ON THE BACK ROADS OF HOYT....

Don’t try this at home, unless you are a professional!

Bell Bridge  Juvenile Settlement

Back a number of years ago, we were spending a couple of nights at our cottage in Hoyt, New Brunswick. We loved that little place! No running water, just a spring at the bottom of the hill. An old covered bridge with lots of hilly twists and turns in the road.

The first day that we were there we were driving on the Juvenile Settlement Road out in back of Hoyt, not far from the Bell Bridge. I asked my two girls if they had ever ridden on the hood of the car before.  They both emphatically said, NOOO!!  I said, “Would you like to?” Michelle, our sporadic one, was quick to say, “YES!” But Estelle was a little more cautious. She said “Really, Dad? What if something happens?” I said, “I’ll go slow, you’ll be fine.” To which Esther said, “NO! YOU’RE NOT DOING THAT!” I insisted, “They’ll be okay!” Then she gave me that, “Don’t be so dumb, look!” I said, “Aw it’ll be fun!” The girls, now, were in full agreement! Esther wasn’t excited about it at all!

Anyway, I changed the subject and we continued on our little ride.

The next day Esther stayed at the cottage while I and the girls went for a ride in the car down to the spring to get some water. When we got out of sight of the cottage, once again, I asked the girls if they would like to ride on the hood of the car! Michelle said, “YES!” Esther didn’t object this time. So I stopped the car. We got out and I sat each girl on the hood of the car side by side and told them to lay their backs against the windshield. I said, “Now hold on tight to the windshield wipers. Cause here we go!”  As they lay against the windshield they looked at each other and grinned from ear to ear! The second the car started to move they let out a deafening squeal. Then their screaming turned to hysterical laughter as I accelerated a little. Once in awhile I would turn the wipers on and they would scream their heads off! I would speed up and slow down and they would squeal all the more! I’m sure they will never forget the day when their dad lost his mind and turned the car into their personal roller coaster! Esther still didn’t say a word!

After our episode of fun we went back to the cottage and the girls ran in to tell their mom what THEY had done. She just shook her head!

That afternoon we were at the little restaurant in Hoyt and when we came back to the car it wouldn’t start. I wasn’t sure what to do so I called Bro. David Ferrell who was pastoring the church there at the time. I explained my dilemma and told him I needed to be back to our church that evening for Bible Study and that I didn’t know what to do. He gracious loaned me his car.  I assured him that I would be back with it in the morning.

My family got into his car and as Pastor Dave was standing at the driver’s side window while we were saying goodbye, all of a sudden from the back seat behind me came this little voice from Michelle saying, “And Dad...don’t do anything stupid!”, obviously referring to our ‘hood of the car’ experience. I remember glancing back at her and frowning but not saying anything. Have you ever had an awkward moment? This was mine! I glanced at Pastor Dave and I know he was wondering what in the world could this little girl be talking about. Perhaps he was wondering, “What is this guy going to do to my car?” I was a little embarrassed as I drove away in Pastor Dave’s car. I brought his car back the next morning and I don’t think I ever did explain to him what my daughter was talking about. I’m quite sure he checked all the fenders when he got the car back though!

Well, the moral of this story is.....

Actually there is no moral other than, “Just have fun and make your kids laugh a lot!”

C’mon up sometime and I’ll take YOU for ride on the hood of my car!  It’ll be fun....I’ll just go slowly!  HAAA!  Maybe Esther will join you! SRR

ON THANKS...

Hi Everyone! I have to tell you all how much I appreciate those who are faithfully reading my Blog each day. I have a statistics counter that gives me a daily report and the numbers are so amazing! I had no idea there would be this much interest! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!


I have many more stories that I think you will enjoy! Today, however, is going to be one of those extremely busy days. We have a group of 25 coming in from the Sates to help us get everything ready for our Youth Camps that begins in just a few days. Perhaps I can write you another story this evening.
Have an awesome day!! I love you all!  SRR

ON SERVING HIM...

