Monthly Archives: April 2015

 

 

This has been a fantastic late winter, early spring, with trips to Nelson Ghost Town and trip down Route 66 and now a return to Memory Lane.  Wow an American extravaganza!  This group that will be joining me at Memory Lane will get a chance to relive the past and capture some great scenes from yester-year!  The Old Counter Store alone is a days worth of shooting, the shelves are lined with authentic period merchandise and aa never ending source of fun to shoot!

 

 

 

The goal of this workshop will be to help the students see past the “obvious” and find the buried treasure in this rich environment!  …..and there is lots of treasure to find!

 

 

 

Sorry you won’t be with us, but there are more chances, here is a rundown on how the remaining workshops are looking!!!

 

Great Smokies  April 15-19   SOLD OUT

 

Roanoke Trains and Americana   Still have spaces available  –  April 29 – May 3rd

 

 

 

 

Grandfather Mountain with Jack Graham & I  May 27- 31  Still spots available!!!!!

 

More great events to come!!!!

 

Blessings,

 

the pilgrim

 

 

I ask myself that question all the time!!!!  I got an email today from a person I know was well meaning.  They suggested that my sharing my political thoughts was not consistent with the faith aspect of this blog, that I should start another blog for that kind of information.  I thanked them but responded that I didn’t think anything I had shared, was not in keeping with my faith.  Well, after some thought they were probably right on at least one level.  I am not perfect, never claimed I was, I’m human and I know I  am!   I know sometimes I share my frustrations before I give it enough thought.  If I offended anyone I’m truly sorry.  Now I’ve stepped up to the plate, and said I was sorry, and I really am.  I didn’t say that I don’t really feel the way I feel,  just that I mean no harm to anyone.

 

Let me try to make an example.  I’m a conservative, (big surprise), and I most often take that position on issues.  I was listening to the radio today as I was I coming back from Knoxville.  A person made a really good point, one that I think often escapes  people.  When a pizza place in Indiana said they would rather not serve pizza at a wedding of a gay couple, (to a hypothetical questions)  they were immediately taken to task by the gay community.  They simply were, in nice way, saying we would rather not do that. The people that were offended, made death threats, said they would burn down the business, and the owners had to close down until things settled down.  You tell me what is worse, asking to not take part in a wedding on religious grounds, or threatening death and destruction of property.  Surely you don’t believe those rise to the same level???

 

As a Christian,  I’m often treated very harshly if I might not agree to go along with a closely help belief of the left agenda.  I have no hatred or dislike for the gay community, I have some friends that are gay, I don’t want to take part in that life style, but I do not treat them in an ugly manner.  I do not judge them, that is, according to my faith, God’s job, not mine.  If you ran a print shop and you were gay, and someone came in and asked you to print up signs for a rally that contained hate speech about gays, would you print them?   Well, neither would I.    I am Pro Life, I have friends that are Pro Choice,  they think they are right, I think I’m right, but I wish them no harm, each of us will have to answer for our stances to a higher power than anyone here.

 

What is my point?  If my conservative views are painful for you,  this may not be the best blog to read.  I don’t watch MSNBC or listen to NPR, or for that matter watch any news on the major networks, it just reminds me of how radically different my views are from theirs, and theirs from mine.  Why torture myself.  I listen carefully to all sides, but I’ve finally decided exactly where I stand, and so, I don’t expose myself to stuff that will be agonizing for me!

 

For me as a Christian, I have s simple test, when faced with a controversy, I ask, based on my knowledge of scripture, where would Jesus stand on this issue?   If you study the word, that settles most issues pretty quickly.  I know that if you are not person of faith, that position would not hold much weight for you.

 

I love you, because Christ loves you, I pray for all of you, and I trust you and He will work things out.  In the meantime, I want to be at peace with you!  I hope you can live with that!  I won’t change, but I won’t judge you either!

 

Blessings,

 

the pilgrim

 

 

Almost, there is no one alive today has not heard the story of Jesus, the crucifixion and burial, and of course, His resurrection!  Many believe it, many do not.  Jesus was a historical figure, that, no one will deny. What many deny is that His life made any real difference.  I believe the only way you can know the answer to that question is if Jesus has become “real” in your heart, then, and only then, does this incredible story make sense.

 

For just as minute let me speak to those that do not believe, assuming any of those folks ever come here.  How can I “know” He is real, that He truly is the Son of God, and that His ministry, life and death and resurrection here has made a difference in my life?  If we don’t know anything else we know who we are.  We know what we have done, how we feel, and who we’ve hurt.  We know all the secrets!  I know that I was undeserving of forgiveness, I know I was too ashamed to ask for it.  I knew coming face to face with a man that knew everything about me was terrifyting!  I also know that at the spiritual moment that I met Him,I was overcome with the power of His love, His grace, and His foregiveness.  The moment I fell on my knees before Him, I knew He had wiped the slate clean, and had given me a new chance.

 

I now know what it is like to walk with Him, to take my fresh mistakes, sins, and stumbles to Him and receive forgiveness yet again.  I know I can’t live without Him, that I don’t want to live without Him.  I now know the cost of my freedom and forgiveness.

 

When you watch the specials this Easter weekend and when He is nailed to the cross, remember He did that for you,  He would have suffered that if you were the only human alive, He did for all of us, and for you as an individual!!!

 

How do I know He is real?  Because He forever changed my life!!!

 

Accept His sacrifce for you,  and be blessed,

 

the pilgrim

 

 

It all started this morning, no that’s wrong!  It all started when I first realized what our federal government is all about, not what they taught us in Civics class, or what I saw in movies about our founding fathers, but this pile of garbage we have now!!!!!

 

Evidence?

 

Former Senator, Majority Leader, Harry Reid admitted in an interview that he lied about Romney’s taxes before the election.  How does he feel about that now?, “He didn’t win did he?”  and this with a smirk on his face, that man was born with a smirk on his face.  Yet the main stream media will slobber all over him when he officially retires, give me a break!  Lying, stealing, double crossing, back biting, thieves!!!   All of them, both parties, and they are stealing from you and I!!!!

 

I go to the post office today to get my passport renewed, I had to make a reservation a month ago to get “worked” in!  I show up and was informed that I am to fill out the form, I was handed month ago, and send it in with passport pictures and a check for $110.   First I had to make an appointment to be told what the form said I “could” do.  The lady was nice, but she still didn’t do anything but tell me both sets, yes two sets of passport images were “slightly” and I do  mean “slightly” the wrong size!!!  One a hair large, one a hair small.  So for $15. she made another set that was just right!, and made me look like I just got paroled?!^%$#^@@%!#   Now the $110. fee for a passport renewal.  I fill out a two page form that they already have on file, submit pictures that I paid for, and they will reprint the first page of the passport from the computer file they already have, put in the image I supplied, and charge me $110.  …..and it will take as long as they need to, “get around to it!!!!”  This is what we pay taxes for?????

 

Let’s see the President is, without any input from congress, who by our constitution holds the right to treaties and international agreements, is making an agreement without any input, and we, the Ameircan people, don’t even know what we are agreeing to!  With a country no less, that has vowed to destroy both Israel and us, an d their leader said, this week, the one unbending principal they will not break, is destruction of us and Isreal!!!!  Are we crazy!

 

I could go on, let’s just say this has been a lousy Thursday, but tomorrow is Good Friday, think things will be looking up, but not in Washington!!!!

 

Blessings,

 

the pilgrim