Waking Dreams

Brad
Yesterday'a guest speaker at UNC Chapel Hill

"So we don't look at the troubles we can see now; rather, we fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen. For the things we see now will soon be gone, and the things we cannot see will last forever." (2 Cor. 4:18)

Brad Jones. Dream chaser. Film maker. My friend. My inspiration. My hero.

Despite his immeasurable physical obstacles, Brad's Waking Dreams - a film birthed through his unparalleled imagination in collaboration with Jake Carah's MFA creative project in Documentary film - premiered August, 2014. 

Moreover, although imprisoned often, beaten more, shipwrecked, and stoned nigh to death, the Apostle Paul penned: "That is why we never give up...For our present troubles are small and won't last very long. Yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever!" (2 Cor. 4:16-17)

How are great men great and courageous men courageous? A gaze fixed on Jesus rather than self or problems.

Mind check. Where's your focus, beloved?

One ship sails East

And another West,

By the self-same winds that blow,

Tis the set of the sails

And not the gales,

That tells the way to go.

Like the winds of the sea

Are the waves of time,

As we journey along through life.

Tis the set of the soul

That determines the goal,

And not the calm or the strife.

~Ella Wheeler Wilcox~

Visit: www.wakingdreamsfilm.com

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Up and At 'Em

Two-and-a-half-year-old me
1959

To make it to church by 6 a.m. for 21 Days of Prayer and Fasting (which ended last Saturday), I set my alarm for 5. Without an alarm, I woke at 6:38 this morning and laughed when I read today's Proverb:

"But you, lazybones, how long will you sleep? When will you wake up? A little extra sleep, a little more slumber...then poverty will pounce on you like a bandit; scarcity will attack you like an armed robber." (Prov. 6:9-11) 

If calculated correctly, I'll add nearly 7 days to my 2017 by getting up at 6 a.m. on weekdays instead of 6:38. So tomorrow, it's out of bed you sleepyhead!

Jesus said, "As long as it is day, we must do the works of Him who sent Me." (John 9:4) 

Up and at 'em, beloved! There's lots of Kingdom work to be done.

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Three Christketeers

Three Christketeers
L-R Me, Debora, Babs




"Their responsibility is to equip God's people to do His work and build up the church, the body of  Christ." (Eph. 4:12)

Winter/spring small groups at Church of the Highlands kick off next week. I'm teamed with friends, Babs and Debora, to lead single girls in their 20s in a 12-week, book of  Revelation study. We three Christketeers share the crucial responsibility of loving, guiding, teaching, shepherding, and equipping twelve, precious young women to carry on the work of Jesus. Lord, help us! Without You, we can do nothing!

Beloved, lead a life worthy of your calling and lead another life to Christ!

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Pink Balloon Parade

Baby Meredith in her car seat headed home

"Jesus traveled throughout...Galilee, teaching in the synagogues and announcing the Good News about the Kingdom. And He healed every kind of disease and illness." (Matt. 4:23)

Baby Meredith was born October 24 at 2 lbs. 6 oz.. After three grueling months of sepsis, pneumonia, heart surgery, chronic lung problems, and eye problems, today the little princess came home to Middlesboro, Kentucky by police escort and pink balloon parade. (Grab a handkie and watch the news clip at: local8now.com)

Yes, beloved, God's still in the miracle business!

"Oh LORD, may You be praised forever and ever! Yours, O LORD, is the greatness, the power, the glory, the victory, and the majesty. Everything in the heavens and on earth is Yours, O LORD, and this is Your kingdom. We adore You as the One who is over all things...We thank You and praise Your glorious name!" (1 Chronicles 29:10-13)

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Smarter Than a Fifth Grader

Toddlergrand and his dad (our Ben)

"But you, Daniel, keep this prophecy a secret; seal up the book until the time of the end, when many will rush here and there, and knowledge will increase." (Daniel 12:4)

Monday, as Phillip worked to get the I-pad up and running, smarter-than-a-5th-grader, 2-year-old toddlergrand said, "Turn the internet on, Granddaddy."

According to the book of Daniel in the Old Testament, increased travel and knowledge mark the time of the end. 

Over the past 100 years, travel amplified from bumpy wagon rides over rutted trails to rocket ship trips to the moon. Human knowledge, according to the internet, doubled approximately every century until 1900. By the end of WWII, it doubled every 25 years. Today, human knowledge doubles every 13 months, and IBM predicts that knowledge will soon sky rocket to doubling every 12 hours!

