Grandpa Myers was "The Man"

On this day, back in 1931, my grandfather, Harold Edward Myers, was born.  It has been 21  years since he departed into the presence of his Savior, Jesus Christ, but I still remember him well and love him, and look forward to seeing him again someday!  

You could say that Grandpa Myers was "the man":

- The man who taught me to see the Creator's handiwork in a tulip, a trout, the woods, and so on.  I recall the sound of his voice called me to watch the timed release of a lily opening that he had caught on his big camcorder, and gush over each movement at the intricacy of the Great Engineer.

- The man who seemingly could do anything, from building benches and birdhouses, to gardening all types of vegetables, fruit trees, berries, cucumbers, tomatoes, peppers, and potatoes, as well as decorative plants and flowers, to hunting and fishing, to riding horses, and building a lodge pole pine home to live in for a month at a time in the mountains of Colorado.  In his hands, things came together, and green things grew.

- The man who had built a great fireplace room on his house at 4041 Ruby Avenue, including a ladder to a loft, where grandchildren took refuge to play, to built forts, and fire imaginations.  he also taught me to build my first fire in that handmade stone fireplace.  He loved to see his descendants swinging on the various outside tree swings he constructed for them, his grandsons rushing around, and his granddaughters playing ballerina.  

- The man who invented Grandpa's "World Famous Fairly Good Oatmeal, Peanut Butter, Chocolate Chip Cookies"!  Grandpa's house was always smelling of things cooking, baking, or barbecuing.  His stews, home canned goods, smoked catfish were amazing.  I remember how he made fresh carrot juice just because his thirsty little grandson asked for it.  He also shot and cooked a squirrel for me to eat too. 

- The man who came to Christ as a young man, and later told me of his testimony, of the crushing burden of his sin, and how as he rose from his knees, the burden was gone, and how as he walked away, it felt as though his feet didn't touch the ground.

- The man who loved his Savior, and delighted to memorize Scripture, and could quote the book of Ephesians in a way to strike the soul.

- The man who loved his wife, his children, and his grandchildren intensely, who was always along the way, teaching in word and deed, about the Bible, about character, about diligence, about protecting one's own kin.

- The man who led my daddy to Jesus at the age of 4, who then grew up to lead his son (me) to trust on Jesus when I was 3.

- The man with an unbelievable Irish tenor voice, who was awakened one night, and wrote the powerful lyrics "My Work Well Done" to the tune of the Londonderry Aire, which became the family theme song.

- The man who was paralyzed down half his body with a stroke spent many hours, days, months, and years sending emails on his WebTV, sharing the Gospel with people far and wide, encouraging the saints with the word of God, and wit and wisdom God had taught him.

- The man who typed lovingly with his one functional hand, and finished every message with: "Rejoicing in the benefits of Calvary."

- The man who went on to glory before me, and caused me to desire Heaven more fervently.

- The man I wish my children could have met and known as I did.

- The man who told me, "You are a son of the King of kings.  Behave as one should." 

Grandpa and Grandma had 7 children, 36 grandchildren, and 57 great grandchildren so far.  

I am blessed to be descended from such a man.

Abortion must be abolished.

Someone's Throwing Stuff!

 A Public Service Announcement for my Christian brethren...

When you stand publicly for Christ and those made in His image, delivering truth in a world that loves lies, whether you are speaking or simply holding a sign, you may find that not everyone will approve or appreciate or applaud that outreach.  Some will heckle, try to drown out or block, or even throw stuff at the evangelist.  This is not new.  Men like Stephen (Acts 7:54-60), and later Paul (Acts 14:5,19), had stones thrown to execute them (Of course, Paul got back up from it-Acts 14:20).  Most of the time the throwing of objects is not fatal.

George Whitefield, John Wesley, and other street preachers in the past (like the old time Salvation Army with William Booth) have proclaimed the Gospel and been the recipients of all manner of suffering, including being pelted with tomatoes, heads of old lettuce, and rotten eggs. 

And it should be no surprise, for we are assured of the blessing of persecution.  Philippians 1:129 "for unto you it is given in the behalf of Christ, not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for his sake;"  It ought to be confessed that having produce hurled at you is on the lower end of persecution, but it is on the scale.

Many Christians involved in open air ministry have experience this.  It is almost a badge of service, with an honorable history, to be treated thus while countering evils, and sharing the precious way of salvation.  We can, by God's grace, "Count it all joy".

Matthew 5:10-12 "Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 11 Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. 12 Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you."

Luke 6:22-23 "Blessed are ye, when men shall hate you, and when they shall separate you from their company, and shall reproach you, and cast out your name as evil, for the Son of man's sake. 23 Rejoice ye in that day, and leap for joy: for, behold, your reward is great in heaven: for in the like manner did their fathers unto the prophets."

It is one paradox of the Christian walk, that believers persecuted for the LORD, can simultaneously be weeping and leaping.  Weeping over the hardness of men's hearts and leaping at the privilege to share in that suffering.

I myself have had a variety of objects, including snowballs, bottles, cups, cigarettes, and spittle cast my way, water dumped on me, or thrown in my face.  People briving by who see us may lob anything that comes to hand, whether it be a glass bottle of Starbucks coffee, an unopened water bottle, a cup filled with pop, or even a large container of hand sanitizer with a pump! [I hasten to say that in many incidents, the objects do not make contact, as many people have lousy aim, especially those throwing from a car window.] 

Most of the time it seems like a spur of the moment choice, a knee-jerk reaction as it were, though some months ago, someone made the premeditated choice to prep an open bottle filled with urine.  That is in the photo below, now empty of its contents.

Yes, diverse things have been tossed, but I say one of the more unique items is the last instance I will mention here.  A few weeks ago, someone was so reckless in their rush to express their disapproval, that when they grabbed for the contents of their cupholder and threw as they drove past, it so happened that, including in the trash and bottle, was a number of coins.  I will admit that I desire to see change to do ministry, but not that kind.

And this morning, while standing at the same place, I found two more of the coins that remained, to pennies as you can see.

Those of you who engage in public evangelism, did you ever have money thrown at you in opposition of your outreach?  Looking down at my hand, I realize that maybe they were just trying to give me their two cents worth.  This could be quite the example of sacrificial giving, considering the lack of sense in our society today.

Abortion must be abolished.