Tag Archives: blogging

by | August 27, 2015 · 8:48 pm

Happy A-Day to Us!

Happy 6th!!!!

anniversaryToday is my blog’s 6th anniversary!

Can you believe it? Time has flown by.

I don’t have a cake, but I do have half a box of strawberry-flavored Minion-themed Twinkies. You are all invited over to share what I have left.

In honor of this momentous occasion, why not share a thought or two? What first brought you to this blog? Has it made any impact on your life? Would you share it with 10 people if I offered you a $100 bill?

Maybe on my 10th anniversary we can have a real party. Whataya say?

Thanks, folks. Thanks for reading, for commenting, for sharing, for liking, and for just being friends.

Anthony

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by | August 24, 2015 · 10:26 pm

The Inexpensive Option

No Upgrade

Yesterday I asked your opinion about upgrading. Most of you thought is was not a great idea because of price, and I agree.

Of course, if I had some sponsors I would jump at the chance to spruce up my old blog. Who knows what I could do to the appearance if I had access to cool upgrades. But for $99 a year? I don’t think so, at least not on my budget.

One of the reasons I asked about the upgrade was the ability to directly upload audio. Several of you suggested that links would be just as effective, and free.

Sermon.net

A while back I started using a free (up to a point) service for storing and sharing sermons: Sermon.net. It has worked just fine for uploading sermons and sending them to our church’s Facebook page (we don’t have a website). Once the recording is uploaded to Sermon.net, all you have to do is click on an icon to share it.

It was only tonight that I figured out how to make use of the tiny WordPress icon.

The Sermon

I still wear a suit on Sunday morning - because I want to :-)

I still wear a suit on Sunday morning – because I want to 🙂

So, try it out, if you’d like. I have uploaded and linked (for free) Sunday morning’s sermon from Riverside Baptist. It is part of a series of messages through the Book of Acts.

They Had Been With Jesus – Acts 4:13

Please leave a comment! I’d love to hear your thoughts.

 

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by | July 22, 2015 · 1:06 pm

De Nyew Testament 

Once again I am composing a post upon my old iPhone (would someone set up a GoFundAnthony account and buy me an iPhone 6?). 

I’m sitting in a school bus, under a bridge, all alone, after dropping off a bunch of kids on a summer field trip. They are riding the Riverboat while I sit here waiting. But, it’s a great opportunity to read and study. 

Anyway…

One of the treasures I picked up the last time I was in Charleston was a new Bible. But this Bible is a little different – no, it’s a LOT different – from others I have: it’s in a different language! And I am reading it! 

De Nyew Testament is a translation of the New Testament into the Gullah language. No, it’s not a paraphrase or a for-fun parody of the KJV; it’s a literal translation of the NT into a genuine language. Gullah (also known as Geechee or Sea Island Creole) is a language “traditionally spoken along the coastal area of South Carolina and Georgia.” 

According to the preface, it took more than 25 years for folks from Wycliffe Bible Translators and the American Bible Society to pull this translation together. And let me tell you something: it’s worth getting. 

If you are a fluent reader of English, then you can read Gullah. It will take some practice, but you’ll get used to it and start to pick up on its rhythm. 

So, here I was under a bridge, in a school bus, next to the riverfront, reading a little from the Gullah version of the NT, when tears filled my eyes. And because of that, I wanted to write this post so I could share with you the particular verse of Scripture that got me. Read it through a few times, then let me know if it blessed you the way it blessed me 🙂 

“Look yah! We oughta study pon how de Fada da bless we wid e lob! E da lob we sommuch dat e call we e own chullun, an we e chullun fa true. People ob de wol ain been know who God da, an cause ob dat, dey ain know we.” 1 John 3:1 (Gullah)

“Look yah!” We ought to be studyin’ about how the Father has done blessed us with His love! Glory be to God! 

   

 

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by | March 2, 2015 · 5:45 pm

The Abomidable Snow Monkey

Pardon me, but this post is a test of WordPress’ upgraded smartphone app. 

The snow came suddenly, along with the frigid air that chilled my blood. But nothing could cause me to freeze in fear than a face-to-face encounter with the mythical, yet now all-too-real, Abomidable Snow Monkey. 

I had been in my study studying, which is what I always swear I’m doing when I leave the estrogenated atmosphere of home for a few hours, when I finally had to break away from the parchments (wouldn’t you love to diagram a sentence like this?). So, up from my chair I arose, away from my desk I stepped, eventually exiting the mine in which I readily dig for wisdom. Into the cold I went, at first greeted with a refreshing breath of refreshingly refreshing cold air, then shocked with a chilling terror – the Abomidable Monkey. 



