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Wednesday, June 19, 2013
Father's Day from a new perspective (06/16/13)
This Father's Day is a special one for me, because it is also my granddaughter Kori's second birthday. I have come to realize that one of the best things about being a father is that I have also gotten to be a grandfather. I am so proud to say that I am the grandfather of three beautiful and sweet little girls: Charli, Kori and Jolie...
Bible-thumpin' hurts yourself, helps no one (06/09/13)
According to news reports, Evelyn Mills Moore of Kings Mountain, N.C., and Ina Garrett of Selmer have one thing in common: their choice of weapons. Both women were arrested on charges stemming from beating someone with a Bible. Evelyn got into a scuffle with another woman and used both her fists and her Bible to beat the lady...
Adversity doesn't sideline dreams (06/02/13)
Sometimes our dreams are realized through adversity, and a vision is developed through hardship. Our dear friend, Linda Thompson, has been ministering among the Native Americans in northern Arizona since the mid-eighties. Her dream of establishing a Native American children's ministry was made all the more real through difficult times that she was confronted with...
In times of tragedy, turn to God (05/26/13)
Sometimes it seems as if tragedy surrounds us. In times like that it's easy for us to wonder where God is in the midst of it all. We tend to ask, "How could God let something like this happen?" We try to find meaning where there seems to be none. We ask, "Why?" and "How?"...
Put back-handed compliments in back seat (05/19/13)
One day I told my mother-in-law that her daughter sure was pretty (my wife of course), and she said, "Well, you're handsome in your own way, too." Handsome in my own way? Handsome in my own way? I had to laugh. I wasn't sure if that was a compliment or not. Maybe it was almost a compliment. But barely...
Mom's prayers led home, and to Christ (05/12/13)
It was the spring of 1972 when a friend and I saw the movie, "The Last Picture Show," at the Empire Theater in downtown Grand Forks, N.D. This film was a coming of age story about several high school students in a small town on the plains of Texas....
Life through the eyes of 3 little girls (05/05/13)
On Wednesday, April 17 at 11:20 a.m. my third granddaughter, Jolie Camille, was born. She weighed 6 pounds and 13.6 ounces and was 20 inches long. She is a beautiful little girl with a full head of lush black hair, and she has already got her papa wrapped around her little finger...
Big or small, He'll be there (04/28/13)
Years ago when I was a student in Bible College in Missouri, I was asked to go and preach at a church in a small town in the Ozarks. A friend of mine accompanied me on that journey. She was to provide the special music and lead worship. We drove through the snow covered hills on that Sunday morning, and following the directions we had been given we found the little church we were scheduled to minister at...
Find God's blessings today (04/21/13)
Annie Johnson Flint knew her share of hard times in life. Her mother died shortly after giving birth to Annie's little sister. She was just a toddler herself when she lost her mother. Annie's father, who was terminally ill, soon realized he couldn't raise Annie and her little sister on his own. So, Mr. Johnson gave his daughters to the Flint family who agreed to raise them. They adopted the two sisters when Mr. Johnson died...
Graves don't hold us down (04/14/13)
I have stood by the side of many graves in the last several years. Most pastors do at one time or another. We help families and loved ones say their goodbyes. But then sometimes we are part of the families that are saying farewell. Two and a half years ago, I stood at my mother's graveside in North Dakota as she was laid to rest...
Going the distance with a beautiful wife (04/07/13)
Thirty years ago I said, "I do!" I was gazing into the eyes of the most beautiful woman I had ever met when the preacher asked me if I would take Lynn to be my wife, and I said, "I do!" Thirty years ago she said, "I do!" And she made me the happiest man on earth...
Blessed Easter! Jesus Christ is risen! (03/31/13)
May your Easter Celebration be blessed on this glorious morning of remembrance. The following words, taken from Holy Scripture, are from the Gospel of John, chapters 19 and 20. And Jesus, bearing His cross, went out to a place called the Place of a Skull, which is called in Hebrew, Golgotha, where they crucified Him, and two others with Him, one on either side, and Jesus in the center. ...
