Serve One Another

My grands at their yard sale

                  "...serve one another through love." (Gal. 5:13)

             For my super-organized, neat-freak son-in-law's Father's Day gift (that was a mouth full), my daughter and the grands had the grandiose idea to follow a 10 day, step-by-step home decluttering and deep cleaning plan that ended with a yard sale and then to buy "dad" something special with their earnings. Now, that's what I call serving another through active love!

So what's your grandiose idea for serving someone through love in action?

                                             Coming Soon:

                                Serve Day, Saturday, July 12th

"Little children, let us not love with word or with tongue, but in deed and truth." (1 John 3:18)

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Happy Birthday, Bat Man!

My grandboy!

"... His mother treasured all these things in her heart. And Jesus continued to grow in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men." (Luke 2:51-52)

Happy birthday, little man! I can't believe you're five years old!

Everyday, I pray that you will love the Lord with all your heart, obey His voice, hold fast to Him, and serve Him with a whole heart and willing mind all the days of your life. God has given you the special gift of worship. May you use it to bring glory and honor to Jesus forever and ever. 

As a boy, Jesus grew in wisdom, stature, and favor with God and man. May you grow in like manner and become a mighty man of God - like your daddy and your granddaddy.

                                 I love you soooooooo much!
                                                 Memaw

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Deep Waters

Gulf of Mexico, Fort Morgan, Alabama

"And when they had let down their nets, they caught an enormous shoal of fish - so big that the nets began to tear... " (Luke 5:6)

             I'm grinning from ear to ear today. 

             This week, I signed a contract with Deep Sea Publishing in Herndon, Virginia for the publication of Hoot Owl Hollow. 

             A few months ago, after seeing Luke 5:4 five times in one week, I read the verse in context: 

"When Jesus had finished speaking, He said to Simon, 'Put out into the deep water and let down your nets for a catch. Simon answered, "Master, we worked hard all night and caught nothing, but I will do as You say and let down the nets.' When they had done this, they enclosed a great quantity of fish, and their nets began to break." (Luke 5:4-6)

            Hmmmmm, I thought, wonder if the Lord's trying to tell me something about my books? So, just for the fun of it, I googled "Deep Water Publishing" and up popped "Deep Sea Publishing."

            So, I cast my little storybook into the Deep Sea and wait with enormous expectations.

            Are you listening? Are you obeying? Are you expecting God to do great things?

"He who calls you is utterly faithful, and He will finish what He set out to do."   (1 Thess. 5:24)

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Sour Face

Grandkids interpretation of "sour face"

"Let there be no more resentment, no more anger or temper, no more violent self-assertiveness, no more slander and no more malicious remarks. Be kind to each other; be understanding. Be as ready to forgive others as God for Christ's sake has forgiven you." (Eph. 3:30-31)


           At a restaurant yesterday, I saw a sour-faced woman demand to speak to the manager because the waiter had forgotten the to-go box she'd requested. It reminded me of a great line from the Erwin brothers' hilarious movie: "Mom's Night Out" when the restaurant hostess told the irate, young mother, "You're angry, and it's doing something ugly to your face."
           Witnessing that nasty behavior prompted me to pray: "O Lord, please help me to never be frustrated with anyone ever again in my whole life!" 
            But....
                            less than 24-hours later, 
      when a guy cut me off in traffic on hwy 280, 
                                             without blinking an eye,
                     I spouted, 

"You're being a jerk!"

          I'm so sorry, Lord. Without you, I can to nothing, but through You in me please let no more malicious remarks spew from my lips!

         So, dear friends, the moral of this story is: be kind to each other and understanding. It does something beautiful to your face!

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Sisters

N. Avondale small group
Front Row L-R: Marie, Evelyn, Barbara
Back Row L-R: me, Rachel, Jane, Bea

"Consider the incredible love that the Father has shown us in allowing us to be called "children of God"... Here and now we are [brothers and sisters], God's children." (1 John 3:1-2)

           Every year at our house, it was a Glassco-family tradition to watch the old classic: White Christmas while we decorated the Christmas tree. We never tired of watching Vera-Ellen and Rosemary Clooney sing Irvin' Berlin's:

Sisters,

Sisters,

There were never such devoted sisters...

All kinds of weather

We stick together

The same in the rain or shine

Two diff'rent faces

But in tight places

We think and we act as one.

