Keys to the Kingdom

By Carolyn Tucker

Rad Dads

I’ve heard it said that any man can be a father, but it takes a real man to be a real dad. Having experienced a real dad for myself, and watching my late husband be a rad dad to our children for 34 years, I would agree with the lede statement. How fun it would be to spend another day with my dad – with both of us in our younger years! I’m grateful he did the “dad thing” right. He was affectionate, easily demonstrating his feelings of love and acceptance to me and my brother. Interestingly, fatherhood provides men with the choice of either being a rad dad or a bad dad. Yep, it’s a serious responsibility, so choose wisely.

As a daughter growing up, the one-on-one time I spent with Dad wasn’t financially costly or impressive by worldly standards. But to us, it was fun, memorable, and knit our hearts together for all time. Only once did we go quail hunting – I was a bad shot and we never did that again! We were members of the Stockton Saddle Club and we rode our horses with our friends every Monday night at the arena. We also went on trail rides and rode with the Club in the Stockton Black Walnut Festival parade. Dad taught me how to check the fluids in my vehicle, drive defensively and drive “with the traffic” in Springfield. His words were, “You gotta’ drive for yourself and the other man too.”

We would laugh together as we watched our favorite TV series: The Carol Burnette Show, All in the Family, The Honeymooners (Jackie Gleason), Mash 4077, Hogan’s Heroes, and The Dean Martin Show. We watched every Western series known to man: Gunsmoke, High Chaparral, Bonanza, The Virginian, Rawhide, The Big Valley, Wagon Train, and The Rifleman. I wouldn’t trade those special times with Dad for love nor money.

Dad knew how to get the most out of life and that included being the spiritual leader of our home. When the church doors were open, we were there. At home, we found joy in singing gospel songs around the piano. We did our best to study and practice the Word of God. Dad taught us to have a reverential fear of God and to promptly obey Him. A Christian father is a flesh-and-blood example of God to his children. Godly dads who represent their heavenly Father well in front of their kids will subconsciously cause them to believe, accept, and trust Jesus much easier. A rad dad works hard for the good of his family and cares about love, peace, laughter, and the spiritual health of his household.

Fathers, if you make mistakes (and you will because you’re human) God will stand by you. If you fall short of His commandments, He’ll still love you. If you feel worried, He will touch your heart and lift your soul. If you don’t know what to do, He’ll show you. God is wide-awake and He’ll not abandon you in your responsibilities as a dad.

Don’t be blinded by the “bigness” of fatherhood. Don’t allow yourself to be waylaid by our stressed-out, freaked-out culture. And please remember to set aside time to play with, love on, and enjoy your kids! Satan will use every means to make you think you don’t have time to hang out with them. Your kids desperately need you to simply relax and “be you” with them! Your calling as a godly dad is not overlooked by God. He knows every hill and curve along the sometimes bumpy road of fatherhood.

The Key: Fathers, with God’s help, you’ve got what it takes to be a rad dad!

The story is told of a little girl who developed the bad habit of lying. On her birthday she received a Saint Bernard puppy but told all of her friends she’d been given a lion. When her mother heard this story, she was not happy. “I told you not to lie. Honesty is very important. Now go upstairs and tell God you’re sorry. Promise Him you’ll never lie again.”

The little girl slowly climbed the stairs to her room, said her prayers, and then came back down to play. Her mother was waiting. “Well, did you tell God you’re sorry?” she asked. “Yes, I did,” her daughter quickly responded. “And God said that sometimes He thinks it’s hard to tell a Saint Bernard from a lion, too.”

If there is any sin more prevalent than the lie, I’m not sure what it is.  The book The Day America Told the Truth reports that 91 percent of those surveyed lie routinely about matters they consider trivial, and 36 percent lie about important matters; 86 percent lie regularly to parents, 75 percent to friends, 73 percent to siblings, and 69 percent to spouses.

As surprising as those numbers are, who of us hasn’t been guilty?  We download illegal songs.  Cheat on our tax returns.  Embellish our accomplishments.  Permanently “borrow” the stapler from the office. Tell our friends we will “pray for them” but don’t. And then… we justify. Not the way to make God happy. After all, He watched the downfall of man begin with lies.