Live, laugh and love (03/24/13)
Years ago, my sister, Cindi, had the words "Live, Laugh, Love" emblazoned across her kitchen wall. I have always liked that phrase. Over the years I have seen it in many other places as well: stitched on pillows or throws; on plaques and wall hangings; displayed in homes or displayed in shops...
Humor carries a healing touch (03/17/13)
I made a visit to the foot doctor recently. When I was called into the exam room, the assistant asked me why I had come to see the doctor that day. "My big toe fell off and I was hoping the doctor could put it back on for me," I told her with a serious expression on my face...
Living the American Dream humbles me (03/10/13)
Back in the 70s, when I was a Bible college student in Southern California, I made a trip to Tijuana, Mexico with a group of classmates. We went to visit an orphanage run by a Mexican minister and his wife. Many of the children that were living in this establishment had been abandoned on the streets of the city or were dropped off at the gates of the compound. Their parents felt like they could no longer care for their children so they just left them...
Pets add love, laughs to our lives (03/03/13)
I have had a lot of different pets over the years and each of those little critters has added something special to my life. Although I never had a snowball for a pet, the idea does intrigue me....
Great is Thy faithfulness (02/24/13)
One thing I've learned about my God over the years is that He is faithful. He has proven to me, time and time again, that I can count on Him to see me through whatever I may be facing. I have learned that in good times and in bad times, I can depend on God to be there for me...
'Wretches' find grace to change (02/17/13)
"Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound, That saved a wretch like me. I once was lost but now am found, Was blind, but now I see." (John Newton) "Alas! and did my Savior bleed And did my Sovereign die? Would He devote that sacred head For such a worm as I?" -- Isaac Watts...
It will come back to you (02/10/13)
There was a preacher who had moved to a new church, and he soon discovered that this church didn't have a lawn mower. So he decided he would look for someone to mow the lawn or maybe he'd have to buy a used lawnmower. One day the preacher saw a young man walking by the church pushing a lawnmower. So the preacher said, "Excuse me, son, are you looking for a job?"...
'It is well, it is well with my soul' (02/03/13)
There's a hymn that brings comfort to me when I find myself going through difficult times. It is the old standard, "It Is Well With My Soul." The writer, Chicago attorney Horatio Spafford, had just gone through the darkest period of his life when he felt compelled of the Holy Spirit to pen the words to this song...
The game of life (01/27/13)
My mother loved watching "Wheel of Fortune." Every weekday evening between 6:30 and 7 p.m., I knew that I would find her at home watching TV. She almost thought that Pat Sajak and Vanna White were personal friends of hers. Many days I would call during that show to talk to her because I knew she would be in her apartment watching the wheel spin...
Don't judge; 'go, and sin no more' (01/20/13)
I saw a sign recently that read, "Do not judge others just because they sin differently than you." Those signs that appear throughout our communities, whether they are in front of a church or a business, are there to make us think. And I have been thinking about that one a lot...
The children of Dodo (01/13/13)
Have you ever heard of the son of Dodo? Probably not. Maybe you have heard of the dodo bird, the extinct, flightless bird from the island of Mauritius. He's long gone. Or you may have heard of the now retired Brazilian soccer player, Ricardo Lucas, who was nicknamed, Dodo...
Time to start your revolution (01/06/13)
What do you do at the beginning of a new year? If you're like most Americans, you think about making the old familiar "New Year's Resolution." I think what we all really need instead of a New Year's Resolution is a New Year's Revolution. Isn't that what we really want anyway?...
Pictures tell the true story (12/30/12)
My granddaughter Kori loves to look at pictures; pictures on the wall, on our shelves, on my iPad, or in photo albums, it doesn't matter; she loves to look at pictures. We have a number of little photo albums that hold one picture per page; Kori loves those...
Trees symbolize life, loss: and a nation and God who care (12/23/12)
One of my favorite pictures of my father, Fred Dezotell, was a black and white photo of him standing on a ladder decorating a 20 foot tall Christmas tree. The tree was put up every year in the grand ballroom of the Student Union at The University of North Dakota. Dad was the maintenance supervisor for the Student Union and decorating that tree was a job he looked forward to every year...
