An Arkies Musings

Walking With Papa

2012-01-26T15:49:00.000-06:00

Over the Christmas holidays I got to spend a week with mygranddaughters. Although I had seen myyoungest granddaughter take a few steps previously, this was the first timethat I had seen her walking. Once shestarted walking she couldn’t be stopped. She seemed to be walking constantly every waking minute. She especially liked to walk up and down thestairs.

Watching her walking everywhere and trying to keep up withher reminded me of the time when my oldest granddaughter first learned to walk. Although she could take a few steps, what shereally wanted to do was to hold my hand and walk. She wanted to go outside and walk up and downthe sidewalk holding on to one finger. Holding on to my finger she had all theconfidence in the world and could walk for hours. One afternoon we spent anhour walking outside as fast as her little legs could go. I kept expecting herto get tired of it, but she wanted to keep going. If I even tried to walktoward the door of the house she wouldn’t go that way.

When we went inside after more than an hour of walking, shekept going to the door and pounding on it. She wanted to go back outside andwalk some more. Because I was the one who would take her walking she wanted tospend a lot of her time with me.

I had always loved my granddaughter, but getting to spend somuch time with her made me love her even more. Walking together made us bothcloser to each other. I think that there are a lot of parallels between herexperience learning to walk, and our experience being born again. When we areborn again we are baby Christians and we have to learn to walk spiritually.

God used that illustration in Hosea 11:3 where it says: “Itaught Ephraim to walk, taking them by their arms”. In many places in the Biblethe idea of God helping us walk with Him are brought out. In Psalms 37:23,24 theBible says: “The steps of the godly aredirected by the LORD. He delights in every detail of their lives. Though theystumble, they will not fall, for the LORD holds them by the hand.” What a beautifulillustration of the Christian life. We are to walk with God and he has promisedto hold our hand.

Do we learn to walk with God in the same way that we learnedto walk as babies, by trial and error? Do we stand across the room from our Father and take wobbly footstepstowards Him as he calls to us from a distance "Come to Daddy”. Do we fall down repeatedly as we try to getit right? God has a different plan for us. Psalms 56:13 says “You havedelivered my soul from death. You have kept my feet from falling, so I willwalk with you in light among the living”. God doesn’t want you to fall. Hewants you to hold his hand.

As parents we want our children to learn to take care ofthemselves; to stand on their own two feet. We realize that we won't be there for them forever. They need to learnto take care of themselves. So from babyhood to adulthood we are continuallylearning how to take care of ourselves. God'sgoal for us is very different. He is our Eternal Father; He is always availableto us. Instead of wanting us to become increasingly independent, He wants us tolearn to be increasingly dependent on Him. He wants us to walk with Him, ourhand in His. He doesn't want us taking off on our own two feet. I believe thatas human beings this is one of our hardest lessons.

Have you ever taken awalk on a busy street with a two year old? You point out to him the prettygardens you are walking past; the beautiful flowers, the scampering squirrel,the pretty song bird; but he's not interested. He's too busy trying to pry freefrom your hold. He can't stand holding your hand. He's a big kid now. He wantsto walk on his own.

We as Christians are often like that. Instead of clinging toour Father's hand, we have this tendency to take off on our own two feet. Thereare so many charming things that take our attention from Him. Sometimes wedon't like to be restricted by holding his hand. Some of those Bible principlescramp our style. Sometimes we let the cares of this world pull us away fromHim, and instead of holding tighter to His hand, we let go.

Whenever we let go we inevitably fall down and hurtourselves and then we sink into discouragement and we look to God and we say"Father, what's this all about? Why did you let me fall? Why didn’t you stop this from happening tome?" And then He looks at us sadly and says "Child, you let go of myhand. You took off on your own. I am able to keep you from falling, but youmust keep your hand in mine."

We don’t know what is before us. The future can be afrightening thing. Our only safety is inwalking with Christ, our hand in His.

2011 In The Rear View Mirror Part 3

2012-01-01T12:56:00.000-06:00

2011 marched by quickly, with many memorable events. Here is a retrospect of 2011 in photos.

In September Gina and I attended the Mid South Relay For Life Leadership Summit in Birmingham, Alabama. While Gina and Cynda were at Scrapfest in Mandeville, Louisiana; Bekah got to come spend some time with Papa. Bekah and Papa visited Cossatot River State Park and Queen Wilhelmina State Park.

ARKANSAS RELAY VOLUNTEERS

NIKKI CRYSTAL AND GINA

THIS WAY PLEASE

BEKAH MAKES FRIENDS WITH A BUTTERFLY

PAPA AT COSSATOT FALLS

BEKAH THE TRAIN ENGINEER

October was a very busy month starting with Deanna and Leonard's wedding in Branson, Missouri. Gina was chosen as a Hero of Hope by the American Cancer Society and traveled to Birmingham, Alabama for training. I was asked to be the weekend speaker at the Arkansas Louisiana Pathfinder Camporee held at De Gray Lake. At the end of the month we traveled to Castor, Louisana to celebrate our grand daughters birthdays.

DEANNA AND LEONARD'S WEDDING

MR. AND MRS. LEONARD PROWANT

CAMPOREE SABBATH SERVICE

SPEAKING AT CAMPOREE

BEKAH AT CAMPOREE

ELISABETH AT CAMPOREE

ARKANSAS HEROES OF HOPE

MID-SOUTH HEROES OF HOPE

PAPA GREAT CARVES THE PUMPKIN

PAPA GREAT'S JACK-O-LANTERN

MAKING ICE CREAM WITH LIQUID NITROGEN

We started November with a trip to Branson where we met Deanna and Leonard. We attended the Ozark Folk Festival in Eureka Springs where we heard 3 Penny Acre, Still On The Hill, and Split Lip Rayfield. Gina gave her first Hero Of Hope speeches and we had a great time visiting Mulberry Manor in Castor, Louisiana

THE PROWANT'S AND THE LAWRY'S

MUSIC AT BASIN PARK

3 PENNY ACRE

STILL ON THE HILL

SPLIT LIP RAYFIELD

GINA, MY HERO OF HOPE

TEACHER GAVIN

RESIDENTS OF MULBERRY MANOR

PAPA AND BEKAH

In December we had a Relay For Life float in the Mena Christmas parade. We had a great time meeting my sister Jeannie and her family in Branson to go to Silver Dollar City. Christmas was great with a houseful over the 3 day weekend. Our family presented a Christmas program for church.

WORKING ON THE RELAY FOR LIFE FLOAT

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

DEWEY KELVIN AND JEANNIE

SILVER DOLLAR CITY

PLAYING CHECKERS

A CHRISTMAS CAROL

CHRISTMAS AT THE KEETER CENTER

BEKAH AND AUTUMN SINGING IN CHURCH

AUTUMN AND HER POINSETTIA

CHRISTMAS MORNING

PAPA GREAT AND ELISABETH

GIRLS ON CHRISTMAS DAY

2011 is in the rear view mirror, but there is a reason the rear view mirror is so small and the windshield is so big. Where we are going is so much more important than where we have been. Happy 2012 everyone!

2011 In The Rear View Mirror Part 2

2011-12-31T13:17:00.000-06:00

2011 marched by quickly, with many memorable events. Here is a retrospect of 2011 in photos.

In May I attended a Moody Blues concert in Tulsa, but the highlight of the month was the Polk County Relay For Life

THE MOODY BLUES

JOHN LODGE

JUSTIN HAYWARD

GRAEME EDGE

POLK COUNTY RELAY FOR LIFE

ELISABETH AT RELAY FOR LIFE

LENORA'S HEROES

GINA, POLK COUNTY RELAY FOR LIFE CHAIR

We spent a lot of time in June with our grand daughters. We enjoyed taking Autumn and Rebekah to Eureka Springs to see the Great Passion Play. They really enjoyed it. Gina was chosen to serve on the American Cancer Society's State Leadership Council.

REBEKAH ENJOYS LIFE

TOUR GUIDE AUTUMN

THE GREAT PASSION PLAY

THE LAST SUPPER

GINA AND SLC FRIENDS

In July we made a trip to Texas to see Gavin and Rachel and to attend a Texas Rangers game. It was fun even if it was 105 degrees. We had a big birthday celebration for my Dad's 75th birthday. He enjoyed giving people rides in his Model A.

RANGERS BALLPARK IN ARLINGTON

AT THE RANGERS GAME

PAPA GREAT GAVIN AND RACHEL

ELISABETH LIKES THE MODEL A

GOING FOR A RIDE

GINA GAVIN AND RACHEL

In August Daddy and I helped Gavin and Rachel move to DeQueen for their new teaching jobs at Beacon Hill Adventist Junior Academy. In Mena we went to the Wilhelmina Rod Run and the Polk County Fair.

DADDY LOADING THE TRAILER

OVERLOADED TRAILER!!

WE MADE IT!

BEACON HILL ADVENTIST JUNIOR ACADEMY

WILHELMINA ROD RUN

DADDY AT THE ROD RUN

POLK COUNTY FAIR

RIBBONS AT THE FAIR

2011 In The Rear View Mirror Part 1

2011-12-30T22:17:00.000-06:00

2011 marched by quickly, with many memorable events. Here is a retrospect of 2011 in photos.

In January we made a trip to the Oregon Coast for a Ready Sibling Reunion. Bunny and Terry Boyd graciously provided lodging for everyone. We had a marvelous time.

THE READY SIBLINGS

YAQUINA HEAD LIGHTHOUSE

AGATE BEACH

SEA GEYSER

GLASS BLOWER GINA

PACIFIC OCEAN SUNSET

The highlights of February were a big snowstorm, an awesome 3 Penny Acre concert and a trip to Baton Rouge to see the grand kids.

LET IT SNOW

3 PENNY ACRE

EXPLORING AT BLUEBONNET SWAMP

THREE LITTLE ANGELS

In March we had a great time with our grand daughters. We celebrated my birthday in Baton Rouge and at the Vermilionville Living History Museum. We brought Autumn and Bekah back with us to spend some time with Grandma and Papa. I love spring and the flowering trees.

MY METROPOLITAN BIRTHDAY CAKE

VERMILIONVILLE GROUP PHOTO

ELISABETH IN A PIROGUE

BEKAH AT THE OLD VERMILIONVILLE SCHOOL

I BELIEVE IN FAIRIES

AUTUMN AT GARVIN WOODLAND GARDENS

IN THE TULIPS

DOGWOODS

SHERWOOD FOREST REDBUDS

In April I attended my first ever NASCAR race courtesy of my cousin Clyde Borton, and had a great time at the mini Borton reunion. Later in the month we met my sister Jeannie and her family in Eureka Springs for the weekend.

THE RACE BEGINS

TEXAS MOTOR SPEEDWAY

PIT ROW

BORTON REUNION

EUREKA SPRINGS

KELVIN AT ONYX CAVE

PINK DOGWOODS

SISTER-IN-LAW'S

Christmas Gifts

2011-12-17T09:13:00.000-06:00

As Christmas approaches one of the things that most people focus on is gift giving. We spend a lot of money and time finding the right gifts for people that are important in our life. Sometimes we fail in our gift giving.

One Christmas when my son was a young boy, we nearly ruined his Christmas with one particular gift. One of the jobs that he was given around the house was sweeping the kitchen floor. That Christmas we bought a stick vacuum cleaner and thought it would be funny to give to him as a gift. When it was wrapped, the vacuum was the largest gift under the tree. When my son saw that the largest gift had his name on it he was very excited. His imagination went wild. What could that present be? His whole Christmas revolved around the largest gift under the tree. When Christmas morning arrived, all he could think about was that gift. When he opened it, he was so disappointing that the rest of his Christmas presents couldn't make up for the vacuum cleaner fiasco.

Have you ever been disappointed by a gift? Has someone been disappointed by the gift you gave them? What about great gifts? What is the best gift you have ever received? What made it so special? Was it the value of the gift? Was it the person who gave it to you? Was it because it was so unexpected?

As I think about this question I find it hard to narrow down one particular gift as the best. There is one gift that I received that was very special for a number of reasons. One of the reasons this particular gift was special is that I still don’t know who gave me the gift. Let me tell you the story.

In February 2004, 17 members of my church raised 20,000 dollars and went to San Pedro, Belize in Central America to build a church. While we were there we made lots of friends. We were only in San Pedro for a short time, but by the time we left the walls of the church were finished. During the following months, the church members in San Pedro finished the church building. Plans were made for a church dedication service to be held in February 2005. I was invited to come to the dedication service. I really wanted to go. This church building project had been very important to me, and I had made many friends in San Pedro that I wanted to see again. There was just one problem. I couldn’t afford the trip.

THE NEW HORIZON SDA CHAPEL IN SAN PEDRO BELIZE

One day I received a letter in the mail from Fare Finders Travel. Why were they sending me a letter? When I opened the letter I was surprised by what it said. Please come in to Fare Finders to make arrangements for a round trip ticket to Belize. Someone has paid for the ticket, but they want to remain anonymous. I couldn’t believe it. My wife immediately tried to figure out who the anonymous donor was. She still hasn’t cracked the case. It is still an unsolved mystery. The mysterious ticket has to be one of the best gifts I have ever received.

We made plans to go back to San Pedro. As we packed and attended to all the details of the trip, the mystery giver was in our thoughts. Who was this person who had given such a meaningful and valuable gift? How could we thank the giver?

Our trip to Belize was wonderful. It was very special to me to see the completed church building. The dedication service was beautiful and moving with people from several different countries participating. We got reacquainted with friends that we had made the year before, and made many new friends the 10 days that we were there. Many times friends would stop by our room with gifts such as fresh coconut water, papaya, or some small trinket. On the last day we were in San Pedro, there was a steady stream of visitors at our room. They wanted to tell us goodbye. Most of them brought a gift.

GINA AND I WITH SOME OF OUR FRIENDS IN SAN PEDRO

We received one gift that was very special to me. My wife made a special friendship with a little 2 year old boy who spoke only Spanish. Whenever he would see her his face would light up. He didn’t understand English, but he understood the language of love. The day we were leaving he and his 4 year old sister came to our door with a gift. They gave us a well worn 1941 Walking Liberty half dollar. I have no idea how this little family had come into possession of this coin, or why they gave it to me. Even though the monetary value of the coin is only a few dollars it is one of the most precious gifts I have ever received.

GINA'S SPECIAL FRIEND, ANGEL

I learned an important spiritual lesson on my trip to Belize. I learned it from the people that I met. They had such a desire to do something for us. Even though they had only meager possessions, they had such a desire to please. They wanted to see us before we left. They had to bring us a gift. It was very important to them. To me that showed how I should relate to God. God, I don’t have anything but I want to give you something. God let me know what I can do to please you. God I want to be with you.

In Romans 6:23 the Bible tells us “the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord”. God has given you the best gift ever, what will you give God this Christmas?

My Friend Bear Barton

2011-12-08T15:00:00.000-06:00

Today I was asked to say a few words at my friend Bear Barton's memorial service. Here are the thoughts that I shared.

It has been my privilege to be a friend of Bear’s for almost15 years. As I thought back over thetime I knew him I was impressed by the things that were important to him.

Family – Those of you in his family know how much he lovedand cared for you.

Friends – If you were a friend of Bear's he was very loyaland would do anything he could for you. If you were hurting, hehurt with you.

Animals – Bear loved his wolves and went to great lengths totake care of them. Proverbs 12:10 tells us that a righteous man cares for the needs of his animal.

Music – Everywhere Bear went he was known for hismusic. Music was the breath of life tohim.

God – Bear loved God, and knew his Bible. He studied for himself, and didn’t let otherssway his convictions.

What also impressed me about Bear were the things thatweren’t important to him.

