Duplicate and Recycle / Real Life Issues

Not sure if you can admit that you wish you could take back what you just said, or that you have wished you had just kept your mouth closed. Not sure who gets the full credit for a statement I am going to share, but some give credit to President Abraham Lincoln and others credit Mark Twain for saying: “Better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak and removed all doubt”. In the Book of Proverbs, chapter 17, verse 28, scripture reads, “Even a fool is thought wise if he keeps silent, and discerning if he holds his tongue”. I share this scripture because recently I wish that I would have applied this very advice in my own life. It is tough sometimes to admit our wrongs and even when we might have hurt others. The day started off with a proper positive attitude, but like all people, there are moments and situations that we find ourselves disgusted, upset, or being negative. I had been standing in a long line which normally isn’t a problem. Actually I am one that often will stand in that line to later compliment, when it is my turn to check out. In sharing a lot of the time employees will laugh and smile, and sometimes they will even share a difficult customer or situation they had to deal with. It is not uncommon during our conversation for an employee to say, “It has been packed all day” or that they can’t wait for lunch or break time. My situation happened without warning. The checkout process was going just fine. I only had two items to purchase and the transaction and our conversation had been very little actually when they said to me “What do you think about this year?” then she said, “this year was horrible and what did I think about this year?”. Without a moment of thought I said, this year or any year is actually an awesome year. If you’ve had ever lost a child who had never seen a single year then you would change your thoughts. WOW, I couldn’t believe I had just said that. What was I thinking?...well obviously I wasn’t. I could easily say that she had asked me the question, as a way to excuse my reaction. I could say that the statement I made was true and that the truth should always be told, but again that is not always proper either. My reaction was totally personal, and totally not appropriate for this type of situation. I immediately knew that what I had just said was so wrong for me to have said. I only wish now that I had just kept quiet. Why did I need to react that way?...I didn’t need to. I was sorry and while I might have been granted forgiveness, the person who my difficulty was with now was going to be me. Dealing with disappointment, heartache, and losses that sometimes are deep within us is a real challenge. It is my normal practice to be positive, encouraging while also being real and true to myself, and experiences I’ve had in life. I have helped grieving individuals put things in livable conditions before. These include the death of children and the loss of pregnancies as examples of tough situations that develop out of life. Some might suggest that in time things will be ok. Time helps but time doesn’t heal. My great-grandfather Nasby Mills, his favorite song was “Farther Along”. The truth of the song is life here is difficult to understand, and only when we are with Him, the Savior Jesus Christ, will we understand things. This is the Christian Perspective, I only wish I could get at least one or two questions answered while I am still here, living life now. In counseling I have pointed out the benefit of experiences. For example, any mother that has become pregnant has a blessing over the lady who would love to have that experience but for whatever medical issue a pregnancy will never occur. The loss of a child before their entrance into the world while devastating, does have merits that should cause us to be thankful to God, for all things, even when we don’t understand. The Bible says “Children are a Blessing of the Lord”, and I believe they are. Cherish your experience if you are a biological parent. For those of us who are not, we have the blessing of adoption, parenting without the blood connection and the opportunity to be a parent in other relationships that we count as our blessing. “Treating people as you want to be treated” should be a recurring thought and it should help us in both our reactions and our responses. Life is not easily traveled, there are many challenges, and we are each going to say things we will regret. Mercy and grace will be our best solution. Duplicate and recycle. Until then

