How in the world would a person be able to describe seven years of his life on just one blog? It isn't possible, so I don't know when I will quit writing about Levy.
How we loved that church! We were just kids and I didn't have sense enough to know that I had no business being their preacher. I remember one day riding down the road to a funeral at Beebe, Ark. for Lindy Beaver's Father. I had a car full of people. One of the fellows in the back seat asked, "Ted, how old are you?" "Twenty-Six", I said. Brother Mel Landers was in the front seat with me and he said in sort of a startled way, "You told us that you were Thirty!" I replied, "No, I didn't. You guys asked me if I was thirty and I said NO." Barbara was Twenty-Three and we had two babies and here we were with a congregation of 400 people to work with. They were so patient and loving to us, especially the elders...Harry McCorkle, L.T. Blevins, Mel Landers, Guy Stewart, and Ted Sorrells.
One day about two weeks after moving to Levy my office phone rang and the voice at the other end said, "This is Al Jolly", who was the preacher at Sylvan Hills. We had a good visit and a few days later Al called and asked me to go visit the Green's with him and I agreed to go. I thought that we were going to visit a family named Green and when he picked me up and drove to the Golf course I learned for the first time about greens. I had never been on a golf course, used a golf club, and never dreamed that I would be crazy enough to go out there and hit a ball and then walk to it and hit it again, over and over again. I am a left handed swinger and they rented me a set of clubs and off we went to the greens. I like it pretty well and Al and I played often for several years. I remember one day that he had hit a ball out of the fairway and was over there trying to hit it and was not having much success. Suddenly I heard him say to himself, "Well, Arnold Palmer can't preach either!" One time Al and I were asked to help with a funeral service for a man that neither or us knew. The only special request that the family had was for us to sing, "The Great Speckled Bird." I told Al that I could Roy Acuff's part if he could get Brother Oswald's." But, we didn't do it of course. Al became a great influence in my life and I learned so many things from him and still love him even if he did move to Texas many years ago.
Our work at Levy prospered. We had a lot of good things that happened there through the years. We had some of the greatest gospel meetings that I have ever been associated with. In 1967 there was a State wide television program called, "Journey To Eternity" presented by churches of Christ all over the State. The campaign on TV was followed by a one night meeting in Barton Coliseum and thousands attended the service to hear brother Mid McKnight preach. We had scheduled a city wide campaign for the same dates so we moved our campaign to one week following the television presentation. Brother Harvey Starling was our speaker. A couple of nights before our campaign started we had 153 of our own members who assembled and went from door to door inviting people to come to our building for the campaign. We had workers every day out in the field studying the bible with people. At the end of the campaign we had baptized 22 folk and 73 others came to be restored to their first love or asking for prayers of the church. The attendance averaged 496 per service which probably still stands as the highest average attendance for a gospel campaign in Pulaski County.
We had other great campaigns with men like E.R. Harper, Jack Gray, Glen McDoniel, Cleon Lyles, V.E. Howard, Alan Bryan, Charles Lemons, Ira North, and others. No one was there to tell us that gospel meetings do not work. I wish that we could have so many more of those meetings today and we could if brethren would work as hard as our brethren did then to help them succeed.
The need for additional men in the leadership of the church was very great. In October 1966 we added several men to serve as Deacons in the Levy church. Then, in 1969 J.J. Pace, Jack McGee, and Roy Brown were added to the eldership.
Brother Mel Landers had a serious heart attack shortly after retiring. One Sunday the other elders and I went to visit him in a hospital in Pine Bluff, Ark. It was during that time that I mentioned to the elders that I would like to someday go into full time evangelism and mission work and them get someone else to fill the pulpit. We talked about it several times. But, in the beginning of 1973 I decided to resign my work with Levy and did so the first Sunday in February. I had no idea where my family and I would go but we knew that God would take care of us. We had no idea how it would be done or when it would begin, but here is what happened.
