101325 From the banks of Burcham Creek...

From the banks of Burcham Creek…

Stealing…

When I was a young boy my brother

Tim and I visited our grandparents

Woodrow & Ozell Childs during

The summer upon occasion.

I remember one such visit

Pa brought out an old B.B. gun

For us to shoot.

A neighborhood boy about our age

came be to play with us.

When the young friend left to go

back home I noticed the

B.B. gun was missing.

This was probably the first time

I dealt with such a loss.

I was reminded of this recently when

A co-worker and friend that I work with

Recently made a 2-week trip to Europe

With another co-worker.

When they got back to Huntsville Airport

Their luggage was not there.

For several days my friend called about his

Things. Finally, the luggage appeared

However, his watch was missing

From his things.

It was a gift from his fiancé and he really

Was disappointed about the

Theft of the watch.

The Bible has something to say

About stealing.

In one of the 10 commandments

God gave to Moses the Word simply

States… “You shall not steal” Exodus 20:15.

In the New Testament the Apostle Paul

Reminded the church at Ephesus…

“Let him who stole steal no longer, but rather

Let him labor working with His hands what

Is good, that he may have something to give

Him who has need” Ephesians 5:28.

Did you realize there are many ways to steal?

Here is an example to consider…

How many workers in America

steal from their employers

Daily?

When they punch the time clock

They are being paid to do their job

not to browse their cell phone checking

out their social media pages

or texting family and friends.

Think about it…

Leave the phone in your auto

And in the words of Coach Saban…

“Do Your Job.”

Hayden Childs, Editor

***

^“ I have called to You,

O God, for You will answer me.

Listen to me and hear my words.”

Psalm 17:6

 

“For if a man belongs to Christ,

he is a new person.

The old life is gone.

New life has begun.”

2 Corinthians 5:17

 

God sees in us a masterpiece

That one day will be done;

His Spirit works through all of life

To make us like His Son.

- Sper

 

Only God can transform

A sin-stained soul

Into a masterpiece of grace

- Anonymous

 

Three grand essentials to

happiness in this life are

something to do,

Something to love,

and something to hope for.

- Joseph Addison

 

It is inevitable that some defeat

will enter even the most victorious life. 

The human spirit is never finished

when it is defeated...

it is finished when it surrenders. 

- Ben Stein

 

Life moves pretty fast;

if you don’t stop and look around

Every once in a while,

you could miss it.

- John Hughes

All you need is the plan,

the road map, 

and the courage to 

press on to your destination.

- Earl Nightingale 

The secret of genius is 

to carry the spirit of 

the child into old age,

which mean never

losing your enthusiasm.

- Aldous Huxley 

It’s not whether you

get knocked down.

It’s whether you

get up again.

- Coach Vince Lombardi

 

***

 

Mama wanted me to be a preacher.

I told her coachin' and preachin'

Were a lot alike. 

- Coach Paul Bryant

 

The old lessons (work, self-discipline,

Sacrifice, teamwork, fighting to achieve)

Aren’t being taught by many people other

Than football coaches these days.

The football coach has a captive audience

And can teach these lessons because the

Communication lines between himself and

His players are more wide open than between

Kids and parents.

We better teach these lessons or else the

Country’s future population will be made up

Of a majority of crooks, drug addicts,

Or people on relief.

- Coach Paul Bryant

 

I have tried to teach them to show class,

To have pride, and to display character.

I think football, winning games,

Takes care of itself if you do that. 

- Coach Paul Bryant

 

In order to have a winner,

the team must have a feeling of unity,

Every player must put the team first…

ahead of personal glory.

- Coach Paul Bryant

 

Coach Paul Bryant said there are

five things winning team members

need to know…

 

1. What is expected from each one.

2. That each one will have an opportunity to perform.

3. How each one is getting along.

4. That guidance will be given where each need it.

5. That each one will be rewarded according to his contribution.

 

- Developing The Leader Within You

John C. Maxwell, 1993 Thomas Nelson Publishers

 

www.haydenchilds.net

 

ROLL TIDE!

Beat the vols!

