Starting a New Week

Last week was full of surprise and activity.  That makes for an interesting time and keeps things moving; though sometimes it would be nice for things to slow down a bit.

One thing I like about Monday is that it is a new beginning.  The start of a new week.  It is a time for reflection for me, and I pray for others as well.  Of course I get up early almost every morning, and by early I do not mean 6:00 a.m.  I mean more like 3:30 a.m.  I enjoy that time of day.  There are no interruptions while I read, pray and write.  It is probably one of the most productive times of my day.

I know that everyone cannot enjoy a 3:30 a.m. getting up time; but you miss so much if you are not up, at least before the sun starts to rise over the horizon.  It is a beautiful sight to behold.  The glory of the creation of our God and Savior.

Enjoy the day whatever time your getting up time is.  I pray you will meet God somewhere within the day.  A time when you know you have encountered Him, and enjoy Him, and love Him forever; because He first loved us.

-Tim

Sunday Worship – “O Worship the King”

O WORSHIP THE KING

“O worship the King, all glorious above, And gratefully sing His wonderful love;  Our Shield and Defender, the Ancient of Days, Pavilioned in splendor, and girded with praise.

O tell of His might, O sing of His grace, Whose robe is the light, whose canopy space!  His chariots of wrath the deep thunderclouds form, And dark is His path on the wings of the storm.

Thy bountiful care what tongue can recite?  It breathes in the air, it shines in the light,  It streams from the hills, it descends to the plain, And sweetly distils in the dew and the rain.

Frail children of dust, and feeble as frail, In Thee do we trust, nor find Thee to fail:  Thy mercies how tender, how firm to the end, Our Maker, Defender, Redeemer and Friend.”

Robert Grant, 1779-1838                                    Johann M. Haydn, 1737-1806

Worship the King.  Today and everyday.

-Tim

Up and Hot

With the help of our eldest son we got the electric fence up and our son Timothy says that it is hot.  He tested it by touching it after I plugged it in, since we do not have a meter to read the wire with.

I have not seen any cattle around since putting it up, but I am sure it will turn them, and we will not need to fret about what they are going to do to our house or yard while we are away.  The meter on the charger is reading 13.5 to 13.6 most of the time.  On the charger is written that 4.0 and above is a good charge for turning large, longhaired animals…  With a 13 it ought to turn an elephant.

When I got home last evening from driving the bus I went down and fixed the downed fence by the Creek.  It had been leveled by the last big rising of the Creek which was back in April.  It is up now too.

The fence is up and one is hot.

-Tim

I Lost a Kid

To some of you “Kid” is my word for child, not a goat.  I was always called “kid” when I was, and I am still called “kid” by some distant family members who are a few years older.

While driving my school bus yesterday afternoon; I had just departed from the high school picking up my kids there,  and I had a kindergarten boy who, along with a kindergarten girl was standing, turning around in the seat, and I told them both to turn around and stay in their seat.  Well,  I did that a couple of times at least.  When I leave the high school my bus is loaded and there is no room for any more.

I have eight stops in town before I ever leave town to go on the 45 – 50 mile trip out of town.  In town I drop off over half my load.  There are three of those eight stops where 30 to 40 (combined) get off.  This little fella, some how managed to get past me at one of these stops without me seeing him.  When I get to his stop; he is not present.  At the stop, the mother, which I find out is his foster mother, comes to the bus to walk the boy back to the house; but he is not there.  She asks me if she can come of the bus and look.  I tell her she can.  She does, walking to the rear of the bus; but he is not there.

I radio the principal of K- 2 and inform her; and they proceed to seek the child.  I need to leave from this stop, because I have traffic on the street backed up in both directions.  By the time I have all my other kids unloaded I radio in to find out about the boy, and I am told they have found him.

Evidently some kind person; and I am thankful it was a kind individual; has found him walking the side of the road, picked him up and taken him home.  Thank you!  Who ever you may be.

I will learn to watch this little boy much better at these other stops.

-Tim

Electric Fence

I am in the process of putting an electric fence around our yard.  For some time now we have had problems with my brother’s cattle coming in our yard; afterall it has not been that long and our yard was their pasture; so they need a little education.

