Keys to the Kingdom By Carolyn Tucker

My sweet and tender-hearted big brother slipped away from all those who loved him on June 17, 2022.

Always thinking and planning ahead, Randy made sure he and his sweetheart Corda made it to their 55^th wedding anniversary the day before.

When I was two years old, I couldn’t talk plain, so when I wanted a drink, I would go to my brother  and say, “Nanny dink.” There was a ten-year difference in our ages and I remember asking my Dad in later years, “Why in the world did you and Mom have us so far apart?” Without missing a beat, his pithy answer was, “We didn’t want you two to fight.” Well, their scheme worked! We never had a fight, misunderstanding, or disagreement in all my 64 years.

However, he did have a mischievous streak because he once convinced me to taste dirt. I did it because I was little and stupid…and he knew it!

During our youngest years growing up together in California, he was an excellent entertainer. We had twin beds and he would make a bridge with his body between the beds and I would crawl across on his back from one bed to the other. Then when he was 15 years of age, we moved back to our folks’ roots (Stockton, Missouri) so Randy wouldn’t marry some California girl and get stuck out there. I thought that was really wise on my folks’ part and it worked out great for all of us. I got to go on some of Randy and Corda’s dates and that was really fun and made me feel special. Just seven-years old, I had no idea I wasn‘t supposed to sit in the middle of the lovebirds. But I got by with it because I was Randy’s little sister.

Through the years, I watched my brother devote his life to becoming a man that God could use to accomplish His will. Randy was a man after God’s own heart. He listened to the gentle whispers of God’s voice and then he simply obeyed. Many years ago, he had a super-nice bicycle that he enjoyed very much, but he gave it away to someone who needed it. “If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him?” (1 John 3:17 NIV).

I watched my brother obey the vision and direction God gave him in 1993. Jailhouse Rock Ministries ships Bibles and Christian literature to jails and prisons across the entire State of Missouri. He had a heart for helping those who could not help themselves. “Remember those in prison, as if you were there yourself.“ (Hebrews 13:3 NLT). I now pray, “Heavenly Father, let the man (whom You have chosen) hear and obey Your voice. I believe he is waiting in the wings right now, ready to stand in the gap for JHR.“

Just five days before Randy met Jesus face to face, he selflessly stood at the pulpit in Pittsburg, Missouri and delivered one of his most-anointed messages ever. I suspect he knew it was the last time, so God’s Spirit came down and helped him preach a home run. “For I am not ashamed of this Good News about Christ. It is the power of God at work, saving everyone who believes — the Jew first and also the Gentile. This Good News tells us how God makes us right in His sight. This is accomplished from start to finish by faith“ (Romans 1:16,17 NLT).

My brother loved hard, prayed hard, and was passionate about sharing the uncompromised Word of God. He loved the Lord with all his heart, soul, mind, and strength. He stood with his feet on the Rock, defended the faith, and showed mercy to those who were going down for the last time. He ran hard and finished his race as a good and faithful servant of Jesus Christ.

The Key: Even though he was small in stature, Randy Hayward was a giant of a man.

The personal income of Bourbon County residents is of keen importance to all of us.  It determines the relative success of most of our businesses around town and sets limits on prices of real estate and the taxes that can be collected.  The Kansas Statistical Abstract of 2020 accumulates personal income by county and by category.  Here are some interesting observations from the data:

• At the 2020 census, 14,360 people lived in Bourbon County, a 5.36% drop from the last census. Of that number, approximately 8,200 of us are in the working age category of 19 to 64 years old.
• Total personal income for Bourbon County in 2019 was approximately $521.4 million. That breaks down to $63.6 thousand per working age adult and $36.3 thousand for every man, woman and child.
• Transfer payments (welfare, SNAP, grants and other government funding) totaled $149.4 million in 2019.
• Social Security payments were right at $48 million in 2019, which equals about $19.2 thousand per person who is 65 and over. Of course, some recipients receive benefits before age 65, some delay enrollment.
• Wages and supplemental payments, such as bonuses, commissions, etc., totaled $323.8 million which is about $39.6 thousand per working age adult.

How do we compare to other counties in Kansas?  Here is a sampling from 2019; all dollar numbers in thousands:

(1) All income earned, excluding government payments.

Two major points about Bourbon County: 1) Our earned personal income compared to working age adults is the best in the five county area. 2) Our percentage of working age adults compare to total population is last in the five county area at 57.1%. We have a higher than usual population under age 18 and older than 64.  The highest percentage of working population in the five county area is Crawford at 63.7%.  This is statistical proof that compensation is better in Bourbon County, which is why upwards of 2,800 workers commute to our county from other jurisdictions.  When it comes to employment, we are the county of choice in the area.