Material Things – Bear never sought after the wealth of theworld. The things that he did have hewould gladly give you if you were in need.

Acclaim – As great a musician as he was, Bear always wantedto be in the background. He just wanted to be a part of the experience.

Shortly after hearing Friday morning that Bear had passedaway, I sat down and wrote these words and posted them on my blog.

Bear's love and concern for others makes me think of thetext found in Matthew 25:37-40 "Lord, when did we see You hungry and feedYou, or thirsty and give You drink? When did we see You a stranger and take Youin, or naked and clothe You? Or when did we see You sick, or in prison, andcome to You?’ And the King will answer and say to them, ‘Assuredly, I say toyou, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you didit to Me." That is the way Bear lived.

One of my favorite memories of Bear was attending his 50thbirthday party. I have never been to a birthday party like it. Richie Owens andBear have been playing music together for over 15 years. Bear is a harmonicaplayer extraordinaire. Richie rented the Ouachita Little Theater, and invitedmany musicians that he and Bear had played with over the years to come and jam.

Richie projected video on stage of Bear playing with anumber of different musicians, with some of the video being a number of yearsago. We enjoyed seeing Bear with hair.

The party lasted until late into the evening. It was after 10:00 when the jam sessionended, and then I enjoyed getting to visit with Bear for a while. I am happythat I got to be with him at his birthday party.

Today the world lost a truly wonderful person; Someone whowas always helping people and loved everyone. Goodbye and rest in peace myprecious friend Larry "Bear" Barton, you will be missed by to many tocount.

I was amazed by the fact that over 550 people read this postonline, showing that Bear was loved byso many.

I want to read one of the comments that was posted by CarolHunter Southwick of New Jersey

My cousin Bear Barton was born with a tender heart, whichonly deepened and expanded throughout his too short stay on this earth. He wasborn caring - about animals, who are easy to love, and about people, who arenot.

He was a healer, who knew how to come alongside those whowere hurting and listen, and gently guide, and he would tell you straight upwhat he felt you needed to hear...and then again, if you needed reminding.

He healed his wolves, cooking special meals for them,patiently nursing them through injuries and illnesses, never neglecting theirneeds, even though it could be totally time consuming sometimes.

And he mentored so many young people, keeping themaccountable, being the one who cared whether they messed up their lives, andencouraging them to give life another chance.

When I heard the doctors' diagnosis: heart failure, I had todisagree. Bear's heart didn't fail. Bear's heart triumphed, and this oftenbitter and despairing world will never be the same because of him.

I appreciate reading what you had to say about him, andespecially the text from St. Matthew.

I have to agree with Carol. Bear's heart didn't fail. Bear's heart triumphed, and this often bitterand despairing world will never be the same because of him. Bear’s big heart touched so many of us.

In Thessalonians 4: 13-18 The Bible tells us; "But I do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, concerningthose who have fallen asleep, lest you sorrow as others who have no hope. Forif we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Himthose who sleep in Jesus. For this wesay to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until thecoming of the Lord will by no means precede those who are asleep. For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout,with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead inChrist will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught uptogether with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shallalways be with the Lord. Therefore comfort one another with these words".

Bear is sleeping, waiting for the trumpet of God, waitingfor his Lord to return, waiting to meet him in the air; to always be with theLord. Let’s take comfort in thispromise.

Here is music that was played at the memorialWAYFARING STRANGER - BEAR BARTON, HARP AND RICHIE OWENS, GUITAR AND VOCALS

AMAZING GRACE - BEAR BARTON, HARP AND RICHIE OWNS, GUITAR AND VOCALS

Goodbye Bear, For Now

2011-12-02T14:13:00.000-06:00

Today my friend Larry "Bear" Barton passed away. I can still remember the first day that he walked into church and into my life. Bear was a big guy with a huge heart. Helping others was a priority for him. When the company that he worked for began hiring a number of Spanish speaking workers, Bear began learning Spanish so that he could talk better with them. He became a friend and advocate for many. I'm sure that he will be sorely missed.

Bear's love and concern for others makes me think of the text found in Matthew 25:37-40 "Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink? When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You? Or when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’ And the King will answer and say to them, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me." That is the way Bear lived.

One of my favorite memories of Bear was attending his 50th birthday party. I have never been to a birthday party like it. Richie Owens and Bear have been playing music together for over 15 years. Bear is a harmonica player extraordinaire. Richie rented the Ouachita Little Theater, and invited many musicians that he and Bear had played with over the years to come and jam.

BEAR BARTON AND RICHIE OWENS

Richie projected video on stage of Bear playing with a number of different musicians, with some of the video being a number of years ago. We enjoyed seeing Bear with hair.

The party lasted until late into the evening. Well late for me anyway, because I am even older than Bear. It was after 10:00 when the jam session ended, and then I enjoyed getting to visit with Bear for awhile. I am happy that I got to be with him at his birthday party.

Today the world lost a truly wonderful person. Someone who was always helping people and loved everyone. Goodbye and rest in peace my precious friend Larry "Bear" Barton, you will be missed by to many to count.

Thank God For Grace

2011-11-25T22:35:00.001-06:00

We recently celebrated the Thanksgiving holiday. In the U.S. there has been an annualThanksgiving observed since 1863. Inthat year, with the county involved in a horrific Civil War, President Lincolnissued a proclamation declaring a day of Thanksgiving.

One of the traditions of Thanksgiving is talking about thethings we are thankful for. There aremany things, but I am truly thankful for my family.

The Greek word translated thanksgiving is eucharista. The English spelling is Eucharist. My dictionary gives the followingdefinitions. 1. The sacrament of Holy Communion; thesacrifice of the Mass; the Lord's Supper. 2. The giving of thanks;thanksgiving.

The word that most people use to describe the Lord’s Suppermeans thanksgiving. What a greatthought. The Lord’s Supper is a ceremonyin which we give thanks for what Jesus has done for us. The root word in Eucharist is charis. Charis is normally translated as grace. That makes sense. Think with me for a moment. What happens at the beginning of yourThanksgiving meal? Someone says “grace”. Why do we say that they say grace? Saying grace is giving thanks.

At a British conference on religions, experts from aroundthe world debated what, if any, belief was unique to the Christian faith. Theybegan eliminating possibilities. Incarnation? Other religions had differentversions of gods appearing in human form. Resurrection? Again, other religionshad accounts of return from death. The debate went on for some time until C.S.Lewis wandered into the room. “What’sthe rumpus about?” he asked, and heard in reply that his colleagues werediscussing Christianity’s unique contribution among world religions. Lewisresponded, “Oh, that’s easy. It’s grace.”

After some discussion, the conferees had to agree. Thenotion of God’s love coming to us free of charge, no strings attached, issingularly Christian. Of all the world’sreligions, only Christianity dares to make God’s love unconditional.

In 2 Timothy 1:9, the Bible says, “He has saved us andcalled us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to Hisown purpose and grace which was given to us in Christ Jesus before time began”.

Before you were born there was grace for you. Thank God for grace! As wonderful as it is, grace is not wellunderstood and often not really believed. We use the word a lot but rarelythink about what it means. It's probably true that most of us thinkinfrequently about God's grace.

Part of our problem is in the nature of grace itself. Graceis scandalous. It’s hard to accept. It’s hard to believe. It’s hard to receive.We are skeptical when a telemarketer tells us, "I'm not trying to sell youanything. I just want to offer you a free trip to Hawaii." Automaticallywe wonder, "What's the catch?" because we have all been taught that"there's no free lunch."

Grace shocks us in what it offers. It frightens us with whatit does for sinners. Grace teaches us that God does for others what we wouldnever do for them. We would save the not-so-bad. God starts with prostitutesand then works downward from there. Grace is a gift that costs everything tothe giver and nothing to the receiver. It is given to those who don't deserveit, barely recognize it, and hardly appreciate it.

Grace means that no one is too bad to be saved. The Bible isfull of examples; Liars, cheaters, murderers, adulterers, prostitutes. God specializes in saving really bad people.

Grace also means that some people may be too good to besaved. That is, they may have such a high opinion of themselves that they thinkthey don't need God's grace. They may admit they are sinners but they don'tadmit they are spiritually dead.

This view of grace is hard for good people to accept becauseit means we must give up our "goodness" in order to be saved. We mustadmit that nothing we have done matters in the least when it comes to beingforgiven by God. God has designed our salvation so that he alone gets theglory!

Ephesians 2:8,9 tells us, “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not ofyourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast”.

Imagine what heaven would be like if you had to earn your waythere. "I was a preacher." "I built churches across theworld." "I gave a million dollars to world missions." "Ihad hundreds of baptisms at my meetings." "I volunteered at thehospital." “I baked cookies for the school kids.” As good as those thingsare they will not help forgive even one sin. They will not save you or helpsave you.

Can you just imagine someone putting his arm around Jesusand saying, "You and me, Jesus, we did it: You died on the cross and Ibaked the cookies”? I am so thankful that it's not like that. When Jesus diedon the cross, he paid the full price for your salvation. Jesus paid the priceall by himself.

Grace is never cheap. Grace costs the ultimate. It isjust that you and I aren’t the ones paying. “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, thatwhosever believes in Him shall not perish, but have everlasting life”. John 3:16

Thank God for grace! Look for grace in unexpected places. I know that you will find it. Paultells us in 1 Timothy 1:14, "the grace of our Lord is exceedinglyabundant".

Lawry Named as Hero of Hope by American Cancer Society

2011-11-23T21:55:00.001-06:00

Article in the November 23, 2001 edition of The Mena Star

Lawry Named as Hero of Hope by American Cancer Society

MENA, Ark. – The American CancerSociety’s Mid-South Division recently named Regina Lawry as a “Hero of Hope.” Lawryis one of 20 cancer survivors and caregivers from the Mid-South states ofAlabama, Arkansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi and Tennessee to berecognized.

Lawry is a cancer caregiver, havinglost many relatives to cancer, including her mother and sister. She is a longtime Relay For Life volunteer, and currently serves on the Relay For Life StateLeadership Council.

The Heroes of Hope program is in its fourthyear. Honorees will serve as spokespeople for the American Cancer Society intheir communities. Those selected have triumphed over cancer, made significantvolunteer contributions to the American Cancer Society, and made an impact inthe lives of others.

“The Heroes of Hope program provides ahighly visible symbol of personal victory over the disease, as well asencourages support and participation in the programs of the Society,” saysKeisha Pittman, an American Cancer Society 2010 Hero of Hope and co-chair ofthe 2011 Heroes of Hope program.

The Heroes of Hope represent thecourageous struggle of all cancer patients and their caregivers as they dealwith the physical and emotional aspects of the cancer experience.

“Hearing their stories makes astatement that progress is being made in cancer research and prevention, andthat there is hope for the future for people who are diagnosed,” added LeeAdkins, co-chair of the 2011 Heroes of Hope program, and a 2010 Hero of Hope.

The American Cancer Society saves livesand creates more birthdays by helping people stay well, by helping people get well,by finding cures and by fighting back. For more information, contact the AmericanCancer Society at 1-800-227-2345 or visit online at cancer.org.

Doom and Gloom

2011-08-09T13:50:00.001-05:00

It seems like a day doesn't go by that someone doesn't talk to me about the condition that the world finds itself in. With the recent debt ceiling crisis, and the financial meltdown on Wall Street, people seem very nervous. I have to admit that I have my concerns. My business has been slower the last few weeks. There have been some financial setbacks that I wasn't planning for.

What I have noticed is that the people I have talked to who have been the most worried are Christians. I have gotten numerous e-mails from Christian people who are sure that doom and gloom are right around the corner. I can't believe that God wants us to live that way.
2 Thessalonians 3:16 says "may the Lord of peace Himself give you peace always in every way".

I do believe that we are living in the last chapter of Earth's history, but I am puzzled by many of my fellow Christians. Does God want us to worry?

I saw something the other day that really puzzled me. I was in a Christian bookstore, and I saw that they had Christian worry stones for sale. According to tradition a worry stone is a smooth, polished stone that when rubbed is believed to reduce one's worries and add a sense of calmness. When the stone is rubbed, the negative energy and worries are supposedly transferred into the stone and you are left calm and peaceful. I don't think worry stones are compatible with Christianity.

In Matthew 6:31 Jesus tells us "Do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?" He goes on to say "do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own".

Christianity is supposed to be built on faith and trust. There is a story told about Blondin, who is considered to be one of the greatest tightrope-walkers of all time. Blondin became obsessed with the idea of crossing Niagara Falls the first time he saw them in 1858. A year after his initial visit, he returned to accomplish the feat. The stunt was not without controversy. Many people felt that a stunt like Blondin's would trivialize the falls, turning them into a backdrop for a circus act, and should not be allowed.

Eventually, Blondin was allowed to string his wire across the falls and on June 30, 1859, he was the first man ever to cross Niagara Falls by tightrope. A large crowd of 100,000 people watched him walk on a single three-inch rope, 1,100 feet long and 160 feet above the falls at one side and 270 feet at the other.

Blondin made many more trips across the gorge during the next year. Each time, he thrilled larger crowds with more exciting acts. He balanced a chair on the rope and stood on it. He took pictures of the crowd while he balanced on the rope. He cooked a meal on a small portable cooker and lowered it to amazed passengers on the Maid of the Mist below. He crossed blindfolded, in a sack, on stilts, and pushing a wheel barrow.

In 1860 a Royal party from Britain that included the Prince of Wales saw Blondin cross the tightrope on stilts, and again blindfolded. After that he stopped halfway across and cooked and ate an omelet. Next he wheeled a wheelbarrow from one side to the other, and returned with a sack of potatoes in it. Then Blondin approached the Royal party. He asked the Prince of Wales, "Do you believe I could take a man across the tightrope in this wheelbarrow?" "Yes, I do", said the Prince. "Hop in, then", replied Blondin. Well, the Prince declined Blondin's challenge. He might have believed Blondin could do it, but he wasn't about to trust him with his life.

When it comes to our relationship with God, this kind of trust doesn't do much good. God doesn't want us to say "Yes Lord I believe in you, but not enough to put my life in your hands." Belief has to come with trust. Proverbs 3:5,6 tells us to "Trust in the Lord with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will direct your paths.

Is their a difference between trust and belief. The Prince of Wales believed that Blondin could walk a man across the rope in a wheelbarrow, but he didn't trust him enough to get in. Do you believe in God? Do you trust him with your life? Trust God with all your heart, and if he asks you to get in the wheelbarrow, do it!

The Verdict

2011-07-15T15:43:00.000-05:00

I was reading Shawn Boonstra's blog and read his comments concerning the Casey Anthony verdict. I was so in agreement with his thoughts as he expressed them in his blog that I adapted them for use here at An Arkie's Musings. I usually only present my original thoughts on this blog, but Shawn's ideas were so powerful that I decided to present them here in modified form.

The most talked about news story of the week was that Casey Anthony was acquitted of killing her 2-year-old daughter Caylee in 2008. One thing is clear: someone is guilty. Little girls don’t end up duct-taped and garbage-bagged in the woods all by themselves. Collective public outrage has been building in the days since the “not guilty” verdicts left the American public speechless.

I struggled with the verdict myself. As a grandfather of young girls, my blood almost literally boils over when I hear about people mistreating them. And the fact that the most likely perpetrator was acquitted is hard to take. She just looked so guilty. Her stories didn’t add up. In the hours since the verdict was read by a court clerk who appeared as visibly troubled as the rest of us, I have begun to consider the possibilities.

One possibility, I don’t want to admit. Twelve jurors might, maybe, somehow, be right. It’s possible that the rest of us have been drawn by the scent of blood into a public feeding frenzy. Like most people, I honestly don’t think so, but I have no choice but to admit that it’s a possibility.

