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The Old Watchman, Seymour, TN (2026)

09/03/2026

I'm not one to waste time or mince words. Forgive me. A stroke seems to have dissolved my filters. But I speak from the heart.

I've spoken a couple of times about the sixth month of ELUL on "The Watchman Speaks" podcast. It is a time of preparation for the seventh month.

The seventh month was called Ethanim in the ancient days of the Old Testament. You can find that in 1st Kings 8:12 if you care to look it up. But now days the seventh month is known as Tishri and it has been so since the captives of Judah were freed from Babylonian exile. But the seventh month is never mentioned, by name, as Tishri in the Bible.

The first day of the seventh Month, Tishri, is Rosh Hashanah or "Head of the Year" according to the Jewish Civil Calendar. But Rosh Hashanah is not found in the Bible. In the Bible, the first day of the seventh month is "Yom Teruah" or "day of the great shout". It is a day for blowing trumpets and opens the Feast of Trumpets.

I used to wonder what the shout was about. But I found it right there in the pages of my Bible. It's in your Bible too. Throughout the Bible the "Shout" or "Teruah" is associated with the sounding of the trumpet or shofar.

Time and space do not permit me to explain everything here. But I will explain it more in depth on Monday when I upload a new episode of The Watchman Speaks Podcast.

I'm not hard to find. Just type in "The Watchman Speaks Podcast" into your browser and I'll be there, waiting for you.

I'm not asking anyone to trust me or follow me. I'm asking you to sit down with me for twenty minutes, more or less, and allow the Bible to show you the opportunities of blessings that this season reveals.

So, stop by for a visit. You might be surprised, as I was, at what you don't know.

I am The Old Watchman. God Bless!

08/31/2026

My grandfather died and left my grandmother alone to raise ten children to be grown during the Great Depression. There was no government assistance.

Let me tell you a story about the most amazing woman I've ever known. She leaned on her faith and drew strength from the Bible that now sits on my desk. My wife, Cheryl, reminds me a lot of my grandmother. Both are dedicated, faithful, and committed to family.

But to hear the story about my grandmother, you'll have to tune in to "The Watchman Speaks" podcast. Just search for "The Watchman Speaks Podcast" in your browser. It's not hard to find. It's a good story. Brought a tear to my eye, it did.

But to stroll down that lane of memory did me good. It'll do you some good too. I believe that it will. A grandmother's faith was all she had to lean on to raise her children. If she hadn't had faith, I probably wouldn't be here now.

God bless!

08/26/2026

It's been ten years.

Ten years ago I suffered a heart attack that required open heart surgery for three bypasses in the major arteries in my heart. The blood flow in those arteries was only 5-10 percent of what they should have been. I'm lucky to be alive.

But luck had nothing to do with it. The Lord intervened and I was spared, preserved for a little while longer.

I believe that we all have a God given purpose for our lives. That may not be in line with the purpose that we would choose for ourselves. But I'm convinced that God's purpose is the greater purpose.

What is God's purpose for your life?

It might be singing. It may well be intercessory prayer. It could be preaching or teaching. Or, it might well be cleaning the bathrooms in the church building or cutting the grass. There is no shame in that.

I encourage those who will be encouraged. I warn folks, lovingly, to remain faithful to God as He is faithful to us. I share wisdom and advice at times when I am directed to do so. It's what I do. It seems to fit.

Jeremiah 6:16-17
16. Thus says the Lord, "Stand by the ways and see and ask for the ancient paths, where the good way is, and walk in it. And you will find rest for your souls." But they said, "We will not walk in it."
17 "And I set watchmen over you saying, 'Listen to the sound of the trumpet!' But they said, "We will not listen."

That's where I am. Jesus is the good way. There you will find rest for your soul. The ancient paths lead to Jesus.

I found the ancient paths two years after the triple bypass surgery. I'd thought that I knew the Lord intimately. I did not know Him as well as I needed to. I still did not know my purpose.

But once the purpose was revealed to me, I had to submit to training and more discipleship to learn how to walk in the purpose. That's what I'm doing now, encouraging you to walk in the purpose that God has appointed to you. Not what you want to do for God, but what He has always intended you to do. It may not be what you wanted.

So, I'll ask the question again. What is God's purpose for your life?

You'll find the answer on the ancient paths that lead to Jesus and you will find rest for your soul.

Just thinking out loud, again.

08/12/2026

Today there are supposed to be celestial events occurring. I have read where the odds of these events happening on the same day are hundreds of millions to one.

A solar eclipse. A parade of six planets coming into alignment, and the peak of a meteor shower are all events that are predicted to happen today. Okay, that gets my attention.

