Marion Gaskins

Below is an article I just read in The American Scholar by Jim Hinch……… I have highlighted some sentences that I think are very important. "Cover Story - Winter 2014                            Where Are The People? Evangelical Christianity in America is losing its power—what happened to Orange County’s Crystal Cathedral shows why                                                                                 The Crystal Cathedral in Orange County, California, is one of America’s largest and most celebrated ecclesiastical buildings. At 60,000 square feet and designed by architect Philip Johnson, it was until recently the sanctuary of Robert H. Schuller, once one of the country’s most prominent and influential C...

                                                          "I remember hearing a story about a father and his son.  The father, a wonderful farmer, did not have the opportunity for higher learning, but he was going to see to it that his son got the best.  Upon the son's returning from his freshman year at college, father and son were standing under a tree on the farm, and the father began to interrogate the son about his experiences that year at the university.  The boy said, "Dad, I enjoyed my first year in school, but you know, I studied biology and philosophy and geology and I have learned some things that have upset me."  The father was curious to know what was troubling his son and so he inquired further.  The boy replied, "Dad, I have discovered that God made the world wrong.  For example, look at this st...

The Art of Letting Go To let go is not to care for, but to care about. To let go is not to fix, but to be supportive. To let go is not to judge, but to allow another to be a human being. To let go is not to be in the middle, arranging all the outcomes, but to allow others to affect their own destinies. To let go is not to deny, but to accept. To let go is not to nag, scold, or argue, but instead to search out my own shortcomings and correct them. To let go is not to regret the past, but to grow and live for the future. To let go is not to cut myself off.  It's the realization that I can't control another. To let go is not to try to change or blame another.  It's to make the most of myself. To let go is to fear less and to love more . Author Unknown

Do you like the game of football?  Are you a NFL fan?  Do you play fantasy football?                                                                       There seems to be another popular game very similar...... Fantasy church. The goal of a real football game is to score points and win real games.  In fantasy football you get points for the statistics in a virtual world. A fantasy church is where people find themselves rooting for things that are of a virtual world; things that will pass away.  A fantasy church is more about prestige, notoriety, or having a reputation about having events that are trendy and cool. Yes, if the end result of a churches presentations, the attendance contests or the contemporary music is yielding eternal results, God be praised. But, the "GOAL" of real ...

"If my body were a car, this is the time I would be thinking about trading it in for a newer model.  I've got bumps and dents and scratches in my finish and my paint job is getting a little dull, but that's not the worst of it. My fenders are too wide to be considered stylish.  They were once as sleek as a little MG; now they look more like an old Buick.  My seat cushions have split open at the seams.  My seats are sagging.  Seat belts?  I gave up all belts when Krispy Cremes opened a shop in my neighborhood. Air bags?  Forget it.  The only bags I have these days are under my eyes.  (Not counting the saddlebags, of course.)  I have soooooo many miles on my odometer.  Sure, I've been many places and seen many things, but when's the last time an appraiser factored life experiences against depreciation? My headlights are out of focus and it's especially hard to see things up close.  My traction is not as graceful as it once ...

In a recent study published in Psychosomatic Medicine, researchers compared how often people with either POSITIVE or negative emotions contract a cold.  Their results indicated that those who are energetic, happy, and relaxed are less likely to catch colds, while those who are depressed, nervous, or angry are more likely to complain about symptoms.... regardless if they have a cold or other illness.  In fact, people with these negative attributes were more likely to report symptoms of illness that exceeded what one would expect from measures used by researchers. The researchers assessed the emotional style, demographic characteristics, levels of antibodies, hormone levels and health practices of all volunteers and then quarantined them for six days.  Researchers interviewed participants on several occasions prior to and on the first evening of quarantine.                         The findings ....The r...

It's something each of us wants, but many never find:  genuine love . All around us we can see an endless pursuit of love . We look for it everywhere; in our homes and families, friendships, dating, relationships, marriage and religion.  But, what is love , and where can we go to find lasting love for our lives? Speaking about the "fruits" of spiritual well-being the Bible states in 1 Corinthians 13:13 ..... "...But the greatest of these is LOVE ...."                                                                   So, what is LOVE ?   "Love is patient, love is kind.  It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.  It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.  Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.  ...

A BRISK MORNING WALK A brisk morning walk , allows you to be, all that you can be. It causes you to look at things in a way so differently. You observe much closer the smaller things that many times go unnoticed; the things that we would appreciate most, if only we took the motions. A brisk morning walk gets your heart and your soul up pumping. Your mind begins to clear of all the noise and mumbling. You get time to spend alone with yourself and your God that comes so scarcely. These are the times that you will cherish most, both in near and distant reverie. A brisk morning walk begins the day with a brighter can-do attitude. Even though you may be tired and grouchy, it can turn into an excellent mood. It's hard to not stop and pat the head of a puppy, or say good morning to a stranger. Somehow it brings the "humanity" back and takes away some of the danger. A brisk morning walk has affected and changed many a life I'm sure. It has kept many walki...

The definition of ........       ad·vo·cate : 1 -recommend or support something: to support or speak in favor of something 2 - somebody giving support: somebody who supports or speaks in favor of something 3 - helper: somebody who acts or intercedes on behalf of another AND .. 1 - one that pleads the cause of another; specifically : one that pleads the cause of another before a tribunal or judicial court 2 - one that defends or maintains a cause or proposal 3 -one that supports or promotes the interests of another                                                                         I am on a roll today........and my word is "advocate" . I feel like we as American citizens are just sitting back and letting life go by; complaining as we're rockin'. Every day each of us are...

                                                                          Hugs It's wondrous what a hug can do. A hug can cheer you when you're blue. A hug can say, "I love you so," or, "Oh, I hate to see you go!" A hug is "Welcome back again!" "Great to see you!" or "Where've you been?" A hug can soothe a small child's pain And bring a rainbow after rain. The hug!  There's just no doubt about it, We scarcely could survive without it. A hug delights and warms and charms, It must be why God gave us arms. Hugs are great for fathers and mothers, Sweet for sisters, swell for brothers. The chances are some favorite aunts Love them more than potted plants. Kittens crave them.  Puppies love them. Heads of state are not above them. A hug can break t...

Two Wolves An old Cherokee was teaching his grandson about life. "A fight is going on inside me," he said to the boy. "It is a terrible fight and it is between two wolves. One is evil - he is anger, envy, sorrow, regret,  greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, and ego. The other wolf is good - he is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion, and faith. The same fight is going on inside you - and inside every person, too." The grandson thought about it for a minute and then asked his grandfather, "Which wolf will win?" The old Cherokee simply replied, "The one you feed." A Cherokee Legend