Harvest

cotton field sunset
Harvest, Alabama

Jesus said to His disciples, "The harvest is great, but the workers of few. So pray to the Lord who is in charge of the harvest; ask Him to send more workers into His fields." (Matthew 9:37-38)

Because we have a mutual friend in Harvest, Alabama, Rhett Barbaree (author of the heartwarming book: Thank God for Boll Weevils) sent me this breath-taking fall Harvest photo.

In the book of Philippians, Jesus-followers are invited to bring their prayer requests to God with thanksgiving. 

In chapter 9 of the Gospel of Matthew, we find Jesus overrun with requests:

• Some people brought a paralyzed man to Jesus, and He healed him. 
• A leader of a synagogue knelt before Jesus and asked Him to heal his dying daughter. Not only did Jesus heal her, He raised her from the dead. 
• A woman who had suffered for 12 years with constant bleeding touched the fringe of Jesus' robe. Jesus healed her that moment.
• Two blind men shouted, "Son of David, have mercy on us!" Jesus touched their eyes, and they saw.
• A demon-possessed man who could not speak was brought to Jesus. He cast out the demon, and the man spoke.
• Jesus traveled throughout the towns and villages healing every kind of disease and illness.

When He saw the confused and helpless crowds, Jesus, on the other hand, gave His prayer request to us: "Ask God to send more workers into His fields."

Wanna help answer Jesus' prayers, beloved? Grab your gloves and work boots, and let's go bring in the harvest!

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That's What You Do with a Friend

L-R Ray, me, my Phillip, Cindy
1979ish

"I will be your God throughout your lifetime - until your hair is white with age. I made you, and I care for you. I will carry you along and save you." (Isaiah 46:4)

We rock climbed together.

We pushed baby strollers together.

This week, we checked blood pressure together.

That's what you do with a lifetime friend.

~

Jesus saved me at 10...

carried me through my hair-raising teenage years...

hand-picked my husband, my soul-mate...

taught us that God deserves first place in everything...

helped us raise three kids...

carried us through their hair-raising teenage years...

brought home our Marine-boy safe and sound from Iraq...

blessed us with three great kids-in-law...

blessed us with six grands (so far)....

and chases our graying heads daily with His goodness and mercy.

That's what you do with the Forever Friend.

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Make Him a Mighty Man of God

Firstborn grandboy




"I could have no great joy than to hear that my children are following truth." (3 John 1:4) 

Happy 12th birthday, hotrod! 

May the Lord God prosper you in body, soul, and spirit and grow you into a mighty man of God! I pray that you will love the Lord, obey His voice, and hold fast to Him all the days of your life. 

May you never follow the advice of the wicked, or stand around with sinners, or join in with mockers. Instead, may you delight in the law of God and meditate on it day and night. May the Lord grow you like a tree planted along the riverbank, bearing good fruit in due season, and may you prosper in all that you do. And may all that you do be for the glory of the Lord you love. 

May the Lord order your steps throughout your life. May you delight in God and His ways, and may He give you the desires of your heart. May God rule and reign over your mind, will, and emotions. 

And one day, as He did for your dad, Stephen, may God bring you a beautiful wife who fears the Lord and loves and respects you. May the two of you be forever-partners in the work of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and may you complete the work God created you to do for His glory!

I love you soooo much!

Memaw

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Borrowed Thought for the Day

Borrowed thought from our Rebecca' blog:

The spider does what it was made to do.

What are you made to do?

"O people, the LORD has told you what is good, and this is what He requires of you: to do what is right, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God." (Micah 6:8)

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Every Tribe and Language and People and Nation

Baptism
North Shelby Vietnamese Church

"You are worthy...For You were slaughtered, and Your blood ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation. And You caused them to become a Kingdom of priests for our God..." (Revelation 5:9-10)

A friend from Phillip's "undercover" small group (a group of men the meet three times a week at the YMCA to play racquetball and pray for one another) invited us to his wife's baptism at the North Shelby Vietnamese Church. What a heartwarming experience to hear the Word of God read,  praises to Jesus sung, and testimonies of thanksgiving for salvation spoken in two languages.  

Wanna hear some amazingly Good News, beloved? In our "troubled" world today,  every seven days, one million people are coming to faith in Jesus Christ!

