"May Your Christmas Blessings Follow Through The New Year"

The Christmas celebration is over, but hopefully Christ will remain in each heart for the rest of your lives. We had a very wonderful time with all of our family, although not all were with us for dinner. We talked with  everyone and shared their blessings too. Rhonda and Randy were with us for two days and nights and Chuck was here also. I thank God for all the good food we had, and the wonderful fellowship. Even Randy and Charles put the football games on mute so they could join in the conversation between Rhonda and I. It must have been prettty interesting for those two to divert their attention to our chit-chat. Randy cleaned all the snow and ice off our driveway and sidewalks. We can walk to the car and go get the paper without fear of falling. We got some very nice gifts from our children and we want to thank them all for giving us so much.
     I would like to ask for prayers from all who will join with us for a  special need. We are adding a new member to our family in March 2012. This little babe is a great nephew of mine and it has lymphangioma. I beleive in miracles and I know many of you do also. Let us pray for God to heal this little baby even before it is born.
     Pray especially for the right nominee in the GOP presidential election. It is more important now than ever before. Your prayer and vote will make a difference.

Happy New Year to all
Love and God bless.
Myrtle Jean Sharp

Beautiful Church Service Today

The church service at First Christian Church was very touching this morning. The awesome sanctuary is decorated to the hilt. It almost felt like we were at Jesus' banquet. The choir, all dressed in red tops, sang several beautiful Chistmas songs. The lighting of the candles was very touching. A heart touching Christmas poem was read, along with some other inspirational readings. A good size crowd watched with great reverence as the performers so gracefully performed. The pastor gave a short sermon titled, "God looks Down." Luke 1: 47-55. He pointed out that God chose a lowly woman to bear his son, a handmaiden if you will. He did not choose the daughter of a King, or a man of high esteem, to bear His son, but the daughter of a poor man. His son was not born in the nicest room at the Inn, but was born outside where the livestock sleep. The Inn was full when Mary and Joseph tried to check in. Jesus was born in a stable and placed in a manger. He had hay for a mattress. The cows mooed while baby Jesus slept. I personally enjoyed and appreciated everyone who had a part in the service today. May God bless each and everyone of you.

God bless
Myrtle Jean Sharp

"Merry Christmas to Everyone"

I did not get to hear the pastor's sermon today since I had to work in the kitchen. (Pot luck) The theme of his sermon was "The Unknown Light." John 1: 6-17. I read the scripture and this is what I got from it. ch. 6. There was a man sent from God, whose name was John.  The same came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all men through him might believe. He, John, was not the Light, but was sent to bear witness of that light.  That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world. He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not. He came unto his own, and his own received him not.
John was sent into this world before Jesus was. John and Jesus's mothers were cousins. John's mother, Elizabeth, was pregrant with John when the angel Gabriel, came to tell Mary, Jesus mother, that she was going to bear a son also. The angel told Mary that his name would be Jesus. Unlike Elizabeth, Mary was not married, just betrothed, which is a promise to be married. To put this plain, Mary had not sleep or lain with any man, and now the angel was telling her she was going to have a son. He, which is the Light, the scripture is speaking of, is Jesus. ch. 12. but as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that beleive on his name. LISTEN TO ch.13. Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, not of the will of man,(or Mary) but of God. And the Word, (Jesus) was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth. If you remember, John had spoken to the people telling them that he, John, baptized with water, but one was coming later whose shoes he,John, would not to worthy to unlose. He, John, said that one, Jesus, would baptizse with the Holy Ghost. Jesus was the Light that was unknown by the people.

God bless
Myrtle jean Sharp

"Preparing The Path" 2 Peter 8-15

According to our pastor today, some people are just tired of waiting on Jesus to come back to earth and take us home. They want to go now. He pointed out that some would rather be pleasure seekers than workers. "Hurry Lord, cause I'm tired of working and waiting." But 2 Peter 3, 8 says "one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day." How much longer have we got to wait? The scripture goes on to say, "The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackkness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance." A sure sign that we have to all stay repented or we will miss the eternal heavens. Verse 10, But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night: in which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are within shall be burned up. Are we getting tired of working for the Lord? I personally love working for my Lord. I am 79 years old and have a husband who is 85, who has been battleing cancer for 5 years. Today I was elected to serve as a deacon on our church board for a term of three years. "Please pray for me." Chapter 14, "Wherefore, beloved, seeing that ye look for such things, be diligent that ye may be found of him in peace, without spot, and blameless. I truly believe that more is going to be required from us than what most of us think.

God bless
Jean Sharp

An Awesome "CHRISTmust Be Celebrated" Theme At Church Today.

I was struck by the awesome beauty of Christmas decorations hanging high and low in the big sanctuary of our church this morning. One had to stop a moment and reverence the Christ Child for which the decorations symbolized. It was almost like every inch of space was decorated. Plants of poinsettias lined the entire front of the stage. In the isles at the end of every pew sat a poinsetta plant. On either side of the stage two silver trees stood glowing as a reminder that some child somewhere needed a gift for Christmas. The trees were gracing little paper angels with a childs name on it. Every person who took an angel bought a gift for that child. Every angel had to be claimed by someone. Today was the beginning of Christmas for me. In the large dinning room of our church the many tables were each laid with a bright red cloth. A center piece of green pineneedles formed a circular holder for a big red candle. Pine cones, ribbons, and colored bulbs added elegance to the beautiful focal point of the table.Out side in front of the church an astounding display of the manger scene with the Virgin Mary and the baby Jesus, stands to remind us all of our hope for eternity.
     Our beautiful Christmas of celebrating the Savior of the world is in jeopardy. The evil one has almost destroyed all two-thousand plus years of tradional praise and honor to our King. I hope everyone will stop and think just what it will be like when we can no longer keep Jesus in Christmas. Folks, it's coming sooner than you think. My suggestion would be to bury your head in the holy bible while you still can, and memorize every word you possible can. The enemy can take our bibles, but they can't take the word out of our hearts.

God bless all
Jean Sharp  

May Your Thanksgiving Blessings Continue Through 2012

Charles and I had a wonderful Thanksgiving. We visited the cancer doctor on November 22 in Oklahoma Ciry. The report was good and Charles don't need to go back until May 24, 2012. We are thankful for that. We also visited with two of my sisters and their families for two days. We had chosen to have Thanksgiving dinner at The Mart Restaurant in my hometown of Weatherford OK. We arrived there about 12;30 pm. The meal was ever so good, and it was just nice being back in the city where I grew up.We got home about 4:00 pm. tired, but relaxed also. I called my brother, John, at West Lake Towakoni, TX  near Dallas, and visited with him for nearly an hour. My visits with him are always a blessing.

I missed church last Sunday because I rented a booth at an Arts and Crafts show on Saturday and Sunday. I sold several of my books and was happy to visit with so many friends. I am still writing on a novel which I hope to be able to sell the manuscript. It is the most fun thing I have ever done yet. When I finish it I am going to have to read the entire book again to see what all happened because I don't know from one chapter to the next just what is going to happen. It really is quite unbelievable, but also believable.

I will talk to you again later, until then have a happy month getting ready for Christmas.
God bless
Jean Sharp