Think about it.  Satan introduces himself to mankind by lying about God to Eve– “You shall not die.”  In other words, “God fibbed when He warned you of the consequence of eating from the tree of life.”  Eve and Adam learn quickly that God means business as they are banished from the Garden of Eden one itty bitty bite later.

In the book of Job, Satan lies to God.  “The only reason Job obeys you is because you’re so good to him.”  At Jesus’ crucifixion, the same liar convinces the masses to support the Romans and religious zealots who have sabotaged Jesus’ ministry. In the book of Revelation, Satan embodies the antichrist, who tells a lie so believable it brings about the end of the world.

As one author put it, in Genesis he uses a lie to corrupt a godly man.  In Job, he uses a lie to criticize a good man.  In the New Testament, he uses a lie to crucify the God Man. It’s no wonder John 4:4 warns us:  When men are deliberate liars, they prove their kinship to the devil, for Jesus said: “The devil … he is a liar, and the father of it.”

I know someone who lies to make himself feel important and then gets angry when confronted.  Repentance is not part of his vocabulary.  In fact, typically more lies follow in the cover-up.  I wish he could have the same outcome as the store manager who heard his rookie clerk tell a customer, “No, ma’am, we haven’t had any for a while, and it doesn’t look as if we’ll be getting any soon.” Horrified, the manager came running over to the customer and said, “Of course we’ll have some soon. We placed an order last week.” Then the manager drew the clerk aside. “Never,” he snarled, “Never, never, never say we’re out of anything- say we’ve got it on order and it’s coming. Now, what was it she wanted anyway?”

The clerk answered, “Rain!”

For many, deceit holds the key to money, fame, revenge or power. I’d rather hold the key to truth and integrity.

One will keep me in bondage.  The other will set me free.

The People at the Top

Although this week’s meeting did not take place I want to take a moment to talk to you all. I want to commend the people who put themselves out there and open their lives to the scrutiny that may follow. Whether it is running for office, speaking at meetings, authoring articles, or simply standing up and sharing an opinion.

I believe in hard work, respect, accountability, and having the backbone to stand on your decisions and the humility to change your mind. Folks say they want more people involved in government. I agree. People deserve choices (did you notice we will have lots for Governor this year?!). We could also continue as a community with willingness to accept that not everybody is going to think the same way. I believe expectations of 100% alignment are green in this climate. My experience tells me if you think different than the man to your left or right hope for respectful dialogue but prepare to defend.

Recently I have witnessed a decline in self-accountability. We live in a tech driven era where words come easy not always with complete understanding and reality is easily altered through AI and misinformation. With this I expect to bring receipts, and that suits me simply fine, it does not bother me to show and tell rather than just tell.

The part I think can be a large deterrent to potential candidates is when politics turn into twisting words, false narratives, nasty memes, personal attacks, under reporting, over reporting and tearing people down for thinking differently. If media and influencers push narratives and outcomes rather than just delivering facts it becomes troubling for me. Trust your readers, trust your electorate, get out there and help your neighbors understand both sides and let them choose what they believe in and respect them when you cannot align.

From me to you I will continue voting the way I believe is right for Bourbon County. I will continue being upfront and speaking clearly because the people of this county deserve that. Bourbon County deserves representatives who do not hide behind double meaning phrases. Different opinions are part of freedom and if you cannot stand behind yours, then consider change. Moving forward together is important. We have recently seen that if leadership cannot work together, we will not move at all.

Character matters more to me than titles. Ethics matters more to me than gains. Integrity matters more to me than the cost of doing business. I am pure country, raised to work hard, speak with candor, hold my opinion until I have enough verifiable information to form one, tell the truth, keep my faith, and continue working through the storm. I answer to God, my conscience, and the people who elected me to do the job. Strong communities are built by people willing to work, serve, and lead with grit and honesty. If you want to work with me, work as hard as me. If you want to stop me, outwork me. Bullying, intimidation, and half-truths aren’t going to do the trick.

There is one more thing I want to talk about again. Over the last several months, I have watched conversations in our community about who should be asking questions, and continuing to stay informed. Let me just say, “everyone” this is so important!