 "Now may our Lord Jesus Christ Himself and God our Father, who loved us and by His grace gave us eternal comfort and a wonderful hope, comfort you and strengthen you in every good thing you do and say!" (2 Thess. 2:16-17)

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At the Right Time

Fort Morgan Beach
setting of Seabound

"And this is the plan: at the right time [God] will bring everything together under the authority of Christ - everything in heaven and on earth....He makes everything work out according to His plan." (Ephesians 1:10-11)


Yesterday, at the end of my work day. I typed the close of Seabound chapter 4:

"Izzy hunkered under the boardwalk while sheets of rain slapped the beach house windows. A flock of seagulls flew low over the turbulent surf. Overhead, a V of pelicans took advantage of the strong winds and soared inland. Yet under the sand, a peaceful calm preceded the incoming tropical storm. Marina's clutch lay oblivious to the perils threatening their survival."

I hit "save" and murmured, "What in the world are Your REFLECTIONS for this chapter, Lord?"

This morning, at the right time, His answer was clear: "I am your peace in the storm." Again, God has supplied at the right time.

Waiting on the Lord, beloved? Rest assured. God will work everything out according to His plan at the right time.

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More Than You Can Handle

my Phillip and an overwhelming friend
Franconia Notch State Park, New Hampshire

"We think you ought to know, brothers and sisters, about the trouble we went through...We were crushed and overwhelmed beyond our ability to endure, and we thought we would never live through it." (2 Corinthians 1:8)

Two moms have recently told me they feel overwhelmed, caught between a rock and a hard place.

Phillip and me

Flume Trail

Franconia Notch State Park

My Phillip and I are reading a great book for "such a time as this" - overwhelmed.

In More Than You Can Handle, Dr. Doug Moore writes: 

Like the weather, life is full of changes. Some days are tranquil, others stormy, many full of changes. Weathermen are famous for missing the weather as the environment does unexpected things. Life also bring its share of unexpected and often overwhelming challenges. More Than You Can Handle presents God's perspective and path during those times.

Overwhelmed, beloved? Look to the Lord Jesus and His word. Need a map through the storm? Read More Than You Can Handle. Now available at Amazon.com

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A Can of Worms

Our Dan, 1988

"These older women must train the younger women to love their husbands and their children, to live wisely and be pure, to work in their homes, to do good, and to be submissive to their husbands. Then they will not bring shame on the word of God." (Titus 4:4-5)

Last night, one of the professional, young women around my dinner table said, "I think I'll find me a man that can cook and clean, and I'll just work and be the breadwinner."

"Sorry! Not God's plan," I piped.

As you can imagine, that statement "opened a can of worm" in our millennial-girls' small group.

Am I saying that it's a sin for a women to work outside the home? Absolutely NOT! After all, the Proverbs 31 excellent wife inspected a field, bought it, and with her earnings planted a vineyard.

What I am saying is that God's word defines the roll of the wife as helper (Gen. 2:18) and the God-given lines of authority as Christ is the head of every man, and the man is the head of a woman, and God is the head of Christ (1 Cor. 11:3) - not lesser in value to God, but for the purpose of order and blessing, making marriage like Christ and the Church.

"Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ. 

For wives, this means submitting to your husband as to the Lord. For a husband is the head of his wife as Christ is the head of the church. He is the Savior of His church. As the church submits to Christ, so you wives should submit to your husbands in everything.

For husbands, this means love your wives, just as Christ loved the church, He gave up His life for her...

As the Scriptures say, 'A man leaves His father and mother and is joined to his wife, and the two are united into one.' This is a great mystery, but it is an illustration of the way Christ and the church are one. So again I say, each man must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband." (Ephesians 5:21-33)

Want a blessed marriage, beloved? Stay in your God-given lane and fulfill your God-given roll, which honors God and His holy word.

"Her children rise up and bless her; her husband also, and he praises her... Charm is deceitful and beauty is vain, but a woman who fears the LORD, she shall be praised." (Prov. 31:28,30)

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And Everybody Said, "Amen"

Our Rebecca and Ben, 1986
(I don't remember the cats' names)

"Pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere." (Ephesians 6:18)

At the onset of Desert Storm in August of 1990, our family attended a prayer service for our country and our military at a wonderful, African-American Church in Pine Bluff, Arkansas. At the conclusion of the service, an elderly gentleman came to my Phillip and said, "Bring your family to the altar. We want to pray for you."

Taking the hands of our three little ones, we led them down front, and the entire congregation surrounded us and prayed fervently and simultaneously - truly an amazing experience and a highlight of my spiritual journey. 

