Finally Getting A Piano

I remember sitting in the old # 3 washtub for my Saturday night bath while listening to the Grand Old Opry on the radio. I don’t remember now who it was but someone played the piano on the Opry and I wanted to play just like that. My aunt had an upright player piano and when we went to visit her, the piano bench was the first place I plopped down. She showed me how to insert the piano rolls in the front of the piano and then I would stretch to reach the two pedals at the base of the piano to make it play.

I begged Mother and Daddy for a piano. I promised I would practice if they would get a piano for me. I would plead and promise; plead and promise. Finally, when I was about 10, my little friend down the street, who had a piano, didn’t want to play it any longer and her parents decided to sell it. Wonders of wonders, I was going to be the lucky little girl who would become the owner of her old upright piano! I was thrilled beyond measure and couldn’t wait until I had it in our home.

Finally, the day came. The piano had to be carefully taken down about ten steep steps. So, my Daddy enlisted the help of six friends, who very carefully maneuvered it down the steps and out on to the sidewalk. I begged my Daddy to let me go and watch the process, but Daddy said I had to wait at home. I think he was afraid the piano might go flying down the steps; out into the highway and bust into a hundred pieces and he knew my little heart would be broken. So, I stood on our front porch and anxiously stretched my neck in order to catch the first glimpse of my piano. Very soon, I saw it…..my piano in all of its glory being carefully pushed up the sidewalk by six men.

I couldn’t wait to get my hands on those piano keys. Up the sidewalk they came; pushing and puffing and finally up to our front door. They managed to get the piano onto our porch and in the front door and carefully moved it to the appointed spot. I could hardly wait to sit down on that brown bench. It was the most beautiful piano I had ever laid my eyes on! Oh, some of the ivories were missing but the face of the piano had wooden floral overlays and under that a lot of little hammers with red felt. I can remember propping the lid up with big books and then tinkling the ivories and watching those little hammers move back and forth producing a sound.

Now I could learn to play………..

God gives each of us a talent; maybe more than one. What are you doing with your talent?

“Praise him with trumpet sound;
praise him with lute and harp!
Praise him with tambourine and dance;
praise him with strings and pipe!
Praise him with sounding cymbals;
praise him with loud clashing cymbals!
Let everything that has breath praise the Lord!
Praise the Lord! “Psalm 150-3-6 ESV

Talent Show

I remember being in an operetta in school when I was in fourth grade. It was held in the gym and included students from a lot of different classes; some younger and a lot of them older.  I remember the number I was involved in with about a dozen other students was a routine we danced to the music  of “Alice Blue Gown”. My mother make my long blue dress with a black grosgrain ribbon tie at the waist and little black grosgrain bows on the front of the bodice.  We practiced that routine and song so hard and so much I can still remember most of the steps and can certainly remember the song. I remember distinctly all of the people in the operetta gathering on the stage for a big picture. And, I remember seeing the picture in the annual when it came out. Oh, how proud I was!

As I moved up into high school, there was always a talent show each year. Students were invited to perform whatever type of musical talent they had. My friend and I became very good at the art of pantomime and won first place one year for our rendition of “How Much Is That Doggie in the Window”.  And, I recall my future husband accompanying, via his double neck steel guitar, someone in one of the classes who sang. Of course, that was well before I knew he would be my husband .

What a great time getting together with friends and loved ones when music is involved! I believe God smiles down on His children when they are together enjoying the company of one another. And, I know He provides us with memory so we can enjoy those good times over and over.

“A joyful heart makes a cheerful face, but when the heart is sad, the spirit is broken.” Proverbs 15:13 NASB

I Miss My Daddy

My daddy's birthday was yesterday. He has been gone since 1984 but I still miss him......

“Your Daddy caught some fish this morning and he’s fixin’ to fry ‘em. Why don’t you all come over for supper?”

Mother didn’t have to ask us twice. She was the Queen of Her Kitchen, but my Daddy was the King of Fish Frying. I can still smell the fish frying in that big, deep, black skillet. First Daddy put the piece of fish in buttermilk, then in corn meal, and then he salted and peppered it. The grease had to be just the right temperature before he dropped in the first piece. Then onion slices would be dropped in with the fish. Mother would put the cornbread in a cornpone pan and stick it in the oven. Then, she would wash the green onions from their garden. Daddy peeled the potatoes and cut them in long, thick slices. When the fish floated to the top, Daddy knew it was done so he removed it to a platter. Then the potatoes where dropped in and fried in the same grease. When everything was done, Mother placed it on the green and gray chrome kitchen table and we sat down to eat. I can still see Daddy picking out the fish bones before laying the fish on his granddaughter's plates just as he had done when I was small.

“I think I got all the bones out but chew it very carefully, girls, and be sure there aren’t still some bones in there.” he’d say.

Mother always made iced tea in a glass pitcher. Ice cubes from the metal ice trays were placed in glasses. Daddy liked lemon slices. He would squeeze some on his fish and then drop the remainder of the slice in his sugared ice tea. After returning thanks, we grabbed a dish towel for a napkin and began to enjoy the best fish in the land!

I miss the smell of Daddy’s fish frying in our old kitchen in my childhood home and I miss my daddy.

“What ‘cha doin’ in there, Daddy?” I approached Daddy’s garage and looked in.

“Well, Sis, I’m just fixin’ this thing for your Mother.” He would usually answer from his work bench on the south side of his garage.

I miss the smell of the garage and Daddy’s cluttered work bench and I miss hearing him call me Sis like he always did.

Retiring from the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission after 28 years, Daddy filled his time puttering in his work shop. He enjoyed building little wooden things for the grandkids. He never wasted a scrap of wood.

When I was sixteen, I walked into the kitchen, looking out the window to our driveway.

“What on earth is Daddy driving in here, Mother?”

“I have no idea.” She said as she looked out.

So, outside I ran as Daddy pulled up in this old green Studebaker pickup. He opened the door and climbed out.

“Where did you get that thing? I asked.

“Well, your Uncle Bill got it on a trade in down at the shop and I thought it might come in handy for me to drive out into the woods instead of the car.” Of course, the reason Daddy bought that old 1949 monster was so I would have something to drive to school on days it was raining or cold.

“You can drive it once in a while but I’ll be needin’ it quite a bit to work out of.” Daddy reminded me.

I think perhaps he drove it a couple of days and the rest of the time, that old pickup was mine.

I miss that old pickup and recently found it in a pasture behind my cousin’s house. It is rusted and not drivable but it does bring back memories.

