Same Message, Different Singer

And the tongue is a fire, the very world of iniquity; the tongue is set among our members as that which defiles the entire body, and sets on fire the course of our life, and is set on fire by hell. James 3:6
My brother underwent triple bypass surgery on Monday. The surgery lasted two hours longer than they thought it would because it was not as easy as the doctor had thought it would be. My brother had a lot of inflammation in his heart and they found out he had coronary artery disease, which he probably inherited from my grandfather Gene Bembry. They also thought he would have to go back into surgery later that day, which, thank the Lord, he didn’t.
While speaking with Danny on Tuesday, he told me and my father a lot of things that had hurt him over the years. He told us about some of his classmates hurting him, he talked about things others had said to him over the years that hurt him and he told us about how we had hurt him with words that had gone straight to his heart. He had not been hurt physically. Words had hurt him.
So many times we say things that we don’t really mean to people that we really love. We shouldn’t say things like that to him. We work all day and then go home and grouch at our families. We shouldn’t be grumps at home or at work. We need to learn to control our tongues.
Ernie Dawson, lead singer for the gospel group Heirline, wrote the following words:
Words all their power is real,
They can hurt or they can heal,
Can’t be touched but you can feel,
Words,
there is strength in every one
And when all is said and done
Wars are lost and battles won
With words.
Ernie had been hurt with words as a child. The message in his song and in what Danny told me on Tuesday is the same. We should not use our words as a hammer to hurt others. We should use them to heal and to lift others up.
Job 34:3 tells us: “For the ear trieth words, as the mouth tasteth meat.” If the meat is no good, it makes us sick just as words, which are no good, will also make us sick.
I know that I will have a hard time not using my words as a weapon but I am going to try and bridle my tongue and use it only to uplift others, especially my family and my friends, the people who are most important to me and I am going to try and not hurt anyone else with my tongue. I encourage others to do the same.

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Death Of An Angel And A King

It’s always sad when someone you grew up with dies. It’s even sad when they are someone you grew up watching on television or you grew up listening to them on the radio.
The first time I saw Farrah Fawcett on Charlie’s Angels, I thought she was the most beautiful woman that I had ever seen. She had stunning blue eyes and masses of gorgeous blonde tresses on a streamlined, tanned body. Beauty fades, however, and Farrah’s beauty also faded due to the ravages of health. I will always remember her as she was when I was 12 or 13 years old.
I don’t remember the first time I saw or heard Michael Jackson. It seems like he was always there. I was never a big fan of Michael, but I was entertained by him. He could possibly be the greatest entertainer of all time. Although I was not a big fan, I would always stop and take a look when one of his videos was on or if he was on TV, doing a moonwalk across the stage. Later, his life was filled with controversy, as he was charged with child molestation. This morning, the Jackson family attorney was on Fox and Friends and he said that Michael had a problem with prescription drugs? Did the “King of Pop” die the same way that Elvis, “the King of Rock and Roll,” died? Was it prescription drugs?
Why has everyone spoken so much of a man whose life was filled with so much controversy? Fox and Friends co-anchor Steve Doocy probably gave the best answer with this short response: “We’re conflicted.” People are, indeed, conflicted over the death of someone they were entertained by but also shocked by.
I don’t know where Farrah or Michael stood with God when they made their crossings. I do know that Michael is no longer “the King of Pop” or any other type of king. I know that Farrah is no longer a “Charlie’s Angel” or any other type of angel. People do not become angels when they go to Heaven. God gave man a free will and men can repent of their sins. Angels cannot.
I hope that Farrah and Michael were ready when death came for them and I pray that their families and friends will be comforted during this trying time.

