Roll On

Busted!  I was caught like a kid with his hand in the cookie jar.  The head honcho spotted me cruising down Kentucky Street on my scooter the other day.   He pulled me over and took me back to the nursing home.

"You know you're not supposed to be on this busy street!" he told me.

He thought they had told me to stay off Kentucky because of the traffic on that road.  But they hadn't told me that.  I definitely would have remembered that.  Kentucky Street is the most direct route on my way to church, and I've been riding on it for years.

The traffic on Kentucky isn't really any worse than some other streets in town.  Heck, it's more dangerous in the church parking lot after a Sunday morning service.  You should try to get through a crowd of hungry Pentecostals all racing to beat the Baptists to the restaurants after church!  Talk about road rage!

Now, I  know the head honcho is only concerned for my safety, and I thank him for watching out for me but they can be a little over-concerned sometimes.  I use caution, and I know which streets to avoid.  As I said, I've been doing it for years.

The drivers in Pampa are usually pretty good about sharing the road.  Occasionally, you get a speed-demon granny zooming past you on her way to a hot bingo game, but most drivers are courteous and will move over when they pass me.  A lot of them even wave at me as they go by, and most of the time it's not a middle finger.

I know there's a risk when I get out on the street, but an accident could happen anywhere. You can't live in fear of what could happen.  I would just take this time to remind all of us to be careful out there.  We all have to share the roads, so let's be courteous and watch out for each other.

And just one more thing.... If you see me out, please don't call the nursing home and tell them that I've escaped!

Let's roll!

Resisting Evil

"I will reject perverse ideas
    and stay away from every evil."

-- Psalm 101:4

There are a lot of perverse ideas in the world today, and it's getting worse every day.  Between the legalization of pot in Colorado and Washington and the attacks on police officers around the country, we're living in an evil world. 

I don't want to come across with a "holier-than-thou" attitude, but we need to know how to respond to this growing perverseness in America.  The world tells us we should be tolerant and embrace change, but the Bible commands us to resist evil.

Last week, members of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) voted to change the definition of marriage in the church’s constitution to include same-sex marriage.  The vote amends the church’s constitution to broaden marriage from being between “a man and a woman” to “two people, traditionally a man and a woman.”

The church, with about 1.8 million members, is the largest of the nation’s Presbyterian denominations, but it has been losing congregations and members as it has moved to the left theologically over the past several years. There was a wave of departures in 2011, when the presbyteries ratified a decision to ordain gays and lesbians as pastors, elders and deacons.  Other church denominations have been debating same-sex marriage for years.

 

I'm sorry, but I don't understand this. What is there to debate?  I don't know how a Christian or a whole denomination can choose to ignore what the Bible says about homosexuality.

 

Romans 1:25-27 says, "Even the women turned against the natural way to have sex and instead indulged in sex with each other. And the men, instead of having normal sexual relations with women, burned with lust for each other. Men did shameful things with other men, and as a result of this sin, they suffered within themselves the penalty they deserved."

 

It can't get any plainer than that.  The Bible makes it perfectly clear, so I don't understand how people can just simply choose to ignore it.

 

I'm not saying homosexuality is a bigger sin or a smaller sin than any other sin, but it IS sin.  That's not just my opinion.  That's what the Bible says.  The sad part is that so many people, including entire church denominations, have been deceived into thinking homosexuality is OK.

I don't hate gays.  If you have a different view on homosexuality, I respect your opinion.  I just ask that you look into the Bible and see for yourselves what it says about homosexuality.  Then, if you think it's OK, I'll respect that.  But don't ask me to accept the popular opinion.  I can't.

No matter how much our world has changed to become more tolerant, sin is still sin.   The sole guide must be the Bible, which teaches that homosexual behavior is wrong.  We must follow the instructions in Psalm 101:4 to reject perverse ideas and resist every evil.

A Mother's Love

You've probably all heard of the great Saint Anne.  Christian tradition refers to Saint Anne as being the mother of the Virgin Mary and grandmother of Jesus.  Although not written about in the Bible, she certainly must have been a great woman of God to be called the "patron saint of women."  I know another saintly woman of God: Saint Annette.  I'm proud to say she's my mother!

Mom would probably quibble over someone calling her a 'saint' but it really does describe her.  I'm not the only one who thinks so.  I've had people say to me, "Your mother is such a saint!"  And I agree with them.  She really is a gift from God.

All my life, she has sacrificed her own comfort and well-being to take care of me, to try to make me happy and would do just about anything to get me what I wanted or needed.  Some would say she spoils me.  Yeah, I think she does, and I love every minute of it.

I can't count the number of hours she has sat with me when I was sick or down in my back.  She would come to Amarillo and stay for a week or two at a time when I hurt my back.  When I was in rehab last year, she came to Amarillo once or twice a week to see me.  Sometimes, she got up at 5 a.m. to ride the transit bus from Pampa to Amarillo. 

Even now, she comes to see me in the nursing home almost every afternoon.  There are days when I know she must be dog-tired, but she still comes.  Or there are times when she doesn't feel well herself, but she still comes, often bringing me my favorite fast-food treats.

Mom has always been a generous giver, giving not only to me but to others, too.  She blesses her family, her friends, neighbors and others with her giving.  One of the things I admire most about her is her faithfulness to God and to her church.  She's the only remaining charter member in her church and is faithful to attend.

She always sees the good in others and loves everybody....  Well, almost everybody.  She can't stand a certain politician who lives at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave.  She changes the TV any time he comes on.  I'm telling you, if my mom, Saint Annette, doesn't like someone, he must be a pretty bad dude!

Mom is starting to slow down a little bit.  I probably shouldn't tell how old she is.  Let's just say she's barely in her 70s!  I'm glad for all the fun times we have together, especially the road trips I talked her into taking.  We've been to Santa Fe, the Grand Canyon, Branson, and I'll never forget our cruise to the Bahamas.  Such great memories!  I'm glad we got to do that while we were both still able to travel. 

I know I don't tell her often enough, but I hope she knows how much I love her and appreciate all she does for me.  And for putting up with me all these years, she really is a saint!  I love you, Mom!