My Daddy was always up for a good joke and he had such a dry sense of humor.
I miss that…………

Daddy spent a lot of his leisure time tying flies or carving out fishing plugs. Most of his equipment was homemade. I can remember walking into the kitchen and Daddy would be tying flies made from deer hair or feathers, on the kitchen table. He carved his plugs out in his workshop. When it was the shape he wanted, he would carefully paint it to look like those that were store bought. Occasionally, he would print his name with paint, very tiny, somewhere on the plug. His fishing plugs hang in our den.

I miss seeing him making fishing plugs when I look at them hanging there.

Daddy use to love to watch wrestling on the television after we finally got our Motorola black and white t.v. He talked to the t.v. when things weren’t going the way he thought they should during a match. I miss hearing him telling the referee how blind he was or telling one of the wrestlers to go home.

I miss a lot of things about my childhood home.

And, I miss my Daddy…………………

"Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. Honor your father and mother—which is the first commandment with a promise— so that it may go well with you and that you may enjoy long life on the earth.” Ephesians 6:1-3 NIV

Intercessory Prayer

"Now I lay me down to sleep,
I pray the Lord my soul to keep,
And, if I die before I wake,

I pray the Lord my soul to take."

All of us probably knelt by our beds when we were small and prayed this little prayer. But, if we really look at that prayer, it's a selfish prayer, isn't it? We are thinking only of ourselves and asking God to take care of us. We didn't ask that He take care of Mommy or Daddy or our siblings, only that He take care of us. Why didn't we pray for others ? Because we are born into this world as selfish individuals , thinking only of ourselves. This doesn't mean that we shouldn't pray to God for our needs and thank Him for our blessings, but it means we should also be thinking of the needs of others when we pray.

Now as adults, we have learned about intercessory prayer or the act of praying on behalf of others. Because of Christ, we can access God's throne though the Holy Spirit, who is our intercessor. So, in a sense, all prayer becomes intercession because it is offered to God through Someone else; the Holy Spirit.

“For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus” (1 Timothy 2:5)

As our pastor pointed out, it is our duty as a church; the body of Christ , to intercede for others.

“So Peter was kept in prison, but the church was earnestly praying to God for him” Acts 12:5. Notice it was the whole church that prayed for him. It was the body of believers uniting in one accord to plead in Peters behalf.

All Christians are to be intercessors. God wants all believers be active in intercessory prayer. Isn't it wonderful that we have the privilege to be able to come before our God on behalf of other people. And, other people can come before Him on behalf of us?

How is your prayer life? Are you praying those selfish prayers of childhood or are you interceding on behalf of others? Are you emptying yourself of selfishness and desiring God's best for others; even those you may not know?

Singing From The Tree Stump

“Ah, let him go along again. He’s really not any trouble. I’ll watch out for him.”

Little John’s Dad’s friend was hearing the pleas of Little John, who wanted to go along with his Dad and the friend to cut wood. Little John wasn’t old enough to go to school and just hangin’ out with his Mom was pretty boring for the little guy.

“I promise I’ll be good and I’ll stay outta tha way of dat ax. Please, Dad, let me go wif you.”

So, Dad relented.

“Get your jacket, Son. I’ll tell your Mom you’re going with us.

So, off they went; lunch pails in hand and an ax thrown over their shoulders.

As they begin to chop, Little John began jumping around and climbing over fallen trees. Finally, they chopped down a tree leaving a stump that was big enough for Little John to stand on easily. So, there he stood for the whole world to see. Suddenly, he burst forth with a song. He sang and twisted around on that old tree stump. The longer he sang; the louder he got. Finally, the two men stopped their chopping, turned around and stood listening to his latest rendition.

“Say, he’s not too bad for a young sprout. If he keeps on, he’ll probably be singin’ on the radio before we know it” said Little John’s dad’s friend.

Little John’s singing was just the beginning of his love of music. Who would have guessed that in just a few years, he would be standing on the hillside with his best friend, blowing his little bugle, scaring a pasture full of cows and exciting a yard full of school children. From then on, Little John continued to sing. He sang wherever anyone would listen whether it was a tree stump or at church. Sometimes, he was playing his double necked steel guitar AND singing. In his later teen years, he was playing his double necked steel guitar on the Ozark Jubilee television show in Springfield. And, even later, singing with me and another couple at the Albert E. Brumley Sundown-Sunup show in Springdale.

Parents, if your children are blessed with a musical talent from God, get them in a church where they can use that talent for His glory and bless other people with their gifts.

Music and the love of it………..you never know where it will lead.

“Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth.
Worship the Lord with gladness;
Know that the Lord is God.
It is he who made us, and we are his
we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.
Enter his gates with thanksgiving
and his courts with praise;
give thanks to him and praise his name.
For the Lord is good and his love endures forever;
his faithfulness continues through all generations.” Psalm 100 NIV

Music Has Been A Big Part of our Family's Life

We seldom watch television but we did watch "The Voice" over the last few weeks and marveled at the talent with which God has blessed all of them.

Music has been a big part of our family’s life.

My Grandpa lived with us for a time when I was small. Even though he had a crooked finger it didn’t keep him from playing the banjo. Grandpa would play and I would dance around until I would get so hot and tired I would fall over in the floor and lie there until I could breathe aga...in. My Daddy also loved to play the banjo although he only knew a couple of songs. That banjo has been passed down to Daughter # 1’s family and we are hoping someone in the family will continue the tradition. Our grandson-in-law gave his wife a banjo in hopes that she would learn to play since he is a guitarist and a music performance major at the U of A.

When I was in 3rd grade, our class had a time at least twice a week when we would play instruments of different kinds. Some of the kids played a triangle; some played blocks and some, like me, played a tonette. It was a long, black instrument rather like a flute. It looked like a fat cigar actually. There were a lot of holes on the top and a place for your thumb on the bottom. I loved playing that instrument and wish I had one today.

When I reached the 5th grade, I wanted to be in the band. However, my Mother and Daddy didn’t have enough money to buy an instrument for me. I could have used the school’s instruments but my Daddy certainly didn’t want me blowing on a nasty instrument someone from the class before had blown into for goodness sakes!

I believe God intended for us to enjoy music. And, I think there is a Heavenly choir that sings praises all day. The bible says “Suddenly many other angels came down from heaven and joined in praising God. They said: "Praise God in heaven! Peace on earth to everyone who pleases God" Luke 2:13-14. Even though it says they were praising God and not singing to God, I like to think that there are angels whose voices blend together in harmony and sing around the throne of God eternally.

“Speaking to one another with psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit. Sing and make music from your heart to the Lord” Ephesians 5;19 NIV

Take Your Difficulties to the Lord

I was thinking about how we lean on the Lord only if we can't do something ourselves. Why do we not turn our difficulties over to the Lord to begin with rather than wrestling with it on our own?

I ran across this sometime ago and I think it illustrates how most of us try to do things so well.