My Next Book

Above or Below

Joe and Bertha had sold their home in Denver, Colorado and moved to a one hundred acre track of land in the mountains near Weston, Colorado. The place was only accessible by jeep after leaving the main road. They had bought a small mobile home and moved it to their land. Both Joe and Bertha wanted to be as far from people as they could get. They decided to put their wee mobile home near the very top of a high mountain. It took all day for a bulldozer to pull the small house trailer to the chosen spot. The second day was spent getting the trailer leveled, since there was not a spot of level ground big enough to sit the cozy portable home. The jeep had to be parked at the foot of the mountain, leaving Joe and Bertha with the task of climbing a far piece to reach their exciting headquarters. Amazingly, over a short period of time all the furnishings that would be needed to live here comfortably had been packed up the mountain and moved into the hide-a-way with each detail of useful necessity finding it’s respectful place. A 50 gallon drum was rolled and pushed up the slope of the mountain. It would be used for a water storage tank. Water was carried in gallon jugs and poured into the drum. Drinking water was left in the jugs. Two butane tanks accommodated the trailer when it was pulled to the site. Cooking and heating for the winter months would be provided by butane. Bertha was also able to find a butane refrigerator small enough to pack up the mountain. Joe built an outhouse with logs. Oil lamps were used for light. Everything was finished and a very excited young couple was ready to explore their 100 acres of rugged land. There was so many tall pine and aspen trees until one had to almost wind their way through the thick brush. An awesome beauty of nature surrounded their happy lives.
Joe and Bertha had made a comfortable living back in Denver selling insurance and writing articles for magazine companies. They had decided long ago that they wanted to write a book on the things that they loved most; the nature of God’s great creation. Now they had become full time dwellers and lovers of the great and beautiful works of the creator of all. They had no children and were nearing their middle thirties. They had chosen the ‘ripe ole time’ for exploring the known as well as the unknown. Neither of them had a science degree, but because of their adventurous desire to know more about, “what’s out there,” they agreed to let nothing stop them. Living here on this mountain fulfilled the craving for complete peace and quietness. There was no telephone, no TV, no newspaper, no radio, nothing that might clutter their mind and hamper their keen sense of venturous desire. Their mailbox was located on the main road where they turned off to go up to the top of the mountain where they lived. They had to walk down the mountain to get to the jeep then drive the rest of the way to the mailbox. Usually they just picked up their mail once a week.
With all the necessary living gear in place, Joe and Bertha drove into Trinidad and bought grocery supplies such as canned meat, milk, dried fruits, brown beans, dehydrated potatoes, macaroni, cheese, and lots more of non-perishable foods. Crackers and beef jerky were a big part of their food supply. They also bought a good supply of vitamins and medicine. Two of the most important items were note books with pens, and a camera with lots of film. They would be taking these things with them every time they went out to explore their land. Included on the list of, must get items, were two weather-proof sleeping bags and two large back packs.
It took several trips for the new, nature enthusiasts, mountain dwellers, to pack all of their supplies up the steep slope to their trailer home. Before long everything was put up to display properly. All things were organized so it would only take minutes to decide what they wanted to fix for the next meal. The little trailer was small, but compact. A large box of wooden matches was clearly visible near the tiny cook stove. An oil lamp sat close to the matchbox. A five gallon oil tank was stationed under the steps of the trailer. In the morning Joe and Bertha would be setting out on their first real adventure.
Joe and Bertha woke up early. They wanted to eat a good breakfast before starting out on their journey. Bertha prepared a delicious meal of biscuits, sausage, eggs, and gravy. They hurriedly cleaned the dishes, packed a lunch and grabbed their back packs which had been packed the night before. Locking the door behind them, they started out on their first assignment. The slight summer breeze with daylight breaking made for an exciting and welcoming rush for the great out-door, unfamiliar, sights. Their plans were to go to the boundaries of all four sides of their property. They knew that this would take several weeks because the tall pine and aspen trees were very thick. Lots of brush and foliage covered most of the ground. They brought their compass hoping not to get lost for long periods. Hundreds of acres surrounded their small acreage. Joe thought that he might not be able to recognize a boundary line if he came to one. Today they mostly wanted to check out the rocks and possibly caves, or anything else that might be on their land. As they ventured on their journey Bertha thought the nearest thing to remind them of the busy city and hard work that they had left was little squirrels scampering around trying to find food to store up for the coming winter months. Birds were chirping and singing, darting in and out of the trees as if to get attention and reminding the new crusaders of their freedom. After walking and winding their way through the tall pines for several hours, they came upon some skeletal remains of some kind of animal, maybe a bear or cougar, they guessed. They took notes of this discovery and moved on. Before long they began to have a little more ground view as the brush began to get thinner. They could see where some rocks had been placed to form a kind of monument, supposedly. Bertha thought a hole in the ground was significant. It was about two feet wide and three or four feet long. She couldn’t see the bottom for it was filled in with dead leaves with foliage growing over it. The imaginary grave appeared to be man-made, and had been there for quite some time. While Bertha was still taking notes, Joe ventured a short distance ahead. He suddenly yelled out, “hey! What do you think this is?” Bertha moved as fast as she could to reach him knowing that Joe had found something unusual. She looked the object over. Obviously it was a missing part to some kind of aircraft or something that had flown over this land. The object was shaped like a wheel about six inches in diameter and one and one-half inches thick. It was a dark gray color with markings that made no sense to the couple who found it. The wheel-like object had three long slanted lines with two triangle shaped designs and four horizontal lines directly under the triangles. Five X’s were lined across from the horizontal lines. On the other side of the wheel was a tiny square box shape design with a marking similar to a C with another marking like a tiny A inside the C mark. There was no bearing what so ever of this object being a U S made object. However, both Joe and Bertha knew that the USA makes many things that most people never see. Joe decided that it was not a US invention. He thought it might be something from a space ship sent into orbit from another country. There was no rust or embedded dirt. It surely couldn’t have been here long. Bertha looked at Joe as he studied the strange object. She had laid down on the ground with her arm resting on elbow. Her head was braced by the palm of her hand. Joe’s black hair had grown out and was falling down over his eyes. He had grown a slight beard. His tall lean body stood brave and steady reminding her of the handsome guy she married while in college fifteen years ago. Joe glanced at Bertha. Her long brown hair had mostly fallen from the bun she had put in into this morning. She was smiling at Joe and he returned the smile. Slowly moving toward Bertha, Joe lay down beside her. “What a wonderful experience we have had this morning,” Joe softly spoke, reaching out to touch her. Suddenly nothing else in the world was more important than the two of them being in each others arms.
After a few moments of God’s blessings, both agreed to unpack their lunch and eat. After eating and resting, the couple returned the food and dishes to the backpack. Then they carefully put the little gray wheel into Joe’s back pack. They pulled a few weeds and gathered some dead twigs to form a kind of marker for them to remember if they should come upon this place again. The sun shone brightly, but the breeze was cool making walking on this expedition a pleasant matter.
A short distance ahead they could see the remains of an old fence row. It could be the west boundary line of their land. They started walking northward while being distracted with several objects of interest. An old rusty horseshoe large enough to fit the hoof of a giant horse. A tin can with lid rusted so badly it wouldn’t open, possibly an old tobacco can. The two explorers were sure they would find a nugget of gold before long. They must be close to an old mine that had been shut down for many years. Searching through every patch of cactus, every dead tree limb, and anything that might be a hiding place for a clue to something that might reveal a long hidden secret, Joe and Bertha probed diligently. Little by little they moved on northward as the sun was beginning to hide behind the trees. They knew that before long it would be too dark to find anything of interest. They would have to unroll their sleeping bags, eat their leftovers from lunch and start out fresh in the morning. Just a few more minutes were left to rummage the exciting place of artifacts. As the couple began to step through the rough ditches and tall weeds they spotted an old board leaning toward the ground with another board holding it up. They moved closer to the old falling frame of an dilapidated cabin. The closer they got to the ruins the more they could see piles of rotted wood. By now it was too dark to start digging through the remains. They hurriedly unrolled the sleeping bags, laying them a short distance from the fallen shack. Each of the tired hungry campers were ready to swallow anything that came near their mouths. Some of the biscuits and sausage that was left from breakfast this morning was still tasty tonight. Both eager beavers swallowed a lot of water and marveled at what they thought would be discovered tomorrow in this pile of rubble. Maybe, they thought, a skeleton might be buried under the ruins. It possibly could be holding a secret code to where some gold might be buried. They knew if that was the case it would be very unlikely that they could find the scoop, because neither of them knew anything about this land or the language arts of the early dwellers. At least they had a lot of dreaming to do before daylight. It had been such a wonderful, exciting day, and they were anticipating a restful night while sleeping under the cool moonlight of the Colorado mountainous region. Finding it hard to relax, both city dwellers turned into night hawks. They kept thinking about tomorrow and how lucky they had been finding a place of perfect peace and happiness among the tall pines of the highlands of Colorado. Could heaven possibly be any better than this, they echoed.
Deep into the night Bertha heard an unfamiliar sound that caused her heart to beat so loud she thought the sound’s originator would surely hear it. She was too scared to awake Joe. Slowly she moved further down in her sleeping bag with her head completely covered. After a few moments of silence, the alarm sounded again. Joe raised up and said to Bertha, “ What was that noise?” Bertha’s heartbeat had slowed down a bit, but was pounding again now. Joe’s 357 magnum pistol was by his side. He reached to pull it out while raising himself up in the sleeping bad. Bertha whispered, “I heard it a while ago.” Both campers were ready now for a kill or die situation. If this unknown creature became visible, Joe was sure he would shoot to kill. It would be too late if he waited to see what it was because there wasn’t enough light for him to tell until the angry monster was right before them. After sitting quietly for an hour or so, Joe decided to check the time. His watch had a light that let him see the time. It was 4:00 am. Two hours before the break of dawn. It was too early to get up, but too late to go back to bed. Something was hindering their sleeping schedule. All they could do was wait for the sun to come up and scrounge their back pack for something to eat. They had water and coffee grounds, but couldn’t make a fire yet to boil it. Fearing at any time the alarm might go off again, Joe and Bertha continued to be ready for the worse. They were mostly silent while they waited for another warning from the intruder. After all they were on their own land. Other more familiar noises could be heard occasionally such as squirrels or some small rodent prowling around. Joe knew that wild animals like bear and mountain lions were among the dwellers of this rugged country side. For that reason he had loaded his pistol and kept it near by; but the sound he heard was not coming from neither of those animals. He was still trying to decide the origin of the blood curdling call that woke him up.
