From Your Pastor’s Heart:

            The “log” was an integral part of my boyhood days.  You see, my world was 17 acres of “deep woods” that lay just west of the cotton field.  I knew where the boundaries were and the punishment for crossing them.  A small creek ran right in the middle of the 17 acres.  On the northern boundary, formed a “line-of-no-return.  Right there on the boundary of my domain was a deep pool, actually deep enough to swim in.

            Stretched out across those deep waters, lay the huge corpse of a long dead oak tree. That tree was many things to me in my childhood years:  passageway, pirate ship, and a perfect place to sit and think about the world.  It’s funny how a child’s mind works.  I felt secure walking or sitting on “my” log.  No enemies could slip up on my in a woods full of Indians, bears, lions, or raiding Yankee soldiers wandering around lost after the war.  Nothing in or under the water could touch me.  I was completely safe while on my log.

            I had other safe places; a cave over behind Joe Ramie’s dad’s barn, and my “crows nest” (a 55 gal. barrel nailed up in a tree there in “my” woods.  The log, however, was a special place.  As we all know, sometimes safe places are not so safe. 

            One fall day, while walking across the log thinking about all those things 11 year olds thinks about; I leaned up against a large limb that stuck up in a crooked stance about midway across the log.  I had done this hundreds of times before and that branch, being as thick as a basketball, had always served my well.  Today was to be a bit different.  I had no warning at all!  Suddenly, with a loud CRACK! The branch broke off causing my life to flash before my eyes as I fell into the deep water below.  As I swam over to the bank, I scrapped my shin, and bashed my foot against a huge submerged rock.  My foot was turning black as I pulled myself out of the cold water.  The bruises and bumps didn’t hurt near as much as they could have, but, my sense of “order” was severely damaged!

            Safe was not safe anymore! How could I survive in a world where safe places weren’t safe?  Slowly, over the next few weeks a truth dawned on me, one I still hold today:  only God can truly be trusted.  Not people, nor places, nor money, not even fame and power!  No brick walls or mighty armies.

            “Lo, I am with you always; even until the end of the age”, Jesus said it!  By the grace of God it is true!  Trust in the Lord and be not afraid!

                                                Holding on to Jesus,