One of the programs that stood out in the early days of radio was a show called “Father knows Best”. The program was set in the Midwest and featured an insurance agent who was married with three children. The show ran on the radio from 1949 to 1954. In the latter part of 1954, NBC decided to have the show make a jump from radio to television. From ’54 to ’60, the Anderson family was beamed into homes across the country. Every week, viewers would be treated to great wisdom from the patriarch of the family, the father, Jim Anderson who was portrayed by actor Robert Young. The show was so popular, that even after it left the airwaves in 1960, CBS and ABC ran reruns of the show for the next 3 years.
How far we have come away from shows like that. Today, fathers are typically portrayed in an unflattering manner. Usually seen today as men who try to fly under the radar of their marriage, so that their wives won’t notice them nor care what they are doing, just as long as they are not in the way. Today, fathers are seen on TV as men who are out of touch and only have catch phrases to give as wisdom. Such as, “Holy crap”, a popular phrase of Frank Barone, from “Everybody loves Raymond.”
Growing up, I remember watching shows like the Nelsons on the new Disney channel, or how about the old re-runs on KPLR TV in St. Louis. “Don’t eat the daisies”, “Leave it to Beaver” or “The Andy Griffith Show” were some of my favorites to watch. In each episode the fathers always seem to be the ones who were the voice of reason. The ones who would give great wisdom to his family near the need of the 30 minutes that made everything ok.
As the times have changed and the roles of fathers on TV have changed, I believe it has skewed our perception of our own heavenly father. Today there is a lack of respect for fathers and that lack of respect is now being pointed upward. If we cannot respect our own fathers, who we can see and hear, how then can we have respect for a heavenly one that is not visible? If we do not heed the advice of our fathers, how can we read the bible and take the advice of a father who is invisible to our naked eyes?
John wrote in 1 John 4:20, “For anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen.”
The same rule applies to our fathers and God. If we cannot love and respect the father who raised us, who comforted us in times of distress, who worked to provide our wants and needs, then how can we love and respect a heavenly father who helped guide us, who comforts us in times of distress and who provides everything that we need?
In Deuteronomy 6:5, we are given clear direction on how we are to feel about God. “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all of your soul and with all of your strength.”
That means you give God everything you have! That even when you think you can’t love Him anymore, you keep on loving Him. When all hope seems lost, you keep on loving Him. When you lose the thing most precious to you, you keep on loving Him. When all the money is gone and there are too many days ahead until pay day, when your enemy is attacking or even when everything is perfect, keep on loving God.
I don’t see TV changing the way they portray fathers in the near future, which means this negative influence will still continue. So, it is left up to us to change that perception. We must set good examples for our children and their children to come. We must set great, not good, but great examples for young fathers to see and follow. It is time to bring love and respect to our fathers and to our God.
Have Fun, Live Free, Hope Strong,
PastorG
Tuesday, October 26, 2010
Sunday, September 5, 2010
Barlow Girl is an all woman Christian rock band and its one of the bands that Grayson and I both like to listen too. They have this one particular song which is really starting to hit home. The song is called, “Grey” and the first line of the song is as followed; “Grey is my favorite color”. Today I realized grey is about to be my favorite color as I noticed more and more grey hair popping up on my head.
No big surprise really, because my father has always had grey hair, although I would now classify it as white, not so much grey. So for it to show up in my blonde hair is not surprising. My brother has been showing signs of grey for quite sometime now. My mother has no grey hair. That shows. You know why. Mindy, shows no grey either. Again, you know why.
I have no worries about turning grey, its just a fact of life for many people. Your hair turns grey. Whats interesting is the rate at which someone's hair goes from its original color to the new grey. For some, like my brother, its a long process. For others, like my father, it happens pretty rapidly. I have a feeling, starting Wednesday, my hair will be turning grey much, much faster.
A historic event takes place in the Cantrell household come Wednesday. My daughter, my little princess turns 13. A teenager will officially be living within our humble abode. (Just FYI, we've had a teenager living in our home for a few months now, but it becomes official Wednesday.) So this historic event has had me thinking about my job as a father.
A few years ago I was flipping channels and Chris Rock, a comedian, was on The Oprah Winfrey show and he was talking about becoming a father. His wife, a few months earlier, had had their first child, a girl. Rock then joked, “the way I see it, my job is to keep her off the pole.” Rock was making reference, of course, to strippers at nightclubs.
Now as wild as it may seem, as crazy as that comment sounds, that comment really does make perfect sense. Our jobs as father's, especially Jesus believing father's, is to make sure that our children grow up to be productive Christians. In other words, we have to be good Christian leaders with our homes.
Darrin Patrick, pastor of The Journey in St. Louis will soon be releasing a book called “Church Planters, The Man, The Message, The Mission.” During a promotional video for the upcoming book, Patrick focuses on the lack of male leadership within the church. Approximately 3000 churches will close their doors this year. In the past year and a half, 2 churches have closed within the Baptist Association that my church belongs. But the lack of leadership is not confined to just church, we also have a lack of leadership within the homes.
