Camp Meeting

The Preacher Waxing Warm

We've just concluded our annual Church of God in Tennessee Camp-Meeting. For those who may not know: Each year the people from all churches throughout the state gather in one place for five nights of worship of God, fellowship with one another and instruction in the Word of God, the Holy Bible. Now-a-days we have something over 400 churches in this state alone, so you can see that this is a massive undertaking. 3000 to 4000 people attend these services each night. Our speakers were all well known people. Loran Livingston, David Griffis, Tommy Bates, Mark Williams and for the concluding service John Hagee. They were all in top form and had something fresh to share with us. I've never heard them preach any better than they preached this week.

Of course Camp-Meeting now is very different from what it was 70 + years ago when I first started attending. You see, I've been attending Camp-Meetings all of my natural life because my Dad and Mom were pastors before me. This week we were in the sanctuary of our headquarters church (North Cleveland Church of God) which is air-conditioned. PA equipment, at least 3, maybe 4 Video Cameras, keyboards, organ, trained and talented singers all made their good contributions to a pleasant worship experience. Books, CDs and DVDs were on sale in the lobby. There were two overflow areas (totally packed the last night) plus the main sanctuary.

Of course I don't remember all the details of those first years for I was a baby in Mother's arms. I CAN remember much though from the time I was eight years old. I remember hearing Ray Hughes preach about Jesus in a Florida Camp-Meeting at the campground in Wimauma. I can close my eyes and be transported in thought to that place and hear him even now, saying, "Come with me down the via Dolorosa. Let your bare feet touch the cool cobblestone pavement and smell the green moss growing on the stone walls where the sun does not reach it but for moments each day. We are following a noisy crowd as they follow the man called Jesus, who is carrying a rugged old cross on which he will be hanged today......" and on he went describing the crucifixion of Jesus. In my mind I can hear the congregation saying "Amen". I can see the old folks with eyes glued toward the podium, fanning with a cardboard fan that contains advertisement for a funeral home. My folks (Mom, Dad, Grandma Jones, my brothers and baby sister) are all there. It is hot. I can hear someone slap their hand against their legs - swatting mosquitos. The old model A Ford goes by with a tank mounted on back, spraying for mosquitos, chiggers, and any other bugs that might succumb to the fumes made by a mixture with a heavy base of kerosene (called coal oil). In my mind's eye I can see people bowing their heads and coughing as their hands reached for their mouths to stop them from ingesting the bug spray. But I can also remember that no one wanted to leave the open-air tabernacle area during the preaching. When the invitation was given for people to come and pray - we all rushed forward. Everyone was engrossed in the message of Jesus!

There are so many wonderful memories of Camp Meeting. At the Wimauma campground there was a huge bell hung on the back of the tabernacle which was rung about 10 minutes before and again at starting time of each service. In those days there were many campers, camped in tents. Some slept in their cars. Some built one or two room cabins on the property. My grandmother had a cabin which had two rooms. One for cooking and eating - the other for sleeping. The boards on the floor were partially covered by linoleum rugs. We kids slept on a pallet on the floor. Kerosene lanterns served as our light. A "two-burner" kerosene stove served as the kitchen range. An ice-box was filled daily with a 25 pound block of ice. Ahhh... what memories. Singing lessons from V.B. (Vep) Ellis. Music by Vep and Leon Ellis, Vestal Kerce, Arnold Godwin, the Blackwood Brothers, Hovie Lister and the Statesmen, the Speer Family, the Florida Boys with L.G. Beasley, Videt Polk and so many many more.

In Tennessee, the Camp Meetings were also great events. Preachers like Y.W. Kidd, A.V. Beaube, W.E. Johnson, Wade Horton, Paul Henson, T.L. Lowery, Steve Brock, George Alford, Jack and Danny Drake, George Voorhis, Clyde C. Cox, Albert Batts and others too numerous to list. Singing by Connor Hall, Calvin Wigley, Gordon Stallings and his family, Ray Branham family, special choirs, quartets, and solos. My own Mom and Dad were called on to sing at Camp Meetings in Tennessee. If I were to tell the whole story it would be too lengthy for this blog. In fact - I'm going to have to hunt some pictures to help break the monotony of my writing. Smile with me folks.