 

 

100425 From the banks of Burcham Creek...

 From the banks of Burcham Creek

Saturday Edition…

 

Where is your “happy place”?

 

Have you thought about that?

 

Is it knee deep wetting a hook in

the TN River?

Or swinging a golf club at your

Favorite course?

Is it deep in the woods waiting

For a deer to appear?

Is it spending time with your

grandchildren as they grow up.

 

Is it where you worship God

With your brothers and sisters

In Christ?

 

Yes, where is YOUR “happy place?”

 

- Hayden Childs, Editor

 

***

What Really Counts!

Don’t tell me what you’ll do,

When you have time to spare.

Tell me what you did today

To ease a load of care.

 

Don’t tell me what you will give

When your ship comes in from sea;

Tell me what you gave today…

A fettered soul to free.

 

Don’t tell me the dreams you have

Of conquest still afar,

Don’t say what you hope to be,

But show me what you are.

- Anonymous

***

Pray Don’t Find Fault…

“Pray don’t find fault with the man who limps
Or stumbles along the road,
Unless you have worn the shoes he wears,
Or struggled beneath his load.

There may be tacks in his shoes that hurt,
Though hidden away from view,
The burden he bears, placed on your back,
Might cause you to stumble too.

Don’t sneer at the man who’s down today ,
Unless you have felt the blow,
That caused his fall or felt the shame,
That only the fallen know.

You may be strong, but still the blows,
That were his if dealt to you,
In the selfsame way, at the selfsame time,
Might cause you to stagger too.

Don’t be too harsh with the man who sins,
Or pelt him with word or stone,
Unless you are sure, yea, doubly sure,
That you have no sins of your own,

For you know perhaps if the tempter’s voice,
Should whisper as softly to you,
As it did to him when he went astray,
It might cause you to stumble too”

Rama Muthukrishnan

***

The growth and development

of people is the highest calling

of leadership.

- Harvey Samuel Firestone

 ***

No, there is no failure for the man

who realizes his power,

Who never knows when he is beaten;

there is no failure

For the determined endeavor

the unconquerable will.

There is no failure for the man

who gets up every time

He falls, who rebounds like a rubber ball,

who persists

When everyone else gives up,

who pushes on when everyone

Else turns back.

Orison Swett Marden

***

One can know a man from his laugh,

And if you like a man’s laugh

Before you know anything of him,

You may confidently say that

He is a good man.

- Fyodor Dostoyevsky

 ***

Laugh often, long and loud. 

Laugh until you gasp for breath.

And if you have a friend who 

makes you laugh, 

spend lots of time

with them.

- Anonymous

Editor Note…

Some of the last words my grandmother

Ozell Childs said about me was the following…

“I love to hear that laugh.”

 

***

"You will never "find" time for anything.

If you want time, you must make it."

- Charles Buxton

 ***

The man that hath no music in himself,

Nor is not moved with concord

Of sweet sounds,

Is fit for treasons, stratagems,

And spoils.

The motions of his spirit are dull as night,

And his affections dark as Erebus.

Let no such man be trusted.

- William Shakespeare

 

 ***

Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus – Alan Jackson

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q5x0MclH3l0

 

 

090425 From The Banks of Burcham Creek...

From The Banks of Burcham Creek…

While looking through my bulletin archives
I came across some gems I wanted to share
With you.

- Hayden Childs

***

What Happened to Respect?
Richard Mansel

A high school hosts an orientation for incoming freshmen and their parents. 
The teachers and administrators struggle to shout over the noise of the talking
parents and their cell phones. The teachers know they are in for a long year.

Respect, civility and manners are antiquated ideas today. 
Obnoxious, crude and profane have taken their place on the stage. 
Bleeps ring louder than the graceful words of peace and the foul gesture slaps
down the handshake. Accordingly, the world has become an increasingly 

inhospitable place.

Children curse their parents and push them around.
Entertainment is pervasively coarse, built on insults and defamation. 
We have bred a litigious society of revenge and destruction that instills

distrust and hate.

Will the West survive the downward spiral of disrespect and filth? 
How do we stand against the consuming evil of the people in Genesis 6:5? 
Are we worse than they were? 
Ultimately, disrespect attacks life, love, humanity and the Lord with amazing zeal.

