MuddyPuddles

After two and a half years of researching, writing, rewriting, editing and polishing, my book is finally complete and is now available for purchase.  I’ve named it “Texas Pioneer Chronicles: The Life and Times of the Ensor, Kelso & Crim Families Since 1856.”  It is 358 pages long with over 100 photos inside.  It covers five generations of my family and is full of stories about life on the farm in the Panhandle of Texas.  It will make you laugh and it will make your cry.  Though it is about my family, it is much much more.  It is a great read for anyone interested in history, farming, religion, overcoming adversity and in funny stories that really took place in bygone years. I encourage you to order this book (just click on the picture of the book located on the side panel and you will be taken straight to the right location on Amazon.com) and read it. Then you will be inspired to capture some of your own history for the benefit of generations to come.  Order today! 
God Bless, Dennis

In going through my “Quotes and Sayings” file I came across quite a few items that have meant enough to me that I took the time and trouble to save them.  I encourage you to pause and think deeply about each one individually.  Reflect on them.  All but one (which is just funny) are very powerful.  These, in large part, sum up my philosophy and approach to life, though I don’t always match up to them as much as I’d like.

• “A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity.  An optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty.” Sir Winston Churchill

• “Only a crisis–actual or perceived–produces real change.”       Milton Friedman

• “Failure is simply the opportunity to begin again, this time more intelligently.”  Henry Ford

• “If you think education is expensive, try ignorance.”  Ben Franklin

• “If you are willing to do only what is easy, life will be hard.  But if you are willing to do what is hard, life will be easy.”

• “I’m going to get completely out of debt–even if I have to borrow the money to do it.”  Leo Mays

• “It is always surprising how small a part of life is taken up by meaningful moments.  Most of them are over before they start, although they cast a light on the future and make the person who originated them unforgettable.  Anna had shined such a light on Siam.”  From “Anna and the King”

• “Success is the sum of small efforts repeated day in and day out.”  Robert Collier

• “Experience is what you get when you don’t get what you want.”

• “Frustration is the result of expectation.” (This saying has been posted on my bulletin board for about 20 years and has been instrumental in changing the way I approach life.)

• “One person with courage is a majority.” Henry David Thoreau

• “Pain is inevitable, but misery is optional.  So stick a geranium in your hat and be happy!”  Barbara Johnson

• “Being powerful is like being a lady.  If you have to tell people, you aren’t.”  Margaret Thatcher

• “Not everything that is faced can be changed, but nothing can be changed until it is faced.” Novelist James Baldwin

In my filing cabinet I keep a file called “Quotes and Sayings.”  While going through it today I came across an article that I really needed to see right now.  It’s been a very hectic past few days and this article put things back into perspective.  It follows:

One of my favorite “light-shedding” passages is Mark 12:28-34 because it not only gives the story, but it adds additional events which help us to see where the emphasis should be placed. This passage starts out with,
“One of the teachers of the law came and heard them debating. Noticing that Jesus had given them a good answer, he asked him, “Of all the commandments, which is the most important?”
[29] “The most important one,” answered Jesus, “is this: ‘Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. [30] Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ [31] The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.”
[32] “Well said, teacher,” the man replied. “You are right in saying that God is one and there is no other but him.” (Isn’t it interesting from this side of the cross to see that this teacher of the law was giving Jesus, the Master, a pat on the back? Then the teacher of the law added the following interesting statement,) [33] To love him with all your heart, with all your understanding and with all your strength, and to love your neighbor as yourself is more important than all burnt offerings and sacrifices.” (That seems like a pretty brazen statement for this teacher of the law to be down playing these legalistic requirements. And what was Jesus reaction to this?–
“[34] When Jesus saw that he had answered wisely, he said to him, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.” And from then on no one dared ask him any more questions.”

(Was Jesus just confirming that loving God and loving your neighbor was more important than keeping the rules? I think he was. And when you compound that with other passages like the one that said “Sabbath was made for man and not man for the sabbath,” and “I desire mercy, not sacrifice” you start getting the idea that maybe we’ve been placing the emphasis in the wrong place all these years.

