My Floridian friend suggests
that I should honor his requests
to write a verse or two about the snow.
I disdain to meet his plea
although he may vicariously
enjoy a snowy day with all its glow.

After two full months of cold
that shoveling out gets rather old
and I’ve considered move to Mexico.
Now its piled both high and deep,
and I have tossed it in a heap
as far as futile efforts I can throw.

Sure, it’s pretty, I’ll admit,
but I would like it now to quit
so once more I can travel to and fro.
I am grateful for each day…
look forward to the month of May
when “snowbirds” from the south will north-ward blow.

No shadow today for ol’ Blackberry Ben…
There’s hope for an end to the snows.
There’s hope in the rain and the fog and the ice
That winter will give up its woes.

“This funny”, he says, “that six weeks of the cold
Does on my ol’ shadow depend…
And six weeks of snow, ice, and wintery mix
will come before winter shall end.

“The first day of spring, in case you didn’t know,
Is more than six weeks from today,
But I say that hope in my shadow is vain:
‘Tis weather or not anyway!”

There is a bit of controversy floating about among Christians in the aftershocks of the earthquake in Haiti. It shouldn’t be, of course. Rather, we should be praying, giving, and/or going, and leave the theology to God, but…

Some say that God is punishing the country of Haiti for their Satanic activity; others say that Satan has caused the disaster; still others say that it is merely an event that God will use for His glory; and others tell us that it is caused by global warming, natural phenomena, or any of a variety of reasons.

I wonder if we aren’t looking at this all wrong. In the history of God’s people from the beginning of time, more often God has used events of both nature and supernatural means to bring His own people to their knees. Is it as simple as that? Or as complicated? Perhaps.

When I hear that believers are praising God in the midst of this disaster, I know that God is being glorified. When I hear of Christians leaving the comforts of their homes to go and help, I know that God is being glorified. When I hear others praying to God for these people…for their safety and their souls, I know that God is being glorified. When I hear the appeals for funding by Christian organizations that can provide relief to the victims, I know that God is using this for His own greater glory.

Do we rejoice, then, that the tragedy happened? What a horrible thought! No, but we praise God that He is working for His glory and then consider how we can work out our own Christian faith in the mix.

Pray…give…go … This is the missionary mantra that we have heard over the centuries, and it still remains the appropriate response to the needs of the world about us, including the present tragedy. Pray for that one soul who will renounce his denial of Christ and follow the Savior; give to help rebuild the necessities of life for those who have been made in God’s image; go, if you can, to bring life and light to those who may remain in darkness both physically and spiritually. Leave the theology of the event to God.

The following occurred to me while driving the roads during our recent snowy events: I need to drive in accordance to my religious beliefs. No, I do not mean that I should feel guilty if I go a couple of miles over the speed limit, or if I make an unintentional minor infraction of driving regulations. What I mean by the statement is that I should drive understanding that, yes, I have a license to drive, but the license does not assure me that I will be safe or that I will arrive at my destination. My license says that the Department of Motor Vehicles has allowed me to drive as licensed in our state. I’m legal; I belong. If I drive according to the rules of driving and safety, I will not be compromising my chances of arriving at my destination safely. As well, I do not necessarily have to drive safely in order to arrive safely, but of course it is expected of me. There is no assurance that safe driving will keep me safe. The truth is that out of respect for the law, the integrity of my driving character, and the effect on my fellow drivers and passengers, I drive safely. It is in the scope of Providence whether I arrive safely or end up in a ditch with my head wearing the steering wheel for a hat.
Although this is not a perfect analogy and may be a big stretch, I will carry it over to my religious beliefs to illustrate a point. Our eternal destiny is not dependent on whether we obey the Commandments, follow the Golden Rule, join the Church, or any other system of works. We can do all these things and remain lost from God…never arrive at our hoped for destination. Our goodness will not redeem us. On the other hand, we can’t look back to a single act on our part of shaking hands with the preacher, being baptized, or signing a pledge card, and then go about with a life unchanged and continuing a life of pleasure and self-serving. Some say, “OK, I accepted Jesus as my Savior, but I’m not ready for Him to be my Lord.” That is like getting a license to drive and then driving irresponsibly.
When we come to faith in Christ, the true way to live is to live to our best ability and knowledge of the Scriptures because we have reverence for the Savior, because we know it will give us a fullness of joy in our lives, and because it will be an influence on the world around us.
The big difference between having a driver’s license and being right with God is in the faith placed in the heart of a believer by God’s Holy Spirit. When we pass our driver’s test or renew our license, there is no faith involved. The analogy stops here. There are no permanent driver’s licenses, but God calls us, loves us eternally, brings us to faith, and preserves us until we reach our ultimate destination.

2 heads of brocolli, cut into small bite size pieces
1/4 c. black olives, slices
1/4 c. green olives and pimento sliced
1/4 of a large red onion sliced thinly
2 Tbs.  sherry vinegar
1 Tbs. honey
3 Tbs. mayonnaise
1/2c. craisins
3 sections of hearts of palm, sliced
1/2 tsp.  salt

mix well and refrigerate several hours before serving

Ingredients:
2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon ground ginger
1 cup pumpkin pie mix (already sweetened)
1 cup skim milk
2 eggs
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup chopped English or California Walnuts
1/2 cup raisins

Grease loaf pans with solid shortening within 1/2 inch of rim
Preheat oven to 350 F
In large mixing bowl combine 1 cup of the flour with brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and spices; work with fingers until fine and meal-like texture;
add pumpkin pie mix, milk, eggs, and oil; beat with mixer on low setting until well mixed; increase to high speed for 2 minutes; add remaining flour and mix well; add nuts and raisins;
bake in 1 9×5x3″ loaf pan 50-60 minutes, or 4 mini loaf pans 40 minutes; cool on rack for 10 minutes; remove from pans.

