A
Light
In The
Darkness Insights of a Christian Southern Gentleman
C . E R N I E N I V E N S
A Light in the Darkness
Insights of a Christian Southern Gentleman
Copyright © 2009 by C. Ernie Nivens
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or
transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical,
including photocopying, recording or by any information
storage and retrieval system without written permission from the
publisher, except for the inclusion of quotations in a review.
Published by:
C. Ernie Nivens
Gastonia, NC 28054
Cover design and interior layout: www.TheBookProducer.com
Printed in the United States of America
ISBN: 978-0-9819419-0-5
AUTHOR’S NOTE: These stories have been collected over
the years from the influence of a variety of places and sources
throughout my life. It is impossible to credit every person who
has inspired me, or whose material and thoughts inspired me
without an acknowledgment. My thanks to those who have assisted
me in generating a few of these ideas and stories.
Dedication
I honor my wife, Rosemarie, and our three daughters,
Cathy, Noelle, and Emily.
Without their love and commitment I probably
would not be here to publish this book.
I also in memoriam salute my father and mother:
Cecil J. and Vivian M. Nivens.
As a young man, they taught me to have faith,
how to love, and to dream boldly!
Also my beloved brother,
Dennis E. “Sandy” Nivens
Foreword
I value the privilege and opportunity of commending these
unique stories, events and “word pictures” from the life and
ministry of my brother in Christ, C. Ernie Nivens. The reader
will discover that these writings “light up” and “open up” wide
tracts of the Bible to all of us who sometimes find ourselves
treading only the well-trodden paths. Here we have the fruit of a
very great deal of labor. That the labor was joyfully done is crystal
clear. These pages literally breathe energy, excitement and hope.
Ernie invites us to get in touch with the intended meanings of
the biblical text and pursue those meanings not only through
the experiences of the biblical writers, but also through our
own everyday experiences. His love for God’s Word is very evident.
His readiness for his convictions, shaped by many years
of experience, to be reshaped is challenging. His humility is
genuine. He has brought the acute mind of a good pastor and
businessman into dialogue with Holy Scriptures. We have here
much more than a faithful Christian’s “work notes.” We have
A LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS! Again and again, we are
reminded that the “mind of Christ” will mark the people of
God, only as lives committed to God’s world are also committed
to God’s Word.
Dr. George E. Morris
Senior Professor of World Mission and Evangelism
The World Methodist Council
Acknowledgements
I have to first acknowledge my wife, Rosemarie and daughter,
Noelle who tirelessly typed and edited this manuscript. I
cannot thank them enough.
I recognize Dr. Alan Walker, who is in the glorious church
above, Dr. George E. Morris and Eddie Fox who schooled me
in the majestic theology of evangelism of john Wesley.
I offer my tribute to my United Methodist ministerial team: Rev.
George Freeman, Dr. Jim Westmoreland, Rev. Angela Burris,
and Rev. C.B. Barr. Their frequent appearances in my hospital
room enabled me to see the face of God in each of them.
I also have to recognize my business family: Bill Humbarger,
Indianola, Mississippi my Presbyterian brother; Warren Budd,
Newnan Georgia, who is probably my cousin and is a great
Patriot; Jim Erben, Austin, Texas (who successfully defeated
cancer this past year), Scott McGuire, Shreveport, Louisiana,
who is a constant cheerleader for me; Rosie Franklin, Charlotte,
NC who was a great prayer warrior during my accident time;
Wayne Helms, Rock Hill South Carolina, my first year mentor;
Gene Sullivan, Rock Hill South Carolina, who is a source of encouragement
and entertainment for me; Jesse “Buck” McQuay,
Charlotte, North Carolina, who has served as my persistent
coach over 19 years; and Thomas Herlong, Johnston, South
Carolina, whose merging of faith and work create quite an example.
I salute Wes Morris, Kingsport, Tennessee and Boyd
Phillips of Marion, North Carolina who I have mentored for a
number of years and are my two cheerful sons.
I appreciate and recognize Titus Greene, my client who has
become like an older brother to me. His effervescent joy is a
contagion to all who know him.
I owe my appreciation to Mark Skillestad, Gastonia, North
Carolina, my client and good friend who sat with me countless
hours this past year in my hospital room. His joy, willing ear
and presence helped me fill many otherwise lonely hours.
Most importantly I thank my Great God who has enabled me
to regain my health, cognitive creativity and physical strength.
Therefore I am able to complete this dream of mine.