One final passage from 1 Peter 4, “Love covers a multitude of sins.” How many sins does sound doctrine cover? If I mess up, I hope I err on the side of love, because I sure don’t want to be a sounding dong or a clanging cymbal. As Jesus told Martha, “Mary has chosen better.”
God Bless,
Dennis

Just in case you were wondering, I haven’t vanished off the face of the earth.  I’m still here and, for the most part, making good use of my time.  I’m so close to finishing my book I can taste it.  It’s taken me longer than I expected but I’ve been able to flesh it out more completely as a result.  Instead of having only a few pictures in some dedicated section of the book, it is going to have about one hundred pictures weaved into the story.  The title is going to be “The Ensor/Kelso Family Chronicles” and it will be available on Amazon.com.  I’ll post again when it’s finished. 

What inspired me to post today was the fact that I was not able to see my blog last night.  I was looking for one of the comments from an old post because I wanted to include it in my book.  I kept getting a network error and I was afraid that the blog was no longer available.  To my relief I was able to get to it today and capture the comment. 

While there I also took the time to go back and review the entire blog.  I skimmed many of the posts and comments and relived the journey.  It brought me great joy.  It is amazing how God has worked in my life through this blog.  He did it in several  ways but two stand out the most. 

First of all, I’m not sure I would be worshiping where I’m worshiping with whom I’m worshiping if it had not been for this blog.  And boy do I love worshiping with this awesome group of believers.  It is so wonderful to come to this loving group of seekers and to discuss and worship and sing without fear of being judged or condemned or looked down on by anyone there.  The atmosphere is wonderful and we’ve been making a difference in our community.  It’s been uplifting each and  every week for almost a year and a half.  I never thought I would experience that in this little town.  I thank God for this group of believers and for the fact that I no longer have to be the “bad guy”.  My new role as “Shepherd” is much more satisfying. 

Secondly, I’m not sure I would be where I am in getting my family heritage book written if it hadn’t been for this blog.  I didn’t realize how much I enjoyed writing until I started doing it here.  I consider this book to be one of my life’s treasures.  I am so glad that my grandkids and grand nephews and nieces will be able to know their past because it has been written down and preserved for generations to come. 

I want to thank so many of you for your positive strokes and encouragement in both areas.  You’ve definitely made my life better.  May God bless you bountifully in every way.

Dennis

I was talking with a friend this morning about our friendship.  We haven’t talked in quite awhile but were pretty much able to pick up right where we left off.  There was never an awkwardness between us.  I told her that I appreciated our friendship for being the kind of friendship that was “low maintenance.”  It isn’t the kind of friendship that requires a lot of eggshell walking to prevent hurt feelings or feelings of neglect.

It brings me such peace of mind to never doubt that she’s pulling for me (and vice versa) regardless of time and space between us.  It occurred to me that I have many friends like that.  Many of you who are reading this blog would fit into that category.  And for your steadfast friendship I say “Thank You.”  You are a blessing to me.

I’m also blessed with a family that is “low maintenance.”  When Bonnie and I first married, Mom said for us to not worry if we couldn’t make it home for Thanksgiving or Christmas (and she meant it).  She just wanted us to come if and when we could.  She was sensitive to making sure we didn’t feel torn between our various family ties.  With several brothers and sisters, who are all married, that has taken a lot of pressure off all of us.  Each summer we plan family reunions without guilt for those who can’t make it.  Each of us hates to ever miss it but we don’t worry about hurt feelings if we do.  That’s awesome.

As a remodeling contractor in my earlier days, my father-in-law could have pretty much used me as slave labor when I came to visit.  He chose not to.  Instead, he went out of his way to make sure I was not burdened with an extra load of obligation.  I’ve always appreciated him immensely for that kind consideration.  He’s awesome and our relationship has always been very close as well as low maintenance.