Bourbon County has a lot to offer, and some problems to tackle.  We at Bourbon County REDI are working to enhance and promote our strengths and to create coalitions to solve problems.  We believe in the future of our county.

In a recent Instagram post, I wrote this: “Heroes do not wear capes.” We all know that. Recently, I watched a newscast which aired our Speaker of the House making a guest appearance on “RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars” and told the drag queens they “inspired” her. “My honor to be here to say to all of you, how proud we all are of you. Thank you for the joy and beauty you bring to the world,” she said.  “Your freedom of expression of yourselves in drag is what America is all about.”   The drag queens beamed.  I groaned.

As a college assignment, my granddaughter recently was asked to write an essay about the person who most inspired her.  She wrote about a woman she met on a missionary trip who taught her the importance of loving others…not in a fake, self-serving way but in the same way Jesus loved.  One person inspired by freedom of expression, another by loving Jesus.

Who inspires you?

The movie “Maverick” is a blockbuster hit.  Tom Cruise returns to lead a group of Top Gun specialists in a heroic, edge-of-your-seat-type spectacular.  Who of us can watch that without feeling an enormous sense of pride in the U.S. military, not only for their phenomenal piloting skills but also for the design and capabilities of the planes they fly?

The Fourth of July will be celebrated this weekend.  Many of us will have family get togethers, roast hot dogs and shoot fireworks. For that day, we might even play patriotic songs on our iPhones, and when we hear Lee Greenwood’s “I’m Proud to be an American,” we will sing along.  Yet, we who never served in the military cannot begin to understand just what heroes our soldiers are.

Adam and Jenn, my son and daughter-in-law, regularly host PTSD veterans at their ranch.  These heroes come to heal, to team with others who have suffered as they have, and to share their experiences with like-minded veterans.  Once recovered (as much as humanly possible), some return to mentor the newbies who come for the first time.  Statistics are alarming for those who are not helped.  According to U.S.O. reports,     “In 2021, research found that 30,177 active duty personnel and veterans who served in the military after 9/11 have died by suicide – compared to the 7,057 service members killed in combat in those same 20 years.”

This week, Adam and a team of heroes are in Ukraine.  Yesterday, our family received a rare text from him, describing his mission.  A friend in Moldova had called him, asking if his team could bring aid to a church in Ukraine accessible by only two bridges.  One had been blown up two months ago, but the second, hit by a missile a few days previous, was still passable.  The church where they delivered the goods had a pastor who had acted on faith and built a large church, praying that people would come.

Adam wrote, “His first service in the new church was Feb. 20.  Russia invaded on the 24^th.  His church now has 1500-2000 who attend daily, evening services…we (E3 Foundation) had bought seven tons of food for his church.  Shortly after buying it, I got a random text from a friend in the states who wanted to make a donation to E3 for just shy of the amount we just spent.”  He ended with this: “God continues to open doors and we continue to see His light overpower the darkness here!”

Let’s remember that the reason we (including drag queens) have the “freedom of expression” to celebrate the 4^th of July has nothing to do with us.  It is because of the eternal Hero making that possible by blessing those who fight for that right.

We should all remember that this Independence Day!

Keys to the Kingdom

By Carolyn Tucker

Many years ago, I was visiting with a neighbor on her property and she was explaining the layout of her front-yard landscaping. She said, “The ground is so rocky that we simply planted the trees where we could dig a hole, so that’s why there’s no rhyme or reason to them.” Since she mentioned this, I suspect she was a little disappointed with the final outcome. Everybody has 20/20 hindsight. Any decisions we make, or neglect to make, today will always affect the future sooner or later.

Believers really need to live our lives on purpose and not helter skelter. We can’t just wing it and hope everything turns out OK; we have to be intentional. Flying by the seat of your pants  usually means you’ve got a hole in them and have lost your cell phone, wallet, key, etc. Maybe you’re a squared-away person and write a to-do list every morning and meet all your goals by supper. If so, that’s great and you deserve a pat on the back. I sure hope God shows up somewhere on that list.

When you were created in your mother’s womb, God wasn’t just haphazardly throwing a bunch of stuff together in some wild and crazy experiment. You were fearfully and wonderfully made with a purpose! Your Creator had a rhyme and reason to your layout. As Christ followers, we were designed to bear good fruit. So we must stay very close to the Master Gardener so He can prune us in order for us to grow strong in Him.

