I am thinking about Christmas . . . it is that time of year.

Today I was thinking about Christmas and how different it is from  those of my childhood. Christmas as a child was filled with anticipation and hopeful expectations. Christmas shopping when I was a kid was always an "almost didn't get it done thing."  My Dad was an independent garage man and the auto repair business was really slow during the Christmas season. People simply put off getting things done on their cars that weren't absolutely necessary. After all, they could use that money for Christmas expenses.

Neither my Dad or myself blamed them for that. However, it always meant that we had to wait until the last minute for Christmas preparation and gifts. I cannot remember a single Christmas when Dad and I were not shopping for Mom's Christmas present on December 24. Mom, like me had to share her birthday (Dec 30) with Christmas so when someone gave either of us a gift is was a 2fer.  But, I suppose the very fact that Dad and I were both shopping together for the most important woman in either of our lives was a Christmas gift in and of itself.

In addition we had a great family tradition that involved our extended family gathering wherever my grandparents and later just my grandmother lived. It was wonderful to be together as the Appleby Clan surrounded by aunts, uncles and cousins. I miss those days. Some of my fondest memories are from that time. I really do miss those days.

Over the years Christmas has changed for me. When I was the kid spoken of above it was to a large measure all about me and what I was going to get. As time past and I grew and matured the circle of Christmas joy increased. In 1966 Christmas added another person to the family. It was the same tradition except that the person I was shopping with was no longer my Dad but my wife. Yep we married on December 23 and went Christmas shopping on December 24th. But, other than that the Christmas celebrations pretty much stayed the same.

Within a few years, Christmas of 1969 to be precise, Christmas really took on a major change. Our marriage turned into a family and on Christmas 1969 there was three of us. That was the year when we (Susan and I) learned our place in the family pecking order. You see up until 1969 our families saw us as the focus of Christmas. Either they came to our house or we went to theirs but in every instance it was our young daughter, Tabetha, who was the focus of Christmas giving. To be sure we still got a gift but Tabetha was buried beneath the gifts.

Years came and went during which more children were added to our family. There was a son (Matthew) born in 1972, another daughter (Charity) in 1976 and another daughter (Anastacia) born in 1980. Wow, our own grand parents, siblings and children. It was a little like the days of my childhood.

Suffice it to say that in my nearly 73 years I have seen and experienced a lot of Christmas celebrations. Some were lean and some were fat but all were centered in the Christmas story as recorded in Luke's gospel.

That brings me to now. These days I celebrate Christmas from the perspective of a long life and the aging process. For Susan and myself Christmas has the same meaning as always but it is a radically different celebration. Retirement, health issues, and just the cost of living have all contributed. We no longer offer the lavish Christmas dinners, buy gifts as though they were going out of style, send the greeting cards to the hundreds of people who enriched our lives or attended a myriad of Christmas parties and celebrations.

Most of our Christmas is now spent quietly with each other. We don't need more things in our life. We have more now than we can keep up with. Many years ago when visiting in a nursing home an elderly lady took my hand and with teary eyes said to me, "All I want for Christmas is to be with my children and grandchildren. I want to hear their voices and the laughter and I want to just touch them." I realized then what I know now what it was about Christmas that I loved from those earliest days to today. It wasn't the gift, it was the one doing the giving, it was the shopping, it was who we shopped for, it wasn't the crowd, it was the people. That's it. Christmas was about the people in my life and like that long passed lady in the nursing home I want to spend it with people who are near and dear to my heart.

I want to see my children and grandchildren. I want to watch them run and play. I want to hear them shriek with joy and watch them eat. I want I want them to know that their presence brings me more joy and warms my heart. I want to touch them and feel the life the exude. That would be Christmas for me.  I also want them to know when the Christmas gathering is done and they all leave that is the loneliest day in my life. I go from a full heart to a feeling of emptiness. So don't show-up leaving. It only helps your conscience and hurts their heart.

But I know children are no different than  was I at their age. When I shopped with my Dad in paragraph one above it was important that I get my Mom something I believed she would see as wonderful, Of course I didn't realize then what I know now and that is it didn't matter what the gift was it blessed her.

However, I also know now what I didn't know then and that is over the year she garnered a lot of things she really didn't need and a few she didn't really want. So I have thought about the kinds of gifts we "Old Folks" would use and find helpful. I talked with people my age about this and a few people who are care givers and they shared their ideas about gifts for people like us.  Nearly everyone said, "Money would be nice."

Now understand, whatever you give we will love just because you gave it. So hear it is:
1. High on the list was anything that would provide financial relief. Rent may not be much but you'd be surprised what we old folks could do is we could just skip a rent payment. Another thought in this group of ideas would be utilities for a month of a year or a cable TV expense (Television is their companion most of the year).
2. A short trip somewhere like a bed and breakfast or even in your home for a few days. Send them on a cruise (call me on this one I can help).  Elderly folks rarely get away from the house except to visit the doctors. Some actually know their doctors better than they do their families. Why, they see them more frequently.
3. Gift cards to their local grocery store, fast food restaurant, or online store like Amazon.
4. Be creative, I'll bet you can come up with something special.

Finally, don't take it personal if they do not give you a gift in return. Remember, they are limited as to income, they find it harder to go to busy shops, have no idea what to buy.

I don't want a lot for Christmas

There is just one thing I need
I don't care about the presents
Underneath the Christmas tree
I just want you for my own
More than you could ever know
Make my wish come true oh
All I want for Christmas is you

I don't want a lot for Christmas
There is just one thing I need, and I
Don't care about the presents
Underneath the Christmas tree
I don't need to hang my stocking
There upon the fireplace
Santa Claus won't make me happy
With a toy on Christmas day

I just want you for my own
More than you could ever know
Make my wish come true
All I want for Christmas is you

The Way We Were . . . . Why?

