A CHANGE OF VIEWPOINT

In late August of 1967, I was laying on my bunk in barracks in Subic Bay, Philippine Islands. I had just arrived after returning from Sharlene's funeral. Myself and two other swabbies had arrived about the same time. Something happened that we were forgotten for three days. We had been escorted to this barrack and left. We had no work assignments or reporting duties. However, most importantly I knew where the chow hall was.

I was laying on my rack studying my Bible. I had been studying End Time Prophecies. Laying out on the rack was a commentary on Ezekial, Jeremiah, Daniel, Isaiah, Revelation, and my open Bible.

As I lay there, I reached up and began to close each book saying out loud, "Whatever is going to happen will happen, Lord, just as you say it will. What I need to know now is how do I make it thru today."

You see, I had no time to grieve Sharlene's death. She was my first love, my first wife and now she was in the presence of Jesus. And I was straight across the globe.

For the next 30 years, I never taught on the end times. And now I see that I was wrong, my duty to my congregation was to teach and grow them in the whole counsel of God's Word. I have sought forgiveness.

Lately, I have begun to see what is happening in our world, the confusion, and the chaos. I have been studying more time as I have seen things going on and how they are pointing to end-time prophecies in the Bible. Studying so much that I have started changing my position on the end time. If and when I share it it will cause some arguing so I'm not ready to share it just yet. I still believe in Jesus, His death burial, and resurrection and His soon return to gather His church to Himself. 

I believe that as we open our eyes, physical and spiritual we will see what is happening in our world and not just the USA.

WE SAY ALONG WITH JOHN, COME QUICKLY LORD JESUS. 

Watch for my next posting, OUR WORLD OF CHAOS.

 

GOING IT ALONE OR WITH OTHERS

We were not created to be alone thru life.  Or another way to put it is we are not intended to do life alone. Christianity is a lifestyle of relationships, being in relationship with one another.

Here are some scripture verses to bear this out.

Hebrews 10:24,25
"... let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another - and all the more as you see the Day approaching."

Do a personal search for all the 'one another's' in the New Testament. I believe your eyes will be opened.

1 Corinthians 12:7, Paul is teaching on spiritual gifts.
"Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good." Spiritual gifts are NOT for our personal benefit, they are for the benefit of others. We must be in fellowship with other believers for your gifts to function.

1 Corinthians 14:3
"... but everyone who prophesies (a spiritual gift) speaks to men for their strengthening, encouragement  and comfort."

Acts 4:32-35 tells of the first Christians sharing with one another.

We believers are to be in relationship with other believers to encourage and receive encouragement.

I believe this quote comes from Plato, "He who keeps company with only himself, is liable to be corrupted by the company he keeps".

May God bless you as you seek out and build relationships with other believers.

I DIGRESS ... TO THE PAST

We know that many times we are affected by situations/occurrences in our past that stay with us and sometimes actually cause our present behavior. Such a time for me was the summer of 1967.

On June 4, 1967, I graduated from The College of the Ozarks (now it is The University of the Ozarks). That same day my wife, Sharlene and I with another couple left Clarksville, AR, and drove straight thru to Myrtle, South Carolina. We spent three days there before driving back.

On June 20, I was called to leave for active duty in the Navy. I had joined the Navy Reserve before I ever met Sharlene. On that day I had to say goodbye to the one person I loved more than life itself. Somethings you just don't know how to do, no life-training for it.  We had been married for one month short of 1 1/2 years.

(Had to take a break here for an emotional relief.)

I'm in a library writing this and I just walked by a book with the title "LOVE NEVER QUITS". First thot was about how God's love never stops. Then about the love of a parent for a child. About my first love and wife.

I was in San Diego Naval Base waiting for my orders to come in. When they finally came in I was to hitch rides (bus, air, ship) to the South China Sea to join my ship, the USS Haleakala, AE25, an ammunition ship operating in North/South Vietnamese waters. I was to leave on July 25th.

Sharlene flew out to spend the 22nd-24th with me. We stayed with my aunt and uncle in Whittier, CA. We drove down to San Diego on the 23rd and spent the night at a motel. My aunt and two girl cousins went with us. Thank God they did.

The 24th  was a Sunday, 1 1/2 years after we were married. While I sat next to the pool in my civvies, Sharlene and my cousins were in the pool, (she loved water) standing at the divider rope talking. She was standing close between my cousins when she slipped under the water. My cousins went on talking and did not know anything was wrong. ER doctor said she was probably dead as she slipped under. 1 1/2 years after we were married.

