Thankful for that old country church

I am convinced that I was the only kid around who never saw “The Wizard of Oz” in its entirety as I was growing up.

Back in the 60's, that classic film was always on TV on Sunday night. It either came on before I went to church or started so that I saw the end after I got back home. I pieced it together enough that I knew the story, but I never saw it in one sitting until I watched with my oldest child 20 years later.

And for not seeing all of a movie classic, I am thankful. I'm much more thankful now, than I was then.

I am thankful for Corinth Christian Church and the influence it has had on me. Call me old-fashioned, I will wear that badge of my heritage with honor.

If you have never seen that house of worship, it comes up on you kind of quickly. You can be driving either way along Alton Station Road with nothing much around other than the cattle grazing when all of a sudden you see this large building that sits on a small hill. Some of my friends used to joke it was kind of like Emerald City.

But that was not the church.

The church was Mrs. Eudenia, as I called her. Fifty years later, I can still see her entering my pre-school classroom, her red hair never having one strand out of place. At the time, she was a widow, but when she remarried, her husband, Buford, always looked me up after church to talk about the Cincinnati Reds, playing the guitar or to tell me about the fish he'd caught that week. It stayed that way until the day he drew his last breath.

That wonderful church was Mrs. Mary. I can't say I remember a lot about that class of six- to eight-year-olds other than Mrs. Mary got after me one Sunday morning for making fun of one of the other children in the class. Yet, she did so with such grace, it has stayed with me over 40 years.

Who can't be thankful for Imogene? This incredible lady taught kids 9-11 as long as I can remember, encouraging us to just be in church. She encouraged to take part in camp. And, with a simple wisdom she made me think. “What do you do when you want to watch one thing on TV and someone else in your house wants to watch something else,” she asked one Sunday. In a time when most had a single set, often just a black-and-white job, it was an effective way of emphasizing the idea of putting others before yourself.

I think of Gene, the guy who led the teenagers. He'd cut up with us. Never mind that he was kinfolk, I thought he was just cool. The reasons? He sang in a gospel quartet and wore boots. And he cared. At the time, I didn't realize how much he really did care about each of us and even today, I can't put my finger on it. It's just one of those things you know is true.

I am thankful for those preachers – Melvin Styons, Lowell Thornton and Nelson Lee – all of whom helped shape my thinking. None of them were from Kentucky, so they put up with our countless Wildcat basketball jokes. Most importantly they taught the Bible with a passion.

I am thankful for those summer nights when we'd pack that church building with the only air conditioning being open windows and fans from Gordon Funeral Home. Some out-of-town quartet would bring “special music” – I thought the Mel-o-Tones were cool because they had a guy who could flat pick an electric guitar – and a visiting preacher would keep going until he felt like stopping.

Twenty minutes? Are you kidding? That was just the warmup.

And I am thankful for those all day singings and dinner on the ground – or was it all day dinner and singing on the ground?

I'm thankful for all of those people who drove down to the Salt River and turned their cars so the lights would shine to that place along the bank where I was baptized that night in 1969.

Many of those folk have passed on to a wonderful reward. Yet their legacy lives on.

Most of all, I am thankful that my mom and dad made me attend -- yes, there were times they MADE me attend --  that wonderful country church.

Even if it meant missing The Wizard of Oz.

Living in harmony with God's will

I was sitting in the Big Barn at Renfro Valley, Ky., earlier this year when two thoughts about God's blessings almost simultaneously overwhelmed me.

My family was taking in a concert by the Oak Ridge Boys for the first time in several years. The break was simply because I had lost much of my hearing 20 years ago and, as much as I had loved listening to the Oaks before then, I had never justified spending money on tickets for something I did not think I would be able to enjoy.

I had undergone cochlear implant surgery in 2003, but that did not help much when it came to music. However, when I received a second implant, making my hearing binaural, in 2010, I started seeing vast improvements in understanding and hearing music. I had even purchased a few CDs and had been to a solo concert by another favorite, gospel singer Guy Penrod.

Sitting about 10 rows from the stage, I began to hear Joe, Duane, William Lee and Richard in that incredible four-part harmony that I had grown to love even as a 1970s teen. I was amazed at the technology that had been developed that not only simply allowed me to understand speech, but had taken things much deeper. I can enjoy the music I cherish and can honestly tell my daughter, who is learning to play the clarinet, “Hey, that sounds good!”

The next day, I sent an e-mail to my audiologist at the University of Kentucky, telling her, “You won't believe this, but I could actually pick out all four parts they were singing!”

As Jerry Clower used to say, “Ain't God good!!”

During the middle of the show, the Oaks sang a spine-chilling a capella version of the old hymn, “Farther Along.”

Farther along, we'll know all about it

Farther along, we'll understand why

Cheer up, my brother, live in the sunshine

We'll understand it, all by and by.

It was vintage Oaks, singing in harmony about living in harmony with God's will

(I became a huge fan of the Oaks when a friend let me listen to their “Light” album in the summer of 1973. Not long after that, I saw them in concert at Lafayette High School in Lexington, Ky. The crowd was probably less than 150 people, but man, what an afternoon of gospel music. I ran across this YouTube video of how they sounded – and looked – singing one of my favorite gospel songs. Love the sport coats!  The band has completely changed, but the singers are the same, except Joe Bonsall has replaced Willie Wynn on tenor. Enjoy. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=60GJgTSiKtA )

Now, back to the main thought.