Following the service when my resignation was read, L.T. and Dorothea Blevins took us out to eat at Bowen's restaurant in Conway. During our lunch Brother Henry Jones, an elder in the Robinson & Center Street congregation in Conway came over to our table to visit. I must have told him that I was making a change in our work. About two hours later I got a phone call from Brother Arless Murray, one of the elders of the Hillcrest church of Christ in Oklahoma City, Ok. He told me that he had just had a call from someone recommending me as a preacher for the Hillcrest church. My resignation had not been made known more than four hours earlier. I told Brother Murray that we would come and discuss the work with them, then I turned to Barbara and told her about the call and laughed and said, "I will go and talk with them, but there is no way that I am moving to Oklahoma City!" My ignorance and arrogance all came out at the same time. I'll tell you where the Herman Junction boy moved in the next post.
Monday, January 10, 2011
Thursday, April 1, 2010
TED'S RULES FOR FLYING: POST #75 APRIL 1, 2010
1. Old people cannot fly. They can't find their row and seat assignments nor put their luggage up in the overhead bins, and they have to go to the toilet every three minutes. Kids, take them wherever they need to go or keep them at home
2. Anyone with a neck brace on or an arm in a cast cannot fly unless it is on an Air France plane everywhere they go.
3. All parents with crying babies must be put on the back row behind some kind of sound barrier unless it is one of my Great-Grandchildren, then they can sit with me and Great-Grandma.
4. If I am in an aisle seat and someone just parks right in the aisle with his back to me and his rear end right in my face, they will be thrown out the window.
5. If there is not an exit row or bulk head seat available, I will be automatically upgraded to business class.
6. Those bing-bong sounds that keep going off, especially when I am trying to take a nap, will be disengaged forever!
7. Anyone who even resembles a terrorist will not be on a plane that I am on and I will be the judge of who looks like a terrorist.
8. Old women, ugly girls, and gay guys cannot be flight attendants except on Air France.
9. All meals will be made from recipes from Herman Junction chefs. Cheeseburgers and fries (not FRENCH fries) for lunch; Corn bread and fried potatoes for supper, and Mexico Chiquito cheese dip and chips for a snack.
10. All pilots will be trained by that 'Sully' pilot that landed that plane safely in the Hudson River.
11. Anyone who asks me if the Clinton's are from Arkansas one more time will ride the entire flight on the toilet seat.
12. No alcoholic beverages will be served, especially to Texas Rednecks who keep yelling, "Don't mess with Texas."
13. If I have to sit on a plane more than thirty minutes my money will be refunded.
14, The next gate agent from Paris, France who lies to me will have to move to Red Onion, Arkansas and pick cotton for the rest of their life.
15. Delta Airlines must sever all relations with Air France. Come to think of it, Air France should not be allowed to fly anywhere but in France
16. I will not be served my Sprite anymore in a little cup that is empty after one gulp. Mayonaise jars will replace them immediately!
17. Every plane will have a 'Razorback' emblem on it somewhere and everyone will call the hogs while those attendants make all those safety announcements that you cannot hear and understand anyway.
18. When I am flying home to Arkansas, I am not to be flown OVER Arkansas and then brought back four hours later.
19. Great, Great, big fat people who are eating Cheetos and Reese's peanut butter cups cannot fly at all unless it is on Air France and with their food they will surely lose some weight.
20. Trips to the toilet will be limited to one trip per flight and after that you can use that mayonaise jar that you had left over from drinking your Sprite.
21. Waking me up to crawl over me and get out will result in your being super-glued to your seat the rest of the flight.
22. Any complaints about these rules will be dealt with according to age and size of the complainer.
2. Anyone with a neck brace on or an arm in a cast cannot fly unless it is on an Air France plane everywhere they go.
3. All parents with crying babies must be put on the back row behind some kind of sound barrier unless it is one of my Great-Grandchildren, then they can sit with me and Great-Grandma.