The more comforting thought is that Someone knows every last detail of the case. The Bible reminds us that real justice will have to wait for the final judgement. We can rest in the knowledge that God will bring every work into judgment, including every secret thing, whether good or evil. (Ecclesiastes 12:14) He is particularly attentive to the needs and rights of children.

I don’t like it, but the jury has spoken; the judge has agreed. I will make every effort to keep it from happening to someone else, and will guard my neighbor’s children like my own. I will also, to the best of my ability, share the only thing that can bring genuine hope in a cruelly twisted world – the redeeming, converting love of Jesus.

Someone is guilty of something: little girls don’t end up stashed in the woods by accident. If Caylee’s cruel death has stirred such emotion in our own sin-stained hearts, imagine the way it hurts the heart of Christ. I imagine myself to be incapable of such horrific sins, but I have caused my share of pain, for I am a sinner. I have never had to hide a body, but I am painfully aware that Jesus equates hatred with murder. By Jesus’ standards, I have murdered, stolen, failed to honor my parents, taken the Lord’s name in vain, broken the Sabbath. So have you. More times that any of us would care to admit.

Now here’s what is really unfair. I am going to be acquitted. I’m going to be released from the wages of sin, (death), even though I certainly do not deserve it. My sins killed the Son of God, but I won’t receive the ultimate wages of sin because Jesus was condemned for our sins, in which He had no part, that we might be justified by His righteousness, in which we had no part. He suffered the death which was ours, that we might receive the life which was His.

Now I’m not at all happy with the Casey Anthony verdict. It seems like somebody ought to pay for such a horrible atrocity. But I am also keenly aware that I myself am standing in heaven’s courtroom, with angels marveling at the fact that Jesus plans to take me into the kingdom after all the times I’ve broken God’s law. “He has not dealt with us according to our sins,” the Psalmist reminds us, “nor punished us according to our iniquities.” (Psalm 103:10)

Was Casey Anthony undeserving of her verdict? Quite possibly. Maybe even probably. I know for a fact that I don’t deserve mine.

Higher And Higher

2011-06-29T09:09:00.000-05:00

When I was attending grade school during the 1960’s I had two passions that consumed me. I loved baseball. I chewed lots of really bad gum to collect baseball cards. As much as I loved baseball, what really intrigued me was space exploration.

My heroes were the astronauts in NASA’s space program. I read everything about them that I could get my hands on. In 1969 my interest in space was at a fever pitch. Everyone was talking about the race to land on the moon. When Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin walked on the moon, the entire world was captivated. Every newspaper covered the story. I soaked it all in. I couldn’t believe what a marvelous world I was living in. The moonwalk was a part of pop culture. After watching the moonwalk on TV, the Moody Blues drummer, Graham Edge, penned the poem "Higher and Higher", which was used to open their next album.

"Blasting, billowing, bursting forth
with the power of ten billion butterfly sneezes.
Man, with his flaming pyre
has conquered the wayward breezes.

Climbing to tranquility,
far above the clouds,
conceiving the heavens,
clear of misty shroud.

Vast vision must improve our sight.
Perhaps at last we'll see an end
to our own endless blight,
and the beginning of the free.

Climb to tranquility,
finding its real worth,
conceiving the heavens,
flourishing on earth".

As I listened to these words I realized even as a boy that this optimism that space exploration would make the world a better place wasn’t the way things would be. I read in my Bible in Obadiah 1:4, “Though you ascend as high as the eagle, and though you set your nest among the stars, from there I will bring you down, says the Lord”.

As a Christian I had always looked at space exploration as a way to learn more about the awesome things God had made. I was excited by the new discoveries and what they could show me about how awesome God is. As I studied science and read about space I always kept God in the picture.

While I went through High School I stayed interested in space, but there were many other things to interest me and take up my time. I realized that as interesting as space exploration was it wasn’t changing things here on earth. By now there had been 6 moon landings and moon walks. In just a few years astronauts on the moon had gone from the most exciting and talked about thing on the planet to ho hum, so you can drive a vehicle on the moon. The space race was over and pop culture had found other interests.

NASA didn’t recapture the interest of most Americans until 1981, when the Space Shuttle Columbia made the first flight of a space vehicle that returned to earth and was reusable. Once again man seemed on the verge of conquering the heavens. One of the exciting new directions in space exploration was the Hubble Space Telescope. In 1979 work was started on this new project. After many delays it was finally launched in 1990. Nothing NASA had done since landing on the moon captured the interest of the American public as much as the Hubble Telescope.

The images that the Hubble produced were breathtaking. When I first saw the images I thought of the words of David found in Psalms 19:1, “The heavens declare the glory of God; And the firmament shows His handiwork”.

One Hubble photo in particular fascinates me. It is called The Hubble Ultra Deep Field. Astronomers picked a seemingly empty spot in the sky. Staring at the spot in the sky for ten days, Hubble kept taking pictures one after another for the entire exposure time, accumulating data. Astronomers put the exposures together into one final picture. Each time they added an exposure, the view got deeper, revealing fainter objects. When they were done they had the deepest picture ever taken of the heavens.

The image is of a small region in the constellation Ursa Major. It covers an area 2.5 arcminutes across, one part in a million of the whole sky. The image contains an estimated 10,000 galaxies. That would mean that the whole universe contains a million times 10,000 galaxies. Astronomers estimate that our home galaxy, the Milky Way, contains between 200 and 400 billion stars. How many stars are in the universe? I will let you do the math.

Isaiah 40:26 tells us “Look up into the heavens. Who created all the stars? He brings them out one after another, calling each by its name. And He counts them to see that none are lost or have strayed away”.

The universe staggers our imagination. It is humbling to realize that our planet earth is simply a speck of cosmic dust in the great universe that God has created. David was amazed by God’s love for us. In Psalms 8:3,4 he wrote, “When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, The moon and the stars, which You have ordained, What is man that You are mindful of him And the son of man that You visit him?

Go outside tonight, take a look at the sky and know that there is a Creator who cares for you, who died for you and wants to bring you home to live with him.

X Is For Xtreme Close-up

2011-06-28T08:59:00.000-05:00

Here is my entry for this weeks ABC Wednesday. This week the letter is X. X is difficult, and for me called for creative spelling. X is for xtreme close-up.

Over the 4th of July holiday a couple of years ago, Gina and I traveled to Columbia, Missouri to visit my sister and her family. We really enjoyed our time with family.

We decided to go to the St. Louis Zoo even though the weather forecast was 80 to 90 percent chance of rain every hour. The weather cooperated, and we had only one short rain shower while we were at the zoo. It was cloudy and cool, just wonderful weather for walking around the zoo in the summertime.

The St. Louis Zoo is a great zoo, and admission is free. In 1910 the City of St. Louis set aside 77 acres in Forest Park for a zoo. State legislation provided that "the zoo shall be forever free," which has made the Zoo accessible to millions of visitors ever since.

I was excited about visiting the zoo and being able to take lots of pictures. Shortly after we arrived we were going through the "Flight Cage", a giant elliptical bird cage that dates back to the 1904 World's Fair held in St. Louis. As we were walking through looking at the birds I took this picture.

As soon as I took this photo, I accidentally dropped my camera. When I picked it up, the focus no longer worked. As I played with the camera, trying to get it working, I noticed that the camera came into focus if held extremely close to something. I stuck my camera close to a flower and took this photo.

Even though I was disturbed about breaking my camera, I wasn't going to let that keep me from taking photos. I would just have to "focus" on extreme close-ups. As I walked through the zoo I looked for close-up opportunities.

The thing that I found interesting was that my camera would not focus that close before I dropped it. I really liked my camera, but the one thing that I wasn't satisfied with was close ups. Now I have a close up only camera.

Because the focus was broken, I had to focus by physically moving the camera. The camera lens had to be almost touching the subject. Many of the photos I took were not quite in focus, but I enjoyed trying to get in focus shots.

I enjoyed my time taking photos at the St. Louis Zoo, even though they were not the photos that I set out to get. I missed those shots of the tigers who were so frisky in the cool weather, the cute penguins, and the sea lions; but I was forced to look at a world that I wouldn't have otherwise. Breaking my camera forced me to look at the world from a different perspective.

W Is For Wisdom Teeth

2011-06-20T09:06:00.001-05:00

Here is my entry for this weeks ABC Wednesday. This week the letter is W. W is for wisdom teeth.

"The function of wisdom is to discriminate between good and evil." That quote has been attributed to Cicero, a Roman statesman and philosopher. Cicero is widely considered to be one of Rome's greatest orators. A while back I had an experience that made me start thinking about wisdom.

I had been having a very painful toothache, so I went to the dentist. After taking x-rays, he told me that second molar on the lower left was in bad shape. One of the reasons that it had deteriorated was because it was up against my "wisdom tooth". He recommended that I have both teeth pulled.

Having the teeth pulled was quite an ordeal. The wisdom tooth was laying sideways, and the root had a hook that was in the bone. The procedure wasn't that painful, but the pulling, pushing, cutting, tugging and prying made it very uncomfortable. When the anesthetic wore off I was in a lot of pain.

While I was at home nursing a very sore mouth I started wondering why the third molars are called wisdom teeth, and why we have them. I found out that they are called wisdom teeth because usually they come in when a person is between age 17 and 21 or older; old enough to have supposedly gained some "wisdom". Wisdom teeth are the third and final set of molars. Sometimes these teeth can be a valuable asset to the mouth when healthy and properly aligned, but more often they are misaligned and cause trouble.

I found the explanation of the term "wisdom teeth" to be somewhat amusing. 17 to 21 year olds aren't the first age group that I think of when I think of wisdom. Wisdom comes with experience. The dictionary definition of wisdom is "the quality or state of being wise; knowledge of what is true or right coupled with just judgment as to action; discernment, or insight.

We too often aren't sure of the difference between wisdom, knowledge, and understanding. There is some overlapping of the definitions. Wisdom is knowledge with understanding. Anyone can get knowledge, but understanding is another thing. The Bible tells us in Proverbs 3:13, "Blessed is the man who finds wisdom, the man who gains understanding".

I crave knowledge. I am curious about so many different things, and want to learn about them. It is interesting to me to see all the different "facts" that you can find on a given topic. Sorting through the "facts" can make understanding an almost impossible task.

1 Corinthians 1:19-20 tells us "I will destroy the wisdom of the wise; the intelligence of the intelligent I will frustrate. Where is the wise man? Where is the scholar? Where is the philosopher of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world"?

I want to make sure that in my quest for knowledge that I look to God for understanding.

June 15 - A Special Day

2011-06-15T08:13:00.002-05:00

Today, June 15th is a special day. 36 years ago I said "I Do" to my very best friend. The best decision I ever made was to marry the girl who stole my heart when she walked into Mr Brost's History class the beginning of my senior year of high school. I know that high school romances are not supposed to be forever and that when kids get married when they are in their teens the marriages aren't supposed to last, but we have proven those things wrong. It is still awesome to go through each day with my best friend.

This is the girl that took my breath away when she walked into class that morning. I was too shy to talk to girls, so it was almost a year before she had any idea that I was interested. I think that the good Lord knew that I needed all of the help I could get so he made it so that our paths crossed in a number of ways that year. Mr. Brost selected five students to work together each week producing learning packets for History class. Gina and I were both in the group. We both worked at the Harris Pine furniture factory. I worked on the dresser jig, and she made drawers. I would spend my breaks back with the drawer makers, but she still didn't catch on.

It came time for our High School graduation and I still had never gotten up the nerve to ask her out. Finally I mustered up every ounce of courage I could find and asked her if she would march with me when we graduated. She told me that she would like to but she had already told Russell she would march with him. If I would talk to Russell she would march with me. Once again summoning up every bit of courage I had I talked to Russell. He was very gracious and bowed out. I was on cloud nine.

The rest is history. After a year of a long distance relationship, five hundred miles, we were finally in the same place at the same time. I knew that I wanted to spend the rest of my life with this girl. On June 15, 1975 we were married in the Denver First Seventh-day Adventist Church. The last 36 years have been an interesting and very fulfilling time. I'm looking forward to the next 36 years together.

Here in Arkansas June 15th is a special day for another reason. Although most Arkansans celebrate the day as our anniversary, some remember that June 15 is the birthday of Arkansas. Arkansas was declared the 25th state of the United Stated on June 15th, 1836.

Arkansas became United States territory in 1803 when President Jefferson purchased over 800,000 square miles of land from Napoleon Bonaparte, the Emperor of France. After the Louisiana Purchase a few Americans slowly began arriving to settle Arkansas. They did not officially own the land, because the land was neither surveyed nor offered for sale until after 1815.

The survey of the Louisiana purchase was ordered by President James Monroe. It began after the end of the War of 1812, as a means for the federal government to pay its veterans with land. The nation's greatest asset was land west of the Mississippi River, and it was necessary to survey that land so that it might be apportioned fairly to veterans and sold to settlers and other investors who were already moving into the area. The official land survey began in October 1815. The survey opened up the territory to settlement.

The area we now know as Arkansas was first a part of the Louisiana Territory and then of the Missouri Territory before it became a separate territory in 1819. Arkansas Post, established by the French in 1686, was the first permanent white settlement in Arkansas. When the Arkansas Territory was organized, Arkansas Post became the capital.

When the Territory of Arkansas was created in 1819, almost immediately land speculators began claiming land of the south bank of the Arkansas River that would become Little Rock. In 1821, the legislature chose Little Rock to become the territorial capital and the city was founded that same year. By the late 1820s, the city consisted of about 400 residents and 60 buildings, mostly built of logs.

The first state Capitol in Little Rock was begun by Governor John Pope in 1833. At that time nine out of ten Arkansans were farmers, growing mostly cotton and corn. The population came largely from Kentucky and Tennessee, a part of the westward movement of Scottish, Irish, and English stock from Virginia and the Carolinas since early colonial times.

In the early 1830's the issue of statehood for Arkansas was first discussed. Part of the appeal of statehood for many citizens in the territory was that statehood would ensure that Arkansas would avoid the United States government's appropriation of public land for use as Indian reservations.

An important milestone which helped Arkansas secure statehood was the results of the 1836 census. The Arkansas territory surpassed the required minimum statehood population of forty thousand. According to the census, more than fifty-two thousand people lived in the territory, which meant Arkansas met the population requirement for being one of the new states. The Arkansas Territory was larger than the state of Arkansas. After statehood the leftover area to the west had post offices that continued for some years to use Arkansas postmarks although they were actually in territory known as Indian Country. After voting on a State Constitution, Arkansas was declared the 25th state of the United Stated on June 15th, 1836.

V Is For Vicksburg

2011-06-13T22:13:00.000-05:00

It's time again for ABC Wednesday. If you aren't participating in ABC Wednesday, you are missing out on a lot of fun.

This week the letter is V. V is for Vicksburg. Last year Gina and I spent some time in Vicksburg, Mississippi on our way home from the Relay For Life Summit in Jackson, Mississippi. While we were there we visited the Vicksburg National Military Park.

The park commemorates the campaign, siege, and defense of Vicksburg. The city's surrender on July 4, 1863 split the South, giving control of the Mississippi River to the Union. There are over 1,340 monuments, a restored Union gunboat, and National Cemetery on the 16-mile tour road.

There is so much history in the park. The U.S. Government established the battlefield as a National Military Park in 1899.

The battles of the Vicksburg campaign were some of the fiercest and long lasting of the war. General Grant attacked the Confederates on May 19, 1863 and again on May 22. The Confederate positions were too strong, and the Union casualties were high. On May 25 General Grant decided on a siege of the city as he had it surrounded and had naval bombardment from the Mississippi. He stated in his memoirs, "I now determined upon a regular siege—to 'out-camp the enemy,' as it were, and to incur no more losses."

