What A Joy She's Found!

God blessed me with the privilege of writing the opening note when Deborah (MaMa) agreed to begin a blog.  I am equally blessed with the privilege of writing this last note in her blog.  Deborah went home to Heaven just after midnight on July 2, 2011.  Read her blog archives and learn about her and the Savior she adored.  We will miss her...but only until our own vapor vanishes.  Then we will see her again!   - Jeff

The Attitude of Gratitude!

Most parents can relate to the disappointment that we feel when we shopped in five different stores, dodging traffic, and being bone-tired from waiting in the long lines and then two days after Christmas, finding the SUPER-DUPER-GOTTA HAVE IT-MOST WONDERFUL CONTRAPTION IN THE WORLD toy thrown over into the corner. Worse yet, when asked, they say- "I don't know where it is!"  UGH!!  I am not finding fault with wee ones today because they must be steered into the direction of thankfulness. Parents must model and teach it to them because they don't arrive on Planet Earth as very thankful little creatures, do they?  We are seeing in this generation, just as Paul told Timothy, that people in the last days would be unthankful and they are more and more about their sense of entitlements and "give me, give me" attitudes than maybe ever before. Even we, Christians in America, have been so blessed that we tend to focus more on what we don't have than being humbled and grateful for what we do have.

The Author of our Stories!

How many of you have ever read a good book or saw a movie and were disappointed with its ending? I think of one of which we all are familiar- Gone With The Wind- and we probably would not have let Bonnie Blue fall off the horse and die and depending on our personalities, some of us would have wished Rhett had stayed with the pouty Scarlett, others were happy that she got what she deserved. Yes, if we could have reviewed and edited, we would have ruined Margaret Mitchell's bestseller!

Laura Story Blessings (lyrics)

Two Truths about Trials!

One of my favorite O.T. characters is a man named Joseph, the great grand-son of the Jewish patriarch, Abraham. All who read my writings all familiar with this faith-filled man and his story so I will just take up in chapter 45 which I was reading this morning during my quiet time with the Lord. In this chapter, Joseph, now in authority in the land of Egypt, is about to reveal himself to his brothers, those same brothers who had sold him at the age of seventeen into the hands of the Ishmeelites for twenty pieces of silver and then lied to their father about his whereabouts who had no doubt mourned every day since. That is one of the saddest parts of this story to me that as those ten boys saw their daddy sad every day that none would open up and tell him the truth, that maybe his beloved son was still alive.

Come Just As You Are!

By now, I guess we have all seen the gaffe by the president of the United States as he toasted the "snippity" queen of England. At least, that is the way that I see her- you know- like Laura Ingalls defined the little rich and bratty girl, Nellie- "just snippity, Pa"!  I am a Laura student and I like that word," snippity", for people who think they are above the commoners of this world. I must admit, I could not illicit much sympathy at our Commander in Chief  as the band struck up before he was finished with his eloquent toast. The picture of his condescension to the prime minister of the country who has been and should stay our staunchest ally kept coming to mind and I just didn't feel very sorry for him. He, probably, would surmise that the band was in error and should have waited on him and I am sure in either case, the queen set it right!

More Precious Than Silver

Fernando Ortega - All Flesh Is Like The Grass

"Every Word of God Proves True."

I read that verse from Proverbs 30:5 this morning and then turned to a chapter that I have read often in the last few days- Jeremiah 36.  A foolish king supposed that he could negate the truth that every word of God proves true by taking a knife and cutting the scroll and tossing it into the fire. Ps. 12:6- "The words of the LORD are pure words, as silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times." Matthew Henry writes- "Enemies may prevail to burn many a Bible, but they cannot abolish the Word of God, nor defeat the accomplishment of it."

The Forgotten Two-Lettered Word!

Recently Danny and I were watching the evening news when the subject of the end of the high school year proms was introduced. The sound bite just before breaking for commercial was enough to keep me hanging on for the whole story, always their strategy. "Adding to the already exorbitant expense from the dress to the coiffure to the shoes and the appointment with the make-up artist and the manicure and the pedicure and the......... , see why some parents are spending an extra $1300.00 this year, when we come back."  Wow, while I waited for the seemingly endless commercial about the side effects of cholesterol medicine, I thought to myself what could be driving up the cost of the prom date? Could it be the limousine and the fine dining and maybe the swanky motel where the dance would be? I just couldn't imagine. What? Pray tell!

Bringing Others Forward On Their Journey!

