God's Classroom

Our grandkids and co-op friends

"...He [the LORD] will still be with you to teach you. You will see your Teacher with your own eyes. Your own ears will hear Him. Right behind you a Voice will say, "This is the way you should go"... (Isa. 30:20-21 NLT)

This year, our home-schooled grandkids benefited greatly from additional classes and field trips through their church co-op program and received excellent training in subjects such as writing, poetry, botany, and languages.

Over the past few weeks, life enrolled me in God's "meditation class," and today's devotion by Pastor Larry Stockstill offers the perfect course syllabus:

Meditation is not the process of clearing your mind, but of filling your mind with truth. It is like a rock displacing water in a vessel. Your mind is exposed continually to the doubt, atrocities, filth, and strife of the world around you. Trying to clear out those thoughts is very difficult, but there is a remedy: meditation upon God's Word.

It takes a conscious effort to focus your mind and heart upon the truth of God's Word. Once you do, however, you will reap the benefits. Joshua 1:8 says, "Study this Book of the Law continually.
Meditate on it day and night so you may be sure to obey all this is written in it. Only then will you succeed."

Reading the Bible is good, but meditation is life changing, for it involves thinking about a verse until it drops from your mind into your heart. The root word meditation means "to mutter," or "to utter." The more you speak the Word, the more it drops into your spirit. As you go about your daily business, speak the Word to yourself. Continually "mutter" it, mulling it over in your mind.

[Beloved], whatever your area of need, select several promises that apply to your situation and memorize them. Then meditate on them all day long (Psalm 119:97). When doubt, fear, discouragement, and strife enter your mind. "think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise"(Philippians 4:8). Your faith will grow, your mind will change, and your way will become successful!

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God Hears, God Supplies

"Chance"

"God settles the solitary in a home..." (Psalm 68:6)

In April, I began asking the LORD to please help us find loving homes for Bell's sweet puppies. God answered bountifully - not only did He lead us to four good homes, we even have a puppy-waiting list should someone change their mind!

Beloved, do you have needs? Take them to Father God, the One who is able to abundantly supply all your needs according to His glorious riches in Christ Jesus (Phil. 4:19).

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Trust and Follow

Bell's puppies

"As for God, His way is perfect, the word of the LORD is proven; He is a shield to all who trust in Him..." (Psalm 18:30)



At three weeks old, Bell's puppies are beginning to explore the big, wide world outside their pen. They're also learning that superman and I are trustworthy, so they follow us as fast as their little legs will carry them everywhere we go.

In Scripture after Scripture verse this morning, the LORD reminded me that He is very trustworthy, and so today, I choose to trust and follow Him everywhere we go.

Beloved, who are you trusting and following?

"I will say of the LORD, 'He is my refuge and my fortress; My God, in Him I will trust.'" (Psalm 91:2)

"Oh, taste and see that the LORD is good; blessed is the one who trusts in Him!" (Psalm 34:8)

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Comfort and Joy

Babygrand and his granddaddy (my superman)





"Remember what You said to me, your servant - I hang on to these words for dear life! These words hold me up in bad times;
yes, your promises rejuvenate me."
(Psalm 119:49 The Message)

"I meditate on Your age-old regulations [words],
O LORD, they comfort me."
(Psalm 119:52 NLT)

"But if you remain in Me and My words remain in you...you will be filled with My joy. Yes, your joy will overflow!"
(John 15:7a,11b NLT)

When my superman walks in the room, babygrand kicks his feet, points his little finger, and stretches out his arms. Granddaddy's lap is truly his comfort and joy place.

The Bible teaches that in God's Word, God's children find God's comfort and joy.

Need comfort and joy today? Abide in the Word of God!

God rest ye merry, gentlemen

Let nothing you dismay

Remember, Christ, our Savior

Was born on Christmas day

To save us all from Satan's power

When we have gone astray

O tidings of comfort and joy,

Comfort and joy,

O tidings of comfort and joy 1

1 GOD REST YE MERRY, GENTLEMEN. 15th century traditional olde English carol. Author unknown.

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Everything Smells Like Flowers

Our wonderfully funny granddaughter






Jesus said, "Let the children come to Me. Don't stop them! For the Kingdom of Heaven belongs to those who are like these children." (Matthew 19:14)

Our daughter overheard our granddaughter muttering, "Why does everything smell like flowers?" When Rebecca finally stopped what she was doing and looked down, she discovered flowers stuffed in her fun-loving, little girl's nose! 

In all honesty, the evil, corruption, folly, and cares of this old world just stink. But if we'll come to Jesus as little children, everything smells like flowers!

So, beloved...

