"HELLO FRIENDS"...A REMEMBERAMBLE for December 9, 2025

Hello my beloved! The great pastor, Dr. J. Vernon McGee used that term to refer to those who listened to his sermons and Bible teaching. "My beloved," describes well how he valued those who took time to listen to his beautiful mind. Perhaps you never thought of it as such, but when you hear the word of God through a vessel such as Dr. McGee, you are listening to his mind, because he never spoke without thoughtfulness, his words were wrought of a wisdom, tinctured from the mind of the Lord. I am no Vernon McGee, but like him, you are my beloved. Dr. McGee never gave flippant replies, nor the standard "canned" responses of most men. I have told this here before but it bears repeating. In the 1960s, Dr. McGee and two pastor friends flew to Los Angeles for a conference, and a local pastor drove them from the airport to their lodgings. Neither of them had been to LA before, so the preacher acted as a tour guide along the way to point out various local landmarks and points of interest. As they passed a very large, sprawling church and church campus with various structures, he pointed it out and then said, "can you believe that was founded by, and is run by a woman?" Then went on to ask, "isn't that a shame?" Two of his pastor passengers mumbled, "it sure is," but Dr. McGee said nothing, until the man asked him directly for his thoughts on it. Dr. McGee replied saying, "I don't know about that, but I do know it is a shame that a man is not there doing what she is doing." You see the difference I am sure. Dr. McGee was not possessed of mild, tentative mind, and it was obvious upon first meeting or hearing him. All should strive to be like that, should we not? Be an original thinker, and I say with little modesty that my ability to write well stems from that alone. I make my mind work to do its job, not parrot the thoughts of others.

Another jewel from that beautiful brain was when he answered a question about prayer, and asking God for help. Dr. McGee said, "it is all well, and good for a Georgia farmer to pray for rain, but he might want to do it with a hoe in his hand." That is simple but profound, is it not?

I hope y'all are okay with this change in name for my rememberamble, and that is not only a morning thing, but may appear at different times each day. It makes it much easier for me. I walked outside earlier this morning, and a ray of sunshine hit me, staggered me, and got me by surprise! Next time the sky is heavy and overcast for days on end, I know now to take it slowly, maybe stick a barefoot out the door first, and then ease into it, letting my body acclimate once more to sunlight.

Now and then, the word "rememberamble," I coined for these posts lives up to its name. My mind was rambling while ago, and remembered something that was once common but I had not thought of in years: "starving artist," sales of paintings. The folks who held these peripatetic sales would come to a town large enough to have television stations, rent a meeting room of a local hotel, and display all manners of paintings, that were priced low since the "artists" were starving. That was the shtik, but really, they were made by folks working to produce paintings meant for the traveling sales only. It was not fine art, but would look fine over a sofa, or a bad spot in the drywall of your den.

You know the kind of pictures I am referring to, the ones with boulders and craggy beaches with crashing waves, woodland scenes, or a stone cottage on a lush green hillside, These were churned out in vast numbers for that purpose alone, and could "flat lay'em down," as we say, with each "artist" could complete variations on those themes in record time. Well, i do believe my fingers have slap run out of anything else, much to add. I will take a power nap. Thank you!

NUMBERS 6: 24-26, KJV

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