The Navy gave me three weeks of unearned leave and I took her home and buried her in Springdale, AR. Not much time to grieve. I'll always be grateful that God had my aunt, two cousins and then my two guy cousins and my uncle who were there with me in the hours after.

I went back to San Diego Naval base to await new travel orders. The last of August I caught my ship in the South China Sea and was hi-lined over in the dark!!!

A few years ago I told a Navy Psychologist who was testing me for PTSD, that I still believe that my life is still being affected by that summer.

That is an event in the life journey that my Lord has me on.

Back to current events next time.

May our loving Heavenly Father keep you in His loving arms.

 

LISTEN/SILENT

LISTEN AND SILENT use the same letters. May there be some thing there that we need to learn?

I learned something about myself after I had been pastoring fulltime for some time. Someone would be telling me of a situation/problem/concern when something they said caught my attention. At that point I mentally closed my hearing, waiting to jump in and address that point. I did not really hear anything else they were saying.

There is a term for this but at this point I can't remember it. I was listening for something I could address, not to hear what all they were saying.

One of the main points to being a good friend/spouse is to know that most people just need some one to listen. A wife may be telling of a hard time at work that day. Husband stops her and gives her three things she should do to take care of it. All she wants is for him to listen, not try to fix anything. We  men tend to be fixers.

There are two verses that somewhat address this malady. Ecclesiastes 3:7b  "...a time to keep silence, and a time speak;" and James 1:19 "Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak,...". Pay attention husbands and you who want to be married.😀😀   Also, memorize 1 Peter 3:7.

AND THE JOURNEY CONTINUES ...

In my last post I shared how I arrived in NW Arkansas. Not long after getting there I got a phone call that I should get to my mothers bedside as it looked like she was failing fast. So God had a reason for my change of plans. Mother recovered so I spent a few extra days there visiting. She went home to be with her Lord Jesus on Dec 9. She is now "running and leaping and praise God". I'm sure she is singing, also.

I headed back to Denver and took two days to drive there. I arrived at my dotter's and spent the night there. On arising the next morning I found her driveway covered in auto coolant! Turns out to be a loose lower radiator hose. I tightened it and went on. I had spent 115 days traveling 8400 miles and covering 11 states. No mechanical problems of any kind. Praise God it waited till I got to Denver.

However, two weeks later a head/manifold gasket blew out. Will cost $3000 to repair. I don't  have anywhere close to that amount, in fact, that is about 3 times what I do have. Thank God that it happened after I got to Denver where I know some mechanics.

So what now? I don't know, but I'm trusting that God has His plan for me and I'm resting in that. Will my travels continue? Again, I don't know. Guess I'm entering into another season in my life.

Pray for me as I seek His face in all this. Pray for clear directions, money to repair or to buy another means of transportation.

May our Lord God give you blessings during the days ahead. MERRY CHRISTMAS TO YOU ALL!

More photos

 Hickory Creek Marina on Beaver Lake outside of Springdale, AR

 At the end of the point on the right is a bluff that is about 75ft deep. In July of 1963, I cleared brush out from under the bluff before the lake came in. I spent a week at the State Park there in Skypilot Base.

PTSD model at the VAMC in Denver

Me and Skypilot Base

CHANGE OF PLANS ... AGAIN.

Changes of my plans has become a constant for me.
I left my niece and nephew's on Monday the 23rd on my way to Arkansas. I spent the night in Sikeston, MO. The next morning while driving to West Palins, MO, to turn south, I noticed what I thot was a mosquito bite had turned red about the size of quarter and was hard in the middle with red streaks going out from it. I found that there was a VAMedical Center in West Plains, a small one but still well staffed. No determination as what bit me but gave me antibiotics. I was told that if I saw any change in the spot to get to an ER or urgent care.
Had been planning on heading south to Jonesborfo, AR, to meet, after 10plus gears, a former boss turned good friend. From there to Clarksville, AR, to my alma mater to visit with Coach Lonnie and Levada Qualls. From there to Ft Smith to meet a nierce, or is a second niece I'd never met.
But no, God changed my plans and I headed straight West to Fayetteville, AR., to the large VAMC.
More on my next post. Just know that God was in this change of plans.