Slamming The Door In The Face Of God

“When you say a situation or a person is hopeless, you are slamming the door in the face of God.” Charles L. Allen
There have been many times when I’ve wanted to say a situation is hopeless. Many times, and I hate to admit this, I’ve thought that other people are hopeless. Time and time again, I’m so amazed at how God works out things for good.
A look at history shows us seemingly hopeless people and hopeless situations. We don’t remember their hopelessness, however. We remember who they became.
A little boy injured his leg. The leg grows progressively worse. The doctor wants to amputate his leg, but the boy refuses. The doctor tells the boy’s parents that he could die if the boy’s leg is not amputated. The boy begs one of his older brothers to not let the doctor amputate his leg. The brother guards the boy. The parents and his siblings begin a prayer vigil. The next day, the infection begins going away. Soon, the boy is back on his feet and walking. A few years later, he graduates from West Point. Then he becomes a general in the U.S. Army, and the Supreme Commander of the Allied Forces in World War II. A few years after the war, he becomes President. His name was Dwight David Eisenhower.
One man loses most of his hearing at twelve years old. He blames it on when he was lifted by his ears onto a train. Earlier, teachers had called him “addle-brained” and given up hope on him. Where they saw junk, however, his mother saw treasure. She taught him herself at home and he became one of the greatest inventors of all time. The next time, when you look at a light bulb or watch a movie, think of a little boy teachers thought was stupid and then think of Thomas Edison.
Another boy that people thought was stupid was one of the greatest scientists of all time. “He’s hopeless,” people said, throwing up their hands in despair. Think of the stupid little boy and then think of the man. The man named Albert Einstein.
We need to never say a situation or a person is hopeless. When we do, we slam the door in the face of God. Would you want to be rude to a man who gave His only Son, Jesus Christ, to redeem the world from sin?

I'm Loving Losing

I usually don't like to lose, but lately I've been loving losing. I have lost a little over 13 pounds in the past two weeks. Pray for me that I keep losing weight.

Weight is the only thing that I love losing because I am competitive. I believe that my competitiveness is motivating me to keep losing the weight. I am setting some goals for myself, which may seem farfetched at this point but I know that if I keep striving for them, they can be attained.

Don't laugh but one of my goals is to be able to run a half-marathon by next year. I hope to be able to run a 5K and a 10K before that.

I have been learning how to control my appetite and push away from the table earlier. I've joined Weight Watchers and I have been counting points.

I went to O'Neal's with my family the other day and I will continue to go. I enjoyed a piece of baked chicken (after taking the skin off), some beans, a salad and a little rice. As always, it was delicious but I was able to push away from the food. I was surprised when my sister, Abbie, out-ate me.

The one thing that I will try not to eat anymore at O'Neal's is their ribs and barbecue sauce. I can actually take or leave the ribs, but their barbecue sauce is the food of the angels. I don't know what owner Danny Croft puts in it, but it is delicious. I could sit and drink the stuff, but I will not do it. It's kind of like KFC cole slaw. You can forget the chicken but the slaw is divine.

I have felt better since I have started losing weight and I find myself meeting and beating little challenges (such as not eating Danny Croft's BBQ sauce). It feels good when I get on that scale once a week and see if I have lost anything.

I can do all things through Christ, who strengthens me. (Philippians 4:13). With Christ on my side, I know I can reach my goals! In the meantime, I will keep on being a loser and losing with pride.

Advice For Graduates

I have been working on a surprise for two students at my church. One of them has already graduated from high school, thanks to the GED test; the other will graduate next week.
One of the things that my “surprise” consists of is advice that I have learned over the years. Much of the advice has come because of scars, bruises and black eyes (not literally, but figuratively) in the boxing match called life.
My advice for Erika and Cody, both from Suwannee County, as well as for all the graduates this year, includes the following:
*Read the Bible through from cover to cover as often as you can. Please read it at least once. If you have to, you can always find CDs or MP3s with the Bible on them. You can even find audio Bibles on the Internet.
*Always remember that without Jesus Christ, you can’t accomplish anything. You can’t even pray without invoking Jesus’ name because he is the advocate between God the Father and us.
*I can’t stress this enough because it is something I did not do and something that I don’t have a chance to do now. Save some money each time you get paid. Put it aside for a rainy day. Believe me, the rainy days will come. Everything may look bright and sunny now, but the rain’s going to fall at times that you least expect it.
*Please remember to exercise and eat right. Right now, you may be able to eat anything that you want and not gain a pound, In high school, I weighed 165 pounds. You don’t want to be as big as I am right now.
*You can’t change other people no matter how hard you try. That is God’s business. He is the only person who can change hearts.
*Always be kind to others even when it’s hard and it does get so hard at times.
*Hold on tight to your dreams, but this doesn’t mean you always have to have the same dream. If you decide to follow another dream, think it over carefully, and if you decide to follow the new one, go ahead and do it.
*Be proud of your accomplishments (like graduating from high school) but be humble when it comes to things like your looks, your brains, etc. “Let another praise you, and not your own mouth; A stranger, and not your own lips.” (Proverbs 27:2, New American Standard Bible)
Remember, your family is proud of you, your church is proud of you and Jacob is proud of you.