Fatherless homes account for 63% of youth suicides, 90% of homeless/runaway children, 85% of children with behavior problems, 71% of high school dropouts, 85% of youths in prison, and well over 50% of teen mothers. The lack of strong Christian male leadership is making a large negative impact on our society, in our lives, in our homes and in our church.
Read here what 1 Thessalonians says about leadership in chapter 1, verse 6: “You became imitators of us and of the Lord; in spite of severe suffering, you welcomed the message with the joy given by the Holy Spirit.” This letter written to men in Thessalonica who had been kicked out of the city for being Jesus followers, is expressing profound love for these men because of their choice to follow leaders in the faith and then, to imitate them and God in the process.
We lack strong good Christian men who are imitators of God, defenders of the truth and the role models we need in order to strengthen our families. Our children are dying to imitate us. If we aren't around, they will find someone else.
This Wednesday Community Baptist Church is embarking on a new mission. To strengthen the family ties. Couples will meet each week for bible study as we look at God's word and discuss how to have a strong marriage and a strong Christian home. Children to youth will get together for weekly activities, bible study and other things. Families will come together for special family nights. Other activities are also being planned for couples only night and weekends and also for the family.
I hope you pray and think about joining us this Wednesday at 6:30pm and Community Baptist Church. If we don't make stronger Christian families today, a “see you at the pole” rally could have a different meaning in the future.
No big surprise really, because my father has always had grey hair, although I would now classify it as white, not so much grey. So for it to show up in my blonde hair is not surprising. My brother has been showing signs of grey for quite sometime now. My mother has no grey hair. That shows. You know why. Mindy, shows no grey either. Again, you know why.
I have no worries about turning grey, its just a fact of life for many people. Your hair turns grey. Whats interesting is the rate at which someone's hair goes from its original color to the new grey. For some, like my brother, its a long process. For others, like my father, it happens pretty rapidly. I have a feeling, starting Wednesday, my hair will be turning grey much, much faster.
A historic event takes place in the Cantrell household come Wednesday. My daughter, my little princess turns 13. A teenager will officially be living within our humble abode. (Just FYI, we've had a teenager living in our home for a few months now, but it becomes official Wednesday.) So this historic event has had me thinking about my job as a father.
A few years ago I was flipping channels and Chris Rock, a comedian, was on The Oprah Winfrey show and he was talking about becoming a father. His wife, a few months earlier, had had their first child, a girl. Rock then joked, “the way I see it, my job is to keep her off the pole.” Rock was making reference, of course, to strippers at nightclubs.
Now as wild as it may seem, as crazy as that comment sounds, that comment really does make perfect sense. Our jobs as father's, especially Jesus believing father's, is to make sure that our children grow up to be productive Christians. In other words, we have to be good Christian leaders with our homes.
Darrin Patrick, pastor of The Journey in St. Louis will soon be releasing a book called “Church Planters, The Man, The Message, The Mission.” During a promotional video for the upcoming book, Patrick focuses on the lack of male leadership within the church. Approximately 3000 churches will close their doors this year. In the past year and a half, 2 churches have closed within the Baptist Association that my church belongs. But the lack of leadership is not confined to just church, we also have a lack of leadership within the homes.
Fatherless homes account for 63% of youth suicides, 90% of homeless/runaway children, 85% of children with behavior problems, 71% of high school dropouts, 85% of youths in prison, and well over 50% of teen mothers. The lack of strong Christian male leadership is making a large negative impact on our society, in our lives, in our homes and in our church.
Read here what 1 Thessalonians says about leadership in chapter 1, verse 6: “You became imitators of us and of the Lord; in spite of severe suffering, you welcomed the message with the joy given by the Holy Spirit.” This letter written to men in Thessalonica who had been kicked out of the city for being Jesus followers, is expressing profound love for these men because of their choice to follow leaders in the faith and then, to imitate them and God in the process.
We lack strong good Christian men who are imitators of God, defenders of the truth and the role models we need in order to strengthen our families. Our children are dying to imitate us. If we aren't around, they will find someone else.
This Wednesday Community Baptist Church is embarking on a new mission. To strengthen the family ties. Couples will meet each week for bible study as we look at God's word and discuss how to have a strong marriage and a strong Christian home. Children to youth will get together for weekly activities, bible study and other things. Families will come together for special family nights. Other activities are also being planned for couples only night and weekends and also for the family.
I hope you pray and think about joining us this Wednesday at 6:30pm and Community Baptist Church. If we don't make stronger Christian families today, a “see you at the pole” rally could have a different meaning in the future.
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
A Lesson in Family History Chapter 2
My work day couldn’t end soon enough. Oh, it was a beautiful day. The clouds had rolled away; the sun was shining down on the capital building, just beautiful. But if I had to smell one more ounce of fish, I was going to go crazy. I was in Jefferson City for some meetings and our annual Capitol Hill fish fry. Every year the Electric Cooperatives from around the state throw this big fish fry for the legislators in Jeff City and I had just about my fill of the smell of fried fish and hushpuppies.
My day was finally over and I darted down the Capitol steps, in a rush to get back to work on my family history. I was hoping beyond measure that they would be able to link up with one of the genealogy websites and help me find the answers I had been trying to find.
