I grew up in the foothills of the Ozark Mountains just 7 miles north of Dogpatch U.S.A. So I guess that makes me an official Hillbilly. I wasn't content with staying in the hills so after a proper raisin and schoolin I landed a job that allowed me the privilege of travelling throughout the United States. I have travelled by bus, car, plane, train and boat. I have seen small towns and large cities. I have seen such wondrous sites as the Rockie Mountains (Colorado), Smokey Mountains(Tennessee), Blue Ridge Mountains(North Carolina), and the Ozark Mountains(Arkansas/Missouri). I have seen the Mississippi Delta, the plains of Oklahoma, the Texas Pan Handle, and the Desert in Arizona and Nevada. I have felt the warm Florida sun and bitter cold of a Minnesota winter. I have been to places like Boston and Washington D.C. where the founding fathers of our great nation once lived. I have seen the fall in New England (New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts) and wine country in California. I have been to the hills of Kentucky and Tennessee where my childhood hero's Daniel Boone and Davy Crockett fought with Indians and wrestled bears. I have been to the top of the Arch in St. Louis, the Gateway to the West. I've been to the "Windy City" of Chicago. I have seen where the Little Rock Nine went to school and the streets of Birmingham Alabama where so many stood strong for civil rights. I've seen the rebuilt Atlanta after Sherman burned it down in the war between the states. I have had "brats and beer" in Milwaukee and eaten boiled peanuts in South Carolina. I went to boot camp at Fort Knox (where they keep all the gold). I have driven down the highway that passes the Louisiana State Penitentiary where I saw the guards on horseback with loaded guns supervising a chain gang of prisoners. I have toured the Naval Academy in Annapolis Maryland where many of our nations great military leader attended. I have literally been from sea to shining sea.
Yep, I have been truly blessed to see a lot of this great country. There are still several places I haven't been and look forward to seeing one day but there are two places I have been that will forever stand out most in my mind. New York City and San Fransisco. Why these places? Is it because of the deep rooted history in each of these cities? Is it because each of these cities hold a romantic lure? Is it because of all the tall buildings and sites to see? No, none of those things. The reason I find these two cities so interesting are the people who live in them. Okay, I know what you're thinking....."Something ain't right with him". "SF is home of the Presidio, Fisherman's Wharf, Cable Cars, The Gold Rush of 1849, The Golden Gate Bridge, Dirty Harry Movies where filmed there, and NY is home of the Empire State building, Museums, The Chrysler Building, Rockefeller Plaza, The Today Show, Broadway, Times Square" and so on. And you're right all of those things are very interesting to see but to me not as interesting as watching the people in these two great cities.
If you ever get the chance to visit either or both of these cities try to see all the sites you can. All the ones you have read about or seen on the travel channel. But while you are busy seeing all the sites take time to just stop and park yourself at an outdoor cafe or bench and just watch the people for a while. It is amazing. If you watch long enough and pay close attention you will see which ones God is talking to. Yes, that's right. I said you will be able to recognize which ones God is talking to. Okay, it took me a while to figure this out myself. So let me tell you what to look for.
Eventually, you will see a guy walking down the street in tattered clothes, hair unkempt, may or may not be pushing a shopping cart. He will be totally oblivious to everyone around him. It will seem like he is talking to himself and sometimes maybe even arguing with himself. But naa naa. Pay attention and listen a little closer to what he is saying. I saw a guy just as I described walking down the street in NY and he kept saying out loud (as if he were arguing) "NO! But I can't do that! NO! Leave me alone"! At this point most people are trying desperately to avoid him. They will not make eye contact with him and are moving quickly to get away from him. That's when it hit me. What if he is NOT talking to himself? What if God is saying something like "Bill, you are my chosen one to do a great work". Only Bill is saying "NO! But I can't do that"! And God says "but I need you Bill, only you can do this". Bill's reply "Leave me alone"!
