Bourbon County finds itself in the singular position of having every county commissioner joined with a few landowners as plaintiffs in a lawsuit against the county commissioners. Like most people in Bourbon County, I want to see more industries come to the county. Also, like most people, I want my county representatives to be fully engaged in carefully understanding any potential side effects, finding ways to address concerns, balancing risks, and working hard to facilitate healthy growth without throwing up unnecessary roadblocks.

The lawsuit creates an extraordinary state of affairs that has made me question whether the concerns of people like me were being represented fairly. I reached out to my commissioner, asking how he felt they could fairly represent all their constituents as a whole while actively joining a few citizens in a lawsuit against the county. I explained that this seemed like a pretty significant conflict of interest, but I wanted to have an open mind and hear what he had to say before fully forming an opinion.

I’d encourage you to ask your commissioner the same question. After carefully reading my commissioner’s position and re-reading the lawsuit a few times, I now have no doubt that the commissioners have positioned themselves such that it is impossible for them to make decisions for the best of the county as a whole—especially when it comes to working with solar companies. Whether the commissioners win or lose in their lawsuit against the county, the citizens lose by being deprived of commissioners who can ethically execute their duties.

I recognize that in their capacity as individuals on the lawsuit, they think they are doing something good for the county, but they are no longer merely private individuals. Their activities that may have started as individuals ruin their ability to function as commissioners for the county in this matter. Citizens should want commissioners who are sympathetic and will listen to the claims of the landowners who want to bar their neighbors from renting land to solar companies. However, remaining party to a lawsuit suing the county creates conflicts that prevent them from fairly executing their duties.

As plaintiffs in the lawsuit, the commissioners are making a bet that they can sue themselves to undo their predecessors’ decisions. Should they succeed as plaintiffs, it would catastrophically undermine the ability of this and future commissions to make agreements with any business that wants to expand into the county. It would likely expose the county and taxpayers to much larger lawsuits from landowners who have signed contracts to lease their land. It is hard to imagine any way for the commissioners to work with their defense lawyer and try to bring the lawsuit to an end to preserve taxpayers’ money while simultaneously funding and participating in the lawsuit as plaintiffs who are trying to take the lawsuit all the way to trial. Even for people who oppose industrial solar in any form, a win for the plaintiffs could hardly be seen as a net positive once the collateral damage is accounted for.

It appears to me that the most likely outcome is for the county to win the defense against the lawsuit, even with the commissioners’ best efforts as plaintiffs to make the county lose. In the scenario where the county wins the lawsuit, the commissioners will have squandered their ability to work with solar companies to address citizens’ concerns during the time that those concerns have the best chance of being addressed.

This isn’t hypothetical. Advance Power tried to have a meeting with the public on March 19th. This is precisely the sort of meeting that constituents would want the commissioners to attend. They could hear citizens’ concerns along with the solar company’s responses and information. However, the commissioners let everyone know they were refusing to attend, saying, “With everything that’s going on and things that we’re working on, we’re not going to associate ourselves with them at this point in time.”

Their response makes perfect sense from the standpoint of an individual who is suing both the solar companies and the county commissioners, but it is the exact opposite of the type of leadership we need from our commissioners. The commissioners are spending their personal money to sue the county and spending your taxpayer money to defend against their lawsuit.

As citizens of the county, we all have a vested interest in seeing our county commissioners remove themselves from this lawsuit as soon as possible so they can fully function in their capacity as our elected representatives, free of the ethical conflicts with which they are currently encumbered.

Based on all of this, I have asked my commissioner to drop himself from the lawsuit so he can function as a representative of all his constituents. I would encourage you to do the same.

Mark Shead

Note: FortScott.biz publishes opinion pieces with a variety of perspectives. If you would like to share your opinion, please send a letter to [email protected]. 

Keys to the Kingdom

By Carolyn Tucker

Rumble Strips are Lifesavers

The implementation of highway centerline and shoulder-line rumble strips have proven to be an excellent idea. This road-safety feature helps prevent drivers from running off the road and reduces head-on accidents. I’ve occasionally been annoyed by rumble strips while digging in my purse for my lip balm but, honestly, I’m very thankful for them. The loud noise and vibration alerts inattentive drivers of lane drifting. The rumble strips were partly designed for distracted drivers guilty of looking at a flock of wild turkeys, a herd of cattle, a tractor for sale, or a big field of soybeans.

