Bernie Parsons:  

Life As of March 2021, I still preach every Sunday morning and post a sermon outline and sermonette on Facebook every two weeks under a page called GlobechurchofChrist. I love to write, but still have not tried to publish any of it other than on social media. I am trying to get off of Facebook and have taken up social media residence on MeWe. I enjoy time with my wife, children, and son-in-law. I love to read, but don't get time, except for the Bible, and research that I do on the Internet. I went to college late in life and obtained a tech degree. I love computers. I use a little point-and-shoot camera to take photos of flowers, clouds, the river, sunsets, the moon and any other things that catch my attention. I have a Web site discussing Bible topics called christianuniverse.com. In case the name of the site gets blocked, it is christianuniverse with the normal Internet punctuation (a period) and the COMmercial suffix. I don't update that site anymore but it is still there. It's been a good life, and my Heavenly Father has shown much patience and kindness toward me, through my Lord, Jesus Christ. He has richly blessed me with enough, and has given me a wonderful family. Thank you, Lord and God! School I was always excited to go to school. From the time that I started first grade in a little mining town on left Beaver Creek at age 6, until I went to college in my late 40s, I enjoyed learning! (And still do!) My favorite teacher in the lower grades was Darlene Martin. Our family moved to northern Ohio so that my mother could find work in the factories there. My school years there were miserable. Students and teachers alike made fun of me because I was a "hillbilly". One teacher asked me to explain to the class how a moonshine still worked, saying that she understood that every family in Kentucky owned one! A science teacher harshly ridiculed me in front of the entire class because I pronounced ninety as nine-ee, instead of nine-ty. I think that he was really upset because the Ohio children were reporting lower test scores and this "dumb hillbilly" had the highest test score that day! Classmates there asked what it was like living without electricity, and the convenience of a washer and a refrigerator. Glad to get out of there, I was! 1964 saw my arrival at Martin High School just after Thanksgiving, and some of the best years of my young life. I enjoyed Geneva Bailey's eighth-grade class in the trailer, and my classmates. Remember Flo-uh-duh and Alfed, Lloyd Tennyson? Mrs. Bailey was kind and inspiring, more of a motherly figure than a teacher! Thank you, Debra L. Hyden, for your kindness and acceptance when I first arrived at Martin and throughout high school. Thank you, Marvin Salisbury, David Peters, and Ken Ratliff, for your staunch support and friendship in those days. Thank you, Forrest Robert Allen, for being my best friend during high school, and a steady friend in life. High school was great, although bittersweet, as I struggled through the hormonal years. I loved my classmates, and was happy being part of our class of 1969. I felt like every classmate was a friend. My favorite teachers were Frances Brackett, Leo Watts, and Curtis Moore. They seemed to believe in me, which inspired me to try harder and do better. Graduation was another bittersweet event. I was sad to know that I would probably never see most of my classmates again. At the same time, I was excited about getting on with my life. I was the class of 1969 Salutatorian. College I started going to college when I was about 48 years old. It took me four years of working full time and going to school full time to get my degree. On a typical day, I worked all day, went to college all evening, and studied until the early morning hours. I suffered a lot from hypo-glycemia during this time, which made it harder to get through the classes. During this time, I also studied and passed several Microsoft certification tests, and picked up a couple of computer certifications: Microsoft Certified Professional Plus Internet (MCP+I) and Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer (MCSE). My associate degree was in Networking Information Systems. I had hoped to get into Web site development, but it was not taught locally. I had a couple of good study buddies who helped me with difficult programming exercises, and I really appreciated that. My best classmate friend was Keith Johnson, a member of one of the churches where I preach. He and I both were known around campus for taking good lecture and study notes, and often found ourselves sharing them with others. A...Expand for more