My Trip to Mayberry…Several months ago, I took a group to Andy Griffith’s hometown of Mount Airy, North Carolina, which is very similar to the fictitious TV town of Mayberry. A lot of the places, the barber shop, the diner, Wally’s service station, street names, etc on the TV show came from Andy Griffith’s childhood there. We went to the Andy Griffith Museum that has displays from his professional acting career and other interesting local historical information. I got my hair cut at Floyd’s City Barbershop and we went to the Snappy Lunch diner, Oppie’s Candy and Ice Cream Shop. We also ate at Barney’s Cafe, visited nearby Pilot Mountain and went to Wally’s Service Station, where we went to a tour of the town in an old patrol car similar to the one driven by Andy and Barney on the T.V. Show. 

I think there is a desire and yearning in all of us for simplicity and a more balanced lifestyle. One of the reasons for the continued success of The Andy Griffith Show on TV is that it portrays these life lessons and values in every episode with plenty of humor. We can’t always live in a place like Mayberry but we can learn to live by the same SIMPLE VALUES in our busy and hectic world. Here are some suggestions I have found to be helpful:

S.I.M.P.L.E… 

S chedule wisely. Schedule with your Priorities in mind, not just pressures.

I nvest your time and energy in the relationships that matter most: God, your family, etc…

M aintain good daily habits.

P eople are more important than things.

L ive each day to the fullest, make the most of it.

E ncourage others along the way. 

Have a great day, and remember to tell Aunt Bea and Goober hello and watch out for Ernest T. Bass…

Where should we turn in times of tragedy? Billy Graham said this at the memorial service for the Oklahoma City Bombing Tragedy in 1995 and it is still very timely today… “No matter how hard we try, words cannot express the honor and shock and the revulsion we all feel over what took place here. That blast was like a violent explosion ripping through the heart of America. But how do we understand something like this? How can things like this happen? Why does God allow this to take place? First, it is a mystery. I have been ask on hundreds of occasions why God allows tragedy and suffering. I have to confess that I can never fully answer this question to satisfy even myself. I have to accept by faith, that God is a God of love and mercy and compassion even in the midst of suffering. But the Bible tells us that the Satan is real, and that ‘he was a murderer from the beginning’ (John 8:44). And it also tell us that evil is real and that the human heart is capable of almost limitless evil when it is cut off from God and His moral law. The forces of hate and violence must not be allowed to gain their victory, not just in our society, but in our hearts. Nor must we respond to hate with more hate. Times like this will do one of two things: They will either make us hard and bitter and angry at God, or they will make us tender and open, and help us reach out in trust and faith.

I pray that you will not let this bitterness poison your soul, but that you would turn in faith and to trust God, even if we cannot understand. It is far better to face something like this with God’s strength than to face it alone and without Him. My prayer for you today is that you will feel the loving arms of God wrapped around you, and will know in your heart that He will never forsake you as you trust Him.” 

We live in an imperfect world, but we have a perfect God who sees our pain and can bring us through disappointments and difficulties like no one else can. Check out these encouraging words that reflect this powerful truth: 

– “The Lord is close to the broken-hearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.” – Psalm 34:18 (NIV)

– “God meets us where we are, not where we pretend we are, and not where we wish to be. Say this: This is where I am. I am going to accept. I hate it, but God is somehow at work. I don’t feel it, but I’m going to live it by faith.” – Dr. Larry Crabb 

– “The Lord said, I will personally go with you, and give you victory, peace, and rest…everything will be fine with you.” – Exodus 33:14 (TLB)

– “ God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.” – Psalm 46:1 (NIV)

Only God can turn Tragedy into Victory, Hurt into Healing Grace, Despair into Peace if…we will turn to Him.

“RAMPING UP” the Church Breakfast with Wild Onions…Have you ever heard of “Ramps”, a strong wild onion? The Ramp is an early spring vegetable that grows wild in the mountains. It has a strong onion and garlic type smell and taste. If you eat them raw the odor can stay with you (and others around you) for days. In the mountain communities ramps are usually cooked with potatoes, bacon or eggs, and sometimes mixed with pinto beans and cornbread to make them more tolerable for public consumption. Some mountain towns actually have Ramp Festivals and Celebrations in the spring each year. I actually attended a Ramp Convention in Haywood County, North Carolina in the 1970’s. They had a wild raw ramp eating contest. The winner (not me, I was just an innocent fan in the stands) was interviewed by the local TV station about what he was going to do with the prize money. He said he had already spent it… for his wife, mother-in-law and children to take a weekend trip to Myrtle Beach, S.C. to get away from him a few days so they would not have to deal with the smell of the ramps he had eaten. 