I just read an article in the Christian Post under the headline: "New York public school rejects student Christian club, OKs LGBT Pride Club." The longer I live the more I appreciate the remarkable community that nurtured me during my formative years. I read articles like these and wonder, "Why."  Why do these kinds of divide exist? I used to think that my high school years were typical of young people of my generation. But the older I get the more I see that maybe, just maybe they were more exceptional than I have previously thought. To be sure we did all the things that other high schools were doing during that era. We played basketball, football and a host of other sports. We had bands that practiced in our garages, choirs in church and at school and in after hours were developing the music of the 1960's (You need to read Vicki Welch Ayo's The Boys From Houston for details of that last comment). We had boy and girl friends, went to school dances and drive in movies. I say all this to point out on the surface at least we appeared to be like all the others of our time. But there was something about the class of 1965 that was different. It is hard to put one's finger on just what made it different but I assure you looking back from the advantage of 2019 something made it special. I really don't recall students being divided by their religious, political, or moral beliefs or lack thereof. I have strained my brain trying to recall the few people with whom I had issues. In the few cases I recall was not because of the beliefs but because of what they either did to me or said about me or my family. And, I should add that treated my friends badly. But even in these cases there was never any lasting animosity or was my anger transferred to others of their particular demographic. In fact, a few of these became good friends over time. Now, I can hear some of you reading saying, "Well, sounds like you're describing a homogeneous group." I guess in a sense I am but not in the traditional sense. We didn't look alike; we weren't all from the same social or cultural backgrounds; we weren't all religious and those who were religious spanned the gamut of religions. I suppose we were by default homogeneously Caucasian but it was not an intentional thing and not exclusively so since there was also in our community a large Hispanic population (I distinguish between Latino and Hispanic. For me Hispanic represents people from a Spanish tradition while Latino speaks of people speaking a "romance language" of Spanish, Portuguese or Italian.) With all the religious, cultural, and individual heritage traditions there was an over arching acceptance of people different in many ways from ourselves. I know it was true for me and I suspect for most of my friends and fellow students. We just didn't see our differences as a reason to dislike or condemn. I can't speak for others but I trace this tendency in myself back to the days when we lived in Orange, Texas just a block down the street from the "Projects" (government low income housing). That and a father who taught me long before Martin Luther King came on the scene that you judge people based on their actions and character and not such superficial things such as color, culture etc. In talking with fellow students from those days I find they had a similar upbringing. We often speak of our parents as the "Greatest Generation" and that largely because of the Second World War. But I see them as the Greatest generation because not only what they did historically but what they taught and modeled to their children. It seems that my friends parents were teaching them essentially the same things I was learning at home. Indeed, home seemed in those days to be the pot in which our character was molded. All I know is that the few organizations to which I belonged were blind to color, social standing, and culture. In many ways we were a curious lot. Not curious in the sense of strange but in the sense that we had a wide ranging curiosity. It wasn't until the so called university experts began to gain a voice in our social structure that the high view of the home, church and culture began to be chipped away. In their efforts to "fix" the so called deficiencies in our basic institutions that societies fabric and individual lives really began to come unraveled. This has continued at an ever increasing rate and I see little change on the horizon. Instead of "fixing" our institutions we weakened them. We moved societally away from absolute values that there are things you just do not do and others that are required of you to a system of situational ethics that taught that every situation must be decided on its own merit. In our growing up everyone knew what the boundaries were. We may have crossed them but we knew we were at risk by doing so. Rights were expanded as maturity was developed. I recall that when I was at Houston Baptist College the only qualifiers for a group on campus was that it must have a service and learning component and if memory has not totally atrophied that was the standard in High School as well. I must add that membership was restricted enrolled students. There were no cultural, racial, or social barriers or qualifications to restrict membership. So, our clubs and organizations were composed of people who chose to be involved because of their interest sets. You were not involved in baseball because you liked the game. The same was true of the Thespian Club. You were not accepted or rejected based on anything other than your desire to be a part of that group (Some groups, such as a few competitive sports groups, had a maximum number set by the State and some like Regional and State musical groups were restricted by number of places and level of talent and ability). So, what to do? Well, in my ideal world Christians would get back to basics and realize that God's intends to change society not by social manipulation but by conversion; nor by legislation but through persuasion that the Judeo-Christian ethic is the superior foundation for government that is inclusive; and that individual family values are more effective than University created systems in developing individuals of good character and integrity. We need to take a pause in "looking to the future" and take a few minutes to look to the past and relearn the truth that "the hand that rocks the cradle rules the world." I long to see a day when the lessons taught and the example set during our formative years are consistent with one another. I want to see parents set high moral and ethical standards and then to consistently live them. I have been told that we each have a preferred way of learning. But I believe however you learn the moral and ethical principles of life you must see them being lived out. Morality and ethics like spirituality is more caught than taught. In my mind knowledge is meaningful only if it is reflected in action. We are what we do and not just what we think. This is true for children and it is true adults. Here is what I wish we had learned before we reached first grade. I wish we had learned the lesson of the bean sprout in the cup. The bean sprouted, grew-up and then dies. That was intended to teach us everything we needed to know about life's tenure. We are born, we live and we will die and that will prove to be a short time over our three score and ten years. We also should have learned that we need others. We need to find our support group and family is the first place we find support from others. That is followed by our friends, life companion, workplace, and church. Remember how we were told in preschool to "Hold hands and stick together” as you go outside. Why, because that's where the danger lies and that is where we need each other. Besides, the world can be a lonely place when you're alone. I think maybe, because of our parents and then later reinforced by our teachers and hammered home by the untimely passing of high school friends we had an underlying sense of the importance and brevity of life and the significance other people have in our well-being. This produced a group of people where lawyers weren't need to build community or resolves differences.

Impeach 45? . . . . but Why?