"A little boy was trying to roll a rock as his father watched from a distance. The boy was heaving and sighing, but he couldn't turn the stone over.

His dad with a smile said, "Son, are you using all of your strength?" He said, "Yes, Daddy, I'm using all my strength." And the father said, "No, you're not, because you haven't asked me to help you. My strength is your strength."

Sometimes we wrestle with problems and say, "I don't know what to do." Our Father wants us to say, "I've run out of my strength," and run to His. He is there. "

"Is anything too hard for the Lord?" Genesis 18:14

Our Power Source

This thought came to me in the wee hours of the morning : "When His Light doesn't shine in our lives, it's not the fault of the Power Source, but a poor receptacle."

Everything a Christian does influences what people think of Christians and God. We are representatives of God; we reflect Him. The example we show the world demonstrates our relationship with our Power Source. This doesn't mean we will be perfect and never make mistakes but it means that people are looking at us to see if He shines through us.

When someone asks us how we're doing, often we say, " I'd be doing good if it wasn't for so and so giving me grief. She is always gossiping about something." What does that say to the inquiring person? It says our Power Source is failing us because we aren't showing His love for others. It's so easy to only see the hurtful things in our life or the little aches and pains, and not see the gifts that we have been given by our Power Source, our Heavenly Father.

"For though once your heart was full of darkness, now it is full of light from the Lord, and your behavior should show it!" Ephesians 5:8 (TLB

First Impressions

Are you quick to make first impressions? Do you base your like or dislike of someone on what someone else thinks of them?

I remember in grade school when a new person came to class most of us didn't get to know that person before we formed an opinion. We formed our opinion on what the most popular girl in class thought. If she liked 'em; we liked 'em and if she didn't......well....we didn't.

As adults are we quick to decide about a person just by the way they look, their ...a...ccent, their actions?

Do we decide if we like that person because of what someone else thinks or says about them? Why is another person's opinion more important to us than forming our own opinion? Or by getting to know them and forming a possible friendship with someone we have just met? How many real friendships have we failed to develop with another just because one of our friends or relatives speaks against that person? What makes our friend or relative's opinion so important? Can we think for ourselves as individualists or do we have a collectivism personality?

"But if you embrace the way God does things, there are wonderful payoffs, again without regard to where you are from or how you were brought up. Being a Jew won’t give you an automatic stamp of approval. God pays no attention to what others say about you. He makes up his own mind." Romans 2:10B-11 The Message

"Why On Earth Did I Do That?"

"Why on earth did I do that?"

"What ever made me think I could get away with something like that?"

"I really shouldn't have done that.......it wasn't right."

Satan has a way of knowing exactly where our weak spots are. He knows how to get us to do things we otherwise would never have done. None of us are new to Satan. Satan has known us from the time we were born into sin from our mother's womb. He knows what our weaknesses are; he knows the things that cause insecurity in our lives and he is just waiting for the right moment to snare us.

I dare say there isn't anyone who hasn't experienced discouragement in their lives; fear, hatred, jealousy, greed and a lot of other things. All of those things weren't instilled in us by our Lord, but by the lord of this world; Satan.

Satan also knows how to keep us from doing the things we know we should do. He knows how to cause us to fill up our schedule so we have no time for our Lord; no time to read His word or pray.
What do you do when Satan plants thoughts in your mind that you know you shouldn't have? Are you able to cast them aside and continue on. Or do you give in to those thoughts and act on them with regret later.

It would be good if all of us kept this thought in the back of our minds: Satan is a liar......Satan wants to destroy me........Giving in to the ideas Satan puts before us will lead to destruction. When we are faced with temptation, we need to draw those thoughts to the forefront and remind Satan where his eternal destination will be.

" I can do everything God asks me to with the help of Christ who gives me the strength and power. " Philippians 4:13 (TLB)

TCU Frog

" But , why would she not want to go to the U of A? It's right in her backdoor almost. Her parents graduated there; aunts, uncles and cousins are all graduates. Why would she want to go off to some other college hours away instead of carrying on the family tradition?" we were all asking.

And, so it was when Granddaughter #1 graduated from high school and began making plans to attend college, we all anticipated her attending the family's Alma Mater, but no, she wanted to try ...her wings in a far off place.

First on the list was a trip to a college in California. The flight she was on returned after only thirty minutes out because of mechanical or weather problems. Another attempt to that college with her dad was successful but she came back a little disillusioned.

"Okay, I've made up my mind. I'm going to TCU."

"You're going where? TCU? You're going to Texas of all places?"

Yes, her mind was made up. So in August of 2007, Granddaughter #2 set her sights on becoming a horned frog with family still wondering why.

She immediately jumped in with both feet and got involved in all the activities she could make time for. While family was helping carry her belongings into her dorm room, she was out in the hall making friends and trying to set up a movie night in the dorm.

After her first year, she returned home for the wedding of her cousin........but....she wasn't alone. She asked one of her friends, who was a junior there, if he'd like to ride to Northwest Arkansas with her. Hating to see her drive all the way home alone (or so we were made to believe), he came with her. Now it was a rule in Horned Frog country that upper classmen didn't date freshmen girls. But, after all, they were only friends.
 
He accepted and the rest is history.

Do you ever wonder why God doesn't follow the plan you think is reasonable? Why would He direct a young lady to go to a college almost 400 miles from home? Why would a young lady set her sights that first year on one of the most popular young men on TCU campus?

Four years after becoming a Horned Frog, Granddaughter #1 graduated and became the wife of the young man she had set her sights on that first year.

That was five years ago today.

Now, after earning her Masters at University of Texas, she is Social Worker, LMSW, at Catholic Charities of Ft. Worth and teaching at TCU. Her husband is teaching in a high school in North Richland Hills. They have bought their first home in Ft. Worth and are expecting their first child, a son, this summer.

Your granddad and I love you Luke and Catelyn Devlin. We are so glad that God had His way in your lives in spite of the fact that we wanted you to attend college closer to home. His ways are not always our ways but His ways are always the best.

"And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose." Romans 8: 28 (KJV)

Can I Finish Later?

"But, Mom, I'm just about done, can't I finish this later?"

"No, it needs to be finished now before you go out to play."

"But, Mom, I'll have time to finish it when I come back in."

"No, you won't. You'll be too tired. Besides you'll have to eat and take a bath and you'll want to watch that TV program and then it will be time to go to bed. Now, get that done and THEN you can do something else."

I'm sure this conversation isn't something that occurred only in our home when the girls were younger. It's likely to occur in any home with children.

Why is it that it's so difficult for us to finish a project we start? Why is it so difficult for a child to finish their homework before they go out to play with friends?

