elloree's Journal

My Grand Adventure
I grew up in South Carolina. We lived about 3 miles from Elloree and about 6 miles from Santee. When I was a boy, going to town was a big thing. We didn’t just head that direction every day. And when we did go, we already had in mind what we planned to do. The 5 & 10 was the only place in town with an ICEE machine, and that was always on the list. There was no movie theater, no computers or video games, and we had never even dreamed of the idea of a cell phone. So, a simple pleasure like an ICEE was a big thing. And since we only appeared in town every now and then, we had to be clean and dressed nice. If we looked bad and didn’t come back to town for another two weeks, folks might think we were white trash; just based on that one time they saw us.

I had to go to town this week. It’s hard to get away from your raising, and I just can’t bring myself to got to town any more than necessary. And when I do go, I got me a long list of things to take care of so that when I get back home and to my shop, I don’t have to leave again for another week or two. I took care of everything on my list, like I always do, but this turned out to be a most unusual trip. My reclusive nature makes me avoid people as much as possible, and just stick to the business at hand. And especially during this H1N1 flu season, I want people to stay away from me. In my work, there’s no medical insurance, no sick days, no nothing. If I don’t stay on the job and work, there will be absolutely no money coming in. But sometimes, for reasons beyond my understanding, I feel like being friendly. I don’t know why. It just happens like that sometimes. And this was one of those days.

In this life, there is one prescription pill I have to take. My thyroid has been on the skids for years. The law says I have to have my blood checked once a year to make sure my dosage stays right. Since that blood-taking place opens at 7:30 a.m., it was first on my list. Even though I was genuinely feeling friendly that day, I always start chattering when somebody pulls out a needle and looks at me. I guess I’m trying to occupy my mind with something other than the inevitable. So I told the nurse about how my dad, my brother, brother-in-law, and I, we’re all wood workers. And then I asked her what got her into the medical profession. She had an interesting story and I could tell she was glad to share it.

Everybody down at the post office knows me. I’ve been taking my instruments to those folks for 7-8 years now. So we always get talking about something. And these postal workers at the windows have done it all so many thousands of times that they can talk and work at the same time. For some reason, the people standing in line think it’s like the library. They think you’re supposed to be quiet – until I get there! When I come bustin’ up in there and talking to the employees, everybody figures out it’s an open conversation, and they get in it too. I don’t know how long it keeps going after I leave, but I like to think I get something started. I met a banker lady in line that morning and she told me stuff about a debit card. Since I’ve never had a debit card, everything she told me was something I did not know.

Now those folks who take my blood don’t want me to eat breakfast before I come. They say the reading is more accurate if I don’t eat anything 12 hours before they draw blood. It’s not the going without food that’s so bad, but it’s the coffee. When the Almighty made the coffee bean, He had me in mind. Sherry, being the motherly type that she is, gave me $5.00 so I could go to McDonald’s for breakfast. I tried to assure her I had money for breakfast, but she insisted. She felt bad because I cooked her breakfast, even thought I couldn’t have any of it. So I went by McDonald’s and paid with the $5.00 she gave me. Since I don’t eat out much, I couldn’t remember when was the last time I had gone by McDonald’s for breakfast. I sat facing a window as I ate my breakfast. I saw an Oriental man coming across the parking lot. After he was in the building, I looked and there was his wife coming across the parking lot. He had just walked off and left her. Oh Hell No! My girl and I hold hands when we’re up town, and I open the door for her. I didn’t have much time to think. I wanted to get up and hold the door open for this lady, but I gotta tell you, I don’t know how Orientals think. I didn’t want to offend the man. I went to a black church for about 7 years, so I have a little bit of an idea about how black folks think. Well, before I could figure out what to do, she was in the building. I went back to eating.

I looked up again and there were 3 little old senior citizen ladies coming across the parking lot: one black lady and two white. I could see that they were together. When they got close I got up and held the door for them. The idea of holding a door open for a lady was already on my mind. I spoke to them: they thanked me, and they figured out that chivalry was not dead. And I went back to eating. Angie came in and we talked a little bit. I don’t know many people, so I can’t afford to pass up speaking to somebody I do know.

As I was finishing up, the Oriental man passed me on his way out. I looked back and saw that when he got finished eating, he got up and walked off and left his wife to clean off the table. I was about to throw away my trash, so I kinda’ lingered a little bit so I would get done just ahead of her. I didn’t want to look obvious, so as I was walking out, I gave the impression that I just happened to look back and see her. So I held the door for her. She got a big smile on her face and thanked me, and patted me on my arm, and then my back, and then my little hiney butt. I was able to keep it together until I got back to my truck, and then I sat there and laughed. It struck me as funny. And then I thought about her husband. That little ass rub could have been his if he would have been a gentleman.

Well, I’m not going to expect my twice a month trips to town to be that eventful. Before you know it, my friendliness will wear off and I’ll get back to normal. But, here’s a bit of truth. I don’t get cleaned up and dressed up to go to town the way I did when I was a boy. People up town who know me might see me and think I’m domestic. And how would that look?

Makin’ sawdust & Diggin’ the music

Means of Grace
I read a lot of old books and I see why some have stood the test of time. But then again, I also read “Catcher In The Rye”, and I have no idea who was able to convince anybody that that was a good book. Our language keeps changing and every few years we hear about new words being added to the dictionary. And there are always words that fall into disuse. I love a lot of the phraseology the old folks used. They didn’t talk about going to church. They said they were going to meet at the church house. Or maybe they’d just say they were going to the meetinghouse. And here’s a phrase you don’t hear much anymore. The old folks would talk about availing themselves of the means of grace.

What they meant was that there were some ways and places where the Almighty was known to show up and speak to them. Since He was known to be in these places, then those who wanted to hear from Him would make sure to be in those places too. Since He’s known for speaking to us through the preaching and singing down at the Church houses, millions of people head that direction every Sunday morning - or on Saturday, if you are a Seventh Day Adventist. Everybody knows we are liable to hear from Him during our personal prayer time – so we pray. The Bible is His Word to us and we know He’ll give us understanding as we read it – so we read.

Even though we know He’s liable to make His presence known in certain places and at certain times, we can’t hold Him hostage and make Him appear when we want Him to. A person who likes to fish does his best to catch fish. He gets the right bait and goes to what he thinks is the best place at the best time. Still, he might come away empty handed. A good fisherman is not deterred though, because he knows that if you don’t give up, then sooner or later you’ll get what you went for. And there’s a biblical principle here. He wants us to be serious about hearing from him. Sometimes we turn on the TV just to see if there’s anything worth watching. He doesn’t honor that approach. He wants us to keep asking, and seeking, and knocking ‘till we get an answer.

I chase grace. I hate to have to admit it, but I am a shameless beggar. There’s just no getting around the fact that the Lord has what I need, so I’m going to beg for it until He either gives it to me or tells me “no”. There are some good doctors in this world, but they cost more than I can afford. So I’ve had occasions where I had to beg for healing. I know He is able. It’s just a matter of will He? He has healed me on numerous occasions, and sometimes He has said “no”. But, I continue to chase grace. There are things I need to know and only He can tell it to me. So I follow Him around like a child behind his mother – “Can I? Please, please, please? Can I? Huh? Can I?”

And you better bet, I’m going to be where grace is known to be found. I’ll get down to the church house on Sundays, and I’m going to be ready when I get there. I’m going to get to bed early on Saturday night, and I’ll have a good breakfast on Sunday morning. If I’m not nodding off or distracted by hunger, then I might hear when God speaks. And I’m going to be reading my Bible and praying all week long. I’m not choicey either! He can tell me something through the normal means of grace, or He can use abnormal means. It’s all good for me! He has told me what I needed to know thought dreams, conversations with others, books, and songs. I’m not sure what this says about me, but I have always found more grace through songs than I every have through sermons. And they don’t necessarily have to be what we refer to as a Christian song. The two greatest songs I have ever heard are “Amazing Grace”, and “Cat’s In The Cradle.” He gives me grace thought movies, nature, and events. I accept it all. If He will just give me what I need, he can use whatever means He chooses.

I’m not mad at anybody, but I think some people get it wrong. Some think there is no grace to be had. Or, they think that answers cannot be gotten from God. But when I get checking, I find the big problem is that they are not availing themselves of the means of grace. The person who does not go where the fish are is not going to catch fish. The person who goes fishing a time or two, catches nothing and gives up, will never catch fish. So many of the questions people have would get answered if they did something as simple as read the Bible. I’m not real bright, but hell man, I can read. Too many of us stay bogged down, and sidetracked, and wondering what to do, and the answers are in a book we put up on a shelf years ago and never opened.

People talk about how they went to church but for some reason didn’t go back. You remember Grandpa Jones on Hee Haw? Somebody would come to him and say, “Doctor, I broke my arm in 2 places.” Grandpa Jones would roll up a newspaper and hit them with it and say, “Then stay out of those places.” So you didn’t like that church! Well, find one you do like. This ain’t no drive through fast food we’re talking about here. We’re talking about grace. It’s a treasure you have to hunt for. And the promise is that if we hunt for it and don’t give up, we’ll find what we need.

Makin’ sawdust & Diggin’ the music

Grace
Seems everybody who thinks on the subject agrees with John Newton that grace is amazing. We are surprised by it. By definition, grace is the opposite of justice. Justice will give me what I deserve, and that ain’t no good thing. I hate thinking about it, but because of my crimes, I deserve to go to hell. Mercy is where He doesn’t give me what I deserve, and grace is where he gives me something good that I don’t deserve. Even though we are made in the image of God, I am definitely not like Him. I would put justice on most; and save grace, mercy, and patience for only a few. I’m glad He’s in charge and not me.

My reclusive nature makes it to where I don’t have many friends. Rusty is one of my oldest friends. Back when we were young, he met and married on of my old girlfriends. Sometimes when you see two people together, you can tell just by looking that Adam and Eve have found each other. That was the case with them. Sherry & I have been married for 34 years now. I think they got married maybe 2 years after we did. He’s a preacher, and they both are teachers. They have raised 3 boys, and lost one before birth.

