By Brad Campbell –

Just a thought to help start your week.

My wife and I are proud members of our local Lions Club, part of the world’s largest service organization.  We enjoy the club and are thankful for the things we get to sponsor.  One of our fundraisers is our Brunswick stew sale.  Before I even explain, I wanted to give you an official definition of the stuff, so naturally I ‘googled’ it.  The all-wise and mighty world wide internet (ha!) describes Brunswick stew thusly – “Brunswick stew boasts a rich Southern history.  The original Brunswick stew was said to be made with little more than onions and squirrel,” and, “Brunswick stew is an iconic Southern dish, stuffed with controversy as well as pretty much everything else in your garden.”  — And that pretty much sums it up!

We spend several hours cooking four or five very large black cast iron pots full (nearly 90 gallons in total this time) of what is considered a delicacy in these parts!  I won’t give away all of our secrets, but we use ground beef and chicken, not squirrel, in case you were wondering.  We know how much of what is supposed to go into each different-sized pot, we load them up that way, and once the fire is lit, we stir constantly with boat paddles for the next three hours or so until we shut off the heat and start dipping it into containers for those who have purchased some.

What is just as interesting and has just as many ingredients is our visiting and conversations that take place throughout the stew-cooking process!  We reminisce about the local history, who’s kin to whom (I learned some knew ones this time!), and we enjoy one another’s friendship and laughter through the mania it is!

You see, it isn’t just the beef and chicken and tomatoes and okra and potatoes and onions and lima beans and broth and seasonings and other stuff that make our stew so good.  It’s the time, the effort, the stories, and the people who are a part of it all.

God’s church is just like one of those big stew pots.  It takes all kinds, sizes, and flavors of ingredients, stirred together with loving care and plenty of good conversation that make it what it is – a love-filled haven of rest for weary soldiers marching up to Glory.

I look forward to those stew days.  I’m admittedly grunting and groaning for a day or two afterwards, but as I told one or two folks this past weekend, I consider it a “good tired.”  We’ve done good, we’ve supported and financed good, we’ve eaten good, and it felt good.  And God has told me to do good.

Fix some cornbread, grab the saltines, or pour yours over rice and enjoy the fruits of your labors in the Kingdom.  When the end has come, I promise you that it will without a doubt be a “good tired.”

Just a thought.

By Brad Campbell –

Just a thought to help start your week.

Let me start off by asking you to take a look at this picture.  What do you see?  Many of you might answer simply, “a church building.”  That is true, but I believe it’s more than that.

I’d like to boldly say that I believe if you’ve never worshipped in a small country church, you have truly missed a blessing from Heaven.  This particular church is a few miles from where I live.  I have visited it many times in the past, and recently officiated a funeral service there.  I’ve been to at least one large homecoming service there, other worship times, and dinner “on the grounds.”

Each of those activities have had the same meaning for me in much larger church buildings and facilities as well.  I’ve worshipped corporately with hundreds of other believers in much larger churches than this, and each church has its own benefits and drawbacks.

Having said all that, I want to ask about the church you attend.  Do you feel you aren’t receiving the instruction, the leadership, the guidance that you should be getting from your church worship and study gatherings?  Before you throw in the towel and start looking for another church – be it much larger with its multiple opportunities, or much smaller with an everyone-knows-everyone family style – let me suggest that you instead look at the original “church house.”

We, as Christians, are the church.  The building may have its benefits.  The gatherings certainly do.  But we are individually the church.  If I’m not receiving what I believe I need to receive from worship, then I need to first ask myself to look at what I’m giving to the worship experience.  If I leave church thinking I’ve gotten nothing from it, then I need to ask myself, “What did I put into it?”

I have been privileged to visit church buildings in several states across our country, our National Cathedral, and Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris.  Not one of those buildings, in all their physical glory or lack thereof, can provide for me what the Lord can, if only I open my heart (my church) to Him and give Him my all.

Ask yourself this week — “How’s church lately?  And what and I contributing to the worship experience?”

Just a thought.

By Brad Campbell –

Just a thought to help start your week.

If you are reading this, then you somehow survived the year of 2022.  You may possibly be wrestling with thoughts of how to go forward in 2023.  I would like to offer a suggestion or two.

First of all, instead of complaining about all the tough, terrible, discouraging, and painful things that you experienced last year, try thanking God that He brought you through every single one of them.  Think back on every blessing, every new friend, every smile made or given, every opportunity you had to share the love of God with someone else.  Did you give it your best?  If not, then may this year be your year.

