First Anniversary

          Yesterday we very sadly observed a major day in history – the first anniversary of the start of Russia's senseless invasion of Ukraine.

          During this year we have seen the evil workings of a Satanic leader who has no value for life.  He cares nothing of families and children.  He is content to bomb schools and hospitals.  He destroys homes and cities and now he threatens the use of nuclear weapons.

          We have seen such horrible scenes of death, separation of families and folks becoming refugees or gone into hiding.  Death and destruction are everywhere.  Putin is destroying the country day by day.

          Now there are threats of China joining the war.  I can see no reason for that except maybe to help Russia fulfill Bible prophecy.  And if there is no surprise peace move, I could see this quickly turning into World War III.  There is little hope of anything else.

          It is very difficult to watch the daily news reports and pictures without a knowledge of Biblical prophecy.  Putin and Satan will not win.  Unfortunately, the United States might not win either.  As a country we no longer deserve the Lord's support. We have turned our back on Him – maybe too often.  But God will be victorious. The Scripture makes that plain.

          Now do all of Putin's evil actions make the Lord's return more imminent?  I would hope so, but no human knows for sure.  We just need to live each day in a state of anticipation.  Maybe it will be today.

 

1    Soon and very soon we are goin' to see the King,

Soon and very soon we are goin' to see the King,

Soon and very soon we are goin' to see the King,

Hallelujah, Hallelujah,

we're goin' to see the King!

 

2    No more cryin' there we are goin' to see the King,

No more cryin' there we are goin' to see the King,

No more cryin' there we are goin' to see the King,

Hallelujah, Hallelujah,

we're goin' to see the King!

 

3    No more dying there we are goin' to see the King,

No more dying there we are goin' to see the King,

No more dying there we are goin' to see the King,

Hallelujah, Hallelujah,

we're goin' to see the King!

 

4    Soon and very soon we are goin' to see the King,

Soon and very soon we are goin' to see the King,

Soon and very soon we are goin' to see the King,

Hallelujah, Hallelujah,

we're are goin' to see the King!

Then And Now

          It was about 1950 when we moved from a home on the campus of Elizabethtown College to 448 N. Queen St. in Lancaster.  We lived on the second floor of this house in inner city Lancaster while my aunt and uncle lived on the first floor.  We stayed that way for about a year until their new house was finished and they moved, giving us the entire home to live in.

          During that time I learned to enjoy the city.  It was very safe and had much to offer.  I would walk to school everyday and would come home for lunch.  After school I would often walk the few blocks to the downtown and visit many interesting stores in a vibrant shopping area. I used to walk to the YMCA for swimming lessons.
          During those years our church was formed.  Our first pastor had an apartment around the corner from us.  Some of the young men from Berean Bible School who came to assist stayed with us while they served.  Our church rented a hall downtown for service and my family regularly walked the city streets to attend both day and night.  So many good memories.
          In those days Lancaster, known as the Red Rose City, was safe.  There were no break ins or vandalism.  Shootings were unheard of.  Times were different.

          Over the decades many things have changed.  Years ago we used to watch the evening news and hear of the daily shootings in Harrisburg.  They soon caught up to Reading in killings.  But Lancaster remained generally free of violence.  It was a city where it was still safe to walk or drive anywhere.

          Then several years ago the news began to be filled with shootings in the White Rose City of York.  Unfortunately, it has never slowed down.

          Then a couple of years ago the violence spread to the Red Rose city and now we live with almost daily shootings and killings.  Gangs and drugs are the main causes.  Violence is the new normal and there is no difference between crime in the White Rose City and the Red Rose City.
          And there is no end in sight.  Now Lebanon is starting to catch up with these other cities with violence.
         Is there any hope?  Just the return of Christ.  

          Oh Lord, we yearn for your return.

Think On This

Miraculous Healings. (LB)

This blog was shared here in September of 2012.  Except for the pandemic, maybe not oo much has changed in churches since then.

To My Dear Friend, Pastor Phil Blowhorn:

          I sure hope attendance at your church was better'n my church. Mercy, pastorin' ain't always easy, now is it? We had us a bunch of sick folk, and them added to all the shut-ins made for a whole lot of pew cushion to look at from the pulpit. I got to admit, I was feelin' somewhat put out, but I went ahead and preached anyhows. 