Finally, my truck was in site. I was also in a hurry because I knew I had been at the Capitol building longer than an hour and the meter had run out. I jumped inside, started the truck and took off. Wait. What’s that smell? Oh my gosh, it’s me! I smell like fish! I couldn’t believe it. Here I was heading back to the State Archives and I smell like I just walked off the set of the Discovery Channels, Deadliest catch. Don’t panic, just dig the cologne out of the bag and a few sprays should do the trick. Nope! Now I smell like a… eewww, I just realized that is probably a really bad comparison, so let’s just move on. (I’ll let you figure it out on your own.)
Back to the archives I go, right to the front desk and the woman who can help me is sitting there waiting for me. I gave her the only information I knew. My grandfather’s and grandmother’s name, what county they grew up in and about when they were born. She began to search and I saw something I had already seen many times before. “There are 0 results for your search.” Now I am beyond dejected and frustrated. To be honest, the words simply can’t describe the feeling I was having at that moment. I had told my wife Mindy at one point; it was as if they just came into existence.
While the woman tried different searches she received a phone call. Long story short, she needed privacy, so headed back into the Archives room to look at books and do some more searching. She promised me as soon as she was off the phone she would look some more, but I wasn’t holding my breath.
About 15 minutes had passed and I was sitting at a computer, sifting through different state and county records, looking for any kind of information about my grandparents. Suddenly, the woman who occupied the front desk approached me with papers in hand and she said “I found them!” Now I have been told that my face tells exactly what I am thinking. That if I were to play poker, I would lose. I wish I could have seen my face at that very moment, because my inside was just going crazy. I’m pretty sure my heart stopped beating as I gasped at her revelation. Her voice was ringing over and over in my head. “I found them!” No three words had ever sounded so sweet and wonderful before. She began to lay out the case, that the people she found were indeed my grandparents.
First up was their marriage certificate. Well, a copy of it anyway, that she found on her search. I looked down and there they were the two names I had been searching for the past few weeks. Williams Jennings Brian Cantrell and Audrey Ethel McDonald.
Just a side note, I don’t think I have mentioned this, but I never knew my grandmother. She died before I was born. All I have of her are a few pictures and a few stories that my mother and father have told me about her. I have only one memory of my grandfather, which is of us visiting him in the nursing home. He died when I was very young. So this isn’t just a search that I am doing for my father, it is one I am doing for myself as well. I want to know more about where I come from and who they were.
So, there they were right before my eyes, but it wasn’t over yet. She found more. My grandfather was born in 1899, so she looked at the 1900 census and found him and the rest of his family. Ok, I don’t mind admitting, I got a little emotional at this point. Because she was about to reveal to me something I never knew and I know that my father did not as well, the names of his grandparents. William T. Cantrell was my great grandfather, a farmer in Oregon County. His wife was Jemima Cantrell. Wait, what? Jemima? I know what you’re thinking, because I was thinking it too. Turns out, Jemima was a very common name back in my great Grandparents day.
So I sat in astonishment as she laid it all out for me. I was listening to every word, but all I could think about was hurrying back to Sikeston and showing my dad what I had found. I wanted him to feel what I was feeling at this very moment.
Suddenly the woman stopped talking. I looked up at her and she had this big smile on her face as she held this one piece of paper close to her chest, like, “I have a surprise for you.” And she did. The last piece of paper she had for me was the marriage license for my great grandparents and it held another piece of the puzzle.
Back in the their day, there was a law that basically said if the groom is under the age of 21 or the bride under the age of 18, the guardian or parent had to sign for the underage future wife or husband. Well, it just so happens, that my great grandmother was one year older than my great Grandfather. He was under the age of 21, so my great-great grandfather had to sign the marriage license! There he was, giving permission, J. A. Cantrell. Of course I have no idea what the J or the A stand for, but who cares at this point. I have more information about my past than I ever had before.
The day was getting better and better. But wait, that’s weird. I wonder what that means. While the woman from the Archives printed a few things for me, I continued my search and found my grandmother in a 1910 census, but something isn’t right. What does this mean? Dad never mentioned this before. Remember, last time I mentioned that you never know what you’re going to find when you begin a search like this one? Well, I quite possibly stumbled across something that was not previously known. Now my eagerness to tell my father what I had found has now turned into an eagerness to find out more about the woman I never met.
I couldn’t wait to get back to Sikeston.
My day was finally over and I darted down the Capitol steps, in a rush to get back to work on my family history. I was hoping beyond measure that they would be able to link up with one of the genealogy websites and help me find the answers I had been trying to find.
Finally, my truck was in site. I was also in a hurry because I knew I had been at the Capitol building longer than an hour and the meter had run out. I jumped inside, started the truck and took off. Wait. What’s that smell? Oh my gosh, it’s me! I smell like fish! I couldn’t believe it. Here I was heading back to the State Archives and I smell like I just walked off the set of the Discovery Channels, Deadliest catch. Don’t panic, just dig the cologne out of the bag and a few sprays should do the trick. Nope! Now I smell like a… eewww, I just realized that is probably a really bad comparison, so let’s just move on. (I’ll let you figure it out on your own.)