Bobby is another friend from my youth. He & I hung out all the time, got into some trouble on occasion, and we’re both thankful we lived through some of our stupidity. My Mom emailed me a few months ago to tell me Bobby’s wife had died. I emailed Bobby, then, he called. That’s the first time we’ve talked in at least 25 years. I didn’t keep up with him like I should have. I had heard decades ago that his wife was having mental and physical problems. When Bobby & talked recently, he told me he never really had a marriage. Soon after they were married she started hearing voices. A darkness settled over her mind and never left. They kept each other “till death do us part”, but Bobby told me he was mostly the caregiver of his wife. I have no idea what that would be like. Maybe I’ll ask Sherry – she’ll know. She has been my caregiver.

Well, as Bobby & I talked on the phone, I was reminded of how much grace I have been shown. In addition to catching up with him and getting confirmation on some rumors I had heard about his wife’s condition, he told me something that shocked me. Rusty & Margaret had recently gotten divorced. Sometimes I have to stand still and be amazed by grace. There is absolutely nothing good about me to cause Him to give me so much.

Sherry & I have had, and still are having, such a good life. We’ve raised 2 good children, and boy, oh boy! We got the best grandchildren. And we never did have to bury a child. I know it’s grace and not justice that leads my life. Not everyday, but often, I thank Sherry for keeping me. That girl could have done a hell of a lot better than me, but I’m glad she’s not looking to do better. It’s been at least 5 or 6 years since I’ve seen Rusty & Margaret, so I don’t know what has led to the parting of their ways. I do know that if my girl ever started looking for an excuse to get gone, she wouldn’t have to look far. I’ve given her enough excuses over the years.

And what have I ever done to cause Him to let me live through all these years in my shop? Much better wood workers than me have been dismembered and even killed on the job. Mack is a better man than I’ll ever be. He’s a cabinet maker, and our homes and shops are on the same road. He’s missing part of a finger, and his shop burned down a few years ago. My 16 years in this shop have been covered by an unbroken chain of grace.

The dangerous thing about being showered with grace is that I might get used to it, and eventually get to thinking I deserve it. That’s such an amazing story about how the Almighty brought the children of Israel out of Egyptian captivity. On their journey to the Promised Land He gave them grace for every need. They lived in the presence of miracles everyday. They were shielded from the scorching sun by a cloud that followed them everyday. And then at night a pillar of fire gave them the most excellent night-light you could ever have. He brought water from a rock, and food fell from the sky. And their clothes never wore out. Amazing! And they bitched and moaned every step of the way, and kept talking about how they would rather go back and be slaves in Egypt. If I don’t watch myself, I’ll become just like them. I’ll forget about all the good He gives me and I’ll start pitching a fit about something I don’t like.

Now you know, there ain’t no free meals. If somebody feeds me for free, then that means somebody else picked up the tab. Sometimes a poor teenager will come to my shop with a broken guitar. I’ll repair it for pennies on the dollar, or often I’ll do it for free. When they leave, I wonder if they learned anything. Do they know they just got kindness they didn’t deserve? Do they realize I paid the bill they owend? Here’s the best definition I’ve ever heard concerning God’s Grace: God’s Riches At Christ’s Expense.

Makin’ sawdust & Diggin’ the music

No Clear Direction – Part II
I don’t trust the government. I don’t trust the local, state, or federal. I don’t trust the governments of other countries. Locally, one police officer killed his police officer wife and then himself. Another was caught exchanging sex for dropping traffic tickets. There’s a long list of offences that our local lawmen have committed. I don’t know these people personally, but I was told to trust them. When I see any of the others, the question rises in my mind – “What are they doing that they haven’t been caught for?” When they tell me there’s nothing they will allow me to do to prevent a crime, and there’s nothing they can do until a crime has been committed; then I have no confidence in this present law system. But what to do!

It’s a sure bet, I’m not in favor of anarchy. Even a poor government is better than no government. Judges 17:6 tells about a dark time in the history of the nation of Israel. It says, “In those days there was no king in Israel, but every man did that which was right in his own eyes.” That’s anarchy. There’s no justice of protection. It’s just one big free for all where everybody does whatever they want. It will absolutely tear a place apart.

But I don’t like the idea of being ruled by organized crime, either. Sherry & I have read about the wild west, and every now and then we see a western movie. It’s entertaining, but I would not have wanted to live in those early western towns. More times than not, the sheriff also owned the saloon and the whorehouse. And the sheriff and his deputies were a bunch of criminals who had seized control of the town. And the law was whatever they determined it to be. As much as I hate to have to admit it, I believe that’s the way the government of my town works. The lawmen feel like they are above the law. If you’re not a lawman, but you know one, then they can take care of things for you. One man told me he and his family don’t pay traffic tickets. He told me it’s just one of the perks that comes along with knowing the right people who are in the right places. Seems everyday we hear about mismanagement of public funds by those who are in authority. But these people won’t even offer a defense or apology. They just carry on like they know nothing will ever get done. And it appears they are right. This is not a good form of government.

I trust the Almighty. I do not trust people just because they claim to be coming in the name of the Almighty. In the Old Testament there’s a long list of Jewish Kings and Priests who committed some terrible crimes in the name of God. I’d like to say we’d be better off if we had a Christian government. But there are a lot of different ideas about how a Christian government would operate. In its time, the Spanish Inquisition claimed to be carrying out the will of God.

There have been times in our own nation’s history where good people found that they could no longer depend on the law. To have any kind of justice and safety, they had to take the law into their own hands. The word “vigilante” comes from the word “vigilant”. “Vigilant” means “to keep steadily on the alert.” That in itself is a good thing. If we would all be more alert concerning the condition of our soul, and our family’s health and welfare, and the times and conditions we live in, we’d be much better off. From what I understand, there was even a time when the KKK did some good. A man might be beating his wife and children and not providing well for them. For whatever reason, the law was not willing to step in. So this vigilante group took the law into their own hands, beat the shit out of the offender, and helped him understand the error of his ways. But, is vigilante force the answer to our problems now? I don’t know. I don’t think so. I sure don’t trust the Klan. Those boys seem to be too closely tied to Nazism.

I think there are a lot of possible forms of government that would work. I think there are several legitimate ways to maintain law and order. I believe our problems always start when you bring people into the mix. This is a fallen world and we are all a part of it. We hire lawmen, but they are sinners just like everybody else. I believe Henry Kissinger was right when he said that power corrupts. I think power is a poison. I think anybody who gets power is eventually contaminated and ruined by it. Sooner or later they come to believe that, because they have power, they can do whatever the hell they please.

We would have justice and equity if the Almighty would come back and take control of this old world. And without a doubt His Kingdom will come soon enough. But until that day, we are left down here trying to figure it out. I can’t figure it out. I’m sure not going to run for office and try to straighten out this mess. I know my heart; I’m a sinner too. I might start out trying to be the answer to the problem, but you give me enough time and I would become the problem. So I remain without clear direction.

Makin’ sawdust & Diggin’ the music

No Clear Direction – Part I
The car came by my house with the tires screaming. I’m too old to try to be playing it safe in life. So I got in my vehicle and drove until I found where that car went. We live on a dead end road, so he couldn’t have gone far. I got there right after everybody had gotten out of the car. As God is my witness, I approached the driver with kindness. He was young and had been driving with his girlfriend. This was not his home, but was the home of his girlfriend. He felt the need to look like a hotshot in front of his girl, so it was not possible to have a productive conversation with him. For every constructive thing I tried to say, he would start shouting about how I need to mind my own business. And technically speaking, he really was none of my business. And I guess if you would have brought the law into this thing, they would have declared me to be a trespasser and would have made me leave. This young man kept assuring me that nobody could tell him what to do. I have thought back many times on what I did next, and I still don’t think there was any other good decision I could have made. Seeing that we weren’t getting anywhere – I left. A few months later that boy wrecked his care and killed his girlfriend.

Ben was in the same grade with our son. Ben never finished school though. He was a dropout. He would drive by at the speed of light. Once I was out close to the road when he came by and I looked at him with my forehead wrinkled, and the question written on my face was “What are you doing?” As he went by, he looked back at me with his neck stuck out and his eyes all big. The question written on his face was, “What are you gonna do about it?” Well, technically he’s none of my business. I started praying for him. Not too much later, he wrecked his truck and he is a paraplegic for the rest of his life. Even though I’m told that it’s none of my business, I felt like I had good reason to be concerned and to pray. Just months before he wrecked and disabled himself, he wrecked and killed on his passengers.

Our experiences change us. I have personally seen 5 wrecks in front of our home. And without a doubt, I have been permanently changed by what I have seen. It is permanently fixed in my mind that nothing good is going to come from driving too fast. And I don’t just mean driving too fast in front of my house. I mean that nothing good is going to come from folks driving too fast in front of your house, or anybody else’s, or on deserted roads, or whatever. For me, there’s a simple answer. More of our loved ones would still be with us if we all would drive slower and more safely.

I’m not a prophet. Hell, man! I’m not even too bright. I’m just getting old. I’ve lived a long time. I’ve seen a lot – too much. Anybody with half a brain knows that when you slam those big heavy hunks of steel, that we call cares, together; nothing good is going to come of it. And I gotta tell you, rarely does anybody ever react kindly when I ask them to slow down in our neighborhood. One guy told me he was driving fast because he was mad. One said his care was over heating, several said they were running late, and one said his speedometer was broken. Most get irritated at the very thought of being asked to slow down. But no matter what the excuses, the years have shown me that sooner or later, driving fast will bring harm.

Here’s where I have no clear direction. I have talked with our lawmen on more occasions than I can count. I’m not happy with what they tell me. Basically, they tell me there’s nothing I can do. Allegedly, since I’m not a lawman, there’s nothing they will allow me to do to prevent a crime or to save a life. They say they are the only ones allowed to intervene, and their eyewitness account of a crime is the only one that can be trusted.

First of all, I don’t believe this. And eyewitness account is always seen as good evidence. And 2 eye witnesses; well, that’s hard to get around. But they have told me that an eyewitness, or an alleged eyewitness might be a liar, just trying to get someone in trouble. And when they tell me they can’t do anything until after a crime has been committed, I don’t believe that either. We are always hearing the stories about someone who appears in public with a firearm. Even if they haven’t shot anyone, it is apparent that they intend harm. A couple of brave souls tackle the armed man and they become heroes. Nobody throws these guys in the lockup for intervening before a crime was committed. I think the same should hold true for someone who is driving recklessly through our neighborhoods. Just because they are not seen by a policemen, I don’t think that gives them a “get out of jail free” card.

OK! I better put a lid on this and pick it back up next week.