I'm so glad that God loves me even if I'm not finished yet. As the song goes,

"He's still working on me to make me what I ought to be.
It took Him just a week to make the moon and stars,
The sun and the earth and Jupiter and Mars.
How loving and patient He must be, He's still working on me."

Is God still working on you? Be thankful that He is.

"And I am sure that God who began the good work within you will keep right on helping you grow in his grace until his task within you is finally finished on that day when Jesus Christ returns." Philippians 1:6 (TLB)

A Parent's Responsibility

"As a parent, it's our responsibility to raise our children to know and love God, and to help them find His purpose for their lives. It's a fine balance to know how much rope to give them and when to let them go. And, though it may hurt us when they leave, we can be comforted in the fact that we set them free to follow His path for them. " Copied

A couple of Sundays ago, the youth pastor at our church, Grandview Baptist, brought the message. It was directed mainly to the you...th but there was certainly a message in it for all of us.

I sat looking at the faces of a choir full of young people. I heard them singing and reading scripture and, my heart was full. I remembered when our daughters were growing up and John and I taught the youth for many years in our church. I remembered the musical I directed and they performed and how we went to different churches in the area to share it. It was a difficult task but a rewarding one. Even now, I see those young people, now adults, and I think back to those times when I stood before them. Most of them have teens or adult children of their own. I'm always interested to hear about their lives and, my heart is always blessed when I know that they are bringing up their children to know and love the Lord.
 
I would like to encourage parents to start teaching your children about Jesus when they are small. Bring them to church where they can heard God's message. And, teach them that they have a Savior Who will be with them in the good times and the bad. Be an example for them each day. God will bless you in His time.

"Never take for granted the impact that you have on your children’s lives. Remember, the way you act toward them today greatly influences the way they will respond to you tomorrow". Dr. Charles Stanley

"Train up a child in the way he should go,
And when he is old he will not depart from it."
Proverbs 22:6 New King James Version

Mowing on Both Sides of the House

"What is John doing? I hear the lawn mower on both sides of the house."

So, I look out and I see John on his riding mower at the back of our home. He stops and shuts off the mower and I still hear a mower.

"Must be the man next door at the church," I say to myself, " but he mows on Thursdays. Maybe he decided to mow on Wednesday this week because the grass has grown so much."

So I go to the kitchen and look out the front window. I see a mower way down by the highway mowing our front lawn but that's not John's blue jacket and John's mower is blue, and not orange. I think I must be seeing things.

Let me digress a moment here. My husband, who is rarely if ever sick, has been plagued with a horrible cough; sneezing and blowing his nose for almost two weeks. It has to be allergies, which he has never had, because if it had been a cold, I would have had it by now. The sun finally peaks out behind the clouds after three days of clouds and rain; my husband has looked at the high grass as long as he can; he dons his jacket and cap and, upon my insistence, a cotton mask, and out he heads to his mower.

Now, back to the story. As the man on the orange lawn tractor mows his way toward the front of the house, I realize it is our next door neighbor, Dewayne Davis! Bless his heart, apparently he has seen John out mowing grass on our almost 3 acres and has volunteered to come spend part of his afternoon helping John mow our lawn.

Ann Dee Davis-Wingate and Derek Davis, you have a great dad and we have great neighbors!
Wouldn't this be a wonderful world if everyone treated their neighbor like Dewayne did today?

" ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.” Mark 12:31 (NKJV)

........the kind of which fairytales are made

Their story is the kind of which fairytales are made........

He was three…..she was only a few weeks old. His sister was five...........her sister was three. Because her family was no longer together just before she was born, her sister and her mommy moved to a new town. Mommy needed a job and found one at a beautiful little glass chapel. His daddy worked there and his mommy became the baby sitter for her sister and her. At three years old, he was intrigued by her and would peak into her crib and then dance around, hoping to draw her attention. She would laugh at his silly antics. For almost a year, his mommy looked after her and her sister, while her Mommy worked at the chapel. And she loved when his daddy would carry her around on his shoulders while she laughed and held on.

Church on Sundays found them on the beautiful glass chapel grounds. In children’s church, all of them loved to listen to the bible stories being read by their teacher, who was her babysitter during the week. Even she, as small as she was, loved to sit on the teacher's lap while the stories were being read. She loved the pretty pictures in the book. And, she laughed while the bigger kids played around her.

It was a year later and a big day! Her Mommy was getting remarried! His Mommy was her Mommy’s bridesmaid and his daddy sang at the wedding on the grounds of the beautiful little glass chapel.

When she was two and he was five, his family moved away and the families kept in touch for a time. Fast forward sixteen years. She had just graduated from high school, anticipating college……social media was the going thing and there he was……that little boy all grown up playing his guitar with a band. She instantly knew him when she saw his picture. Keeping in touch was easy once again with texting, phoning, and face timing. And, then they met…….face to face………for the first time in all those years.

Fast forward four more years, she is graduating from college ; he is finishing college . This little boy, who was one of her very first friends, will become her husband when his dad officiates at their ceremony at that same beautiful little glass chapel from long ago. And now, after all these years, these two families will be reunited and united.

There was that day many years ago that was painful….painful for all involved. It was as though God had closed the door to happiness......permanently. Yet, through the closing of that door, another door was opened; a door that lead to relationships and happiness that would never have happened otherwise.

Are there times in your life when you feel all the doors to your happiness have been closed? You feel God has turned His back on you and you have nowhere to turn? Remember this; God has a plan. That plan may not reveal itself for weeks or months or even years but His plan is always perfect; His timing is always perfect. Be very careful not to step ahead of the One who created you; the One who knows you so much better than you know yourself. But, look for that open door He wants you to walk though.........thank Him.........walk through it and watch the blessings He has for you.

Your granddad and I love you, dear Christen and Malachi. And, as you continue working toward your master's degrees, we pray God’s blessings on you both. He brought the two of you back into each others lives six years ago. And, in 2014, He united you as one for a lifetime before your family, your friends and most of all, the God Who loves you both and has a plan for your lives together.

Happy 2nd anniversary, you two!

"Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh." Genesis 2:24 (KJV)

Tonsillitis is Bad!

My husband has been fighting something for over a week. It started with a sore throat, advanced to chest congestion and a wicked cough and then using up a box of Kleenex on his runny nose.

He and I talked about when he was young and having tonsillitis so bad. Dr. Carter would swab that icky, red mercurochrome on his tonsils while he gagged.

While we were talking, I was reminded of the many times I had tonsillitis.

"Oh my, I was SO sick! My temperature was 104 and I was lying lifeless on the bed when our family doctor came walking in the bedroom, black bag in hand. This was back in the day when a doctor was a real family doctor; didn’t specialize in anything in particular and doctored everyone in the family. And, he made house calls even in the middle of the night. That day, he punched and probed and examined. Every time he touched my skin I would cringe.