Joe and Bertha began to see a ray of light breaking through. They knew it wouldn’t be long now before they could start a fire and boil some coffee. The early morning arrival was most welcome and everything had been quite for about two hours. Whatever the mystery warning had been was no longer a concern for the hungry night owls. They could hardly wait for daylight to make coffee, eat some beef jerky with biscuits and honey, then start digging for clues that would tell them more about this old, one time cabin, that even now was far from any human activity. Joe guessed that the cabin was built in the late seventies or early eighteen hundreds. He could tell that the rotten boards had been split with an axe from pine logs. That’s about all he could distinguish last night before it began to get dark. Bertha was hoping to find something that a woman had used, but she doubted that a lady had ever lived there. Probably just an old mountaineer scouting for gold.
It was light enough now to gather some sticks and start a fire. Before long a bright hot blaze was warming up the campsite. Bertha poured water into the coffee pot from a gallon jug she had carried on her back pack. Two more gallons were traveling on Joe’s back. After spooning coffee grounds into the water, Bertha set the pot on the hot fire. Before long the coffee was boiling. Reaching into the travel bag, Bertha brought out two tin mugs for the coffee. She arranged the left-over biscuits on a tin plate and covered them with honey. The beef jerky was soft enough to eat like crisp bacon. Breakfast was even better this morning than It was at home. All fear and frustration had disappeared from the scouters minds. They hurriedly finished their breakfast, cleaned the cups and plates then put everything back into the back pack. After rolling the bedroll tightly the couple begin to look for something that would tell them more about the discovery of the old fallen down shelter that had at one time served some one efficiently. One by one the old rotten logs and planks were moved about without much stash being found. Just as the last three boards lying on the ground were moved it was quite noticeable that a sunken place had been covered by the boards. Two minds began to work fast to decide what to do next. The only tools they had that could be used to dig with was a long butcher knife and a large metal spoon. “We have got to dig now” the two would be, archaeologist, agreed. The two tools they had stored in their backpacks could not have been more suitable.
The little that these two diggers knew about uncovering artifacts included the importance of fragile digging. They had the perfect pair of digging equipment for uncovering what ever might be buried there. Slowly the grave began to start sinking. The knife, used by Joe, broke up the dry soil while the spoon, used by Bertha, scooped it out. It was believed by both excavators that something was buried here. The space from which they were digging was approximately 4’+ 7’. There was no doubt but that it would take a lot of time to dig out the entire grave, but both Joe and Bertha were set on doing that. They had planned on being out on this expedition for a week. They had brought enough food and water for the duration. The scary night that they had spent there seemed to have slipped their minds. Would they really spend another night there? Time was going by fast now. The couple had grown tired and needed to stop and eat some lunch. Bertha took out some canned lunch meat, some crackers, cheese, and opened some soft drinks. The food and rest gave them more energy sending them back to digging. While having lunch the two curiosity seekers racked their brains for answers to so many questions they had. Was there really anything buried in this grave or was it just a tunnel or something leading to a deeper cave. Could a person really be buried here and if so do they want to dig the bones up? More important to the young enthusiasts than anything else was finding a pot of gold. Gold mining was a full time and booming business back in the late eighties. Buried pots of gold were rumored to be in these very mountains. Certainly digging up old graves, if that be the case, was not illegal for this couple for they had bought and paid for the land with everything that was on it. The digging continued with a larger mound of dirt forming with each spoon full.
Just at a time when both diggers had started to feel stupid, Bertha felt something hard as she raked with her spoon. It was the first time anything had been touched except dirt. She quickly cried out, “I have found something besides dirt.” She gently moved a little more of the soft soil until she could see a part of an iron object. Joe began to help with the discovery. The more of the object they uncovered the bigger it seemed to get, although they could tell that it was not a pot. Both digging enthusiast were carefully working so not to damage the possible valuable object. The depth of the hole was now about 18”. Things began to look more promising as the excavators worked cautiously.
The sound of a jet passing over caught the attention of the working couple. Something as fast and furious as the flying jet was a far cry from digging a 4+7 foot hole in the ground with depth unknown, using only a knife and a spoon. Still the unfinished work had to go on. This was a special assignment agreed upon by both Joe and Bertha. They were not missing the big city life or the large pay checks that they were use to getting. The more unexplored regions with all the beauty of nature was a dream come true for these two outdoors characters. Adventure and working through impossible perplexities are the total thrill of these two champions. The piece of iron was now taking on the appearance of some kind of weapon. At least the idea of it made for a better feel of how and where to dig. Joe was now using the knife to slide along the long piece of metal object . Bertha started scooping dirt off the top until she reached another hard surface. After a few more scoops of dirt it was obvious that an old riffle was the buried treasure, At least part of it. Joe was now able to uncover the prized weapon faster since he knew the shape and size of most riffles. Still working with patience, he continued to lift the old rifle out of the burial site. It was all intact, even the stock, although most of the wood was rotted. “What a find,” Joe sighed, “I can’t wait to clean and research this old charming antique. I will be able to know how old this gun is when I find the serial number. He was sure the rifle was a Musket, probably a French-made flintlock made around the late seventeen hundreds. No doubt this rifle had been a life savior many times for some brave forerunner. After Joe examined all the details of the precious find, he began to wonder just how he could secure this fragile treasure while continuing on his journey. The perfect thought came to his mind. He used a small towel from the backpack to wrap tightly around the decaying stock. He tied it with string ripped from a cotton shirt taken from the backpack. Finally the two happy treasure diggers thought of a way to carry their valuable snatch. A blanket rolled up inside the sleeping bag proved to be the perfect rifle case. Joe gently laid the old flintlock on a blanket spread out on the ground. He closed the sides of the make-shift gun case by folding the blanket over both ends of the rifle. He then rolled the bundle of soft wool till only about a five foot bed roll was surmised. He used the rest of the shirt to tear strips and tie the bedroll tightly from end to end. He then made a shoulder strap to place under each arm while walking the rugged ground.
Bertha had been making notes of everything that was happening. She was also snapping photos to back up her stories. Little did either of them ever imagine just what their story was fixing to turn into. It all started as just a hobby with which a young couple retired from their jobs in Denver, Colorado to become self supporting by writing a book and live from the proceeds. They had sold their home and all the furniture to buy this hundred acre track of land. The couple had enough savings to buy the small mobile home and jeep, with plenty to live on until they could write and sell their book. They both had family living in Denver and planned to visit them from time to time. As for now these two people had a lot of work ahead of them. Work that both of them loved.
After securing the fragile piece of history, Joe and Bertha tried to decide whether to go on with the digging or not. They were tired and needed to rest before eating their food. At this time, with the day turning into evening, it was evident that the night would be spent here again. A quick tremble came over Bertha at the thought of spending another night here. After what she and Joe had done today, the spirits might really be upset tonight. It wasn’t that Bertha believed in ghost or anything like that, but she had certainly heard a lot of phantom stories. Especially if you get close to their possessions. Joe’s gun would not kill the madness of these unseen spirits. Without telling Joe her thoughts, Bertha knew she must be brave and conquer the fear. If anything life-like should come upon them, Joe’s gun would be ready for kill.
It was time to eat and get ready for the night again. Beef jerky, cheese, cracker, and fruit cake was the menu tonight. Anything tasted good after a long tiresome day such as this one had been. After finishing with the meal, everything put back into the bag, and bed rolls made out, the couple began to discuss their plans for tomorrow. They had not dug very deep into the grave before the gun was discovered, leading them to believe that there might be something else deeper. Yet it had taken most of the day to dig less than two feet. The decision was not going to be made tonight, they finally agreed. Depending upon how the night went and with their tired bodies, they thought it best to wait. It was still light when the happy campers crawled into their sleeping bags, but not before kissing and telling each other good night.
The bedrolls were spread close enough together so either sleeper could touch each other if necessary. Holding hands and speaking lowly, the couple continued to express their theories about the remaining parts of someone’s past. An old shack had obviously been the safe haven of at least one person, perhaps an old gold seeker staking his life on finding his pot at the end of the rainbow. The question still was unanswered. Did the old prospector find the pot? Did he leave it here or take it with him? Since the rifle had been buried many years ago, did it mean that the old fellow was murdered and buried with his gun? Probably not because anyone in their right mind would take the rifle with them. Maybe a son had lost his father to a case of pneumonia or something and wanted to leave his ‘saving grace’ with him Was his spirit still haunting this site? Could there be other gravesites close by? No doubt Indian population was part of this region, about the time it was surmised by Joe, that this shack was erected. Soon after the darkness had covered them, the couple fell asleep.