God’s people stand against a tidal wave of devilish behavior (1 Peter 5:8). 
Battling against it on our own is laughable. The wave will crush us, 
without the spiritual armor of God (Ephesians 6:10-17).

God’s way must rise above the muck and be elevated to its place of honor,

in our lives. 

Souls that find salvation from the filth restore respect for God in their hearts.
Reverence for Scripture and his words are axiomatic to being a Christian. 
God’s name must never become profanity. God’s first name is not “oh my.”

To dare to deface His name is to place ourselves before the flaming wrath of God
(Hebrews 10:31; 2 Thessalonians 1:9). 
God made everyone in the image of God and therefore all humans deserve a measure
of respect (Genesis 1:27).

Is respect an earned quality? 
In some ways, authority figures deserve respect because of their position. 
God never has to earn respect, neither does Scripture. 
We give everyone respect until they lose it, not the other way around.
“Therefore, whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them,
for this is the Law and the Prophets” (Matthew 7:12, NKJV).

We must humble ourselves and restore civility and respect or we will lose everything.

Via The Barn Creek Herald, Edited by H.C.
October 9, 2022

***


Time Past for Us to Renew Respect

Time past for us to renew respect,
A virtue lost from long neglect;
Give honor to God, his vast array
Of powers and gifts on full display.
The force of truth we need recall,
And glory of heaven again enthrall,
Let warmth of brethren work its charm,
God’s pardon of sin our guard disarm.
Hear and obey the gladdening news,
See Christ on the cross in darkened hues;
All pride and hardness of heart discard,
To hold the Son in highest regard.
Fall down before the Lord of man,
Who is and was before time began.

- J. Randal Matheny ©

Inspired by the book
Renewing Respect, 
Bill Bagents, ed.

Via The Barn Creek Herald, Edited by H.C.
October 9, 2022

***

My God and I…

How base would be this life of mine,
Formed of a senseless clod
But for the touch of a Hand Divine,
For I was made BY God.

And what about my journey through the years?
Shall I un-purposed plod?
I’ll lift my eyes up to the stars
For I was made FOR God.

And O the wonders of His love!
Redemption through the blood,
My daily bread, light from above,
All good gifts come FROM God.

And for my guidance as I go,
From Calvary’s sacred road,
I see a light resplendent glow,
The Holy Word OF God.

And lo! A luminous path I see,
The way my Master trod,
And I like Him shall strive to be,
That I may live IN God.

Throughout the term that I shall dwell
Upon the earthly sod
I’ll give my talents, time, my all
My very heart TO God.

And then someday, through His rich grace,
Though chastened by His rod,
I’ll find a sweet abiding place
Where I may live WITH God.

- Charles R. Brewer

Via The Barn Creek Herald, Edited by H.C.
October 10, 2021

***

The mission of the
Church is missions. 
- Oswald J. Smith 

Not till I die or not 
Till Jesus comes, 
Will I ever be eased
Of this burden,
These tears, 
This toil saves souls.
- John R. Rice

If you had the cure to
Cancer, wouldn't you share it? 
You have the cure to (Spiritual) death
Get out there and share it.
- Kirk Cameron

Evangelism is not 
A professional job 
For a few trained men,
But is instead unrelenting
Responsibility of every person
Who belongs to the company
Of Jesus.
- Elton Trueblood

Today Christians spend more
Money on dog food than missions.
- Leonard Ravenhill

I will make you fishers of men,
Fishers of men, fishers of men,
I will make you fishers of men
If you follow Me;
If you follow Me, 
If you follow Me,
I will make you fishers of men
If you follow Me.

- Harry D. Clarke


Friend…
Are You Really Sure Of
Your Eternal Salvation?

http://www.netbiblestudy.net/

080225 From The Banks of Burcham Creek...

 "God always sends rainbows ....
After the rain ...”