Our concept of "church" is so very important! In the early 80's, Christianity in North America was characterized by selfishness. A message was preached that didn’t fully line up with the Holy scriptures. Preachers taught people that the church or even God Himself owed them something. And we ended up with people crying, Bless ME! Bless ME! Bless ME!” 

When we preach a message of selfishness we present a wrong picture of the church Jesus desires to have. Too many churches have tried to be a “user friendly” church with a modern self-centered appeal. In doing so, churches tried to please and appease people being careful not to step on anyone's toes in order to build 'numbers', and as a result wound up with very shallow Christians. Don't misunderstand, I'm not against large churches. But church should not be “what I can get out of it” but rather “what can I contribute to it”. Many looked to what God could do FOR them rather than looking at who He is. 

I’ve often said, there are three types of people who followed Jesus; Those who followed Him because He gave them food to eat, Those who followed him because they liked watching Him perform miracles. And those who followed Him simply because they LOVED Him. 

We forget that the greatest reward of Christianity is not "prosperity" or even what the church can do for me. The greatest reward is Jesus Himself! Sadly the church produced a whole generation of "birth defective" disciples who through no fault of their own were taught to value what Jesus could do for them, forgetting that victory is in Jesus Himself! Isn’t it time that we let the world know that it’s all about Jesus and not all about us? We serve Him today because we LOVE HIM! 1 John 4:19 We love him, because he first loved us.

So let's all go to church this morning with the idea of serving Him rather than being served! I LOVE HIM!! HOW ABOUT YOU?   SRR

ON THE IMPORTANCE OF SCARS...

I have three scars on my body! I know...some are perhaps saying we don’t really care about your personal defects, but hear me out!

Wikipedia says: Scars are areas of fibrous tissue that replace normal skin after an injury. A scar results from the biological process of wound repair in the skin and other tissues of the body. Thus, scarring is a result of the natural part of the healing process.

To me a scar is a reminder of an adverse event that happened in my life.

Potato diggin' time in Maine

I have a scar on the tip of one of my fingers on my left hand. I was nine years old working in the potato field picking potatoes on a small potato farm in Mars Hill, Maine. It was a wet morning and the field was muddy in certain places. The tractor and potato digger came by my section and just then it bogged down in the mud and was stuck.  Everyone gathered around to watch the farmer as he struggled to get the thing moving again. 

I, of course, saw a crowd and proceeded to put on a little show. I got beside the digger and pretended that I was pushing the digger out of the mud.  Just then the farmer raised the hydraulic mechanism of the digger blades and my finger was at the wrong place at the wrong time.  All of a sudden I let out a blood curdling scream that could be heard all the way to Presque Isle. My finger was caught and wasn’t released until the guy on the tractor saw what was happening and lowered the hydraulic system. The pain was pathetic!  Blood was literally pumping out of the end of my finger! They wrapped my hand in an old T shirt and rushed me home to Grampys place. Everyone at home was determined that I was going to the Emergency to get stitches but my great-grand mother, who understood me, calmed everyone down and said he's going to be fine and she proceeded to doctor my finger. Thank God for Grammy Chase! Today, I still have a tender spot and a scar on the end of that finger and it serves as a gentle reminder of the cost of “showing off”! Since that day, whenever I decide to "show off" a little, I think I can feel a little bit of pain in that finger.

I have another scar right on the bald portion of my head. As an infant baby, I was lying in my bassinet on the floor in front of the kitchen stove. I still have a question why I was even there in the first place...Mom?  Grampy Bell was removing a very hot, chicken pot pie from the oven and he dropped the whole pie and it landed right on my face! Mom says, her mom, Grammy Bell was right there and as fast as lightning, swooped me up into her arms and quickly wiped the hot pie off my face with her hand! She said it was a miracle that I didn’t have terrible burns on my face. My grandfather was so upset when he saw what had happened that he ran out of the house and vomited in the back yard! It so happened that when they were cleaning me up they missed one little pea that had stuck to the top of my head that burned a spot and left a small scar. Hair never grew on that small spot. Perhaps this is where the term "pea brain" came from." Today, you can’t really see the spot because now my “old man bald spot” has taken over!