“Looks like tonsillitis to me again, young lady.” He finally declared. “I think when you get over this bout we better consider having those old tonsils removed.” I was too sick to care; too sick to even comprehend what he was saying.

He removed a big bottle from his black bag and poured some into a big, brown bottle.

“Give this to her every four hours, day and night”, he said to my Mother. Then he turned and patted me on the head.

“You’ll be well in no time. You take the medicine for your Mother like a good girl and I’ll be back to see about you tomorrow on my way to the office.”

Out the door he went; this Miracle Worker in his dark brown jacket and clean white shirt with a tie. His dark pants were almost the color of the doctor bag he carried in his right hand. He was such a kindly doctor. He always wore a smile and even though his hair was getting thin on top and he was getting up in years, it didn’t seem to slow him down at all. He was the doctor who delivered me and had been our family doctor ever since.

In a few days, I was well enough to go to Dr. C.’s office. His office was on the square in our little town, just above the drug store. We trugged up the stairs and sat in the waiting room until he came to the door and called my name.

Inside the office was a big examining table in the middle of the room. There were tall cabinets ; some had glass and you could see pill bottles on the shelves. Some contained instruments with plenty of clean white cotton towels nearby. . I was a skinny thing and he was always concerned I wasn’t eating enough. So after standing me on the scale to see how much I had gained, he would say,

“Are you eating good for your Mother?”

I’d shake my head up and down and he would reach in a big drawer in one of the tall cabinets in his office.

“I think you better take these vitamins anyway,” as he handed them to my mother.

“Now, hop up here, little lady, and let’s have a look see.” He looked down my throat after inserting an instrument that felt as big as a shovel. “Now, say ‘Ah’”.

I was going to gag, gag, gag! I hated that instrument and I hated anybody invading the privacy of my throat. I didn’t care if my throat looked red. After all, red was my favorite color.

“Well, it does look better. But, I think in a few days, we better consider getting those old tonsils out of there.”

Now I was more alert; did he say take my tonsils out? Over my dead body would some old doctor take out my tonsils! No one; not even this kindly old doctor that I loved was going to take my tonsils out……..NO ONE!

The next week or so was quite an experience for a little nine year old girl who had never been inside a hospital……more in my next posting.

We all know that Jesus is the Great Physician. However, He also heals through doctors. God not only heals those who are physically ill, but He heals those who are sick in spirit. He is truly The Great Physician.

“But when Jesus heard that, he said unto them, they that be whole need not a physician but they that are sick.” Matthew 9:12 KJV

Looking Toward The End of Life

I saw this on a friend's facebook page and thought it was worth posting. I don't know anything about the Truth Community Church in Cincinnati, Ohio or it's pastor, Don Green, who authored this, other than they adhere to the Baptist Confession of Truth from the 1600's. However I do think what he has to say in this posting is so relevant

"Periodically you face decisions that will alter the course of your life. Maybe it’s whom you marry, whether to take or leave a job, make a ...big move, or whatever. When you’re addressing those issues, do this.

Think ahead to the end of your life and picture yourself sitting on a rocking chair. You’re an old man or woman looking back on the life that you had lived. You don’t have a chance to do life over again.
What’s going to be important to you at that point? When you are at death’s door and about to give an account for your life to God, what will you want to show for yourself?

You don’t want to be in that rocking chair having neglected eternal priorities or having shredded your family with excessive devotion to business or ministry—or even worse, having lived a life of sin.
You don’t want to come to the end and say, “Oh, my God, I’ve wasted it all. And now it's too late."
That day of reckoning is coming. I plead with you to account for it as you live your life."

“So teach us to number our days, that we may present to You a heart of wisdom” (Psalm 90:12

There is so much wisdom in this............

Education

I hope you will forgive me for bragging just a bit on our children and grandchildren but today is a big day in the life of our family. Our granddaughter-in-law, Ashley Robinson, will walk across the platform in Barnhill on the campus of the U of A, and receive her Doctorate of Philosophy in English Language. We are so proud of her and her hard work!

The University of Arkansas has been home to several members of our family and continues to be. Our daughters and sons-in-law have all traversed those hallowed halls and occupied dorm rooms on campus. Our grandson, John Robinson, got his college degree and after he and Ashley married, he is now a Graphic/Structural Designer for Saatchi & Saatchi X, Inc. at their worldwide headquarters in Springdale.

Next, it was time for our granddaughter, Christen, to walk at the U of A and receive her degree in Early Childhood Development. She is now a Family Advocate for EOA of Washington County while working on her masters. Her husband, Malachi Million, just finished the first year of his masters in music, while also teaching at the U of A. He and Christen should both have completed their master's degrees this time next year and will be off to college again for Malachi to get his doctorate.

Our second grandson, Joel Robinson, has completed his freshman year back in Razorback Land studying marketing while working for UA Production, and the procession continues. We feel sure that our youngest granddaughter, Genna Grace, will follow the family tradition year after next at the U of A provided, of course, another college doesn't come vying for her musical talent.

Our oldest granddaughter, Catelyn, decided to truckle off to TCU to get her degree and find her future husband, Luke Devlin, also a TCU graduate and now a high school English teacher. She finished her masters at the University of Texas; is a social worker at CC of Ft. Worth and teaches a class at TCU. They are now awaiting the birth of their son.

Solomon wrote, “Of making many books there is no end, and much study wearies the body” (Ecclesiastes 12:12). Any student who has pulled an all-nighter cramming for a test can verify that . But, Solomon also said "How does a man become wise? The first step is to trust and reverence the Lord! Only fools refuse to be taught. Listen to your father and mother. What you learn from them will stand you in good stead; it will gain you many honors." Proverbs 1:7-9 (TLB)

God has blessed us immensely with a wonderful family that believes in education and want to better themselves in the career paths they have chosen. But, more importantly, they all believe, like Solomon, the first step in becoming wise is to trust and reverence the Lord. We are so thankful that they are all Christian men and women who live out their lives on campuses and in their respective careers.

Teach A Child

"Teach a child to choose the right path, and when he is older, he will remain upon it." Proverbs 22:6 (TLB)

Now that Mother's Day is over and I have read on Facebook all the wonderful tributes to Mothers, including those from my daughters, I thought back to the memories of my own beautiful mother.

I was an only child and my mother was an older mother, giving birth to me at age 34. Now, with women waiting much longer to start a family, it's not a big deal. However, back then, ...my mother was considered an "older mother" and I was a bit ashamed when I was in school because she could have been thought of as my grandmother rather than my mother. As I matured, I got over that and was thankful for the wisdom she brought into my life.

