By Brad Campbell –

Just a thought to help start your week.

Life’s highways are full of twists, turns, straight-a-ways, and bridges.  Some of those bridges are quite short and hardly noticeable.  And then there are those bridges, such as ones in southern Louisiana, that are several miles long.  This particular bridge you see here is located in the mountains of Virginia.  What you cannot see is the river that is way down in the bottom of that ravine.

Signage posted in a park near one end of the bridge tells that a Washington Monument and two Statues of Liberty stacked together could fit underneath that bridge, with an extra twenty feet to spare.  For the curious mind, that’s nearly four football fields end to end.  Driving across the bridge with a river that far below was indeed an experience to remember.  That’s why we took advantage of the little park with its hiking trail to get this view of the bridge.

The vast majority of these “thoughts” through the years have been about our week ahead, what we’re facing, the things we might experience, and all the good, bad, and indifferent that come along.  But, I think we might not appreciate what’s ahead of us sometimes if we don’t take a moment to look behind us.  Sometimes we need to stop, take a moment, and focus on the bridge(s) we’ve just crossed.

As we travel across any given bridge, we don’t always concentrate on the strength of it.  We don’t necessarily think about its purpose – to get us safely from one side to the other.  We don’t always focus on the structure of the bridge itself.  But looking back at the massiveness of it, one can’t help but marvel at the ingenuity it took to create such a thing.  There’s the wonder of how the bridge connected the great divide that we never could have crossed on our own had the bridge not been there.  And there’s the great distance between us on the bridge and the rapids of the roaring river below.

The bridge has carried us, even without our acknowledgement, across, through, and beyond what could have been some great difficulties of life.  

As you look back at last week, or the one before, or the one before that, think of the bridges you crossed in order to be where you are today.  And then think of the bridges’ Creator, His ingenuity that kept you, cared for you, and carried you across a great and massive divide – the distance between being on one side trying to do life on your own and being on the other side with Him.  Stop, reflect on life’s bridges, the troubled waters over which they have passed, and the One Who brought you safely across.  For you could not face the bridges ahead without acknowledging the ones you’ve left behind.

Just a thought.

By Brad Campbell –

Just a thought to help start your week.

The road is fairly narrow.  It is just about fifteen miles in distance, but it has many sharp turns.  Winding through Wears Valley, Tennessee, this particular road runs from Townsend north to Pigeon Forge.  Wildlife is abundant in this area of the Great Smoky Mountains.  Alas, so is the car traffic.  But if you can get out of the crowds for a while and just ride, you can encounter the Lord in so many ways and places.

Just off the pavement, in one specific sharp turn of the road sits a small older church building that has been in use about 125 years.  Adjacent to the building, sloping down the hillside, is a very well-kept cemetery, presumably mostly for those church members and their families.  Turn off the highway and head down the hill, and you’ll see something very similar to any other area of that part of the state – pasture land, horses, and an old barn.

The old barn, as you can see here, has seen its better days.  Barns don’t receive the same upkeep and care that a church building normally would.  The barn’s old tin roof is bent and twisted in places.  I would venture to say the rain blows in around the rafters sometimes.  No doubt, hay is stored underneath the barn’s roof, keeping it dry for animals to feed upon later.  The barn has been well used, beaten up by time and weather.  It isn’t sound proof, water proof, or weather proof.  It leaks, creaks, and bends during the hard storms that blow through those mountain valleys.  Yet, it stands strong, has no doubt seen several generations, and is in no immediate danger of decay or demise.

I wonder how many of our older generation think their usefulness is dwindling.  As I’m certainly in the second half of my days on this earth, I, like so many of you, deal with the aches and pains, disappointments and disillusionments, but keep going.  Why?  Because, if the Lord was finished with me, He would pull me out of here.

We may not stand as strong, tall, and proud as we once did, but the main thing is that we continue to stand.  Our facade may have faded, but our framework holds together.  Our busy-ness may have slowed, but our usefulness is everlasting.  Until He calls us Home, we have work to do.  It may be to simply hold on the best we can and keep the hay dry for the younger ones – constantly showing them the Way, the Truth, and the Life as we have experienced it!

Don’t make the mistake of thinking that age and infirmity make you no longer useful to the Lord.  We need prayer warriors around every bend in the road, over the mountains, and down in those valleys.  Hold strong.  Carry on.  He’s not done with you yet!

Just a thought.

