Favorite Things - Homecomings & Reunions

the song because of the idea of things we all enjoy. Things we cherish. Things we want to hold on to
and things that make a difference. Things like white copper kettles and warm woolen mittens. All of
these and so many more are just a few of my favorite things. A part of my personal collection of
favorite things includes homecomings, reunions, and good ole get-togethers.
Homecoming for me as a Baptist means one image, one memory comes to my mind ahead of all
others. Homecoming in Baptist life means preaching, singing, and eating. Please allow me to focus on
the eating for this column! The food at a homecoming is like no other time in the yearly life of a church
and her fellowship schedule. Everyone who cooks brings their best dish or two and everyone knows
whose food was prepared by whom just from the look. Yes, you just need to ask, where are Aunt
Dorothy’s dumplings’ and everyone there are can show you which bowl is hers. Real homecoming
events have real fried chicken too. Now I realize the Colonel is important in Kentucky, but that is not
exactly the real fried chicken I am talking about. I am thinking Grandma Stella’s fried chicken, now that
is real! How about Aunt Mert’s friend green tomatoes, and Lord only knows no one could fix enough
fried potatoes for such an event, but when someone does, they don’t last very long in the line that is a
fact for sure.
Reunions are a great time too. Seeing family and friends from time to time reminds all of us of
the memories we’ve shared and the great time we enjoyed growing up at all phases of life. The one
thing about reunions that I really enjoy is the photos of each family. In my personal family tradition that
is the one that that I always look forward to. My family always starts with the oldest child of those we
gather in memory of and we introduce folks and have what I call “mind history flashes” as we see
everyone. Plus it is a lot of fun to see how we change from year to year too.
Good ole get-togethers are a favorite thing as this is sometimes the unorganized event that just
happens when you find two or three folks in the same place at the same time and you walk away
saying “man we have got to get-together more often”. These get-togethers are also planned with due
notice mailed, emailed, texted, or called. Normally we meet at a restaurant when this is the case and
those who come often bring things that really remind us all of a day and time we just hung out and lived
life. I just recently got out my high school letterman’s jacket and the biggest shock was that there was
no way I was fitting into that jacket today. So, there will not be any such occasion that I will be showing
that off at such a gathering anytime soon. It is crazy in a way how we grow, how our body takes on
different shapes and the clothes we once wore just don’t seem to fit any more.
Favorite things are awesome to reflect upon. Favorite places can easily be included in such a
list. Today, Whitley County is host to such a favorite thing for many people including myself. It is
Homecoming at Cumberland College. I know, some will say, “Tim, it is the University of the
Cumberlands”, well I know that, but my diploma says, Cumberland College and I was an Indian and not a
Patriot, so if all is ok with you, I will live in History for this weekend and reflect with my friends on the
days of Cumberland College and Dr. Boswell. That time period sure brings back a lot of memories and
the leadership that Dr. Bowell gave to Cumberland should always be remembered by those of us who
had a chance to experience his leadership style and love for students. Certainly today, the University of
the Cumberlands looks like a totally different place then when I first arrived on campus. Dr. Taylor has
done an outstanding job of bringing change to the campus, updating facilities, and simply making the
place beautiful. It very well could be the most beautiful campus in the south.
As I visit Williamsburg and the campus this weekend for homecoming I am certainly looking
forward to enjoying the renewed friendship of friends that I may not have seen in 25 years. There is no
doubt as I return to Cumberland College for homecoming I will be thinking about Ms. Mac; Harvey the
campus mascot at the time; The old grey brick building, which isn’t gray anymore; Dr. Harold Wortman
my friend and mentor; Vic Edwards; and Mr. Shaw. That man who kept the campus in shape back then.
Lots of things floating in my mind for this college homecoming and I am just glad they are all a part of

my favorite things, thanks Cumberland.

Until then

Prayer; Tradition; Change; (Bell County High School Football Prayer before games)