One of the best memories I have of my mother from the time I was small until she passed at almost 95, was seeing her reading her bible. As a teenager, when setting the table before a meal, I would often have to move my mother's open bible because she had been setting at the table reading it. As she aged and lived alone, often I would slip quietly into her kitchen to check on her. She had a rocking chair setting beside the kitchen table and many times she would be asleep in the chair, her glasses slipped down on her nose and her bible open in her lap.

I remember after one of her surgeries, someone went by the hospital to encourage her. They found her setting up in bed reading her bible and came away saying she had encouraged them.

I wish I had been more like my mother when raising our two daughters. Oh, they saw me reading my bible because, like any good Southern Baptist, we must read our daily bible readings found in the Broadman materials our church supplied, along with the daily devotional materials called Open Windows. They saw me open my bible as they sat beside their dad and me in church every Sunday. And, they probably remember that I read them bible stories when they were small. But, I never was as devoted to God's Word as was my mother and I regret that now.

Those of you who have a godly mother, be thankful. Those of you who are mothers with children at home, set an example for them not by just reading your bible out of obligation but because you want to learn more about the love your Heavenly Father has for His children.

"But watch out! Be careful never to forget what you yourself have seen. Do not let these memories escape from your mind as long as you live! And be sure to pass them on to your children and grandchildren. "Deuteronomy 4:9 NLT

What Shall I Wear?

I was thinking back to this time of year, 2014. Our #2 Granddaughter was about to marry the love of her life at Thorncrown Chapel on May 18th. Not being the mother of the bride or groom, I was thinking I had plenty of dresses to wear for this occasion rather than buying a new one. After all, I would be seen only briefly taking my seat at the chapel or perhaps in a photograph of two after the ceremony. So,I went to my closet to see what a Grandmother might wear. Not wanting ...to embarrass our Granddaughter, I did want to at least look presentable.
 

I am blessed with a number of “Sunday Go To Meetin’ Clothes” so I did have choices. The bright red two- piece might be a little flashy for this Grandmother; the pale green skirt with matching vest would be the right color but, my goodness, it had been in my closet for at least twenty years. Then, there was the lavender sheath dress with matching jacket enhanced with pale colored sequins that would be fine. I shuffled through the choices becoming more and more confused. Again, I thought, “Why am I so concerned with my attire? I should just be glad I can be there to witness this wonderful uniting of two hearts and lives no matter what I’m wearing.”

Why are all of us so obsessed with our physical appearance? Why do we stew and worry over what to wear to a special event or even what to wear to church on Mother’s Day or Easter? Do our earrings match the outfit? What shoes can I wear with this? Shouldn’t we be more concerned about how we look to God on the inside than how we look to others on the outside?

If we are Believers, we know that God is going to provide for our needs. He may not give us all that we want, but we are assured by His Word that He cares for us. We are important to Him; we are His children. And, just as any parent provides for the needs of their child, He will provide for us. Shouldn’t we thank Him for our provisions by living the kind of life that would make Him proud to be our Father?

“Has anyone by fussing in front of the mirror ever gotten taller by so much as an inch? All this time and money wasted on fashion—do you think it makes that much difference? Instead of looking at the fashions, walk out into the fields and look at the wildflowers. They never primp or shop, but have you ever seen color and design quite like it? The ten best-dressed men and women in the country look shabby alongside them. If God gives such attention to the appearance of wildflowers—most of which are never even seen—don’t you think he’ll attend to you, take pride in you, do his best for you? What I’m trying to do here is to get you to relax, to not be so preoccupied with getting, so you can respond to God’s giving. People who don’t know God and the way he works fuss over these things, but you know both God and how he works. Steep your life in God-reality, God-initiative, God-provisions. Don’t worry about missing out. You’ll find all your everyday human concerns will be met.” Matt. 6:28-33 The Message

What Brings You Joy?

What brings you joy? "Joy- the emotion of great delight or happiness caused by something exceptionally good or satisfying; keen pleasure; elation"

Church services can bring joy. When the music is upbeat and we sing about our Savior, it's easy to experience joy. When the pastor's message is about the love of our Father, we can experience joy. If our children or grandchildren call or come for a visit, our hearts are filled with joy. When we receive good news about a job promotion or a health concern, it's easy for our hearts to be joyful.

But, can we be joyful even when our circumstances aren't good? Are our hearts filled with joy only when things are going well?

When the daily work is done, the children are settled for the night and the house is quiet, perhaps you can relax and turn your thoughts away from the cares of the day; turn your heart toward the Lord who lives within you; thank Him for giving you life and just experience the joy that comes from knowing you are a child of the King.

Joy is not the result of outward circumstances. Joy is an inside job, a deeply rooted confidence that God is in control. Every trial or loss, every defeat or victory measured against this confidence can be counted as joy. “I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through Him who gives me strength” (Philippians 4:12-13, NIV).
How joyful are you?
 

Be Still and Know

He says, “Be still, and know that I am God; Psalm 46:10a

Sometimes we get so caught up in the things of everyday life that we fail to rejuvenate. Perhaps that's why we are so tired when we go to bed. We go from a busy day at work; an evening packed full of things that didn't get finished through the day; chores that working mothers have to contend with at night and a hundred other things that each of us deal with.
 
Have you ever heard someone say they were too tired to sleep? Maybe it's because they didn't take time to relax. Maybe they felt they just couldn't fit it into their busy schedule. Some of us aren't organized enough to keep things flowing easily so we have to play catch up at the end of the day.
Jim Burns once said, "Out of solitude comes strength...out of quiet comes peace...out of talking and listening to the Lord comes vision. The poem below is a helpful reminder of what I am talking about."

"I wasted an hour one morning beside a mountain stream,
I seized a cloud from the sky above and fashioned myself a dream.
In the hush of the early twilight, far from the haunts of men,
I wasted a summer evening, and fashioned my dream again.
Wasted? Perhaps. Folks say so who never have walked with God.
When lanes are purple with lilacs or yellow with goldenrod.
But I have found strength for my labors in that one short evening hour.
I have found joy and contentment; I have found peace and power.
My dreaming has left me a treasure, a hope that is strong and true.
From wasted hours I have built my life and found my faith anew."
—Author Unknown

What if we adopted this idea? What if we spent an hour in the evenings just listening to the sounds of summer or listening to the rain fall on the roof instead of having the TV on blasting away with useless clamor or grabbing our cell phones every time we hear the ding of a message coming through? What if we spent an hour or so communicating with our Heavenly Father? Maybe you don't have an hour of solitude but I think most of us could chisel out a few minutes in quiet reflection thanking our Heavenly Father for the blessings of our day.

" He said to them, “Come away by yourselves to a secluded place and rest a little while” Mark 6:31a (AMP)

Walking Through The Water

As Mother's Day nears, I'm so thankful to have had a wonderful mother.