It rained all day yesterday, and yesterday morning with the help and aid of a friend we went to the local MFA, and I purchased the fence charger, some insulator clips, ground rods, one half mile of wire, clamps for holding the ground wire effectively to the ground rods.  I already had a few steel t-posts and a designed fence most of the way around the yard so I am using that is the place for the insulators.

Just for information.  This electric fencing is not designed to injure, maim or kill; only to turn them away.  It will only deliver an electric shock.

Looking forward to watching it at work.

-Tim

Being blessed with more Rain

Today is the last day of Summer.  At least according to the calendar hanging on my wall.  Friday the 23rd is the first day of Autumn.  That seems to be a little later than usual to me.  It seems to usually fall on the 21st or so; but not in 2011 I guess.

It is raining again.  Thank the Lord of all grace and mercy and love.  It is wonderful how He loves us all.  It seems to me that rain is a reminder of His love, grace and mercy and our need.

It will not be long and we will all be longing for those warm, even hot Summer days; at least I know I will.  I must admit some of these past Summer days were extremely hot; but that is Summer.

It is great to be alive.  It is great to have family and friends whom I love and who loves me.  It is even greater still to know that there is a God in Heaven who also lives within me, because He loves me and cares for every need.  All because of the gift of His Son Jesus – His death on the cross, burial and resurrection; and knowing that one day soon He will return.  O,  What a day that will be…

Thanks for the rain.

-Tim

George Washington Carver National Monument

Yesterday, two other bus drivers and myself took three buses of children to the George Washington Carver National Monument in Diamond, MO..  There are probably a lot of people who do not know about George Washington Carver.

He was a generous man.  He cared for people.  He was a man of faith, and used his faith in his life.  He worked with peanuts and discovered many things and many products have come from peanuts because of his work.

The park is on the West side of Diamond, and is a beautiful park.  If you ever get a chance to go there it would be worth the visit.

That is it from the banks of Flat Creek today.

-Tim

We Got Rain

On Friday the 16th I bought some grass seed to sow on my dirt I had moved and filled holes around the yard and fixed in front of the house where water would be more likely to roll around the house rather than under it.  When I got home from driving the bus that morning I sowed the seed, just broadcasting it onto the soil.   Then, it started to rain.  And it rained, and rained and it kept on raining with short periods of no rain, but cloudy skies, and cooler air.

In all we had over 5 inches at our house by the time the rain had stopped.  Some people were giving reports of 6 inches and more, even 8 or more inches.  Looking at Flat Creek you would not know it had rained that much.  It just soaked into the ground, and I thought would have done my grass seed really good; but I was wrong about that.

I have found some of the seeds washed together, and bunched up in low spots.  So much for that.  I pray some of it will take at least.

At least now when the grass does start growing in these bare places it will look nicer and have something to mow, and care for.  Holes are still filled in, and that by itself looks pretty good.

Thank YOU Lord Jesus, Creator of all things, for caring for us and providing the rain.

-Tim

Auctions and Sales

I attended an auction just outside of Clever yesterday.  My mother called me around 7:30 or so while I was out tending our dogs, and told me that a couple who has been there long time friends was having an auction, and would I take them?  At first I said “No!  I have plenty to get done today”, but about an hour later I called her back and told her I would take them.

The drive up there was in much needed rain; and it rained and it rained and it kept on raining.  By the end of the day we had pools of water, running water, my grass seed getting plenty of water.  Yippppppeeee!!!  Anyway; back to the sale.  They had a few items I wanted to bid on.  I never even got in a bid because they started out higher than I could afford or wanted to pay.  I am happy for the couple having the sale; it was good for them.

There is something I have noticed about a lot of auctions I have attended.  People lose their heads at these things.  They end up paying the same price or more for a used item than they could buy a new one for in some cases.

I am sure thankful for the rain.  The grass is starting to green up again.  That is a good thing.

Thank YOU Lord for sending water to the earth and nourishment for it.

From along the banks of Flat Creek.

-Tim

Eli

Let me tell you about my grandson Eli.  I was playing with him last evening after I returned home from driving the school bus, and called him “Little boy”.  Without even saying anything else he said, “My name is Eli”.  Just to see what he would do I called him “Little boy” again, and he said, “My name is Eli” again.