A special time to share with all (12/16/12)
My wife treated me to a pre-Christmas date night this week. We went to the Opryland Hotel in Nashville for the Lorrie Morgan Enchanted Christmas Dinner and Show. The meal was delicious and the music was great. We had a real good time together. We enjoyed walking through the hotel looking at all the greenery and the Christmas decorations. And the dinner and show were really a special treat...
Memories of Grandma Fontaine (12/09/12)
Grandma Fontaine was always busy in the kitchen. When my family would drop by to visit we would usually find Grandma working at the stove or cutting things up on the kitchen counter. She always had an apron on over her dress and she would keep her tissues in one of the pockets on that apron. Those tissues were ever ready to wipe her nose or mop her brow...
Countless reasons to give thanks (12/02/12)
In many Christian worship services a hymn known as the Doxology is sung after the collection of the offerings. We do that in the churches where I serve, and we would sing those familiar words in the church that I grew up in. "Praise God from whom all blessings flow. Praise Him all creatures here below. Praise Him above ye heavenly hosts. Praise Father, Son and Holy Ghost."...
Many reasons to be thankful following fire (11/25/12)
The other afternoon, my wife and I were busy going about our business around the house. Lynn was in my granddaughters' room straightening up the toys and hanging clothes in the closet, and little Kori sat on the bed watching her Nana work. I was getting things ready for a service to be held that evening at a local nursing home...
Change, like vegetables, grows on you (11/18/12)
One of my favorite TV commercials shows a little boy sitting at the kitchen table with a look of anger and disgust on his face, the voice of his mother booming in the background, "You can't leave the table until you eat your vegetables!" The next frame shows him still sitting there, aged many years, with grey hair and a long beard. The vegetables are still sitting there too...
Breaking news: Children's TV shows are great! (11/11/12)
One of my greatest joys is being the grandfather to these two sweet little girls by the name of Charli and Kori. Just the thought of those little ladies brings a smile to my face and floods my heart with joy. Yes, they bring me joy! Koriana and I were sitting together in my recliner the other day watching Sesame Street...
Put simply: Pray (11/04/12)
I was raised by a praying mother. The last thing Mom did before closing her eyes for sleep was to read her Bible and her devotional book and pray for her family and friends. She set that type of an example for me and my four siblings. Alpha Tangen Dezotell Scott prayed for her children up until the day that she died and I have felt Mom's prayers many times over the years...
Church's history still being made (10/21/12)
I have the privilege of serving as the pastor of two Methodist churches; both congregations are great people who love God, their church, and their communities. We recently celebrated the 145th anniversary of Mt. Lebanon United Methodist Church, a rural fellowship whose building has sat on the same plot of ground since 1867. The land was deeded to the church in August of 1867...
The land where we'll never get old (10/21/12)
Although I'm not yet 60, there are some days that I feel like I'm getting old. My knees make funny clicking noises when I walk up the front steps, and sometimes going up the stairs to my office in the house is not real easy. My wife says to me every once in a while, "Well, we are getting old!"...
Songs are music to my ears (10/07/12)
I had the privilege this week of singing with the Senior Citizens Choir at one of the local nursing homes. There sure was some good singing going on with that group. I was one of the youngest members of the choir, but they didn't exploit my youthfulness by making me stand alone and sing "Jesus Loves Me" or "Deep and Wide" to delight the crowd. They just let me sing along, and it was great...
Many days can be the best days ever (09/30/12)
Last spring, my wife and I took our granddaughter, Charli, and her daddy to the Calsonic Arena to see the circus. At the time, Charli said it was "the best day ever." I have thought about that phrase a lot since then. And I seem to have had quite a few of those "best days ever" since then...
Keep on trying! Don't give up! (09/23/12)
When I was little I tried all kinds of things. I would see someone else doing something, and I would tell myself that I wanted to do that too. I would watch someone playing a musical instrument, and I'd want to learn how to play that thing too, whatever it may have been...