          Only thing was, with all them people missin' the echo in the church gave me a hoot of a headache. My wife said I needed to git out and ride a bit 'cause the fresh air would make me feel better. Well, she took to drivin' and I took to ridin' and sure 'nuff, she was right. Not only did my head clear up, but what I saw renewed my faith in the Good Lord. I tell you, Brother, I seen miracle after miracle!  

          My Sunday School superintendent, Hank Weaselbaum, had called to tell me that he was so deathly sick, he wouldn't make it to church. But there he was, drivin' down the road with his favorite fishin' pole stickin' out the window. I tell you, only a miracle coulda' snatched him out'a the jaws of death that way!  

          Then there was my head deacon, Wilbur Snooch. He had done left a message on my answerin' machine that his back was so jerked out'a line that he thought he might have to have surgery. But I want you to know that when we drove past the golf course, there he was, hittin' golf balls on the drivin' range. Hallelujah, our prayers worked! 

          Edna Brump sent word with her sister that she wouldn't make it 'cause her stomach was all upset and she didn't want to take a chance on havin' a mishap in the church. But glory! There she was, standin' in line at the Feedin' Trough Smorgasbord. Another healin'!  

         All told, we saw that 20 of our sick folk had takin' a turn for the better and were up and about. Not only that, but I just couldn't help from rejoicin' over all our shut-ins that got themselves healed too. There was Sam Burply, who don't attend church much causin' of him being allergic to crowds, and he was in line to buy a ticket at the ball park. 

          Margaret Guffhunker, who's been feelin' all poor and sickly that she's done missed the last eight Sundays, she was comin' out of the mall with both arms full of packages.  And then there was Horace Dweedle, who ain't been to church in six months cause'a his bum knee; he was playin' basketball down at the park. Seein' all these mighty miracles and healin's got me so worked up, I started singin' the Doxology! 

         Yes, sir, Brother Blowhorn, I'm excited! I just know we'll be havin' us a packed house next Sunday, what with all the sick and shut-ins revived by such a touch from Heaven. I look forward to givin' you right nice report.

 

Your good friend, 

 

Pastor William Robert ("Billy-Bob")

So Much To Learn

          It's hard to believe that another January is already gone and February is here.  With the new month comes Valentines and Ground Hog days, snow and sleet, preseason baseball and the Super Bowl.   But for many it marks the return to education activities.

          For several weeks now K-12 classes have been back in session throughout the country.  My youngest grandson, Brodie, is in the midst of the second semester of his junior year.  This is an important time in his life because what he does this year can have a big effect on his future.  Juniors were always my favorite class to teach because they were generally still motivated without senioritis.

          A few weeks ago, most colleges returned to session for a new semester. My youngest granddaughter, Lexie, returned to Susquehanna University, after earning Deans List as an English major.  Both her grandfather and great grandfather graduated from there with honors.

          Graduate schools are also back in session.  My granddaughter, Chloe, is back at the University of Maryland where she is in the doctorate program working on a Phd in History.  She completed her first semester and was awarded a large scholarship grant for her outstanding work.

          And her cousin, Noah, is also back to the educational grind as he gets closer to a doctorate in ophthalmology.  He has one more semester of classes and labs and then a year of four internships, two in Pennsylvania, one in Annapolis and one in North Carolina. Then off to find a job.

          But education is not limited to K-12 and college students.  We should all be life-long students.  So much is changing and workers need to continually upgrade their knowledge and skills.  But while we have the need to grow intellectually, there is a much greater need for us to grow spiritually.  And yet that need is so often neglected by believers.   Since whatever absorbs our thinking will ultimately control our actions, it is so important for a Christian to let the way of the Lord become the controlling force in his life. The means by which we can learn the way of the Lord is by knowing what He has revealed in the scripture. Thus, our prayer to Him should always be, "Teach Me Thy Way."  

          This prayer is the title and theme of a text written by Benjamin Mansell Ramsey (1849-1923) in 1916. For many years he was a well-known teacher and musician in the Bournemouth, England, area. He was a prolific composer of part-songs (usually SATB), piano pieces, and carols. In addition, he produced works on music theory and a number of hymns.   After 1920, this hymn began to have wide popular usage among student groups in England.  It gradually spread to sincere believers in other places who genuinely desired to have a greater knowledge of their Lord. 