By Brad Campbell –

Just a thought to help start your week.

The Christian music artist Zach Williams sings a song entitled “There Was Jesus.”  Dolly Parton helps him sing the words that talk about Jesus being anywhere and everywhere.  Even in the midst of trials, and hurts, and life’s disappointments, even when I didn’t realize He was anywhere around, there was Jesus.

We go through life as if we have to do it by ourselves.  Never once in God’s Word does He tell us we are in this on our own.  And yet, we always seem surprised to find out Jesus was there with us all along.

This is one of those very few pictures I share that I cannot claim credit to have taken.  This photo was taken by my late father-in-law.  Stationed in Germany for a while in the late 1950’s, he took many photos and wrote many letters home to his mother.  The letters describe what they saw, how they worked, and many times just how many months and days were left before they would return home.

He was able to see a lot of Germany on his tour there, and apparently he had his camera ever-ready.  One particular day, as he and his fellow soldiers were out, near the fork of a dirt road, they ran across this, and he snapped a picture.  There, even in the midst of post-war destruction and the work they were able to do, they found Jesus.

I would like to offer a piece of advice for your week ahead.  Don’t head out the door without Jesus.  Let’s strive to make it a very unusual occurrence to be surprised when we find Jesus among us.  It should be a regular expectation of ours for Jesus to always be with us, always lead us, always be willing to heal and forgive.

As a matter of fact, we use the phrase “I found Jesus” entirely too loosely.  You see, He wasn’t the one who was lost.  I was.  And even as Christians, we live as if He is nowhere around some days.  Jesus found us.  Praise God He is never surprised!  I pray that even in the midst of “life” this week, you see that He’s there, and He always has been.

Just a thought.

By Brad Campbell –

Just a thought to help start your week.

The smell of wet earth.  The itch from the occasional mosquito bite.  The warm sun as it beats down upon your neck.  The satisfaction of work well done.  These are just a few of the things you can experience while tending to a garden plot or picking a basket full of fresh vegetables.

These tables full of fresh produce were part of an open-air market in downtown Hood River, Oregon.  We wandered among the tents, listening to the live guitar playing and singing, and admired the home-grown vegetables, the fresh-baked breads of many kinds, the beautiful fresh flowers, and jars of local honey and homemade jelly.  There’s just something about shopping in a situation like this, where you aren’t having to push a grocery buggy or figure out the non-existent price stickers on various items.  To peruse the fruits and veggies, almost always from the very person who grew them, is to witness the labors of those who toiled the ground, to catch a glimpse of the blood, sweat, and tears that brought them to this particular moment where their hard work is on proud display and ready to share with others.

What is it about the fresh items that make them so much more appealing than what we can get inside a grocery store?  I think it’s some of all of what I just said above – the hard work and pride that goes into growing it oneself, and the rest of us being privy to their labors.

If we can enjoy the fresh produce of the field so much more than the canned items on the store shelf, then surely we can get more out of God’s Word by perusing it ourselves.  A gardener receives the pride and joy that comes from a bountiful crop and the ability to share that crop.  A reader of the Scripture can also benefit from the pride and joy of learning on one’s own, receiving the blessings that can come only because we’ve put the hard work into sharing, spreading, and growing in our own relationship with the Lord.

When it comes to food, the fresher the better.  I believe when it comes to reaping the benefits of the harvest, we can and will enjoy it so much more if we just put in the effort to make it personal.  Share your own home-grown witness – your own story, your testimony – with those who pass by.  Let them benefit from the personal side of God’s love upon your life.

The wet earth, mosquito bites, and sun-burnt neck will all be worth it when someone latches on to what you have to share!  Press on.  Plant the seeds.  Work the soil.  Share the bounty.  What a glorious experience you can share with others along the way.

Just a thought.

By Brad Campbell –

Just a thought to help start your week.

The Capital Grille is what I would consider an upscale restaurant in the heart of downtown Charlotte, North Carolina.  They have these particular words displayed at their front entrance:  “Polite Notice.  Proper Dress Required.  Thank you for not wearing Gym attire, sweat pants, tank tops, hats, clothing with offensive language or images, exposed undergarments.”  They are certainly within their rights to limit patronage to those who comply with these requirements.

After all my years of ministry and those of watching my father’s ministry all my life, I’ve seen many states of dress in connection with church services or other such events.  When I was growing up, I looked forward to sometimes wearing a necktie on Sundays, because that’s what my Dad did.  The older I’ve become and the wider my neck has grown, the less I enjoy neckties.

