09

Jump Start # 4051

Posted on April 9, 2026 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 4051

 

Psalms 133:1 “Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brothers to dwell together in unity.”

 

Throwback Thursday: an article written from the past

 

The Splittin’ Tree

 

Greetings once again from all us folks down here at the country church. Its been quite a while since I’ve last wrote to you’uns and I reckon the busy fall has kept us just too busy for words.

 

We’ve had a rather big ruckus down at the church this summer. The whole church was a buzzin’ about it for some time. It seems that Timothy Pritchard, whose land butts up to the church yard, was wanting the big cherry tree back in the corner of the church lot. That tree had out lived just about everyone around. It was brother Pritchard’s grandfather who donated the lot for the church to build a meeting house on. That’s been well nigh over 90 years now. The Pritchard family has always tended the grounds around the church building and have helped themselves to some of the trees now and then.

 

Bro. Pritchard asked one of the elders one day if he could cut down the cherry tree for lumber to make some furniture. The elder supposed it was ok with him but thought it’d only be proper to bring it up at the next business meeting.

 

Well, at that business meeting, things didn’t go well concerning the cherry tree. Some of the men thought that if bro. Pritchard wanted one or more of the poplar trees that they’d see no problem with that, but that nice cherry tree, with the price of lumber these days, must be worth a large sum of money. It was suggested  that maybe the church ought to get a lumber man in to give an estimate on the value of the tree. Then the church could sell the tree to bro. Pritchard. Some thought that it’d only be brotherly to sell it to him at a reduced price, seeing that he was a member of the church and all. Others weren’t so sure about the notion.

 

Bro. Pritchard let it be known that he was not about to buy back what his grandfather had given to the church in the first place. He felt that the church owed it to him for all the years of service that his family has provided. Bro. Daniels insisted that if the tree was given to the church then it belonged to the church. And, if the Lord wanted the church to be in the lumber business, we’d read about it in the New Testament.

 

One of the elders asked bro. Pritchard what he was planning to do with the furniture that would be made from the cherry tree. Bro. Pritchard said, “Sell it.” Folks got uneasy then. They thought that any money made for the church’s tree ought to belong to the church. Another one of the elders felt uneasy about just giving the tree away. “If we do that,” he said, “we’d have to give a tree to everyone in the church, and then there’d be no more trees on the church lot.”

 

Bro. Pritchard got mighty sore and walked out. Some heard him say that he might not ever come back again. The rest of the men decided that they needed more time to work through the delicate situation, so they moved to make a decision at the next meeting.

 

At the next meeting, the cherry tree was the main topic of discussion. Bro. Pritchard didn’t come to this meeting. He still couldn’t figure out why folks were getting so worked up over a tree. Some men were afraid that bro. Pritchard would leave, and thought that if they just gave him the tree then he’d stay. Bro. Silas felt that there were mighty principles involved here. Well, it was pretty certain to all of us that we needed more time to think things through. So we decided to wait until the next month to come to a decision.

 

The elders contacted bro. Southerland from the Pinewood congregation to see if he’d come over and present a special lesson on what the church should do. It seemed that the country church was about as unsure as to what to do as ever. Bro. Southerland agreed to come and a date was set. The elders called a special meeting on Wednesday to announce that there’d be no more meetings about the cherry tree until bro. Southerland had preached his special sermon.

 

The following Saturday afternoon the cherry tree fell to the ground. The whole church was talking about it the next day, as men and women alike came and looked it over real well. It was discovered that the tree was eaten up with termites from the inside out. It was nearly rotted all the way through. The tree had fallen on bro. Pritchard’s fence. He asked the brethren if they could have it removed so he could repair the fence so his cattle wouldn’t get out. Some thought that since bro. Pritchard usually took care of the church yard, that he should just clean it up. But since there had been so much turmoil over this particular tree, the elders decided to hold a meeting about cleaning it up.

 

It was decided in the meeting that since the situation had changed and this had certainly taken a different twist than what we were expecting, that we’d think about it for a month and decide at the next meeting. The elders were greatly concerned about what to do with bro. Southerland and his special lesson. They certainly did not want to offend the good brother, so they told him to come and preach it, just in case a similar situation ever came up again.