During one winter late afternoon, a dear couple invited me to go with them to supper. I asked them if they were sure about driving out of town since it was starting to spit snow. The husband, John, assured me we could go anywhere since he drove a 4×4 truck. His  wife, Chick, agreed that we should go out for a nice meal together. So, I donned my knee-high leather boots and long down coat and away we went. The further we drove, the heavier it snowed. But no worries. We arrived at the restaurant safe and sound, enjoyed the good food and good company, and then loaded into the truck and headed west.

The sky was as black as an ace of spades and 54 Highway was totally covered in several inches of fast-falling snow. Unless we were meeting a vehicle and could benefit from its  headlights, it was impossible to determine where the road was. Since John couldn’t see where the centerline was, he would drive closer to the shoulder line and hit those rumble strips. Well, Chick didn’t want to linger too long too close to the ditch, so every few minutes she would say, “To the left. Go to the left.” This scenario was repeated over and over until we hit the city limits of Fort Scott. Being a widow, I found this husband-wife interaction to be very normal and quite entertaining. Neither one lost their cool, and it took both of them working together as a team to get us home in one piece.

Those shoulder-line rumble strips warned us of impending danger. It reminds me of how God tenderly warns mankind of danger. God doesn’t want anyone to go down a wrong and precarious dark road. “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life” (John 3:16 NKJV).

Jesus taught that the lives of Christ followers actually light up the world. “Your lives light up the world. Let others see your light from a distance, for how can you hide a city that stands on a hilltop? And who would light a lamp and then hide it in an obscure place? Instead, it’s placed where everyone in the house can benefit from its light. So don’t hide your light! Let it shine brightly before others…” (Matthew 5:14-16 TPT). If God impresses you to do so, don’t be afraid to shine some light on family or friends when you see them beginning to wander off the shoulder.

Believers can serve as human rumble strips for those we love. And, hopefully, should we ever be headed toward the ditch someone will love us enough to gently bring us back to the center line. It works both ways — and must always be done in love.

The Key: Love others, shine your light, and be ready to rumble!

When my credit card sent an alert that Netflix had increased our monthly charge, I called Netflix to ask why.  A kind, young man answered and said that he would investigate.  Within minutes, he asked if we (Dave or I) had given someone in Ohio permission to use our account.  We had not.  Did we want that account removed?  We did.

To do that, he needed to get into my account.  And that’s when I became a fool. I gave him access to my computer, something my brother, Jim, years before had told me never, ever to do.  How stupid can one get?

He told me that we had $145 due in refunds.  He knew what we had paid and when.  He seemed trustworthy.  Thirty minutes later, I was passed on to another technician, and when he asked me to type in my phone number, I became suspicious.  “Why do you need that?” I asked.  He then told me he already knew it and said it correctly.  They would refund my bank account in two installments, one for $20 and one for $125.  I was told to type in $20.00.  When I did that, $20,000 appeared.  I immediately tried to correct it, to no avail.

“What have you done?” the technician yelled at me.  You just tried to get $20,000 from us!”  I recognized the scam.  I had read about it.  Next, they would tell me that I need to refund the $20,000 to them, and they would take money out of my account.  I wanted to throw up.

I hung up and immediately called my bank in Fort Scott.  Did they see any attempt to take money out of my account?  Yes–$20,000 from our savings to our checking.  I panicked. “Stop it.  Please.  It’s a scam.”    The bank employees shot into action, teaming to stop the transaction.  Had it been a few seconds later, our savings account would have been wiped out.

Meantime, the scammer tried multiple times to call me back. I refused to take his calls.

You know what happened next.  Our bank accounts had to be closed, all our creditors needed to be alerted, automatic payments had to be changed, etc.  For two days I labored to make all the corrections.

With every contact, I became madder at myself…and the scammers.  How many people had they ripped off?  Wiped out their life savings?  I contacted the Geek Squad with Best Buy where I had bought my computer.  The scammers had added an app that would give them access to my computer (which was removed), but, praise God, there was no other damage.

But how did I know if the Geek Squad was trustworthy?  Is there anyone we can trust?  Clearly, I couldn’t trust myself to make wise decisions. I’ve met spouses who could not trust each other, kids who could not trust their parents, parishioners who could not trust their pastors, and businesspeople who could not trust their partners.  The list is endless.