Yes it definitely was a wild animal of some kind close enough that Joe and Bertha could hear the brush crushing as the beast walked through. The day was just breaking with the sleepers just awakening. Joe reached for his pistol, while Bertha found the butcher knife, as sharp as a razor after rubbing against rocks all day yesterday while digging in the grave. Extra bullets were quickly dropped into Joe’s pant pockets. He knew that quit possibly 6 shots in the cylinder would not bring down a large beast even if he was lucky enough to hit every time. The beast might stop charging, but still would be dangerous. With both armed guards sitting boldly waiting for an attack, silence filled the air. Very cautiously the armed couple glanced from left to right, knowing that the, would be attacker, might be perched in a tree close by. Waiting and waiting for another sound, the anxiety began to build. It was too quite for comfort. The uneasy campers was sure that the deadly creature was still close by. The dawn began to turn to light making it easier now to spy something of the unordinary nature. The attack could happen any second. The suspense was worse than the head on assault. Another thought came to Joe’s mind. What if there was more than one animal? Usually wild animals roamed in pairs. If there were two or more, the risk of defeating them all was great. Only if it was absolutely a must, did Joe intend for Bertha to use the big sharp knife. Twelve shots had to be fired first, then Joe would take control of the knife. Finally after nearly two hours of intense readiness, the couple began to relax a bit. They started a fire never leaving their weapons over a few feet. The feeling was that a fire would help to drive the beast away. Also some coffee was needed at this time. The big fire blazed higher and higher toward the sky. After some time the two exhausted camper guards let the fire calm down so coffee could be put on. Neither of the fighters were hungry yet. Coffee must come first. Bertha brought out the pot and filled it with water. She dumped in a few more grounds than usual this morning. They needed some extra stimulate, as the nervous system was overworked. How good the aroma smelled as the water boiled the coffee grounds. The tin mugs were filled to the brim. The shaky hands that held the mugs were almost dangerous to be drinking hot coffee with. After the first cup, the grip was a bit more studier. Very quickly the pot was empty. The tension had let up drastically. Bertha cleaned the pot and mugs and stored them back into the backpack. The fire was still burning, but they were not going to use it anymore this morning.
Feeling a little more at ease, the suspicious beast watchers decided to dig a little deeper in the hole. Each took their tools and moved over to the digging site, hoping to find more buried treasure. It was hard to settle down to scratching at the dirt so soon after the daring episode with the wild beast. Hunger had not yet taken hold, but the empty stomachs were starting to growl. Just a few more scoops then they would stop and feed their craws. “Look!” Bertha called, “I see something like a bone.” “Oh no,” Joe thought, he can’t be buried here also. Joe glanced over to look at what Bertha was talking about. Sure enough it was a bone of some kind. All thought of stopping and eating suddenly vanished. The ex-owner of the old Musket riffle was now about to appear. They kept digging with the greatest of caution. Their deepest respect would be given to this person who had resided in this wild for God only knows how long. Suddenly a loud growl grabbed their attention. Joe snatched his 357 revolver and looked up right into the eyes of a huge mountain lion. Bracing his body with arms straight ahead Joe pulled the trigger. The bullet hit where Joe had aimed, right between the eyes. The beast charged forward, Joe shot again hitting it in the neck. The stubborn monoester refused to drop. The shooting continued until Joe had emptied his gun. The huge cat dropped just a few yards from where the shooter was standing. Joe quickly reloaded his gun. A mate to this wicked animal might be coming. The two scared, trembling, guards were in complete physical distress, even so they were braced for another encounter at any moment. One thing they knew for sure, as soon as things calmed down, they would be covering the grave and moving on. The dear old settler could continue to rest in peace. The question now was how much longer would they have to wait before it was safe to move on. This battlefield was not a far distance from their own little mobile home. They could walk it in just over an hour if nothing hindered their movement. With the help of their compass, they felt sure the winding trail wouldn’t take longer than an hour and a half. A nice shower would sure go good right now. The fragile rifle needed to be taken home before their journey continued. The couple were thinking and planning while they waited for a safe escape. Using the note book and the compass, Joe was sure they could draw a map that would lead them back to this place. After all it was a place of interest and never to be forgotten, battleground. Ghost sounds had awaken them their first night there, then the sound of approaching animals early of the second morning, then later on the same day an actual attack from the mountain lion. Lots of pictures and notes had been made by Bertha to include in their book.
The hunger pains had started. It was time to raid the backpack for something to eat. They needed all of the strength they could possible get. Bertha found a small can of deviled ham. A jar of baby dill pickles would go good with that. Crackers and cheese would top it off. They both ate heartily. Everything tasted good. After they finished eating and putting the remains back into the backpack, The energized couple strolled over to take a look at their kill. No doubt but this angry lion was ready to shred both of them to pieces. Bertha took several pictures of the dead animal, then walked away feeling lucky herself to still be alive. Using one of the rotten pine boards that had served as a covering for the grave, Joe began to rake the mound of dirt back into the hole. After the entire pile was replaced to the grave, Joe and Bertha tromped for several minutes to pack the soil before placing the boards back over the site. The campsite fire was covered with dirt, and all debris was cleared before the couple left to find their way back home. A lot more of this same maneuvering lay ahead. After a few days at home catching up on the mail, putting the film, note book, prized possession and a few other things in place, the couple planned to strike out again.
As the two campers were loading their gear, they realized that the extra backpack was going to be a bit clumsy while winding their way through some places where the timber was thick. It certainly was best to be going back to the place that they now called home. Bertha was making a map using the compass as they traveled slowly through the tall pines. This was the third day since they left and a lot had happened. The relics they were bringing home would prove to be more than they ever dreamed of. Weaving in and out of the brush-covered ground, amongst tall trees, climbing the steep slopes began to tire out the two explorers. They dared not stop to rest for the load they were carrying would be too hard to unpack then load again. Finally the fatigue was such that they decided to lean against a tree while waiting to regain their strength.
Bertha noticed something not far from where they were standing. She could barely see something moving though the trees. “Look Joe,” she whispered. “Do you see something over yonder, pointing in the direction where she thought something moved?” Joe stared for a minute then answered, “ yes I believe it is a person. Who could possibly be out here on our land, and for what reason?” The two of them watched for several minutes, but the figure didn’t seem to be traveling. Finally Joe said to Bertha, “lets go see what it is.” As they moved closer to the site, they could now see that it was a man. They could also see a make-shift tent. Maybe, they thought, they might be on someone else’s land. Could they be lost or just not know for sure where they were. As they walked in the direction of the stranger, it was evident now that the old fellow could see them. He started walking to meet them. “Hello sir.” Joe put out his hand for a shake. The old gentleman grunted, “how do you do?” “Are you camped here,” Joe asked? “No,” he replied, “I live here.” Waiting for more information, Joe looked all around the campsite. Finally he realized the old gentleman was not going to volunteer any more. “What brought you here to live,” Joe asked? “I guess the disappointment in a woman, and the worry of making a living in the big city,” he answered. At this time the old fellow began to talk. “My name is Jim Baker, and I came out here fifteen years ago. “Your name sir?” “Yes sir, my name is Joe Cook, this is my wife, Bertha. We just recently moved over yonder on that mountain. We live in a small mobile home, and we have bought some land here.” All the time Joe was talking to Jim, he was studying the keen eyes of an old man, which were sitting back in the sockets more than they normally should. His hair and beard was long and white. He was about 6’ tall and had a slim frame. It was obvious that this guy never bathed or changed cloths very often. Jim started talking again. “I never see anyone except when I go into town once a month to get my check and buy groceries.” Bertha had been listening to this strange man and her husband long enough. It was her time to talk. “Jim,” she asked, “do you have any family?” “I have three sisters,” he replied. “ I haven’t heard from them in years. They have their own families to care for. They don’t even know where I’m at.” “Well,” Bertha remarked, “we must move on before it gets dark, we are hunting for our cottage, but we know that its not far from here.” “Good day, I will probably see you again,” Jim replied.
The weary couple walked away thinking, for what reason is this old fellow here. It did not seem logical for him to just be living out here in these mountains without a purpose. Wondering exactly which direction to follow, left, right , or straight ahead, the couple moved slowly. High above the mountain, what appeared to be some kind of a tank falling toward the ground caught the eyes of an already curious couple. It must be something that had dropped from a jet, they decided. It was obvious now that the object wasn’t falling, but gliding. Bertha could see a long type nose apparatus attached to the space ship, presumably. It was turning from left to right. The strange vessel seemed to be headed right toward Joe and Bertha. All at once it disappeared behind the close-by mountain. This would have to be their next assignment, they decided.
A short time latter, the couple recognized that they were nearing their much needed , “haven of rest.” Totally exhausted, the two overwhelmed ,adventurous, thrill seekers walked the last few steps up to their swell little dwelling. Unlocking the door, both cratered on a couch and drew a long breath. It was already dust outside. Soon the heavy packs were unloaded and everything put away. The little wheel-like object was resting on the countertop. Bertha immediately began to cook a hot meal. She made cornbread, opened a can of butterbeans, and a can of spinach. While a pot of coffee was brewing, she pealed an onion and the two ate heartily. After the meal, Joe helped Bertha wash the dishes. Using their water sparingly, both crusaders took a cool shower and settled down to discuss the case of the mysterious space ship. Every minute of every day now was getting more exciting. They both wished for a radio or TV, just anything that might give them some information about the fallen unidentified vessel; however, both eye witnesses of the strange air craft believed it to be gliding to earth instead of falling. In the morning they would certainly be going into town to try and find out if anything had been reported.
This three day tour had proven to be an expedient adventure paving the way for two determined inquirers of a, ‘God created’ universe, which held many mysteries for special seekers such as Joe and Bertha Cook to advance. Only the unscientific minds that they worked from could ever be brave enough to keep a person pressing on in such an untouchable mission. The more bewildered this couple became the more they wanted to move on. The natural sense would be that a spiritual bliss had crowned them. If a trip to the town near by didn’t offer them any information, then the investigation would begin by Joe and Bertha. If everything was on the level, by morning every one would be talking about this unintended event. No doubt a rescue mission would already be started. Joe thought his and Bertha’s witnessing of the object should be of importance to the Federal Aviation Administration. A long tossing night was proving to be fretful for two anxious news reporters, fixing to report a story of significance to the media. At this point he hoped that the incident had not already been reported. If only a little sleep would engulf them, they would be more accurate in explaining the appearing and disappearing of a very large air ship like they had never seen before. Joe and Bertha had already decided that they would be included in the search or much information would be withheld.
Chapter 2

