HANDLING BULLIES

Remember the fights in school? Remember how everybody would gather around and watch and encourage their friends? When I was in school, I was not a fighter. I didn’t get in trouble many times for fighting, but the few times I did, I was not the one who started the fight. I remember one fight I had with a guy named Robert. I don’t remember why the fight started, but I do remember that wrestling move he used on me. I’ll never forget it. He grabbed my arms from the front, and fell backward on the ground, pulling me down with him. At the same time, he put both of his feet on my stomach and flipped me over his head onto the ground behind him. It knocked the breath right out of me.

Mrs. Brauner saw us and came to break up the fight. It was already over, but she did her duty and told us to go clean up, then come to the Library for our paddling. As Robert and I walked together to the restroom, he said we should put a bunch of toilet paper in our pants to keep the paddling from hurting so bad, so that’s what I did. I went into one of the stalls and packed my underwear, full, and I assumed he did, too. Then, we both walked together down the long hallway to the library to take our punishment. I don’t think the toilet paper helped any. If it did, I would have hated to take that paddling without it. It hurt! Good old Robert. He tried to help. What’s funny is, we became friends after that.

There was another kid there who rode our bus. He was always poking fun at me and one of my sisters, laughing and talking about our zits. We actually had the acne disease. I had it all over my face and chest, but she had it on her face, chest, and back. We had to go to the doctor regularly to get medication for it, but it didn’t do much good. Not a day went by that he didn’t harass us about it. It got old, but there was nothing we could do about it.

I know you’ve heard “What goes around comes around.” Karma, or whatever it may be. After elementary school, I didn’t see him for a few years. He was a teenager the next time I saw him, and his face was so full of zits you probably couldn’t put your finger on his face without touching one. I wasn’t a Christian then so I actually laughed, and said, “That’s what he gets for making fun of us.”

There were two or three times in school when I was bullied by another student. One of those times was by a kid named Tommy. He would sit behind me on the school bus and flick my ear. The first few times, he acted like it wasn’t him, but after I knew it was, he would do it and laugh about it. Later, he started doing it and getting other kids to laugh about it.

Then one day, I had had enough. When he flicked my ear, I turned around in my seat and yelled at him to leave me alone. I guess he didn’t like that, so he grabbed both of my ears and slammed his head into my head three times as hard as he could. It hurt so bad it made me cry. After that day, we got along pretty good, and he never bothered me again. I guess he got it out of his system.

There was another bully name Daniel. He would do all kinds of stuff to me just to aggravate me. I don’t remember all the stuff he did. He was just bullying me around all the time, so I told the teacher. Well, I don’t know what the teacher did or what he said to Daniel, but we were headed out to the gym after lunch the next day and he flipped my hair from behind as he ran past me. Then he turned around and walked beside me and said, “Whatchu gonna do, tell the teacher again?” That kind of stuff continued until the end of the year school year.

Then, while we were out of school for the summer, he came to visit some boys from school who lived in my neighborhood. I had no problem with them. They were alright. They would come and visit once in a while, and sometimes we would hang out on the weekend. They came over that weekend, and Daniel was with them.

We were all just standing around talking then I did something dumb. I don’t know why. Maybe I felt safe in my own yard or something like that. I don’t know, but I threw a pack of mayonnaise on the ground beside the bully and stomped it. It squirted out onto his pants. I remember him grabbing me, but the next thing I knew I was on top of him on the ground beating him in the face with my fist. I got up off him and stood on my porch feeling like I had paid him back as he walked away with the other two boys. When school started back, he didn’t bother me, and he never bothered me again.

Fighting is not always the answer. It should never be the answer, but unfortunately, we’re not always left with much of a choice. We humans can only take so much bullying before we break and want to fight back. That’s one reason so many young people snap and go shoot a bunch of other kids. I hear of so much bullying in schools today, and the teachers and parents refuse to do anything about it, but when the victim retaliates, they get into trouble.

Look what the Apostle Paul said in Romans 12:18. “If possible, you should live peacefully with everyone.” That’s the best route to go, but it’s not always a popular one. It’s not what most people choose to do. In Romans 12:2, Paul said, “Do not conform to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds, so you may test and see what God considers good, and acceptable, and perfect.” In other words, Don’t be like everybody else. Be converted and find out what is good in God’s eyes and do that.