(When we were leaving the two-pulpit sanctuary, our seven-year-old Ben said, "No, I don't wanna go. Everybody prayed at the same time, I wanna see two preachers preach at the same time.")

Beloved, in these turbulent and storm-tossed times, let us pray for all believers everywhere at all times and on every occasion.

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Because Jesus Said So

Robin Hood Lane Gang
(first three on the left are our kids)



"Instead, be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you."
(Ephesians 4:32)

I was caught off guard recently by the question:  How do I get rid of unforgiveness I'm harboring in my heart?

I stumbled and bumbled and fumbled out some "helpful" advice, but should have said: "Let it go and choose forgiveness! Jesus said so." 

Many, many moons ago when our kids were small in another church in another state, our family brought some different-looking children from a women's shelter to Wednesday night supper, and a couple of elderly ladies treated the children - well, let me just say they weren't kind and tenderhearted. I was furious with those "old ladies" and wasn't feeling very tenderhearted myself.

When I ran out to my car to get something I needed for G.A.'s, I slipped in the rain and landed - KERPLOP - right smack dab in the middle of mud puddle. The Lord spoke to me in that mud puddle. "Jill, I didn't send you to this church to be mad at old ladies. I sent you to love the children and to love those ladies."

Got unforgiveness, beloved? Let it go and choose forgiveness. Jesus said so.

"Seeing God in everything is the only thing that will make me loving and patient with people who annoy and trouble me." 

~Hannah Whitall Smith~

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Writer's Trance

our grandgirl, 2015
(illustrator of A Willowkins Christmas Story and Seabound)

But Martha was distracted by the big dinner she was preparing. She came to Jesus and said, "Lord, doesn't it seem unfair to You that my sister sits here [at Your feet] while I do all the work? Tell her to come and help me."

But the Lord said to her, "My dear Martha, you are worried and upset over all these details! There is only one thing worth being concerned about. Mary has discovered it, and it will not be taken from her." (Luke 10:40-41)

Through research for next year's children's book, Seabound, I'm learning a lot about loggerhead sea turtles. Did you know that mother sea turtles go into a full-focused "trance" while laying their eggs - oblivious to sights, sounds, critters, or people around them?

And if I'm not careful, like a mother sea turtle, I fall into a writer's trance when I'm working on a new book and neglect the more important: husband, kids, grands, friends, PEOPLE.

Let's stay alert, beloved, and focus on who we're with more than what we're doing. Jesus said so; this I know.

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40 Clear Straws

my superman with our Rebecca and family
Sannibel Island, 2016
(best picture I could find with "straws")

"Suppose you see a brother or sister who has no food or clothing, and you say, 'Good-bye and have a good day; stay warm and eat well' - but then you don't give that person any food or clothing. What good does that do?" (James 2:15-16)

Follow up to Tuesday's post: "The President and a Tractor"
by guest writer: Rebecca Jill

"What do you mean your burden is light, Jesus? Right now, it seems complicated and cumbersome to follow You," I prayed.

Jesus answered, "Come to Me...take up My yoke and learn from Me."

"What is your yoke?" I replied.

"It's sacrifice. It's service. It's meeting someone's need," He said.

"Then give me eyes to see the needs around me, Jesus."

Later, I read my mom's blog post, which admonished me to "serve another and meet a need."

I prayed again, "Let me see the need. Where is it? What do You want me to do?"

I opened my email. The first new email title read, "NEED." I braced myself. I knew I was supposed to meet the need, but I doubted that I would be able to. 

"I need 40 clear straws," the emailer explained.

I smiled so big. I buy clear straws in bulk at Sam's. I have an abundance of clear straws!

"Yes! I can fill the need for 40 clear straws!" I replied excitedly.

I am so thankful. How kind and loving is our God! To think He allowed me to help and included me in His work. I am so thrilled. Forty clear straws probably sounds insignificant. When I think about it, it's easy to dismiss as a silly pie in the sky idea. But right now, it doesn't matter to me how silly it seems. I am sure that God asked me to give straws. It's a privilege to be asked to participate in His work no matter how small my part may seem.