Only the people living in the cemetery do not know or have not heard that the Democrats are trying to build a case for impeaching the President of the United States and have been doing so since before he was even elected. We have heard very little for the last two years but "Impeach 45" from the Democrat Party. All sorts of attempts have been made at developing some kind of evidence that he has done something that so egregious that the only recourse is impeachment. All of these have failed. Presently they are trying to string him up (not allowed to use word "lynch" because it is offense to some people)  with some sort of "abuse of power" charge. This effort is taking place in a Democrat controlled committee of the House of Representatives chaired by the man who has been leading the charge to destroy the President. For the present I will say noting of the motives behind all this except to say that I believe the motives are purely political, not honorable and the process is disingenuous. I will note that the case against the President is being built around two things. 1. The use of a "quid pro quo" in negotiating with a foreign power; and, 2. The use of a private track in foreign policy. The process for putting all this together is the secrecy of closed doors. Here are some of my thoughts on all this . . . . . In thinking about the "Quid pro quo" thing I find myself wondering what all the hullabaloo is about. "Quid pro quo" simply means "this for that."  It is the very heart of every negotiation and diplomacy. The person (substitute business or country) with the strongest hand usually gets more of what they want than does the person with the weaker hand. My point is simply this: Just because there is a "quid pro quo" does not a crime create let alone a "high crime" or "misdemeanor." The second thing that confuses me is the hubbub about have a duel policy track. One, the official State Department track and a second independent Presidential track. This is nothing new. Presidents have been doing personal and independent diplomacy for longer than I can remember. It began when Washington favored a separate track using Hamilton's private track (Treasurer Secretary) over Jefferson's (Secretary of State) official track regarding the French Republic. Virtually every President since then has used dual tracks for diplomatic negations and relationships in general. Not only did they use dual tracts they engaged in personal diplomacy and negotiations. They did this with both domestics issues as well as international ones. It was a standing joke on the Hill that when Lyndon Johnson invited someone to the Ranch and while there said, "Lets take a walk" that whoever was on that walk was going to do whatever they were asked. Why was that the case . . . . . well, as the story goes, Johnson knew where all the skeletons were buried."  You can only imagine what the quid pro quo was then. The third thing that puzzles me is the use of closed door meetings in the House of Representatives for non-national security matters. This is the "People's House" and it appears to me that that is the last place where closed door meetings would be held. This practice hearkens back to the old "Cloak Room" meetings where things were decided before a committee "rubber stamped" the cloak room decisions. Secrecy allows for all sorts of shenanigans and wrong doing. With the exception of "surprise parties" for birthdays, anniversaries and planned retirements very little done behind closed doors is wholesome. Everything that goes on behind closed doors hinges upon the integrity of the people conducting the meetings. However, I have learned from experience that behind closed doors you learn that public integrity and private integrity are two entirely different things. Besides, decisions made behind closed doors are always subject to skepticism on the part of those not in the closed meeting. This process is illegal for City Councils, School Boards and all kinds of public bodies. The single exception is for personnel matters involving people who work for those governmental entities. If the sauce is good for the gander then it is good for the goose. From where I sit there is nothing of significance in any of this that would lead me to think "Impeach 45." It is time for the House and all their allies in the intelligence community (deep state) to lay down their swords and let the people decide come November 2020. If we have learned anything in this grand experiment call The United States of America it is the voice of the people that matters. We don't need the professional politicians and the bureaucrats to use spin and hyperbole to shape our thinking. Just lay all the cards on the table and we'll let you know what we think and what we expect. We need a really bright shot of daylight on Washington. To paraphrase Henry II,  "What miserable drones and traitors have we nurtured and promoted in the People's House who treat the office of President with such shameful contempt." Will no one rid us of these turbulent congressmen?"  I guess that will be "We The People" come the general election in November 2020

Impeachment or Coup d'etat

I heard a Democrat Congressman say that the minority (meaning Republicans) are "Darn lucky these hearings aren't public" implying that, as Jack Nicholson said in the movie "A Few Good Men," . . . . . “You can't handle the truth!" He seems to suggest that if we had heard what he has heard in secret we could not handle it. I say, let me be the judge of how I handle what has been said in the secret place. It is not the witness’s testimony I fear . . . . .  it is the second hand reporting of that testimony that he and Adam Schiff decide to let me hear that I fear.

Well, to him I say, the truth may be hard and painful but it is only the truth, the whole truth and nothing except what is true that will set us free from the grip of half truths.
At the prompting of Dr. A.O. Collins I penned the following on the inside cover of my Journal. . . . . .

From the arrogance that thinks it knows all truth
From the cowardice that shrinks from new truth
O God of truth deliver us.
From the arrogance that thinks it knows all truth
From the laziness that is content with half truth
O God of truth deliver us.

Adam Schiff has conducted his committee meetings as if it were a Grand Jury procedure allowing only his witnesses to testify and to do that in secret meetings closed to both the public and the Congress. His first reason for secrecy was the protection of a whistle blowers’ identity. He has since marshaled several other weaker reasons. In my view and many other Constitutional authorities his whole process is a violation of the Constitutional process for impeachment. I would add that because of his own clearly and publicly stated bias against the President and his own public record of lying about the matters before his committee disqualify him to chair let alone judge the maters he claims to be investigating.

I would remind Congressman Adam Schiff and the others after his ilk of the words of Jesus regarding testimony, light and darkness . . . . . "This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil."

Darkness hides and conceals what is happening. That is why the thief comes under cover of darkness and not in the noonday light. So also does the conniver who desires to protect his own complicity in evil doing. I have seen and heard men say things in closed meetings that they would never say in public because of blow back and damage to their reputation.

Later Jesus made it clear that the actions and deeds done in secret will one day be subject to the bright light of truth and revelation. He categorically stated, "There is nothing concealed that will not be disclosed, and nothing hidden that will not be made known. What you have said in the dark will be heard in the daylight, and what you have whispered in the ear in the inner rooms will be proclaimed from the roofs."

Many a life has been destroyed by the actions of men hiding behind closed doors. Let your "Yea" be "Yea" and your "Nay' be "Nay." Speak the truth as you understand and believe it to be but do so in the open where your testimony can be examined by the people whose lives are affected. Speak the truth. Speak the truth in public where it can be heard and tested. Speak the truth in love and without rancor or ill will toward those who truth spoken harms or vindicates.

Trust me, the scripture does not err on any level or application when it says, "and you shall know the Truth and the Truth shall set you free."  Might I suggest that it is fear of the public “knowing the whole truth” that has driven these Congressional hearings behind closed doors.

A word about Whistle Blowers and secrecy. When Jeremiah purposed not to speak God’s word for fear of retribution he finally stated, “But if I say, ‘I will not mention his word or speak anymore in his name,’ his word is in my heart like a fire, a fire shut up in my bones. I am weary of holding it in; indeed, I cannot.” 

In a like manner the information that a whistle blower feels must be made know would be like a fire in their bones and they must speak, secrecy or no secrecy.  The importance of their message outweighs any possible personal repercussions. If you name them then take ownership of your testimony before them. The accused has the right to confront their accusers.  When it comes to material things secrecy may not be harmful but when it involves actions that will forever change an individual life, or the lives of many lives or the nation secrecy is anathema.  It opens the doors to treachery. When secrecy is imposed not only is the witness’s testimony called into question but those who judge the veracity of his testimony are called into question as well.

So if the Democrats insist on holding hearings on undoing a Constitutionally prescribed Presidential election let everything be done in a fitting, orderly and open way so that the people who elected that President can see and know whether or not the facts justify the action and hold the perpetrators accountable. It is we the people who will decide whether justice has been served or a cloakroom coup has been executed but we must have all the information and facts to judge fairly and vote appropriately.

