In Search Of Mayberry

Dr. Mike Murphy
June 14, 2026

Being like most men, I am an expert channel surfer.  I can wear the numbers off a remote in less than a month.  As I sat the other day to talk with a long time friend, I found myself with the phone in one hand and the remote in the other.  Over two hundred and fifty channels, and I still could not find a thing to watch. As I told my friend of my dilemma, he joked with me that maybe I could find an old episode of the Andy Griffith Show.

Like so many others, I grew up watching reruns of the Andy Griffith Show.  It had often been a running joke for many of us that we would love to find Mayberry one day.  Move there, and put the worries of this world behind us. To find this simple town, where you spend the day talking with your friends and neighbors, not texting to them on the cell phone as we go about our busy lives.  A place where you not only know your neighbor’s names, but desire to help your neighbor with their needs. A town where the greatest worries involved making sure the jail cell was unlocked for Otis on weekend nights, whether Barney knew where the bullet was for his gun, and how you would find good hiding places in order to get rid of Aunt Bee’s pickles.

Mayberry takes us back to a simple, but good life.  A life where “love thy God”, and “love thy neighbor” were more than just words that had once been read on a page(Matthew 22:36-40).  A place and time where morals were not an afterthought, but a forethought. A place where right and wrong were not decided in the moment, but practiced and keep in the hearts and minds of each every moment.  A place where good was not sought in the minds of men, but looked for in the One who created the heart of man.

If we were to search this world for Mayberry today, we would spend a lifetime and not find the place or town.  In a world where so many of us seek a Mayberry, we find ourselves in a world that looks to destroy the very concept behind Mayberry.  A world we live in that is filled to the brim with confusion. A world where good is no longer sought, because it is believed to be nothing more than a passing thought.  A world where man is told to look within himself for good, instead of seeking the only One who can show him what true goodness is.

We watch as the world today seeks to define good without God.  Man looks for good in his own nature, instead of finding good in God’s standards and teachings.  Man looks to define good by his own vision, not through God's eyes, and not in relation to God’s purpose.  Famous atheist Richard Dawkins once attempted to define good and evil without God. He did it this way, “Humans have always wondered about the meaning of life...life has no higher purpose than to perpetuate the survival of DNA...life has no design, no purpose, no evil and no good, nothing but blind pitiless indifference”.  Despite the meaningless purpose that Dawkins sees life holding, look at the conclusion about life we see in his words.  In the midst of all of Dawkins words, even the most devout atheist is left trying to define and explain the impossible. If right and wrong is ultimately for survival, then right or wrong will be seen differently in every situation.  Based on Dawkins way of thinking, there could never be a standard of right or wrong that man could live by. No standard by which laws could be given, no expectation by which crime could ever be stopped. Without a standard of right and wrong, whatever I deemed necessary in my situation, could never be denied me.  The very thing I might see as right today, could well become the very thing my neighbor decides is wrong tomorrow. Without even realizing it, Dawkins has made Scripture’s point. Without God, without Him setting a standard that clearly defines good and evil, man would never know what good and evil is. Without God, man is left with nothing more than chaos as the governing force of our lives. 

As we look at the chaos of this world today, we see our society constantly seeking to explain good without God.  But when the honest man takes a moment to think, he quickly realizes where the conclusion of this argument leads.  C. S. Lewis once found himself in this very position, looking for good in every direction but “Up”. Of this, he would go on to write, “A man does not call a line crooked unless he has some idea of a straight line.”  C.S. Lewis came to the conclusion in his life, that without God, he was incapable of defining good.  That without God, he had no way of ever understanding what is good. And all this led him to realize that only in having a personal relationship with God, could he ever come to see good(Exodus 34:6, James 1;17).  Lewis came to love and understand what the Word of God tells us, “And Jesus said to him, ‘Why do you call Me good? No one is good except God alone.’”(Luke 18:19). Realizing, you cannot have good without God. You cannot know good if you do not first know God.  And you cannot see good without first seeing God. 