Whatever your cross,
Whatever your pain,
There will always be sunshine,
After the rain....
Perhaps you may stumble,
Perhaps even fall,
But God's always ready,
To answer your call...
He knows every heartache,
Sees every tear,
A word from His lips,
Can calm every fear...
Your sorrows may linger,
Throughout the night,
But suddenly vanish,
Dawn's' early light...
The Savior is waiting,
Somewhere above,
To give you His grace,
And send you His love...
Whatever your cross,
Whatever your pain,
"God always sends rainbows ....
After the rain ...”

- Connie Ciccone

***

 

061525 From the Banks of Burcham Creek...

 Happy Father’s Day 2025

Josh.24:15

… “Choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve…
But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”

***

Today is celebrated in this country as Father’s Day. 
Father’s Day began in America around 1910. 

Most credit “Sonora Smart Dodd of Spokane, 
Washington, whose father, a Civil War veteran,
raised her and her five siblings after their 
mother died in childbirth” for beginning its
observance 

(“Father’s Day,” (History.com)

Father’s Day was a religious holiday before
being commercialized by greeting cards and gifts. 

It became a national holiday in 1966, 
and in 1972 the third Sunday of June was officially
designated Father’s Day.

President Richard M. Nixon made Father’s Day
a federal holiday in 1972. 
In the official proclamation, he wrote, 
“Let each American make this Father's Day
an occasion for renewal of the love and gratitude
we bear to our fathers, increasing and enduring
through all the years." 

Sonora Smart Dodd, who passed away in 1978
at age 96, lived to see her dream become a
national reality.

(Reference.com)

A day when we honor those men who helped
give us life and have nurtured us through life. 

***

“Cameron Mills reminds
business leaders they are role models” 

Children are influenced the most by watching
adults’ actions … 

“You have influence whether you want to or not.”

He described an old,
typewritten poem that hung over a door leading
into the old UK men’s basketball locker room, 
(Memorial Coliseum, Lexington, KY) 
along with other inspirational posters
tacked to the walls.

The page was in an old frame,
“It was nothing impressive,” 
except for the words themselves…
- Cameron Mills (1994 -1998)



(Comments excerpted from a speech delivered at 
Danville-Boyle County, KY Chamber of Commerce
Luncheon Jan. 2018) 

Here's a great reminder that your 
Attitudes and actions set an example for many…

This is so applicable for Christian Fathers today! 
(H.C.)

Little Eyes upon You…

There are little eyes upon you
And they're watching night and day.

There are little ears that quickly
Take in every word you say.

There are little hands all eager
To do anything you do;

And a little boy who's dreaming
Of the day he'll be like you.

You're the little fellow's model,
You’re the wisest of the wise.

In his little mind about you
No suspicions ever rise.

He believes in you devoutly,
Holds all you say and do;

He will say and do, in your way
When he's grown up just like you.

There's a wide-eyed little fellow
Who believes you're always right;

And his eyes are always opened,
And he watches day and night.

You are setting an example
Every day in all you do;

For the little boy whose waiting
To grow up to be just like you.

- Anonymous
Edited by H.C.

***

Teach Your Children – Crosby, Stills, Nash, Young

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2DdQs-kejfg

Cats In the Cradle – Harry Chapin

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KUwjNBjqR-c

053125 From the banks of Burcham Creek...

 Take Time…

Take time to dream, 
it is hitching your soul to the stars.
Take time to work, 
it is the price of success.
Take time to think, 
it is the source of power.
Take time to play, 
it is the secret of perpetual youth.
Take time to read, 
it is the foundation of knowledge.
Take time for worship, 
it is the highway of reverence
and washes the dust of the earth from your eyes.
Take time to be friendly, 
it is the road to happiness.
Take time to help and enjoy friends, 
it is the source of happiness.
Take time to love and be loved, 
it is the sacrament of life.
Take time to laugh, 
it is the music of the soul.
Take time for beauty, 
it is everywhere in nature.
Take time to look around, 
it is too short a day to be selfish.
Take time for health, 
it is the true treasure of life.

- Anonymous



---

One True Man - R.E.O. Speedwagon

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wQ6emOdTCQ0

 

052425 From the banks of Burcham Creek Memorial Day 2025 Edition...

From the banks of Burcham Creek
Memorial Day 2025 Edition

I enjoy reading old gospel papers and journals
That are archived on the internet.

