Daddy

His name was James Breland Spruill, many of his friends called him JB. As I write this, in my mind I see him sitting at the head of the table. I have many fond memories of family gatherings around the table at mealtime. He served during World War Two as a machinist but did many different things to feed and clothe us. He ran a saw mill, farmed, grew cotton and corn. He asked for no government help and did no complaining. He was a free spirit, he hated government red tape. He was a dreamer, he always expected things to get better and when he went home at seventy nine he was still planning for the future. One of his sayings was, nothing ventured nothing gained. He learned that no matter what life does to you, you can start over. His first house burned to the ground, no insurance and then a tornado took the farm house down. He built a new one without any electric tools. A hammer, hand saw, square and a plumb bob was just about the extent of his tools. He said, “I have been burned out and blown out,” but he was never down and out. He made syrup with sugar and coffee, ran a gasoline engine on kerosene when he could not buy gas. He cut trees with a cross-cut saw for days and used mules to get them to the mill. He said anything can be fixed and often he proved it. He paid less than fifty dollars for his first car and brought it home in buckets and boxes. In a few days he was driving it around the yard on rims because he didn’t have money for tires. He was indeed the kind of man that made America great. In the early fifties he had a life change. He had a personal experience with Jesus Christ. I remember it as though it was yesterday. He was a good man before, but the change in his life was a great witness to me. It was the beginning of a new journey for him and he never looked back. He set his face toward heaven and lived a life worth following. He went home on Sunday night and the last words we spoke were, “I love you dad,” to which he responded, “I love you too, son.” Today much of what I have is at his expense and the greatest way I can honor him is to greet him at the door of heaven. Whatever your earthly father was like, good or bad, we all have a heavenly Father who loves us very much. Jesus said, “He that has seen me has seen the Father.” I am glad I can know my Heavenly Father through knowing Jesus. Jesus is the perfect revelation of the Father. Read the gospel of John and you will come face to face with the Father’s love. He wants you to come home. I love you daddy. jfs

A Lesson From The Garden

Plants need sunlight. Fruit does not grow in the dark. The night does not produce grapes. Little trees in the deep forest reach for the sunlight. The truth is, our lives depend upon sunlight and our spiritual lives depend upon SON light. John 8:12 ¶ Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, "I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life." Darkness hides the truth and some choose to live in the darkness rather than face the truth. His light exposes us and reveals the ugly stuff which holds us captive. The scripture says, "And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free." John 8:32 Never forget this truth; the pain of facing the truth is better than the bondage of lies. jfs

Blindsided

I approached the little bird eating at one of my bird feeders and was amazed that he let me get so close. To my surprise he let me touch him. It was then that I saw the sad truth; he was blind in one eye. I have heard the expression all my life, “he was blindsided”, now I have a better understanding of the term. Realizing that there is more than one kind of blindness I look back on my life and know that I have at times been blindsided by the enemy. Jesus came to open the eyes of the blind and he included spiritual blindness. It is spiritual blindness which often gets us into trouble. The enemy sneaks up on us from our blind side. So, how can we be healed of spiritual blindness? It is His Word which opens blind eyes. “He sent His word and healed them, and delivered them from their destructions.” Ps 107:20 If you have been blindsided by the enemy look to His Word for healing. jfs

Spiritual Education

There are those who think the greatest need in the world is a good education.  So what is the difference between classroom education and spiritual education?  Classroom education is about what you have in your head.  Spiritual education is about what you have in your heart, it is what you learn from your journey as a Christian. They are related but they are not the same. The classroom without God has made the world a more dangerous place. Spiritual education can make the most of intellectual education but intellectual education without a moral compass never reaches our deepest need. A full head on the top of an empty heart can result in an empty life. The Holy Spirit is the greatest teacher on earth today.  He is a personal tutor given to all Christians. One of His assignments is to make us like Christ.  He teaches us how to respond in life situations from a Kingdom perspective. Living out the Word of God in everyday life we become salt and light. Our call is not to reflect the world but to affect it.  jfs

Joh 14:26 "But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you.”  Jesus