I believe it is important live in harmony in at least four areas: Self, family, others and, most importantly, God.

Too many people do not live in harmony with themselves. They wander along aimlessly, searching for answers in life, often miserable even when successful in the world’s eyes. I am often amazed at how often people think money, things or power will bring happiness. It just doesn’t happen.

Family values are constantly under attack today on many fronts. Divorce is rampant. I know, I have been through it and been through the pain. Many families that stay together do so despite dysfunction or chaos. That can’t be what God intended for us.

Being civil in our world is almost a forgotten virtue, it seems. Try driving in any major city at rush hour if you disagree!

I could go on and on but the answer to living in harmony with ourselves and with others is to live in harmony with God.  Psalm 139:14 says “I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.”  When we understand and act upon the fact that we are a wonderful creation of God with a purpose to serve Him, we can start living as He intends.

When we put God first in our families, such as what is written in Ephesians 5 “Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything. Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her” we can have the kind of home life we are intended to have.

The same holds true with our relationships with each other. In Matthew 22, Jesus says the first commandment is to love God with all our heart, mind and soul and the second is to ‘'Love your neighbor as yourself.”

We are all imperfect people and fall short of what God intends.  Living in harmony can only come when we realize it is by God’s Amazing Grace we can have meaning in our lives.

Today, the Oaks are still singing about that too.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MNDNTo7SNFQ 

(All Scripture quotations are from The New International Version.)

Back to this little corner of my world

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Welcome back to another corner of my world.

Yes, I said, “Welcome back.”

About three years ago, I started posting on this, my own blog space, as a supplement to what I was doing as sports editor of The Anderson News. I had some off-the-wall posts, some looks at the sporting world and got into a few other things. But mainly, it was sports.

For reasons I won't go into, I stopped blogging here after several months.

I wish I hadn't.

This was never intended to be just a look at sports. In fact, that was to be a very small portion of the content here.

So I am back.

Except for one difference. This blog will focus on faith and the world around us. No sports talk allowed, unless it deals with faith. For example, I might talk about Tim Tebow, but it will be for his Christian faith, not about whether he should be the starting quarterback for the New York Jets.

(If you go back, you will notice I have taken down every post, except for those dealing with an aspect of faith.)

You should know that anything I post here is my own opinion, not that of my employers or co-workers. It might not even be my wife's viewpoint.

Most people know me as the sports editor of a small-town paper. It is a lifestyle I have enjoyed since 1985 and have made many friends along the way. Some of them have been kids I wrote about while they played high school sports, others have been their coaches or parents.

Occasionally, I get a note from someone that just likes, or dislikes, something I have written.

Yet, for some time, I have struggled with the idea that while writing about sports is fun and often is the positive news in a negative world, it still doesn't last. Several years ago, I intereviewed someone who had won several accolades as a high school athlete. Now, however, he was in a ministry and said something along the line, “All the trophies and championships don't mean anything compared to what I am doing now.”

(That is not a direct quote, but the gist of what he said and I am unable to locate the original quote right now.)

Anyway, that has tugged at me for some time.

While most who read this know me as the sports guy, my training is that of a minister. I graduated from Roanoke Bible College, which is now known as Mid-Atlantic Christian University, in Elizabeth City, N.C. I also have a Master of Arts from Cincinnati Christian University and was in the ministry for over 20 years.

However, I have failed many times as a person. The Bible says we are all sinners and fall short of the glory of God. I am one of the worst. I have gone through divorce, not once, but twice. The Bible says that is sin, no question. But the Bible also says salvation is through Jesus Christ and we can be forgiven.

I know. I am living it and am much more on fire for the Lord now than I ever was as a minister. Some might find that strange, but let's just say that I have experienced forgiveness and the joy that comes from finally letting God have control. I certainly don't have all the answers and some of the things I might write about may come more from experience than theological study.

At the same time, I will firmly stand for what I believe, whether writing a sports story, talking with someone or blogging in this space.

As my wonderful wife and a few close friends know, I have been praying about this for some time. I believe the Lord has led me back here and I do hope I have something to offer. You see, writing sports is fun and the games are important to those who play. But eventually, trophies tarnish and memories fade.

If what I say here prompts one person to accept Christ or even take his relationship with the Lord more seriously, it means more than any of the nine regional championships I have covered.

I might talk about religion. I might talk about politics. I might talk about something funny that happened to me in my job -- trust me, I could write a book about that.

I might make you laugh. I might make you cry. I might even make you mad. 

Most of all, I want to inspire you to think.

I write from a conservative Christian viewpoint, but that doesn't mean I have all the answers. Nor does it mean those who may not agree have nothing to offer. I read Dana Milbank and E.J. Dionne as much as I read George Will and Cal Thomas.

I am a country guy through and through. Outside of writing, the biggest thing I ever won was having the Reserve Grand Champion Bull at the Kentucky Polled Hereford show one year. Laugh if you want, but I was smiling big.

I believe there is no athlete greater than Johnny Bench and no actor quite like John Wayne. And, of course, the Oak Ridge Boys are the greatest musicians that ever lived.

I will post when I can. Hopefully that will be at least once a week and I welcome your feedback.

Hang on and enjoy.