Contents
All Tied Up . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Aprons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Applying the Presence . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Be a Rainbow for Someone . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Be Careful Who You Follow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Be Who You Are . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Be Careful What You Believe . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
Burn Away the Sludge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Deafened By the Circumstances of Life . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
Bury the Hatchet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
By My Side . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
Break It Some More . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
The Constancy of Change . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
The Christian Rhythm . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
Daddy’s Live in Us . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
Diving In . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
Diving to the Rainbow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
Evangels of Care . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
Friend of the Witness . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
From Pain to Joy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
The Future Isn’t What It Used to Be . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51
The Game Is Not Over Yet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53
Getting Scorched in the Rear . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55
Getting Tuned Up . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57
Heavenly Dusters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59
Handmade Evangelism . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60
Heaven Will Be a Great Place . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62
Hoboes in the Night . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64
If You Play with Fire . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66
I Have a Dream . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68
I Have a Great Opportunity for You . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70
Immortal Diamond . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72
Is This the Place? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74
A Letter to My Daughters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77
A Letter to Noelle in the 5th Month of Pregnancy . . . . . . . . 80
A Light in the Darkness . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82
Let Your ‘Yes’ Be ‘Yes’ and Your ‘No’ Be ‘No’ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84
Let Your Light Shine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86
Listen to the Music . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89
Love Now . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91
Loving Father?? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93
Merry Noelle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95
More Than Adequate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98
The Need Is Urgent! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100
Nothing Can Stop It!! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102
Making Some Corrections and Adjustments . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104
One Shovel at a Time . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106
Offering Your “Thumb” to a Funeral Procession . . . . . . . . . . 108
The Opera Ain’t Over! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 110
“Play Ball!!” . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 112
The Reality of the Changed Life . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115
Rainbows Come After the Storm . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 117
Reach Out and Touch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 119
Real Gift Giving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 121
Relaxed Power . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123
The Risk of Between . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 125
“ROGER...THROTTLE UP” . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 127
Slow Down and Enjoy the Trip . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 129
The Sign Has Not Changed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .131
Someone Is Watching You . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 133
Smiling Nemani of Fiji . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 135
Staying in the Game . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 141
Sharing a Magic Potion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 144
Shoot for the Moon: Think Big – Dream Big – Work Big . . 146
Some of Our Favorite Little Things . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 150
Surprise!! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 151
The Talking Church . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 153
A Thankful Thanksgiving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 155
To the Least of Them . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 157
A Tribute to a Mother . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 159
What’s in Your TV??. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 161
When You Wish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 163
What Seagulls Teach Us . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 165
You May Have Already Won . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 167
Your Silence Is So Loud. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 169
We Are So Squeezable . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 172
We Could Not Do Without You . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 173
We Have Not Been Left Alone!. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 175
We Have Not Been Robbed. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 177
What Happens in Us . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 179
When You Come to the Detour. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 181
With One Person and God . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 184
About the Author . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 191
But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood,
a holy nation, a people to be his very own and to
proclaim the wonderful deeds of the One who called
you out of darkness into his marvelous light.
1 Peter 2:9
11
All Tied Up
When I was in high school at Rock Hill High School I
could not play football. Having asthma prohibited me
from playing the sports that I wanted so badly to play. I volunteered
to be the manager of the football team.
That’s the guy who tapes up player’s ankles and takes water
out to the players during time outs. Generally he just assists
the players as they prepare for the games and during the games
he provides first aid, encouragement and with refreshment. I
loved being a manager. I even attended a manager school at
the University of South Carolina for a weekend so I could be
a better manager.
My junior year our football team was very strong. There is nothing
like the team spirit that a football team shares. All the players
become one large family and the coach becomes the Daddy. We
had such a great spirit that year I wanted to find someway to
unite us and to pull together the spirit during a game.
So on the bus as we traveled to that week’s game, I took a long
white shoestring. I took it around to each player and asked
them to tie a knot in it. Player after player, knot after knot was
formed. When they were through, it was a short shoestring
that was knots from one end to the other. Then I took it to the
A Light In The Darkness
12
quarterback, Dennis Partlow. Dennis was one of my heroes
and today he still is.
I encouraged Dennis as the quarterback to wear this on his
belt as a symbol to the whole team that everybody is pulling
together and we are in this knot together. Well, it really
inspired the team and started a tradition that week after week
game after game they would say, “Where is Ernie with the
knot string?” I then made my way to every player letting them
tie their own knot in the string that the quarterback would
wear and lead us to another win that week.
I will never forget that year as that team pulled together symbolized
by the knot. Maybe this is an idea that we should
follow today. When we go to church we all could take time
to tie a knot in a long rope or in our businesses we take time
to tie knots in a long shoestring. Perhaps in a family once a
year, maybe on Mother’s birthday or Mother or Father’s day
or during Christmas we could take time to tie our knots as a
family into a string that is then hung on the Christmas tree
each year, just an idea.
Life doesn’t have to tie us in knots, we can use knots to demonstrate
how we are tied to each other. I always told my girls
to keep in mind who your family is. Don’t forget your last
name. Remember the family that knows you the best, also,
loves you the most.
That is true of our birth families, our church families, and
often prayerfully our work families. Maybe you can take this
idea to your family and encourage them all to tie a knot to
show your union.