Back to the archives I go, right to the front desk and the woman who can help me is sitting there waiting for me. I gave her the only information I knew. My grandfather’s and grandmother’s name, what county they grew up in and about when they were born. She began to search and I saw something I had already seen many times before. “There are 0 results for your search.” Now I am beyond dejected and frustrated. To be honest, the words simply can’t describe the feeling I was having at that moment. I had told my wife Mindy at one point; it was as if they just came into existence.
While the woman tried different searches she received a phone call. Long story short, she needed privacy, so headed back into the Archives room to look at books and do some more searching. She promised me as soon as she was off the phone she would look some more, but I wasn’t holding my breath.
About 15 minutes had passed and I was sitting at a computer, sifting through different state and county records, looking for any kind of information about my grandparents. Suddenly, the woman who occupied the front desk approached me with papers in hand and she said “I found them!” Now I have been told that my face tells exactly what I am thinking. That if I were to play poker, I would lose. I wish I could have seen my face at that very moment, because my inside was just going crazy. I’m pretty sure my heart stopped beating as I gasped at her revelation. Her voice was ringing over and over in my head. “I found them!” No three words had ever sounded so sweet and wonderful before. She began to lay out the case, that the people she found were indeed my grandparents.
First up was their marriage certificate. Well, a copy of it anyway, that she found on her search. I looked down and there they were the two names I had been searching for the past few weeks. Williams Jennings Brian Cantrell and Audrey Ethel McDonald.
Just a side note, I don’t think I have mentioned this, but I never knew my grandmother. She died before I was born. All I have of her are a few pictures and a few stories that my mother and father have told me about her. I have only one memory of my grandfather, which is of us visiting him in the nursing home. He died when I was very young. So this isn’t just a search that I am doing for my father, it is one I am doing for myself as well. I want to know more about where I come from and who they were.
So, there they were right before my eyes, but it wasn’t over yet. She found more. My grandfather was born in 1899, so she looked at the 1900 census and found him and the rest of his family. Ok, I don’t mind admitting, I got a little emotional at this point. Because she was about to reveal to me something I never knew and I know that my father did not as well, the names of his grandparents. William T. Cantrell was my great grandfather, a farmer in Oregon County. His wife was Jemima Cantrell. Wait, what? Jemima? I know what you’re thinking, because I was thinking it too. Turns out, Jemima was a very common name back in my great Grandparents day.
So I sat in astonishment as she laid it all out for me. I was listening to every word, but all I could think about was hurrying back to Sikeston and showing my dad what I had found. I wanted him to feel what I was feeling at this very moment.
Suddenly the woman stopped talking. I looked up at her and she had this big smile on her face as she held this one piece of paper close to her chest, like, “I have a surprise for you.” And she did. The last piece of paper she had for me was the marriage license for my great grandparents and it held another piece of the puzzle.
Back in the their day, there was a law that basically said if the groom is under the age of 21 or the bride under the age of 18, the guardian or parent had to sign for the underage future wife or husband. Well, it just so happens, that my great grandmother was one year older than my great Grandfather. He was under the age of 21, so my great-great grandfather had to sign the marriage license! There he was, giving permission, J. A. Cantrell. Of course I have no idea what the J or the A stand for, but who cares at this point. I have more information about my past than I ever had before.
The day was getting better and better. But wait, that’s weird. I wonder what that means. While the woman from the Archives printed a few things for me, I continued my search and found my grandmother in a 1910 census, but something isn’t right. What does this mean? Dad never mentioned this before. Remember, last time I mentioned that you never know what you’re going to find when you begin a search like this one? Well, I quite possibly stumbled across something that was not previously known. Now my eagerness to tell my father what I had found has now turned into an eagerness to find out more about the woman I never met.
I couldn’t wait to get back to Sikeston.
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
A Lesson in Family History Chapter 1
A few weeks ago I began a journey into the past. You see, my father knows very little about his family history. He has some recollection of a few aunts and uncles, but it pretty much stops there. No idea who is grandparents were or where they came from or where their parents came from and so on. So I decided I didn’t want to go the rest of my life wondering the same thing. I began to look at my family’s history.
Now this is exciting in one sense and a little scary in another. It would be great to unveil some past family member who made a huge contribution to the country or the world. However, there is always a skeleton or two in the closet of every family.
So my search began, where else, but online. All I knew was that my grandparents grew up around Thayer, Missouri, which is in Oregon County on the south side of the state. So I first searched for any type of census information, birth or death certificates, by typing certain info into Google. Now Google is great, because it gives you all of these different websites that are there to “help” you find your family history. As you search however, you will notice that their goal is not so much to “help” you as it is to “help” themselves to your bank account.
Now I want you to understand, that I do not feel like the government should be an open book and we should know every single move the government makes. However, I do feel some info should be readily accessible. One piece of info that should be are the census reports. I do not quite understand why a piece of information gathered by the government to help the government is given to companies who sell you the opportunity to view such info. Should this not be covered under the Freedom of Information Act? I guess they feel you have the freedom to pay to look at it or not.