Another thing that gets my attention is that tomorrow, at sunset, the sixth month of ELUL on God's timeline will begin.

So, what are the odds of the celestial events happening on the same day, the day prior to a new month on God's timeline? I don't know. What does it all mean? I don't know that either. There are those who do claim to know, prophets for profit mostly, but I don't believe that they know with any certainty.

What I do know is this.

Only God can orchestrate such things and that gets my attention. The sixth month is mentioned several times in the Bible. The reconstruction of the second temple began in the sixth month. The wall around Jerusalem was finished in the sixth month. The angel announced to Mary that she was with child in the sixth month.

The name "ELUL" is actually an acronym of "Ani L'dodi V'dodi li" in Hebrew. That's from the Song of Solomon 6:3. "I am my beloved's and my beloved is mine."

Are you truly the beloved's? Is the beloved truly yours? Elul is a season of returning to God. That means evaluating your relationship with Him. Have you been faithful in all things?

Just wondering out loud.

08/11/2026

Okay everyone, listen up, especially those of you who may be experiencing difficulties in life that seem insurmountable. I believe this is important.

Almost a year and a half ago I had a massive brain hemorrhage, a type of stroke. That brain injury took every element of manhood that I thought made me a man away from me. I am not the same man that I used to be. I grieved for the life that I had lost.

I took what life I had left and met God, asking Him to restore me to the man that I once was. God met me where I was, and as best as I can discern, His reply was, "No. I'm rebuilding you into the man I always intended you to be."

That hurts on so many levels that most cannot even begin to imagine. I grieved even more so.

But I took the life that I have now and presented that life to Scripture and allowed Scripture to show me who I am now. Each day I wrestled and struggled with that process. That process took weeks, even months. But as time passed, I began to grieve less and less.

I am still standing in the storm. Every step still hurts. But every step is taken in the strength of God's grace and the power of His Holy Spirit. There are no ordinary steps taken when the Lord is the One who walks beside you. And as far as I can tell, I have not exited the storm as yet.

So, Yes, I'm still standing. I am not able to stand because I am strong. My strength has failed completely. I'm still standing because God is faithful.

I'm beginning to like the man I am becoming. Prayerfully, I'll come to love that man. I took a hard hit in life for sure. But so did men like Joshua, David, Paul, and James. God did not remove the obstacles from their paths. He walked with them through those obstacles.

God has not moved. God has not changed. God is still God.

I'm still in the storm, holding onto God's hand as He walks with me through the valley. God is faithful and that makes all the difference.

So, if you are in a valley, know that God IS there reaching out His hand for you to hold onto. The outcome may not look like something that you would have chosen for yourself. Although we may not see it, God's will is perfect. And in your weakness His strength is perfected.

God Bless!

08/10/2026

Facebook wants to know what's on my mind. Well, I'll tell you what's on my mind.

Respect is on my mind. No, it's a lack of respect that is on my mind. There are few who have any respect, much less courtesy for anyone anymore.

I was out on an outing once with Cheryl with my father and mother in law. My father in law was disabled and on a mobility scooter. Two teens were trying to get around him and one commented to the other that he couldn't get around "this old man".

I told them, in no uncertain terms, that old man would trade places with either of them in a heartbeat. They apologized and went on their way.

Now that I'm an old man, dependent upon a mobility scooter, I encounter the same thing. I am either a frustrating delay or folks look right past me as if I don't exist. I'm not talking about children or teens. I'm talking about adults. There is little respect or courtesy to be found these days.

I recall a time when I was five years old. In rural Louisiana, our frame houses were elevated two feet on concrete blocks to keep water out of the house in the spring rains and storms. We had wooden steps leading up onto the front porch.

Dad and his siblings had bought my mamaw some concrete steps to replace the wooden steps at her house. Dad, one of my uncles, and two grown cousins removed the wooden steps to put the concrete steps in place. Mamaw and I were watching them as we sat on the front porch.

I had an old burlap sack filled with other burlap sacks hanging from a pecan tree in the back yard that I would swing on. All I said was, "Them old wood steps would be nice to have under the pecan tree out back so I could swing off them."

My mamaw lifted her head and said, "Bud! Y'all take them old steps back yonder under that pecan tree."

Dad started to protest. I didn't need those steps. He almost got to finish his sentence before mamaw raised her voice. It was the only time I ever heard her raise her voice.

"Bud! You'd best hear me!"

Dad, bowed his head and simply said, "Yes ma'am." Those four men carried those wooden steps nearly a hundred yards and placed them underneath that old pecan tree. Not one of them, not even Dad, said a word about it to me later.

