“Your talent determines what you can do. Your motivation determines how much you’re willing to do. Your attitude determines how well you do it.” — Lou Holtz, (1937-2026), Legendary Football Coach, and TV Sports Personality

While we do love the Coca Cola portrayal of Santa, when it comes time to get ready to get ready for a gaggle, skein, or flock of little ones, well, this Santa needs a smidgen more, therefore, The Monster Rules!

Good morning on this last day of the month, yep, that's right, today is Tuesday, March 31, 2026. Okay. I will admit it. Time does seem to be going faster as I get closer to the four score target. There is research that has tried to answer why this happens to older people. Here's an excerpt from Psychology Today, "Time seems to accelerate with age primarily because the brain processes fewer novel experiences, creates fewer lasting memories for routine days, and processes information more slowly. As a smaller fraction of a person's life, a year feels shorter, leading to the perception that time passes faster." I suppose, having been blessed to live as long as I have, there are many been there and done that occurrences, therefore, according to their theory I'm perceiving that time has sped up. Well, well, now that we have covered that little ditty, maybe I can share something that will encourage us all. You are waiting? Yeah. Me too. Here are the people in the Bible who lived the longest:  Methuselah: 969 years; Jared: 962 years; Noah: 950 years; Adam: 930 years; Seth: 912 years; Kenan: 910 years; Enos: 905 years; Mahalalel: 895 years; Lamech: 777 years; Enoch: 365 years (Enoch is noted for not dying but being taken by God). These fellows hung around a long time and Enoch walked with God and then he was snatched away into his eternal abode. (Genesis 5:21-24 and Hebrews 11:5) I am very happy to report to all those who read my blog and are born again and are now believers in the Lord Jesus Christ, for me and for you, if we die we will be absent from the body but present with the Lord. Wow! (2nd Corinthians 5:8) But, wait a minute, what if I am still alive when Jesus returns? Great question. The Apostle Paul made it crystal clear: "Brothers and sisters, we do not want you to be uninformed about those who sleep in death, so that you do not grieve like the rest of mankind, who have no hope. For we believe that Jesus died and rose again, and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him. According to the Lord’s word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever.  Therefore encourage one another with these words." (1st Thessalonians 4:13-18 from the New International Version NIV.) Bingo! Paul said to encourage one another. How? With these words or promises. You can count on them if you are a believer. Not a believer? If not, why not? Get it settled. Today!

 

There are many theories about why people in the earliest years of the Old Testament lived for so many years. Some think it had to do with how sin slowly impacted the gene pool. We do know sin is the major factor in bringing death. Others think it had to do with God's sovereign love in limiting the amount of evil one person could do in there lifespan. There are a myriad of other ideas dealing with creation itself, environmental factors, and on and on it goes. When I talked about encouragement, we, those saved by grace, are to be cheerleaders in reminding each other of the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. That comes from God Himself as breathed out via Holy Spirit inspiration in the book we call The Bible. (2nd Timothy 3:16) I say that to make clear the source of true encouragement. I can give you my assurances but I just might not be able to keep them, but, God's Word is something we can count on. Today and forever. Feeling encouraged now? Me too! Amen.

The Book of the Revelation of Jesus Christ, Chapter 15, Verses 1-4: "Then I saw another sign in heaven, great and amazing, seven angels with seven plagues, which are the last, for with them the wrath of God is finished. And I saw what appeared to be a sea of glass mingled with fire—and also those who had conquered the beast and its image and the number of its name, standing beside the sea of glass with harps of God in their hands. And they sing the song of Moses, the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying, 'Great and amazing are your deeds, O Lord God the Almighty! Just and true are your ways, O King of the nations! Who will not fear, O Lord, and glorify your name? For you alone are holy. All nations will come and worship you, for your righteous acts have been revealed.'" (English Standard Version, ESV)