By the end of June, half of the Rebel soldiers were sick or hospitalized. Scurvy, malaria, dysentery, diarrhea, and other diseases cut their ranks. Food was almost non-existent, with soldiers resorting to eating dogs, mules and shoe leather. On July 3 General Pemberton rode out of the city with white flags to meet General Grant to discuss terms of surrender.

The most important thing for the Union army was that they now controlled all of the Mississippi River. The side that controlled that waterway controlled a direct route through the Confederacy and would eventually dominate the war. The full campaign claimed 10,142 Union and 9,091 Confederate killed and wounded.

As we toured the park and looked at all of the monuments it was sobering to think of the loss of life and the hardship that occurred in this beautiful countryside.

U Is For Unicorn

2011-06-06T23:11:00.000-05:00

It's time again for ABC Wednesday. If you aren't participating in ABC Wednesday, you are missing out on a lot of fun.

This week U is for Unicorn. While driving through the Fossil Rim Wildlife Center near Glen Rose, Texas we came across this guy with a broken horn. He reminded me of a unicorn. Some scholars believe that the sightings of one horned animals like this produced the myth of the unicorn.

Greek writers of natural history were convinced of the reality of the unicorn, which they believed lived in India, a distant and fabulous realm for them. During the Middle Ages the people of Europe did not consider the unicorn a myth. The King James Version of the Bible uses the word unicorn 8 times. Unicorn horns were often found in cabinets of curiosities in Medieval and Renaissance Europe.

They were most often examples of the distinctive straight spiral single tusk of the narwhal whale They were brought into Europe as a very valuable trade item, and sold as horns from the legendary unicorn; being of ivory, they passed the various tests intended to spot fake unicorn horns. As these 'horns' were considered to have magic powers, Vikings and other northern traders were able to sell them for many times their weight in gold. Elizabeth I of England kept a "unicorn horn" in her cabinet of curiosities.

In 1967 when I was just starting to pay attention to the radio, The Irish Rovers had a top 40 hit with "The Unicorn". It sold 8 million copies worldwide and reached #7 on the US charts. Here is a copy I found on YouTube.

Here are the lyrics to The Unicorn

A long time ago, when the Earth was green
There was more kinds of animals than you've ever seen
They'd run around free while the Earth was being born
And the loveliest of all was the unicorn

There was green alligators and long-necked geese
Some humpty backed camels and some chimpanzees
Some cats and rats and elephants, but sure as you're born
The loveliest of all was the unicorn

The Lord seen some sinning and it gave Him pain
And He says, "Stand back, I'm going to make it rain"
He says, "Hey Noah, I'll tell you what to do
Build me a floating zoo,
and take some of those...

Green alligators and long-necked geese
Some humpty backed camels and some chimpanzees
Some cats and rats and elephants, but sure as you're born
Don't you forget My unicorns

Old Noah was there to answer the call
He finished up making the ark just as the rain started to fall
He marched the animals two by two
And he called out as they came through
Hey Lord,

I've got green alligators and long-necked geese
Some humpty backed camels and some chimpanzees
Some cats and rats and elephants, but Lord, I'm so forlorn
I just can't find no unicorns"

And Noah looked out through the driving rain
Them unicorns were hiding, playing silly games
Kicking and splashing while the rain was falling
Oh, them silly unicorns

There was green alligators and long-necked geese
Some humpty backed camels and some chimpanzees
Noah cried, "Close the door because the rain is falling
And we just can't wait for no unicorns"

The ark started moving, it drifted with the tide
The unicorns looked up from the rocks and they cried
And the waters came down and sort of floated them away
That's why you never see unicorns to this very day

You'll see green alligators and long-necked geese
Some humpty backed camels and some chimpanzees
Some cats and rats and elephants, but sure as you're born
You're never gonna see no unicorns

T Is For Transportation

2011-05-30T19:00:00.000-05:00

It's time again for ABC Wednesday. If you aren't participating in ABC Wednesday, you are missing out on a lot of fun.

This week the letter is T.

My post for the letter "T" is Transportation. There are many different kinds of Transportation, so we are going to look at a number of them.

STEAMBOATS

There were two main types of transportation that allowed this country to expand at such a fast pace in the 1800's. The first was steamboats. The first commercial steamboat transportation was Between Albany, New York, and New York City in 1807. Before long there were steamboats on just about every navigable river in the U.S.

BIG AND LITTLE

The need to transport goods to and from places that were not on a waterway brought about the steam locomotive. The first railroad to transport goods in the U.S. was the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad. The first steam powered vehicle in the U.S. was the Tom Thumb locomotive that operated on the Baltimore and Ohio tracks starting in 1830.

1940 BUICK LIMITED

The automobile change the way Americans traveled, and just about put an end to train travel as a way of getting around. Americans are now very mobile. My Daddy loves to buy and sell old cars. This 1940 Buick gets a lot of attention when he drives it.

TINY VW

Cars come in all sizes as you can see here. I was driving down the street in Valle Hermoso, Mexico when I spotted this tiny VW Beetle. I pulled over to talk to the owner and took a picture of it. He wanted me to get in it for a picture.

MOTORCYCLES IN EUREKA SPRINGS

In the area where I live, Motorcycles are very popular. The Christian Motorcycle Association is headquartered here. Motorcyclist come from hundred and sometimes thousands of miles away to ride the roads and see the beauty of the area.

I love to travel to Belize. San Pedro, Belize is on a densely populated island, so it has its own special transportation needs. Here are some photos of transportation in San Pedro

RIDING TO WORK

SAN PEDRO FERRY

SCHOOL TRANSPORTATION

MIKE'S BOAT

WATER TAXI

GOLF CART

TRAVELING SALESMAN

SAILBOAT

As you can see, San Pedro has many varied forms of transportation. Just about everyone who travels to San Pedro travels by air. Flying is the newest form of transportation. Today, the global airline industry consists of over 2000 airlines operating more than 23,000 aircraft, providing service to over 3700 airports. Last year, the world’s airlines flew almost 28 million scheduled flight departures and carried over 2 billion passengers

FLYING HIGH

What types of transportation do you use?

S Is For Staying Up All Night

2011-05-23T23:07:00.000-05:00

It's time again for ABC Wednesday. If you aren't participating in ABC Wednesday, you are missing out on a lot of fun.

This week the letter is S. S is for staying up all night.

Cancer Doesn’t Sleep and Neither Did We

Many people who attend the Relay For Life event are not aware that it lasts all night. After all of the entertainment and the Luminaria ceremony, Relay continues throughout the night until the sun comes up. Why do we Relay all night long and stay overnight? Because the Relay For Life event is designed to symbolize the journey of a cancer survivor.

Relay For Life starts at dusk and ends the next morning. The light and darkness of the day and night parallel the physical effects, emotion, and mental state of a cancer patient while undergoing treatment.

Relay begins when the sun is setting, symbolizing the time a person has been diagnosed with cancer. Immediately there is a lot of support. People rally to lend a helping hand, much like the Opening Ceremony at Relay when everyone cheers that first lap for Survivors.

As survivors start their cancer treatment, it’s hard and taxing, just like when the light of day fades into darkness. As midnight comes, teams continue to walk the track, but it gets harder as the walking continues into the 6th and 7th hour.

This time represents when a cancer patient becomes exhausted, sick, maybe not wanting to go on, possibly wanting to give up. As a Relay participants, we feel much the same way. We are tired, want to sleep, and may even want to go home, but we don't stop or give up.

The time just before daybreak symbolizes the coming of the end of treatment for the cancer patient. Things are beginning to look brighter, just like the break of dawn. A sense of hope emerges. The morning light brings on a new day full of life and new beginnings.

For the walkers who are making laps around the track, when the sun begins to come up, there is a strong sense of hope that they too can make it through.

As we make the final lap, as a cancer survivor gets the final clearance from their doctor, we celebrate and we cross the finish line together.

As our teams gathered together at sunrise on Saturday morning to make one final lap after walking all night there were 15 of the 18 teams that participated in Relay still there. These dedicated Relayers had sacrificed a night of sleep to let cancer survivors know that they support them in their fight against cancer. It is a way to fight back against cancer.

At the final ceremony just before we all left to go to our homes and hopefully get some rest, the fundraising totals were announced and awards were given out. At the Relay event over 4,300 dollars were raised. Thank you Polk County for coming out to support Relay For Life even in the rainy weather. Our total raised so far in 2011 is over 66,000 dollars, a new record for Polk County!

The award for our top fundraising team this year went to the Union Bank Purple Onions who raised 15,444 dollars. The award for top individual fundraiser went to Regina Lawry who raised 3,386 dollars. The award for top youth fundraising team went to the Acorn FCCLA Cupcakes For A Cure who raised 766 dollars. The award for top individual youth fundraiser went to Erica Goss who raised 405 dollars. Regina Lawry was awarded a Visionary Leadership for 2011 award by the American Cancer Society.

Relay For Life appreciates everyone who takes part. It takes a whole community working together to have a successful Relay, but we are especially thankful for those who come out and spend the night at Relay symbolizing the fact that cancer never sleeps.

R Is For Relay For Life

2011-05-16T17:41:00.001-05:00

It's time again for ABC Wednesday. If you aren't participating in ABC Wednesday, you are missing out on a lot of fun.

This week the letter is R. R is for Relay For Life. The American Cancer Society Relay For Life is a life-changing event that gives everyone a chance to celebrate the lives of people who have battled cancer, remember loved ones lost, and fight back against the disease.

Relay starts with a Survivor Lap, an inspirational time when survivors are invited to circle the track together and help everyone celebrate the victories we’ve achieved over cancer. The Survivors Lap is an emotional example of how Relay participants are creating a world with more birthdays like those of each individual on the track.

After dark, we honor people who have been touched by cancer and remember loved ones lost to the disease during the Luminaria Ceremony. Candles are lit inside bags filled with sand, each one bearing the name of a person touched by cancer, and participants often walk a lap in silence.

At Relay, teams of people camp out and take turns walking around the track. Each team is asked to have a representative on the track at all times during the event, because cancer never sleeps. Thanks to Relay participants, we are creating a world with more birthdays.

One person can make a difference. Nowhere is that more evident than with the story of how Relay For Life got it's start. In the mid-1980s, Dr. Gordy Klatt, a Tacoma surgeon, wanted to enhance the income of his local American Cancer Society office and to show support for all of his patients who had battled cancer. He decided to personally raise money for the fight by doing something he enjoyed – running marathons.

In May 1985, Dr. Klatt spent a grueling 24 hours circling the track at Baker Stadium at the University of Puget Sound in Tacoma. He ran for more than 83 miles. That first year, nearly 300 of Dr. Klatt’s friends, family, and patients watched as he ran and walked the course. Throughout the night, friends donated $25 to run or walk with Dr. Klatt for 30 minutes. His efforts raised $27,000 to fight cancer.

While circling the track those 24 hours, Dr. Klatt thought about how others could take part in his mission to fight cancer. He envisioned a 24-hour team relay event that could raise more money to fight cancer. Over the next few months, he pulled together a small committee to plan the first team relay event, known as the City of Destiny Classic 24-Hour Run Against Cancer.

In 1986, with the help of Pat Flynn – now known as the “Mother of Relay” – 19 teams took part in the first team Relay event on the track at the historic Stadium Bowl and raised $33,000. An indescribable spirit prevailed at the track and in the tents that dotted the infield.

Relay has developed into an overnight event where people bring tents and sleep out around the tracks. People of all ages come out to bring the community together to Celebrate those who have survived cancer, Remember those who cancer has taken from us and Fight Back by raising money to fight for a cure. Now, over 4 million people take part in Relay events in over 5,000 communities in the United States.

Just like Gordy Klatt, each person involved with Relay For Life makes a difference in the fight against cancer. Since 2007 when the first Relay For Life event was held here in Polk County well over a quarter of a million dollars has been raised to help fight cancer. You can make a difference by attending a Relay For Life event in your are.

Q Is For Question

2011-05-09T21:33:00.003-05:00

It's time again for ABC Wednesday. If you aren't participating in ABC Wednesday, you are missing out on a lot of fun.

This week the letter is Q. Q is for question. One of my favorite albums from my youth is the Moody Blues album, A Question of Balance, released in 1970. Though it was their fifth album, it was the first time that The Moody Blues used political strife as a basis for songwriting. The song "Question", dealt with the controversy resulting from the ongoing Vietnam War. The album reached #1 in the UK and #3 in the U.S.

Last week I attended the Moody Blues concert at the Brady Theater in Tulsa, Oklahoma. I had purchased the tickets last November the day that they went on sale. I was fortunate to be able to get seats in the third row. Being that close to the stage made for great photo opportunities.

The Moodies put on a great show. I thoroughly enjoyed the concert. The band payed songs from every phase of their career, from the 60's through the 90's. One of my favorite lines was from Graeme Edge when he was talking about having turned 70. He said, "the great thing about turning 70 is that I've lived through the 60's twice".

The song "Question" was a real crowd favorite, and everyone seemed to know the words.

Why do we never get an answer
When we're knocking at the door?
With a thousand million questions
About hate and death and war.

Cause when we stop and look around us
There is nothing that we need.
In a world of persecution
That is burning in it's greed.

Why do we never get an answer
When we're knocking at the door?
Because the truth is hard to swallow
That's what the war of love is for.

If I ever have another chance to see the Moody Blues in concert I will definitely go again. It was the most fun I have ever had at a concert.

Folk Mountain Gospel

2011-05-08T09:58:00.005-05:00

This week at church the 11 o'clock service was presented by Don and Donna Mohl. The beautiful calming music was just what I needed to refresh my spirit. My wife has been very sick this week and her doctor is trying to determine exactly what is causing her to be ill. Music is a very important part of my life, and I'm sure that the music that Don and Donna presented did much more for me than any sermon could have.

Their music is a blend of “mountain” style and folk style gospel. They play traditional and Biblical instruments such as the Bowed Psaltery, Hammered Dulcimer, Mountain Dulcimer, Mandolin, Zither, Guitar, and Harmonica. They sing the good old hymns of faith, more recent gospel songs and some songs that they have written related to family values, the grace of Jesus, and the love of God.

Here is a sample of their music. This song is, "The Touch Of The Master's Hand". In it they replace the word violin with mandolin in keeping with their mountain music style.

Don and Donna don't just play all of the mountain instruments, They handcraft and sell them. They produce Hammered Dulcimers, Zithers, Mountain Dulcimers and Bowed Psalteries. If you are interested in beautiful handcrafted mountain instruments or in puchasing Don and Donna's CD's, you can go to their website, www.folkmountaingospel.com

Here is a photo that shows one of their hand crafted Zither's, along with a Hammered Dulcimer.

Listening to Donna play the Hammered Dulcimer brought back memories of a time in my life when a Hammered Dulcimer played an important role in letting me know that God listens to and answers our prayers. I needed reassuring this week that God is watching out for us and that he listens to and answers our prayers. Hearing the Hammered Dulcimer during the worship service brought this experience of answered prayer to my mind. You can read the story here.

As you go through this week remember to "Try A Little Kindness".

P Is For Polk County Fair

2011-05-02T22:43:00.000-05:00

It's time again for ABC Wednesday. If you aren't participating in ABC Wednesday, you are missing out on a lot of fun.

This week the letter is P. P is for Polk County Fair. In a small community like Mena, the County Fair is one of the highlights of the year. Everybody attends the fair. The kids are all excited for the carnival to come to town. There are animals, exhibits, booths rides and lots of fun.

We enjoy looking at the exhibits from the local schools. We used to know lots of kids here in town and would look for their exhibits. Now we are getting so old that we don't know many kids, but we enjoy looking at everything; the flowers, the vegetables, the quilts, the photography.