          It makes this request in several specific areas by which the Lord can help us walk in His way.  Stanza one asks that He help us walk more by faith and less by sight.  Stanza two asks that He help us in times of loneliness, distress, and failure. Stanza three asks that He help us by making our pathway plain.  Stanza four asks that He help us by being with us as long as we run the race.  

          Nothing could be found about why this hymn was written.  However, Benjamin's son, Lawrence, was injured in the war.  He spent much time in hospitals and then was dismissed from the military due to a nervous disposition.  He died in 1919 in a mental hospital. It was during this time of heartbreak for the family that this hymn was written.  Perhaps this experience helps to explain some of what was written.

          The hymn is actually a practical daily prayer for believers.  We should want to learn more about His ways daily, even when we are sad or lonely, in times of success and failure, through times of sorrow, grief and pain, "wherever our lot may be cast". Learning the ways of the Lord should be a daily goal.  "Until the race is run, until the journey's done, until the crown is won, teach me Your way!"  Lord, that is our prayer.  "Help me to walk aright, more by faith, less by sight; lead me with heavenly light, teach me Your way!"  Is that your desire?

 

1      Teach me Your way, O Lord, teach me Your way!

Your guiding grace afford, teach me Your way!

Help me to walk aright, more by faith, less by sight;

lead me with heavenly light, teach me Your way!

 

2      When I am sad at heart, teach me Your way!

When earthly joys depart, teach me Your way!

In hours of loneliness, in times of dire distress,

in failure or success, teach me Your way!

 

3      When doubts and fears arise, teach me Your way!

When storm clouds fill the skies, teach me Your way!

Shine through the wind and rain, through sorrow, grief and pain;

make now my pathway plain, teach me Your way!

 

4      Long as my life shall last, teach me Your way!

Where'er my lot be cast, teach me Your way!

Until the race is run, until the journey's done,

until the crown is won, teach me Your way!

 

Listen to men sing the first verse   MEN

Listen to a beautiful rendition by children   CHILDREN

Listen to it here.   THY WAY

MEDITATE ON THIS ...

Jesus said to him, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind." This is the first and great commandment.

Matthew 22:37-38

Mountain Goats

         On January 20 my oldest son, whose hobby is hunting, walked onto the stage at the Grand Slam Ovis Sheep Show and was inducted into the exclusive GSCO Capri fraternity.  This award is given to hunters who have successfully hunted 12 wild mountain goats of the world.

          While this recognition has now been achieved by several hundred hunters, the challenges and accomplishments needed to attain this recognition are most challenging and only those who dedicate themselves to the hardships needed to reach this milestone truly understand the difficult nature of this journey.

          Much is written about those who successfully hunt the four wild sheep of North America, commonly known as the Grand Slam.  While any sheep hunt is difficult, goats tend to live in much more precipitous places stretching the physical limits of any seasoned hunter.  And, of course, you have to successfully conclude four times as many hunts as the Grand Slam and travel the world to achieve the GSCO Capri Award.

          In 2022, on a snowy November morning in Romania, he steadied the crosshairs on an old Carpathian Chamois who just moments earlier had descended from the rocky cliffs onto the boulder-strewn hillside 250 meters from my son's position.  The climb had been demanding, but his rocky hide proved the perfect location to conclude the hunt.

          The shot was muffled in the snow covered canyon, but the animal collapsed in the snow a successful conclusion to the hunt.  This was his 12^th mountain goat, many miles and years from his first successful goat hunt, an American Mountain Goat in the cliffs of British Columbia, Canada, in 1998. 

          Some interesting points about his journey:

*  The journey took him 24 years to complete, although he was sidetracked in many other hunting adventures that did not focus on capri critters.

*  He hunted seven different countries to collect all 12 animals.  Spain has the most Capri species and he made two trips there to collect four different Ibex species and one chamois.
*  He did not take one animal on his list in the United States.  The only capri species that reside in the United States is the American Mountain Goat.

*  Goat hunting is conducted in steep, often very dangerous country.  The most physically challenging hunt of the 12 was the first in British Columbia.  He says he was young, foolish and inexperienced.  But it worked out.
*  The most scenic hunt was Tahr in New Zealand.