So I was running into road blocks, because every site I came to wanted me to pay to view their information. So now what? Pay for it or is there another way? Enter the NBC show “Who do you think you are?” This show follows celebrities who are looking for information about their past. While watching a particular episode recently, I discovered a new possible source of information, the State Archives! Why didn’t I think about this before? So off I went on the internet to find out more about our State Archives.
The website is wonderful and full of information. For instance, did you know there was a war in the state of Missouri? Just in Missouri. It was called the Mormon War. Yep, the Mormon War. It was a conflict that didn’t end until Kit Bond was Governor. Look it up, I promise, I am not lying. Anyhow, I digress. The website allows you to search birth records, death certificates, military records and other tidbits of information about Missouri and its residents.
I was so excited to finally find this little gem of information. So, the search began and it continued for several days resulting in no information. Oh sure, I found plenty of Cantrell’s, but none that I could link to my family. I became highly frustrated with everything. I even questioned what little information my father had about his past. Could he be wrong? Could my grandparents have been from a different state? Maybe they came from Oregon state and not Oregon county. I was sinking fast into a funk I didn’t want to be anywhere near. I wanted to find out something. Even just names would have been great. But all I ever received was this message, “There are 0 results for your search.”
So I am feeling bummed out when I realize that within days I have to take a business trip to Jefferson City. While I am there, I will have time to spare and I will stop by the State Archives building and see what I can find out. After all, not all the information about the state and its people are on the website.
So the day came recently, when I found myself in Jefferson City for meetings with time to spare. I drove to the building which houses the Archives, which is the Secretary’s of State building. It’s very nice and modern. It can’t be too old. It sits just north of the Capital building on the Missouri River, right next to the railroad tracks.
I walk into the building and find the State’s Archive, which is on the main floor, less than 20 feet away from the front doors. I begin to walk in when I am stopped by a woman at a half moon desk, which sits out front. She asks me if I need anything and I told her I was just there to do some family research. She smiled, asked me to sign in and then escorted me around the archives.
Once my personal tour was over I went right to work. I knew where my grandparents were from, so I thought I would look for some type of birth certificate for the two. I got nothing. I looked for marriage certificates. I got nothing. I began to look at different county books and directories, trying to work myself backwards and everything turns out empty. I had basically become so frustrated with this whole process, that I was ready to give up.
It was close to noon and I needed to go to my meeting. I spoke with another woman who works at the archives and thanked her for all of her help. When she asked how it had gone, I just unloaded my high level of frustration. She just nodded her head and gave me this sincere look, as if she had heard it all before. She asked how long I would be in Jeff City and I said I am leaving today. She mentioned they have subscriptions to websites that allow people to search census records and much more. So I told her I would be back after my meetings! I was so excited. Maybe this will help lead me down the road to my families past.
Now this is exciting in one sense and a little scary in another. It would be great to unveil some past family member who made a huge contribution to the country or the world. However, there is always a skeleton or two in the closet of every family.
So my search began, where else, but online. All I knew was that my grandparents grew up around Thayer, Missouri, which is in Oregon County on the south side of the state. So I first searched for any type of census information, birth or death certificates, by typing certain info into Google. Now Google is great, because it gives you all of these different websites that are there to “help” you find your family history. As you search however, you will notice that their goal is not so much to “help” you as it is to “help” themselves to your bank account.
Now I want you to understand, that I do not feel like the government should be an open book and we should know every single move the government makes. However, I do feel some info should be readily accessible. One piece of info that should be are the census reports. I do not quite understand why a piece of information gathered by the government to help the government is given to companies who sell you the opportunity to view such info. Should this not be covered under the Freedom of Information Act? I guess they feel you have the freedom to pay to look at it or not.
So I was running into road blocks, because every site I came to wanted me to pay to view their information. So now what? Pay for it or is there another way? Enter the NBC show “Who do you think you are?” This show follows celebrities who are looking for information about their past. While watching a particular episode recently, I discovered a new possible source of information, the State Archives! Why didn’t I think about this before? So off I went on the internet to find out more about our State Archives.
The website is wonderful and full of information. For instance, did you know there was a war in the state of Missouri? Just in Missouri. It was called the Mormon War. Yep, the Mormon War. It was a conflict that didn’t end until Kit Bond was Governor. Look it up, I promise, I am not lying. Anyhow, I digress. The website allows you to search birth records, death certificates, military records and other tidbits of information about Missouri and its residents.
I was so excited to finally find this little gem of information. So, the search began and it continued for several days resulting in no information. Oh sure, I found plenty of Cantrell’s, but none that I could link to my family. I became highly frustrated with everything. I even questioned what little information my father had about his past. Could he be wrong? Could my grandparents have been from a different state? Maybe they came from Oregon state and not Oregon county. I was sinking fast into a funk I didn’t want to be anywhere near. I wanted to find out something. Even just names would have been great. But all I ever received was this message, “There are 0 results for your search.”
So I am feeling bummed out when I realize that within days I have to take a business trip to Jefferson City. While I am there, I will have time to spare and I will stop by the State Archives building and see what I can find out. After all, not all the information about the state and its people are on the website.
