Update:

Picture from a 2000 bus trip to St. Louis..The Bowling Hall Of Fame..

Hello..
I see I havent made a post here since last November..Just want to update things..Linda has had some recent arthritic difficulties with both her knees, and will be seeing an Orthopedic Specialist soon..If we can get her knees fixed some, maybe some of her other issues (Diabetes, etc..)will be easier to handle..

Work has gone well for the most part, except some recent weeks have been short on hours..Need to have a solid 30 a week to at least survive..

My sister in law Bev Lones had heart surgery last week..According to My brother Ed, everything went well..Praise The Lord For that..

As some on Facebook may be aware..I'm in a kind of a time of transition Church-wise..Still praying for what to do at this point..

Great to see Massillon Baptist College embarking on another great school year..Dr. Stan Anderson has things going in a good direction..Lots of excitement from what I am hearing..

Gotta run for now..Have a great weekend everybody..God Bless..

Pray for my brother Roger

Forgot to mention in yesterday's posting..My oldest brother Roger came out of surgery last week replacing a heart valve and having cartoid artery surgery..He is in a step-down room at Aultman Hospital and as far as I know, is doing well...Continue to keep him and the family in your prayers..Thank you..

Hello All:

Cover of "The Star Carol"..Tennessee Ernie Ford's best selling Christmas album of 1956

Just a note to update everyone:
Linda's sister Debby Baxter is living with us once again..Good to have her around..
Linda is still having diabetic issues on occasion, as well as aching muscles, etc..But the diabetes is mostly under control..We're trying to find a nursing home for Linda's dad..I know she (and I) would appreciate your prayers in the situation..This is all new to Linda..Pray that we find the right place and we get the right kind of help for him..

Some good news:
Because of pesonnel changes at the grocery store I work at, I am getting more hours than I had been previously, going from an average of 26-27 hours a week to 30-32 hours..It may not sound like much but there is a huge difference between $570 and $670 or more
take-home per pay period..Hoping that it keeps up...While I would love 40 hours, that may never happen..All I ever wanted (realistically) was 30-32 hours and I am very grateful for that..

Finally, for our video feature, I'd like to present the Late Tennessee Ernie Ford in a selection of closing hymns from the Prime Time NBC "Ford Show." Though the Network and sponsor was aginst the hymns..Thinking you just dont have "religious" music on primetime tv, Ernie held firm..Through the 5 year weekly run, only 18 shows failed to include a closing hymn..

Here Ernie, with some help from his backup singers the "Voices of Walter Schumann" (renamed The Top Twenty after Schumann's passing) sings the following hyms:
Rock of Ages
Old Rugged Cross
Peace In The Valley
Precious Lord, Take My Hand...






The next two postings (which I hope to be sooner rather than later) will feature two more parts of this video..

My Take on LeBron, Etc..And Cleveland Sports in general

Channel 5 Quarterback Club TV Guide ad-1959


Cleveland Indians TV Guide Ad-April 1970


My absolute favorite Cleveland Cavaliers logo from the 1970's

Hello folks:
Unless you've been under a rock (which would hurt, btw)you know about the LeBron James/Cavaliers saga that played out to its conclusion over the last several days..Culminating in a Made-For-TV spectacle om Thursday Night over ESPN..I suppose everybody's heard/read everybody's opinion on the matter..I figure I might as well weigh in on things..as well as some related sports topics..

My own sports "history"..I didnt get into pro sports untill the late 1960's when I started to pay attention to the old NBA Cincinnati Royals for a couple of seasons..People forget they had some really good teams from 1964-68 or so..Just not good enough to beat the Celtics in the playoffs..I was listening to a Royals game when the official announcement was made that Cleveland would get a team..

in 1970 the Cavaliers began..They were bad/horrible the first few years, but they were "our" team..Also began to follow the Indians in 1970..Became a semi-Bengals fan at first becase they were aired on WOIO-AM 1060 Canton and the Browns sounded "bland" to me on the radio..

Getting back to the Indians, you always had "hope" this would be their year..Unfortunately by June 1, they were out of the pennant chase most years till the mid 1990's..I could not, and cannot make myself root for any team outside of Cleveland,,Became a Browns fan in the Sipe years..The Cavs also had their high spots..1976 Miracle of Richfield 1988-92 outstanding teams..Indians lost 2 World Series (1997 especially hurt) but at least they got there..Because (Or In Spite) of all this, I do not believe in a Cleveland "Sports Curse"..Being a fan to me means you have to believe in your City and your team...

Getting to LeBron..A couple of months ago I was ready to accept him leaving Cleveland..But the way he went about it..The special..dragging it out as long as possible..Then putting a knife in Cleveland's back is just plain wrong..Now it comes out he hardly had any communication with the Cavaliers in the last few days..and they found out JUST BEFORE he announced it?..Totally classless in my mind..Dan Gilbert's "Letter To The Fans" was right on target..

In spite of what LeBron did, I cant hate the guy..I think he made a mistake, which may be borne out in the future..Its good that the Cavaliers appear to be moving ahead on things..With some new developments regarding sign-and-trade with James, etc..

As much as a sports fan as I am, it can be said that sports is getting too much play, and that's probably right..It can be a good diversion from real life..I try not to let the "business side" of sports take away from my enjoyment of it..