Don't like yourself? Change! (09/16/12)
I heard a story lately that amused me. It goes like this. A woman was in surgery after suffering a heart attack and she had a vision of God standing by her bedside. "Am I going to die?" she asks. God said, "No. You'll live for 30 more years!" Lying in the hospital with 30 years to look forward to, she decides she may as well have some other surgeries. ...
Proud to be an American (09/09/12)
I am the grandson of immigrants. My mother's parents came to the United States from Norway and settled in North Dakota before it became the 39th State in 1889. My grandfather, Andrew Tangen, came to America with great hopes and dreams for a new life and he bought land on the vast prairie of the northern Great Plains...
'Serve the Lord with gladness' (09/02/12)
I recently spent a day visiting people in the hospital, several nursing homes, and a center for the memory impaired. That is all a part of the life of a pastor of a local church. Later that evening I sat down with my wife and told her about my day. I told her about all the folks that I spent time with and said, "You know, only one of those people that I visited today will even remember that I was there."...
'Thanks, Teach. You're the greatest!' (08/26/12)
If you are reading this column...thank a teacher. I am sitting here at my computer typing away at my keyboard...thanks to a teacher. I remember the old drill when I started my typing class many years ago in junior high school...f j d k s l a ; f j d k s l a ; f j d k s l a ; The typing teacher at the front of the class repeating that over and over as the class typed away...
Man up to your feet woes (08/19/12)
I woke up in the middle of the night with my foot caught in my sheet. I wasn't sure what had happened so I just rolled over and went back to sleep. When I woke up the next morning I rolled the covers back and I found that I had rubbed a big hole in the bottom sheet on our bed. The hard calluses on my right heel had rubbed the material away and tore a hole big enough to swallow my size 12 foot...
A win-win situation (08/12/12)
I was sitting in my recliner watching the afternoon news when my wife said she was going out to get the mail and she walked out the front door. We had nothing planned that evening other than watching TV and seeing some of the shows that we had recorded on our DVR...
Speak freely, and let others do the same (08/05/12)
Back when I still worked in the newsroom at the Times-Gazette, our editor at the time gave each of us a card with these words written on it: "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances."...
One bad phishing adventure (07/29/12)
I noticed we had a voice mail waiting for us on our house phone the other morning when I got out of bed. It was from a friend I hadn't talked to in quite a while. He was calling to make sure we were alright, because he was concerned about an email he had gotten that said it was from me...
Don't worry; put your trust in God (07/22/12)
"Won't worry about anything, instead pray about everything..." Those are the words of wisdom passed on to us by the Apostle Paul. The Bible instructs us not to worry about what we are going to eat or what we are going to wear, and we are told not to worry about tomorrow. What we are told to do instead of worrying is to put our trust completely in God...
Children are rich blessings (07/15/12)
Psalm 127:3-5 says: "Children are a heritage from the Lord, offspring a reward from him. Like arrows in the hands of a warrior are children born in one's youth. Blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them." I was sitting in my chair this morning with Charli on my left side and Kori on my lap. Charli was busy playing a game on my iPad and Kori, with a big smile on her face, was watching her older cousin at work...
An invitation...to make a difference (07/01/12)
I want to invite you to join me for a Native American Children's Ministry Rally on Saturday, July 7 at 6 p.m. at Cannon United Methodist Church, located at 1001 Cannon Blvd. Sis. Linda Thompson, the executive director and founder of NAOMI (Native American Outreach Ministries, Inc.), will be speaking at the rally. NAOMI House is located in Jackrabbit, Ariz., just off the Navajo Reservation...
Celebrating in style (06/24/12)
We just celebrated my granddaughter Kori's first birthday. It was a perfect celebration for a little girl. There was a perfect sized swimming pool for a one year old, a fancy sprinkler for her older cousin and friends to run through, and a miniature pony named Pedro to carry everyone around in the back yard. Kori's mama even took a turn...
What makes a father (06/17/12)
I had just stepped on to the landing outside my older sister's apartment when I heard my mother screaming behind me. I turned around and went back inside and saw my father lying across an easy chair. He had suffered a massive heart attack, and he died later that night...