4. If I am in an aisle seat and someone just parks right in the aisle with his back to me and his rear end right in my face, they will be thrown out the window.
5. If there is not an exit row or bulk head seat available, I will be automatically upgraded to business class.
6. Those bing-bong sounds that keep going off, especially when I am trying to take a nap, will be disengaged forever!
7. Anyone who even resembles a terrorist will not be on a plane that I am on and I will be the judge of who looks like a terrorist.
8. Old women, ugly girls, and gay guys cannot be flight attendants except on Air France.
9. All meals will be made from recipes from Herman Junction chefs. Cheeseburgers and fries (not FRENCH fries) for lunch; Corn bread and fried potatoes for supper, and Mexico Chiquito cheese dip and chips for a snack.
10. All pilots will be trained by that 'Sully' pilot that landed that plane safely in the Hudson River.
11. Anyone who asks me if the Clinton's are from Arkansas one more time will ride the entire flight on the toilet seat.
12. No alcoholic beverages will be served, especially to Texas Rednecks who keep yelling, "Don't mess with Texas."
13. If I have to sit on a plane more than thirty minutes my money will be refunded.
14, The next gate agent from Paris, France who lies to me will have to move to Red Onion, Arkansas and pick cotton for the rest of their life.
15. Delta Airlines must sever all relations with Air France. Come to think of it, Air France should not be allowed to fly anywhere but in France
16. I will not be served my Sprite anymore in a little cup that is empty after one gulp. Mayonaise jars will replace them immediately!
17. Every plane will have a 'Razorback' emblem on it somewhere and everyone will call the hogs while those attendants make all those safety announcements that you cannot hear and understand anyway.
18. When I am flying home to Arkansas, I am not to be flown OVER Arkansas and then brought back four hours later.
19. Great, Great, big fat people who are eating Cheetos and Reese's peanut butter cups cannot fly at all unless it is on Air France and with their food they will surely lose some weight.
20. Trips to the toilet will be limited to one trip per flight and after that you can use that mayonaise jar that you had left over from drinking your Sprite.
21. Waking me up to crawl over me and get out will result in your being super-glued to your seat the rest of the flight.
22. Any complaints about these rules will be dealt with according to age and size of the complainer.
HERMAN JUNCTION BOY GOES FLYING: POST #74, APRIL 1, 2010
I never flew much out of Herman Junction as I was growing up there, at least by airplane. Now, when Harvel got behind the wheel of a car you could almost feel it lifting off the ground at times. We had a pretty good air strip with Old, Old, Highway 63 running right through Herman Junction.
But, since I left Herman Junction I have done my share of flying and I still don't like it one bit. A friend told me once, "The Lord said, "LOW I'll be with you always." I think that is right too. However, I have accepted the fact that if I am going to go some of the places that I want to go, I must fly.
I recently made a trip to Romania for about the 50th time. I had some experiences that I must tell you about. Of course, it was on an Air France plane and that is about as bad as it gets for me. I had rather fly on one of the crop dusters in the Herman Junction area as to ride one of their planes. Here is one reason why....
The main meal of the day on that 5,000 plus mile, one way trip was a choice between these two things:
Mixed vegetable salad and poached egg; Lamb meatballs and Semolina, OR, Neapolitan style Cheese tortellini. Then, they added a tiny piece of Camembert Cheese, a Pineapple stick, a tiny piece of what they called Raspberry cake but it wasn't, and rolls hard enough to knock the depot over if you threw one at it.
Most of you know what I thought about that poached egg salad deal. I did eat the pineapple stick, the raspberry supposed to be cake, and one bite of the strange cheese. It was awful. To my surprise I did try the Lamb meatballs. I just closed my eyes, plopped one in my mouth and it really wasn't all that bad so I ate another one or two. But, all that I could think while I was eating it was: "Mary had a little Lamb, it's fleece was white as snow. Now it's all chewed up in a boy from Herman Junction, and it's off to Arkansas he go."