My thoughts, I support journalism for all. Communities need people willing to attend meetings, ask questions, review records, and keep the public informed. If there is a idea that asking questions should belong exclusively to one group of professionals, it is my opinion that sentiment no longer exists and possibly for good reason. I think journalism, public announcements and citizen involvement can coexist. All have an important role in keeping communities informed.

We live in a time where information moves quickly. Citizens attend meetings. Citizens request records. Citizens make phone calls. Citizens ask questions and compare what they hear with what they see. Many spend hours digging into issues because they care about their community. That involvement should be encouraged, not discouraged.

The answer to information you disagree with is more information. The answer to questions is answers. The answer to concerns is transparency. I trust people to sort through information and make decisions for themselves. I trust them to look at facts, ask follow-up questions, and come to their own conclusions. Not every citizen will get everything right. Not every journalist or elected official will get everything right. That is why facts and records matter. That is why accountability matters. I believe the people of Bourbon County are best served when they can hear from multiple sources, and learn to review the information for themselves, and decide what they believe.

Nobody should be afraid of an informed public. If someone has questions, ask them. I will answer all I can, you may hear me say “I have to ask the county counselor first,” and I hope you understand.

The future of Bourbon County will not be shaped by one journalist, one Facebook page, one elected official, or one voice. It will be shaped by citizens who care enough to get involved, do their homework, and become informed voters, the future of this county belongs to you the citizens! You the voters have more power than you know, you are The People at the Top. I hope you understand that and stay informed and get out there and vote!

Citizens of Bourbon County, Thank You

Mika Milburn-Kee

Keys to the Kingdom
By Carolyn Tucker
Forget the Riddles of Life

All curious little kids are the same; therefore, history repeats itself. I can remember being in the kitchen with my mom and asking her one question right after another. Eventually, she got tired of it and her patience flew out the window. I asked another, “Why does this….” and her answer was, “Just to make you ask questions!” Her tone was not as sweet as her first answer had been, so I knew not to ask anything else that day. My own kids did the same thing to me and so do my granddaughters. Answering a few legitimate questions is fine, but a constant barrage of this type interaction becomes annoying. “Why… why… why is water wet?”

I wonder if God sometimes sighs when His children ask Him so many questions that don’t amount to a hill of beans. I suspect most everyone has a gunnysack full of life’s riddles that we can’t solve. Philosophers and scientists have been trying to explain life’s mysteries for years. I don’t believe God gets angry because we ask Him “why” questions; He knows we’re human. But shouldn’t we have an honest understanding that we’re humans and not Almighty God?

Many of God’s ways are past finding out. Job bluntly responds to his so-called friend Bildad: “God stretches the northern sky over empty space and hangs the earth on nothing. His Spirit made the heavens beautiful, and His power pierced the gliding serpent. These are just the beginning of all that He does, merely a whisper of His power. Who, then, can comprehend the thunder of His power?” (Job 26:7,13-14 NLT). These scriptures point out the fact that there’s a million miles between our understanding and God’s.

God didn’t create mankind to be as smart as Him on purpose. We might as well be thankful for God’s unfathomable ways and give our tired brains a rest. We’re liable to blow a gasket if we don’t learn to bury some of our questions in the bosom of our heavenly Father. God tries to help us see that we aren’t going to be able to solve all the riddles in our life. “For My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways, says the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways and My thoughts than your thoughts” (Isaiah 55:8-9 AMP).

God operates in ways that are beyond our understanding, so we should simply learn to trust His methods and focus on being the best disciple we can be. “Oh, how great are God’s riches and wisdom and knowledge! How impossible it is for us to understand His decisions and His ways! For who can know the Lord’s thoughts? Who knows enough to give Him advice?” (Romans 11:33-34 NLT). It’s never advisable to give God a piece of your mind – like me, you don’t have any to spare.

Believers could greatly benefit in pulling away from trying to solve the mysteries in life. Instead, passionately pursue God and His will. His generic will for everyone is found in His Word and His unique, individual will for us is often discovered through prayer. King David penned, “Show me the right path, O Lord; point out the road for me to follow. Lead me by Your truth and teach me, for you are the God who saves me. All day long I put my hope in You” (Psalm 25:4-5 NLT).

The Key: It’s OK to ask God “why” but it could be a waste of your time.