There it was, backdropped by a hillside of tombstones, proof that fur and fear can inhabit the same flanneled square foot. What was I to do but slowly raise my iPhone and take a creative picture?

He/it stared. I stared back with nary a word. Then, like a couple of drifting snow flakes, we softly walked away, as if snow flakes could walk. 

I will never forget that snowy day. And I’ll never again lay a wet with snow monkey on my office chair, either. 

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by | February 24, 2015 · 9:40 am

I’m a Word Farmer

“A man shall be satisfied with good by the fruit of his mouth: and the recompense of a man’s hands shall be rendered unto him.” – Proverbs 12:14

Word Farming

It should come as no shock to anyone that I use words on a daily basis. I talk, write, sing, preach, teach, and even give dating advice to second-graders on my school bus (but that’s a different story).

Image credit: Wikimedia.org

I am a word farmer, and my mouth could be compared to one of those big machine-thingys (non-farmer terminology) that spreads seed across a field. From morning till evening I am like a John Deere pulling a seed drill (farmer terminology), planting row after row of something that should grow.

The hope is that whatever I am planting will produce a good harvest. And if I am planting good seed, then I will be satisfied with the “good fruit.”

Don’t Work, Don’t Eat

But it is important that we pay attention to the negative side of this, not just  the “fruitful” positive. The New Living Translation of Proverbs 12:14 reads, “Wise words bring many benefits, and hard work brings rewards.”

What happens when we don’t plant? What happens when we don’t work? What happens when the farmer parks his tractor, sleeps late, and watches television all day? Plants don’t grow, no one is satisfied, and grown men end up watching the Lifetime Channel.

Rewards are the result of effort; harvests are the result of planting. To be satisfied with good from the fruit of your mouth, you’ve got to plant seed. If you don’t work, you don’t eat.

Just be careful of the seed you plant, “for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap” (Gal. 6:7).

“Tell the righteous that it shall be well with them, for they shall eat the fruit of their deeds. Woe to the wicked! It shall be ill with him, for what his hands have dealt out shall be done to him.” – Isa 3:10-11 ESV

This post was originally written for Proverbial Thought, 10/2012.

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by | February 4, 2015 · 3:17 pm

On the Fly Writing and Posting

I’m sitting on my school bus waiting for the kids to come running out to load up and go home. I’m writing this on my iPhone. Why am I telling you this? Because it’s raw, in the moment, unedited.

Like my last three posts, I’m doing something now that I want to try more often: writing on the fly. This way my emotions are fresh, my thoughts are still evolving, and I don’t have to worry about forgetting something.

And besides, sometimes long posts on Facebook seem more like grandstanding. Might as well write a blog post.

So, I hope you enjoy these “on the fly” iPhone entries. They won’t become the norm, but you’ll see them more often, for sure.

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by | November 24, 2014 · 12:55 pm

“Life Lessons” Now Available

Here’s a quick note to all my followers and subscribers.

If you will look down to the left in the widget column, there you will see the cover of my new little book, Life Lessons from the School Bus. You can click on that picture and find a link to where you can purchase it.

I really have high hopes for this new book. The feedback I’ve already gotten has been nothing but positive. One objective person who read the finished draft told me, “You did good; it hit the mark.”

A sample page - And yes, I did the illustrations :-)

A sample page – And yes, I did the illustrations 🙂

Life Lessons from the School Bus is not just for bus drivers; it’s for everybody. But let me tell you, if you have ever ridden on a school bus, driven a school bus, worked with kids, or even had a second job – this bus is definitely for you!

Inside the book you will find 20 different stories (Route Stops). Each true story is followed up with a “Life Lesson” and a few “Route Suggestions” to follow. The picture to the right is an example of one page.

In case you are wondering, I did do several posts on this blog a while ago entitled “Life Lessons from the School Bus.” However, the book includes stories not published on this blog. Even the ones that are included in the book that were originally written here have been modified or expanded.

I promise, you will find this book a fun, quick read that you will want to share with others – after you buy them their own copy, of course.

If you’d like to buy larger quantities for whatever reason, just make a note to the publisher.

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by | November 19, 2014 · 3:08 pm

Blatant, Unapologetic Hit Request

I’m on my school bus at this moment (not driving, of course), using my old-fashioned, antique iPhone 4s to write this post. You see, my internet at home has been down for a couple of days and I’m suffering from withdrawal. In other words, I’ve got to write something.