Makin’ sawdust & Diggin’ the music

Just In Case
When Sherry & I got married we were so incredibly broke. We were young and dumb and needed everything. And neither one of us had a privileged upbringing. Our parents were in the same income bracket, and according to the government, we were all in poverty. So, not having much helped shape my thinking. Every time I changed the spark plugs in our car, there would be a least one that didn’t look too bad. I figured I better hold on to it – just in case. The same thing went for the fan belt and tires. Now, I didn’t hold on to the old oil filter or fuel filter. But, I started to develop a pattern.

Somebody was getting rid of a stove. I didn’t need another stove, but I could see that the heating elements and infinite switches were things I might want to keep. I saw somebody throwing away some plywood. I wasn’t building anything at the moment, but since I’m liable for doing that sort of thing, I picked it up. A funeral home director was giving away a casket a few weeks ago, so I tried to get it – but somebody beat me to it. I didn’t need it at the moment, so I thought I’d store it and hold on to it – just in case. Wait, a minute! What am I saying? Ain’t no “just in case”. It’s more of a matter of when.

Out in my shop I have a lot of “just in case” stuff. That fire extinguisher is right where I can reach it. Hope I never need it. A wasp scares the crap out of me. I’m not even allergic to them. They just hurt real bad when they sting. So I keep a can of that 20’ spray just in case one comes flying in.

And I don’t think I’m that abnormal. People are always coming into my shop with their guitars. They open the case and there is an extra set of strings just in case they break one in the middle of a real hot jam session. They also have a couple of picks in case they break or lose one. Some even carry an extra guitar – just in case.

I have an old aunt who used to have anything you could think of in her purse – just in case. If you had a booboo, she’d come out with a band-aid. Got a little hungry in the tummy? She had a pack of crackers. Oh my! You got a headache? Just so happens, she carried BC Powder. Some women carry pepper spray – just in case. My old aunt, she never carried pepper spray. She’d just use that big purse for a weapon.

Sherry & I met in college. Sherry’s mom loved to cook, but mine did not. When we got to college I absolutely loved the food in the cafeteria. Sherry always thought it was substandard. One of the cooks was a black lady, and she was funny. She did something I’ve never seen before or since. She committed all the recipes to memory. It was on of those “just in case” things. When folks asked her why, she’d say, “you lose that cookbook – where you gonna be then?”

In life, I think the only thing that has to be done one way is salvation. Other than that, I think everything has options. People bring a guitar into my shop for repairs and right away I see several ways the job can be done. And I always need a “Plan B” – just in case. I’d be scared out of my mind if I didn’t have a backup plan. Often, my “Plan A” doesn’t work. Sometimes I go through “Plan B” and “C” and even “D” before I can convince that guitar to act right. Since all guitars are not built the same way, I need to know as many different approaches as possible – just in case.

The old folks are inspirational. They weren’t brought up to look to the courts, or insurance companies, or the government to bail them out of a bind. They would prepare – just in case. Our grandparents would talk about saving up for a rainy day. They would put vegetables up in jars and they might stay in the pantry for several years. If they had a good garden the next summer, then they didn’t need to open the jars. But, they had lived long enough to know that sooner or later there would be a summer where there was not enough rain – or maybe too much rain.

The Bible says a lot about staying prepared – just in case. This is not a good day for me to be a slouch. I need to walk with Jesus just in case this is my last day. I need to approach each day with the same attitude, and one day it will be my last. Proverbs 31, that tells about a wise woman: says she will look outside and see the cold winter and have a big laugh. She and her family are safe, warm, and well fed because she prepared for winter. She didn’t know if it would be a cold winter, but she prepared – just in case.

When I get up out of this life, my children know they are going to have a good barn burning. When they start clearing out my shop and they find all this stuff I never used, they’re going to ask why I kept it all. And there’s only going to be one answer to the question – Just In Case!

Makin’ sawdust & Diggin’ the music

If We Would Just
I don’t know man. It feels to me like somebody is lying. Seems everyday another group comes out with a report on how much better our lives would be if we would just do whatever it is they are recommending. If we would just stop throwing our water bottles in the landfills, we would be decreasing waste by so many millions of tons per year. If we would stop using hair spray, there would be fewer holes in the ozone. If we could get the cows to stop farting, and if we quit using our lawn mowers, we could get rid of the green house gasses. If we get rid of our incandescent bulbs and replace them with florescent bulbs, the earth would be cooler. I think if all this is true, and if we could succeed at doing at least 2 things that’s being recommended, we’d be facing a damn ice age.

Now, Sherry & I have never paid for TV channels. We’ve never had cable or satellite, or anything else that might be out there. If it’s not on network, we probably don’t know anything about it. But, I have heard that there’s a TV channel out there that is nothing but advertisements. And I have seen a couple of those selling programs come on network TV. The physical fitness equipment that’s available now looks like the biggest bunch of nonsense. I can see me bustin’ my butt by trying to exercise on one of those big beach balls. They advertise all this stuff like they’re amazed we’re still alive since we’ve never used what they’re selling. And over and over they keep saying, “If you just.” If you just pick up the pone and have credit card in hand: if you just us their product for 30 minutes a day.

Sherry & I were out in public last week, and before the main show got started, this police officer came out to talk about safety. He went into great detail in telling how many people drink and drive, and how many ride without a seat belt. Well, I’ve never been drunk in my life, and I always wear my seat belt. But then he wanted to make us believe that our automobile insurance is so high because of drinking and driving and not wearing our seat belts. He told us if we would just correct those 2 things, our insurance cost would go way down. Bullshit!

I recycle – and I mean I recycle everything I can. You ought to see all my containers I use for sorting out everything. I keep our vehicles in good shape so they get the best gas mileage possible. And I have replaced most of the bulbs in our house with florescent. It’s just my nature to conserve. I absolutely cannot live with myself if I waste anything. But, do I think the earth would be cooler if we would just…? No! I don’t. I think if there were no aerosols, we would still find holes in the ozone. One man told me the ozone would be OK if we would just stop sending space ships up. He said they were punching holes in the ozone the way you can punch holes in a piece of paper. Well, OK! That clears it right up. If we quite raising cattle and McDonald’s was to shut down, I believe we’ll still have green house gasses.

You got backaches and high blood pressure? Are you stressed and can’t sleep? Depression getting the best of you! There’s always one more person out there with a pill, or a drink that will cure what ails you. You’ve tried a lot of different things to get relief, but if you would…

Well, I got me a confession to make. I have a list of things that if we would just do. But the nice thing is that I don’t have anything to sell. And truth be told, I’m not about to say anything that we don’t already know. These are all things I just have to keep reminding myself of.

If we would just follow Jesus! It’s still going to be a fallen world we live in, so we’re never going to get it all together in this life. But, at least we have a firm rock to stand on. If we would take as good of care of our body as we do our automobile, a lot of our physical problems would just go away. If we would just use the brain the good Lord gave us! Before we ever got into something stupid or harmful, or whatever, we already knew it was bad idea. But, we ignored the little voice in our head and we ended up in trouble. And remember what the old folks told us, “If it seems to good to be true, then it probably is.” If we would just use a little common sense! We know if we don’t clean our house, then it ends up being a trashy house. If we don’t clean the land, then we end up with a trashy earth.

We don’t have to be too smart to know what we ought to do. Some of it we were taught as children, and some of it we can figure out just by looking around. And since we all know, there is no excuse that can be given. If we would just do what we know we ought…

Makin’ sawdust & Diggin’ the music

Lookin’ Good
Back when I first started building guitars, there was an extreme amount of poverty involved. For the first 5 years I managed to build and sell a half dozen instruments a year. The most of what I did was repair work, and we probably would have lost the house without it. So, I did part-time work for everybody. I worked at the civic center when they needed brainless muscle. I made the rounds and did home appliance repairs, and Jim let me work as much as I wanted to in a musical instrument distribution center.

When it comes to business, there is a perception. If somebody is busy, then the impression is that they are good at what they do. And, by the same token, if a man is not busy, then folks figure there must be a reason for that. Maybe that person is no good at what they’re trying to do. So, even though I didn’t have a lot going on, I didn’t want anybody to know that. If I was in the shop and I heard somebody drive up, I would make sure to look busy. I’d start sanding a piece of wood, or trying to figure out a wiring diagram for a bass, or something – anything. But, I was not going to let a customer come walking up into my shop and catch me idle.

And years ago, I had one of those old dial phones in my shop. When it rang, I wanted to make sure to put my best foot forward. I knew not to answer it on the first ring because that might give the impression that I was twiddling my thumbs and watching the phone. So, I’d let it ring 2 or 3 times, pick it up, announce that it was Elloree Guitars, and I’d try to have a tone in my voice that would make the caller think I was busy. Of course, back in the day, the caller was often a telemarketer letting me know I had been pre-approved for the gold card. Now, I have a cordless headset with caller ID and an answering machine. I really have gotten busy, so I don’t have time for those who are going to slow me down. But, in the beginning, it didn’t matter if business was good or slow. I was always going to be lookin’ good.

I write a new entry for my website every week. Sometimes people think I’m half wacked because I think about some abnormal stuff. Well, here’s a bit of truth. I hand write every entry and then my wife types them and sends them to my daughter, who does all of my internet work. Since I write a lot, I’m very picky about what kind of ink pen I use. If I have to press down hard to make it write, I got no use for it. It just wears my hand out. If the pen is too big around, then it’s too hard to hold. I like these gel pens that have a nice cushion grip around them. I can write fast, it is readable (more or less) and my hand doesn’t wear out. But eventually the ink runs out. What a bummer! And at that point I always do the same thing. I hold it up and look at it. It is still lookin’ good! The point still rolls easy, nothing broke or came apart: and I just have a hard time with the fact that it’s no good anymore. I could put the top back on it and it would look normal. Nobody would come by and see it and say, “Oh hey! I see your pen is out of ink.”

I know I haven’t figured out something new. The old folks had lots of sayings in this regard: all that glitters is not gold: you can’t judge a book by its cover: and beauty is only skin deep. And they couldn’t be fooled by the looks of a dog. He could be big and the fast and loud, but if he couldn’t pick up the scent and hunt, he was of no use. They would say, “That dog won’t hunt.”