As I watched the movie “The Twister: Caught in the Storm,” I was reminded of the tornado warnings we had when I was a child living in Fort Scott. When the warning signs screamed, my mother gathered up the three of us kids and headed to our neighbor’s cellar across the street. I had packed a box loaded with my favorite things, just in case. My stuffed monkey sat atop my plastic horses and pop-bead bracelets, treasures I could not live without. When the all-clear siren blasted, I knew my precious treasures and I were safe… at least for a while. Little did I know, those storms were nothing compared to the figurative storms I would face as an adult. You probably can relate.

Life is filled with storms – crazy schedules, emotional bankruptcy and physical exhaustion. My first reaction is to run and hide until the storm passes, but I have learned that (1) there will always be another storm, and (2) I must be prepared before those trials hit. That means I sometimes must say “no” to requests that do not edify those I love or the Lord. If not, my life becomes pretty chaotic.

My girlfriend Robin and I recently were discussing how easy it is to miss God’s will when we are navigating turbulent decisions. She and her husband moved to another town when they were offered a good price on their home. The only problem? They had to be out in three weeks…not a lot of time to check out other properties on the market in their new location. One prospective house needed a little work, but when the inspector assured them that all was well, they placed a bid that was accepted.

Unfortunately, they had purchased “the money pit.” A few days after moving in, Robin’s husband was in the attic, moving boxes, unaware there was a hole in the ceiling, a hole he fell through, resulting in seven broken ribs, a head laceration, a broken finger and a broken hip. As bad as that was, nothing prepared them for the cockroach infestation, a refrigerator and dishwasher that did not work, and a copperhead that crawled up Robin’s leg when she was in her back yard.

“I probably didn’t pray enough,” she said. “I prayed but clearly panicked with the time constraints.” Oh, how many times have I done the same! There isn’t enough room here to describe my inability to listen to God before I jump in, and usually a storm of some sort is waiting for me. Then again, in my case, that storm might be for my benefit to draw me closer to God.

One of the most recognizable stories in the Bible is when Jesus slept during a violent storm on the Sea of Galilee. The day has been long, filled with teaching, healing, and ministry, and the disciples are weary. Although accomplished fishermen, they, accompanying him in the boat, cannot imagine how he is not awakened as the “waves swept over the boat.”

Matthew 8:26, 27 reports that Jesus replied, “’You of little faith, why are you so afraid?’ Then he got up and rebuked the winds and the waves, and it was completely calm. The men were amazed and asked, ‘What kind of man is this? Even the winds and the waves obey him!’”

Bible Hub tells us that Jesus’ words point to the danger of fear when faith is weak, and they serve as a reminder that true faith trusts in His power and presence. Jesus not only has authority over creation, he also can bring peace to the chaos of life. Think about it. His ability to calm the sea is immediate and complete. There are no after-effects except, of course, in the life of the disciples who once again are witnesses to the person in whom they need to place their faith.

What storm are you enduring? If you are trying to face it alone, you are missing an opportunity to call on the One who can make an everlasting difference, and in this case, you don’t even have to wake him up to ask for his help.

Keys to the Kingdom
By Carolyn Hayward Tucker

Germs and Gnats

I’m not a people watcher when I‘m shopping because I‘m usually on a mission and quite focused. However, one day I couldn’t help noticing a woman holding a folded wad of greenback between her lips as she diligently cleaned her cart handle with an antibacterial wipe. This puzzling absurdity blew my mind; I’m sure I stared. I’m no expert, but it’s a known fact that germs like to do a little party dance on money. I guess you could call it dirty dancing.

This scenario reminds me of the scripture in Matthew 23:24 NRS where Jesus is sternly talking to the religious leaders. “You blind guides! You strain out a gnat but swallow a camel.” The rigid Pharisees and teachers of religious law would carefully strain their drinking water to make sure they didn’t accidentally swallow a gnat (the smallest inedible insect for the Israelites.) The camel was one of the largest unclean animals. Gnats and camels were both forbidden as food in the Old Testament. Jesus was purposely using a figure of speech to shock His hearers into getting the point.

Jesus was upset that doing justice, showing mercy, exercising faith in God, and loving Him was not being practiced by the religious leaders. Instead, they were busy straining their water. As Christ followers today, we need to be careful that we’re not majoring on the minors while ignoring the majors. Little trifling things that don’t amount to a hill of beans was not, and is not, what Jesus wants His disciples to major on.