It is from this basic acknowledgement that only the Lord can define for us good and evil, that draws us back to the simplicity of Mayberry.  A place where we see good and evil so clearly defined. A place where our love for our Lord, and our call to love our neighbor, takes center stage.  A place that reminds us, if He is truly the love of our life, then our concern for our neighbor will be found as a priority in our life. 

Mayberry draws us back to a place where the neighbor we stand beside as we worship Him on Sunday, is still found in the thoughts and concerns of our heart come Monday.  A love for our neighbor that finds us quicker to reach out a hand to them, than to be found gossiping about them. A love that finds us looking to share what we have with them, not remembered for the grudge we held for days against them.  And a love that leads us to want to share Christ with them, because at some point in our life, a loving and faithful neighbor was willing to share Christ with us(Matthew 7:12).

Mayberry, a place of simple goodness so many of us wish we could find, a place we wish we could call home while we are here on this earth.  We would love nothing more than to be able to talk to Helen at the PTA meetings. Or to be able to step in the Barber Shop and tell Floyd “just take a little off the top”.  Or even to be able to ask Goober to check the oil as we fill up our gas tank. But as we long for this perceived utopia on this earth, we must realize that the goodness we seek does not come at the hands of man.  Mayberry is not our perfect town because of anything man has done, or because of anything a single resident of this town could do. When we watch the episodes we soon realize that the goodness we seek lies behind the scenes, in the only One who could make each of  our lives truly good! The only One who can define good. And the only One who can show us the perfection of its’ meaning!

So as I finish my story, I again pick up my remote.  And as I flip through the channels, I see so many filling the screen of my television with theories of failed logic, instead of His truth of proven wisdom.  Men and women who try to describe for me the good of this world, without the perfect hand of the One who created this world. A goodness man looks in every direction for but one, “Up”.  So once again, I find myself flipping the channels in search of Mayberry.

Praying the true definition of good will fill each of your lives! Even if it means you have to eat a couple of Aunt Bee's pickles!

Moving Day!

Dr. Mike Murphy
June 11, 2026

Among my many, many faults and shortcomings, not always asking others for prayer is near the top of that list.  I have always found it easier to pray for others than to ask them to pray for me. Looking to lead others in prayer for those around me in need, instead of directing that focus to the problems in my life.  And I must admit, it often leaves me trying to put the proverbial lipstick on a pig, With the cancer, others will frequently contact or message me, asking me, out of concern, how I am doing. And usually, I am quick to dismiss them, moving on to other subjects the first chance i get.

Recently though, the dismissals have become a lot harder, as the cancer is taking a greater toll.  Often leaving me facing struggles more each day that are increasingly difficult to put a good face on, and move the conversation away from. Showing me that one day soon, the cancer will leave me facing a permanent address change. But as that “moving day” draws nearer, I find the Lord is giving me little glimpses of what my new home is going to be like.

“But as it is written: What eye did not see and ear did not hear, and what never entered the human mind-- God prepared this for those who love Him.”(1 Corinthians 2:9). We read those words, and we think to ourselves just how glorious Heaven will be. But as we look closely at those words, we soon realize that mankind does not know a word that can come close to describing how amazing Heaven will actually be.  Heaven will be perfect, and without seeing perfection, there is just no way we can begin to describe what we think that perfection will look like. Simply put, we have nothing in this world to compare it to. Nothing in this world that gives us a glimpse of a place where suffering will be felt no more. Where conflict will no longer be seen. And where disappointment will never be experienced again. A place where temptation, and the evils of this world, will never again have a single ounce of influence on our lives.

Heaven will be a place where our friendships will be even closer, as there will be no disagreements or misunderstanding.  A place where all our relationships will be open and honest, as the complications of our sinful nature will be left behind.  Heaven will be a place where our work and our rest will go hand in hand. As we serve Him each day, our work will be found as perfect, sweeter than anything we can imagine, never leaving us bored for a single second.  And Heaven will be a place where our longing for home will finally be fulfilled. A place where our hunger to know Him more will forever be quenched, and a place where satisfaction will no longer need to be defined.