In verse 17 Paul said, “Do not repay anyone for evil with evil. Do good in the presence of everyone.” In verse 21 he said, “Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.” How do we do that? He gives us a great example in verse 14; He says, “Speak well of those who persecute you; Speak well, and do not condemn.” In Matthew 5:44-45, Jesus said, “Love your enemies. Bless those who curse you. Do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you, and persecute you, so that you may be the children of your Father who is in heaven.” Back in Romans 12:20, Paul said, “If your enemy is hungry, feed them. If they thirst, give them something to drink. By doing this, you will pile up coals of fire on their head.” This “fire” may have one of two results. It may melt their heart, and you may gain a friend. Abraham Lincoln once said, “Do I not destroy my enemy, when I make him my friend?”

On the other hand, some bullies don’t respond well to kindness from their victims. Your kindness may make them angry or they may confuse your kindness for weakness and continue bullying you. Continue to pray for them. God will take care of it in his own way, and time. Look what Paul tells us in verse 19. He said, “Dear loved ones, do not avenge yourselves. Leave that to God: because it is written, “the LORD says, Vengeance is mine; I will repay.”

We must practice obeying God’s word to the fullest, no matter how uncomfortable it may be at first. God knows what’s best, always. We need to trust him and pray for grace and strength to obey. We have to start now. If we’re not fully committed to God and his ways now, we certainly won’t be able to obey him when persecution comes to us. So commit to him now, and pray without ceasing. “Those who stand firm to the end will be saved.” (Matthew 10:22)

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READ BETWEEN THE LINES

When I was in school, there was a popular saying going around among the students. “Read Between The Lines.” As you said the words, you held up three fingers with the middle finger being in the middle of the other two, like three lines. When you read between the lines you would discover you were being given the middle finger.

That was a childish game, but I’ve seen adults use it and I used it myself into my late teens, occasionally. But there’s an adult version still kicking around today, but it is a little different. Something is said, and someone else “reads between the lines.” What that means is they’re discovering what the person who spoke really meant but didn’t actually say.

Now occasionally, there are instances where people will say something with camouflaged or hidden meanings that they want someone to know without actually having to say it plainly, but most of the time, when we read between the lines we’re not discovering anything new or extra that the person was thinking but didn’t say, we’re only thinking they said something they didn’t say and didn’t even think.

When we read between the lines, we’re actually projecting our own thoughts and feelings into something someone else said. It’s very likely that what we think we’re discovering between the lines is only our thinking, and has absolutely nothing to do with what the person actually said or thought. In reality, most of the time, I think we’re actually discovering what we think, and feel about the subject being presented.

You may not think you have ever been guilty of reading between the lines because you didn’t think that was what you were doing at the time, but have you ever had someone say to you “That’s not what I said?” You misunderstood what they said. Maybe that was an instance of reading between the lines.

I’ve actually been on both sides of this subject where I thought someone meant something they didn’t mean when they actually didn’t, and I’ve had people think something I said meant something it didn’t mean when I was talking. Our reaction in a situation like this can actually ruin relationships, friendships, and family ties.

So, in the future, let’s think about that before we read between the lines and if we think someone meant something they didn’t actually say, we should talk about it and discuss it with them, in a kind loving way. Not in a mean-spirited manner or a condescending way. We need to be kind, always. Sometimes I’m sure we’ll actually find that they did mean what we thought they meant but didn’t actually say, but most of the time, I think we’ll find that they didn’t mean anything more than what they actually said. We can preserve our relationships by discussing misunderstandings in a respectful, loving way.

Let’s not leave God out of the situation either. Always pray before you talk to someone about some conflict, and make sure God is with you to help with what you say, and how you react. Relationships are very important, so we have to be intentional in preserving them.

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IF I COULD GO BACK IN TIME

Have you ever heard someone say, “I wish I knew then what I know now,” or, “I wish I could go back and live my life over, knowing what I know now?” Maybe you’ve even said something like that yourself. I know I have. I’ve always had a very active imagination, so I’ve imagined countless scenarios about going back in time as I was growing up.

I’ve always loved science fiction. It offers endless possibilities for the mind to wonder. I especially love the concepts of space travel and time travel. Space travel is a little more within our grasp than time travel, but even it has limitations.

I do believe there are other inhabited planets in the billions of galaxies out there, but the chance of us ever reaching them is very small. Time travel is even more impossible, but I’ve found myself wishing I could go back in time on several occasions.