Message rings out no matter the place (06/10/12)
This morning as you read this column in Bedford County, Tennessee, I will be standing in the pulpit of New Life Fellowship at Castle Butte on the Navajo Reservation in Arizona. I have had the privilege of preaching to this congregation on numerous occasions over the years, but this time I will be standing in a new pulpit on a new platform in a new building...
Big adventure's just a click away (05/27/12)
I have always loved to read. I can get lost for a season in a good book. Some of my earliest memories were of Mom reading to my brother and sister and me. We'd all gather around Mom on the sofa or the chair and listen as she read to us from some fantasy or adventure. Mom's lap was always a safe place, and I particularly loved it there with a good book...
Young leaders prove future is right (05/20/12)
I went to a local church to hear a young man preach this week. Joshua Houston, 19, was preaching and his brother, Jacob, was the song leader. It was a blessing for me to hear these gentlemen minister the gospel so effectively. I was excited for them knowing that they both had long lives still ahead of them, and they had chosen such a wonderful path of Christian service...
Mom -- the greatest servant of all (05/13/12)
I have a bookmark that I keep in one of my devotionals that reads, "I am among you as one who serves. Jesus." That simple note is a constant reminder to me that I too am to be a servant. As one of Jesus' disciples I am to follow His example. As a husband, a father, a grandfather, a pastor, and a friend, I am among you as one who serves...
In search of our real home (05/06/12)
When I was growing up, I knew where home was. I lived at 1107 Sunset Drive in Grand Forks, North Dakota. I lived there with my parents and my brothers and sisters from the time I was about 3 years old until I started high school. That charcoal grey house with the garden in the backyard was home...
Comforting lyrics ring out to help (04/22/12)
My mind keeps going back to a beautiful old hymn this week. The music keeps running through my head and I find comfort in the lyrics of this marvelous song. "Day by day, and with each passing moment, Strength I find to meet my trials here; Trusting in my Father's wise bestowment, I've no cause for worry or for fear. He, whose heart is kind beyond all measure, Gives unto each day what He deems best, Lovingly its part of pain and pleasure, Mingling toil with peace and rest."...
Creamy delight transcends generations (04/22/12)
My 10-month-old granddaughter, Kori, has learned that she likes adult food better than her baby food. She has also learned that anything that Papa is eating is better than her strained peas and ugly green stuff in that little jar. She's a smart little girl...
Prayers and help needed for NAOMI (04/15/12)
I received an email recently from our family friend, Linda Thompson. Linda is the director of NAOMI House in Jackrabbit, Ariz. that I wrote about several weeks ago. With Linda's permission, I am sharing part of her email with you today....
Easter memories, then and now (04/08/12)
I have fond memories of Easter Sunday from my childhood. Easter Sunday church service was a very special time in the lives of the families of United Lutheran Church. The sanctuary was decorated all over with beautiful white Easter lilies, and all of the people wore their brand new Easter dresses and suits proudly as they strolled into the worship service...
Imagine making a difference (04/01/12)
Imagine a child, living in fear of his parents' rage, abuse and neglect; not knowing when he will eat again, or if there will be enough food to fill his empty stomach. Imagine a child, living in fear that her mother will never wake up from her drunken sleep, no matter how much she shakes her and tries to wake her up...
God brings peace to a troubled soul (03/25/12)
I went to a funeral in another city last weekend. The woman that the preacher eulogized was so different than the woman I first met years ago. She had found a new life in Christ, and she was, as Paul said 1 Corinthians 5:17, "a new creation." The preacher spoke of a woman who had found a reason to live. She was actively serving in the church, and actively sharing her faith. He shared with those of us at the funeral that he knew this lady had gone on to be with the Lord when she died...
Fighting back vs. cancer (03/18/12)
My oldest sister, Rita Brewer, died from cancer; my oldest brother, Bob Dezotell, died from cancer; my father-in-law, Ralph Freeman, died from cancer; and my other brother, Paul Dezotell, is a cancer survivor. Cancer has affected both sides of Lynn and my family, and we have wanted to do what we could to help in the fight against the disease...