Two Gentleman And A Lady

Bernard Wilson was a gentleman, no matter what he said about it. He said that he could not be a gentleman because he was only an enlisted man in the military. To be a gentleman, he said, you had to be an officer. Otherwise, you were called a dogface or a GI. That may be how the military saw Bernard Wilson. I saw him as a true gentleman.


I met Bernard Wilson after I began working at the newspaper. He wrote the veterans and military news column for the paper. He would bring it into the office for me to type. While there, he would always speak for a few moments, peppering the conversation with wisdom he had learned in his life as a rear tail gunner during World War II, as a manager for Florida Power, as a city commissioner, as the Veterans Service officer and as a Christian.

One story that still sticks out to me to this day is the one that he told me about the turkey shoots they held while he was growing up in South Georgia. He pointed out that back then, they didn't shoot at a target. They put a bunch of turkeys in a pen and the first one that stuck his neck out got his head blown off. The story stuck with me and serves as an example of how we should be humble. He did later tell me, however, that sometimes you do have to stick your neck out. The second story reminds me of how sometimes you have to make a sacrifice for the good of others. You have to be willing to get your head shot off.

Bernard Wilson was a gentleman until the end when he died last week.

Ruth Hagen was a lady. She was also the fastest typist I believe that I have ever seen. She also had the unique ability to edit as she typed. Last week, when we ran her obituary on the front page, I was tempted to use the headline "World's Greatest Typesetter" passes away.

I have missed Mrs. Ruth since she retired. She had an innate ability to take stuff that had been handed her from off the street and make it flow like Ernest Hemingway or John Steinbeck had written it. She could also interpret Andy Denonn's writing.

Andy, who died years ago, was a bit eccentric but he was great at gathering news. He was not, however, good at writing it in a form that made sense. That was left to others, including Mrs. Ruth who could turn a sow's ear into a silk purse. Andy banged away at the typewriter (he wasn't allowed near computer keyboards) with his two index fingers (and he was almost as fast as Mrs. Ruth, only with a lot fewer correct words per minute) and he would turn it in. When Mrs. Ruth retired, I inherited her duties with Andy's stories. That, however, is not why I missed her. She had a delightful sense of humor and she was not afraid to say what she wanted.

Wilmer Bell was also a gentleman. A friend of my father's and a cousin of my mother (and myself), he was always one who entertained with a story and he always provided fruit from his adopted hometown of Vero Beach each Christmas. He and my father used to run a candy route together and my daddy tells a story of how, while on the candy route, they came up on a dead man, who had left John Hill's bar on 53 South and had been hit by a truck, hauling a load of wood chips to Foley.

Wilmer's death last week affected my father profoundly and, I know, that it had to have affected his close family members even more profoundly.

All three of these people will be missed. Each one had a way of showing in different ways how others should be treated. I believe that each of them did like Jesus and did unto others as they would have done unto them.

Something Special Happened In Madison County

"I am profitably engaged in reading the Bible. Take all of this Book that you can by reason and the balance by faith, and you will live and die a better man. It is the best Book, which God has given to man." —Abraham Lincoln

Last week, something special happened in Madison. While people were sleeping safely in their beds, it was still happening. While school children were sitting in class, listening to their teachers or reading their books, it still happened. As the floodwaters began to recede, it was happening.

The Word of God was being read aloud in the Four Freedoms Park in Madison for everyone to hear. Sometimes, the words were enjoyable and sometimes they were not so enjoyable. There were promises of blessings and warnings of curses.

Nevertheless, God's Word was read and I believe that Madison County benefited because of it.

Everyone who had a part in the reading of God's Word, from the readers to the organizers to those who handled the sound equipment, my applause goes out to you.

The Bible says: "So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it." (Isaiah 55:11)

Madison County will be blessed by the reading of the Holy Bible during Four Freedoms Week.