When our boys were small we made sure to make big deals out of their birthdays and Christmas.  But Bonnie and I have never required much from each other on those “official” occasions.  We usually have given a card and a candy bar.  And instead of the pressure to perform at those times, we have opted to either plan spring break trips together and/or surprise each other with heartfelt gifts at other—unexpected times.  Those kinds of gifts have always meant more to me than the scheduled obligatory ones.  (This is not a criticism of those who like to give or receive special gifts at official times—different strokes for different folks.)  I just personally love the absence of pressure that comes from this low maintenance approach to gift giving and family.

Having said all of that I want to make sure that you know that at times of trials (which are sure to come to all of us) we each have had and/or will have high maintenance needs.  And to those needs we will respond without hesitation.  We will eagerly be there for each other through those hard times—family and friends.  And the truth is that it will probably be more difficult for most of us, when the need arises, to accept the help for ourselves than it will for us to give the help to others.  That’s just the way low maintenance people are—not wanting to be a bother or a burden.     

So I just want to say to my wonderful friends and family, “Thank you for being so awesome.  You make my life a joy.”  May God Bless you as bountifully as you have blessed me.  Sincerely, Dennis  

I was discussing the Bible with some brethren who interpret the scriptures from what I would call a “more legalistic approach” to biblical interpretation than what I believe is correct.  During the course of our discussion one of the brethren asked me if I was a part of the “unity in diversity” movement (I can’t remember his exact wording but it was something like that).  When he asked that I got the impression that there was some specific movement out there that I was not specifically familiar with and I hesitated to answer the question because I wasn’t sure what all was included in that label.  Since then I have thought a great deal about the question and am more fully prepared to give a more complete answer.
As I look back at the first century church I see passages which seem to me to be talking specifically about unity in diversity.  For example, 1 Corinthians 12 is full of verses that talk about diversity as in different kinds of gifts (v. 4), different kinds of service (v. 5), different kinds of working (v. 6), but the same God works all of them in all men.
7 Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good.
8 To one there is given through the Spirit the message of wisdom, to another the message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit,
9 to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit,
10 to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues, and to still another the interpretation of tongues.
11 All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he gives them to each one, just as he determines.  

 

That sure sounds like unity in diversity to me—but wait, there’s more!

 

12 The body is a unit (as in unity), though it is made up of many parts; and though all its parts are many, they form one body. So it is with Christ.
13 For we were all baptized by one Spirit into one body–whether Jews or Greeks, slave or free–and we were all given the one Spirit to drink.
14 Now the body is not made up of one part but of many.

 

So he’s talked about the diversity in roles that members of the body fulfill.  He’s talked about the diversity in racial make up, religious backgrounds, and slave/freedmen status.

 

That sure sounds like unity in diversity to me—but wait, there’s more!

 

We see in 1 Corinthians 8 that in this body there were very diverse opinions about doctrinal issues—specifically, eating meat offered to idols.  This chapter not only reveals the facts about those doctrines but it also points out that the church is diverse in that it is made up of a wide range of spiritual maturity in it’s members.  Some are weak brothers, some are not.  Some are correct in their thinking and some are not.  Paul does not require either side of this differing doctrinal opinions to change before they should accept or be accepted by the other.
Then in chapter 11 he talks about the diversity in incomes and financial status.

 

In spite of all this diversity—in gifts, roles, backgrounds, status, maturity and doctrinal positions—God, through Paul, tells them they can have unity and that this, in fact, is what he is asking them to strive for.  They each have an important role to play.

 

If you listened to my more legalistic brethren, they would say that the only way to have unity is through perfect agreement on doctrinal issues—specifically “the five acts of worship.”  This is not biblical.  As my friend, the Middleman says, “Unity is not the same as conformity” and if someone has become a child of God through belief in Jesus as the son of God and has put him on in baptism, we have no biblical right to reject him based upon his unwillingness to conform to our interpretation on worship regulations—even if he’s wrong.  That is up to God (Romans 14).

