Coleman Chronicle and Democrat-Voice (Coleman, Tex.), Vol. 133, No. 45, Ed. 1 Wednesday, November 13, 2013 Page: 4 of 14
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Opinion Page
Coleman Chronicle & DV
Wednesday, November 13, 2013
Page 4
The Rain Hotline
TX
76834
or
Sponsored By
55
Oh, well, I better go
check the rain gauge.
“The very quality of your life, whether you love it or
hate it, is based upon how thankful you are toward
God. It is one's attitude that determines whether life
unfolds into a place of blessedness or wretched-
ness. Indeed, looking at the same rose bush, some
people complain that the roses have thorns while
others rejoice that some thorns come with roses. It
all depends on your perspective.
This is the only life you will have before you enter
eternity. If you want to find joy, you must first find
thankfulness. Indeed, the one who is thankful for
even a little enjoys much. But the unappreciative
soul is always miserable, always complaining. He
lives outside the shelter of the Most High God.
Perhaps the worst enemy we have is not the devil
but our own tongue. James tells us, "The tongue is
set among our members as that which . . . sets on
fire the course of our life" (James 3:6). He goes on to
say this fire is ignited by hell. Consider: with our own
words we can enter the spirit of heaven or the ago-
nies of hell!
It is hell with its punishments, torments and misery
that controls the life of the grumbler and complainer!
Paul expands this thought in 1 Corinthians 10:10,
where he reminds us of the Jews who "grumblefd] .
. . and were destroyed by the destroyer." The fact is,
every time we open up to grumbling and complain-
ing, the quality of our life is reduced proportionally --
a destroyer is bringing our life to ruin!
People often ask me, "What is the ruling demon over
our church or city?" They expect me to answer with
the ancient Aramaic or Phoenician name of a fallen
angel. What I usually tell them is a lot more practical:
Our late summer rains
are pretty reliable; it’s
the spring rains that can
make a big difference.
Even two or three inches
will get the grass grow-
ing before it gets so hot.
It affects the delicate bal-
one of the most pervasive evil influences over our
nation is ingratitude!
Do not minimize the strength and cunning of this
enemy! Paul said that the Jews who grumbled and
complained during their difficult circumstances were
"destroyed by the destroyer." Who was this destroy-
er? If you insist on discerning an ancient world ruler,
one of the most powerful spirits mentioned in the
Bible is Abaddon, whose Greek name is Apollyon. It
means "destroyer" (Rev. 9:11). Paul said the Jews
were destroyed by this spirit. In other words, when
we are complaining or unthankful, we open the door
to the destroyer, Abaddon, the demon king over the
abyss of hell!
In the Presence of God
Multitudes in our nation have become specialists in
the "science of misery." They are experts -- moral
accountants who can, in a moment, tally all the
wrongs society has ever done to them or their group.
I have never talked with one of these people who
was happy, blessed or content about anything. They
expect an imperfect world to treat them perfectly.
Truly, there are people in this wounded country of
ours who need special attention. However, most of
us simply need to repent of ingratitude, for it is
ingratitude itself that is keeping wounds alive! We
simply need to forgive the wrongs of the past and
become thankful for what we have in the present.
The moment we become grateful, we actually begin
to ascend spiritually into the presence of God. The
psalmist wrote,
"Serve the Lord with gladness; come before Him
with joyful singing. . . . Enter His gates with thanks-
Farms.
Koinonia is the Greek word for “community.” And
Jordan set out to create just that: A farming commu-
nity where men and women, blacks and whites, rich
and poor would live together under the parenthood
of God, using love as a substitute for violence, and
sharing their possessions with the poor.
This was no utopia, however. Clarence was hated for
his beliefs of equality. His fields were sabotaged with
salt. His fruit stands were fire bombed. His pecan
trees were cut down. The local communities institut-
ed an embargo against his crops. Gun shots were
often fired into his home late at night from the street.
But through it all, Clarence persevered.
One day a man showed up at Clarence’s house
angry that he and the people on his farm wouldn’t
fight back. Clarence answered, “You’ve got that
wrong. We’ll fight.” And then he looked across the
field where a mule was sticking his head out of the
barn. Clarence said, “Suppose you walked by the
barn and that old mule reached out and bit you in the
seat of your britches? Would you bite him back?”
The man was appalled. “Of course I wouldn’t bite
him back,” the man said. ‘Td get a ‘two by four,’ and
hit him in the head!” Clarence, with his Southern-
fried wisdom answered, “See, you would fight, but
you wouldn’t use that old mule’s tactics, ‘cause you
ain’t no mule. You wouldn’t bite or kick him because
he would win. You would choose weapons that a
mule can't compete with.”
Then Clarence delivered the clincher: “Yes sir, we
will fight, but we will choose the weapons. We will
fight with humility, grace, justice, and forgiveness.
But we're not going to fight with the enemy’s
weapons, because if we do, the enemy will whip us.”
Clarence Jordan died in 1969, still reviled by many of
his neighbors, so much so that the local coroner
wouldn’t even drive to the farm to pronounce the
man deceased. But the man was anything but dead.
His deeds and words live on. Jordan’s model of life
has been followed by courageous Christian witness-
es all around the world, and while he is not as well-
known, it is not uncommon to hear his name spoken
with the likes of Gandhi, King, and Teresa of
Calcutta.
His most prominent work, “The Cotton Patch
Gospel” is a masterpiece of New Testament inter-
pretation, and Koinonia eventually birthed the organ-
ization now known as Habitat for Humanity which
has partnered with those in need to shelter more
than three million people.
