Tag Archives: Exactly as I Remember it

Hope (A Candle in the Wind)

Hope (A Candle in the Wind) Between 1989 and 1992 my family lived in Manchester, Georgia.  Zec was seven and Lydia was three.  Melissa and I were…younger.  We had heard God’s call to ministry and left our world behind to follow Jesus.  I served the St. James and Chalybeate Springs United Methodist churches as pastor. Continue reading “Hope (A Candle in the Wind)”

Don’t Get Too Far From the Herd (I Mean the Church)

Go When I was a kid I loved to watch Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom which ran from 1963 to 1985.  I literally grew up with the show.  It starred St. Louis zoo-keeper Marlin Perkins.  Back then, animal shows were rated PG, not R like they are today and a lot more was left toContinue reading “Don’t Get Too Far From the Herd (I Mean the Church)”

I Love You Enough for Both of Us

  Experpt from “Exactly as I Remember It” Maddox (Fairview Heights, Illinois, circa 2011) One Sunday evening after I wrapped up 6:00 church, I was headed to the car to scare up a late supper.  Melissa was already waiting on me, but I noticed that my daughter Lydia and her family were still in theContinue reading “I Love You Enough for Both of Us”

Christmas Lights (and the Rolling Plastic Joseph)

Have you noticed the wide variety of things people put in their yards to celebrate Christmas these days?  Certainly the nativity-scape seems more cluttered than when only baby Jesus and Santa struggled for it just a generation ago.  When our kids were growing up, we would sometimes drive around at night in mid-December and lookContinue reading “Christmas Lights (and the Rolling Plastic Joseph)”

A Wise Man Called “Lefty” (and other dismembered things)

        When I was a kid, nativity sets were an essential part of the USAmerican Christmas-scape.  These sets were mixed and matched and passed down from generation to generation; often far more because of their sentimental value than their quality. Such transfers were not without tragedies.  I remember various and sundry accidentsContinue reading “A Wise Man Called “Lefty” (and other dismembered things)”

Exactly As I Remember It…

The great thing about doing “Exactly As I Remember It” has been writing the kind of book I wanted to write. It feels a bit like “The Andy Griffith Show” in an “American Idol” world but I hope there is still a place in this world for something warm, honest, decent and funny. -Shane Bishop

Serving Up Stories for Thanksgiving

The most important thing you will serve this Thanksgiving is not the turkey you will place on your table…it is the stories you tell. Do a little digging and work on your family stories at least as hard as you do on the dressing and cranberry sauce   Tell your family stories to your children and children’sContinue reading “Serving Up Stories for Thanksgiving”