From The Storyteller
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Hello All: There are times when I'm thankful God gave me the gift of not needing to change just because there is new and improved. Enjoy, Doug
Bird “If the bird and the book disagree, believe the bird”, is one of my favorite quotes from James Audubon. When I came across it recently, it naturally caused me to think about the fact that there are roughly 400,000 “Christian” churches in America today (National Congregations Study) all pointing at the same “Book”. This of course caused me to recall television from my youth. There were four TV stations in Chicago during the 50’s: 2 (CBS), 5 (NBC), 7 (ABC), and 9 (LOCAL WGN). The educational channel (11) was added in the 60’s but I never watched it because the other four had it all. This was a time of great westerns, like Gun Smoke and Bonanza, fun stuff like the Mickey Mouse Club and Saturday morning cartoons, and grownup stuff like Ed Sullivan Show. I even saw a Billy Graham revival on one of those four channels. As I googled the number of current TV broadcasting stations I smiled when I discovered the US has 1,775 television stations and about 5,200 more cable TV systems. The world of choices has grown beyond my wildest dreams and this brings me to my favorite “well used” sweater that I’m wearing as I write this. With all the changes out there - some good, some bad, and all different - it’s comforting to know that I don’t need to throw out all the stuff I love just because something new is offered. I’m smiling because I realize that out of 400,000, same “book” churches, I get to pick the one I want to be a part of, and out of 5,200 cable TV systems I get to choose to not watch even one. Yes, I even get to choose the bird over the book. Thank you, Mr. Audubon. Moral: The ability to choose is a gift. Use it wisely. |