One of my favorite back in time imaginings always involved going back and doing something to make myself rich in the future. I’ve thought of buying some things in the past that I know are worth a lot of money now; Things like comic books, baseball cards, paintings, and other collectibles. I would bring them back with me if I could, but if I couldn’t, I would hide them somewhere that I knew would still be there when I got back, then I would cash in; 

I also thought about changing the past to make the present better, not just for me, but for all my family, and community, our state, and even our whole world. If I could go back in time I would change so much. There are many, many things I would do, but, there are more things that I would NOT do than things I would. There are so many scenarios with the theory of time travel, and so many variables depending on who writes the story, but I would love to go back as I am now and see just what I could do, and what I could change. Maybe even find my younger self and give him some guidance to help him become the man I always wanted to be someday.

After many years of entertaining the idea, I’ve mellowed a bit, and grown some intellectually, and spiritually, and I think if time travel was possible I would do things a bit differently than I had always daydreamed about. Of all my imaginings, I think I would like most to go back to when I was twelve years old and live my life over from there with all the knowledge I now have, including all my memories from the life I have already lived.

Before I tell you what I would do, let me first tell you what I would not do. I would not jump on the tree knot one more time after my grandmother told me to stop, and my leg would not get the skin peeled off the bone from my knee to my foot. I would not take my new basketball to school and it would not get stolen from me. I would say, No, when Arlan asked me to draw the hand with only a middle finger sticking up on his notebook.

I would not grab that tennis racket in math class and clown around behind Mr. Jobe’s desk knocking the light fixture down, and I would not get a paddling because of it. I would do my homework and never copy Lisa’s, and Debbie’s papers. The day I was being chased through the gym, I would not duck and run through the line of girls doing basketball drills. That way, I would not end up unconscious on the floor with a concussion because I ran into the wall and fell and hit my head.

I would not pick up that rat I found in the bathtub one day after church, and I would not get bitten and have to go to the hospital for a tetanus shot. I would not jump off the top of our house and hurt myself. I would not get on that horse at Jamie’s house, so the horse would not run away with me and scare me almost to death. I would not quit school after I turn 16. I would never touch a drop of alcohol, and I would never, ever try drugs even one time.

There are many bad choices I made back then that I would never make if I had the opportunity to choose again with the knowledge I now have. I could go on for pages, talking about the things I would not do, but I won’t. Let me tell you a few of the things I WOULD do if I could go back in time and live my life over.

The first thing I would do, without hesitation, is to fall down on my knees, and ask Jesus to save me, and guide me from that moment on, for the rest of my life. I wasted so many years doing my own thing, my own way and I regret that. The second thing I would do is hug my grandmother, and tell her how much I love her, and from that point on, I would cherish everything she had to say, and I would obey her in whatever she told me, and I would treat her with the respect she truly deserved.

Then I would hug my three sisters and let them know how much I love and respect them, and that I will always love them, no matter what, and that I will always be there to protect them. I would do my very best to be a better example for them than I was. I would go tell my mom and dad that I love and respect them, and I forgive them for everything I was angry at them about. I would let them know I understand why things had to be the way they were. I would tell my Aunt Lee that I love her and I appreciate all she has done to help our grandmother take care of us. Those are the things I would do first.

I would also study more, and do my homework every night. I would read and study the Bible every day. I would spend more time praying and worshiping God and less time with my celebrity idols. I would spend more time helping others and less time satisfying my own selfish desires. I would spend more time telling others what Jesus has done for me, and how much he loves them. I would be a different young man than I was, and I would grow into a young adult that God could use. These are the things I would change if I could go back in time.

The reality of the matter is, I can’t go back in time. I can’t change a single thing that I ever did. “The Past Is The Past,” and “What’s Done Is Done.” The amazing thing is that God forgave me for all those bad things I did and he gave me a clean slate. Yes, I messed it up too, but thankfully, his mercy is new every morning. Each of us has a new opportunity each day to start over and live a better life from that point on. Jesus said, “Ask and you will receive. Search and you will find, knock and the door will be opened to you“ (Matthew 7:7). John said, If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us for our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness (1 John 1:9). Remember this if you ever find yourself wishing you could go back and change your past.

Our main focus should not be on the past, but on the future and the glorious gift of eternal life with our creator and savior. That shouldn’t be the reason we serve him, though. We “must be born again” in order to receive that eternal life (John 3:7). When we’re truly born again, we will serve and obey him because we love him. He loves us so much that he died for us, and if we love him, we’ll live for him.