In the end, it appears that Clarence Jordan contend-
ed well. His life is a testimony to grace under fire and
an example for all fighters to follow. Like him, let us
choose our weapons carefully.
Brett Autry
Amber Hardin
Karen Allen
John Smiley
Brenda Simmons
Lois Harper
Olivia de los Santos
Zane Laws
Ouieta Morris
Carol Jones
David Smith
In the Midwest where
agriculture is recognized
as part of the economy,
they have really good
weather coverage. But if
you live within 100 miles
of a metroplex, you get
the Weather Show! The
program spends a lot of
time discussing how it
will affect your backyard
BBQ, how slow the
Freeway Loop is pro-
ceeding, if there are
delayed flights at the air-
By: Ronnie McBrayer
Clarence Jordan was a Southern gentleman born
deep in the farming fields of Talbot County, Georgia.
Now, if you have never heard of Talbot County, don’t
sweat it. Not many people have; not in recent years,
anyway. But if you haven’t heard of Clarence Jordan,
that is your tremendous loss.
Growing up in the Deep South, Jordan was witness
to bitter racism and acts of injustice against African-
Americans that were as numerous as the Georgia
cotton bolls. But Clarence, by God’s grace, refused
to become a participant. He could not understand
how anyone could hate a man simply “because of
the color of skin God Almighty gave to him.”
What made the dissonance even more striking for
Clarence was that many of the more zealous racists
were prominent Christians. They were the very peo-
ple with whom he attended church. But rather than
blaming God and running away from religion
because of the hard-heartedness of others, he bold-
ly embraced faith.
After earning a degree in agriculture from the
University of Georgia, he completed his doctoral
studies at the Southern Baptist Theological
Seminary. Then he returned to those same Georgia
fields, those same racist communities, and those
same friends and neighbors. And once there, he cre-
ated a countercultural, redemptive community just
outside the town of Americus, named Koinonia
port and a comment on
how the Weather
Channel babes hope it
doesn’t disrupt your day.
The blackboard they use
looks like a full color
kindergarten jigsaw puz-
zle. “Scattered showers”
covers a chunk of
ground as big as the
Louisiana Purchase!
ance that haunts dairy-
men; milk vs. reproduc-
tion. When a cow is
generating enough milk
to keep the calf’s condi-
tion positive, there may
not be enough energy
left in her body to cycle.
There’s nothing prettier
than a sleek cow in good
condition with a big bag
and a good-sized calf at
her side. Well, it would
be even prettier if the
bull were trying mount
her!
TYSON
PHARMACY
It’s not unusual for us to
get that kind of spotty
On The Edge of Common Sense
BAXTER BLACK
My neighbors and I have
a morning-after rainfall
report. The one that tells
his amount first, usually
get one-tenth less! I’m
sure most of you have
heard the joke about the
farmer who left his dou-
ble barrel shotgun
leaned up against the
property line fence. After
the big rain he retrieved
his shotgun. One barrel
was full of rain and the
one on his side was
plum dry!
Chronicle & Democrat-Voice
Owner/Co-Publisher
Editor
Customer Service
Customer Service
Sports Correspondent
Santa Anna Correspondent
Voss/Gouldbusk/Leaday
Valera News
Novice News
Talpa News
Paper Delivery
Democrat established 1897;
Coleman Democrat-Voice,
Last summer in anticipa-
tion of summer rain he
sent me a rain gauge
that his bank has been
using as a customer gift
since, oh...probably
statehood. It was shiny
and had the bank’s
name on it. When our
monsoon hit in July, we
were ready!
For several years my
phone conversations
with George have been
depressing. Sometimes
when we discuss rain,
he’s never had enough
on Spud Mountain. He
seems to live in the end-
less drought condi-
tions...until it rains and
washes out his water
gaps, tanks and roads.
It’s tough on his cows.
Thank goodness he has
a job at the bank.
“Keeping the FAITH”
precipitation in the coun-
ty, though by the end of
our rainy season we’re
within 2 inches of each
other. If we get more
than five minutes into a
conversation I’m sure to
be reminded when it
rained every year on the
same day. “Yes sir,
sonny! Jes like clock-
work. You could set your
watch by the afternoon
showers.” Sometimes
Noah comes up in the
discussion. Then the
subject will switch to the
times when it was so dry
fish were wearing sun
block!
One of the rights of farm-
ers is to have an opinion
on the weather. I try
keep abreast. I study
the TV weather map with
its big smiling yellow sun
and the white clouds that
look like giant puffs from
Thomas the Tank
Engine. I admit I have
trouble relating to El
Nino and how it will
affect my area of the
country. Of course, it
seems every time I
watch the local weather
forecast the weather girl
is standing in front of my
state.
“You Ain’t No Mule!
Chronicle & Democrat-Voice
Chronicle & Democrat-Voice (USPS 121-100) is pub-
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giving and His courts with praise. Give thanks to
Him, bless His name. For the Lord is good; His lov-
ingkindness is everlasting and His faithfulness to all
generations" (Psalm 100:2, 4-5).
It does not matter what your circumstances are; the
instant you begin to thank God, even though your sit-
uation has not changed, you begin to change. The
key that unlocks the gates of heaven is a thankful
heart. Entrance into the courts of God comes as you
simply begin to praise the Lord.”
— Francis Frangipane
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Hardin, Amber. Coleman Chronicle and Democrat-Voice (Coleman, Tex.), Vol. 133, No. 45, Ed. 1 Wednesday, November 13, 2013, newspaper, November 13, 2013; Coleman, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth1175141/m1/4/: accessed July 16, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu.; crediting Coleman Public Library.