A good friend of mine shared this with me back sometime ago. It's about my mother..........

"One afternoon, your mom and our pastor at the time, took some of the kids who were going to Siloam Springs Assembly, to a place just outside the area where there was a picnic area and a waterfall. There was an area we had to walk across. The water was running over that spillway, and as I did not know at the time... how to swim, absolute paralyzing fear took hold of me, and I just froze, looking at that deep water right at my feet. I know without a doubt that I was about to fall in - and would have drowned - but suddenly your mom was quietly at my side, just like an angel, and she ever so calmly and sweetly said, "Here, take my hand and we'll walk together." I put my hand in hers and without another word we crossed. I trusted her implicitly and never forgot her for that wonderful assurance. I am weeping as I write this. She was one of the most kind, godly women I have ever had the pleasure of knowing. What a blessing to have had her in my life!!!"

Reading this blessed me, of course, because I loved my mother and I remember many times when she took my hand and brought me out of scary times. However, it also brought to mind how our Savior is always with us in times of doubt, illness, fear and anxiety. He is there to take our hand and lead us across the deep waters, and through the shadows, whatever they might be. Do we trust Him much as this little one trusted my mother to get her out of a scary situation?

"The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing.
He makes me lie down in green pastures,
he leads me beside quiet waters,
he refreshes my soul.
He guides me along the right paths
for his name’s sake.
Even though I walk
through the darkest valley,
I will fear no evil,
for you are with me;
your rod and your staff,
they comfort me.
You prepare a table before me
in the presence of my enemies.
You anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.
Surely your goodness and love will follow me
all the days of my life,
and I will dwell in the house of the Lord
forever." Psalm 23 NIV

Are You A Worry Wart?

Do you ever have trouble sleeping at night? Sometimes I am so tired at bedtime I just know when I fall into bed I'll be asleep as soon as my head hits the pillow. Then, I discover that sleep evades me and I lie there thinking about the events of the day or the week or the events coming up in the weeks ahead. Most of the time, they are good thoughts but occasionally, Satan creeps in and in his own sneaky way whispers all the bad things that he knows will keep me from sleep....
 

Worry.....that old five letter word that Satan loves and God tells us not to do.

"Will all your worries add a single moment to your life?" Matthew 6:27 (TLB)

I remember when I was in school, I would lie awake at night worrying about my classes the next day; is my homework okay; will I pass that test tomorrow, etc. I still occasionally dream I am back in high school and I can't get my locker open. Now as an adult, I can lie awake at night thinking about everything from the upcoming election to whether or not we have enough in savings to carry us through until God calls us home. If company is coming, I worry about whether my house is clean enough and what will they think if it isn't. What if illness strikes either of us? What will we do then?

There is a cure for worry and I need to keep telling myself that; Keeping our eyes focused on God. We need to remember that He is the one who has promised to look after us....He has our life planned out ever before we were in our mother's womb. So, even when times are difficult, we need to tell ourselves that if God cares about the lowly sparrow, He surely cares about us. And, no amount of worry is going to change a thing with God.

An anonymous quote declares: "Blessed is the person who is too busy to worry in the daytime, and too sleepy to worry at night." Maybe if we busy our minds with meditating on the goodness of God and how we can serve Him, we'll have less mental energy to worry.

The Folded Napkin

"Do you want to use the cloth napkins or do you want me to bring some paper ones?" Daughter # 1 asked when we were discussing what would be needed for our family get to-gather.

That reminded me of the story of the folded napkin.

Early on the third day after the crucifixion of Jesus you remember that Mary came and found the stone rolled away from the tomb. She ran and found Simon Peter and other disciples and told them what she had seen. They all immediately ran to the tomb an...d went inside. Simon Peter noticed the linen wrappings lying there, while the cloth that had covered Jesus' head was folded up and lying to the side.
 

"and the handkerchief that had been around His head, not lying with the linen cloths, but folded together in a place by itself" John 20:7 (NKJV)

Was that important? Absolutely!

In order to understand the significance of the folded napkin, you have to understand a little bit about Hebrew tradition of that day. The folded napkin had to do with the Master and Servant, and every Jewish boy knew this tradition.

When the servant set the dinner table for the master, he would wait, just out of sight. The servant didn't touch a thing until his Master was finished. Now, if the master had finished eating, he would rise from the table and after wiping his fingers and beard, he would wad up that napkin and toss it onto the table. The wadded napkin meant, "I'm done." and the servant would be free to clear the table. However, if the master got up; folded his napkin and laid it beside his plate, the servant knew not to touch a thing because the folded napkin meant, "I'm coming back."

Yes, our Lord is coming back................Are you ready?

"For the Lord himself will come down from heaven with a mighty shout and with the soul-stirring cry of the archangel and the great trumpet-call of God. And the believers who are dead will be the first to rise to meet the Lord. Then we who are still alive and remain on the earth will be caught up with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air and remain with him forever. " 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17 (TLB)

Advice For Young Mothers

We had such a good time celebrating the expected arrival of our first great-grandchild recently. It was such fun watching Catelyn and Luke open all the wonderful gifts from family and friends who were in attendance. I don't know which one was having the most fun; Catelyn opening the gift; smiling and laughing as she thanked each giver. Or perhaps, Luke as he tried on the little caps that were given as gifts or sat the little "lovey", that was so carefully crocheted by a long time friend of Catelyn's, on top of his head. And, how exciting it was to get to place my hand on Catelyn's protruding stomach and feel little Oliver James Devlin, moving around ; obviously enjoying hearing his mother's laughter and his dad's remarks.

We have been so blessed in our 57 years of marriage with two wonderful daughters and two very special sons-in-law. God has doubly blessed us with five sweet grandchildren and three grands-in-law. All of them are men and women who love the Lord.

As a grandmother, I have some advice for young mothers of today. Too many young mothers are tempted to meet every need everyone has within and without of the family. They are rushed about trying to get everything done that needs to be done. But, their primary job as mothers is to love the Lord, love their husbands and nurture their children. Everything else that vies for their attention needs to be put on the back burner until they take care of their families first, no matter how noble the cause.
And, too many young fathers are so busy trying to take care of the needs (and wants) of a growing family to the point they don't have time to enjoy their growing children. When children come onto the scene, a couple's whole life changes. If they are the kind of parents they should be, they will give up some of the things they have enjoyed doing ; give up some of the material things they think they just have to have, and devote time to their growing children. Believe me, you will have time for the things you want to do when those children are out on their own.