The early risers were quickly dressed and swallowed a cup of coffee with a bowl of oatmeal. No need to tarry this morning. The dishes could wait till they returned. Joe reached for the keys to the jeep. Locking the door to the house trailer, they hastily raced down the slop toward the parked jeep. The bumpy road slowed down the otherwise speedy trip into town. After they reached the main road into town, the wheels began to turn faster. They had stopped and picked up the mail from a mailbox. There was a letter from Bertha’s mother. She lived in Denver which was about three hundred miles away. She was worried about Joe and Bertha, and asked them to write her often. She explained in the letter about an awful dream she had about them. Somehow it wouldn’t leave her mind.
The little grocery store was the first place they stopped. Joe asked if anything had been mentioned about a fallen airplane or other aircraft. The gentleman said he had not heard a thing. Then Joe asked to use the phone. He asked the operator to connect him to the FAA in Denver. She had a person on the line promptly. Joe questioned the information officer about anything that had been reported from the Trinidad Colorado area about an air craft or any other object falling from the sky. “Not at all,” replied the deep voice. “Nothing was picked up on the radar.” With an unconcerned tone the information officer continued, “I can assure you that no fallen object has dropped from the air.” Joe thanked the gentleman and hung up. Bertha bought a few things then they left to establish a two party search team. Back at the trailer house the preparation started with a blast. The backpacks were filled to the brim with food and extra clothing. More water jugs were also tied on. Just as they were finishing with the packing, Bertha heard a slight beeping sound. She was trying to detect where it was coming from. She walked over to the object which they had picked up on their first day out. Leaning down she placed her ear over the small detail of a wheel. Sure enough the beeping was coming from the strange object. Quickly, she darted backward calling for Joe to come. Her first thought was that it was a bomb. Something had set it to go off, maybe an alarm was sent in when they picked it up, or possibly a time clock had reached its date and time. Bertha asked Joe to listen closely to the little grey wheel situated on the countertop. After putting his ear to the base of the object, Joe looked at Bertha with a puzzling expression. “What do you think it is,” he asked? “It might be a bomb,” Bertha replied. “I doubt that it is,” Joe spoke ghastly, “but just in case, let us get out of here quickly. We can sleep tonight with Jim, making sure he doesn’t suspect anything. If we hurry we can get there before dark.” They left the little trailer house with the wheel still beeping, not knowing if they would ever see their home again. Boundary lines were no longer a question with these two flabbergasted equals. It was time to under go a major turn-around. It seemed as though they had been driven out of their own little place of abode. This nature loving man and wife had turned into a daring example of challengers. Never did this earnest hard working couple ever dream of being called show-offs. They described themselves as peaceful share holders of God’s great wealth. With Him as their super power, they felt at ease anywhere the law of the land allowed them to go. Meeting again with old Jim tonight would relax the tension that had built up since leaving him yesterday. Some company was just what they needed right now. The place of existence for the new found friend was good enough for Joe and Bertha to share tonight. Tomorrow would be a new day with a prospective will to discover the fallen tank, space ship, or whatever.
Jim was finishing his evening meal just as his company arrived. He looked surprised to see Jim and Bertha so soon. He offered them a cup of coffee, which they accepted. All of a sudden, it was too important not to let Jim know about the space craft that descended to earth. Joe decided to tell Jim about it. He hardly knew how to start, since the old gentleman himself was quite a mystery. Just before they broke the news to Jim, Bertha noticed something under a tree that almost made her scream. It was that little grey wheel that they had left at the mobile home, or was this another one like it. She jumped up asking Joe to go look at it closely. Jim spoke up saying, “ oh, that’s just something I picked up several months ago. I thought it might be something from outer space,” he said jokingly. Bertha moved over closer to the subject of discussion now, placing her ear over the object. There was no beeping sound at all. Joe picked up the little grey wheel and noticed the markings were the exact same as the one which they took home with them. However the two, wheel-like, objects could not have come from the same air craft because Jim’s souvenir was rusty and had been around longer. Neither was it beeping like the one at their house. It was exact except for the age difference, leading Joe to believe that maybe these little objects were just operable for a certain period of time. Joe started again to speak to Jim about the strange sighting he and Bertha had witnessed yesterday. “Did you notice anything in the sky moving slowly toward earth yesterday,” Joe asked? “No,” Jim answered, “but funny things do happen out here,” he remarked. Joe continued to describe the mysterious happening, and informed him of the failure to find out anything in town about the incident. Jim listened with seemingly amazement. Joe proceeded to tell Jim about the wheel that they had left at home. Joe was unsure of why he had changed his mind about telling Jim all that they had planned to keep secret from him. The plans for searching through the mountainous region in hope of finding the landed space ship were even relayed to Jim. As soundless as a dead man, Jim sat motionless while Joe lay out the plans. A deep sense of suspicion came upon Bertha.
She needed a big dose of reality pills. It was beginning to get dark so Joe asked Jim if the two of them could unroll their sleeping bags and stay here for tonight. He assured them that it was alright. The three puzzled bodies crawled into their sleepers and were soon resting peaceful.
When the daylight awakened them, Bertha asked Jim for permission to make breakfast this morning. She had everything needed for pancakes, and had a can of sausage. The fire was started and coffee was perking in a jiffy. The pancakes was cooked with sausage patties warming. A bottle of maple syrup was poured over the hot flapjacks and soon all were eating a delicious breakfast. After cleaning the dishes and packing them up, the bedrolls were wound in a tight bundle and strapped to the hikers backs. All other gear was loaded and the overnighters thanked Jim for sharing and started on their way. Jim bid them farewell. He ruefully offered them his best regards. The young couple had actually touched his heart.
Walking away from a human figure with somewhat, counterfeit explanations,’ caused Joe and Berths to speculate as they traveled on their way. They realized that the search mission was going to be extensive, with many obstacles to overcome. Never the less, their minds were made up. They would get an answer to all their questions before they quit.
Bertha was reminded of her mother’s letter. She had not taken the time to answer it. Her mother had shown much concern, and now, Bertha thought, for a good reason. Surely within a few days they would be back home, if they still had a home, then she would immediately send her mother a letter. Upon second thought, she imagined that if something happened to keep them away for several weeks, her mother would be frantic. The couple lost sight of Jim’s camp before Bertha mentioned her concern to Joe. “Please,” she begged Joe, “ let us go back to the cabin and if it is still there I want to write my mother a few lines. I feel like its very important that I do that.” Joe thought for a moment, this would delay the search at least one day, and time was of the essence now. Although Joe hesitated to agree with Bertha, he finally gave in.
The walk back to the cabin wasn’t as tiring as climbing the side of the mountain to reach the little haven. They were in sight of the blessed little abode, and both hikers gave a big sigh of relief. In a short time Bertha was penning a few lines to her mother.
June 15, 1982
Dear Mom,
I had intended to write sooner, but everything is so exciting here I just haven’t taken the time. We are very happy and love each other so much. Please don’t worry about us, for we are learning fast how to take care of ourselves. I have been taking notes and have also taken many pictures since being here.
We are leaving tomorrow, just exploring the mountains to see what is out there. We plan to be gone about two to three weeks. We are taking plenty of food and water. Hope you and dad can come to visit us soon
Love,
Bertha
PS We have met one person who lives not far from us. His name is Jim and he has been roughing this country for fifteen years.
It was noon when Bertha got back from mailing the letter. She was hungry and knew that Joe would be also. She opened a can of spam, fried some potatoes, and made gravy. The cornbread was almost done, and coffee was brewing. How thankful the two of them were to be eating together again at their own table. While enjoying a hot meal, the conversation was still focused on the Wheel that didn’t blow up their home. “It isn’t beeping any more,” Joe remarked. “I put it under a tree. I checked just before I came in, and it wasn’t beeping.” Bertha asked, “do you think it just beeps when its inside? Maybe the sun keeps it quite or the outside atmosphere, who knows?” Joe replied, ”that sounds like crazy stuff, but I’m wondering the same thing.” When we leave again, I’m putting it back inside.”
After finishing their lunch, the two cleaned everything up and started to repack the backpacks. Bertha remembered she had removed the camera to replace new film. She put the instrument along with several rolls of film into the pack. Joe also added more shells to his supply. After bringing the little grey wheel back into the cabin, leaving it on the countertop, Joe locked the cabin door behind them.
They climbed and scampered down one mountain after another. The compass they were carrying didn’t tell them how much distance they had covered, but their guess was, not much. The climbing was slow and very tiresome. Not a sign of anything signifying that the space ship might be close. A lot of birds, some squirrels, and even a few deer were the only signs of life. The couple kept moving trying to cover as much space as they could before dark set in. If nothing else was discovered today, this trip was pleasant and offered much more pleasure tomorrow. This would be the highest bunk either of the two had ever slept on. Just like two kids, they could hardly wait to crawl into their sleeping bags. A quick few bites of beef jerky, and a couple of cheese sticks made their meal for tonight. After looking for awhile, the two campers found a place smooth enough to unroll the sleeping bags. They moved a few rocks and put both beds together. It was cold up high in these mountains. The couple zipped the bags clear to the top with even their heads covered. It was later on that night when Joe awoke and crawled out to use the toilet. He noticed a white object moving a short distance from him. It was tall, slim, and shaped like a human. At first He thought it was a bear, then he could see well enough that it couldn’t be an animal. The eyes, bigger than golf balls, were a shinning blaze of fire. It stood motionless with arms to it’s side. The 357 magnum was fitted inside Joe’s hand. Both the ghost-like object and Joe stood staring at each other for several minutes. Finally Joe decided the creature was harmless and crawled back into the sleeping bag. About an hour later he was awakened by Bertha tapping him on the shoulder. “Joe,” she whispered, “I can see something white standing close by. It isn’t moving but I am paranoid. Joe whispered back to her saying, “I saw it also, but I am sure we are safe.” He got up to sit with Bertha for awhile. The strange figure had moved a few yards since Joe was up, but to their amazement the figure would not move while they were looking at it. Joe persuaded Bertha to go back to sleep telling her that he would stay awake and be in control. A small voice seemed to be speaking to Bertha. It was saying, “you dedicated your life for no other reason than to learn more about God’s creation. Why then are you frightened at what you see?” Bertha lay there a few minutes, then answered the question. “I am no longer afraid, my life I give to you.”
When the sun came up in the morning, there were on signs of the white object. Not even a track could be seen by the two spotters. Looking for twigs and limbs to start a fire, the hungry courageous campers seemed perfectly at ease. The heat from the tall flames warmed their cold bodies. When the flames turned to coals, a pot of coffee was fixed over them and was soon boiling. Bertha had some of the pancake batter left in a jar, so she served flapjacks again this morning. The energy began to build up again, making for a jump-start, to a search team of two, ready for another long day. Putting out the coals and packing back up, the couple started traveling again.
Bracing themselves while sliding down the steep mountain, the eager searchers were looking every direction expecting to spot the big vessel at any time. It just had to be close, they thought. At the bottom of the high peak, which they just came from, was a valley of brush and weeds, growing among the rocks. It made walking a weary, boring undertaking, yet they knew all ground had to be covered. Moving farther and farther on, the couple decided to sit down awhile to rest before starting up another mountain. Each of them took a large drink of water, and fumbled for a snack. Laying their heads on the sleeping bags, each one stretched out and took a brief nap. When they awoke, a very rested couple gave each other a loving smile. This was a good time for them to hold one another with love and passion. No other way could a couple get closer together than this. The past month had been devoted to relocating to this new area of beauty and peace, but also with much uncertainty, which they did not expect. They could not deny the fact that they were maybe too over zealous from the start. They were getting an experience that only two people such as they, full fledged explorers, could ever receive. The great outdoors belonged to the Great I Am, for which Joe and Bertha sprung from. They wanted to be obedient to the call for service to the Great Creator.
It made sense to Joe that the subject they were talking about was somewhere on the next mountain that was to be the next climbing effort. The thought of walking upon a huge vessel with unknown cargo or possibly passengers, made both enthusiast shudder. It had not been included in their plans as to what they would do. Since the FAA instrument observer had not seen anything on the radar screen nor old Jim had not seen anything floating in the sky, made the two eye witnesses’ story seem like a fantasy. There had to be something withheld by some sort. Joe and Bertha came to the conclusion that one of two things were involved here. Either the US Scientist Commussion was holding information or another planet was secretly gathering data to transport back to their body of Intelligence. Either case seemed far from the intelligence of these two commoners. Whatever the case might be, both Joe and Bertha were destined to run the course.
While still resting in a peaseful enviorement, Joe turned his thoughts to his own family. His dad had been a successful
　
　
　
　
　