My friend, Donald Leatherwood helped cook the food for the monthly prayer breakfast I lead at our church. The group loved his gravy biscuits. After canvasing the group, a lot of people had never tasted ramps and were excited about trying them with eggs. Both Donald and I had eaten ramps and eggs before and didn’t have to deal with the odor. It sounded like a great idea and fun experience for the group.

I knew there must be a problem when I arrived early that morning in the church parking lot. I saw something I had never seen before or since…All the windows were raised in the building. As I got near the door, the strong scent of the ramps overtook me. Donald and I had decided to sautéed the ramps first before mixing them with the eggs to tone down the odor. We did not account for the odor from this process of sautéed ramps getting into the air conditioning duct system and recycle the fumes throughout the building…

It made a lasting impression upon our prayer group and anyone else who entered the church building for several days. You know, some days things just do not go as planned. Sometimes you just have to laugh at yourself and the situations you experience. For me, I do that quite often. I am thankful for the love, forgiveness and understanding of my friends that day and we have laughed many times reminiscing about that gastronomical experience.      

There are those special people that we encounter in our lives that have an incredible inspirational impact on those around them. Ms. Norma is one of those for many of us in our church. She has taught Bible Study for well over 50 years. She still has the desire and attends training sessions to learn more how to teach Bible and share her faith with others. She is unassuming and humble yet quietly powerful in her own way. She volunteers and still participates in ministry events to pray and encourage others. She stays focused on the Lord regardless of what is going on around her. She doesn’t talk bad about anyone going through a difficult time; but instead prays for them and encourages them gently in the right direction. 

When you look at God’s description in the Bible of what a Christian should be like in Galatians 5, it is easy to see these traits in her life too: Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Gentleness, and Self-Control. She would be the first to tell you, these traits are from the Lord and her allowing Him to direct her life on a daily basis. What a challenge to the rest of us to be like that. Thank you Ms. Norma for letting the Lord use you in a positive way in our lives. It’s faithful people like her that God uses to keep us focused on what really matters.Be thankful for those people who God has placed in your life to encourage you in your faith . 

“Godliness is profitable for all things, since it holds promise for the present life and also the life to come.” – 1Timothy 4:7-8
“If I had my entire life to live over again…I don’t know if I would have the strength” – Flip Wilson
“The measure of a life is not it’s duration but it’s donation” – Corrie Ten Boom
“Teach me to number my days, that I may gain wisdom” – Psalm 90:12 NKJV
   We need to to to make the most of each day that the Lord blesses us with between now and Heaven. Some priorities that you and I should really take to heart that will help us accomplish that are:

1. People are more important than things. In my observation as a Pastor, I have often seen when someone is facing their last days, the value they place on family and friends. Rarely do they mention other things like a job or material things they acquired through their lives. The most important is always relationships and in particular great memories with family and close friends. This a good reminder for you and me that we shouldn’t take for granted the people God has placed in our lives. Take time to chat or check on those who mean the most to us. 

2. Keep good daily habits. Wisdom and understanding are not built in a day; but they are built daily. Thoas A Kempis put it this way: ” Habit is overcome by habit”. In other words, good habits are developed by repetition. Good lifetime habits could include: daily devotions which is spending time in prayer by talking to God and reading the Bible which is a way that God speakers to us. Also important is getting proper exercise, nutrition and rest which allows us to be at our best. As Dr.E. Stanley Jones stated: ” since habit becomes power, make them work with you and not against you.”

3.Continue to develop your faith and confidence in God. We are never to old to grow spiritually in our personal relationship with God. If you and I are actively involved in a Bible Study that is challenging and interesting, it will keep us focused on the right priorities and will encourage our faith to grow. This will also help us to stay more balanced, give us stability that we all need in such an unstable world. 