" Children are a gift from God; they are his reward. " Psalm 127:3 (TLB)

"It's time that Christian families make some radical commitments to our children. It's time for every Christian parent to prayerfully ask: Am I dying to self so that I can be the parent God wants me to be in raising the next generation?" Dennis Rainey

Zacchaeus and the Sycamore Tree

Some of my friends use to climb out their upstairs window at night and lie on their backs on the roof and count the stars. The only way I would lie on my back and count stars would be from a quilt on the ground. I do remember one time climbing up on our garage when I was about ten years old and then wondering how I was going to get back down.

I'm not a fan of flying. It's not that I'm afraid of crashing but it's that I don't like heights. I also don't like flying because I'm a bit claustrophobic and being crunched in with a high seat back in front of me; a high seat back behind me and people crowded in on both sides gets to me. "If you sit by the window where you can see out, you won't get claustrophobic " a friend told me, " 'cause you can look out the window." Sure, I can......I can look out the window and see the ground miles below me from on high.

I'm reminded of the story of Zacchaeus. Remember how he climbed up in a sycamore tree so he could see Jesus. When Jesus passed by, he saw Zacchaeus and told him to come down because he was going to go to his house that day. Zacchaeus was one of the most hated men in all of Jericho. He had become very rich because he cheated people by collecting more taxes than they owed and keeping it for himself. The people could not believe that Jesus would go to the home of a man like that! But, because Zacchaeus took Jesus to his home, Jesus was able to witness to Zacchaeus and Zacchaeus asked forgiveness for his sins. And, all because of a sycamore tree and a man who wasn't afraid of heights.

God planted that sycamore tree in the right place even before Zacchaeus needed it.

Has God planted something or someone in your life that would allow you to see Him?

"A man who refuses to admit his mistakes can never be successful. But if he confesses and forsakes them, he gets another chance." Proverbs 28:13 (TLB)

Is Your Day Too Busy?

No matter how busy our day gets, we all seem to find time to share little tidbits with our co-workers or our family. It isn't difficult to take the time to tell what we heard about someone whether it's good or bad. Many of you who are in a management position who have to stand before your employees and give them a pep talk or dress them down for things they are failing to do don't find that very difficult. Yet, we all seem to find it difficult when we speak about our Lord with others.

Do you remember how your knees knocked when you had to get up and give a book report in school? Or how scared you were the first time you sang or played an instrument before a crowd of people? But, the more you did these things, the easier they became.

Mary Beth Whalen says this in one of her writings:
"When something happens do you give God credit? Even better, do you give Him credit publicly? It can be hard and awkward to praise Him verbally around other people. But like with everything, it gets easier with practice. Just for today, find one thing to praise God publicly for and share it."
Is it difficult for you to pray in public? I have to admit, it's a little difficult for me. Oh, I can pray to my Heavenly Father with no problem when it's just Him and me in the conversation. But, when praising Him or praying to Him, before a lot of people, I tend to be a little shy. And, I know it's Satan who is causing those feelings.

Our Lord doesn't tell us to pray just when we feel like it. He doesn't tell us to share about His love if we're not afraid to. He wants us to pray to Him throughout our day and share with anyone we come in contact with who might need to know about Him.

"I will praise the Lord no matter what happens. I will constantly speak of his glories and grace. I will boast of all his kindness to me. Let all who are discouraged take heart. Let us praise the Lord together and exalt his name." Psalm 34:1-3 TLB

Those Exasperating Phone Calls

"Hello?"

"This call is for Jennifer F.(I'll leave the rest of her name off in case there really is someone by that name). It is a matter of importance. Please give us a call at 855--- ---- at your earliest convenience."

Now, if anyone knows me, they know I google anything I am suspicious of. So, I find this is a scam number. After getting the same recorded message and not wanting to give them the pleasure of dialing the number they give, I am seriously thinking about disconnecting our home phone and just using our cell phones. If these calls were the only ones we were getting (on our unlisted number), by the way, I might not be so frustrated. However, there are numerous other calls with a robot on the other end.

As I thought about this today after hanging up the phone from that scam call, I thought how wonderful it is that God doesn't get irritated at us no matter how many times we call on Him. He is always there; He always hears us and He always answers in His time. Our calls to Him might be like the scam caller said "a matter of importance" or they may be calls just to thank Him for all He does for us each day. Whatever they are, He wants to hear from us.

"This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us." 1 John 5:14 (NIV)

Tragedy Strikes Everyone Eventually

There is so much tragedy this week due to the weather. I suspect over the years all of us have been touched by some sort of tragedy. And, when it happens to us, we can’t help but wonder why.

I had just turned two when the tornado of 1942 struck and destroyed most of my hometown. Because of work, my parents and I were living in Salina, Ks. at the time so we were spared. But, my paternal family wasn’t. My grandparent’s home was destroyed; my grandfather was severely injured and my grandmother died a short time later from injuries suffered in that tragedy. My paternal family was bombarded by tragedies during the years my daddy was growing up and even after he was married. This tornado that took the life of my grandmother even before I got to know her was only one of them.

My paternal grandfather was known in the town as a good man and a very good businessman. But, there were things that he did that brought about tragedy and discourse within his family. My grandmother was a wonderful woman by all accounts; a Christian woman I’m told, who loved the Lord and her family. My grandfather, on the other hand, was raised in the home of a circuit riding preacher. His dad was gone much of the time holding revivals here and there and my grandfather resented that he was away so much. So, going to church was not a priority for my grandfather when he left home. I’m sure my grandmother spent much of her life praying for the salvation of my grandfather and her children. But, his salvation and that of one of his sons was not to come until after her death.

It was a small country church and my parents and I had gone to one of the services. We sat on the same pew with my grandfather, his brother and my uncle. I remember so well, even though I couldn’t have been more than five or six, when the alter call came and those three men began bawling like babies. I don’t remember much of the details other than seeing them all raise their hands; tears flowing down their cheeks and asking the Lord to come into their lives. And, I remember later going to the river where they were all baptized. I don’t know what brought about my grandfather’s salvation but I am almost positive it was the prayers of his wife, now deceased. And, perhaps, the knowledge of the tragedy that took her life, and the tragedies that took the lives of all of his children but three, over the years.

I see and read the news stories now of families torn apart by the ravishing storms that have taken place. And, yet, as I hear some of their stories, I’m reminded that even in death, God has gained a victory. Their testimonies of His love and faithfulness abound even through their tears.

 Isn’t it amazing how we tend to believe that everything revolves around us? That God should give us special priority because we are such good people? That He should never let tragedy or unhappiness come to us because we are His people? We never think about the fact that He uses tragedy to bring people to Him that otherwise might never know His saving grace.

Has God used a tragedy in someone else’s life to bless you? Or a tragedy in your life to bless someone else? God put us on this earth to be a shining example of Him to those around us. We are not here for our own selfish reasons.

"You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives." Genesis 50:20 NIV