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Chip Shots from the Ruff of Life
by Tom Kelley
The weather these last several weeks here in the Bluegrass has been just wonderful. Instead of running the air conditioning 24/7 we have the house opened up and the fans running. Believe it or not it actually feels cold in the house at times. Which begs a question. What did we do before air conditioning? Most of the places I have lived up to not that many years ago did not have air conditioning. I was not raised with it and neither was my wife. The difference lies with the houses of today.
Back in my home town our house was the second on the street. This was a nice wide tree lined street where cars could park on both sides. Right in front of the house stood a huge old maple tree for shade. The front of the house had two huge windows with screens that fit in the bottoms of them and a front door with an outside door with a screen in it. Every window in the house could be raised and the two back doors both had screen doors. The upstairs windows were the same. The house faced West as did just about every house in the town except for those facing East which meant their back doors faced West.
Why does the direction a house face mean anything? The prevailing winds come from the West. That means those nice breezes come right through the front of the house and keep on going through the back making it, as the old timers used to say, "airy". In short, the house cooled easily. Sure, every now and then the weather would get really hot, but then you'd just drink iced tea and keep cool that way. Today's houses are pretty much built for looks and arranged in random order which includes being right on top of each other. And those nice shade trees are a thing of the past. Tell me the last time you saw a ranch style home with a screen door on a shady street.
Nope, neither homes nor communities are being built like they used to be built. And neither are lives. Simple qualities have been replaced with complex desires and difficulties. We don't have those refreshingly cool breezes blow through our lives with the frequency of the past. Life moves at a pace that would have given our grandparents heart attacks. We Christians hold the key. We have what the world needs to slow itself back down. We have the seeds of peace.
"Do not be deceived. God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that will he also reap. For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life. And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we will reap if we do not lose heart. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all, especially to those who are of the household of faith." Galatians 6:7-10 Someday everyone will face West and watch the sun set on their lives. What we do may determine if its been a refreshing life for them with a promise to follow.
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...He was the Minister of the Minorsville Christian Church located near Stamping Ground, KY.
...Becky and Tom have three children; John, single and in worship ministry in Nicholasville, Kentucky; Sean, married (Jennifer, elementary school teacher) with twins (Grace and Patrick, b.d. 10/31/04) and regional director of Papa John's Pizza in Central KY; Kara, married (Vince Taylor, prison guard) and working with Hospice East in Winchester, KY.
...Tom went to be with the Lord on November 13, 2009 after a lengthy battle with cancer. If you have been touched by Tom's writings please send an email to Tom's son at jkelley@catalystchristian.net
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