The Bible gives us direction on the One we can trust.  In Proverbs 3:5-6 (NIV), we read: Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight. Why didn’t I pray for guidance when this call began? In spite of myself, I believe that God made my paths straight by having me hang up in time, by banking in a small town where I could connect with caring women instead of a robot, and by having a credit card company that walked me through the steps to stay safe.

I learned a valuable lesson.  I hope my foolishness prevents you from making the same mistake.

Keys to the Kingdom By Carolyn Tucker

Hope for a Hot Lump

When I awaken in the winter mornings, the first thing I do is make my way to the living room to see what’s happening inside the firebox. After eight sleepy hours I don’t usually see any flames, however, I can see an orange glow and that’s a good sign. I then open the fireplace door, grab the custom-designed poker and stir the embers. I know it won’t be hard to get a blazing fire going again. This morning chore is vital during the cold-weather season. If I don’t keep stoking the fire, it will eventually go out, the embers will turn to ashes, and the house will get cold (and so will I).

Every time I stir the embers, I think of the letter Apostle Paul wrote to his young protégé  Timothy: “That is why I would remind you to stir up (rekindle the embers of, fan the flame of, and keep burning) the [gracious] gift of God, [the inner fire] that is in you by means of the laying on of my hands [with those of the elders at your ordination] (2 Timothy 1:6 AMP). Even though Paul is imprisoned, lonely, and sensing that his opportunities for preaching are about to be terminated, he wants to encourage and strengthen Timothy.

This loving and important letter to Timothy is for all believers that need to be reminded to fan the flame of discipleship to keep it burning hot. Should we wake up one morning and realize all we have left inside are a few embers, don’t throw in the towel and give up! Spring into action and stir yourself up in the Lord. Embers form when a fire has only partially burnt the wood and is still viable. If there are embers, then there’s a sure hope for a renewed fire which is necessary for living a holy and loving life.

There is a daily need in the hearts of all believers to keep the fire of commitment and loyalty to Christ blazing hot. Fire changes things. You can have hard kernels of popcorn and starve to death. But when you add fire to those seemingly worthless kernels, you end up with a tasty snack. We need to guard against complacency in our love, obedience, and worship to God. Each believer is responsible for fanning his/her own spiritual flame. No one else can do it for us. It’s our baby so we need to rock it!

Embers are small glowing hot lumps of wood in a dying fire. The key is the fact that the fire is not completely out. Being in the “process of dying” is not the same as dead. When we truly desire to live like Jesus, we’re assured that a rip-roaring fire can be revived from the embers. How can we tell if we’re on fire or not? We can use Jesus’ own words to evaluate our spiritual status: “And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength. This is the first commandment. And the second, like it, is this: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. There is no other commandment greater than these” (Mark 12:30 NKJV). In other words, poke yourself and see if love comes out.

God’s Word is like the believer’s custom-designed poker. Everyday we need to read and study God’s love letters and allow the Holy Spirit to poke around in our heart to see if we have a blazing fire or a hot lump. God wants us to be red-hot Christ followers, but He loves to work with smoldering hot lumps in order to make them burning hot and productive again.

The Key: I’d rather be a hot lump than a cold bump on a log.

“Make me worthy of your investment, Lord.”

A friend starts every day with these words.

Read them again.

What a way to rise and shine!

Did you ever think of your life as an investment?  God’s investment?  To Him, you are an asset.  He paid the maximum for you with the death of His son, and you have been blessed with every great thing from above to continue bringing glory to Him.

You have been given talents that make you more valuable than you could ever imagine.  In 2 Corinthians 4:7, Paul echoed this fact: “But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us.” 

  When was the last time you thanked your Heavenly Father for placing a treasure inside you?  That “treasure” is the Holy Spirit, the comforter Jesus promised to indwell us once he left this earth, following his resurrection. I can’t fathom the idea that I am a place—as unreliable and fickle as I am–where God hides His greatest treasure, can you?

On the outside, we all are wearing out.  Some days, more than others. We are broken, fragile and weak, yet God chose to place inside us the very authority that created this universe and raised His son from the dead. Wow!   In 2 Corinthians 4:7, we read, “We now have this light shining in our hearts, but we ourselves are like fragile clay jars containing this great treasure.” In other words, our great power is from God, not from ourselves, and what truly matters is what is inside us, not outside.

Reading further, verses 8-10 lay out the hope we have hidden inside of us.  “We are pressed on every side by troubles, but we are not crushed. We are perplexed but not driven to despair.  We are hunted down but never abandoned by God. We get knocked down, but we are not destroyed.  Through suffering, our bodies continue to share in the death of Jesus so that the life of Jesus may also be seen in our bodies.”

