we truly believe through faith in the Holy Trinity. We must understand clearly that God is always in charge. Sometimes He wants to teach us a lesson and sometimes He lets us fail as well as win, but through it all there is a lesson for us which, if recognized and discerned, will never be troubling in the end. If we truly believe in our Lord and Savior all will end well for those of us who believe in His promise of Eternity and freedom from death regardless of what we face here on earth.

So, why do I use the passage above which we who were raised up in the church know and call the Twenty-third Psalm? Well, I do so because it is likely known as well as the Lord's Prayer and, like that wonderful prayer, it can give us great strength through its message of hope and commitment. And herein comes the tie to the American Spirit, which is a hopefulness and "can do" attitude which drives us forward with determination, not fear. It goes back to Colonial days. The Colonists came to America looking for freedom from the bondage that they had found in the Old Country where the few had everything and the many were dealt little. They saw the new America as a place where they could improve and grow and openly practice their faith as they believed, but they also knew that to be successful, faith in God had to accompany their hard work and industriousness. And as the Colonies grew and became more prosperous, the Crown became greedy and wanted more and more of their labor applied to needs of the Crown and the American Spirit fully kicked in to want freedom under God in those very Colonies. Hence, the beginning of the fervor for independence began to rise. One need only look at the Declaration of Independence to see the importance of God in what they were doing and from the beginning of the United States of America forward into the mid-twentieth century that power was retained by America's people. So, what happened along the way to change that and how did we Americans allow that to take place? That is where our direction now turns.

Remember, through all time God has given us free will and with that free will we make our own choices, be they good or bad, and we must live by the consequences. Also remember that while God made us in His image and over time gave us help to maintain our goodness, including our Savior, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit, our guidance counselor within us, He also allowed and does to this very day give the Fallen One, Satan, the ability to run his course throughout the world to lure the good to the bad. Consider it be a very test of our willingness to stick with our Lord through thick and thin. Many being mortal and weak, sometimes being easily detracted from what should be done, thereby allow themselves to falter and fail and allow Satan to sink his clutches in and control them. Sadly, that has taken place in our very own government. And since we have allowed this to happen either by our actions or inaction, it was our choice and our decision and, in the end we have no one to blame but ourselves. Yet, however, we still can recover if we decide to follow the True Way to Salvation but time is indeed running short to do so and only time will tell.

This later developing trend resulted in so many Americans believing they can get something for nothing, egged on by self-serving politicians who use our fears and our weaknesses to feed on our worst elements to advance themselves and this has been going on for generations. Godless Socialism, a repeatedly failed means of governance that always turns ultimately into tyranny reared its ugly head in the latter nineteenth century and grounded itself in America in the early twentieth-century. The saddest part about it is that it has never been the majority, not even today, yet it is outspoken and ruthless in going about getting its way and when good people remain silent and don't want to get involved, God turns us loose to live in what we have created. Christians and other God-fearing and freedom loving Americans must stand up for what we believe or watch it rapidly peel away, never to be returned. Under such conditions God, country, and the American Spirit will continue the full descent into pure tyranny where, in the end, all Americans save the few at the top of the corrupt system will become nothing but slaves of the State. And God will shed a tear knowing that His great earthly experiment in free and godly self-governance bites the dust to Satan in his big last stand before Christ returns to finally purge the earth from evil, once and for all. So, which side do we take, my friends, goodness, light and eternal life or evil, darkness and eternal death? If we make the wrong choice or no choice at all, this will be the final chapter of life as we know it on not only this nation but the entire world. And all the promise of the Twenty-third Psalm will no longer show the cup running over but instead become dry as a bone, never to be flowing again. Ponder that as we decide which vision of the future we hold. Yes, it is just that important.

Dear Lord, We praise you for your wisdom and love for us and we ask you to help us reconnect with you and reinstate our commitment to you and the goodness and light while we still can. We can't do it alone, but with you we can do anything that you want us to do. And we ask in the name of Jesus Christ, our Redeemer and Savior, Amen.

