On.....Burning Cars!

1967 VW VAN INTERIOR

In 1975 when was only 16 years old and had just gotten my license to drive, my dad bought me a beautiful, white, 1967 Volkswagen Van. It had a camper style interior with a foldout bed, small sink, small refrigerator, etc. 
It was one sweet buggy! I had it all equipped with my Hallicrafter SR46 CB Radio and a 12 foot whip antenna attached to the rear bumper. 

HALLICRAFTER SR46

In those days, you didn't have a "real" car unless you had a CB Radio with a "whip" and an 8 Track Stereo under the dash. I loved that van! Also, in one of the cabinets I had over 300 "CB Radio Calling Cards" that I had collected. 

8 TRACK PLAYER

I only had the van for a few weeks when I had taken a ride out to Juvenile Settlement. On my way back to Hoyt I could smell a strong gasoline smell. So I stopped the van and went to the back and lifted the engine door. I could see gas on one of the gas lines. It appeared that it had been taped up with black electrical tape to stop a leak. I drove on home and forgot about the gas leak. 

That evening, dad said, "Steve, tomorrow I want you to clean up all the garbage in the garage and take it all to the dump down in Wirral." which was only about 6 miles away. I said I would do it. The next morning I loaded the garbage into the van and headed out to the dump. About halfway there on a long flat, straight, stretch, I glanced in my side mirror and saw what appeared to be flames shooting out of the side air louvers. I hit the brakes, jumped out and started to run toward the back of the van. When I saw the orange flames shooting out from under the van, something told me to run the other direction! So I did! I ran about 20 to 30 feet from the van and there was this huge explosion!! It was the gas tank!! I stood there in shock as my van erupted into an inferno!! 

THE DAY THE VW BURNT

There were no houses in sight, so I continued to run. I knew I had to call dad. I'm not sure how far I ran, but finally I came upon a house and went to the door and asked if I could use their telephone. I called dad and told him what had happened. His first frantic question was, "Are you out of the van?" The question still puzzles me to this day since we didn't have cell phones. HA! Dad said he was on his way. 

When I got back to the van, the fire had pretty much died out leaving nothing but a burnt shell. The fire was so hot that the rear wheels were completely gone. Under the van the aluminium engine was just a melted puddle with four metal pistons lying in the middle of it. My CB was totally gone as was my 8 track player and the entire interior. Only the steel wire and springs of the seats were  still intact. All of the windows were gone! I think they blew out when the van exploded. I was still in disbelief! 

TOWING THE VW AWAY

I can still take you to exact place where it happened. For many months afterward there was a huge black spot on the road reminding me of that dreadful day!! I'm glad I got out of the van when I did!

PS: If dad hadn't made this 16 year old do all that hard labor of taking the garbage to the dump, none of this would have happened!....just sayin'!   HAAAA!

On....My Son Jason

Me and my son!

Well, my oldest son's birthday is today! He turns 37! Some may not know him as our son, however, my educated understanding is that when you spend time raising a child you cannot deny that they are your own. Besides if you look closely you can see that he looks a lot like some of my other relatives! I guess the reason we mostly raised him is because my mom was incapacitated trying to raise my two sisters, Jody and Rene. They were a mighty handful in those days!(and still are) Those who remember will recall mom's name in the weekly church bulletin: "Please pray for Jude". I guess the girls were just the cross she had to bear.

The following are some reasons that I know Jason is our son.

1. Only parents rush their own children to hospitals.
I recall the day Esther and I rushed Jason to the Oromocto hospital after a successful rendezvous with a neighbor kid playing David and Goliath with real stones. Once we got him there, I had to assist the doctor while he stitched Jason's head....well....kinda somewhat like that....I actually stood outside the ER trying to keep from passing out from the sight of all the blood and the super sonic screaming! Esther actually assisted. My mom would have taken him to the ER but was probably incapacitated again with those girls.  

