OUT OF THE BOX

    Tharon Hardee was my maternal grandfather. The grandchildren called him Pa Pa. He loved to play the banjo and was well-known for playing at square-dances all around the area. The photo below was taken sometime around 1950. Below is an article that I posted last year. I think it will be beneficial to those of you who are new visitors to my blog. -Billy Long THE PRETENDING In 1964 Pa Pa was in his seventies and a member of the church, but living a life inconsistent with his Christian testimony. I was 15 years old at the time, and remember sitting in Pa Pa’s family room and listening intently as my mother, her sisters, and brother expressed to him their concerns about his eternal soul. “Daddy,” they told him, “we are worried about you and are concerned that you are not walking with the Lord as you know you should.” “Why, Jesus is my all in all,” he responded emphatically, and acted surprised that they would question his behavior. He was not ready to admit the truth about wher...

Truth must be accompanied by compassion, godly character, and integrity. This principle applies to any aspect of our relationship with the Lord and His Word whether it be Bible study, preaching, personal counsel, exhortation, or prophecy. Complications arise when the “carnal” man—rather than the spiritual man—handles the Word of God. The lack of compassion causes it to be used as a legalistic hammer to condemn and hurt people. The lack of character and holiness brings deception, mixture, and contamination. The lack of integrity causes men to “use” people and act with wrong and selfish motives. When we think of spiritual gifts, we think of God’s power. But God’s power must not be divorced from godly character and God’s holiness. Good character and integrity are the things that prevent prophecy and the other gifts from being “flash” and glitter. Character is the foundation for the anointing and a ministry that has purity and durability.  A person’s bad character can destroy what hi...

To my readers.  I welcome comments and would greatly appreciate any comments or thoughts you might want to share.  And feel free to introduce yourself and let us know how you found this blog. Thanks and God bless you, Billy Long

  Steve was a homeless fellow at Myrtle Beach when one of the hurricanes came through a few years ago. Huddled in a corner alone and frightened he cried out to the Lord for mercy and said, "Oh God, if you will bring me through this thing safely, I will get rid of my cigarettes and my false teeth!” Then having made it safely through the storm, he got rid of his false teeth and went around toothless, but hung on to his actual sins, such as profanity and whoremongering. When I asked him about his logic in the matter, he told me that it is a sin to wear false teeth because the Bible warns us about things that are false. He told one of his friends, “You don’t want to be wearing false teeth when Jesus comes back. But then again, you just as well go ahead and smile and look pretty because it will be too late then.” This story is true, and we smile at the strange logic involved. However, the world often sees the church in this light. We often "strain at a gnat and swallow a camel...