Welcome one and all. I'm not sure you've landed on what you were looking for, but, like the mall map says, 'You Are Here'. Today is Monday, March 30, 2026, and, we are set to make the best of it we can with God's help, of course, always. Amen. I am well aware that I may apply the bold on words more than I should, but, it's part of how I communicate, you know, for emphasis sake. I told the wife before I climbed the stairs that I really don't have anything in mind for today's blog. While that's not altogether unprecedented, it does present it's own set of challenges. When in doubt, go for it anyway. Yesterday, I was privileged to teach from the Old Testament passage as recorded in the Book of Numbers, Chapter 20. This records the somewhat well known account where the servant of the Lord, Moses, along with his brother Aaron, failed to honor God as shown in their striking of the rock twice instead of speaking to it. As a result, Aaron was told he would soon die which meant he would not be traveling with the nation into the promised land. His death occurred soon after. Moses was also denied the opportunity to continue his leadership in bringing the people into the land they had so long sought. Why such a seemingly harsh response from God? According to the passage, they failed to believe what God had told them and they failed to demonstrate in their obedience His Holiness. In one of my favorite accounts, the death of Moses is recorded in Deuteronomy Chapter 34. At age 80 Moses started his journey for the Lord at the burning bush encounter and he was told to take off his shoes because he was standing on holy ground. (Exodus 3) In the recounting of the death of Moses, me, perhaps just me, I get a feeling that I too am standing on holy ground. 

 

After showing Moses the land he would not go into, we find this summation of the life and times of this remarkable man, "So Moses, the servant of the Lord, died there in the land of Moab, just as the Lord had said. The Lord buried him in a valley near Beth-peor in Moab, but to this day no one knows the exact place. Moses was 120 years old when he died, yet his eyesight was clear, and he was as strong as ever. The people of Israel mourned for Moses on the plains of Moab for thirty days, until the customary period of mourning was over. Now Joshua son of Nun was full of the spirit of wisdom, for Moses had laid his hands on him. So the people of Israel obeyed him, doing just as the Lord had commanded Moses. There has never been another prophet in Israel like Moses, whom the Lord knew face to face. The Lord sent him to perform all the miraculous signs and wonders in the land of Egypt against Pharaoh, and all his servants, and his entire land. With mighty power, Moses performed terrifying acts in the sight of all Israel." (Deuteronomy 34, Verses 5-12 as rendered in the New Living Translation.) What a life! I always feel humbled when I consider this man that God chose to use in accomplishing His purpose. The good news? God is still working today and He is still using men, women, boys and girls to work His will and way. He is. He really is. This means He can use me and He can also use you! Amen.

"Do what you can, with what you have, where you are.” ~ Theodore Roosevelt

Not to worry, this is not an enactment of the tune, "I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus", but, rather it is entitled the "Kissing Clauses" because that's what it is! The Real Santa and his bride!

Friday is here. So quickly. That's part of the age thing I suspect, but, I welcome one and all to today's visit, on this March 27, 2026. The title quote struck me as something we all should think about. There are times, perhaps way too many times, when we underestimate the resources that are ours as a child of God. We think about our limitations as we compare ourselves to others, We don't have the talent they have. We don't have the financial resources they have. If. If only we had the knowledge, the capability, and, the opportunity. When we dwell so much on what we don't have we end up sitting out the opportunities given to us to accomplish things that bring honor and glory to God. I think we greatly misunderstand all the Apostle Paul covered when, via Holy Spirit inspiration, he wrote this: "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." (Philippians 4:13) Now that verse is thrown here and there to represent all kinds of stuff and to me it often is misapplied and misused. It has nothing to do with name it and claim it and other foolish representations. It has everything to do with God's enabling for any and all things related to this life and our testimony for Him. How do we know that? Good question. Here's exactly what Paul wrote to the called out assembly, Church, in Philippi, Greece, (from the English Standard Bible, ESV), Philippians 4:10-13 ~"I rejoiced in the Lord greatly that now at length you have revived your concern for me. You were indeed concerned for me, but you had no opportunity. Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned, in whatever situation I am, to be content. I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. I can do all things through him who strengthens me." Here's my take: Wherever we are and whatever situation we are in, there is a sufficiency that comes from our Savior so that we can accomplish His will. Doing well, great, use it to honor God. In the ditch, He is still with you and you can honor Him in how you work through the challenges you face. That, to me, is the riches we have in Christ. We can't, but, He can and He wants to work through us in every situation. (Those who use that 'all things' verse to promote some kind of happy-go-lucky life have not read all that happened to the Apostle Paul, they need to read 2nd Corinthians, Chapter 11) I think I'm done. Okay. You Bible theologians are invited to dissect my simple assessment and be sure to use a lot of non-biblical words to explain why I am wrong. Ha!