2. Only parents instil the fear of God in their own children.
On this occasion Jason was with us in our car heading toward our home when Esther and I began this foolish bantering about "who could flip who". I declared that I could flip her over the snow bank with one hand behind my back! When I said that, something tripped a switch in Esther's brain and she said in a very deep voice that gave me shivers...."STOP THE CAR!" So I did!....right on the hiway! We both jumped out!...Jason was in the back seat with his eyes wide as serving platters! I came around the back of the car and I whispered to Esther, "Flip me over the snow bank so Jason can see!" Before I got the full sentence out of my mouth I was flyin' head down, legs up, backside down over a ravine somewhere between Fredericton and the Mactaquac Dam! When I finally got back up to the road, Esther was laughing her silly head off saying somethin' like,"There!! Now who can flip who?!" (at the same time doing some kinda Gangnam dancy thingy) After we laughed for awhile, we went over to the car. Jason had locked all the doors and was crying his head off in the back seat...scared to death!! Poor little guy thought Esther had killed his father, I guess! Anyway after much coaxing we finally talked Jason into unlocking the car doors so we could continue on our way. Here's the sad part of the story....Esther and Jason still think, to this day, that she tumbled me over the snow bank on her own. They don't realize that I LET HER!! 

There are other stories that I could elude to about my son Jason but I think you get the photo.... HAPPY 37th BIRTHDAY SON!

OH....and please keep mom's name in the church bulletin for prayer, 'cauze now she's tryin' to raise Jody and Rene's kids.

(DISCLAIMER:  I cannot be held responsible for some of the satirical writing of this particular Blog...it may or may not be 100% accurate) 

MONTREAL CHRONICLE FALL ISSUE 2012

Steven and Esther Roach

                      SINCERE THANKS!

Thank you all so much for your continual prayers for the work here in this needy Province of Quebec. We thank you for everything you have invested into our family and our ministry. Without you, we cannot begin to imagine where we would be today. Sister Larsen told us one time after reading the Montreal Chronicle “It’s good to hear all of the wonderful reports, but you must learn to tell the whole story – good and bad. She said, I’ve lived in Quebec long enough to know that none of these good things happen without struggle, or without a battle.” At the time, I smiled gently, and tucked her words in my heart. It is easier not to tell the “need” side of the story, but today we’re going to try. We ask that you take this letter with you to your place of prayer, and share our vision and burden along with us.

VICTORY HARVEST CHURCH 

Signing final documents with our Notary

We thank God for all He is doing and for His great plan for the Town of Brownsburg-Chatham. This year opened up with one miracle after another for our Church family. Late in 2011, God opened some great doors for us to be able to purchase the church building we had been renting. It is a great building, and was built very sturdy. On the advice of several of our Ministerial Advisors along with the favor of the church people, we started the purchasing process, but realized that the roof needed to be re-shingled and it had to be done before the winter snow arrived. The shingles were blowing off.  God laid it on the hearts of a wonderful roofing company from the Church in Hull (Le Chemin) to do the work at no cost to us. God provided every penny for the materials as well! At the same time, the monies came in for the down payment on the building, and the paperwork was finished for the transaction early in the year. After the final signatures, we paid the insurance, notary, and other small start-up costs. The people of the Church could see that God was working! Praise His Wonderful Name!

New awning construction

The next pressing repair that the building needed was the awning over the front steps. It was very deteriorated. A couple of months ago, we tore it off because we were concerned that it may fall on someone. A couple of weeks ago, my husband began to build the new awning. With very little finances to work with, we wondered how it would all take place. Thankfully, he is very good at building things, so he was able to build the trusses in the basement of the Church himself. One day while, working alone, he slipped off the ladder. Miraculously, he landed on his feet! He was a little shaken up, so he went into the Church to gain his composure. He began to cry out – “God, isn’t there someone who can help me?’’ Inside of 2 minutes, he heard a voice at the top of the stairs say “hello, is there anybody here?” He went up and found a young man who often sits on the steps of the Church reading his Bible, but doesn’t really go to Church anywhere. He worked with him for the rest of the afternoon, and my husband was able to talk to him about The Lord. Another day, a man from our Church (David Morin) was able to help him get the rafters up and in place. 