This whole affair began prior to the election and has continued nonstop since 2016 and in my view when taken in its full context is nothing short of a coup d'etat.

The Don Quixotes of the Christian Left

Alex Wong/Getty Images 

My old friend, the late James Dunn, who was a firebrand for religious liberty in the tradition of Roger Williams, John Leland, George W. Truett and the other great Baptist leaders before him, understood the dangers of civil religion but he also understood the command to be salt and light influencers of our culture through political action. He, unlike the present Director and staff at the BJC, never participated in the propagandistic language of Newspeak to create a Don Quixote windmill against which to joust. He sought to persuade men in order to win them to his view . . . . not hammer them with self-righteous proclamations and disingenuous straw men. His views were birthed in Scripture not Progressivism.

The Baptist Joint Committee on Public Policy (hereafter referred to as BJC) is spearheading a campaign against what they label as Christian Nationalism. The name is not original with them but Amanda Tyler the BJC’s Director and her staff have adopted it and taken the lead on trying to expose and destroy it. Her stance has received the endorsement of  Michael Curry, presiding bishop of the Episcopal Church; the Rev. Elizabeth Eaton, presiding bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America; Sister Simone Campbell, head of Catholic social justice lobby NETWORK; Tony Campolo, founder of Red Letter Christians; Jim Winkler, president and general secretary of the National Council of Churches; Melissa Rogers, former executive director of the White House Office of Faith-based and Neighborhood Partnerships under President Barack Obama; the Rev. Jimmie Hawkins, director of the Presbyterian Church (USA)’s Office of Public Witness; and the Rev. Paul Baxley, executive coordinator of the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship . . . . . all Left leaning Christian leaders (Progressives).

From the list above and others found elsewhere it appears that this disingenuous indignation that seeks to bring condemnation down upon the heads of Conservative Christians who dare to be found active in the public square is the result of theologically liberal Christians who afraid of the gains social conservatives who are Christians have made in the last few years. They are attempting to sideline faithful Christians by creating “Christian Nationalism” which one prominent conservative historian has referred to as a "radioactive term" designed to soil their reputation.

What is Christian Nationalism? . . . . It is the “merging of Christian and American identities by distorting both the Christian faith and America’s constitutional democracy. Christian nationalism demands Christianity be privileged by the State and implies that to be a good American, one must be Christian."

By defining Christian Nationalism this way Amanda Tyler, et. al. are seeking to redefine nationalism in a way that implies something sinister about conservative Christians who love their country and who often refer to the United States of America (hereafter referred to as “America”) as a Christian Nation. The very term Christian Nationalism is a “Newspeak” implying that there is something sinister about Christians who love their country. Are there people who would like to see the United States and Christianity merged into a single entity?  I am sure there is. There all kind of nutty people in our world and sadly our religious and political leaders too often pander to some of them. I am also sure that among the nutty people are a few who would like to see the country adopt the Bible or the Koran as the basis of our national government. Some would support Sharia law. Other twits want a Socialistic agenda and to do away with things like Electoral College and the Senate. Neither of these constitute a significant threat.

Most Christians I know believe that mixed with the empiricism of John Locke and Alexander Pope are the moral Principles of the Christian Scripture. From early founders fleeing religious persecution to those who simply wanted a new start in life for their families virtually every people group that constituted the founding culture whether Christian or not accepted the fact that the moral and ethical standards found in the Christian Scripture were the underpinnings of the new nation. Even the "Create a more perfect union” made an appeal to the commonly accepted notion that our basic rights to Life, Liberty and the pursuit of happiness come from God and were not negotiable.

It is also true that the founders recognized that government and religion should not be organizationally united. Hence the prohibition on government in the first amendment of involving itself in religion. They included no such provision for religion. So while Jefferson spoke of a wall of separation existed between state and church it was a wall to keep government out of religion not religion out of government.

So I find myself asking, “And just what is that you're against that is real? I'm a Christian and I'm against "gobbledygook." Do you know what it is that I am against when I call it “gobbledygook?” Well, just so you know I am against the use of “Newspeak” to distort and confuse.  Through the use of propagandistic language marked by euphemism, circumlocution, and the inversion of customary meanings and that is what Christian Nationalism is they denigrate conservative Christians.

If you are just talking about merging  Christian and American identities by distorting both the Christian faith and America’s constitutional democracy then say so and there is a better than even chance I'll agree. However, when you added “Christian nationalism demands Christianity be privileged by the State and implies that to be a good American, one must be Christian" you revealed your true colors. So I have to ask, “Who the heck are or talking about?”  This is a Quixotic windmill. Never in my 73 years among Christians and Baptist in particular have I ever heard anyone say that to be a good American you must be a Christian. That’s just a cleaver phrase designed to be a windmill, i.e., create a reality out of a non-reality.

To go a little further . . . .I had posted on the BJC Facebook page a short blurb about the use of "Newspeak" and I got a response that said,  "Yes David, but it is a little more comfortable than Christian White Supremacist isn't it."  I don't know exactly what this person was saying but I have a strong inclination that "Christian White Supremacist" is what their Newspeak term "Christian Nationalist" really means. That in turns says something about how folks who follow the BJC see conservative Christians. So anytime you are referred to as a Christian Nationalist they are in reality lumping you in with White Supremacist and by extension Neo-Nazis.

As I said, I have never heard anyone but Leftist leaning Christian leaders make the statement that to be a good American you had to be a Christian. I have never head it. What I have heard is, “dedicated Christians make good citizens.” I have heard conservative Christians stress the need to win, through evangelistic efforts of preaching, teaching, personal testimony, home visitations etc. to win the non Christian to faith. All of these fall within the Christian’s responsibility under God not government,. Laws that minimize these efforts or make them altogether impossible are to be challenged and changed.

Add to this the fact that we are to be salt and light in the national culture both through how we live personally and for what we endorse and seek to enact into law politically. Christians are to do that both individually and are to organize themselves in ways that effectively bring these things to pass. This IS NOT Christian Nationalism!  It is simply Christians living out in the real work their faith. Unfortunately for the Christian Left (Christian Socialist and Progressives) the basic truths of the Scripture run contrary to their world view.  I encourage the “Christian Left” to consider that there was a reason God wrote the Ten Commandments in stone and not on parchment.