 

Okay. Be thankful. I am not asking for any offerings today. Just send one dollar to cover the weight of the postal money order. As a teenager, I heard that piece of comedic material on an old record, (vinyl at 33-1/3 RPM), performed by a fellow named Dave Gardner. I know. You are thinking we must have been hurting for entertainment in those days, and, you would likely be right. The comedian actually enjoyed mocking radio preachers who were always selling stuff like an 8x10 glossy of themselves, or an anointed prayer cloth, and other such products. You might find that kind of humor offensive. Sorry. I thought it was funny back then and to tell the truth, not much has changed. I reheard one recently that was on TBN back in the Paul Crouch days. They were doing their big money raising program and a guest fellow was trying to whip up the giving. That guy said he wanted to correct everyone's understanding of the widow's mite.  He said the verse indicates she gave out of her want. "You see, she gave because she wanted something. She was trying to get it by giving." Since the want in that verse actually means she gave out of her dire poverty, his handling of that passage, well, I give it to you in the Greek language, it's absolute garbage! Okay. I'm not altogether certain how I got on that one, but, if you didn't like it, do what any of us can do, skip it, skip it, like Barney, "Skip it in the bud!" And, sadly, the people there in that studio crowd all shouted and clapped for his explanation. I can tell by the clock on the wall it's time to say farewell for now, and, I do wish each and everyone to have a blessed time until we meet again. May God add His blessings. Amen.

The Apostle Paul inspired to write these words, in the letter, 2nd Corinthians, Chapter 5, Verse 8, as rendered in the Amplified Bible, "we are [as I was saying] of good courage and confident hope, and prefer rather to be absent from the body and to be at home with the Lord."

Thanks to ChatGPT that helped me to stand with my beloved mother-in-law, Mary Emma Stephenson Rawles, (1917-1998)

Yesterday's story was a challenge because, believe it or not, I wrote and re-wrote it several times. It happens that way sometimes. It's not exactly like a box of chocolates, but, there are days when my stuff just seems not to pass muster, and, I am certain some of you have no idea what that means. Right? ("Pass muster" means to meet a required standard, pass inspection, or be deemed acceptable, often used in negative contexts (e.g., "doesn't pass muster"). Originating in the 16th century from military inspections, it means to undergo review without censure. It is commonly confused with "cut the mustard" or mistakenly written as "pass mustard".) Sorry to put a pain in your brain so early on this Thursday, March 26, 2026. This is the day that many in our family remember because it's the anniversary of the birthday of the wife of my youth's mom. Mom Rawles was a remarkable woman. She never signed up to become a pastor's wife but she became one and was, in her own way, one of the most Godly people I've had the privilege to know and love. She was a behind the scenes person. She loved the Lord. She loved her family. She loved listening to Bluegrass Gospel and Southern Gospel music, she was a published poet and her poems were about everyday life, the struggles, pain, the gains and losses, and, how God had been there all the time. She was a sewing genius and her hands with a needle and thread were faster than anyone's I ever observed. We have many of her quilts that are special memories in and of themselves. She loved variety and if you ever sat at her table she would layout all kinds of different items to choose from. That was something new to me because I grew up sitting down to a main dish surrounded by a few supporting dishes. Mom Rawles would have a dozen items to choose from, and, they were good. She was perhaps one of the most faithful prayer warriors I've ever known, spending many hours at night interceding on behalf of her family and others. I'll never forget the last conversation I had with her. She was in the hospital and they did not expect her to make it, but, she had rebounded a little, this is what she said to me, "Do you think it would be okay for me to hang around a little bit longer?" I told her it would be fantastic. She passed on into the Lord's Presence a few days later. She did. She really did. (2 Corinthians 5:8) She was not perfect, but, she was one amazing lady, and, I know my life was not only touched but enriched by knowing her. I do have one longstanding issue with her. I never, and, I mean never, could use any mother-in-low jokes because they just wouldn't work. They didn't fit this remarkable lady. May God bless the memory of her life and may her testimony continue to encourage and impact others. Amen.