*  His all-time favorite was Southeastern Ibex in Spain.  It took three days for it all to come together. This animal also marked the 400^th Ibex his professional hunter had taken in his career.

 

         Here are some details of his 12 hunts:

1998    Canada            American Mountain Goat

2006    New Zealand   New Zealand Tahr

2006    New Zealand   New Zealand Chamois

2011    Slovenia          Alpine Chamois

2010    Macedonia      Belkan Chamois

2012    Spain               Gredos Ibex

2012    Spain               Beceite Ibex

2012    Spain               Cantabrian Chamoix

2012    France             Pyenean Chamois

2021    Spain               Ronda Ibex

2021    Spain               Southeastern SpanishIbex

2022    Romania          Carpathian Chamois

 

          He is thankful to many who contributed to this effort.  The journey has provided him with a lifetime of memories and relationships which he will cherish forever.  Most of all he thanks the Lord Jesus Christ who gave him the strength, stamina and protection over many years.  He is the One who got him up the mountains, got him down – most often the hardest steps- and saw him safely home again.

          Psalms 104:18, "The high mountains belong to the wild goats; the crags are a refuge for the hyrax."

MEDITATE ON THIS ...

All Scripture is given by inspiration of God and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.

2 Timothy 3:16-17

More Lexophilia Part 2

          Although not in the dictionary, it is reported that "Lexophile" describes a person who loves sentences such as, "You can tune a piano, but you can't tuna fish," and "To write with a broken pencil is pointless."

   

 The annual 'New York Times' competition was held, and here are this year's best original submissions:

 

 - I changed my iPod's name to Titanic.  It's syncing now.

 - England has no kidney bank, but it does have a Liverpool.

 - Haunted French pancakes give me the crepes.

 - This girl today said she recognized me from the Vegetarians Club, but I'd swear I've never met herbivore.

 - I know a guy who's addicted to drinking brake fluid, but he says he can stop any time.

 - A thief who stole a calendar got twelve months.

 - When the smog lifts in Los Angeles, U.C.L.A.

 - I got some batteries that were given out free of charge.

 - A dentist and a manicurist married.  They fought tooth and nail.

 - A will is a dead giveaway.

 - Police were summoned to a daycare center where a three-year-old was resisting a rest.

 - A bicycle can't stand alone; it's just two tired.

 - The guy who fell onto an upholstery machine last week is now fully recovered.

 - He had a photographic memory, but it was never fully developed.

 - When she saw her first strands of gray hair, she thought she'd dye.

- Acupuncture is a jab well done. That's the point of it.

 - I didn't like my beard at first. Then it grew on me.

 - Did you hear about the crossed-eyed teacher who lost her job because she couldn't control her pupils.

 - When you get a bladder infection, urine trouble.

 - When chemists die, they barium

 - Stayed up all night to see where the sun went, and then it dawned on me.

 - I'm reading a book about anti-gravity. I just can't put it down.

~ A lot of money is tainted. 'Taint yours and 'taint mine.

~ A boiled egg in the morning is hard to beat.

~ He had a photographic memory that was never developed.

~ The short fortuneteller who escaped from prison was a small medium at large.

~ Those who get too big for their britches will be exposed in the end.

~ When you've seen one shopping center you've seen a mall.

~ Bakers trade bread recipes on a knead to know basis.

~ Santa's helpers are subordinate clauses.

~ Acupuncture is a jab well done.

~ Marathon runners with bad footwear suffer the agony of defeat.

MEDITATE ON THIS ...

My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.

Exodus 33:14

Progress?

You know you are living in the 21st century when ...

. Your reason for not staying in touch with family is that they do not have e-mail addresses.

. You have a list of 15 phone numbers to reach your family of three.

. You call your son's beeper to let him know it's time to eat. He e-mails you back from his bedroom, "What's for dinner?"

. Your daughter sells Girl Scout Cookies via her web site.

. You chat several times a day with a stranger from South Africa, but you haven't spoken with your next door neighbor yet this year.

. You check the ingredients on a can of chicken noodle soup to see if it contains Echinacea.

. Your grandmother asks you to send her a JPEG file of your newborn so she can create a screen saver.