I recently came across an article that I am
Going to excerpt from in today’s blog post.

Jerry C. Ray, Irving, TX

wrote an article that appeared in
“Words Fitly Spoken”
a gospel publication.

He stated…

“The United States of America is a great nation.
Have you ever stopped to ponder why it is a great nation?
Wherein lies the strength of America.

As the wise man said,

Prov.14:34
“Righteousness exalts a nation,
But sin is a reproach to any people.”

(Committing sin is a dishonor a discredit to people.)

Bro. Ray went on to say…

“Our strength, as a nation lies in righteousness.
This nation was founded by God-fearing,
Bible loving men upon the principles of truth and
righteousness found in the Bible.

There has been concern in the last few years for the
future of the U.S.A. in the face of ever
increasing lawlessness and ungodliness.

America cannot continue to prosper when wickedness
and immorality multiplies with every passing year.

Ours is a nation of great power and potential but
with little ethics and morality.

Dr. Raymond B. Fosdick stated…
 

“Knowledge is not enough…
Unless we can anchor our knowledge to moral foundations,
the ultimate result will be dust and ashes…
The towering enemy of man is not his science,
 but his moral inadequacy.”

Gen. Omar Bradley aptly stated…
 

“We have too many men of science,
too few men of God.
We have grasped the mystery of the atom and
rejected the Sermon on the Mount.
Man is stumbling blindly through spiritual darkness,
while toying with the precarious secrets of life and death.

The world has achieved brilliance without wisdom,
power without conscience.

Ours is a world of nuclear giants and ethical infants.
We know more about war than we know about peace,
More about killing than we know about living.”

Israel’s prosperity in Canaan depended upon
her continuance in God’s commands
(Deut.28-29).

And we are persuaded that God continues to
deal so with nations today.

We must not delude ourselves by thinking that
God is an American God.

America is not God’s chosen people, and we,
as a nation, cannot continue to exist without
righteousness.

This is an inescapable law of humanity.”

Via Words Fitly Spoken Vol.12 Num.24 pg.7
10/20/ 1960

Edited by H.C.

***


The National Moment of Remembrance was
A resolution passed in Dec. 2000 which asks
That at 3 pm local time for all Americans…

“To voluntarily and informally observe in
Their own way a Moment of remembrance and respect,
Pausing from whatever they are doing for a moment of
Silence or listening to ‘Taps.”

And My Fellow Americans…

Honor the fallen by teaching your children
and grandchildren what this day is about…

Not mattress sales and BBQs,
but sacrifice and valor.

Today’s post is in honor of three brave
American Patriot’s who gave the ultimate
Sacrifice for their country.

Johnny Michael (Mike) Spann
Mark Andrew Forester
Jeffrey B. Starr

***

In Flanders Fields…
In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie,
In Flanders fields.



Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
 If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.

- John McCrae

***
We Shall Keep the Faith…
Oh! you who sleep in Flanders Fields,
Sleep sweet - to rise anew!
We caught the torch you threw
And holding high, we keep the Faith
With All who died.

We cherish, too, the poppy red
That grows on fields where valor led;
It seems to signal to the skies
That blood of heroes never dies,
But lends a luster to the red
Of the flower that blooms above the dead
In Flanders Fields.

And now the Torch and Poppy Red
We wear in honor of our dead.
Fear not that ye have died for naught;
We'll teach the lesson that ye wrought
In Flanders Fields.
Moina Michael

***
I think patriotism
Is like charity…
It begins at home.
Henry James

Patriotism consists not in waving the flag,
but in striving that our country shall be
righteous as well as strong.
James Bryce



The brave die never,
Though they sleep in dust:
Their courage nerves a
Thousand living men.
Minot J. Savage

On thy grave the rain shall fall
from the eyes of a mighty nation!
Thomas William Parsons

Duty, honor, country.
Those three hallowed words reverently
dictate what you ought to be,
what you can be,
what you will be.
Gen. Douglas MacArthur