One of our favorite things to do is go to the animal barn. The kids work so hard at displaying their animals. The pig named "Bacon" made me smile. I guess everyone is clear on "Bacon"s future.

It seems like everyone has a good time at the fair. We always see lots of people we know.

As the sun goes down the midway and carnival rides start getting busy. It is really pretty to see the rides against the colorful sunset sky.

If you have never experienced a small county fair you have really missed out on one of life's little pleasures.

2011 Woman Of The Year

2011-04-29T21:04:00.001-05:00

Regina Lawry has been chosen to be the Beta Sigma Phi Woman of the Year for 2011. She and her husband, Richard moved from Colorado to Mena in 1981. They have two grown children and three beautiful granddaughters.

Regina has been active in Beta Sigma Phi since 1996, serving as President of the Preceptor Alpha Beta chapter for two years. She has owned her own successful business, The Golden Thimble, and for the past ten years has been the manager of the USEM Federal Credit Union.

In 2007 Regina’s concern for family and friends who have had cancer led her to become involved with the American Cancer Society’s Relay For Life of Polk County. Since 2008 she has been the chairman of the event. In the five years since 2007 the Polk County Relay For Life has raised more than $245,000.00 in the fight against cancer. Regina has been given the Relay For Life Voluntarism Leadership Award by the American Cancer Society.

In 2009 Regina was recognized for outstanding volunteer service to the people of Mena by the Chamber of Commerce. She was also honored as the 2009 Rotary Club Volunteer of the Year, and received a letter of Volunteer Recognition from Governor Mike Beebe.

Beta Sigma Phi presented Regina with a check in the amount of 500.00 for Relay For Life. This year's Relay For Life event will be held in Janssen Park on Friday, May 20th, starting at 6:00 P.M. Beta Sigma Phi is proud to honor Regina for her hard work by naming her the Beta Sigma Phi Woman of the Year for 2011.

O Is For Old Photos

2011-04-26T13:32:00.000-05:00

It's time again for ABC Wednesday. If you aren't participating in ABC Wednesday, you are missing out on a lot of fun.

This week the letter is O. O is for old photos. Recently we received a mysterious package in the mail. It was addressed to my wife. I asked her, "are you expecting a package." "No", she replied. When we opened it we found a lot of old photographs from the 80's. They were pictures that my father-in-law, Papa Ready, had taken or ones that we had sent him. As much as I love family photos, it was like a treasure chest for me.

We often invited Papa Ready to go along with us when we took a family vacation. Here the family is waiting somewhere, I don't remember where. I can tell you that it was taken in 1986.

Since last weekend was Easter, I was happy to get this picture of Cynda in her Easter Dress taken sometime in the early 80's

I was very excited to see these photos that I hadn't seen in years. There were a couple more great ones of Cynda, my little redhead, as a baby and a little girl.

Sometime in the early 80's I did a custom paint job on Papa Ready's Dodge van. In the family photos there were some photos of the van after it was completed, and some photos taken while I was working on it.

I will close with a family portrait from the early 80's and a snapshot that shows my wife with her sisters, mother and grandmother - Three Generations.

N Is For NASCAR

2011-04-18T23:21:00.003-05:00

It's time again for ABC Wednesday. If you aren't participating in ABC Wednesday, you are missing out on a lot of fun.

This week the letter is N. N is for NASCAR. Recently my cousin Clyde invited me to attend the Samsung Mobile 500 at the Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth, Texas. It was my first time to attend a NASCAR race. The day of the race was hot and windy, and I do mean windy.

It is hard to explain the experience of NASCAR racing to someone who hasn't attended. I was surprised by the number of people in attendance, 185,000, and especially the noise level. When the 42 engines start the decibel level is tremendous, as much as 115dB. Ear plugs or headphones are needed.

I was able to use headphones provided by Clyde. They were tuned in to the channel used by Dale Earnhardt Jr. It was interesting listening in to the conversation between Jr. and his crew.

The race was fairly clean with five cautions and 31 lead changes among 13 drivers. There was one accident that was on the other side of the track so I couldn't see it clearly. It was a three car accident involving Mark Martin, Regan Smith and Martin Truex, Jr.

In the end Matt Kenseth won his first race of the 2011 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season. The win was his first since the beginning of the 2009 season. I was able to snap some photos as he spun out in victory lane.

My first NASCAR race was an incredible experience that I will never forget.

Oh No! Not Again

2011-04-15T11:12:00.000-05:00

It was a dark and stormy night. No I'm not starting to write a novel, it was actually a dark and stormy night. Strong thunderstorms swept across Oklahoma and Arkansas. Late last night the National Weather Service issued a Tornado Warning for the Mena area. With the devastating April 2009 tornado still fresh in so many peoples mind it was a scary night. Around 11:00 p.m. the tornado sirens started blowing. I was able to listen to the scanner to try to get any information about the storm. Apparently there was only minor damage at a few locations caused by falling trees.

Around midnight the storms seems to be weakening and according to the radar the danger was about over so we left our safe area, the downstairs hallway, and went upstairs to get ready for bed. This morning I heard that the Frito Lay warehouse had been badly damaged. The warehouse is less than half a mile from my parents home. On my way to work I drove by the location and sure enough the warehouse had extensive damage. I didn't see any damage to any other buildings in the area, and my parents house was OK. I attend church at the Mena Seventh-day Adventist Church which is located just a short distance from the damaged building. The church was OK, but there was debris in the churchyard.

I am puzzled that this one building had so much damage while others around it had none. I'm sorry for those who had storm damage last night, but so thankful that it wasn't worse. So many people had a scary night with the memories of April 2009 still so much on our minds.

M Is For Mena

2011-04-11T23:03:00.000-05:00

It's time again for ABC Wednesday. If you aren't participating in ABC Wednesday, you are missing out on a lot of fun.

This week the letter is M. M is for Mena, Arkansas. I have liven in Mena for 30 years now. My wife and I moved to Mena from Colorado in April of 1981 and have made our home here ever since. We drove from Colorado to Mena in this 1967 Toyota Stout Pickup that I had custom painted to show my patriotism.

The history of Mena begins in the last decade of the 19th century. In 1895, Arthur Stilwell sent railroad scouts to the Ouachita Mountains. The men were to scout the area and lay out the best path for the soon to be built railroad, which was to run from Kansas City to the Gulf coast.

When the surveyors came there was very little cleared land. The area purchased for the future townsite of Mena was a farm owned jointly by Dr. G.G. Baker and R.S. Owens of Old Dallas. The two men sold it to the Townsite company for $5,000.

It was Stilwell who decided Mena would be the name of this new town along the route to Port Arthur, Texas. He named the town in honor of his friend Jan DeGeoijen's wife, Mena.

It was Mena's father for whom Janssen Park was named. Janssen Park is still a focal point of Mena, and many community events including Relay For Life are held there.

Mena became an official town on August 19, 1896. The town fathers chose the official coming of the first railroad passenger car as the town's birthday.

The most historical building in Mena is the old log cabin in Janssen Park. Built eight years before the Civil War, this hand-hewn cabin was constructed by William Shelton, a crippled veteran of the Mexican War, for his home.

Throughout the years, with little physical change, it has served as a home, hospital, inn, a club house, civic center, a museum , and for a time, as the City Hall of Mena. It was thirty-one years old before a title grant was obtained for the land. During those years before 1882, it was just another "squatter's cabin".

In 1906, the cabin, together with four city blocks surrounding it, was donated to the City of Mena by Arthur Stilwell and his associates. They were so charmed with its natural setting, and so vocal in their admiration, that it inspired the local people to develop the park.

I have really enjoyed the last 30 years that I have spent in this beautiful area. The Ouachita mountain views are spectacular, and there is a quiet beauty here in every season of the year.

Moving to Mena is a decision that I have never regretted. I love this area!

Mena Tornado Two Years Ago

2011-04-09T07:13:00.000-05:00

MASONIC LODGE AFTER THE APRIL 9, 2009 TORNADO

Two years ago today the face of Mena changed drastically. An F3 tornado damaged a large section of town. 100 houses were destroyed and 600 damaged. Over 10,000 trees were destroyed. Although the community has done an awesome job of rebuilding, it will never look the same.

I wrote the following paragraphs a few hours after the tornado hit.

Tonight at around 7:30 the tornado sirens sounded here in Mena. Gina and I went to the safe place in our house, the downstairs hallway. About that time our electricity went out. The storm passed without damage here at the house. We were thankful that we were spared.

After the storm passed and the stars came out, I decided to drive into town to see if anyone had electricity. When I got to downtown, I started to see storm damage and saw that the authorities were not letting people proceed to the north side of Mena.

I drove to my parents house to see if they were OK, and they were fine with no damage to their house or property. I drove on to the church but saw no damage there. I thought that the storm may not have been to bad, but by the time I returned home, the phone was ringing off the hook with reports of severe damage.

The first news reports stated that the Polk County Sheriff's Department reports one person was killed after a tornado swept through the town Thursday night.

We received a call from a friend telling us that our good friend Deanna had a lot of damage to her house, and her car was totaled. Just before the storm hit, Deanna was on the phone with Gina telling her that she was in the closet and she was scared. We have not been able to talk to her since. We don't know what we will find when we are able to get into the the area. Just a couple of blocks from her house, there were 20 or more people in the Masonic Lodge when it collapsed. There is one known fatality on the street where Deanna lives.

We have had friends staying with us this evening, because they were not able to get home. The National Guard is in town and not letting anyone into the severely damaged area. There was damage at Rich Mountain Community College, and at Wal-Mart. There is extensive damage at U.S. Motors where Gina operates the Credit Union.

I need to go to sleep, but probably sleep won't come. I don't know what tomorrow will bring.
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Here are photos that I was able to take 2 days after the tornado. Pictures can't really give you the feel of the actual scene.

I want to dedicate this post to the memory of those who died in the tornado; Anna Cress, Judy Lobner, and Albert Shaw.

L Is For Lawry's Used Cars

2011-04-05T07:40:00.000-05:00

It's time again for ABC Wednesday. If you aren't participating in ABC Wednesday, you are missing out on a lot of fun.

This week the letter is L. L is for Lawry's Used Cars. My Daddy started Lawry's Used Cars in Mena, Arkansas in 1979. I have been in business with him since I moved to Arkansas in 1981. My Daddy has been in the car business since he was in college. For most of my life I have worked with him. I got started very early as these photos show. Here I am helping him sand a car in Collegedale, Tennessee.

From Tennessee he moved to Colorado where he opened Tri Town Service in the Dacono, Frederick, Firestone area. In the early 70's, the business was moved to Erie, Colorado. When Daddy moved from Colorado to Arkansas I operated Tri Town Service.

Several years ago I made a trip back to Erie, Colorado and took this photo of the old Tri Town Service building.

When we moved to Mena, Arkansas in 1981 I joined Daddy at the Lawry's Used Cars location. This is what the business looked like in the 1980's.

Here is an aerial view of what Lawry's Used Cars looks like now. Several buildings have been added over the years.

Even though Daddy is at the age when a lot of guys are taking it easy, he still works full time operating Lawry's Used Cars.

Over the years the business has had some close calls. We have been right on the edge of two tornadoes. In the 1993 Mena tornado the 4 bay carport was picked up off of its foundation and moved a couple of feet, and a tree fell across one of the buildings and we had to repair and replace the roof. In the 2009 Mena tornado We had signs blown down but very little other damage even though less than a mile away homes were completely destroyed.

In April of 2007 a controlled burn in our area became out of control. The fire jumped the tracks behind our business and burned a number of cars. Thankfully the fire was brought under control before it reached our buildings.

For 30 years now Lawry's Used Cars has been a big part of my life. It is still enjoyable to go to work each day; I get to meet so many nice people. We have had people from all over the world stop in at our little business here in the Ouachita Mountains of Arkansas. Here is a partial list of collector cars for sale at Lawry's Used Cars.

Let Me Count The Ways

2011-04-01T22:50:00.001-05:00

When I was in high school my least favorite class was English. I just couldn’t get into the poetry we were studying. Even though I didn’t enjoy the class, I still remember a few of the poems we studied.

I was recently reading an article that brought a poem from that class back to mind. In a Valentine’s Day survey, a poem written in 1850 was voted the most romantic. I remembered the poem from my high school class.

“How do I love thee? Let me count the ways. I love thee to the depth and breadth and height my soul can reach”. The poem was written by Elizabeth Barrett Browning. She was born in Durham, England in 1806, the oldest of 12 children. She began writing poetry when she was 8 years old. When she was 15, Elizabeth injured her spine as a result of a fall. Because of the accident she became an invalid. She spent the majority of her time in her room writing poetry. In 1844, Robert Browning wrote to Elizabeth admiring her poems. He continued to write to her and they were engaged in 1845.

Elizabeth's father disapproved of the courtship and engagement. In 1846, Elizabeth and Robert were secretly wed and moved to Italy where Elizabeth's health improved. She continued to live in Italy with her husband Robert for the rest of her life.

In 1850, Elizabeth's best known book of poems was published, titled Sonnets from the Portugese. They are a sequence of 44 sonnets recording the growth of her love for Robert. He often called her "my little Portuguese" because of her dark complexion. Of all the sonnets, the most famous is #43, which begins "How do I love thee? Let me count the ways." Even if you do not appreciate 19th century poetry you can tell that these poems were written from the heart.

As great a poem as Elizabeth Barrett Browning wrote, I don’t think it is the greatest love poem of all time. The greatest love poem is found in the Bible in John 3:16,17. “ For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved”.

What beautiful words. We need to keep in mind that it is the world that God loves, not a single nation, not a single race. Not just the “good” people, not just the people who love God back. “God so loved the world.” This includes the lovable and the unlovable; those who are popular, and those who have no one else to love them; the ones who love God, and the ones who never think of God.

Some people find it hard to accept the fact that God’s love and grace are so freely given. They want to place limits on God’s love. They prefer to think that God only loves the same people they themselves love, and that God despises the same people that they despise; That God doesn’t love people who don’t think the same way they do.

To put it quite bluntly, these people are wrong. God loves the world, and that includes both those who are just like us and those who are totally different from us. If Jesus didn’t come into the world to condemn people, why are we so quick to? Jesus came to lift up, not to put down. Jesus didn’t come to condemn us; Jesus came to offer us eternal life. As disciples of Jesus Christ, we should follow His example.

God has not only shown his love for us by giving us His son, God has written us a love letter. I was never much of a letter writer, but when my wife and I were dating, 500 miles separated us. I became a letter writer. Every day when I got home from work I wrote her a letter. Imagine how I would have felt if she didn’t read my letters. Imagine how God feels when we neglect to read the love letter he has written to us.

In that love letter God wrote to you it says, “In all these things we are more than conquerors through the one who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor anything above, nor anything below, nor anything else in all creation can separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord”. Romans 8:37-39

How would you feel if you if you wrote these beautiful words to the love of your life and they were ignored. God says to us, “How do I love thee, Let me count the ways”. How has God shown His love to you? Can you count the ways? He will have to do the counting, because we will never know all the ways he shows his love to us. We so often completely miss the wonderful revelations of his love for us as we go about our daily lives.

There is a sad but poignant story from the life of Elizabeth Barrett Browning. Her father disapproved of her courtship with Robert Browning. When they became engaged her father forbid Elizabeth to marry. When she secretly married Robert her father disowned her, but that didn’t stop her from keeping in touch. Almost weekly she wrote him a letter. Not once did he reply. After ten years she received a large box in the mail. Inside she found all of her letters. Not one had been opened! Today those letters are among the most beautiful in classical English literature, yet her father never read the first one.

