TABIAN CHURCH, FORGOTTEN AND ABANDONED

 

                                               TAIBAN PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH

Taiban Church, Forgotten and Abandoned

by Billy Gilbreath

Entering Taiban says the highway sign

With anticipation to see the historic town

Slowing my speed   to avoid the passing traffic

Entered with caution on the gravel street

There the uneven ruts ended at the steps

And there it remained the famous building

The church from years past and forgotten

Taiban Presbyterian famous only for photographs

Wondering how it could survive years and years

Wind of the plains, dust and even tornadoes

God allowed it to remain and perhaps purpose

Using the metal handrail of steel curved pipe

Allowed my weakened knees and lesser grasp

To enter the now removed entrance door

Perhaps it is now used at a nearby dwelling

There inside as my steps were carefully placed

The planks once filled with pews now missing

 Staring  out the  windows without panes

Seeing the distance where once the town

Empty and falling structures, boarded up

Could I hear Rock of Ages, Amazing Grace

Only with my imagination with closed eyes

Looking forward with visions of preacher

Only the distance through the open window 

The ornate ceiling of wood survived ages

 Fortunately the graffiti could not be reached.

Only the faded wall and crumbling paint

Allowed those to install the many scripts

Some inspiring,  encouraging, some foolish

Pictures, with modern phones, cameras

Will continue to be placed on the cloud

But most of all emblazed on my mind

God’s purpose for the little church 

Though not eternal but a reminder

Earthly things will eventually pass

My plans will remain forever, eternity.

By: Billy Gilbreath

FOR MIL'S, by Billy Gilbreath

Painting by Annalon Gilbreath

29 August/2020

RELEVANT, RELEVANT

 

                                            METHODIST CHURCH, WINONA, TX

            Relevant, Relevant

That old red brick church, now gone

Just across from those who sprinkle

Continues to remain a vision within

No air conditioners for relentless heat

A few above the ceiling turning around

Hand held fans from the funeral home

Was a must, property of the church.

Nothing prevented the singing of hymns

Those which always presented a message

Preaching was of the old style leading

To, Just AS I Am, to welcome sinners

To accept, Jesus as savior and life eternal

Occasionally during those months of revival

Visiting that church hidden in off road

We often referred to it as “Happy Holler.”

Old fashion mourner benches, a fixture

Clapping, singing the praises with feeling

An outburst of one beginning to shout 

Sometimes a word of prophecy, given 

Yes, what we called the unknown tongue

The anointing was from start to finish

Singing, praising, preaching and mourning

Three places of worship, different styles

Methinks, all have something in common

Present the gospel with “Just as I AM.”

Glorify and give praise  to our Lord and Savior.

Relevant, Relevant, Years and Years later. 

Billy Gilbreath 

July 20, 2020

"WONDERFUL BIRTH TO A MANGER HE CAME..."

 

"WONDERFUL BIRTH TO  A MANGER HE CAME..."

"...Wrought our redemption and when 

       He arose, banished forever

           the last of our foes...."

         Presbyterian Church, Taiban, N.M.

"Wonderful birth to a manger  He came,

 Made in the likeness of man to proclaim

God's boundless love for a world sick with      sin...

 Pleading with sinners to let Him ..come in...

Wonderful life  full of service so free,

 Friend to the poor and the needy  was he;

Undying goodness to all He bestowed,

 Undying faith in the vilest He showed.

Wonderful death for it meant not defeat,

 Calvary made His great mission complete;

Wrought our redemption and when He arose,

  Banished forever the last of our foes...

Wonderful hope He is coming again,

  Coming  as King o'er the nations to reign;

Glorious promise: His word cannot fail--

His righteous kingdom at last must 

    prevail..."

  CHORUS:

  "Wonderful name He bears

Wonderful crown He wears;

 Wonderful blessings His triumphs afford!

Wonderful Calvary...

  wonderful grace for me;

Wonderful love of my  wonderful  Lord."

   .....Male Quartet  "WONDERFUL".           

            from the  1950's

-------

BY MIL

26 AUGUST 2020

Taiban, N.M. church, (ca, 1920)

  by Annalon Gilbreath

-------

Lyrics from memory...

MIL'S TOMATOES

 

         

                                                         FRIDAY MORNING - 8/22/2020

                                                                 FRIDAY MORNING - 8/22/2020

"You shall reap...if ye faint not..."

WHERE IS THE MAGIC OF THE DAYS OF '44?

 

In old dear La Casita  Elementary

   We had  gone from babes  in '30

        ("See Dick and Jane run...")

To  becoming real good spellers

     and leaving "printing.."

and learning cursive writing, 

   like adults    with the more-apt

kids getting real old fashioned 

    INK FOUNTAIN PENS.

The boys, off at war, if they were 

  lucky...   carried Parker 51's

for writing  home...

In many ways it was a grand time,

  in a marvelous country   before

the days of ball  point pens...

    which seemed like good pens

at the time...

"Fountain Pens"  could be bought

   for several bucks  tho Shaeffers

Lifetime's were higher...and Parkers...

