Who isn’t ready for a good story with a big dose of humanity dumped in? I’d like to give you one today.

This story is about Robert G. LeTourneau. I’m embarrassed to say I had never heard of him until this last week when I found him in the pages of David Jeremiah’s devotional – Moments with God. I became intrigued and did some internet research.

Robert was born in Vermont in 1888 but spent his early years in Duluth Minnesota. In his teens he moved to Portland, OR and began working as an apprentice ironmonger at the East Portland Iron Works. While learning the foundry and machinist trades, he studied mechanics from an International Correspondence School course that had been given to him. He learned from this course, but never completed one assignment. He also learned how to weld and became familiar with the application of electricity. Throughout his young life he worked many different jobs including woodcutting, bricklaying, farming, mining and carpentry. I would describe him as an on hands kind of guy.

Along the way, Robert was offered a job repairing a crawler-tractor. The owner/rancher must have been impressed with the young man when he saw smoke rising from the smoke-stack for he then hired Robert to level 40 acres using that tractor and a towed scraper. RG realized while working on this job, that he found this big machinery exciting and fun. In 1920, he began his own business as a regrading contractor by purchasing a used tractor and hiring a scraper. The next year he purchased a plot of land in Stockton, CA and built an engineering workshop, where he designed and built several types of scrapers.

In 1935, Robert built a manufacturing plant in Peoria, IL and later in Toccoa, GA, Rydalmere, New South Wales, Australia, Vicksburg, Mississippi, and Longview, TX. These factories would go on to supply nearly 70% of the earthmoving equipment and engineering vehicles used by the Allied forces during WWII. This seems amazing in itself, but then I also learn that Robert was awarded 300 patents for his innovations in earthmoving equipment, manufacturing processes and machine tools. 300! That’s impressive in my book.

Just when you think the story can’t get much better – it does.

When interviewed by writers and asked what made his business successful, Robert told them all – “God runs my business.” He would eventually become known as God’s Businessman.” Many of his 6000 employees would tell how Mr. LeTourneau would walk around with a slide ruler in one hand and a Bible in the other. He lived Matthew 6:33 – Seek first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness, and all these things will be added unto you. The verse was so much “him” that it is inscribed on his statue located on the campus of LeTourneau University in Longview, TX.

According to biographers, RG and his wife, Evelyn, (in fact, it was her idea) gave 90 percent of their income to Christian charities, leaving the remaining 10 percent to live on. They had a combined heart to reach others with the saving grace of the Gospel. LeTourneau University – an interdenominational evangelical Christian school was founded by Mr. and Mrs. LeTourneau in 1946 and was then known as LeTourneau Technical Institute. It’s initial goal was to educate veterans returning from WWII.

Before you begin to think that the LeTourneaus’ lives were never touched by hardships, think again. In 1927, at age 40, RG was $100,000 (1.5 million in today’s economy) in debt when a large construction job went bad. But by grit and hard work that was characteristic of RG, by 1959, the LeTourneau Foundation was worth $40 million.

And just when you think this has to be the end of the story – it gets better.

RG struggled in school – so much that he dropped out when he was in the 6th grade and went to work instead. All of these great accomplishments came through the mind of someone that never made it into Junior High. That slide ruler he carried around was a self taught instrument. I hate to admit, I had trouble with that thing even under the tutorship of an algebra teacher. What this story taught me is that when there’s meaningful motivation and a willingness to keep God in the driver’s seat, we can do anything. Let’s not sell ourselves short.

Until next time, keep on readin’ and I’ll keep on writin’.

I have a comfortable average sized guest room with a large closet. It sits adjacent to the second bathroom. No one uses this bedroom unless I have a guest. Except for a dusting, it’s always ready for someone. I keep clean sheets on the bed and bath towels in the closet. There is minimal preparation needed would I get a call from someone wanting to spend the night, as I did this last week when a high school friend was passing through.

Miriam Huffman Rockness, Christian author and pastor’s wife, has quite a different story to tell about a particular host she encountered many years ago. She and a friend were assigned to this certain residence after their high school choir group had put on a concert – too far away to return home for the night. Miriam and her friend had no idea what to expect once they arrived at the host’s home, but she admits that any fantasies of grandeur were dashed when they stepped through the elderly woman’s doorway. She describes the place as shabby and crowded. The old lady was pleasant enough but even the hot chocolate she graciously served was not enough to take away the Canadian chill of the unheated apartment.

