Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Oops, caught in the act just for Jim's 'Ruby (Red) Tuesday'
I will expose all today for 'Ruby (Red) Tuesday.'
What is my red-shirted preacher cousin and golf playing buddy carrying in his back pocket? You may have to click on the picture to get a closer look.
Why is Adi sleeping on the red rug when one of her beds is right over there? She does have four beds to choose from; she lays on the floor?
There doesn't seem to be anything wrong with her sidewalk for dogs?
Answers:
Click the Ruby Tuesday button for Mary's Ruby Tuesday post list.
Mary is in charge there, you can see more or post your own from there.
Labels: Adi, Animals, Preacher friends, Ruby Tuesday, Walk pictures
Thursday, December 18, 2008
I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race -- Dr. W.C. (Buddy) Burns, tribute and obituary
I have been knowing Buddy personally for about two years through the Bentwater Tuesday Morning Bible Study which he led. Buddy was a good friend to all here and we hit if off good. I knew of him when he came and had been knowing his son before he came. I did not attend the church he led but did attend a Christmas Eve service once.
I was also fortunate in getting to know his daughter-in-law and grandson who went with us to Guatemala on our October mission trip. They are fine examples of Christians. I found after we had met that they read my blog from time to time.
His Obituary with picture courtesy of the Conroe Courier:
Funeral service for Dr. WC (Buddy) Burns, 71 of Willis will be held on Friday, December 19, 2008 at 10 a.m. at the First Baptist. Interment will follow in Garden Park Cemetery. Visitation is scheduled for Thursday, December 18, 2008 from 5 to 9 p.m. at Cashner Funeral Home.
Dr. Burns was born on June 28, 1937 in Cherry Valley, Arkansas and went to be with our Lord on December 13, 2008 after suffering a massive heart attack at home. Dr. Burns was very proud to be the Pastor of North Shore Church, a father and a grandfather. Dr. Burns set an example of loving his God, living his life by biblical principles and always sharing the good news of his risen Savior.
Dr. W C (Buddy) Burns is survived by his daughters, Janet Burns Turner and husband Lester of Alexandria, Louisiana and Joy Burns Cates and husband Troy of Porter, Texas; sons, Terry Burns and wife Lee Ann of Riverdale, Michigan and Gary Burns and wife Karen of Conroe, Texas; his sisters, Harriet (Burns) Carwell of Cherry Valley, Arkansas, and Julia (Burns) Snelson of El Paso, Texas; his grandchildren, Darianne, Lynlee, Carley, Katie, Claire, Reagan, Chandler, Brandon, Luke, Ethan, Jacob, and Abigail; he is preceded in death by his wife, Arrie Beth Burns. Numerous other relatives and friends also survive. Pallbearers will be the men of North Shore Church.
In lieu of flowers, please make donations to North Shore Church in memory of Dr. W C (Buddy) Burns, 410 Camden Hills West, Montgomery, Texas 77356.
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Testimony regarding Buddy:
From friend, Joe
Our pastor, Dr. W. C. “Buddy” Burns, went home to be with the Lord Saturday, December 13, 2008. He was found at home sitting in his study chair at his desk, very close to 2 years from the day that his wife passed away.
These are some thoughts that came to mind and heart, as I pondered his impact in our lives. If you didn’t know him, you can rest assured that the fact that you didn’t know him only meant one thing: He never had a chance to be within talking range of you.
Buddy Burns was, among many other virtues, a good and Godly man and friend. Not everyone can have that said about them.
How can you fully describe someone that was “larger than life” in such a “small package” with a “huge heart”?
Forgive this feeble, inadequate effort to put to paper some feelings about our friend and pastor, Buddy.
A serious soul, even when he was joking; yet remaining a delightful soul, even when he was sober and serious.
A childish, juvenile, adult --- in the best of ways.
Insatiable. A sponge. He had an ear to hear, better than it seemed. Proof was his recall of so many things discussed. He was surprising in his capacity to remember details…your details.
Insatiable. Always drinking in, but daily, hourly, constantly pouring out like a river; and constantly rushing and overflowing its banks.
You never had to wonder if his cup was half full or half empty; it was indisputably and immutably full!
Tenderly tough. A velvet hammer and a velvet anvil, but you didn’t seem to feel any negative weight of the impact. Today, looking back, his gentle hammering has taken shape, and it is looking more like Christ than before he began the silent hammering.
