A Word of Thanks to a Good Friend

Good friends are a blessing.

Rick Gunnell falls into both categories - a good friend, and a blessing.

Rick (or "Gunny" as he is known at Lowe's - where he is delivery manager) is one of a kind. There are some people who know a lot about one or two subjects. There are others who know a little about a lot of things. Rick will amaze you with his wide ranging familiarity with nearly any subject. He is quick witted, but even as long as I have known him, sometimes his comebacks give me pause and I have to think a few seconds for the remark to sink in.

I guess it's been ten years or more since I first met Rick, his wife, Pat, and little Ricky (at least at that time he was little). They were visitors one Sunday morning at a church where I previously served as Pastor. That morning in my message, I had made a tongue in cheek remark about some church members being "SMO's" (Sunday Morning Only). I only mentioned it in passing, but it was not lost on Rick. As I stood at the back door of the church shaking hands with the congregation as they filed out, this young visitor said, "We need more ETTDO's don't we?"

There must have been a blank look on my face as I said, "I beg your pardon?"

"ETTDO's" he grinned. "You know, 'Every Time The Door Opens!'"

I had already forgotten my fleeting reference to "SMO's" - but it wasn't lost on Gunny.

That's just the way he is. It sometimes seems as though he might be on just a little different frequency, but when you think for a second, his comments always make good sense, and they are generally right on the money.

Rick is one busy guy! He works two jobs - the aforementioned position of Delivery Manager at Lowe's, and when he leaves Lowe's, he heads down I-64 to the next exit, where he makes deliveries for Office Depot. Rick serves as Sunday School Director at Westmoreland Baptist Church, where he also sings in the choir and serves as a Trustee and as a Yokefellow in our Deacon/Yokefellow Family Ministry. He also finds time to serve as a guitarist and lead singer in a Christian band, called "Three O'Clock Sunday", yet he still finds time to spend his fleeting free time visiting his mother, who is a patient in a local nursing home.

You learn a lot about someone when you spend some time with them, and I have spent some time with Rick. In fact, he and I have travelled half way around the world together, not once, but three times, on mission trips to the Philippines. I have learned that Rick loves Jesus, he loves people, and he has a servant's heart.

Linda and I have been blessed to know Rick and Pat. They are just good folks. Always thoughtful, always supportive, always a blessing. They're the type of folks that you never want to take advantage of, but they just have the gift of giving of themselves. Case in point, the last four Saturday mornings -

Linda and I had decided that we wanted a privacy fence around the sides and back of our yard. We purchased 23 of those pretty white six foot vinyl fence panels and the corresponding posts a few weeks back. I thought it would be a pretty easy project.

I was mistaken.

It had been years since I had done any fencing, and I underestimated the degree of difficulty on this new fencing product, (as well as the fact that I am not nearly as young as I use to be!) As I began the project, I realized I had probably bitten off more than I could chew. Enter Rick Gunnell, offering to help. So, for the next four Saturday mornings, rain or shine, Rick showed up, with nothing on his mind but to help us get this project finished. Basically Rick built the fence, and I was his helper and "go-fer". Someone asked me what I would have done without his help. The simple answer is, "I don't know", but I sure know I could not have finished with these results - and it would have taken all summer!

So, Rick, all I can say is "Thank you." And "Thank you too, Pat, for sharing Rick with us for the past four Saturday mornings." In typical fashion, Rick would not accept any pay for his work. Pat is just the same. She is a giver, not a taker. Linda and I will take the Gunnell family to Jim's for spaghetti next Saturday evening. Then in July, Rick, Ricky and I will make a trip down to Great American Ballpark for a Red's game.

It's not nearly enough to repay Rick for all he did to help us with this project, but hopefully he'll know how much I appreciate his help.

Thank you, my friend.

Graduation at Parchman Prison

Some of our readers may not get the Baptist Press daily updates, so for those who don't, I would like to share this BP article with you.

New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary offers classes at Angola State Prison in Louisiana and at Parchman State Prison in Mississippi.

Please click on the link below to BP to read this touching article about NOBTS Graduation Ceremonies at Parchman.

It brought tears to my eyes.

http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=30574

Read and be blessed.

Really, Mr. President?

A few things I would ask you to consider this morning as I reflect on recent and upcoming issues regarding our President. While this is not a "political" blog, I did say from the outset that I would sometimes comment on politics, "For What It's Worth".


One of the most important (and long lasting) actions taken by the Chief Executive involve the appointment of Judicial nominees, especially that of the Justices of the U.S. Supreme Court. Federal Judges serve for life. They are not elected by the people, and can only be removed from office by impeachment for cause. the Judicial branch of our Federal government (outlined in Article III of the U.S. Constitution) serve as an important part of the checks and balances, wisely written into the Constitution by it's framers.