 

So to answer the original question, yes, I do believe in unity in diversity, because that is what the Bible teaches.  The more I think about it, how could I believe otherwise.  God Bless, Dennis

 

As I’m nearing the completion of my book I’ve dredged up some miniscule memories that were tucked away in little crevices of my brain—specifically those mentioned in the title.  Though these may seem to be unrelated topics, generally speaking, they are all related in my mind because of their tie to previous experiences I’ve had.

When I was a young boy, whenever my stomach would ache a common question my mother would ask me was whether or not I had experienced a bowel movement.  I had no idea of what she was speaking.  I just kept thinking she was talking about some kind of ball.  (She should have asked if I did a #2.  Then I would have known what she was talking about.)  I always said, “No.”  I didn’t know what a bowel movement was and I figured if I’d had one I would have known about it.  Therefore, I didn’t have any bowel movements until I was several years older.  Before that I just went to the bathroom.    

When Jarod was playing optimist football in the fourth grade, the offensive line coach kept telling these 10 year olds that their responsibility was inside out.  What he was meaning by that was that if two defensive players were lined up across the line from them, their most important responsibility was to block the one that was lined up closer to the football—the “inside” man.  If there was no one inside, then he was to block the one on the outside—further away from the football.  Thus, their responsibility was “inside-out.”  For all they knew he could have been telling them that their responsibility was upside down and backwards.  They didn’t have a clue as to his meaning—ergo the blank stares.

I laugh at my previous lack of understanding of the terminology of A.S.A.P. (As Soon As Possible).  When I first started teaching in Arlington , the counselor sent me a note wanting some information ASAP.  Later she asked me why I hadn’t gotten it back to her.  I told her that I didn’t realize she needed it quickly.  She said, “I put ASAP on it.”  I said, “What does that mean?”  She went blank and then explained it.  I told her that we didn’t use that terminology on the farm.  Dad just said, “Hurry up.”  I had thought she was just making a joke about a sap or something.  I guess the joke was on me. 

When I was teaching eighth graders in an alternative school (where they sent kids who were kicked out of other schools) in Ft Worth, the principal, Steve Gay, taught me a valuable lesson.  It was prompted when he heard someone telling a student, “You know better than that!”  He said that because of the background of many of these kids—their horrible or non-existent home life—that they really didn’t know better on many things we had assumed they would.  No one had ever explained to them what it was or they had never considered how their actions impacted others in a negative way. 

The truth is we all have something, even what most people consider really simple things, that we don’t know about because we’ve had no occasion to know about them.  Thanks to the life experiences I’ve had and Mr. Gay’s instruction I was able to be a better teacher by making sure to point out simple things that I would not have mentioned otherwise.  I even try to do this today with my sweet grandson, Trapper.  I look for teachable moments to educate him about the “simple” ordinary things of life.  Then he will know about them and be able to make better decisions as a result.  And who doesn’t need that ability?  So the next time you see me doing something stupid, don’t assume I’m doing it on purpose.  Cut me some slack and love me anyway.  That’s what I really need.  God Bless, Dennis

I’ve been reading a book about the life of Cecil Hook, one of my heroes in the faith.  It’s called “Grit in My Gizzard.”  Cecil was a very poor, hard-working country boy who eventually attended ACC and wound up being a long time Church of Christ preacher.  Because of his practical nature, after many years in the pulpit and much study and introspection, he started coming to different conclusions about what he had been teaching for most of his life—our legalistic doctrinal stance.  In 1984 he wrote the book “Free in Christ,” which very clearly points out so many flaws in our thinking and practice and it reveals a more accurate way to follow the Lord.  Though I was already starting to doubt some things about our “legalistic righteousness by obedience to worship doctrine” ways, this book gave so much voice to what I was feeling inside that I’ve recommended it quite a bit through the years.  Cecil has made it available free of charge to those who want a copy. 

One thing Cecil reminded me about in this autobiography is the fact that Barton W. Stone and Thomas Campbell, who are generally highly respected amoung our brotherhood, were individuals who were instrumental in uniting two fairly diverse groups of Christians.  We have articles written for the Christian newsletters of their day by which we can study their positions on various biblical topics.  Anyone who has studied them much realizes that their beliefs were quite different from each other in what many today consider to be salvation issues, and yet, they were uniters of the two groups.