When we live for God with a purposeful heart, one of our main objectives is to bear fruit. “But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things” (Galatians 5:22,23 NLT). Developing the fruit of the spirit never goes out of style and will continue as long as we belong to Christ Jesus. “When you produce much fruit, you are My true disciples. This brings great glory to My Father” (John 15:8 NLT).

We are to constantly abide in Jesus, so we must make our personal relationship with Him our #1 priority. The following quote was written in one of my journals: “If we don’t make time for friends, we won’t have any.“ If we aren’t diligent about making time for Jesus, we won’t have any fruit. “Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in Me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from Me you can do nothing. Anyone who does not remain in Me is thrown away like a useless branch and withers. Such branches are gathered into a pile to be burned“ (John 15:5,6 NLT). Basically, if we choose to live an unproductive self-absorbed life, we’ll end up in a worthless stick pile because we‘ve disconnected from the life-giving Vine.

Jesus didn’t come to give us religion, He came to give us a genuine personal love relationship with the Father through Him. “So you must remain in life-union with Me, for I remain in life-union with you. For as a branch severed from the vine will not bear fruit, so your life will be fruitless unless you live your life intimately joined to Mine” (John 15:4 TPT).

The Key: Make sure your relationship with God has a daily rhyme and reason, and  prepare to be pruned.

It seems to be a pattern in our culture to chip away at personal freedoms in order to protect people from themselves.  We heard about an example of this in New York City when the mayor at the time pushed through an ordinance banning the sale of drinks larger than 16ozs; the pushback was so intense that the law was repealed in short order.  The attitude seems to be that we are wiser and better educated than you and we have drawn some firm conclusions on how you should conduct your life; freedom and civil debate are stifled.

Do you remember learning that there are nine planets, sometimes using a clever sentence to remember them in order?  Pluto was recently demoted from the ranks, lowering the number in our solar system to eight. Thankfully, none of us lived in the 18^th Century when bloodletting was a common practice and the probable cause of death of our first President.  If science closed off research and free debate on the topics, we would still be under these misimpressions.

Free debate must be encouraged to get to the truth.

Why do I believe this to be so important?  On a macro level, the American experiment in freedom has delivered the most powerful, the most economically successful nation in human history.  Yes, those truths are diminished somewhat by the poor choices free people make; slavery is a glaring example.  We mourn the consequences of poor choices people make with the privilege of Constitutional freedom, but the free expression of ideas eventually led us to the right conclusions.

This process of reevaluation often plays out on the local level, including Bourbon County.  When people use whatever means possible to silence those with whom they disagree, we all lose.  When we try to shout down local candidates we don’t like because of personal reasons, or they are not part of our particular “faction,” we all miss out on the free expression of ideas and appropriate debate.  Instead, we write and share social media posts with trivial negativity and half-truths about our fellow citizens.  We use whatever personal leverage we might have to discredit or discourage opponents instead of engaging them in healthy discourse.

What Bourbon County needs more than anything is a free people in an earnest quest for truth to reestablish the trust we are now missing, to our great detriment.  Our public forums and debates must keep the quest for truth through the free expression of ideas at the center.  Otherwise, we will not arrive at solutions that represent our best.

Before you attack, demean, pick apart and generally criticize someone with whom you disagree, examine your motives and the general impact it will have on the culture and wellbeing of our community.  Certainly, politely call out those who are stifling open discourse through half-truths and nit-picky acts of disrespect. Let us depend upon the honest exchange of ideas through free and civil discourse in order to arrive at the best solutions for Bourbon County.  Let us reestablish trust through respecting one another’s freedoms.

When I taught high school speech, students wrote a eulogy about someone/thing no longer in their life.  Many were funny anecdotes about losing their baby teeth or learning that Santa Claus is not real.  But some were tragic, and not a few tears flowed as students told about their fathers’ incarceration or disappearance or abuse.

This past weekend we celebrated fathers. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, 18.4 million children, one in four, live without a biological, step, or adoptive father in the home. My father died when I was eight-months old, so all I knew of him were the wonderful things my mother shared. I always wondered what it would be like to be someone’s little princess or to attend the father/daughter breakfast or to have my noggin thumped when I sassed.

Recently, when I asked on Facebook for examples of people who had overcome rejection, a dear friend contacted me to share of her dad’s inability to love.  Only when she was an adult and learned that her father’s father had never modeled love did she start to understand and forgive.