The people that the BJC seek to suck into the false category of National Socialism are Believers who simply believe the Bible. Their mantra is, “The Bible says it and that settles it” whether I believe it or not is irrelevant to its validity.  Christians seeking to bring their government into compatibility with Christian moral values through political action are seeking to do exactly what our founding fathers said they were doing . . . . . “Create a more perfect Union.” We are committed to the rule of law even when that law violates our understanding of Scripture but we also will not surrender our right to change those laws to ones that are more compatible with our Christian ethics and morals. So get used to it.

The BJC and other Left leaning Christians know full well that men such as the late Jerry Falwell, Robert Jeffress and conservative pastors/leaders across the nation are not and never have sought to merge the Church with the State. Quite the contrary . . . . . We simply believe we have been tasked by God to call the nation to righteousness and to implore and yes pressure the “secular” leadership to lead the way. We are to be both salt and light to our world and that means pressing the culture to evolve a nation that adheres to the core principles of Scripture. Blessed is the nation who God is the Lord."

I suggest the BJC look around. The real threat to the Republic and to the church is not the merging of the two. There is no evidence that there is any risk of that. To the contrary. The government is under assault fro liberalism, socialism and internal corruption. The church is under attack the world over and Christians are literally dying for their faith; being excluded from the American public square by court rulings that are too broad and sweeping . . . to the point of literally “throwing the baby out with the bath water.”

I further suggest that the America has nothing to fear from conservative Christians. Christians do not want special standing they want equal footing. Trust me, the conservative Christian is not the enemy . . . . their love for their Lord overflows into love for their country as established by our founding fathers. The conservative Christian's sin is that he loves both God and Country and stand in the way of the Socialist Left whether they be Christian or not and their goals for this nation.

Time is Now Fleeting . . . .The Moments Are Passing

Some years ago one of my older cousins made it possible for all of us first cousins to be together for a few days in San Antonio, Texas in what has become known historically as “The Cousins Reunion.” 

Unfortunately like so many of these things in our day a couple of folks just couldn’t make it for a variety of reasons Those of us who were there tried to share the experience but like the old saying goes, “You just had to be there to understand what happened.”

Well, a lot of things did happen but I was struck from the very beginning with how cousins who had not seen or spoken to each other in years just started up as though they had never been apart.  That was my first tip off as to the kind of meeting this was going to be.

I have aways been intrigued by how members of this family could do two things: First, as already mentioned, they could be apart for years and yet when they do get together you’d have thought they’d never been separated; and, second how they could sit together in the same room and speak a paucity of words and yet when they leave come away feeling they’d had a great visit. There was plenty of both at the cousin reunion.

We talked about a lot of things. Older cousins filled-in those who were younger on life in the Appleby Clan before we came along and we who were younger filled them in our our life’s journey.  We marveled how we all shared the same views on family legacy and what was important. We reminisced on the passing of the older generation, namely our parents& grandparents, and the impact each had on our individual and now apparently collective lives.  What we all seemed to intuitively know was that the torch of our “Appleby” family values and heritage was now in the hands of the next generation . . . . . . . our children.

I think at that gathering of what I often refer to as Clan Chiefs we anointed cousin Ben as our honorary Chieftain of our clan. Since he was the oldest it only seemed natural that he should hold the title. Now in days long gone my grandmother Alice would have been our de facto Chieftain. With that out of the way we had a council of conversation where we shared about our own individual clans, memories of each other and finally the Appleby legacy from our time. I have written elsewhere about that legacy.

We took note of the fact that our parents generation was all but gone (though I did remind them that there were a few cousins on both sides of the family still living). However, it was true our parents were all now seated in a heavenly council gathering where the Lord is the Chieftain. This led to the acknowledgment that the next family reunion (metaphor for funeral) would be when one of us becomes the honored guest at a funeral. That is one first honor to which none of us wished to claim title. Unfortunately it will fall to one of us to be the first.

While none of us blood related cousins has yet grasped that brass ring one of our “by marriage” cousins has. This morning I learned that my cousin Judith’s husband, Ronny Miller,  went to be with the Lord last night just as the sun was falling behind the horizon.  Fortunately,  I have for the past eleven years lived close enough to keep up a little with Judy and Ronny.

When I learned that Ronny had passed and the time of his passing was at sunset last evening I thought about that old gospel song . . . . . Angel Band.

The latest sun is sinking fast, my race has nearly run
My strongest trials now are past, my triumph is begun
O come Angel Band, come and around me stand
O bear me away on your snow wings to my immortal home
O bear me away on your snow wings to my immortal home

I know I'm near the holy ranks of friends and kindred dear
I've brushed the dew on Jordan's banks, the crossing must be near
I've almost gained my Heavenly home, my spirit loudly sings
The Holy ones, behold they come, I hear the noise of wings
O bear my longing heart to Him who bled & died for me
Whose blood now cleanses from all sin and gives me victory

I also thought about how his becoming a part of my life influenced me. I want to share just a couple of words about Ron. First I knew he had good judgment and an eye for beauty. I know this because he chose my cousin Judith to be his life long companion.  Come December 14 of this year they would have marked their 62 wedding anniversary. When I was a kid I thought Judy, as we called her then, was just about the prettiest girl I’d ever seen and apparently so did James Ronald Miller. 

Judy is one of the reasons I knew from early on we Appleby's would have nothing but beautiful children and that has proven to be the case. I also learned that that he loved kids. One of my fondest childhood memories occurred shortly after he and Judy married in 1957, probably around 1960 or 62 or so. If it was 1960 they had come to visit Judy's parents but if 1962 it would have been to attend Grandfather Claud Appleby's funeral in May of that year. Regardless of the year or occasion Ronnie took myself and a couple of other my age cousins to Meadow Brook outdoor basketball court where we spent the afternoon . . . . just us guys. It wasn’t a big thing but it was important enough so that now at the age of 72 I still remember it with fondness. 

Among many things our Appleby ancestors left us was a faith that can see beyond today and into eternity. They handed down to us a strong faith in God. So much so that I do not speak of my deceased parents or other family members and friends in the past tense. To be sure they are not here but I know where they are. I also have the assurance from the Word of God, the Bible, that while in so many ways they cannot come here I will most certainly join them at God's appointed time. 

So, I guess for me and I suspect many of my cousins as well as those who have gone before us funerals really are a family reunion. It is a time when many of us who have not seen or spoken to one another are together for a time of renewal, reflection, shared tears and laughter as we remember those who have gone before us. So the funeral becomes our brief Brigadoon before the mist rises and we go our separate ways with the assurance we are a part of a bigger community. I suppose that is also why we need our honorary Chieftain.  