And of course the Bible is full of warnings about being fooled by appearances. Proverbs 31 goes into great detail about finding a good woman. Instead of me doing a commentary on that chapter, I’ll let you read it yourself. Jesus said the Pharisees were hypocrites. “Hypocrite!” Now that’s an interesting word. It was a theatrical term. It meant, “to put on a mask and play a part.” Sometimes an actor would play several different parts. They would wear a mask to fit the occasion. Jesus used that to illustrate how some people are in real life. And times have not changed much. We see actors and actresses up on the big screen, and we like them based on the part they played. Then later on we see them in the news doing things that disappoint us. My favorite show on TV is “24”. I love to watch Jack Bower save the day. But, the real life of Keifer Sutherland is quite a different story. And have you ever seen some of the actors and actresses without their makeup and special lighting. They look down right ordinary.

We all know that looks are deceiving. So if any of us get fooled by appearances, then shame on us. I’m signing off with something completely unrelated. It just keeps coming to mind because of the subject “Lookin’ Good.” I really like that old Cheech Marin movie, “Born In East LA”. He was down in Mexico and he taught some guys how to blend in when they snuck into the United States. So when they appeared in LA, the police were watching them as they walked by, and the police determined they must be US citizens because of their mannerisms. They had this jive walk and they were talking like they were from the hood. “Hey! Wassa happenin’? Lookin’ good mama!”

Makin’ sawdust & Diggin’ the music

Foxes
I despise folks who are out there trying to take from me the money I work for. Truth is, I am in the same pay range as the folks who mop the floor at fast food restaurants. My job never has been, and probably never will be, a high paying job. Still, I really like what I do. But, there’s just no margin for error. I can never get extravagant or wasteful. There’s no money available for hiring myself a helper. And I have absolutely no time, patience, or money for the people who make a living trying to scam me out of my money.

And they put out bait that they are sure I will go for. There’s always an email from some single girl in my area who supposedly wants to hook up with me. There’s messages presumed to be from PayPal telling me my privacy has been compromised. They want me to sign in and give my password. Different African queens tell me they have millions in an American account that they can’t get to. If I will help them out, they will cut me in. The whole daily occupation of some people is to try to con working people out of their money.

Song of Solomon 2:15 says, “Catch for us the foxes, the little foxes that ruin the vineyards, our vineyards that are in bloom.” I guess there have always been those looking to take what doesn’t belong to them. Solomon noticed how small and sly foxes could squeeze in through cracks in the walls around the vineyards and eat up and ruin everything. He was actually using the analogy of foxes to refer to sneaky people who come in to steal or destroy what is precious to us.

In a very literal way, I have been having to deal with a fox. Sherry & I have some Rhode Island Red hens. We used to have 13, but now we are down to 10. I’m pretty sure it was a fox that came in 3 nights in a row and took a hen away. I am so mad. That fox didn’t buy those bitties. That thief didn’t build the coop or buy the food. He didn’t put up the fence or keep clean water for them. He just came in after they were grown and killed 3 of them. I made the fence taller, put an electric fence outside of the existing fence, and I’m going to buy a trap. I won’t be content until I get rid of that fox for good. But, you can et on this. I’ll get rid of him, but there’ll be another thief to take his place. We have coyotes, dogs, and bobcats. There will always be a threat, and I always have to be watchful.

Sherry & I have a lot of fruit trees and vegetables, and you should see it all. I put up a fence around the vegetables to keep out the armadillos. The electric fence around the grapes is to convince the raccoons that those are not their grapes. The pie pans hanging from the limbs of the fig trees will twirl and reflect and bang against the trees when the breeze blows. It all just unnerves the birds that are there to eat my figs. If I didn’t go to all this trouble every year, we wouldn’t have a thing.

I guess our town is like most other towns. We have our share of punk-ass street gangs. They are all a pretty degenerate bunch. They don’t work. They would rather take from those who do work. They would rather rape a girl than to be a real man and get married and commit their life to that relationship. And they don’t want to live amongst other gangs. Leaches don’t live off of other leaches. Gang members don’t actually add any good. They are just takers. If they lived with people who are just like them, the whole sorry bunch would starve to death. To survive, they take clothes and food and shelter from those who make or buy what they want. They are too stupid to know how to make a gun. They steal them from people who are looking to protect themselves.

There’s no doubt about it that the devil is the worst fox of them all. He’s the driving force behind all the evil in the world. The Bible refers to him as a lion, a serpent, a wolf, a liar, a deceiver, and a destroyer. He has lots of other names, and none of them are charitable. He’s like the gangsters we have to endure. He doesn’t do anything good. All he does is take, and ruin, and lead astray. But, the stakes are the highest when it comes to him. He’s not after my grapes and figs. He’s not looking to kill and eat my hens. He is playing for keeps with our souls. We have a Creator who loves us and died to redeem us. Our enemy hates. He hates us, and the Almighty and, his one big plan is to separate us from God forever.

It’s not possible to be too careful when it comes to Satan. We teach our children to “just say no!” That’s not a bad idea, but that old Destroyer doesn’t take “no” for an answer. If he can’t get at you one way, he’ll be looking for another. Until I catch and kill that fox, he is steady trying to figure out a way to get around that electric fence and either over or under the main fence. I can never let down my guard. Other threats will always be coming. So here’s the tip for the day: Keep you powder dry, your fences repaired and walk with Jesus.

Makin’ sawdust & Diggin’ the music

The Knowing – Part II
I guess I’m like everybody else: I know a few things. And I think everybody else could do what I do here. I write a new entry every week. Some have asked me how one person can know so much and always have something more to say. But, if you were to go back to the very beginning of my writing, you would see there are only a few subjects I talk about. I keep coming at the same topics from different angles. And since I’m always learning, I speak about what I now know on those several matters. I’ll always throw in a story or two that lends toward the point I’m trying to make, and before you know it, I’ve put another entry together. But, over the years I’ve learned a few things about the knowing.

When I was young, I knew it all. Seems most young people do. My world was so small but I thought it was all the world that existed. The older I’ve gotten and the more I’ve learned, I’ve come to see that for every thing I know, there are thousands of things I don’t. And I’m talking about those few areas where I know something. I’ve built about 1200 guitars and mandolins over a period of 16 years. And I’ve gotten to the point that I build a pretty good instrument. But, it seems that every week I learn something new on the subject. It’s not something new to the world. Somebody already knew it – I just didn’t know it. And this has gone on for so long I can tell that there’s no end to it! Until the day I die, or quit (I’ll probably quit on the day I die) my instruments will continue to evolve because of what I’m learning.

In all I write I try to come from a Biblical perspective. When I was a teenager I read the Bible cover to cover. You should have seen me when I got done. I walked a little taller and I felt like “Yep! I believe that I got that one covered now.” Then a few years later, I read it cover to cover again. And as God is my witness, I found things in the Bible that couldn’t have been there the first time I read it. I’m sure I would have remembered if they had been there. Then I read it in its entirety again. And it looked like somebody had snuck some more stuff in that wasn’t there before. Aside from having read the Bible cover to cover 3 times, there are some books I’ve read at least 75 times. And it looks like the more I read, the less I know. The picture just gets bigger and bigger, and everything is not as neat and simple as I once thought. I conclude my Bible readings with 2 truths: Jesus was God in the flesh who died for the sins of the world, and the mind of God is beyond my figuring out. Beyond that, I’m not totally learned on anything.

I think the knowing is over rated. Knowing stuff doesn’t necessarily make us better people. Hitler had a brilliant mind and a clear plan. I see doctors and nurses who know a lot about the workings of the human body. They know what lends toward good health and they know what will ruin the body. Yet some of them smoke, and get drunk, and use drugs. Policemen are supposed to know the law so they can be keepers of the law. Recently a local lawman killed his wife, then, killed himself. Preachers try to lead us in our walk with God. Yet, how many times do we hear about their excesses and abuses. And none of the folks I’ve mentioned have failed because of ignorance. They know; but the knowing is not all we need. The Bible tells us that knowledge puffs up, but love builds up. Paul Harvey said that if we gain knowledge without God, we just become clever devils.

In fact God says He can’t get much use out of people who are wise in their own eyes. They are too full of pride and can’t be led. Most of the New Testament was written by men who had average to below average education. In Christian history, we had a few great minds like Paul and Charles Finney. But there were herds of people like Peter Cartwright and Billy Bray, who could write their name on a good day. They didn’t know much, but they had enough. They knew Jesus wanted to save everybody and they loved God.

I have a set of World Book Encyclopedias from 1967. Since I don’t know much, they are still very useful to me. Well, OK! They don’t have any mention of microwave ovens, cell phones, moon landings, or anything else that happened after their printing. But I can still open those books and get an answer to most every question I have. I’m continually learning what others already know. Every day people die without passing on what they know, and we’re doomed to travel the same path ‘till we learn. This world is so big and beyond my finding out, and yet it’s only one of the worlds He made. Did He create life on other worlds? I don’t know. Maybe! He sure could if He wanted to. Everything, and everybody bears His fingerprint. He knows everything about everything, and nothing is hidden from him. I don’t know how this one thing can be so comforting and scary at the same time. But I sure am thankful that He commanded me to love, and that He doesn’t require me to be real smart.

Makin’ sawdust & Diggin’ the music

The Knowing – Part I
I loved all those old Crocodile Dundee movies. All that culture shock was the funniest parts. When he got to New York City, he had these notions. He thought everybody knew and loved each other. At one point he walked down the sidewalk that was packed shoulder to shoulder with people who were headed somewhere. Since I’m from Elloree, SC, which has a population of under 1000, I could understand where he was coming from. It was a criminal act to pass somebody on the sidewalk and not speak. So here was Mick tipping his hat to the ladies and trying to speak to this non-stop drove of people who were passing by him at a rate of about 10 per second.

I’ve never been to NYC, but the truth is, Monroe and West Monroe, LA is too big for me. There’s this strong conflict that goes on in my mind every time I do something as simple as go to WalMart. I pass by people who don’t see me. Some have their minds on who knows what: some are talking on those demons from hell that they call cell phones: some have headphones and are listening to music. But, they keep passing by and I probably won’t ever see them again. I don’t know them, so I stare. They are somebody, and I think everybody is important. I want to stare as long as possible and try to capture their image in my mind because I think they are too important to forget. I’ll never know where they work or live. I’ll probably never hear their voice, see the car they drove up in, get a look at their family – there’s literally just that passing moment. And if I don’t stare long enough (and I never do) then time will steal their image from my mind, and all I’m left with is the continual frustration that comes from knowing I forgot somebody who was too important to forget.