Two Places-Same Time: Cumberland College & Union College

Now sure when the last time was that you attempted to be two places at the same time, but I recently tried my hand at the adventure. I feel totally compelled to share with you that I was not successful as it was a miserable failure. Of importance to this column will be the reason why I was attempting to accomplish this "Two Places-Same Time" task. I think you will clearly understand the statement that sometimes the options in life can be difficult to choose from. Now it should be said that some folks simply cannot make a decision no matter what. I can make a decision, and I did--I thought I would go both to Homecoming at my old alma mater Cumberland College (University of the Cumberlands) in Williamsburg, Ky and I also wanted to visit Union College in Barbourville. With less than 30 miles separating the two cities I thought if ever I could pull this off, now was the time. True friendship remains the staple of all my connections. I don't see me getting tired of meeting new folks anytime soon, and the opportunity to reconnect through shared stories, looking at new family photos and just hanging out with those from your past and life history is a lot of fun. My time at Cumberland will always be special and having spent 12 years serving as a Sports Chaplain to the student athletes, coaches and staff at Union this connection is one I appreciate too. Life offers a lot of options and choices. Recently I was listening to my oldest niece, Brittany Elizabeth Goodin share advice with a cousin. The discussion was about classes, interest in life, and teachers that either caused you to love an academic subject or hate it. Her advice regarding class selection was to go with the teacher that made studying fun, exciting and challenging every time. (I was thinking to myself I sure am glad I told her that) Of course I hadn't shared that specially but I was very proud of the way she applied life lessons and experiences to now shared wisdom and advice. Options, choices, decisions can become very complicated. There is not a single strategy that works, but it is the combination of things that lead us in the proper direction if we are open to hear it, see it when it is before us and then follow. My decision to be at two different places on the same day meant that my day would start early and end late. It also meant that I would be doing more traveling with a sense of urgency in a short amount of time and this would require more careful attention to details if I was going to do both safely. This experience would also mean that I would be eating two meals and not one, snacking and tasting from every dish prepared and I would need to manage portion control in serious moderation. For the record, I normally am not successful when it comes to portion control. I normally maintain a "SeaFood Diet" that is spelled in action as "see food, eat food". Life can be demanding and challenging all by itself without us adding additional stuff to our plate like stress from lack of planning as one example. The only person I know that has ever been successful at being at two different locations at the same time is this guy I met name Jesus. A lot of my friends have shared with me about their desire to be here for me when I have been in need. The difficulty has been that it is impossible for them to be in two spots at once, as it it for me to, of course. We have great hearts that want to be, and prayers that are with you in spirit, but not physically. Jesus I have discovered is capable of being in two places at once. He hears all things at the same time, and hear them all clearly from each of us. While I was only successful at visiting two places on the same day, Jesus Christ can be there and here for each of us without any travel at all on His part. The next time the mission or task seems impossible remember there is one guy that I know that can do all things. Until then

The Daniel Boone Festival - A Unique Knox County Event

​This week the streets of Barbourville have been filled with all kinds of people, activities and even some strange sights. The Daniel Boone Festival represents or means to the youngsters in our families a time of fun that includes rides, fun foods and hanging out and playing with friends. Teenagers who live here in Knox County might have a little different take on things. For teenagers familiar with the DBF this time will include food and hanging out with friends but there is so much more to this event than their perception of things. I realize sadly for some in Knox County they may not even be taking notice of the Festival, its historical importance, or understand what it is all about. This facts saddens further when it is discovered that some of these are life long residents of Knox County and the have just never seen beyond the activities of the court square or perhaps the frustration of attempting to drive across town. ​Barbourville-Knox County has a most rich history in the development of our Commonwealth and the United States. This in part due to our geographic location and the discovery of the Cumberland Gap and in part due to what happened because of the travels of Dr. Thomas Walker and that pioneer Daniel Boone. This History is something we should all be proud of, it should be something we cherish, and the stories of this land (our home) is something that I would strongly encourage everyone to be able to share with others. Here in the mountains we love oral history. The sharing of where we came from, how we got here, what we did when we arrived, and the role our families played and who our people are (were) is something we love sharing. Our favorite practice of spoken word to receptive ears still works today, especially for those of us who love to speak. The Daniel Boone Festival is a "pride and gem" of Kentucky History. ​If you ask anyone who has traveled away from home for any length of time, they will all nearly say that we have just as much history, unique facts and things to see and do as any other place in the world. Folks here at home will generally call your hand on such and say that this is not true, but I believe it is. The Daniel Boone Festival is one of those facts. Our local residents have also worked long and hard to create and preserve the old films of this area that highlight this area. This is certainly something worth seeing, taking our children to, and after viewing sharing with them our personal memories of a time past. I know and understand our children may not want to hear our old stories, but there will come a day and time they wish they could hear them again, so I encourage you to go ahead and share. At least give them the opportunity to have remembered them and the memory of the time you did once shared the stories with them. ​I believe a visit to Dr Thomas Walker State Park is always in line when talking about history. To think that this is as far as Dr Walker and his explorers got because of the brush and thickets, is amazing as it relates to history. A drive down through Old Flat Lick and a stop at the markers of the Wilderness Trail are worthy of a family visit too. Hundreds of thousands walked, rode a mule, rode a horse are traveled in a wagon from the Carolina's over the Cumberland Gap and continued their travels here, which is plenty worthy of historical documentation so our children can pass on the story of our heritage as a people and the richness of our land in the development of America. ​The Bible says that He created everything, and that He has a plan and a purpose for everything too. I am so thankful that we can let our minds run on the value of history as we dream about the future we are going to lead from this history location. Until then​

Whitley Co - Old Fashion Days; Corbin - NIBROC; Laurel Co - World Chicken Festival; Daniel Boone Festival - Barbourville;