　
　


　
　
　
　
　
　

"A Servant's Heart" Matthew 23: 1-12

A very hard scriptue for me to understand. We must have ministers to guide us, we must have teachers to teach us, we must have leaders to lead us, but read the sermon text for yourself. Using the Good News Bible. Matt. 23: 1

     Then Jesus spoke to the crowds and to his disciples. The teachers of the Law and the Pharisees are the authorized interpreters of Moses' Law. So you must obey and follow everything they tell you to do; do not, however, imitate their actions, because they don't practice what they preach.They tie onto people's backs loads that are heavy and hard to carry, yet they aren't willing even to lift a finger to help them carry those loads. They do everything so that people will see them. Look at the straps with scripture verses on them which they wear on their foreheads and arms, and notice how large they are! Notice also how long are the tassels on theit cloaks! They love the best places at feasts and the reserved seats in the synagogues; they love to be greeted with respect in the market places and to have people call them 'Teacher.' You must not be called 'Teacher,' because you are all brothers of one another and have only Teacher. And you must not call anyone here on earth 'Father,' because you have only the one Father in heaven. Nor should you be called "Leader,' because your one and only leader is the Messiah. The greatest one among you must be your servant. Whoever makes himself great will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be made great.

     I cannot tell you how our minister explained this scripture to us, but I think he said a servant cannot be a leader or a teacher. ???  I guess he was saying that those who always want to make all the decisions in the church, and think that they know better how to do everything, cannot be a servant, therefore they cannot be great because they are not humble. Whoever humbles himself shall be made great. Amen.
God bless
Jean Sharp
    

"Our Heritage"

We were given an interesting lecture this morning by our pastor, on the heritage of our church, Diciples of Christ Christian Church. Many people today are giving up their heritage for a new experience that often leads them to a place of regret and despondency. Just as Jacob was skillful enough to steal Esau's birthright so is the devil even now scheming on how to steal our heritage. Esau sold his birthright to his brother, Jacob, for a bowl of soup. Esau was faint from hunger and the only way he could get food was sell his heritage to Jacob, who had the food right before Esau's eyes. I think the pastor was trying to tell the congregation that we need to hold fast to our heritage, For over a hundred years our fellowship has  withstood  many ups and downs, but it is still a great organization which merits our praise and admiration. Doomed is the day when we give up our heritage for a bowl of pottage.
God bless
Myrtle Jean Sharp

Wonderful Dinner Today At Church

We enjoyed a great time of food and fellowship with our pastor and wife, Dan and Diann, who just returned from a trip to Japan visiting with Diann's family. They shared with us some interesting details about how Dan managed to spend two weeks with a group of people who the only English speaking person was his wife. Dan did learn one word of Japanese. I can't spell it, but it meant, good food. They had a great time. We also had some special guest having dinner with us today. Let us never take our churches for granite. It is a blessed privilidge we have to be able to attend the church of our choice. It may not always be that way. We had a very good visit with our son, Rick, this past week. He is our fix-it guy. He fixed several things for us that somehow was beyond Charles and my understanding. It was quite simple for Rick. God bless him good. He helped me to make his favorite food, berox, so he could learn how to make it himself. We grilled a rack of pork ribs with all the extras that go with them, and just had a good time of, eating it up. We've had beautiful weather lately for which I am thankful, but it is now time to clean all the dead flowers and garden stull off the yard. What a fun time coming up.
God bless
M. Jean Sharp

Sunday Spent At Home Today

Today was a different kind of day than what Sunday usually brings us. Our Pastor is still in Japan, and our church lost a fine Christian man this week, so the monthly dinner and board meeting was postoned until next Sunday. Charles wasn't feeling too well so we stayed home. I needed some time to get the house in good shape since our son, Rick, is coming up tomorrow from Fort Worth. He will be staying about a week. I will be cooking for him some of his favorite foods. Rick likes to just get away from a stressful job by coming home, relaxing on the front porch and gaze across the street remembering all the good times he had going to school there. He spends most of his time here just reminiscencing. We always look forward to his visits. He and I usually have a good lengthly bible discussion also. He is a good challenge for me on bible history. Hope everyone is happy and doing well.
Good bless
Myrtle Jean Sgarp

Reporting good news from Charles last Dr. appt.

