Throughout my life I have met people, some extraordinary and some not so. When I worked for a Christian radio station, I interviewed most of the religious leaders of major denominations in the US. I have met and talked to many major Evangelists from around the world. I have talked to presidential candidates and leaders of the Nation Right to Life organization. I have spoken to many influential business men. They all had something in common. Many were wealthy individuals and some weren’t. Many of the people I talked to were educated, but not all of them. When I started interviewing or talking to people, I didn’t treat them differently. I spoke with respect and kindness to each of them. But I didn’t use any difference with them. I didn’t try to curry favor with anyone. And guess what happened? They treated me with respect. I was expecting them to be aloof or entitled. But it never happened. It surprised me to say the least, but I enjoyed talking to them.

I found gold in those interviews and talks that glittered all the same. It wasn’t that I got to meet those people or were in there presence. It was that they spoke to me as a decent human being, with respect and kindness. The conversations were interesting and I learn many things. But it was the decency of each person toward me that struck me the most. In these days of power dynamics, corporate structures and hierarchy, people tend to lose the nature of being decent to one another. This is the gold that glitters that everyone can see.

Crain Blanchard.

Joseph1637@juno.com

Joseph1637.com

I was over at my brother’s house. It was a birthday party for a friend. My wife couldn’t go so I went alone. It is always interesting to go to my brother’s house for an event. We gather for football games, birthdays, Thanksgiving, Christmas and any social event we deem fun. Last night was typical as any event I have gone to. Most of the people there know I am a conservative Christian. But that doesn’t stop anyone from speaking out on most any topic. We are the most diverse group of people you would ever want to meet. The spectrum is from conservative to liberal. We like each other and respect each other’s view. But that doesn’t mean we won’t discuss a hotly contested topics with passion. But we will walk away being friends. They are very sweet people and care deeply about the world around us. But they are still a crazy group of men and women. There is every age there. But I have noticed how people’s values have changed over the years. Due to circumstances and other disasters in their lives, it has forged certain ideas. I don’t agree with them all, but some have merit. I love my brother and sister-in-law and want to be with them. No matter how crazy their ideas get.

Crain Blanchard.

www.joseph1637.com

joseph1637@juno.com

Words have meaning. When I was in college I took a course on words. It was an English class on the meanings of words. In the class we broke the words apart to find their origins. The American English language is composed of words from England, France, Germany, Russia, Poland, Italy, Greece, Israel, Africa, Middle East, China, Japan, Polynesia, Spain, Portugal and Native Americans. Our language is a mixture of all languages around the world as our country is. You know who invented the telegraph? The French in the 1850’s because Napoleon III wanted to talk to his troops in Turkey fighting the Crimean War. Today there are so many ways to talk to someone around the world. The capabilities grow every year. There seems to be no stopping it. It is the Age of Information. Words by themselves have no real power. But when they are spoken they come alive. So why is that? It is because we give words power. People sometimes don’t even understand how much power we give words. As the bible says life and death are in the power of the tongue. I have seen it. People say I can’t do it and they can’t. Or they says I wish I would die and they do. The spoken word has changed the entire universe. But it is a broad sword that you can use on your enemies. You should think before you speak. And when you speak you should mean what you say. God has always meant every word He spoke. Even a fool, when he holds his peace, is counted wise: and he that shuts his lips is esteemed a man of understanding. Our words have power.

Crain Blanchard.

Joseph1637@juno.com

Joseph1637.com

Years ago, I was attending church in Lafayette, La. There was a young man who was a quadriplegic. He could only get around in a wheel chair pushed by someone else. A young woman was helping him with his parents. I was invited to his house by the young women. She wanted me to meet him. He could not speak with his voice, but had developed a system with a pointer on his head to point to letters or words on a board. It was arduous and painstaking to carry on a conversation. But he enjoyed talking to people. We talked for about an hour. It was interesting because there was nothing wrong with his mind only his body. We talked about many things, especially things of the Lord. The last thing he said to me, was what bothered him the most. He said it was the constant drooling that he couldn’t control. I began to cry, because I saw my sin. He couldn’t use his body and nothing could stop me from using mine. Yet I would complain. He couldn’t speak, but I complained when I had to talk to people. He couldn’t walk and I would get tired walking around. He loved life and showed me the truth spirit of Christ in him.

Crain Blanchard

Joseph1637@juno.com

Joseph1637.com

Have you ever felt like that? We spend a lifetime finding out where we belong. It is unfortunate that some people never find their place in life. It’s like wandering in the desert to find water and not finding it. When we find our place, it is funny how things work in our lives. It doesn’t mean that there wouldn’t be resistance to our place. I know that when I found my place, the battle began. It was a battle to keep the place I found for myself. And I tell you a truth, I was shielded from the battle for a long time. It wasn’t until I was strong enough to face it myself. But when I enter the battle, it was amazing what happened. I saw so many miracles that it is hard sometimes to comprehend. You see I am a Christian soldier. I know how to wage warfare. I don’t fight flesh and blood. My battle is in the spiritual realm. I fight against principalities, spiritual wickedness and powers in the air. Sometimes I get beat up. When I do, I retreat back to God. Where I know that I will be refreshed and renewed and ready to go back to the battle. My battles aren’t over things of this world. My battles are for the lives of people. If I don’t fight the good fight of faith, people will die and are bound for hell. That is why sometimes I feel like a square peg in a round hole. But I have found my place in life and it is next to God.

Crain Blanchard.

www.joseph1637.com

joseph1637@juno.com