Now the concern was to get the plywood and shingles on before the rafters had to sit out in the weather too long. We didn’t have the money for it, but my husband kept going forward making all of the preparations he could. We knew that we had some shingles left over from the main roofing project last Fall, and had stored them in a room in the basement. Last Wednesday, as he went into the room, he stood with his mouth open because there in front of him stood all of the 5/8^ths plywood he needed for the awning roof! He had forgotten that it was there! God is faithful! Then on Friday, some young people arrived at the Campground for an overnight visit. Len and Michelle were there with them. It occurred to me that two of these young men were roofers, and one of them had worked on the main roof of the building last fall. We asked them if they could help with the awning. They were happy to help, and by noon on Saturday, it was totally covered and properly sealed against the brick wall! We are rejoicing and thankful for the goodness of The Lord! My husband can do the finishing touches around the edges, and the underside of it. Once again, we have seen “Jehovah-Jireh” in action. He truly does provide!

In April, we started having a monthly “Hymnspiration” where people from the neighbouring Churches could come and sing, play instruments, and worship together. The first one was on Easter Sunday, and we had no idea how many may show up. The Church was full! It was a wonderful evening of Praise and Worship. Again in May, it landed on Mother’s Day, and we wondered how many would come. It was a full House again. Each month has been the same, and the community and surrounding Churches are looking forward to it!

WATER BAPTISM

In July, there were five people baptised! It was an exciting time for all of us at VHC!

In August we had a child Dedication Service for Ethan Porier.

Street Invaders 2012 in Brownsburg

Street Invaders were with us for ten days in August. There were fourteen of them and they really worked hard. They spent so much time walking the streets, praying, talking to people and doing drama and skits, but one evening as they did a recap of their day, there was a feeling of wanting to do more.

One person suggested that they make a sign and carry it on the streets of Brownsburg and Lachute.  The sign said “Free Prayer”. They got some mixed reactions. Some people made fun of them, but some others actually asked them to pray for them. They came home very excited. The week ended with our annual BBQ in the parking lot of the Church. The young people were so happy because some people came that they had invited! We are endeavoring to keep in touch with these new ones.

Over the next few months, we are expecting great things from God at Victory Harvest Church! There is an excitement in the air. At the same time, we are fighting the good fight of faith. Please keep us in your prayers!

VICTORY BIBLE CAMP

God moved in on our Winter Retreats in January and February this year. Dan Bennett spoke at the first one, and Len Vanderwier spoke at the second one. They both did an amazing job! The anointing of the Holy Ghost was strong, and the Youth were moved, changed and renewed in their walk with Jesus.

In March we had a Children’s Retreat where a couple of Young People spoke to the kids. It was great! The retreat ended by everyone going to a “Sugar Shack” and enjoying some taffy on the snow.

We had our second annual “Purity Retreat” in May. A large number of teens came to this intensive training session to draw closer to Jesus, to learn about The Father’s Heart for them, and to be better equipped against the onslaught of the enemy against their right standing with The Lord. It was an amazing weekend!

Our Summer Camps for the Children and Teens were both exceptional in every way this year! The staff worked so hard, and the presence of the Lord was strong! Len (our Son-in-Law) spoke at the Children’s Camp and Jonathan Garlock Jr. was the Teen Camp speaker.

Our hearts rejoiced as they each motivated the campers to seek after God like never before. We feel so blessed! God is doing great things!

OUR FAMILY

This year God has blessed us yet again with another Grandchild. Estelle and Mark welcomed little Abel Steven on April 27, 2012. This makes 3 sons and 1 daughter for them. Michelle and Len have 2 boys. There are now 12 of us when we get together! It doesn’t seem possible that the 2 oldest ones, Murielle and Titus turn 7 this year! Sammy will soon be 5, Hunter is 3, Elias is 2, and Abel is 4 months old. We are so thankful that we are all healthy and enjoying each other. God has been good to us all. In May, we celebrated our 33^rd anniversary. It’s hard to believe time goes so fast!