This life will end someday, and I truly believe it won’t be long now. Life is too short to waste, and eternity with Jesus is too precious to miss out on. So please, give your life to him right now. Look to the future, and leave the past in the past.

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THE ROAD LESS TRAVELED

Several years ago, I was working at a place called Parker, in Booneville, Mississippi. I worked there for ten years and drove to work down highway 45. I saw lots of things on that road in those ten years, and several not-so-good things happened to me on that road, but one of the strangest, most unsettling things happened one day while I was driving home after work.

As I came into the little town of Biggersville and went down the hill, there was a long flat stretch of highway. The road had four lanes; two northbound lanes, and two southbound ones separated by a grassy median. I was in the right northbound lane and there was, at least, one vehicle beside me in the left northbound lane. I like to be aware of what’s going on around me when I’m on the road, so I’m always checking my mirrors. The next I looked, I saw a car coming up behind me. It was moving pretty fast. I could tell he was speeding. I was sure he would slow down to the speed limit before he got to me, but as he came closer, I saw that he was not going to slow down. I was shocked at what he did next.

He couldn’t pass me in the left lane because someone else was there right beside me, so he passed me on my right side. He left the highway, and almost lost control as he went into the gravel. The car slid to the right, then back to the left. Rocks flew all over my car as the guy struggled to stay in control. To make matters worse, there was a bridge right there in front of us. Fortunately, just as we reached the guard rails he got the car back on the road just in time to cross the bridge without hitting it. Thank God for that. It could have ended badly. Wow! What an insane experience!

Another time, I was headed to work on the same road early in the morning, and it was snowing. I guess it had been snowing longer toward Booneville because the closer I got to work, the worse it was. I was going up that same hill in Biggersville when the tires on my van started spinning. Soon, I came to a complete stop. Thank God there wasn’t much traffic out. Since I couldn’t go forward, I started backing down the hill to get a fresh start and a little more speed. As I was backing down, I saw an eighteen-wheeler coming toward me. I was concerned, of course, but my heart almost jumped out of my chest when the truck started up the hill and started sliding. Fortunately, I had gotten over on the left side of the road and had the left wheels where the gravel was. After a few long minutes of holding my breath, the truck finally made it past me safely. Then I continued backing back down to the flat part of the highway as quickly as I possibly could in those conditions. Thankfully, I made it down before any other vehicles came. Then, I started back up the hill with a little more speed than I had before, and soon, I was over the hill and back on my way to work. Another situation where I'm thankful God was with me.

On the roads we go down every day, there are many things to cause us stress and aggravation. There are things that cause us to slow down, and sometimes even stop. Many times, there are things that make us take detours, but if we are headed to a certain place, we usually don’t allow any of those things to stop us from reaching our destination.

There’s a road that’s less traveled. It’s referred to by many names, but many call it “the road to heaven.” On the road to heaven, we should be even more determined to reach our destination. There are many things that get in our way, and slow us down. We can get distracted and even stop at times, but we have to keep going. There’s too much at stake to turn back now. Love for Jesus and the promise of eternal life with him are great motivators, but sometimes the cares of this life, and the things of this world make us lose sight of our destination.

Jesus said the road that leads to life is narrow, and not everyone will find it (Matthew 7:14). So, if you’ve found that road, stay on it, and don’t let anything make you stop and turn back. If you haven’t found the road to heaven, then let me point you to the map that will show you the way. God’s Word, the Holy Bible, is that map. If you follow this map, it will lead you home, and Jesus, his Father, and the Holy Spirit will all be right there with you every step of the way. Have a happy journey. I’ll see you on the other side.

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MY LITTLE SISTER

I was nine years old and I was at my aunt’s house with my two sisters and our grandmother when our mother popped in for a visit. I’m sure I already knew she was pregnant but that day was the first time I remember knowing. She stayed for a while and then she had to go. As she was leaving, I remember my aunt saying something like, “She’ll have that baby before the next full moon,” and I remember her confirming that she had been right when we heard that we had a new baby sister. We didn’t get to see the little rug rat as often as we wanted to but Momma would bring her to see us as often as she could and we would go visit them when we could.