We all know fathers who are present in their children’s lives, those who never miss a Little League practice or a soccer game or a Sunday football game, but how many fail to impart spiritual knowledge into their kids, read the Bible to them, take them to church, and most importantly, pray unceasingly for them?  They are not intentional in modeling a faith-filled experience to their impressionable youngsters.  Let’s face it, fatherhood is demanding business, and merely knowing God does not make a good father.

In the Old Testament, two of the most tragic stories deal with godly men who were terrible fathers.  Eli, the high priest who was hand-picked by Samuel’s mother to raise her son into manhood, fathered rebellious sons who, instead of following in Eli’s footsteps, dishonored God.  Samuel grew into a great prophet for Israel while Eli’s sons died in a battle because of their sins.

Even King David, one of the bravest leaders in Israel’s history, lacked parenting skills. His eldest son, Amnon, raped his half-sister and was later killed by his brother Absalom who set out to sabotage David’s kingdom.  Both Eli and David knew of their sons’ shenanigans but failed to train or discipline them.

No father—except for God—is sinless.  I hope you have a father who tries to do right, who loves you unconditionally, who sacrifices for you and who loves Jesus. I hope you have forgiven him for not being perfect. (“Let ye without sin pass the first stone.”)

The great early American spokesman, Patrick Henry, wrote in his will, “I have disposed of all my property to my family. There is one thing more I wish I could give them, and that is Christ. If they have Him and if I had not given them one dollar, they would be rich. And if they have not Him, and I had given them the whole world, they would be poor.”

Dads, it’s never too late.  Be intentional in giving your children the Riches they deserve.

Keys to the Kingdom By Carolyn Tucker

I know there are women out there who have hang-ups with men. But I’m not one of them because the two most-loving and influential men in my life were my dad and my husband. On April 18, 1980, my hero dad escorted me down the church aisle and gave me away to my soon-to-be husband. In a lot of aspects, Dad and Jimmy were nothing alike. However, both had built their lives on Jesus and neither ever failed to love, provide, and protect me.

“Father of the fatherless and protector of widows is God…“ (Psalm 68:5 ESV). When I recently read this scripture, it struck home with me and I said aloud: “Wow, a double whammy.” Then I thought, “That’s me. I don’t have a father or a husband.” Men have a very important role in the family and in society. God needs a few good men to profoundly influence their families and communities.

The importance of men began with God in the Garden of Eden when He created a perfect man. The man (Adam) became a loving husband and, later, a caring father. Strong and faithful husbands and fathers are desperately needed to step over the line of slackness   and fulfill their God-given role. The overly-simplistic definition of a man is “an adult male person.” But a real flesh-and-blood man is more awesome and intricate than that measly definition. So let’s strip him down to the chassis and see what we’ve got.

The following describes an exemplary man: “Since God chose you to be the holy people [men] He loves, you must clothe yourselves with tender-hearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others. Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds us all together in perfect harmony. And let the peace that comes from Christ rule in your hearts. For as members of one body you are called to live in peace. And always be thankful” (Colossians 3:12-15 NLT).

A real man enjoys his responsibility to nurture, love, and cherish his wife and children. He is compassionate and stalwart. He loves, laughs, and cries. His love is tough and gentle; he is faithful to God, family, and Country. He knows how to balance work and play, and spends time with his wife and children. He has integrity and holds God and His Word in utmost reverence. He humbly knows where his abilities come from: “Awesome is God…He is the one who gives power and strength to His people” (Psalm 68:35 ESV).

A godly man will bear good fruit in his everyday life. “But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!” (Galatians 5:22,23 NLT). And there’s no law against a little dirt under your fingernails or mud on your truck tires. There’s also no law against arching your eyebrows, but please don‘t. It disturbs me to see a man’s eyebrows look better than mine!

In a world of worrisome role confusion, God needs men to stand up and be real men. A nanoscopic number of women might think men are a dime a dozen, but they couldn’t be further from the truth. Real men are absolutely priceless. Hats off to all the bona fide men who serve as awesome role models. You are important, valued, loved, admired, and appreciated!

The Key: Real men never go out of style. Happy Father’s Day!

In the daily lives of small town Americans, we have learned to live with some aspects of our economy that would have been quite abnormal 50 years ago.  For example, what goes on in Asia and Europe has a significant impact on what we can buy and for how much in Bourbon County.  Increasing the price of energy seems to be the agenda of an international consortium.  Many nations, including the United States of America (“USA”), are racking up huge national debts, while government retirement programs have become an IOU instead of providing us the intended security.  We are woefully behind on infrastructure maintenance and repair, not only in our community, but nationwide.  What has happened?