"We can do no great things; we can only do small things with great love." ~ Mother Teresa

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One...Two...

nineteen-month-old grandboy

"For see, the day of the LORD is coming - the terrible day of His fury and fierce anger. The land will be made desolate, and all the sinners destroyed with it. The heavens will be black above them; the stars will give no light. The sun will be dark when it rises, and the moon will provide no light. "I, the LORD, will punish the world for its evil and the wicked for their sin. I will crush the arrogance of the proud and humble the pride of the mighty." (Isaiah 13:9-11)

Big brother grandboy needed discipline for misbehavior and his sweet mama started the dreaded countdown to consequences, "One..."

Nineteen-month-old little brother chimed in, "Two..."

In the gospel of Luke, Jesus warned, "There will be strange signs in the sun, moon, and stars...

One....

And here on earth the nations will be in turmoil, perplexed by the roaring seas and strange tides...

Two...

So when you see all these things taking place, you can know that the Kingdom of God is near." (Luke 21:25-31)

"Be sure of this: the wicked will not go unpunished..." (Proverbs 11:21a) "The wages of sin is death..." (Romans 6:23a)

But...

"...the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord" (Romans 6:23), and " there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus" (Romans 8:1).

Ready for the countdown, beloved? 

"Examine yourselves to see if your faith is genuine. Test yourselves. Surely you know that Jesus Christ is among you; if not, you have failed the test." (2 Corinthians 13:5)

 

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The President and a Tractor

 snapshot from south Florida yesterday

"Then He began to wash the disciples' feet, drying them with the towel He had around Him." (John 13:5)


We have a good friend that's president of a large, multi-campus college in south Florida. Before Hurricane Irma's landfall, he asked his staff to rent tractors with buckets, fork lifts, and box blades for debris removal and told them to put his name down as one of the tractor drivers.

After the Passover meal on the night before His crucifixion, Jesus washed His disciples' feet and said, "I have given you an example to follow. Do as I have done for you," in other words: love and serve others.

Beloved, let's follow the example of Jesus and a college president today. Serve another and meet a need.

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On Your Mark

grandboy slide race




"Yes, and the LORD will deliver me from every evil attack and will bring me safely into His heavenly Kingdom. All glory to God forever and ever! Amen." (2 Timothy 4:18)

In yesterday's grandboy slide race, Uncle Dan held little bit's hand to ensure he made it safely to the end.

The Apostle Paul - beaten three times with rods, stoned once, shipwrecked thrice, who drifted on the open sea a whole day and night, traveled long journeys, faced dangers from rivers and robbers and Gentiles and His own people, the Jews, in cities, deserts, and on the seas and endured sleepless nights, hungry days, and shivering cold - wrote:

"Everyone abandoned me. But the Lord stood with me and gave me strength. Yes, He will deliver me from every evil attack and one day bring me safely into His heavenly Kingdom."

Beloved, wherever you are in today's storm-tossed, rumors-of-war, brokenhearted, chaotic race of life, believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. He will hold your hand, strengthen you, stand with you in every evil attack, and one day bring you safely into His peace-filled heavenly Kingdom.

All glory to God forever and ever! Amen.

(Listen to Pastor Chris Hodges' message on the end times:Jesus is Coming Again)

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All Eyes on Irma

My boy and grandboy - 2015


"God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble." (Psalm 46:1)

As did many of you, I woke up praying for Floridians this morning as Hurricane Irma threatens to plow through their entire state. Later, I found this appropriate stanza by Annie Johnson Flint in the devotional, Streams in the Dessert:

"Not always OUT of our troubled times,

And the struggles fierce and grim,

But IN - deeper IN - to our sure rest,

The place of our peace, in Him."

God sometimes keeps us from the storm, but God is always with us in it.

Pray without ceasing, beloved. (1 Thess. 5:17)

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When God Says No

very sad grandboy 2010ish?

"My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts," says the LORD. "And My ways are far beyond anything you could imagine. For just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so My ways are higher than your ways and My thoughts higher than your thoughts." (Isaiah 55:8-9)

A few years ago, an army of faithful believers earnestly and fervently prayed for earthly healing for our friend, Gwen. The Lord said no to earthly healing and took her heavenward - His home and perfect place of no tears, death, sorry, crying, or pain.

If we're not cautious, we may misinterpret denial as "God does not hear," or "God does not care," or, tragically, "God does not exist."

So what are we to do when God says no? We must...

