The importance of a name NAMES…can tell so much about a person, thing, even an institution. It’s your identity. Many have names with underlying meaning, even directing their life’s destiny. It sets you apart from someone else. My first and middle name is Billy Cleveland. I was named after my maternal grandfather and the twenty-fourth […]
A fallen tree DAMS…can be of many sizes and uses. Some are natural while others are man made. The vast majority are created for the purpose of conservation and flood control. The largest earth filled dam in the United States is Fort Peck Dam located on the Missouri River in Northeast Montana. It contains 125.6 […]
A hard loss Giving it your best…does not always end in success or victory. But that should never deter us from going ‘all out’. Some of my most concentrated efforts fell flat. In fact, many! Our BGA football team was 8-0 and entering our ninth game. It was in the town where I was born; […]
Biblical view of marriage Questions: Where is your family headed? Where is our country headed? What are you prepared to do about it? What part do you think God will play in it? How do you feel about a movement of dads that would return marriages and families to the design God laid out from […]
Seeking security SECURITY…conjures up a sense of safety, a place of protection, like a refuge. It might also deliver the idea of financial well-being. We put our trust in many things, people, institutions, and as a nation, our military. Our retirement plans can provide us true or maybe false security. Things happen for which we […]
Balance and stability Canes…come in all shapes and looks. I recently went through hip surgery and for a week or so I used one. Really helped. Today as I was leaving Corner Bakery a lady was helping her elderly mother with a cane to climb over a median curb without much success. I assisted and […]
You can tell a tree by its fruit ACORNS…are the fruit of an Oak tree. I have heard people saying they are from an Acorn tree. Go figure! They are falling all over our yard and up and down the street. As I was reflecting on the ones pictured here, it reminded me of an […]
Smokey Life quotes…can sometimes be life changing, mind altering for those who hear and embrace them. I have known a Kingdom Man for several years. Lovingly, his name is ‘Smokey’ John Reaves. He was in the BBQ restaurant business for years here in Dallas under the name—Smokey John’s Barbecue. Last week he went into the […]
Playing with fire MATCHES …can be very useful and yet dangerous. They come packaged in boxes or folded packets. Some are wooden while others are simple cardboard. A few clubs or cafes put their logo on the packets and used for advertising. When I was a young boy, it was so much fun playing with […]
Jorge Rodriguez Mentor, model, pastor, father figure. My uncle, Jorge Rodriguez, played a very special role in my life as my mentor, model, father figure and eventually a pastor. I remember vividly how every afternoon he took time to help me with my homework and especially with school projects. Back then there was no technology […]