Why? Because they respected an old woman that had suffered and sacrificed to raise them to be grown. She was a small, little woman. They were large, strong men. But that didn't matter. Mamaw had spoken. Mamaw was the oldest living relative they had. That alone, commanded respect.

Not only did they respect her, but they respected the elderly in the community to the same high standards. It was the law of the land. It was the code. It was...biblical.

That kind of respect for elders is something that has been lost. It's a shame. So have the days of "yes, sir" and "no ma'am" I'm afraid. I seldom hear, "Can I do something for you." anymore.

I'm more likely to hear, "Get out of my way." It's a sad time to live in.

07/29/2026

Jesus told the parable of a Sower who was sowing seed. The seed was the word of God. The seed was not cash as some preachers will tell you. But some seed fell on the roadside where the soil was hard packed and the birds came and ate the seed. The devil had come and stolen the seed from a hardened heart and the word of God died there.

Some seed fell on rocky ground and sprang up but there was no depth to the soil because of the rocks. The sun came up and scorched what had sprang up because there was no root. This is the heart who receives the word of God with joy but the temptations of life overcame them so that no fruit was produced.

Some seed, the word of God, fell into thorns and the thorns choked the seed out. Worry, fear, anger, anxiety, and depression are thorns that do not allow the seed, or the word of God, to grow into maturity.

But some seed fell onto good fertile ground and produced a harvest of one hundred, sixty, and thirty fold. The harvest is not cash flow. The harvest is souls won for the kingdom of God.

So, what ground are you presenting to the Sower of seed that is God's word? Is your heart hard packed? Is it rocky? Is the heart full of thorns? Or, have you prepared the fields of your heart, breaking up the hard packed soil, removing the rocks, cutting back the thorns, to prepare good soil in a heart that is honest and good?

Next week's episode of "The Watchman Speaks" podcast addresses this topic. In all honesty and transparency, I have lived portions of my life presenting hard packed, rocky, and thorn infested soil. Don't live as I did, wasting precious years. Prepare the soil of your heart so that God's word will fall on good, fertile soil. Then, wait for the rains to come.

You can find "The Watchman Speaks" podcast on most podcast platforms. Or you can simply search for "The Watchman Speaks Podcast" in your browser.

God Bless!

07/24/2026

I had a really good time meeting with the Lord this morning. Never considered myself a poet by any means. But the Spirit gave me this to give to you. I pray that you are blessed.

Just An Old Man Thinking Out Loud

I’m an old man now, I’m getting older every day.
I look and see so many, Lord, who are lost along their way.
They are chasing fame and fortune, so many other things.
But I recall Your grace and mercy, and my heart begins to sing.

I’m not very useful anymore, there is little I can do.
But Lord take my hand, I’ll take my stand, and offer praise to You.
Your mercy raised me from the dead, and by Your grace I live.
You have provided as You promised and to You my praise I give.

You raised me from a death bed, to walk, to live, to thrive.
The doctors have no answers as to why I’m still alive.
They don’t know You as I do, they don’t know Your power,
To breathe life into a mortal man in his deepest, darkest hour.

I lost everything I once thought was what made me a man.
But through valleys deep and darkness cold, You took me by the hand.
My strength has failed completely, I am weak and I am old.
But in Your strength and in my faith I stand and carry on.

I thank You for my wife, Lord, for she has stood by me.
For in my darkest hours she commanded me to breathe.
She watched me die and then come alive, lifting her hands in praise.
As do I, for by Your grace, You have added to my days.

My daughters ask me, many times, “Dad, are you okay?”
I assure them that Dad is fine before they go about their day.
I shed a tear as I watch them go for one day their grief will come.
The day will come when I will die, for You have called me home.

To love my family and share my faith are both worth living for.
You have provided everything we need, I’ll not ask for more.
Lord, I have a purpose to fulfill and all I ask of You,
Is to live my days giving You praise as I spread the gospel truth.

I’m just an old man now, I don’t have much to give.
Only honor, glory, and worship for all the days I live.
It matters little if I live or die, for I am certain to the core,
That in my living I'm sure I have found one worthy of dying for.

So, hear an old man on shaky legs as I stand my ground.
One day the Lord shall return with a mighty trumpet sound.
For then it will be too late to escape God’s judgement and His wrath.
Hear the trumpet that I sound, return to the ancient paths.

For there you will find rest, a peace you’ve never known.
And joy that’s never ending, as eternal life unfolds.
My strength has failed but I’m at peace, no longer am I proud.
I’m just an old man sitting here thinking, quietly, out loud.

You can dismiss me if you want to, you can say that I’m too old.
As a watchman I watch over you, my concern is for your soul.
But I’ll sound my trumpet loud and clear until all my days are done.
The only way to leave this world alive is through God’s only begotten Son.

