12 ¶ Hatred stirs up strife, But love covers all sins. Proverbs 10:12 (NKJV)

By Bro. John L. Cash, “Country Preacher Dad”

When I was a little boy, I had an uncle that I adored. He was a devout Christian and an elder in the church. After he passed away, my aunt told me something I’d never known about him. For years he had been well-known in his congregation for his successful counseling of couples who were having marital problems. If your marriage was rocky and things weren’t going well, everyone knew that if you paid him a visit and followed his advice, things would drastically improve.

My aunt told me that my uncle always gave troubled couples the same advice. It was the teaching found in today’s Scripture lesson (at the top): “Hatred stirs up strife, but love covers all sins.” (Proverbs 10:12). In the New Testament, the apostle Peter quotes from the same Old Testament passage and renders it another way: “And above all things have fervent love for one another, for ‘love will cover a multitude of sins.’” (1 Peter 4:8). 

More than 500 years ago, the great theologian Martin Luther wrote that, because we’re all faulty human beings, it helps if both spouses in a marriage are a little blind. In a nutshell, if you want to have a happy marriage, don’t dwell on the faults of your spouse. Don’t broadcast his or her sins to the world. Instead, quietly cover them over with Christian love, and focus your attention on the strong points of your loved one.

In married life (as in all of life), everybody makes a typo now and then. Don’t circle those mistakes with red ink. Cover them up with the “Liquid Paper” of God’s Love.

Dr. John L. Cash is the “Country Preacher Dad.” He was raised in Stuttgart, Arkansas, and has spent the last 26 years being a country preacher in the piney woods five miles south of the little town of Hickory, Mississippi. (On week days he has a desk-job at a public school and teaches Latin on closed-circuit-television.) He and his lovely wife, Susan, and his sons, Spencer (age 20) and Seth (age 17) live in the parsonage next door to the Antioch Christian Church (where the Preacher likes the new Liquid Paper that comes as a little dry ribbon inside an applicator doodad.) He would love to hear from you in an email sent to jcash@scott.k12.ms.us.

5 “The blind see and the lame walk; the lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear; the dead are raised up and the poor have the gospel preached to them.

 6 “And blessed is he who is not offended because of Me.”  Matthew 11:5,6 (NKJV)

By Bro. John L. Cash, “Country Preacher Dad”

One night when my boys were in grade school, the supper table was too quiet for my liking. I decided I’d “stir the pot a bit” to see if I could get a rousing discussion (or an argument) started with the boys and Susan. I began by making this announcement:

“I’ve been doing a lot of thinking lately. If anything every happened to Mom — God forbid — we would never have anything good to eat for supper ever again. In that case, maybe  I could marry one of the women off  The Food Network.  Nigella Lawson seems like a very nice lady, and she’s a widow now. Or, Rachel Ray is single, and she can cook a 30-minute meal. What do you think?”

Now, I have to tell you, the other residents of my house have grown so accustomed to my ever-present sense of humor that they sometimes ignore my attempts to provide entertainment. But to my great surprise, everyone at the table “took the bait.” Both boys chimed in and said, “Dad, that seems like a great idea. I’ve seen those shows on television, and they always make me hungry. We would miss Mom, but at least we would always have good food to eat.”

The biggest shocker of all was that my lovely wife agreed with the idea!  Susan said, “For Dad to marry a cook from the Food Network is the best idea I’ve heard lately. If I couldn’t be here with you, at least I would know that the boys had tasty and nutritious meals.”

But, alas, as she continued, I realized there was going to be a catch. “I definitely want him to marry a Food Network lady” she said. “But he can’t marry Nigella. And he can’t marry Rachel Ray. If he’s going to have a new wife from the Food Network, he only has two choices. He can either marry Jennifer or Clarissa from the show ‘Two Fat Ladies‘!”

Jennifer and Clarissa from Food Network's show "Two Fat Ladies"

Isn’t it wonderful when people take a joke in the spirit in which you meant it? I’ll bet that when some of you heard the beginning of this story you thought, “Uh oh, Susan is about to get mad, and Brother John is about to wind up sleeping on the couch.” But it didn’t turn out that way — because Susan didn’t take offense at my joke. She has learned two of the most important lessons that Christian people can learn.

First, when people say something that stings a bit, they’re not always trying to offend you. They might be teasing you, or they may not mean things the way they came out.

Secondly, even when folks say things that are truly unkind, you still don’t have to take offense. You always decide if you’ll be offended or not. The choice is up to you.

My wife’s tendency to put the best possible “spin” on whatever I say is one of the qualities I like most. It’s one of the many reasons I’m still in love with her after 26 ½ years of marriage and why I want her for my Valentine (and not any of those Food Network gals.)  Besides, bacon-grease and motorcycle-sidecars make me queasy.

