Weekly Terryism

To change an old cliché, “if you can’t dazzle ‘em with brilliance, then shut up and go learn more of what you are talking about.”

Weekly Terryism

People, mostly men, often say to me, “Boy, you sure are outnumbered in your house with a wife and all those daughters.” Yes, I am. But, the fact is I was outnumbered when it was just the wife!

Weekly Terryism

There are some things the Scriptures teach us that the human mind cannot completely and accurately comprehend. That is why we have faith. There are just some things we have to stop trying to figure out and accept by faith; not just any faith...only a God given faith.

Weekly Terryism

The psalmist did not say “Make a perfect, on pitch, melodious song unto the Lord.” He said, “make a joyful noise.” Joy starts in the heart, not the mouth.

Weekly Terryism

The best translation of the Scriptures is the one that you will read regularly.

Weekly Terryism

When did tolerance become the leading, most coveted virtue?

Weekly Terryism

It has been said that there is a very fine line between faith and foolishness. I’ve repeated it several times over the years and it is true. However, there is a definite distinction in those who can and cannot see it.

For God So Loved

(Meditations from a 4 hour road trip alone.)


While driving through southeast Georgia this past weekend, I participated in one of my favorite driving activities when I drive alone - looking at all the various churches and, more particularly, looking at all the various church signs. Not only do I like to see their marquee signs and what little messages they may have on them, I also like to see how they have the sign presenting the name of the church and whether or not it fits in with the rest of the buildings and layout. One of the churches had on their marquee sign “God never said oops.” I’ve never seen that one and thought that was pretty good. I also noticed while I was driving through that part of the state, several billboards that just had John 3:16 on them and nothing else. I really couldn't read who was the sponsor of those of signs (can’t read fine print at 70 MPH), but as I looked at those signs, I thought to myself that we now live in a country that has at least one, maybe two generations, that does not have a clue of what is John 3:16. They haven't gone to church, they haven't read the Bible, they haven't been taught the scripture, and they're really not going to know John 3:16. What a shame it has come to this in America.

Driving along as I passed the third, fourth, and fifth of those billboards, I began to dwell on John 3:16. As I thought about that wonderful verse, I started thinking that it is probably the most pivotal verse throughout the whole Bible. That one verse pretty much encapsulates the whole meaning of the scripture and it does it with the first four words of that precious sentence - “for God so loved.” Think about that for a moment. For God so loved. What did God love? As we read on, we see that God loved the world. Naturally, he would love his creation, he would love what he made, and he would love what he put on this earth. For God so loved the world - what marvelous words.

We then read how he loved the world. He loved the world so much that he gave his only son. How did he give his son? What was the motivation behind giving his son? We need to go over Romans 5:8 to get that answer. Paraphrasing, “God demonstrated his love, or gave his love, to us even though we were dead in our trespasses and sin, Christ died for us.” The sin of Adam, passed down to us, has eternally separated us from God. So why would God love us so much that he gave his only son for a lost people that did not deserve such mercy. That’s it! It was mercy. Ephesians 2:4-6 tells us that God being rich in mercy loved us with a great love despite our transgressions and he has made us alive with Christ as we are saved by is grace. Wow! For God so loved the world, he gave his only son and whoever believes in him (there is the saved by grace part) should not perish (eternal banishment with the devil and his demons), but have everlasting life (eternal fellowship in the very presence of God). Love driven by mercy and eternal reward given by grace – for God so loved.

What’s next? All you have to do is accept Christ for who and what he is. If you change your mind about Christ, believe what he did on the cross was for you, and accept him as Savior, you will be made a new creation in him (2 Corinthians 5:17) and have everlasting life. No longer will you be eternally separated from God because of Adam's sin, but will embrace living forever in the realm of God's court because he gave his son to pay sin’s price for all for God so loved.

Okay, you’ve accepted Christ as Savor, now what? What do you then do with this new life, this new basis for your living and existence? I think Paul probably said it best in Galatians 2:20. This single verse pretty much sums up we are to live with new life given by John 3:16. Let me paraphrase the verse. “I am crucified with Christ and I am no longer to do the living, but Christ, who now lives in me, is to do the living. And, this life that I now live in this body, I am to live by faith in the Son that God, who so loved me, and gave himself up for me.” I am to let Christ live through me and I am to live in him. I am to be engrossed in that truth, making that my prayer, my motivation, and my foundation for living. If I do that, I will find myself yearning to be closer to God, yielding myself more to the Spirit, and doing things Christ’s way. Before you know it, I will be leading others to follow John 3:16 and become disciples of Christ for God so loved.