13
The principal use of my Grandmother’s apron was to protect
the dress underneath, but along with that, it served as a potholder
for removing hot pans from the oven.
It was wonderful for drying children’s tears, and on occasion
was even used for cleaning out dirty ears.
From the chicken coop, the apron was used for carrying eggs,
fussy chicks, and sometimes half-hatched eggs to be finished
in the warming oven.
When company came, those aprons were ideal hiding places
for shy kids.
And when the weather was cold, grandma wrapped it around
her arms.
Those big old aprons wiped many a perspiring brow, bent over
the hot wood stove.
Chips and kindling wood were brought into the kitchen in
that apron.
Aprons
I don’t think many of our kids today know what an apron is.
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14
From the garden, it carried all sorts of vegetables. After the
peas had been shelled, it carried out the hulls.
In the fall, the apron was used to bring in apples that had fallen
from the trees.
When unexpected company drove up the road, it was surprising
how much furniture that old apron could dust in a matter
of seconds.
When dinner was ready, Grandmother walked out onto the
porch, waved her apron, and the men knew it was time to come
in from the fields to dinner.
It will be a long time before someone invents something that
will replace that “old-time apron” that served so many purposes.
Grandmother used to set her hot baked apple pies on the
window sill to cool. Her granddaughters set theirs on the
window sill to thaw.
Southernstyle Christianity echoes from generation to generation.
It is faith based on the core of the Gospel. In the following
pages we will discover and re-discover what Southernstyle
Christianity is all about. Read on.
15
Applying the Presence
One of the joys of my past life when I was a parish minister
for 20 years was serving as a Church Consultant with
Churches around the country and even internationally. I remember
going to one Church and the whole time I was there
people kept saying to me, “You need to go meet Suzie. Before
you leave town make sure you have seen Suzie.”
After hearing so much about Suzie I couldn’t wait. Finally the
local minister rode me one afternoon out to see Suzie. He told
me on the way out that she was handicapped and was bedridden
24 hours a day.
Her brother was an electronics wizard. He had wired the house
where she lived. I was amazed when we went up on the porch,
rang the doorbell, and this voice came out of this box above
the doorbell that said “hello.” Then she said “Hey, preacher,
both of you come on in.” The minister kind of pointed up and
I thought he was talking about God for a moment. I looked up
and saw the camera that was over our heads.
We walked down the hallway and then took a right into the bedroom
where Suzie was. She was sitting up in a hospital type bed.
She had no legs and no arms. My heart was stricken with empathy
for her. After chatting for a few minutes, she invited me to
come closer to her and stand beside where she was in the bed.
A Light In The Darkness
16
She learned that I was to preach that evening at her Church
and she asked me what I was going to preach. I explained in
a few minutes what my topic was and the gist of what I was
going to say that evening. She said, “Oh that’s great.”
She told me to come closer. In front of her there was placed on
the bed a slanted board that had her bible open on it. Beside it
was a little shelf and pencil. She leaned over with her mouth,
she grabbed the pencil with the eraser pointed toward the bible
and she started flipping pages with her head. She would turn
to verse after verse where she had underlined the verses and
talked to me about how much the verses meant to her.
After hearing eight verses or so I stopped her and I said “Suzie,
help me understand. Beside these verses you have written two
letters beside each of them, a T and a P. May I ask you what
that means?” She put the pencil down and just laughed. She
said “Oh yes Ernie, T, P, I’ll be glad to tell you.”
She said, “Everyone of these verses I have applied to my life.
I have found that they have been tried and proven, tried and
proven. That’s the way my faith is with God. With me God
has been tried and proven.”
I hope one day He can say that Suzie had been tried and found
proven. I’ve got to tell you that I left that day a better man than
the one who went there.
I’ve thought many times about Suzie and her tried and proven
method. I would encourage us today that as we live this life
with its mountains and valleys to always remember that God’s
faith and God’s presence with us has already been tried and
proven. It’s only left to us to apply His presence.
17
Be a Rainbow for Someone
One of the highlights of our vacation in New York was our
visit to Niagara Falls. On our first night there we stood
by the American Falls and felt the pulsating power cascading
around us. Our next day plans included the ride on the “Maid
of the Mist” boat to the foot of the Horseshoe Falls.
After getting into our places on the boat, we put on our protective
rain gear. The boat headed straight for the base of the
majestic falls. The closer we got the slower we moved. Water
was showering all about us and we couldn’t hear each other over
the tumultuous thunder.
Suddenly we broke through the curtain into a place of peace.
Behind us the water rolled from above and the sides. Ahead
the falls were so close we sensed we could reach out for a touch.
There was a sense of peace which must be like being in the eye
of a hurricane.
Looking up, beautifully arched over our heads, was a rainbow.