As you know, Associate Justice David Souter has announced his intention to retire from the High Court at the end of this session. So, only four months into his first term, the duty falls to our new President to appoint his first Supreme Court Justice. Many commentators believe that appointment could come as early as today. Speculation is that Mr. Obama's appointment will likely be a woman, and possibly one of Hispanic descent. Common sense and experience would indicate that the candidate will also be philosophically aligned with the liberal political views of the President. I have no problem with any of this, because that is the way the system works. The President makes the appointment, and the Senate confirms or rejects the nominee under it's "advise and consent" responsibilities in the constitutional process. It should be apparent to the most casual observer, that a conservative President will appoint conservative judges, and a liberal Chief Executive will appoint liberal jurists. When Barack Obama was elected President, no one should have had any doubts where his priorities lay involving judicial nominees.


I personally would like to see a more conservative jurist appointed to the High Court, but one would only assume that the new nominee would be ideologically aligned with the opinions of Justices Souter, Stevens, Bryer, and Ginsberg. What does concern me more is what the President recently said that he is looking for in a Supreme Court Justice. He says he will nominate someone with "empathy".


Empathy? What the heck is THAT all about? Does "the boy president" even understand the constitutional duties of the Supreme Court? The American Heritage Dictionary defines empathy as:


1. Identification with and understanding of another's situation, feelings, and motives. (See Synonyms at pity.)
2. The attribution of one's own feelings to an object.


The duty of the Supreme Court is to interpret the law. The Supreme Court is the highest appellate court in the U.S. It's main functions are to interpret the Constitution and to examine every law passed whether federal or state and determine if said laws adhere to the Constitution of the United States. Empathy doesn't come into the equation. Applying the Constitution, and not one's feelings, opinions, and pity, is the criteria for the work of a Supreme Court Justice.


The statue of the "Lady Justice" at the Supreme Court building depicts our justice system as blindfolded to outside influences, judging only by the scales in her hand.


It is not that this President "doesn't get it". No, not at all. It is simply another glimpse into his strange view of what America is really all about.

******

It's been about 10 days now since Mr. Obama's much ballyhooed speech at the Commencement Ceremony at Notre Dame. The invitation to speak in South Bend was controversial because of his "Pro Choice" views on abortion and the traditional "Pro Life" stance of the Roman Catholic Church. The debate raged on for some time on the cable news networks.


Should Mr. Obama be invited to speak at Notre Dame?


Well, why not? He IS the President of the United States and the honor of having the nation's Chief Executive speak at a commencement is a major one. Obviously his appearance was popular with the audience.


Should Mr. Obama have been conferred an Honorary Doctorate? Absolutely not!


The former question speaks of respect for his office. The latter is an abominable decision that a Catholic university would confer an honorary degree upon a politician who has no respect for the basic human "right to life."


In his speech, the President made reference to the differing views on abortion. He made no bones about the fact that the two differing viewpoints are at polar opposites and that there are certain irreconcilable differences between the two camps. Duh! He certainly has a tremendous grasp of the obvious...


What is more amazing, however, is that he stated that both sides must find "common ground" on the issue of abortion. Pardon me for asking, but HOW in God's name can we find "common ground" on the matter of terminating a human life in what should be the safest place on earth - it's mother womb. The matter is a simple one. Abortion stops a beating heart. Innocent life is terminated - often under the oblique heading of "choice" or "reproductive rights". The practice is either right or wrong. Where, please tell me, is ANY possibility for "common ground". Unborn life is either sacred, or it is not. Try as hard as you like, straddling the fence on this issue is impossible.


The thing that amazes me, is that many of the same politicians who have decried the use of "enhanced interrogation techniques" on terrorist prisoners, are the same characters who approve of inserting scissors into the base of the skull of a partially born baby, and sucking the brains out, all in the name of "choice". Talk about inconsistent... now THAT is torture.


Common ground, Mr. President? Impossible!