Extremist in love for life. Stretching the rubber band to its limits; no fear of breaking it; and, you just knew that if he ever broke it, he would somehow get it tied back together for another round.
Strange, fun-loving idiosyncrasies.
Square dancer, who was no square; leaving an impression for Christ in that little corner of his world.
Ready to watch a good fight---even a crazy fight. He was really funny about that, much like a kid.
Not one to invite a fight.
A red, white and true blue, old fashioned American!
Humble, and a pray-er; if you asked him to pray with you about something, he would; then, with remarkable recall, he would often ask you about it along the way to learn what God had done.
A talker, a real talker, but one you enjoyed listening to.
A tenacious do-er. You never felt that he was “requiring” things of you. Set the example, and kept moving.
He moved like the wind; like the Spirit of God.
Kind, yet rough. Sweet and tart; lemonade out of lemons with extra sugar poured in.
A leader and a servant.
Steady, ready, and dependable.
A giver and a receiver; a rare quality of character.
He was serious without taking himself too seriously.
Hospitable, courteous, thoughtful, loving.
Beautifully independent and dependent; yet you never felt the imbalance of codependence. He simply wouldn’t do that to anyone.
Open to truth about himself --- good, bad and ugly --- and he would ask for the truth, without making you feel like it was going to come back at you.
Ready to be accountable, and asked for accountability, yet reluctantly willing to hold others accountable, except in a gracious, indirect way.
Diligence personified. Prepared. Committed. Lived on the inside edge of the good life.
Lover of souls. A shepherd of the best sort; willing to give himself for and to others.
Always a kind word for others.
Always highest expectations of himself; he was a bit hard on himself.
An original; no cookie cutter; the mold was thrown away.
A lover of God; and, clearly an object of God’s love.
He was faithful.
I miss you, Buddy. I really, sincerely, aching-in-my-heart miss you, my “dear friend”!
I’m happy he is home; but, in the most selfish of terms, I wish he was here. I deeply miss our time together face to face, in emails, on the phone, and at church. Your investment will not be in vain in my life by the grace of God.
Here. Suddenly, gone. Classic Buddy Burns.
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From the Bentwater Newsletter
[To:] All Bentwater Members,
Today Bentwater is without a dear friend after Dr. WC “Buddy” Burns, the pastor of North Shore Church, passed away at home on Sunday in Willis. He was 71 years young. Dr. Burns, a familiar face at Bentwater for the past four years, shared his warmth, insight and spirituality with the community on a daily basis. His energy and his passion for religion were contagious and will be missed by his parishioners and the entire Bentwater family.
This great friend, father and grandfather passed through our midst unexpectedly this week, and we are happy we had the opportunity to have known him.
Labels: Newspaper, People, Preacher friends
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
[This]-- A pig wearing lipstick [and That] Our preacher's birthday today
These toy pigs are gifts. My grandfather told me to "never look a gift pig in the mouth." So if they were wearing lipstick, I wouldn't know it because I don't look these pigs in the mouth.
Back when I was dating, I did meet some pigs wearing lipstick. Some of them were kind of after me, perhaps that's why I thought they were pigs.
These two pigs:
The one on the left is almost as old as I am, our Vet, Dr. Scott, gave it to me when I was very young. I have kept the pig and treasured it ever since.
The black and white pig is a gift from Mrs. Jim. She knows I like pigs (I talk to them quite often, they are very interesting to talk with, try it sometime) and this doorstop has a permanent place in our home now, right beside the front door.
Preacher's birthday:
The Jim Bunch is eating tonight at the church. For the preacher's birthday supper we are having fried catfish, hush puppies, French fries, cold slaw, salad, and desert.
Oh yes, and birthday cake. If I can get close I will count the candles for you. And take a picture.
[large size] [super sized] [large size] [super sized]
Well, I did get close and there WEREN'T ANY CANDLES.
I was told by a reliable authority that he is ... years old today. No, I can't tell you because maybe I am not supposed to tell. I didn't ask if I could so I won't tell.
I didn't get any cake either as I had to go to a meeting before it was cut.
Labels: Animals, Church, Food, Friends, Humor, Jim Bunch Eats, People, Preacher friends
Friday, July 25, 2008
Have you had your car read lately? #001
Let's get started. Perhaps you'll want to send me a picture of your car or a part of it.
"Funny Girl"
[large picture] [super sized]. First of all, this car belongs to a woman who just might be single. That or else she has a bad case of wishful thinking--this is blatant, you know.