So the day came recently, when I found myself in Jefferson City for meetings with time to spare. I drove to the building which houses the Archives, which is the Secretary’s of State building. It’s very nice and modern. It can’t be too old. It sits just north of the Capital building on the Missouri River, right next to the railroad tracks.
I walk into the building and find the State’s Archive, which is on the main floor, less than 20 feet away from the front doors. I begin to walk in when I am stopped by a woman at a half moon desk, which sits out front. She asks me if I need anything and I told her I was just there to do some family research. She smiled, asked me to sign in and then escorted me around the archives.
Once my personal tour was over I went right to work. I knew where my grandparents were from, so I thought I would look for some type of birth certificate for the two. I got nothing. I looked for marriage certificates. I got nothing. I began to look at different county books and directories, trying to work myself backwards and everything turns out empty. I had basically become so frustrated with this whole process, that I was ready to give up.
It was close to noon and I needed to go to my meeting. I spoke with another woman who works at the archives and thanked her for all of her help. When she asked how it had gone, I just unloaded my high level of frustration. She just nodded her head and gave me this sincere look, as if she had heard it all before. She asked how long I would be in Jeff City and I said I am leaving today. She mentioned they have subscriptions to websites that allow people to search census records and much more. So I told her I would be back after my meetings! I was so excited. Maybe this will help lead me down the road to my families past.
Monday, January 11, 2010
The Example
Early last week, I was thinking about the college football national championship game, which was quickly approaching. I couldn’t wait to see Alabama and Texas go head to head. I like both teams, but my gut was telling me Texas was going to win. Fast forward a few days later, it’s Thursday. The game is tonight and I forgot! I know, I totally forgot about the game. Mindy and I rented the movie “my sister’s keeper”, which every parent should see. So instead of watching a bunch of guys crying over their big win or their terrible loss, I was watching a chick flick, again a good movie, trying to hold back my own tears.
I realized my grave error when I was watching the news and it was time for the sports segment. The sports anchor began to speak of the game and my heart fell to my feet. How could I forget about this big game. Suddenly, a shocking news came from the TV. Colt McCoy had been hit in the very first series and had not played since the first quarter. Alabama on top in the 4th.
I was stunned. Couldn’t believe my ears. This great quarterback and stand up Christian was now standing on the sidelines, watching everything unfold. I thought how unfair. This guy has worked hard all of his life to play at this level and to reach this moment and now all he can do is watch. Why do bad things happen to good people? What a shame.
Have you ever felt that way. Like you have worked hard for something, only to see it slip away from you. As if God was watching and He said psych, and pulled back what was dangling in front of you. Sort of like Lucy and Charlie Brown. Charlie worked hard to kick the ball. He knew he could do it. He only needed the chance. Finally the chance comes and as he is just about to kick the ball, Lucy pulls it away. I can only imagine how upset and mad McCoy must have been.
After the game a sideline reporter talked to McCoy about having to sit from the sideline in his final game and after a few seconds of silence and a few seconds of choking back the tears, out came these words.
"I always give God the glory. I never question why things happen the way they do. God is in control of my life and I know if nothing else I am standing on the rock"
All I could do was sit in amazement over the spiritual maturity of this young man. Was he upset or mad or even jealous that a freshman quarterback was where he should have been? Maybe, I am sure he felt many emotions in those few hours. However, when it came time to speak to the world about what he was feeling, he put it all in perspective. What is more important to him to hold up a trophy today or wear a crown tomorrow? He gave us the answer.
How often have we had the chance to give God the glory when times were good, when everything seemed right with the world and we had no complaints. How many times have we given God the glory for those things? I would say it is probably very rare. But what is even more rare, is for someone to give God the glory when times are tough, when we feel like everything is falling apart and nothing is going our way.
Look what James says in chapter 1, “2Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, 3because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. 4Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.”
I challenge you to give God the praise not just for the good things in your life, but also the bad. When those moments come that make your world seem so bleak and dark or seem so unfair, praise God and give Him all the glory.
Have fun, Live Free, Hope Strong.
Pastor G
I realized my grave error when I was watching the news and it was time for the sports segment. The sports anchor began to speak of the game and my heart fell to my feet. How could I forget about this big game. Suddenly, a shocking news came from the TV. Colt McCoy had been hit in the very first series and had not played since the first quarter. Alabama on top in the 4th.
I was stunned. Couldn’t believe my ears. This great quarterback and stand up Christian was now standing on the sidelines, watching everything unfold. I thought how unfair. This guy has worked hard all of his life to play at this level and to reach this moment and now all he can do is watch. Why do bad things happen to good people? What a shame.
Have you ever felt that way. Like you have worked hard for something, only to see it slip away from you. As if God was watching and He said psych, and pulled back what was dangling in front of you. Sort of like Lucy and Charlie Brown. Charlie worked hard to kick the ball. He knew he could do it. He only needed the chance. Finally the chance comes and as he is just about to kick the ball, Lucy pulls it away. I can only imagine how upset and mad McCoy must have been.