 OUR MINISTRY

We would like to appeal to all prayer warriors, intercessors, and those who know how to pray the effectual fervent prayer.... We believe the Province of Quebec is ready for a great outpouring of the Holy Ghost and fire – and the enemy is feeling this as well. He’s not happy, to say the least! We are in the midst of a spiritual battle! We came to this Province with prayer back-up from many people – please don’t forget to pray for us. We cannot do it alone. Sometimes we get very weary and feel the need to reinforce that prayer covering. Now is one of those times!

The Roaches with Julia and Brandon

It seems like we get busier with each passing year, and we find ourselves praying more fervently that The Lord of the Harvest would send forth laborers into His fields. We ask you to seriously remember this request in prayer with us. It is not an easy field to work in, and we cannot call the laborers, but God knows who to call to this Province. Recently, a young couple (Julia and Brandon) have been driving from Ottawa on weekends to help us with music, and whatever else we need help with. As soon as they finish their University terms, they plan to move here to help us. We are so thankful for that! We desperately need a children’s program in the Church, and the Camp can always use workers – everything from music, teaching, counsellors, to the endless list of maintenance projects.

God is now moving on our hearts to expand the vision yet again at VBC! We have been having Camps and Retreats for years now and many of  these Young  People are becoming young adults who need further training. There are a lot of details to be worked out, but we are planning by the leading of The Lord, to have a Discipleship Program to offer 18 – 27 year olds where we can train them to seek after the Will of God for their lives, and be able to carry it out victoriously! Please keep us in your prayers!

OUR FINANCIAL SUPPORT

We have lived totally by faith over the last 17 years, and have had one miracle after another, especially concerning our finances. However, this area of our lives keeps us diligently on our knees. Our new Church plant is not financially self-sufficient at this point. We still depend greatly on outside support. Would you prayerfully consider planting a financial seed into this whitened harvest field? Thank you in advance for this blessing to our ministry! Here’s how…

You can make your cheque payable to:  Victory Harvest Ministries
And send to: Pastor Steve and Esther Roach,  821 chemin de la Carriere, Brownsburg-Chatham, QC   J8G 1K7    We love you all and would like to visit each and every one of you. It will be neat to sit down on the shores of Heaven and talk about all of the times God brought victory to us!!    Praise His Name!

In the Field for The King,

Pastor Steve & Esther Roach

  

ON THE ANSWER IS ON THE WAY...

VBC 2001

In 2001 Esther and I purchased the campground with its 12 acres of property plus a small piece on the lake giving us access to the lake.  All that was here at the time was the A frame chalet that was built in 1962. There were two outhouse toilets off in the woods and only a hand pump for a 50’ well in front of the chalet.

At the time when we bought the place, the Town of Brownsburg began to insist that we bring the place up to code which included drilling a proper water well and installing a commercial septic system. We drilled the well (360’) and then proceeded with the septic system. The Town required professional plans drawn up by an Engineer. The first set of plans were unbelievable! It was a commercial system that would have cost us in excess of $50,000. Holiday Inn style! And the weeping bed would have covered most of the open area on the grounds. We were shocked! I pleaded with the engineer to size the system down to something affordable.  Even then, with the plans, ground prep and installation, it still cost us $30,000. This system operates with a pumping station containing two pumps controlled by a computerized relay unit. The money to pay for this system required a great deal of sacrifice! We are thankful for those who believe in this project and helped contribute to the cause. We had paid for the majority of the system, $25,000., with our own personal savings and outside contributions.

This story centers around one of those contributions.

We were down to the last $5,000. that needed to be paid. The contractor that installed the system was wanting his money. He was very patient! We had been earnestly praying, asking God what to do.

During this time we met a Pastor from Quebec who was attending the same conference we were attending. One morning this Pastor, while in conversation with my wife, asked Esther how we were doing. My wife began to explain the situation with our septic system at the campground. The Pastor said, “You should know that we were just getting ready to send you an offering that we have of $5,000.!” She explained that it is money that is going to be released very soon and it has been designated for your campground. My wife was ecstatic!