Turn your eyes upon Jesus,

Look full in His wonderful face,

And the things of earth will grow strangely dim,

In the light of His glory and grace! 1

1 TURN YOUR EYES UPON JESUS. Helen H. Lemmel, 1922.

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Constantly Telling

My superman and me with three of our five precious grands

"O God, you have taught me from my earliest childhood,

and I constantly tell others about the wonderful things You do.

Now that I am old and gray(ing),

do not abandon me, O God.

Let me proclaim Your power to this new generation,

Your mighty miracles to all who come after me.

Your righteousness, O God, reaches to the highest heavens.

You have done such wonderful things.

Who can compare with you, O God?"

(Psalm 71:17-19)

Beloved, may we be found guilty of constantly telling new generations the wonders of the LORD - Jesus, the Christ, Savior of the world, the Lamb of God who takes away our sins!

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It's Hard to be a Human

Our babygrand

"So the trouble is not with the law, for it is spiritual and good. The trouble is with me, for I am all too human, a slave to sin. I don't really understand myself, for I want to do what is right, but I don't do it. Instead, I do what I hate." (Romans 7:14-16)

Dear babygrand,

Happy first birthday, little one!!! You have sooo many wonderful years ahead of you, and Jesus has a special plan for every season of your journey.

You'll learn all too soon, however, that it's hard to be a human. But if you'll believe on Jesus, your Shepherd, He'll guide you down paths of righteousness and make your way smooth. For "by His divine power, God will give you everything you need for living a godly life. You will receive all of this by coming to know Him, the One who calls you to Himself by means of His marvelous glory and excellence. He offers you great and precious promises that enable you to share His divine nature and escape the world's corruption caused by human desires" (2 Peter 1:3-4).

I pray the Jesus will transform you into a mighty man of God! One of God's mighty men, Watchman Nee, taught that if you will look to Jesus to live out His life in you, He will be humble and patient and loving and everything else you need - in your stead. God will give you the Holy Spirit, and when love is needed the fruit of the Spirit is love; when joy is needed the fruit of the Spirit is joy. It is always true. God always has One sufficient answer, His Son Jesus Christ, and He is the answer to every human need you will ever encounter.

So little one, because Jesus loves you, this I know, may you always love the Lord Jesus, obey His voice, hold fast to Him with all your might, serve Him with a whole heart and steadfast mind, and bring glory to His name all the days of your precious life! 

I love you so very, very, very much!

Memaw

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Lesson #1

My lesson #1

Yesterday, after asking the LORD for strength to run with endurance the race set before me, not fretting over obstacles along the journey, but rather following Him with joy, a sprinkler repair man came to our house. He dug up our broken connector station (which had been damaged by a moving company) and then informed me that he needed to move on to the next appointment and would come back later to finish the job, which would be May 27th - ten days later!

Immediately, emotions (joy not being one of them) boiled up within me, so I prayed again. In my spirit, I heard God whisper, "I'm answering your prayers, Jill. Here's strength-training-not-fretting-joy-in-the-LORD lesson #1!" 

On Christian radio, later in the day, I heard Ecclesiastes 7:9 quoted twice: 

"Do not be quickly provoked in your spirit, for anger resides in the lap of fools." (Ecclesiastes 7:9)

"Do not be quickly provoked in your spirit, for anger resides in the lap of fools." (Ecclesiastes 7:9)

And the moral of this story is: obstacles along the way can be aggravations or opportunities. The choice is ours!

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A Good Return

My granddaughter reading Mr. Greenleaf's Unforgettable Summer

"So will My word be which goes forth from My mouth; it will not return to Me empty, without accomplishing what I desire, and without succeeding in the matter for which I sent it."( Isa. 55:11)

For months, I've prayed for the readers of Mr. Greenleaf's Unforgettable Summer - asking Jesus to teach them His ways, to help them walk in His truth, and to give them undivided minds to fear His name. Yesterday, when my daughter texted this picture of my precious granddaughter reading my storybook, I realized that my petitions have included my own family.

In yesteryears, money deposited in a bank yielded a good return over time; and so it is with prayers. Yesterday's, today's, and tomorrow's supplications deposited at God's throne of grace will yield good returns in the lives of others as well as our own - guaranteed.

Beloved, have you made your deposit today?

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Mrs. Willowkins' Mix-up

"Mrs. Willowkins" from Mr. Greenleaf's Unforgettable Summer
illustration by my friend and talented artist, Dawn Copeland

"For we know that God causes everything to work together for good of those who love God and are called according to His purpose for them." (Romans 8:28 NLT)

(Because I'm too embarrassed to tell you, Mrs. Willowkins and Mr. Greenleaf volunteered to share today's story.)

