It was so cold I had a brain freeze so bad I began to think that Taco Bell was a Mexican phone company.

I've been told I need to practice up on my shivering. I'm not sure I need the practice because I remember as a kid sitting on the deer stand and it seemed to come quite naturally. My Granddad had told me not to be moving around. It was below freezing and we didn't have any insulated hunting gear, therefore, we sat on the stump and shivered. He told me if he caught me moving around or messing around on the deer stand it would be the last time I would come with him. He had a way of putting things and based on his track record you could count on his word being kept. But, I mentioned that only because of the shivering cold front that is on its way. Excuse me. I forgot to say hello and welcome. It is Wednesday, November 12, 2014, and I suppose I've allowed these non-stop incessant weather alerts to get to me. Just last week we had this huge rain coming in. Coming in. Coming in. It hit a snag. It got delayed. It did finally make it here but we were all pretty much exhausted by the time the rain started. I mean most folks were suffering from umbrella fatigue before they ever got to open it the first time. If it works that way with the cold front, well, we might just still be getting ready to get ready for it come next week. About the only thing we can count on is the weather people gone bonkers 24x7. You do know what I am talking about. Right?

I know the content from time to time might be lacking but everyday is like 'show and tell' for me. And, current events are pretty much on my mind as we grapple with the challenges that each day presents. This past Sunday marked the 25th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin wall. I listened to an interview on BBC radio with two fellows believed to have been some of the first to cross over. This was before the actual wall had come down. An East German official had made an announcement saying the rules for crossing had become liberalized and that citizens would no longer need special permission to cross. This turned out to be a misstatement but people who heard it reacted quickly. The two fellows interviewed said they approached the guard station and told them they wanted to cross. The guards were not fully clued in to the new procedures and there was a lot of confusion. Because these two fellows were young and brash and even though they were very frightened they pressed their case and demanded to be allowed to cross. The guards became angry, made some calls, but in the end they finally waved them through. They had friends on the other side who could not believe they had just walked through the checkpoint. Just hours before a person could have been shot trying to leave East Berlin. I remember watching the wall come down on television. President George H. W. Bush served when this great event materialized but most of us remember the seeds being planted as I recall hearing President Reagan's challenge to Russian leader Mikhail Gorbachev, "Mr. Gorbachev, Tear down this wall!" Here's something to think about. The long serving German Chancellor Angela Merkel grew up in Communist East Germany and later became a democracy activist that helped bring the wall down. Now she heads one of the most powerful democracies on the planet. A fitting tribute to when freedom is allowed to ring!

You might be a member of a redneck Church if any of the following applies: At the end of the sermon on feeding the 5000, several members insisted on knowing exactly what kind of fish they were and what baits were used to catch them. When the pastor called for Bubba to come forward and help with the offering, 5 guys and 2 ladies all stand up. The sermon was clear: Thou shalt not covet most definitely applies to huntin dogs too. The call to worship is done with a duck call. Opening day of hunting season is designated as an official Church holiday. The Church choir robes were all donated and carry an inscribed logo from Billy Bob's Barbecue. The collection plates are the hubcaps off of a 1956 Chevy. The final words of the benediction typically close with: "Y’all come back now, Ya hear?”  Okay. That will do it for our time together today. Don't forget class, there will be a test later. Have a great day and may God bless each one of your little pea picking hearts. (Apologies to the late Tennessee Ernie Ford.) Amen. ...More later.