 

Bro. Pritchard decided to put up a whole new fence since the tree had damaged so much of the old one. And, believe it or not, but when the fence company came to put in the new fence, it was learned that the cherry tree was actually more on bro. Pritchard’s property than the church’s lot all along. At least that was according to the survey. Well, being the kind of people that we are, the church paid for the section of fence that was damaged by the cherry tree. The tree was hauled off to a hollow and burned.

 

Once again, this shows how peace and harmony reigns down here in the country church. We just had a notion that things would work out.

 

At our last business meeting, one brother suggested that we ought to do something with the stump from the cherry tree. Since not all of the stump belongs to the church, it was decided that we needed more time to think about it. We’ll decide on this next month.

 

Roger

November, 1992

 

08

Jump Start # 4050

Posted on April 8, 2026 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 4050

 

John 8:7 “But when they persisted in asking Him, He straightened up, and said to them, ‘He who is without sin among you, let him be the first to throw a stone at her.’”

 

What a profound contrast that began one early morning. Our Lord had come to the temple and was teaching. Someone else chose to begin the morning in the intimate arms of someone she was not married to.  The woman caught in adultery is where our passage is found. The situation was a setup. She was pulled from the bed in “the very act” the text says. How would others know? And, asked most times when this is read, where was the man that was involved?

 

She is pulled through the streets of Jerusalem and taken into the Temple courtyard and put in the center, where all could see, hear and judge her. Under the Old Testament law, there were twenty-one offenses which could result in death. Adultery was one of them. The witness, according to Deut 17:7 was to be the first to cast a stone.

 

Up to this point in Jesus’ teaching, the Pharisees had differed and argued with the Lord about principles, theories and ideas. They had challenged Jesus to name THE greatest commandment. He did. They argued about divorce and whether it was permissible. Talk, talk, talk, is what has taken place. Even the Sadducees got involved with hypothetical situations about a woman marrying seven brothers and wondering who she would be married to in Heaven. But, all of this had been talk.

 

This changed on that one early morning. A real person was brought before Jesus. Guilty. Embarrassed. Scared. Everyone around Jesus who had been listening to Him, now have their attention on this situation. The Pharisees believe that they have Jesus pinned in a corner. His compassion against what the Law demands. This section says the Pharisees were “testing Him,” and were “persistent” in demanding a response from Jesus. The Law says “stone her. What do you say?”

 

There are layers and layers of lessons here:

 

First, consider this woman. Often we don’t. I doubt the Pharisees waited for her to get clothed, do her hair and put on some makeup. Everyone looking at her. Whispers and words of judgment filling the air. Demands being made for her execution. Will the day end in her death? And, Jesus, did she even know who He was? Why are they taking me to the temple and to this man, she must have thought? How she must have wished she could go back and start the day differently. What a mistake she had made. Was she going to die right then and there?

 

Second, twice the Lord writes something in the dirt. No one knows. The ideas are plentiful. The names of the accusers? Their sins? Passages from the Law? But, don’t miss a little lesson tucked neatly right here. Often, when an argument is heating up, words are said that should not be said, blood pressure rising, voices getting louder and louder, one responds by emotion and not by thinking. Jesus wrote in the dirt. I don’t think Jesus needed time to think this out, but we sure do. Rather than rapid firing a reply, we ought to write in the dirt, thinking things out. Consider options. Look at consequences. Recalling passages. Praying. Praying more. Being calm. It takes two people to have an argument. No one argues with himself.

 

A guy at worked asked a friend if he lived in a one story or two story house. The reply was two story: my story and her story. Jesus wrote in the dirt.

 

Third, the Pharisees are showing that they care very little about others. Rather than trying to help this woman, they are ready to end her life. They will step on her, abuse her, and use her if it is a way to disprove Jesus. Finding fault with others is easy. Finding fault with ourselves is something we don’t like to do. Faults are a lot like driving a car at night. The lights of the car coming towards you always seem brighter than your own.

 

There doesn’t seem to be any sorrow about having caught this woman doing wrong. There doesn’t seem to be any prayers offered. And, much too often, these days some would rather get rid of an offender among us than trying to change him. Getting rid of a problem doesn’t solve the problem. Often it just gives someone else the same problem that you had. Cold. Heartless. Judgmental. What’s missing is tender hearted, kind and forgiving, as the Ephesians were told to do.