Where to do you shop for such a display of mixed comedy and fact, call it satire? (I can do that, I wrote this.)
Obviously this lady frequents places of ill repute, such as tattoo parlors and magic shops. Why do I say this? Look closely, it is copyrighted by 'bad habits.'
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"The Clincher"
[large picture] [super sized] .Of course I had privy to this sticker on the other end of her bumper before you saw this one.
You can see that she is single. Any good Texas husband (Texas license plates here) would not allow a sign like this on their property.
Our lady is a careless Democrat, having no respect for her party.
Otherwise she would have replaced this sticker immediately, without passing go. This is just plain bad advertising.
A can of spray paint would color over those black marks and scratches on her unsightly bumper. It was unfortunate that there was unwanted contact (a felony in Texas) but at least heal the wound so she won't have to think of it so much.
I could go on, but I won't bore you any more today. Perhaps you have some observations of your own for the comments.
** This is not an original idea. Reading cars came from a sermon I heard last Sunday, brought by Dr. Roger Yancey, Director of Missions, Tryon Evergreen Baptist Association, of which our church, First Baptist Church of Conroe Texas, is associated. I believe my count of 118 was pretty close (link, you can check yourself).
I saw a few cowboy churches and quite a few Hispanic churches. All are within a 35 mile radius of our home.
Labels: Blogging, Car Reading, Cars, Jim Does, People, Places, Preacher friends, Signs, Things to know, Travel
Sunday, February 03, 2008
Looking Up
"You are driving ... at a constant speed. On your right is a two-foot drop-off. On your left is a fire engine traveling the same speed as you are. In front of you is a galloping horse you can't overtake. Behind you is a zebra. You, the horse, and the zebra are all traveling the same speed. What must you do to safely get our of this highly dangerous situation?"
"The answer: "Plead with the man to stop the merry-go-round, and let your grandkids ride by themselves from now on."
Cross picture courtessy of Andrea's Thought of the Day (link) .
[Can we find ourselves when we are lost in the crowd? In ElPaso, we could look up to the west, Mount Franklin was there for our orientation. In a strange city, we can look up and see (hopefully) the tallest building we know. From the hilltops in Nebraska, we could see the antenna farm lights of North Omaha. Etc, etc.]
"Are you turned around, lost, on a merry-go-round to nowhere? Are you on a strange path that ends in dark places? Look up."
"The cross will guide you home." Luke 15:11-31 (borrowed) From Dr. Charles Watson. First Baptist Church of Conroe (Texas) January 20, 2008, newsletter. (link to church Web site)
Labels: Church, Preacher friends, Sunday, Things to know
Sunday, January 27, 2008
Peter's Sermon
Mr. Peter -- Fisherman who left his nets and followed Jesus everywhere He went while on earth [Bible, Books of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John]
Rev. Peter -- Preacher of God's Message [Bible, Books of Acts and 1 and 2 Peter]
St. Peter -- Keeper of the Pearly Gates [Matthew 16:18-20]
I first heard this sermon idea in a little church in Warrenton, Oregon, preached by a Methodist preacher there. We were visiting my Grandmother Corkill in the summer of 1984. Our visiting party consisted of Mom and Dad, Mrs. Jim, Karen, and me.
I don't remember that preacher's name. He started with the ordinary cantankerous fisherman, Peter, who was Jesus while he was alive here on earth everywhere he went.
Then after Jesus died and went to Heaven, Peter became the leader of the early church as recorded in the Bible book of Acts.
Peter's second sermon, after the healing of the cripple at the Beautiful Gate (Acts 3:1-10), included these elements of God's plan of salvation for the early church people and for all of us in Acts 3:13-26: (see The Cross Proclaimed)
- of humanity's guilt (3:13-15, 19, 26),
- God's wrath (3:23),
- the death of Christ (3:15),
- the prediction of His sufferings by the prophets (3:18, 24),
- His resurrection (3:15, 26),
- the necessity of repentance for salvation (3:19),
- and the fact that the forgiveness of sins was now being offered through Christ (3:19).
Some would include baptism which contained in Peter's first sermon (
The greatest promise of all is made by the Heavenly Father: “For whoever calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved” (Rom. 10:13).
Labels: Church, Church Signs, Preacher friends, Sunday, Things to know
Monday, January 21, 2008
January 21, 2008 -- The Most Depressing Day of the Year -- Blue Monday -- What's got you down? What will help pick you up?