And then the Pastor explained where the money was coming from.

The Pastor told her about a lady in their church who had been saving money. She was setting money aside specifically for her future wedding day. Not long ago she came to this Pastor and said that God definitely spoke to her and specifically said that she was to give $5,000. to the Roaches and their campground. It was the money that she had been saving for her wedding! Strangely, just a short time after she made that commitment, she was driving her car and hit a patch of black ice and lost control of her vehicle and was involved in a head-on collision. She died in that car accident!

I’m sure you can understand why this campground is so close to our hearts today! We feel incredibly honored that this precious lady had given that money to Victory Bible Camp!! We honor her for investing in the lives of people who benefit spiritually from VBC!

We do not understand how God works at times but we have to trust His divine providence and take comfort in the scripture that says, “We know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. Romans 8:28

So, don’t despair when it seems like you have prayed and prayed about something, and the answer is not surfacing. I can tell you with calm assurance that the answer IS on its way. God is faithful, and He is working behind the scenes on our behalf. He is for us – not against us. Jeremiah 29:11 says “For I know the purposes which I am purposing for you, says the LORD; purposes of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.” (MKJV)

To the family of this dear lady, we say thank-you and may the God of all comfort be your portion today!  Jesus said, “Rejoice ye in that day, and leap for joy: for, behold, your reward is great in heaven:” Luke 6:23 Most certainly this lady is receiving her reward for being so faithful!!   SRR

ON BEING A GREAT HUNTER...

My Grandfather Bell was an avid hunter. He loved to go deer hunting in the fall of the year. I remember him saying year after year, “I got my deer!” My Dad also would go deer hunting on occasion. I can’t remember hearing him ever saying “I got my deer!” Since there were hunters in my family, it would only seem right that I, too, should be a great hunter! One would think so.

It was 1987 and I decided to get my deer license. I borrowed a 30-06 Rifle from one of the men in the church in Springfield. Early one morning I took the gun, jumped in the car, and headed for the bush. I was going deer hunting...alone...and for the first time in my life! I was 28 years old.

I found an old woods road somewhere near Keswick Ridge and drove for about two kilometers and just as I rounded a corner there on the road in front of me were two beautiful, full sized deer! Suddenly, everything went silent! All I could hear was my heart pounding like a bass drum in my head. I stopped the car and slowly turned the ignition off. They didn’t move. They just stood there looking at me. I reached slowly for the door handle, pulling then turning it and the window went down. I then reached for the proper handle and opened the door very slowly. My hands were sweating! I eased out of the driver’s seat. They still didn’t move. They just stood there looking at me.

I made my way around to the back of the car and inserted the key slowly into the trunk lock. I very quietly lifted the trunk lid and reached in for the gun that was wrapped in a blanket. I fumbled trying to get the clip of bullets out of my front pocket and into the bottom slot of the gun. I peeked around the side of the trunk lid and the two deer still hadn’t moved. I heard one of them whisper to the other, “What’s he doing?” The pretty one whispered back, “I’m not sure.”

I was finally ready! I gained my composure, straightened my tie, and like an actor ready to step out onto the stage for his grand performance, I boldly, yet quietly stepped from behind the car and raised the gun in James Bond 007 fashion, and pointed in the direction of the two deer. They had both vanished into thin air!!

I closed the trunk lid and walked to the front of the car and peered down through the trees and there they were! Looking right at me again. I slowly raised the rifle and locked the sights on the front shoulder of the bigger one. Now everything went into slow motion as I pulled the trigger. It seemed like eternity pulling my finger back until there was this massive explosion and sharp pain in my shoulder! I saw fire shoot from the end of the rifle and the bullet hit its mark and the deer crumpled to the ground and didn’t move!

The next few minutes seemed like hours as I walked over to the deer and then back to the car. I walked back to the deer and then back to the car. Once again I walked over to the deer and then back to the car. I actually did this about six times. All the while, I was muttering to myself, asking questions. “What do I do now? I’ve never shot a deer before! Why in the world have I done this? Nobody ever told me what happens after you shoot a deer. What am I supposed to do now?”