The wonder of it all filled our eyes with tears. I held my breath
and listened closely for I knew that at any moment some great
choir would break out in Handel’s “Hallelujah Chorus.” There
was peace in the midst of the storm!
A Light In The Darkness
18
Isn’t that a powerful parable of spiritual reality? So many
times we are caught in the thunder and power of life’s perplexities
so that when it seems we can’t bear much more...
peace breaks in upon us.
It is difficult to see rainbows from the backside of the cloud.
We are encouraged simply to press on, trusting the Rainbow-
Maker. The Rainbow Maker never fails!
Storms pass, thunder rolls over the horizon and rainbows
await...promises come true. When the rainbow appears it “hosannas”
back and forth across the gray-black sky.
Dear friend, trust God! If you are caught in the thunder, stand
in the assurance that a rainbow is coming your way. In the
meantime, be a rainbow for someone else.
19
Be Careful Who You Follow
There’s a wonderful story that comes from the White
House when Calvin Coolidge was President. He invited
some mid-Western farmers to supper in the East Dining
Room. They were quite insecure about social graces so they
decided to follow the President’s lead. When he ordered soup,
they ordered soup. He took a soup spoon; they counted off
and got the right spoon. He ordered fish; they ordered fish,
and so on.
After dinner he ordered hot tea; they didn’t like hot tea but
ordered it anyway. He put sugar in his, so did they. He poured
cream; they added cream. He poured some in a saucer. They
looked at each other then repeated. Then the President put his
saucer down for the cat!
The mistake of our age is to follow human idols: stage, screen,
singers, sports, etc. Just because a certain celebrity drinks Pepsi
is not a sufficient reason for us to do so! We are all stained with
sin. “All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.”
Each week it seems that some prominent nationally known
figure is repenting on our TV screen. We wag our heads and
wonder what “the world is coming to.” The world “is coming
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20
to” what it always has. The history of humankind from the
Garden of Eden to present has been a series of episodes of
people trying to be their own God. That includes us.
It is time for us to look that fact squarely in the eye. Sin is
not lying, cheating and murdering. We, humans, lie, cheat and
murder because we are sinners. We need God’s forgiveness,
grace, and strength that comes through faith and following
Jesus Christ.
Indeed, let’s be careful not to follow other people! Christ is
the only One worthy to follow. Now is a time to challenge our
focus.
21
Be Who You Are
In growing up in Rock Hill, South Carolina, I had a cousin
who lived up the street from me. I knew him as “Junior.”
Everyone in our family called him “Junior.” He was mentally
challenged but could always be seen riding his bicycle all
around town. He had lost most of his teeth, but every time he
saw me in the yard, he would stop and give me a big smile. We
would talk and laugh. I thought the world of “Junior.”
My heart was broken when I learned that throughout the
town, he was not known by “Junior” or called “Junior” but
rather somebody had given him the nickname of “Acorn.” It
hurt my feelings horribly to think of my favorite cousin by the
name of “Acorn.” I refused to call him that.
He was always “Junior” to me. I think there’s an important
lesson there for us that we should not let the world decide who
we are, but to be who we are, not some name of an oak tree
seed, but the creation that God has made and placed here in
this world.
As my Daddy used to say to me, “Remember your last name.
Be who you are.”
22
Be Careful What You Believe
I heard some years ago about a man who worked in a railroad
yard in Virginia. It is said that his particular job was
to make sure at the end of the day that each refrigerated boxcar’s
doors were closed. Then no cold air from the refrigeration
units would be wasted. At the end of one day, he was closing
the doors. One boxcar’s door was jammed, and he could not
get it closed. So he got up in the car and worked with the door
until he freed the jam. The door slammed shut. Unfortunately
he could not get out.
He was locked in the boxcar all night long. His family worried
when he didn’t come home. His coworkers, thinking he had
already left, went to their homes. They found him the next
morning in that boxcar. He was dead. This refrigerated car
would normally have sustained a temperature of about 32 to
38 degrees, but its refrigeration unit was broken. The worker
didn’t know that.
They found him on the wooden floor of the car with messages
scratched into the floor’s surface. The first message said, “I am
freezing to death.” “Tell my family I love them; I am dying,”
was the second message. And then, he died. The temperature
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C. Ernie Nivens
that night never got colder than 53 degrees outside and 55
degrees inside the car.
He thought he was freezing to death, and convinced of that
fact in his mind, he froze to death.
Now here is the point of this story. What happens to us is not
as important as what happens in us. In our world there are a
number of challenges. Sometimes we are rejected. Sometimes
we give a lot of time and concern trying to help someone only
to have them shut it down with no results. That’s the life of a
caring Christian.
Not everyone wants to hear Good News. We have to keep
remembering that every event has some teaching measure to
it. We have to remember what happened to this man in the
Virginia railroad yard; his lesson applies. Indeed, what happens
to us is not as important as what happens in us.