******

The final thought I want to share with you today comes from page 92 of the May 25th issue of "Newsweek" magazine. It is a telling graphic which shines a bright light on Mr. Obama's Three Trillion, five hundred, fifty Billion dollar budget he has submitted to Congress. In figures, that's $3,550,000,000,000.00! Seth Colter Walls did the research that appears with the illustrations by Peter Arkle in an eye opening picture of "What You Could Buy With Obama's 2010 Federal Budget". Here is a breakdown, without the illustrations:




With the money in President Obama's 2010 budget, one could buy -

• Everything produced in Italy in 2008 - PLUS



• A refund for everyone defrauded by Bernie Madoff - PLUS



• The International Space Station - PLUS



• An electric car for every 16 and 17 year old in America - PLUS



• All the oil in Saudi Arabia - PLUS



• The Big Dig, Boston's urban-infrastructure money pit - PLUS



• Full funding for the Krasnow Institute's project to map the Human Brain - PLUS



• All the tea in China - PLUS



• The treasure of King Tut's Tomb - PLUS



• Recession era bargain: an Upper East Side NY Condo on 94th Street - PLUS



• The 1909 mint condition Honus Wagner baseball card - PLUS



• A week long staging of Stockhausen's seven-opera series - PLUS



• One $.99 MP3 download from iTunes for everyone in America - PLUS



• A pair of Marc Jacobs 214S sunglasses, with dark gray lenses - PLUS



• A burrito at Chiptole in Manhattan.

Kind of puts it in perspective doesn't it? I would have included the dollar figures, but there are way too many 0's and my fingers are tired! You can look it up in Newsweek for yourself.

Enough of this for today.

How's that "hopey, changey thing" going for you?

I'm depressed...

All Gave Some...Some Gave All

On this Memorial Day Holiday, many folks will be attending cookouts, and going to ball games. Some will be enjoying the day off by boating on the rivers or lakes, some will splash in the recently opened public and private pools. Many will be travelling by planes, trains and automobiles, taking advantage of a three day weekend. Life will go on in the USA as normal. But on this day, especially, we should all take a moment to remember those who gave their lives to preserve our American way of life. We must also never forget those brave men and women who are presently serving in our military forces. Many are in harms way today as we fight on two fronts against an insidious, yet invisible enemy in an ongoing war on terrorism.





Today our President will place a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery, to acknowledge the sacrifices made by our veterans in all wars. Earlier today, in Kabul, Afghanistan, active duty troops have already had a memorial service for their fallen comrades. Across the river in Ironton, Ohio, the streets will be lined by hundreds of people to view the longest continually running Parade in America - the 139th Annual Ironton Memorial Day Parade. Ceremonies like these will be held on military installations, in cemeteries, parks, and streets of big cities and small towns all across America today. This is fitting and proper because of the many veterans who gave "their last full measure of devotion" while fighting various enemies under the Stars and Stripes that represented their homes, families, freedom, and American way of life.





May we never forget the sacrifices they (and their families) have made for us.





My personal family has had its share of men who have served, and I am proud of them all. My great grandfather, Cumberland Adkins (Sr.) a Civil War soldier, and my grandfather, Caudle Adkins, Sr served in the Army in WWI. He was gassed in the Argonne Forest and eventually died of lung cancer at a relatively early age. Dad (Caudle, Jr.) and his older brother "Buster" served in the US Navy during WWII. Dad's younger brother, Sammy, enlisted in the Air Force during the mid 50's. An uncle on my mother's side, Jerry "Bob" Stidham also served in the Air Force during the Korean Conflict. My brother, Bruce and I both had Viet Nam era service - he in the Navy and I in the Air Force.





On Linda's side of the family the heritage is just as rich. Her Grandfather, Cornelius Bowling was a WWI Doughboy, his brother, Andy, was held as a POW by the Germans. Linda's father, Burgess, served under General Patton, taking part in invasions of North Africa, Sicily, and Italy during WWII. Her uncle, William Smith, Jr, (a Marine) was the only family member to die while on active duty - although his death was not combat related. Linda also had several cousins who proudly served in the Armed Forces.





My brothers in law, Danny, Burgess Ray, and Bob Bowling were also veterans. Danny was an Airman, stationed in England and Langley AFB, Virginia. Burgess Ray (who later died in a mining accident) did two tours of duty with the Marines in Viet Nam and served for several years as a Marine Recruiter. Bob, also a Marine, was injured while on duty, just before his discharge in the early 70's. A couple of my nephews have also served - young Dan Bowling and Christopher Bennett also served in the Air Force. My younger son, Benji, enlisted in the US Marine Corps and faced enemy fire in Kosovo.





That's the way it has gone down through history. There have been a number of career military men and women during the history of our nation, but the vast majority of our veterans have been like those listed above - average Americans who give of themselves to serve their country. Many of them never returned to their families and homes. Let us never forget their great sacrifices on our behalf, nor the unimaginable loss suffered by their families.





All gave some, some gave all.

