An Arkies Musings

My An Arkie's Faith column from the March 28, 2018, issue of The Mena Star. Last month as we were driving our Kia, the engine stumbled momentarily, and the tachometer dropped to zero. The Kia continued to run, but with limited power. We continued on our way but found that once we stopped the Kia and restarted it, the tachometer worked again and the engine had full power. We were traveling for several hours that day, and the Kia stumbled several more times. Each time we just had to stop and restart the engine for the Kia to operate properly again. When we returned home, I had the trouble codes scanned and found that the code for a faulty crankshaft position sensor was present. As I researched the problem I was having, I found that many Kia owners had experienced the same problem. I decided to replace the crankshaft position sensor myself. I ordered a new sensor from a local auto parts store and installed it. When I finished installing the sensor, the car wouldn’t start. It ...

When Daddy was going through Momma's things after she passed away, he found a notebook where she had written some memories. The first page had the heading, Bonsal, CA. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Dot and I went to the neighbors. When we were called, we didn’t go home right away. Daddy came after us. I ran ahead, and Daddy spanked Dot’s legs all the way home. One day I slammed the door, and Mommy made me sit and wait for Daddy to get home and punish me. I was told if I was unhappy at home I could leave. I walked down the road a ways but came back and stood outside the door. I asked my mother what I would eat and what I would wear and where would I sleep. She told me that would be my problem, so I decided that home was the place to stay. Daddy worked on a fruit ranch, so we had all of the oranges we could eat. The doctor had to limit me on how many oranges I should eat a day. 

My An Arkie's Faith column from the March 21, 2018, issue of The Mena Star. Washington, Arkansas is a peaceful tree-shaded town and one of the most amazing historic places in Arkansas. The old town still looks like the 19th century with plank board sidewalks and streets that have never been paved. Most of the town is now a part of Historic Washington State Park. It is commonly referred to as Old Washington. In the State Park, there are over thirty restored historic structures including the oldest building in Arkansas built of hand-hewn timber. From its establishment in 1826, Washington was an important stop for pioneers traveling to Texas. Frontiersmen James Bowie, Sam Houston, and Davy Crockett all traveled through Washington on their way to the Alamo. Houston planned parts of the revolt strategy in a tavern in Washington during 1834.  James Black, a local blacksmith, is credited with creating the legendary Bowie knife carried by Jim Bowie at his blacksmith shop in Washingt...

My An Arkie's Faith column from the March 14, 2018, issue of The Mena Star. My wife and I were spending the weekend in Branson, Missouri the weekend that the musical Samson opened at the Sight and Sound Theater. We purchased tickets and made plans to attend. Sight and Sound is a 2,000-seat, state-of-the-art theater featured a 300-foot panoramic stage that wraps around the audience, with sets four stories tall. It is a spectacular place to see a show. I was a bit apprehensive about the show. How would they treat the story of Samson? They could be true to the biblical narrative and still have a production filled with sex and violence. What would their focus be? In the brochure about the play, I read: “Samson literally will bring down the house. But for all the spectacle, Samson is first a story of hope. It’s for the wayward and weary—or those who know and love them.” I settled into my seat and waited for the production to begin. The story of Samson is one of those storie...

One night a house caught fire and a young boy was forced to flee to the roof. A fireman stood on the ground below with outstretched arms, calling to the boy, "Jump! I'll catch you." He knew the boy had to jump to save his life. All the boy could see, however, was flame, smoke, and blackness. As you can imagine, he was afraid to leave the roof. The fireman kept yelling: "Jump! I will catch you." But the boy protested, “I can't see you." The fireman replied, "But I can see you, and that's all that matters." In life, each one of us finds ourselves in the same situation as the young boy on the roof.  We will be destroyed unless we do something.  If we stay in our current situation, we will be destroyed by fire.  The biggest question in our lives is, what must I do to be saved. In the little boy’s situation, the answer was; jump. What is the answer in your life? Let’s start by looking at a story in the life of Paul.  Paul and Silas ha...

My An Arkie's Faith column from the March 7, 2018, issue of The Mena Star. As I drove into the driveway of my shop, my heart sank. The roof of our pole barn that we use for storage was a twisted mass if tin. The storms that night had severely damaged the roof, and the heavy rains had soaked everything inside the building. For the past month, it seemed that there had been one disaster after another in our lives.  Because of the heavy rains that our area was experiencing, it was a week before we were able to repair the roof. When we were able to repair the roof, we discovered that over the years the roof had been leaking and the wood had rotted. When the storm came, the weakened wood wasn’t able to withstand the high winds. Besides repairing the roof, we had to replace the rotten wood. I think sometimes our spiritual life can have leaks. I know mine can. When I am focused on what can go wrong more often than what can go right; those thoughts are not from God. Those...