What Sound Or Sight Makes You Pause, Listen To Your Heart, And Drift Back?

WHAT SOUND OR SIGHT MAKES YOU PAUSE, LISTEN TO YOUR HEART, AND DRIFT BACK?  ~  Since I was a young boy the sound of a train's lonesome whistle has touched a place in my heart - and I can't really say why. 

And if it happens to me, then it must be something within many of us, for I am not unique.  Oh, there are times I may have thought so, but then I realize that I am just one tiny soul in God's great universe.

When I was about 12 years old, my Aunt Nina who lived in Paducah, Kentucky, came to my home in Sheffield, Alabama, and took me and her granddaughter, my cousin, Patty, to spend the summer with her in Paducah.  That was when I first noticed the call of the lonesome locomotive, calling, "Come with me. Come with me."

Kind of like the lyrics of Hank Williams' 1949 song "I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry" 

"Hear that lonesome whippoorwill,
He sounds too blue to fly.
The midnight train is whining low,
I'm so lonesome, I could cry."

Also, at a young age, I was influenced by a Jeanne Crain movie I saw about the exciting college life.  The call of my daydreaming was so strong that summer when I was in Paducah, I actually starting planning how I could hop on a freight train, like a hobo, and get off in a small college town, like in the movie.  There I would work until I could go to college.  Okay, so I was a dreamer at that age.  But who isn't?

What caused this trip down memory lane?  Believe it or not, I just heard a train whistle, and while writing this, I heard another going by.  Even though the track is about a mile from my home, the lonely, lilting call seems to float on the breeze.  And I often respond, at least in my memories.

But fast forwarding to my life as an adult, I spent about 50 years in the computer industry and did a lot of traveling.  Flying to a new city, staying in a new hotel, always different and a new experience.  Then in a few days, or a week, a few times maybe a month, flying home to the comfort of my home and family.  Flying away, excited about my meetings.  Flying home, excited to relax in the bosom of my home and family.

I retired about 25 years ago, but at times when I stand near a freeway at dusk, watching folks driving home from work - or see a passenger plane flying high above me, off to some destination unknown to me - I begin to miss my life of traveling.

Watching cars on the freeway at dusk, I am reminded that there is a different story in each car.  Some heading home to family and comfort, others looking forward to a date, a party, and for some, even a lonely evening drinking alone. Over the years, I experienced all those.

The same when I watch the plane loaded with passengers flying high above me.  In a plane with 150 passengers - there are 150 different stories and different emotions.  And I do believe that, over the years, I have experienced all those also.

Some looking forward to business meetings the next day, others coming home from a business trip.  Some are going on a vacation, others returning from a vacation.  Some flying for the first time, others so accustomed to flying that they are working, or falling asleep.  So many stories.

I recall one, circa 1980/81, when I had been to northern California on business - and in the afternoon I was returning home to Orange County.  When I took my seat there was a young girl about 10 years old sitting beside me.  I could tell she was nervous so I started chatting with her. 

This was her first time to fly and she was coming to Orange County to visit her dad. She was nervous for two reasons.  It was her first time to fly, but also her mom and dad were divorced and she was flying to meet her dad for a visit.  We had fun talking and laughing so that she forgot to be nervous.

Landing at the Orange County airport (later John Wayne airport) at that time we would deplane on the tarmac and walk to the terminal.

The old terminal at that time was a single building with ticketing on one end and the luggage carousel on the other end.  On the second floor there was a cafe and outside the cafe, there was a walkway where people waiting for passengers could stand and watch people leaving the planes. 

As the girl and I were walking toward the terminal, she suddenly broke into a big smile and told me, "There is my daddy, standing up there!"  And would you believe, the person he was talking with while nervously waiting for his daughter - was my wife, Dory.

The little girl was nervous about visiting her daddy.  He, too, was nervous as he waited to greet his daughter.  I really believe God used both Dory and me to help them both forget their nervousness as they waited - she to land, he to see her after the separation.  God is pretty resourceful.

So the next time you see a freeway full of cars at dusk, or you see a passenger plane flying high above - just try to imagine all those stories and emotions passing by you, each a unique story. 

And when I hear the lonesome sound of a train whistle my thoughts will stray back to 1955 and that young boy, just out of high school and on his first train ride, going to San Antonio for Air Force Basic Training.  Then four months later on a train to Denver for Air Force Tech School.

And in 1958 excitedly arriving at Los Angeles Union Station aboard the Union Pacific City of Los Angeles streamlined passenger train, on my 21st birthday, as I came to begin my career in the computer industry.

Thank you for joining me on my locomotive whistle induced trip down memory lane. 

God bless, have a wonderful, blessed day,

Bill 

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Heaven or Hell, Your Choice!