Proud To Be On This Team

It is an honor to serve with men and women like those pictured on this post. Leeah and Steve Weber joined me in representing Westmoreland Baptist Church, Michelle Harris and Sara Sutherland were there from Abundant Hope Church in Barboursville, Doug Virgin is our Associational Missionary, John and Pam Freeman represented Calvary Baptist in Chapmanville, and there was another gentleman from Calvary who was there one day, but is not pictured here.

The Greater Huntington Baptist Association had a presence this week in the Matewan, West Virginia area, doing disaster relief work after the terrible flash flooding that took place a week or so ago. We were not huge in number, but we were a blessing to at least one family in the midst of their greatest physical loss, ever.

Our work was not glamorous, nor did we expect it to be. It was hot, smelly, difficult, and dirty, but it was fulfilling to perform it all in Jesus' name. Our particular task was to dig the mud and silt out of the basement of the Tom May family in the community of Red Jacket, WV (just north of Matewan). When Doug, Sara, Michelle, and John arrived on Monday morning, the basement was completely filled with 18 inches of the muck. The muddy mess was enough in itself, but all of the muck covered toys, tools, bicycles, scooters and other items stored in the basement also had to be removed. This was accomplished, piecemeal, as the team came to each item, but the main job was to get the wet, goopy mud out!

There was nothing "high tech" about how the job had to be done. Some members of the team took shovels and five gallon buckets into the cellar, some served as a "bucket brigade" passing the buckets upstairs to us "old men" who dumped them into wheel barrows, who then wheeled the heavy muddy mess back across the road to the creek from whence it came. The work was back breaking and very tedious. Every thirty minutes or so, the folks in the basement had to come up for air and those of us who were "wheelbarrow technicians" on the surface sought some shade. All of us had to wear heavy rubber boots and gloves. The folks in the basement wore masks, and looking back, those of us on the surface SHOULD have. The dried mud and silt was everywhere and the bobcats, dump trucks, Red Cross and National Guard vehicles, and resident's cars and trucks kept the dust constantly circulating through the air. (I am still coughing). Every hour or so, the buckets and wheelbarrows had to be hosed off as the heavy sticky mud added to the weight and sloppiness of the whole thing. Naturally, hosing off the shovels, buckets and other equipment, added to the muddy mess in the yard where we were working.

Similar work was going on in houses and churches all around the Matewan area. We met other Southern Baptist Disaster Relief groups from two other associations in West Virginia, (Mountain State Assn. and Potomac Highlands Assn.). A group of New England Southern Baptists were there, as was a team from First Baptist Church of Woodstock, Georgia (where SBC President Johnny Hunt is Pastor). The SBC Disaster Relief Command Center was located behind the Matewan City Building. The Southern Baptist Conservative Convention of Virginia had their command center trailer there. The Virginians served as coordinators of the Baptist volunteer efforts. They also sent out "assessors" to the various communities, to determine the amounts of damage, and to dispatch cleanup teams to work the area. A Baptist feeding unit from Tennessee set up their mobile kitchen which produced over 4,000 meals per day. The Tennessee Baptists fed all of the National Guard and Relief Workers, and any residents who walked up to the unit. The vast majority of the meals prepared by the Tennesseans, were loaded onto American Red Cross Emergency Response Vehicles (ERV's) and distributed throughout the disaster area three times per day.

Matewan High School (which, like other schools in the hard hit area) was closed for classes due to the disaster. The Red Cross workers and SBC volunteers were allowed to shower and sleep at the school. What a blessing those showers were! The cots weren't terribly comfortable, but they were a great alternative to the hard gym floor for folks like me who had no air mattresses.

The brief effort of which we were a small part, is only a token of the massive Southern Baptist Disaster Relief work that goes on all across the country when hurricanes, floods, tornadoes, earthquakes, or other natural disasters hit. The work is sponsored by the SBC North American Mission Board, and various State Conventions and local associations. Cooperative Program gifts from local churches help fund this ministry, and thousands of man hours of labor are donated by volunteers from all over the country. The two young adults who went from our church were Steve and Leeah Weber. They worked HARD and I believe they were very impressed with the overall efforts of Southern Baptist Disaster Relief. Leeah commented that she, "Had no idea that all of this Disaster Relief operations existed." Many of our Baptists are in the same boat. SBC Disaster Relief is one of the best kept secrets in America, but anyone who has taken part or received help from Baptist men and women on relief missions can attest to the fact that it is a tremendous ministry.

Should you have any doubt, just ask anybody in New Orleans or along the Gulf Coast about those folks in the yellow shirts and yellow baseball caps. They'll tell you, "Those Baptists are a blessing!"