 

Yes. I did try to let her know how much I appreciated her while she was here. I also know that my name was on her frequently called out prayer list. For that, I am grateful. God is Sovereign and at the same time He has designed prayer into our day by day living before Him. Well, why don't you explain how it works, brother? Sorry. That is not only above my pay grade it is in the category of 'known only to God'. There are some examples however that instruct us how prayer works within the Sovereign will of God. Take King Hezekiah for instance. He was one of the most faithful kings in Israel's history. Isaiah was sent to tell the ailing king that he should get his house in order because his days were numbered. All of this is recorded in Isaiah Chapter 38, and, in 2nd Kings Chapter 20, and 2nd Chronicles, Chapter 32. Here's the part I want to focus in on. Isaiah left the king's deathbed and Hezekiah, having received this prophetic utterance responded in this manner as recorded in Isaiah Chapter 38, Verses 2-5: "Then Hezekiah turned his face to the wall and prayed to the LORD, saying, 'Please, O LORD, remember how I have walked before You faithfully and with wholehearted devotion; I have done what is good in Your sight.' And Hezekiah wept bitterly. And the word of the LORD came to Isaiah, saying, 'Go and tell Hezekiah that this is what the LORD, the God of your father David, says: ‘I have heard your prayer; I have seen your tears. Behold, I will add fifteen years to your life.'" I've always been amazed by this account and that detail, "I have seen your tears", my bolding. This is the truth folks: God saw his tears, and, He sees yours, and, He sees mine. Now, truth is Hezekiah didn't utilize those added fifteen years in the best way possible, but, as they always say, that, my friend is a story for another time. Go. Read about it yourself. Check me out. Let me know if I've not got it right. Okay? Y'all be encouraged that our Sovereign God sees the very essence of our journey and He is right there with us, every step of the way. Amen.

"The primary use of chinkapin is for wildlife food and cover. The nuts are an excellent food source during the fall and winter. Squirrels, deer, grouse, bobwhite quail, and wild turkey particularly enjoy the nuts. It can be used as a wildlife component for stabilizing disturbed areas." ~ USDA Plants Database

Here we go again. Today! It's already Wednesday, March 25, 2026, and, I am wondering this morning how many of my readers have ever eaten Chinquapin nuts. (Both chinkapin and chinquapin are correct spellings, just so you know.) Never heard of them? In my growing up days, they were not too plentiful, but, there was this one tree and it wasn't that easy to get to, but, the nuts would be ready to harvest from late summer into November each year. That actually made it worth going over the hills and through the woods to get to them. That is actually more true than you might think. This tree was located in the thick brush and woods near Brushy Creek and you had to want to get there to wade through the briars and the thickets. I'll put it to you this way: It's kind of like the saying about a wife kissing her husband with a beard. ~ "Kissing him with his beard is a lot like going to a picnic. You don't mind going through the bushes to get there!" ~  While I am not sure the wife of my youth would 100% agree with that saying, let me get back to the point of my story. The chinquapin nut has been best compared to a sweet tasting chestnut. The ones on that particular tree were small and not easy to open, but, they did taste good. I did like them and because I did I would wrestle my way to get there, eat as many as I could and stuff my pockets full to take with me. You didn't have to worry about overeating because you would tire yourself out shelling them. The forest animals liked them too, so, there was some competition to get there and get what you could. Many years later, many, I drove back up into where I thought there might be reasonable access to the Chinquapin Tree and sadly, through a little progress near that little township, they had moved in several mobile homes, therefore, the tree was either gone or I could no longer find it. That's my chinquapin story. Oh yeah, I almost forgot. I did my best to keep it a secret. I did. I really did. Why? Let me set the record straight here. Having access to those treats was a real treasure to a country boy like myself, therefore, I treated it as such. Okay. What's your chinquapin  story?