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For several days there has been a growing concern in my mind over the vitriolic comments about our current government in power. To my horror, much of it comes from those who call themselves Christians. Obviously, if the government enacts policies that are against God’s commands, Christians should stand up against them. That is a given. The diatribe these days is political and not always on moral grounds. What is the Scriptural injunction? It is to obey the laws of the land, to respect our leaders, and to pray for them.
Our obedience to the laws of the land needs to be run through the grid of God’s Law. Only when there is conflict between the two, do we stand against the law of the land. For instance: God’s law says, “You shall not commit murder.” Abortion would fall into that category. It is right to take a stand against abortion. If we cannot get such laws repealed, we must rightfully speak out against it, and we can refuse to obey it on a personal level. To judge and condemn those who disagree with us is not our prerogative; it is God who will do this in His perfect time.
The harangues I hear these days are not only disrespectful, but are done in the name of patriotism and (perish the thought) religion. Political cartoons show our leaders as buffoons, off color jokes are told about them, and elaborately constructed e-mails portray them as ogres. These people have been elected, and if we are unsatisfied with their policies, it is our responsibility and privilege to tell them what is on our mind. If we disagree, we vote against them when the opportunity returns.

We are to pray for our leadership. It is difficult to pray for someone that you have otherwise treated in a non-Christian-like manner. A few days ago a friend sent me a refreshing prayer for our leadership. The prayer asked for God to give “optimum health, mental clarity and political prosperity” to our president, and that “what he lacks in political ‘experience’ (God) make up for with supernatural wisdom and power.” If we would so pray, no matter which side of the political fence we travel, we will be doing as well as we should.

Yes, we should be discerning when we vote, we must scrutinize the actions of our law makers, and we must speak out against immoral laws or that which is not good for our country. What we should not do is slander our elected leaders.

I had hoped “Soar Above the Yesterdays” would have been released by Thanksgiving. It is a little behind schedule, but we have high hopes that you will be able to have your very own copy within two to three weeks.

To refresh your memory on the book, it is a sequel to “All Things”, and takes Susanna into some more decision making. Old characters are revisited; new characters introduced; there is mystery, history, and romance to add to the excitement. Susanna has two paths she can follow. Does God have a role in His perfect plan for her with her musical talents, or is there an entirely new and different path for her to travel?

For autographed copies of either “All Things” or “Soar Above the Yesterdays”, contact me at: jwb@junebarebooks.com

“Who is this child? I can’t guess who it is. I give up!” Teacher exclaimed.
She had guessed the other fifteen children in the room, and there was only one left. She could not guess who would act so foolishly. Who was behind the smiling mask?
If a child lived in the back farming country of our nation in 1946, chances are that she would receive her education in a one-room school. The teacher would have eight grades with less than thirty students in the school. These children probably did not know much about “trick or treat” as their city counterparts experienced. Neighbors were few and far between. To celebrate the age old holiday, Halloween, the teacher would have a costume party for the children.
Each child would dress up in a disguise, and the teacher would guess who each one was. The last child standing would get a little prize. After everyone had been unmasked, she would hand out packets of candy corn or licorice.
Such was Oak Grove School in Chester County, Pennsylvania where I went for six years.
A few days before Halloween…a brisk, sunny autumn day…Teacher took the entire school out into the woods behind the schoolhouse on a nature walk. We collected pretty leaves while she took advantage of the opportunity to give us a botany lesson. When we got back to the school house we sorted through our collection and the most colorful, biggest, and most perfect leaves were pasted on construction paper and posted on the back cupboard. Our art project for the week was to draw orange jack-o-lanterns, black witches and bats, and white ghosts on construction paper and cut them out to tape to the windows. The little room was festive in anticipation of the Halloween party.
The day arrived at last…Thursday, October 31, 1946. We had our costumes folded neatly in paper grocery sacks. We put them with our coats and lunch boxes in the “cloak room”, little rooms at the back of the school room…boys on the left…girls on the right.
It was difficult to concentrate on arithmetic, spelling, and geography that day. Recess and lunch time buzzed with excitement, as we whispered to our best friend what costume we were going to wear and how we planned to trick Teacher.
Finally. The last period of the day was suspended. We crowded into the cloak rooms, donned our costumes.  Masqueraded as witches, clowns, fancy ladies, cowboys, bandits, ghosts, and hoboes, we marched out in two single files to line up on the stage in front of Teacher.
One shy third grade hobo suddenly became brazen behind her mask. She swaggered about, she danced, and she made donkey ears with her little hands and stuck her tongue through the mask at Teacher.
“Who is this child?”
One by one Teacher guessed and unmasked the children. “This is Peggy… You are Donnie… Ah! David…Hazel.” She guessed fifteen children, but one remained unnamed, cavorting about the platform.
“Who is this child?”
The children were laughing, because they knew who it was. Teacher didn’t want them to tell her, but she simply could not name the child.
As a last resort she went to her desk and retrieved her attendance record. She went down the list in alphabetical order, naming each child she had unmasked. She came to the last name on the list, June Windle, and looked at the hobo.
“No! It couldn’t be June! Not shy little June.”
It was.
I learned that day that I did not have to hide behind a mask to do what I wanted to do. Although I knew it was rude to stick my tongue out and make donkey ears at Teacher, I knew that I didn’t have to be shy anymore.
I got a Hershey’s chocolate bar as my prize.