Just then I remembered grandfather saying something about a deer needing to be bled. So I walked towards the car thinking, “I need a knife. Did anyone bring a knife?” The voice in my head replied, “No! Nobody brought a knife!” So I said to myself, “I have to bleed that deer!” I walked back over to the deer and grabbed the front legs and pulled it around so its head was tilted down a little slope and I pointed the gun at its throat and shot it again using the bullet as a knife! It worked and it bled! Just then I envisioned a tomb stone beside the deer’s head that simply said, BAMBI. Underneath was the inscription, “What have I ever done...to deserve even ONE...of the bullets you’ve shot?” Strangely enough I could hear a tune in my head as I read these words! I felt like a very bad boy!!

So while BAMBI is bleeding, I shamefully walked back to the car realizing that I needed to carry this animal home. My next task was to find a piece of rope to tie the body to my car. I go around to the trunk and reached into my pocket for my keys. No keys! Then I remembered that I had laid them down on the floor of the trunk when I got the rifle out. And I had closed the trunk! I spent the next 34 minutes destroying my back seat trying to find an opening. I finally found (created) a 6” hole and with a stick went fishing for a set of keys in the dark. Miraculously I caught them! When I finally opened the trunk there wasn’t even a hint of rope anywhere to be found. All I had were two old fan belts. I reasoned, “I can make them work!” I wrestled the deer to the car and was able to get the beast up onto the front hood. I hooked the left front leg with the fan belt and slipped it over the driver’s side windshield wiper. I then hooked the left hind leg with the other fan belt to the passenger’s side windshield wiper. I thought, “What a great idea! I should publish that in “The Professional Hunter’s Great Idea Book!”

I packed the gun and turned the car around. As I drove along I noticed the deer’s belly began to swell! I thought, “That’s strange! Has anyone got a Rolaid?” Turns out the heat from the car motor was now roasting my deer! I could smell hair burning and just the slight hint of deer steak on the grill! It dawned on me that I hadn’t yet dressed the deer meaning that all the innards were still inward!

So, I stopped at the first house I came to. As I drove into the driveway there were two men standing next to the house talking. They both paused their conversation glancing at me and then at the deer and then back at me as I drove closer. One of them leaned over to the other and said something and then they both began to laugh hysterically! I felt a wee bit conspicuous!

When I got out of the car I asked them if they had a knife I could borrow. At first one of the men said, “NO!” The other said, “I’ll give you a knife, but you’re not gutting that thing around here!” I said, “What do I do?” He replied, “Well you really should let the air out of that deer’s belly!” So I took his butcher knife and thrust it into its belly!

Now folks, I thought the smell of burning hair was bad enough, but WHOA! Now I had one superior mess all over the hood and windshield of my car! I continued driving home with the windows up and no fan on! As I drove along, people I met would pull over to the side of the road and point their finger at us saying, LOOK! LOOK, KIDS! and then EEEEEWW! 

On the way home I met one of the men from the church. He stopped and asked what I was doing. Before I could answer...he said, “Don’t bother trying to explain, Pastor....let’s just get this thing gutted!” Needless to say the meat was ruined! When I drove into the yard with the deer on my car, Esther came out onto the front deck and I said, "I shot my deer!" She said, "No you didn't!" I said, "Yes I did!" She said, "No you didn't!...Who shot it really?"


Upon my honor, I have never shot another deer since that day and most likely never will, ever again! If you ever want me to go hunting with you, I’ll just bring the fan belts!

As for a spiritual application to this story....there is none! All I could remotely come up with is when the Lord spoke to Peter and said, “Arise, kill and eat!” Acts 11:7 As far as I'm concerned, that's simply not enough information!    Have a blessed day!    SRR

PS: When we all get to heaven, please promise me you will never breathe a word of this story to my Grampy Bell!

ON PAYING ATTENTION TO THE WARNING SIGNS...