When I leave WalMart, I come up to a big intersection. It’s real common to see guys standing there with their cardboard sign that says, “Will work for food.” I’ve been told that they are all lazy bums who are running a scam. I don’t know Some think since I’m self employed I can do as I please. Truth is, this job is harder work and pays less than anything I’ve ever done before. I wish I were not always hustling. I’d like to pull my truck over and just sit with the bum and hear his story. He’s important – to somebody. I know he’s important to Jesus, but I’m talking about somebody who is flesh and blood in the world right now. He has a brother, or a dad, or mom. Maybe he had a wife once, but something went wrong. There’s a best friend somewhere who worries about him and wonders where he is.

I wish the clock were not such an enemy, because I want to know who he is. He looks a lot like me. On any given day I know that I am only 2-3 steps away from being just like him. When the darkness creeps in on my mind, I think maybe I should leave. They say there’s a lot of hunger and cold involved in being homeless. I remember being hungry once. It didn’t feel as bad as the struggle that goes on in my mind. Is this what drove the man beside the road to where he is now? I want to know. St. Francis of Assissi was a homeless beggar. It’s not a criminal act.

I don’t know many people. I’ll go down to the church house in a little while and I’ll be in a place where honesty and openness are encouraged. But, I’m such a pretender and a liar, and I’ll never let them know what’s going on with me. Jesus said not to cast our pearls before the swine. In other words, what do pigs care about pearls? Nothing. Pearls are valuable, but pigs don’t know it. So they will walk over them in their search for slop. I could never get into saying “Amen.” If I agree with the preacher, my thing is to say “Right On”, or “I can dig where you’re comin’ from.” But then I notice people snickering and looking at me like I’m some sort of damn sideshow. So I just sit there looking like I’m brainless and not even paying attention. And on any given Sunday, there’s going to be several women with low cut dresses so I can stare at their tits. People will shake my hand and ask how I’m doing. But do I tell them the truth? No. What do I say? “I’m mad as hell because I came here to worship, but I can’t get my mind on the Almighty because I’m too busy looking at your wife or daughter?” Nobody wants to hear that. So, I lie to them and say, “I’m good, thank you. How are you?” And then they’ll lie and tell me about how great their life is going.

Maybe everybody is just like me. The things that are important to us are like pearls, and we don’t want to put them out there to be known by people who may not care about us. Some would take our problems and concerns and see them as prime opportunities for gossip. I don’t want people talking and laughing about those things that are the most important to me. Since there’s only a few people I trust, then hardly anybody will ever know what the truth is about me. The important truth is that I am known by the One who matters most. And that’s what matters most for all of us. After my best efforts to remember, my mind will lose the image of someone I saw one day. But the Maker of us all never blinks, or forgets, or sleeps. Everyone of us stays in the front of His mind. Amazing!

Makin’ sawdust & Diggin’ the music

An Edge
I loved that old Clint Eastwood movie, “The Outlaw Josey Wales”. The Comanchero’s had everybody tied up and then they looked up and there was Josey Wales on a big hill with the sun at his back. The old woman asked the Indian, “What’s he doing?” The Indian says, “He found an edge.” Josey came riding down the hill and the Comanchero’s were squinting to see him. The old Indian who was tied up could tell what was going to happen. Some of the Comanchero’s rode out to meet him and as they met, the old Indian said, “Now spit.” And sure ‘nuf, Josey leaned in the saddle and spit. He chewed tobacco in this movie – nasty habit. The Comanchero’s took it as a sign of contempt when he spit, but before they could draw their guns, Josey shot them. Then he rode in to where his friends were being held captive, killed all the rest of the bad guys and freed his friends. The sun in the eyes of his enemy gave him an advantage, or an edge.

Make no mistake about it: I’m always looking for an edge. I want some sort of advantage, or head start over other builders because I want to be the one people choose to do their building. When it was about to turn over to the year 2000 I was watching as people were spending their money in certain areas. People were building bunkers, buying generators and lots of non-perishable food and water. And books – Oh my gosh! The bookshelves were loaded down. And every writer wanted you to believe; that you couldn’t possibly survive Y2K unless you bought and read their book. Now the day after Y2K those books weren’t worth a plug nickel, but they said sold like crazy up until then. I was steady working my mind and trying to figure an angle, or an edge. I wanted to be able to put the word out there that any sane person would make sure to buy one of my instruments before the clock struck midnight on that supposedly fateful day. Without a doubt the day after, I would be just like all those best seller books. But, if I could have figured an advantage, I could have sold a lot of instruments up until that day. Alas! I could not find a way.

I’m not really much into sports. Well, OK! I’m not into sports at all. They all just bore the crap out of me. But I hear sometimes about all the things teams do to get an edge. Some football teams take up ballet and yoga. They go on strict diets and have all the best exercise equipment and team doctors. Then some of them get into the unfair advantage. They call them “performance enhancing drugs.” I don’t understand much on the subject, but I know they’re not talking about caffeine and Ginseng.

And I remember when I was a boy we would give an advantage to the little kids. If we were going to have a race, the big kids would let the little kids start first. Since we were stronger and had longer legs, we’d let them take off and we’d count to 10 before we started. It was the only fair thing to do.

The sum total of my life has been lived in the deep south, and I always have to make sure not to think that everybody everywhere does as we do. Here in LA we used to have what was called Affirmative Action. Years ago Governor Mike Foster ended Affirmative Action, and you should have been here to see what happened. There were protests and picket lines. Black folks surrounded the Governor’s house with their signs, and they were mad. We had gotten to a point of equal opportunity, but the black folks said that wasn’t enough. They said they didn’t want to compete equally with the white folks. They wanted a law stating that black folks had to be given the job, whether they were the most qualified or not. I thought that was such a stupid move on their part. They reminded me of the little kids when we would race. It was like they were saying, “now, white folks are smarter and more qualified than we’ll ever be, and the only way we’ll ever get the job is if you give us a head start. I would have been ashamed. If somebody had come to me and told me, “Rick, you applied for this job, but you’re too stupid to ever get it on your own. We decided to give you the job even though you’re the least qualified.” I would have had to say, “Kiss my ass and keep your job!” I wouldn’t take a job somebody was offering out of pity. Truth is, I wouldn’t even apply for a job if I thought I couldn’t do it. And I couldn’t stay with a job if I knew somebody gave me an unfair advantage. I’d rather have self-respect.

So, in looking for the edge, there’s certain things I will and won’t do. I’ll try to build a better guitar and offer it at a better price. I try to cure my wood better than some do, and I’m not going to take 5 years to build someone’s instrument. But, I’m not going to misrepresent my instruments to make myself look better and to make the other guy look worse. And I won’t burn down a competitor’s shop. Somewhere out there, there’s a line drawn in the sand. There’s an edge that’s fair, and there’s an edge that’s unfair. Since it doesn’t seem to be written in a book somewhere, I guess we all have to decide which side of that line we’re on.

Makin’ sawdust & Diggin’ the music

Explorers & Settlers
You know there are three kinds of people in this world: those who can count, and those who can’t. OK, I’m just foolin’. I can count. On a good day, I can even write my name. But really, there are two kinds of people in this world: there’s us, and there’s them. Alright! I’m gonna’ stop trying to be funny. Here’s the seriousness of it. In one respect, there are two kinds of people in this world: there are explorers, and there are settlers. By nature some want to make a path, and others want to follow a path.

Sherry & I watched Madagascar again just recently. It’s such a funny movie. The lion was terrified at the thought of being out of the zoo, and the zebra was all jazzed at being in the wild. We watched it with our grandson and he didn’t get all of the funny, since some of it was intended for grown ups. Like the hypochondriac giraffe that was scared of anything that was unsanitary. Sherry & I would laugh, and Colby would wonder why.

Columbus couldn’t wait to hit the high seas. All he had to do was talk somebody into footing the bill. He didn’t seem to have a problem with hunger and thirst and sunburn. That was one guy who absolutely loved a good adventure. And he lived during a time when it was not good to be an explorer. The Catholic Church had declared the world to be flat and they were putting to death any who dared suggest that they might be wrong. He seemed to be fueled by hardship and adversity, and I think that’s in the nature of an explorer.

But, here’s where the tragedy came in. After they discovered America; or rather, I think they landed somewhere in the Caribbean’s, he was put in charge of a colony. The poor guy was bored out of his mind. He just couldn’t get his heart into the roll of being a governor, and it appears the colony did poorly. In the words of that great American hero, Clint Eastwood: “You can beat me and you can torture me; just don’t bore me to death.” Columbus was not a settler. He needed to be out in the big waters barking out orders to his crew. “Hoist the main sail you scurvy dog!” He’d made a path for others to follow and he wanted to make another path.

Then there were the masses who were afraid of the Church, the big ocean, sharks, starvation, and who knows what else. When they heard about a new country, you couldn’t keep them away. They came by the shiploads and settled this land. They cleared the jungles and built houses and planted fields, and made this place something great. Some say for better, and some say for worse, we drove out the Indians and brought in slaves. But suffice it to say, there was no shortage of people to be settlers once somebody made a way.

Seems to me there’s a need for both. One can’t do without the other. But neither wants the job of the other. One group would be too scared, and the other too bored. I think at least some of our job failure these days comes from the fact that we hook up with a job that doesn’t suit our nature.

And I think we have out smarted ourselves. We all want our children to do well, so we push them toward what will make the most money. Every year I go to a job fair at a middle school. I’m there with lots of other business people and we’re doing our best to help these eighth graders decide what to do with their lives. And every year it’s the same old story. I don’t know about the girls, but the boys have two things on their minds: the girls are pretty, and “I wonder what’s for lunch?” They are not even remotely interested in college or a job for life. At that point, I don’t think we, as parents, even know enough about the nature of our children to know if they are explorers or settlers. Would a challenge scare them or excite them? Can they endure boredom or not? Some jobs are boring and don’t pay well, and some are boring and pay a lot. And the same goes for the exciting jobs.

And I think that’s at least part of the reason you see folks with more than one degree from a college. The young will decide on a major that looks like fun or promises a big income, or whatever. They get out of college, try that hat on for awhile and decide that it just doesn’t fit. Now, with a little understanding about themselves, they head back to college with something more realistic in mind.

