PAST INSIDES
- Why? Why Not? That's the Question — "We may never know the answers to the WHY/ WHY NOT question."
- On the One Hand... —"it had to happen sometime."
- Life is Hard, God is Good! — "How can we expect to claim the name of Christ and not expect to ruffle some feathers from time to time?"
- You Smell Something? —"There the cooler was, sort of floating in the trunk full of shrimpy water."
- Little Orphan Billy — "One day the dad was joking with Billy and gave him the nickname, "Dopted Boy" and it kinda stuck."
- Like A Donut —"I find it very comforting that God does not give me a heads up as to what is coming in the future. "
- Meet the Salmon Family — "There are poisonous ones, colorful ones, in fact there are even colorful poisonous ones."
- You Know What They Say —"My two "guard dogs", and I use that term loosely, started barking up a storm."
- Life as a Sitcom — "When something happens, I expect that it should be resolved immediately if not sooner."
- Breathing —"The Gospel of Jesus is simple to hear much like breathing is to do. "
- Upside Down — "Sometimes life will sneak up and mug you."
- Denial Is Not Just A River In Egypt & Other Sundry Geographical Thoughts —"Life, it happens in 3-D and living color."
- So It's My Birthday... — "There are all sorts of dates that I remember every year, all are important but not all are equally filled with joy."
- Rams with Knobby Tires —"Somehow my parents had made a deal on a shiny red, 90cc Kawasaki motorcycle."
- Family — "Family! A simple word yet it encompasses such phenominal complexities."
- Choices —"I was patrolling our yard with my trusty cap pistol and my broomstick horse..."
- Your Mid-Life Crisis — "On November 11, 1984, I should have died at 6:36 am."
- Tribute — Tim's tribute to his dad.
- The Royal Order of the Not So Stupid Husband Club — all husbands should join this club!
- What's Normal — Tim Meyer's first piece.
- C'Ya Jerry — our tribute to Jerry Meyer, creator of INSIDE OUT. A better friend/mentor no one ever had!
- My Tribute — words of admiration and affection for Papaj's sweetheart, Pat.
- The Portable Parking Lot — where did you last leave God?
- Tim's Easter Testimony — As I was going along, being the good "Christian" guy, I had everything backwards.
- Plugging for Power — a power cord is a seemingly insignificant thing in the cosmic scheme of things, that is, until you need to power something up!
- Hair! Hair! — Would you tolerate this haircut in your home?
- GPS — Do you have any idea where you're located at any given time?
- A Watched Pot — Does God seeming lack of urgency in answering your prayers bother you?
- In the Santa Claus Line — Have you ever been asked to be a substitute grandparent? This one will grab your heart!
- Toilets, Stools, Commodes...One flush or two...YOU decide.
- Cellular Phones...Where the company makes the REAL money!
- Bad Wipers...Enjoy the kindness of a total stranger with me.
- Two Beetles on Back...Have you ever been upside down and couldn't reverse the situation?
- Unintentional BBQ — "How often would I have gathered you under my wings as a mother hen gathers her chicks. (Jesus)
- What I've Learned So Far About Building A House — Up, up and away... Nope, not Superman or the 5th Dimension. Curious? Take a peek a boo.
- Bracelets... — If one doesn't pay for bracelets, one risks getting bracelets.
- My Retarded Cat — How do you like living in the litterbox?
- Very Trying — Do you know what to do when "trying" is simply never enough?
- Back Seat Drivers — Are you a "do as I say, not as I do" kindofa person?
- The Pipeline Papercutter — This piece is a real "cut up". Wanna know how?
- FWOG — Here's the story of my 4 year old daughter's favorite FWOG!
- Preacher Lists — Do you know what a "reverend book" is? You can find out!
- The Uniform People — Do you fit the mold? Are you a "uniform" person?
- Floaters — I've had lightning in a vitreous. Have you?
- Communication? — PapaJ jousts with a windmill in the bathroom. Details in the story.
- Turn Around, Jerry — Missing directions and going the wrong way is not always as much fun as it should be.
- The Promised Land... —
- Man of Steel — Have you ever changed clothes in a phone booth?
- Wrong Side of the Tracks — Where should corn grow? I know!
- Go On Green? — Jack rabbit starts may lead to bunny roadkill!
- We've Finally Turned the Bend — Our first attempt to build a healthy house in GA.
- Pam's Story — Ever waited in a waiting room?