This is perhaps how it should be since most if not all of us who are Christians for whom there is no real death for us. Perhaps we should stop sing about gathering at the river and start singing about gathering at the grave site where we can tune into the fact that those who have gone before us are not dead . . . . it is only their flesh that is mortal that is deposited in the earth . . . .they are now very much alive and with the Lord.  

Jesus said, "I give unto them eternal life and they shall never dies." And Paul added a footnote to that by saying, "For we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands. Meanwhile we groan, longing to be clothed instead with our heavenly dwelling, because when we are clothed, we will not be found naked. For while we are in this tent, we groan and are burdened, because we do not wish to be unclothed but to be clothed instead with our heavenly dwelling, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life. Now the one who has fashioned us for this very purpose is God, who has given us the Spirit as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come." Death does not a relationship end if that relationship is connected in Jesus Christ. 

I like to picture life as walking together with Jesus holding our hands. He holds our hand here in this world and he is holding their hand in heaven and because we are both holding His hand and walking with him we are also still walking with each other. Brothers and sisters the journey does not end at the cemetery.  For this reason I invite you by faith take His hand and come walk with us.

Walking with Jesus, walking everyday, walking all the way
Walking with Jesus, walking with Jesus along

Walking in the sunlight, walking in the shadow
Walking everyday, walking all the way
Walking in the sunlight, walking in the shadow
Walking with Jesus along
Walking with Jesus, walking everyday, walking all the way
Walking with Jesus, walking with Jesus along

Walking with Jesus, walking everyday, walking all the way
Walking with Jesus, walking with Jesus along

Walking in the sunlight, walking in the shadow
Walking everyday, walking all the way
Walking in the sunlight, walking in the shadow
Walking with Jesus along

Living Proof: God Supplies the Needs of His Servants

Many of my contemporaries, myself included, who became pastors of Baptist churches in the 1960-70's believed that we had a Divine calling from God to "preach the gospel." No church ever paid us to preach . . . . we preached because of the call of God on our lives. We preached at the drop of a hat and we preached anywhere we could get an audience.

Now that call was as clear and distinct as was our very salvation experience. It was for us, a specific call to preach and being a pastor was a means of doing that.  To validate that calling our home churches would issue a “License to Preach” which opened the doors to churches other than our home church. Later would come “Ordination to the Gospel Ministry” that signified we had demonstrated the validity of that calling through our preaching.

I believe I told every pulpit (Pastor Search) committee that ever interviewed me, and there were many over the years, not to think that "you are paying me to preach." You see the only reason I changed the trajectory of my life was in  response to God's call on my life to preach and teach the Gospel not to make a living.

Prior to God’s calling me to preach my personal life goal was to teach history at the University level. But on a date certain God touched my life and changed its direction. Sitting in my home church next to the woman who would become my wife I was totally oblivious to what the pastor was saying. I was reading a passage of Scripture when in my heart and in my head I heard God speak to me through that passage. “The verse was one in which Jesus said, “And I If I be lifted up will draw all men unto me.”

Trust me here, I know that Jesus was talking about his own sacrificial death ln the cross. However, on this day God used it totally out of context to speak to my heart and His purpose for my life. That evening I heard the voice of the Lord say, I want you to devote your life full time to lifting me up through the preaching of the Gospel.  Now nearly sixty years later I still feel the imperative of that call.  From that night to this day His word has been as Jeremiah said, “a fire within my bones” so that I had to preach. Believe me when I say this was not what I wanted for my life and it ran contrary to my personality. It was God’s call and it still baffles me as to “why me, Lord?”

Hence, no church ever paid me to preach regardless of what they thought. As I told them, they were paying me so I would not be hindered from preaching by financial stress and to do all the mundane things that we pastors do on behalf of our churches.  Truth be told, money has never been much of a motivator for me. Maybe that is why I have so little. I never asked for a raise and that’s probably why over the years I got so few significant raises. I believed then and I believed now that the single most important thing I did in my life was to be faithful to preach the gospel and He would supply my needs. and He has.

I would add that the woman sitting next to that day I heard God speaking to me about His purpose for my life did in fact become my wife and that too was the result of the hand of God. She proved to be the perfect helpmate for me and a perfect preacher/pastor’s wife. The Lord knew I needed her in my life. Again, He suppled my need.  He always has supplied my need.

The truth is we have never had more than just what we needed for the moment all throughout our ministry. However, the Lord has never failed to meet our life needs including the financial ones.  Every church where I served met my financial needs. From the day I started preaching as a teenage boy God has used His people to supply all my material needs.

Unfortunately, I, like so many of my generation, didn’t have a clue about how to prepare for the day when the Lord says to hang up your guns. Sadly for many of us this “imposed retirement from active ministry leaves us living at or below the federal poverty line. Even more tragic is that many ministers made no preparation for retirement . . . . we just assumed we’d be preaching until we died. If fact, we all seemed to believe we would, and wanted to, die in the pulpit preaching . . . . . that’s how strong this call to preach was.

As I look back on my years as a preacher of the Gospel and a Baptist pastor I wish sometimes I had done more but there is a sense of satisfaction know that God blessed the preaching and ministry I delivered. There is also a sense of gratitude for His care.  Susan and I often look back across the years and marvel and how God has blessed us in our service to Him. Truth is, we can see more clearly from our present perspective of age his providential hand working in our lives.

From the beginning when we left Pasadena, Texas for Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Ft. Worth with our two month old daughter and no money, no job, no housing and knowing not a single person there to this present day He has been faithful to supply our needs. There is the miracle of a last minute wonderful place to live; there are the checks that came in the mail at precisely the right moment; there was the terrific job with Safeway Grocery: and a thousand other things that supplied our needs. We never wanted for sustenance and He brought into our lives such wonderful people as Mrs. Thanish, Trozy Barker, Bob Coleman, Bill Warren, Micky Scott, Jimmy Hedges, David Medley, Jerry Wilkins, Charles Dennis, and Wayne Bowen. So through God’s grace and goodness we found a new home with new friends.

It has been that way all along the journey. We have never had an abundance but we always had what we needed to allow us to continue preaching the Gospel. That journey has taken us to places we never dreamed and it was all one day at a time.  Somehow we knew that the journey would never end and it hasn’t. However, it came to a screeching halt in 2005 when I suffered a major heart attack that took two years to recover from. By then most of my formal opportunities at ministry were over. Doctor’s said I had to avoid the stress that being an active full time pastor entailed.