Depending on the church you attend, you may be part of a congregation in which all the men consistently wear suits and ties, and the ladies are all in modest length dresses.  The children in tow are garbed in very similar clothing.  Or, instead, you may be a part of a church in which suits and ties are only worn for funerals, if that.

Too many times, I fear that people are made to feel inferior based upon the clothing they wear to a worship service.  We don’t always stop to think that the pair of slightly frayed khakis are the only good pants that particular hard working family man owns.  Those sneakers with holes in the bottom may be the only decent thing those kids have to put on their feet.  The sundress with the spaghetti straps just might be the only garment that young mother can manage since anything extra goes to diaper and clothe the little ones.

Restaurants and other such establishments can limit their clientele any way they choose.  I pray we don’t inadvertently (or surely not intentionally) limit our compassion on others based on how they dress to attend church.  They’ve come by the hardest, blessed to even be together, and are there to worship the very same Jesus you also claim to love.

When Jesus said to His disciples, “Let the little children come unto me,” He didn’t direct that the kids be dressed properly first.  Bring them on anyway.  Get them there, if by the hardest.  Respectable yes, but letting the Lord Himself be the judge of all.  Your best is your best.  Let Him meet you where you are this week, thanking the Lord that our worship of Him, and His love for us never depends upon our dress.  All are welcome at His table!

Just a thought.

By Brad Campbell –

Just a thought to help start your week.

We took the ten or fifteen mile drive out of town, seeing one ranch after another along the prairie landscape.  Passing the main entrance to the ranch itself, we continue a little farther down the highway and made a turn onto a gravel road.  We followed it for a little while, made another turn, and then took that road even farther into the vast prairie land, down a very steep hill, and made a sharp turn into the driveway beside the beautiful place.  The views of the surrounding prairie lands from outside were amazing.  We could literally see for miles in several directions.  The sky was wide and open, and the wind was blowing powerfully as we stepped onto the side deck, opened the door, and entered the house, welcomed as we did by two kind ladies who greeted us warmly and invited us to “come on in!”

The Lodge, as the family affectionately calls it, is not such as to make you gawk with mouth wide open, but on the inside, the large kitchen, family rooms, and made-to-be-comfortable bedrooms were so very inviting.  This photo gives you a glimpse of a portion of the working kitchen.  Look closely and study it for a moment.  Fans of the Food Network and the Pioneer Woman will probably recognize this as Ree Drummond’s kitchen, the very one where she cooks the delicious meals and films her television shows.  She and her husband Ladd generously allow curious visitors to wander around as long as they like, so we did.  My wife even posed behind the stove, stirring an empty pot of nothing.

We met no one famous that day, but we did enjoy a very nice visit with a couple of very nice hosts who worked to make us feel as though we were long lost family members with the house to ourselves for a while.

The Lord invites us to come into His house.  The ride along the vast landscape may be uneventful, or it may be harsh.  The turns are sometimes easy, sometimes very sharp.  But the day His children step onto the deck and reach for the door handle, we will be welcomed inside with open arms and joyful spirit to make ourselves at home!  We will have free roam of the place, unbelievably fantastic views, and all the time we need.  He paid the price for our sins, and we will be able to enter with our free ticket, somewhat similar to the ones we were given at Ree’s Mercantile store and restaurant in town.  It didn’t cost us a nickel, but we were treated as if we owned the place, as if we belonged.

He has “gone to prepare a place!”  I look forward to the place I will find awaiting my arrival in Heaven.  Do you? 

Just a thought.

By Brad Campbell –

Just a thought to help start your week.

Several miles off the main highway in the northeastern portion of the state of Oklahoma is a place preserved and protected for generations to come.  Roaming the vast acreage are buffalo, elk, and other such magnificent creatures.  A beautiful museum and walking trails have been created for us human animals to enjoy as well.  Inside the large museum are many displays and articles.  In one such large display lay these small items.  Here is a well-used Bible and the old pair of glasses that were once used to read the Scriptures inside.

It was our first trip to Oklahoma, and we explored as much as we possibly could, taking in places such as this one, which was suggested by a friendly local.  We were not disappointed.  The prairies are amazing.  The wildlife is beautiful.  The big divide between what I’ve termed the “haves” and the “have-nots” was very evident to me here, as we observed the different people and cultures, including many Native Americans.  We enjoyed delicious foods from varying establishments, and we took the time to worship with other believers.