Dr. John L. Cash is the “Country Preacher Dad.” He was raised in Stuttgart, Arkansas, and has spent the last 26 years being a country preacher in the piney woods five miles south of the little town of Hickory, Mississippi. (On week days he has a desk-job at a public school and teaches Latin on closed-circuit-television.)  He and his lovely wife, Susan, and his sons, Spencer (age 20) and Seth (age 17) live in the parsonage next door to the Antioch Christian Church (where the Preacher and his family like to watch “Restaurant Impossible” with Robert Irvine on Food Network each week .)  He would love to hear from you in an email sent to jcash@scott.k12.ms.us.

4 Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. Romans 6:4

By Bro. John L. Cash, “Country Preacher Dad”

In the brotherhood that I’m a part of, we baptize by immersion. When I first came to the country church all those years ago, I baptized new converts in a local pond. Unfortunately, that pond dried up so the congregation had to get an indoor baptistry. I love our baptistry because I think it’s pretty cool. It was designed for use in prisons, so it doesn’t take up much room. The preacher doesn’t even have to get wet when we he baptizes someone, and when he gets finished, he can put the lid on the baptistry and use it for a communion table. (The photo at the top shows the baptistry when it’s in communion table mode. This next picture shows how it transforms into a baptistry.)

By the way, that's not me in the photo. These guys are baptistry photo models.

When we built our new sanctuary, we had our baptistry permanently installed under a window behind the pulpit. But before that, we actually used it for a while as a communion table. It was a very large communion table, and you couldn’t miss noticing it when you came into our church.

During those years, a five-year-old boy from our congregation had a conversation with his parents. It went something like this:

Boy:  “I will never go to Heaven.”

Parents:  “Of course you will!  What would ever make you say a thing like that?”

Boy:  “I will never go to Heaven, because I will never be saved.”

Parents:  “Of course you will be saved! What are you talking about?”

Boy:  “I’ll never be saved because I’ll never be baptized.”

Parents:  “Why do you think you will never be baptized?”

Boy:  “I’ll never be baptized, because they are never going to put ME in that TOMB !”

Now to be fair to this lad, I understand his fears. Our baptistry did look like Jesus’ tomb from the Sunday School picture on Easter.  More than that, the baptistry looked a great deal like the above-ground tombs in the church cemetery across the road from the church. Who would consent to the risk of being trapped inside something as scary as that?

Well, this story has a happy ending. The little boy in the story grew up and got over his fear of the communion-table-baptistry. He was baptized into Christ, and he and his wife and child are members of our congregation. He is also one of my deacons. And he understands what the Apostle Paul was teaching in today’s Scripture lesson (at the top). In baptism, we are buried with Jesus Christ.  The old man of sin dies and is buried, and the new babe in Christ is raised to new life. Let’s ask the Lord to help us to follow Him more closely this week, as we strive to walk in “newness of life.”

Dr. John L. Cash is the “Country Preacher Dad.” He was raised in Stuttgart, Arkansas, and has spent the last 26 years being a country preacher in the piney woods five miles south of the little town of Hickory, Mississippi. (On week days he has a desk-job at a public school and teaches Latin on closed-circuit-television.)  He and his lovely wife, Susan, and his sons, Spencer (age 20) and Seth (age 17) live in the parsonage next door to the Antioch Christian Church (where the Preacher fills the baptistry out of the hot water tank so that the children don’t freeze when he dunks them.)  He would love to hear from you in an email sent to jcash@scott.k12.ms.us.

9 And my soul shall be joyful in the LORD; It shall rejoice in His salvation.

Psalm 35:9 (NKJV)

By Bro. John L. Cash, “Country Preacher Dad”

Well, this may be the last column I ever write for nwaMotherlode. It may be my last column because it’s probably going to get me fired. You see, what I’ve got to say today is not going to be politically correct. It’s not the sort of thing people are used to reading, now that the world is made up of all the liberated ladies of the new millennium. I’m afraid what I have to say today may even be considered a tad chauvinistic. But I think there’s a lot of truth in it, so here goes:

 “Mothers are the people who set the atmosphere for the home.” 

That sounds very old-fashioned when you say it out loud. But we firmly believe it at the country church down here in the Deep South. In fact, we even have our own version of the adage. Perhaps you’ve read it on a bumper sticker:

If you don’t believe me (or the people of The Magnolia State) just ask any dad about the most frightening days of his married life. If he’s honest, he’ll tell you about the time when mom came home from the booster club meeting  at 8 p.m. and discovered that nobody had bathed, done their homework, or had supper yet.

Or maybe he’ll relate the saga of how Mama found out that Daddy was an accessory to the crime when the Third-Grade-Science-Exam-Study-Sheet got left in the other vehicle the night before semester exams. Ask Dad about these things, and maybe he’ll tell you about them. But don’t count on it. Most people don’t like to talk about things that are so painful to remember.

