Charles Spurgeon's observation, "Nobody ever outgrows Scripture; the book widens and deepens with our years".

Welcome to Friday, February 20, 2026. The photo above is another one of my personal favorites. It was taken at our local fellowship, (Church), where we showed up to take photos with a youth gathering. This photo was taken about 10 years ago. This young man is now in his mid twenties and as you can tell from the photo of me, I was a much younger Santa back, you know, back in those days. They told us most of the teens would likely not be interested in photos with Santa because of their age, peer pressure, and, maybe some embarrassment. NOT! They lined up for photos. I suppose it's true. Santa is for children of all ages. I am aware that in my role as Santa I play a fictional character. It reminds me that, as believers in Christ, we often end up showing up as a fictional character. You often hear the preacher use the example about all the fighting going on in the car on the way to the Church meeting place, and, when they arrive everyone gets out and acts like everything is hunky dory. Been there. Done that. What say you? Like it or not, that pretending to be something we aren't is a form of deception and we know the Bible speaks against any and all forms of deceitfulness. Yikes. I didn't intend to practice using a boomerang today. I threw it out there and it came back and met me square in the face. It's me, it's me, it's me, oh Lord, standing in the need of prayer. Amen. Here is a passage to close with and perhaps it will encourage us all even as God speaks:

 

 

Romans 12 - New Living Translation

~ "And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him. Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.

Because of the privilege and authority God has given me, I give each of you this warning: Don’t think you are better than you really are. Be honest in your evaluation of yourselves, measuring yourselves by the faith God has given us. Just as our bodies have many parts and each part has a special function, so it is with Christ’s body. We are many parts of one body, and we all belong to each other.

In his grace, God has given us different gifts for doing certain things well. So if God has given you the ability to prophesy, speak out with as much faith as God has given you. If your gift is serving others, serve them well. If you are a teacher, teach well. If your gift is to encourage others, be encouraging. If it is giving, give generously. If God has given you leadership ability, take the responsibility seriously. And if you have a gift for showing kindness to others, do it gladly.

Don’t just pretend to love others. Really love them. Hate what is wrong. Hold tightly to what is good. Love each other with genuine affection, and take delight in honoring each other. Never be lazy, but work hard and serve the Lord enthusiastically. Rejoice in our confident hope. Be patient in trouble, and keep on praying. When God’s people are in need, be ready to help them. Always be eager to practice hospitality.

Bless those who persecute you. Don’t curse them; pray that God will bless them. Be happy with those who are happy, and weep with those who weep. Live in harmony with each other. Don’t be too proud to enjoy the company of ordinary people. And don’t think you know it all!

Never pay back evil with more evil. Do things in such a way that everyone can see you are honorable. Do all that you can to live in peace with everyone.

Dear friends, never take revenge. Leave that to the righteous anger of God. For the Scriptures say,

'I will take revenge;
    I will pay them back,'
    says the Lord.

Instead,

'If your enemies are hungry, feed them.
    If they are thirsty, give them something to drink.
In doing this, you will heap
    burning coals of shame on their heads.'
 

Don’t let evil conquer you, but conquer evil by doing good" ~ 

 

As they say back home, that's enough for any of us to say grace over. Amen. 

"You can never take the gospel to the wrong address." copied

Good Thursday morning, folks, on this, the 19th day of February 2026. I didn't know until I knew about the range and reach of my lil ole blog. It really surprised me when I first found out there were tracking stats, and, may I just say it still surprises me today. I do pray that some of these unknown named individuals will have heard enough about Jesus to be interested in seeking out the truth. God can work. Anyway and anywhere, at any time. He got a hold of me on a Saturday night service at my girlfriend's, (later that year she became my first and only wife), Church where her dad was preaching. (Mid-January 1964) God got a hold of me. He did. He really did. I had worked hard to get ready to come out there to that little old country Church in order to get through the services so I could spend time with her. I did not come with the idea of hearing from God that evening. I was scrubbed clean, shaved, and, had my special after shave on. Two years earlier I had come face to face with that girl and bam!, life was not the same afterwards. But here I was sitting alongside my love and the Word went forth and the invitation came and I could not stay where I was, I had to get up and run to the altar and her dad met me there and I gave Jesus my heart with tears flowing right there in front of everyone. See what I mean? All those boys were there. The ones that hated me for coming out to their territory and grabbing one of those beauties they felt were intended for them. Young, old, everyone saw. I'm not saying all the stares made for a pleasant experience but my point is how God can work in an unexpected way and I do pray that the truths about Jesus and His provision of salvation as written in my blogs will have been clear enough so that someone, somewhere, would have to give up and go to Jesus. Amen.