The third scar that I have is on my back. It happened when I was sixteen as I was splitting fire wood for dad in the back yard in Hoyt, New Brunswick. I had stood the double bitted axe against the wood pile and for some reason lost my balance while bending over. I fell backward and the edge of the very sharp axe cut my back open leaving a nice two inch gash! It gives me chills when I think about it, realizing it could have been a whole lot worse!

I told you all that to say this. Each scar on my body serves as a reminder of something dramatic that happened in my past. Each time I see them I remember the story of how it happened. They somehow teach me lessons that have helped me guard against it ever happening again.

I recognize that the scars I carry are minor compared to some of the scars people carry today. Some scars are not visible but are hidden deep inside the heart. Emotional scars are as real as a scar in the hand or foot. You see, some people have events that have wounded so deeply that they cannot seem to forget or forgive. My heart goes out to those who carry such hurts.

All around the world people are carrying scars from their past. Although it may be hard to forget what happened, there is a miracle in forgiving whatever caused the scar. Self inflicted wounds are sometimes the hardest to forgive.

The Bible is clear, “As Christ has forgiven us, we must also forgive!” May we never forget the nail scarred hands of Jesus! They serve as a reminder of the pain He suffered for us on the cross.  SRR




STORY CLARIFICATION BY MOM:The pie story is a day I'll never forget!  You were 2 months old and by the way you was near the table not the stove.... Grampie took the pie out of the oven and was on his way to the table his foot hit the legs of the bassinet,he was in a hurry because the pie was terribly hot, that pie literally went face down on your face, it is a miracle that you did not have scars on your face. The quick thinking of my mom saved you....All I could do is scream.....
I had forgot about the finger cutting incident LOL!!

ON TWO ARE BETTER THAN ONE...

Grammy and Grampy Bell  1963

Ransford Reuben Bell was my Grandfather. Grampy was born at Beachwood, New Brunswick, right at the end of the Beechwood Dam on the Upper Kent side. There were five boys and six girls in Grampy’s family. In 1930 he moved across the lines into the State of Maine at the age of 17 with his brother Frank in search of employment. Grampy was married to Phyllis Reta Bell who passed away in 1974 with multiple sclerosis. Grampy was married a second time to Mary Lewis the General Manager of Newberry’s Department store in Mars Hill, Maine. She passed away in 1997.

Ransford was born May 1, 1913 and died May 20, 1995 in his 82^nd year. I remember him well, and recall that he was a very loving, kind, and soft-hearted individual. When I was a little boy, he wouldn't let me leave his place until he reached into his pocket and gave me a quarter, or a fifty cent piece, or sometimes a dollar bill!

Upon arriving in Blaine, Maine, he worked a job for a short time and then began working fulltime for the Adelman Brothers Potato Farm at age 18 and worked for them until he retired. One of Grampy’s younger bothers, Ronald, moved to Maine sometime in the 40’s. A little later when Grampy’s parents were unable to live alone they moved to Maine and lived with Ronald.

Grampy Bell was a hard working man serving as the general foreman of the entire farm. He also had an ingenious mind and was known to many as an ‘inventor’.  He had invented and designed a lot of the equipment for planting, harvesting and processing potatoes for the Adelman Brothers.  They still operate special conveyors and potato scrubbing machines that he created.

Me and Rudy on the Trike Grampy built

Since Grampy was an inventor, he made some pretty neat stuff! I remember we were visiting one time and he realized that Rudy, my uncle, had a trike to ride, but I didn’t.  So he said, “I can fix that!”  In no time he had Rudy’s trike cut in pieces and recreated into a “tandem trike”. Now that was special! I would definitely say, “Two are better than one!” What fun we had on that little contraption!