. You pull up in your own driveway and use your cell phone to see if anyone is home.

. Every commercial on television has a web site address at the bottom of the screen.

. You buy a computer and 6 months later it is out of date and now sells for half the price you paid.

. Leaving the house without your cell phone, which you didn't have the first 20 or 30 years of your life, is now a cause for panic and you turn around to go get it.

. Using real money, instead of credit or debit, to make a purchase would be a hassle and takes planning.

. Cleaning up the dining room means getting the fast food bags out of the back seat of your car.

. You just tried to enter your password on the microwave.

. You consider second day air delivery painfully slow.

. Your dining room table is now your flat filing cabinet.

. Your idea of being organized is multiple colored Post-it notes.

. You hear most of your jokes via e-mail instead of in person.

. You disconnect from the Internet and get this awful feeling, as if you just pulled the plug on a loved one.

. You get up in morning and go on-line before getting your coffee.

. You wake up at 2 AM to go to the bathroom and check your E-mail on your way back to bed.

So do you wish for the "good old days?"

The Leaky Pail List (LB)

Here is another LOOKING BACK blog in which I repeat a blog that I have posted previously.  This one was written in 2012.

          In 2007 a comedy-drama film called The Bucket List was released. The plot followed two terminally ill men on their road trip of things to do before they "kick the bucket". 

          If you haven't heard about a bucket list, it is a list of all the goals you want to achieve, dreams you want to fulfill and life-experiences you desire to experience before you die.

             Now I don't have a bucket list because I don't really have things that I want to do before I die. But I do have a list of things that I wish that I could experience once again, even though many of them are no longer possible. 

           Maybe it is my "Leaky Pail List" .... For example, their are four church buildings I wish I could visit once again. The Ebenezer Church building in Bethlehem is now gone, but I still have those memories of that building with its two balconies where my grandfather ministered for nine years. In Sunbury, the old Emmanuel church where Dianne and I met and were married is still standing, but appears to be unoccupied. There are so many good memories there and I'd love to walk through the building one more time. My grandfather was our pastor there. Then there is the old Calvary Church in Lancaster that no longer is standing. We used that building for a few years before we built our present building. It was a monster of a facility with rooms everywhere, three balconies, and many offices - a great place to explore. I guess I would also like to tour the Prospect St. building in Lancaster since I was there when we built it and we worshipped there for many years. 

          I would like to visit the George Ross Elementary School which I imagine has completely changed since I attended there 60 years ago and I would like to tour Malta Temple in Lancaster where we held our first inside church services in 1950. I imagine the interior has been changed to apartments and the bowling alley is probably gone.

           There are some homes that I wish I could tour once again - my home we lived in the second time we moved to New Cumberland (it still exists on Eutaw St.), our home in Elizabethtown which is no longer there (torn down by the college), 448 N. Queen St in Lancaster (I enjoyed city living - then), our home on George St. here in Millersville, and of course our homestead on Lemon St. in Lititz. At Christmas I think of the former parsonage in Bethlehem, with the laundry chute, which held so many memories of great family times. 

          Over the years Dianne and I were fortunate to attend about 25 math conventions in various cities around the country and Canada. There are a few favorites that I'd love to visit once again - San Antonio, San Diego, Seattle, Salt Lake City, and Boston in particular. .... I'd love to see and hear in person the Boston Pops and the Mormon Tabernacle Choir once again.  I'd love to ride the Staten Island ferry once again.  And I'd love to be able to go to Ocean City, Maryland, once again, just to relax and watch the ocean waves.

          I'd also love to ride the train between Harrisburg and Sunbury as I did when I was in college. But sadly they stopped passenger service to Sunbury many years ago. .... Even though I've never been there, I'd also like to visit Austria, Switzerland, Normandy, and Alaska.

          I'd love to taste my mother's special macaroni salad once again. Her secret recipe died with her and nobody has been able to recreate that taste, no matter how hard they've tried. I'd love to have a piece of my Mammy's peach-raspberry pie. So delicious when fresh, right out of the oven. She was a great cook and bakery making cookies and pies on her coal stove.