One thing I regularly do from my phone is check my stats. Let me be very honest: low visitor/view numbers can ruin my day. Why is this? Am I not supposed to be writing for the Lord? Just to make a difference? Whether people read my stuff, or not? Let’s get real, ok? Yes to the above, but I like recognition, too. Sorry, but I love the stage, whether it be literal or cyber.

Oh, I know it’s a pride thing I suffer from; I’m not an idiot. As a matter of fact, I love applause, awards, etc. But on the other hand, there’s nothing wrong with enjoying something. I’d be a pathetic preacher if I hated to speak in front of crowds, wouldn’t I? So, I know there’s an element of pride involved, but I do try to keep things in their proper perspective: “and whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men.”

But here I am. I’m writing. I’m on my phone. The kids are about to come out and load up, and I’m asking for numbers. I want to see how many views and likes I can get on this post. Why? Just for the heck of it, that’s all.

And, because I deserve it – I’m doing this from a phone, people!IMG_2595.JPG

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by | October 28, 2014 · 10:01 pm

Blogging Withdrawal and Psalm 40

I have so much to do, but here I am, late at night, writing something on this blog – just to be doing it.

Have you ever had this feeling? Those of you who are fellow bloggers, have you ever just been so busy…so overwhelmed…so caught up with things that are more important…that you look at the tab on your computer that links you to WordPress with a sense of longing?

Pitiful, isn’t it?

Frankly, there are so many things I’d like to write about, but I’m too stinking tired to formulate my thoughts. I’d love to share what I think about politics, the Mayor in Houston, and Ebola, but there’s just too much – and my opinion wouldn’t make that much of a difference.

photo (31)But I did have an idea. Today I was reading from Psalm 40, a passage of Scripture I read to my congregation last Sunday morning. Remember how some others and myself went through the book of Proverbs one proverb at a time? I thought that it might be beneficial and interesting, at least to some, if I were to break down that chapter a verse or two at a time.

What if I pushed aside all the other distractions of this election cycle and spent some time expounding on Psalm 40? In my opinion, it’s a revival-focused psalm that we all could benefit from applying.

What do you think?

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by | October 9, 2014 · 10:35 am

Pricey Tongue, Worthless Heart

The following is derived from a post I wrote for my other blog, Proverbial Thought. It can also be found in Proverbial Thought: Your Daily Word of Wisdom from Proverbs (Parson’s Porch, 2014).

A Proverbial Thought

Let’s take a look at the following verse from the tenth chapter of Proverbs.

The tongue of the just is as choice silver: the heart of the wicked is little worth. – Proverbs 10:20

Contrast

When we look at this verse, it is important for us to remember that there is a comparison/contrast being made. An “opposite parallelism” is being used to make a point that one thing is valuable, while another is worthless.

In this case, it is easy to notice that Solomon is contrasting “the tongue of the just” with “the heart of the wicked.” The tongue of the just person (the words that he speaks) is something beautiful and of great value, while the wicked man’s heart is just the opposite. But if we were to look a little deeper, there is more than meets the eye, or first impressions.

The Heart

What is really being contrasted are the hearts of both the wicked and the just. You see, what comes out of a person’s mouth is directly related to what’s in his heart. Proverbs 16:23 says, “The heart of the wise teacheth his mouth, and addeth learning to his lips.” In the book of James (3:11) we read, “Doth a fountain send forth at the same place sweet water and bitter?”

Essentially, you can tell what is in a person’s heart by what comes out of his mouth. Jesus said, “It’s not what goes into your mouth that defiles you; you are defiled by the words that come out of your mouth.” – Matthew 15:11 (NLT)

Do you like to tell dirty jokes? Then there must be lust in your heart. Do you always talk hateful? Then there is hatred (and maybe murder – see Matthew 5:21-22) in your heart. Do you ever talk about God? About Jesus? About your love for Him? If not, maybe He’s not in there.

On Display

Do you realize that your heart is on display? No, I don’t mean that your chest cavity is transparent, nor do I mean that everyone can see your bloody, beating heart muscle. That’s sick!

What I do mean to say is that there is no hiding what is in your heart; because your words, the words from your mouth, tell the whole story.

Maybe we should listen to ourselves. Maybe we should ask others to tell us what they hear. Maybe we should be like King David and pray this prayer…

“Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O LORD, my strength, and my redeemer.”– Psalm 19:14

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