24
Burn Away the Sludge
I love being Southern! Our life and culture is full of celebrations,
large and small. Having lived around South Carolina,
I have gotten to do some amazing things: flounder gigging,
cooking (and eating) chicken bog, shrimping with a cast net,
tracking deer, fishing for red breast bream, flying an airplane
over Table Rock mountain, hanging tobacco, digging Puerto
Rican sweet potatoes, and the list goes on.
When there is a nip in the air I think of Guy McCullough. For
three years I “helped” Guy make home-made molasses. That
means that I kinda hung around and followed his instructions.
There’s a real art to cooking “‘lasses.”
Good molasses come as a result of carefully processed stages. The
cane sorghum juice is delicately strained. The juice is poured, a
little at a time, into a cooker that is a 6' by 10' copper box over
a low red-hot pit. The box allows the juice to flow right to left
and then left to right. The juice is held in four separate areas and
cooked before being allowed to flow further through the box.
As it cooks, a sludge boils to the top. My main job was to
take a window-screen dipper and lift the sludge off the cooking
sorghum. It takes about an hour for the portioned juice to
25
C. Ernie Nivens
“cook” from entry to exit. When it flows out the exit hole, it is
a beautiful walnut brown.
You can dip your finger under the hot, sticky substance for a
taste. You have to close your eyes and set your taste buds for
the flavorful explosions of your senses. After finishing we’d go
up to the kitchen where we’d sit with fresh vegetables, country
ham and sop our plates with biscuits and fresh molasses! Yes, I
love being Southern!
What’s the point to all this, you ask? Well, isn’t it amazing how
life’s trials can burn away the sludge in our hearts to produce a
beautiful faith? Be not afraid of the heat nor the trials – with
God we can persevere and be champions!
26
Deafened By the
Circumstances of Life
God is the God of the ‘last word.’ In our Affirmation of
Faith we end it by saying, “I believe in everlasting life.”
God always has the last word.
In the winter of ‘86 I was preaching in upper Ohio adjacent
to the Maumee River. In a harried-scheduled day, I had two
hours available in the afternoon. Bundled like the Michelinman
I took a walk. I had to pause on the bridge over that
beautiful river. My face stung from the mixture of the sleet
and snow. There were no sounds of traffic or factories. All that
could be heard was the river...the whisper of the river.
That river has been there for centuries. Above it has been rain.
snow, and blazing heat. It mostly freezes over each winter.
People have crossed over, through, and down it. Yet the river
continues. I stood entranced by the whisper of that river.
That is how the will of God is. In our lives there are times
when we are frozen over. There are times of blazing heat, tornadoes,
hail, rain, and thunderous lightning. Still, deep in our
hearts there is that constant moving of the whisper of the river
of God’s will in love and grace. NOTHING CAN STOP IT!
NOTHING!
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C. Ernie Nivens
Some of you have been deafened by the circumstances of
life so that you can not hear that whisper in your heart. It is
there! The love and presence of God is there giving you hope
and courage!
Trust the whisper and let it move within you. In faith pray, “O
God, give me guidance for this day. I do not ask for a month, or
a week, but for this day.” Then pause and listen to God’s spirit
move within you.
28
Bury the Hatchet
When we lived near the coast some years ago, we stayed
away from the beach in the summer. Our favorite time
to walk on the beach was the period of late fall to spring. It was
great fun feeding the sea gulls popcorn. They would fly in front
of us and eat from our hands as we talked to them.
One day, we noticed some folk working busily near a pier. With
hatchets they were chopping some coral and catching crab for
supper. They were being so destructive.
Off to the side was a crusty, weather-beaten old man. He carried
a bucket and a stick. The stick had a loop of wire on the
end. He would insert the stick into a crab hole and pull out
a crab every time. While the others were desperately trying
to “hatchet-catch” some supper, this wizened man gently and
quietly withdrew his supper and left.
Before he left I asked about his secret. He said that the crab
is a stubborn crustacean. It will grab hold of the wire on the
stick and not let go. He simply would pull them out, break off
the pinchers, and set them free to return to their hole to grow
some more pinchers.
There is a subtle joy that comes from following the guidance
of God’s Spirit. Some people live with a hatchet in their hand:
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C. Ernie Nivens
feeling that they have to grunt and grind the gusto from life.
Noisily they “manufacture” experiences that should be fun but
in reality fail to live up to their expectations. The Christian life
produces a peace and joy that issues forth from faithfulness.
Our task, like those first Century Christians, is to relax and
follow God’s leading. A few years ago the third verse of the
hymn, “Take Time To Be Holy” leapt at me:
“Take time to be holy, Let Him be thy guide,
And run not before Him, Whatever be tide;
In joy or in sorrow, Still follow the Lord,
And looking to Jesus, Still trust in His Word.”
That actually is a tall order, but one that brings real gusto! Let’s
really bury the “hatchet” and gracefully watch God bring joy to
our mornings.
