God Cares
He was running toward the pool when we noticed it - a welt, almost the size of an adult’s hand, on the lower portion of his rib cage. We were at the end-of-season soccer party for Paul, our middle son, and David, our youngest was six years old. We managed to get David’s attention in spite of the noise and excitement of the event. He was having a great time and anxious to get back into the swimming pool.(Click here for more)
Didja Ever Wonder Who?
Did you ever wonder who sets the everyday standards which we obediently accept as ultimate wisdom? It is said that “ignorance is bliss” and I’ll confess that I’m pretty happy most of the time. But, sometimes I get to wondering"School, First Grade - the beginning" (Click here for more)
School - First Grade ... The Beginning
Near the end of that first school year, while my lights happened to be in an “on” mode, I heard, to my surprise, that in order to be promoted to the second grade, we had to be able to recite the ABC’s. Well, that’s the first that I had heard of that! Either most of my lights had been out or I was spending too much time concentrating on getting better results with the mucilage. In a panic mode, I stared at the ABC placards that were posted above the chalkboard. (Click here for more)
"A Matter of Trust"
Several years ago I was relating a personal experience from my youth to our youngest son. David, still a preteen, looked up and me and finished my sentence. I was caught off guard and immediately abandoned that project and moved on with “Let me tell you something that you don’t know! When I was your age, there was no sun – and the moon was real small.” There! Poor kid – staggered back with a look of bewilderment. Truly he did not know that! (Click here for more)
"Sometimes I Feel Like a Failure"
Earlier this evening, my wife and I viewed another Gaither Homecoming Hour on television. From time to time, Bill Gaither spotlights one of his “regulars,” and interviews them on the program. Tonight’s program recognized Anthony Berger, the group’s pianist. Anthony is a marvelous musician. “Marvelous” is spelled f-a-n-t-a-s-t-i-c ! In addition to that, he seems to be a very humble individual who strives to serve the Lord with his talents. For those who might not know, “talents” is spelled, p-r-a-c-t-i-c-e, p-r-a-c-t-i-c-e, p-r-a-c-t-i-c-e. (Click here for more)
"The Invisible Line"
God says that he will not put more on us than we can bear, but He is also a God of mercy, compassion, love and grace. It is often hard to understand how all this fits together in God’s plan. I have no answers for many of the thoughts I have had this week, but I have faith that God will treat us lovingly, as our Father. (Click here for more)
"I've Been Around the Block (A Time or Two)"
Our walk was slow and rather laborious for my son’s two short, semi-skilled legs, and I maintained a safety factor by continuing to hold a little hand. The sidewalk in front of the next residence had some uneven sections due to portions having been pushed up by tree roots from days gone by. Anyone traversing this walk at night had better know where the hazards were or it would be easy to trip. (Click here for more)
"Church Espose"
By far the majority of church goers in this country are sinners. That’s right! In delving into the lives of the people who worship in this nations’ great and small churches, it was found that they are less than perfect! Hang on to your hats! The study also reveals that the ministers are no better. (Click here for more)
"Sounds"
When one of our sons was in high school, we
attended a musical presentation one evening in the high school
auditorium. The program started with unaccompanied, opening notes
on trumpets (or coronets). I can’t tell them apart. I just
know which end to blow into. The sound was strong and
clear. Unknown to me, and the majority of the audience, there
were two musicians with like instruments, standing in both corners at
the rear of the room. (Click here for more)
"Fed Up With the Set Ups "
He didn’t like
anything about the country of destination. He didn’t like the
people,
and he didn’t like their values. He didn’t even like the capital
city