"Are we there yet?" said Mr. Greenleaf. The little, green tree frog could hardly contain his excitement and eagerness to visit Knollwood Christian School.

"It won't be long, dear," said Mrs. Willowkins. "We're coming into Sylacauga now."

"Splendid!" said the froggy. 

Hopping circles around the spacious, wire carrier that Mr. Willowkins had fashioned just for him, he sang,

"My feet want to dance,

My heart wants to sing!

Today, I'll finally hear

The school bell ring."

"I see the sign," exclaimed Mrs. Willowkins happily. "We're here, Mr. Greenleaf!"

Mrs. Willowkins loaded snacks for the children, books, and Mr. Greenleaf into her little pull cart and trotted into the school. In the office, a lady behind the counter said, "May I help you?"

"Hello, my name is Martha Willowkins," said Mrs. Willowkins. "Mr. Greenleaf and I are here for the book reading."

The kind lady had a rather blank look on her pretty face. "Oh," she said. "We weren't expecting you."

"But our visit has been scheduled for weeks and weeks,"  explained Mrs. Willowkins. "Pastor Williams invited us."

"Pastor Williams?" she said. "I'm so, so sorry, ma'am, but Pastor Williams is at the other Knollwood Christian School - in Mobile, Alabama."

"Mobile!" piped Mr. Greenleaf. "That's approximately six hours away! We'll never make it! My, my, my, Mrs. Willowkins. Oh, what a blunder! Oh, what a misunderstanding! What ever shall we do?"

Mr. Greenleaf looked anxiously at Mrs. Willowkins, who stared in bewilderment at the kind lady behind the front desk, who smiled sweetly and said, "God has His reasons for everything. Perhaps He brought you to us today. You shall speak to our students this morning!"

After extending a heart-felt apology over the telephone to Pastor Williams in Mobile, Mrs. Willowkins and Mr. Greenleaf had a delightful visit with the students at Knollwood Christian School in Sylacauga, and hope to have the opportunity in the fall to visit Knollwood Christian School in Mobile.

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Shine

Visit to Mt. Laurel 3rd Grade Class

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

"Mr. Greenleaf", Dawn, and I are having such fun visiting elementary school classrooms around Alabama. I pray that the light of Jesus shines through us everywhere we go.

God has clearly taught me that apart from Jesus, I can do nothing (John 15:5); but through Him, you and I can do all things (Phil. 4:13).

So SHINE, beloved...

Make 'em wonder what you've got

Make 'em wish that 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.1

1 SHINE. Newsboys, 2000.

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Toothpaste War

My grand grands






"Train up a child in the way he should go, even when he is old he will not depart from it." (Proverbs 22:6)

Smile for the Day:

Becoming fed up with listening to daily skirmishes in the bathroom over the toothpaste, my daughter called her three children into the kitchen to end the war once and for all. She warned, "The next time you fight over the toothpaste, you will have to brush each other's teeth."

Horrified, the eldest resolved, "My goal is to make sure my sister does NOT have to brush my teeth!"

And the WAR was ended by a clever mama!

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It's Just a Game

My Stephen and the grands at the ball field

Jesus said, "Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves; so be shrewd as serpents and innocent as doves." (Matt. 10:16)

Because of godly parents, a Bible-grounded church family, homeschooling, and no in-house television, my innocent grands have thus far escaped exposure to much of the wicked ways of the world. So at their first college baseball game Saturday night, when a man yelled angrily, the eldest said, "I can't believe people are so serious about this. It's just a game."

From Tony Campolo's Who Switched the Price Tags:

"Do you ever get the feeling that somebody has gone through our world and switched the price tags on everything? Things that ought to be treated as precious - like family and faith - are inconsequential, and things like a new BMW, membership in the country club, and the climb up the corporate ladder [or ballgames, I might add] are all too often considered of great importance."

Campolo challenged readers to "take a serious look at the important areas of our lies and put the right price tags back on the right items in order to experience the true fulfillment God has planned for us."

Beloved, let's check our price tags today!

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Makarios Mother's Day

my grandmother's senior portrait
1916





"Blessed are the gentle... " (Matt. 5:5)
"Blessed are the merciful..." (Matt. 5:7)
"Blessed are the peacemakers..." (Matt. 5:9)

In the original manuscripts, the Greek word for "blessed" in Matthew 5:5-9 is "makarios," meaning fortunate, well off, blessed, or happy.

Dear mothers, for all your many, many acts of gentleness, mercy, peacemaking, and giving of yourselves to others that you do day after week after month after year after year after year, "Happy" Mother's Day just doesn't make the cake. So ladies, highly valued and deeply loved, "Blessed, Makarios Mother's Day" to you!