I must put in just a word for what I have always considered to be the most special part of Camp Meeting: the Morning Bible Study. I always loved the Bible Study better. I never could understand why more people were not in attendance for them. Most times there were half (or less) number of people in the morning study sessions than the night services. They were often not as emotional. Maybe that was the reason. Of course some of our folks work during the day and could only come at night. But Bible Study - sitting under the teaching of those old-timers like David Lemons, George Alford, Albert Batts, etc., was so rich. Some of them could quote verbatim an entire book - like 1st Thessalonians or Timothy or Titus or Malachi - and give such powerful insights into the meaning of the Bible. It was so satisfying to me.

Well - this week was no exception. Mitchell Tolle, a very successful artist who has his own gallery in Berea, Kentucky, gave us masterful teaching based on Psalms 1. It was like a breath of fresh air. He threw down a challenge to us to become radical Christians! I wish you could have heard each session. WOW! Tolle is also the pastor of the Man 'O War Church of God in Lexington, KY. If I'm ever in that area I want to attend and see what the Lord is doing there.


Two Friends Listen; W. Paul Fritts and Edward L. Williams

I'm looking for a place to stop. My Dad taught me that I should learn how to "dismiss" the people and do it smoothly. He would stand and walk to the pulpit and say, "You're dismissed!"
OK. You're dismissed!

Scatterred Thoughts About Change

"That's The Fred We Knew In Biloxi!" (A quote from Sherry Darnell)

Change Happens! It's as normal as falling off a log. Our President had a good chance of doing what he promised - "seeing change". It happens with him or without him. Someone said, "The more things change the more they remain the same!" And while that may be true to some degree, especially in politics, there are some changes that happen that make a real difference. Many people live longing for change. They feel they are caught in a trap and have a great desire to get out. Some feel trapped in their job, or school, or marriage, or lifestyle. They desire change, talk about change, strive for change, pray for change. But - CHANGE JUST HAPPENS.

We were all once babies. But things changed. WE got older. For some, acne caused us to be called "ugly" and thus some became unpopular or even worse, depressed. Then with maturity the pimples popped and faces smoothed and beauty arose. Cinderella became the queen. Now they young men sought the attention of "my fair lady". Some babies were cute, then changed to "chubby". But things changed further. The baby fat melted and a handsome young man appeared in his teens. Or maybe an awkward and gangly young man appeared. All the girls hung around the handsome one like flies on the apothecary's bottle. This is not the end though...things changed. That full shock of richly colored hair began to turn grey around the temples. This was "more handsome" for some. But in others, some hair turned gray while some hair turned loose. That fat began to re-appear. So much change occurs in some physical bodies until friends you had known as children but haven't seen in 10 to 15 years become unrecognizable.

There's an old saying that seems appropriate for this picture of me and my great-grand-son...... "Time has made a change in me!"

Problems - Privacy, Law Breakers, and The Gulf Disaster

Have you ever wondered about your privacy here in cyber-space? I'm sure we have some e-mails screened by the government and by some forces out here in cyber-space. To me it's an act of cowardice that doesn't want to face up to honest criticism. I know they do screen things like this from our troops because I got a reply from one I had sent to Lowell's son who is in the Air Force saying something like "this e-mail was not sent because of content". Of course I've lived with this lack of freedom of speech by living in Africa - and watched as news magazines were declared "subversive" material because there was some criticism of their government. I also observed daily newspaper editors being thrown in jail because they had printed material criticizing the president of their country. It was hard for me too - because I had grown up with such incredible freedom of speech. I see the trend in government circles today in our America that high-placed politicians feel themselves above criticism of their people. (i.e., remarks made by the president about the tea-party group, the Arizona governor, and so forth indicate this to me.)