- Where Could We Go? — Finding God's will is not always easy. If it were, everyone would be dead center!
- Vulnerability...How open can we be with one another?
- Be Pacific — Willy nilly? Wishy washy? How "pacific" should you be?
- Open Wide...The fish has WHAT in his mouth?
- Watch Your Caboose — Have you ever wanted to see the ending from the beginning?
- Eric Ray, the Oatmeal Kid — Does God care about supplying our needs really?
- Can You Hear Me Now? — Who do you trust with your cell phone number? Hmmmm!
- Bewildered and Confused — Have you ever been at a crossroads and didn't know which direction to take?
- Massive Destruction — Mold ain't for sissies!
- Room — Have you ever suffered from bound roots?
- The Times, They Are A Changin' — Are you getting older, better, neither or both?
- Leading My Kids To Jesus — Are you qualified to bring your own children and grandchildren to the Throne of Grace?
- Like A Yo — Yo! — Is there debris blocking your magic eye?
- Weighty Pizza — Talk about juxtaposition!
- Julie, Julie, Julie — "My Daddy taught me how to pitch and hit the ball!"
- I Didn't Go A Wassailing...Sing solo on a cold silent night? Part of the Christmas spirit!
- Concentrate & Focus — Doesn't take much to get the power!
- Papa's Pipeline & the Leaf Blower — Do unto others without thought of reward, eh?
- The Cool Bird — Hot turkey for cool cats!
- Flicking My Bic
- Duct Tape Forever
- Rachael's Ideal Husband
- Mountains & Mole Hills
- Eric Ray And The Microwave
- Push The Button
- Still Reeling
- Seeds Can Grow
- Stuck In Lodi Still!!!
- It's Finally Gone...
- Used Peanut Shells
- Only When In Motion
- Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head
- Gradually...
- A River Runs Through It
- Close To the Corn Fields
- I Enjoy Being A Dad
- On Vacation
- On The Road Again, #2
- Push You, Pull Me
- Flush It!
- You Wanna Sample?
- The Last Straw
- Don't Sweat The Small Stuff
- Girl — illa In the Mist
- Bright Blue Squirty Stuff
- On The Wrong Side Of The Grass
- Candles In The Wind
- Muffled Sobs...
- The Arkansas Traveler
- Trolling
- The Dam & The Yard...
- The Dance of Joy
- More Bricks & Paths
- Walls, Bricks, And Bridges
- Irony...
- Two Over Easy
- Did He Catch It?
- Gabrielle, Go Blow Your Horn (Somewhere Else!!!)
- I Wish I'd Known...
- Drip! Drip! Drip!
- Irony...
- Two Over Easy
- Did He Catch It?
- Citizen's Arrest...
- Read The Fine Print
- Donkey Kong...
- My Purple Phone
- The Trip Tik, Part 1
- Boing! Boing!
- Wheel Appeal
- Fun With Ivy
- Goin' Fishin'
- Don't Let Yourself Off The Hook Too Easily...
- Taking Out The Trash
- There's Uncle Joe...
- Let's Play Catch Up
- Laser, Faser, Fuser...Go Figger...
- Let Joe Do It...
- I Tol' You Once, I Tol' You Twice...
- Mighty Casette At The Bat...
- Little Whilte Lies
- Final Follow Up
- Follow Up To The Follow Up
- Follow Up . . .
- Too Much Wax, Not Enough Wick
- I Was Almost A Couch Potato
- Don't It Make Us Proud?!
- Michelle's Home Going
- I Stuck My Big Nose In Someone Else's Business
- Undercover
- Judge Judy, Judy, Judy . . .
- Do It! Do It Now!
- Papa's Pipeline Retreaded
- The Weeping Willow Weeps No More . . .
- The Harder I Try...The Easier I Fail!
- Jesus And The Angel
- A Selective Conscience
- Keep The Blue Side Down...
- In The Doghouse, Again!
- A Coon & His Cups
- Pith Helmets & Pythons
- Rasberry Taco Sauce
- Bigger Pot, Better Dirt!
- Remember Joe Btzflpk?
- Imitators!
- Get Your Own Gig!
- Pigs 4, Rangers Zip
- A Sad & Poignant Conversation
- Tonto And The White Paint
- Strangely Out Of Context...
- We See Through A Glass, Shattered!