Here are the most recent recorded stats: Posted Blogs: 3,850 ~ All Time: 878,457 views ~ This Month: 23,541 views ~ Last Month: 65,426 views ~ Viewed from: United States - 246K ~ Singapore - 208K ~
Hong Kong - 156K ~ Russia - 33.8K ~ Brazil - 24.3K ~ Canada - 14.3K ~ Germany - 12.8K ~ United Kingdom - 11.9K ~ Vietnam - 11K ~ China - 10.3K ~ India - 10.3K ~ France - 9.32K ~ Philippines - 4.53K ~ Austria - 3.96K ~ Australia - 3.85K ~ Mexico - 3.08K ~ South Korea - 3.03K ~ Indonesia -2.66K ~ Ukraine - 2.34K ~ Other - 108K.

 

I am not comparing myself to others who have millions of followers or the one blogger who actually has his editions monetized which earn him $1 million US dollars per month. That's certainly not my niche. I just write what I write and in doing so I hope to be of help to someone, somewhere. I hope to share a smile now and then. I hope to encourage people and to share my testimony with them as well. Here's another song I've shared before but it expresses how I feel about touching the lives of others.

 

 'If I Can Help Somebody'
1945, Alma B. Androzzo

If I can help somebody as I pass along,
If I can cheer somebody with a word or song,
If I can show somebody he is trav’ling wrong,
Then my living shall not be in vain.

Then my living shall not be in vain,
Then my living shall not be in vain;
If I can help somebody as I pass along,
Then my living shall not be in vain.

If I can do my duty as a Christian ought,
If I can bring back beauty to a world up-wrought,
If I can spread love’s message that the Master taught,
Then my living shall not be in vain.

Then my living shall not be in vain,
Then my living shall not be in vain;
If I can help somebody as I pass along,

Then my living shall not be in vain.

 

Well, enough said. For today. Y'all take care and know that God can. We can't. But, He can! Amen.

"You better watch out, you better not cry, better not pout, I'm telling you why—Santa Claus is coming to town." — Haven Gillespie

I can tell by the clock on the wall it's not Howdy Doody time, but, it is time to sling some keystrokes onto the electronic page. Welcome, welcome, one and all, those near and far, out there at your specific location connecting via the worldwide web. Today is Wednesday, February 18, 2026, and, as the song goes, God is good all the time, All the time God is good. Amen. I may share too much about my Santa adventures, however, think about it. I've spent the past sixteen years doing Santa, with the season during those 16 years amounting to approximately 40 months or 1,240 days, therefore, it has occupied a significant amount of my time breathing air here on the planet. The photo above was taken at an outdoor setting. The mom brought the little girl with great expectations for a wonderful photo with Santa. The set was organized and ready. She wasn't. No way. Forget about it. Whatever it was, she was not having anything to do with it. May I tell you this? That happens with little ones. We often hear how they can hardly contain their excitement until they actually see the Real Santa and Mrs. Claus. She went from singing 'Here comes Santa Claus, Here comes Santa Claus, right down Santa lane', to 'But, I'm leavin' on a jet plane Don't know when I'll be back again', and to her, that was that. The photographer and the mom promised everything they could think of, however, this little girl was fixed, "I ain't gonna do it." The photographer came up with the idea to let her roam around the yard on her own and I could just follow behind her. She took many photos and this one became one of our favorites, and, her mom loved it too. Finally. A keeper. There you were thinking Santa Claus has the easiest job in town. As they say on that game show, wanna find out, Come on down!