God's Word is His love letter to us. The love of Jesus waits in each page! Don’t leave your love letters unopened and unread. God loves you and he wants to tell you just how much. Open his love letter to you and listen to what he has to say to you.

K Is For Kaiser

2011-03-29T12:13:00.003-05:00

It's time again for ABC Wednesday. If you aren't participating in ABC Wednesday, you are missing out on a lot of fun.

This week the letter is K. K is for Kaiser. One of the most burning questions being asked today is whatever happened to Kaiser automobiles. Since I am privy to just such information, I thought I would do my civic duty and give you this privileged information.

The Kaiser automobile was the product of the Kaiser-Frazer Corporation. The company was the result of a partnership between automobile executive Joseph W. Frazer and Industrialist Henry J. Kaiser of Kaiser Industries. The company rose from the ashes of the Graham-Paige Motor Company.

DADDY'S 1938 SHARK NOSED GRAHAM

In August 1944, Joseph Frazer, former president of Willys-Overland, assumed control of Graham-Paige, and announced that the company would resume automobile manufacture after the war with a completely new car. The new car was to be called "Frazer" rather than "Graham". Frazer quickly had Graham humming with activity. While looking for financial backing, Frazer met Henry J. Kaiser who also had plans for a postwar automobile. The two agreed to work together and in August 1945 formed the Kaiser-Frazer Corporation to build a new Kaiser car. Two Kaisers were to be built for every Frazer, which was to remain a Graham-Paige product. Joe Frazer became president of both companies and Henry Kaiser chairman of Kaiser-Frazer.

THE 1949 FRAZER MY PARENTS DROVE ON THEIR HONEYMOON

Graham-Paige was unable to finance its share of expenses, so the company quit the car business, and transferred all of their automotive assets to Kaiser-Frazer. Kaiser automobiles were manufactured in the United States from 1946 to 1955, when declining sales forced the closing of Kaiser's domestic automobile operations. At that time production was moved to Argentina and Brazil, where the company turned out a series of sedans, trucks and Jeeps until the 1960's.

AD FOR KAISER IN ARGENTINA

In 1953 Kaiser bought the Willys-Overland company, the producer of Jeep utility vehicles, and merged the Kaiser and Willys operations. By 1956 the company had stopped building Kaiser automobiles and was only building Jeep utility vehicles. The company changed its name to Kaiser-Jeep in 1963.

By 1969, Kaiser Industries decided to leave the automobile business, which was sold to American Motors in 1970. Included in the sale was the General Products Division, which Kaiser had purchased from Studebaker in 1964. AMC renamed the division AM General, which remains an independent company and government and military contractor. AM General sold the rights to the Hummer name to General Motors in 1999 but continues to build the vehicles for GM.

American Motors Corporation manufactured Jeep vehicles until AMC was purchased by Chrysler in 1987. Chrysler wanted the Jeep vehicle line because of the rising popularity of utility vehicles.

What happened to Kaiser? If you are driving a Jeep or a Hummer, in reality you are driving a Kaiser. Even though the Kaiser name is no longer used on vehicles, the legacy of Henry J. Kaiser lives on.

I hope you have enjoyed this weeks installment of ABC Wednesday. See you next week! I will leave you with some videos of Kaiser automobiles.

Music City Meeting

2011-03-26T22:41:00.005-05:00

I was recently asked to serve on the American Cancer Society Mid-South Division Relay For Life E-Communication Workgroup. The workgroup is made up of one ACS staff person and one Relay For Life volunteer from each state in the Mid-South; Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Tennessee, and Kentucky.

This is the fifth year that my wife and I have been involved in our local Relay For Life. As the On-Line chair one of my responsibilities is placing content on the 2011 Polk County Relay For Life Website.

The Relay For Life E-Communication Workgroup is a new group that has just been formed this year to help the ACS and Relay For Life to make better use of social media and the internet.

Friday, March 25th we met together for the first time in Nashville, Tennessee. I left for Nashville on Thursday at 11:00 and met Nikki Ezell, our local ACS community rep, in Little Rock. We traveled together to Nashville. My accommodations were at the Embassy Suites Hotel . The hotel was beautiful and the accommodations were lovely.

Century Boulevard, the street that the hotel and the office building where we had the workgroup meeting were located, was beautiful with blooming trees and colorful flowers. I took a walk down the boulevard in the morning before breakfast and took some photos.

The Relay For Life E-Communication Workgroup worked well together and I feel that we accomplished a lot. I met so many nice people who are passionate about Relay For Life. Getting to meet great people is one of the fantastic things about being involved with Relay. I am looking forward to working with this great group of people this year.

After the meeting ended at 3:00 p.m. I made the long trip back home arriving after midnight. It was a long 36 hours but well worth it.

If you are not involved in Relay For Life in your community look at the Relay For Life Website and search for a Relay in your area by using the search box in the upper right had corner of the webpage. With over 5000 Relays being held in the U.S. this year you will probably be able to find one near you. If you are not participating in Relay For Life you don't know what you are missing.

J Is For Jellyfish

2011-03-21T21:35:00.000-05:00

It's time again for ABC Wednesday. If you aren't participating in ABC Wednesday, you are missing out on a lot of fun.

This week the letter is J. J is for jellyfish. Jellyfish are found in every ocean, from the surface to the deep sea. Here a a few photos I have taken of Jellyfish.

In countries like Japan, Korea and China, it is considered a delicacy to eat Jellyfish. I don't think that I would eat them.

In the Artic Sea, the North Atlantic Sea and Northern Pacific Ocean lives a Jellyfish that can grow to over 120 feet long. It is the Lion's Mane Jellyfish, the largest known Jellyfish in the world.

Here is a short video I have shot of Jellyfish

I hope you have enjoyed this weeks installment of ABC Wednesday. See you next week!

The Last Day Of Winter

2011-03-20T08:18:00.004-05:00

Yesterday was the last full day of winter. We celebrated by taking a trip to Hot Springs, Arkansas to go to Garvin Woodland Gardens. Our granddaughters have been spending the week with us and we wanted to take them to the Gardens.

We spent the afternoon there and the girls were able to explore as we took our time walking through the gardens. The tulips were at their peek, and they were amazing.

Besides the flowers, the girls loved seeing the ducks and the fish.

The girls were very busy as it takes a lot of time to stop and smell that many flowers.

At the Gardens, there are so many photo opps, and I had the most beautiful models posing for me.

We spent over three hours walking and exploring. Finally the girls got tired and needed to ride on our shoulders.

What an awesome day we had on the last day of winter. It was as good a day as a grandparent can have.

Vermilionville, Louisiana

2011-03-18T09:57:00.005-05:00

On our way home from Baton Rouge last weekend we stopped in Lafayette, Louisiana. We had made plans to visit the Acadian Village which is a collection of buildings, gathered around a pond, that simulates an Acadian village of the 1800s. Most of the buildings were relocated to the Village from nearby towns. When we arrived the grounds were closed due to a funeral. We decided to visit the Vermilionville Living History Museum and Folklife Park instead. It was a beautiful day and our visit was lovely.

The Vermilionville park is one of the worlds largest physical representation of an early Acadian settlement using original structures (dating from 1790 to 1890), and new ones built in the style of the 19th century. The many Artisans on site demonstrate the folklife of the region representing a time period from 1765 to 1890. Here is my grandaughter Autumn learning about woodworking.

My Dad enjoyed telling the girls about how the old farm machinery worked.

The grounds were beautiful, and the weather was just perfect. Everyone enjoyed a lovely Sunday afternoon outside.

One of my granddaughters favorite places was the old schoolhouse. They liked pretending they were going to school in the olden days.

Elisabeth was too little to pretend she was going to school, but she liked to pretend that she was taking a pirogue down the bayou.

She soon realized that she would get a sunburn if she didn't put on her LSU hat.

Although everyone had a great time, I think Rebekah had the most fun. She spent the day catching and playing with roly poly bugs. She was too busy with her roly poly to pose for a picture.

We were finally able to get a group photo taken by another visitor at Vermilionville.

We had to cut our visit a bit short because we still had an 8 hour drive home from Lafayette to Mena. We didn't arrive home until after midnight. If you are ever near Lafayette, Louisiana I would recommend a visit to Vermilionville.

I Is For Itsy Bitsy Spider

2011-03-14T16:59:00.000-05:00

It's time again for ABC Wednesday. If you aren't participating in ABC Wednesday, you are missing out on a lot of fun.

This week the letter is I. I is for Itsy Bitsy Spider. The nursery rhyme Itsy Bitsy Spider was first published in 1910. The origin of this nursery rhyme isn't documented.

The itsy bitsy spider climbed up the water spout
Down came the rain, and washed the spider out
Out came the sun, and dried up all the rain
So the itsy bitsy spider climbed up the spout again.

Jim Carrey appeared in an animated short titled Itsy Bitsy Spider that was released in 1992. The Itsy Bitsy Spider was eventually made into an animated series, which aired on the USA Network.

The best rendition of Itsy Bitsy Spider I have seen is this wacky 15 second version.

My second favorite version is the Carly Simon version from her Coming Around Again album.

It is not common knowledge that Itsy Bitsy Spider is actually an allegory of the struggle of the lower classes. To help you understand the true meaning of the song, here is an analysis of the characters involved.

The Spider - represents the proletariat and his ongoing struggle against the bourgeoisie

The Waterspout - represents the myth of equality and the American Dream. The spider continues to doggedly scale the waterspouts heights, only to be denied the fruits of his hard work

The Rain - represents the bourgeoisie, impeding the progress of the spider, and standing between him and his ultimate goal of true freedom and equality.

The Sun - represent the easing of difficult living and working conditions. It provides false hope for the spider, prolonging his struggle

I hope you have enjoyed this weeks installment of ABC Wednesday. See you next week!

H Is For Herbert A. Littleton

2011-03-07T20:52:00.000-06:00

It's time again for ABC Wednesday. If you aren't participating in ABC Wednesday, you are missing out on a lot of fun.

This week the letter is H. H is for Herbert A. Littleton.

Herbert A. Littleton was a United States Marine who posthumously received the Medal of Honor for falling on a grenade during the Korean War.

Littleton, was born on July 1, 1930, in Mena, Arkansas. He enlisting in the Marine Corps Reserve on July 29, 1948, for a one-year term. After the outbreak of the Korean War, Littleton reenlisted in the Marine Corps. He went to Korea with the 3rd Replacement Draft, fighting in South and Central Korean operations from December 17, 1950 until his death.

Littleton earned the nation's highest award for valor on April 22, 1951, at Chungehon. At the time he was serving as a Radio Operator with the First Marine Division. Littleton was standing watch when a large well-concealed enemy force launched a night attack from nearby positions against his company. PFC Littleton quickly alerted the forward observation team and immediately moved into position to assist in calling down artillery fire on the enemy force. When an enemy hand grenade was thrown into his vantage point shortly after the arrival of the remainder of the team, he threw himself on the grenade, absorbing its full impact with his own body. By his prompt action he saved the other members of his team from serious injury or death and enabled them to repulse the enemy attack. For his valor in the face of certain death Herbert A. Littleton was awarded the Medal of Honor.

The Herbert A. Littleton Detachment 1261 of the Marine Corps League is named in his honor. It is composed of Marines and former Marines with honorable service. Some of their current projects are the Marine Corps Reserve Toys for Tots, assisting the Salvation Army with fundraising efforts, and the annual Marine Corps Birthday Ball.

The Marine Corps League was instrumental in the installation and dedication of the Herbert A. Littleton Memorial at the Polk County Courthouse here in Mena.

On September 12, 2009 approximately 1,000 people gathered in Mena, Arkansas to honor the selfless service represented by Herbert A. Littleton. An Unveiling Ceremony took place in which a Memorial to Marine PFC Littleton was unveiled. The memorial displays an image of PFC Littleton, his Medal of Honor and a citation by the President of the United States that states the deeds for which PFC Littleton received the Medal of Honor.

Herbert A. Littleton and the unselfish choices he made serve as an example to lead and inspire us both as individuals and as a people. He was an extraordinary ordinary American.

Hipstamatic Cool

2011-03-06T21:04:00.004-06:00

The Hipstamatic for iPhone is an application that brings back the look, feel, unpredictable beauty, and fun of plastic toy cameras from the past. I recently purchased the app and have been having a great time playing with it. It is the most fun I have had in a long time. In the past couple of days I have been taking lots of pictures with the app.

When I first downloaded the app I was at work. I had to try it out as soon as possible. I walked outside and took a picture of a Model A. This is the very first photo taken with my new Hipstamatic.

BUCKAROO'S MODEL A

Yesterday afternoon as we were visiting with my nieces and our friend Deanna's grandson I snapped some more shots with my Hipstamatic.

LAURA HUGS BROOKE

CHRISTOPHER PLAYING

Later in the afternoon we visited friends who have recently purchased some Belgian horses. The Belgians are magnificent creatures. Gina just had to give one of them a kiss. I was there with my new Hipstamatic.

GINA KISSES A BELGIAN

While we were visiting I snapped off a couple more shots. Tuffy the Australian Shepherd was more than happy to model for me.

TUFFY

I thought that some horns that were lying on the ground near the corral would make an interesting photo. Here is the result.

I'm looking forward to having lots of fun with my new Hipstamatic.

Queen Elisabeth

2011-03-04T19:38:00.006-06:00

Last weekend my wife and I made a trip to Baton Rouge to see Queen Elisabeth. We had been wanting to see her so when we had the opportuninty we took it.

When we arrived, Queen Elisabeth gave us a royal welcome. I was surprised at how vivacious she was. She smiled at us and her eyes sparkled as she talked to us.

My newest grand daughter is named Elisabeth, and her Uncle John Bridges has dubbed her Queen Elisabeth. She is definitely royalty to me. We refer to her sisters as Princesses. They love to dress up in their Princess gowns and pretend to be Disney Princesses.

The Princesses love their new baby sister a lot. They don't seem to mind that she is a Queen.

When I look at Queen Elisabeth she reminds me so much of the way her Mommy looked at that age. I just had to dig out some of the old photos from when her Mommy was a baby to compare.

circa 1979

circa 2011

I was honored that Queen Elisabeth took time from her busy schedule to spend with me. She even allowed me to have my picture taken with her. I will treasure it forever.

I am looking forward to my next visit with Queen Elisabeth. I will get to see her again in a week.

God Save The Queen

G Is For Glass Blowing

2011-02-28T21:52:00.002-06:00

It's time again for ABC Wednesday. If you aren't participating in ABC Wednesday, you are missing out on a lot of fun.

This week the letter is G. G is for glass blowing. In January, Gina and I took a trip to Lincoln City, Oregon for a reunion of her siblings. One of the things that we did while we were there was to visit The Jennifer Sears Glass Art Studio.

The glass blowing artists have some of their work on display in the studio. We met Kelly Howard, and she explained some of the process of producing these beautiful fish that are some of her signature pieces.

One of the things that the studio offers is the chance to blow your own glass. You can make a Float, Fluted Bowl, Paperweight, Starfish, Heart or Jumbo Float. They supply everything you need and have expert artists help you. You can get up close and personal with the process of creating Art Glass. Friendly instructors guide you through a creative process that has been handed down from generation to generation through the centuries. Gina wanted to experience blowing glass, and decided to make a sea float.

Her instructor was Andrew Kogle. He was right with her for each step and made sure everything was done correctly while letting her do as much of the process as possible.

To view a slideshow of Andrew helping a customer make a float click here.

Gina really enjoyed the experience of working with the glass, and the float that she created was beautiful. She was really proud of her float.

Here is some video of the glass blowing process starring Gina and Andrew.