- Papa's Pipeline 02
- Ring — A — Ding — Dong
- Stars
- Rub — A — Dub — Dub
- Double Bubble, Toil & Trouble
- Random Acts Of Kindness
- A Day Late And A Dollar Short
- Papa's Pipeline
- Nicknames
- The Day We Bought Us A Doctor
- Do You Ever Get Your Money's Worth At the Buffet?
- Dollywood And The Air Conditioner
- A Voice From The Past
- Polite Conversation, or True Communication?
- I'm Helpin'!
- God Is My Bug Shield
- Jesus And The DNA
- Honesty In All Things?!
- The One Pound Missionary
- One Inch!
- Two Girls And A Guy — On The Hook
- The Big Red Sign
- If I Were God For A Day
- Sandpails and Shovels
- Life And Death . . .
- Sparky, Oh, Sparky!
- We're Working Hard . . .
- How Much Water Does It Take to Fill A Closet?
- Nature Or Nurture?
- I Got Feet, You Got Shoes, Most All of God's Children Have Two!
- Maybe It's Time To Dis — Aquire
- We Met In The Park
- Thanksgiving In April?
- Hey Kids, Don't Touch My Animals!
- Eagles Two — Black Marlins Won
- Bridge To Nowhere
- And the Beat Goes On!
- VROOOOOOOM! VROOOOOOOM!
- Balancing Act: Hand to Heaven
- Little Things Mean A Lot
- Slot Fillers & Automatic Yessers
- One Robin Does Make A Spring!!!
- I'm A Little AM/FM Cassette Player
- River of Blood!
- On The Waterfront — "I saw a lot of small boats trying to get to the docking area before the sun completely slipped beneath the Gulf."
- Planting the Seeds — "We seemed to attract mostly kids from some of the tougher neighborhoods within walking distance of our building."
- Frustration! (Part Deux) — "The doctor told my wife that I might not make it through the night. Well, obviously I did!"
- Frustration! — "From my earliest memories, I was pretty tightly wound."
- Words From A Very Thankful Grandfather! — "The bank robber exited and headed west, troopers hot on his tail."
- How Do You Eat Oreos? — 'One of the problems with which counselors deal very often is that of "instant gratification".'
- Sometimes I Feel Like a Crumpled Up Dollar Bill! — "In the little town where I grew up, my brothers and I weren't allowed to drink from the aluminum soda cans."
- Would Anyone Want Your Bible After You're Gone? — "I received an E-mail from our daughter. Kathleen wanted to know if I knew where mom's original Bible was."
- What's In Your Hand? — "If a part wasn't available, he'd go to his shop and make one."
- Peter, Peter, Big Wave Eater! — "Why was Peter the only one who had enough faith to even get out of the boat in the first place?"
- The Pelican Man — "As we moved from cage to cage, I was struck with the beauty of the birds inside."
- Is An Illegal Just A Sick Bird? — "As we approached a busy intersection, an elderly lady...rocketed off the cross street and managed a two wheel right turn, right through the red light."
- What About Thy Dipstick — "Upon closer inspection, there was oil everywhere in the engine compartment."
- Rascule And The Fox — "He slid to a stop, threw it into reverse and went tearing after the fox."
- The King of the Cowboys — "In my top dresser drawer is one of my most treasured keepsakes."
- We Are The World! — "One of the toughest things any of us have to deal with is the ego."
- The Youngest 86 Year Old I Know — "Estella has been a true heroine to me as long as I can remember."
- Daddys Day — "A daddy is the kind of guy ... who brings a sense of expectancy into their lives just by coming home from work at night.
- Ben & Jerry — "They just oozed speed even while sitting on display."
- I'm A Little Suitcase, Gray And Flat — "I come from a long, proud line of suitcases."
- Is It BULLoney or COWabunga? — "I immediately felt at home in this little town. Several of us gathered on Main Street each morning for hot chocolate at the Princess Cafe."
- Anniversary Time at the Meyer Home — "The 20th of May, is a special day for Pat and me. We were married 19 years ago."
- Birthright Or Birth Certificate — "Although I'm not allowed to pronounce judgement on this man, I am allowed to inspect the fruit of on his tree."
- Slightly Out of Tune — "A little later, I noticed that their sound had deteriorated. Someone's guitar had gone out of tune."
- I've Been Rook — e — dood! — "One of my favorite rookeries is about a half hour from our home."
- It's Just An Attitude Adjustment! — "Every few feet, without even a pause, the capsule went through a noisy, ratcheting maneuver."