There are many reasons why two are better than one. One reason is because of multiplied perspective. My wife and I can accomplish so much more when we work together as a team rather than separately. Often times I may only see things from a limited perspective, but when her mind is incorporated, all of a sudden the perspective increases dramatically. It’s the same in any relationship. It could be at work or at play and even within the church.

 

Have you ever had the thought, “I wish I had just one more hand!” or, “If I just had another person to help me!” We can function individually but when we incorporate others and allow their contribution, it’s amazing the things that can be accomplished.  I think this is even more amplified in the church community because of the scripture that metaphorically says, “How one can chase a thousand, and two can put TEN thousand to flight!” Think about it in relation to prayer for example. One person praying about a need can accomplish a certain amount of result, but look how it is multiplied when a second person is integrated into that prayer. It is exponential! TEN times more effective! WOW! No wonder “prayer chains” are so powerful! No wonder things happen when we all pray together! If ONE can do good, and TWO can do TEN times more good....what can TWENTY do? Logic says, “If two ARE better than ONE, then THREE must certainly be better than TWO!”

Now here’s another thought that comes to mind. The scripture says, “And if one prevail against him, two shall withstand him; and a threefold cord is not quickly broken.” Simply said, “A two strand rope is good, but a three strand rope can’t be broken.” Go ahead and try it with some strands of yarn. I did! I was able to break a single strand with no problem. When I added the second strand, it was harder, but I did break it, eventually. But when I added the third strand it was impossible.  I know what someone is saying...You should have let Esther try it! LOLZ!  But seriously, if you apply that to a marriage, you have a two strand cord which is definitely better than one, but when you include God in the marriage now you have a three strand rope that cannot be broken!”

I think I’ll go build a “six seater tricycle” for all my grandkids!  SRR

ON JUST FOR THE FUN OF IT...

In keeping with Father’s Day, I need to tell a couple more stories about my dad.

In 1974 I was living in Hoyt, New Brunswick.  Dad was always coming up with something fun, different, and sometimes “off the wall stupid things to do!”  Like the winter when I had gotten skis for Christmas. There were no real ski hills around Hoyt so dad devised a plan and we went over onto the Gillett Road that was always snow-packed. He tied a rope to the back of the Impala and set me up to do this kinda water ski stunt where he would pull me behind the car at 90 miles per hour! He really thought I should tie the rope around my waist! I said, “What do you think I am....some kinda nut?” He just smiled! I chose to hold the rope rather than tie it! Even then the road had its limits and so did I since I didn’t have a clue how to ski! When he ran out of road....I didn’t!  I remember shooting across the 101 down into someone’s field nearly wiping out into someone’s shed!.  What a dad! We were doing this JUST FOR THE FUN OF IT!

Solex Moped

One day, dad and I were in Fredericton, New Brunswick just exploring and doing it JUST FOR THE FUN OF IT! My dad loved to explore! We found ourselves in Marysville at a new cycle shop that was importing Solex mopeds from France.  They were quite an item! It was a motorized bicycle with a single cylinder, gas engine that was attached to the front wheel. They carried a price tag of $650. I really wanted one. So dad bought me one. I scooted all over Hoyt on that little contraption. It could travel at the speed of sound.....well, actually 23mph, downhill, and with the wind at your back...and pedaling!

There was an elderly man who lived in Hoyt named Jonathan Kingston.  He lived in a tiny one room house in the village. My dad thought the world of Jonathan and would visit him often. His little house was always spotless.  He loved to show us how he could bounce a quarter on his bed! Jonathan always spoke with a raspy voice not much louder than a whisper. Whenever he would see you he would sneak up behind you, tap you on the shoulder with one finger and say, “Ya don’t like me, do ya?” He would wait for you to respond, “Oh yes, I like ya Jonathan!” Then he would smile from ear to ear showing his all three of his teeth. He had his own bicycle. Jonathan went everywhere on that bike.