My most memorable moment with her was when she was about two years old. Our Aunt Lee took us and our grandma to visit them. After several hours of playing and having loads of fun with her, it was time to leave. She was dirty all over from playing in the dirt and her face was the worst. She was giving everybody hugs and kisses and she came to me. We hugged and even though her face was covered with dirt, I was about to kiss her on the cheek. Just as I puckered up and came close to her face, she turned her head and kissed me right on my lips with the wettest, snottiest mouth you could imagine. I loved her, but I was spitting out the car window all the way home. It’s funny now and we’ve had several laughs about it over the years, but it wasn’t funny at all then.

When she was three years old, we moved next door to them. Then, we got to play with her all day, every day. We had lots of fun, but sometimes I guess we forgot that she was smaller and a bit more fragile than we were and she would get hurt. I liked pushing her in toy cars and on her tricycle. One day I noticed the extra dirt left over from putting our septic tank in the ground. It reminded me of one of the ramps that Evel Knievel would use to jump his motorcycle over different things. I couldn’t resist. I was thinking, “She has three wheels, she’ll be fine.” So, I told her to hold her feet up off the peddles, as I had before when I pushed her fast. Then I pushed her faster than ever, and I let her go with an extra shove just a few feet from the dirt mound. “Yes!” She jumped and landed on all three wheels without falling over or falling off the tricycle, BUT, she kept rolling for a bit too long. I saw her start wobbling and before I could get to her, she hit the front steps and fell over on them, and split her lip open. Momma wasn’t happy about that at all, so I felt bad for more than one reason. If you know what I mean.

We’re all grown up now and have children of our own, but I still have good memories of our childhood together and all the crazy fun we’ve had over the years. When I was seventeen, I wrote a song about her. It may not be a masterpiece, but here are the words.

SISTER MARY
by Teddy Lynn 
1985

VERSE 1
Eyes like diamonds, a smile bright as the sun
A dirty face from having too much fun
Snotty nose and a snotty kiss
I’m afraid someday I’ll be missing this

CHORUS
Sister Mary, I love you with all of my heart
We have to spend way too much time apart
I guess that makes me really appreciate you
Sister Mary, I’ll always be there for you

VERSE 2
Smiling from ear to ear reaching out for me
Your eyes full of tears when I have to leave
A heart full of love as big as the sky
Handfuls of kisses, but the days fly by

CHORUS…

BRIDGE
It won’t be long until you’re grown
You’ll marry and you’ll be gone
Everything may change and be rearranged
But my love for you will remain

CHORUS

Sister Mary © copyright 2010 Teddy Lynn – BMI

As I said, it’s not a masterpiece, that’s just how I expressed my feelings before blogging and social media came along. Siblings can sometimes have strained relationships and can sometimes even hate each other, but some share a great bond. I’m thankful for my little sister and the good relationship we’ve always had. Since we’ve grown up, we don’t see each other as often as we used to, but I still love her as much as I did when we were kids. There’s nothing like family, and there’s nothing like good memories, so cherish both, while you still have them.

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A STRANGE TALE

Ricky had just graduated from high school and was preparing himself for college. A few of his friends had been telling him about a new friend they had met a few weeks earlier out in the woods just south of town. This was not a man, but a strange creature with strange powers, but soon, Ricky’s friends talked him into going to meet this stranger.

At first, Ricky was afraid, but his friends assured him that the creature would not harm him. He promised Ricky joy and happiness and vowed to make every part of his life better than it had ever been before.

The creature was strange, yes, but very fascinating. After Ricky got to know it, he was no longer afraid and began to spend more and more time with it. By the end of the Summer, they had become best friends. By this time Ricky had his own place on the College campus and his best friend had moved in.

When Ricky was feeling bad, his friend was always there to make him feel better. When he was feeling down, he could always count on his friend to cheer him up. Ricky soon discovered that his best friend had a strange power. When he couldn’t sleep, his friend would work his magic, and before long Ricky would be in dreamland.

After some time enjoying this perk, Ricky started noticing something strange happening. The creature began to take control, and started putting Ricky to sleep when he needed to be awake, and would keep him asleep long after he needed to wake up.

Ricky was missing appointments, and he wasn’t keeping plans he had made with family and friends. He was late for classes and his on-campus job way too often, and he was unable to do anything about it. The creature was now in complete control of his life.

Eventually, he lost his friends, and his relationships with his family members were on the rocks. He lost his job at the school and his grades were suffering severely. All he had left was his friendship with this strange creature who was now controlling his life. He now saw this creature as a demon, instead of the magical, fun-loving, happy-go-lucky pal he had met only a short time ago.

