In the springtime, a young man's heart turns to love.  I think that old maxim is true.  It was for me, anyway, during my High School years. (Yes, I  do  remember something about those days!)  I think we should add something to the maxim, though.  It would be better said, "A young man's heart turns to love as he switches off his brain."  That was my experience.   When I was in school, a nice car would almost guarantee an attractive girlfriend, and I needed all the help I could

There is a nice rental cabin resort south of Cassville on Highway 112. Out front there is a changeable letters billboard.  Right now, the sign reads: “Spring is here! I’m so excited I could wet my plants!” The tongue-in-cheek pun is one I can relate to. I get excited about Spring. I wait for spring all Winter long. And when it finally arrives, I am rejuvenated. If you can get out of town, take a drive along some of the Ozarks twisty-curvy roads. Drive slowly enough that you c

I like Easter. I like hiding and hunting eggs. I don't like it when kids hide them so well that they cannot be found. There is nothing like running a weed-eater on a hot day in May and exploding an old Easter egg that was too well hidden. Eggs are meant to be found! So count them, and keep looking for them until they are all gathered and safely in the basket. I like Easter because I like to go to the farm store to check out the chicks. I have even picked up a few cute chicks

My wife reads my articles.  Sometimes, she says, “That's dumb.” I always feel a rush of accomplishment at such a remark.  I do write some dumb stuff, just for fun.  There is an abundance of serious stuff in the world. At times, I want to look at things from a different perspective.  I guess I need an excuse to laugh.      For example, I was doing some genealogical research.  I found a cemetery in Vermont that had its tombstones available for viewing.  Someone had captured a p

I just moved my extension ladder to Salina.  It has a warning label on it that reads: "Warning!  Weight capacity 180 pounds."  That label is a problem for me.  It is real hard to paint a house, ten feet off the ground, balanced on one leg. My rowboat has a label that reads:  "Warning!  Capacity 3 adults or 350 pounds."   Tom Thumb, Tinkerbelle, and Gary Coleman couldn't go fishing together in that boat!  I have a choice to make.   I can take my lunch, my tackle box, or my thi

When the seasons change it causes me to remember things from boyhood.  I like to remember good things, and I am sure that I romanticize some events in my mind.  At the same time, I worry a little bit that my children and grandchildren are missing out on some of the experiences that I enjoyed.    I was fortunate to spend many weekends and summer days on my grandparents ten acre farm.  Springtime helps me to remember the joy of running down a dusty country lane barefoot. But I

I was in the fourth grade. We were making Valentine’s Day card boxes out of old shoe and oatmeal boxes. It was a yearly grade school event, and we all enjoyed it. While we were working, Mrs. Lavender asked us if we like to know the origin of the holiday. She was going to tell us anyway, so we all nodded, “Yes.” I remember her lesson like it was yesterday, though many years have passed. “Three hundred years after Jesus ascended into heaven,” she began, there was a devout Chris

I was trying to get the Sunday School children to sing "Jesus Loves the Little children."  I was out of my element, a stand in for their regular teacher.  But everyone, everywhere, knows the words to this old favorite song.  But what the kids sang in the class wasn't the version that I knew as a kid.  They sand this version, loudly,  climaxed with riotous laughter:               Jesus loves the little children;             All the children of the world!             Red and ye

Here we are, deep into January. We had a hard frost early in December, and then it warmed up again. Our daffodils and lilac bushes must have felt that winter was over. They started to put out some green leaves. This week the reality of winter hit hard again. Our ornamental plants must have thought, “That was a really short year!” Aren’t all years short? We’ll be celebrating Ground Hog’s Day soon, and then the Super Bowl, and before you know it the opening of Trout season at R

Our Heavenly Father, we beg You to open the windows of heaven and come down! We cry out to You for a real revival to sweep over the Christians in America! We ask for a fresh touch of power from Your mighty hand! “Oh! That You would rend the heavens and come down! That the mountains would quake at Your presence.” We pray that You will give every Christian a fresh burden to pray fervently for revival. We pray that we will take no rest for ourselves, and we will give You no rest

From the Preacher’s Pen – Dr. Chuck Terrill Heavy Lifting   I heard this story quite a while ago, but I want to share it with you.  An elderly lady went to her doctor, concerned about her declining strength.    “While seated in your recliner,” the doctor said, “with a 5-lb potato bag in each hand, extend your arms straight out from your sides and hold them there as long as you can. Try to reach a full minute and then relax. Each day you’ll find that you can hold this position

“Have you got your winter wood laid by?” That important question was asked annually by the members of a small rural congregation that I once served. It was often their main topic of discussion. It is still a relevant question, considering the cold winter days we have been experiencing. Don’t you feel just a little bit sorry for our pioneer ancestors? During days like these it would be clearly evident if they had failed to prepare for hard times. An unchinked crack in a log ho

THANK YOU! Dear SHCC Family, Thank you for the warm welcome! Mary and I were blessed by your prayers for us and SHCC this past Sunday.  We appreciate all that you are doing for us and for the Lord.  May God bless us richly as we embrace a New Year in Jesus.       From The Preacher’s Pen.  Dr. Chuck Terrill Happy Hillbilly New Year   Some people have misguided ideas about the Hillbillies.  I know what a Hillbilly is because I is one.  I come from a family of Hillbillies.  Both