Ramblings from the Ol' Broadcaster

Have you ever said or thought, “I’d trade places with that person in a heartbeat”?   I am sure most of us have.  I know I have. But I can’t say that anymore.  I wouldn’t trade places with my worst enemy.  Why? Because I have Parkinson’s Disease and trade places with that person they would have to endure what I face.  Why is that so bad?  Let me try to explain. Every day (not most days or some days) every day I am in pain.  Somedays it might be a 3 and others it’s a 10.  But I am in pain every day all day.  At least once each week my body decides it doesn’t want to do anything at this point in time.  It simply freezes up.  That can be sitting at home alone or that can be in a mall full of people.  Each morning I take 12 pills.  I take 4 more during the day and 28 pills each night.  That’s on a good day.  Other days I must take more. Many meals are a struggle.  Think of trying to eat a bowl of soup sitting in a massage chair.  My balance is off.  I fall quite oft

Yes, it has been a while since I have posted to this blog. I have been working on several projects and just didn't take the time. One project I am very excited about is "The Box with Fig" podcast. It's hard to explain what it is, so I encourage you to just give it a listen at http://theboxwithfig.podomatic.com/ Thanks!!

I hear all the time people bad mouthing small towns.  How there is nothing to do or they are behind the times or all the gossip, etc.  I want to give you a perfect example why I LOVE living in a small town. Yesterday my dryer quit heating.  I am not a dryer tech by any stretch but I know a few things about them.  I got out a voltmeter and checked continuity on everything and thought I had a bad thermostat.  The element was fine. So I take this thermostat down to Dyer's (where I always go) and show the element to a couple of people.  As I walked in the door, Harold Dyer was carrying a trash can, a broom and a dust pan.  He dropped all those items to give me a handshake and genuine "good to see you."  I saw Chris Stamper who directed me to Tony Dyer who took it and went to find a replacement for me.  But before he sold it to  me, he said, "Let's check that one just in case."  It turns out the one I had was good. Next stop, Harold.  I explained what w

Do you have a passion for something? Is there something you do or a place you go that makes you feel alive? Chances are somebody inspired you or taught you that passion. I have several passions. Some more important than others. I LOVE to go fishing. I mean I would fish 24/7 if I could. I spent years without going, but still loved just thinking about it. My grandfather, Pa Rube, taught me to fish. He was so patient. He could sit for hours with me sitting between his knees watching that bobber. I am trying to pass that passion on to Mason. But I never thanked my Pa Rube for taking me fishing and teaching me. I never thanked him for being a passion creator in my life. Even though I am not currently doing so, I have a passion to preach the Gospel. That came from my Uncle Virgil Messer and Dick Damron. Two of the best preachers I ever heard. But I never thanked either of them for instilling a passion to preach in me. I regret that. They were both so special in my life.

I so wish I had taken a picture of this cast iron Birmingham Dutch Oven prior to my restoration attempt.  I got it at an auction a couple of years ago with the intention of fixing it up.  But time got in my way.  It was just a big pile of rust.  But looking online I found a site that showed me how to use water, electricity and sacrificial metal to restore it a clean, spotless vessel again. When researching this model, I found it was made in 1967.  I was born in 1967.  But that is just one of the similarities between us. This pot was junk.  It was covered with material that made it totally useless for the purpose for which it was made.   But I saw potential in this pot.  And with a lot of love, compassion and sacrifice, it is now ready to be used as it was intended.  The water and sacrificial metal took the rust away, making it whole and beautiful again. I too, made it 1967 was covered in junk as time went on.  I was totally useless for the purpose in which I was created.  The

I don’t know how much you know about Parkinson’s, but some days it really wants to win.  Today was one of those days.  Parky wouldn’t let me get out of bed on my own.  I needed help.  Then he decided I should just lay around and not do anything today.  My kids were leaving for a little mini vacation to Pittsburgh and he thought I should just lay around and not see them off or really do anything today. He almost won.  But I decided he wasn’t going to win.  I pulled myself up out of my recliner, got dressed and went outside.  The front yard needed mowing but it was pretty hot.  Tina wanted supper, so I headed off in my little truck to town.  Stopped by and caught 5 bluegill before I went on to town.  Got supper and came back and ate with my wife. I then decided that even though Parky was working overtime to win today, I was going to mow for a little bit.  I didn’t get the yard done.  I had to stop quite a bit and it got dark on me.  So I came in, took a shower and watched a littl

I understand what I am about to say is not popular and it might cause some to unfriend, unfollow, disavow, etc. But, I firmly believe the one trait all humans are born with and for the most part we all die with is selfishness. Some to a greater degree than others, but part of our DNA is self-preservation. I have said this for years in the pulpit and elsewhere. I had really forgotten how selfish children can be until I had the thrill of observing my grandson on a nearly daily basis for the past two and a half years. He has toys. Lots of toys. And he will be happy to tell you they are his toys. And sometimes he will go well beyond the bounds of his status as a child to tell you that they are his toys. Now I love my grandson and he is a great young child. But he also has that innate selfishness that all 2 year olds have. If he is playing with a toy, that toy is “MINE!” If you are playing with a toy, that toy is “MINE!” If you are looking at or even thinking about a toy he is qui

I really encourage you to read John 6 to put this post in context. I will set the scene, but reading the passage for yourself in your chosen translation may help. Jesus has just finished feeding the multitude with 5 barley loaves and 2 fishes. The people had been excited over the miracle and wanted to make Jesus king. They had their stomachs full and were happy. But read further in the chapter and one sees that it really wasn't Jesus the people wanted but what they could get out of Him. They wanted the physical bread, but they didn't want Jesus the Bread of Life. When Jesus taught a very tough lesson about following Him, we are told many turned their backs on Him and never followed Him again. One of the saddest words (to me) ever spoken were from Jesus at this point, he turns to his 12 and said, “You do not want to leave too, do you?” WOW! Can you hear the sadness in the voice of the Master? He had just performed a miracle, the crowd was happy, but when He showed them what