Last Friday, Sept. 30, Charles had a colonscopy in Okla. City. Everything was good, and he don't have to have another one for three years. We are praising God for that. Our next Dr. appt will be Nov. 22. He will see his cancer Dr. for an xray and blood work. We will meet Rhonda and Randy at this appt. date so we can have Thanksgiving together. Looking forward to that. I missed putting the pastors sermon on here last Sunday. When I started to post it, my program had been changed and I couldn't get on. I was waiting for Kent to help me get back on when finally the thing fixed its self. I love this brain-racking computer stuff. Some day I will learn the blueprint for the computer. In the meantime just be patient with me. Our pastor and his wife, Diann, left last Monday for a short visit to Japan to see Diann's family. She is from Japan. We wish them a safe and wonderful time.
God bless
M Jean Sharp

"Is God With Us or Not?" Exodus 17: 1-7

Pastor Dan's message today. After the children of Israel had crossed over the red sea, and had traveled some time through the wilderness, they became thirsty. The land where  they were camped was a dessert with not a drop of water anywhere. With thousands of people and other thousands of sheep, goats, cattle, and other livestock, with no water, the people began to chide with Moses. They were telling him that he had brought them there to die from thirst. They were threatning to kill Moses.
     Moses cried out unto the Lord, saying, What shall I do unto this people? they be almost ready to stone me. And the Lord said unto Moses, go on before the people, and take with thee of the elders of Israel; and thy rod, wherewith thou smotest the river, take in thane hand, and go.
     Behold, I will stand before thee there upon the rock in Horeb; and thou shalt smite the rock, and there shall come water out of it, that the people may drink. And Moses did so in the sight of the elders of Israel. And he called the name of the place Massah, and Meribah, because of the chiding of the children of Israel, and because they tempted the Lord, saying, Is the Lord among us, or not?
     Are there any Moses left in our world today? Not that we know of. Is there any like of the children of Israel in our world today? My answer is 100% are left. Most all of us are complainers of one thing or another. The Idea here is to stop looking for a leader to get us out of this mess, and let us believe our God for our leader. We can all be leaders, if we trust God. He will speak to us just like He spoke to Moses.
God bless
Myrtle Jean Sharp

"Happy With What You Get" Matthew 20: 1-16

Pastor Dan delivered a great sermon this morning that all of us can relate to. It was about deciding our own worth against the masters who hire us. The householder went out to hire some labourers into his vineyard. It was early in the morning and the labourers agreed to work for a penny a day. Again the owner of the vineyard went out about the third hour and hired some others to work for him. He told them to go into the vineyard and whatever was right he would give them. The owner went again the sixth hour and hired some more, telling them the same as he told the others. About the eleveneh hour he went out, and found others standing idle, and he said to them. Why stand ye here all the day idle? They said unto him,"Because on man hath hired us." He saith unto them, Go ye also into the vineyard; and whatever is right, that shall ye receive. When the even was come, the lord of the vineyard saith unto the steward, Call the labourers, and give them their hire, beginning from the last to the first. Those who came about the eleventh hour received a penny. But when the first came they supposed that they should have received more; and they likewise received a penny. When they received they began to murmur against the goodman of the house, saying These last have worked but one hour, and thou hast made them equal to us, which have worked all day. Then the master answered and said, friend, I do thee no wrong: didst not thou agree with me for a penny?  Take that thine is, and go thy way; I will give unto this last, even as unto thee. Is it not lawful for me to  do what I will with mine own? Is my eye evil because I am good? So the last shall be first, and the first last: for many be called, but few chosen. Seniority didn't come into play here. The goodness of God does not always pick the first ones. So it can be said, we get what we deserve if the boss is doing the right thing. We should be happy with what we get.
God bless
Myrtle Jean Sharp

Loving Acceptance Romans 14: 1-12

Each Sunday I try to take the pastors words from his sermon and put them into my own words. This Sunday I can find no words, but I will try.
I believe Pastor Dan was saying to us that Paul was preaching to the Roman church telling them to welcome the weak in faith into the church, but not to argue with them about their beliefs. One person's faith allows him to eat anything while another person's faith allows him to only eat vegetables. Whatever our faith allows us to eat, we are not to judge others on what they eat. God has accepted all. All will succeed because God has allowed them to succeed. Some think that some days are more important than others, while others think that all days are the same. None of us live for ourselves only. None of us dies for himself only. If we live it is for the Lord that we live, if we die it is for the Lord that we die. Christ died for all, why then do ye pass judgement upon others. Why do you despise your brother? all of us will stand before God to be judged by him. Everyone will give an account for himself. Wow! Is some of us placing judgement on others because, in other words, they are not as good as us? Or maybe because they are not a carbon copy of us. Less money, meaning to some, less succees. Less education, meaning to some, less popularity. Is that the kind of personality God picked when he chose David, the little sheppard boy, to face the giant on the battlefield, then later to become God's favorite king? I don't know about others, but I am going to repent and hopefully become a better Christian. This is the way I received the pastors sermon this morning. I hope I have got it right.
God bless
Myrtle Jean Sharp

"Pulled in Two Directions"

Our sermon for today was taken from Philippians 1:21-30. "Pulled in Two Directions." Again the pastor delivered a soul searching message. Paul is talking to the Philippians through a letter he has written while in jail. Paul was troubled by the opposition of other Christian workers toward him and was distressed by false teaching in the church at Philippi. Paul is spending a lot of time in prison because of his teaching of Jesus Christ. In this letter Paul is trying to encourage the Philippian Christians and reassure them that they must have  courage and confidence in spite of all his troubles and their own as well. In verse 21 Paul is telling the Christians that for him to live is Christ. Death would bring him more joy, but he says, "if I continue to live I can do more worthwhile work, then I am not sure which I should choose." v.23 "I am pulled in two directions. I want very much to leave this life and be with Christ, which is a far better thing; but for your sake it is much more important that I remain alive." Paul says, "I am sure I will stay with you." v.28 Don't be afraid of your enemies; always be courageous, and this will prove to them that they will lose and that you will win, because it is God who gives you the victory. v.29-30 For you have been given the privilege of serving Christ, not only by believing in him, but also by suffering for him. Now you can take part with me in the battle. It is the same battle you saw me fighting in the past, and as you hear, the one I am fighting still.
Dear friend and loved ones, like Paul, at one time in my life I thought it more blessed to die than to live. I don't mean that I had so many problem that I wanted to die; I mean that Jesus became so real to me that I just wanted to be with Him. Then He spoke to me saying, "I am not through with you on earth you must suffer many tribulations before you come to be with me." That was many years ago and believe me I have suffered a lot. I still do and I will till Jesus takes me home. But one thing for sure, there is no victory without a battle. To those of you who may be at your ropes end, just admit that you have been a failure because you would not give it all to Jesus. It is never too late to unload all you troubles on Him. That is what He begs you to do every day of your life. It hurts Him to see you suffer more than it hurts you. He will give you peace that you never thought was possible.
God bless
Myrtle Jean Sharp

"Maintaining the Course"

That is the title our pastor picked today from the scripture reading from Romans 12: 9-21. It was an awsome sermon. The kind that makes you love everybody. A very anointed minister delivered this sermon today. I wondered how he came up with a title like this, "Maintaining the Course," from the thirteen verses in Romans chapter 12. It starts out saying that love must be completely sincere. Hate what is evil, hold on to what is good. Serve the Lord with a heart full of devotion. Ask God to bless those who persecute you. Do not be proud, but accept humble duties. Do everything possible on your part to live in peace with everybody. Do not let evil defeat you; instead, conquer evil with good. There are several more do's and don'ts in the rest of the verses, but my question is, "is this part of maintaining the course?" Actually it is. The course of this life has to be maintained, that is fixing something every day that has broken down. Love turning to hate, humbleness turning to pride, peace turning to fighting, work turning to laziness, just to name a few of the things we need to fix everyday in order to keep our heart right with God. There is one thing that I hope we all can remember daily, "work while it is still day, for the night cometh when work shall be no more."
God bless
Jean Sharp

