An Arkies Musings

My An Arkie's Faith column from the January 29, 2020, issue of The Mena Star My wife and I enjoy visiting the Oregon coast. We have family that lives in the Pacific Northwest and we have spent a lot of time in the area. There is so much natural beauty and history that we always find something new and interesting to do in the area. On one trip a few years ago, my wife and I visited Fort Stevens State Park. The original fort was completed in 1865. Its purpose was to protect the mouth of the Columbia River from Confederate gunboats and the British Navy during the Civil War. The fort was named after Civil War general and former Washington Territory governor, Isaac Stevens, who died in 1862 at the Battle of Chantilly. Fort Stevens was used for 84 years, closing at the end of World War II. Today, it is a 3,700-acre state park. There is a visitor’s center that tells the history of the fort. We enjoyed the visitor's center and the informative film that we saw there. ...

An Arkie's Faith column from the January 23, 2020, issue of The Mena Star. What is your favorite season? I've always been a big fan of spring. There is nothing like the anticipation of springtime after three long months of winter. Crisp air, budding trees, greening grass, and blooming flowers make spring an amazing time. I have never liked winter. Short days and cold weather put me in a bad mood. My favorite thing about winter is that it signals that spring is on the way. Even though winter isn’t my favorite time of the year, I find that winter can be beautiful. A fresh snowfall makes any landscape delightful. What is under the snow might be ugly, but the snow hides any blemishes and makes everything pure and white. God does the same thing with each of us. We may have a sordid past. We may not be currently living as we should. But God longs for us to ask for forgiveness so that he can cover our sins. “Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord: though your sins...

An Arkie's Faith column from the January 16, 2020, issue of The Mena Star. Bob and Leo stood in front of their shop, watching the sunset, as it spread across the western sky. The yellow ball of fire changed to hues of red blended with oranges, purples, and crimsons. The workday was over and the business they owned, Tri-Town-Service, was closed for the day. But the workday seemed never to be over. They were getting into their 1953 Studebaker pickup and heading from Frederick to Denver. They had vehicles that they needed to bring home. Each month Bob and Leo attended the Denver Police impound auction. The City of Denver would auction off impounded vehicles. They sold the vehicles in lots of twenty, with the high bidder buying all twenty vehicles. All the vehicles purchased had to be removed from the impound lot before the next sale. Bob and Leo had quite a few cars that they needed to get back to the shop, but the only time they could do it was after they had closed for the da...

An Arkie's Faith column from the January 9, 2020, issue of The Mena Star. The little red-haired girl crept to the back of the hallway and sat with her back against the door of the linen closet. The soaring music of the movie had started, and the story scrolled up the screen of the 19-inch Zenith television. A tiny silver spacecraft races through space while being pursued by a giant destroyer. The little red-haired girl knows what is coming next, and felt safer sitting at the back of the hallway than she did in the living room. On the screen, an explosion rocks the tiny spaceship, and two robots struggle to make their way down the corridor. Soldiers race past the robots and take their positions. Suddenly a blast blows a huge hole in the passageway, and dozens of stormtroopers in imposing white spacesuits pour into the tiny ship with a blaze of laser fire. Even if you aren’t a Star Wars fan, you probably are familiar with the image of the stormtroopers. While the little...

An Arkie's Faith column from the January 2, 2020, issue of The Mena Star. The young man stood at the counter, ordering a gallon of paint. “I need a gallon of synthetic enamel for a 1971 Oldsmobile,” he said to the man behind the counter. “It is brown, and the paint code is 68.” “I will get that mixed and bring it to your shop this afternoon, is there anything else that you need?” “Give me a sleeve of 220 grit wet or dry sandpaper.” “Let me get that from the back.” “And get me five gallons of lacquer thinner,” the young man hollered. The counterman came out carrying the heavy bucket of thinner and set it down along with the sandpaper. Then going back behind the counter, he reached into a box on the floor and took out a can of black-eyed peas. Handing the can to the young man, he said, “Happy New Year.” “Thank you,” said the young man with a puzzled look in his face. He carried the thinner, sandpaper, and can of black-eyed peas to his car. He took the can home to h...