Jesus criticized the Pharisees and teachers of religious law for their misplaced priorities. They neglected the more-important principles of a godly lifestyle. Practicing the weightier matters of loving God and loving others was sadly being neglected. The only people Jesus spoke to with consternation were the religious people who acted righteous on the outside but were unrighteous on the inside. Jesus sure didn’t beat around the bush when He said, “Great sorrow awaits you religious scholars and Pharisees — frauds and imposters! You are foolish to ignore the greed and self-indulgence that live like germs within you. You are blind and deaf to your evil” (Matthew 23:25-26 TPT).

When it comes to the practice of loving others, we believers don’t want to be guilty of making a mountain out of a molehill. Keep in mind that a fellow believer can be rough around the edges and still have a perfect heart toward God. We can read in Hebrews 11 about a lot of imperfect men and women who had a true heart of faith. Jesus said it’s all about the heart. Godliness is not just skin deep and can’t be confused with how a person looks on the outside. A godly person is one whose heart is sensitive toward God and takes Him and His Word seriously. The inside reveals who we really are, not the outside.

Honestly, believers should be hell-bent on majoring on the majors found in God’s Word. And it’s up to us to do our own regular heart checkups. When (not if) we find a problem, we need to submit to spiritual major-heart surgery performed by Dr. Jesus.

The Key: Spiritually speaking, let’s put our money where our mouth and heart is.

Last week, we looked at Ray Pritchard’s “B” (Build relationships) in the “BLT’s of Evangelism.” Today, we will review his L and T of how to “fish for people.” We are to Look for opportunities to talk to others and then Take these people to places where they can hear the Gospel preached. Many times, those opportunities come in the most unexpected places.

Our grandson, Drake, turned a 12-hour drive from Alabama to Fort Scott into an 18-hour one when he came to a 3:00 A.M. halt on a freeway due to an accident. At one point, he exited his truck and met a 23-year-old in the same predicament. Sitting in the bed of the other driver’s truck, playing cards, Drake shared his faith. His new friend listened and told my grandson that he probably needed to get back to church.

Pritchard’s BLT suggestions seem contradictory. In his “B” category, he told us to keep quiet and basically not be obnoxious with our faith, and his “L” tells us to open our mouths and share what we believe. The author addresses that dilemma, saying that most outspoken Christians are afraid people will think they are too fanatical and run for the hills, but the first need is just to build a relationship and then look for natural ways to share their faith.

Pritchard’s advice? “Look, it’s not difficult. You don’t need to make a big deal about this. Why don’t you begin each day by praying that God will send you at least one person each day to whom you can give a good word for the Lord? After you pray that prayer, just start looking for opportunities to say a good word for the Lord.”

I love his message. “Just say a good word for the Lord.” No big deal. No high pressure. Just look for chances to slip the Lord into your conversations with people in a natural, non-forced way. That’s evangelism.”

Sometimes, what we look for as an opportunity is not what God has in mind. Years ago, I was attending a college lab class. I was much older than the other students, and at my lab table were three fraternity boys, eager to share their party exploits with anyone in earshot. One day, I smiled and said that they were moving up my prayer ladder and that I was worried about their eternal souls. They laughed.

A week later, a girl seated at another lab table asked if she could talk to me. She had overheard my comment to the party boys and had questions. I invited her to my house, and at the kitchen table, she accepted Jesus as her personal Lord and Savior. I realized then that evangelism has little to do with the person sharing and everything to do with God and how He can use any circumstance to bring people to Him.

So you’ve got the B —Build Relationships, and you’ve got the L — Look for Opportunities. There’s only one thing left, the T. Take your friends to non-threatening events where they can hear the gospel. Hopefully, your church provides ministry opportunities like ladies’ luncheons or men’s retreats or Christian concerts or game days. Pritchard cautions against Sunday services as your starting point because they sometimes might be too overwhelming, but “As the Holy Spirit begins to draw your friends to Christ, Sunday worship will begin to seem much more inviting to them.”

So, there you have it, the BLT’s of Evangelism. Build relationships. Look for opportunities to share, and Take others to Christian events. Sounds simple? It is.