Thought For Today

I am so glad that you have found this site and I hope you will find encouragement and joy as you read through my thoughts on God, family and life.

Monday, January 22, 2018

My Childhood Heroes


1950s and 1960s at the Jackson V.F.W. Racing Track.

As a young boy growing up in those days I remember most drivers and owners building their own cars from the ground up. But, as with all things, time changes our surroundings.  Starting in the 1970s many cars were becoming professionally built. The cost of racing went up exponentially, and at times, the local crowds started to disappear. People who watched their dads, uncles, or brothers race were soon becoming a thing of the past. It went from being a family event to one of high stakes. The cars came from greater distances away and the audiences were rooting for drivers that were either professional or semi-professional.

During the 1940's many nations pulled together to defeat a great evil in the world.  The sacrifices that made our nation great required that we as a people might put our personal lives on hold to ensure that our children would have a better world to live in, in the days and years to come.  It then would be natural for Americans to pull together to build a better nation, state, and as well, cities and organizations.  Even in play our grandfathers/grandmothers, aunts and uncles and parents knew the value of working together to accomplish what few could do alone.

In the 1950s and 60's my thoughts go back to that of the V.F.W. volunteers who worked the track, made meals for the spectators, flagged the races and took care of the grounds all for free. They all pitched in and never complained. The final product was a night of memories that live on in my thoughts as being very, very special place to grow up. For those that made all these things possible, you have my undying gratitude, thank you so, so very much!
From the person sweeping the stands to the lady making the hamburgers, from the man lowering flag when the race began to the gentlemen running the road grater on the track, to the men and women handling the ticket booth, you will forever be my heroes. Working together, all of you made a wonderland of dreams come true for little girls and boys like myself; once again, thank you for being my heroes and making our world a much better place to live in.



Thursday, January 4, 2018

Laying "All" Things Before God


This morning I was reading in Mark 5:1-20 about Jesus delivering the Gerasene Demoniac of his many demons. The man lived in a cave by a cemetery and not even the villager's chains could hold him. He must have caused many problems for that area in what he was able to do with the evil demons within him. Yet, in spite of this man being made whole and delivered by our Lord, the town asked Jesus to leave the area. 
Earlier, Jesus was asked by the demons that if they had to leave this man, could they go into the herd of pigs, about 2000 of them. This was a large herd by even today's industrial farm standards. The financial loss must have been devastating for the owner, or (owners), and since the herd brought prosperity to the community either through the wealth of one man or that of many, the people chose to go the route of preserving their remaining financial gains by having Jesus leave, that is, with the idea of not losing further wealth by having him stay. 
It then becomes obvious to see that the eyes of those in the community were not on one man being saved and released from a demonic prison, but on preserving their own wealth. This made me think, "Do I at times make decisions based on financial advantage before asking God if that is the course of action that he would want me to go?" Do I say to myself, "I am only doing this to preserve wealth for the benefit of my family! If an emergency or such comes up, we will need this money!" 
I realize when being honest with myself that God does take care of us and he will continue to do so, but I know that my wealth is not my own, but God's, and he has given it to me for "his" purposes. It is so easy to get caught up in the prestige
and position of wealth that it is easy to convince my conscience that money adds security for my family and thus "they" should come first. Bills need to be paid, this is a fact, but what of my wealth that goes beyond my bills? Am I in reality collecting "things" rather than listening to God's spirit and seeking his will concerning my wealth? These are questions that are sobering and ones that I need to lay before God.