I apologize that it has been so long since I wrote to my friends and family. I truly enjoy knowing that so many of you read this stuff, even Mrs. Helen Head who I deeply admire. I hope this finds her well. Recently Alidane McConaghy passed and I found myself considering that life is just a fleeting moment. Mom and Dad so loved Carl and Alidane. We will miss them.
So here we go:
I sit here listening to those old time hymns we use to sing in the Grainola Methodist Church and they remind me of a solid family life in the Osage. Just think back to when you use to sit in church even when you did not want to sit there. STOP and THINK. Why was it such a great feeling thinking back about those days? I believe it is because I heard something then that never left me, "Oh what a friend we have in Jesus". I admit I went a lot of directions but there was always that PIVOT POINT in my life that I never got so far away from that I could not see it. That PIVOT POINT was the old cross or was it the old bell that hung outside or was it just the idea that Jesus loved me even when I was out there taring things up with Eddie Harris and Jon Tanny Olsen and Hugh Allen Jones and Jimmy Heath or was it later when I became friends with AJ and Dave Jacques or was it Johnny Payne, David Howell and the list goes on and on. If you would like your names added to this send me an email with a short story of what we did. Anyway, life was really good in the Osage and Grainola and especially good old Shidler.
Of course we all get nostalgic, but what really mattered is the question. I think it was the values that our parents had about God and country and the time we gave to each other in our families and friends. If I was ever prejudice against anyone I don't know who it was or is today. It might be against someone who offended me intentionally or it might be a democrat (just kidding) but it was not a person of color or even sexual orientation (hope it was ok to say that). I don't agree with everyone or probably anyone 100% but I am not the judge. I learned that in the Osage from people like my Mom, Vea Harris, Gladys Snyder and Mrs. Shumate and others. One of the things I find today which actually is a reflection of myself up until I was about 30 years old is that I could quote the Bible and what it said without even reading it. Even after I accepted Christ's free gift I could quote the Bible without reading it. I guess that is like writing a book report for Mrs. Head without actually reading the entire book. I would never have done that! Somewhere about 22 years old I did start reading and studying the Bible just to find out it said very little of the things I thought I knew. Do you know anyone like me? or that was like me back then?
Well I have to tell you that today I find great joy in knowing more of what it says and I absolutely do not recall everything I have read accurately but the one thing I do know is, "God loves everyone" and it is up to me to decide to accept what He says in His book as truth. By the way we can argue about Romans and what it says about ELECTION but there is no doubt in my mind God loves everyone and gave us a choice. I chose to accept His gift.
Well that was fun and I am glad I am back.
So what did I learn in the Osage?
p.s. and thanks to Sue as she always lets me know when I mess up in my spelling and grammaticism and occasionally my facts.
So here we go:
I sit here listening to those old time hymns we use to sing in the Grainola Methodist Church and they remind me of a solid family life in the Osage. Just think back to when you use to sit in church even when you did not want to sit there. STOP and THINK. Why was it such a great feeling thinking back about those days? I believe it is because I heard something then that never left me, "Oh what a friend we have in Jesus". I admit I went a lot of directions but there was always that PIVOT POINT in my life that I never got so far away from that I could not see it. That PIVOT POINT was the old cross or was it the old bell that hung outside or was it just the idea that Jesus loved me even when I was out there taring things up with Eddie Harris and Jon Tanny Olsen and Hugh Allen Jones and Jimmy Heath or was it later when I became friends with AJ and Dave Jacques or was it Johnny Payne, David Howell and the list goes on and on. If you would like your names added to this send me an email with a short story of what we did. Anyway, life was really good in the Osage and Grainola and especially good old Shidler.
Of course we all get nostalgic, but what really mattered is the question. I think it was the values that our parents had about God and country and the time we gave to each other in our families and friends. If I was ever prejudice against anyone I don't know who it was or is today. It might be against someone who offended me intentionally or it might be a democrat (just kidding) but it was not a person of color or even sexual orientation (hope it was ok to say that). I don't agree with everyone or probably anyone 100% but I am not the judge. I learned that in the Osage from people like my Mom, Vea Harris, Gladys Snyder and Mrs. Shumate and others. One of the things I find today which actually is a reflection of myself up until I was about 30 years old is that I could quote the Bible and what it said without even reading it. Even after I accepted Christ's free gift I could quote the Bible without reading it. I guess that is like writing a book report for Mrs. Head without actually reading the entire book. I would never have done that! Somewhere about 22 years old I did start reading and studying the Bible just to find out it said very little of the things I thought I knew. Do you know anyone like me? or that was like me back then?
Well I have to tell you that today I find great joy in knowing more of what it says and I absolutely do not recall everything I have read accurately but the one thing I do know is, "God loves everyone" and it is up to me to decide to accept what He says in His book as truth. By the way we can argue about Romans and what it says about ELECTION but there is no doubt in my mind God loves everyone and gave us a choice. I chose to accept His gift.
Well that was fun and I am glad I am back.
So what did I learn in the Osage?
- Don't quote something you never read
- Don't judge a book by its cover, people too
- If you reject something or someone, get to know them first
I just love all of you for reading my STUFF,
gary@thepioneerman.com
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