©Terry Hawkins, August 12, 2009

Weekly Terryism

Oops. Forgot last week. Here's the one for this week:

The message of the day seems to be that God does not want you poor, He wants you rich and prosperous, and that wealth is a testimony of your faith. If that’s true, God sure did His Son dirty while He was on earth.

I Am Thankful

I am Thankful

For the green grass
For the blue sky
For the red rose
For clouds so high
I am thankful.

For the blue bird
For the brown bear
For the pine tree
For the fresh air
I am thankful.

For the white sand
For the blue seas
For foamy waves
For the cool breeze
I am thankful.

For the cool rain
For the white snow
For the gray days
Feel the wind blow
I am thankful.

For mom and dad
For my good wife
For my great kids
To enjoy life
I am thankful.

To the great God
Who made it all
And loves me so
When I do fall
I am thankful.

The Word of God
That came to man
That brought to life
Salvation’s plan
I am thankful.

I am thankful
I am thankful
I have it all
I am thankful.

by Terry Hawkins, 1999

Women's Clothes, Part 2

For All the Guys Who have Wondered how Women’s Clothes are Sized, Part 2

I understand the terms Petite, Misses, Junior, and Women’s when it comes to sizing female clothing. I did not set out to know this vast array of information. I did not desire to become an amateur expert on ladies clothing. I was forced into it…against my will…pounded into me like a round steak (hey, I never I said I did not know cooking).

I remember it like yesterday. It all seemed so innocent way back in early 1997. What started out as a wonderful family gathering and conversation turned ugly…fast. Tornadoes do not appear any more abruptly; lightening cannot strike any faster; two-year-olds cannot disappear any more quickly…than my mother-in-law’s face can turn into a death gamma ray. Even more astounding than the quickness of her change, is the silence by which her destructive force to human flesh is carried out.

I, sitting in the den, in my chair, could not help but hear a conversation between my wife and her mother. They were discussing an oft-talked about subject among womanhood, bodily expansion and how to control it. The both of them had just gone through periods whereby they were not only able to stop it, but to force it into somewhat of a submissive withdrawal. Included in this discussion was the subtopic of the need to buy clothes of reduced size.

Allow me to sidestep here just a moment and give you a little insight as to how my forthcoming logic will come to be. When a man goes and buys a suit, he is given an array of categories from which to find his size. For instance, I am five foot, six inches tall and have a fifty-inch chest. I wear a 50 Short suit. If I were five-foot nine, I would wear a 50 Regular. Short is for the man of below average height, Regular is for the average height man, Tall is for, you guessed it, the above average height man. In addition we, have Extra Tall, Big and Tall, Portly, etc. You can see the logic in how men’s sizes are named. The common denominator is the chest or waist size. Now back to impending trouble.

Very innocently, I embarked upon the adventure to add what, I thought, would be a somewhat complimentary comment. My mother-in-law, who shall remain nameless to protect my keester, had just said, “I am now wearing a ‘something’ W (I am not stating the actual size because though I may have been born at night, it was not last night). Are you ready for my illustrious remark? Now remember, I am a man and accustomed to men’s sizes. I said (remembering that panty buying episode), “Boy, that’s neat. It is about time they started labeling women’s clothing with some intelligence. That is neat. You actually have the size ‘something’ WIDE.”

I am not sure what came first, the change in countenance on Mom-in-law’s face or the sensation of feeling flesh pull away from my cheek bones and eye sockets. I do not know what was worse, the deathly silence as though time itself just ended or the burning sensation I felt as lasers, from her eyes, pierced my body. I believe I only lived because my naivete was genuine and my innocence, real.

I lost track of all time. I do not know if it were seconds, hours, days, or weeks, but I soon found myself getting a crammed course in female clothing size structure. I did not want it. I did not ask for it. It was like a…sentence, a sentence for a crime committed. I do not remember the arraignment, the trial, and the verdict, ET all. I just know that I have been rehabilitated (or brainwashed) to know my place with women’s sizes. Gentlemen, regardless how it may appear, the W doesn’t stand for wide.