I can imagine these teenage girls may have felt put upon. They had after all, came into the community to share their talents, and in so doing, had given up their nice cozy homes and beds. All they were hoping for was a decent place to lodge for the night.

The choir members had all been instructed by their leaders that “service” did not end with the concert but extended into the homes of those that volunteered to house them. Miriam and her friend tried to suppress yawns as their host produced pictures of her geographically distant family and told stories of each one.

Finally, they were shown to their tiny room with a double bed, separated only by a curtain from the kitchen. Once the woman finished cleaning up the kitchen, the house became quiet. The girls assumed she had gone off to her room.

In the night, Miriam woke and needed to use the bathroom. She tried her best to feel her way through the pitch-black kitchen but stumbled into a large object. Once her eyes readjusted to the moonlight coming through the small window, she peered at the object. To her utter surprise it was the old lady, fully dressed and wrapped in a blanket – asleep in a straight chair.

I Peter 4:9 tell us to offer hospitality without grumbling. My idea of hospitality is so far removed from this woman’s in the story. What I have to offer are “extras” I seldom use, but this woman gave of herself and all that she owned to give someone else a bed for the night. I give a wee morsel compared to her. What an impressive reminder of how little I give and how much more I could be doing.

Until next time – keep on readin’ and I’ll keep on writin’.

(Miriam Huffman Rockness story taken from “Opening Windows” – a collection of stories from various authors.)

I have never been partial to bugs of any kind. You may remember my blog about ticks and how I and my siblings would pull the engorged ones from behind the ears of our dog. We would pop them with a pliers to see how far the blood would shoot. As a young child, I would sit cross-legged on the south side of our farmhouse where the daddy long legs liked to hang out on the warm foundation. I hate to admit it, but for whatever reason, I found it entertaining to pull a leg off of the spider and watch how it could still scurry up the wall without an appendage. (My siblings were not involved in this venture. I’m sure I felt some guilt and shame about this and didn’t wish to admit my fixation.) And of course, I have swatted my fair share of deerflies and houseflies along with listened to the crunch of beetles and crickets beneath my shoes.

But now, I’m nearing my seventh decade, and my thoughts seem to be getting scrambled in my head. Not overall – but regarding bugs. I am finding them quite amazing. I wonder if God is showing me that no matter how insignificant we feel at times, we always have something amazing to offer.

Here’s a few astonishing features of our little creeping companions that you may not know:

1. The cochineal insect is loaded with a beautiful crimson fluid that gives us the red dye that is used in our textiles, cosmetics, and yes…even foods. (When smothering your hamburger in ketchup, you can thank the cochineal insect for that nice red color.)
2. Bees are not only useful for pollination. Their venom is being used to treat arthritis, sclerosis, and tendonitis.
3. Praying mantis eat the bigger agricultural damaging insects and lady bugs feast on the smaller ones.
4. The silkworm greatly affected human history. When the Chinese used them to develop silk, the silk trade connected China to the rest of the world.
5. Although an ancient practice, the use of maggots to treat gangrene is still being employed today. Maggots only eat dead flesh so do an excellent job of debriding wounds.

This list is only the benefits of a select few insects. Experts tell us that less than1% of insects are considered harmful. Www.sciencefocus.com tells us that it takes 200,000 insects to raise a swallow chick to adulthood. And without any insects at all, most birds and amphibian species would be extinct in two months.

What can I say? It looks like God had a good plan when he created these miniature organisms. It might be best for us and our environment if we can learn to live with them. Let them also remind ourselves that no one is insignificant. We all have a role to play in God’s plan.

Until next time….keep on readin’ and I’ll keep on writin’.

Early scales were balance scales, consisting of a beam with a pivot point and two pans hanging from each end. Objects were placed on one pan and weights on the other until the two pans balanced, indicating that the weights were equal. The earliest known center-beam scales were used by Egyptians in 1878 BC.