Four days ago, my Christian brother and long time Friend, Jun Polistico, posted a graphic which read: "Rightly Divide The Word Of Truth. Whether To The Jews Or To The Gentiles. Apostle Paul Said, 'No Mixing.'"

And over the next four days there has been a lively discussion, some agreeing that the Jews and Gentiles are separate, almost to the degree of Replacement Theology (which I disagree with) - and others disagreeing, offering differing beliefs.

My personal belief is that there are the Jews, not as we see in Judaism today - and there is the Church, the worldwide body of believers. The reason for the 7-year Tribulation in the End Times is to put all Jews through the Refiner's Fire (Malachi 3:2-3).

From that will come the believing survivors of the Tribulation, i.e., the Remnant of Israel, who will enter the Millennial Kingdom of Christ in their mortal bodies. Remnant of Israel in their mortal bodies and the Church in our immortal bodies - both believing in Christ, the Messiah, each with a special place in the Eternal Kingdom of God.

Today a gentleman, Ralph, who seems to be a non-believer, posted the following statement and I responded to his statement:

Hi Ralph, You tell Jun Polistico, "It's a sad story really. Christianity is . . and it has brought a lot of misery to our World, even unto this day."

Ralph, my friend, YOU do not know true misery and suffering - until you leave this world and enter into eternity without a relationship with Christ.

With Christ we know there will be no more suffering, no more pain, no more sorrow. That is His promise to all who will believe:

Revelation 21:1-4, "Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth passed away, and there is no longer any sea. And I saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, made ready as a bride adorned for her husband.

And I heard a loud voice from the throne, saying, 'Behold, the tabernacle of God is among men, and He will dwell among them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself will be among them, and He will WIPE AWAY EVERY TEAR from their eyes; and there will NO LONGER BE ANY DEATH; there will NO LONGER BE ANY MOURNING, OR CRYING, OR PAIN; the first things have passed away.' "

But the alternative for those who will not believe, who do not have a relationship with Christ is:

Luke 16:22-24, 25-26, "Now the poor man died and was carried away by the angels to Abraham's bosom (Paradise); and the rich man also died and was buried. In Hades he lifted up his eyes, BEING IN TORMENT, and saw Abraham far away and Lazarus in his bosom. And he cried out and said, 'Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus so that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool off my tongue, FOR I AM IN AGONY in this flame.'

(25) But Abraham said, 'Child, remember that during your life you received your good things, and likewise Lazarus bad things; but now he is being comforted here, AND YOU ARE IN AGONY. And besides all this, between us and you there is a great chasm fixed, so that those who wish to come over from here to you will not be able, and that none may cross over from there to us.' "

Ralph, my friend, three things I will promise you:

(1) Heaven and hell are real places, and the only two eternal destinations for all mankind.

(2) The Bible is the true Written Word of God and all within it pertain to God's plan of salvation for those who will believe. It is not meant to scare you, nor to threaten you - but to offer you LIFE, if you will only believe.

(3) And only YOU can condemn YOU to hell. I cannot, nor will God. I recall many times in the 35 years I have been doing Christian writing, that folks have accused me, "Bill Gray is condemning me to hell!"

And my response is ALWAYS, "No, my Friend, Bill Gray cannot condemn you to hell, God cannot condemn you to hell - THE ONLY PERSON who can condemn YOU to hell - IS YOU!"

God gave all mankind the gift of Free Will - the Free Will, aka, freedom to choose to Believe, to follow Christ - or the freedom to Reject Christ.

We all will exist eternally.  There is no annihilation, no being forgiven later, no do-overs - only eternal existence following death.  The BIG question is:  "Where will YOU spend that eternity - In peace, harmony, love, in the eternal presence of God - OR - In agony, sorrow, regret, in the eternal absence of God?"

Believe Him and you will have Eternal Life. Reject Him and you will have Eternal Loss.

In 1990, my mom was in the hospital in Alabama.  I was a relatively new Christian believer, but during my visit to her in the hospital I wanted to learn where she stood in Christ and be a witness to her if needed.  I knew my step-father had her in a cult church, the Worldwide Church of Christ, for years - but in spite of that, "Did she have a relationship with Jesus Christ?"

Since I was a new believer and not confident in my ability to tell her about Christ, I searched in Christian bookstores for a good Christian tract which I could use in talking with her.  And the one below, Steps To Peace With God," published by the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, is the one I chose. 

It truly tells the Gospel story:  We are separated from God - No works can bridge the gap between God and us - The only way to God is with Jesus Christ.  So, as the tract concludes: Where do YOU stand today?