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The One That Didn't Get Away

4/17/2021

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The remains of an angry three foot cottonmouth moccasin after a blast of buckshot.

Some of you likely read my blog last week when I wrote about the deadly dance of cottonmouth moccasins during mating season here in North Florida, but I never expected it to lead to another story. That all changed yesterday morning as I headed to the barn in the early morning light to feed the horses. My first stop was to turn on the lights in the barn, then I made my rounds of the stalls, peering inside them to look for any unwanted surprises before bringing in the feed. It's not common, but it's also not too rare to find a poisonous or other snake sitting in the corner of a stall just resting. For someone to enter the stall unknowing, or also a horse for that matter, can cause a very painful and dangerous experience for the unsuspecting, particularly if it is a cottonmouth moccasin that gets disturbed. While most snakes will avoid a fight, the cottonmouth can often get very aggressive and come after you and should your way be blocked to escape, it can be a very bad situation.

Coming around the back of the barn, all stalls were clear and I had only one more to check and, as luck would have it, that one turned out to be a problem. As I opened the stall gate and looked inside, the squeak of the gate or the vibration of my feet approaching got the attention of a three foot plus cottonmouth who raised his head, started to come in my direction with fangs exposed and I whacked him with the flat headed shovel in my hands and it didn't even stun him. He started coming my way and as I backed away I stepped in a large hole that one of my Great Pyrenees had dug just outside the gate and I fell flat on my back with a thud. I landed on the back potion of my rib cage adjacent to the kidney and it hurt terribly, but I forced myself up and, thankfully, realized the snake had stopped at the doorway and with me retreating he turned back into the barn. I called the dogs to come with me as I hurried as best I could to the house to retrieve my lightweight single shot 410 shotgun which I had just for this occasion. It's much easier to use than a large weapon and at short range like this it can be aimed and fired with just one arm and it's efficient. Quickly, or as fast as my aching back would allow I returned to the barn, looked in the doorway and the snake was lying in the shavings yet looking directly at me and immediately raised his head but remained motionless thereafter, likely sizing me up. There was no hesitation this time as I aimed and fired one blast and within a second or two his motions became nothing more than his nervous system taking over with his body and tail wiggling and his head raised as if it could will him forward. Then I used the shovel again and except for the twitching of his tale his motion stopped. I moved him with the shovel and his whole body was limp and from the look beneath him it appeared he had bled out, so I put the snake in the shovel and was going to hang him on the fence for my wife to see at the end of her day but he slipped into the brambles where the picture above shows him.

He was the snake that didn't get away and the day ended well in that nobody was serious hurt, yet the bruising of the ribs was painful and last night was somewhat dreadful. But today is better and in a few days I'll be as good as new. God is good and He blessed me and He reminded me to never take my barn duties lightly and always be prepared for anything. It also reminded me of why snakes like moccasins can't be allowed to peacefully coexist around places where people and their animals routinely congregate, but out in the midst of broad nature the wild things need to be left alone. So, if you ponder the thoughts of moving to rural Florida or any other Southern state, ponder this situation and you will be fine if you heed its warning. I hope you will find this helpful if some of you ultimately become a Southern country boy. Despite the small aggravations, it is truly a blessed life. God bless my Southern rural home.

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SUNDAY MORNING COMING DOWN: Of God, Guns and Pickup Trucks

SUNDAY MORNING COMING DOWN: Is This the Great Awakening?

SUNDAY MORNING COMING DOWN: The Most Comforting Words

OH, THE MEMORIES OF MEMORIAL DAY AND WHAT THEY TELL ME TODAY

SUNDAY MORNING COMING DOWN: Honor Mom Today

SUNDAY MORNING COMING DOWN: The Flag and My Faith

HE LIVES: A TRUE ANIMAL STORY MIRACLE

WOW! SPECIAL WORDS FROM A MAN NAMED DAVID TOUCH MY HEART

SUNDAY MORNING COMING DOWN: God, Country and the Spirit of America

The One That Didn't Get Away

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