HAPPY NEW YEAR----2012

I Cannot Recall So Much Excitement, Anxiety, and Worry About An Up Coming New Year As 2012.


I am not a prophet or the son of a prophet. However, I will share some of the concerns that many have:


1. Middle East---Iran may be just days away from detonating a crude nuclear weapon. Permitting the Iranians to construct such a weapon is like giving a four old child a full clip, loaded 9MM, to play with.


Our hasty withdrawal from  Iraq has made an Israeli air attack much more difficult because it is doubtful over flight permission will be granted. Extending inbound and outbound flight times impacts every aspect of war planning: Exposure
to defensive air and ground assets is greatly increased. Aerial refueling resources are stretched. Ditto aerial command and control assets. Recon and bomb damage assessment is considerably longer and harder. Regenerating aerial resources for future sorties becomes a commander's worst nightmare.    

NORTH POLE Reality Show Causes Marriage Breakup!

THE UNTHINKABLE HAS HAPPENED: Santa & Mrs. Claus have Split !!! 

MERRY CHRISTMAS 2011!

This past week I listened to a very compelling radio evangelist who said something that froze me in my tracks:

"Between the end of the Old Testament (Book of Malachi) to the start of the New Testament( Book of Mathew) 400 years had passed without God speaking to His people and that streak of silence was broken with a little baby's cry!" 

WOW!

MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL!

Our Music: When Elvis Came To PCHS---Well, Sort of

In our Sophomore year the Tupelo, MS Flash was already making a big splash. 

I received a first hand report by one of our Sophomore classmates who had his driver's license and saw Elvis in concert in Louisville, KY.

He was a big Elvis fan, he even had wanna be sideburns to prove it, and said the concert was a wild scene. He said the music was great; Elvis put on quite a show; and the females in the audience never stopped screaming.

I do not want to embarrass or offend any readers of this blog by my next few comments. However, at almost 70 years of age, I think I can speak openly, especially to my classmates.. Our classmate said Elvis was signing autographs on the bras of some his adoring fans. I had no corroborating information, only this one student's testimony. 
 
I have heard the late J.D.Sumner of the Stamps Quartet, who backed up Elvis at Vegas, say many times that following the last show of the night, Elvis would sing Southern Gospel music with them until the wee hours of the morning. Elvis' gospel recordings rank among my favorites. Especially, How Great Thou Art.

Interestingly, while in seminary, one of my classmates was Rick Stanley, a half-brother to Elvis.  After Elvis' Mom died, Vernon, Elvis' Dad, married Rick's Mom and they moved into Graceland. Rick said he knew he was living in a different world when he was in the basement watching his half-brother play pool with The Beetles!

Rick is now an evangelist and as far as I know he has never attempted to glorify Elvis or his lifestyle. See: www.rickstanleyministries.com/journal.html

"Willie Boy"---Town Drunk

THIS IS A FICTITIOUS STORY. I WROTE IT SOME TIME AGO FOR A CHRISTIAN BLOG THAT IS NO LONGER ACTIVE. THE MOTIVATION CAME FROM A REAL WORLD EVENT THAT OCCURRED WHILE I WAS SELLING CEMETERY PROPERTY. A DAD WITH A BROKEN HEART CAME TO HIS TEENAGE SON'S GRAVE EVERYDAY---RAIN OR SHINE. THE SON HAD DIED IN A CAR WRECK MANY YEARS AGO. SOMETIME HE WOULD STAND FOR JUST A FEW MINUTES---SOMETIMES FOR MANY MINUTES.

Every small town has at least one, sometimes two or three town drunks. Your Town had just one---“Willie Boy” Rigby.

“Willie Boy” was hardly your stereotypical town drunk. He never begged; never got belligerent; never passed out in public and only frequented one of Your Town’s three bars.

What then qualified “Willie Boy” as the town drunk?

His journey toward that dubious title started when William Rigby, wife Susan and 19 year old son Carl moved from Cleveland, Ohio to Your Town in 1968.

William was a prominent and very successful investment broker in Cleveland and brought his considerable fortune to Your Town because Susan wanted to be near her father and ailing mother.

Within a year the wheels started to come off William’s life: His mother-in-law dies; Susan rekindles a relationship with her high school sweetheart; and Carl is drafted into the Army.

The next year was even worse. Susan divorced him and Carl was killed in the Tet Offensive in Viet Nam.

William became very depressed and took early retirement. He sold their big, new home on the east side of Your Town and moved into an apartment downtown. His drinking migrated from the weekends, to three times a week, to every day in just a matter of a few weeks.

He was often seen standing with arms folded and head bowed at Carl’s grave. His clothes soon smelled like he washed them in liquor and he always looked like he needed about seven shaves.

The moniker of “Willie Boy” stuck after some mean-spirited teenage boys saw him walking to the cemetery and yelled from a car, “Hey, Willie you goin’ to see your dead boy?”   In an instant “Willie Boy” was born and soon the entire town called him by that name. He hated it but was powerless to change it.

Years passed and “Willie Boy” continued to drink heavily and make his daily journey to the cemetery.

One rainy morning he was struck by a hit-and-run driver. He lived for two days in ICU and was only able to utter a few intelligible words. He asked that his journal be brought to his bedside.

A policeman and a hospital social worker went to his apartment to retrieve his large, dog-eared, and smelly journal. He died clutching the journal.

At his graveside service the Captain of the Your Town Salvation Army read his obituary and some Bible verses and spoke of his search for peace. The Captain then opened the journal and shocked the small crowd when he read a statement that appeared at the top of each page: “Dear God, please send someone to help me today.”

On the inside of the back cover was penned something of a Will. “Whatever is left, divide equally among the five churches in town. Maybe they will try and help people like me. I miss Carl so much. I am very sad and so lonely---William Rigby.”

                                                                Glenn C. Peck, Pastor