Let me remember that, Lord, so that I am an investment worthy of you.      

A friend shared with me some powerful words from her pastor, words that reflect what happens when we fail to see ourselves as an investment.  “One day can rob us of our To-days.  One day…when I meet someone and get married; when I get the promotion I deserve; when my prodigal daughter straightens up her act; when I no longer have to care for my invalid father…”  The excuse that things will get better when (fill in the blank) prevents us from being the investment God intends us to be.

If you have ever owned something you treasured, chances are you placed it in a safe, secure place.  Some of my friends tell stories of deceased relatives leaving large stashes of cash in old socks, rag bins and pillows to keep them safe. After my mother died, I opened her cedar chest; taped to the inside was a note: “There is no money in here.”  It was a much-needed, humorous moment.  Then again, to Mom, earthly things did not matter.

Continuing in 2 Corinthians 4:16-18 we read, “Though our bodies are dying, our spirits are being renewed every day.  For our present troubles are small and won’t last very long. Yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever! So we don’t look at the troubles we can see now; rather, we fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen. For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever.”

Should we choose to be an investment worthy of God, our “forever” will be a treasure we can’t afford to miss.

Keys to the Kingdom By Carolyn Tucker

Weigh Your Bananas

There’s a lot of things I used to do that I don’t do now. I can remember having scales available in the produce department so I could weigh the items that were sold by the pound. Somewhere along our culture of progress those handy scales disappeared. Now I just plop fruits and vegetables in my cart without thinking about the cost.

Believers need to weigh our words like bananas. We can lay our words on the scale of kindness to see if they come up wanting. Have you ever been hurt by the weight of an unkind word? Have you ever been given hope by the beauty of an encouraging word? There’s no doubt that the words we speak have positive or negative influence in the person who’s listening to us. We can use our words for good or bad, to encourage or discourage, to raise up or put down. Sometimes the words we speak without weighing their impact can cost a relationship.

King Solomon wrote about the power of our words. “A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in settings of silver” (Proverbs 25:11 NKJV). We should think about the influence  of our words and make sure they will inspire hope and encouragement. Here’s the same verse from The Passion Translation: “Winsome words spoken at just the right time are as appealing as apples gilded in gold and surrounded with silver.” The Septuagint reads, “A wise word is like a golden apple in a pendant of rubies.”

The right word at the right time is like a custom-made piece of jewelry (MSG). I distinctly remember sharing my concerns on a certain topic with a dear friend. Her comforting words were very simple. She said, “I feel your pain.” She didn’t solve the  problem, make light of it, or tell me I was over-thinking the situation. Rather, she offered a fitly-spoken word of empathy and friendship.

We need to remember to engage our brain before we speak. The mind is incredibly fascinating. Scripture tells us that we’re fearfully and wonderfully made. For example, we  can consider what we’re getting ready to say and nix it in the twinkling of an eye if it’s not a beneficial statement. My mom used to say, “You don’t have to tell everything you know.” And I might add, “I don’t have to say everything I think.” Some thoughts are better left unsaid. “Watch your words and hold your tongue; you’ll save yourself a lot of grief” (Proverbs 21:23 MSG). An unsolicited opinion is not usually very welcome.

Words kill and words give life. It’s our choice and we better choose wisely if we profess to be a Christ follower. Words can start fights and words can end fights. Words can bless and words can curse. “Any fool can start arguments; the honorable thing is to stay out of them” (Proverbs 20:3 GNT).

I guarantee that weighing bananas is not nearly as important as weighing our words. “Understand this, my dear brothers and sisters: You must all be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to get angry” (James 1:19 NLT). We must train ourselves to wait for the whole story without interrupting. We must learn to be good listeners because this demonstrates that we care. I’ve heard that since we have two ears and one mouth we should listen twice as much as we talk. Only a fool would argue with that philosophy.

The Key: Let’s weigh our words on the invisible scale of our heart before we speak.

Recently, I have felt God calling me to minister to the prostitutes in the Las Vegas area.  My granddaughter, Montana, had inspired me when she lived in Alabama and weekly took food to the dancers at a local strip club.

The other night in my Zoom Bible study call, one of the men spoke about his trip with his wife to this area and how it broke his heart.  Young children would approach him and hand him their mother’s card, a prostitute looking for work.  “Can it get more evil?” he asked.