Thank you, everyone! You're great! (03/11/12)
I did something this week that I have thought about doing for a long time. I said "Thank You" to someone that I have wanted to thank for a while now. I was at St. Thomas Hospital in Nashville visiting some parishioners, and right near the hospital sits the office of the surgeon who walked with me through 8 surgeries in 2010 and 2011. I have wanted to make a point of visiting him and saying a special "Thank You." So this week I did...
Best day, with more to come! (03/04/12)
Lynn and I took our son, Michael, and our granddaughter, Charli, to the circus last week. Charli told her daddy, "This is the best day ever!" She loved the circus and she clapped excitedly for every act. There were miniature white horses with brightly colored manes and tails, dancing elephants, a tiger in a cage, acrobatic dogs, clowns and dancers, motorcyclists in a metal ball, and balloons and cotton candy and popcorn and hot dogs. What else could a little girl ask for?...
Please, let's work together (02/26/12)
My daughter will stand in front of the open refrigerator and stare at the full shelves of food, and then walk over to the kitchen pantry, open the door, and stare at those shelves full of food and then whine, "We don't have anything to eat in this house!"...
Personal testimony puts face on Habitat's effects (02/19/12)
In 1976, a Christian couple by the names of Millard and Linda Fuller started an organization to address the issues of housing for low income families. They called their project Habitat for Humanity International. Today, that organization is helping first time home buyers around the globe make the dream of owning their own home a reality. That privilege is even extended to low income families right here in Shelbyville thanks to Bedford Builds Habitat for Humanity...
Thirty years later, she's still the one (02/12/12)
Thirty years ago, I was attending a ministry conference in Talladega, Ala., when I spied a beautiful young woman sitting across the room from me. I don't know if she noticed me, but I sure had a hard time taking my eyes off of her. I still remember what she was wearing too...
Cold winter days were fun, but this year's great (02/05/12)
People like to talk about the weather. I was getting the oil changed in my car the other day and one of the men working at the shop commented on the mild winter weather we have been having. He said that we were likely to have a lot of bugs this year because it hasn't been real cold yet...
Let your sign be a good one (01/29/12)
I have seen some interesting signs hanging in different places over the years. One of my favorites is hanging near the cash register at the Bell Buckle Café (one of my favorite dining establishments). It says, "Don't try to teach a pig to sing. It wastes your time and it annoys the pig."...
Best things in life might just be iThings (01/22/12)
My wife bought me an iPad for Christmas. She also bought me a companion book to help me out with my new Christmas present: "iPad for Dummies." I have taken to the iPad pretty easily, although I am one of the least tech savvy fellows out there. I haven't had to open the Dummies book yet either...
A hymn of 'faith' (01/15/12)
Last Sunday morning I was surprised by joy as the worship leader at church led the congregation in one of the most beautiful hymns I have heard in a long time. It is entitled, "Hymn of Promise," and the words and music were written by Natalie Sleeth...
A wonderful life: Family, holiday fun (01/08/12)
My family and I had a wonderful holiday season. My oldest son, Gabe, came home from California in time for Thanksgiving, and has been with us through the New Year. I have really enjoyed having the whole family together. During the holidays, we have certainly enjoyed some good entertainment...
Revisiting dreams of the past (01/01/12)
I was reminiscing and came across something that I wanted to share with you again. I hope you don't mind. For many people around the world the beginning of a new year becomes a time for grand celebrations, watching the old year fade away as the new is ushered in...
The greatest story ever told (12/25/11)
On this Christmas Morning, I want to share the true Christmas story with you from the Gospels of Luke, Matthew and John. This of course is the greatest story ever told. Luke 2:4-20: 4And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judaea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem (because he was of the house and lineage of David),* 5To be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child. ...
The man in the box (12/11/11)
My granddaughter, Kori, is 6 months old. She is smart and beautiful, just like her grandmother. And Kori loves to stare at the fire burning in our electric fireplace. Her older cousin, Charli, who will be 3 in January (also smart and beautiful like her grandmother), has always been fascinated by the fire in our fireplace too. In fact, Charli would sit down on the floor in front of that thing and just smile, and enjoy the heat from the blower that warms our living room...