I asked what "Semolina" was and when that French flight attendant answered it sounded to me like she said something about "Goose" and that closed that deal. I would have liked to ask for a baloney sandwich but I knew that would have been talking in tongues to her as much as she was to me.
All of these flying experiences have moved to to do something about it. So, I have submitted my set of rules for flying to the FAA, certain that they will be approved. If you don't like them you can just take the bus or train. They will be in the next blog post.
But, since I left Herman Junction I have done my share of flying and I still don't like it one bit. A friend told me once, "The Lord said, "LOW I'll be with you always." I think that is right too. However, I have accepted the fact that if I am going to go some of the places that I want to go, I must fly.
I recently made a trip to Romania for about the 50th time. I had some experiences that I must tell you about. Of course, it was on an Air France plane and that is about as bad as it gets for me. I had rather fly on one of the crop dusters in the Herman Junction area as to ride one of their planes. Here is one reason why....
The main meal of the day on that 5,000 plus mile, one way trip was a choice between these two things:
Mixed vegetable salad and poached egg; Lamb meatballs and Semolina, OR, Neapolitan style Cheese tortellini. Then, they added a tiny piece of Camembert Cheese, a Pineapple stick, a tiny piece of what they called Raspberry cake but it wasn't, and rolls hard enough to knock the depot over if you threw one at it.
Most of you know what I thought about that poached egg salad deal. I did eat the pineapple stick, the raspberry supposed to be cake, and one bite of the strange cheese. It was awful. To my surprise I did try the Lamb meatballs. I just closed my eyes, plopped one in my mouth and it really wasn't all that bad so I ate another one or two. But, all that I could think while I was eating it was: "Mary had a little Lamb, it's fleece was white as snow. Now it's all chewed up in a boy from Herman Junction, and it's off to Arkansas he go."
I asked what "Semolina" was and when that French flight attendant answered it sounded to me like she said something about "Goose" and that closed that deal. I would have liked to ask for a baloney sandwich but I knew that would have been talking in tongues to her as much as she was to me.
All of these flying experiences have moved to to do something about it. So, I have submitted my set of rules for flying to the FAA, certain that they will be approved. If you don't like them you can just take the bus or train. They will be in the next blog post.
Thursday, February 25, 2010
HERMAN JUNCTION ECONOMICS LESSON:POST #73 FEB. 25, 2010
I never knew a rich family or person monetarily that lived at Herman Junction. Sometimes when we would be working in the fields the land owner might come driving down the road real slow just looking over the crops and I would look at that bright, shiny, new car and the driver with a big cigar in his mouth and think about how lucky he was and how rich he must have been. But, I didn't know any rich people. We were richer than we realized, just not in money.
But, my Dad and a lot of other people in Herman Junction knew a lot more about handling finances than a lot of rich and powerful people do today, especially those in Washington who are supposed to know about such things. I never heard of anyone going bankrupt. I didn't even know what that meant until years later. I believe that I learned something from the Herman Junction folks about the economy that I wish our 'guvment' leaders today would learn. And, the American people would be much better off if they would learn this lesson to. Want to know what it is? Here it comes....
But, my Dad and a lot of other people in Herman Junction knew a lot more about handling finances than a lot of rich and powerful people do today, especially those in Washington who are supposed to know about such things. I never heard of anyone going bankrupt. I didn't even know what that meant until years later. I believe that I learned something from the Herman Junction folks about the economy that I wish our 'guvment' leaders today would learn. And, the American people would be much better off if they would learn this lesson to. Want to know what it is? Here it comes....
"IF YOU DON'T HAVE MONEY TO SPEND, DON'T SPEND!"