- A Wretched Disease — "Can I sing these songs without weeping? I don't know. I want to do a good job for my friend and his family who will be there."
- He Knows Where I'm At! — "In the past few years, my interest in my own roots has bloomed and blossomed."
- A Little Child Led Me — "From the git go, I gave Rachael complete freedom to choose where we should go."
- Have You Ever Been Stoopid?! — "For more than two weeks I took the higher strength — five times the dosage I was supposed to be taking."
- CODE #9382 — "They ripped out and stole my radio/tape deck and several other things. What a feeling of violation!"
- I'm A Man of Many Letters! — "Have you ever given in to that urge to grab a piece of paper and fire off an angry missile to some company about one of their employees?"
- Personal and Confidential — "The more I thought about it, the more absolutely impersonal this 'personal and confidential' message was."
- Meet My Pet Frog, Vagary — "We have a choice about how to deal with these facts of life!"
- SODDI — "There are all kinds of character flaws. I couldn't possibly address all of them in this short space."
- If I Had A Hammer . . ."One day I got a call from the clerk at the courthouse. There was a hearing scheduled for two boys who lived in a really tiny town about 17 miles from our community."
- Like A Rock? Naw, Like A JACKHAMMER!!! — "Everybody who saw me that day commented about how tired, ashen, and horrible I looked."
- Little Boy With Cheeks of Brown — "Suddenly, with no warning whatsoever, there was this tremendous wooshing sound and the flames shot every direction."
- Let That Song Out! — "You never know when you'll come across circumstances that will prompt an expression from that inner you."
- Christmas Passed — "This year, Pat took a different approach with me. She didn't give me any ultimatums."
- Are You Part of An Audience, or His Church? — "Critics in the church are usually those who have no active part and do not participate actively in the process of worship."
- Get Rid of Special Days! — "Go ahead and celebrate all the "Special Days" (as I'm sure I will). Just don't let it end there."
- Do You Have Itchy Ears? — "I've learned far more from those who have challenged me or disagreed with me..."
- Feelin' Groovy — "Slow down, you're movin' too fast".
- Christian Character — "Perhaps you need to take the Papa J's Character Inventory."
- Delete, Erase, Eradicate, Replace? — 'Just about every computer program has a menu selection that says "delete".'
- Dumb Animals? — "As I looked up, an osprey suddenly swooped down and snatched a fish out of the small lake right in front of me."
- My Eighty Gallon Surprise!!! —"I agreed to serve, but only if I could be a full-fledged, smoke-eatin' firefighter."
- PapaJ Unplugged! — "I've often wondered at the practice of "practicing" worship".
- Get Out of My Road! — "In living within the Christian community, we can find plenty of people and circumstances that are pretty downright frustrating"
- Lists, Lists, Lists — "In my shirt pocket, there is always a list peeking out from behind newspaper clippings and my favorite brown pen."
- I'm Honest, Truthful, Etc, Because. . ."Are we totally honest at all times or only when someone's watching us?"
- Little Things Mean A Lot! "...keep your head in the game. In life, little things mean a lot!"
- Hairline Cracks — "The more I thought about Pat's car, the more the hairline cracks intrigued me."
- Papa J and the Moccodies Explanation — "'Moccodies' represents the more mysterious, thoughtful, meditative, and deeper thinking part of you."
- Bumper Sticker Theology — "Bumper sticker theology often consists of tired, worn-out cliches."
- Practice, Practice, Practice! — "Without a second's hesitation, his grandson put his right index finger in his right nostril!"
- 20/20 Hindsight — "If you, indeed, always have 20/20 hindsight, you are one of the most remarkable people in the world! I must meet you...today!"
- Bent, But Not Broken! — '"It" was a three inch log-looking thing from Hawaii. It cost less than a dollar.'
- Speed Ain't Everything —"Unfortunately, parents (and society) often push their children to grow up too quickly."
- Living In The Litter Box! — "You might want to check out CPA — Cats & Paws Anonymous. I understand it's a great 12 step program."
- Bugs For His Best! — 'I didn't know what the word "demeaning" meant. Looking back on it, I'm pretty sure we were definitely demeaned by her words and actions.'
- Don't Raise Such A Stink! — "As darkness began to creep down the side of the trees and tents, we watched a full moon rise slowly and majestically into the star-studded sky."
- I Couldn't Even Spell! — "My brain is trying to feed my mouth. I'm trying to figure out what I should tell all you fine folks..."