Thank you, dear Readers, for allowing me to think out loud and then put on paper my thoughts lately on how I could come to the end of my life and not consider it a waste, that I had not lived in vain. Know that I write firstly to me and if you are blessed or encouraged, then I am thankful and if I have ever sounded condescending or in a manner that suggests that I have it all together, please forgive me. I know that I have far to go but I also know that my goal is to know more of God, to love Christ my Savior in a deeper way, and then to walk worthy of that calling in Him!

All I Once Held Dear (Knowing You) -- with Lyrics

Our Passion!

"It is beyond comprehension that soldiers of the cross would be satisfied in retiring from the battle just before the trumpet blast of victory or just before admission to the coronation ceremony." This rich quote from John Piper aids me in setting the stage for my second thought on how I, as I reflect on my life, believe I can waste it. Last time, I noted that pursuing God should be my lifelong goal. Read with me a verse in Hosea 6:3- "Then shall we know, if we follow on to know the LORD..." Following on, running hard after is what the Psalmist was teaching in Ps. 63 when David said- "O God, Thou art my God; early will I seek Thee: my soul thirsteth for Thee, my flesh longeth for Thee in a dry and thirsty land, where no water is; To see Thy power and Thy glory, so as I have seen Thee in the sanctuary. In one of my favorite chapter in Psalms, in 42, he writes- "As the hart panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after Thee, O God."

Our Pursuit!

In my last blog, I spoke of God's infinite riches of grace that He has lavishly bestowed upon His children through faith in His Son, Jesus Christ. In the first three chapters of the Book of Ephesians, we read of His immeasurable power and provision which He gives us and in chapter four, Paul begins with the word-"therefore"- now pointing out our rightful response to the blessings from our heavenly Father and none being deserved by any of us. I thank Him again and again for His grace.

THINK ABOUT HIS LOVE - Don Moen (With Lyrics)

Children of the King or Paupers?

Many years ago, I read the story of a woman named Hetty Green who died in 1916 and left an estate valued at over $100 million dollars yet she ate cold oatmeal (yuck) because it cost too much to heat it. Her son had a leg amputated because she prolonged treatment while looking for a free clinic. Why a person with seemingly limitless wealth would live and die like a pauper stirred my mind and heart this morning as I read from Ephesians, chapter one. We who have been bought by the precious blood of Christ must say "oh me" because we choose to live often as spiritual vagabonds instead of sons and daughters of the King.

Wake Up!

While listening to the story of the sleeping air traffic controller this morning, my mind was awakened to some Scripture passages where the Apostle Paul exhorted believers to wake up! The planes were flying in the dark skies and the pilot needed the opened eyes and alert discernment from one in the tower so they could safely land but he was fast asleep. "We are coming in for a landing- is anyone there? Are you there, tower?"  We cannot imagine the frustration and fear of the one who is trying to get his plane and passengers on the runway but can't get his guide to hear his cry. He's in dreamland!

An Appeal to Unity!

Recently, a couple of my blogs have been about the troublesome times  in which we find ourselves today. I believe that because of that hard fact that there is no better time for the church, those blood-bought by the Lord Jesus Christ, to stand together and put away a childhood trait that Jesus illustrated in Luke 7.  I remember when growing up that there was always a baseball game going on in our backyard, (Mother preferring an "infield look" to her lawn so she could keep her eyes on us) and there was one boy who was a very good athlete but we were always cautious about choosing him because when things didn't go his way, Billy bailed. Yes, that is right- left the game even if we were  in the 9th inning and the score was tied, he would take his glove and ..."no, Billy, please leave us the ball, please....aww", we would sigh as we saw him heading for his house.

Keith & Kristyn Getty - O Church Arise

Keeping Our Eyes Upon Jesus!

In my last blog, I wrote of the unsafe world in which we find ourselves living, not only from "natural disasters" but from the rampant evil that we see perpetuated today. The city of Athens said "good-bye" to a police officer today who was shot in the head by a man who had carjacked a vehicle and was on cocaine as law enforcement officers negotiated his surrender. A friend of his (the alleged assailant) said that he was a good man. My definition of a good man differs. I believe the good man was the one who told his pastor that he knew being a policeman was dangerous but thought it was God's will for his life. Now, his wife is left to explain to a 2-yr.son and 5-yr. old daughter why their Daddy won't come home. They won't understand- I don't understand but I do know that those guilty of crimes like this are not good men.  I pray and hope you do too for our men and women in uniform who are called to defend our communities and cities from criminals. My husband usually buys their meals if they happen to be in the same restaurants that we are. The least we can do is to tell them we appreciate their sacrifice on our behalf.