 

Fourth, shockingly Jesus doesn’t suspend what the Law said. That’s what the Pharisees were anticipating. They thought the compassionate Jesus would not agree to executing her. They expected His kind heart would be the rope to hang Him on. Mercy or law and they figured Jesus would side with mercy. But, He didn’t. In essence, Jesus says, ‘Yes. Stone her. If you are without sin, be the first.’ He doesn’t say, “Don’t stone her.” He doesn’t demand that they put the rocks down. Jesus supported the law.

 

Now, how terrifying these words must have been to the woman. Her death has been called.

 

Jesus adds one little qualifier, if she is guilty, are you Pharisees guilty? He who is without sin, does not mean never sinned. If that was the case, then the Law was weak. No one could be executed. The twenty-one capital offenses had no merit, because “all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.” Jesus is not talking about sinlessness in your life. He is talking about this situation. Just how many sins were created to catch this woman. Where was the man? How did you know? Did you watch? Why bring a unclean person into the temple? Why bring her to Jesus and not the legal court system? Did you expect to kill her in the temple compound? Why have you no mercy for this person? The sins are as high as Heaven. He knew. They knew. Should they also be put to death? This would be one of many times that the Pharisees broke God’s law to get Jesus. They would tell lies at His trial. Their hatred, anger and pride ruined their hearts and closed their eyes. And, the trap that they set, trapped them. Jesus knew. They were guilty.

 

One by one, all the Pharisees left. Just Jesus and this broken woman remain. Where are they, Jesus asked her. There was no one to condemn her. Jesus added, “I do not condemn you, either.” But, that’s not the end. He adds, “From now on sin no more.” Don’t be making foolish and unwise choices any more. A second chance. Grace extended. Hope offered. The banner of Forgiveness waves brightly.

 

I wonder how that woman changed? Every time someone saw her, they may have said, “she’s the tramp that was brought into the temple.” I wonder if she became a disciple? I wonder if others ever gave her a second chance?

 

I wonder if I give others a second chance. Do I always think, “that’s the guy that was unfaithful to his wife years ago?” Or, “that’s the teen that got arrested for drinking and driving.” Forgiven, do I forgive? Forgiven, do I remove the labels that I have put on them? Forgiven, do I treat them as I would want to be treated?

 

It is much easier to pick up a rock and slay someone than it is to put down your pride and try to save them. Remembering that we are deserving of rocks being thrown at us, will help us help others. Thank you, Lord for your grace! Let’s all be quicker to look into our hearts rather than looking around for a rock to pick up!

 

Three images come from this powerful story. The Pharisees: ready to judge, condemn and get rid of. A guilty woman: wrong choices led to sin. A loving Savior: through the Law offers mercy, compassion and a second chance.

 

Whose shadows do I stand in?

 

Roger

 

07

Jump Start # 4049

Posted on April 7, 2026 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 4049

 

Mark 4:34 “and He did not speak to them without a parable; but He was explaining everything privately to His own disciples.”

 

Ever since I went skydiving a couple of years ago, I have been asked by so many, “What is it like?” And, since most ‘normal’ folks don’t jump out of airplanes, it’s hard to explain. What I do is try to find something that they would understand, like a rollercoaster or floating like a feather. And, that is the concept behind the parables. Jesus is telling His disciples what these spiritual truths are like. And, like skydiving, many had no clue as to what the Lord was talking about. So, the Lord would take simple, everyday situations from life to show what the kingdom of Heaven was like.

 

We like the common definition for a parable, “an earthly story with a heavenly meaning.” The core meaning of the word parable is “to lay along side of.” It is a comparison. You take something that is known and you lay it beside something that is not known. And, by looking at what I know, I begin to understand what I did not know.

 

I began teaching a new series of classes on “The Kingdom Parables.” So, we have walked through the basics about parables. One thing I believe many miss is that so many of the parables were not nice stories. These are not the kind of things you tell your children at bedtime. In fact, if you did, they’d probably have nightmares. For instance: a man is beaten and left for dead, a house collapses during a storm, a man wearing the wrong outfit is asked to leave a wedding, a forgiven man won’t forgive another, a foolish son wastes his inheritance, a manager cheats his master, because some were late, the doors were locked and they were not allowed to enter, a man dies suddenly before he can finish his plans.

 

Stories of broken homes, broken lives and hardship. Robbery. Death. Stealing. Hatred. These were not “Chicken Soup for the Soul.” These would have grabbed your attention and made you shake your head. But, these are what we find in life. These kind of stories fill the nightly news. Life has an ugly side to it and Jesus didn’t pretend that these things do not exist. He used these very stories of pain to teach principles about God’s eternal kingdom.