God bless, have a wonderful, blessed day,

Bill 

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God, Grandchildren, And Rocking Chairs

GOD, GRANDCHILDREN, AND ROCKING CHAIRS!  ~  That pretty much expresses our priorities as we get a wee bit older.  The blog below came in an e-mail today from Dr. Bill Mounce and BiblicalTraining - and it took me back over a quarter of a century to 1994, when our first grandchild, Elyssa, was born. 

My photo composite below shows her at age 5 when she was in Kindergarten.  Lolo Fausto is holding newborn brother, Kobe, and Lolo Bill is holding Elyssa, while Lola Dory's smile shows her joy of seeing our granddaughter in a good Christian school.

My mother never got a chance to see her great-granddaughter, for she passed into glory four months earlier.  But I know the joy this would have brought her.

And over the years it has been a joy seeing Elyssa educated in the Christ-based K-12 Linfield Christian School, then on to Westmont College - both Christian institutions begun in 1937 through the benevolence of a Christian donor.  Elyssa's siblings are following similar paths as they all grow into Christian young adults - leaving we white haired grandparents with only those memories to warm our hearts.

In the blog below, Dr. Bill Mounce tells of his unsettled feeling when he and his family were not getting the vacation home in which they had been comfortable for the previous five years.  I can relate to that.  In the mid-1980s, I worked for Ferranti International and lived in a Sheraton Hotel in Houston for five months.  Always the same room, 1103 top floor, except for one night.

One Sunday evening I returned after spending a week at home - and someone else was in my room 1103, and I had to take another room.  The new room was a mirror image of 1103 - so instead of turning left to take a shower, I now had to turn right.  Everything was just the opposite - and I was very uncomfortable. 

The next morning I went to the front desk, and on my hands and knees pleaded for my room, okay not so dramatic - but I did asked to be put back into the room that had been my home all these months.  Yes, I can relate to Bill Mounce's discomfort in a different vacation home.

This blog stirred so many wonderful memories.  When Elyssa was a toddler Dory and I babysat her during the day.  And for some reason we have never understood, for about a month when I would pick her up, she would start crying.  Anyone else could hold her with no problem, except for Papa Bill.  Dory laughed and told me, "Your skin is too white!"  As I said, we never really knew why she cried, but after about a month - everything was fine.

One thing which made me laugh when I was holding her as a baby, she was fascinated by the hair on my arm - always plucking at it.  I do not have ape man hair, only that from my English/Irish heritage, but her dad, being Filipino, does not have body hair.  So I was a novelty to her.

I believe I share similar feeling as all grandparents, that desire to always keep them young and cuddly, falling asleep in our arms.  But that was not God's plan.  They must grow, from that all-trusting child into responsible young adults, prayerfully staying close to their Christian values.

Those are some of the deja vu memories the blog "God, Grandchildren, and Rocking Chairs" brought to the surface today.
 
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God, Grandchildren, and Rocking Chairs
Dr. Bill Mounce, BiblicalTraining - February 6, 2024

The other night, my 18 month old granddaughter, Boston, had trouble sleeping.  Normally she cries for a few minutes and then falls asleep, but that night her crying was intense and lasted a lot longer. 

I eventually picked her up and we sat down in a rocking chair and I started singing songs.  They happened to be the Greek songs I used to use to teach my students, and they had the desired effect.  After two minutes, she relaxed, melted into my chest, and fell sound asleep. 

It was an amazing experience that I haven't had since my children were young, and so I kept rocking and singing and enjoying her.  She knew she was safe and loved, and that's all she needed.

As I kept singing, I thought about my relationship with the Lord.  I know that someday I will be safe in his arms when I hear, "Well done, good and faithful servant."  But I would love to feel that right now the same way that Boston feels it.  And yet, there is something I can do right now that I wouldn't be able to do in heaven, and that is trust him. 

I understand theologically that trust will still be part of our relationship with God in heaven, but it'll be trusting in something that we can see.  The privilege I have right now is that I can trust in someone I can't see (Heb 1:11), knowing that just as Boston was safe in my arms, so also I am safe in his arms.

Here's a somewhat silly example.  We are on vacation in Southern California right now with Tyler and family.  We have a house that we have rented the past five years but the management committee made a mistake and we got stuck going to a different house.  It's hard because the grandkids have memories of us in the other house. 

I wish I had responded with trust, thanking the Lord that we had a place to go even though it was different.  But when we got down here, it turns out they are doing a ton of construction around the old house and the noise would've been almost unbearable.  When the mistake happened, I wish I trusted the Lord so much that I had simply said, "Thank you."

As parents, this is the kind of trust that we long for from our children.  They can't possibly know all the variables in life, and when we do something they don't like or don't expect, we wish they would just trust us.  How much more so our loving and powerful heavenly Father longs for us to trust him, no matter what.  Because after all, we are safe in his arms, whether we feel it or not.

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God bless, have a wonderful, blessed day,

Bill 

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