The beautiful float is now displayed prominently in our entryway for everyone to see when they enter our home.

F Is For Folk Music

2011-02-19T07:00:00.016-06:00

It's time again for ABC Wednesday. If you aren't participating in ABC Wednesday, you are missing out on a lot of fun.

This week the letter is F. F is for folk music. I have always loved folk music. As a young kid in the 60's I grew up listening to Peter, Paul and Mary, The Kingston Trio, Trini Lopez, Judy Collins, Pete Seeger, Bob Dylan and Arlo Guthrie. Some of the earliest records that I owned were by The Wedgwood who were a Christian folk group. I still love to listen to their music. It takes me back to my childhood.

For those of you who have never heard The Wedgwood; here is the song, There's A Light, from their Country Church LP.

Over the last couple of years, my favorite folk music group has been 3 Penny Acre. Their name comes from the fact that the price of the Louisiana Purchase was three cents an acre. 3 Penny Acre is Bayard Blain, Bernice Hembree, and Bryan Hembree. They are all wonderful musicians, vocalists and songwriters. There sound is acoustic, and has been labled as Folk, Bluegrass, and Americana.

I first heard 3 Penny Acre when they came to Mena, Arkansas and gave a concert at The Ouachita Little Theater. I was curious about them because Bernice Hembree grew up here in Mena. I was blown away by how talented they were. Last fall I heard that they would be at the Ozark Folk Festival in Eureka Springs, Arkansas. We made plans to attend and were weren't disappointed. They put on an awesome show.

One of my favorite songs of theirs is the title track off of their new album Highway 71. Highway 71 runs through Mena, and my shop is located on the highway. When we first moved to Arkansas in 1981, Highway 71 still had one lane bridges and there was a popular bumper sticker that stated "Please pray for me; I drive Highway 71. Here is their performance of Highway 71 at The Ozark Folk Festival.

For the past few weeks 3 Penny Acre has been providing the music for the world premier of the play "Sundown Town" in Fayetteville, Arkansas. Sundown Town is a significant new addition to the American stage. When an African American drifter wanders into a rural North Arkansas town in the summer of 1918, a law prohibiting "strangers" after dark threatens to tear the tight-knit community apart. The play features more than a dozen bluegrass, folk and gospel songs. Sundown Town is an uncommon theatrical story of prejudice and redemption, persecution and hope.

This Sunday evening was the 3 Penny Acre Sundown Town Closing Concert. We were able to attend, and it was an incredible two plus hour concert. They played all of our favorites plus some new songs from Sundown Town, and from a new album they are working on that will have a Celtic influence. Here is video from the concert of the song, Ballad Of John Lambeth.

To close out the show, the band invited the cast of the play to sing "I'm Ready For The Times To Get Better" What a fun way to end the concert on such an upbeat note.

For more information on 3 Penny Acre, you can go to their website here.

Climbing For A Cause

2011-02-18T13:38:00.002-06:00

My wife and I have been involved in our local Relay For Life since its inception in 2007. My wife is the chairperson and I am the online chair and the accounting chair. American Cancer Society volunteers hold more than 5,000 Relay For Life events in the United States. There are also Relay For Life events held in 19 countries around the world. One of those countries is Australia.

One of the Australian Relay For Life stories that I recently came across was the story of Sharon Cohrs. Sharon and her husband are avid mountain climbers, and in 2007 they were preparing to climb Aconcagua, a 22,841 foot tall peak in South America, the highest mountain outside of Asia, when Sharon found a pea-sized lump in her left breast. After a biopsy and days of waiting, she learned she had breast cancer. “Instead of embarking on an amazing adventure with my husband doing what we love, I was undergoing surgery and chemotherapy treatment,” she says.

Sharon had climbed several soaring mountains in the past 4 years, but this time she was scaling a different kind of mountain. Taking “one step at a time,” she remained focused, positive, and determined to beat breast cancer.

Now she is “Climbing for a Cause” in an effort to raise $250,000 for cancer research and to bring awareness to the disease. With a goal of being the first breast cancer survivor in the world to reach the summit of Mount Everest, Sharon climbed Ama Dablam in Nepal in October 2009 and is climbing Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania and Cho Oyu in Nepal this year. When Sharon reaches the peak of each mountain, she showcases her Relay For Life pride by putting on her Relay shirt and taking a photo with her homemade banner saying, “Survivors can conquer mountains.”

Sharon’s story is an incredible message of hope. If you are a cancer survivor with a story to tell, will you share your story as well to motivate survivors worldwide to keep up the fight? Use this form to submit your message of hope and encouragement to cancer survivors across the globe, then encourage friends and family to do the same. Help us gather 1,000 messages of hope by the end of February! The more messages we have, the stronger our collective voice will be.

E Is For Epilepsy Awareness

2011-02-15T08:30:00.001-06:00

It's time again for ABC Wednesday. If you aren't participating in ABC Wednesday, you are missing out on a lot of fun.

This week the letter is E. E is for epilepsy awareness.

Epilepsy affects over 50 million people worldwide. That's more than multiple sclerosis, cerebral palsy, muscular dystrophy and Parkinson's disease combined.

When I was a boy I suffered from a mild form of epilepsy. I had episodes called petit mals. A petit mal seizure is the term commonly given to a staring spell, most commonly called an "absence seizure." It is a brief (usually less than 15 seconds) disturbance of brain function due to abnormal electrical activity in the brain. I had no idea that other people did not experience them. I could feel them coming on and knew to sit down or hold on to something for a few seconds.

MY SCHOOL PHOTO CIRCA 1967

The first time that my Mother witnessed one of my petit mals she was very scared. I guess that my eyes rolled back in my head. I knew that for those few seconds that I could not see, but did not know that my eyes rolled back. I didn't think that it was a big deal, but my Mom said I had to see the doctor as soon as possible. The doctors were able to control the petit mals with medication, and told me that I would most likely outgrow them by the time I was 20. Fortunately I did, and was taken off of the medication by the time I was 18 or 19.

Epilepsy is a medical condition that produces seizures affecting a variety of mental and physical functions. It’s also called a seizure disorder. When a person has two or more unprovoked seizures, they are considered to have epilepsy.

A seizure happens when a brief, strong surge of electrical activity affects part or all of the brain. One in 10 adults will have a seizure sometime during their life.

Seizures can last from a few seconds to a few minutes. They can have many symptoms, from convulsions and loss of consciousness to some that are not always recognized as seizures by the person experiencing them or by health care professionals: blank staring, lip smacking, or jerking movements of arms and legs.

One of the reasons for this Epilepsy Awareness post is because of my blog friend Michele over at Rocky Mountain Retreat Photography. Take a look at her blog and you will see some of the most outstanding photography you will find anywhere. I always enjoy her blog. Michele is an excellent photographer, but she battles epilepsy and suffers from tonic clonic (gran mal) seizures, a type that affects the whole brain.

Michele says that she has been suffering seizures since she was a young person. People with seizures often suffer more from the attitudes of those around them than from the seizures itself. Michele is in my prayers daily as she battles the seizures.

Please take the time to learn more about this condition that affects over 50 million people worldwide. Based on recent surveys, The Center For Disease Control estimates that nearly 2.5 million people in the United States have epilepsy, with 150,000 developing the condition each year.

One way to get involved is to participate in Purple Day. Purple Day was started in 2008, by nine-year-old Cassidy Megan of Nova Scotia, Canada. It is an international grassroots effort dedicated to increasing awareness about epilepsy worldwide. On March 26, people from around the globe are asked to wear purple and spread the word about epilepsy. You can learn more about Purple Day by going here.

CASSIDY MEGAN

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I am very involved in my local Relay For Life. You can view my Relay For Life Blog here.

What A Beautiful Day

2011-02-13T09:23:00.003-06:00

After a week of snow and record low temperatures, Saturday was an incredible day. With blue skies, sunshine, and a 60 degree temperature, It was a perfect day. My sister and her daughters are here visiting and we were able to spend the day with them.

We spent the day in Hot Springs, Arkansas. In the morning we attended church at the Hot Springs Seventh-day Adventist Church. We spent the afternoon at Garvin Woodland Gardens. Even though it is too early in the year for anything to be in bloom, the gardens were still beautiful and it was a great place to spend the day outdoors.

Although we have been to Garvin Woodland Gardens many times, today was the first time we were able to visit the Anthony Chapel that is located at the gardens. It is a very popular place to have a wedding, and is usually being used when we visit. It is a very beautiful chapel that gives you the feeling of worshiping outdoors.

On our way back home the sun was going down and the sunset was breathtaking. I stopped beside the road near Oden, Arkansas to take some photos. It was a perfectly beautiful ending to a beautiful day!

Tillie Scott

2011-02-11T10:09:00.010-06:00

Today I received a phone call from my friend, Neal Scott. He let me know that his wife, Tillie, had passed away last night.

A couple of years ago, in February 2009, I had received a call from Neal. At that time Tillie was recovering from heart surgery, and Neal had decided that he should move from the ends of the earth in eastern Oklahoma to a retirement community near Oklahoma City. He felt that they needed to be nearer their doctors, and emergency medical care. He had made arrangements for his son to come and help them move.

When Neal called me that Thursday, there was a sense of urgency in his voice. He said, "I hate to ask you this, but I didn't know who else to ask. I feel strongly that I need to get Tillie to the retirement village this weekend. She has had a small stroke, and the doctors say you never know if there will be another one. My son won't be able to come for few weeks. Would you be able to help us move this weekend."

I told Neal that we would be over Sunday morning to help them move. Daddy and I got up early Sunday morning and were at Neal's place before 8 o'clock. When we looked at what needed to be moved and then looked at my pickup we began to wonder if we could get it all on. I knew that if anyone could it would be my Daddy.

DADDY TYING THE LOAD SECURELY

We were able to put in my little S-10 pickup, 2 beds, a large dresser, bedding, chairs, clothes, kitchen appliances, and a microwave. We were also able to find places for a number of cases of canned food they had. We definitely looked like Okie's and Arkie's. It made me think of the Grapes of Wrath or maybe the Beverly Hillbillies. As we left for the 200 mile trip to the retirement village, we had to stop at the first gas station with air to pump up the tires on my little truck. There was way more weight on the truck than it was designed for. We took it easy on the trip over, because the 4 cylinder engine had a hard time going more that 55 mph. As we drove, Neal kept me entertained with the story of how he and Tillie met, and the early years at La Vida Mission.

AT A REST STOP ALONG I-40

After about 4 hours we pulled into the Summit Ridge Retirement Village. Neal and Tillie were moving into a small but nice 1 bedroom apartment. Even though they wouldn't have the room they were used to and the wide open spaces, they would be so much safer with people nearby to help if there was a medical emergency. There was a beautiful church right across the street from their apartment.

NEAL UNLOADING THE PICKUP AT THE APARTMENT

The next morning, Neal and Tillie were going to drive into town to get some things at the grocery store. Before they had gone far they turned around and went back to the apartment because the roads were icing up. Before long they were completely iced in.

ICE STORM

I was so thankful that Neal and Tillie were in a safe place where help was available if they needed it. Their place out in the woods was completely iced in, and there would have been no way to get help if they needed it. I think that God nudged Neal that Thursday and impressed him that he needed to be in a safe place before the ice storm hit. I believe that God is concerned with every detail of our lives, and that if we listen he will guide us. It was great to be able to help old friends and to feel that they had the security of being in a safe place.

Summit Ridge proved to be an excellent place for Neal and Tillie to live. Over the past two years Tillie has suffered from several strokes, but with help and medical facilities close by her time with Neal was extended. She fought a good fight, but finally last night her fight ended.

I have known Neal and Tillie for over 10 years. They moved to this area after he retired. He bought acreage in the middle of nowhere, Oklahoma where he and his family built a house. Neal would have been a great homesteader, as he is very self sufficient. He actually went to New Mexico as a young man to try and claim a homestead. He didn't get the homestead, but he did find Tillie. He and Tillie were instrumental in starting La Vida Mission for the Navajo people of northwestern New Mexico.

The property of La Vida Mission was once an abandoned trading post. In this one-room trading post, the little mission was born. School was held for six students in the crumbling, mice-infested building by Neal and Tillie, who lived in the school building with their two tiny sons, Steven and Tom. Each day Tillie drove the rutted reservation roads to pick up her students, then returned them to their hogans at the end of the day.

In December 1962 Tillie wrote, "Up on the bluff on the Mission grounds a road is taking shape, a 600- ft. well has been dug, and a pump installed. A 24x88-ft. two-room school building is being built according to specifications, with the foundation, floor and plumbing already finished.

"We here at the Mission so wanted a school this year that we relinquished our bedroom for the purpose. To date, we have nine students all busy learning English. Six are starting from scratch. We travel 35 miles daily to get these nine boys and girls. We could get many more, but our funds do not cover the expense of the gas required to traverse such distances, nor does our vehicle have what it takes to navigate these twisting, rutted, sandy-in-spots and muddy-at-times roads."

Neal and Tillie started their married life with a passion for missions and decided that they would follow wherever God led them. During over 40 years of ministry they worked in many places including Jamaica, Mexico and Africa. Neal was a printer by trade, and he managed printing presses in many places. Tillie was a school teacher and always found ways to help others wherever they were. She always had a special place in her heart for kids, from those Navajo Indians at La Vida Mission where her mission work started to the kids of Africa. Her and Neal adopted two children from Africa and brought them back to the U.S. when they retired.

Even in retirement Neal still had a passion for missions and helping others. He was a local volunteer fireman and helped those in his community however he could. He spent several months after Hurricane Katrina helping in a relief distribution warehouse in south Louisiana.

I know that Tillie spent her life dedicated to God and because of that her focus was always helping others. So many lives were better because Tillie was there for them. I am confident that because of the way she lived her life for others and her close relationship with God that Tillie will be in Heaven. I hope to be able to see her there. I hope that the circle will be unbroken.

D Is For Dam

2011-02-08T09:07:00.001-06:00

It's time again for ABC Wednesday. If you aren't participating in ABC Wednesday, you are missing out on a lot of fun.

This week the letter is D. D is for Dam, as in the old stone dam right here in Mena.

I like to hike back to this old stone dam that is not far from town. I first found the dam in August 2006 through Geocaching. There was a cache listed that was called The CCC DAM BOMBER TRAIL cache. I had a hard time figuring out how to get to this cache, and even though I made it I did everything wrong. I found an old cowpath through the brush that took me to the bottom of the dam on Ward Lake. I climbed the dam and bushwacked through the bottom of Ward Lake as it was dry. I found my way up the creek bed and eventually came to the bottom of the CCC Dam. I had to climb the dam to get to the cache. Once I made it to the dam, I realized that there was a trail, and I took it out to the road.

GINA ON THE DAM

The dam was built in the 1930's by the Civilian Conservation Corps. The CCC was a work relief program for young men from unemployed families, established on March 21, 1933, by U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt. As part of Roosevelt's New Deal legislation, it was designed to combat unemployment during the Great Depression. The CCC became one of the most popular New Deal programs among the general public and operated in every U.S. state.

During its nine-year existence the CCC enlisted nearly 3 million single men between the ages of seventeen and twenty-five to work at erosion control, fire prevention, land reclamation, and pest eradication. For their service, enrollees received $30 monthly, $25 of which they were required to send home to their families.

In Arkansas, the CCC erected 446 buildings, constructed 6,500 miles of road, built eight dams, laid 250 miles of fence, erected 86 lookout towers in forests, planted 19.4 million trees and strung 8,600 miles of telephone line. They also built cabins, pavilions, bridges and trails in Arkansas’ state parks.

VIEW FROM BELOW THE DAM

Every time that I reach the dam I am amazed by it . It looks like an archeological site. The trail is almost never used, so there is absolutely no indication of people having been there. Every time I see it I feel like I have discovered it again.