Just personally, boredom is a great enemy. I’ve had jobs that were much easier than what I now do, and they paid better. But, I absolutely cannot endure boredom. When people hear that I’m a guitar builder, they automatically get the idea that I must be raking it in. Here is the honest to God truth: I am raking in that minimum wage. I’ve heard that at present, minimum wage is a little over $5.00 per hour. That’s about what I’m making. What I do is mostly a hard labor job and it comes with frequent injuries. There’s no health insurance or paid vacations, and nobody is coming to hand me a check at the end of the week. If I don’t work, I don’t make any money. And I wouldn’t trade this job for anything else I have ever done. And speaking about trying to help eighth graders make life decisions, I didn’t start building guitars until I was 39. I spent too many years trying to do what somebody else thought I should do. But, when I put this hat on, it fit.

So to settle or explore, that is the question! To be a Bill Gates, or get a job with Microsoft is what we have to decide. I got my hat: go get your own!

Makin’ sawdust & Diggin’ the music

Desert Pete
I have a record player and it plays 45 & 33 RPM. Truth is, I have 2 record players. One only plays 78 RPM. When I was a boy, my folks had a really good record player. It played 16, 33, 45, and 78 RPM. My brother & I would play our mom & dad’s records to see if we liked any of it. Most of it we didn’t. I remember one day Wade wanted me to hear this song he found on a 78. It was Carl Perkins singing “Blue Suede Shoes.” We both decided it was a keeper. I absolutely loved all the Johnny Cash albums and we found a few others that we moderately entertaining. I know it’s a criminal act, and I’ll probably have to do time over this, but I didn’t care for too many of Hank Sr.’s songs. Even as a boy I thought they were too damn sad and depressing. Everybody was getting drunk and leaving somebody. I did like “I Saw The Light”, and “Jambalaya, Crawfish Pie, File’ Gumbo.”

But, then there was this one song on a 16 RPM called “Desert Pete.” I can’t remember who sang it. Actually, the song was part talking and part singing. It was such a profound song presented in such a simple way that I got it and I never forgot it. A guy was traveling through the desert and he came up to a hand pump. There was a big rock and a note attached to the pump. The note said to move the big rock and under it you would find a jar of water. Use that water to prime the pump and drink your fill. And the note signed off by saying, “Keep the bottle full forever. Thank you kindly, Desert Pete.”

Even as a child, I could understand the dilemma presented in the song. My Grandmama had a hand pump and she kept a jar of water by it. If nobody used the pump for a few hours, the leather gasket in the pump would get dry and shrink, letting air get by it, and the pump would lose its prime. But as you poured that water in the top of the pump, the gasket would swell, create a vacuum and re-prime the pump. If we used up what was in the jar and didn’t quite get it re-primed, we’d just go in to the big bucket with the dipper in it and borrow some. In just a few seconds we’d be back in business.

The old folks had a saying that “a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.” In other words, the bird you hold is a sure thing, but the two in a bush might get away from you. Psalm 126:6 says, “He that goeth forth and weepeth, bearing precious seed, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him.” Now, I have to admit that, as a boy, I couldn’t quite figure it out. I thought sheaves were a bunch of sheep. So I couldn’t figure out how the farmer was planting seeds and getting a harvest of sheep. I guess I was grown before I figured out that sheaves are big bundles of wheat tied together. And the farmer had the same dilemma as the guy in the song, “Desert Pete.” Do you go for the bird in the hand, or do you take a leap of faith? If you have a bag of beans and they are described as “precious seeds”, that tells me somebody is running out of food and that bag of beans is starting to look real appetizing. So what to do? If the farmer eats his planting sees, then he gets one last meal before he starves. If he plants the seeds, than maybe he won’t even get that last meal. There are so many things out there that can keep you from getting a harvest. And I know that from personal experience! I’m just thankful I didn’t have to depend on my garden to stay alive. But then again, if he plants the last of what he has, the old boy just might get a bumper crop and have enough for several years.

The guy in the song “Desert Pete” worked through the problem in his mind. He finally took a leap of faith, but it was a reasonable faith and not blind faith. Since there was water in the jar, the well was still working the last time somebody used it. The guy before him took the same leap of faith and was not disappointed. The previous guy drank his fill, filled the jar, and put it back under the rock. So he had good reason to hope. Also, he knew that he would surely be dying soon if it had not been for the faith of the previous person. So he said he poured in the water and started pumping. In the song, he said he heard the bubbling sound and there was the water, just as he had been told. Only this water from down in the ground was cool. He drank his fill, refilled the jar and put it back under the rock, and went on his way.

There’s no doubt about it; faith is a burden. But then again, so is blind faith, and a lack of faith. By its very nature, faith is a matter of acting on something that can’t be proven scientifically. Hebrews 11:1 says, “faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” We all have to trust, or have faith, in someone or something. You got folks like me who trust Jesus. And I have to admit, it’s reasonable for me to trust Him. Everything adds up to the truth. He fulfilled all the prophecies about the coming Messiah, and some of the prophecies were made about 6,000 years before His birth. Here’s the big one. He said He would die on the cross and then come back from the grave 3 days later. And He did it. Then there’s the matter of how He changed my life. Then you got blind faith – like the folks who followed Jim Jones. And we know how that turned out. Some trust science and anything they can see. Then there are those who only trust themselves.

I guess we all better work it out and make sure to put our faith in the right place. This life requires faith. We’ll all find out in the end if our faith was legitimate or not.

Makin’ sawdust & Diggin’ the music

License to Drive
Every now & then, a question hits the news – “Should we take the drivers license away from old people?” Usually it comes up after some senior citizen causes a horrendous wreck. Well, the truth always prevails. It’s always restated that drivers under 25 years of age cause the most accidents. Still, we hear about people who are wanting to take the license away from their parents because they deem them to be too old to drive safely anymore. I can’t wait ‘till the first time my children ask for my driver’s license. For the last 5-6 years I’ve been offering it to them, but I can’t get any takers. I guess they know the score. I’d rather have my ass caned in Singapore than to drive a vehicle. They know if I give up my license, then somebody is going to have to come by, pick up the instruments I build and take them to the post office. And, somebody is going to have to carry me to get supplies, or just go fetch them for me. But you watch me! One day in a weak moment, one of my children will take that license when I offer it, and I’m going to say the magic words – “no take back”.

I don’t hear it anymore, but when I was a boy, if somebody didn’t drive right, somebody else was at liberty to yell, “Hey, did you get your license from Sears & Roebuck?” Well, the truth is, my granddad did get his drivers license from Sears & Roebuck. There was time when a license was not required for driving. If you could buy a car, you just got in and drove. When Sears started selling drivers license, I don’t think you even needed to pass a test. All you had to do was send them the money and then you could sport around this certificate stating that you were a qualified driver – even if you weren’t qualified. I think a person can still obtain a “poetic license.” That doesn’t mean you know squat about poetry, but you can sure give the impression that you do.

Back when I worked as maintenance & repairman at Piccadilly Cafeteria, the government got all up in the idea that everybody needed to be licensed by the EPA in order to handle refrigerant. So I took and passed their test, and am certified to handle both low & high-pressure refrigerants. The high-pressure refrigerants are 12, 22, 502, 134, and stuff like that. But, do you know what the low-pressure refrigerants are? Well, me neither! I’ve never worked with them. But they sho nuf gave me a license to buy it if I want to. Scary ain’t it?

I’ve come to figure out that having a license might not really mean anything. I can get a poet’s license, and I think it’s free upon request. But that don’t mean I know anything past “roses are red, violets are blue.” I’m definitely not a low-pressure refrigeration man. I got me a marriage license, but that didn’t make me a good husband or father. My son asked me once what you call the doctor who graduates at the bottom of his class. You call him Dr. He has the diploma and license hanging on his wall, but you don’t really know how qualified he is. Did he make “A’s” in class or “C’s”? Nobody asks. We just see he has the license. Somebody has declared that he is qualified, so we trust ourselves to his care.

And I guess the same goes for preachers and teachers, plumbers, electricians, computer programmers and airplane pilots. They all passed somebody’s test. But how well did they do on the test?

I read John Bunyon’s book, “Pilgrim’s Progress”. He wrote it while he was laid up in prison. You hear about people who have a license to preach. Nowadays, I think the license to preach might be a lot like the poetic license. It can be gotten free and doesn’t really mean anything. But back when John Bunyon lived in England, the Church of England took that kind of thing seriously. If they didn’t issue you a license to preach, you better not get caught preaching. That would be like practicing medicine without a license. Somebody is about to go to jail. And indeed he did go to jail – twice. And seems like he spent a total of over 12 years in jail for preaching without a license. Now that was some strict people!

Seems like there’s a license for most everything these days. I hear that prostitutes in Nevada need a license, and so do street musicians in some cities. I’m glad a wood whittler like me doesn’t need to pass somebody’s test. For some reason my nature is such that I just hate to do anything the way others do it. I just love to do it my way. I guess it’s the same for me and everybody else. With, or without a license, the question remains – how well can I do the job?

Makin’ sawdust & Diggin’ the music

Dying
When I was a teenager my folks started taking us to church. The Sunday School teachers and youth leaders got us to memorize Psalm 90:12. It says, “Teach us to number our days that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom.” I’ve heard that verse for decades now and here I am at the age of 54 and I just figured out what it means. That verse is a prayer, so here’s my interpretation of it. “Lord, since there’s no getting around the fact that I’ll be dead one day, and since I don’t know when that day will be, and since it could be today; help me not to piss away the time I have by being stupid. Help me to make the most out of the time I have left.”

Dying is not a natural thing. Doctors are always talking about how a person died of natural causes. I know what they mean, but the truth is we were created to live forever. It wasn’t until our first parents messed things up that people started dying. So I think in all of us, there is a fear of dying. We’ve never done it before. We don’t get to rehearse it, and nobody comes back to tell us about the experience. The Bible tells us we do it one time. It’s a great terrifying mystery that looms out in front of us.

If we could ever find somebody who figured out how to permanently beat death, then we’d follow that person’s example. If you want to make some investment money, then buy stock in products that promise to “turn back the clock”, or “fight the aging process”. We are still in search of the Fountain of Youth, and nobody has ever found it. When we look at the history of man, we are forced to agree with Hank Sr., “I’ll never get out of this world alive.” Among all of mankind, only two people ever lived, but didn’t die: Enoch & Elijah.