 

I'm pretty sure I've written about this earlier, buried somewhere in the nearly 3,900 blogs I've written. If this story is different from the previous story, clock it up to the way my memory works these days. That's not a cop out, it's the reality of the changing landscape within my noggin. You know the one. It's the one I'm doing my best to use for something other than a hat rack. I know Paw Paw Mac would be glad to know that. You may have noticed because it's hard not to, that I've added a new logo-like image to my blogs. It was a collaboration between myself and Mr. ChatGPT. I address that artificial intelligence utility that way because it always says, "Hello Santa, how may I help you?" when I use it. It does. It really does. I gave it a photo and told it to create a character, specified the keyboard and background and after several iterations, well, there you have it. Instead of saying Blogmaster, I went with the German, Meister. Why? I thought it sounded a wee bit better. What's that you say? Very wee? I put it out there so I should be willing to take any and all thoughts about it. Right? Right! Thanks again for your time and we do appreciate the many prayers offered up on behalf of the wife of my youth. We do. We really do. She is much better and busy scheduling the myriad of tests the doctor ordered up. (More tests than Carter has liver pills, if you ask me, and if you don't get that dated reference, look it up.) I was thinking some about her transient amnesia and it would be nice if it was more selective, like maybe forgetting the times she was angry with me. Ha! Just thinking out loud, and, just sharing. Be careful out there and stay close to the Lord by staying close to His Word. Amen.

"Dogs are not our whole life, but they make our lives whole." – Roger Caras

This is a picture of our Sir Bentley. Two years ago he developed a liver issue that was not fixable and we had to say farewell. He was a remarkable companion to us for five years and handful of months. What an amazing pup and how blessed we were to have him. 

Good Tuesday morning on this March 24, 2026, where, if you are up and able to go, well, since according to the writing of Job, it is God who is the Sustainer of life, as in our next breath, well, that means we need to bend our knee and give Him all the praise and Glory. (Job 7:7 and 33:4) I know I write a lot about aging. It does reflect the stage in my life, but, at the same time I am in reasonably good shape for the shape I'm in. I recently was reminded from a short clip telling about a 1979 research project called the "Counterclockwise Study" authored and supervised by Harvard psychologist Ellen Langer. This study  gathered a group of older men, late 70's through 80's and observed them during a special retreat. Essentially, the participants were put into a setting from 1959 surrounded by period furniture, black and white TV, music, media, food and other items from that era. They were examined before and after only one week of being in that environment they showed significant improvements in vision, hearing, grip strength, memory, and cognitive function. It just goes to show you. I'm not 100% sure of what but it does go to show you something. Mind over matter. If you don't mind, it doesn't matter, or something like that. Solomon recorded this interesting observation, Proverbs 23:7, "As a man thinks in his heart, so is he." Let me see here, twenty years ago for me would be 2006. I would have been sixty years young. I did look at the songs in all categories, and, alas, I didn't recognize them. I know I was still in my working prime back then, working can to can't, as my grandfather used to say. Somewhere in that time frame was when I discovered a new thing about myself. The Doctor: Mr. Abbott you have full-blown Type-2 diabetes. Mr Abbott: No I do not! The Doctor: Yes you do, the blood test does not lie. Mr. Abbott: In this case, the blood test is wrong! Now tell me how to get rid of it. The Doctor: Change your life, lose weight, and, if you are part of a very small percentage, maybe you can do something about it. And, I did all of those things and still ended up with full-blown Type 2. A game changer but I've been able with God's help to do what they refer to as this: Manage it. (One never gets at ease seeing how nearly every test that is run comes back as abnormal, but, as we are all inclined to say, 'It is what is', right?) Now go back and read my opening comments about Who it is that sustains life. And, the fact that I am still here is because He is not finished with me yet. That is the truth. Period. Continuing the story and Amen.