Leaving For Matewan, WV Flood Area

A group from Westmoreland Baptist Church will be leaving in just a few minutes for southern West Virginia do do Disaster Relief work with SBC DR teams already in place. Please pray for safe travel for our group, and for witnessing opportunities as we try to help those who have been so hard hit by the recent flooding.

Disaster Relief Efforts In Southern West Virginia

Early this morning Doug Virgin, Michelle Harris, and Sarah Sutherland left with the Greater Huntington Baptist Association Disaster Relief Trailer for the coalfields of Southern West Virginia. The areas along the Tug and Levisa Forks of the Big Sandy River in Southern West Virginia and Eastern Kentucky were devastated by flash flooding about a week ago. Southern Baptist Disaster Relief teams have been dispatched to the affected areas immediately after the waters receded. Our Association team received it's call on Friday for deployment today.

Doug is our GHBA Director of Missions. Sarah and Michelle are members of the Abundant Hope Baptist Mission in Barboursville, where Michelle's husband, Paul, is the Pastor. Our Association Disaster Relief Director is John Freeman, pastor of Calvary Baptist Church in Chapmanville. Doug, Sarah, and Michelle were to meet John in Matewan, West Virginia this morning, where they would begin mud out work on homes, as assigned by the SBC Disaster Relief staging area located behind City Hall in Matewan.

Doug and John are becoming veterans at this stuff. The three of us worked together for a week in New Orleans, doing chain saw and other clean up work five weeks after Hurricane Katrina. "The Dynamic Duo" have also answered the call to Western Kentucky after a late winter ice storm wreaked havoc on that area. This is no small effort on the part of these two guys. John underwent open heart bypass surgery last year, and Doug has had a number of health issues as well. Were it not for my previously scheduled CT and PET Scans in the morning, I would have joined them in Matewan today for the mud out work, but alas, that will have to wait until Wednesday.

My first personal experience with SBC Disaster Relief came in New York City, less than a week after the terrorist attacks of 9/11. My son, Jay, and I, along with several other men from the Greenup Baptist Association in eastern Kentucky, went to the Big Apple to help cook meals in the large Kentucky Baptist Convention's large Disaster Relief Mobile Kitchen. It was there that I saw first hand, how well Baptists all over America responded to the tremendous need. After our post Katrina work, and seeing how deeply involved Jay had become in Louisiana DR, we felt the need for a Disaster Relief unit to form in our area. John Freeman took the proverbial bull by the horns and spearheaded the drive to purchase and equip a trailer suitable for mud out and chainsaw work. Many of our local churches responded with donations, and one can see the final results in the photo below.

Early Wednesday morning, Steve and Leeah Weber will be joining me as we leave Westmoreland Baptist for Matewan. If scheduling issues work out, we will be joined by Brittany Haggerty as part of the WBC team, as well. I am proud of these young people and their willingness to leave their comfort zones to do the dirtiest type of mission work one can imagine. Steve and Leeah are the young adult children of our church's Interim Student Ministry Director, Rick Weber. Steve graduated last year from Spring Valley High School and is waiting to enter an electricians course. Leeah just graduated last week from Marshall University with a degree in vocal music.

Brittany came to us from far away Moorefield, West Virginia as a Marshall University student. She was in one of Dr. Barbara Tarter's communication classes at Marshall. Barbara is a faithful member of our church, and is a great believer in missions, herself. She has done foreign mission work in Mexico, church planting in Tennessee, works in our church in ministry to homebound, hospitalized and nursing home patients. She is also chairperson of our church Mission Committee. Brittany was a lonely college freshman in one of her classes at Marshall. Barbara befriended her and invited her to church. Brittany came, and soon joined our fellowship, and is now actively involved with Upward sports, AWANA, and other children's ministries.

It is a blessing to see how God works in bringing different people into His Kingdom work.

Disaster Relief is a powerful ministry, overseen by the SBC North American Mission Board. It is a common sight, after hurricanes, floods, ice storms, fires and other natural disasters, seeing dedicated men and women wearing those bright yellow shirts and baseball caps. You'll find them doing everything from mud outs, to chain saw work, carrying out debris, cooking thousands of meals in large mobile kitchen units, and providing chaplain services to people who have suffered tremendous losses from disasters of all types. In fact, when you see the Red Cross distributing hot meals in disaster areas, the chances are very good that those meals were supplied and prepared by Southern Baptist Disaster Relief crews.

Doing work like this, in the name of Jesus, is one of the most practical and effective short term mission efforts in practice today. Please pray for the Disaster Relief volunteers as they share the good news of Jesus in a most practical way.