           Although I have two biological brothers and no sisters, in Christ, I have a bajillion siblings! Lord, today, I want to especially thank You for my sisters at N. Avondale. Every week, You bless me through them.

            Have you thanked God for your brothers and sisters today?

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What's in Your Hand?

The Schoolhouse and me

"The Lord said to him, 'What is that in your hand?'" (Ex. 4:2)

       Saturday, July 12th, Church of the Highlands will have our traditional "Serve Day" when thousands will go out into our communities and show the love of Christ in real and tangible ways. After asking the Lord how my small group can show His love this year, a devotion by Pastor Larry Stockstill inspired the idea of visiting residents at an assisted living facility and giving them copies of The Schoolhouse. Pastor Stockstill wrote: 

God's miracles always start with the question, What do you have? The little boy with five loaves and two fish provided the only resource for Jesus to bless and feed the five thousand. The widow who fed Elijah during the famine possessed only a little meal and a little oil as a resource. The common thread in both these miracles is that faith was mixed with a few small things offered to God... God asked Moses, 'What do you have in your hand?' (Ex. 4:2) and the rod became the means of Israel's deliverance from Egypt... "

          So, what's in your hand, and how can you use it to show  the  love of Jesus?

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Happy As a Doormat

My grandson and little friend
(Isn't he adorable! And the lamb's cute, too.)

Jesus said, "... do you love Me?... Tend My sheep" (John 21:16)

          At church, years ago, I got mad at some little, old ladies who were being unkind to some precious, little kids from a homeless shelter. I was "just a-fuming" as I ran through the rain to get something I'd left in my car, and my feet slipped out from under me. When I landed kersplat - right in the middle of a mud puddle, the Lord spoke to me, "Jill, I didn't send you to this church to be mad at those women. I sent you here to love those children and to love those little, old ladies, too."
         "Yes, Sir," I answered sheepishly. (Sorry, couldn't resist.)

         In My Utmost for His Highest, Oswald Chambers said:

"If I love Jesus Christ personally and passionately, I can serve humanity, even though people may treat me like a "doormat." The secret of a disciple's life is devotion to Jesus Christ, and the characteristic of that life is its seeming insignificance, and its meekness. Yet it is like a grain of wheat that falls into the ground and dies - it will spring up and change the entire landscape."

"We love, because He first loved us. If someone says, 'I love God,' and hates his brother, he is a liar; for the one who does not love his brother whom he has seen, cannot love God whom he has not seen. And this commandment we have from Him, that the one who loves God should love his brother also." (1 John 4:19-21)

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Wield that Sword!

Dear friends and me, 1990s

"Therefore, take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to resist in the evil day, and... stand firm... taking up the shield of faith... and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God." (Eph. 6:13-17)

           Years ago, the Lord instructed me to pray Psalm 23:2 over one of my children - that He, the Great Shepherd, would make that boy lie down in green pastures. I didn't understand why, but, thankfully, I did obey.
           Months later, that child asked me to homeschool him. Immediately, the Holy Spirit said, "Here's the green pasture."

          God works amazing wonders when we apply His word. Pick up that dusty Bible today, and wield the powerful Sword of truth! 

"Prove yourselves doers of the word, and not merely hearers who delude themselves." (James 1:22)

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Pay Attention! Pay Attention!

Watson (my maiden name) kids and grandkids, 1990s

Jesus answered and said to him, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God." (John 3:3)

           In the gospels, whenever Jesus had something important to say, He often prefaced it with "verily, verily" or "truly, truly" - in other words, "pay attention, pay attention."

            In last Sunday's message, the pastor taught from James 3:4-12 on the power of the tongue. In my devotional readings today, I  I read: Psalm 19:14 - "Let the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart be acceptable in Your sight, O Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer" and Matt. 7:1 - "Do not judge so that you will not be judged." Needless to say, I heard the Holy Spirit loud and clear: "Jill, pay attention, pay attention to the words that proceed from your mouth!"

          What have you heard more than once this week? O child of God pay attention, pay attention! 

