A man sat alone on the side of a river. Next to a cottage he made himself.
And by the shore stood a tall red maple. A tree that the man loved very much.
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The Man And The Maple
Category: Inspirational Stories
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The Pondering Tree
What if a man died on a cross?
What would it matter to me?
Maybe not much, people die all the time.
Maybe I’d care if I knew him.
But what if a man died on a cross
What if He did it for me?
Gave up His life so mine might be spared.
That would be different indeed.
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Roots
Iris and Lincoln Stodge live at 1835 Fernhook Lane, a very long drive through fields of corn which ends at the base of the Whatcom Timber Reserve. Iris and Lincoln are fourth and fifth graders.
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Little Baby Boy
In the fall of 1974, at the start of my songwriting career, I was given the song for Christmas entitled “Little Baby Boy.” That was 50 years ago.
As with all the music and stories I have written, I consider them all to be gifts from God and not a talent which I have.
December of 1973, my girlfriend was killed in a sliding accident at the local ski area. The grief for an 18-year-old was beyond belief. It was because of the support of my church, Pastor, and the teens in the youth group who believed in my music that I was able to climb out of the depression. With the backing of our high school youth group, I was able to perform “Little Baby Boy” for the first time at the church in December of 1974. It has always been a favorite that has been requested through the last 50 years.
The video clip filmed in 2022 is of an old me and my wife Cheryl performing the song at Christmas. I hope you will enjoy the song too.
Little Baby Boy (Lyrics)
Little baby boy, dressed in swaddlin’ clothes,
Lyin’ in a manger, so many years ago.
Little baby boy, little baby boy, how I love you so.
Little baby boy, born the highest King.
Through the years we’ve turned around
What Christmas morning means.
Little baby boy, little baby boy, how I love you so.
We took the Christmas story, and we laid it on a shelf.
We traded baby Jesus for a jolly little elf.
But did Santa hang upon the cross and die for all our sins?
And can he give us happiness long after Christmas ends?
Can Santa cause the blind to see and cause the deaf to hear?
Can you get to heaven on a sleigh and eight reindeer?
That’s why I say little baby boy, little baby boy, how I love you so.
Little baby boy, dressed in swaddlin’ clothes,
Lyin’ in a manger, so many years ago.
Little baby boy, little baby boy, how I love you so.
And on that Christmas morning
When the church bells start to ring
I’m going to celebrate that day as the birthday of the King.
Little baby boy, little baby boy, how I love you so.
Little baby boy, dressed in swaddlin’ clothes,
Lyin’ in a manger, so many years ago.
Little baby boy, little baby boy, how I love you so.
Little Baby Boy (c) 1974 P.M. Mitchell
Faith Family Life Getting Older Growing Up Misadventures Music Patriotism Pets or Pests? Serving Others Snips Tributes
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Light snowflakes were falling out of the evening sky as I crunched through the foot-deep snow covering the sidewalk in my hometown. This was something I looked forward to each year; walking the streets of homes in the historic part of town to look at Christmas decorations in their yards and the lights from their windows. Not only were the old homes elegant, but the trees lining the streets, the 100-year-old oaks which had long since lost their leaves, now shimmered with their white snowy coverings. Except for the occasional passing of a car, it was all very still and quiet.
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The Gambler
** The following essay is written from a Christian perspective. If this offends you, please return another day for satire stories.
We are all gamblers.
You might say, “I don’t play betting games. I don’t buy Lotto, Powerball, or scratch tickets and I’ve never stepped into a casino once.”
Well, you start betting the moment you get out of bed in the morning. Betting all your appliances still work in the house; betting if you ride your bike that you won’t get hit by a car; betting you won’t get into an accident with your car. Everything is a bet that things will go your way.
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I am Soul
** The following story is told from my Christian perspective. If you are offended by this, please return next week for another satire story.
I am Soul. Technically, I am Marty’s Soul. I am the center of his being surrounded by bones, organs, and flesh. It is I who confers with his mind to help him make his choices. I was a part of him before he was born, and I will exist long after he is dead because I am Soul. I do not die.
Every person who has ever lived on this planet has a soul too. We were all assigned by God to a specific human. Were it not for us souls, humans would have no ability to communicate with the spirit world. Every human is part flesh and part spirit.