It was in the fall of 2005 when my wife and I were building our home here in Brownsburg. We had come over to the chalet for lunch and after we finished eating we were going to head back over to the house to do more work. I said to Esther, “Come jump on the four wheeler and I’ll take you over with me.” She said, “No, I need to walk that lunch off!” I said, “Okay! See you there!”

Earlier that morning I had been at the campground cleaning around the yard and noticed that the red plastic cafeteria tray, hanging on the cable that stretched across the driveway, was broken. I had hung the tray there to insure that no one would accidentally drive through the cable. I had removed the broken tray from the cable that morning intending to replace it with a new one. I didn’t get back to it and the cable remained across the driveway without the warning sign!

As I started the four wheeler, I throttled it and took off lickidy-split out the driveway not seeing the cable across my pathway stretching from tree to tree. I recall the violent snap against the fairing/wind shield, ripping it right off the four wheeler and then the ½” steel cable hitting my throat with such force that it violently threw my whole body backward, slamming the back of my neck against the high part of the attached passenger seat. I thought for a moment that I had broken my neck! Because of the momentum, the ATV continued to move forward and I was now pinned to the rear seat with the cable pressing extremely hard against my throat! Immediately the forward force of the ATV literally ripped the ½” eyehook right out of the tree! It all happened in a flash! I am convinced that, had the eyehook not pulled from the tree it would have surely broken my neck! I was in shock when I finally realized what had happened! The Hand of God was on me that day and I’m so thankful Esther had decided to walk instead of ride!

I sat there on the steps of the chalet for awhile, spitting up blood from my throat. I was glad the cable hit me above my “Adam’s Apple” rather than below! Had it hit below, it would have undoubtedly shattered my larynx. 

As Esther realized something was wrong, she came running back to where I was and when she saw what had happened, she began to pray for me in Jesus’ Name. I suffered a severe sore throat for a few days but everything seemed to be okay. Today we mark it down as another “miracle” that saved me that day.

Sometimes it’s the little warnings that prove to be so important. Had the red caution sign been placed back onto the cable, I would have seen it, and avoided the near catastrophe.  All through life there are caution signs that require our undivided attention. If the signs are not maintained and kept in good order, it can cause much havoc. Often it’s the little signs that are most important and it’s so imperative that we pay attention to them. God has built into each one of us subtle warning signs, that if heeded  will save us a lot of harm and heartache. Throughout the Bible, God warned people many times of impending danger. Some listened, others didn’t. It will do us all well to pay attention and watch!

Mark 13:37 And what I say unto you I say unto all, Watch.

ON HARMONY...

Today, I enjoy being able to play the trumpet!  And it`s all because of my early days, learning the fundamentals of music.

Flutophone

My first experience with music was in the third grade in Grammar School, Houlton, Maine. A note was sent home to the parents that there would be Flutophones available to students who wished to learn the basics of music and play an instrument. I was eager to play the Flutophone. If I remember correctly, the cost was $3.00.

Flutophone Orchestra

Mrs. McGillicuddy was our music teacher and once a week she would come to our school to teach us. First we learned to play the C scale on the white flute style instrument. Then we learned to play several songs like Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star, Red River Valley and You Are My Sunshine. Then we performed before the rest of the school in the auditorium and we were simply called the Flutophone Orchestra.

When I entered the fourth grade I moved next door to the Lambert Elementary School. Once again, at the first of the year, a note was sent home to Mom and Dad explaining that students could enroll in the School Band. The note gave a list of instruments that a student could choose as their band instrument. I remember going down through the list with my dad. He explained to me that if I learned to play a three valve brass instrument like the trumpet or cornet I would be able to play most any three valve brass instrument. So I chose the Baritone. Before I went to bed that night he made me promise that I would practice one hour each day. I agreed!

Baritone

I recall going to the school band room for my first band class with Mr. McGillicuddy. That day I received my Baritone. Now if you have never seen a Baritone before, it’s about 15 lbs of brass tubing twisting around until the end flairs upward into a large bell. It is just a little bit smaller than a Tuba. Since I was always quite short...(thanks mom!)...it was literally as tall as I was, without any exaggeration. That same day I carried the Baritone in its’ big black case all the way home from school, stopping every few feet to switch hands. The thing was a monster. I didn’t know how I would do this every day! I remember climbing the long set of steps to our home on the second floor of the church in Houlton, stopping at each step to catch my breath and to re-adjust.