The glory of Heaven will not be felt in our anticipation, but will be known each day in His presence.  Think about that. All you know about Christ now, will pale beside being able to hear His voice speak to you each day.  And as our Lord creates a new Heaven and a new earth, we will share in that wondrous world with Him. A world of such perfection, the wolf will then live with the lamb(Isaiah 11:6-7).  A place of continuous joy, where we will be able to finally put all the pieces of the puzzle together, and realize just how perfectly all fits into His eternal plan.

As I now struggle with the cancer, and anticipate the approaching of that day, a verse from His Word continues to comfort me. “Do not fear, for I am with you; do not be afraid, for I am your God. I will strengthen you; I will help you; I will hold on to you with My righteous right hand.”(Isaiah 41:10).  My life is not a measure of the ups and downs that this cancer might bring to me. My life is a sum of His love, and His undying grace. And through His love, and by His grace, I am blessed each day, to get a little glimpse of what this “moving day” soon holds for me.

Each day, the Lord gives me a glimpse of Heaven, as He blesses me to be able to look at so many of you.  Most days as I turn on my computer, or check my phone, I see or hear each of the messages all of you send me. Messages of prayer and encouragement, that ask the Lord to keep His hand of protection over me. Messages of sincerity, that come my way with all the concerns each of you have as to how I am feeling. Messages that often are nothing more than a simple picture of something you know will uplift me. Messages of stories of how Christ is working in the lives of others.  Messages of hope, that tomorrow will hold for me a better day. All messages that offer a small reflection of the true love and compassion that Heaven will offer, as you take the time out of your busy day to check on me. Giving me a glimpse of the brotherly and sisterly love that Heaven will be overflowing with.  

As so many of you send me your questions each day about Scripture, and how the Word of God applies to our life, the Lord also gives me a little glimpse of what Heaven will be like.  In each, I see your sincere desire to know more about His Word, and about our Savior. A true yearning and craving in each of you to know Him more, to know everything you can possible learn about Him.  To be feed by a truth that only He can bring us. And with each new fact you learn, you do not sit quietly on that knowledge, you look to to use it to feed others. Each new detail you learn about Him, you find yourself wanting to praise Him more.  And with each of those praises, with each desire in you to know Him more, I am blessed to get a little glimpse of what each of my coming days will soon hold.

And as I watch and hear the concern that so many of you have for this world and this Church, the Lord also gives me a little glimpse of what Heaven will be like.  I see in you a compassion for all that only He can offer. A compassion that brings you to your knees in search of the certainty that will come from His lasting answers, not just leading you to turn to your fellow man in the hope he might have a temporary solution.  A compassion that helps all around you each day to understand, true peace will only come from the Prince of Peace. And that true hope, is only found in His presence.

There is no denying, I cannot even begin to imagine or fully understand what the Lord has in Heaven waiting for me.  But as I see the compassion each of you offer, the desire each of you have to know Him more, and the hope each of you find in the presence of His arms, the Lord gives me a little glimpse of just what Heaven has waiting for me.  The slightest of glimpses at the way to spell that word that no man yet knows. The perfect word to describe all that Heaven will have to offer. But each day until that word is perfectly known to me, I thank Him for allowing me to understand the perfection of that word a little more as I see it reflected in all of you.

I pray on the day you hear that I have officially moved, you will not be saddened by my leaving.  Knowing that in my new address, I am more alive than ever. And as the days draw ever closer to my “moving day”, my mind wanders forward to the day each of you will be moving also.  A day that as you stand in His presence, and find all your questions answered, you will look over your shoulder to see someone standing there with a smile so big it will not fit on their face.  And as you look closely, I hope you will begin to realize that smile has a familiar presences. A presences that you cannot help but walk over and speak to. Because behind that biggest of smiles, you will find me!

Praying the Lord gives each of you a little glimpse of Heaven today!