If my Dad didn't have the money for something that we wanted or thought that we needed, he didn't hesitate to say, "We don't have the money." We made other arrangements without an argument because we knew that was the end of that conversation. If Mom wanted new curtains, a washing machine, running water in the house and a bathroom, that was fine but it didn't come until there was money to pay for it. If we kids wanted skates, a bicycle, new basketball, or whatever, we didn't get it until there was money to pay for it. I needed some Converse athletic shoes for basketball one time but Dad didn't have the money so older brother Harvel bought me some. He just didn't spend money when he didn't have money to spend. A few months before Dad died he told me, "I want to leave this earth not owing anyone a dime" and he did it. That is quite an accomplishment for a guy with a fourth grade education who was just yanked up by the hair of the head, and the seat of his britches but worked really, really, hard and didn't spend money that he didn't have.
Is there anything in there that you cannot understand? Isn't it simple? Today our leaders continue to spend, spend, spend, and the hole just gets deeper, deeper, and deeper because they don't have the money to spend but they keep on spending. Some families are doing the same thing. Why are there so many mortgage foreclosures, cars repossessed, and savings depleted? People are spending what they don't have to spend! Government is spending what it doesn't have to spend! Yes, I know that some people have unexpectedly lost their jobs or medical expenses or some other catastrophe has wiped them out, but in MOST cases spending what we didn't have to spend has led us down a path to heartache.
If I could give some families some economic advice today it would be simply this: "If you don't have the money to go out and eat, EAT AT HOME! If you don't have the money to go to the movies, STAY HOME and play with the kids or read a book! If you don't have the money to trade cars, DRIVE THE OLD ONE! If you don't have the money for a new suit or dress, PATCH up your old ones for awhile! If you don't have the money to pay for that dumb cell phone with all the text message system, GPS system, TV, Camera, Music, go to Wal-Mart and buy a 'Go Phone' for $19.95 and just settle for a CELL PHONE! If you can't pay for a new TV, listen to the radio until you can buy a new one and pay for it. Throw out the credit cards, burn up the ATM cards and debit cards, and don't even think about charging something! If you don't have money to spend, DON'T SPEND!
After all, look at the expert who is writing this!! Well, I know that I don't have enough money to pay attention, but I have a 1973 Monte Carlo and a 1996 Grand Marquis, both paid for and I ain't spending money that I don't have to keep up with people that I don't even like. So, hear it one more time....
"IF YOU DON'T HAVE MONEY TO SPEND, DON'T SPEND!!
Monday, February 22, 2010
THE HOLY GUM SLOUGH DITCH: POST #72: FEB. 22, 2010
Every year there was at least one evangelistic gospel meeting ( some call them revivals) held at the church of Christ in Bay, Arkansas where we attended church services. These gospel meetings sometimes lasted two weeks and if the weather got too hot they would move the pews outside and string up some lights and conduct services under the stars. Herbert and Dessie Knight never missed one service of these meetings unless there was some very serious conflict like sickness or something. We walked to the meeting many nights after Dad had worked on the railroad all day and the others worked in the fields. However, the meeting usually was scheduled after the crops were 'laid by', so it was a little easier. After services we would walk back home until Dad got a car and then of course we would ride and that was much better. I remember the gospel meetings so well and remember many of the preachers who came to preach.
When gospel meetings were conducted it was not unusual to have several people respond to the invitation to be baptized. There was no baptistery in the early days. So, many times it would be several days before the baptisms were done. Then, everyone would meet at the Gum Slough Ditch and all be baptized at the same time. I remember when 46 people were baptized there in one meeting in which the preachers name was V.E. Howard. Until the church had a baptistery installed, the Gum Slough Ditch was the official baptizing place for the church of Christ.
I got to thinking about that one day. I thought that the Gum Slough must have been either the most righteous ditch in the country or the dirtiest ditch one could find. If all those sins were washed off right there in the ditch it would surely muddy it up bad. But, I don't think that was the case. I think that those sins were washed away in the blood of Jesus and that Gum Slough ditch must have been the most holy body of water in the entire county. I guess that is why the old swimming hole on down the ditch a little ways was so suitable for a swim. The swimming hole was called, "The Forks".