Suck up! That's just how it is!
Now, how to cheer up:
Get a dog.
That dog can help lower your blood pressure by 20% if it's too high. My Adi is a nice wonderful consoler for me and my woes.
"Stroking, tickling, massaging and grooming release oxytocin, a chemical in the brain that reduces anger and fear," says vet Samantha Lindley. "Mammals are highly sensitive to touch on their stomach area, which may explain why dogs love having their tummies tickled. Stroking your dog is good for both of you." (Country Living Magazine -- I know, this shows a cat in the picture)
Get with the bloggers. Just Google or Yahoo search "The Most Depressing Day of the Year" and you will find a plenty.
To catch the bloggers, do a Tecnorati 'tag' search on "The Most Depressing Day of the Year" or "Blue Monday" to find just the bloggers. They don't seem so popular this year. Maybe blogging is good for the spirits; busy people don't think much about their problems. You might try it, you might like it (blogging).
Go shopping! The ladies will like this the most. Just pick up a credit card that isn't maxed yet and get with it! Today I bought a new car, a new computer, a new motorcycle, a new watch, and a lot of clothes.
Didn't cost me a penny, I just charged it all. The magic words, 'charge it.' If you like to save pennies while shopping, go on line first to get some coupon ideas from this site.
Seek professional advice. There are a lot of places to find out how to do this. Online searches will do wonders. I found this Time Magazine article to have a lot of insights.
Myself, if things ever do get me down, among other online resourses I will call my pastor, read the weekly devotion, and/or use a professional link for attorneys. (picture from http://www.lawyerswithdepression.com/ )
By-the-way, a lot of attorneys are depressed, practicing law can be a depressing task!
'Nuff said.
Oh yes, one more thing. Hide the booze bottle, boozing it up will just delay your most depressing day by one, things will be worse still tomorrow.
Blue Monday
The Most Depressing Day of the Year
The Most Depressing Day Most Depressing Day Depressing Day Depressing Depression Monday Blue
Labels: Blogging, Humor, Jim's Life, Preacher friends, The News, Things to know
Sunday, November 18, 2007
Adi Can . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Well, what IS she doing?
[click picture above to enlarge]
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Since we couldn't understand Adi's dog talk even IF she could preach, I have found a couple of pretty good messages for today (see note below).
First is by friend, Jamie Dawn, she tells of what would be a hard time for many at their community and church this week. Her sermon is entitled, "Easy Faith, Hard Faith, & Mega Hard Faith." (link)
Second is by my friend, Dale. Dale went with us to Guatemala and was inspired by an experience his passport. His message is "My Passport," where he tells of his Passport to Heaven, without which he couldn't go. (link)
And this Sunday, the 18th, is Raggedy's birthday! (link)
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Note, if we could understand Adi, this would be her message:
Psalm 100
A psalm. For giving thanks.
1 Shout for joy to the LORD, all the earth.
2 Worship the LORD with gladness;
come before him with joyful songs.
3 Know that the LORD is God.
It is he who made us, (and not we ourselves) we are his;
we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.
4 Enter his gates with thanksgiving
and his courts with praise;
give thanks to him and praise his name.
5 For the LORD is good and his love endures forever;
his faithfulness continues through all generations.
Psalm 100 (New International Version Bible -- Link)
Thanksgiving Pets and Animals
Labels: Adi, Adi Can, Animals, Church, Church Signs, Dogs, Friends, Guatemala, Holiday Posts, Preacher friends, Sunday, Travel
Sunday, November 04, 2007
I was glad when they said unto me
“Let us go into the house of the LORD.”
Psalm 122:1 (NKJV, see below)
What follows is an outline in pictures of our mission trip to Huehuetenango, Guatemala. There we would do facility upgrade work and have Bible classes in an orphanage.
October 27:
Sixteen of us, 11 men and 4 ladies, from our Conroe, Texas, church and one man from Harvest Chapel in the Chicago area traveled from Guatemala City to Huehuetenango this first day.
Also going with us were three translators and two Buckner International project coordinators--one local and one from Houston (link).
It was the beginning of a week of work and play and learning for us.
October 28:
After a nice breakfast in our hotel we would hop into our faithful bus and ride a mile of so over to the orphanage.
The children gave us a nice warm 'welcome,' or ¡Bienvenidos!