As the seemingly last grains of time slip through the hour glass, never put off till tomorrow, beloved, what you can do for Jesus today.

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In or Out

"Flash" the grandboy

"Not everyone who calls out to Me, 'Lord! Lord!' will enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Only those who actually do the will of My Father in heaven will enter. On judgment day many will say to me, 'Lord! Lord! We prophesied in Your name and cast out demons in your name and performed many miracles in Your name.' But I will reply, 'I never knew you. Get away form Me, you who break God's laws.'" (Matt. 7:21-23)

Years ago, while refereeing a kids' basketball game, my Phillip blew the whistle on a player out of bounds. "I was NOT out of bounds!" the lad argued confidently. "Look down at your feet," Phillip calmly replied to the boy with both feet planted outside the boundary lines.

In his book Follow Me, A Call to Die. A Call to Live., Dr. David Platt wrote: 
"Is it possible for you or me to profess to be a Christian and yet not know Christ? Absolutely. And according to Jesus, it's actually probable...Masses of men, women, and children around the world...are sitting comfortably under the banner of Christianity but have never counted the cost of following Christ."

Even demons believe in Jesus, beloved. Do you really know Him? Better yet, does Jesus know you?

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Oh My Cito

Toddlergrand and granddog, Lucy

"Redeem the time... (Translation: Make the most of every opportunity)" (Eph. 5:16)

Because toddlergrand's beautiful mother, Gabbi, is Honduran,  she's taught him a few Spanish phrases. Sometimes, however, they come out Spanglish. Running around our playroom last night, he yelled, "Oh my cito!" (Translation: hombrecito meaning little man)

And the point of this story is? Gabbi and Ben are driving to Atlanta today for Gabbi's interview for United States citizenship. Memaw (me) is keeping their 2-year-old and 1-year-old boys and only had time to write a couple of sentences before watching Day 16 of 21 Days of Prayer at www.churchofthehighlands.com.

Have a great day with Jesus, beloved, and make the most of your time!

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Popeye Says

Bob Brandy and Rebel

"...Then Jesus told him, 'Follow Me.'" (John 21:19)

The Bob Brandy Show broadcasted from WTVC studios on Signal Mountain in Chattanooga, Tennessee from 1958 to 1978. As a kid, I remember the popular children's TV personality visiting the Dekalb Theater in my hometown - Fort Payne, Alabama -  and getting picked to come on stage to play "Popeye says." I won! And had to kiss Bob's cheek before collecting my carton-of-bottled-coca-cola prize.

Following Popeye says, "Touch your nose" is simple. Following Jesus says, "Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you" is not. In fact, it's impossible. But...

Jesus also said, 

"What is impossible with man is possible with God." (Luke 18:27)

"For apart from Me you can do nothing." (John 15:5) "Through Me who gives you strength, you can do all things." Phil. 4:13)

Follow Jesus, beloved, by His power and not your own. 

"Press on toward the goal to win the prize of God's heavenward calling in Jesus Christ." (Phil. 3:14)

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Whisker Willowkins

My brother, Mark, and friend, Stephen, 1967
(1960 Willis Jeep still in the family)

"Let your words always be with grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how you ought to answer..." (Col. 4:6)

A friend once asked where the "Willowkins" name came from in my storybooks. Truth be told, as kids, when my brother, Mark, sprouted the telltale sign of adolescence - a mustache - his pesky little sister (me) called him Whisker-Willowkins. In retaliation, he labeled me Whisker-Jillikins. Such sweet, little darlings.

In Colossians chapter 4, the Apostle Paul gives how-to-win-and-influence-people-for-Christ instructions: 

• Devote yourselves to prayer with an alert mind and a thankful heart. 
• Pray that God will give many opportunities to speak about His mysterious plan concerning Christ. 
• Pray to proclaim this message with clarity.
• Live wisely among those who are not believers, and make the most of every opportunity
• Finally, let your conversation be gracious and attractive, so that you will have the right response or everyone.

Want to win people to Christ, beloved? Pray, live wisely, make the most of every opportunity, and sweeten your words.

