Part Two: The Move To Jacksonville

As I stated in last Monday's post, once weekly I plan to feature a guest writer, my husband. He has been painstakingly writing down the stories of his childhood to share them with his 9 year old niece. I wanted her to know what kind of childhood her beloved Uncle was able to enjoy. While enjoying them myself I thought these are so much fun to read, why not share them? So here are the short missives of his memories of growing up in wilds of Florida during the 1950's and 1960's. They're packed with misadventures, romance, and all the confusing things that can happen in our youth. Even though his hometown of Jacksonville is a big city with over a million residents now, during his childhood it was several small communities surrounded by countryside. 

This is his story.

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The Move To Jacksonville
by Steven R. Hudson

When I was about four we moved to Jacksonville, FL. We settled into a small rental cottage on Lake Lucina in the Arlington area of Duval County. The cottage was owned by the Dickson family and I believe the road down to the lake is still called Dickson Road. There was a large pear tree in the yard and only a short walk to the lake which was surrounded by Cattails and alive with the trill calls of Red-wing Blackbirds that nested in the reeds. Sometimes Mom would fish at the lake for Bream which were really tasty when fried crisp in corn meal batter.

About this time Dad got a small black and white television. The screen was so small that we had to get very close to watch, but the cabinet it was mounted in was huge and the whole thing looked quite silly compared to the sleek flat screen TV's of today. It was a great deal for us however, as TV was the "new" thing and we were now on the cutting edge of the latest technology. There was only one channel available, WJXT Channel 4. It was our sole source of programming but that was fine with me. I remember lying on the floor in the afternoons, close to the tiny flickering screen watching the "Lone Ranger" battle it out with bad guys, Tonto at his side and his horse Silver carrying him into the western sunset after another victory for law and order. Next was "The Cisco Kid" and justice meted out with a Spanish accent. After supper, the local news with Bill Grove and then the National News on CBS with Douglas Edwards.

My first trip to the emergency room occurred when we lived here. Mom had caught some Bream in the lake and fried them up that evening for supper. Mom would always pull my fish apart before I ate to check for small bones but this time she missed one and the bone was stuck solidly in my throat. I began to cough and cry and I can still remember how uncomfortable and scared I was. Dad put me in the car and rushed me to the emergency room where the bone suddenly passed about the time we arrived. Crisis over. 

We lived in that cottage only a short time. Dad bought us our first house in a brand new subdivision called Center Park. We were now only seven miles from Jacksonville Beach, on the newly four-laned Beach Blvd and bordered on every side by thousands of acres of beautiful woodlands. There was a large creek that flowed north to south on one side of the area and crossed under Beach Blvd., disappearing into moss laden oaks that lined it's banks. There were many vacant lots that had not been built on and a huge stand of Cypress trees and Oaks, like a great wooded park, that stood square in the middle of the subdivision. I and the many new friends I would make here named this park, "Sherwood Forest". Moving here was the beginning of a great adventure and the golden years of my childhood.

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Two Minutes With The Bible ~ Teach No Other Doctrine

Teach No Other Doctrine

by Pastor Cornelius R. Stam

Berean Bible Society
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In strong language the Apostle bids Timothy to “charge some that they teach no other doctrine”; no other doctrine, obviously, than that which he had taught them. In 1 Tim. 6:3-5 he closes his epistle by saying:

“If any man teach otherwise, and consent not to wholesome words, even the words of our Lord Jesus Christ… from such withdraw thyself.”

In these passages the Apostle emphasizes the importance of fidelity to that heaven-sent message committed to him by revelation; that message which he says in Tit. 1:2,3 was “promised before the ages began” but made known “in due time … through preaching which is committed unto me…”

Ever since Paul’s day religious leaders have substituted other messages for that committed by the glorified Lord to Paul. The law of Moses, the Sermon on the Mount, the “great commission,” and Pentecost have all been confused with God’s message and program for the dispensation of grace. This is what has bewildered and divided the Church and ripened it for the apostasy.

With all the confused thinking about the Ten Commandments and the Sermon on the Mount fifty years ago it was little wonder that modernism swept so many off their feet with its teachings about Jesus of Nazareth, the Man of Galilee, following his footsteps, social betterment, political reform, etc. Multitudes were so taken up with the social gospel, so eager to help make the world a better place to live in, that they did not even notice or believe that the modernists denied the very fundamentals of the Christian faith.

But the new evangelicalism of our day is still more dangerous. It is big. It is well financed. It is popular. It is subtle. Perhaps its greatest danger lies in the fact that while claiming to be “conservative,” it minimizes the importance of the fundamentals and the danger of apostatizing from them.