           I'd also like to be able to spend some time with members of  the Susquehanna basketball team from when I was a student there. For four years we traveled and spent many hours together, but now we haven't all been together in almost 50 years. .... I'd also love to meet with all the math teachers that I hired over 36 years. I've lost count, but there must have been at least 50 that I hired and supervised during my years at Penn Manor. Some of them are now deceased and I have no idea where most of them are.

          I'd love to be able to learn to play the piano. I did take lessons as a youngster, but all we had was a beat up piano in our basement and it really wasn't fun to play it. But now I wish that I could. I also wish that I could still play my trombone, but the years and lack of wind have taken their toll on that. It's sad that we don't appreciate some of these things until we are old. .... I'd love to drive my yellow VW bug once more. That was such fun in the snow and it was a great car - until the floor rusted out. .... I'd love once again to be able to sing duets with my wife in church. But our voices aren't needed there anymore and there are many more very talented folks who now minister to us. But singing duets was part of our life for about 40 years.

          Even though I was a math/physics major, I'd love to take college physics and college calculus courses again and I'd love to take a major in computers and maybe become a real web master .... And there are so many friends and loved ones I would like to visit again. But that is one thing that on my list that will happen because many are in heaven and I know that I will see them again there. And that is exciting.

         So while others make their resolutions and then break them, I have made my "Leaky Pail List".  And, I can dream about it. Happy New Year!

New Year

Memorable Christmas Eves

          I have many great memories of Christmas Eve experiences.

          Before going to college these memories included trips to visit my grandparents in Bethlehem and Sunbury. While going to college they included trips to Sunbury to go caroling with Dianne and our friends in Sunbury.  Our trips to Sunbury continued after our sons were born.  These were exciting times.

          Later, and for about a dozen years, we were responsible for planning and leading Christmas Eve services in our church. That was fun and rewarding.  Then, for about 20 years, our interest switched to a Christmas celebration with our family.  These included special dvd's of the past year, prayer and Bible reading, exchange of gifts, plenty of food and wonderful fellowship.  These years produced great memories.

          But there was one Christmas Eve which wasn't too great. I don't remember the exact year but I was about 30.  We had two young boys who were looking forward to enjoying the holidays with their grandparents, two hours away in Sunbury.

          I was suffering some serious undiagnosed back pain and was scheduled for two difficult tests in the hospital the day before Christmas when I had off from school.  The plan was to complete the tests and then head to Sunbury that evening.

          The first test was a spinal tap. I was in an examination room, almost nude, waiting for the procedure to begin.  In walked a nurse and greeted me, "Hi Mr. Kauffman".  I was stunned to see that the nurse was Vicki, a young lady who had been in my math class just a few years prior.  I quickly learned the lesson that in the hospital there is no such thing as modesty.  It was one of the first difficult memories of that day.

         Next it was on to a myelogram.  Over the years this procedure has improved but then it was a very difficult and painful procedure.  I survived and was sent to a hospital room to wait for instructions to dismiss me.  But we waited with no word from the surgeon.  We were all eager to leave for our Christmas vacation.

          So, we began trying to contact the surgeon reminding him that it was Christmas Eve and we were waiting to leave for the holiday.  We were concerned that he might have forgotten me and left for his vacation.  Finally, about 6 pm the word came and they quickly released me.

          Then we faced the next challenge – snow.  I was driving and decided to take the shorter but more difficult route- over the mountains through Tower City.  Slippery roads made this a real challenge.

          Next, I became very ill.  I had to go to the bathroom but on Christmas Eve nothing was open.  And I developed a tremendous headache which would last for days.  But the Lord helped us to safely complete a very difficult but memorable trip.

          We later found that severe headaches are a side effect of myelograms and that you should spend time on your back after the procedure – not driving through a snowstorm.  But nobody warned me.

          However, the Lord hadn't forgotten me.  He had several angels ready to help.  My wife drove me home while I was flat on my back on the rear seat.  Angels helped our two young sons to behave as Dianne drove.  Dianne's sister and her husband followed us to Lancaster County on their way back to West Virginia to make sure that we were safe. My father and my brother shoveled - by hand – our driveway and street so that we could get through the snow to our garage.  Immanuel – God with us.

           It indeed was a Christmas Eve which I will never forgot. And I will never forget the protection and provision of the Lord.  And as I continue to suffer with increasing back problems, I need to remember how He took care of me and give Him the praise. What a great God He is!