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Indisputable Evidence

In the gnome village
Big Oak, Coosa River Farm

"But God's angry displeasure erupts as acts of human mistrust and wrong doing and lying accumulate, as people try to put a shroud over truth. But the basic reality of God is plain enough. Open your eyes and there it is! By taking a long and thoughtful look at what God has created, people have always been able to see what their eyes can't see: eternal power, for instance, and the mystery of His divine being. So nobody has a good excuse. What happened was this: People knew God perfectly well, but when they didn't treat Him like God, refusing to worship Him, they trivialized themselves into silliness and confusion so that there was neither sense nor direction left in their lives. They pretended to know it all, but were illiterate regarding life. They traded the glory of God who holds the world in His hands for cheap figurines you can buy at any roadside stand." (Romans 1:18-23 The Message)

A couple of years ago (compliments of Granddaddy), glass gnomes moved into the big oak's nooks and crannies at the Coosa River farm; and Doc gnome, the village chief and local doctor, set up practice in a high knothole.

In the dark of the nights since, it appears the little people tool through the woods in the pink, Barbie mobile or LeapFrog school bus or bi-wing airplane or remote control racer (also compliments of Granddaddy). 

No eyewitnesses, mind you. Just the indisputable evidence of rearranged toys the next daylight.

~

In the profound book of Romans, the Apostle Paul warns people without God that because of the indisputable evidence of Him all around us, they are without excuse. 

On Romans, Dr. Henrietta Mears wrote, "The first three chapters describe the hell of sin. The last five chapters describe the heaven of holiness. Intervening chapters describe Christ, the Way." 

Know people without God, beloved? Point them down the Roman Road to Jesus Christ and heaven:


"For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." (Romans 3:23)

"But God demonstrated His love toward us, in that, while we were sinners, Christ died for us." (Romans 5:8)

"For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." (Romans 6:23)

"If you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For  with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. (Romans 10:9-10)

"For whoever calls on the name of the LORD shall be saved." (Romans 10:13)

"For of Him and through Him and to Him are all things, to whom be glory forever. Amen." (Romans 11:36

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Rabbit Trails

Our Dan and baby bunny
1988ish, Bogalusa, Lousiana

"Not a single one of all the good promises the LORD had given to the family of Israel was left unfulfilled; everything He had spoken came true." (Joshua 21:45)

Storybooks. Purpose or rabbit trail? I asked. God whispered, "Purpose" through 2 Peter 1:19: "We have the prophetic word made more sure, to which you do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in the darkness, until the day dawns and the morning star arises in your hearts." 

God commanded Joshua, "Be strong and courageous, for you shall give this people possession of the land which I swore to their fathers to give them." But it would be 31 defeated kings later before God's family held the corner on the Promise Land market.

Chasing a long-ago-made God-promise, beloved? Persevere. You'll do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in the darkness until your day dawns!

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No Matter What

Misty morning at the Coosa River farm
Photo by our Ben

"For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened." (Matt. 7:8)

At today's 6:00 a.m. prayer service, Pastor Blake Lindsey recounted from Mark chapter 2 the story of four determined men crashing through a roof to get their paralyzed friend to Jesus; and then his own story of his father's death in 2016, and his family's resolve that no matter what, they will pursue Jesus passionately and trust him unconditionally. 

Brokenhearted beloved? Determine to pursue Jesus passionately and trust Him unconditionally - NO MATTER WHAT! 

"God may not give us what we want, but He will always give us what we need." ~ Blake Lindsey

Message in full at: www.churchofthehighlands.com

Click: 21 Days of Prayer

Click: Watch today's prayer service

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Upside Down

Our oldest grandboy and only grandgirl
Christmas 2016, Coosa River farm

"Christ is also the head of the church, which is His body. He is the beginning, supreme over all who rise from the dead. So He Himself will come to have first place in everything." (Col. 1:18)

Our Rebecca recently told the story that our oldest grandboy was practicing a new piano piece. When he got to the second page, she heard him mutter, "Wow, this is hard. Left hand is playing first? This is hard!" 

After a few minutes of struggling, he exclaimed, "Oh, it's upside down!"

Does Jesus Christ hold first place in your life, beloved? If not, your struggling through life the hardest way - upside down!

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Warning Now Reality

Our Rebecca's Precious Family

"...in the last days there will be very difficult times. For people will love only themselves and their money. They will be boastful and proud, scoffing at God, disobedient to their parents, and ungrateful. They will consider nothing sacred. They will be unloving and unforgiving; they will slander others and have no self-control. They will be cruel and hate what is good. They will betray their friends, be reckless, be puffed up with pride, and love pleasure rather than God. They will act religious, but they will reject the power that could make them godly." (2 Tim. 3:1-5)

On Instagram, our Rebecca recently posted a sobering quote by William Booth, a British Methodist preacher who founded the Salvation Army - an 1800s warning which turned into a 21st century reality.

