Look Again

We were in the Virginia mountains trying to find a winery and I was getting very uptight because we were having difficulty finding the place and started to voice my frustration, when my lady said, "Will you stop? Listen. It's a beautiful day, this is a beautiful place and we're together. Can't you just enjoy that? So WHAT if we don't find the place...

I Stood Up and Cheered

I believe it was 1973. Cat Stevens was playing the Cap Center in Maryland and introduced a song and dedicated it to people who believe in Jesus. I stood to my feet and cheered. I was the only one. Every eye on that arena was on me. I was not at that time even a serious follower of the Lord Jesus.

Having done that, then, do you seriously think it would bother me if anyone at any time called me a Jesus Freak? Think again. I AM freaked out on JEsus. Sold out on Him. SOULed out on Him I love Him. He is my ALL in ALL.

Just sayin'

Freda Roos Van Hessen

About ten years ago, it was my privilege and honor to interview a holocaust survivor, a Dutch Jewish woman named Freda. Somewhere I hope I still have that interview on tape. This woman could read me spiritually.

While shrapnel was flying around and she fled the Nazis, she sought refuge in a Roman Catholic church and saw "the Stations of the Cross" depicted on the walls. She recognized the man in the pictures, Yeshua, (Jesus) as the Person she read about in what WE call the Old Testament from Isaiah. That's all she had to go on, but He, by His Precious Holy Spirit was guiding her to safety.

When Freda told me that she was aware that I am a so called "gentile" but she recognized by the Spirit of God that I have the heart of a Jew. I wept when she said this, because it is absolutely true.

http://www.readingup.com/frieda_roos_van_hessen.html

ANNABELLE-ISMS

Mom (Annabelle) always said "if you lie down with the dogs, you'll get up with fleas!" Judging by the type of guys who call each other dog (quite appropriately, I might add) mom was 100% right. Too bad more people don't have to learn that the hard way. Like *Clint said,(I'll paraphrase) "That's a HECK of a price to pay for being STYLISH!"
*as Harry Callahan

Fifty Years

It just seems like yesterday when we gathered to celebrate the fiftieth anniversary of my Mom & Dad's marriage. Shoot, it seems like the day before that that my sister and I were celebrating my parent's twenty-fifth wedding anniversary. The end of this month marks fifty years that my older (MUCH older) sister and her husband celebrate THEIR fiftieth. They decided early on that they would prefer each other. By that, I mean that they would put each other's interests ahead of their own. The marriages I see these days are based on "what have you done for me lately" and seem to forget and some times don't even include a vow to love, honor and cherish, for better or for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health. Far be it for me to judge ANYONE, that's not my job, but the kind of marriage my parents had and my sister enjoys are rare.
Elvis sang, "I ain't for no one-sided love affair" and marriage these days is like a square dance with people changing partners constantly. I've even heard some say they "traded up" when the left one for someone else.
I never believed that way. I guess that makes me a donosaur and pretty soon we'll be extinct. I recall when I seemed to sound the LEAST bit unfaithful to my bride (shich I never was) a co-worker reminding me, "Roebuck...dat womah got papers on yo @$$!" How things have changed in the name of "freedom." Pity, me thinks

Just as Far as I'M Concerned

I tried marijuana when I was a teen. I have not since that time because of my personal experience. I do not look down upon anyone who chooses to use it other than to hope your tail doesn't get busted.

Here's what happened to me. The first time I smoked that stuff, I had been drinking and got sober, which disappointed me because at that time I was pretty bad about abusing alcohol. The same thing happened the SECOND time and I began, quite counter to the culture of the time to verbally and publicly say that marijuana was a lot of hooey, shall we say. This brought on the fans of the weed who began a campaign to indoctrinate me.

I was instructed as to HOW to smoke it for the "best" effect.

This took place in a field off of Broad Street near Burger King in Falls Church, Virginia.

Everyone in the large circle was singing the praise of the green herb and I began to poke fun at them. Then, someone decided that it was time for us to get some food at Burger King, so I stood up, and kept standing to the point that I was now looking down on my own body somehow. I was not then walking in fellowship with the Lord, but I had the sense to recognize that I had gone to some other spiritual place...a very EVIL spiritual place and fear gripped my very being.