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Take Out the Trash

"Christian brothers [and sisters], keep your minds thinking about whatever is TRUE, whatever is RESPECTED, whatever is RIGHT, whatever it PURE, whatever  is LOVELY, and whatever is PRAISE-WORTHY. If there is anything GOOD and worth giving THANKS for, think about these things." (Phil. 4:8)


         As kids, my brothers and I shared the daily chore of taking out the trash. Sounds simple enough, but our outdoor trash can sat across a chirt road at the edge of the woods atop Lookout Mountain. Daytime - no problem. Nighttime - it was spooky. 
        One summer evening after the sun had long since dropped behind Sand Mountain - in that fleeting moment between twilight and dark - I cautiously walked toward the trash can and was just about to toss the bag into the barrel when....

        a cat jumped out! 

I was so startled that my scream came out as mooooooan. Ha!

         Recently, the Lord gave me a similar chore: Jill, everyday take out the trash in your mind - worried thoughts, selfish thoughts, prideful thoughts, judgmental thoughts, or worldly thoughts that stick (or stink) in your mind.

           Have you taken out the trash in your mind today?

"Therefore if you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your mind on things above, not on the things that are on earth." (Col. 3:1-2)

         

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Peanut Butter and Jelly

My superman and me, Memorial Day 2014

"Now if you faithfully obey the Lord your God and are careful to follow all His commands... the Lord your God will put you far above all the nations of the earth." (Deut. 28:1)


           Best friends for 41 years, husband and wife for nearly 37 - "Phillip and Jill" go together like peanut butter and jelly, a horse and carriage, or...

 faith and obedience.

           To obey God, you must believe Him, and to believe Him, you must obey Him. Oftentimes, faith and obedience take you where man fears to trod.

            Believe God. Follow the Great Shepherd down His path of righteousness for His name's sake, and live the adventure beyond your wildest dreams!

"For My thoughts are not your thoughts, and your ways are not My ways." This is the Lord's declaration. "For as heaven is higher than earth, so My ways are higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts... You will indeed go out with joy and be led forth with peace; the mountains and the hills will break forth before you into singing and the trees of the field will clap their hands!" (Isa. 55:9-10,12)

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Good Students?

(1974)

"They said to Him, 'Rabbi' (which means "Teacher")... " (John 1:38)

            In kindergarten through graduate school, I was a good student. In life, however, I often fail the lessons God offers - like the school of humility over pride, compassion over self-centeredness, submission over control, love over judgment, or faith over fear.

            The prophet Isaiah wrote: "Although the Lord has given you bread of privation and water of oppression, He, your Teacher, will no longer hide Himself, but your eyes will behold your Teacher. Your ears will hear a word behind you, 'This is the way, walk in it.' whenever you turn to the right or the left." (Isa. 30:20-21)

            Lord Jesus, our Rabboni, please help us recognize and ace the valuable lessons You offer in life's School of Hard Knocks.

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Child-like Faith

Our "cool" new grandson

"Jesus called a little child to Him and put the child among them. Then He said, 'I tell you the truth,  unless you turn from your sins and become like little children, you will never get into the Kingdom of Heaven. So anyone who becomes as humble as this little child is the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven.'" (Matt. 18:2-4)

       One of our daughters-in-law teaches preschool. Last week, a little girl overheard her say, "I want a son." The child then stood up, put her hands on her hips, and said, "Miss Amanda, you just need to ask God for a son, and He'll give you one."

       Everyday, you're invited to come with confidence to God's throne of grace, so that you may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need (Heb. 4:16). Have you R.S.V.Ped today?

"This is the confidence which we have before Him, that, if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests which we have asked from Him." (1 John 5:14-15) 
       

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Family that Plays Together

My Phillip and my little cousins

"Day by day continuing with one mind... breaking bread from house to house, they were taking meals together with gladness and sincerity of heart." Acts 2:46

             On Saturday, a swarm of children, grandchildren, aunts, uncles, and cousins landed at our river cabin, and a fun time was had by all. I believe there may just be something to the old adage: the family that plays and prays together stays together.

             It's summertime! Take time to enjoy your family!

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Meet Nonie Baskin

Nonie Baskin of Hoot Owl Hollow
(by talented artist Ben Glassco)

"She opens her mouth in wisdom and the teaching of kindness is on her tongue." (Prov. 31:26)

       Over the weekend, my Ben finished the drawing of Nonie Baskin - the last illustration for our soon-to-be-released storybook, Hoot Owl Hollow. Along its pages in the character of this wise and lion-hearted mountain woman are footprints of six extraordinary women: Verna Watson (my mother), Imogene Glassco (my mother-in-law), Willie Elliott, Alandra Parks, Evelyn Baskin, and Nonie Webb. These "steel magnolias" blazed a live-life-righteously-and-courageously trail I aspire to follow.