I do not know about the rest of you, but I think that is cute.  A feisty two year old, who knows who he is.

There are fewer and fewer adults who know who they are.  O,  yeah, they know their name; but do not know who they really are.

It may take a while for that to sink in with a some, if they read this.

Flat Creek is still flowing beautifully over the rocks and through the valleys.

-Tim

Thieves, Crooks, and Culprits

It is horrible what some people will stoop so low to do.  Are they even in the human race?  Of course they are but they are depraved and wicked of mind and heart.  What am I writing about?  Thieves, crooks and culprits who would connive and steal from the elderly by way of a email or phone scam.

I have heard of them, and known of some people who were stolen from by these wicked perpetrators of stealing others property.  It has never hit so close to home until today.  My mother calls down to our house, and says, “Get up here NOW!” to my wife in an emergency type voice.  Madge tells me; we leave in a rush; we arrive at the house, and mom meats us at the door; upset, in tears, and trying to tell us what is wrong.  We finally find out she is talking about Charity, our eldest child and daughter.

The  caller has called pretending to be Charity, in tears, supposedly in jail for being drunk, and hitting a child; and needing several thousands in bail money.  When I heard that I immediately recognized it for what it was. A big fat phone scam.  Dad is still on the phone talking to some man connected with the attempted theft.  I have spoke rather loudly as I came in, “It’s a scam” and Dad handed me the phone but the culprit is already hung up; maybe it should be “Hung”.

Can someone actually find pride, and fulfillment in bilking elderly people out of thousands of dollars.  I think my parents had it pretty well figured out by the time my wife and I got there; but my mother was pretty upset.  We stayed around for a while, and talked.

Our family is familiar with one another and what we are doing and where we go.  So keep your hands off.  You will get caught.

That is my line for the day from the banks of Flat Creek.

-Tim

Motorcycles and Mustangs

When I was 24 years of age I bought a brand new Honda Hawk 400 motorcycle.  That was almost 33 years ago.  I loved riding that bike.  I rode it to Little Rock, AR. several times attending Boyce Bible School down there in the old Baptist Hospital.  The last time I rode down there it rained on me all the way back;  205 miles in the drizzling rain.  I nearly froze.  I  had no rain gear for riding.  Like I said that was my last time riding down to Little Rock.

I also rode it to Tulsa, OK. for a Bible Conference one time; and with a brother in law.  We had a wonderful time.  My cycle got 68 miles per gallon on that trip.  Now would that not be nice today?

Anyway on to why I am writing this.  I got rid of that bike, trading it for a car for my family; which I think turned out to be a bad deal; a bad car.  It was an old 1967 Ford Thunderbird four door.  It had the “suicide doors” for the back doors.  It would have been a great car, if money was no problem.

I rode Timothy’s [our eldest son] Honda VTX 1300 to the Bus Garage yesterday.  After arriving home I was worn out physically.  I realized something as I was coming home.  I was not handling that bike as well as it ought to be handled.  I have decided not that I no longer want to get one.  If I cannot handle it properly and safely; I sure do not need to be riding one.

Instead I will dream of a Mustang GT convertible. 🙂  That will not be too high on the priority scale; probably at the bottom of the list.  Oh yeah, and that is with a manual transmission.

There is nothing comfortable about a Mustang, but it sure would be fun to drive, and the top down would still give me that out in the air feeling, that comes from riding a motorcycle.

Craziness on the banks of Flat Creek.

-Tim

 

A Smart Boy

I think you will like this story.

STRATEGY, MISTAKES

A young boy enters a barber shop and the barber whispers to his customer, “This kid is not so bright. Watch while I prove it to you.”

The barber puts a dollar bill in one hand and two quarters in the other, then calls the boy over and asks, “Which do you want, son?”

The boy takes the quarters and leaves the dollar.

“What did I tell you?” said the barber. “That kid never learns!”

Later, when the customer leaves, he sees the same young boy coming out of the ice cream store and says, “Hey, son! May I ask you a question? Why did you take the quarters instead of the dollar bill?”

