Faith

Thinking back on my “schooling” in San Augustine, Texas, I recall that I was not allowed to use anything except a #2 lead pencil in my studies. At least, not until I entered the fifth grade under Mrs. Margaret Wade. Of course, I was allowed also to use crayons to produce several colorful drawings during these early years. In Mrs. Margaret’s class, things changed.

In 1947 my English teacher (Mrs. Stanton Memefee) called me to her desk and said, “Henry, “Sleepy” Hughes told me you had found a covey of quail.” When I told her I had flushed a covey near the East Center airport, she asked me to shoot her one and bring it to class. When I said I didn’t have any 12 gauge shells, she said she’d bring me some the next day.

In 1951 as I hitch-hiked back to Seminary in Springfield, Missouri, I stopped in for “chili dog” sandwich in Mena, Arkansas. The sandwich cost me twenty-five cents (the cheapest thing on the menu) and it left me a ten dollar bill in my wallet and some change in my pocket. But when I got back to school and reached for my wallet, it was gone. I had lost it somewhere between Mena and Springfield, so I figured I’d lost it in someone’s car that had picked me up. Most of the ministerial students at The Baptist Bible College were “pore”: and we depended on each other for survival food.

I was watching the Dr. Phil show the other day when he made a statement that I had not heard in a long time. He told one of his guests that he didn’t “care a tinker’s damn about that”. That comment prompted me to delve into that old saying as to its real or intended meaning. The meaning in today’s society is “something that is insignificant or worthless”. However, the saying has more than that one meaning.

Years ago we sent our son Mark a professional digital camera for his early Christmas present. Since he isn’t a photographer, he has spent a lot of time learning how to use it. He called one day and said that when he tried to take a shot, an “error” warning kept popping up.He thought he’d taken some beautiful wildlife pictures one day, but when he tried to view them, his card had no images on it. He read the troubleshooting section of the camera’s manual, but still couldn’t find his problem. Just before concluding that it was the camera’s fault, he decided to replace the batteries and… (!)… it began working perfectly! I should’ve told Mark that checking the batteries should always be his first step in troubleshooting. We Christians don’t function properly on low batteries either. Spiritual energy from God comes through prayer, Bible study, and dedication to His will. It’s foolish to blame God for our spiritual problems when we’re trying to run on dead batteries. God has the power to keep us charged… …but plugging into it is up to us.