Sometimes when we see problems we see them from a very small window. We look at things as if we are the only person that is dealing with such and we feel isolated and often in the position of one against the world. This situation develops because we are unaware of the many other things happening around us in a much larger picture. There is no doubt that issues specific to us have the potential of having a greater impact on us, rather than someone just out in the general public. Nevertheless, there are many things that impact each of us in different ways and just because we may not have direct involvement it cannot negate the opportunity and possibility of an impact at many different levels.
Prayer is a subject of much conversation here in the mountains of Southeastern Kentucky currently because of the threat of a lawsuit against the Bell County School District from the Freedom from Religion Foundation. The Freedom from Religion Foundation, an organization that is located in the State of Wisconsin, notified the Bell County Schools of the legal action they were going to pursue against the school district if they did not cease having prayer before their football games. After the Bell County School District consulted with their legal counsel they ended the long standing tradition of prayer before games.
I have written prior to this column that in the mountains we don’t “take to well” to outsiders coming into our communities to tell us what to do and how to do it. Community standards are what attract each of us to where we live. When we ask someone what you like about this area, it is easily understood from their answers what makes our community special. I would say that prayer, and more especially public prayer is a part of our tradition and one that is and has been enjoyed throughout our communities, and not just Bell County. As a sports official for the Kentucky High School Athletic Association, I have heard prayers before games in every sport, and I consider this to be a strong tradition in Southeastern Kentucky, and one that we should be proud of.
The Freedom from Religion Foundation, on its home web page, states that they are “the nation's largest association of freethinkers (atheists, agnostics and skeptics) with over 17,000 members.” I myself am a freethinker and I applaud all such freethinkers. This is one avenue for development of ideas, goals, and to see dreams become reality. I also respect those that are atheists, agnostics and skeptics. Atheists deny the existence of a deity. Personally, I acknowledge Jesus Christ as Lord, Savior, and Creator of the Universe. I believe without Him, nothing was made and without Him, the real meaning of our purpose on earth is missed. If you want to live as if there is not God, you will not hear me complaining about your position. This position is one that I gained from Jesus. Christianity allows you to make your own decision up about what you believe about Jesus if you choose to believe anything at all. Agnostics are those that I would define as folks who are stuck in the middle of believing and knowing. They want to believe in something, but choose to believe in nothing unless they are able to define it and place their finger on it. We all know what a skeptic is. They simply doubt it all and claim no position relative to matters of faith or belief. Now if you are one of these three or another type of individual outside of these realms, you too have my respect.
When I prayed in the Chambers of the House of Representatives in Kentucky back in 1998, Kathy Steins, a Jewish lawmaker from Lexington, unleashed a verbal attack against my prayer. I simply ended my prayer in the name of Jesus. When asked why I did this, I said I was a Christian Minister, and there was no other name for me to pray to as my faith was based upon Jesus. There is plenty of room in Southeastern Kentucky for those that pray and those that do not pray. Respecting the position of each is important as we continue to live lives of faith and for some, no faith at all. Traditions are an important aspect of our lives in Southeastern Kentucky. Change is something that also doesn’t come easy.

Until then

Rehounds & Bobcats Pray - Corbin Times Tribune

There are few subject matters that can be written about that gets the blood of folks boiling faster than a discussion of their personal loyalty to their local sports team. If you are a Colonel, Yellow Jacket, Wildcat, Jaguar, Cardinal, Panther, or Redhound, then you are more than likely ready to take offense if I were to write against your team or in any way write something negative. We bleed no other color than our own and we wear the t-shirts, ball caps and jackets to show just who we love too. A sport has a way of bringing out the best and the worst in us, I suppose.
I love competition and goals, direction, team work, and winning are things that do motivate me. For every athlete I know the desire to push yourself outside of your limits and safe zones are one of the aspects that has individuals signing up for their first teams and trying out to make teams everywhere. For many, there is also the love of being involved with something that you could not complete by yourself. My local loyalty to teams has been altered due to my involvement in sports as a registered official. It is difficult to be personally involved in cheering on a team and also officiating their involvement in that sport too. I have on the other hand learned to appreciate the efforts of student athletes and I enjoyed my part of their competition as such When you are in high school it is all about your school, but as adults we learn the bigger picture of not just sports, but life.
Last night the Corbin Red Hounds traveled to Log Mountain in Bell County to play a little football. In one aspect, nothing is out of the norm. The band is packed and ready to go, cheerleaders are excited and ready to cheer, parents may have taken off work early or made other arrangements to eat dinner early or to even go out and eat before or after the game. Sports officials are excited, they have made all their travel arrangements with plans to arrive a hour and a half before kick-off, and school officials and volunteers are getting the concession stands up and going, ticket booths manned and the programs ready to sell. All a part of Friday night football in the mountains. Last night was different in the unique opportunity that each side of the football field had an opportunity to participate in. While normally a Corbin Redhound and a Bell County Bobcat would rather just meet on a field for action, the real action for life took place in the stands and before the football was kicked to being in the game, and actually the real action took place even before the officials and captains met on the field for the coin toss.
Redhounds and Bobcats had the opportunity to pray together and that is real news and real action. If you are a Christian, then you believe that prayer is a direct and real communication with the creator of the Universe. You have no doubt personally experienced the practice of prayer on many different occasions in your walk with Christ. This experience is unique because it is a student lead organization known as First Priority and they are responsible for planning the reciting of the Lord’s Prayer at each game. Unique also is that fans and Christians from different churches, denominations all have a united participation in seeing the successfully practice of the First Amendment of the Constitution of the United States of America. There is no doubt that the exercise of our faith is important.
All across the Nation, the Freedom from Religion Foundation is filing complaints and yes, even lawsuits against school districts for sponsoring public prayers. The law on this matter is quite clear and with all due respect for the law of the land, individuals should be exercising their personal freedoms everywhere before that too is attacked and removed as fundamental rights we have still have today. Go Rehounds and Go Bobcats, I say.