The boy licked his cone and replied, “Because the day I take the dollar, the game’s over!”

Hopefully thinking ahead on the banks of Flat Creek.

-Tim

From my Journal

This is part of what I wrote in my journal for today.

On this day in 2001 at around 7:30 a.m. Central time the U.S.A. was attacked by the enemy with ties to Islam.  There were four groups/teams who hijacked four different passenger  planes.  The first was directed as a bomb into the North tower of the World Trade Center in New York City.  The second, like the first was flown directly into the South tower.  The explosions were massive, and the destruction was horrific.

A third plane was directed at the Pentagon, a government building where military plans and personnel are housed.  The fourth plane was on a direct path toward Washington D.C., but did not reach its destination.  The passengers on board, upon finding out the intentions of the terrorists caused the plane to crash into a field in Pennsylvania killing all on board, but probably saving many more lives..

In total more than 3,000 people died that day.  Because of God’s intervention – Divine Providence – there could have been many more perishing in the fall of the towers that day.

In my heart I believe that was a warning to our nation of our departure from the Lord of all.  A message to the Christians especially. Judgment was beginning to increase.

Thankfully, we had a President who was a confessing Christian and appeared to trust the Lord at that time.

That has been ten years now, and there have been many destructive storms of “Nature” hit our nation.  One was hurricane “Katrina” which hit the Gulf Coast nearly destroying New Orleans, LA..  Just this past Spring tornadoes  hit the South nearly destroying the city of Tuscaloosa, AL.  Maybe I should say “destroying the city…”.  That happened in April and over 300 were killed in the South tornadoes.  On May 22, 2011 a tornado hit Joplin, MO. killing 160 and leveling a large part of the city.  Destruction of homes, businesses, hospitals and schools were recorded on video as it happened.

There is a need for repentance among the people of God today.

Much of that is word for word from my journal.  If you are a Christian stop approving of sin; and speak out against it. Live against it. Repent of it; in other words; AGREE WITH GOD.

Though I may live in Jenkins, MO and along the banks of Flat Creek;  I am not blind or ignorant of the world’s greatest need; and that is Christ Jesus.

-Tim

School Has Started Again

Cassville R-IV Schools began on August 18, 2011.  And man, did my route change.  It is a little longer.

I now go down to the place by the Lake I did when I first took the route four years ago.  Down there I pick up two little girls who are a couple of sweet little girls, but need to learn how to stay in their seats, and be quiet; especially one of them; the youngest.

I do not think people realize how much of a distraction moving around and a loud voice can be to a bus driver.  It really is though.  One sudden move can call the driver’s attention to the mirror and away from the road.  Sure we have training, and experience, yet, even the best and most professional driver can mess up, by a child’s scream and such as that.

If you are a parent; please teach your small children to be seated; and a non-distraction.  It will go a long way in a peaceful ride on the School Bus and a long life for your child and the others on the bus.

I do not want to see any of them hurt, nor do I enjoy the idea of taking them to see their Principal.  If I must though, I must and will do so.

I will be taking care of; and most drivers I know will be taking good care of your children on the way to school.  There is no other way.

Tim A. Blankenship

School Has Started Again

Cassville R-IV Schools began on August 18, 2011.  And man, did my route change.  It is a little longer.
I now go down to the place by the Lake I did when I first took the route four years ago.  Down there I pick up two little girls who are a couple of sweet little girls, but need to learn how to stay in their seats, and be quiet; especially one of them; the youngest.

I do not think people realize how much of a distraction moving around and a loud voice can be to a bus driver.  It really is though.  One sudden move can call the driver’s attention to the mirror and away from the road.  Sure we have training, and experience, yet, even the best and most professional driver can mess up, by a child’s scream and such as that.

If you are a parent; please teach your small children to be seated; and a non-distraction.  It will go a long way in a peaceful ride on the School Bus and a long life for your child and the others on the bus.

I do not want to see any of them hurt, nor do I enjoy the idea of taking them to see their Principal.  If I must though, I must and will do so.

I will be taking care of; and most drivers I know will be taking good care of your children on the way to school.  There is no other way.