After the game a sideline reporter talked to McCoy about having to sit from the sideline in his final game and after a few seconds of silence and a few seconds of choking back the tears, out came these words.
"I always give God the glory. I never question why things happen the way they do. God is in control of my life and I know if nothing else I am standing on the rock"
All I could do was sit in amazement over the spiritual maturity of this young man. Was he upset or mad or even jealous that a freshman quarterback was where he should have been? Maybe, I am sure he felt many emotions in those few hours. However, when it came time to speak to the world about what he was feeling, he put it all in perspective. What is more important to him to hold up a trophy today or wear a crown tomorrow? He gave us the answer.
How often have we had the chance to give God the glory when times were good, when everything seemed right with the world and we had no complaints. How many times have we given God the glory for those things? I would say it is probably very rare. But what is even more rare, is for someone to give God the glory when times are tough, when we feel like everything is falling apart and nothing is going our way.
Look what James says in chapter 1, “2Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, 3because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. 4Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.”
I challenge you to give God the praise not just for the good things in your life, but also the bad. When those moments come that make your world seem so bleak and dark or seem so unfair, praise God and give Him all the glory.
Have fun, Live Free, Hope Strong.
Pastor G
Friday, January 8, 2010
Near year and a new you?
Growing up I remember hearing lots of different phrases or sayings. Some made sense and some, well, not so much. Like, “if you keep doing that, your face is going to freeze that way”. Really? Because I have never seen a horribly disfigured child whose face froze after several hours of making fun of their little brother. And if it had happened, surely there would have been a book by now. (I can even see the title, “Frozen for Life: A child prank gone bad”.)
How about one of my favorites, “Don’t look a gift horse in the mouth”. I have been on this earth for close to 40 years. I know others who have been around even longer. They have never encountered a horse that bares gifts. Maybe in some Scandinavian country that no one has ever heard of, but here in the good ole U.S. of A., to my knowledge, not one “gift horse” has ever been spotted. So if you never see one, just how are you going to have the opportunity to look one in the mouth.
Now there are those phrases that you have heard, that you may not believe as a child, but you come to understand that they are absolutely true. For a greater part of my life I have heard the phrase, “the older I get the quicker time flies”. This is, perhaps, one of the biggest understatements ever penned. The older I get, the quicker life passes me by.
We have become a nation of busy bodies. We fill our time up with whatever we can fill it up with to keep us busy. Why? What happened to a time of rest? God created the heaven and the earth in 6 days. Not 7, but 6. What happened on the seventh day? God rested. Even during the making of His creation, He took time to step back and admire what He had just created.
Let me put it in terms that you may better understand. More than likely you have a cell phone. I would say, unless you have some new technology that no one knows about, you have to recharge that cell phone battery at least a few times a week. Why? Because the battery runs out. It loses its energy. Just like the cell phone, we lose energy too. Unlike the cell phone however, we need to recharge ourselves daily.
As Christians, we need to recharge our spiritual batteries. The only way to do that is to dive into God’s word on that daily basis. Read it, study it and meditate on it. It seems so simple, but yet is the hardest thing to do.
Ephesians 5:10 says “and find out what pleases God.” How do we find that out? By reading, studying and meditating on His word. It’s how we get to know who He is and what He wants of us.
Verse 15 and 16 of the same chapter says this, “Be very careful, then, how you live — not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil.
I challenge you in this New Year, to reflect back on 2008 and decide what things you need to change in order to have more time for and with God. We have one life to live. How are you living it?
May you and your family have a happy and prosperous 2009.
Have Fun, Live Free, Hope Strong
Pastor G
How about one of my favorites, “Don’t look a gift horse in the mouth”. I have been on this earth for close to 40 years. I know others who have been around even longer. They have never encountered a horse that bares gifts. Maybe in some Scandinavian country that no one has ever heard of, but here in the good ole U.S. of A., to my knowledge, not one “gift horse” has ever been spotted. So if you never see one, just how are you going to have the opportunity to look one in the mouth.
Now there are those phrases that you have heard, that you may not believe as a child, but you come to understand that they are absolutely true. For a greater part of my life I have heard the phrase, “the older I get the quicker time flies”. This is, perhaps, one of the biggest understatements ever penned. The older I get, the quicker life passes me by.
We have become a nation of busy bodies. We fill our time up with whatever we can fill it up with to keep us busy. Why? What happened to a time of rest? God created the heaven and the earth in 6 days. Not 7, but 6. What happened on the seventh day? God rested. Even during the making of His creation, He took time to step back and admire what He had just created.
Let me put it in terms that you may better understand. More than likely you have a cell phone. I would say, unless you have some new technology that no one knows about, you have to recharge that cell phone battery at least a few times a week. Why? Because the battery runs out. It loses its energy. Just like the cell phone, we lose energy too. Unlike the cell phone however, we need to recharge ourselves daily.
As Christians, we need to recharge our spiritual batteries. The only way to do that is to dive into God’s word on that daily basis. Read it, study it and meditate on it. It seems so simple, but yet is the hardest thing to do.