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October 29:
Bob, Larry, and I would install and/or hook add plumbing four hot water heaters.
Mrs. Jim is a fine painter!
So is Jessica, our interpreter.
Manuel, our interpreter, and Scot were constructing and planting a new swing and a new see-saw.
Mrs. Jim was the Bible class craft leader with the help of Robin, Debbie, Dorothy, Betsy, and Jessica.
Dale lead the lesson telling with the help some of the guys who would take a work break. The kids really liked Ben.
October 30: (my--Jim's--Birthday)
What a start to a nice day!
The day at the camp would end with a pinata party. Here I am with worker friends and the emptied pinatas.
October 31:
'Hi ho, hi ho, it's off to work we go!'
First a warm goodbye from our friendly house monkey.
We had to dig to be able to cut into a cold water line for the heater behind this wall. Seen are me (Jim), Larry, and Bob. We were about finished, as were the others with their jobs.
The rest of this day and the morning of the next I would help with the painting effort.
November 1:
Goodbyes are sometimes hard.
November 2:
On the way home we would take the scenic route, stopping at the Lake Atitlan area. (link)
November 3:
A 6:25 departure meant a 3:15 wake-up for us. Our nice breakfast was ready on our plane.
Next stop, Houston George H. W. Bush Intercontinental Airport. Our mini-bus with luggage trailer was waiting for us there. Sam is ready to be home. .
. Psalm 122 A Song of Ascents. Of David.
1 I was glad when they said to me, 2 Our feet have been standing Within your gates, O Jerusalem! 3 Jerusalem is built As a city that is compact together, 4 Where the tribes go up, The tribes of the LORD, To the Testimony of Israel, To give thanks to the name of the LORD. 5 For thrones are set there for judgment, The thrones of the house of David. 6 Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: “May they prosper who love you. 7 Peace be within your walls, Prosperity within your palaces.” 8 For the sake of my brethren and companions, I will now say, “Peace be within you.” 9 Because of the house of the LORD our God I will seek your good.
Psalm 122 (New King James Version -- link)
Labels: Church, Guatemala, Jail, People, Places, Preacher friends, Sunday, Travel
Friday, October 12, 2007
My Preacher Friends [01] made competent as ministers *
Click picture for full screen
I wasn't sure anybody would think I have any of those. Well, I do. I have seven pretty good friends who are preachers.
Preacher friend facts:
1. Five of them, H**h, M**y, R**e, S**m, and D**l, I send an e-mail to every so often, more on this in a minute;
2. Two of those are my relatives, R**e and M**y;
3. All but B**y I have an e-mail address for, I could get his;
4. One, S**m, is eighty years old and teaches Sunday school regularly;
5. I see four every week, H**H, S**m, D**e, and B**y;
6. Two I have played golf with, M**y and D**l;
7. Six are retired or semi-retired, they are my age plus or minus fifteen years with two older;
8. The one still working is young enough for me to be his father (he has a very nice father so he doesn't need me);
9. One reads my blog. He has a very fine blog of his own, I haven't linked to it yet. Another reads mine if his wife particularly likes an entry;
10. One has said he could get me ordained, I haven't taken him up on that and maybe he can't do that anymore;
11. One is single (B**y), the others are married (and have been forever); and
12. They are all awfully nice fellows.
(Item 1) I send these five fellows 'religious' cartoons. These could be cartoons, with angels in the clouds (thus, the reason for my picture today, I couldn't post a copyrighted cartoon), St. Peter giving trouble at his gate, poor souls paying the Devil his eternal due where it is terribly hot, and just plain preacher cartoons and jokes.
The main reason I e-mail these is that they are missing terribly in their lives the ability to read the Houston Chronicle comics. Every now and then, a cartoon will just tell me, e-mail it to your preacher friends who are missing a masterpiece of humorous art.
Not on the list are preacher wives who blog or read my blog. Three of these readers are bloggers and are in my links. The fourth is my relative preacher wife who doesn't have her own blog yet. She would write a very nice journal. There may be others, I just don't know who they might be.
Not on the list either is our favorite cartoon preacher, Reverend Will B. Dunn of the Kudzu cartoon. (link)(link to comic archives) Kudzu was taken off a few years ago, now it is even missing from the on-line cartoons which have some leftovers from the old Houston Post.
* He has made us competent as ministers of a new covenant—not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life. (2 Corinthians 3:6. Link)
Labels: Friends, Jim Does, Preacher friends, Sunday