We got a baptistery later and then baptisms took place in the building. I think that I mentioned this earlier but when it was put in someone must have misplaced the drain stopper and it was replaced by a Dr. Pepper. Sometimes some ugly-minded guy would get in there and grab the Dr. Pepper and the next service the baptistery was dry. All of that is fixed now and I'm glad.
But, I still wonder about the condition of the old Gum Slough Ditch? A Herman Junction Boy Can figure for some time on a deal like that.
When gospel meetings were conducted it was not unusual to have several people respond to the invitation to be baptized. There was no baptistery in the early days. So, many times it would be several days before the baptisms were done. Then, everyone would meet at the Gum Slough Ditch and all be baptized at the same time. I remember when 46 people were baptized there in one meeting in which the preachers name was V.E. Howard. Until the church had a baptistery installed, the Gum Slough Ditch was the official baptizing place for the church of Christ.
I got to thinking about that one day. I thought that the Gum Slough must have been either the most righteous ditch in the country or the dirtiest ditch one could find. If all those sins were washed off right there in the ditch it would surely muddy it up bad. But, I don't think that was the case. I think that those sins were washed away in the blood of Jesus and that Gum Slough ditch must have been the most holy body of water in the entire county. I guess that is why the old swimming hole on down the ditch a little ways was so suitable for a swim. The swimming hole was called, "The Forks".
We got a baptistery later and then baptisms took place in the building. I think that I mentioned this earlier but when it was put in someone must have misplaced the drain stopper and it was replaced by a Dr. Pepper. Sometimes some ugly-minded guy would get in there and grab the Dr. Pepper and the next service the baptistery was dry. All of that is fixed now and I'm glad.
But, I still wonder about the condition of the old Gum Slough Ditch? A Herman Junction Boy Can figure for some time on a deal like that.
Sunday, February 21, 2010
SPORTSMANSHIP AT HERMAN JUNCTION: POST #71, FEB. 21, 2010
Growing up at Herman Junction was exciting and we never found ourselves with nothing to do. I don't remember anyone talking about being bored or complaining because there wasn't anything to do. We made things to do. We had more games than you can imagine that youngsters today would think were stupid, but they weren't stupid to us.
Most of the things that we did involved competition. We wanted to see who could win. Every one that I knew would expend every effort to win whatever we were competing in. Second place finishers were losers. When one would climb up on the concrete storm cellar and proclaim himself 'King Of The Hill' he gave everything that he had to keep from being knocked off there by the others. When roller skating on the old highway, every person was determined to be the fastest, most stable, and creative skater there was. If you lost in any event it broke your heart and drove you to do better the next time.
When I observe some of the things today in sports I am surprised at how people feel about winning and losing and their attitudes toward their opponents. At high school basketball games when the players are introduced they run to the other end and shake hands with the opposing coach. After the game they all line up and shake hands or give hugs to each other and extend congratulations to one another. Can you imagine me running up to one of those Herman Junction boys and wishing him luck in opposing me in some contest? Or, can you imagine one of them coming to me after the contest is over and congratulating me for beating him? It ain't never gonna happen!
No, Sir that would not have happened at Herman Junction among the Knight boys or any of the others who came to our house. If an opposing player came over to shake hands before the game and say, "Good Luck", he would have been considered to be out of his mind. If I were a Coach today and some opposing kids came running down to shake my hand I think that I would tell him to get back to the other end because my team was about to whip his team from end to end. And, when that game was over and I had lost, don't come running down there to tell me how good a game we played and offer congratulations! We just got beat! Get out of here before I melt and pour all over you! I see these Tennis players work for several matches and then when the game is over they meet at the net and hug each other, etc. Not me! If I met him at the net I would hit him in the head with my racket! He just beat me and that is not acceptable to me. Old Peyton Manning walked off the field after losing the 2010 Super Bowl and people got all over him for not being a good sport. Phooey! He just lost the biggest game of the year. Let him go off and work it out in his own mind and then maybe later he can tell the victors how good they played.
