Ramblings from the Ol' Broadcaster

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 totall...

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 ...

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 ar...

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 ...