Writer's Background
Raised on a farm; picked cotton, bailed hay, and dug ditches.
Went to high school in Germany two years, and was caught behind the ‘iron curtain’ with my family without ‘papers.’
Worked as a welder, auto mechanic, carpenter, and aircraft machinist.
Taught school five years...math, science, metal shop, auto mechanics, welding, drafting, and architect.
Retired as a tool designer on the 747 and Stealth bomber...one job was the space shuttle nose cone.
In Alaska, killed a grizzly bear after facing him with an empty rifle and again with the bolt out of the rifle. Expecting him to start chewing on me while trying to get the bolt in was not fun.
Pulled a dead moose from a lake in Alaska by swimming.
Lasting memories:
1. Drifted toward Russia in a boat with a dead motor on the Bering Sea.
2. Storm at sea with my three young children.
3. Lost fifty miles from land on the Gulf.
4. Volunteered to be the scuba diver in helping fireman recover a drowning victim.
5. Stepped into a deep hole of water in the dark while wearing hip boots, heavy coat, and two rifles strapped to my back. With outstretched hands, I held grass.
My father fell; with feet on the bank, fighting water with hands and pushing my head under with his stomach.
Many times I’ve heard lectures from my father saying, “Can’t never did anything!”, but that night on a bear hunt in Alaska, when I screamed for him to get off my head, all I heard was, “I can’t!” Needless to say there was an urgent son-father talk.
Volunteered in construction for the Lord from Mexico to Alaska.
Worked on projects for the Southern Baptist Convention once to Russia, four to Israel, and thirteen to Japan.
Enjoy ten grandchildren and sing, “We’ll work till Jesus comes.”
Many could have written this but a whisper came to me.
Went to high school in Germany two years, and was caught behind the ‘iron curtain’ with my family without ‘papers.’
Worked as a welder, auto mechanic, carpenter, and aircraft machinist.
Taught school five years...math, science, metal shop, auto mechanics, welding, drafting, and architect.
Retired as a tool designer on the 747 and Stealth bomber...one job was the space shuttle nose cone.
In Alaska, killed a grizzly bear after facing him with an empty rifle and again with the bolt out of the rifle. Expecting him to start chewing on me while trying to get the bolt in was not fun.
Pulled a dead moose from a lake in Alaska by swimming.
Lasting memories:
1. Drifted toward Russia in a boat with a dead motor on the Bering Sea.
2. Storm at sea with my three young children.
3. Lost fifty miles from land on the Gulf.
4. Volunteered to be the scuba diver in helping fireman recover a drowning victim.
5. Stepped into a deep hole of water in the dark while wearing hip boots, heavy coat, and two rifles strapped to my back. With outstretched hands, I held grass.
My father fell; with feet on the bank, fighting water with hands and pushing my head under with his stomach.
Many times I’ve heard lectures from my father saying, “Can’t never did anything!”, but that night on a bear hunt in Alaska, when I screamed for him to get off my head, all I heard was, “I can’t!” Needless to say there was an urgent son-father talk.
Volunteered in construction for the Lord from Mexico to Alaska.
Worked on projects for the Southern Baptist Convention once to Russia, four to Israel, and thirteen to Japan.
Enjoy ten grandchildren and sing, “We’ll work till Jesus comes.”
Many could have written this but a whisper came to me.
posted by Rex Ray at Saturday, June 17, 2006
4 Comments:
Rex,
I'm a NAMB supported church planter.
We have adopted the 2000 BF&M with ONE ammendment...
We have ommited the "under a democratic" process from our doctrine. It's not a Biblical mandate therefore we don't feel the need for it.
We operate under the Lordship of Christ...period.
We have a church council that makes all decissions for the church, the church does not vote on anything. We have not constituted, but when we do I don't think we will be a congregational church. If our people do vote (I'm still praying about how this should/will work) the might only vote once a year on a budget (a budget that will be worked by the council). Other than that they might vote on a Senior Pastor (no other staff person will be voted upon. The church council will interview and hire all staff and offer that person what the church budgeted for the position. The cc will also fire), a change in the consitution and the buying of selling of property. That would be it.
But to be real honest with you, the more I pray the more I believe the congregation has no business or right to vote on anything. I'm believing more and more that the leadership of the church should lead. This is an issue of interpretation and not an issue for fellowship in my opinion.
irreverend Fox,
Due to a family reunion and other things, I’ve not had my computer on for three days. Sort of strange that your Burleson’s comments were on my mind at four o’clock this morning. I wrote a comment to you on Burleson’s blog. I added an old post to you that was not printed so I gave it again. Some of it was about a strange baptism.
They must be taking a break today as they have not posted any comments.
My 10 year-old grandson was born in Jerusalem. His parents were S.B. missionaries. I asked him to read your post on my blog and then asked him what was the meaning of your statement: “We operate under the Lordship of Jesus Christ…period.”
He said that means the council are Christians that follow Jesus, and the other members follow the council and they don’t have to be Christians.
I started to argue with him, but then I thought maybe he had a good point. That point being: the council does not trust the Holy Spirit to guide the members of the church.
It is the same problem with the IMB—they don’t trust the Holy Spirit to guide missionaries to do the work the Holy Spirit has called them to do. The IMB wants the power, control, and dominance that should belong to the relationship between missionaries and their God.
One missionary said the IMB told them how to breathe.
Fox, does the council want the responsibility of playing God?
In my 74 years, I’ve noticed people that want that responsibility have a tendency to be a bully.
Let’s play like Jesus was pastor and he was talking to His council when Mary was listening in. Martha wanted Mary to help her. Your council would have demanded Mary to report to the kitchen at once. But what did Jesus say? She was following the will of God.
There are two attitudes of ‘Shepard pastors or Shepard Council’: One that cares for the flock, and the other that is leading a bunch of dumb sheep.
The ‘dumb sheep pastor’ is violating 1 Peter 5:3, “Don’t lord it over people assigned to your care, but lead them by your good example.”
Fox, what example should a council show the members that they should follow? If members make the rules, they will follow those rules better than rules handed down to them. That’s what makes America great. The power is in the people.
In churches the power is in the Holy Spirit leading each priest to do His bidding.
The opposite of that is ‘getting too big for their britches.’
Thanks for taking the time to express your views.
Rex
Re3xray
Thanks for the kind words on my blog. Tom Webb, great friend of Wade Burleson, appreciates him that is; read my initial thoughts and found them "auspcious."
Hey, you ain't much of a poet; Mary Oliver is the real deal. Check her out.
Did you meet my cousin Neil while you were in Alaska, and what are you thinking about Ralph Reed going down in Georgia?
ARe you now or were you ever a member of the john Birch Society???
To foxofbama
Hey! Are you Stephen Fox? My father taught me that poem when I was about 10 years old. He taught me another one:
Let me tell you something, John
Before you make the start,
There’s much more in being honest John.
Yes, twice more than being smart.
The Neil that I know is the sister of my twin brother and me who we named when were in the third grade. We liked the ‘Funny Book’: Bronco Bill and Neil.
I don’t know Ralph Reed and less about John Birch Society. My wife said they were right wing or something.
Today, (July 20) Wade talked about having more communication. What do you think about having a debate on ‘Inerrancy’? I don’t think the powers that be want to debate anything.
They would be like the high school coach who declined paying this guy in golf. The guy wanted to know why. The coach said it would be a no—win game for him: “If I lost, you would brag all over town you beat the coach and if I won what would I have to brag about?”
Rex
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