When earth's last picture is painted, and the tubes are twisted and dried 1, what sort of trail will you have left behind?

1 Rudyard Kipling's "L'Envoi - to the Seven Seas"

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Homecoming Date

My daddy, my mother, and me, Sept. 10, 1977
(William Winfred Watson, Dec. 23, 1921 - June 5, 1994)
(Verna B. Watson, April 21, 1920 - June 20, 2003)

"Our Savior Jesus Christ... has abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel." (2 Tim. 1:10)

        You probably thought that "homecoming date" would be a romantic post about a high school dance. Don't be disappointed; life with Jesus is a remarkable romance when we believe Him and follow His lead.         
        Recently, three events caused me to contemplate life and death: the birth of our new grandbaby, the anniversaries of my parents' homegoings, and an important decision about cancer treatment. I found myself at a crossroads of faith: do I really believe the Word of God more than the wisdom of man enough to walk in it?
       After some long, deep soul searching: YES, Lord Jesus, I believe You. You are my life; and when earth's last dance is over, there will come a wondrous homecoming date with You.

        Do you truly, truly believe Jesus enough to walk with Him?

"[Lord], You will show me the path of life, in Your presence is fullness of joy; at Your right hand are pleasures forevermore!" (Psalm 16:11)

"For this God is our God for ever and ever. He will be our guide even to the end." (Psalm 48:14)

"Jesus said, 'Truly, truly, I say to you, if anyone keeps My word, He will never taste death." (John 8:51)
        
        

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Sweet Dreams

Babygrand's first visit to the family farm last weekend

"In peace, I will both lie down and sleep, for You alone, O Lord, make me to dwell in safety." (Psalm 4:8)

         Just about every time we see our new grandson he's sleeping. He's loved, tenderly cared for, his little tummy is full, and all is well in his little world; therefore, he slumbers sweetly and peacefully.

          The Bible says that God, who never sleeps, watches over us. He is the Keeper of our souls and our Protector from all evil. So sweet dreams, O Christian. The Lord has your back.

"My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth... He who keeps you will not... slumber or sleep... He will guard your going out and your coming in from this time forth and forever." (Psalm 121:2-4, 8)

           

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Shine!

Lighthouse at Children's Harbor on Lake Martin
Alexander City, Alabama
(photo by me)

"For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light!" (Eph. 5:8)

          When my kids were teenagers, one of their favorite songs was "Shine" by Newsboys:

Shine!

Make 'em wonder what you've got

Make 'em wish they they were not

on the outside looking bored.

Shine!

Let it shine before all men

Let 'em see good works, and then

Let 'em glorify the Lord!

            Verse after verse after verse in my devotional readings this morning "illuminated" today's post theme: SHINE!!!

"The way of right-living people glow with light, the longer they live, the brighter they shine." (Prob. 4:18 The Message)

"Those who are wise will shine like the bright expanse of the heavens, and those who lead many to righteousness, like the stars forever and ever." (Daniel 12:3)

"Do everything without grumbling and arguing, so that you may be blameless and pure, children of God who are faultless in a crooked and perverted generation, among whom you shine like stars in the world!" (Phil. 2:14-15)

          Okay, people, all together now: 

This little light of mine, 

I'm gonna let it shine,

Let it shine, let it shine, let it shine!

"Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify the Father which is in heaven." (Matt. 5:16)

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Safe Harbor

My beloved parents, 1980s

"Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble, and He brought them out of their distrss. He stilled the storm to a murmur, and the waves were hushed. They rejoiced when the waves grew quiet. Then He guided them to the harbor they longed for. Let them give thanks to the Lord for His faithful love and His wonderful works for all humanity!" (Psalm 107:28-31)

           Yesterday, I believed I had instruction from the Lord; but  immediate and strong internal restraint came when I tested the waters. 

       Oswald Chambers said, "Whenever there is doubt, stop at once. Never try to reason it out, saying, 'I wonder why I shouldn't do this?' God instructs us in what we choose; that is, He actually guides our common sense."

        Although I deleted yesterday's post about what I thought God said, the lesson remains true: when you hear God's voice, KEEP LISTENING!

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