FRIDAY, APRIL 10, 2026

Again and again, these days roll by, it can't be Friday again, no way! It was Friday only yesterday. Evidently it is Friday, I double-checked. The weather has been nice and cool of late, but my goodness is it evermore dry. Has anyone remembered to hang a snake over a fence? Have you ever heard that folk belief, that holds that hanging a dead snake on a fence will bring rain in a drought? Not only have I heard this, I have actually seen several instances of it being done years ago. I am done with that topic for now, so let me tell you a true story from years ago, that you might not believe.

This view is from the Garfield Methodist Church property, looking across Monroe Street toward our convenience store. There is a stop sign just to the right that is not visible in the photograph, to stop cross traffic where Monroe intersects with GA highway 23.

When I was at New Beginnings in Christ, our men's Christian Recovery Home in 2008, we had church services on Thursday nights, we had various meetings the other nights of the week except for Saturday nights. All of the ministry "campus," the chapel and housing units were together at the edge of town, but I lived about four miles out of Garfield at Gray Mule Farm, on Gray Mule Road. Donald furnished me a vehicle and the ministry's flip phone. He also bought me a carton of cigarettes each week, and if I needed anything he would pay for it. My point being, money was hard to come by then. Donald saw that my needs were met, and that was as it should have been, I was a "pilgrim" there just like the other men, but as Donald said, "Wade, you are "like staff," but we don't have staff." It was a much smaller ministry then with only about maybe twenty men in residence, including me. As mentioned, I smoked back then, and Meghan at the store would always order a carton of my brand each week, but the prior week she had forgotten. So on that Thursday evening, I drove to Garfield a little early so I would have time to go to the store to remind her to order my cigarettes, which cost much less then, as it was before the big Federal tax on tobacco products had taken effect, so they cost about two dollars a pack then. I stopped at the "double wide," as that unit was referred to, to see if any of the men needed to go to the store. There was a young man from Bulloch County, named Jackie, who was in recovery for his addiction to pills, he was a very good young man, always polite, but quiet. Jackie was sitting outside smoking and I asked him to stick his head in the door to see if anyone needed to go to the store, and as they were playing video games, and also like me, with little or no funds, no one needed to go. As I started to back out and go, I asked Jackie if he wanted to go, and he said no, but then said, yessir, I will ride with you if you don't mind, but I don't have any money. He just wanted to ride, and I believe there was a reason that he overrode his first inclination not to go, and went. That will all unfold in a minute as this story moves along. I had a single five dollar bill to my name, that was it, Jackie had not a penny. As I said, I was only going to make sure my carton got ordered.

As I drove along, he and I were talking, and just before I turned left into the store parking lot, I noticed he was holding an almost empty pack of cigarettes, so I asked him if those were all he had, he said, "yessir." Now, let me interject this, something many might object to is allowing the men in recovery for drugs and alcohol, to smoke or dip while at NBIC. Well, you might not understand but recovery, and withdrawal is tough, and if a man can't have tobacco products, many would relapse from the depression and stress of not having tobacco. Being made to stop smoking would cause many to give up and relapse, so we always say to give up smoking or chewing, but only when you are ready, but not in the midst of recovering as a resident at New Beginnings. You do that after some time has passed and you are in a better frame of mind. So, back to the story, I pulled into the store lot from the side, and pulled up to the building and stopped to get out. I had seen that Jackie only had four or five cigarettes despite him saying he had plenty. I got out and went inside and for some reason, rather than reminding Meghan to order my cigarettes, I knew that instead I was about to tell her I needed a pack of cigarettes (for Jackie), and in my mind I was arguing with that voice that told me to buy them saying I could not afford to buy him a pack because I only had five dollars to my name, in the whole world! The voice then said, "buy him two packs." I was fighting hard to keep my five dollars, but the voice was firm, and I surrendered and told her to give me two packs. I could not believe what I had just done, but instantly, a peace came over me, and I was smiling in spite of myself. I walked out and as I was getting into the car, I reached over and handed Jackie the packs. Jackie instantly said, "you didn't have to do that Mr. Wade. I looked at him as I sat down and assured him, "oh, yes, I did have to!" I backed around and was about to drive onto the street, and I said to Jackie, "I know you are going to share those with your brothers...meaning the other men in the program...but make them last, because as you know, MONEY DOES NOT FALL OUT OF THE SKY!" Well, wow, was wrong about THAT!

Of course, I had them made larger in this image so you can see what I am referring to, and disregard the denominations, these are just for purposes of illustration.

So, let me say this, no a single vehicle had traveled on Monroe Street, nor on highway 23 in front of the store while we were there. As I said that money did not fall out of the sky, we both saw two bills, curled around and standing on end in the street where we had just driven moments before on our way to the store. It was breezy, yet those bills stood there, they had not been there until they appeared as I said what I said! They could not have been there, or we would have seen them, and had we driven over them they would have blown over, but they were on end. The wind that was blowing could not budge them! Jackie and I looked at each other in joy and surprise. I was going to stop before we drove over the bills, but right then a guy in a big jacked up pickup was right behind us as he had turned onto the street, and if I had tried to stop that quickly, he would have run into us, so I had to drive over the money and then stop. The guy behind us saw the money which then was behind us and in front of him, and was opening his door to get out and grab the money. I told Jackie, "get it, it's not his, it is ours. Jackie jumped out and grabbed them and got quickly back in. We had no idea what the denominations were so I pulled over up the street and let the man in the truck go past, and only then did Jackie and I see how much it was. There was a new five and a new ten dollar bill, and Jackie said, "here, it's yours." I took the five, which reimbursed me fully, and I handed him the ten and said, "this is yours." We were awestruck indeed. I drove to the chapel as church was about to get underway, and when I got inside, I walked over to tell Donald, and he was overjoyed with what had happened. He said, "you've got to share that," and I did stand up and told the congregation of that small miracle we had witnessed. I have never told this story here before, because some folks heard that story and said it was not God because God did not buy cigarettes for anyone. I never told this again after I mentioned it while on the walk to Emmaus, and my table leader, Warren Ball assured me it had nothing to do with God. So, I tell you, do you think it did? If not God, it was satan, and there is nothing in my Bible that says satan is a creator, he is only a destroyer. I give you this story, and you make of it what you will...

Numbers 6: 24-26, KJV

we boyz three, babee conway, lil merle, & me