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SO - Mama said there'll be days like this.

My beautiful mama (inside and out) and me, 1959

"Cultivate inner beauty, the gentle, gracious kind that God delights in. The holy women of old were beautiful before God that way, and were good, loyal wives to their husbands...You'll be true daughters of Sarah if you do the same, unanxious and unintimidated." (1 Peter 3:4-6 The Message)

I didn't know "nothing 'bout birthin' no puppies" until two days ago. Did you know that mama dogs get upset tummies (diarrhea) the day after their puppies are born? 

This "process of nature" started for Bell yesterday evening about 5:00 p.m.; and SO throughout the night, my Phillip and I ran up and down the back steps to let Bell out of her pen and into the woods. 

This morning, while I was still running up and down the back steps to let Bell out of her pen and into the woods, I was also trying to get ready for a 9:30 visit to a 4th grade class at Briarwood Presbyterian School to share Mr. Greenleaf's Unforgettable Summer.

And while I was running up and down the back steps to let Bell out of her pen and into the woods and trying to get ready for a 9:30 visit to a 4th grade class at Briarwood Presbyterian School to share Mr. Greenleaf's Unforgettable Summer, our friend, Hunter, arrived to cut the grass. Since today is Hunter's payday, I ran outside amongst the mowing and blowing to give him his check. Well, it just SO happens that I'm allergic to fresh-cut grass and dust. SO, I ran back inside and took an extra allergy tablet - which just SO happens to also be a diuretic. 

SO, as I was running up and down the back steps to let Bell out of her pen and into the woods and trying to get ready for a 9:30 visit to a 4th grade class at Briarwood Presbyterian School to share Mr. Greenleaf's Unforgettable Summer, I was also running to do what diuretics make you do - all the while singing the old classic by the Shirelles, "Mama said there'll be days like this. There'll be days like this Mama said."

SO, ladies, when our world shakes, rattles, and rolls, will we choose to fret in anxiety and intimidation or maintain a gentle, quiet spirit that is precious in the sight of the Lord? I vote for the latter, SO help me God! (Rather, so HELP me God!)

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Into the World that God So Loves

New Beginnings 3rd grade class

"You will go out with joy and be led forth with peace. For as the rain and snow come down from heaven, and do not return there without watering the earth and making it bear and sprout...so will My word be which goes forth from My mouth; it will not return to Me empty, without accomplishing what I desire, and without succeeding in the matter for which I sent it." (Isaiah 55:12,10-11)

This morning, Mr. Greenleaf, Dawn, and I enjoyed a delightful visit with Mrs. Hinton's 3rd grade class at the School of New Beginnings where we shared our new storybook, Mr. Greenleaf's Unforgettable Summer.

In Matt Redman's song "We Are the Free", the talented musician wrote:

Up from the grave He rose again

Up from the grave He rose and we will

Rise up! Rise up!

Into the world that You so love

Into the world we go and we will

Rise up! Rise up!

Beloved, arise and go into the world that God so loves - that He gave His only Son, Jesus, so that whosoever from every tribe, tongue, and nation will believe in Him will not perish but have eternal, forever after life - and share the love and truth of Jesus!

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Puppies, Puppies, Puppies, Puppies

Bell's puppies,
newly born today!

"They crouch down to give birth to their young; they deliver their newborn. Their offspring are healthy and grow up in the open field" (Job 39:3-4). "How countless are Your works, LORD! In wisdom You have made them all; the earth is full of Your creatures" (Psalm 104:24).




I believe Psalm 104:24 (see above) appeared in today's One Year Bible reading by divine appointment. In the wee hours of the morning with my Phillip by her side, our sweet Bell delivered four healthy puppies - 3 boys and 1 little girl, black as soot and darker than a moonless night: Buck, Boomer, Chance, and Daisy.


"May the glory of the LORD endure forever; may the LORD rejoice in His works...I will sing to the LORD all my life; I will sing praise to my God while I live!" (Psalm 104:31,33)

(FYI - In six weeks, free puppies available to loving homes!) 

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Practice, practice, practice

My Rebecca "reading"
The Night Before Christmas
to her pawpaw (my daddy), 1983

"Each person is given something to do that shows who God is: Everyone gets in on it, every one benefits. All kinds of things are handed out by the Spirit, and to all kinds of people!" (1 Cor. 12:7 The Message)

I was quite rusty with pen and paper when I started writing children's books in 2011, which led to creating the wonderful family storybooks blog in 2012. Hopefully, the Lord has used this devotional website to touch people's lives in a small way; but undoubtedly, He's used it in a large way to give me writing practice, practice, practice.

Beloved, what ability has God given you to show others who He is? Are you practicing?

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