A friend who was scary anyway came over and said, "Hey, BOAT (his nickname for me) Now you're one of us!" His voice came out of my chest somehow. Several people came up and said comforting things to me like, "Hey man, it's all in your MIND!"

I began to think that if THEY could see it, then something really WAS wrong with me. That entire night when I'd step hard, I'd come up out of my body, so I began to walk rather strangely. In my spirit I made a promise to God Amighty that I have kept to this day, "Lord, if You'll get me out of this, I will never do this again!"

There were several scary manifestations of a spiritual nature. I saw the face of evil. I knew and recognized that I was under the influence of evil and in a strange way, having experience evil, I was convinced all the more that there has to be GOOD.

My parents were God-loving, born again, Spirit-filled believers in Jesus of Nazareth and when I walked into the room where they were, the Spirit of God in them, vanquished the evil that was hindering me. But when I walked upstairs, I relived the entire night, from the time I stood up, to the time I laid my head on the bed.

Years later when I smelled the pungent weed, I'd literally get nausiated.

I have stayed true to my promise to God. The presence of that stuff offends me, so do not come into my presence with it, is all I ask. I understand if you need to go somewhere and use it. Well, I don't understand it, but I can tolerate it. It's up to you.

Just wanted to clarify that. I know there are proponents of all types for this stuff, but it is just not for me. Don't dare set foot in my vehicle or my space with it or you'll be walking. I will respect you to the degree that you respect me. I love everyone, okay?

Hurricane Weekend

This Friday night past, it was like a recording of my mom playing the piano kept running through my head. I was aware of the Tornadoes and extreme weather in other parts of the country, but it was far from weighing on my mind, perhaps my subconscious. The song mom was playing is "A Shelter in the Time of Storm" and it was like the Holy Spirit of God was saying in His still, small voice, "I'm getting ready to show you something." Lots of times I dismiss this kind of thing as just stuff that runs through my head, but the Lord DOES speak to me and I believe He speaks to us ALL.

I confess, that there are times when I don't clearly see the path ahead for me and get frustrated and wonder why God just doesn't take me home. That's alarming to people outside the faith community and sounds suicidal. But the the believer, it is quite understandable. What awaits us after this time on this planet, is beyond our imaginations.

I try not to fall into the category of being "so heavenly minded that I'm no earthly good." That DOES happen and I've met people like that. In case you don't know, I have given the Lord Jesus a blank check when it comes to my life, because I learned long ago, it's not MY life...I was purchased with the blood of Jesus Christ some two thousand years ago and I want to fulfill whatever purpose He has for me as His humble servant here on planet earth. The very second that that is completed, I want to be in the Presence of Jesus and see my family and friends who have gone on to Heaven. I can't wait.

I posted something to the effect of "Thank You, Lord for being a shelter in the time of storm and a rock in a weary land" Friday night before the storms hit North Carolina. That posting, as it turns out, was prophetic as the major damage from the storm only came as close to where I stay as a block, witnessed by a fallen tree still in the street this morning on Lenoir Street.

I thank God for His protection, because I know I am not anyone special and certainly have fallen way short of being some kind of example of finished work. The GOOD news is, God is not finished with me yet and that's one of the things He showed me even before the storm hit.

Bless the Name of Jesus!

Loving

When I went through a divorce, I learned a lot of stuff about people such as who my TRUE friends were/are, etc. Chief among them was that there is no need to choose sides when a couple splits through divorce or break up, whatever. It happens a lot. Marriage is like a square dance these days with people changing pardners (not to mention the doe sey does)

Last night I greeted a friend in a split up. There are always three sides to a story. His side, her side and somewhere in the middle, hopefully, the truth. I have been privileged (or burdened maybe) to hear both sides of this particular situation...a broken marriage. The WIFE continually told me not to hate the hubby, which I wouldn't do anyway, because like I told her, I love them BOTH.

I felt some resentment aimed at me last night, but I was doing what a friend asked me to and what came naturally. No apologies.