where he was being sent! Simply and honestly put, he hated the
people,
their city, their nation and also, his assignment. ( Click here for more)
"The World's Greatest Gift"
This year, many of you will find yourself
painted into a corner. You will be in that predicament either
because of your actions, or inaction, or due to circumstances beyond
your control. I’m not making a prediction, or administering a
curse. Difficult things happen to good people – all people! (Click here for more)
"Floyd the Christmas Cat"
Apparently Floyd thought that the
evil
handle had him in its clutches, and adrenalin shot through his
veins. Curiosity can be a bad thing. “Fight or
Flight! Fight or Flight!” Floyd
opted for the latter and immediately exploded into one moving
machine! Since he was already in reverse mode, he
backed up in panic a step or two, and then shifted directly into high
gear. (Click here for more)
"The Two Faces of PRIDE"
Reluctantly, and with my feathers dragging
in the dust, I had to ask my dad for a loan. I can’t put into
words the feeling of defeat that I had when this became
necessary. You might say that I was experiencing the pain of
falling off the great stallion, PRIDE. (Click
here for more)
"Firsts"
Did you ever stop to think that our
nondescript lives are literally packed with “firsts”? Well ponder
that for a moment or two, darlin’. Some of the firsts in our
young lives, we don’t remember – like learning to walk. (What
makes a child want to crawl or walk in the first place? It’s not
through conscious effort.) You can bet that your parents and
grandparents remember your first wobbly crawl and initial unsure
steps. (Click here for more)
"Growing Up"
Being a boy and growing up is a man-size
job. It’s not easy. I know, because I did it, once. A
young man’s head is filled with some wonderful ideas, some silly stuff,
some rust, a double helping of curiosity and two heaping tablespoons of
yucky stuff. And, it seems like it takes forever to grow
up. But consider this: when you grow up, that’s where you’re
stuck for the rest of your life. (Click
here for more)
"Soul Stirrings"
It stirs my soul to: … see a veteran looking at,
and reverently touching an old “war bird”
at an air show. ● …see liquid emotion
welling up in his eyes as
memories – good and bad, of harrowing times, of old friends, and lost
friends, flash through his mind. ● …see him posing
with pride for a
photograph beside that faithful aircraft, flanked by his grandkids, or
old buddies. (Click here for more)
"Death Can Be Tricky"
If you woke up dead one morning, and sometime later stood
before Almighty God, and He turned to your own personal page in his
ledger, what beneficial information would He find? If, after
checking for your record, He looked you squarely in the face and asked,
“Who are you?” would you experience a sinking feeling? (Click here for more)
"Is Life Getting More
Confusing, or is it Just My Age?"
At some point, most likely early-on, you
will be invited (or unexpectedly trapped) into going clothes shopping
with that wonderful woman of your choosing. And just as surely as
that is going to happen, you are likely to be caught totally off guard
by a question the female of the species will ask while modeling a
prospective purchase, “Does this make me look fat?” This loaded
question is almost as old as fig leaves. (Click here for more)
"Insight Into
God's
Personality"
Being God is not
easy. From before the foundations of the earth, God knew man,
knew his
sins, knew what He as God must do to restore the bridge between Him and
his children if they were ultimately going to gain access to the
Kingdom of Heaven. From that era, before time itself was put into
motion, God knew you, and He knew me. At his pleasure He assigned
us a
date on which to be born, and a time to die. (Click here for more)
"THE COUNTY COURT HOUSE-
An Ideal
Place To Swear (Solemnly)"
As Christians, we shouldn’t have to be reminded to tell the
truth. Being honest should be a part of our basic makeup.
But, we should also bear in mind that we are equipped with brains, and
should be prudent in answering questions that are asked us. I
think first and foremost about these in-your-face news reporters.