The dictionary defines us as the spirit or immaterial part of man, the seat of human personality, intellect, will, and emotions, regarded as an entity that survives the body after death, capable of redemption from the power of sin through divine grace.
What is ironic about God giving each human a soul, is that the human decides what will happen to us for eternity. In Marty’s case, he gave me to God which will give me eternal life in the Kingdom of God. Many stubborn humans refuse to give their souls to God. This condemns their souls to eternal separation from God. How sad is it that God freely gives a soul to a human being and that human has a lifetime to give the soul back to God but refuses thereby condemning that soul.
So, what is it I do?
Since I was given as a gift back to God, he gives me guidance and instruction which I try to convey to Marty’s brain. Of course, Marty’s brain may choose to ignore my suggestions, which has continually got him in trouble and put him in danger.
You see, also in the spirit world, are those sent from Satan . . . demons. We see them even though you cannot.
It says in the Bible that all believing humans should put on the armor of God for your battle is not with flesh and blood but against the spirit world. (Eph. 6:11-13)
From where I live in Marty, I can see them as they wander about looking for those that they may devour and destroy. They are here 24 hours a day. They never rest.
Even when Marty is resting, they attempt to break into his mind and into his dreams. Were it not for God sending his mightiest angels to drive them away because of my calling, he would be lost. The more God uses Marty, the more the demons attack to cripple him. It is not uncommon to see Marty completely surrounded by angels to protect him.
God’s spirit has given me the responsibility of urging Marty to learn and use the fruits of God’s spirit. These fruits include love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, and self-control. As I work with Marty’s brain, which controls the rest of his body, and we learn to use the fruits, other people see what God can do in a person’s life. Other souls try to convince their humans that they could live like that too.
Sometimes, we get into situations that God wants to handle himself. It has happened many times that God has said to me, “I’ve got this, please step aside for a moment.” He takes my place and takes control of Marty and speaks or acts through him. Only God himself can express his love through someone and to someone.
And so, I have lived inside Marty since the day he was born. I have seen the bad, and the ugly sides of his life for the choices he has made, ignoring me. But I have also seen the good and how God has used him. And Marty’s gift to me was giving me back to God.
One day, when his days on earth are through and his body and brain die, I will be released to return once again to the Kingdom of God from where I came. This time I will be a child of God and I, and the rest of God’s children will live in his presence for eternity.
That is my story. I am Soul.
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Finally!
Forty-five years. That is a long time to wait for a project to become reality.
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Young Man’s Vision
The following inspirational post was written from my Christian perspective. If you are offended by such content, please return next week for more satire stories.
In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people.
Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions,
your old men will dream dreams. Acts 2:17 (NIV)
What if the veil were lifted and we could see that which is hidden from our eyes?
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Lest I Forget
“There are those who speak about you who say, ‘He lost an arm, he lost a leg, she lost her sight.’
I object!
You gave your arm, you gave your leg, you gave your sight, as gifts to your nation so that we might live in freedom.
Thank you. And to your families, families of the fallen and families of the wounded, you’ve sacrificed in ways that those of us who have not walked in your shoes, can only imagine.”
General Peter M. Pace
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A Tribute To Leon
Great Men, the ones that are few and far between. The ones that inspire you to greatness. The ones you want to emulate. How can I best honor them when they are gone?
The following inspirational post was written from my Christian perspective. If you are offended by such content, please return next week for more satire stories.
Some people believe that when death comes, it is the end. There is nothing else. The body and the spirit cease to exist. The being becomes ashes or dust in the ground, which is marked by a tomb stone, forgotten when the generation passes.
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Hobos in the Backyard
My son-in-law’s mother, Vickie, recently told me a story which happened during her early childhood upbringing. It involves hobos.
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Prodigal Lamb
This blog post is a Christian parable. If you are offended by something like this, please feel free to come back when I post the next satire story.
The Prodigal Lamb combines two of Jesus’ parables: The Prodigal Son, (Luke 15:11-32), and the Lost Sheep, (Matthew 18:10-14.)
In 1973, while I was at Northwest Nazarene college in Nampa, Idaho, I had an opportunity to attend a concert which changed my impression of Christian music forever.