 

What should we learn from this:

 

First, ignoring the pain in life isn’t realistic nor helpful. Some live in the land of denial and because of that they never face their problems, deal with their problems nor are made better because of their problems. They smooth things over with a butter knife and cannot cope with the harshness of life. They attach problems with a lack of faith. And, when problems coming knocking on their door, they do not want to admit they have a faith issue, so they pretend that everything is fine even though it is not.

 

Their thinking is crooked in all of this. Suffering is one of God’s greatest classrooms. Trials and troubles follow the believers of God. It is not a sign of shallow faith.

 

Second, we need to show our children that life can be unfair. Pets die. Friends walk away. You don’t always get your way. Sheltering our children from the harshness of life may seem to protect them, but actually it fails to prepare them. Later in life, when they are faced with these things, they collapse because they have never tasted the bitterness that life offers. I think about a couple of my sweet granddaughters. They had a cute little kitten that they adored. It died. They had a wonderful gymnastic coach. She was killed in an automobile accident. Those little girls have been to the funeral home so many times. I’ve seen them cry the tears of sorrow and wish I could take it all away, but deep inside I know this will make them stronger.

 

Third, the heroes of the parables are often not the obvious choice. It was a Samaritan that illustrated what a neighbor was. The priest and Levite didn’t. It was a tax collector that was deemed righteous, not the arrogant Pharisee who thought he was better than others. Heroes are not always the ones we expect. Overcoming what people thought and said about them, they lived their faith and showed that they understood the heart of righteousness.

 

Painful parables—what is even more painful is when we fail to see ourselves in them and when we fail to be changed by them.

 

Through these tragic stories, the Lord teaches us lessons of promise and hope.

 

Roger

 

06

Jump Start # 4048

Posted on April 6, 2026 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 4048

 

Romans 12:10 “Be devoted to one another in brotherly love; give preference to one another in honor.”

 

It was pitched as an exit interview. It came from one of our deacons. Young. Involved. Very spiritual. Very helpful to the work here. Since I am retiring and leaving, he wanted to ask some questions. It wasn’t technically an “exit interview,” but wanting to get some insight from my perspective. Loved his thoughtful, deep and challenging questions.

 

He asked:

  • Who have been some of your greatest influences in your life as a preacher?
  • What brought you to Charlestown Road?
  • In your preaching career, what have been some of the highlights?
  • What has been some of your greatest challenges as a preacher?
  • What are some things that Charlestown Road needs to be working on?

 

All this over a lunch! Great stuff. Wish others would think about this and more so, think this way. I thought as I sat there looking at this disciple, that if the Lord allows, this guy will be an incredible shepherd one day. He has the heart that brings kindness to leadership. He would be one who picks up a wandering sheep and places it over his neck and brings him home, as the Luke 15 parable describes.

 

As we parted, he smiled and reminded me that there would be “exit interview # 2” coming. I can hardly wait. Love spending time, sharing insights, and learning from powerful disciples. But as we parted, I thought how rare and uncommon it is to have such conversations. It ought to be the norm, but it’s not. And, for far too many preachers, fighting discouragement, burnout and loneliness, they feel abandoned on an island. No one asks how they are doing. No one seems to want to know their story. No one seems to care about their perspective or vision for the congregation. Even within the relationship between the elders and the preacher, conversations like this just doesn’t happen. Assumptions are made. “If he needed anything, he’d ask,” is the basis that many go by. But they don’t realize that the preacher would rather stand on the street corner with a cardboard sign, begging for handouts, than to reveal how things are going. The relationship should not be that way, but most times, it is.

 

Here are some thoughts that will help matters:

 

First, although your preacher may be called the man of God and you realize that he is not perfect, he has feelings. He has good days and bad days, just like you. He has struggles. He has dreams and vision for the future. Get to know him. Take him out for lunch and build a trusting and close relationship. Do you know his story? Does he know your story? Share that with each other. Ask him questions of depth. Find out what he is passionate about. Let him know that you can be counted on as one of his friends.

