Where Were You...

In my life, so far there have been three major events that at one time or another will come up in conversations starting with "Where were you and what were you doing when..."

The first was the Assassination of President John F Kennedy who's funeral I witnessed, seeing the flag-draped coffin going down Pennsylvania Boulevard.

One of the most life changing was, of course, Elvis' death while I was on the air on what was then WRNC and the absolute barrage of phone calls as if a family member had died that I received that night.

Today, we recall the day that seven brave Americans tragically died in the Challenger Shuttle Disaster. I was driving in a potato chip route and saw video tape in a convenient store in Raleigh, North Carolina. I was quite comforted by what was SUPPOSED to have been the State of the Union Speech of President Ronald Reagan. He forwent addressing both houses of Congress quite appropriately and came to us via the then, big three broadcast television networks from the Oval Office.

I recall, having heard first on the radio and then hearing someone say as I entered the convenient store, "Have you heard what happened?" A TV was set up and we watched the first video tape of it, which included the class of a young teacher at Cape Canaveral there to celebrate their teacher's great accomplishment of being the first civilian in space.

There has been and continues to be a lot of superstition with regard to NASA and specifically the Shuttle program. There are those people groups who comment, "You know, every time that thing goes up there, there's a tornado, a hurricane or an earth quake. It just ain't right. God's trying to tell us something!" And there are those who believe that somehow, the Shuttle is involved in the way those who rule us are tampering with weather. I doubt it, but then again, I wouldn't rule it completely out.

May the Lord continue the comfort those who lost loved ones on this day twenty-five years ago, and may He bless America!

Who Can Forget...

I remember the Christmas I finally got a record player that would play more than 78 rpm kiddie records, although they were fun, I grew tired of the Three Stooges, or some Disney stuff. I was ready for some rock'n'roll!

So that Christmas, I got "Return to Sender" admittedly not one of Elvis' rockiest songs, but it was on top at the time. He could go pop better than any and without "selling out."

When I started my collection of albums (lp's) it was "Elvis Gold Records, Vol 3." As soon as I got caught up with everything current at the time, I began collecting the older stuff.

I know a lot of Elvis fans who are stuck in the seventies and that's fine, but that doesn't even touch Elvis' creativity as a musical artist.

From Elvis' rockabilly beginnings at Sun Records, to his early top ten hits when he signed with RCA, through the songs that were released while he served in the US Army, and ballads he sang after his discharge, through the mid sixties to Elvis' 1968 Television Special on NBC, "Singer Presents Elvis," (later known as the '68 Comeback Special) to the jump suit/Vegas era, there's a wealth of musical styles and influences that characterized Elvis Presley.

Don't tell me you love Elvis when all you can remember is "In the Ghetto" "Suspicious Minds" or even lately, "Can't Help Falling in Love" (which is, by the way, the number one Elvis karaoke song) You're robbing yourself.

With Elvis, you cover it all, from Gospel, to Country, to Rhythm and Blues (when it actually was) to Ballads and Pop.

Don't stop with the Vegas Elvis. Get to know the whole library! Then you can truly say TCB!

Countryfied Dictionary

WOO'-un--the number between zero and two

Non----the number between eight and ten

Fov----the number between four and six

DOT'-ter--physician

Tarz---little round, black rubber things that hold your car up

Rernt--something that's beyond repair

TOE'-lut--commode

GOO'-un---thing that shoots bullets

WUN'-duz---little openings with glass that allow you to see outside and light to come in

Ool--------lubricating fluid used in automobiles, tractors, etc

PROH'-jick---a task that has to be done

CHAINTZ---opportunity

SAM'-pull---in West Virginia, a person who's a few fries shy of a happy meal "He's SAMpull!"

Fon---------goes along with "and dandy"

YANG'-kee---person who looks down on Southern people and calls them hicks, hayseeds, etc. These people usually

drive at least thirty miles over the speed limit with impunity and criticize people for saying "y'all." Many of

these same people say "Yous" but don't see the hypocricy in it

"Small Miracle" (If there IS Such a Thing)

Miracles, small and large, still amaze me, but it's business as usual for the King of Kings and Lord of lords, the Lord Jesus.

Many of you may be aware that I have a group of people I have a lot of confidence in I call the Prayer Warriors and several times a week I send them alerts (prayer requests)

On this Tuesday past, I had not had a decent night's sleep in over a week. I sent a request to my friends for prayer and as I customarily do, wrote my own simple, short prayer on that request. I went out into the parking lot and made a call to the doctor's office requesting a prescription for a muscle relaxer to help so I could at least get some sleep. I've been suffering from sciatica as a complication of my stenosis of the spine, not to mention at least six spinal spurs.