God had been putting together the pieces for a few weeks.  I had met two African-American women and am teaching them Pickleball.  We have gone to lunch, and I have invited them to my house.  We are becoming friends..  Both grew up homeless but met Jesus in the craziest of ways, and now their lives are forever changed.  That was God’s first puzzle piece.

The second piece was when my son Adam was part of a sex-trafficking sting in Kansas City last month where 20 gals were recovered.  On that sting, he met with an African-American gal who had been sent to K.C. from Vegas.  For hours, he offered her hope and a way out of the trafficked lifestyle.  She chose to return to it, but they are in contact.  When she is ready, he hopes to have me meet with her.

And that’s when I knew that my friendship with my Pickleball friends wasn’t about the sport at all.  At one of our luncheons, I asked them if they would meet with this Vegas prostitute, should Adam arrange a meeting.  The way I figured it, two black, formerly homeless women who found their hope in Jesus could relate to this prostitute far easier than an old white woman who has never struggled like the three of them.  They agreed to help.

And that leads to the third puzzle piece.  This week, I met with Mike, a friend/co-worker with Adam and an individual who for over 20 years has worked to help the prostitutes/runaways/trafficked victims in the Las Vegas area.  He shared how God had grown their charity and some of the miraculous recoveries they have had.  He needs people who are able to speak about their needs, something I would love to do.

A group of teens from local churches raised money for an RV which is parked near the casinos.  When the prostitutes are caught soliciting, they are led outside where they are offered food and support.  Tattoo artists are on site to cover the tattoos marked on the girls by their pimps (a sign of ownership), a procedure that for some takes several hours but that gives the volunteers time to love on the girls and offer them a way out of their lifestyle. Sometimes the team parks a trailer by a motel frequented by prostitutes and offers them sandwiches and bottled water when they leave their rooms. Definitely something I could do.

Currently, this recovery team is training dogs to be part of their trauma unit. (Not my gift.) These labrador retrievers can sense when someone is hurting and cuddle up to them.  Mike said that several girls have had their lives turned around when they felt loved by these animals.

The one thing I know is that God wastes no puzzle pieces, so I can’t wait to see how He fits me into this ministry.

Keys to the Kingdom By Carolyn Tucker

Name that Tune

I awakened during the night with the melody of an old hymn in my head. I had the tune and recognized it as being a song from my childhood. Oddly, I couldn’t pull out the title or lyrics but I knew the subject was peace. I made a mental note to remember this experience and then went back to sleep. When I awakened in the morning, the lyrics to the first verse began to come to me. I found my 1953 hymnal of “Praise and Worship” and quickly found the title in the index. Like Lieutenant Colonel John ’Hannibal’ Smith with the A-Team, ”I love it when a plan [song] comes together.”

“Wonderful Peace” was written by W.D. Cornell and W.G. Cooper. I never question the songs that God brings up in my spirit. He knows me better than I know myself, therefore,  I trust Him. Asaph was the music director during the reign of King David and King Solomon. He penned his personal experience with God: “I call to remembrance my song in the night; I meditate within my heart, and my spirit makes diligent search” (Psalm 77:6 NKJV). In the present darkness, believers will always find God standing with us and  often reminds us of His faithfulness through a song.

If God can’t seem to get our attention during the day, He’ll speak to us in the night. Why? After the errands are finished, the to-do list is completed, and the  troubleshooting is done, then comes the quiet of the night. When our minds are at rest, our hands are motionless, and our mouths are silenced, God can whisper and then we can hear Him.

Here is the “song in the night” that God wanted me to hear: “Far away in the depths of my spirit tonight rolls a melody sweeter than psalm. In celestial-like strains it unceasingly falls o’er my soul like an infinite calm. Peace! Peace! Wonderful peace. Coming down from the Father above! Sweep over my spirit forever I pray, in fathomless billows of love. I am resting tonight in this wonderful peace. Resting sweetly in Jesus’ control. For I’m kept from all danger by night and by day. And His glory is flooding my soul.” Peace replaces anxiety when we hand the troubling circumstance to God and trust Him to take over.

God works through a myriad of ways in order to tell us what He wants us to hear. Apparently, I needed to be reminded of the peace that was given to me by the Prince of Peace. “In peace I will lie down and sleep, for You alone, O Lord, will keep me safe” (Psalm 4:8 NLT). If I want to passionately live for Christ and remain faithful to the end, I need to be peaceful during the journey.