30
By My Side
My Daddy fought in WWII in the alps of Italy near
Switzerland. He came home in 1946. My brother,
Jimmy was born in 1943 just after Daddy left for service in the
Army. Daddy missed the first three years with him.
He was determined to make up with his “war baby”…me. My
earliest memory is of sitting on his knee while he fed me at
Grandmother’s. We were always very close but especially so in
the late 60’s and early 70’s after he had accepted Jesus Christ
anew as his Lord and Savior. He used to come “watch” me
preach. It made me so proud to have him, Mother and my little
brother, Sandy come and be with us.
In 1974 at the age of 50 he was stricken with a fatal heart
attack. His death rocked my world! After his funeral I returned
home and dwelled in a deep depression for 100 days.
One morning, sitting in dark solitude, I heard a little girl
singing “Jesus loves me, this I know.” Like the prodigal son,
I came to myself and claimed the presence of Jesus anew. I
prayed, “Jesus, there is so much I don’t know and understand.
What I know is that I will place my hand in Yours and trust
You..” The next song I heard was “By My Side” from the musical
Godspell:
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C. Ernie Nivens
Where are you going?
Where are you going?
Can you take me with you?
For my hand is cold
And needs warmth
Where are you going?
Far beyond where the horizon lies
Where the horizon lies
And the land sinks into mellow blueness
Oh please, take me with you
Let me skip the road with you
I can dare myself
I can dare myself
I’ll put a pebble in my shoe
And watch me walk (watch me walk)
I can walk and walk!
(I can walk!)
I shall call the pebble Dare
I shall call the pebble Dare
We will talk, we will talk together
We will talk (chorus) about walking.
Dare shall be carried
And when we both have had enough
I will take him from my shoe, singing:
“Meet your new road!”
Then I’ll take your hand
Finally glad
Finally glad
That you are here
By my side
By my side
By my side
By my side
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32
It fills my heart to share with you that Jesus has let me walk
with Him and my hand is still in His. In my heart I want
everyone to know Jesus as Lord to experience the strength
that comes from being by His side!
33
Break It Some More
Gordon Thompson was a great preaching professor at
Candler School of Theology, Emory University, Atlanta,
GA. He taught us you can say whatever you want, wander
around a little bit, and do whatever in the body of the sermon,
as long as you finish strong.
I was serving as a Church Growth Consultant for some
churches in Ohio and there met Rev. Claude Chivington, from
the former Evangelical United Brethren tradition. We got to
talking about church conflicts and church “fights”!!
Claude said he once was serving a church so very contentious.
One Sunday when it came time for the sermon, he lit an entire
pack of firecrackers and threw them into the aisle! He said
people went to screaming, running and crying.
When things settled down he told them, “That’s what you
are doing to this church...you’re blowing it apart. Now get
to this altar and pray for forgiveness and God’s direction!”
Everyone came forward and they had an extended prayer
time at the altar!
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He said that moment marked the turning point in that
church’s history. They quit fighting and fussing, and started
praying more.
Today that church is alive and well because, I am convinced,
Rev. Chivington had to blow it apart first!!
So much for “if it ain’t broken, don’t break it!” Maybe it should
be if “it’s broken, then break it some more!!!
35
The Constancy of Change
There is something about aging that forces reflection. As
I stop and look back down the road, I realize that there
are not many constants. Of course, the power and presence
of God has been constant though my understanding of His
nature has shifted and grown. The love of my beautiful family
has been constant.
Strange as it may seem, change has been a stabilizing constant.
Each day, week, and month has brought its own quantity
of change: sometimes with surprise and joy; other times, with
sadness and anxiety. Change has been constant!
In my first appointment in 1970, like all South Carolina ministers
I was asked to interpret the administrative merging of
the black and white conferences. I tried to do so as a good
“soldier.” After one Sunday’s heated debate, Mr. Hamer Smith
of Clio, SC extended me an invitation that was rarely given to
anyone: to fish with him in his pond.
After a couple of hours of quiet fishing in his invitation
only pond, he said, “Ernie, I want to teach you something
that I learned at Clemson College in 1917. I had a noted
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36
professor who taught me how to ‘cook frogs.’” He had my
attention!
He continued, “If you heat a pot of water to boiling and throw
in the frog, he’ll jump out. The change is too quick and lifethreatening.
But if you’ll put that ‘ol frog in a pot of cold water,
let ‘em swim a bit, you can turn up the heat a little bit at a time
and you’ll cook him!”
“Ernie, change is like that. You’re doing the best you can with
a difficult situation. Keep going!”
“Mr. Hamer” didn’t realize how much he helped me. He is in
heaven now. “Mr. Hamer,” I thank you!
Change is like that. It is constant. Your world, like mine,
changes each day. If we look at that change in the perspective
of time and distance, we can cope and be happy at the same
time. God bless you and let’s keep going! “Mr. Hamer” symbolized
Southernstyle Christianity for me!!