When I finally struggled through the door, I thought my dad was gonna “split his sides” as he burst into laughter when he saw me carrying the huge Baritone case that was bigger than I was. He literally stood there laughing his head off!  He said, “Let’s see it, son!” as he chuckled. When I got the baritone out and sat down to show him how to hold it, he took to laughin’ again! Then he said, “Let’s try something!” He got me to get into the big black case and lay down. I can still hear him laughing as he closed the top and fastened it!! I was pounding on the case for him to let me out! .......Folks, It’s no wonder my head is so messed up!! HAAA!

Alto Horn

For one full week I carried that thing back and forth to school until one night dad said, “We need to look the list over again because there must be something a little smaller that you can choose.” That night I chose the E-Flat Alto Horn which was about one third the size of the Baritone. Much nicer! I played that horn for the full school year. Each school night Dad made me practice the horn for one hour...as agreed! Thanks Dad!

There were many great things that I learned during those early years of playing in the school band. I learned about the importance of being in tune and playing in harmony with the others.

Harmony is defined as the use of simultaneous pitches, tones, notes, or chords played or sung together and in balance. Harmony usually sounds pleasant to the ear when there is a balance between the consonant and dissonant sounds. Therefore disharmony is an imbalance between sound pitches and tones and is most often unpleasant to the ears.

It wasn’t hard to recognize when an instrument was out of tune or when the student wasn’t playing the right notes during a song. Believe me, the first few weeks of ‘school band” was almost unbearable. The sounds that came from us would have made a grown man cry! Thank God Mr. McGillicuddy had faith in us!  The wrong tone or note always stood out and would literally mess up our performance. There were even times when my horn was out of tune and Mr. McGillicuddy would stop everyone and he would help me tune my instrument by adjusting the tuning slide on my horn. Every day he would bring out the “Tone Generator” which was a device that was perfectly tuned to “concert C” or another note if so desired. The Tone Generator would sound out the note and individually we would bring our instrument in tune with the sound from the Tone Generator. Sometimes it took quite awhile, but he knew it was very important that every instrument be in tune with the same reference point.  He never tuned one instrument to another instrument. He always used the Tone Generator. This guaranteed an orchestra in perfect tune!

The success of the orchestra depended on all of us being “in tune” and playing the right notes at the right time. And eventually we did it!! And we sounded great!!

I say all that to say this. Everything we do in life requires HARMONY. Whether at home or at work, at play, or even in the church, harmony is so very vital! The Apostle Paul talked in several places about disharmony and how detrimental it can be to everything around us. 

Marriages need harmony and that is something that doesn’t just happen. Sometimes we as married couples need to stop and get ourselves in tune with Jesus so that the home will always be a place of harmony and joy.

In our Christian faith we need to walk in harmony with each other. Sometimes there are disagreements but in those times we need to stop and examine the Word of God and bring ourselves back into tune with the harmonics of the Bible. You see, the Bible is our “tone generator”, our “Concert C”, our reference point! If people would tune themselves constantly to the Word of God and more particularly, Jesus Christ, there would be no division in any aspect of our lives. 

The Apostle Paul said it like this, “Confusion?...We have no such custom!” Because confusion is like disharmony and it just sounds awful! Another place in the Bible says that confusion is not of God, therefore it must be of Satan!

The Bible speaks of unity, which, in a manner of speaking, is like harmony. Psalms 133 describes what unity is like. It's like the anointing oil of the Lord that runs down upon us and we all know that oil always makes things run smoother! That oil creates in us a spirit of kindness and love.

As for having harmony, sometimes it’s just learning the Bible way of being kind to one another! And YES!!....LOVE HAS EVERYTHING TO DO WITH IT!!   SRR

Let me out of here!

PS:   By the way, when I die, just find me an old black Baritone case...I fit! I tried it one day!!



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