We encountered extreme windy conditions, those that would easily rival hurricane force winds in our own part of this country.  The very cool nights and the warm days made for wonderful weather conditions.  And never did we encounter a rude person.

As wonderful as all of that was, as amazing as all of it truly is, nothing in the beauty or majesty of it all stood out more or spoke more loudly than this very simple museum display.  It was as if the final owner of these items had taken a break from reading and left them behind for the next study session.

Glasses with which to read.  A Bible that needs to be read.  Oh, how loudly this speaks.  Nothing else in God’s amazing world can compare to the blessings, the training, the Love found inside those pages.  Given that with the spectacles to read it make for a beautiful day indeed.

Wherever the roads of this life lead us in the week ahead, I pray you take the time to do the simplest of things, and yet the most important of things, and lay your eyes upon the Word.  What a profound display we Christians would be to the world’s spectators if only we did just that.

Just a thought.

By Brad Campbell –

Just a thought to help start your week.

Unless you are familiar with this particular location, you see a picture of parts of my family last fall as we walk toward that little church building.  It might or might not be for a worship service of some kind, or we may simply be heading in for one of those tours of which I’m very fond.

But if you’ve guessed anything similar, you’ve guessed wrong.  Although the building looks like a church, is shaped like a church, and even has the word “Abbey” in its name, the only obvious worship taking place inside its walls is that of man and his desire to quench the cravings of hunger.  This is a restaurant.

The tiny town of Townsend, Tennessee, boasts this quaint establishment which becomes quite popular around lunch time.  The larger portion of the building actually includes an unused stage and several empty wooden church pews.  But it isn’t used as a church.

For the majority of us who attend services inside a church building, we may arrive at our chosen place of worship, walk across a parking lot, and enter a building where we assume we will have our hunger and thirst quenched.  And if the church, its leaders, and its pastor are doing their job, the Lord can and will use them to take care of those needs for us each, albeit in the spiritual sense.

Now, a sit down potluck meal at church provides some wonderful times of fellowship, but the belief in and worship of the Living Water and the Bread of Life will take care of everything you need.  Whether the building looks like a church on the outside or not, it’s the inside that makes the difference.  “Don’t judge a book by its cover.”  

We knew that this was a restaurant before we arrived, and we received just exactly what we expected — food for our bodies.  On your ventures to your chosen place of Biblical worship in the coming week, be challenged not so much by the church building itself, but by the lasting difference that can be made inside.  You see, it’s inside that counts.  When Jesus comes to abide with me, he does so inside my heart, not sitting outside on my shoulder.

Come inside.  Attend expectantly.  Have your needs met.  Bow before the One Who is worthy of our worship, and dine.  The meal is fine!

Just a thought.

By Brad Campbell –

Just a thought to help start your week.

We spent part of our most recent weekend attending the funeral service of a long-time friend and former coworker.  I wasn’t officiating this one, so I was amongst the others on the church pews as I listened to scriptures, funny stories, and reminders of God’s goodness and grace.  Funerals are tough things to experience, but they give us a specific time to remember.

No doubt, every one of us knows someone or has a family member who is experiencing that terrible thing known as dementia or Alzheimer’s disease.  One interesting thing I’ve noticed about most of those dear folks is that they often don’t realize they have a memory problem.  In other words, they don’t remember that they don’t remember.

As I write these words, it has been twenty-five years to the day since my father-in-law suddenly passed away from massive heart attack.  We remember him and his love for his Lord and his family.

This time of year is when numerous young people are graduating from various schools and institutions.  Their parents, especially, look back and remember how very quickly their young folks have grown up!

This particular neon sign you see here was part of a museum display I visited in Grand Rapids, Michigan last fall.  There were various different kinds of materials used in different means and modes of art, each with a challenge to “Remember Me.”

As Christians world-wide participate in what we may call communion, the Lord’s Supper, or a similar name for the same worship experience, we are called upon to remember all that the Lord has done for us.  We are asked to “Do this in remembrance of me.”  I can’t help but think that Jesus Himself looks down at this world gone nuts, wipes the tears of disappointment from His own eyes, and asks, “Do you even remember Me?”

My prayer for each of us in the week ahead is that we take the time – make the time – to remember the love, mercy, and grace of our forgiving Lord and Savior.  Count your many blessings.  Remember!  And, be thankful.

Just a thought.