Until then

Pineville Sun Column - Corbin Redhounds & Bell County Bobcats Unite....in prayer

If there is any subject I could write about to get the blood of most individuals heated would be the discussion of sports or our teams. Now personally I must confess I grew up in a time when Bell County had lots of sports loyalties. Once upon a time Bell County had three high schools. Bell County; Lone Jack; and Henderson Settlement; Bell County was also the home and continues to be the home of two other independent districts, Pineville & Middlesboro. I am going to add one more team to my list and that is Red Bird. Yes, Red Bird has always been a part of Bell County especially for those living in the southeastern part of Bell County.

Lots of different mascots one could follow back then and lots of loyalties too. It was 1976, the Bi-Centennial Year of our Nation that Henderson Settlement closed and then in 1984, the Lone Jack mustangs and the Bell County Bobcats consolidated together. Me, I have always been a Maroon & White Bobcat and I suppose I always will be. I could write a list of my friends who when to Lone Jack, Red Bird, Pineville and Middlesboro. I never felt the need to develop a “hate” like I saw witnessed in some because of their loyalties. I guess it is probably true that some folks carry such an attitude still, but that type of mind set has never been a part of my life. Maybe it was because Coach Bill Adams from Pineville was always so nice to me and it never seemed to bother him that I lived in the County. No misunderstanding here, I know he loved Pineville and bleed maroon and gold, but it never seemed to cause him to mistreat me or wish me ill in any form. There was no greater fan of the mustangs than “Stick” Overton or Coach Wayne Walters, and I always felt welcomed and liked among them too. Each full of passion and love for their schools and personally I appreciated and respected that then, and still today.

Sports brings out the best and the worst I suppose, and our emphasis should always be on the best, believing in excellence, rejecting the negative and applauding the efforts of all who participate on and off the field.

This Friday night, gathering on Log Mountain, will be Bobcats of Bell County and the Redhounds of Corbin. Bobcats claw and Redhouds howl. I am sure the fans will fill the stands to push, pull and yell for their teams. One aspect that will be most unique at this game will be the united effort of the visitors during the moment of silence. Reciting the Lords Prayer in unison is unique and it can be a powerful statement of united efforts by students from both schools as they work together to pray.

The First Priority Clubs of these two regions are both active and the student leadership of both clubs have the legal grounds to believe in prayer and to support prayer. I applaud the work of these students and I encourage all the parents and adults how attend such events to also encourage and support the student leadership as they exercise their legal rights as students. The First Amendment of the Constitution of the United States of America is important, and it is important to practice our rights too.