I’m one of those folks, especially around the Thanksgiving and Christmas holiday season, who enjoy and appreciate my same-old year-after-year routines.  The same goodies, the same decorations, the same gatherings, in the same places.  However, this year I decided to try a couple of new things.  I enjoy baking.  And I enjoy simplicity.  So, I found a couple of simple recipes and tried my hand at them both for the very first time.  Take a look at the photo to see my first-ever homemade pecan pie and cheesecake.

Even if I did make them, my family members said they tasted good.  I’ll make them again.  I’m glad I tried two new ‘firsts’ this year.  And in 2023, I intend to make a point to attempt some other new ‘firsts’ as well.

For you, 2023 may be the year for you to trust in God for the first time.  You can give Him yourself, warts and all, and let Him ‘bake’ something good from your mess.  Or, this may be the year for you to retire and finally relax for the first time in a very long time.  You may attempt a new job, move to a new home, get married, or yes, even bury a loved one.  But in each of those ‘firsts,’ the Lord promises us good things will come.  And everything will somehow bring glory to God.

My challenge to you – and to myself – is to try some new ‘firsts’ this year.  Make this the first year in a long time that you’ve really looked forward to.  Put Him first in your life, and what a difference it will make!  After all, there is that one ‘first’ that makes it all worthwhile — “We love Him, because He first loved us.”

May I be one of the first to wish you a blessed new year.

Just a thought.

By Brad Campbell –

Just a thought to help start your week.

One thing the Christmas holiday season reminds us about is that God sent His Son as a tiny baby to this earth.  This Christ child grew and became a man – fully man and fully God at the same time.  He died a cruel death on a rugged cross and gave His life’s blood for you and me.

But then what?  He didn’t stay dead.  Did you know that we Christians are the only ones who can truthfully say we serve a living God?!  All other religions – ALL of them – serve gods that are dead and in a grave somewhere.  But not us!

In the Rose Hill Cemetery in Meridian, Mississippi, are the graves of Emil and Kelly Mitchell and some of their family members.  Emil and Kelly were, respectively, the King and Queen of the Gypsies.  Their graves are marked as such.  They had a great following.  They were locally famous, and memories of their connections remain on both sides of the state line in our area.

It is said that many thousands of gypsies from around the world came to their funerals.  Great productions they were, great shows they presented, and, for some, great memories are left.  But those folks – the King and Queen – are long gone from this world.  Out of curiosity, I have visited their graves, and I’ve seen the coins and trinkets that are left behind by others.  But there is nothing any more special about those graves than about any others.

I’m so very thankful that I can say I serve a risen Savior Who is King of Kings and Lord of Lords.  He once had a grave, but up from that grave He arose on the third day!  And He lives forevermore!  He has no grave to visit.  There is no broken tombstone.  There is no place for trinkets and memorials to be placed.

But at the feet of my King Jesus, I can place all that I am and all that I have – not as a memorial to a dead king, but as an offering to THE Risen King!

As the holidays come and go and another year looms on the horizon, ask yourself this question – What King do I serve?  And what King to I pledge to serve in the coming year?

Just a thought.

By Brad Campbell –

Just a thought to help start your week.

The Christmas season, and truthfully the entire holiday season from Thanksgiving through New Year’s Day, is full of traditions.  We look forward to this time of year when we will go the same places as before, eat the same foods, play the same games, listen to the same music, participate in the same programs and parties, and sometimes even re-gift the same presents!

Why is it that we so look forward to doing exactly the same things we’ve done on Christmases past?  Perhaps it’s because of comfort, stability, and tradition that we don’t often enjoy the rest of the year due to ridiculously busy schedules and overstretched lives.

Traditions can be good.  This picture of our kitchen table shows one of ours.  Every year, we make batches and batches of what we just call chex mix – sometimes referred to as ‘nuts and bolts.’  Why do we do this every year?  Well, for several reasons.  We enjoy the activity, we enjoy eating the results, we share with friends and neighbors, we package it up to send home with the now-grown kiddos, and we do it simply because it’s one of our traditions.

It’s one of those simple things that helps us feel like we’ve gotten to that wonderful holiday season yet again.  And, if yours is as busy as ours, then you understand that it’s the little things – like spending an afternoon in the kitchen – that keep things as ‘normal’ as our crazy lives can be.

Tradition.  What we must beware of is getting lost in the traditions, or simply going through the moves without remembering the true Reason for the Season – Jesus Himself.  You see, ultimately, it’s Jesus that we are to share with our friends and neighbors, it’s Jesus that we’re to share with our kiddos regardless of their ages (or ours!), and it’s Jesus that makes this Christmas and every other day of the year so comforting.