Now anybody can have a bad day sometimes. But the way I see it, there are two kinds of mothers. Some mothers are thermometers, and some mothers are thermostats. Thermometer mothers just react to the atmosphere that’s already present; in a hot-tempered situation, their temperature (and blood pressure) rise to match their combative surroundings.

But thermostat mothers are different. If a situation is too hot, they try to dial the temperature down with patience and kindness. And if a situation is too cold, they strive to warm up the room with love and compassion. The most wonderful thing of all is this: Each day you get to make a new choice about which type of mother you’ll be.

So this week, ask the Lord to help you throw out the thermometer and become a thermostat mom. Because when Mama is happy, the whole household is happy, too.

Dr. John L. Cash is the “Country Preacher Dad.” He was raised in Stuttgart, Arkansas, and has spent the last 26 years being a country preacher in the piney woods five miles south of the little town of Hickory, Mississippi. (On week days he has a desk-job at a public school and teaches Latin on closed-circuit-television.) He and his lovely wife, Susan, and his sons, Spencer (age 20) and Seth (age 17) live in the parsonage next door to the Antioch Christian Church (where the mamas says that men need to be thermostats, too.) He would love to hear from you in an email sent to jcash@scott.k12.ms.us.

I believe in God, the Father Almighty,

Maker of heaven and earth.

And in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord,

Who was conceived by the Holy Spirit,

And born of the virgin Mary,

Suffered under Pontius Pilate,

Was crucified, died and was buried.

He descended into hell.

On the third day He rose again from the dead.

He ascended into heaven

And sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty.

From thence He will come to judge the living and the dead.

I believe in the Holy Spirit,

The holy Christian church,

The communion of saints,

The forgiveness of sins,

The resurrection of the body,

And the life everlasting. Amen.

~The Apostles’ Creed, as recited by the Lutheran Church

By Bro. John L. Cash, “Country Preacher Dad”

Even though our brotherhood doesn’t recite it much, I love the Apostles’ Creed. And even though I believe many more things than are found in the Creed, I believe everything the Creed says. It’s a constant source of edification and comfort.

Yesterday, I stopped to visit a man who has a terminal illness. He told me his disease is so far advanced that he has requested that the doctors stop all treatments. Hospice has been called in. He told me of his constant, never-ending pain, and how much he has suffered.

I never know what to say in a situation like that. After all, there are no words that will fix the problem. But you have to try to say something. So I asked him if he recited the Apostles’ Creed at his church. He told me he did, every Sunday. I asked him if he believed in “the resurrection of the body” that the Creed tells about. He told me he most certainly did. I asked him if it was a wonderful promise, a promise that would make all things right again. He told me that the resurrection of the body was the most wonderful promise of all — and that he was looking forward to that Day.

Do you have guest towels in your bathroom? You know the ones I’m talking about, the ones that are monogrammed, that the kids aren’t allowed to use. Truth be told, not only do your kids avoid using them, nobody uses them — not even guests. Although they’re beautiful to look at, they don’t dry anything very well. And if anybody ever dries his hands on them, the towels are really never the same again. They’re just for decoration.

I’ll bet along with the guest towels in your linen closet, you also have old towels. These may be a bit faded and frayed, but, my goodness, aren’t they handy? These are the towels you use to mop up chocolate milk when it gets spilled or to put under the wastebasket when somebody has the stomach flu. These rectangles of tattered cloth can take on a new-puppy-puddle, become an impromptu bib for a visiting toddler, or a cape for a young superhero.

So what’s the connection between the towels and the Creed printed above? Most of the time we use the words of the Scriptures and of the Creed as if they’re a set of guest towels. They’re beautiful to look at and to admire, but they don’t get much practical use. But, these beautiful, holy words are not just for decoration. They are sturdy enough to take on anything life dishes out — even terminal illness, pain and grief. We know these words a’re rugged and reliable  because they’ve been tried and tested over the centuries. This week, whatever the need or trouble, be wise, and reach for and rely on the never-failing words of the faith. They’re not just for decoration.

Dr. John L. Cash is the “Country Preacher Dad.” He was raised in Stuttgart, Arkansas, and has spent the last 26 years being a country preacher in the piney woods five miles south of the little town of Hickory, Mississippi. (On week days he has a desk-job at a public school and teaches Latin on closed-circuit-television.) He and his lovely wife, Susan, and his sons, Spencer (age 20) and Seth (age 17) live in the parsonage next door to the Antioch Christian Church (where a little girl stepped out on an “old towel” last Sunday after she was buried with Jesus in Holy Baptism.) He would love to hear from you in an email sent to jcash@scott.k12.ms.us.