An ivory Fender Telecaster left behind. An acoustic guitar also left for good like they all end up. But I can't find either and don't even feel like lookin'.

Need some beauty for a ash heap ..once again. Not an easy week. Got some extra grace on hand? Need some. Okay Lord?  

I thought.. we hoped we’d have more time. 

Have you had some ups and downs in life? 

If you're married and have children then you've got some ups and downs. Don't look down, look up.

Hello Father God, Got a couple minutes (like I need to ask right)? Need some grace. 

I love You, but what’s up with this? Am finding myself in a club that many others have long been in, and really saw zero appeal with entering. Am in it now, not alone. Lots of pleasant uplifting people with incredible stories are in it too, but none ever wanted to join this club. They never did, and we never did either. What’s to think, to say, to wish.. what’s to do or learn from this? How can I help? Our family is silent a lot. Don’t feel like doin’ anything. Maybe I will tomorrow. 

It would appear that in this world gone sideways, gone hard in the heart, gone crazy.. the membership only seems to be growin’ ..with those also not longin’ to or willing to enter.  It’s a club of those who have lost a son or daughter who long to comfort but first need it.. yet are not stopped by all this. You know what happened to them, to us. Weren’t caught off guard. Our second son just passed away..it was all alone and from who knows what. One among many these days. They gave him a number and said we can’t know from a report for four weeks due to a backlog of this sort of thing. 

You’ve always been so true and faithful to me. To us. You still are. Thanks.  

But it’s horrifying, it’s awful, it’s abhorrent, it’s undoable. Why? (won’t at all demand an answer, but will probably ask again)? 

Life and gainin’ of years here can be so atrocious, so cruel, so paralyzin’, so savage, so odious at times. Where are the pause and rewind buttons, please? Gotta say thanks that You’re not like that. Never have been. You know the love has just been pourin’ in daily from You and the most wonderful people in the world! Please touch each one -- thanks for your agape and the kind Fam. Tears on the cheeks, ignorance and incomprehension on the brain (mine, too much), heart after You today. Listenin’ up. We all can know You and where we stand.. thanks. Want to better. 

Please comfort Nathan’s mom, grandparents and loved ones. It’s horrific, it’s shocking, it’s appalling, it’s atrocious it’s not what any of us ordered! Don’t want this, It ought not to be. You hear me protest daily.. but how can You be glorified through this? What’s to gain here for You? How did we even get here? It’s so terrible, it’s so dreadful, it’s beyond nightmarish for us. What’s this thick-skulled, doltish, obtuse man (me) supposed to learn from this? 

Praise You, God. You sent Your much loved Son and then You both suffered. He suffered from fierce unimaginable hostility here. It’s still down here, wont always be. Glad you still pour out and give free refills. Please pour out. I need a refill, our world does too. Too many have been through this, and sadly more will follow. Wanna be there for them. You’re the Expert in bringing good out of such painful, brutish, grisly circumstances. Yep. Like from that dark unique day on Mount Calvary. You did it. Please do it again, do something. But You already did what was needed. God the Son did it too. “It is finished” is what Jesus uttered (John 19:28-30). Justice and mercy, what’s fair and compassionate.. met together on a lonely hill now gone quiet.

Let’s see beauty for ashes ..again. Okay Lord?  

I can’t find his silent acoustic guitar, but don’t feel like searchin’. (Do you get hurttin’ too? Sorry ‘bout that. Click) Tried to talk my son out of fightin’ the Taliban overseas, and now they’re back with far more given them. With taps, with a flag, with a headstone, with a hole in the dirt the US Military wants to do the burial soon, and I think I’ll let them. Thank you.  Fish4souls.org ..the Lord can comfort and teach us all how to do this. 

Still hits hard when we don't expect it. We remember hearing him sincerely reaching upwards again and again to Jesus as a boy. Was kind of matter of fact with how he worded things even when older too. Interesting. One morning Nathan woke up and said he had a dream about him and Jesus out playing and how Jesus gave him crackers (he talked about that the whole week). Am lookin' at some comforting words right now... 

"For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep. For this we declare to you by a word from the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord." 

“O Lord, make me know my end and what is the measure of my days; let me know how fleeting I am!” Psalm 48:14 

“For this God is our God for ever and ever; He will be our guide even to the end.” Psalm 116:15  

“Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints.” Psalm 39:4 

"Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom. Relent, Lord! How long will it be? Have compassion on your servants. Satisfy us in the morning with your unfailing love, that we may sing for joy and be glad all our days. Make us glad for as many days as you have afflicted us, for as many years as we have seen trouble. May your deeds be shown to your servants, your splendor to their children." Psalm 90:12-17  

"Oh! Teach us to live well! Teach us to live wisely and well! msg 

When young Nathan was a bit of a comedian and kept us all laughing. We miss Nathan. Back in the day I met W.A. (he was a Texas fisher.. of people. Let's do some of that okay? Sure.). He did that here in Dallas and told me "You need to go to seminary, young man." 

He was a kindhearted, wonderful man. But I remember how Wallie Amos Criswell (Billy Graham's pastor) used to go bury people too. He's do that with these words...

“'I, Jesus, have sent My angel to testify to you these things in the churches.  I am the Root and the Offspring of David, the Bright and Morning Star.'  And the Spirit and the bride say, 'Come!' And let him who hears say, 'Come!'  And let him who thirsts come. Whoever desires, let him take the water of life freely." (Rev. 22:16, 17)

“And behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me.." (see v. 12).

What matters for you and me? Biblical worship does.. first. Let's do that and shine as well, yeah reflect His light today.. even if this attracts some bugs at times. Am with 1,000 men here in Plano before sun up. They like to pray like men..like they mean it cuz they really do. Real men do that. Jesus is real, still does that for you/us. He only got 33 years to walk on this planet here, to minister truth and grace to people by the power of the Spirit.. to shine for those out in the cold of night to see what it's about ..to help and save the lost people out in the dark. I challenge you. Drink deeply, dig deep in the Bible, find those who are thirsty, those who are parched and hungry and confused or fainting. Shine brightly reflecting His light so that they can clearly hear the Gospel and see the way the Father has for them. Jesus is the way, the truth and the Life -- there's really no other way to enter that real place called, Heaven.

Be encouraged in the Lord. We live with hope here. Used to live with hopelessness a long time ago, but I can hardly remember those days. The Sustainer sustains us. Billy and Wallie had hope inside, a living Hope. W.A. met William Franklin ("Frank" aka Billy) in 1950. You remember how Graham had led that month-long crusade here in Dal at the Cotton Bowl in 1953. Then on June 17, 1972 BG was speaking to the massive Jesus music rally on the Woodall-Rodgers Freeway here--including the grand finale of the 6-day spiritual event called Explo '72. WA helped Billy out and he liked it here. Billy used to say that he was half Texan. 

We have hope to see Jesus face to face. Today would be a nice day for the Rapture of the Church. (This word is in the Latin Bible. "Rapture" is an English noun derived from the Latin verb rapiō, with a literal meaning of "I catch up" "or "I snatch". Hear Criswell on this).