Weekly Terryism

There is no greater gift that God can give you than a child. There is no greater responsibility than to bring that child up according to God’s Word. There is no greater joy than to see that child grow up to love the Lord.

Weekly Terryism

My faith belief system says and requires commitment. What does yours say, “In case of emergency break glass?”

Women's Clothes, Part 1

For All the Guys Who have Wondered how Women’s Clothes are Sized, Part 1

In 1982, very shortly after Martie (my wife) and I were married, I was going to the Sock Shoppe, in Griffin, GA, to buy some socks and underwear for myself. My lovely bride asked that her loving husband buy her three pairs of panties...cotton...full cut briefs. No problem. Because I knew her dress size (we had gone shopping and I remembered her dress size), I did not pay attention to what size panty she told me to get. After all, women's clothes were sized consistently like men's sizes, right?

Well, I proudly walked up to the lingerie counter and waited my turn. This dear, sweet grandmother type asked if she could help me. "Yes ma’am. I need to get my wife three pairs of panties...cotton...full cut briefs." Then she had to ask the question that would ultimately be my doom, "What size, young man?"

"I believe size eleven. Yes that's it. Size eleven."

"Are you sure," she asked quizzingly. "Yes ma’am, size eleven."

"Son (this is where I began to realize I might be in trouble), what size is your wife?"

"She is about five-foot, four inches tall and weighs about 125 pounds. She wears a size 11/12 dress."

"Son (she said it again), I don't believe she wears a size eleven panty. Are you real sure she told you size eleven, not size seven?"

"Oh, I'm sure it's not a seven. Yep, she said eleven."

"Oh kaaaay, but I think you are mistaken, young man," she replied. With that said, she reached under the counter and pulled out a pair of size eleven’s. She unfolded them three or four times (at this point, I was in serious doubt of my surety of size). Then she held up this boat sail (picture my arms spread open with my hands approximately three feet apart). "Son, are you positive this is the size your wife wears?''

"NO MAAM. She does not wear that size. Me and her both could get in those and have room left over. I do not know what size she wears. Evidently you women don't size things the way men do; size 42 pants and size 42 boxer shorts are the same. My wife will have to come buy her own panties cause I ain't even gonna try to take home the size seven. There's more than four numbers difference between what she wears and those. Uh, huh, no way, she can buy her own."

"Would there be anything else, Sir?"

"No, ma’am. Thank you."

==========================
Still alive,
Terry Hawkins

Thought Provoking Article

Dr. Mike Halsey, President of Free Grace Seminary and Pastor of County Line Church - both of Hampton, GA, wrote the thought provoking article found in the following link:

Five Churchy Statements God Never Made

Weekly Terryism

Through the years, as I have taught bible studies, preached sermons, made sales presentations, gave political speeches, wrote papers, etc., I would accidentally say something good and worth repeating. My wife suggested that I start keeping track of these "terryisms." This is the first of many I will post and hopefully, continue to do so on a weekly basis. I don't know if I'm the original author of this first one or not because I've been saying it since I was 17-years old (about 10 years ago - NOT).

"If you see the need for something to be done, then then chances are you are the one to do it."

Why Does One Do a Blog?

I've often wondered why anyone would think that anyone else would want to read their blog? Not wanting to assume that all bloggers are self-centered, huge egocentric folks, I thought that maybe these people thought they had something that needed to be read and pondered. But, after reading several blogs, I've come to the conclusion that not everybody has something to say that would benefit others and I came to the conclusion that they are not all ego-maniacs. What I finally concluded was that the majority do a blog for self-expression. They use it as therapy - to get it of their chest so to speak. Another common use I found for blogging is keeping friends and family informed of the goings on in that individual's life. And, there are those that do try to perpetuate a message and an ideal. Some are worth reading; a lot aren't. Regardless of the reasons for a blog, I'm convinced that it is way of communicating that is here to stay - at least until the next fad.

So, why am I doing a blog? For all the reasons mentioned above. I'll keep friends and family informed, I'll get things off my chest, I'll write expressions of what's going through my mind, and I will put forth thoughts on politics, faith, culture, etc. Of course, everyone will want to read my blog.

First Post

This is the first post. The next will be the second.