Great Sermon Today At Church Romans 12,1-8

Our minister preached on the body having many members and all members have not the same office. Verse 5, So we, being many, are one body in Christ, and every one members one of another. The main theme of his sermon was,"to keep all the members in place." The body cannot function well if some of the members are missing. Example. if the human body has a hand missing it does not function as well as if it had both hands. The same is true of other parts of the body. Since the church is called the body of Christ, the church functions better if every member is present and in place. The minister pointed out how if some of the members are missing the church becomes sickly, and cannnot be all that it could be if all the members were present. Is your church sick today, is my church sick today? I believe most churches are missing a lot of body parts. We are not speaking of those who have moved away, or because of illness are not able to attend, we are speaking of those who have dropped out, or don't come regulary, due to unfriendly attitudes by some who, (v,3) think more highly of themselves than they ought. The heart is a very important member of the body, but the heart could not operate if there was not blood flowing through it. Both are very important to the natural body. The big thithers are very important to the church, but according to Jesus, the little lady who gave three mites gave more than them all. She gave all she had. The talented singers and musicians are always a blessing to the ears, but the humble, "do the best I can of anything you ask," are often the biggest blessing to the heart. Our sermon was one this morning that I can cheerish for a long time. I hope that I have related part of it to you in a way that you can cheerish it also.

Thank God For Old Friends Who Never Forget You

A dear friend from long ago stopped by yesterday to visit with me. She is from another state and I had not seen her in several years. We immediately began to catch up with the usual things like how our children and grandchildren are doing. We shared our dissappointments with how cold and unspiritual our churches have become. She and I grew up in a church where the Holy Spirit could always be felt by anyone who walked in. There was such reverence that Jesus came and stayed with us till the service was over. Our children were taught to reverence the house of God. When we left church to go home we were equipped to handle all the problems Satan put on us for the entire week. Glory and praise were always on our lips. Our children were the joy of our lives, and still are. I am afraid that today so many of the churches have insulted Jesus so much till He has quit coming leaving the congregation without a spiritual leader. The  older Christians are rooted and  grounded  enough to make it through troubled times, but most of the younger generation do not stand a chance. They have been cheated out of the teachings of Jesus because of various reasons. What a shame!
     My prayer for today is this. God let us all open our eyes and see where we have been  failing. Let us be visited fresh and anew by Your Holy Spirit. Let us be willing to take our place, whatever it may be, so that we might be approved by You. Let this younger generation be," stopped in their tracks," when they say to the elders, "you are too old fashioned, we are living in the two thousands," Tell them, Lord, that You never grow old and one day with You is like a thousand years with us. "Lord, bless everyone who is willing to ask for forgiveness and help us to help someone else every day." Amen.                                                                                                                           
    

A Time To Stand Up For Our Rights

In reference to David Horsley's opinion to Governor Rick Perry's, "prayer rally," Aug. 15, 2011, Amarillo Globe News, titled, Gov. Perry set to pray for votes, I would like to express my opinion. I know that I am no match to debate David Horsley, but I can voice my thoughts and ideas concerning such an important issue as this. I did not like Mr. Horsley quoting Jesus by signing His name to the scripture introducing the letter that followed by Horsley. He gave no reference as to where he got the Quote.
     I can supply all kinds of quotes found in the KJV, (King James Verson of the Holy Bible,) where Jesus talks about leaders as well as followers of Him, to let all people know about Him, Jesus, and to go into all the world and preach the gospel. Mark, 16:15
     Of course Jesus taught us to go into our closets and pray to Him secretly when we are asking Him for something personally. If Mr. Horsley is using Matt. ch 6 for his bible reference we can plainly see that Jesus is talking to the hypocrites, those who like to be seen of men without respect of God. Governor Rick Perry is a man of God who very well knows that unless America repents and turns from their wicked ways, God will not heal our lands. The part of the scripture that Mr. Horsley quoted, "pray in secret," does not mean that Gov. Perry should refrain from all public acknowledgement of God. He is doing a good job by letting the people know where the trouble lies.
     I would like to ask Mr. Horsley, since he said he had been a Christian all his life, where in the bible he finds that it is ok for same sex couples to marry. Lev. 20:13, If a man also lie with mankind, as he lieth with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination: they shall surely be put to death: their blood shall be upon them.
     At last I would like to say this, Mr. Horsely said neither Michele Bachmann or Rick Perry is electable. My honest feelings about his prediction is this, If he is right and no republician gets elected, woe be to America and our freedom of liberty.

To the editor for Amarillo Globe News

I hope you will consider putting my letter of disagreement to Mr. David Horsley in the Globe News. I know I have exceeded my quota of words, but I needed to say everything I put in the letter. I did leave off some issues that I wanted to address, but I just couldn't cover it all. There wasn't enough space for everthing. I was trying to respond to a much lengthier letter by David Horsley and tried to wrap it up in less space than I really needed.

A citizen for equal rights for equal people.
Myrtle Jean Sharp
Perryton, TX

Very Excited Today about Governor Rick Perry Announcing His Bid For The presidency

We have waited so long for this to happen and now the best governor Texas has ever had, Rick Perry, has announced today that he is a candidate for the presidency. A friend said to me,"I was hoping that wouldn't happen." "Why," I asked? "Because we needed to keep him here in Texas." But " I said, "Texas is only one state in the United States, we need him in all of the states. "That's right," she said, "but I have my doubts that President Obama is beatable." She continued to say that she thinks something very disastrous will happen to our country just so president Obama will not even have to seek re-election. Something like all of the United States congressmen and women will become," null and void." I assured her that that is not going to happen, but I keep hearing similar remarks made often by others. I still have high hopes for our great nation, but only if you and I join in the battle to help make things happen like getting Governor Rick Perry elected to the presidency. It's time to put our pennies in the GOP offering plate and take to our knees. Keep the cheers and the chatter going full blast; who knows maybe one word spoken by one of us will be worth a bowl full of gold.

God bless Rick Perry &
God bless America.

Put Your Guards In Place

Today is the time to take a stand for securing the borders of the land you call your church home. The enemy is forever in action to drive you out so they can take over. The enemies job is to stop the power of God from blessing His people. Many times we as a weak vessel that has been used in combat for years have become far too ready to surrender. To put it straight we don't want to keep on fighting the good fight. We so often are willing to move out and look for greener grass elsewhere. Let me assure you there is no such place. The enemy is everwhere on this earth. Our only hope for victory is to keep on believing in God and know that he will keep every promise that He made to us. It is true that God did lead His people out of bondage from Egypt, Exodus ch. 15, but Egypt was not the children of Isreal's homeland. They were just sojourners and slaves to the Egyptian king. Egypt was never a good place for the chilren of Isreal to live. God had a plan to deliver His people from bondage. I am speaking about a place we call our homeland, our church, and have been driven out by our enemies. It is always easier to walk away from a problem than to try and solve it. Is that what God wants you and I to do? I believe we must hold fast to God's unchanging hand. He will always lead us to victory.  Remember, there is no victory without a battle, and God said, "The battle is mine, it has already been won." The last thing I would like to say is this, until our work on this earth is finished we will never be at complete peace.
God bless you and
God bless America.

An opinion based on my understanding of the bible.

I am becoming more and more concerned about the act of tattooing. It is sweeping the whole country and, in my opinion, is an awful disgrace to our original designer and creator. Leviticus ch. 19, v. 28 KJV reads, Ye shall not make any cuttings in your flesh for the dead, nor print any marks upon you. The Good News Bible uses the word tattoo instead of cuttings. If God commanded us not to tattoo our body as a sign of mourning for the dead how much more would He be angered if we tattooed our body to show the world that we are not afraid of  God. The indelible pigment inserted under the skin to form dark colors of figures of every  kind of creation and attitudes of rebellious infidels, is a fearful disastrous reality about to happen. Its like taking the mark of the beast, as far as I am concerned. The mark is on your body for life. For those who may not know your body is the Temple of Christ, it is because He tells us so in His word. How could anyone defile it after Christ gave His life for you that you might be saved from all sin? Is there any hope for far too many paganism people in our society today? Will many Christians please join me in praying for these dear children of God whom have not yet gotton  their eyes open?
Thank you and God bless America.
Myrtle Jean Sharp

Thanks to all who have commented on my book

I would like to say a big "thank you" to everyone who just this week have offered many wonderful comments on my book, When The Angel Came. My prayer has been answered. The prayer request was this. "God, please let many people be blessed when they read my book." I have been receiving pleasing comments every since the first book was read. It encourages me to hasten on with my second book, I Love To Tell The Story. For those who don't know, I have a web page, Myrtle Jean Sharp.com where you can post your comments. I would appreciate any and all remarks.
Love and God Bless all.