Some decades later, a new philosophy cropped up.  It was the philosophy that everyone had to see those critical worship service doctrinal issues exactly the same or the alternative was that they must split—withdraw themselves from the “erring brothers.”  There was no tolerance for error. 

It appears to me that our brotherhood shifted a little bit from the ¨seeking and saving the lost¨ category to the ¨seeking and evicting the lost¨ category. 
Thank God that this self-righteous way of thinking is gradually fading away and grace and mercy and love are once again coming to the fore in the brotherhood.  Hopefully those of the “old school” will get this figured out before long.  Though I know that there can be a drift away from what God wants us to be and that we must be diligent to remain focused with grace, the alternative, to be saved by legalistic righteousness is a direct violation of God´s will by it´s very nature.  We must be discerning as we strive to be his children, knowing that his love for us is immense. 
God Bless.  Dennis 

Because of my conservative background in the Church of Christ, when I hear the words “sound doctrine,” I am reminded of the mindset that has been prevalent in most of the smaller Churches of Christ during my lifetime.    It most always refers to the state of being precisely accurate in how “the church” is supposed to conduct worship services on Sunday morning, according to “the pattern” of the first century church.  It has also encompassed a few issues surrounding those worship services like what kind of physical plant is acceptable (“ Family Life Center ” okay?  Kitchen okay?  Water fountain okay?) and how church funds can be used (Supporting Children homes okay?  Helping non-members okay?  Paying a preacher okay?). 

Because of differing interpretations upon which parts of the first century pattern are acceptable (or required), most small towns have at least two Churches of Christ.  We have four in our little town of 3,000.  Though I believe the intent of the founders of these congregations was usually noble—trying to be exactly what God wanted them to be—I believe their efforts to follow the first century pattern were misguided. 

In one sense they actually took the Old Testament template and placed it onto the New Testament to get their answers (When God said “gopher wood,” he meant “gopher wood” only; When he said “sing” he meant “sing” only.)  They should have used the New Testament template to interpret the New Testament and left the Old Testament template alone. 

In response to this, many would say “God is the same yesterday, today and forever.”  And I would agree, God is the same.  But the covenant he made with Abraham is different than the covenant he has made with us.  It has changed.  It is different.  The old no longer applies.

            Hebrews 9:1-10 (NIV) “[1] Now the first covenant had regulations for worship and also an earthly sanctuary. . .  (a list of detailed regulations described in verses 2 through 9) . . .[10] They are only a matter of food and drink and various ceremonial washings–external regulations applying until the time of the new order.”  

That new order is here and those external regulations no longer apply.  There are no regulations for worship services in the new covenant.  But man’s desire for a checklist has overridden his comprehension of the fact that God, on purpose, left it out.  Therefore “we” have come up with our own set of regulations and called them the “five acts of worship.”  And then, we’ve put tremendous pressure on people to conform to those five acts of worship and to do so in a worthy manner so they can be acceptable (to us and) to God.  Otherwise they are guaranteed eternal damnation in Hell. 

We’ve been wrong.  I encourage each of you to just go back into the word and notice that there is no reference to “worship service” in the New Testament.  Also notice that not one of the acts of worship is ever referred to as an “act of worship.”  Notice that the scriptures we have used to require non-instrumental singing weren’t even written until AD 60—twenty-seven years after the establishment of the church.  We are never commanded to partake of the Lord’s Supper on the first day of every week.  The scriptures we’ve used to require four of the five acts of worship (Acts 2:42) were something the first century church did daily (as opposed to something they were required to do during a “worship service” on the first day of every week).    And one of those acts, fellowship, we’ve skewed to mean “giving of our money.”  We’ve totally ignored the other things the first century church did in the verses following 2:42.  We’ve been remiss. 

It’s time to take another look and to reassess our positions on these matters.  We’ve been wrong.  It’s time to get it right.  Dennis Ensor  quicksand@dishmail.net