I’m just an old man thinking out loud and yes, I’ve made a list,
of battles fought and storms I’ve faced that you don’t even know exist.
The time will come when your strength fails and you’ll face an utter fall.
You’ll remember the warning of an old man and think, “He wasn’t wrong….after all.”

I am The Old Watchman, and on this wall I will stand.
I sound the trumpet in warning, there’s no blood on my hands.
I cry out to my Father, to whom my heart is imprisoned.
“I sounded the trumpet Lord…but they would not listen.”

I’m just an old man sitting here thinking out loud.
I’m weak in body, strong in faith, too broken to be proud.
I beg you to listen and to step away from the crowd.
I’m just an old man, sitting here, praying for you, out loud.

God Bless!

07/23/2026

Sometimes I find that the more that I learn, the more amazed I am at how much I don't know. Let that sink in for a moment.

I understand that knowledge brings understanding. The right use of knowledge and understanding is wisdom. The Bible tells us that if we ask God for wisdom He will grant wisdom. But does God merely hand out wisdom without any effort on our part?

Certainly, He is able to do so. I cannot argue that point at all for God is able to do anything. However, I am not at all certain that I want wisdom merely handed to me. Why would I say such a thing?

There is a monumental difference between knowing about God and knowing God. I once knew of a man who could quote Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy from memory, chapter and verse. His knowledge and memory were impressive to say the least. He was proud of his accomplishments.

But when he asked me about what I thought about his exhibition of knowledge, I replied, "It is exceedingly obvious that you know the Bible. Your knowledge of the Bible exceeds the knowledge that I have by far. But do you know the author of the Bible on a personal level?"

The smile disappeared. He seemed confused. He did not understand what I was asking. You see, his knowledge was impressive, but he lacked the understanding of that knowledge so that the knowledge and understanding could blossom into wisdom that can be applied to his life.

I do not wish to merely acquire knowledge. I am looking for the understanding of that knowledge. That is acquired by not only spending time in God's word in study, but spending time with God in prayer as well. I believe this to be the point where religion crosses over into relationship. That is my desire, to know God personally in relationship.

It's like I said at the beginning. The more I Iearn, the more I pray about what I have learned to understand what I have learned. Thee are times when the wisdom therein is revealed. My relationship with the Lord grows stronger. There are times when I wonder, "How have I lasted as long as I have without seeing what I now see?"

Knowing about God and knowing God are two different things. Knowing about God is merely knowledge warehoused in the mind. But knowing God takes an investment of time to build on relationship and that comes from the heart. I love my wife. I would not take anything for our marital relationship. I want to spend time with my wife. On the other hand, we love our Lord. We would not take anything for our relationship with Him. We want to spend time with Him.

So, You know the Bible? You do well! But have you met the author?

Just thinking out loud today.

07/22/2026

I'm not in any hurry to do anything. I'm not in any hurry do anything particularly in regards to The Old Watchman. Why? I don't want to attempt to force open doors of opportunity before I am ready to walk through them. There have been times when God brings me to a door on the path that I'm walking on. I know the door is there. I know that there is something for me on the other side of the door. But the door remains closed. I've waited outside of doors, waiting for them to open for years before they opened.

There are times when doors did open that I faced difficulties and trials, not to harm me even though I have suffered on the other side of the door. But had I walked through the door any earlier than I did, I would not have had the faith to sustain me in those trials of suffering.

I share this with you because I see so many rushing to gain offices, positions and titles in the church. They see the spotlight. They see the recognition. They see a paycheck. Not all mind you, but there are way too many. Some have pure motives.

Here's the truth. Ministry is not easy. In God's ways, successful ministry is not a light load to carry. Consider that all the Apostles save but John, were killed. Consider that the early leaders of the church were persecuted, violently, and killed. Consider the fact that the greatest minister who ever lived, Jesus Himself, was horrifically crucified All according to God's plan and will.

Here's another truth. I am not going to walk through another door on my Christian walk without KNOWING that it is what God wants me to do and not merely something that I think will bring me recognition. Some have asked about me doing a Youtube channel or doing speaking engagements to share my testimony.

All that sounds fine and dandy. That sounds appealing. But is that what God wants me to do? I am in no hurry to do anything but pray about these things. For the time being, those doors remain closed. Will those doors eventually open? I don't know. Time will tell. But I am not going to attempt to force any door open. The door will open if/when it is time to open. Until then, I stand waiting. What would you do?

The Old Watchman

09/03/2026

08/31/2026

08/26/2026

08/12/2026

08/11/2026

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