Just because “someone” asks a question, it does not mean that they
always deserve an answer, or that we are obligated to acknowledge
them. “Silence” can often adequately explain a person’s position
better than words. (Click here for
more)
"Our Faith Needs to Be Wrinkle-Proof"
A few
years back, it became clearly evident that I needed a knee
replacement. Why is this happening to me? I wondered. I
came up with
the answer myself, almost immediately. “Why not me?” What
is so
special about ME that I would think that I was exempt from such a
thing? For some reason we seem to gain comfort in finding someone
else
to blame. The blame was mine! (Click
here for more)
"Trying to Get Things Into Perspective"
When I retired several years ago, I had no concerns about
boredom with all the interests that I have, but a strange thing
occurred about two weeks into this new realm of not having to suit
out. I recall that I was home alone, vacuuming the carpet in the
den, and I began to wonder what all the accumulated knowledge and
skills from 52 years of work really meant at this point in my
life. (Click here for more)
"When Roles Reverse Between Parent and Child"
The past is very definitely a part of who we are - of how we
function, think, feel guilt, and the manner in which we honor our
parents. This mass of knowledge, wisdom, responsibility, guilt,
and joy all play heavily into how we view and handle this situation. (Click here for more)
"Night Train from Despair"
Off in the distance I heard the shrill tone of the train ’s
whistle. Presently, I could catch glimpses of a yellow light as
the train made its way through the pines. After a bit, the warm
yellow glow of the headlight came into full view as the train entered
into the straight stretch of track leading to the station. (Click here for more)
"Spit Out at the O.K.
Corral High School"
Big John ’s battalion stood in a circle around a big metal
waste basket, and if one or more of his men slowed down, he strongly
encouraged them by yelling, “SPIT!” It was evident that the final
bell did not have jurisdiction over the training class still in
session. (Click here for
more)
"Life's Troubles"
I
was talking on the phone last week with a friend who also
lives in a bedroom community near Dallas. I live immediately
north of the Dallas city
limits and he lives about
twenty miles further out in an old community that has seen recent
growth in a
very upscale manner. He related to me
that on the previous day, a 10 year old girl near where he lives had
been in an
argument with her parents, and as a result, had taken a belt and hung
herself
in her room. I watched the daily Dallas
papers hoping to gain more details, but if the story ever appeared, I
didn’t
see it. (Click here
for more)
"History
of Sales in America"
Chuck had come through
again! You can see why I count him as a friend. Uh
oh!
After I had hung up the phone, I wondered about the origin of Lincoln’s
Birthday Sales. You know, George’s and
Lincoln’s birthdays were combined a few years ago to create President’
Day. Naturally, Americans would want to
celebrate that occasion by having
giant sales. The solution to this one
wasn’t so hard. I figured it out
myself. Contrary to popular belief, I
found out that George Washington and Abraham Lincoln were not brothers. (Click here
for more)
"Home"
That
single slide with one word, “home,” opened my eyes to a
fuller meaning of such a simple, common word.
I sat comfortably in my “home” watching the agonizing history of a
great
world war. I frequently think of the
many conveniences in our homes that we take for granted. I can
think back to how my grandparents
lived, on the cutting edge of technology – outdoor toilets, one water
faucet in
the whole house (in the kitchen), no hot water heater, wash tub baths,
raising
and canning their own food, not even an electric fan and I don’t want
to go
there again. (Click here for more)
"Life, Death and
in-between..."
Occasionally,
we make a trip
to the cemetery where our son, who died just short of his twenty-sixth
birthday, is buried. “My son” is not buried there. We
placed
his cancerous body there for short term storage, only until the Rapture
takes place. In reality, I am no closer to him when I stand at
graveside
than I am sitting at home while writing this. He is in
Heaven!
(Click
here for more)
"The
Variety of Life" -
Part I
"The
Demon in the Mirror"
- Part II
"The
Source of the Image
in the Mirror" - Part III
"More
on being a Salesperson"
- Part IV
"Greetings,
Fellow Salespeople"
- Part V
After
starting to school,
much to my dismay, I found out that my birth date did not meet the
criteria
of the Baptist Sunday School Board in Nashville, Tennessee. The
way
my birthday fell on the calendar relegated me to be in a Sunday school
class with kids one year behind me in school. At that point in
life,
one year made a lot of difference in whom your friends were and who you
associated with. No exceptions! (Click
here for more)
"Are
we Just Half Smart?"