Sleep disturbance is just part of PD, but it gives me a lot of time to think and read. Tonight as I was reading through the account of the Last Supper, something hit me like a ton of bricks. Jesus washed the feet of Judas. He knew what this man had done. He knew he had betrayed Him. He knew what was about to happen to Him because of Judas, yet Jesus knelt down and washed the feet of His betrayer. How many of us would even want to be in the same room as this man? How many of us would have just hauled off and hit the guy!? Or at the very least tell everybody else what Judas had done to us? Yet Jesus took a towel and a wash basin and washed his stinky, dirty feet. He not only gave us an example of being a servant, He gave us an example of loving others regardless of who they are or what they have done to us. This certainly made me think tonight. I hope it makes you think when you read this. God bless.

I am a few days shy of my 50th birthday.  I guess as that "big milestone" gets closer the more I have thought about things.  Last night I had a pretty crazy dream.  I was in a room with a bunch of coaches and players from all sports, as well as radio and newspaper guys.  At the table I was sitting at was Rick Bentley, Tom Gemeinhart, Gene Peterson, Jim Forrest, Elden May, Dicky Martin, Jack Calhoun and Hop Brown. It was quite a dream.  We were all telling stories, laughing, having a wonderful time.  Each of those men have had an influence on my life, whether they know it or not, in their own way. As I woke up today, I went to a little drawer in my room where I keep a few mementos.  Just stuff that nobody else would think twice about, but things I have cherished over the years.  There is an article from Elden in which he called me the "McGyver of radio," there are some stats from Mr G concerning the East vs West Football rivalry, a newspaper article Rick wrote ab

I was in Taco Bell last night.  I was going to drive thru but nature called so I went in.  As I came out of the rest room I saw 4 people standing at the counter laughing and talking about a gentleman in the back corner.  Mind you, these weren't teenagers, they were adults.  I knew all 4 of those people laughing.  I wish I could say they were laughing because the gentleman had told them a joke, but they were laughing because he was crying.  The sad thing to me, I had attended church with 3 of the 4, one of which was an officer in the church. Well, to those who were laughing, that man who as weeping in the back corner of Taco Bell has (in the past 7 months) lost a wife to cancer, a daughter to a heroin overdose and had all his money stolen from a stepson who was "helping him take care of the funeral expenses so he didn't have to worry about it." How do I know?  Because I asked him.  Yes, I got my order to go, but I couldn't stand there and not see if th

In honor of April being Parkinson’s Awareness Month,  I want to share some things that Parkinson’s has either taught me, or reminded me about every now and then. One of the activities I enjoyed prior to being diagnosed with PD was golf (if you can call what I did golf).  I was never very good and some people didn’t like to play with me because any sport I try to play or broadcast, I was an avid rulebook reader.  When I would try to enforce a rule, I was often told to hush and just have fun and play golf. One “rule” (it is actually more of a courtesy) concerns replacing ball marks on the green from your ball hitting the green in flight.  I rarely had to worry about this but I was prepared if I ever did.  I studied the proper way to do it, carried around a divot repair tool in my pocket to practice.  One day!  One day I would hit a green from the fairway and make a ball mark and would need my divot repair tool. I am sure if you look in some people's pockets you will find som

I think I might be the king of the buffet.  I mean, really what is better than a good buffet.  What's not to like?  You go in, they give you as many plates you want and you go around picking and choosing from everything they have.  It is truly amazing. And the great thing is, you don't have to eat something if you don't like it.  When I was a kid, if we went to someone's house for dinner, my brother and I knew no matter what they served, we HAD to eat it.  It was being polite and showing respect to the hospitable person who welcomed us into their home.  I sometimes didn't like that part of being a kid.  So today, at the buffet, if I don't want beets, I don't have to eat beets.  If I don't want liver and onions I don't have to eat it. I mean, let's face it, there isn't someone at the exit door saying, "Hey, you didn't eat the liver and you didn't eat any beets.  You can't leave until you have eaten everything." Some

I remember in every new vocational journey in my life, there was always someone who had advice for me.  When I was younger, I thought I didn’t advice from that “old guy” what could he know?  And why would he just throw out advice like I don’t know what I am doing?  As I later would discover, I didn’t have a clue what I was doing.  Those guys just wanted to see me succeed and not make the same mistakes they did.  They weren’t being arrogant or smug, they were being kind and loving.  As time went on I found out most of the time, if I had followed their advice things would have been better.   Whether it was construction, radio or ministry, there was always someone willing to help me out with some advice.  And whether I wanted it or not, I appreciated it.  Whether I followed it or not, I was humbled by it.  One day, a man I admired a great deal told me to listen more and I would learn more. That’s when I started really talking to and listening to people older than me.  That was

For quite some time I have struggled with what exactly my responsibility is as a brother in Christ. I mean, I know but really had a hard time boiling it down or how to express. I could never find a way to say it simply.  I have tried to preach sermons on it, teach classes on it, but I just couldn’t come up with how to explain what I was supposed to be to my fellow brothers and sister in Christ. Over the past few weeks I have been reading heavily in the 3 books of John toward in the end of the New Testament. Today, Brother Jeff Garrett had an amazing sermon from First John and it had me thinking all the way home from church, during lunch and even interrupted my nap time. Thanks Jeff! One of the themes of I John is simply love. Over and over from chapter 1 throughout the book John tells us to love each other. I love how in chapter 4 he says that love comes from God and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. But if you don’t love, you don’t know God for God is love, so dea