Look to the rock - Calico Rock that is.

Our hometown of Calico Rock has been in the news a lot this week.  And not in a positive way.   Prison breaks make national headline news.  Ugh!

It got me thinking about things, so I asked ChatGPT this question:

 “I am from a town named Calico Rock, Arkansas. I like a good metaphor so I like songs like, ‘I go to the Rock’ by Dottie Rambo and I like the verse from Isaiah 51:1. Will you write me a short sermon using this passage and any other "rock" biblical references or songs.”

 Here is its answer and a couple of my edits:

Absolutely. Here's a short sermon (approx. 7–8 minutes) titled "Look to the Rock" — grounded in Isaiah 51:1, with rich biblical metaphors and references to hymns like “I Go to the Rock,” and touching on your hometown of Calico Rock, Arkansas as a personal anchor.

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"Look to the Rock"

Text: Isaiah 51:1
"Listen to me, you who pursue righteousness, you who seek the Lord: look to the rock from which you were hewn, and to the quarry from which you were dug."

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Introduction: Calico Rock and the Power of a Name

Growing up in Calico Rock, Arkansas, you learn to appreciate the weight and beauty of stone. Our town is named for the colorful bluffs that rise above the White River—a place that feels solid, enduring, familiar. Maybe that’s why verses like Isaiah 51:1 speak so deeply to me. Because I know what it means to “look to the rock.”

Isaiah’s words were first spoken to a weary people—exiles who wondered if God still remembered them. And his answer was clear: Yes, I remember you. And you need to remember Me. Look to the Rock.

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1. Look Back to the Rock – God’s Faithfulness in the Past

Isaiah says, “Look to the rock from which you were hewn.” And then in verse 2, he says who that rock is: “Look to Abraham your father and to Sarah who bore you.”

Abraham was just one man. Sarah was barren. They had no child and no land. And yet God said, “I will make your offspring like the stars of the sky.” And He did.

So when you feel small, forgotten, or without hope, Isaiah says: Remember where you came from. Not just your hometown—but the spiritual quarry you were carved from. You were formed by a God who keeps promises, even when the odds say otherwise.

Like that old song says:

🎵 "Where do I go when there's no one else to turn to?
I go to the Rock, I know He’s able, I go to the Rock."
— Dottie Rambo

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2. Stand Firm on the Rock – God’s Security in the Present

Throughout Scripture, God is called our Rock—a symbol of strength, stability, and refuge.

• Deuteronomy 32:4 – “The Rock, His work is perfect, for all His ways are justice.”
• Psalm 18:2 – “The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer.”
• Matthew 7:24 – “The wise man built his house on the rock.”

When everything else feels shaky—when health fails, finances fall, relationships fracture—we can still stand on something unshakable. That’s what Jesus meant when He said, “Build your house on the rock.”

And if you’ve ever stood on the bluff at Calico Rock and watched the water of the White River flow by rise and fall below you, you know what it feels like to stand on something that doesn’t move.

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3. Come to the Living Rock – God’s Invitation for the Future

Peter says in 1 Peter 2:4–6:

“As you come to Him, a living stone rejected by men but in the sight of God chosen and precious… you yourselves like living stones are being built up.”

Jesus is the Living Rock—the cornerstone the builders rejected. But now, He invites us to be part of something eternal: a spiritual house, built stone by stone, soul by soul.

And He still invites us:

🎵 “On Christ the solid Rock I stand,
All other ground is sinking sand.”

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Conclusion: When You Need Hope, Go to the Rock

So today, if you're:

• Tired from trying to live rightly,
• Wounded by things you can’t control,
• Or just wondering if you still have a purpose...

Look to the Rock.

Not just to where you came from—but to the One who never changes, who holds you firm when the world shakes, who makes living stones out of sinners and saints alike.

Because whether you're standing on the bluffs of Calico Rock or walking through life’s valleys, there’s a Rock higher than you. And His name is Jesus.

🎵 “I go to the Rock of my salvation,
I go to the Stone that the builders rejected.
I run to the Mountain and the Mountain stands by me.”

Happy Birthday - Cumberland Presbyterian Church

If my facts are correct, the Cumberland Presbyterian Church as a denomination celebrated its 213th birthday a couple of days ago.   The denomination grew rapidly during the 19th century.   With a focus on missions, the church planted many new churches as the frontier west of the Mississippi opened up.   There were churches planted as far west as Oregon.   By the end of the 19th century, there were many churches established in Missouri and Arkansas.   

In December of this year, 2023, the Cumberland Presbyterian Church in Calico Rock will celebrate its 100th anniversary.   For that celebration, I have been working on a project to compile the biographies of the original 17 charter members of the church.   There were 3 key men that were the core of the group.   They were Robert H. Wayland, Lucas H. McSpadden (my great-grandfather), and Leonard E. Evans.   

I began with Robert H. Wayland and that is when I fell into the rabbit hole.  I fell in deep and spent the entire weekend researching Uncle Bob's immediate family and then his extended much larger Wayland family.  I am writing this now on Monday night so I am obviously still down the rabbit hole.  Thanks to old issues of The Izard County Historian,  Ancestory.com and various histories of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church, I believe I have compiled a pretty good short bio of Uncle Bob.   

I will post the complete work when I have it completed.

Notes from trip to Dad's house.

I went to Calico Rock last weekend.  Here is an interesting item:

Dad found this sermon by David Morrow while going through mom's stuff.  Here is the story:

After dad retired from the drug store he and mom bought a RV and hit the road. One of their trips was out to the northwest.

David Morrow is the son of famous Cumberland Presbyterian pastor and theologian, Hubert Morrow.  Early in his career, Hubert was the pastor of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church in Calico Rock. He wrote a brief history of the Calico Rock Cumberland Presbyterian church while living in Calico Rock. I have an autographed copy but that is another story.

David became a Cumberland Presbyterian pastor and served at least one church in Arkansas before he went to South America on the mission field. While in South America he fell in love and married a Mennonite girl and subsequently joined the Mennonite church.

While on their RV trip to Washington mom and dad visited David's church. Attached is the sermon he preached that day.


Click here to read the sermon

City Rock Bluff

There is a special place near Calico Rock called City Rock Bluff.   I have a story about the bluff from way back in February 1979 that includes rain, snow, dark and a bottle of Jack Daniels being opened and the top pitched out the window of the pickup.   But that is for another time.   Too many memories.

You may remember the post of my Christmas wish list from last winter.  There were several toys on the list.   I have a new item I want to add to the list this year.   I want a remote controlled helicopter with a controllable video camera.  My on personal drone.   Here is a great video from YouTube posted by someone flying their helicopter off of City Rock Bluff.

The Simple Life

My wife and I decided to spend the weekend at Calico Rock Arkansas.  My mom's birthday is this weekend and I wanted to be here to say Happy Birthday and hug her neck.  It was kind of a last minute decision so we didn't get here until about 10:00 last night.  I wish I could have taken a picture of the moon and stars.  Wow.  I had forgotten how many lights are in the sky.  Living in Springfield MO only the brightest stars make it through the glow of the urban night.  The rural Ozarks aren't heaven but it has to be close.