Sportsmanship. Well, it is good but only to a degree. Give me time because the Herman Junction in me isn't all gone yet so leave me alone before the game because I am going to try to beat you as much as I can. And, when that game is over, stay away from me. I ain't going to congratulate nobody for whupping me!!
Most of the things that we did involved competition. We wanted to see who could win. Every one that I knew would expend every effort to win whatever we were competing in. Second place finishers were losers. When one would climb up on the concrete storm cellar and proclaim himself 'King Of The Hill' he gave everything that he had to keep from being knocked off there by the others. When roller skating on the old highway, every person was determined to be the fastest, most stable, and creative skater there was. If you lost in any event it broke your heart and drove you to do better the next time.
When I observe some of the things today in sports I am surprised at how people feel about winning and losing and their attitudes toward their opponents. At high school basketball games when the players are introduced they run to the other end and shake hands with the opposing coach. After the game they all line up and shake hands or give hugs to each other and extend congratulations to one another. Can you imagine me running up to one of those Herman Junction boys and wishing him luck in opposing me in some contest? Or, can you imagine one of them coming to me after the contest is over and congratulating me for beating him? It ain't never gonna happen!
No, Sir that would not have happened at Herman Junction among the Knight boys or any of the others who came to our house. If an opposing player came over to shake hands before the game and say, "Good Luck", he would have been considered to be out of his mind. If I were a Coach today and some opposing kids came running down to shake my hand I think that I would tell him to get back to the other end because my team was about to whip his team from end to end. And, when that game was over and I had lost, don't come running down there to tell me how good a game we played and offer congratulations! We just got beat! Get out of here before I melt and pour all over you! I see these Tennis players work for several matches and then when the game is over they meet at the net and hug each other, etc. Not me! If I met him at the net I would hit him in the head with my racket! He just beat me and that is not acceptable to me. Old Peyton Manning walked off the field after losing the 2010 Super Bowl and people got all over him for not being a good sport. Phooey! He just lost the biggest game of the year. Let him go off and work it out in his own mind and then maybe later he can tell the victors how good they played.
Sportsmanship. Well, it is good but only to a degree. Give me time because the Herman Junction in me isn't all gone yet so leave me alone before the game because I am going to try to beat you as much as I can. And, when that game is over, stay away from me. I ain't going to congratulate nobody for whupping me!!
Sunday, February 7, 2010
LEVY CALLS: POST #70 FEB. 7, 2010
We were so happy at Swifton and Barbara thought that we would stay there until we retired or died. The new house that we had just moved into was such a beautiful house, especially for that time. It was so big that we could not even afford to furnish it completely and had conveniences that we had never had before. The church was strong and they loved us and showed that love in so many, many, ways. No preacher had things better than I did. I had landed in a tub of butter for sure.
One night Barbara was ironing and I was sitting watching her iron and we were just making conversation. The phone rang. I said, "I will get this in the bedroom, it's some big church calling for me to come preach for them." I picked up the receiver and said, "Hello", and on the other end I heard these words: "Brother Knight, this is Ted Sorrells from the Levy church of Christ in North Little Rock, Arkansas." We exchanged our greetings and then he continued, "Our preacher is moving and we are looking for a preacher. We wondered if you might be interested in talking with us about this."
I was almost completely speechless! I had never heard of the Levy church of Christ and had only been to Little Rock two or three times in my life. I was stunned. I simply asked if I could have a little time and talk to My Lady and if he could call later that would be good for me. He said that he would. You cannot imagine how big a lie My Lady thought that I was making up when I went back in the other room and told her about that call. It took some time before she really believed what I was telling her. We were both just completely overwhelmed at this moment in our life together.