Dad thought perhaps he would like to have one of these mopeds so we showed him mine.  Jonathan loved it. He said, “I want one!” So he shelled out $650. and we took him to Fredericton and we bought a Solex for Jonathan. He had some trouble understanding how the engine actually worked and often would stop the Solex and would forget to lift the engine off the front wheel resulting in the friction wheel burning the rubber on the front tire.  We would see Jonathan from time to time and the blue smoke would be rolling off the front wheel. After totally destroying the first tire within the first month, dad said, “I don’t think this is working too well for Jonathan.” So dad bought the Solex from Jonathan which now meant we had two instead of one.  Dad was able to find Jonathan a different type of moped that worked much better for him.

I shall never forget the day that I got off the school bus at 4:10 and my dad jokingly said to me, “We should take the two bikes to Saint John JUST FOR THE FUN OF IT!” Dad was always very spontaneous, so this didn’t surprise me. I was so excited! I said, “Let’s do it!” We tried to figure out exactly how long it would take to get there and back. Dad thought we should be back home in two or three hours. I think our figuring was a little off! Anyway, I persuaded dad to do it, so off we went, clear to Saint John on two Solex bikes and without eating any supper.

So here was this grown man and a 15 year old son trekking to Saint John some 45 miles away on two motorized bicycles that only travelled a little faster than a man could run and we were doing it JUST FOR THE FUN OF IT!


Route 101 out of Hoyt wasn’t too bad but when we got onto the Broad Road, the transport trucks were terrible! When they would pass us they would nearly blow us off the road. We had no helmets on, which wasn’t a law then, so dads hair would blow straight up and back in the wind!  Dad kept me laughing the whole way to Saint John! When we finally arrived, we were both very hungry, so we went to the Dixie Lee Takeout and had some chicken and fries.

We rode around for a little while that night in West Saint John just exploring and then dad said, “We probably should head for home.”  Going home was the longest trip of my life! And coldest trip of my life! I remember we didn’t laugh as much going home but it was still fun! I know I had saddle sores for a week...I’m sure dad did too! I thought we would never make it! We didn’t arrive home until 4 in the morning and I had school the next day!  We were gone almost 11 hours!

Perhaps some would say, “What a waste of TIME and sleep!” But I have to tell you that I will never forget that my dad took the TIME to ride to Saint John JUST FOR THE FUN OF IT with me! I wish we could do it again....Just once more!

The greatest gift of LOVE is TIME.  Not expensive gifts or gadgets. Just giving some of your time is worth more than money could ever do.  That’s one thing Jesus gave to people...His time. He felt that giving of his time was of more value than anything else.

To all the dads out there, go ahead, do something bizarre. JUST DO IT FOR THE FUN OF IT! Your son or daughter will love you for it! Do it before they get too old and before you’re gone! It’s all about creating memories and building a relationship.....JUST FOR THE FUN OF IT!

ON SECOND CHANCES CONTINUED...

A continuation from yesterday’s blog. If you have the time, take a moment and read that one first.

1987 was the “turn around” year for my wife and I.  We both had been working secular jobs and found ourselves at a crossroads, and "Thank God", we chose the right path.  That path has led us to where we are today and now we wouldn’t trade our life for anything!

During the Special Meetings at Pastor Oliver’s church in Old Town, Maine I renewed my consecration to the Lord and to follow the “first calling” that God had placed on my life in 1977. In some ways I think the two week revival in Old Town was more for me than anyone else.  There were so many things that happened in those meetings, but one event stands out in my memory.  It was about mid-week in the first week and during the night service that a lady came to the front for prayer. She explained that she had suffered much pain in her arm and shoulder and the doctors felt it necessary to operate and to remove part of a bone that was causing so much pain. They had warned her that she perhaps would lose the use of that arm. She went on to say that after the operation, she had indeed lost total use of the arm. We could see that it hung loosely to her side with seemingly no life.