 

As many of you know, my connection to having a dog is fairly recent, just in the past 8 years. I didn't know that I would fall head over hills in bonding with first, five years with our Sir Bentley Barksalot, Esq., and, now with Lil Miss Biscuit. I didn't hate the idea of having a dog but it just didn't seem to fit into our busy lifestyle. I did often say I would enjoy having a pup to ride with me in my truck. And, that I did have with Bentley before we lost him to an incurable liver ailment and now with Lil Miss Biscuit who can't get enough of hanging her head out the window. Maybe I had a sleeper cell hiding in the background somewhere in my DNA. That photo is of my dad, Cecil, (1923-1954), with his dog. This was likely taken in the late 1940's. See the look on that pup's face, I've actually seen that exact same look. Often. Oh well, it seems like I've become a dog lover. Okay. I now have it on the record. I admit it. And, since I am one I can easily identify with this quote from Orhan Pamuk, "Dogs do speak, but only to those who know how to listen." I quickly add in closing out today's visit, God also speaks through His Word and those who are willing can hear His voice. Having heard His voice, I then, you then, have to make a choice in our response. We do. We really do. Let's pray for one another that we will choose as He would have us to. Amen.

Chorus from the song by Tracy Dartt, 'God on the Mountain' ~ "And the God on the mountain is still God in the valley ~ When things go wrong, He'll make them right ~ And the God of the good times is still God in the bad times ~The God of the day is still God in the night."

Many literary scholars choose this as one of the greatest opening sentences, "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of light, it was the season of darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair." That, of course, from the pen of Charles Dickens in his book, 'A Tale of Two Cities', published in 1859. Sounds like that could apply to this day, Tuesday, February 17, 2026, don't you think? We do live in what seems to be tumultuous times. Our senior pastor often says it this way, "The real surprise is that we are surprised." The Prophet expressed it this way, Jeremiah 17:9 ~ "The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?" Sounds pretty hopeless, right? I will say this about it, without God, my friend, it is just that: Hopeless! With Him in our lives we can make it and we can, with His help through the work of the Holy Spirit, live in a way that brings honor and glory to Him. Yep. Things out there in the world, which is, by the way, where we live, they can look very messed up at times. For those who have put their faith and trust in the provision made for us on The Cross, we can live knowing God is in control and while we may not understand, we can, like Paw Paw Mac and countless others, live even during dark days with this guaranteed promise from God Himself, Romans 8:28, from the Amplified Bible, "And we know [with great confidence] that God [who is deeply concerned about us] causes all things to work together [as a plan] for good for those who love God, to those who are called according to His plan and purpose." Amen and Amen.

 

I hope you didn't choke on your Frosted Flakes while reading that first paragraph. I'm not altogether sure where all that came from, but, there are times when I just have to say, it is what it is. I do know this. I have seen with my own eyes how my folks, my mom, my grandparents, and, many other family members as they leaned on the only thing they had left at the time, their faith in their God. There is another song that was often referred to in our family, and, I add, as a family we have faced and lived through many tragedies. We have. We really have. Back to that other song: 

 

I Know Who Holds Tomorrow

 

Music and lyrics by Ira Stamphill, (1950)

 

I don't know about tomorrow;
I just live from day to day.
I don't borrow from its sunshine
For its skies may turn to grey.
I don't worry o'er the future,
For I know what Jesus said.
And today I'll walk beside Him,
For He knows what lies ahead.

 

Many things about tomorrow
I don't seem to understand
But I know who holds tomorrow
And I know who holds my hand.

 

Every step is getting brighter
As the golden stairs I climb;
Every burden's getting lighter,
Every cloud is silver-lined.
There the sun is always shining,
There no tear will dim the eye;
At the ending of the rainbow
Where the mountains touch the sky.

 

Many things about tomorrow
I don't seem to understand
But I know who holds tomorrow
And I know who holds my hand.