This week the streets of Barbourville have been filled with all kinds of people, activities and even some strange sights. The Daniel Boone Festival represents or means to the youngsters in our families a time of fun that includes rides, fun foods and hanging out and playing with friends. Teenagers who live here in Knox County might have a little different take on things. For teenagers familiar with the DBF this time will include food and hanging out with friends but there is so much more to this event than their perception of things. I realize sadly for some in Knox County they may not even be taking notice of the Festival, its historical importance, or understand what it is all about. This facts saddens further when it is discovered that some of these are life long residents of Knox County and the have just never seen beyond the activities of the court square or perhaps the frustration of attempting to drive across town. Barbourville-Knox County has a most rich history in the development of our Commonwealth and the United States. This in part due to the geographic location and the discovery of the Cumberland Gap and in part due to what happened because of the travels of Dr. Thomas Walker and that pioneer Daniel Boone. Bell County-Pineville/Middlesboro has a rich history and we have the Kentucky Mountain Laurel Festival as one of the "gems" of the mountains. Harlan-Harlan County has The Polk Sallet Festival which is extremely unique and about as mountain as it gets. Harlan County has the Black Bear Festival too. Whitley County has Old Fashion Days that is a reminder of the time when folks would come and trade their goods. The City of Corbin has NIBROC which is a great community event and Laurel County has the World Chicken Festival If you ask anyone who has traveled away from home for any length of time, they will all nearly say that we have just as much history, unique facts and things to see and do as any other place in the world. Folks here at home will generally call your hand on such and say that this is not true, but I believe it is. The Daniel Boone Festival is one of those facts. Each of our County's and City's has local residents who have volunteered their time to develop museums that highlight this area we call home. When you hear of an opportunity to watch an old film of the area you should jump at the opportunity to go. This is history you need to see, worthy of being seen and events like this we should take our children to, and after viewing sharing with them our personal memories of that time past. I know and understand our children may not want to hear our old stories, but there will come a day and time they wish they could hear them again, so I encourage you to go ahead and share. At least give them the opportunity to have remembered them and the memory of the time you did once shared the stories with them. I believe a visit to Dr Thomas Walker State Park is always in line when talking about history. To think that this is as far as Dr Walker and his explorers got because of the brush and thickets, is amazing as it relates to history. A drive down through Old Flat Lick and a stop at the markers of the Wilderness Trail are worthy of a family visit too. Hundreds of thousands walked, rode a mule, rode a horse are traveled in a wagon from the Carolina's over the Cumberland Gap and continued their travels here, which is plenty worthy of historical documentation so our children can pass on the story of our heritage as a people and the richness of our land in the development of America. The Bible says that He created everything, and that He has a plan and a purpose for everything too. I am so thankful that we can let our minds run on the value of history as we dream about the future we are going to lead from this historic location. Until then

Polk Sallet Festival-Harlan; Black Bear Festival; Daniel Boone Festival; Kentucky Mt Laurel;

This week the streets of Barbourville have been filled with all kinds of people, activities and even some strange sights. The Daniel Boone Festival represents or means to the youngsters in our families a time of fun that includes rides, fun foods and hanging out and playing with friends. Teenagers who live here in Knox County might have a little different take on things. For teenagers familiar with the DBF this time will include food and hanging out with friends but there is so much more to this event than their perception of things. I realize sadly for some in Knox County they may not even be taking notice of the Festival, its historical importance, or understand what it is all about. This facts saddens further when it is discovered that some of these are life long residents of Knox County and the have just never seen beyond the activities of the court square or perhaps the frustration of attempting to drive across town. Barbourville-Knox County has a most rich history in the development of our Commonwealth and the United States. This in part due to the geographic location and the discovery of the Cumberland Gap and in part due to what happened because of the travels of Dr. Thomas Walker and that pioneer Daniel Boone. Bell County-Pineville/Middlesboro has a rich history and we have the Kentucky Mountain Laurel Festival as one of the "gems" of the mountains. Harlan-Harlan County has The Polk Sallet Festival which is extremely unique and about as mountain as it gets. Harlan County has the Black Bear Festival too. If you ask anyone who has traveled away from home for any length of time, they will all nearly say that we have just as much history, unique facts and things to see and do as any other place in the world. Folks here at home will generally call your hand on such and say that this is not true, but I believe it is. The Daniel Boone Festival is one of those facts. Each of our County's and City's has local residents who have volunteered their time to develop museums that highlight this area we call home. When you hear of an opportunity to watch an old film of the area you should jump at the opportunity to go. This is history you need to see, worthy of being seen and events like this we should take our children to, and after viewing sharing with them our personal memories of that time past. I know and understand our children may not want to hear our old stories, but there will come a day and time they wish they could hear them again, so I encourage you to go ahead and share. At least give them the opportunity to have remembered them and the memory of the time you did once shared the stories with them. I believe a visit to Dr Thomas Walker State Park is always in line when talking about history. To think that this is as far as Dr Walker and his explorers got because of the brush and thickets, is amazing as it relates to history. A drive down through Old Flat Lick and a stop at the markers of the Wilderness Trail are worthy of a family visit too. Hundreds of thousands walked, rode a mule, rode a horse are traveled in a wagon from the Carolina's over the Cumberland Gap and continued their travels here, which is plenty worthy of historical documentation so our children can pass on the story of our heritage as a people and the richness of our land in the development of America. The Bible says that He created everything, and that He has a plan and a purpose for everything too. I am so thankful that we can let our minds run on the value of history as we dream about the future we are going to lead from this historic location. Until then

Why I am involved in the issue of substance & drug abuse; My history & plan for Faith to make a difference.