I then, went home and sat down, continuing to pray to the Lord for relief. As I prayed, the small of my back became warm as though I was sitting on a heating pad and the pain radiating from my hip down my left leg diminished somewhat. I was then able to take a nap for the first time, as I said, in over a week. That nap was interupted by a call on the phone which I didn't answer for fear of getting into a wrong position and exaserbating the pain. It was a good nap and when I awoke and checked the phone, the doctor had called in a prescription for me. That night I took a dose and slept well. I still have some pain, but it is a lot less than it was.

I thank those who prayed and I thank my Lord, Jesus for his touch.

Exceptionalism

I am a firm believer in American Exceptionalism. I believe that good men (as good as humans CAN be) founded this nation according to standards laid down in God's Word, the Bible. In other words, the United States is an EXCEPTION to other countries and cultures as God has uniquely guided and had His Holy Hand on us. We, as a nation used to welcome Him, but years ago, at the protesting of one, single Atheist woman, we DIS-invited him first in our schools, and now there are those who wish to remove His Majesty from every public expression. Strange, for a nation who's motto was "No King but CHRIST the King" just after the Revolutionary War.

We have more than one generation that has been indoctrinated into another school of thought. One that the only Europeans who are worthy are the one's there currently, but the one's who founded this country were somehow evil, greedy people. We are facing a greater tyranny today than the original Tea Party participants (all those years ago in Boston) faced and yet we do not hear the cries of outrage. Make reference to any of them of the Mayflower Compact and they will look at you like a mule looking at a new gate!

That is a whole different subject than the one I am writing about here. The exceptionalism of which I speak is the idea that rules exist for everyone ELSE. There is a type of person who reads, "Fire Lane" and interprets it "Special parking for me and mine!"

An African American friend of mine once said that there is a school of thought quite prevalent in his world that laws are "white man's laws" and only apply to them. This would explain some bizarre behavior I've witnessed. Before you start thinking this is a criticism of a particular race, let me hasten to say that many "crackers" act in this same way about different things. The computer in front of which I sit says "QUIET ZONE...*NO* CELL PHONES" and yet I continually hear them go off and people loudly say, "HELLO" with impunity. My eyes wander to the librarians who ignore this behavior. I can just hear them saying "We're not babysitters!" No doubt, but you certainly have some babies here. One of my teachers used to say "lack of maturation."

Many speak of culture and simply have none. People in the words of Robert W Dunburg, my 6th grade teacher , 7th grade Art and Senior year Art teacher, they are "rude, crude and unattractive!" Why people are so in love with remaining on this planet is a mystery to me. I'm ready for Calgon (read that JESUS) to take me away!

Can it be said enough? Yesterday I saw a group of Sheriff's Deputies having lunch and walked over and said, "Not to interrupt your lunch, gentlemen, but I just wanted to thank you for all that you do." To my surprise, one of the Deputies was a friend of mine I didn't recognize initially.

I don't think we can thank these brave, selfless individuals enough for their service, whether they be in law enforcement, of the military, they deserve our gratitude.

Yes, there are many who have made politics and government a "career" choice and that is not what was originally intended by our Founding Fathers. But today, there still exists, just as it did when my Dad was working a civilian job for the Federal Government a few true civil SERVANTS.

This is a salute to them!

Things Heaven Will Have to be Better Than

Heaven will have to be better than that feeling I'd have when I'd come home from delivering potato chips and my son would run up and say "Daddy's home on his big ole truck!" I tell you, that kid made me feel like a KING!

Heaven will have to be better than that.

It will have to be better than that feeling when you're cuddling on the couch with the love of your life watching some sentimental movie or a music video and don't have to say a word.

It will have to be better than that feeling when my big sister was nursing my neck, when I hanged myself on the ropes riding my bicycle up to where they were trying to keep people away from the bowling alley that had collapsed under the weight of the snow. I knew my big sister loved me.

It will have to be better than the feeling of acceptance I had when my cousin defended me to his friends who called me names.

It will have to be better than that feeling when my dad skipped the first part of church with me to walk across the street and share a Dr Pepper. "You want the first half, or the second?" I took the first. He kept saying, "Drink a little more. That's not quite half." It had shivers of ice in it. The Geeze and I shared so very much.

It will have to be better than the feeling when it seemed the world wanted me hung out to dry for some infraction of their stupid way of doing things and Mom let me know I messed up without condemning me because she didn't want to give those who would the satisfaction. A Mom's love.

Heaven, I know, is better than all of this. So worth being determined to get there!