 

I don't know about tomorrow;
It may bring me poverty.
But the one who feeds the sparrow,
Is the one who stands by me.
And the path that is my portion
May be through the flame or flood;
But His presence goes before me
And I'm covered with His blood.

 

Many things about tomorrow
I don't seem to understand
But I know who holds tomorrow
And I know who holds my hand.

 

Trust me, that is a great testimony song and its lyrics have often spoken to my heart and even as I read through them today, they still speak to me. Never heard it before? Look it up on YouTube by dozens of different artists, it will do you good. It will. It really will. Amen.

 

"I could dance with you until the cows come home. On second thought I'd rather dance with the cows until you come home." ~ Groucho Marx

Hello and welcome to today's visit. This one creeps up on us on this Monday, February 16, 2025. Many of you know of my long association as Santa with an area Chick Fil A franchise. I started the Santa adventure 16 years ago and the folks at that franchise gave me my professional start. I mentioned how the cardiologist last Friday was a huge Santa Claus fan. He was fascinated by my profile image as Santa on the medical facility online utility. He left to arrange for an EKG and a few minutes later he returned all excited. He said his nurse had just shown him a photo of her two girls taken with yours truly at Chick Fil A, and the nurse also said I was a Santa in huge demand. That was perhaps a little over the top, however, I am thankful to be in demand for certain venues and the folks I've worked with at the two locations for this particular franchise, well, they fit that category well. As a result of all of this Santa recognition, these folks upped my identity and treated me not just as a patient, but, also as a celebrity. Who knew? I've likely been saved by the bell, saved by my chinny-chin-chin, saved by the skin of my teeth, saved by the dog eating my homework, but, I do believe that was the first time I was saved by the cow. Ha!

 

Given the subject of being saved, I would be remiss not to mention what it means to be saved by the Lord God of heaven through the finished work Jesus the Christ accomplished in His death, burial, and, resurrection. Here are a few random verses about salvation from the Bible,  Ephesians 2:8-9 "For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast." Romans 10:9 "Because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved." Titus 3:5 "He saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit,.." Acts 4:12 "And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved." John 14:6 "Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." Matthew 7:21 "Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven." John 6:44 "No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him. And I will raise him up on the last day." Acts 16:30-33 "Then he brought them out and said, 'Sirs, what must I do to be saved?' And they said, 'Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.' And they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all who were in his house. And he took them the same hour of the night and washed their wounds; and he was baptized at once, he and all his family." I'm not big on formulas that people use, but, I am clear on one thing, salvation is a gift and it can be received by calling on the name of the Lord. 

 

I do hope you have a blessed day and that we all will find ourselves knowing from whom all blessings flow. None other than from our Sovereign Lord and He deserves all the glory, honor, and praise. Thanks to all who have been praying for our Jimmy. He remains in the hospital at this time. Until next time, may God add His blessings is my prayer. Amen.

"Fatigue is the best pillow." - Benjamin Franklin

Good morning and welcome. Today is Friday, the 13th, yikes, 2026. I put the yikes in there as a joke because for believers there is absolutely no room for any and all superstitious thoughts. Got it? Good. I am back from a first of the day appointment with the cardiologist. He was a very young doctor but we had a great visit with, hopefully, good results. The drug the hospital gave me and kept me on is a beta blocker used to significantly slow down the heart and one of the major side effects is fatigue. I have the major side effect. They gave me that drug because of what they read to be a heart-fib event. This doctor agreed that it appears that was a one off occurrence so he is taking me off of that drug. Hallelujah! He wants me to continue the prescribed blood thinner and get rid of the baby aspirin. Good, again. This young fellow was a big fan of Santa. He said I happened to be perhaps the thinnest Santa and even maybe the healthiest Santa he had seen. We talked more about my Santa adventures than we did about my heart, but, I don't need to see him again for a year. I left feeling good and maybe when this heart pill fades, maybe, just maybe I will begin to begin having some returned energy. The bottom line: I thank God, for His provision even with these medical people and I give Him the honor for it all. Amen.

