On a recent spring morning here in Tennessee Annie made oatmeal while we both listened to a news/talk radio station. Sadly, the only good news we heard was a commercial about a sale on flower garden items. The rest of the news was totally depressing.

Not wanting to hear any more about the spiraling fall of our nation’s economy and the bleak unemployment statistics, and the irresponsible politicians who seem to prefer spending over fixing what’s wrong, we decided to turn the radio off and take our breakfast to the sunroom.  

God surely knew that our troubled hearts needed lifting because right outside our window an encouraging reminder of His goodness landed on a metal flower holder. It was my all time favorite bird… the bluebird.

    I grabbed my camera and snapped the photo posted here. Seeing the brilliant colors of the male’s feathers through the viewfinder was breathtaking. Add to that sight the soothing sound of its song and I had plenty to bring me out of the doldrums.

As I enjoyed the timely encounter with the bluebird I whispered a prayer of thanks to its Maker and how He, through a small, feathered creature had brought a smile to my emotions. Then I remembered another trait about the bird that caused my soul to feel at peace.

Bluebirds are voracious consumers of insect pests. For that reason, gardeners will go to extreme lengths to attract and keep them in their garden for the protective benefit they provide.

When I recalled this helpful characteristic of the bluebird God quietly reminded me that as long as our family does all we can to make Him welcome in the “garden of our lives” we will enjoy the beauty and the benefit of His presence.

What a comfort it is to know that, like the bluebird that destroys the enemies of a garden, God is willing and fully able to rid our home of the damaging “pests” of uncertainty and fear that swarm around us.

May God help each us do all that is necessary to make Him feel welcome at our homes…as welcome as a bluebird!

 

He shall cover you with His feathers and under His wings you shall take refuge; His truth shall be your shield and buckler. You shall not be afraid of the terror by night, nor the arrow that flies by day, nor of the pestilence that walks in darkness, nor of the destruction that lays waste at noonday.  Psalm 91:4-6

And He said, “My presence will go with you and I will give you rest.” Exodus 33:14

When my enemies turn back, they shall fall and perish at Your presence. Psalm 9:3

Its always interesting and humbling to know that folks are so moved by the songs we’ve written that they are motivated to “marry” the songs to their video images or photos. Such is the case with the video linked to this post. We offer our thanks to “pastorusty” for creating this tender visual with the song, “Seasons of a Man.”

A note about the song, without exception it was the most challenging I have ever written. The goal of putting a long life into 3 minutes was not easy. Choosing the word pictures that would be familiar to most of us took a lot of pondering, in fact, it took almost a year to settle on them. The song was released on the “Times & Seasons” CD in 1986.

The springtime voice is our son, Nathan, who was around seven years of age. The summertime voice was a fourteen year old named Paul Terry Hester, I did the voice of autumn and at the time I was nearing forty. The voice of winter was Steve Barron.

Obviously each of the singers have moved on into other seasons of their lives. Steve Barron is now enjoying the eternal spring.

We hope you enjoy the video and thanks again to “pastorusty” for his creation.

Steve Chapman

 

Seasons of a Man

I am the springtime, when everything seems so fine

Whether rain or sunshine, you will find me playing

Days full of pretending, when a dime is a lot to be spending

A time when life is beginning, I am the springtime

 

I am the summer, when days are warm and longer

And the call comes to wander, but I can’t go far from home

When the girls become a mystery, and you’re barely passing history

Thinking old is when you’re thirty, I am the summer

 

I am the autumn days, when changes come so many ways

Looking back I stand amazed that time has gone so quickly

When love is more than feelings, its fixing bikes and painting ceilings

Its when you feel a cold when coming, I am the autumn days

 

I am the winter, when days are cold and bitter

And the days I can remember number more than the days to come

When you ride instead of walking, and you barely hear the talking

And goodbyes are said too often, I am the winter

But I’ll see spring again in heaven, and it will last forever

 

Steve Chapman/Times & Seasons Music, Inc/BMI / Available on our “Tools for the Trade” CD

 

While getting ready to head to Indiana to deer hunt this past season with my good friend, Don Hicks, I fired a few rounds through my muzzleloader to make sure it was sighted in. I mounted a cardboard target on a creek bank and after a shot I decided to dig through the soft dirt behind it to see if I could find one of the bullets.

 

When I found the expended .50 caliber piece of copper I was amazed at how wide, jagged and brutally ugly it became after impact. That’s when I thought of a verse of scripture. It’s found in the book of James 1:15.

“Then, when desire (lust) has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full grown, brings forth death.” (NET)

More times than we realize, sin starts as a small thing such as a second look at a woman, staying a few extra seconds on “that” cable channel in the hotel room when all alone, perhaps a noticeable tinge of envy for something someone has, or a momentary jealousy for a friend’s accomplishment.

Whatever the bullet of sin might be, and no matter how small it might start, after impact it will be plenty deadly even if it doesn’t expand at all. But like the bullet in the “after” picture, you can count on the fact that sin will always expand and, spiritually speaking, it will kill !

May God help us all lean on His grace for the strength to guard against even the smallest of ungodly desires.

“Be sober, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion seeking someone to devour.” (NASB)

 

 

Forty-five years ago on December 15, 1967, a terrible tragedy took place in our hometown of Point Pleasant, West Virginia. On that pre-Christmas day The Silver Bridge that spanned the Ohio River between Point Pleasant and the Gallipolis, Ohio area, collapsed taking the lives of 46 of our beloved family, friends and fellow citizens.

To honor those who were lost, in 1997 on the 30th anniversary of the collapse Steve wrote and recorded the song, The Silver Bridge. Later the song was added to archive film footage to create a memorial video. In the introduction to this musical and visual tribute, Steve interviews his Dad, P.J. Chapman, who shares his memories about that unforgettable day in December.

We remain prayerful for all who were, and still are, affected so greatly by the tragedy.

(Note: Only the audio of the song is available as a download. The video is not for sale and may not be copied.)

Please feel free to leave a comment about this disaster. We especially invite those from the area around Point Pleasant, WV and Gallipolis, Ohio to briefly include a comment.