The
human mind is a strange
thing. Each of us can think, recall, store, analyze and
rationalize.
No other creature on earth has this capability. No computer can
even
come close to the capabilities and complexities of the human
brain.
And yet, we can control our brains and overcome that little voice
inside,
convincing ourselves of things that are illogical, illegal, immoral are
O.K. for us, in order to satisfy our own desires, goals and egos.
This makes me wonder if we are really just half smart?(Click
here for more)
"I
Needed That"
I sat
listening with rapt
attention as a visitor gave his testimony from the podium in our
church.
He was several years older than me, and a very good speaker. He
had
experienced some very dramatic events in his life. While I no
longer
remember any specific details, in my mind I can still visualize him
standing
before us. (Click
here for
more)
"A
Creatively Answered Prayer"
In the
Answered Prayer Department
I was given a means of handling this problem without embarrassment or
breaking
the employee’s spirit. I called Ron into my office and said,
“Ron,
I need your help on a special assignment. We have to get
this
corrected.” (Click here for
more)
"Heaven
Beware"
He was
traveling in the right-hand
lane, a very short distance ahead in the left lane, was a car
containing
two elderly women dressed in their Sunday finery, complete with hats,
presumably
heading for church. Alton observed the flashing of their right
turn
signal. Realizing that the left lane immediately ahead of the
ladies
terminated into the on-ramp, Alton did what any gentleman would
do.
He speeded up slightly! (Click
here for more)
"My
Grace is Sufficient
for Thee ..."
We hugged
my parents, said our good-bys and stood watching them drive off.
With a lump in my throat and tears trying to cloud my eyes, I turned to
my wife Beth, and said, “This is the last time I’ll see Daddy
alive.”
This was the conclusion of Christmas Day. (Click
here for more.)
A
"Yarn" about Yarn
No class
would be complete
without some individual who could do unbelievable funny things -
unintentionally.
The scene is the old three story high school building located at 10th
and
Jean in Clearview, Texas. As best I can recall, we were in our
freshman
year and charged with raising money for our class. This was a
class
effort. (Click
here for more.)
Trust
Back in
the late 1960’s and
early ‘70’s there was a nondenominational weekend program in which
churches
participated, and they proved be very successful in enhancing the lives
of their congregations. One of the questions asked hit me right
between
the horns, and inwardly I staggered back, knowing that before the
weekend
was over, I was going to have to sort this out for myself. (Click
here for more.)
What
Is "GLIMPSES"?
“GLIMPSES”
are a collection of stories written under the full title of “GLIMPSES
Through
The Keyhole Of Life.” Those of you who peek through this keyhole
will get to glimpse various events of my life, observations and
views.
In the course of a full life, we will all taste the sweet, the sour and
the bitter. We are not held responsible for “not liking” all of
it,
but each of us must participate. How we personally handle this
wide
variety of circumstances and experiences, we are accountable for.
I have
frequently been amazed by the manner in which God has guided me during
many of the events that most of us would consider as being
“significant”
points in our lives. He has forced nothing on me. I have
tried
to seek out what He is trying to show me, and seek how I am to respond,
rather than blaming Him. I have found that when I maintained the
proper attitude, even in the worst of times, I have gained and profited
from the experiences. I think that I can truthfully say that I am
a better person as a result. For example: About three years
ago it was necessary for me to have a knee replaced. Surprising
to
me, my attitude was, “I certainly have no basis on which to complain
because
I definitely have not thanked God daily, while I enjoyed a healthy
body.”
I feel
that I must warn you, if you decide to peek through my key hole, you’ll
find that I had rather laugh than cry and I see humor in many, many
things.
I’m not past writing some fiction occasionally, just to keep the
creative
juices flowing. But I think you will find that actual events are
as fascinating as a concocted story. No tricks – I’ll tell you up
front which stories are fiction, from a high school mentality that has
not yet reached maturity (thank goodness!).
WELCOME
to MY world!
H. G.
Castleberry