Peace is a big deal and Jesus made it available for all Christ followers. Without peace in our heart, life ain’t all it’s cracked up to be. Apostle Paul understood the importance of peace as he wrote to encourage the Thessalonian church. “Now, may the Lord Himself, the Lord of peace, pour into you His peace in every circumstance and in every possible way. The Lord‘s tangible presence be with you all” (2 Thessalonians 3:16 TPT). Believers can live out our faith with peace every day. It’s certainly possible to fall off the wagon for a time, but we don’t have to stay there. Just get up, brush ourselves off, and hop on the peace wagon again. And hold on for dear life because the road is bumpy.

The Key: Consider yourself hugged by God when He speaks peace into your heart.

My Sunday morning began with me grumbling, grumbling that ended when I walked into church.  There I shook hands with the greeters and smiled at the people in the pews around me.  Dave was not fooled. All of this started when our company left that morning, and let’s face it: some people are meant to be house guests, and others…well, they need lessons.

When they arrived a few days earlier, “Jim” wasn’t talking to “Helen.” That remained unchanged.  She catered to him, did everything to please him, but he clearly was irritated with her and refused to acknowledge her.  Jim loved his time with Dave and me, but his actions toward Helen left me asking her why she didn’t deserve even a little respect from him, that God did not make her a doormat. (The fact that they have dated for 15 years but never married affected the way I counseled her.)  Details don’t matter, but it was a long five days.

When they left, he announcing that they might come here and rent for a month, I gasped.  That was Helen’s chance to lay down the law and tell her “boyfriend” that things needed to change before she would spend 30 days with him.  (Actually, 30 minutes would have been too much for me.) That’s what led to my Sunday morning rant.

“You know what’s going to happen, Dave.  Jim will be at our house every day, hanging out, and I will need to babysit Helen who will be griping about Jim.  She won’t listen to my advice, so what am I to do?  30 days!  Do you realize how long that is?”  And with that, we drove to church.

No surprises here, but the sermon dealt with the use of our time.  The pastor cited about 20 scriptures addressing how life is short, and we are here for one purpose: to glorify God. Life is not about me and my desires to fill my time.  Our job is to be a disciple for Christ and to share our testimony with everyone we meet.  I guess “everyone” probably would include Jim (an atheist) and Helen (of Jewish lineage).

I was convicted.  In the 15 years we had been friends with this couple, we had not made a dent in how we represented what Christ had done in our lives.  They know we are Christians.  They have heard us pray before meals and have turned down our invitations to go to church with us, but they have not made any move to want what we have (except for the grumbling part).

Sunday’s pastor addressed all the ways we fail to do what we are called to do, and I met most of the requirements.  We should wake up with intentionality, seeking to introduce others to Jesus.  Instead, we wake up with our “to do” list beckoning to be met, or we seek social time that makes us happy.

On the drive home from church, I asked Dave if he had called the pastor and asked him to preach directly to me.  I told him that the sermon made me realize how selfish I am, how 30 days is nothing if I can show this couple the love of Christ and have opportunities to speak boldly about him.  Instead of Dave agreeing that I needed that message, he said that it was directed at him, that there are areas—he listed them—he needs to improve also.

Looks like we both are in need of a little more Jesus.  No, correction…a lot more Jesus.

Keys to the Kingdom By Carolyn Tucker

KuneKune BBQ

My daughter, Mariam, is having the time of her life raising farm animals on their little homestead. A few years ago, she acquired two KuneKune (cooney cooney) piglets. The name of this breed means “fat and round” and they produce high-quality pork. KuneKunes are friendly, docile, and easy to handle which made them sweet and fun pets. My three granddaughters were told from the get-go that Cookie and Oreo would eventually end up on a dinner plate, and they were OK with that because they love bacon.

When the big pigs were butchered, there wasn’t enough freezer space to store all the meat. So Mariam brought a bunch of it in a black trash bag to store at my house. One day  my son Aaron was at my house and he put some venison burger in the deep freeze. I mentioned that there were several outdated packages of meat, so he took the hint and started cleaning it out. I couldn’t oversee this project because I was cooking our Thanksgiving meal — so he was on his own. He took all the old stuff out and threw it on my brush pile in the pasture (to be burned sometime in the future).