He wanted out. He wanted to go back to the time before he had met the creature and get his life back, but it seemed impossible. He seemed to have no power over his own life. What could he do? How could he ever escape?

As Ricky sat thinking, trying to find a solution, he remembered his grandmother, and something she had always told him. She knew a man who could help people in any situation. Ricky knew he needed help. He knew he couldn’t do this on his own. With one last act of desperation, he knelt down to pray, and ask Jesus to help him defeat this monster that had taken over his life.

As he prayed, he felt a peace come over him. He knew everything would be alright now. Jesus would be by his side every step of the way. He knew Jesus would help him overcome this demon. And he did. Today Ricky is free from the power of that monster that many call alcohol. He has a wonderful life with a great family, and he’s truly happy.

If you’re a slave to alcohol, drugs, or anything else, Jesus can help you. He can set you free from addiction and give you a new life. All you have to do is ask him. You can trust him. He has set millions free from addiction. He did it for me, and he can do the same for you. In Matthew 7:7, Jesus said, “Ask, and you shall receive.”

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OUR BEST FRIEND

When I was really young I remember visiting my Aunt who lived just through the woods. We walked there quite often with our grandmother. She had a dog named Clete. I don’t know what kind of dog he was but my sister and I liked him a lot, and I guess he liked us, too. We played with him every time we would visit. Then one day she told us that he once belonged to her brother, who was our uncle. His name was Marvin.

Later, we learned a couple of interesting things about Uncle Marvin and Clete. First, Marvin was our uncle’s middle name. His first name was actually Cletus. He named the dog after himself and just called him Clete for short. Cletus is a strange enough name to me, but Clete doesn’t even sound like a name at all. I’m glad I found out where the name came from.

The second interesting thing we found out was that Uncle Marvin had given Clete to me and my sister, and our aunt was just keeping him for us. I never did find out why. Maybe we were too young. I don’t know. Eventually, though, we got to take him home. We had to keep him tied on a chain in our side yard, but we played with him every day. He was like a member of our family. He was our best friend.

We moved several times over the next few years and our buddy went with us. We grew up and he was still there, just as loyal and loving as ever. Then one day he got sick. We got medicine for him and he seemed to get better, but eventually, he died.

I’ll never forget the pain I felt knowing he was sick and there was nothing I could do to make him better. I wanted to hold him and pet him and comfort him, but we couldn’t even touch him. I’ll also never forget the pain I felt when he died. All my sisters and I could do was cry. We were all heartbroken. He was our best friend for so many years, and we loved him very much.

We missed our best friend after he died, but we still had each other and we were glad for that. At least we didn’t have to miss him alone. Our grandmother was there for us, to hug us, and hold us, and tell us it would be okay. We also had Jesus to help us through that tough time. Our grandmother had told us all about him early on, and how much he loves us, and the animal he created. She told us about death and why everything has to die. It’s because of sin.

When God created our world, everything was perfect and he gave everything to Adam to take care of. Then Satan came along, and Adam, by disobeying God, forfeited his governorship to the father of lies. Then Jesus came and lived a sinless life and died, and was resurrected, and he took the kingdom back from Satan.

Yes, death is still here, but it has no power over those who trust and obey God. One day Jesus will physically return, and destroy death and sin once and for all, and those who have been born again will live with him forever. I’m looking forward to that day. I can’t wait to see Jesus. I’ll also get to see my grandmother, my dad, and my sister all again. I don’t know about Clete. The Bible doesn’t say whether or not we will have our animal friends back, but I certainly think it’s possible. I know that God is powerful enough to do anything. I’d like to see Clete again, and all our animal friends we have had over the years as well as our family.

It’s a blessing to have family and friends in our lives, whether they are humans or animals. It’s also a blessing to be part of God’s family and to know that Jesus is there for us, no matter what we have to go through in life. He’s our friend, and he loves us. He wants to be our best friend. If he’s not your friend then, you don’t know what you’re missing. Get to know him, today.

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© 2017 Teddy Lynn – All Rights Reserved

My books are available in paperback and digital format on Amazon @ 
https://www.amazon.com/Teddy-Lynn/e/B01MZDB6L6

HAPPY THANKSGIVING

Happy Thanksgiving. I’d like to take a few minutes to thank everyone who reads my blog. Thank you for making it worthwhile. I love writing, but without you, there would be no reason to put it on the internet. So thank you, from the bottom of my heart, and have a happy, happy Thanksgiving.