 

When Bentley had to be put down, (our Jimmy went with him because I couldn't), I firmly committed to never having another pup, period, end of that story. Well, so many people bombarded me with how we really needed to replace him, well, that end of story became an end of chapter and we ushered in the three week old Lil Miss Biscuit. We got her early because her mom was not able to nurse and the folks were feeding the pups goat milk. We fetched some milk replacer from the store and took over her feeding and we more or less raised her by hand. She is not Sir Bentley Barksalot, Esq., but, guess what? She is 100% Lil Miss Biscuit, and, just like that, she is now two years old. Already she is beloved and some say, more than spoiled. I'll never forget Bentley because he was pretty much my first dog. I know. Old people, late in life, you never know what they might get into. But, Bentley loved to ride in the ole truck with his head out the window. He, at least, knew he needed to stay in the truck. Biscuit, well, she loves to ride with her head out the window but she does so with wild abandonment and I have to hold onto her and it's pretty much all I can do to keep her in the truck. That's the truth. It is. It really is. Bentley now Biscuit, they have enriched our lives. I wasn't raised up where pets were ever in the house. That was an ironclad rule. That was yesterday and now is now and Biscuit at this particular time has the final say. Ha! Y'all enjoy and know that God is our Sustainer. Amen.

“Aging seems to be the only available way to live a long life.” Kitty O’Neill Collins, known as the fastest woman alive having driven across Oregon's Alvord Desert in a three-wheeled rocket car called the SMI Motivator, she clocked an average of 512.710 mph..

Welcome back. I'm glad you showed up today, Monday, March 23, 2026. In this part of the world, the weather has been competing in a yo yo contest with near freezing temperatures early last week while finishing up the week flirting with 90's. That jerking forth and back can be hard on older people's bones, or, at least I've heard that it can. Ha! I am working to perfect the sounds I make when I am getting up off the chair. I don't care too much for the groan or the moan, but, I think a low guttural grunt might be my favorite. Sometimes I forget and the groan might slip out. I mean just being me is insulting enough, but, do they have to make it so difficult to find your birth year using that wheel on the computer. My word, finding 1946 takes a while and the whole time the medical technician is sitting there smiling. I also notice how much time I spend reading about orthopedic shoes and other ads of that ilk, it just makes me want to cry. I also find it interesting to mention a particular song or artist who was a consistent number one on the charts, but, alas, all I get is a blank stare from the younger person I'm talking to. I've heard the one about turning down the radio in the car so the older person can see better, but, for me, that's not the reason I turn it off when I am surrounded by jerk-drivers because I need to concentrate on my survival. And this one, the ophthalmologist couldn't wait to get my cataracts out and kept referring to them as becoming ripe. Well, he took them out and now I need glasses to sharpen up far off objects, (like reading the monitor on the back wall when I am in the choir), and, I need reading glasses to share Scripture when I'm teaching. Go figure, and, thank you very much. One sure sign of my advancing years: Trends no longer even think about getting onto my radar screen. Clothes, vehicles, and any other new fangled item have no meaning to me except if we are trying to buy something for one of our grands or great grands. I'm not complaining, just sharing, because, the old quote is true, the one with the most birthdays lives the longest. You can now go to your room and think about that one. 

 

If I didn't write about aging challenges I would be living in denial. Yes. I am aware about the jokes concerning the word denial. And, no it is not a river located in northeastern Africa. Please don't try to sidetrack me with silly jokes, especially those that don't even qualify to be called a 'dad' joke. I do know one of the things I do think quite a bit about is what I will leave behind. I'm not talking about wealth here. My thoughts are about my testimony and the great need for my children, my grandchildren, and currently my great grandchildren to know the Lord, to put their faith and trust in Jesus, and, to live out their lives in service to the God who loved them enough to send His one and only Son to die for them. Why does this matter weigh so heavy on my heart and mind? Let me be frank, it's like this, Jesus put it this way, "A person may get everything in the whole world for himself. But if he loses his life, it will not be any good for him. There is nothing that a person can give to get back his life." (Matthew 16:26 from the EasyEnglish Bible). And this, from our Savior, John 5:25-29 "Most assuredly, I say to you, the hour is coming, and now is, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God; and those who hear will live. For as the Father has life in Himself, so He has granted the Son to have life in Himself, and has given Him authority to execute judgment also, because He is the Son of Man. Do not marvel at this; for the hour is coming in which all who are in the graves will hear His voice and come forth—those who have done good, to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of condemnation." (From the New King James Version, NKJV.) These are the things I ponder as I pray that each of them will hear the Truth of John 3:16, respond, and be saved. Amen.