Too, because of paranoia since 9/11, at least in part, our leadership is invading the privacy of it's hard-working citizens. It would not surprise me at all if we move into a "state of emergency" toward the end of Obama's career. That would give him "emergency powers" to continue ruling even though I believe he will be beaten soundly at the ballot box. I've observed it being tried in foreign countries. It always leads to chaos by un-ruly mobs. I'm aware that the Bible predicts these difficult times "in the last days". It is called "Perilous times". Evil men, Difficult men, unruly men are hard to deal with. 2 Tim. 3:13 "But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived." 2 Tim. 3:1-5 "This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. [2] For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, [3] Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, [4] Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; [5] Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.

Two major problems are bringing certain disaster to "our way of life" in America. One - the rejection by many of our citizens of the simple rule of law. In Romans 13 we learn that God has placed the "powers that be" into their positions, and the Bible commands (notice I used the word "commands" and not the word "suggests") that Christians should recognize the officer of the law as the minister of God. Our religious leaders are supporting illegal aliens and attempting to throw open the doors as never before and declare the 600,000+ illegal aliens legal so they can collect funding from our social welfare programs - paid for by you and me, the loyal, hard-working and law-abiding citizen. Our President allowed Mr. Calderon, the president of Mexico, to come into this country and state over national TV that he did not like the Arizona law! Have you ever? Can you imagine the reaction that would happen if Mr. Obama went to any other nation and made a statement that he did not like their law? Plus, our President has held the governor of Arizona at arms length and stated he disagrees with the laws of Arizona which says nothing more than what the national immigration law has already said. In my book that means he is saying he does not uphold the law of America, which he swore he would up-hold. God have mercy on America.

Two - The other major problem that I see looming NOW over us is the terrible tragedy occurring in the Gulf Oil Spill. You are probably already seeing trouble on the shores near you in the panhandle of Florida. I do not mean to be an alarmist - but what do we know about oil? It burns, right? Suppose this thing is not plugged for another six months? Oil will be everywhere, soaking in our marshes, up our rivers, into our beaches, tracked into motels and hotels. What if - after saturation - someone starts it to burn? Now I'm not saying it will. But what if?
This thing is going to KILL much of our old way of life. It is going to affect not only the fishermen, the shrimpers, the people who make a livelihood in the sea, but it is going to affect the entire USA's economy. Hotels, Motels, Restaurants, trucking industry, political and social and religious lives will be drastically changed. As I have said before, our President needs to come forward and instead of saying "I'm in charge...I'm holding BP accountable....I'm not going to let this continue", he needs to say something like, "My fellow-citizens. We have a disaster in the Gulf of Mexico that we are trying to control. It has never happened before. We do not know what to do. We need the help of God! So- I am asking you to get on your knees and pray to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, that He may have mercy upon us and give us the understanding of how to solve this problem."
God has the ability to turn the entire situation around. In 2 Chronicles 7:14 He promised that He would "heal our land" if we met His conditions. God can stop the flow of oil, or show some engineer a new device to control it. God can then cause local citizens to turn this disaster into something profitable. I don't know how. But God can. I thought this morning that some people I've known would be gathering up that oil in buckets, soaking papers in it, tying them in bundles and selling them as "Fire starter sticks". Huh? Who knows what God would do if our nation and it's leaders would repent of greed, selfishness, pride, lust, and out-right bold rebellion against the Lord?

Whew! I didn't start out to write such a chronicle - but I'm driven. It is urgent that we get the word out to folks that the only hope for America and for the world in these last days is faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God!

53 Years Ago Today

Lenoir City, Tennessee - June 2, 1957 - I stood as an 18 year old young man fresh out of boot-camp, trembling inside and standing beside my dream girl and before the preacher! Looking back, I realize I was in a state of mild shock, transfixed, hardly hearing the preacher's words and hoarsely croaking out the words "I Do" at the appropriate moment. Thoughts of "tonight" flying through my head at break-neck speed...I kept trying to focus on the events going on around me on a day that changed my life forever. In a few moments (seemed like hours) all of the ceremony, picture taking, tearful goodbyes from siblings and parents were over and at last we were in the '56 Studebaker (borrowed from Dad) and on our way out of town with several cars following - horns honking, drivers and passengers and waving and shouting, pretending to attempt cutting us off, as the shoes, and cans they had tied to the rear of the car bounced noisily along the road! Somehow - I eluded them all within the first two miles and we drove speedily to the motel owned by some church members where Dad pastored at Ooltewah, Tennessee for our first night together as man and wife! We were so in love. The air in the room was electric. I could hardly contain myself.