Until then

Barbourville Advocate Column - Knox County/Exciting Times

What exciting times to be writing as there are so many different topics and things happening everywhere we turn. Nationally there is the great discussion of who will the Republican Party select as their Presidential candidate. Nationally we have much to debate about with respect to our Country. Are we in a 2nd recession, what must be done to get the economy going again, and how should we view the crowds gathering in are larger metropolitan cities that are protesting everything from Wall Street, mortgage companies, banks to our elected officials. At the top of the list locally we have a wet dry petition that is being circulated not to mention the on-going issue of drugs that continues to plaque Knox County. So much to write about a so few words within the scope of this column.
I write that this is exciting times, and I believe that these are. It is exciting because I believe that the answer for our communities will be found within ourselves. Yes, there are always going to be outside influences and organizations that promote one position over another, and for this writer, this is exciting. Each of us has the opportunity to be involved and make a difference. When I talk with folks I see the leadership skills, the vision casting capabilities possessed by so many, and we can look around and see great successes discovered when people work together. We have the new wellness center that is a shining example of what happens when people decide to make a difference for everyone. Everyone in Knox County and even the surrounding counties will benefit from the new aquatic opportunities that were created because of that vision. The general health and wellbeing of our citizens now has a new opportunity to take personal responsibility for their individual health, because civic leaders, elected officials, and citizens decided to make something happen.
Yes, exciting times indeed, but certainly not without debate and disagreement. When I think about Barbourville-Knox County I think about all the good that is within each of us to make a difference by being a friend, giving a helping hand, listening with a clear conscious and first and foremost working to the benefit of others over ourselves. Sometimes we individuals have the ability to overlook the important things, and the previous sentence is a key to making our home the place we each want it to be. “Working to the benefit of others over ourselves”. One of the most negative impacting actions anyone can take is to remain uninvolved. Not taking a stand, not sharing your opinion, not giving of your resources, not extending a helping hand is a mistake that individuals often make. Sure, no one wants to be rejected. No one wants to have their thought discarded or their belief not taken seriously but all of these experiences are a part of getting involved and creating a dialog that gives the opportunity for a difference to be made.
Meaningful relationships are one key to making a difference. Yes, we can all do things out of devotion and duty, but that is not what I am writing about. The Bible instructs us to go one mile, and we can do that simply because the Bible tells us to, but the key to making a difference is going the second mile. This is where most of us miss the opportunity to make a difference. We go one mile and then call it quits. We give up because no one listened, or seemed to care. It can be frustrating when we are passionate and believe what we are thinking, and again, that is exciting, and that is a part of the answer.
Until then

Daniel Boone Festival - Knox County Rich History

This weekend is the perfect time to travel to Barbourville-Knox County and the Daniel Boone Festival! Of all the events that happen in Kentucky Communities, nothing is more historical then the Daniel Boone Festival. This event honors the history which led to the discovery of Kentucky and the history of the people before we became a Commonwealth in 1792. Our Community is rich in history that includes not just the discovery of a new land, Ken-tuck-ee, as the Indians pronounced it, but the discovery of the Cumberland Gap by Dr. Thomas Walker and his journey to Barbourville in 1750, truly opened the gateway for the thousands of settlers who would cross The Gap, most notably because of his efforts to forge on, would be Daniel Boone.
Knox County has a rich tradition of family, heritage, and community. Those characteristics are still cherished values set us apart then and today. There are many communities throughout the Commonwealth of Kentucky that have been forgotten because of the fading of landmarks and the failure of those remaining to remember the history from which we began. Our rich history here in Knox County includes remembering little country stores that dotted our landscape that served as the post office and community information centers. Our rich history includes the one room school houses that educated our grandparents and parents and most importantly the rich history of we the people. Our history includes the first settlers that traveled on a path to Flat Lick, made friends and peace with the Indians who where here before us, and decided to make this land home. That historical site in Flat Lick marking the “Warriors Path” may not seem like much in the history of America today but there would be no Cumberland Gap Parkway without our fore-fathers who walked that very trail, cutting back brush as they went in search of new lands. Many discovered their dreams here in this land flowing with milk and honey.
With plenty of big game to hunt and soil rich for planting this land was a dream that became reality. Today we can still hunt big game. There are plenty of elk filling the mountains today because of the efforts of conservationist and the Department of Fish and Wildlife. Yes, we even Black Bear too.
Barbourville-Knox County has a strong community history because of the churches that were established in these local settlements that became the base for community activities. When you walk the booths of the Daniel Boone Festival today the young may think of each different and individual church as the perfect place for chicken and dumplings, another for burgers or cornbread or deserts. Their participation in the Daniel Boone Festival has a real historical value because of their involvement in the settling of Knox County, Kentucky. Churches in Knox County have always served as a gathering place for worship, but there were the first establishments or institutions of learning. Many of our churches served as the first schools for reading and writing and the corporation of our educational school systems and our churches share a rich history of being a willing partner in assisting one another. This historical tradition of mutual aid to one another remains in place today here in Knox County. First Priority is a perfect example of the cooperation between churches, young people, and our communities today.
There is much to be proud of in Barbourville-Knox County and the Daniel Boone Festival is a shining gem of the history of this area. Remembering those that came before us is not only important historically, but it is also fun. Enjoy seeing the friends you’ve missed because of the hustle of life and enjoy the laughter of stories as you mingle the streets this weekend, but most importantly remember that “this land, our land” is an important part of not just Kentucky History but American History.

Until then