SOMETHING GOOD FROM SOMETHING BAD

As published in the Newport (TN) Plain Talk
Release Date – Apr 19, 2012
Column Number - 1216


Our title for this experience into literary excellence makes a lot of good old fashioned Frogpond horse sense – if you allow it! Something good can come from something bad if you are perceptive enough to perceive the good when you are presented with the bad.

Allow me to illustrate this principle. Have you ever done something out of the ordinary, away from the norm, distant from your groove – and you can’t explain why; but when you look back at the entire experience, you see that something bad could have happened, had you continued in your same old rut?

I rest my case!

Well, not exactly; because I have another couple of classic experiences to share; and every Christian has them, they just might not have been receptive to receive them at the time.

My friend Euretha Carson told me that she was driving up the old Knoxville Highway towards Frogpond when that last big storm hit. First, the wind came up, and she braved onward; then came the rain, and she slowed down a bit, but continued on. When the hail came, she took the option that just “happened” to present itself and pulled off to let it pass.

When the clearing cleared and the dark clouds undarkened; she noticed that just up the road, a big tree had fallen across the highway and she would possibly have hit it – or maybe even been under it - had she continued up the yellow brick.

“Just happened”, huh? No! From something seemingly bad came something noticeably good. Just ask anyone who is observant enough (they have to be a Believer so they will not automatically assume that this stuff “just happens”).

By the way, if I might wax a little eloquent for a moment, Euretha and I were colleagues at the old Southern Bell Telephone Company; and I was working with her on the phone on a bad situation. When we got it done, she asked me to come to a revival that the West End Baptist Church was having; and “Miss ‘Nita” and I went – because she asked – and that is when I started going there and am there today! You see, from a bad experience came an explanation; from a situation came a solution; from something bad came something good.

Want more? I got a million of ‘em! We can all think of things that have happened that cannot be explained by any other reason except that God did it!

West End Baptist owns and operates a sign up on “our corner” of West End Street and Knoxville Highway (perhaps you have heard of it). We call her “Ima” – “Ima Sign”; and she hangs in there 24/7/365 – well most of the time. She broke recently, and we tried everything to resuscitate her; but it really looked bad for the home team. We gave her a transfusion of new parts; but she still didn’t respond.

Then we gave her a “joint replacement” of the wireless transmitter; and, in so doing, Ron had to go up into the inside of the steeple; and, guess what? Go on - guess! Ok; they found that one of the four bolts holding the steeple had failed and it was leaning towards Frogpond by as much as two inches. One more storm like that last one, and either First Baptist or Lincoln Avenue would have had another steeple sticking out of their existing one!

That’s the bad; so where’s the good? We (actually Larry, Lisa, Gracie, and Jack) went up and fixed the bolt, tightened it down, and made it steady as a rock again. Had we not had the momentary inconvenience of a dead sign, they would never have found the faulty bolt (I mean, how often do you guys go up inside your steeples and check the bolts); and First Bapti … well you know.

God is active in our lives; but He does not choose to micromanage. You have a free will and are free to stump your toe if you want to disregard His Leadings. Good can come from these experiences but you have to allow it to come out. It has happened to all of you!

Calvary looked like something bad (as indeed it was – momentarily); but from that Sacrifice on Calvary comes our Salvation through Christ. It only comes from God through Jesus Christ; no one else ever died for you – in your place – AS you! No one else did that but Jesus The Christ; and He is wanting us to tell people the “Good News” (“The Gospel”).

And that is a good thing!


These columns are written by Tom Mooty, Pastor of Newport’s West End Baptist Church; and appear each Thursday in the Newport Plain Talk Newspaper. Please feel free to forward these masterpieces to your friends and family around the world; and send all comments to tommooty05@comcast.net or P.O. Box 851, Newport 37822, TN 37822.

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