It was then that God opened another whole knew venue of ministry and one that would help meet my financial needs. For the next several years I served as an unofficial chaplain to the travel industry while working officially as an Independent Contractor with two travel agents associations. Again, God provided just enough to meet our basic needs and allow us to take the Gospel into uncharted waters. I still function in this capacity, except without income, to this day.

It has been a great journey with the Lord. Truth is, life is always good even when it is hard if you are where the Lord wants you to be doing what He wants you doing. However, as I assess my life there is one thing I wish I had understood better. I wish I had known more about preparing for the day when I would not be a pastor or teacher.  To be sure I did a few things right: First, I am glad that I made a decision at the very beginning of my ministry to remain in in Social Security. It has proven to be a major source of income for us.  Back in the 1960's ministers had to opt in or could opt out of Social Security. . . . . it wasn’t mandatory. I opted to stay in.

The other thing I did was sign-up for the old Annuity Board’s Plan A.  Later when that plan was discontinued I moved to one of the new plans. Throughout my ministry had an account with first the Annuity Board and then its successor, Guidestone Financial Services but only paid the minimum amounts into the plans. Salaries were such that it took just about all I was paid to feed my family of six and put three of my children through school.

Unfortunately, my retirement, necessitated by a heart attack I mentioned earlier, came at a downturn in the economy my retirement fund was just a shadow of what it had been. As a result my total income placed us below the federal poverty line.  As stated earlier, during my ministry Susan and I raised our family and survived financially on the generosity of God’s people and prayer . . . . . . . The same is true today.  God is still enabling us to survive and serve and He is still doing it through the generosity of God’s people. We stay financially afloat on the gifts and generosity of God’s people who give to “Mission:Dignity.”  Could we use more? . . . . sure we could; . . . . . . do we sometimes still struggle with finances? . . . . . of course we do . . . . . but then that seems to be the way life has been from the beginning and yet God has always met our needs. Never too much; never to little; always just right.

Oh to be sure there have been heartaches and I've seen my share of troubles; I have bruises and I have taken my lumps. I've had my share of loneliness; I’ve been about, lied to and deceived; I’ve carried burdens, both my own and those of others . . . . . I’ve had to bare burdens and weather dark days that often brought disappointments . . . . Life has not always been easy but God has always been good to me. It's by the grace of God, that I'm still here today.  He was always there, no matter what came my way I felt the His presence in my time of need.

So as I draw closer to the finish line of the race He has called me to run I offer nothing but thanks for the things He has done and in which I shared. I have preached in high places and low, at home and around the world, met and moved among the mighty and walked with the humble. I have seen lives changed, families restored, and watched as He called others to preach, teach and minister in His name from the flock over which I shepherded. So much has he blessed me with the fruit of my labor that what I have outweighs what I do not have. I do not have much in the way of this world’s riches but I am blessed beyond all measure.

So I say with the Psalmist: “I once was young and now I am old, but I have not seen a righteous person forsaken or his descendants begging for bread. Every day he is generous, lending freely,
and his descendants are blessed.”  When God called me to preach as a teenage boy in Pasadena, Texas I had an assurance in my heart that if I was faithful to His calling He would see to it that my needs would be met. I can say from the depth of my soul that I have tried to always be found faithful to my calling in whatever form it took and I can add that He has been faithful in meeting my needs and those of my family. God is good all the time; all the time God is good!

So trust in the Lord with all thine heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him and He will supply your needs and direct the pathway of your life.

The Destruction of Cathedral of Notre Dame

I saw in a posting on Facebook asking the question, "Is the destruction of the Cathedral of Notre Dame just the loss of a building or a hole in the soul?" Personally, I would not call it "just the loss of a building" or a "hole in the soul."

It is certainly a loss of magnificent historical building but not "just the loss." Second perhaps to the Vatican it is the greatest historic symbol of resilience and faith of Christians around the world. It physical design reminded us that our God is high and lifted up. To the world in general it is the loss of the peg upon which we recognized our connection with our past both religiously and secularly.

It stood as a testimony to the greatness of God an d the need to worship Him in a Majestic setting befitting His majesty . . . . He is high and lifted up in the Sanctuary of His grace.

It is also a symbol of the ingenuity of man. So with the loss of the building we loose not only a building but an example of our own creativity and that of our fathers.

It is not a "hole in the soul" because the Christian faith is not tied to any earthly construction no matter how grand and how significant it may be. Our faith is in God and not the buildings we construct to honor Him and in which we worship Him. The day has come when our worship is not tied to a building or a place. We worship in Spirit and Truth wherever we are because God meets us where we are. So there is no "hole" only sadness for loss of a meaningful facility.

Worship “in spirit and in truth” is not a call to austere bland worship canters or an end to grand cathedrals. It is a clear declaration that worship is not dependant upon facilities. However, the facilities in which we do worship should be as functional as our faith and as grand as our God that we can make them.

Perhaps in the destruction of Notre Dame has become the symbol of the nature of modern Christianity . . . . a marvelous exterior and a burned-out interior. Christianity appears on the exterior to be the same as always but the interior is far from its spiritual center.

Our works continue . . . . we still feed the hungry, clothe the naked, care for the widow and orphan and fight the scourge of abortion.  Today, more than ever we build great church building to house thousands of people. But we now do them because of our natural human compassion or ambition and it is no longer the “love of Christ” that constrains us. The church has to all external appearances a “form of godliness.”

Is the burning of “Notre Dame” God saying in another way that we have become like the Pharisees of Jesus’ day "whitewashed sepulchers?" It seems to me that it could very well be a call to return to the faith of our fathers . . . . to a real life changing faith in Jesus Christ as the Son of the Living God who died and rose again that men might be delivered from sin and death.  The burden of the outer man is the weakness of the inner man. We have become a people where the body is willing but the spirit is weak. We have our earthly cart ahead of our spiritual horse.

Perhaps nothing symbolizes this more than the fact that after the entire inside of the building was gutted the only thing remaining was the cross. The fire destroyed a building but not a church because the church is not anchored in the building but the product of the cross.

That Cross reminds us of the core of the Christian faith. It is not the works that we do but the Lord that we serve. As long as the cross stands so stands the church. The Christian faith is better seen in the statement "we will rebuild." It is the interior that must be restored and it will be restored around the centrality of that cross.

