Space

Scripture

When hard pressed, I cried to the Lord; he brought me into a spacious place.

~Psalm 118:5, NIV

Quote

The country life is to be preferred, for there we see the works of God, but in the cities little else but the works of men. And the one makes a better subject for contemplation than the other.

~William Penn

Psalm 118:5 may become my life verse: I hate restricted places and I adore freedom. This may explain why I hate traffic. Actually, I enjoy driving but I despise traffic and I especially react to being boxed in: I like space. I will do whatever is necessary to keep an 18 wheeler from being in front, in behind and beside me. Trust me, if you dive I-40 from Little Rock to Memphis, it will happen. There are more big rigs on that stretch than Carter has liver pills. I’m in tune with the old Roy Rogers song, “Don’t Fence Me In.” It begins like this…Oh, give me land, lots of land under starry skies above, Don’t fence me in; Let me ride through the wide open country that I love, Don’t fence me in” [Sing it Roy]. I remember 35 plus years ago, Joe Fitz and I took the boys from church to explore the caves that run under Hartselle and we crawled through some tight places. I had no qualms about it then but I ‘m not about to crawl in a cave these days. The older I get the more I fear tight places.

The word ‘distress’ is used a lot in the Psalms and it literally means to be caught in a straight, a narrow place where there is no freedom to maneuver. Distress is what I feel when I get in a tight. I drove the girls to Bell Buckle a couple of weeks back and we stopped in Shebyville to eat dinner. It was misting rain but that doesn’t bother me: what bothered me was the traffic. I could feel the anxiety building so I let Hannah drive and then I experienced an anxiety of a different sort. I went to Hartselle last Friday evening about 5:00 p.m. and the traffic in Hartselle is getting bad. No one will let you in: where are the Christians? I was trying to get back on to 31 there at Little Ceasars and they would not merge to the left lane, which was empty, so that I could get out. Where are the courteous drivers like Jason and myself? Don’t fence me in!

TRUNK-A-TRAIL or whatever went great: it’s like falling off a log…I love it and I get to do it again Thursday night at GRACE POINT. I think the final count was 1,012 and the gospel was clearly presented 9 times thanks to David and his brother-in-law. Everyone in the community will know Mr. Nice Guy. Bill’s team get’s an A plus, even old Gregg did pretty good.

It is going to be a busy week: I have something every night: Lord willing, I am taking November 7th off. I think I will go to Crow Mountain and get me some apple cider. The leaves are beginning to turn and some cool weather is coming this weekend.

Don’t forget to pray for Tracey B and our REVIVAL at GRACE POINT with Dr. T. Ray Keenum and Sir Douglas Seaver.

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