Fifty three years later - this morning I went to Chik-fil-A to get two breakfast burritos. Upon returning home I had put the food on the table and sat down to eat. Frances passed my chair and leaned over to give me a kiss on the lips - and the same fire was there in a flash. (Well, the intensity was not as high, but it was the same un-mistakable fire.) I love this woman so much! Thank you God for a wonderful wife. My children and grand-children sometimes get embarrassed at our kissing and hugging - but I'm so thankful for the feelings we have between us. Someone said, "Love is not a feeling". And another said, "Love is what you do...Not what you feel." I agree with those statements - but those moments of ecstasy are also a very important part of what has kept us together.

As you can tell from the pictures, the wedding was performed outside. This was done in front of the living room window of Frances' sister's home on B Street, Lenoir City, TN. My beautiful bride had walked across the street from sister Margaret's home (on B Street) and we stood outside for the ceremony to be performed by Rev. T.R. Morse, our pastor.

Long Distance

Just this morning I have checked out some area codes found on my cell phone. I discovered that I've received several phone calls lately from persons in SC, MI, NH, and even BC. They do not leave a message. What do we do with these? It goes against my grain not to answer the telephone. Somehow it seems I am being disrespectful. It feels like someone coming to the door of my house and I refuse to answer the door without knowing who is even knocking. It is not the way I was raised. I think: What if it's someone I've met along my life's journey and they are trying to get in touch? Since I've passed out my professional card to hundreds of people from all walks of life while traveling over a million miles, what if it's someone who wants me to come to their area and share the gospel with them? What if...??? a "thousand" questions arise. So why not answer? Because I've had a few calls which were nothing but a machine playing a recorded voice trying to get me to buy something I'm not the least interested in. I've also answered when a persistent salesman/saleswoman on the other end of the line could not understand the meaning of "No!" I've had to get rude, raise my voice, and finally hang up in their mid-sentence. That leaves me feeling as badly as if the person were standing in my living room. I don't know why - but it does.



Technology! I love it. But with it comes it's own set of unique problems. Now you can buy a plan which allows you to place un-limited calls anywhere in the 50 states for a very cheap rate. That's wonderful if you are the person doing the calling. But if it makes us victims of rude and difficult people - it is not so good. Another thought I've picked up somewhere - maybe read in a magazine - how rude the phone has made the normally nice person to be. Go to an office and sit at a desk with someone in business. Or sit in a pastor's office telling him your problems. Right in the middle of an important message you are trying to convey - the phone rings. The person behind the desk (tho he/she may have an answering machine) will turn, pick up the phone, say quietly to you "Excuse me"...and take care of the problem or request of the person calling in. Then they turn back to you with the smile of a Cheshire cat and say "Mmmm... You were saying?" Well now - it's un-fair to say that ALL people behave that way - but FAR TOO MANY do.

So what am I gonna do? Answer the phone even if I don't know who is calling? Or wait and let them leave a message on my answering machine? Or wait until they call back from the same number half a dozen times before answering the phone? Or should I answer at all if I do not recognize the numbers?

Correct me if I'm wrong - but I plan to continue with present policy. I'll look at the phone to see who is calling and if I don't recognize the number or see a familiar name, I will let them leave a message. If they leave a message I may call back.

Immigration Questions - Again!

We have a horrendous task before us if we settle the question of "Border Control"! Since I last blogged on this subject, I have had some facebook friends who took exception to some of my statements about keeping the law. It's o.k. with me for them to take exception. We shall remain friends and shall continue to discuss our feelings frankly and without malice towards one another. (At least that's my desire.) For me - the debate over the Arizona law is about law and not about race-relations. As I see it the Bible calls on the followers of Christ to pray for those in authority and to support the officer of the law as we would a minister of Christ. Some who read my thoughts immediately jump to the conclusion that I must not love the aliens. So I must write a few things more in hopes it will clarify my position.