My friend Mike (you know, the gypsy who presently lives in Nashville) comes to see me every once in a while. He knows I like a good book, and he has brought me several over the years. On his last visit he brought me “An Arrow Pointing To Heaven.” It’s a book about the life of Rich Mullins by James Smith. I started reading that book and I was like a starving man who had found food. It’s a sizeable book, but it didn’t take me more than a week to read it. After I read a good book, I spend quite a while going back over it in my mind. I’m still chewing the cud on this book.

In this book I found there were a lot of things that went into the making of Rich Mullins. One thing was that he had a profound awareness of his own mortality. He didn’t idly piss away his time because, at best, time was short. He didn’t want to live stupid, because he knew he was going to give an account of how he used, or misused, his time. And I guess the thing that impressed me most about hem was that he said he was not afraid to fail. He said some people are afraid to try because their plan might flop and people would see them as a failure. He said, “who cares, we’re all gonna be dead one day.” He was like Captain Kirk. He boldly went where no other Christian Musician had gone before. He tried a lot of things because he believed they were good ideas, and he wanted to see if they would work. He gave away most of his money, lived on an Indian Reservation and had no home of his own. He could have had millions for himself, but being homeless and poor felt right to him, so he did it. Even among Christian singers, everybody knows that to be accepted, you have to play the game. He might take a shower once a week, and dressed in rags. And he figured that one day both he and his critics would all be dead, so who cares.

He believed that we were already half dead if we tried too hard to guard our lives. He said if we got out there and lived our lives we would get beat up pretty good. But, at the end of our lives we would be glad we lived. This guy loved Jesus and lived life the way he thought it ought to be done. On his album, “The World As Best As I Can Remember It, Part I”, it started with a little girl singing. Other Christian singers said it was a bold move, but they would never let somebody else start off singing on one of their albums. He used instruments nobody ever heard of before, and he had musicians that he described as “kinda’ ragamuffinish.”

Rich will remain as one of the greatest people I’ve had the honor to inhabit the earth with. From his life, and the book about him, I find myself resolved to stop playing it safe. He’s gone now, and so is Paul Harvey. Michael Jackson, Farrah Fawcett, and Ed McMann left us within a few days time. At the time I’m writing this, I see that the Oxi Clean guy just died. And soon, and very soon it will be me. Some have said I am brave for starting my own business, but the planet is littered with people who have done that. I’ve built a few interesting body shapes and stuff, but I always tried to stay within the limits of what I felt would be well received by most. Well, I gotta be going – one day – maybe today – I don’t know! So, before I have to face a day of regrets, I’m going to have to try all these things I’ve been too afraid to try. Who knows, my ideas might suck a big turd, or they might be so unbelievable that others will want to build like I do. And hey, soon I’ll be dead, and then I won’t care one way or the other.

Makin’ sawdust & Diggin’ the music

Sanctity of Life Part III
I’m not sure how we got to where we are now. Our laws are not cohesive, to say the least. We will jail a man for not properly feeding and watering his horses, and on the other hand we will court order that a woman be put to death by thirst and starvation. When we intend to put a horse down, we show them more humane treatment than we did this poor disabled woman in Florida. We go to great lengths to save whales and seals and dolphins, but the unborn seem to have fewer rights every day. The appearance is that we have lost our anchor. There was a time when our laws had to square with the biblical principles. Businesses closed on Sundays, alcohol sales were prohibited on that day, and in general, everything was designed toward God and family. God didn’t get expelled from school till the late sixties. At one time TV had a code of ethics. But we are all so fragmented now. It appears that each man is doing whatever seems to be right in his own eyes.

I tend to think that unless we are fond of anarchy, then we need rules in life. And it can’t just be rules made up in the courts. Decades ago some civil rights laws were passed. Was it the courts that made it wrong to lynch a black man? Was it because of lawyers that you can no longer rape a black woman and get away with it? Was it by the stroke of a pen that we now have to let blacks eat in a white owned restaurant? As a boy, I remember that if a black man wanted to eat, he had to come to the back door of the restaurant and make his request. He was served out the back door and he ate somewhere outside. For a black person to walk through the front door was a sure sign that he was looking for trouble. And the local law was more than willing to back up those who took care of the trouble. Was it a judge’s gavel that made this sort of thing wrong? If it’s so, then we can repeal the Civil Rights Laws and let things go back to the way they were. For the Civil Rights Laws, or any other laws, to have a real leg to stand on, then they have to be based on some sort of standard. And it has to be a standard that doesn’t change. It can’t be just social conscience, because that is always subject to change.

It’s not wrong to mistreat other people because a court of law declared it to be so. It’s wrong because the Bible tells us so. The Bible is the Word of the One true God, and herein lies the reason for our greatest respect and our greatest hate for the Bible. We all like having an unchanging standard of justice to protect us. We don’t necessarily care about the protection of others, but we sure do like knowing that we have protection for ourselves.

And that brings me back to where I started this entry. Our laws don’t make sense right now because they are not clearly anchored in the Bible. Just recently a late term abortion doctor was killed while attending church. As the media covered the incident, friends and family wept and talked about the cruelness and injustice of what happened. It’s too bad babies can’t talk. If they could, the babies he killed would speak of the pain that led to their death at his hands. This was a man who made his living by entering the womb with his needles and knives and suction tubes and taking the lives of those who could not defend themselves. And his family wanted to speak about what a kind and loving man he was. Well, here’s my opinion on the matter. I think he was sorry son-of-a-bitch who died they way he lived. He violently killed and he violently died. He had no mercy and was shown none. He rejected the standard of God’s Word, and that took away his protection also.

And this also brings me to the conclusion of an entry I made several weeks ago concerning Masons. I attended a church for almost seven years, but left at the end of this January, after finding that my preacher was a 32nd degree Mason. He & I had been struggling for the last several years. He was starting to publicly embrace Mormons and Jehovah’s Witnesses. Also, he told me he believed every unwed pregnant girl should have an abortion. He firmly believed that the babies were an abomination and should not be allowed to live. I had been praying for him and trying to approach him in a kind and clear way with the Word of God. I was puzzled, to say the least, to see that he was not accepting of the truth.

The day he announced to the congregation that he was a high degree Mason was the last day I sat under his preaching. All of the questions and troubles in my mind concerning him became clear. He could easily dismiss biblical truth because he is a Mason. They state that Masons accept all beliefs, but don’t declare the rightness or wrongness of any of them. There is a vast difference between the Bible based religions, other world religions, cults, and even the occult. And to state that all could be right is a statement that is clearly wrong.

For there to be sanctity of life for any us, there has to be sanctity of life for all of us. And it’s only the Bible that speaks of the life of everyone as being a gift from God. I know babies should be born in a marriage between a man and a woman. But there’s no getting around the fact that Solomon was the wisest bastard ever born – literally. He never should have been born, but the Almighty still loved Solomon’s life. When we start qualifying whose life is worth living and whose life is not worth living, then we have become disconnected from our one true Anchor. We become no different from those cultures that kill their babies if they are born with blue eyes. Some groups will kill one if a set of twins is born. In some places, the old are sent out to die when there is no more good they can do. If you fail to see the greatness of someone else’s life, you give another the right to see you the same damn way. The Almighty is the only Judge who can decide who gets to live and who does not get to live. And He has spoken clearly on this matter in the Bible. But that’s an entry for another day.

Makin’ sawdust & Diggin’ the music

Sanctity of Life Part II
Just recently a man in our area was arrested for cruelty to animals. He was keeping a couple of horses in a small barn. They were found without food or water. We all saw them on the local news and they looked like they had been suffering for a while. Cruelty works in a couple of different directions. These horses were suffering from neglect. Sometimes animals suffer from abuse. Since animals can’t yell for help or dial 911, folks often get away with what they do to animals. Any help they get is going to come from people speaking up on their behalf. Bob Dylan said, “Man thinks cause he rules the world, he can do with it as he please. And if things don’t change soon he will.” Indeed, we all know we are the rulers of this world, and in the minds of some, that’s all the right they need for treating animals anyway they choose.

Paul Harvey often spoke in defense of animals. There’s one thing he repeated that has stayed in my mind. In modern history where we keep records of everything, it has been found that every torturer or men was first a torturer of animals. No one grew up and developed an appetite for inflicting pain on others. For whatever the reason, that desire was present at youth. They preyed on the weak; which at the time was animals. As they grew in strength and cunning, they began to prey on weaker people.

And herein lies a truth. You cannot compartmentalize life. Everything is connected. Everything leads to something else. The Bible goes into great detail to make this concept clear. You train up a child in the way he should live and he will not depart from it. You can’t plant one thing and expect to harvest something else. One seed produces a certain harvest. Another seed produces a different crop. An undisciplined and evil youth will produce an undisciplined and evil adult. Billy Graham didn’t grow up like some weed in the yard and then miraculously turn into a great man of God. He came from a family that followed Jesus and taught him to do so.

There’s what we call the domino effect. Everything affects something else. If you can devalue a life, then you can find a way to devalue another life. We live in a time that accepts the unrestricted slaughter of the unborn. A lot of court battles and Drs opinions went into making the present state of things. We cannot stomach the taking of an innocent life, but often a pregnancy is seen as inconvenient. To make it acceptable, either by look or crook, the murder aspect had to be taken away. Among abortionists, the conclusion is that life does not start until a baby draws air into its own lungs. Now, if you can accept that as the beginning of life, then you’ll have no problem with abortion.

The problem is that we all know the unborn baby is alive. The growing, the kicking, all attest to the fact. Ultra sounds give us something the old folks never had – view of the baby in the womb. You can hear the baby’s heart beat, and watch him or her suck their thumb. But, by the definition of some, all the above still does not constitute life. I am always shocked at man’s inhumanity towards man. If it is accepted that life does not begin until the baby breathes on his or her own, then that baby can be terminated even at the time of birth. The deviousness of it all makes me so angry. In partial birth abortions, the Dr. rotates the unborn and allows the feet to be born first. They are careful not to allow the head to be born lest the baby draw breath and be declared alive. But, before the head is born, the Dr. inflicts a mortal wound and then finishes the delivery. Paul Harvey always saw the stupidity of something we do. We allow the baby to be killed during birth, but we jail the girl who gives birth and leaves the baby in a bathroom trashcan to die. Mr. Harvey called it “abortion after the fact.”