One word with lots of power (12/11/11)
I received a letter the other day from a Christian missionary organization that really grabbed my attention. This group had started an outreach to women of another religion, and their main approach was to just say "hello!" That simple concept of offering a greeting as a means of ministry to someone else has intrigued me...
Help needed more than ever (12/04/11)
There is a story told of a time when St. Francis of Assisi was traveling across the country and he saw a leper standing by the side of the road. The man's face and body were covered with open sores. St. Francis was so moved with the man's pitiful condition that he jumped from his horse, ran to the man, and hugged him close to himself. St. Francis began to weep and pray for the leper. When he looked into the man's face, St. Francis was suddenly looking into the face of Jesus...
A time to count your blessings (11/27/11)
I have been blessed! And I am so grateful for all of the blessings that God has given me. There's an old hymn that I have been singing to myself lately that reminds me to think about the many ways that I have blessed. Johnson Oatman, Jr. wrote these words:...
Grandpa: The best hat of all (11/20/11)
I have always liked hats. One of my favorite photos of myself growing up was of me caught sitting on the potty reading a Porky the Pig comic book wearing one of my dad's bowler hats. I was just 2 or 3 years old at the time. My oldest sister, Rita, had just gotten herself a camera for Christmas and she was busy snapping candid photos of the family. Such as me in my dad's hat on the toilet...
Listen to the music (11/13/11)
My mother used to play the organ, and I was one of her biggest fans. She never had an organ of her own until she was in her 60s and her second husband bought her one. She sure was proud that she finally had her own musical instrument to sit at and play her favorite songs...
Elmo Claus takes on the holidays (11/06/11)
I thoroughly enjoyed Halloween this year! I wore my Elmo shirt and my Santa Claus hat, and joyfully opened the door to greet all the trick-or-treaters. It was great to see the looks on the children's faces when I opened the door. Some cried, "Look, it's Elmo!" Others said, "Hey, it's Santa Claus!"...
It's all about the points (10/30/11)
I went to a chili supper the other night, and while I was walking back to my spot at the table with a scrumptious pumpkin dessert in my hand, someone called out to me, "Hey, Bro. Doug., how many points is that dessert?" This person knew that I was a part of the Weight Watchers program and she thought that I shouldn't be eating a scrumptious pumpkin dessert. ...
Road love instead of road rage (10/23/11)
I was driving down I-24 the other day on my way home from Murfreesboro and I slowed down to let someone in a pick-up truck enter the lane in front of me. As they merged, they proceeded to show some obscene hand gestures to me. In fact, not only did the driver wave rudely at me but so did the passenger. I got flipped-off in duplicate! I got the double whammy!...
All tied up in fashion, but stylin' (10/16/11)
Why in the world do men wear ties? Where did this strange fashion accessory come from? Men gather a long piece of material and tie it in a knot around their neck and go about their business. I can understand a belt. It serves a good purpose. It holds my pants up. But a tie?...
Read on, Shelbyville! It's your newspaper (10/09/11)
October 2-8, 2011 was National Newspaper Week, a time in which to celebrate the great addition to our daily diet of reading material: the local newspaper. Ours is the Shelbyville Times-Gazette, a wonderful format for passing on the news and views of the folks of Bedford County...
'Home' is truly best, whether on earth or heavenly (10/02/11)
I finally learned how to play the game of Chickenfoot. It is a game played with dominoes. We played Chickenfoot while on a church retreat at Beersheba Springs Assembly up on the mountain top in Grundy County. The retreat was a wonderful time of Christian growth and fellowship for a group of folks from Mt. Lebanon United Methodist Church...
The true source of victory (09/25/11)
I had the privilege this past week of preaching at the opening service of the revival meeting at Pleasant Grove United Methodist Church. The Rev. Jim Sorrells is the pastor of this wonderful congregation. There were two songs that were sung that night that really were special to me and have spoken to me time and again over the years. The congregation sang the great gospel song, "Victory in Jesus," and Inge Wood sang the old folk song, "Poor Wayfaring Stranger."...
