A Dreamer And A Chicken Plucker

Let me tell you, Jesse hated this job. And you would too, I imagine, if you had to do it. Jesse was a Chicken Plucker. That’s right. A Chicken Plucker!
He stood on a line in a chicken factory and spent his days pulling the feathers off dead chickens so the rest of us wouldn’t have to.
It wasn’t much of a job. But at the time, Jesse didn’t think he was much of a person.
His father was a brute of a man. His dad was actually thought to be mentally ill and treated Jesse rough all of his life.
Jesse’s older brother wasn’t much better. He was always picking on Jesse and beating him up.
Yes, Jesse grew up in a very rough home in West Virginia.  Life was anything but easy. And he thought life didn’t hold much hope
for him. That’s why he was standing in this chicken line, doing a job that darn few people wanted. In addition to all the rough treatment at home, it seems that Jesse
was always sick. Sometimes it was real physical illness, but way too often it was all in his head. He was a small child, skinny and meek. That sure didn’t help the
situation any. When he started to school, he was the object of every bully on the playground. He was a hypochondriac of the first order.  For Jesse, tomorrow was not always something to be looked forward to.
But, he had dreams. He wanted to be a ventriloquist. He found books on ventriloquism. He practiced with sock puppets and saved his hard earned dollars until he could
get a real ventriloquist dummy. When he got old enough, he joined the U.S. Army. And even though many of his hypochondriac symptoms persisted, the Army did recognize his talents
and put him in the Entertainment Corp. He served from 1943 to 1946. During the enlistment, his world changed. He gained confidence. He found that he had a talent for making people laugh, and laugh so hard they often had tears in their eyes. Yes, little Jesse had found himself. You know, folks, the history books are full of people who overcame a
handicap to go on and make a success of themselves, but Jesse is one of the few I know of who didn’t overcome it.
Instead he used his paranoia to make a million dollars, and become one of the best-loved characters of all time in doing it!
Yes, that little paranoid hypochondriac, who transferred his nervousness into a successful career, still holds the record for the most emmys given in a single category. This wonderful, gifted, talented, and nervous comedian brought us Barney Fife.    He was: Jesse Donald “Don” Knotts July 21, 1924 – Feb. 23, 2006.
NOW YOU KNOW, “THE REST OF THE STORY”

MY FATHER

Let me share some information about my earthly father, as we share Father’s Day. My father, Floyd Smith, was a hard worker. During the depression, he worked in the fields, following the combine, making a dollar a day. He worked in the factories the largest part of his life. He came home dirty and tired. He provided for his family, as we had need. Dad was a disciplinarian. We children could get away with a lot with my mother, but not with my dad. For instance, bed time for we three sons was a difficult time to settle down. We slept upstairs in our house. We would get to fussing and fighting among ourselves. We would throw each other out of bed. Mother always said, it sounded like we were going to come right through the floor. Mother hearing, would come to the stair door and tell us to quit the fighting and go to sleep. When we didn’t stop, she would come again to the stair door and yell that we had better stop or dad would come up there. Our commotion continued and the next time the stair door opened, it was our dad and all that he said was, “Boys, you heard your mother, now go to sleep or I will come up there.” You would have thought that we would have learned. But,no, right back to fighting we would go. The final time that the stair door opened, nothing was said, only we heard the steps of our father coming up to our bed room. He never said a word. He just threw back our covers, took out his belt and spanked us on our bottom. He didn’t know much about Hallmark, but he cared enough to give us his very best.   I want you to know that in spite of the discipline, or because of it, I believed that my father loved me. He disciplined me because it was just, right. I deserved it, as consequences for my actions.

May I turn from my earthly father to my Heavenly Father. There are two things that we must believe concerning God: One, we must believe that our Father would want to be known by his children. He would find no satisfaction in remaining a mystery or a stranger to His creation. Secondly, we must believe that our heavenly father wants to have children, to have a family. He wants to love and be loved. Ever since the fall of man in the Garden of Eden, God has been preparing a home for His prepared family. He has sent His Son, to reconcile us unto Himself. Jesus is the means to bring us into harmony with God. God takes upon Himself the shame and guilt of sinful man and bears it on Calvary in front of the whole world. The Father offers forgiveness through Jesus.