The anointing of God’s Spirit was very strong that night and the faith level was very high. We prayed for her as she raised her good arm to the Lord! The following night she came to church and once again I called her to the front and Pastor Oliver and I prayed for her healing. Still no change.  Each night we prayed for her and then on the last night I was sitting on the platform as the service began. As I was looking over the crowd, I noticed this same lady. She was wearing the most beautiful smile and it caught my attention. Then I saw it! She had BOTH of her arms straight up in the air praising God. I waited for my opportunity and I asked her to come to the front. I said, “Something has happened to you since last night!” She said, “Yes there has!” She proceeded to tell us that when she went home the night before, she was in her kitchen and all of a sudden there was a “SNAP” in her shoulder. And ever since then she had full use of her arm! The church erupted into praise and worship. That was the night that Pastor Oliver asked if I would like to continue meetings for a second week.

It was during the second week that I wondered what I would do after this. Pastor Oliver suggested to me that I should book more meetings and continue this renewed path. So that week, with his help, we began to call Pastors. Before I knew it, I had special meetings booked all the way through until the end of May! I was thrilled.  Esther came over during the second week and joined me with her accordion and special singing. It was marvellous!!  God surely was doing a “NEW” thing!

Well, upon arriving home to Westfield, New Brunswick, I made plans to sell the Town and Country News to one of my advertisers who had said if I ever decided to sell the business to give her first option. She bought it and it was like a heavy burden had lifted! I continued to fulfill the special meetings that I had booked. We found ourselves in a rural country church in Four Fall, New Brunswick in the month of May. Strangely enough, it was the last set of meetings that we had booked and it seemed that we couldn’t get any more places to minister. I started to feel a little anxious and one morning I began to share my story with Pastor Perley Hatheway. He said, “Well, it could be that the Lord has another plan.” I wondered what it could be.

The Hatheways invited me to go to Fredericton with them the next morning. On the way, Pastor Hatheway happened to mention a place called Springfield which is located just north of Fredericton near the Mactaquac Dam. I had never heard of the place. Sister Hatheway said, “They don’t have a Pastor right now in the little Springfield Pentecostal Church.” Then she continued to say, “I think Hubert Perkins is looking after the work as an interim Pastor until they can find one.” As she talked, something jumped in my spirit!

Springfield Pentecostal Church

Now here’s the neat thing! When we arrived in Fredericton that day, we went to the shopping center first. I believe it was K-Mart on Smythe Street. And just as we walked through the doors, the Hatheways met another couple that were just leaving. Their names were Irving and Grace Reed. They lived in Springfield and attended the Pentecostal Church! Pastor Hatheway introduced me to them and said, “This is interesting....we were just talking about the little church in Springfield.”  As we went back to Four Falls we drove through the community of Springfield and I saw the little church for the very first time.

Well, to make a long story short, we made connections with Pastor George Clark and Brother Hubert Perkins who were looking after the work in Springfield. Those men became, and still are, two of my most cherished friends! I will share more about my connections with Brother Clark a little later. What a great Man of God!!

Springfield, New Brunswick

One thing led to another and within just a few weeks we were loading a U-Haul and moving into the Parsonage in Springfield, New Brunswick.  What a nice country community! And what an awesome church! The people there treated us like a King and Queen! They were so good to the Roaches!  We still have many wonderful friends connected to that church and we cherish the three and a half years we spent with them. May God continue to bless the Springfield Pentecostal Church!

When I think back on how God planned everything and strategically placed us where he wanted us, we cannot help but rejoice in the Lord for His Amazing Grace!!

We serve a God of second chances!!  SRR

When writing the story of YOUR LIFE,
don’t let anyone else hold the pen.