Can it be?

As recently as September 30, 2009 we, my pastor and several members of the church were discussing among other thigs, God's manifestatioin in our lives. Surely it wasn't just me. Then on Friday following that Wednesday i called the pastor to discuss a little further what I had uncovered in my study relating to the Hebrew resistance to the idea that Christ has already come based in Isaiah the second chapter which relates that the expected one will usher in an age of peace.

I have this 'new' watch. It is only three months old. It has too many bells and whixtles and is very large and cumbersome even on my large frame. The digital portion of its functions quit in its second week.

So I had called Dr. Rogers and surmised to him to him that while verse 4 seems to require peace at the Messiah's coming, previously in verse 2 is a description of the establishment of God's House on a high mountain, similar in connotation to that descent of the New Zion. The desscending of Zion has traditionally been connectred to Messiah's self prophecy of His second coming. It made profound sense to me, and simple Friday morning philosophy to Dr. Randy.

As I hung up I glanced at my watch to check the time on the swinging hands and noticed amazing rejubenation to the digital portion of my watch.

Stardate: 08192009AD

Mickey M. sits gazing into her eyes, knowing there has never been, and there is no, and there never will be another so fair and precious and beautiful as the one from whose limpid pools of sparkle and light he fertively draws his very essence. It seems to emanate from their glance. He has no other view but this, no other time but this, all action is paused for this: he begins a smoothe quick glide to his left and KISS KISS KISS...Minnie M. of course gathers his gaze as one picking big sweet delicious juicy apples, enchanted by his proffer and with her own return squeals quietly in delight. Mission accomplished!

I love my wife I believe since the beginning of time, today, of course, more than before because now I know her, and tomorrow because I cannot but do so.

Thank you, my love, thank you for our time, thank you for your love!

Robert to Kathy hers always and forever

Fishers

There is actually a group of Fishers in my family tree. They are found somewhere on my Mother's father's branch. But the real point of this point is a phrase my grandfather, I called him Charlie, everybody else called him Chas but us grandchildren called him Charlie, used to repeat from the bible. Jesus said it to Simon and Andrew and James and John. To wit Mark 1:17"Come, follow me," Jesus said, "and I will make you fishers of men." The search did not find this but there it is just as I remember it. Fishers of men. To men who were fishers of fish. In another Gospel he teaches them how to fish for fish and then calls them. It is the way He left them also by helping them catch a great catch.

So there must be something to this fishing thing for followers of Christ. I remember the days of planning and dreaming, the hours of preparing, the hours of driving and the hours of sitting and waiting for that nibble and wondering if the fish had gone home or were just hiding under the ripples and waves laughing at me. But it was all worth it when the right fish came by for the right bait and wham the line tautened and the reel buzzed. After a few failures the line didn't break and the fish didn't drop the hook and in came the cacth. Netted and stringered without flipping back into the water. Though it did take some time and effort to get there, there was nothing like the exuberance of landing that first one and even the second one or even one today.

Charlie loved to fish, and though he may have not caught many the last time he was already to go the next time. He had an encyclopedic mind of all the nooks and crannies and bends and pools he had ever fished and they must have been legion.

I think more than fishing Charlie loved to read his Bible and help me understand the love of God as best he could. A lot of people thought Chas was the best teacher they had had. I tend to agree with 'em. patience and perseverence, kindness, love, joy, peace, goodness, gentleness, self control. God put fish on the Earth to teach us how to be fishers of men.

Go fishing!

Money over Heart?

Archie!

Archie!

Archie!

Bettie will ever be the same--Veronica won't(at least not for you).

Steps to God's Eternal Spirit (prologue to Front Porch I)

When I was young, so young I only remember the sense of my life, not so much the particular, I became alone, or if not alone at least lonely. My constant companion, my protector, my bud, my teacher, my older brother was taken from me in a terrible boating accident. I was left lonely if not alone. My father was left distracted, if not alone. My mother was disheartened, if not alone. My grandparents were bewildered, if not alone. My Great Aunts and Uncles befuddled, if not so alone.

'Where? Where is Tommy', I ask. 'He's not here.' 'Where is he?',
I return. 'He went away.' 'Can I go?', I pursue. 'No!!' 'Why?',
I demand.

'Why don't we read?'

'yieahhhowoooaahhh!' I protest.

'Your father, Paul, thinks he is a 'Jonah'.'

I learn about fish.

'One grandfather thinks he is a 'Peter'.'

I learn more about fish.

'The other thinks he is a 'Job'.'

I learn about loss.