First, Loving the alien is one thing I do. We Christians must love all men, regardless of race, creed or color. Christ taught us to love our neighbor as ourselves. However, This discussion is not about "Apartheid" (a word out of South Africa that means "Apart Life"). My contention is that this is not about "being kind to the Samaritans". It is about breaking the immigration law. Crossing the borders into the USA without a passport and visa... is a crime. It is not a matter of racial prejudice.

Nelson Mandela was imprisoned within his own country. He had a right to fight against being treated unjustly. However – my feeling is that for us to illegally cross into the borders of South Africa and try to overturn the laws of that country is wrong. I do not feel that we have the right to go into Mexico and try to change the laws that we do not agree with. As a missionary working in Africa for many years I saw many laws I considered unjust and unfair but I had better understanding than to become involved in trying to change those laws. If missionaries attempt to get involved in political change they will most likely be dealt with harshly and rapidly. In the same manner, I feel that aliens who come here should not get involved politically until they become nationalized citizens.

Someone said, "The Christian conscience is always in a dialectical tension between laws of the land and the commandments of God." I know of no law/s here in America that makes you and me unable to keep the commandments of God. I do not see “dialectical tension” but I do see signs of "dialectical materialism".

I liked this statememt that someone wrote, "We are obligated to peacefully and prophetically live out our conscience. I liked their emphasis on PEACEFULLY and PROPHETICALLY! Someone lifted up Martin Luther King's strong move against some un-fair laws in the '60s. I like MLK’s position of non-violence but again, we are not dealing with apartheid or racial issues here. We are dealing with immigration and law violators. We are talking about obeying or violating the laws of the land which require a person to have a passport and visa.

I read the National Association of Evangelicals statement advocating immigration reform and some of the Council of Bishops of the Catholic Church supporting an "open door" policy. It seems to me the NAE and Catholic Council support people of any and every economic and social background, saying that they have the right to cross our borders in violation of the law and take jobs so they can send money home to their families while American workers are un-employed. In these arguments I find the issue of economics. Tithing is also a matter of economics. Pastors can be motivated by the concern for the lost souls of immigrants (from whatever country) and seek to point them to Christ. However, I fear that not all escape the economic motivations.

To reform and to refine is good. To allow persons to cross into our borders and be financed by our social welfare systems to the tune of billions of dollars a year – and neglect our own natural born citizens is not good. As someone said, "To reform is not to over-throw." It is to "re-form" and make better what seems to be broken.

REFORM: I very much liked one of the things that was said in our discussion. “To reform is not to over-throw”. Yet I see reports on TV and the Internet where illegal aliens are getting together to march in our streets. They speak against our right to control our own borders. I do not see how they can be compared with Martin Luther King or Nelson Mandela at all. When a person crosses into our borders without legal papers to do so, they immediately become criminals and are subject to the law.

Someone referred to "Shadrack, Meshach, and Abendago as well as Daniel" as examples of those who broke un-just laws and were aliens in a foreign land. These men are great Biblical examples to follow. I suggest that if we followed their example to the letter and allowed God to vindicate us that we might have a testimony worthy of the Church of God Evangel (our official in-house news publication). Or think of the action of the King who had Daniel thrown into the lions den. He had a law and felt obligated to carry out the law. He worried and prayed and anxiously went to the lion's den next morning, lifted ujp his voice and asked, "Oh Daniel, is your God able to deliver you?" Of course Daniel had been protected - but I ask you - would God have protected him if he had lied to the King and denied that he had violated the law?

That said, when we break the law there are always consequences and those aliens who break our laws face consequences when they are caught, whether the laws seem just or not. It is for the law to deal with them in that respect. Our part (in my opinion) is to follow what is put down in the law as much as it does not violate God's law. If I understand the "new" AZ law, it simply requires that anyone must show proof of their right to be in this country when asked by the proper authorities. I have had to "show proof" multiplied times while traveling within foreign countries. I know how easy it is to fall into the trap of feeling that I should be above this law. I also know how easy it is to feel that I should not have to cooperate with every officer who asks for my identification. No matter how inconvenient it was for me - Yet, it was required by the law!