 

Second, the shepherds especially need to know how the preacher is doing. Does he need some time off to rest his mind and soul? Is he able to save money and invest for the future. “We pay him, don’t we?” is not enough. I have seen that many a preacher is gifted in the word of God, but they know so little about personal finance. No one has ever taught that to him. Many a young preacher lives with the silent fear that he could be fired or replaced without any real reason or notice. Shepherds can take away that fear. They can help assure the preacher. One of our wonderful shepherds, who has since moved, would ask me on a regular basis, “How can we shepherds make your life easier?” Wow. No one asks that. He did. And, just by asking that, it encouraged me so much.

 

Third, having deep conversations not only can bring souls together, it can head off frustration, departures and trouble. It shouldn’t be just between a preacher and a shepherd, but among any of us. Getting to know each other, reaching deeply into our hearts, you’ll find a treasure of encouragement, hope and love. These kind of conversations can’t take place as we pass by each other going out the door of the church building. They take effort and time. We have to want to have these conversations. And, running through all of this is a blessed tie that binds us together, and that is the Lord. Without Jesus, we’d likely not know each other. Without Jesus, these conversations would never take place. But because of Jesus, what a wealth of friendships we have throughout the kingdom.

 

Exit interviews—neat concept. One doesn’t have to exit to have these.

 

Roger

 

03

Jump Start # 4047

Posted on April 3, 2026 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 4047

 

Proverbs 16:31 A gray head is a crown of glory; It is found in the way of righteousness.

 

Boomers. Gen X. Millennials. Gen Z. Gen Alpha. Gen Beta. We love to distinguish, name and classify the different generations. I expect each generation feels that they went through the toughest times, had the hardest roads to travel and have accomplished the most.

 

While many try to teach and get younger folks busy and engaged in the kingdom, it is often the case that the older generation tends to take their foot off the spiritual accelerator and coast. As we teach legacy in the kingdom and try to teach the passing of the baton from one generation to the next, let’s not give up what the older generation can contribute and help with.

 

I found some notes I took from a sermon that beloved Paul Earnhart had preached a few years ago at our place. Paul was 90 at the time. His topic was: “How firm a foundation: even down to my old age.” What I especially remember about that sermon was the person assigned to that could not come. We had to find a replacement. You can’t give the topic “even down to my old age” to just anyone. Bro. Earnhart became the obvious choice and what a grand choice he was. His voice was soft, but as I looked around, everyone was taking notes. What he said was profound, needed and helpful.

 

Here are a few highlights that I had jotted down that evening:

 

First, it is easy for senior saints to cease to value their importance in the kingdom. Years of service brings experience, wisdom and a wealth of good that can and needs to be shared. In Earnhart’s sweet manner, he said, “A permanent place on the lake is contrary to a spiritual life of service.” Congregations need older members. Congregations need wisdom, experience and guidance that senior saints can provide.

 

Second, it is easy for senior saints to become fulltime critics. Young people, bro. Earnhart said, will not listen if all I do is criticize them. Young people need praise. They need to hear it from the senior saints. Remember, we didn’t always get it right when we were young. We need to think about how we can be part of the solution. Look for ways to help. Be a friend to all.

 

Third, it is easy to live in the past. Bro. Earnhart had a wonderful relationship with old Henry Ficklin. It is said that Ficklin was the last living student of legendary J. W. McGarvey. Ficklin lived late in life with the Earnharts’. Paul said of Henry, “He was always concerned with right now.” When at the home stretch, Earnhart said, it is the time to run flat out. The past has a way of clouding our memory. We tend to think that yesterday was always better than today. People get tired of hearing about that. Don’t be a museum, be a source of life and encouragement.

 

Fourth, it is easy to let depression get you. The Bible has many examples of people who were depressed from Moses, to Job, to Elijah, to Jeremiah, to the apostle Paul. The thing about them is that they did not stay depressed.

 

Fifth, it is easy to always say I can’t do what I used to do. Everyone already knows that. Do what you can do.

 

Sixth, remember you are on your way to Heaven. Your example is important to the work.

 

At the end of the sermon, Earnhart returned to a story about Henry Ficklin. Paul was driving the aged preacher on a Tuesday night out to a country church to preach. Paul asked him, “Do you feel like doing this?” To which, Ficklin replied, “There are many things I do not feel like doing. But I will.”

 

Paul Earnhart is now on the other side of life. His work here has finished. But he left amazing lessons and wonderful reminders to us.

 

Don’t stop until the Lord stops you! Even down to my old age, I must continue being busy for the Lord.

 

Roger