As many of you have noticed, I haven’t been writing much lately. A lot has been going on in my life for the past year. My daughter got married, and my baby boy turned 18. My dad died after five long months of illness. My sister died after fighting cancer for eight years, and I’m still struggling with my own health issues. With all that has happened, I still have plenty to be thankful for.

God has been so good to me. I’m thankful for all the things he's blessed me with, like my family, our home, a way to make a living, and so many other things, but the things I’m most thankful for are his Love, Mercy, Grace, and forgiveness. I was dead in sin, headed down that wide slippery slope to hell. Then Jesus came and rescued me, and put me on the narrow road to heaven. I’m so thankful he saved me. I love him for that and I want to serve him and tell others how much he loves them.

I want to ask each of you to pray for me and my family, for everyone who reads this blog, and please pray that new readers will find this information and be blessed by it. Thank you again for reading, and again, Happy Thanksgiving. God bless you.

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My Blogs
https://teddylynn.blogspot.com
https://teddylynn.wordpress.com

© 2016 Teddy Lynn – All Rights Reserved

My books are available in paperback and digital format on Amazon @ 
https://www.amazon.com/Teddy-Lynn/e/B01MZDB6L6

FROM JOY TO DESPAIR, AND BACK

The night my daughter was born, my wife was lying on the couch watching TV. She told me she was hurting. She was far enough along for the baby to come at any time. I told her we needed to go to the hospital, she could be in labor. She said she didn’t want to go because it might only be gas. I told her it was better to be safe than sorry. The hospital we were using was about forty miles away. She said she would feel stupid if we went that far only to find out it was gas. After about an hour, with no relief, I finally talked her into going. When we got there, and they checked her out, we were both glad we had gone. She was in labor.

There had been two complications with her pregnancy. One was the RH Factor blood incompatibility. My wife was RH-positive, and our daughter was RH-negative. This can cause problems, and if you don’t understand it properly, it can cause a lot of fear, and worry. Her doctor had not done a good job explaining all this to us, in the first place. Then, on one of her later visits without me, he was out, and the doctor who was seeing his patients evidently didn’t understand it himself. He rattled on, and on about the dangers, throwing in some words like MAY and MIGHT. He upset her so bad that she was worried to death.

The second complication was that our daughter was breech. By about thirty weeks, the baby was supposed to be turned with her head down toward the birth canal. With each visit, the doctor had noticed she wasn’t turning, so he kept a close watch on the situation. He said there was nothing to worry about, she still had time to turn. Well, she never did, and soon she was too big to turn. At that point, he told us natural birth was out of the question. She would have to undergo a C-section to safely deliver the baby. Now, it was time, and our little girl was ready to get out of there.

Well, the doctor was called, and the nurses started getting things ready. While the doctor’s nurse was checking for dilation, she said she felt the baby’s head. I thought that was strange because we knew she was breech. I didn’t know much about pregnancies. I guess she could have turned, but the doctor had said she wouldn’t turn this late in the pregnancy. I told the nurse the baby had been breech, and I asked if she had turned. She said, “Oh, I’ll check again.” She checked again and said she was still breech. At this point, we became even more worried. I wondered, “Does this woman not know what she’s doing? Has she not looked at my wife’s chart?” We were already praying, but that made us pray even more.

Soon the doctor came in, and talked to us, and made us feel a little better about the situation. We went down to surgery, and I held my wife’s hand as our beautiful little girl came into the world. The doctor said, “It’s a girl. She has ten fingers and ten toes.” We were glad to hear that. When my son was born a few years earlier, in the same hospital, there was a baby born with six fingers on each hand. It’s not as rare as you make think, but all was well with our little girl. Praise the Lord. She was now in the safety of our arms, and we were so thankful to God for working everything out.

She’s all grown up now, with a family of her own. She has grown into a strong, beautiful young woman. I was blessed and honored when she asked me to perform her wedding ceremony. She was so beautiful. I was reminded of the day that I married her mother. I’m so thankful I was able to be a part of her life, and have the opportunity to teach her about Jesus. I pray that God will continue to bless her, and her family in every way possible.

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My Blogs
https://teddylynn.blogspot.com
https://teddylynn.wordpress.com

© 2016 Teddy Lynn – All Rights Reserved

My books are available in paperback and digital format on Amazon @ 
https://www.amazon.com/Teddy-Lynn/e/B01MZDB6L6