Heroes help reach out to Native Americans (09/18/11)
I just returned from a trip to Jackrabbit, Ariz., one of my favorite places to visit. It is the home of NAOMI House (Native American Outreach Ministries, Inc.). I spent a week there visiting, ministering, resting, and being blessed. And I enjoyed spending time with one of my heroes, Linda Thompson, the director of NAOMI...
Heroes help reach out to Native Americans (09/17/11)
I just returned from a trip to Jackrabbit, Ariz., one of my favorite places to visit. It is the home of NAOMI House (Native American Outreach Ministries, Inc.). I spent a week there visiting, ministering, resting, and being blessed. And I enjoyed spending time with one of my heroes, Linda Thompson, the director of NAOMI...
Heroes live in our midst (09/11/11)
On Sept. 11, 2001, many heroes gave their lives as they bravely went to the aid of those trapped in the Twin Towers. Firemen and Police Officers responded to the calls that went out for assistance. And many of them lost their lives. In response to those attacks on our soil, U.S. service men and women were sent to foreign lands to fight for the freedoms that we as Americans hold so dear. Many of those who went on our behalf did not return home alive...
A saint goes marching in (09/04/11)
My friend, Fred West, organized the best Mardi Gras parade I have ever been to. There was a marching band, brightly colored floats, a Mardi Gras King and Queen, balloons and beads, lots of multi-colored beads. It was a marvelous affair! Everyone was smiling and happy, and laughter and music filled the air...
Seek peace, and head for that mansion (08/28/11)
I drove to West Virginia this week and sat by the bedside of a dying friend. He has terminal cancer and his vital organs are shutting down. I sat with him in his hospital room and prayed while he slept, held his hand and prayed when he was awake, and just was there with my friend...
If you love someone, tell them (08/21/11)
The musical Fiddler on the Roof tells the story of a poor Orthodox Jewish family living in a small village in Tsarist Russia in 1905. Included in the production, there is a song that paints a sweet and comical picture of love between a husband and a wife. It is a conversation between the main character, Tevye, and his wife, Golde. The conversation goes like this:...
Good wins out in the end (08/14/11)
My earliest memories of movie going were made at the Empire Theater in Grand Forks, North Dakota. The first movies I remember seeing were all animated and they were all Disney movies. There was Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Pinocchio, Dumbo, Cinderella, and Sleeping Beauty...
Greetings can make a difference (08/07/11)
One of my earliest memories of Sunday School is of the warm welcome offered to me Sunday after Sunday by Bethie Pond. As a small boy I was fearful of leaving my mother's side and going into a Sunday School room without her. But then, Bethie became my greeter, my guide and my friend...
Taste and see: You'll discover it's always good (07/31/11)
I worked as an orderly at a nursing home when I was a teenager, and I met a woman there named Minnie. She had a great personality and she was a joy to care for. I would be called to come and help the nurse's aide move Minnie from her bed to her chair and back again. Minnie had only one leg so she couldn't help much in the transfer. But she made our job easier by being lighthearted and fun-loving...
A simple, profoundly full life (07/24/11)
I have a friend on the Navajo Reservation in Northern Arizona who will celebrate her 107th birthday this year. I met Irene Eskey, affectionately called Grandma, in the 1980s when I was invited to preach a revival at the church she helped to start on the reservation...
Watch out for those Chicken Feet! (07/17/11)
My friend, Martha Hitt, gets together on a regular basis with a group of friends to play a game called Chickenfoot. All I know about the game is that it's played with dominoes. I shudder when I think too long about chickens' feet! Years ago when I was the director of a ministry in Lansing, Mich., I went with another minister friend of mine in search of some chickens for the farm that we had just acquired for our ministry...
Friendship is a treasure beyond value (07/10/11)
One of my dearest and oldest friends came to visit us this week. He and his wife live in Memphis, and they drove over to spend the 4th of July holiday with us. We enjoyed our time together. We talked and caught up. We laughed and laughed again. We reminisced and we prayed together. It was a real nice time...
Doug Dezotell
Memories and Musings