I saw of Muslim’s praising Allah for the burning of the cathedral as well as others laughing at the burning of Notre Dame. If that is true it will be a short lived moment of celebration. Woe be to them who delight in the pain of God's people. Out of the ashes of the burned-out cathedral sanctuary (symbol for the heart of Christianity) God will raise up a strong and mighty nation (the universal church) through a new birth of faith in, focus on, and commitment to the Christ of whom that lone standing cross in the burned out sanctuary stands.

“Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.  “And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven . . . upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.”

Should the Lord delay His return there will be a day in the future in Paris in the Cathedral of Notre Dame when the voices of God's people again sing, from hearts that have been made glad, of His majesty. Some will again see the Lord high and lifted up. It will be the same church on the outside but with a new heart and enthusiasm within.

“Heaven and Earth may pass away but the Word of our God endures forever” and the church which is the body of Christ will endure to become the bride of Christ even if it must be resurrected from the dead,

Don't Call Him A Cowboy Unitl You've Seen How He Wears His Hat.

For some reason I have been thinking about “COWBOY HATS” this morning. It may be because I

live in Texas where they are worn by the Department of Transportation Offices and the Texas Ranger and most of the Sheriff department in the state and have the civilians. It may be because I saw an announcement about George Straight appearing at the close of the Houston Rodeo or the fact that the YMBL’s South Texas State Fair starts soon. I don’t know, but that’s what I am thinking about . . . . that and how many people don’t wear them correctly.

Many years ago I officiated a large western (old west) wedding in our main sanctuary. The gals were all dressed in gingham and the guys had western style tuxedos including cowboy hates. Unfortunately, the groom didn’t understand the etiquette of wearing a cowboy hate. He wanted to keep the hat on all through the service. After myself, all his groomsmen, and the bride tried to convince him to take the hat of when he entered the sanctuary I had to finally tell him, “insist on wearing the hate and there will be no wedding here.” Reluctantly, he agreed.

Next day, as he entered the sanctuary he grudgingly removed his hat, handed to the best man to hold and got through the whole service without incident. It wasn’t until the processional and he passed out of the sanctuary he replaced the hat on his head with such force that in came down over his ears. The place erupted with laughter.

That brings me to my point. A cowboy hat is more than just one of the most beloved items of western wear. Here in Texas is a rite of passage for every who aspires to be a cowboy. This would be at events such as the Houston Rodeo and all rodeos in the state and any other western themed event.  However, for all you occasional “cowboys”  types and those who aspire to be a true Texan, garb and all there are actually some well established rule for wearing your cowboy hat.

As illustrated by the little story above the number one rule is knowing when to remove your hat. This rule applies not only to when to remove your “cowboy” hat but to any hat a man might be wearing. The except is people in uniform. Military, police and others whose hat (Cover) is part of their uniform. But then they when in uniform wouldn’t be wearing a cowboy hat or any other hat for that matter. For the rest, you should remove your hat on the following occasions:

1. During the National Anthem and hold it over your heart.
2. Pledge of Allegiance and hold it over your heart,
3. The passing of the flag,
4. In church . . . . . there is an exception as it relates to a new phenomenon called “Cowboy Church.” In this fast growing church, cowboys are allowed to wear their hats at an indoor service, but they must take it off for prayer or the Lord’s Prayer.
5. During a prayer,
6. During a funeral procession.
7. When introduced to a woman. You can hold the hat in one hand while you shake her hand in greeting with the other. If you are just passing a lady on a walkway just a “tip of the hat is needed.
8. When entering a building or private home,
9. When you begin a new conversation,
10. When dining in a restaurant or sitting down for a meal. . . . . You should remove your hat while eating for a couple of reasons:  First, it shows respect to the people that prepared the meal and second, it shows that you plan on staying a while and enjoying the conversation. My exception is, if there isn't any were to put the hat. Keep it on. No hooks or shelf, I refuse to put in on the floor or in another chair. Back in the day many of the old chairs had a hat shelf. It was the crossbars that stabilized the chair with another one or two joining it in the middle. This was invented so hats could go under the seat but not on the floor. Alas they are no more.
11. When speaking with  anyone who is considered your superior.
12. When at “Mommas” house.  There is little more disrespectful thing you can do than wearing your cowboy hat inside your mama’s house. This includes your friend’s mama’s house, as well. Moms are sacred and every cowboy knows it. Don’t do it.

The second rule has to do with what kind of cowboy hat you wear and for what occasions. As a

general rule a felt hat is for the Fall and winter and a straw hat is for Spring and Summer. This began as a practical matter, felt keeps the head warm in cold months and straw hats are cooler in hot months. So when the weather changes it is time to change hats. I’d add that you have a hat for special occasions and one for everyday use. Don’t wear you sweat stained hat to a fancy western ball and don’t wear your formal hat to a cattle auction.

Rule number three has to do with how to hold your western (cowboy) hat when it is not on your head. Don’t be seen doing it wrong because it will let everyone know you’re just a cowboy want-to-be dude (newbie). When carrying your hat in your hand always hold it by the crown so that the opening from the head is turned toward your body. The idea is to keep the hat lining concealed.

When not wearing your cowboy hat or holding it in your hand it should be properly stored in a travel hat box that will protect it from being crushed.  If setting the hat down on a flat surface it should be placed so as to rest on its crown.

Lastly and maybe most importantly NEVER mess with another cowboy's hat. Not only is it considered bad luck, but this is an extremely personal item that is often expensive. Let’s get this one right . . . . . .  a cowboy hat is not a toy. It is not okay to touch another cowboy’s hat, or put on a another cowboy’s hat that is lying around the house. It is not okay to grab it off a cowboy’s head, and it is absolutely forbidden to say, as you reach out, “Gee, what’s that made of?”

There are two exceptions to this rule . . . . . The first is a cowboy’s fiancé may touch a cowboy’s hat once and that is on the honeymoon. The second is that a grandchild may do whatever they want to a cowboy hat, short of sleeping in it. It is, after all, just a hat. I know that doesn’t seem fair, but that’s just the deal.

So now you know . . . . wear those "Cowboy" hats (Western) correctly and don't let those who now the rules sinker behind your back. Go get'em cowboy! Oh yea . . . don't put your hat an the bed as it will bring bad luck and don't put it on its brim as that will empty out you good luck.

What's the rule for women and their cowboy hats . . . well, there ain't no rule. Most of the rules listed here just DO NOT apply to the ladies.