He loves us and desires love in return. Jesus said, “If you love me, keep my commandments.” If we fail to love Him, we must suffer the consequences of disobedience. You can’t have it both ways. Love Him who loved you so.

CHURCH CONFUSION

There is great confusion in the religious world today.  I believe the confusion is not due to a lack of sincerity but a lack of understanding how to rightly divide the Word of God, the Bible.  We are to be workmen of His word, rightly handling it.  This is the way I think it should be handled.  The Old Testament is viewed as history of God’s dealing with the Jewish people, out of whom God sent His Son, the Messiah.  The theme of the Old Testament is “the Messiah is coming.”  The New Testament opens up with the fact that the Messiah, Jesus, has come. Mathew, Mark, Luke, and John tell of Christ’s life, words and deeds. All written in order to produce faith in Jesus.  The book of Acts is a record of the beginning of Christianity,  salvation offered by the Holy Spirit directed Apostles, and the birth of the Church (obedient believers in Jesus as the Christ, God’s Son).  Romans through Revelation are written to Christians telling them how to live the Christian life.  These are the repair manuals to keep us fit before God.  We must know how to rightly divide the Bible to properly understand it.

I am a part of a fellowship that has no religious headquarters and wears no denominational name.  We desire to wear only the name of Christ, honoring Him as Christians.  We endeavor to proclaim only His message.  We declare loyalty to Him and none other.   We know that Christ prayed for the unity of His followers (John chapter 17) and we believe this unity is possible, if Christ is followed.  His example must be our pattern for life.  His Gospel must be our message, His commands must be obeyed. His church must be our first priority.  Jesus must become all and all as we seek to glorify God, the Father.

We therefore resolve to take our stand on the Bible alone.  “The Bible is our only rule for faith and practice.”  “Where the Bible speaks, we will speak and where the Bible is silent, we will be silent.”
We are “Christians only.”  We will not set in judgment on others.  We wear His name not to humiliate others, nor exalt ourselves but to honor Him to whom we belong.
We believe that “the Bible only makes Christians only.”

Here I stand, so help me God.    Where do you stand?

I’VE BEEN CHANGED

Our Praise Team at Lester Road Christian Church, sang this song May 13th.
I wish you could hear this singing group under the direction of Rea Pressley.  There are
usually a dozen singers along with the Pianist and Keyboard player.  They have practiced well and it shows.
They bless the congregation every Sunday with leading the singing and sharing special music.
Along with our excellent preacher, Tony Sullivan, we are led in wonderful worship of Him,
who made it all possible.
This song is what it is all about.

“I’VE BEEN CHANGED”
“Well. I’ve been to the river, I’ve been baptized, I’ve been washed in the blood of the Lamb.
I’ve been changed from the Creature that once I was and redeemed is now my name.
I’ve been changed, I’m newborn now; My life has been rearranged.
What difference it made when the Lord came and stayed in my heart;
Oh yes, I’ve been changed. Though my sins were as scarlet they’re white as snow;
I was bound but today I’m free. I was lost in the darkness but now am found,
I was blind but now I see.
I’ve been changed, I’m newborn now; My life has been rearranged.
What a difference it made when the Lord came and stayed in my heart;
Oh yes, I’ve been changed.”

There has to be a ‘new birth,’ a change in one’s life to follow Jesus.  We have all we need to stay
saved.  His Word revealing the truth of God.  His Spirit to guide us through the Word.
His Church, the fellowship of believers encouraging one another.
His love which is unending.  Be changed and stay changed.

“To Him who is ale to keep you from falling and to present you before his glorious  presence without
fault and with great joy–to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority,
through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forever more. Amen”  Jude verse 24-25