"Trust in the Lord with all our hearts and not depend on our own understanding." (Proverbs 3:5)

"Walk by faith, not sight." (2 Corinthians 5:7)

"Never stop praying and be thankful in all circumstances." (1 Thessalonians 5:17-18)

"Not lose heart and never give up...for [in comparison] our present troubles are small and won't last very long. Yet they produce of us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever! So we don'g look at the troubles we can see now; rather, we fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen. For the Things we can see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever." ( 2 Corinthians 4:16-18)

"And this is His plan [beloved], at the right time God will bring everything together under the authority of Christ - everything in heaven and on earth." (Ephesians 1:10)

"So, my dear brothers and sisters, be strong and immovable..." (1 Corinthians 15:18a)

And "I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in Him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit." (Romans 15:13)

For "no eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind has imagined [the wondrous, eternal things] God has prepared for those who love Him!" (2 Corinthians 2:9)

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Cash-prize Art Competition

"Gazebo" from Secrets of Shiloh
by award-winning artist, Donny Finley

"Now the LORD spoke to Moses saying, 'See, I have called by name, Bezalel...I have filled him with the Spirit of God in wisdom, in understanding, in knowledge, and in all kind of craftsmanship, to make the artistic designs for work in gold, in silver, and in bronze." (Exodus 31:2-4)

Each of my storybooks begins with a God-inspired plan, and I'm tickled pink with His directive for the cover of Seabound: a cash-prize art competition for high school students. Submission deadline: March 1, 2018. (If you're a FaceBooker, beloved, please help me spread the word and contact misjill413@aol.com for details.)

Before the ark was built on a rainless earth, God gave Noah  detailed plans, and he obeyed. Before the tabernacle was constructed in the sweltering wilderness, God gave Moses amazingly intricate plans, and he obeyed.

Whose plans are you obeying, beloved? God's? Man's? or your own?

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Work of Our Hands

our 21-month-old grandboy
"Labor Day"

"Let the favor of the Lord our God be upon us, and establish the work of our hands upon us; yes, establish the work of our hands!" (Psalm 90:17)

Across the US yesterday, the masses celebrated Labor Day - an annual holiday on the first Monday in September started in the late 1800s to honor America's labor force and their contributions to the strength, property, laws, and well-being of our country.

A daily prayer for my family is asking Jesus to bless the work of our hands that He has set before us. Not often enough, I thank God for the work. Forgive me, Lord Jesus. I repent. Please help me remember everyday to offer You thanksgiving for work.

Beloved, have you thanked God for the work of your hands today?

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Research, Study, and Learn

oldest grandboy, first day of 6th grade

"Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth." (2 Timothy 2:15 King James Version)

"Marina pushed her oversized head above the salty foam and gulped air into strong jaws and two round nostrils in the hard, thick beak. WHOOSH! One powerful down stroke of long, paddle-shaped fore-flippers propelled the loggerhead three body lengths forward. WHOOSH! WHOOSH! Marina gracefully glided under the ocean swells like an eagle soaring above puffy clouds. Using hind-flippers as rudders, she steered toward the ocean floor and ignored the playful bottlenose dolphin circling around and around and around the determined sea turtle. Fuel. She needed fuel for her long journey and important mission."

What do loggerhead sea turtles look like? 

What do they eat? 

How big are they?

How do they breathe?

How do they swim?

How far do they migrate?

How do they nest?

What other critters live in the Gulf of Mexico?

What does the gulf floor look like?

Before writing a jot or tittle of Seabound, I realized, "Jill, you're trying to navigate an undersea world you know very, very little about. You better research, study, and learn, girl!"

In the New Testament Book of 2 Timothy, the Apostle Paul solemnly urged young Timothy to study, rightly understand, and teach the Word of Truth to others. 

"Correct, rebuke, and encourage people with good teaching," he instructed. "For the time is coming [and may have arrived] when people will reject truth, follow fleshly desires, and chase after myths."

What is the truth about God? 
Jesus? 
Holy Spirit? 
heaven? 
sin? 
forgiveness? 
relationships? 
marriage? 
dating? 
finances? 
troubles?
tragedy?
disappointment? 
problem-solving? 
parenting? work of your hands?
worry? 
healing? 
love? 
joy?
sorrow? 
peace? 
war?
patience? 
kindness? 
goodness?
evil? 
faith?
rebellion? 
humility? 
pride?
self-control?
out of control?

Open the Bible, beloved. Research, study, and learn. Navigating life accurately without Truth? It's IMPOSSIBLE!

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