Even when the world fails you in so many other ways, cling to Jesus!  He’s the tradition that will never change!  And that thought brings great comfort!

Just a thought.

By Brad Campbell –

Just a thought to help start your week.

I took this picture several years ago on a visit to Virginia City, Nevada.  I have pondered through the years what, if anything, I could say about it to make it useful for my sharing of these “thoughts,” and today I had a revelation – albeit a mild one at that!

This sign, as it states, is from the Bucket of Blood Saloon there in Virginia City.  It hangs above the main doorway of that establishment, where the building dates to 1876 and the business predates that by many years.  No, I have no comment on the saloon itself today.  What I want you to notice is the ‘bucket of blood.’

I have done some research into that particular name, and I haven’t found any definitive answer as to how it came about.  Apparently that business was a mild-mannered one compared to many like it.  But that bucket full of blood suddenly spoke to me today.  A bucket full.  A whole bucket full.  And yet limited to just that.

You see, this Christmas season, especially, reminds us of the birth of Christ.  Jesus came to this earth as the Son of God to be born a helpless babe, to live and grow as a man, to be rejected, to be scorned and spat upon, to be beaten mercilessly, and to die a horrible death on a rugged old cross perched high on Calvary’s hill.  And by doing so, He shed his blood for us.  He gave his life’s blood for you and for me.  It wasn’t just a few pretty blood droplets like those famous paintings portray.  It wasn’t just a trickle down his side.  It wasn’t even a bucket full!  It was His all!

My God loved me enough that He gave His only Son to die a cruel death, giving His life’s blood for me!  That’s the ultimate red color of Christmas.

Oh, if only we had even a bucket full of love and devotion for Him.

Wishing you and yours a bucket full this CHRISTmas season.

Just a thought.

Till later

By Brad Campbell –

Just a thought to help start your week.

We were able to explore some of the southwest United States very recently, and there are no words to describe the beauty of it all.  Pictures won’t, and can’t, do it justice, but I shall try to share some anyway.  The weather was beautiful, and while my wife had a conference to attend, I spent some time riding and roaming.

This particular spot is just outside Phoenix, Arizona.  While I was not decked out in any half-way official climbing gear or such thing, I did my best with what I had.  I headed up this particular trail up and around the back side of this mountainous rock formation, all the while watching exactly where I was placing every step.  Loose rocks were plentiful, and I didn’t want to wind up rolling into any cactus, regardless of how beautiful they were.

Along this dry dusty path is posted the sign you see here – “Please Stay On Improved Trails.”  This was much easier read than followed, as many of the trails look no different than the surrounding countryside, except for the large rocks along the path.

I was walking a path that was the same color, texture, and design as the rest of the land around it.  I stumbled over rocks and climbed others just as big as the ones I was directed to avoid.  I climbed higher than I ever intended to, but after driving some of the roads we had traveled in Colorado, this was nothing!  

But it’s the traveling that can get us into trouble if we aren’t careful.  The scenery of this old world can’t be put into words.  The paths aren’t always straight, obvious, or “improved.”  The surrounding lands provide beautiful views but extremely large cactus plants that can cause great misery and pain.  So I remain on the path.  My road my not be easy, and my rocks may be just as difficult to climb as those for the lost man, but the difference is what I will find on the other side!

As you travel the rocky paths of your week ahead, watch where you put your feet, be aware of your surroundings at all times, and ‘please stay on improved trails’ as much as possible.  Others are watching where you walk.

Just a thought.

By Brad Campbell –

Just a thought to help start your week.

Those of you who are unfamiliar with the South may simply see this photo as a bunch of trees in a nasty pond.  The rest of us recognize it as a Mississippi cypress swamp.

Especially in the dead heat of a muggy southern summer, places like this are home to many untold thousands of mosquitos and other such pesky creatures.  The waters are still.  There is a green film of slime, moss, and algae covering their surface.  You can hear the croaks of the toads, the incessant buzzing of the bugs, and the ever so slight breeze rustling things around you.

However, it’s what you don’t see that can cause the most harm.  These quiet and still swamps are also home to many kinds of snakes (and who cares if they’re poisonous or not?!), and there are probably gators idling lazily much nearer than you care to imagine.  I know of no one in their right mind who would venture down into these type waters simply because of what my lie underneath the green top cover.  And yet, we venture down into the dangerous places of this life.