I just finished the series of articles dealing with substance and drug abuse. It is appropriate to ask why the newspaper series and to ask why I believe that faith based organizations, individuals, churches, should unite with the encouragement of government and the medical community to provide the solution. Understanding my personal history with the issue is a great place to begin. After I accepted what we refer to as the “Call to Ministry” I continued my pursuit to be prepared through both formal education and training, in addition to learning from the application of scripture and faith from everyday life and ministry. In 1981 I considered my task would be preaching on Sunday and on Wednesday, and no where in my formal training was the issue of substance abuse or drug addiction ever covered. No college professor ever spoke about the issue and no seminary professor addressed the issue and there were no courses in the field of study. In high school I was exposed to drugs & alcohol. Alcohol was most common and I knew students who used “speed” and smoked marijuana. In churches, as you can well imagine, there was no shortage of messages dealing with alcohol. A matter of fact many protestant denominations and no doubt readers of this column can attest to the fear instilled about drinking and hell as the destiny because of involvement. I never remember hearing any minister growing up mention the word marijuana from the pulpit but plenty of conversation about “pot heads” from conversations overheard where adults might be describing youth they tagged as being “no good”. Addressing the issue of drugs by a church officially would have been or could be perceived to be acknowledging a problem inside their own membership. This of course was avoided because Christians, and certainly church members would never be involved in such issues. We know this was not correct then, and there are plenty of public arrest records to prove this not true today. The church has often been afraid, untrained and not sure what is an appropriate response. That truth has crippled the church into not having any involvement for most congregations and the church also has an issue with “what others churches will say”. 1992 was the year I addressed this issue for the first time as a minister in Corbin, Ky. I had no option as a member came crying saying my son is on drugs. I was of no help and clueless about resources available, and what my response as a pastor was suppose to be. Should I pray about this publicly? Do we put this concern on the published prayer? There was no guide but plenty of concerns about privacy and what’s appropriate. Given the circumstances I did not have a struggle with what my course of action should be, my struggle would be if I would have the courage to get involved. The course was clear because of the example of Jesus. I would begin to walk as a Christian and as a pastor with this particular individual and his family. For the next six years that list of individuals and families grew. I discovered limited resources at best and continued dead ends and walls for the most part. That frustration and experience took another step in 1998. Cathy Woolum, a family friend approached me about the issue of drugs faced by our community, in Bell County. Together we co-founded the Bell County Drug Coalition. It was the only community organization in Kentucky that uniquely addressed this issue collectively, involving all facets of the issue including prevention, intervention and treatment. It was unique because the coalition sought to bring together in unity all the various entities, organizations, government programs into a collective group addressing the issue, and it worked. The next effort was the establishment of the first law enforcement drug task force to deal specifically with and to combat the selling of drugs in Knox, Whitley and Bell Counties. David Jorjani, who was the Knox County Attorney, and myself established the Cumberland Valley Plateau Drug Task Force. Support from the cities of: Williamsburg; Corbin; Pineville; Barbourville; and Middlesboro; along the support of the Fiscal Courts from Knox; Whitley; and Bell County; each provided funding that we used to secure a matching 3-1 grant with cooperation of the Department of Justice. The law enforcement arm was now established. My involvement took another step when I received a call from the office of U.S. Congressman Harold Roger’s. The Lexington Herald Leader had just published an article “Prescription Pain” that described the problem of drugs in the 5th Congressional District and Congressman Roger’s asked for me to share the program I had written and the success of our citizens through the efforts of the Bell County Drug Coalition. The concept of citizen coalitions in coordination with our law enforcement grant became the Comprehensive Counter-Drug Initiative. That organization you know today as Operation UNITE. The next step I am proposing is long overdue. In involves a purposed plan to become mentors to those addicted to drugs and dealing with substance abuse. Faith based organizations, individuals, and church congregations must move from praying about the issue to action. As Christians we must step into the treatment process as community members working with the encouragement of government and cooperation of the medical community. The plan is simple. To establish a Re-Entry Task Force of committed individuals regaining our communities with one success at a time. This is an appropriate Christian response and Jesus sent his followers out two by two. One you be one of two? Together we are the solution.