'One uncle is a lot like 'Saul of Tarsus'.'

I learn about cost.

'The other thinks he is a 'Matthew'.'

I learn about opportunity.

'Your great auntie thinks she is an 'Esther'.'

I learn about courage.

'Your mother and grandmothers are a lot like 'Mary'.'

'I learn about purity patience and love.

'Your cousin thinks he is a 'King Saul'.'

I learn about death.

'Your aunts are a lot like Mary and Martha.'

I learn about sevice and humility.

'Your great uncle thinks he is a Benjamite and a Lazarus!'

'Oh no he didn't!' I hear?!

'When will I see Tommy?', I respond.

'Tommy is with Jesus'! they tell me, the Good News!

How can I not?

'Now you need to tell someone!'

'I told you!?'

'Is there anyone else?'

I rush out the door onto the Front Porch and as I descend the steps to the ground between me and the known Mission field, feet peddling fast and hard and constant, ...One..., dressed in a white flowing robe with golden borders, places an eternal hand on my shoulder, tells me softly and tenderly and confidently (my feet flying), 'I will be with you always! in a moment frozen to stillness, and on across the yard '.Mommy! Mommy! Mommy! Guess what!?'...

I often pause on the Front Porch and wanderingly wonder 'Am I alone?'

The response, 'Are you still?'...'Are my feet flying?',...

My Front Porch I

My front porch is an old front porch. I am old, and it is older than I am. But it is not as old as it could be, for it is the second front porch, not the first. The first front porch was retired after forty or fifty years. My Great
Grandfather built it in 1907 and 8. So this is the new front porch, but it is older than I by a decade or better. You can see the effort whoever made it put in on it, for it is a concrete porch where the first porch was a wooden tongue and groove job. This one is still smooth from the trowling they gave it. For a long time it was barn red, for longer than that it was edged in red--the remnant of that barn red finish it been given when it was new.

While I was growing up it was great fun to jump off the porch over in front of the upstairs door then run around to the steps and back to the high part of the porch in front of the upstairs door-round and off and round and back to the small gap between the Eouonymous bushes closer to the steps and through them like a rascal and off and round and off--trying every bit to reach the pine trees at the edge of the yard, or at least the cedars not too far away, now that would have been flying! and I would have been like Superman or Mighty Mouse or something. At one point, before we got too heavy(except later,just once-cause that's all it took, me by myself, in Jr High) we, my cousin and I, would climb out on the front porch roof and peering in the direction of the ground(for I am sure I needed glasses already) flail off into space hoping this would be the time that we just soared right up there with those Sparrows and Mocking birds, but, alas--only in our dreams. Well, Roger, my cousin, the Indian to my Cowboy, may be flying now. Surely he has wings...

Granmom would, on occasion, some still call her Grandmother(tho' I don't think I did much unless I wanted something really special like seconds on chocolate covered graham cracker cookies and apple juice, then I would), anyway, she, Granmom, would take the garden hose and wash the spider webs and dirt off the porch siding and floor. That was great fun and refreshing, eventually it became one of my jobs, until my Dad decided we might be pooling water under the house, so we began to use brooms instead of water pressure. That was probably better, but not nearly as much fun, and you had to go somewhere else to cool off.

During that time there would occasionally be great numbers of people gathered on the porch, five or six sitting with Granddad, a few still call him Grandfather(tho' I don't think I did much, unless I wanted something special like a tall tale-or was it? or chaw-only He could grant) and five or more standing all talking and laughing or perhaps not so much laughing, for later I found out that these gatherings usually marked someone's 'passing on'. You know, there may have been some laughter, because many folks I had not seen before, or only on these kind of occasions, when so many were gathered together no one knew for sure how many were there, or where they were at any one time, so they probably had lots of handshaking to do and hugs and kisses to give, stories and lies to tell and good times to remember, along with some sadnesses, and thoughts of, you know--hereafter. I remember that Great Aunties have a special aroma all their own, like apples or roses or something mysterious, and they so love to kiss the youngsters!

I have spent many hours since sitting on the front porch and contemplating, meditating and envisioning since then, but frequently more recently reminiscing about times gone by and wondering whether they were good or bad. Great Grandfather Isham, or Ice, as they say Great Grandmother Texana called him, envisioned the future as well as any-Dad said many a time, and Grandmom too, and Lois and Fenner--really nearly anyone who had talked to him, that he said, "There'll be houses at the front door", just off the porch, and there they sit, a spit and hark away. I sit and reminisce more and more and try not to conspire...