On May 15, 1966 three of the elders at Levy came to visit our Sunday evening services and we met at our house after services. The news was out at Swifton because one of the elders at Levy had a nephew who worshipped at Swifton and that nephew knew immediately why they were there. We agreed to come to Levy and 'try out' which I hated, so we went there on June 4th and spent the night at the Holiday Inn. Marty wanted a Holiday Inn in his back yard at Swifton because he really thought that we were walking in high cotton. On June 5, 1966 I preached my first sermon at Levy and fell in love with that church. We ate lunch with Ted & Edith Sorrells and had a great time. The next day we ate with L.T. & Dorothea Blevins, one of the elders and he told me that in the elders meeting later that evening they were going to invite us to move there and work with the church. Again, I was completely floored.
I went back home and told the elders at Swifton that we were going to move in three months. They were shocked too and began to encourage us to change our mind. In fact, they were so persuasive that I told them that I would stay at Swifton. On July 20th I went back to Levy to tell the elders that we would not be moving there. It was Wednesday night and they asked me to give the devotional and extend the invitation. When I got up there I knew that I could not back out, so we went back to Swifton and backed out on them.
On August 29th they packed our meager belongings and moved us to 112 Farmere Circle, North Little Rock, Arkansas. I preached my first sermon as the regular preacher with the Levy church of Christ on September 4, 1966. What an exciting life we were beginning and I was in such a whirlwind that I didn't even notice it.
I knew one thing for sure though...I was a long way from Herman Junction and I just had a hard time understanding all this.
One night Barbara was ironing and I was sitting watching her iron and we were just making conversation. The phone rang. I said, "I will get this in the bedroom, it's some big church calling for me to come preach for them." I picked up the receiver and said, "Hello", and on the other end I heard these words: "Brother Knight, this is Ted Sorrells from the Levy church of Christ in North Little Rock, Arkansas." We exchanged our greetings and then he continued, "Our preacher is moving and we are looking for a preacher. We wondered if you might be interested in talking with us about this."
I was almost completely speechless! I had never heard of the Levy church of Christ and had only been to Little Rock two or three times in my life. I was stunned. I simply asked if I could have a little time and talk to My Lady and if he could call later that would be good for me. He said that he would. You cannot imagine how big a lie My Lady thought that I was making up when I went back in the other room and told her about that call. It took some time before she really believed what I was telling her. We were both just completely overwhelmed at this moment in our life together.
On May 15, 1966 three of the elders at Levy came to visit our Sunday evening services and we met at our house after services. The news was out at Swifton because one of the elders at Levy had a nephew who worshipped at Swifton and that nephew knew immediately why they were there. We agreed to come to Levy and 'try out' which I hated, so we went there on June 4th and spent the night at the Holiday Inn. Marty wanted a Holiday Inn in his back yard at Swifton because he really thought that we were walking in high cotton. On June 5, 1966 I preached my first sermon at Levy and fell in love with that church. We ate lunch with Ted & Edith Sorrells and had a great time. The next day we ate with L.T. & Dorothea Blevins, one of the elders and he told me that in the elders meeting later that evening they were going to invite us to move there and work with the church. Again, I was completely floored.
I went back home and told the elders at Swifton that we were going to move in three months. They were shocked too and began to encourage us to change our mind. In fact, they were so persuasive that I told them that I would stay at Swifton. On July 20th I went back to Levy to tell the elders that we would not be moving there. It was Wednesday night and they asked me to give the devotional and extend the invitation. When I got up there I knew that I could not back out, so we went back to Swifton and backed out on them.
On August 29th they packed our meager belongings and moved us to 112 Farmere Circle, North Little Rock, Arkansas. I preached my first sermon as the regular preacher with the Levy church of Christ on September 4, 1966. What an exciting life we were beginning and I was in such a whirlwind that I didn't even notice it.
I knew one thing for sure though...I was a long way from Herman Junction and I just had a hard time understanding all this.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