Ephesians 5:10 says “and find out what pleases God.” How do we find that out? By reading, studying and meditating on His word. It’s how we get to know who He is and what He wants of us.
Verse 15 and 16 of the same chapter says this, “Be very careful, then, how you live — not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil.
I challenge you in this New Year, to reflect back on 2008 and decide what things you need to change in order to have more time for and with God. We have one life to live. How are you living it?
May you and your family have a happy and prosperous 2009.
Have Fun, Live Free, Hope Strong
Pastor G
Snuggling with the Father
Growing up, my parents had a fondness for flea markets and antique stores, so much so that we would take drives every weekend to find the next treasure for the Cantrell household. Now of course, this meant I had to listen to their music on the way (This was before I got my first walkman cassette player!). Now at that time there was this young man from Texas named Randy Travis and he had this song that my parents just loved! It was the title track to his 1986 album, “The Storms of Life”. When that song came across the radio, I knew I was in for some serenading from my parents, who loved this tall skinny kid with the Superman curl hair cut. It was the best of times and it was the worst of times.
I thought of that song recently as we were being bombarded by all of the rain last week. One morning in particular, not only brought that song, but God into the forefront of my mind. It was about 5 o’clock in the morning, when a severe storm rolled through Sikeston. It was so strong it woke me up, which as Mindy would tell is a miracle in itself. Not only did it wake me up, it also woke the kids. Mindy went to be with Grayson, while Riley came to lay down with me. As the thunder echoed through the house and flashes of lighting lit up the bedroom, Riley continued to get closer and closer. He was seeking comfort in the storm, by getting close to his father. This made me think about the relationship we have with our heavenly Father, God.
In our lives we are met with these storms of life. Not thunderstorms, but those tough situations where even at times, there seems to be no hope. Typically, that is when we seek to become close with God. As the thunder storm of life rolls through, we try so desperately to cling and snuggle up to God, looking for that peace and comfort that we desire.
In Matthew chapter 8:23-27, there is a storm that is recorded. The high winds shook the boat and waves came crashing in all around them. The apostles woke Jesus out of his sleep, looking for peace and comfort. Jesus would calm the storm at the amazement of his disciples.
God can and does provide comfort as we seek Him in those terrifying moments of a personal storm. But did you know you don’t have to wait for a storm to get close to the Father? You can do it even when life seems perfect.
Going through a storm helps build our character, but it’s what happens when there are no storms in sight that really defines who we are as Christians. It’s during these times of good weather, that we get wrapped up in other things, rather than staying wrapped up in God. Sure, anyone can get on their knees and pray in times of a storm, because that’s when we need the most help. However, a true believer is always on their knees praying or meditating. A true believer is always searching God’s word for every answer and is always seeking His direction, not just when it seems to be most relevant.
The Psalmist wrote in chapter 59, verse 17, O my Strength, I sing praise to you; you, O God, are my fortress, my loving God.
God loves you. Before, during and after any storm. He has and always will love you. Even when life seems perfect, it’s still a good time to seek out the peace and comfort of our Father.
Have Fun, Live Free, Hope Strong
Pastor G
I thought of that song recently as we were being bombarded by all of the rain last week. One morning in particular, not only brought that song, but God into the forefront of my mind. It was about 5 o’clock in the morning, when a severe storm rolled through Sikeston. It was so strong it woke me up, which as Mindy would tell is a miracle in itself. Not only did it wake me up, it also woke the kids. Mindy went to be with Grayson, while Riley came to lay down with me. As the thunder echoed through the house and flashes of lighting lit up the bedroom, Riley continued to get closer and closer. He was seeking comfort in the storm, by getting close to his father. This made me think about the relationship we have with our heavenly Father, God.
In our lives we are met with these storms of life. Not thunderstorms, but those tough situations where even at times, there seems to be no hope. Typically, that is when we seek to become close with God. As the thunder storm of life rolls through, we try so desperately to cling and snuggle up to God, looking for that peace and comfort that we desire.
In Matthew chapter 8:23-27, there is a storm that is recorded. The high winds shook the boat and waves came crashing in all around them. The apostles woke Jesus out of his sleep, looking for peace and comfort. Jesus would calm the storm at the amazement of his disciples.
God can and does provide comfort as we seek Him in those terrifying moments of a personal storm. But did you know you don’t have to wait for a storm to get close to the Father? You can do it even when life seems perfect.
Going through a storm helps build our character, but it’s what happens when there are no storms in sight that really defines who we are as Christians. It’s during these times of good weather, that we get wrapped up in other things, rather than staying wrapped up in God. Sure, anyone can get on their knees and pray in times of a storm, because that’s when we need the most help. However, a true believer is always on their knees praying or meditating. A true believer is always searching God’s word for every answer and is always seeking His direction, not just when it seems to be most relevant.
The Psalmist wrote in chapter 59, verse 17, O my Strength, I sing praise to you; you, O God, are my fortress, my loving God.
God loves you. Before, during and after any storm. He has and always will love you. Even when life seems perfect, it’s still a good time to seek out the peace and comfort of our Father.
Have Fun, Live Free, Hope Strong
Pastor G
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)