37
The Christian Rhythm
Not long ago I went with three cars of youth and adults
to a Methodist Camp, Asbury Hills, at the base of
Caesar’s Head Mountain in South Carolina. We hiked five
miles of rough terrain on an old logging trail. Heat and
humidity were high. We talked, laughed and shared to encourage
each other.
Half-way around the trail, known as the “Loop,” we crossed
one of many trickles of water across the trail. I had learned
years ago that this trickle leads to a majestic waterfall.
We followed the trickle to a rock-bed creek then around a
deep descent. Suddenly there opened before us a free falling
waterfall that cascaded onto some rocks.
We went prepared for this moment. We were steamy hot from
the rugged climb up the mountain. We stepped into the pool
of water to discover that it was (seemingly) ice cold!
After our bodies adjusted to the temperature change we
screamed with joyful delight. I stood under the waterfall letting
its chilly fingers massage my aching back. I drank from its
pure sparkling cold fountain.
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The exhilaration of the experience is indescribable. Refreshed,
we made our way back down the Loop to our cars and then to
home. We slept well Sunday night!
To me this is a parable of how worship should bless our lives.
After a week of laboring in the “world,” we come to Sunday
School and worship met by the refreshing water of God’s presence
in song, prayer, sermon, and sharing.
Then refreshed, we journey back to our “worlds” of work,
school, and community fully alive to share God’s love and help
build His Kingdom!
This is the rhythm of the church: gathering to study and worship
together then out into the world in service in Jesus’ name.
39
Daddy’s Live in Us
Isn’t ice wonderful? Year round I really enjoy iced tea, soft
drinks, and especially water. Many Seniors have memories
of the Ice Man driving his delivery wagon, placing blocks of
ice in the ice boxes in homes. I collect miniature ice wagons.
So far I have found two and keep them on a shelf in my office.
There is a reason.
My Grandmother told me a childhood story about my Daddy,
Cecil Nivens. As a boy he was quite mischievous. Grandmother
said that during hot Summer days, she often would remove her
false teeth while working around the house. More than once
she would look out the door and see my Daddy run behind the
ice wagon, jump up on it, and get a free chunk of melting ice.
She would dash to the door and yell as best she could, “Thethil!
The-thil! Get off that i-th-e wagon!” (You have to say
it out loud to make it work!) My Daddy died in 1974 so I
collect ice wagons as a way of staying in touch. I like ice
year round!
Father’s Day is an important day. We salute the honor and the
memory of Fathers, Dads, Daddys, and Pops. Jesus taught us
much about a Father’s love.
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My Daddy learned well. I give God thanks for a Daddy who
taught me never to quit; who said things like “cain’t never
could!” and “you won’t know until you try!”
Before my first sermon he said, “Ernie, I’ve never preached but
I’ve had to listen to a lot. The only advice I have for you is two
things:
one, remember the word KISS: Keep It Simple, Stupid,
and two, always to preach Christ.”
Over twenty years of preaching and almost twenty of teaching
Sunday school, I have tried to follow his advice and in the dark
times to hear his voice of encouragement. Thank you, God, for
Fathers and Daddys!
41
Diving In
As a boy, one of my favorite hobbies was to go swimming
in the giant pool at the YMCA in Rock Hill, South
Carolina. It was open in the morning from 10 to noon, in the
afternoon from 1 to 5:00 and evening 6:00 to 10:00. In the
summertime, I lived in that water.
I joined the swimming team even though I had asthma as a
child. I learned that my best contribution to the swimming
team was in diving. I learned to dive on the low board and the
high board and to do flips, swan dives and a one and a half
backward flip. They taught me wonderful dives and I thought
I was pretty good at it.
I really enjoyed diving off the high dive, especially doing a 1.5
flip until one day I hit the board with my head and put a crack
in my skin. I had to go have it stitched up and stay out of the
pool for a few days while it healed. Once it healed, I was right
back into the pool going off the high dive.
One evening when I was preparing to dive off that high dive,
I noticed this woman had her little baby. Her daughter was
maybe year and a half, two years old. She had her by the hands
and she was walking along the edges, dipping the child into
the water and pulling her back out: into the water, back out,
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42
into the water and back out. She finally got around to where
she was under the diving board.
I waited a few minutes until she could go by. This time when
she dipped her child into the water, she lost control of her grip.
I can still see that little girl struggling in the water as she sank
toward the bottom. I immediately dove off the high dive in a
swan dive that took me straight to the bottom. I grabbed hold
of that baby and bounced off the bottom and pushed her back
up out to the air where she coughed and spit up the water and
caught her breath.