 

  Recently, after visiting Vanderbilt Children’s Hospital in Nashville, I had some time before meeting my daughter for dinner. I went for a walk and to my suprise went by The Upper Room Chapel. I decided to go inside and check it out. As I sat there by myself… I began to just weep and pray, I felt so overwhelmed with God’s grace and strength He had given me the last few days. I was so thankful for answered prayer for the family I had spent the day with at the hospital. I also began to reflect upon how God had been with me in the past. I recalled a series of messages that my pastor and mentor Paul Burleson did entitled “With Jesus In the Upper Room”, years before when I was a student in Texas. I remembered many other times that I sensed God’s presence in a powerful way.

I thought about what it must have been like for Jesus and his disciples at the last upper in the upper room. It was right before Easter, Jesus had a last meal with his close followers. Little did they realize that soon, Jesus would be crucified and then rise again from the grace that first Easter morning. His disciples were a lot like you and me, unique individuals with flaws, yet Jesus loved them anyway. I am so thankful for His amazing grace, love, power, forgiveness, guidance.

I have sensed His presence in a lot of different places, on the mountain top, by the sea shore, worship services in churches, in a parking lot, in my car, my home, etc… The truth, is we can sense His presence in a lot different places. He is not limited to location, if we will simply take time to talk to Him in prayer and take time to thank Him and praise Him. I was so thankful to find a quiet place in the middle of such a busy city to spend some time with Jesus… in the Upper Room.

We are living in a very negative world today. There seems to be something always wrong with our world, our country, and our communities. So much so, we forget and take for granted the good things people in our community are doing to make our world a better place to live. This week, I had the honor to speak at the memorial services for two of local school teachers. Melena Brackins, a first grade teacher at Northview Primary School, and Vickie Reed who taught 37 years at Caton’s Chapel Elementary School. Their impact of the lives of children, co-workers have been remarkable. Both were members of our church, and volunteered in our children’s ministries during the summertime. I have been blessed to be a friend to each of them and their families for years. Our community is known for our mountains, and our community is also known for coming together during difficult times, such as the recent fire in the Gatlinburg area. Woven into the strong fabric of our area is an amazing school system. Administrators, Teachers, and other Staff go the extra mile to help our children to become the best they can be. I’m thankful as a parent, that my daughter had that opportunity here. 

I think we need to tell them how much we appreciate them… send a note, text, or email. When you see them around in our community, say a word of encouragement. If your child is presently a student, participate and support events at the school. 

My friend, Bill Hatcher spoke at Vickie’s memorial service today. Bill is the principal where Vickie taught. He read this poem in tribute to her:

“You’re the person I most admire,

The person that I most would like to be.

Your friendship, like a torch, has lit a fire,

Deep within the cave where I am me.

Because of you, I want to be a teacher,

Touching someone’s life as you’ve touched mine.

And when I’m you, I will know just how to reach her, 

Giving her faith that she can shine.

Though you must now leave, and we must part,

A little piece of you remains behind,

Held with gratitude within my heart,

A portrait of a lady good and kind.

You will be a part of everything I do,

and when I need strength,

I will look inside of me…for you.”

People like Melena and Vickie have made our community better. May we do the same and say thank you to those around us who make this a great place to live. 

 

One of the reasons I love to hike to the top of the mountains is that it gives me such a different perspective on things. It is there, I see that my problems in the valley actually shrink before my eyes and I get a bigger view of the grand scheme of things. Changing my altitude helps change my attitude. Our attitude is so crucial in how we deal with issues and problems in life.
“Look around you and become distressed, Look inside you and become depressed, Look to Jesus…and all is at rest.”- Corrie Ten Boom
” Attitude is a little thing that makes a big difference.” – Winston Churchill
” Attitude determines our actions for good or bad.” – D.L. Moody
” The one thing you can’t take from me, is the way I choose to respond to what you do to me. The last of one’s freedom is to choose one’s attitude in any given circumstance. – Victor Frankl
    We can’t control all of our circumstances, but there is one thing we can control, and that is our attitude. It isn’t always easy to do, but it is something we can work on and through God’s grace and strength and make a positive impact on our lives and others around us. The Bible offers us some clear and helpful guidance with our attitude:

     1. An attitude of humility. Jesus is our ultimate example : “Let this same attitude and purpose and [humble] mind be in you which was in Christ Jesus: Let Him be yout example in humility” – Philippians 2:5 ( Amplified Bible). True humility is not a sign of weakness but of strength under control. It reflects the the truth that God is in control and I don’t have to have every thing “my way” all the time. Because He is my Lord, I simply want things “His way” regardless of the circumstances. I can trust Him even when I don’t understand what is going on around me, knowing that He loves me, regardless of the situation.