I remember the use of scales from an early age. We would go to town once a week to do our weekly shopping. Nearly every business we went into had a scale and I soon realized these devices were very important. Our first stop was often the hardware store. Dad would grab a handful of nails out of the bin and place them into the scoop on the scale. He would write the weight on the paper bag and the clerk would calculate the cost at the register. Our next stop was the grocery store. This time, I tagged along with Mom. She would put her apples in the pan of the scale and once the arrow was still, she would mentally tally how much the apples were going to cost. If it was more than she liked, one would go back into the bin. The pie would still be flavorful, but not quite as robust. Our last stop in town was always the Coop. Dad would drive up onto the weighbridge. The attendant inside would weigh us (the truck plus all its contents), then give Dad a two-finger salute and a smile when he was finished. (That’s Sandhills sign language for “pull ahead.”) Dad would drive forward towards the loading augers, pulling directly under the spout.

Scales have advanced over my lifetime, just as most other things have. Now, most scales are digital and use what’s called Strain Gauge technology. Instead of using a metal or wooden beam, they use transducer beams that are specially engineered to bend in proportion to the weight of the load placed on the scale, making them exceptionally accurate.

In Biblical times scales would have been used for much the same things they are today. It’s not hard to imagine scales at many booths in the open market. Figs, pomegranates, and precious metals may have been a few things sold by weight. Just like today, the more the item weighed the greater its value. In our culture this concept has overlapped onto even those things that are not weighed on a scale…the more powerful, wealthier, and famous one seems to be, the more value we allot to that person.

Imagine now that you have you been invited to step up onto God’s scale. Surely, God will be pleased with the accomplishments that have brought you wealth and prestige. But, to your astonishment, the scale does not move. How can this be, you ask? We only need to look as far as Psalm 62:9. From the greatest to the lowliest – all are nothing in his sight. If you weigh them on the scales, they are lighter than a puff of air. God’s scale obviously measures differently. Those that have obtained power, wealth, or prestige carry no more weight than the homeless man under the bridge. What then, does His scale measure? We find that answer in Eph. 5:22-23. It’s not apples, but spiritual fruit. Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, and self-control – those are the things that “weigh” to God. It’s not impossible to tip God’s scale, but it won’t be with power, prestige, and wealth.

Until next time – keep on readin’ and I’ll keep on writin.’

I like old pictures. I’m not sure why. Maybe, it’s the mystery involved with them. I can think of a hundred questions when I look at the familial display of old pictures hanging in my hallway. Did my great- grandmother in the late 1800’s have more than the one good dress she is wearing? How much fabric went into that outfit? How hard was it to talk my great-grandfather into dressing up and getting his picture taken? What’s with all the mustaches in the group photo of the great-greats and greats? But what I’m always most curious about is – why so serious? Most of my family from both sides were Christians and there’s plenty to say in the Bible about joy…like Psalm 32:11: Be glad in the Lord, and rejoice…shout for joy! My great-grandfather on my Dad’s side was a pastor. My great-grandmother on my Mom’s side never went to the storm shelter without her Bible. But, you’d never know it by looking at their pictures – they looked every bit as sullen as the rest of the sour group.

It’s so different than how we do pictures today. We all know the photographer is going so say “smile” when she’s ready to snap the picture and we comply. We look like we are loving life, even if it’s not quite so on that particular day. So what has changed in a few generations?

Was life so very hard for my ancestors that they didn’t feel they could smile, even for photos? This was a bothersome thought for me; especially since I keep a quiver full of coping mechanisms based around humor, smiles and laughter. It was unimaginable to me that folks were so downtrodden that they couldn’t bring themselves to smile for the few seconds it takes to snap a picture. I wasn’t ready to accept that concept. It was time to dig deeper and unearth the real truth about these solemn expressions.

I grabbed my coffee cup and my smart phone and sat down to do some in depth reading on the matter. I never expect to rely on just one source so I settled into my favorite chair to do research. The more articles I read, the more my face relaxed. I began to wish I had researched this a long time ago. It would have saved me needless concern. I must apologize to my great-grandfather pastor and my Bible toting great-grandmother for my ill thoughts of their questionable hypocrisy. What I discovered in my research was that in those days of early photography development, it took several minutes to take a photo because cameras relied on slow chemical reactions. A smile was more difficult to hold for a long period of time, so people grimaced or looked very serious. We snap a picture in less then a second in today’s world. My question was answered…it was photography that changed and that makes me smile.

Until next time….keep on readin’ and I’ll keep on writin’.