Let me point out that Shadrack, Meshack, Abednego and Daniel all were standing up for a spiritual matter; and not a civil one. There is no stretch of the imagination whereby we can compare those men with the law-breakers of today. I submit that had the law been one that would have brought financial stress to these “poor men”, we would have read a whole different story. They would have quietly trusted God to supply all their needs according to His riches in glory.

Let me close by saying – I will continue to love the souls of all men – criminal or law-abiding - regardless of race or legal status. Their soul is the highest priority. When given the opportunity I will teach them to be men/women of integrity and honesty and not to forever be fugitives from the civil law and to put God's Word to the test.

The Gardens In Tennessee

Frances is proud of her brother Frank's gardening skills!

Fresh onions, lettuce, and cabbage all came from Frank's garden.

What a blessing to have a brother-in-law (Frank Hildreth) who likes to garden! And - it's even better that he likes to share the produce grown with family and friends. Yesterday, since we were getting together with two of Frances' brothers and one sister and all their spouses for an evening meal at the Outback in Chattanooga, he came to our house early and brought a bag full of "the first-fruits" from this year's work and said something like "This is for the preacher who married us last year!." He must have been reading the book of Exodus in his Bible because that's where God laid down the principle of honoring him with these words: Exodus 23:19 "The first of the firstfruits of thy land thou shalt bring into the house of the Lord thy God..." Thank you Frank and Jan!

For those that may not know - Frank's first wife died almost two years ago and new wife Jan works for the state of Tennessee and is working in Chattanooga this week. She's a sweet lady and we all love her. We get together with them whenever work brings her down our way.

That paragraph reminded me of the radio preacher I heard once. While preaching on Malachi 3:10 he said, "People's always a askin me wher th storehouse is - I'll tell ya wher it is - It's rat 'cheere in my hip pocket!" Of course we know that the storehouse is in God's house. But then that's another separate blog. lol.

Frank tells us that as a boy he hated gardening with a passion (or anything that would be called work). His Dad, however, would make him help dig up the ground, plant the crops and weed the garden too. Frank told us that his Dad would "whip" him if he acted like he didn't want to garden much. "One day", Frank said, "I asked Daddy how much money he would have to have to sell the lot where we were working. Daddy, brightened up and said, 'Well, son, for you ... uh ... If you had this lot, what would you do with it?'" Frank paused for impact. "If I owned it we wouldn't plant anything on it!" And what did Daddy do? Reached for a limb ... with the words, 'Boy! I'll wear you out!" Now you can see the longing in his eye as he tells that story - then asks in wistful tones, "Reckon Daddy knows how much I love it now?"

Shortly after Frank's arrival, we were joined by Elizabeth (Frances' sister) and her husband Curtis Fritts. We all went to the local Chick-fil-A and had a light lunch...then Curtis and Beth were off to Hamrick's in Ft Oglethorpe, GA to shop. We (Frank, Frances and I) went back to our house where Frank proceeded to give me some pointers about gardening. My five little tomato plants are doing o.k. - and the grapes we transplanted last fall are showing some signs of life. No grapes forming yet, but there are some new branches popping out on 6 of the 10 vines. We discovered that bugs were already hungrily attacking some of the leaves and at Frank's recommendation I applied some Seven-Dust.


Frank, Elizabeth, Curtis at Chick-fil-A

All five of us at Chick-fil-A, courtesy of folks at the table next to us!

We had a wonderful (wonder-full) visit at the house - then drove down to Chattanooga to eat dinner together at the Outback. As usual, I over-ate, and needed some Gaviscon! I don't eat that much...just the 9oz.steak and fries with a salad and sweet tea. No dessert. Honest! Although four others ordered ice-cream and chocolate I did not eat a single bite of it. Oh - and I did have a cup of de-caf coffee while they ate their desserts.