"I consider that the chief dangers which confronts the coming century will be religion without the Holy Ghost; Christianity without Christ; forgiveness without repentance; salvation without regeneration; politics without God; and heaven without hell." 

~ William Booth ~

The Apostle Paul forewarned Timothy of a coming apostasy - falling away from God - and encouraged the young pastor to remain faithful to the Holy Scriptures he was taught from childhood, for they give the wisdom to receive the salvation that comes by trusting in Christ Jesus.

Feed daily on God's Word, beloved, so you want fall far from Him!

"All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right. God uses it to prepare and equip His people to do every good work." (2 Tim. 4:16-17)

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The Young and the Gifted

Our grandgirl in the big oak tree house
Coosa River farm

"Don't let anyone think less of you because you are young. Be an example to all believers in what you say, in the way you live, in your love, and your purity." (1 Tim. 4:12)

With each children's book, the Lord has faithfully guided the work from story to illustrator to publisher to readers, and my latest storybook-in-the-making is no exception. It is a pleasure and great honor to announce that the God-chosen illustrator for Ruth and Frankincense, A Christmas Story is....drum roll please...none other than our very own talented 9-year-old grandgirl. Ta-da!

In Paul's letter to Timothy, the aging apostle warned his young disciple that in later times, people would fall away from the faith. He encouraged Timothy not to neglect the spiritual gifts within him, to continue following sound doctrine, and to teach that truth to others as a good servant of Christ Jesus.

Got young folks around you, beloved? Encourage them in their God-given gifts and faith in Jesus Christ!

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Little Things

Our little grandboy and his little fish

"If you are faithful in little things, you will be faithful in large ones." (Luke 16:10) 



Wonderful Family Storybooks blog started October, 2012. Four years, three months, and 1,032 posts later, it finally crossed the 50,000 views mark - a pretty insignificantly small number in the social media world. 

My dream? to feed Jesus and His Word to thousands through little storybooks, a little blog, and little Bible studies; and to hear My Master say, "Well done, My good and faithful servant. You have been faithful in handling this small amount, so now I will give you many more responsibilities. Let's celebrate together!" (Matt. 25:23)

Beloved, what little things has God entrusted to you? Be faithful!

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5:55 a.m. Traffic Jam

Our mighty-fine grandboy and my superman

"That is what the LORD says, 'Turn to Me now, while there is time. Give me your hearts. Come with fasting, weeping, and mourning.'" (Joel 2:12)

The grands via golf cart, side-by-side, and 4-wheeler kept the woods trails smokin' over the holidays, and Highway 280 was smokin' at 5:55 a.m. today with young and old scurrying to various Church of the Highlands campuses for 21 days of prayer and fasting.

Give God first place in 2017, beloved. Start the year with 21 days of prayer and fasting. Services available online all day Jan. 8th-28th at:

www.churchofthehighlands.com

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Best Buds

11-year-old and 2-year-old grandboys and Gabe, the granddog
(photo by our Rebecca)

"It's better to have a partner than go it alone..." (Eccl. 4:9 The Message)

Over the holidays, our 11-year-old and 2-year-old grandboys, which live pert near 500 miles apart, stuck together like glue. (Their memaw loves this picture!)

The Old Testament book of Ecclesiastes chapter 4 teaches that two people are better off than one for they can help each other succeed. If one falls, the other can help. A person standing alone can be attacked and defeated, but two back-to-back can conquer. Moreover, three together are even better. 

Do you have a comrade in the work of Christ, beloved? This 2017, lock arms with Jesus and a friend. For a triple-braided cord is mighty strong!

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He Filled our Mouths with Laughter

The Phillip Glassco Family
Coosa River cabin, Christmas 2016 





"He will fill your mouth with laughter..." (Job 8:21)

Wonderful Family Storybooks blog posts fell by the wayside over the past week when a dozen kids and grands descended upon us. They all left this morning leaving behind tons-of-fun memories in a now as-quiet-as-a-mouse house. 

Many thanks to You, Lord Jesus, for filling our mouths with laughter, and happy New Year to all of you, beloved!

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