Important national documents 

  of the day, even surrenders

and laws....were signed in 

  black ink...Roosevelt used one

as did Churchill      and in the 90's

  Conway-Stewart of England,

a pen company offered

      A real Churchill Replica Pen---

a Real Copy from the 40's was offered

  to the world ...BOXED in a nice box,

with photos AND A COMPLIMENTARY

             "CHURCHILL" ...CIGAR...

(which was a  fat-cigar-size  offered

      by most tobacco companies)

                        and

the English pen company marketed

   replica WWII CH pens @ $195.00

each  If these  marvelous copies

   from history were even offered

today, it would likely be with:

               "No Cigar."

----------

"What happened to your CS Cigar'

Mil, the one which you got with 

your Churchill Fountain Pen?"

It is in the dark corners of the 

garage       among the  books..

somewhere...still in the box..likely  

dried out a right smart   I've 

heard they are not healthful anyway.

--------

As to the pen itself, the old-fashioned

rubber bladder which held the ink,

failed after a time and  Fahrney's sent

my Churchill back to England ...and

they re-worked the insides and now

it uses PELIKAN 4001 ink cartridges.

-------

MIL

20 AUGUST 2020

ON HAND-WASHING..AND "TRUE GRIT"

There is only ONE real 

 original John Wayne 

.."TRUE GRIT" movie 

extant in the world, unless

 we throw in Hepburn,

in "ROOSTER COGBURN,"

 in which  Rooster makes 

us hungry with his 

 corn-bread "Corn Dodgers."

"True Grit..." guess we've

 seen it half-dozen-times-

and "Cogburn" almost  as many.

(Glen Campbell  was.great 

in "Grit," and remember 

when the chatty girl...   

 rolled into the pit 

     with the rattlesnakes!)

Ah, but there is MORE to

 my muse this day, and

it all  depends  on WORDS.

It's  the"GRIT" that set 

 me to thinking---

Have your heard about 

 all this "WASH YORE HANDS"

thing .....  that's going around?

We've always  done it anyway,

(Of course when I was driving

a big Orange Case tractor, 

plowing at Ranchvale in the

Forties, hand-washing was not

        THE MAIN GOAL.

In fact you got dirty...all over.)

So anyway we ordered this four-

bottle- box of Irish Spring

liquid soap from Amazon. and

 guess what--it had: GRIT,

in it... not GRAVEL...but 

      true grit--no mistake

about it. But we grew  to love

     that green grit soap!

But there's more!  Somehow,

 some way, who  knows--

in the  "great scheme," 

as they say--I found myself

"warshing" my hands with

a neat little WHITE BAR  

 of hand soap!  I MEAN--

    it was splendid!

Sir down for this....TA DUM!!

      IT HAD GREAT GRIT.

"What brand of soap is that?"

  I exclaimed excitedly to BE.

"We've got to lay in a six-bar

    pack!"

"I don't know what's the brand 

 or where we got it," she

shrugged.

We opened several random bars

 of hand soap, accumulated over

time...and wet them a mite...

  Ah,        but  none had GRIT.

GRIT is a priceless , rare thing---

  Good to have in our movies,

     Good to have in our soap,

           and in  these times...

  Good to have ...in our souls.

MIL'S PLACE

8/22/20

MAY SHE RULE FOREVER

 

                                          Winona Texas Grade School Ruins

MAY SHE RULE FOREVER

by Billy Gilbreath

 Passing by that old building, now abandoned, burned

The structure of halls through which many have passed

The vestibule near the entrance where gatherings occurred

That auditorium often filled with music, plays and guest

Punch and Judy the annual performance of a puppet show

The first time I can remember a presentation of the gospel

My non-Oscar senior performance of “Home Came Hattie”

Where I played the part of Bill Bluett, the local sheriff

To the rear of the building was the rock structure gym

Built in the 1930 during the depression years by the WPA

The labor and enjoyment of many, unfortunately a memory

Looking inside the rambles, bent hanging iron

Plants growing abundantly throughout the ruined structure

Recognizing, rabbit mullein, cedar tree growing stately

The saplings reaching above the height of the basketball goal

There growing clump of daisies struggling for water

Sprigs of grass and other vegetation struggling to survive

Passing through the old cafeteria was the smell of lunch

Down the long hall of the elementary, only the arch remained

That other hall to the North, high school, offices and library.

Leaving the area with events to remember, was sad

Thinking back comes to mind some of the tributes present

Remembering the old rock gym and the shiny wooden floors

There stood the famous coach Gilly, the tall cedar, 

The saplings are the many athletes who performed

Reaching to the basketball goal as the slender saplings

The architect of the old rock gym with its perfect placing

Reminds me of the unity and appreciation which existed

Only the daisy could remind me of Rama, the encourager

Rabbit mullein so hardy as those who passed the halls

Struggling sprigs of grass those who survived the challenge

Bent hanging iron from the foundation of the building 

A lesson to those who may have passed these halls

A tribute to those who gave us our beginning of knowledge.

The old school song, May She Rule Forever, remembered 

Even in the sadly destroyed structured now abandoned

Quotes, often used, “Things never remain the same”, so true

Only, “Jesus Christ, the same yesterday, today and forever.”

                                 Hebrews 13:8

By: Billy Gilbreath      Dec. 7, 2019   

For Mil's Place:  8/22/20