Massillon Baptist College Alumni Fellowship-May 14, 2010

Massillon Baptist College Logo-1973-Present..Courtesy Dr. Stanley Anderson

Portrait of Dr. Bruce D. Cummons, founder of Massillon Baptist Temple and Pastor from 1950-95..He founded Massillon Christian School and Massillon Baptist College in 1973..

Pastor Don Snow of Calvary Baptist Church, New Philadelphia, Ohio pictured here with his wife, Becky in an MBC 2009 Fellowship Photo..Brother Don And Sister Becky have been great friends for over 25 years..

Hello:
Wanted to give a report on the Massillon Baptist College Alumni Fellowship services last Friday Morning, May 14, 2010..After stopping for a bit of Breakfast at Top of The Viaduct Restaurant..I got to the Massillon Baptist Temple about 8:35 AM..Enjoyed Fellowship with some good friends before heading into the Sanctuary..

The First service started at 9AM..MBC 1998 Graduate..Peter Chamberland from Rock Of Ages Prison Ministry was the first speaker..His subject was "JUST KEEP ROWING" taken from Mark6:45-52..He said we need to keep on going..

Because of Others Watching
Because of Jesus with us
Because of Our Final Destination-Glory!

In other words, Don't give up! Excellent Message to start the day..

Just a Note:Rock Of Ages Prison Ministry is a National Organization..Massillon Baptist Temple will host the National Meeting for 2010 July 18-22..One of the Speakers will be Nationally known Pastor Emeritus of Worth Baptist Church, Ft. Worth, Texas, Dr. Raymond Barber.

The Second Speaker was Rev. Jason Grubbs, Recently Installed as Pastor of Mt. Tabor Baptist Church In Lebanon, Indiana..He spoke from John 14:1-12 "DREAMS MUST BE GREATER THAN THE MEMORIES"

The disciples had great memories of ministering with Jesus while He was on earth, but He had to leave for The Holy Spirit to come..The disciple had to focus on the future, just as we do today..Great to have the memories, but we need to think of what we can do for the Lord going forward..Rev. Grubbs also said that the Great days for Fundamentalism in Northeast Ohio (as in the 60's and 70's) can happen again if we stay focused..The things that last are Holy Spirit driven..

Massillon Baptist Temple Pastor Cecil Thayer stated that his goal was to bring in more "outside" speakers into our Fellowship meetings-To hear different fundamental voices..I think that is a good thing..

The Final morning speaker was Rev. Keith Troyer, MBC 1986 Graduate..Pastor of Grace Baptist Church of Greenville Pa. He spoke from I Corinthians 10:3-5

RENEWING THE MIND-He shared that even as Christians, our minds can be easily corrupted-We need to "Put Off" the "Old Man" and Put on the New Man..We need to fight "Stongholds" in our lives, such as thinking that any results as far as folks saved, etc..That we have anything to do with it..It is all of God..Glory belongs to God and Him alone..God Is In Charge Luke 13:1-5..

All three speakers were a blessing, and as often happens, all three messages connected with each other..

Bro. Marcus Perry, 1994 Graduate of MBC, provided special music..He was a blessing indeed..

After the messages, there was an alumni business meeting in which MBC Dean Dr. Stanley Anderson revealed plans to upgrade course offerings at MBC, plus share opportunities for College Outreach through the summer..Afterward, we had a good lunch at Massillon Christian School..Was happy to be able to fellowship throughout the day with Pastor Don Snow, a great friend of mine whom I went to college with many years ago..He is pastoring Calvary Baptist Church in New Philadelphia, Ohio as he has for over 20 years..

I would like to thank Pastor Thayer, Dean Anderson and the Staff of Massillon Baptist Temple/College for making everyone feel welcome and at home..May God Continue to bless The Massillon Baptist Temple Ministres as they continue to move forward..

Editior's Note:Here is the official Webpage for Massillon Baptist College Alumni Fellowship with a link to a page on Massillon Baptist Temple..

http://www.mbcaf.org/

Explanation: And a few announcements

Good Morning:
Just wanted to explain something ive just been made aware of..The last post I did in March revolved around a Statler Brothers performance of "Vacation In Heaven" with a YouTube video as a centerpiece of the post..Well, this morning I see that the video (not uploaded originally by me) was removed from YouTube for "Terms of Use Violations". When using YouTube videos like this, I realize one takes a chance on this happening. However, since the video was the "main draw" of the post, I felt It would be prudent to delete the post in question..I apologize for any inconvenience..Next post will be a detailed report on yesterday's Massillon Baptist College Alumni Fellowship meeting..

Also, I am considering a name change for the blog, as I have felt for a while that "The Wonder of His Grace" seems a bit clunky and awkward..

Still here..

Hello folks:
I know I havent been here in a long time..Linda and I are doing well..She left her job around Thanksgiving..It was physically too much of a stress..We have but one income now..Its been tough at times but the Lord has been faithful..Enjoying some beautiful spring weather here in Ohio..Hope it lasts a few more days..I do appreciate all who stop by..I am honestly not sure where I want to go with the blog in the future..I appreciate your prayers about that..

Here is one of my Favorite YouTube Videos..

Cathedrals Farewell Concert in Nashville.. The Late George Younce tells a touching story on Harold Reid of The Statler Brothers..The Statlers come out and do "Noah" and "On The Other Side"

The Statler Brothers, while they are/were known for their Country/Nostalgia songs, Have a deep, abiding faith in God and Family...Am proud to say they started their professional career with the Late Johnny Cash in my Hometown of Canton, Ohio..