Then the lifeguard was there in time to lift her up and set her
back on the side. Her mother came and hugged me and said,
“Thank you for saving my baby.” I said, “Please ma’am, don’t
do that anymore. Get in the water with her, try not to dip
her anymore.” She said, “Don’t worry. I will. I’ve learned my
lesson.” I don’t know who that little girl was or the mother, but
I’ve had the best joy in my life recalling that moment when I
actually saved the life of another human being. I would like to
know who she is today, but that’s okay because God knows.
And God knows I did that.
We have moments in our lives when we encounter people that
are drowning in their grief or their fear or their worries. Our
call as Christians is to dive in after them, to help them grab
hold of their spirits and to move back toward the air, the light
and the joy of God’s presence. There are a lot of emphasis today
on witnessing as Christians. It is nothing more than doing just
what I said, diving in where they are and helping them find the
fresh air of God’s presence, love and grace.
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Diving to the Rainbow
The first of January causes me to reflect on a powerful
event in my life. Some years ago I was in the Fiji
Islands on a preaching-teaching mission team with the
World Methodist Council. After being in the “bush country”
for two wonderful weeks, we gathered back at our hotel
for some “R&R.” We chartered a boat for a day of snorkeling
in Suva Bay.
On the trip out to the coral reefs the water was murky. An
old iron coated tug was awkwardly half submerged. I began to
think that this rendezvous was not a good idea. We put on our
fins, mask, and snorkeling tube and jumped in.
Suddenly a different world exploded upon my senses. The underwater
coral was a rainbow rock. Millions of tiny fish eagerly
moved to eat bread from our hands. We would dive deeper and
the 80 pound blue fish would ascend to commune with us. It
was exhilarating!
What a parable of life. Daily we are content to run our
routines, grinding our grooves into ruts. Life can become
so “usual.” When we hear Christ’s challenge to “follow”
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Him and “take up our cross” suddenly life becomes a living
rainbow.
Let us jump deeper into our faith, there to see all the grand
and glorious things the Lord has prepared for us. Then let’s
extend a hand to another with the invitation to “come and see.”
Lord, help us to have the courage to experience Southernstyle
Christianity.
45
Evangels of Care
I heard a company CEO recently use the word, “Evangel.” I
began to think about what an evangel really is. You probably
know that it is a “messenger of good news.”
Now that doesn’t make every reporter on television an evangel.
They don’t bring good news. They bring mostly sad, sorry, bad
news. They are not evangels, but we are.
To understand evangel, we have to look at the historical origin
of the word. Here my biblical studies come to bear.
In the Old Testament there is a history of Israel as they made
their way out of Egypt and were looking for the Promised Land,
a place to settle. After escaping through the Red Sea, they made
their way to the desert. I believe that NASCAR is founded on
a biblical foundation. Why? Because the Hebrew folk made left
turns in the desert for 40 years! Sounds like NASCAR to me.
Moses got to see the Promised Land before his death. Then
the Hebrews moved into the Promised Land. Time and time
again they encountered people of other cultures and beliefs
who disputed their right to do this. Wars resulted.
While all the men went off to battle, the women, children and
old, old men stayed home. They were left to wonder day after
day what was happening to those they loved.
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They, of course, didn’t have CNN or text messaging or any
of the ways of communication of our age. Instead they had
a system. They would look to the mountains and watch for
a runner to come over the mountain pass. Once they saw the
runner they saw the news.
If the runner was carrying swords and arrows, they knew the
war was continuing. It might even be advancing toward them.
They had better pack up their goods and get out of town in a
hurry to save their families.
If the runner came over the mountain carrying items of greenery,
palm and olive branches, that was a symbol to those who
could see him that they were in for a time of peace. Whenever
they saw the runner bearing the green branches, they broke
into celebration, singing, laughing, dancing and feasting.
These were happy days for the land of Israel. They rejoiced
because they and their children could settle there and enjoy
their lives together in a time of peace and, hopefully, prosperity.
The Greek name for that runner coming over the mountains is
euangellion (pronounced, ewe ahn gel e ahn).
Today it’s the same thing. People are watching for the runners, the
people who are bringing to them good news, messages of hope.
I hold out to you, my friends, that we Christians are this generation’s
Evangels. We are Evangels for Care for we bring great
good news of hope, grace, forgiveness, joy and life eternal that
people may use to help them have a life of love, peace and
hope. We are Evangels for Care.
47
Friend of
the Witness
A friend of our family tells me that while studying at the
seminary at Emory University, she was involved in an
auto accident in Atlanta. A man ran a red light and plowed
into her, demolishing her car. The investigating officer determined
that there were no injuries or witnesses and reported
so on the official accident report. He also said that he would
assess no blame but let the Judge do so in court.
Our friend says the other driver came to court in a neck brace
and on crutches. He was accompanied by another man. The
Judge listened to both stories. The other driver’s friend spoke
up and told a third version. The Judge asked whether he had
witnessed the accident to which he mumbled and stammered.
The Judge asked again with more conviction and he confessed