When all the family was enjoying our holiday meal together, I mentioned the good job Aaron had done in cleaning out the deep freeze for me. My daughter’s eyes got as big as quarters as she looked at her brother and, with a mouthful of pickled beets, point-blank  asked, “You didn’t throw away my KuneKune pig meat did you?!” Aaron nonchalantly answered, “I don’t know, maybe.” The end of the story is yes, he threw it out, but she retrieved it from the burn pile, still in the bag and still frozen.

Aaron simply didn’t take the time to open the trash bag and look inside, therefore, he didn’t know what was in it. It’s been said that believers live below our privileges as children of God. The Word of God is full of promises but many of them are never “cashed in”  because we don’t know what they are! We must open the Bible to read and study it so we won’t be ignorant. For example, we may personally pay for damage to our home when, in fact, we have insurance that would cover the cost. Ignorance is certainly not bliss when it comes to knowing God’s inexhaustible spiritual riches.

God gave Apostle Paul the special responsibility of preaching salvation to the Gentiles. “And this is God’s plan: Both Gentiles and Jews who believe the Good News share equally in the riches inherited by God’s children. Both are part of the same body, and both enjoy the promise of blessings because they belong to Christ Jesus” (Ephesians 3:6 NLT). God’s riches are our spiritual blessings as we daily live our lives in Him. Let’s read God’s Word to find out what inexhaustible riches are ours. When I purchased a new dishwasher, I read the owner’s manual in order to benefit from all the available options.

Apostle Paul wrote: “Though I am the least deserving of all God’s people, He graciously gave me the privilege of telling the Gentiles about the endless treasures available to them in Christ” (Ephesians 3:8 NLT). Paul wrote letters (manuals) to the churches in the Books of Romans, Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, and Thessalonians. If we want to walk in the spiritual blessings that God intends for us, let’s  study the Owner’s Manual from cover to cover and stake our claim.

The Key: Don’t burn, through ignorance, what’s rightfully yours.

Greta watched me play pickleball and asked if I would like to join an elite group of female players.  Would I ever!  My tryout would be the following Thursday evening.  I showed up a little early, not too early (as not to appear overly eager), but just the right amount of “early,” I hoped.

Greta arrived soon afterward and asked me and another player, Kim, to play against Greg and John. She and Stephanie, the advanced team’s captain, would watch and determine if I was good enough. I was confident and excited to show I had the skills they were seeking.

Greg served the ball. My paddle never touched it.  His spin caused the ball to hit the ground and skid, not bounce like a normal serve. For the rest of the match, this did not change. Greta and Stephanie stood on the sidelines and whispered.  This was not good.

In my next match, I was paired against John and was forewarned that he took great delight in smashing it right at his opponent’s body, especially females.  Which he did. And even though I was able to deflect his ball, I was unable to return it into his court.  The harder I tried, the worse I played.  My mind kept repeating, You’re pathetic.  What’s wrong with you?  Get it together.  You’re embarrassing yourself.         

I had the yips, a term sports teams use for players who cannot do what they are supposed to do.  With the yips, for example, pitchers will throw twelve feet from a catcher, quarterbacks will pass the ball to the sidelines instead of the receiver downfield, and golfers will swing like I do.  It’s all in their heads, and few ever come out of it.

Perhaps I would take up knitting.  (Do knitters get the yips?)

When I arrived home, Dave asked me how I did; I told him I was terrible.  He didn’t believe me until a few days went by and Greta never invited me to join their league.

The following week, playing in my recreational pickleball league, with Greta present, Janel said that she was going to sign me up for the advanced women’s league.  Greta started stammering like a jackhammer as to why that wouldn’t work.  Janel disagreed.  I would have found it amusing, had the argument been about anyone else but me.

In my tryout, I had let my nerves (fear) get the better of me.  Have you been there?  You want to try out for the Praise and Worship team or take up photography or lead a Bible study, but those inner voices scream your unworthiness.  And if, by chance, you take a stab at it only to be told you’re not quite enough, is your confidence shaken?  I hope not.

According to Paul’s second letter to Timothy, God does not give us a spirit of fear.

The Bible is not short on stories of individuals who feared something.  Moses.  David.  Elijah. The disciples.  They all had to overcome that fear to use the gifts God had given them.  I was no different.  What happened to me on that pickleball court was all in my own mind, doing what it does well…making me doubt myself.

Ironically, as I was writing this article, Greta texted me and asked if I would help her coach a couple of relatively new players.

A chance to redeem myself… or a subtle way for her to coach me as well?

Something is seriously wrong with my mind.