Why is it that we ignore the signs, the sounds, the smells, and the poisons of the devil’s evil around us, and we wade right into the boggy swamp of sin not thinking twice that we could be bitten, eaten, or literally taken out of this world due to the dangers behind the nasty parts we see?  Why do we wander around so closely, admiring, if you will, the “pretty” green, when it simply masks the ugliness of what’s below?

Remember when Momma told you to look but not touch?  She had to repeat herself so many times.  God does the same.  “Look, my child, if you must.  Even take a leisurely stroll across the planks, if you must.  But be very cautious about stepping off the pathway.”  — You see, what that green outer crust doesn’t tell us is just how deep those murky waters are.  One step out into the sinfulness and ugliness, and you could very easily and quickly be in over your head.

Listen for the warnings, watch for the signs, remain on the path, and steer clear of life’s swamps this week.

Just a thought.

By Brad Campbell –

 Just a thought to help start your week.

Time.  Have you got it?  Your answer would probably be, “time for what?”  And that remains to be seen.  I’m of a generation of students who were still taught to read clocks and tell time.  This was before the digital clocks took over.  Very few kids these days can look at a regular clock and tell you the time.

Now, I see very few folks of the younger generations that wear watches.  Unless their “fitbit” or some other such device happens to have a digital time reading on it, ask someone what time it is, and they have to pull out a cell phone to check it.

If you’re like me, and you think that’s strange, then think further for a bit.  Long ago, folks had to tell time with something similar to the sun dial in my photo.  Strategically placed in a potentially sunny spot, the sun dial could at least narrow the time down to a near hour in the day.  Of course, at night, who knew what time it was?

One thing is for certain though.  It’s time that God’s people got busy.  And again you might ask, “doing what?”  Well that, too, remains to be seen, as God gives you a different plan for your life than He gives me for mine.  Our days are to be made up of the things He has given us to do for Him.  What is His plan for your life?  What is it that He has assigned for you to accomplish today?

A comment made by our Sunday School teacher this past Sunday reminded us that we each have the same twenty-four hours in our days.  Each of us, though, have different things which fill those hours.  I submit to you that it’s all about choice.  You choose what fills your time.  You choose how you spend your day.  Yes, you must show up for work, and you must care for your families.  There are things that must take your time.  But whether we think about it or not, every single thing we do in every single day we live is all because of choices we make – right or wrong, healthy or not.

What will you spend your week doing?  Will it fly by simply filled with all the busy things that occupy our time, or will you spend time with God, spend time in His Word, spend time loving on your family and your neighbors, spend time sharing His love with someone who desperately needs it?  The list can go on and on.

What time is it?  It’s time we quit complaining about having no time, and do something about it.  Reconstruct your time schedule to include Him and His Word, and I promise you the other things will work out.  It’s time we put our priorities in the right order and put Him first.  It’s time for God’s people to stand up, speak up, and make a difference in this world — while there’s still time!

Just a thought.

By Brad Campbell –

Just a thought to help start your week.

Fall is definitely in the air where I live.  Our daytime temperatures have been in the 70’s and low 80’s, and nighttime temps in the upper 40’s.  The house air conditioner hasn’t kicked on in over a week.  As I sit typing this, the birds are singing, the morning sun is warming the earth, and God’s blessings are too numerous to mention.

I consider one of those blessings to be that I am from a family (on both sides) of hard workers of the land — people who spent many an hour outdoors plowing & planting, picking & gathering, and chop chop chopping with the hoe.  I distinctly remember my parents telling me of their memories from this time of year spent in the cotton fields like the North Mississippi cotton patch in my photo this week.

Modern-day machinery changed the way cotton was picked many years ago, but my parents are from the generation that picked cotton by hand, one cotton boll at a time.  My mother recalls seeing her father teary-eyed at how much cotton was wasted and left behind when the machines started being implemented into the picking process.  There is definitely something to be said for working with the hands and getting our best job done.

As these cooler days creep in and this year begins its final quarter, there is a time to reflect on the year.  How much goodness did I plant?  How many seeds of the Gospel did I sow?  How many rows of folks have I walked among, sharing the Son-shine and thirst-quenching waters of His love?  How many times have I dragged out the old hoe and chopped away at those pesky weeds of doubt and despair that seem to pop up everywhere?

Am I doing my best job in His fields?  Or will I stand at the end of the lonely row teary-eyed over all those who have been missed?

You may not see much when you see a cotton field, but I see His blessings on my life, and I’m so very grateful.

Just a thought.