Don't get me wrong. I am not saying God only talks to people in NY and SF. And I am not making fun of those in these cities who are down on their luck and may have serious mental issues. This is my light hearted attempt to point out that sometimes we are too quick to judge others based on a quick glance. What we may quickly dismiss as strange behavior may actually be something divine. In many cases God does not call the equipped, He equips the ones He calls. How many of us today would think Moses was crazy? I mean come on he claimed a burning bush was talking to him. Saul a man who killed Christians for a living was called by God to do great things. Why would God choose a man who was a murderer? David who committed adultery and murder was called by God to lead a nation. Why choose David who broke God's commandments? We have all sinned. God tells us in the New Testament that He did not come for the righteous but has come here so the unrighteous can be saved, not by works or the law, but by grace.
The point is, is that God can use any of us if we are willing. Even a Hillbilly like me! Is He calling you to do something? Has he called you in the past? What was your answer? Did you answer by saying "NO! I can't do that" NO! Leave me alone"? or Did you follow His calling? Remember to be aware of where you are if you choose to have your conversation with God using your outside voice. You never know who might be watching.......
Yep, I have been truly blessed to see a lot of this great country. There are still several places I haven't been and look forward to seeing one day but there are two places I have been that will forever stand out most in my mind. New York City and San Fransisco. Why these places? Is it because of the deep rooted history in each of these cities? Is it because each of these cities hold a romantic lure? Is it because of all the tall buildings and sites to see? No, none of those things. The reason I find these two cities so interesting are the people who live in them. Okay, I know what you're thinking....."Something ain't right with him". "SF is home of the Presidio, Fisherman's Wharf, Cable Cars, The Gold Rush of 1849, The Golden Gate Bridge, Dirty Harry Movies where filmed there, and NY is home of the Empire State building, Museums, The Chrysler Building, Rockefeller Plaza, The Today Show, Broadway, Times Square" and so on. And you're right all of those things are very interesting to see but to me not as interesting as watching the people in these two great cities.
If you ever get the chance to visit either or both of these cities try to see all the sites you can. All the ones you have read about or seen on the travel channel. But while you are busy seeing all the sites take time to just stop and park yourself at an outdoor cafe or bench and just watch the people for a while. It is amazing. If you watch long enough and pay close attention you will see which ones God is talking to. Yes, that's right. I said you will be able to recognize which ones God is talking to. Okay, it took me a while to figure this out myself. So let me tell you what to look for.
Eventually, you will see a guy walking down the street in tattered clothes, hair unkempt, may or may not be pushing a shopping cart. He will be totally oblivious to everyone around him. It will seem like he is talking to himself and sometimes maybe even arguing with himself. But naa naa. Pay attention and listen a little closer to what he is saying. I saw a guy just as I described walking down the street in NY and he kept saying out loud (as if he were arguing) "NO! But I can't do that! NO! Leave me alone"! At this point most people are trying desperately to avoid him. They will not make eye contact with him and are moving quickly to get away from him. That's when it hit me. What if he is NOT talking to himself? What if God is saying something like "Bill, you are my chosen one to do a great work". Only Bill is saying "NO! But I can't do that"! And God says "but I need you Bill, only you can do this". Bill's reply "Leave me alone"!
Don't get me wrong. I am not saying God only talks to people in NY and SF. And I am not making fun of those in these cities who are down on their luck and may have serious mental issues. This is my light hearted attempt to point out that sometimes we are too quick to judge others based on a quick glance. What we may quickly dismiss as strange behavior may actually be something divine. In many cases God does not call the equipped, He equips the ones He calls. How many of us today would think Moses was crazy? I mean come on he claimed a burning bush was talking to him. Saul a man who killed Christians for a living was called by God to do great things. Why would God choose a man who was a murderer? David who committed adultery and murder was called by God to lead a nation. Why choose David who broke God's commandments? We have all sinned. God tells us in the New Testament that He did not come for the righteous but has come here so the unrighteous can be saved, not by works or the law, but by grace.
The point is, is that God can use any of us if we are willing. Even a Hillbilly like me! Is He calling you to do something? Has he called you in the past? What was your answer? Did you answer by saying "NO! I can't do that" NO! Leave me alone"? or Did you follow His calling? Remember to be aware of where you are if you choose to have your conversation with God using your outside voice. You never know who might be watching.......
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