 

Update on our son Jimmy. He continues to be hospitalized for treatment dealing primarily with his sodium level. When that is resolved, he will return to the mental facility for discharge. We thank so many who have prayed for our son. He has many challenges and we as his caretakers do too, especially his mom. We appreciate all the prayers and may God bless him and those praying for him. Amen.

 

I wanted to leave with a positive thought or two. How about two? One is the five years we had with a legendary pet, Sir Bentley Barksalot, Esq. He is still remembered, talked about here in our home and with others as well. Next is the self appointed queen of our domicile, none other than the one and only Little Miss Biscuit. In March she will observe her second birthday and thus far I would say she is demonstrating her version of terrific two's. She is one loving dog. She loves to snuggle. She gets under my chin and rubs her head against my beard. And, she, with very little exception, loves any and everyone. She might not warm up to someone who is hostile towards her but she might just try. I could learn something from how she loves. My guess is you could too. Now. We've had a busy week and I now have a better understanding how walking all over the acreage at the hospital complex nearly put my lights out. But, we should have that fixed soon. Y'all have a blessed Valentines Day and may love, the kind God would want us to have, may that be the love we show. Then, on the First Day of the Week, show up where the people of God gather to show love towards The Father, The Son, and The Holy Spirit, you know, the meeting place, often called Church. Amen? Yes and Amen!

"Isn't it funny how day by day nothing changes, but when you look back, everything is different." ~ C. S. Lewis

Today is Thursday, February 12, 2026, and, I find myself squeezed into my chair since Lil Miss Biscuit has decided to take up more than her fair share. Sorry, Paw Paw Mac, I know you would never allow any dog into the house, much less have one sit beside you in a chair. But, my how the times have changed. I just looked down at her and said this, "I sure hope you are comfortable." I'm not sure she recognizes sarcasm because she seems very pleased with herself at the moment. That cartoon and caption is from the early 1900's. I used it because I have been reading some jokes told during that time period. Ditty's like this one from 1908: "I didn't know raw oysters were healthy." "I never heard one complaining about being sick." Here's one from 1916, but I doubt seriously if my grandfather ever read or heard it, he would have been 16 at the time: "Well did he pay you?", the wife of the dentist inquired after he had gone to collect a bill for a full set of teeth he had made. "Pay me!" growled the dentist. "Not only did he refuse to pay me but he had the effrontery to gnash at me----with my own teeth." I know humor has changed, perhaps some for the better but alas, no doubt, much as become much more vulgar. So much so, they now have a group of comedians who identify themselves as Clean in order to distinguish themselves from the norm. This next cartoon funny is from 1911: 

I rather think, in our culture today, we've all been conditioned to laugh out loud at stuff that would likely have been considered inappropriate back in those days. I remember Granny Mac telling about how Paw Paw would ride a horse up to see her when they first had begun to like each other. She said he would wear his hat tilted to one side. Then she would laugh and laugh. She seemed to greatly enjoy those recollections. Me? I guess I would have had to have been there. Ha!

 

Last week our praise team and choir did the Gaither song, "Because He Lives". Even though I've sung and heard sung that song hundreds of times, it was a very special moment in our service. It's super special to our family because our baby sister, Kayla, who died of leukemia at age 27 asked it to be sung at her homegoing service. She wanted the lyrics changed from 'because He lives I can face tomorrow' to 'because He lives I can face today'. She said she had learned during her many months of dealing with her illness the true meaning of taking it one day at a time. That song is now considered one of the most beloved hymns, featured prominently in churches, funeral services, and various recordings, with one popular YouTube video alone receiving over 92 million views. A worldwide standard. Thanks Gloria and Bill Gaither for your many years of serving the Lord and making music that has been impactful for time and eternity. There's a country song recorded by the late George Jones that asks a question, "Who's Gonna Fill their Shoes?" I often wonder that same thing about the Gaither's. I do hope you enjoy the testimony represented in that song, "Because He Lives", I do, I really do. Until next time, keep on keeping on and don't forget to remember to remember to praise God from whom all blessings flow. Amen.