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Sample Past Posts
- Remembering the Schoolhouse(s) Known as “Bell Ridge” in the Morrison City area of North Kingsport, Tennessee January 31, 2020
- A Song of Unity from Long Ago August 19, 2019
- Beautiful Hills of Home August 16, 2019
- When Your Family Tree Becomes All Hung Up July 22, 2019
- “The Storms are on the Ocean” as a Metaphor for Homesickness June 15, 2019
- “Excuse Me, May I Look Inside Your Biscuit?” May 3, 2019
Top Posts & Pages
- A Barony in the Mountains of Southwest Virginia
- Remembering Vacation Bible School in the '60s and '70s
- The Flood of 1977
- Disappearing Towns: Morrison City
- Robert Sayers Sheffey, Mountain Preacher and Man of Prayer
- A Sunny Day in Sharon Springs
- A Conversation that didn't Go Well
- History of a Part of Weber City, Virginia
- Places I've Lived: Paint Lick, VA
- Ode to Soup Beans and Corn Bread
Tag Archives: Baptist
Ode to Dr Ralph Stanley
A legend has gone to glory. God was preparing me for this. I’m probably the biggest Ralph Stanley fan there is. Ever. There was just something about the sound of his voice, the ring of his banjo, the humility of … Continue reading
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Tagged appalachia, banjo, Baptist, bluegrass, Clintwood, mountain soul, Ralph Stanley, Southwest Virginia
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Bluefield: A Wedding of Two Communities
This winter I spent some time in the Craft Memorial Library over at Bluefield, West Virginia. I found there microfilmed copies of the Bluefield Daily Telegraph from the late 1800s to the middle of the 1900s. Interesting stories. Of course … Continue reading
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Tagged Baptist, Bluefield, Bluefield College, bluestone, Bluestone river, chicory, coalfields, community, flat top, General Assembly, governors, Graham, marriage, Pin Hook, Thomas Graham, Virginia, West Virginia
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One God, Many Churches
In 1998 the District Superintendent of the United Methodist District where I was serving retired from active ministry. Some of us felt bad for him since he had chosen to retire from a district instead of a church where he … Continue reading
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Tagged atheism, Baptist, catholic, christian, Christianity, Church, denominations, faith traditions, lutheran, Methodist, non-belief, pastors, presbyterian, Spirituality, traditions, volunteers
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Chewing Gum and the Rapture
I don’t know when I first became aware that little blobs of pink on the bottom of the church chairs was actually chewing gum. But I am sure I saw some the night Pastor Steve came to preach. The minister … Continue reading
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Tagged Baptist, concert prayer, East Tennessee, hairspray, Jesus, Juicy Fruit, polyester, prayer, preacher, revival, Southwest Virginia, Sunday
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Church Music
In the words of the Book of Hebrews: “Jesus Christ is the same, yesterday, today, and forever.” But church music has changed a lot in my lifetime. I was raised in a small United Methodist Church near Kingsport, Tennessee, in … Continue reading
Going Native: Reflections on Mixed Ancestry
There was a time when you had to hide your ancestral identity if you had anything other than European roots. Persons with any other genetic heritage were considered in some degree of lesser status than the “majority” of the population. Therefore families like mine had to hide their roots, whitewashing them with stories of origin that were nothing but fiction. Continue reading
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Tagged Baptist, Brent Kennedy, Cherokee, genealogy, Indian, Ku Klux Klan, Melungeon, Methodist, Mixed race, Native American, racism
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Confused, Bewildered, and Embarrassed
To hear the name “Bockie” in my home was to pause in reverence, then to cackle with laughter. Bockie died a full seventeen years before I was even born, but his presence lingered far beyond his mortality. Bockie was so … Continue reading
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Tagged Baptist, bootlegger, Church, Methodist, pot belly stove, state line, Tennessee, valley, Virginia
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