GINA AND I ON THE DAM TRAIL

Follow Me

2011-02-06T08:07:00.013-06:00

Saturday October 22, 2005 was a blustery day in Placencia, Belize. Although the sea was fairly rough, at approximately ten that morning ten tourists left for South Silk Caye which is located some twenty miles east. About an hour and a half later the boat arrived at the caye. Owner of Advance Diving, Vance Cabral, stayed on the island with six snorkelers while dive master Henry “Bee Bee” Tucker left with four scuba divers for Gladden Spit.

When the time came for the boat to return to South Silk Caye and pick up the snorkelers, the boat wasn’t there. With the help of binoculars, Vance Cabral the snorkel guide noticed that the boat appeared to be having engine problems and had started to drift out to the open sea.

SOUTH SILK CAYE, BELIZE, CENTRAL AMERICA

Dive master Henry "Bee Bee" Tucker was to take the four Scuba divers to a site near Gladden Spit. But halfway to the site, the boat experienced engine problems. As Tucker tried to repair the engine, the boat began to drift. The anchor was thrown overboard, but was either faulty, or broken. The on board radio was tried, but it wasn’t working. Tucker’s asked his passengers to stay on board, but they decided to leave their scuba gear on and attempt to swim toward Silk Caye which was still visible from the boat about four miles away. Dive master Tucker told the divers that the authorities would come looking for them. Although the dive master strongly advised against it, the divers decided to try to swim to shore instead. The four divers jumped into the water dressed in their Scuba gear and started swimming for South Silk Caye.

The divers were American tourists twenty-eight year old Abigail Brinkman, thirty-eight year old Nancy Masters, fifty year old John Bain, and thirty-four year old Yutaka Mayeda, a visitor from Japan.

Around three in the afternoon, Vance Cabral, who was in charge of the snorkelers left them on South Silk Caye and swam the four miles to Little Water Caye to call the police. By the time a rescue effort could be started it was night. At daybreak Sunday morning planes started searching for the missing boat and divers. By the time the boat was found there was no sign of the divers.

ABIGAIL BRINKMAN

It was late Monday afternoon before a rescue plane spotted Nancy Masters, and within the hour all four Scuba divers were pulled from the water. Unfortunately twenty-eight year old Abigail Brinkman wasn’t alive when she was found. Those who survived were suffering from dehydration, salt water intake, and severe sunburn. It is a sad story with such an unpleasant ending.

How is your Christian experience? Are you a do it yourself kind of Christian? Are you ever tempted to swim for safety? We know we are in trouble. Just like the divers on the boat we see ourselves in a bad situation. Often we feel that we have the ability to overcome the situation on our own.

What does the Bible say is the only way we can reach safety? Psalms 4:8 tells us, “ I fall asleep in peace the moment I lie down because you alone, O LORD, enable me to live in safety”. Acts 4:11-12 says, “ For Jesus is the one referred to in the Scriptures, where it says, ‘The stone that you builders rejected has now become the cornerstone.’ There is salvation in no one else! There is no other name in all of heaven for people to call on to save them.”

There is only safety, that is salvation, in Jesus. Many people look to other places for salvation such as their church, their pastor, a TV evangelist, an author, their own knowledge of the Bible, or their own morality; but the Bible says that only Jesus can save us.

The question “What must I do to be saved” is a very important question. If you get the wrong answer you will be lost. The divers in Belize decided that what they had to do to be saved was swim for it instead of listening to their dive master.

In Matthew 19 we have the story of someone who asked this important question. Someone came to Jesus and asked, “Teacher what good things must I do to have eternal life”. Jesus answered, “You can receive eternal life if you keep the commandments”. “I’ve obeyed all these commandments,” the young man replied. “What else must I do?” Jesus told him, “If you want to be perfect, go and sell all you have and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” But when the young man heard this, he went sadly away because he had many possessions.

Like the divers in the boat, this man decided to do things his own way. He didn’t have enough confidence in Jesus to follow him. All Jesus asked of his disciples was that they follow him. When he met Peter and Andrew, James and John he said “follow me”. When Jesus met Matthew he said” follow me”. When Jesus met Phillip he said “follow me”.

Jesus is calling to you today. In Luke 9:23 He says, “If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me”.

Let It Snow

2011-02-05T07:44:00.002-06:00

Oh the weather outside is frightful,
But the fire is so delightful,
And since we've no place to go,
Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!

The forecast for Friday, February 4th was innocent enough. A few snow flurries early in the morning with accumulations from one half to one inch; High temperature 38 degrees. The forecasters missed just a little bit. In the Mena area snowfall totals ranged from 4 and a half to eight inches. We received a little more that five inches here at the house.

My little shop truck had a hard time with the roads. I thought I wouldn't even be able to get out of my driveway, but after numerous attempts I finally made it. I went in to work, but didn't have a single customer all day. I took some photos of our old cars in the snow.

After finishing the job that I had inside my shop building I decided to take off early. I took my nieces playing in the snow. We had a great time but Brooke, the standard poodle that we are dogsitting, had the best time of all.

Just down the hill behind our house is Prairie Creek. We took our walk down to the creek and let Brooke run and play in the meadow by the creek. Prairie Creek is always beautiful, but there was a very special beauty with all of the snow.

I put a few video clips together to make a short movie of our snow day.

Longmont, Colorado

2011-02-03T16:13:00.003-06:00

Growing up, I attended school at the Longmont, Colorado SDA Elementary School from first though eighth grade. The school was a two room school with the first through fourth grades in one room and the fifth through eighth grades in another. Here is a photo of the upper grades taken during my sixth grade year. I am in the farthest corner just barely visible.

Here is my school photo from that year. It must have been taken at the beginning of the school year as I am still sporting my "summer" haircut.

We never lived in Longmont, but did our shopping there. One of the things that I remember about Longmont was the Great Western Sugar Factory. On our drive from Frederick, and later after we moved, Erie, I could always tell we were getting close to Longmont when I could see the gleaming white silos of the Sugar Factory. The factory was the first thing you would see if you were coming into Longmont from the east.

The Sugar Beet industry was a major force all along the front range of Colorado from the turn of the century up until the late 70's and early 80's. Why did beet sugar in Colorado mostly fade away? The common reasons I've read are competition from cheaper cane sugar abroad, and other sweeteners such as corn syrup. My first job out of high school was working for Dalton Truck Sales near Longmont. They specialized in taking old 2 ton trucks and refurbishing them fitting them with special made Sugar Beet Boxes to haul sugar beets to the factories. These trucks were only used for the harvest season, but were needed to haul the beets. I have painted many sugar beet trucks similar to the one in this photo.

My favorite place in Longmont was the Public Library. During the time I was in school I read just about every book in the kids section of the library. I still remember being disappointed that I was only allowed to check out three books at a time. I also didn't understand why I couldn't check out books from the adult section on my kids library card. I would take my three books home and have them read in a day or two and then begged my Mama to take me back to the library. I kept a flashlight handy for reading after I was supposed to be asleep. The Longmont Public Library was my access to knowledge.

As I got older I loved shopping at the Woolworths Store. There is just something about a Woolworths. One of my favorite singers, Nanci Griffith, wrote a song about Woolworths titled "Love at the Five and Dime". She tells the story of growing up in Austin, Texas and changing buses in front of the Woolworths store. she said that she had just enough time get a vanilla Coke, dig through the record bin, wink at the boys and get back on the bus. My favorite thing to do at Woolworths was digging through the discount record bin. As a kid Woolworths was the only place where I had access to music. I have a large and eclectic music collection and I can say that it all started at Woolworths.

There are so many memories that I have of those years of going to school in Longmont. The Dairy Queen and A&W Root Beer Stand were favorite places for a special treat. We shopped at Ranch Wholesale Supply and The Corner Pantry. Our bank was First National Bank, and they always gave a little box of gum with two Chiclets inside to each of the kids in the car.

Longmont will always hold fond memories of my childhood. The last time I was able to go back and look around was in 2009. The town is no longer the sleepy little town that it was when I was going to school there. It has grown exponentially. While we were there I went by the old school grounds. The building that I went to school in is still there, and really hasn't changes much except there is now a gymnasium attached at the back of the building. I would hate that, because I remember spending a lot of time looking out the full wall of windows that lined the back of the school and daydreaming.

C Is For Coast

2011-01-31T15:52:00.003-06:00

It's time again for ABC Wednesday. If you aren't participating in ABC Wednesday, you are missing out on a lot of fun.

This week the letter is C. Recently my wife and I took a trip to the Oregon Coast for a family reunion. We flew out of Tulsa, Oklahoma in an ice storm. Our plane was late taking off and we had to jog through the airport in Denver to make our connecting flight. We just made it on the plane, but our suitcases didn't. The rest of the flight to Portland was uneventful.

It had been more than 10 years since I had visited the Northwest and the Oregon Coast. Although we had one very rainy day while we were there, the weather was lovely and we had one day of absolutely perfect weather with beautiful blue skies. We spent the day visiting Depoe Bay and the Yaquina Head Lighthouse.

DEPOE BAY, OREGON

YAQUINA HEAD LIGHTHOUSE

COBBLE BEACH

On Friday even though the weather was bad we had a great time. The stormy weather made the ocean very turbulent and it was great watching the waves splash at the spouting horns in Depoe Bay.

SPOUTING HORNS - DEPOE BAY, OREGON

Because of the wet weather we decided that it would be a good day to visit the Oregon Coast Aquarium in Newport. The aquarium is excellent and we had a great time there.

JELLYFISH

SHARK TANK

FEEDING THE SHARKS

TIDE POOLS

Every morning I enjoyed walking along the beach as the sun rose. Our condo that was so graciously provided for us by the Boyds had beach access. I love the sights and sounds of the ocean.

FOOTPRINTS ON THE BEACH

WAVES AS THE SUN COMES UP

EARLY MORNING MOON OVER THE OCEAN

The only thing more beautiful than the beach and waves rolling in first thing in the morning is seeing the beautiful sunsets over the ocean as the sun is going down.

THE BEACH AT SUNSET

We had a wonderful time for the four days we were able to spend on the Oregon coast. My wife and I both love the ocean. The family reunion was lovely and we enjoyed visiting with everyone. Everyone we met made us feel welcome; well almost everyone.

TOURIST SEASON

Here is a video montage of our trip to the Oregon Coast. The music is Take Me Away by Helen Austin. You can check out her music here.

Body Armor

2011-01-28T21:09:00.008-06:00

How many Bibles do you own? I did a quick inventory at my house and counted over 50. I love to collect Bibles.

There are eight billion Bibles in the world. That's more than one for each person on the earth. This does not include digital versions of the Bible on computers, ebook readers and iPhones. Over 190,000 Bibles are sold or given away every day. But despite all that, according to a Christianity Today survey, less than 10% of professed Christians regularly read their Bible. What that basically means is that we as Christians are biblically illiterate.

In Ephesians 6:11-13 Paul writes, “Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.”

If we are in a battle like this armor is important. No soldier would want to go into battle without armor. There has been a lot of controversy surrounding the body armor provided to U.S. troops. A January 3, 2011 Inspector General Report is the fourth report in less than three years criticizing the body armor program. It is an important issue because we want our troops to have the best armor available. We as Christians also need to make sure that we have the best armor available when we go into battle against the Devil. What armor is available to us?

Ephesians 6:14-17 tells us, “Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.”

Notice that there are five defensive items listed, but also listed as armor is an offensive weapon; The Sword of the Spirit. A soldier might rely on his body armor, but he must have a weapon to do battle.

Jesus is our example when it comes to Christian Warfare. I’m sure you remember the story of Jesus being tempted by Satan in the wilderness.

We read the story in Luke 4:3-8 “And the devil said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, command this stone to become bread.” But Jesus answered him, saying, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God.’” Then the devil, taking Him up on a high mountain, showed Him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. And the devil said to Him, “All this authority I will give You, and their glory; for this has been delivered to me, and I give it to whomever I wish. Therefore, if You will worship before me, all will be Yours.” And Jesus answered and said to him, “Get behind Me, Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only you shall serve.’

Jesus used the sword by saying “It is written”. This is our example of how to use the offensive weapon, the Word of God, in battle. To be able to use this weapon, we must place it in our memory. I can’t use the physical book as a weapon; I can only use the wisdom it contains.

The Bible is the only weapon that a Christian has at his disposal, and yet ninety percent of Christians don’t regularly read it. Can you imagine an army going into battle with only ten percent of the soldiers carrying a weapon? Can you imagine the outcome?

The Bible contains God's living water and we live in a world that is dehydrated. We need to keep ourselves hydrated and you can't get a drink just once a week and stay hydrated.

I hope you will join with me in resolving to spend more time with the Word of God. Don’t go into battle without your weapon.

B Is For Belize

2011-01-25T10:34:00.002-06:00

It's time again for ABC Wednesday. If you aren't participating in ABC Wednesday, you are missing out on a lot of fun.

This week the letter is B. My favorite place to visit is Belize. Belize is a small country in Central America. In February 2004, 17 members of my church raised 20,000 dollars and went to San Pedro, Belize in Central America to build a church. While we were there we made lots of friends. We were only in San Pedro for a short time, but by the time we left the walls of the church were finished. During the following months, the church members in San Pedro finished the church building. Below are photos of the completed church.

NEW HORIZON SDA CHAPEL

BICYCLES AT CHURCH

NEW HORIZON SDA SCHOOLROOM

During our stay in Belize we learned to love the people, the culture, and the natural beauty. We have returned three times since our first trip, and we have had friends from Belize come visit us in Arkansas. We have made so many friends while in San Pedro. You can read the story of our friendship with the Amaya family here.

ANGEL AMAYA

On our first trip to Belize, my wife and little Jeffery formed a special bond almost immediately. She held him through church. She played with him on the beach. Jeffery's Mom and Dad helped with the construction of the chapel, so we spent time together. Whenever Jeffery was where my wife was, he wanted to be with her. We stay in touch with Jeffery and his family. We recieved a phone call from them just a couple of weeks ago. The story of little Jeffery is here.

JEFFERY AND HIS MOM

During our visits to San Pedro, we have become good friends with Rigoberto Roches and his wife Shirley. They are wonderful friends who have invited us into there home. During the summer of 2008 they came to visit us in Arkansas. The story of their visit was published in our church paper. You can read it here.

MY DEAR FRIEND RIGOBERTO

One of our favorite things to do when we visit Belize is to go snorkeling. Belize has the second longest barrier reef in the world. Inside the reef, the waters are shallow and calm, and the amount of wildlife is amazing. Besides many kinds of fish and coral, there are stingrays and sharks. One of the tour guides that we made friends with was Eddie. He likes to play with the sharks, and had my wife Gina help him bring this one to the surface for a photo opp.

GINA AND EDDIE HOLD A SHARK

Belize is a beautiful and interesting place to visit. If you are a scuba diver, it is one of the premier diving locations in the world. I loved getting up every morning to photograph the sunrise. There just happened to be some fisherman out on the water as I was taking this shot. It is one of my favorite photos from Belize.

FISHERMAN SUNRISE

Every morning I was in San Pedro I would walk through the town taking photos. Here is a slideshow of San Pedro coming to life set to the song "Good Mawnin Belize".

Crazy Japanese Microvans

2011-01-19T14:04:00.002-06:00

I ran across these photos over at the blog A Time To Get. They really grabbed my attention as I had never seen anything like these. They are awesome, I would love to have one. Dream Factory Blow takes the stock micro vans that cram the streets of Japan, and turns them into custom creations styled after iconic American vans of the 1970s.

The creators of these vans get an A+ in my book for originality and gosh darn cuteness