Tim A. Blankenship

When I Survey the Wondrous Cross

“When I survey the wondrous cross, On which the Prince of glory died, My richest gain I count but loss, And pour contempt on all my pride.

Forbid it, Lord, that I should boast, Save in the death of Christ my God; All the vain things that charm me most, I sacrifice them to His blood.

See, from His head, His hands, His feet, Sorrow and love flow mingled down; Did e’er such love and sorrow meet, Or thorns compose so rich a crown.

Were the whole realm of nature mine, That were a present far to small; Love so amazing, so divine, Demands my soul, my life, my all.”

by Isaac Watts 1674-1748

and still a wonderful hymn of praise to our God and Savior Jesus Christ.

Always praising God along the banks of Flat Creek.

-Tim

Ramblings for the Day

I am still keeping my journal. I have written it it every day since starting it again.  Today I wrote of my awaking and getting up time; the Scripture I read for the day, the schedule for the day’s reading – which is different from my reading, because I am ahead of the schedule.

I also wrote of the activity trip I had with the cross country running team.  I took them to Carthage.

I did not write about the thoughts I am having of spending two extra days a week down on the church field.  Doing some pastoral visits, evangelism as God leads and provides.

I am thankful to my Lord today for all His many blessings.  Thank You Lord for the air I breathe, the ground upon which I walk and where I live.  Thank You for every beat of my heart, for eyes to see, ears to hear, for the stars of the heavens; they are surely the “floor joists” of your abode called Heaven.  You are awesome and glorious and powerful in all Your ways.

That is it from along the banks of Flat Creek.

-Tim

Hazard on the Highway

My wife and I were coming home from church last night when we came up behind a couple of vehicles.  The one directly in front of us was a small pickup truck; and in front of them was a Ford Taurus [Though I did not know that until later.  We were too far in the back to tell].  The lady in the Taurus was driving slowly; about 40, maybe less; and she was driving into the Southbound lane of Highway 39 (we were headed North).  At times there was on coming traffic and there were several near misses.

The lady in the Taurus nearly ran in the ditch at one point, and my thought was that that was a good place for her before someone was seriously hurt.  The people in the small truck was afraid to get too close and kept putting on their hazard lights.  We got into Barry County, and about a mile into the county she actually hit the ditch on the West side of the road, did some pretty lively bouncing, veered back onto the road into the correct lane, and just shortly pulled into a driveway.

The small truck and us stopped.  The passenger [a woman] of the small truck got out and she was a bit shaken from seeing what all happened.  I was more angry than shaken.  I was almost sure that this individual was drunk.  I went over to the car, and the woman driving got out wondering what had happened.  “This is a friends car.” She said.  “Is it badly damaged?”  I was talking to her, and noticed that I was the only one standing there with her.  All the others had left the scene.

She did not have any smell of alcohol on her. I found out later that she had taken some kind of sleep medication, taken her friends car without permission, and now the car is damaged.  This woman did not even know where she was.

After I wrote out a statement for the Sheriff’s department I left the scene, and she was taken away in a patrol car.

You could say that was an eventful evening.  I am glad and thankful that the woman was not hurt or injured and that no one else was either.

I was not on the banks of Flat Creek when this happened, but fairly near.

-Tim

Archer, Butch, and Little Girl

The title is the names of the three dogs we have around here.  Some call Little Girl “Molly” – my wife and grand kids.  The reason I write of them today is because the Little Girl was barking almost non stop all night long, and especially after I got up at 3:45 a.m. so I put her in the pen.  That has pretty much quietened her down.

For some reason it seems that all the dogs of neighbors around are barking too.  It seems that they are a bit nervous about something.  Even Archer when I went to let Butch out of the pen came rushing in, and would not come out; so I left him in; and I have not heard a thing out of him since then.  Usually when he is in the pen he is barking wanting out, but not this morning.

Yeah!  We decided to call the littler dog “Butch”.  That was Madge’s idea, and it looks like that is going to stick with him.  He is getting where he answers to it; at least as good as anything else.

I am going to have to leave here soon and go pick up the kids of my bus route.  So I am closing from the banks of Flat Creek to go and drive a big yellow monster to pick up 60 or so little angels.

-Tim