The Goat Man

By DR. KNOX HERNDON
Pastor

What is the word coming to? I know you are not supposed to end a sentence with a preposition but I'm just "quoting a phrase here." It appears that the world is going to hell in a hand basket, "to quote another phrase."

I was just reading on the internet news that a 10 year old boy was stopped at an Israeli check point with a vest strapped to his body full of explosives which were meant to kill Israeli soldiers, and of course himself. What kind of human monsters would blow up children to promote their cause? The article went on to say that this particular boy was someone who could be easily manipulated. His mother said he was supposed to be in school but fortunately was stopped at the checkpoint wired with a vest of explosives.

The older I get, it appears that God's Word gets more, and more, true as time goes on. Jesus said that you are either "for me, or against me." There is no grey here and yet it seems a bit cold on the first brush.

I remember much simpler, "for or against" times when I lived in Social Circle, Georgia. When I was 5 & 6 years old, I can remember to this day how abandoned I felt the day my mother dropped me off at kindergarten. I then remember to this day Mrs. Cook my first grade teacher, who had also been my father's first grade teacher. These were "for or against" people. You knew where they stood on everything.

There was a phenomenon that seemed to happen each year in the summer or fall, as I remember, that I had never seen anywhere else in the world. It was the arrival of the "Goat Man!" Now the Goat Man was quiet a hit in a little town with one traffic light.

The Goat Man was a man who rode into town with a wagon that had literally everything imaginable for sale, hanging on his wagon. You could find everything from a treasured antique, to a jump rope, to pots and pans. It would take you an hour to see it all. Then to make this spectacle even more famous, the Goat Man's wagon was pulled by at least 25-30 goats all in harness. This was the first time I had ever seen a goat eat a tin can. In actuality, the goat was eating the paper label on the can, but at 6 years old it looked like he was eating the whole can. Then the "Goat Man" himself was a sight to behold. He had a beard as long as Santa Clause and a Western hat that that looked like it was out of a western comic strip. I would say a movie, or TV, here but at that age, TV wasn't yet invented, and there was no movie theater in town from which to draw that conclusion.

The Goat man wore age old suspenders and a suit coat for respectability. He was very respectful to the ladies, as were all men then, and he loved little children.

This man could spin a tale that had our jaws open and our voices all ringing "really" and "sure nuff?" I heard just the other day that the Goat Man was a minister who had finally parked the wagon, un-harnessed the goats, and was the Pastor of a small church near Macon, Georgia.

It will be interesting to see if someone will writing an article about our lives, years from now as a "for or against" person for whom Jesus was speaking.

Check out our two new websites at: <www.hishousecommunitychurch.com>www.hishousecommunitychurch.com

and <www.ddaytravelingmuseum.com>www.ddaytravelingmuseum.com

Dr. Knox Herndon is the pastor of "His House Community Church" (SBC) Rev. Greg Mausz is Sr. Assoc. Dr. Lydia Herndon is the Sunday School Superintendent, Bible study coordinator and teacher. The church has moved to the new location just below Fayetteville, on GA. Highway 85. As you leave Fayetteville going South on Highway 85, you cross Highway 16, at the Senoia intersection. It is a mile on the right just below the fire station. If you are not in a church, come visit us. Church office and Prayer line (770)-719-2365 E-Mail KHERN2365@aol.com