Thus the inspired words of the Apostle Paul: “Charge some that they teach no other doctrine,” are more urgently needed in our day than they were in his.

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To the Reader:
Some of our Two Minutes articles were written many years ago by Pastor C. R. Stam for publication in newspapers. When many of these articles were later compiled in book form, Pastor Stam wrote this word of explanation in the Preface:

"It should be borne in mind that the newspaper column, Two Minutes With the Bible, has now been published for many years, so that local, national and international events are discussed as if they occurred only recently. Rather than rewrite or date such articles, we have left them just as they were when first published. This, we felt, would add to the interest, especially since our readers understand that they first appeared as newspaper articles."

To this we would add that the same is true for the articles written by others that we continue to add, on a regular basis, to the Two Minutes library. We hope that you'll agree that while some of the references in these articles are dated, the spiritual truths taught therein are timeless.

Ride Like The Wind #Honda

Hubby finally traded his 2006 Moto Guzzi Breva! He's had it For Sale for several weeks. Cycles of Jacksonville traded him for a 2013 Honda CB1100. He is very pleased with the outcome.

It's been a long but productive day. I'm really weary from the journey down to Jax and back. So, here's the day in pictures.

Preparing for the test ride.

Steve said he could tell this was the bike

for him after only traveling a few feet to

the curb.

Salesman Christian Stahl and Steve

seal the deal with a handshake.

Then, we where asked to ring

the bell behind them. That was

kinda cute.

 

Now we have a new metal steed

in the stables. Can't wait for a nice

day to take it for a long spin.

Guess I'm going to have to update the blog banner too.

I'll leave that for tomorrow.

 

Funny Friday ~ Falling Obama

A little guilty pleasure here. It's good therapy too.

By the way, got something special going on this weekend. I'll share it at a later time but stay tuned sports fans .... [hint: it involves two wheels ... duh] *lol*

Love Will Keep Us Together But Healthcare Could Drive Us Apart

One of my favorite soft rock groups from the 70s, The Captain and Tennille, have filed for divorce. But it seems they didn’t run out of Muskrat Love. The story is that “The Captain“, Daryl Dragon, is terminally ill with a neurological disorder (something similar to Parkinson‘s) which means he will be running up a huge medical bill. In order to keep their estate intact, he had to sign over everything to wife Toni, file for divorce, so that the government nor creditors can‘t seize his assets. Thankfully Toni will still be his Angel Face.

This reminds me how we had a neighbor that died from the complications of Parkinson’s disease not too long ago. In my opinion it’s one of the awful ways 'to go'. [Not that there is a good way, but I think you get my drift.] We watched him die an agonizing, slow, humiliating death. The Captain certainly has my prayers.

Hubby and I discussed financial possibilities at length after reading the article. He said one of us being stricken with a terminal illness could be a real possibly some day. It's something many people are forced into. Our bodies are going to corruption. Good thing for those of us who believe in Jesus, we are in God’s hands. Hopefully, we will never be faced with such a heart wrenching decision, but I can understand why The Captain and Tennille had to go this route. I would do everything I had to do to protect what little I have too.

What a sad world we live in. Guess I need to keep a song of joy in my heart. Well, at least their music will go on.

Pork Chops With Roasted Sweet Potatoes And Brussel Sprouts

We had this tonight. It's especially appetizing on a cold winter's eve. Enjoy!

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Ingredients:
2 Sweet Potatoes, peeled and diced small

1/2 lb Brussel Sprouts, washed and trimmed

4 Thick cut boneless Pork Chops

Salt and Pepper to taste

1 tsp Sage

Canola oil

1/2 cup Honey

1/4 cup Spicy Mustard

Directions:

Add some Canola oil to a large fry pan, add the small pieces of diced Sweet Potatoes and Brussel Sprouts, salt and pepper to taste and stir fry until they start to brown and tenderize.

Transfer the tenderized veggies to a mixing bowl, and a bit more Canola oil to the fry pan and brown the Pork Chops on one side.

Transfer the browned Chops to an oiled baking dish, browned side up and sprinkle the sage on the chops along with salt and pepper to taste.

Add the veggies to the baking dish.

Mix the Honey and Mustard in a bowl then pour over the mixture in the baking dish.

Bake at 375 for 35 minutes or until the Sweet Potatoes are tender to a fork.

Remove from oven and let set for 5 minutes.

Serves 4

For My Friends Up North #PolarVortex

I hear there's more polar blast predicted for the Northeast.

Non Sequitur

 [hee hee hee]

But, seriously, stay safe up there folks.