Giant Among Mere Men

Today, I learned that my Sunday School teacher for the past 35 years will go to a new season of life after this Sunday. Ronald Clark Butler, is former Dean of Student Affairs (retired) at North Carolina State University and as I told him before our Sunday school class today, is much more than a teacher to me, but in every sense, my spiritual mentor. I shall miss being spiritually nourished by this great man of God!

The neat thing is that while I was being brought up in Northern Virginia, Ronald and his wonderful wife, Billie were close friends of my cousin, Betty Jo and my uncle, the late AB Howard was their pastor. Uncle Aaron was one of my heroes as well. Ironically, his widow, was my first Sunday School teacher, the former Ruth Sharp, whom I had a major crush on. The sadness in my heart when she went to Costa Rica as a missionary, but the sheer joy, when she married Uncle Aaron, after my aunt Norah had passed away. Now, she would be my Aunt by marriage!

Two friends of mine in my Sunday school class, knew my Mom when she, Aaron, Uncle Odell and "Poppa," the Howard family icon sang in revival meetings across Eastern North Carolina and Poppa would preach the gospel. Mom played piano like none other.

How fortunate I am, to have this rich, spiritual heritage. I fall so very short of being able to even try to stand in these mighty shadows. But I am determined to see them all again in that Great Reunion Day in a distant place with my Savior, the Lord, Jesus Christ of Nazareth, Son of God, Savior of the World and Lord of the Universe. What a joyous day that will be!

picture: Mom (Annabelle Howard Roebuck) at the new church plant in Washington, NC

Pondering...

When I started out in radio decades ago, I did it quite accidentally. I always thought that playing someone else's songs was a sell out. But I sold out and played some stupid stuff, because it was unavoidable. I mean, when I first started I maneuvered around the format to play better songs. It was top forty and it was a losing battle, but I was a genuine deejay. That's DISK JOCKEY for those of you too young to know. Yes, there were discs. Vinyl ones and then compact ones and there were carts and, well that's all beside the point.

Deejay takes on a different connotation these days and has for a while with these guys, I guess out of boredom, (after all, you can only stand so much so called "dance" music. Before that it was disco and they call it hip hop and "urban") they started "scratching." Only someone of diminished mental capacity would think of such a sound as "hey, that's pretty neat!" (Yeah, I know, they said, "fly" or such) Deejays tend to fall into that category.

Wow, THAT was a rabbit trail. ANYWAY, when I first started attending karaoke (dragging my feet to do so because of pre-conceived notions) it was karaoke. The first few places I went to did it right. Good or bad, in tune or no tune at all, you heard a collection of people sing their songs (or someone else's) and when they got to the end of the list, they started again at the top. I have a friend who owned a bar where there was karaoke and she'd be first singer, starting off the rotation and as owner had the perfect right to sing four or five or six and then begin the rotation. Some people didn't like it, but I figured it was her right.

THEN, something changed. This thing called "dance breaks" began to happen. Oh, the early venues didn't buy into this, but the new ones felt the urge to relieve those who didn't come to hear locals an alternative. Some claimed "It gets the pretty girls out there shakin' their STUFF!" It did. (Not to mention a water buffalo or two, as well. These karaoke hosts fancy themselves to be "deejays." Some, going so far as to put the initials before their names when many have never been on the air in their lives. Funny, me thinks. So some call the "dance breaks" (chances to catch up on email or visit a young maiden in the parking lot) "deejay breaks." One is hard pressed to find a so called "karaoke" venue that is more than fifty percent actual as advertised KARAOKE!

Well I say, if you don't like karaoke, go home and play the radio or go to a club! Let those of us who LIKE it and want to participate a chance to do so! And I guess I keep harping on it. I totally understand the concept of "butts in the seats" and that under aged water drinkers or those who only buy sodas, don't pay the rent. I get it. That's why I always try to buy my meal at the place I'm going to for karaoke.

So, with this in mind, I am thinking of beginning to host ROEBUCK'S 100% pure karaoke...no dance breaks. Any takers?

I didn't think so :(