HASSEL S. FRYE

This plaque hangs on the door of the library in my church.  As with most churches, it’s one of those plaques that was hung to honor someone in the church for doing something honorable.  Hassel Frye was my grandfather.  He was a talented wood worker, and he built the shelves in the church library.  When he passed away, the church honored his memory and his talent – a gift from God and used for God – by placing this plaque on the library door.  Every time I open that door I think of my grandfather, and I smile.

Granddaddy was an interesting man.  He was a super hard worker, as most of his generation.  He often worked two jobs.  I remember him working as a milkman, construction man, furniture making man, breadman, and maintenance man.  I’m sure there were more jobs before my time.  Granddaddy had strong beliefs and stronger opinions, as most of his generation did.  You could say he was stubborn — uncompromising.  What he said went.  That was not always a bad thing.  But, when Hassel spoke, you listened.

Granddaddy enjoyed wood working.  He had this workshop up behind his house.  It smelled like fresh cut wood, stale burnt wood from the pot belly stove, and granddaddy’s cigars.  To this day those fragrances take me back, and I smile.   I love those smells.   In the workshop we grandkids had our own tools to “work” beside him.  While he was working with power tools, he would give us a hunk of scrap and we would nail, saw, and screw.   He tolerated our “help,” most of the time.

Granddaddy liked to relax after work.  He would come home from the bakery spent from a bread baking day.  He’d climb into his recliner after dinner and play beauty parlor with us kids.  Well, not really, he sat there and we combed his hair while he watched the news.  Yep, believe it or not.  As if that’s not astounding enough, granddaddy would let us put curlers in his hair.  Pink curlers.  We would wind what few strands he had around these pink curlers and clip them in.  He would sit there and watch the news with a couple of pink curlers in his hair.  If you knew my grandfather, you’d be shocked!  If he knew I was telling you this, he’d be shocked!

Granddaddy was a cigar smoker.  One day he rode up the road to Pownall’s where he often bought cigars – uh-oh!  We thought we had taken out all the curlers but…we missed just one.  My uncompromising, opinionated, sometimes harsh, hardworking, wonderful grandfather walked into a store to buy a cigar with a pink curler on his head.  Isn’t that awesome!  Of course, he didn’t know it.  When he left the beauty parlor he assumed his do was done.

Granddaddy was not a compromiser – just ask my mom and Aunt Sandi.  It didn’t mean he was always right because no one is.  It didn’t mean that you always liked what he said because you rarely did.  It meant that he was confident in his thoughts and knew what he believed enough to say it.  It also meant that he could be a kind, loving and generous grandfather without compromising.  I wonder what granddaddy would think of today’s world and its calls for compromise.

Today we are called to compromise our families, our work, our health, our friends, our Church, our lives.  You see the world is a very compelling place to live.  It sucks you in before you know what has happened with flashy lights and false promises.

Jesus told His followers – He told us — what He required of them in Matthew 16:24-26.

If any of you want to be my follower, you must put aside your selfish ambition,

shoulder your cross, and follow me.

If you try to keep your life for yourself, you will lose it.

But if you give up your life for me you will find true life.

And how do you benefit if you gain the whole world

but lose your own soul in the process?  Is anything worth more than your soul?

In order to be followers of Christ, we are to reject the world.  We are to be different.  We are to know the Truth, believe the Truth, and follow the Truth.  To be a follower of Christ I must reject the world and follow Him.  Definitely easier said than done.

Do I compromise?  You betcha.  Can I hold fast?  Sometimes.  Do I live for the world?  Sometimes.   Am I wrong when I do?  Absolutely.

But you see, I know someone who never compromises, who never wavers, who never lies, who holds firm and always keeps His promises, despite the world. He’s always there – kind, loving, generous, uncompromising and He loves us so much that he gives us the tools to do the same.

No man can serve two masters:  for either he will hate the one, and love the other;

or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other.  Ye cannot serve God and mammon.

Matthew 6:24

We cannot follow God and the world.  That’s compromising.  We cannot serve God and mammon – riches, treasures.  We can’t have two masters – we can’t have it both ways.

So, what do we do?  We hold tight.  We hold fast.  We don’t compromise.  We don’t waver.  We stand up and bow down.  We bow not to the world, but we bow down to the One true God who gave us a way out of eternal darkness and into eternal light.