    2. An attitude of gratitude . When we look at things from the right perspective, it changes everything.

 If you focus on all the things ( Big and small) that you are thankful for; it will keep your thoughts flowing in the right direction. Make a mental list of things you are thankful for through out the day and you will see for yourself what a difference it will make in your attitude. 

” Be cheerful no matter what, pray all the time; thank God no matter what happens. This is the way God wants you, who belong to Christ Jesus to live” – I Thessalonians 5:16-18 (The Message).

    3. An attitude of quiet confidence and trust in God. Your actions and attitudes often speak louder than your words. Your attitude is also a testimony of your faith in God. Proverbs gives good advice in developing that type of positive attitude: ” Trust God from the bottom of your heart; don’t try to figure out everything on your own. Listen for God’s voice in everything you do, everywhere you go; He is the One who will keep you on track.” – Proverbs 3:5-6 ( The Message).

     May God grant you and me the ability today…to keep looking up and have an attitude that reflects God’s grace and love…

The word “bear” is mentioned almost three hundred times in the Bible. The word “bear” has several different meanings such as to “carry” something, or a tree “bearing” or producing fruit, and of course, the animal. My nickname is Jerry Bear, a name given to me by the kids when I was a church youth worker years ago. Some say I kinda look and act like a bear. I am often asked how do I handle “bearing” the burdens of so many hurting people in my work? The answer is I don’t…in my own strength. I exchange my weakness for His strength by simply trusting Him by faith. This is one the greatest truths that I have ever learned as a Christian…that God’s grace not only saves us but sustains us as He daily “bears” our burdens.

From time to time, we can experience stressful situations that overload our minds and hearts with fear and doubt. That is why I trust in the Lord more than just my feelings. He can handle my burdens, worries, anxieties much better than me just trying to “bear” them all by myself. I am so thankful that Jesus came that very first Christmas to be our Savior and Lord to also “bear” our problems every day. That is probably why my favorite Bible verse is “Praise to the Lord, to God our Savior, who daily bears our burdens.” – Psalm 68:19 

“Worry does not empty tomorrow of it’s sorrow… It empties toady of it’s strength.” -Corrie Ten Boom

“Put your trust in the Lord and go ahead…worry doesn’t get you no place.’ – Roy Acuff

Here are some things I have found helpful when dealing with worrying about the future:

1. Do what you can today. Max Lucado, one of my favorite writers, puts it this way: “Since I know God’s provision is timely, I can enjoy the present. The Key is this: Meet today’s problems with today’s strength. Don’t start tackling tomorrow’s problems until tomorrow. You do not have tomorrow’s strength yet. You simply have enough for today.” Although there maybe concerns about tommorrow, do not let it keep you from what needs to be done today. Have you ever dreaded something in advance and then when you actually got to the actual day it wasn’t as bad as you thought or you were amazed that you had the strength to deal with it then? God will not give you grace today for something you will not need today. “His grace IS ( present tense) sufficient ” which means His Grace will be there for you when you need it the most. The Amplified Bible translates this verse this way: ” My grace (My favor and loving-kindness and mercy) is enough for you [ sufficient against any danger and enables you to bear the trouble manfully]; for My strength and power are made perfect ( fulfilled and completed) and show themselves most effective in [your] weakness . -2 Corintians 12:9.
2. If you are having difficulty thinking obessively about something, make a list and write down your thoughts . This is like ” downloading the information” so you can concentrate on other things now and still remember your important information about the situation later when you need it. This also helps break the depressing cycle of rewinding it over and over again in your mind. Jesus gives you and me good advice when He said: ” Give your entire attention to what God is doing right now, and don’t get worked up about what may or may not happen tomorrow. God will help you deal with whatever hard things come up when the time comes.” Matthew 6: 34 (The Message).
3. Remind yourself how God has been with you in the past, that He is with you now and will be with you in the future. Hebrews 13:8 states that: ” Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.” He is always there if you will just reach out and trust Him by faith inspite of your anxieties and fears. The issues, decisions, or situation you are facing may be bigger than what you can handle on your own but they are not larger than God ‘s strength and power through His Grace for you…one day at a time…