A hero is someone
Who has given his or her
Life to something bigger
Than oneself.
Joseph Campbell

It's better to fight for something
in life than to die for nothing.
Gen. George S. Patton

And they who for their country die
shall fill an honored grave,
for glory lights the soldier's tomb,
and beauty weeps the brave.
Joseph Drake

Who kept the faith and fought the fight;
The glory theirs, the duty ours.
Wallace Bruce






And I'm proud to be an American,
where at least I know I'm free.
And I won't forget the men who died,
who gave that right to me.
Lee Greenwood

For love of country,
they accepted death...
James A. Garfield

To these we owe the high resolve
that the cause for which they
died shall live.
Dwight David Eisenhower

Let every nation know,
Whether it wishes us well or ill,
That we shall pay any price,
Bear any burden,
Meet any hardship,
Support any friend,
Oppose any foe to assure the survival
And the success of liberty.
John Fitzgerald Kennedy

We’re blessed with the opportunity
To stand for something…
For liberty and freedom and fairness.
And these are things worth fighting for,
Worth devoting our lives to.
Ronald Wilson Reagan

***

* Johnny Michael Spann

Died during a deadly four-day prison riot near
Mazar-e Sharif, Afghanistan.

He served as an American paramilitary officer
in the C.I.A.’s Special Activities Division.
He had also served in the Marines.

Mike was the first American killed in combat
during the U.S. invasion of Afghanistan in 2001.
He died at the Qala-i-Jangi fortress during an
al-Qaeda prisoner uprising.
- Wikipedia

He was interviewing a group of extremists when
hundreds of prisoners revolted.
Just before he was killed in the attack,
Mike warned an Agency colleague of the
imminent danger,
helping his colleague get to safety.

At his funeral at Arlington National Cemetery
in December 2001, then C.I.A. Director
George Tenet had this to say…

“It was in the quest for right that Mike at his
country’s call went to Afghanistan.
To that place of danger and terror,
he sought to bring justice and freedom.

And to our nation…
which he held so close to his heart…
he sought to bring a still greater measure of
strength and security.

For Mike understood that it is not enough simply
to dream of a better, safer world.

He understood that it must be built…
with passion and dedication,
in the face of obstacles,
in the face of evil.”

***

* Mark Andrew Forester

Senior Airman Mark Forester,
an Air Force combat controller,
was killed on Sep. 29, 2010
when he was leading a rescue team in the volatile
Uruzga2010, Province, Afghanistan,
to rescue a fallen comrade.

Forester and his team were advancing on a suspected
ambush in a known enemy safe haven inside of
Jangalak Village when they were engaged by a
“Well equipped and tenacious enemy”

He was posthumously awarded the Silver Star for his
courageous and selfless efforts.

On Mark’s granite tomb stone are these words…

“Greater love has no one than this,
than to lay down one’s life for his friends.”
John 15:13

***

* Jeffrey B. Starr

Marine Cpl. Starr died from small-arms fire while
conducting combat operations against enemy forces
near Ar Ramadi, Iraq.

He was assigned to 1st Battalion,
5th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division,
I Marine Expeditionary Force,
Camp Pendleton, California.

During Operation Iraqi Freedom his unit was attached
to 2nd Marine Division,
II Marine Expeditionary Force (Forward).
Died on May 30, 2005.

The following was found on his laptop computer
After his death…

“Obviously if you are reading this
then I have died in Iraq.
I kind of predicted this,
that is why I’m writing this in November.
A third time just seemed like I’m pushing my chances.
I don’t regret going,
everybody dies but few get to do it for something
as important as freedom.
It may seem confusing why we are in Iraq,
it’s not to me.
I’m here helping these people,
so that they can live the way we live.
Not have to worry about tyrants or vicious dictators.
To do what they want with their lives.
To me that is why I died.
Others have died for my freedom,
now this is my mark.”
- Cpl. Jeffrey B. Starr

***

American Soldier – Toby Keith
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DWrMeBR8W-c

Some Gave All – Billy Ray Cyrus
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ydWhRObVxrM

Arlington – Trace Adkins
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rJO7lJIxG10