The closing paragraph from an article assembled by the 'top thinkers' of Fordham University, (February 2017): "The key point is that there will always be ugly truths in our past since mankind has and always will continue to be imperfect. As difficult as it may be given today’s politically correct zeitgeist, we must face these harsh truths head on, simultaneously taking pride in all that we’ve overcome and yet mindful of the complex legacies of some flawed, but great, men in our history."

It's Wednesday, October 16, 2019, and I suppose we should be glad to put Columbus Day behind us. One thing about President Trump, he doesn't mind going against the flow. Today's politically correct craziness wants to wipe Christopher Columbus and his discoveries out of the history books. This historical revisionism has gone completely off the rails. President Trump said Christopher Columbus represents the exploration fervor that is a part of our makeup and our history as a nation. Yikes. You are not supposed to say anything positive about Columbus. There are still people wanting to open a war crimes prosecution against President Harry Truman for his role in using the atomic bombs on Japan to end WWII. Do I think historical figures have always done the right thing including our founders? Absolutely not! Seeing the world through the lens of hundreds of years of evaluation and academic review produces these revisionist theories. I don't think we should cover up the truth including known character flaws. However, the history itself must be left alone and reported as it actually unfolded, not with the campaigning hindsight to advance someone's political agenda. Interestingly enough, as a side note, many of those wanting to vilify any and all who contributed to our history cannot bring themselves to call those currently actively plotting to destroy us as terrorists. Think about that one for a while.

The other morning at daybreak, while at my brother-in-law's place, I walked down the road to the little house where the wife's parents spent their last years. There were still a few flowers blooming from those scattered here and there by my mother-in-law. I paused and looked at the swing on the front porch where the man of God, Bro. Rawles, (passed from this life to the next in December of 1996), having finished mowing, came to take a break. At age 80, he sat on the swing and suffered a major catastrophic stroke. We had visited many times on the different porches where he lived. We had spent hour upon hour talking about the Bible. He had been one of my most ardent encouragers over the years. He always saw me being much more capable than I saw myself. Mom Rawles, (passed away in May of 1998), was a unique individual. A shade tree poet, she left us many volumes of her homespun verses. She could sew with her hands faster than many machines and we also have a number of the quilts she made. Around the back of the house, her little shack or greenhouse still stands where she would use her green thumb to grow a huge variety of plants, many, she found on the side of the road or in a field. These folks were never famous or newsworthy in a public sort of way, however, they lived their love for their Lord and they have had and they continue to have a significant impact on all their large clan of descendants. As I stood in the coolish morning air, a special sense of blessedness came over me and I couldn't help but thank the Lord for allowing me to be a part of this family. Amen.

Yeah. I know. I do tend to spend a lot of time sloshing around in the muddy lane of memories and recollections of days gone by. I suppose I can't write about what hasn't happened yet because it hasn't happened yet. I'm pretty sure you knew that. In fact, the only certain things about the future are the facts God has chosen to reveal to us in His Word. We can count on them. Yep, we can even stake our eternal destiny on thus says the Word of the Lord. And, lest I overlook the obvious, there is the 'here and now' for us all to engage in and to do what we can to use it to honor the God who gives us the next breath we breathe. On Monday, we went to do our regular ministry at the apartment complex, but, the meeting room was locked. It was Columbus Day and the staff was unavailable. What to do? Cancel it? Nope. We moved to the lobby of the building where a number of our regular attendees live. We sang. We prayed. We studied God's Word together. Meanwhile, the elevators were going up and down, or down and up, people were coming and going, and it turned out to be one of the most wonderful blessings as we not only had our service but, we also were able to see new folks slow down long enough to hear us. That was one of those impromptu 'here and now' events that blessed us all. I know what many of you are thinking. That fellow sure does seem to count a lot of blessings. I hope I do exactly that and I hope you will also. Enjoy. Be blessed. Yep. Count your blessings and thank God. Amen. ....More later.