If you can accept an early abortion, then you can accept a late term abortion. If you can start redefining life, then you can do anything. A few years ago it was court ordered in Florida that a woman was to be starved and thirsted to death. She sustained an injury that took away her previous quality of life. She wasn’t dying, but her husband was looking to move on, so he was ready for her to die. The police barricaded the house and even tased man who tried to rush in with food and water. If you can define life as needing a certain quality, then we are only a short step away from those societies that put their elderly to death. The disabled, the retarded, all become part of a group that you can eliminate.

Margaret Sanger was the founder of “Planned Parenthood”. She held to the teachings of Darwin & Nietzsche and believed that blacks, Jews, and Orientals were all subhuman races that needed to be eliminated. I have partnered with Life Choices for years now, and I have no illusions about what they do. They encourage women to choose life. By and large, the lives they save are black babies born to unwed mothers. And indeed, I have been told that all I need to do is nothing. If I would stop my support of Life Choices, then more black babies would be aborted and there would be less racist trouble. But, I cannot take the word “LIFE” and start adding my own terms like “quality” or “convenience.” Only God can make it. We have the ability to destroy it, but the innocent should never be deprived of it. The Almighty says His wrath will come against those who shed innocent blood. He also commands me to speak up for those who can’t speak for themselves. Without a doubt, the unborn have no voice and they have wronged no one. More next week!

Makin’ sawdust & Diggin’ the music

Sanctity of Life Part I
Life is precious: life is sweet. It’s a gift from God. He made us with a curious nature so we keep trying to figure out how He does it. We dissect and analyze. We observe and record our findings and see that He does it, but we just can’t figure out how to do it ourselves. We can make the conditions right for life, but we can’t make the life. We plant seeds in the dirt and we make babies, but how to start without the potential for life and create life ourselves eludes us. It’s one of the last great mysteries. It occupies our attention so much that songs, sermons, books and laboratories are devoted to it. Life! The richest would give all they have for one more day of it. Some squander it away; and some always seem to be struggling through it. I think it is best lived by innocent children. Suspicion and doubt has not yet crept up on them. The demands of life don’t clutter their minds. They can hold a firefly and all of their thoughts can be on the mystery of how it’s done. They get to watch the starts at night and the night lasts forever.

It’s true that my views about this world are not practical. I wish for more than will ever be real. I wish Communism would work. I wish everyone’s heart was so good that we could all be trusted. I wish we would all do our best, help those less fortunate, and have no selfish hidden motives. I wish there were no wars, everyone had plenty to eat, and at night everybody went to a home where love prevails.

But we are fallen. Our first parents rebelled against the One who made us, and there’s been trouble in the world ever since. The second Adam was Jesus, and He came to restore what the first Adam destroyed. But, like the first Adam and his wife Eve, we get to choose; and many are choosing not to accept the forgiveness and healing Jesus is offering. So this world continues in its’ brokenness. Among the things we fail to see (or refuse to see) is the sanctity of life.

Everybody has some sort of philosophy of life. The way we approach life is determined by somebody’s principles. If you ask yourself how in the world the Nazis of WWII could be so cruel and heartless, it’s because you’re not looking at it from their philosophy. If you knew and accepted their philosophy, then everything they did made sense and is acceptable. Hitler studied, believed, and tried to put to practice the philosophy of Friedrich Nietzsche. I studied Nietzsche in college, and basically here’s what he believed. There is no moral right or wrong – which precludes that there is no God. Domination belongs to those who can do it. Essentially, he believed as Darwin. Those who are the most fit will survive. Since there is no right or wrong, then to survive and dominate by whatever means necessary is O.K.

Recently there was a shooting at the Holocaust Museum. Among the things the police found at the home of the murderer was a book that attempted to prove the Holocaust to be a lie. Down through the decades since WWII, those with Nietzsche’s philosophy have tried to convince us that what happened really didn’t happen. Are they liars? Well, to them that’s not an issue to even bring up. To them, there’s no moral wrongs or rights, so it comes down to this – can they convince you to believe them? If you believe them, then they win, and that’s all that really matters.

It’s amazing to see the elaborate plan Hitler had for dehumanizing the Jews. In the Jewish concentration camps, there was a search going on. They were to find Jews with misshapen heads, long arms, big hands, short legs, and long feet. And they didn’t all have to be on one person. But the guidelines were very specific. If they found a Jew with a big or misshapen head, they were to kill him or her in a way that did no damage to the head. And the same with all the rest! Someone with big feet was t be killed without damage to the feet. And the story just gets worse. The flesh was to be removed without any evidence that it had been manually removed. The skeletal remains were to look like someone who had died of natural causes. The documentation put together by Nazi Drs and Scientists was discovered after the war. They were doing something to give the bones the appearance of age and burying them in places where they intended to excavate. Their intent was to dig up those bones, declare they had made an archeological find and proceed to try to convince us all that the remains were of Jewish ancestors. They intended to depict them as a subhuman race. If they are subhuman, maybe like a monkey, then perhaps we wouldn’t mind if they killed them.

We might tend to think of them as sorry sons-of-bitches, but remember; they were approaching life from Nietzsche’s perspective. They had rejected God and any biblical principles. They had no room for love or compassion or mercy. Those are Christian principles and in their thinking, you can’t dominate with those beliefs. The only thing that mattered to those Drs and Scientists was – could they pull it off? It didn’t matter that it was a conspiracy and a lie. The important thing was to make people believe it. If it was believed, then they were overcoming and dominating by whatever means necessary. If they could have done it, then they could have taken pride in the fact that they created a lie so convincing that everyone fell for it. And that would be victory.

Well, like normal, this will require more than one entry. If I go too long, you might not read it all. So more next week!

Makin’ sawdust & Diggin’ the music

The Secrets To My Success
Well, OK, here’s the truth. I haven’t figured out anything new or profound. The secrets to my success are really the secrets to most everybody’s. I’m kind’a like a honeybee. I don’t make any pollen; I just collect it wherever I find it. All my life I’ve listened to people like Paul Harvey and Billy Graham and Hale Shadow. The things they said and did looked like the truth, so I figured it would work for me also.

Hale Shadow was one of the kindest men I ever met. When my family & I lived in Ruston, LA, I worked for him. He owned the Coca Cola Company there. He was a very rich and busy man, but somehow he managed to have time to call me into his office just so we could talk. I remember one day he told me, “The secret to my success is that I’m like a postage stamp – I stick to one thing.” And Coca Cola was absolutely all the business he had in life. He worked hard in the church he attended, but that was not business. Now, the business was not just Coca Cola. He handled all the Coca Cola products. They had Coke, Sprite, Mr. Pibb and Tab. Just personally, I thought Tab was a most wretched drink. To this day I never have figured out how people could manage to pour that stuff down their throat. Still, there were a lot of people who like it. Then they also had a gift shop with all kinds of Coca Cola memorabilia. But he wasn’t into Am Way or real-estate or anything else. It was all the Coca Cola business.

From watching Mr. Shadow, and lots of others, I figured out that for me, guitar building had to be all or nothing. I wanted it to be the main thing I did, and I could see that it was so demanding that it would have to be the only thing I did. There are some other luthiers who are wood workers in general. Some have construction companies or are cabinet builders. When nobody was wanting a guitar built, they could fall back on something else for an income.

And that brings me to something else that contributes to my success – Fear! I have always know that if Piccadilly Cafeteria had not phased out its maintenance department, I’d be right there today still talking about how I was going to go into business for myself one day as a guitar builder. Fear makes me tend to play it safe in life. And I don’t think I’m a freak of nature. A lot of what we do revolves around the fact that we are afraid. The children of Israel said they preferred slavery to the fear of the unknown. The promised land was waiting, but they were ready to go back to Egypt because they were scared. I can understand that. I was scared out of my mind that we would lose the house, and that drove me to get up early and work hard until late at night. You take fear out of the picture and there’s a lot of us who won’t see the point in trying to get our asses in gear. We’ve all heard about great leaders who destroyed bridges and burned ships so their men could see there was no playing it safe or going back. It was literally do or die.

Another key ingredient is work. Paul Harvey had a whole broadcast devoted to work, and it got played several times. He said a lot of us see work as a four-letter word. For some reason some folks despise work. And then there are always those who are trying to figure out how to get the rewards of work without doing the work. Some never come to terms with how this flesh and blood world operates. You’re not going to be driving around and find some nice house just sitting there empty, with no owner, and up for grabs. The reason there is any house anywhere is because somebody worked. I have a nephew who continues to live in squalor because he is still waiting for somebody to come along and give him a house. It’s good for us all to learn early in life that if we want something we’re going to have to work for it. Those who try to get it any other way end up on the street, or in jail or in the graveyard.

The Almighty has blessed my business. He helps me to understand what needs to be done and He helps me to remember to be careful. As a result, I’ve never let my shop burn down, and I still have all of my fingers. But, He has never come up into my shop and told me to take a break while He builds a guitar for me. That’s my job – so I work! Billy Graham said some preachers have the idea that he (Billy Graham) is more gifted than the rest. But, Mr. Graham says he believes that he just works harder.

In an article I read where some big name luthiers were being interviewed, they all agreed on how to succeed as a builder – don’t quit! They said most who quit don’t do so because their instruments are of poor quality. They give it up because they get tired of the poverty. Patience and money gets thin because they all found it takes 15-20 years to become known and make a living at it. But they said if you can just make yourself continue everyday, then one year you will finally break even and eventually make money.

So there’s what most of us have found out to be the truth when it comes to succeeding at anything. If you want to get there, then whatever you want has to be your one thing. You won’t be good at anything if you try to go in every different direction. If it’s worthwhile and you commit to it, then there’s going to be a fear factor involved. If you can drive the fear instead of letting it drive you, then it will work to your advantage. You gotta work at it, and work hard. You can’t dream about it or wish it into reality, and nobody else is coming to do it for you. If it’s your passion, then do it yourself. And don’t quit. If you give up, you’ll be able to satisfactorily explain your decision to everybody except for yourself. You’ll always know that your failure didn’t have to be. Few of us ever get pushed to the breaking point. Poverty, time, hell man, just plain boredom will make us decide to quit. But you’ll always know that you really could have gotten up the next day and kept going if you hadn’t decided to quit.

Makin’ sawdust & Diggin’ the music

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