thesis point twenty-one

The Greek word for elder is presbuteros which means Senior Citizen, Grey Haired Person or Old Man. Less than 10% of churches in America have appointed Elders as instructed in the Bible to help oversee and consult in the operations of the church based on my own personal research. Many churches are appointing "mere lads"  to be Elders contrary to what a true Elder is supposed to be according to the Bible's definition. PCA churches are appointing young men right out of their seminaries to be Elders in the churches they oversee. Many of these men are in their twenties, have no practical work experience, been married and raised their children to adulthood. This is heresy in my opinion. How can it not be?

Southern Baptists are the largest Protestant denomination in the world and they do not appoint Elders to oversee their operations.

Please note that Elders do not have authority over anyone in the body of Christ. They are there to be consultants or mentors to younger members of the Body of Christ because they are the ones who have "been there done that" so to speak. We all need someone older than us to help us better understand the problems we face each day.

Who better to consult than a Senior Citizen, right?

My maternal Grandfather was my greatest mentor in life. He, more than any other man I have ever known, demonstrated to me what it is to be like Jesus. I spent my summer vacations with him each year as a child. He and my Grandmother had a farm in the country on Lake Griffin in Leesburg, FL. He owned the property on both sides of US Highway 441 amounting to many acres of land. He also owned many acres in Lady Lake near where the Villages are now where he raised Hereford beef cattle and had over 300 acres of Orange Groves. My mom inherited the land where the Harley Davidson Dealership sits now. She sold the property to them right before she died. My mom was born and raised in the house where the Mrs. Shawnee Psychic is now. My Grandfather passed on his "Evergreen Ferneries" business up the hill on Fern Drive to his son Frank, Jr. My Uncle Frank then passed "Evergreen" unto his son, my first cousin, Gordon. Isn't interesting that I named my pest control company, Mastergreen?

Here is what my Grandfather taught me that has stuck with me until now...

•  He taught me how to shoot a gun, hunt and fish.
•  He taught me how to manage a farm.
•  He taught me how to operate a car, boat, tractor and other farm equipment.
• He taught me how to be responsible for my actions.
• He taught me not to make excuses for my mistakes. My Granddaddy told me, “Excuses are like assholes we all have one”. 
• He taught me how to fix and build things using all kinds of different tools.
• He taught me to have a positive attitude and there is nothing I can't accomplish if I set my mind to it.
• He taught me to be myself and not let anyone else try to change who God made me to be.
• He taught me to let my actions speak louder than my words.
• He taught me to never give up and count ourselves blessed when we go through trying times because they teach us certain truths we would not learn if we did not go through them.
• He taught me not to let the naysayers talk me out of achieving my dreams.
• He taught me the importance of delaying gratification because the best things in life we have to wait for like the Rapture.
• He taught me how to have good manners.
• He taught me my strong work ethic.
• He taught me there is no such thing as a free lunch because if you don't work you don't eat! This is the first time I heard the phrase, "Money does not grow on trees". 
• He taught me not to be prejudiced towards black people. He called them colored people who lived in "Colored Town" in Leesburg.
• He taught me to always treat people with respect especially those who are older and those who have authority over me.
• He taught me to live and let live. In other words, MIND MY OWN BUSINESS!
• He taught me not to talk behind people's backs.
• He taught me to never bad mouth my competition.
• He taught me the importance of being charitable. He was a big donor to Florida Sheriff's Youth Ranch. It use to be called "Boy's Ranch".  I am guessing they must now include girls just like the Boy Scouts are doing.
• He taught me to manage my time and how valuable time is to other people so "never be late".
• He taught me what it is to be a gentleman around women.
• He taught me, "you have to learn the ropes of life before you can consider yourself to be man". I don't think I was fully a man in my mind until age 24.
• And more than anything else, my Granddaddy taught me what it is to be a man and not to be afraid to stand up for what is right in the eyes of God like standing up for our National Anthem.

My Granddaddy was a registered Republican when most men in the South were registered Democrats. My Dad (born in Louisiana) was a registered Democrat and he was very prejudiced towards Afro-Americans. He seemed proud that our ancestors owned slaves in the South. My Grandfather would post bail for any of his "colored" help if they were thrown in jail, usually for something like public intoxication and the like. I remember riding with him into what he called "colored town" and picking up his workers and everyone would be yelling "Hey Mr. Pemble, how ya doing"? The black community loved and respected my Grandfather very much.

The man my Grandfather taught me to be is a feminist's worst nightmare. That's why they hate me so much. That's why they hate President Trump so much as well. They hate us because we are everything a feminist is not. Sigmund Freud called this "penis envy".

I can't thank my Grandfather enough for how much he helped me to be who I am today. After reflecting on all of these points that came to mind, I now realize everyone of these principles are taught in the Bible. I do not ever remember him quoting these principles from a Bible verse.

He demonstrated these truths in action for me.

What my Grandfather taught me is called "Old School". It is this mindset that the “liberal progressive elites" are trying to bury with falsehoods. Everyone needs an older person in their life to help them be a better person. I hope I can be that person for you. Another significant issue in our culture is that parents do not teach their children to respect their elders anymore. Remember Rodney Dangerfield? "I don't get no respect". Bruce Willis most certainly gets no respect from his peers. I personally believe the number one attribute of love is showing respect for everyone regardless of our differences in opinion. Do you agree with this?

When the church lacks Elders in the oversight of its operations, it loses Godly wisdom in its direction.

I do not hear Pastor's preach on this topic. Have you?

No other man (other than Jesus) has had such a positive impact on my life. I believe all boys growing up need to have an elderly man mentor them on what it is to be like Jesus in the way we think, talk and transact in life. Let me share a story about my Grandfather and how colorful his speech was. I must have been about ten years old when he told me this joke. It goes like this...

An elderly widower took off on his daily trip to the grocery store by means of City bus. He forgot his grocery list so he tried to refresh his memory on what was on it. He completed his shopping and got on the bus to return home. The old man starts to go through his shopping bags to see if he got everything he came for. As he speaks to himself he starts naming each item in the bag ... milk, bread, eggs, lunch meat, aspirins ... silently to himself he says, "Oh No! I forgot my aspirins". Once he realizes the gravity of his mistake he starts yelling out loud, "MY ASSBURNS! MY ASSBURNS! Then you hear the bus driver yell back, "IF IT BURNS THAT MUCH STICK IT OUT THE WINDOW".

I guess I'm a "Chip off the Old Block".

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