In my view, much of it began with a small group of elites led by Richard Nixon in 1971.  In response to some short-term problems, including a rising trade deficit and inflation, this small group of men decided to unilaterally execute some radical economic strategies, including eliminating the gold standard as a backing for the American dollar.  I believe that move has had the biggest impact on our economic lives today.

How so?  When the USA adopted the Gold Standard after World War II, it ushered in a protracted time of economic prosperity for our nation.  The USA become a world leader and our currency became the standard for international exchange.

What was the Gold Standard?  Simply put, every dollar issued by the USA was back by actual gold reserves at a price of $35 per ounce.  No new dollars could be printed without the mandatory amount of gold stored at facilities like Fort Knox, Kentucky.  After we came off the standard in 1971, every world currency was valued at what people perceived that it was worth, rather than a sure measure.  This decision gave us 10 years of economic chaos, including “stagflation”, unemployment, and gasoline shortages.  Gold went from $35 per ounce to $800 in short order.  Anyone remember waiting in a line to get gas in the 1970’s?  It influenced politicians to think from a short-term, defensive posture.

The long-term impact that affects us all today is the national debt, which has also given rise to state and local obligations; the large debt payments require higher taxes.  There was no way to accumulate $30 trillion dollars of national debt while we were on the Gold Standard.  Politicians have used this leverage in order to pursue short-term projects that have in immediate impact on voter sentiments, rather than planning for the long-term.  Infrastructure maintenance and fully-funded pensions are not effective campaign slogans.

Bourbon County does not have to follow the national trend.  We can be a jurisdiction which breaks the mold by creating administrative efficiencies in the many government entities in our county such that we can invest in infrastructure, housing, education, health care and the other critical services that impact quality of life.  We can become a low tax, high standard of living haven.

Four stops in ten minutes.  Unheard of.  Dave and I had driven the Mazatlán-Kansas route for eleven years, and rarely were we asked to stop our car for an inspection.  Even at the border, the agents would see an elderly couple (us!) driving a mini-van and wave us through.  No checking for contraband.  We look, I guess, innocent.

But this time, in a ten-minute span, four Mexican check points were there to make sure no one tried to bring as much as a tomato into the U.S.

I knew that this vegetable/fruit issue was risky business. Years before, while flying into Mazatlán, an airport security officer asked if I had any such item on me.  My confident “No, Señor,” was met with an overactive dog who sniffed “something” in my carry-on, the “something” being the partially-eaten apple I had stuffed into my bag that morning.  I might as well have been a serial killer, the way I was scolded.

On this trip, three out of the four traffic stops were uneventful.  What were we doing in Mexico?  Where were we headed?  Where had we been?  Usual questions with kind, smiling responses, waving us through.  We were impressed, however, when one such detainer held a long-handled mirror which he used to look under our car.  But this detaining duo seemed different.

I, the driver, was asked to raise the hood so one of the men could search under it.  His partner walked to the back.  Dave got out of the passenger seat and joined him as he searched the rear of our mini-van.  He opened my backpack and looked through each zippered compartment.

The guy in front was another story.  After he checked the engine, he knelt in the driver’s seat and proceeded to smack the back of each seat as well as the padded roof. This pair was clearly intent on finding something illegal.  Everyone else had recognized innocence when they saw it, so why not this pair?

Unless, of course, they weren’t legitimate.  We had heard of a checkpoint where the searchers distracted the driver of the car while a third man dislodged and stole the spare tire.

We didn’t consider that option, however, until we were told we could leave and were miles down the road.  The point is, we had nothing about which to be concerned.  We were hiding no drugs, no people seeking asylum in the U.S. and no certainly no apple or cucumber that would cause alarm.  They could look all they wanted; there was nothing that would incriminate us. We were taking no risks. It was a wonderful feeling to be completely innocent.

Oh, if only I could say the same for my heart.  If God could search it and find nothing of which I would be guilty!  If I could confidently stand before Him and know that I was holy and innocent and loved everyone and never judged/complained/worried and never told Dave that he was getting on my nerves.

In Psalm 139:23-24, King David prays to God: Search me, O God, and know my heart; try me and know my anxious thoughts; and see if there be any hurtful way in me, and lead me in the everlasting way. 

 Now, that’s a risky prayer.