Crisis Survival Mode

Our Mandy, Dan, and two-year-old grandly
Coos River Farm




"...Be patient in trouble, and keep on praying." (Romans 12:12)

Dear Readers,

Because our sweet daughter-in-law, Mandy, is a sick little lady, we've kicked into "crisis survival mode." So, for an undetermined while, things like cleaning house or writing blog posts will happen only when I get around to it.

Thank you for your patience! Prayers for her healing are GREATLY appreciated.

With love,

Jill 

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Lord of Peace

Sanibel sunset



"And He shall be called:
Wonderful
Counselor,
Mighty God,
Everlasting Father,
Prince of Peace."
(Isaiah 9:6)

In 1993 when my daddy was terminally ill, a dear friend gave brokenhearted me the Maranatha music cassette: Lord of Peace. This past year, I purchased a CD version of the old praise tape, and this week, I've listened to those comforting hymns over and over again.

Across the Bible - Old and New Testaments - God offers His  peace through music. Need God's peace, beloved? Listen to His music.

"...be filled with the Holy Spirit, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs among yourselves, and making music to the Lord in your hearts." (Ephesians 5:18-19)

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Calm Before the Storm

Sanibel Island Beach Path




"But soon a fierce storm came up. High waves were breaking into the boat, and it began to fill with water." (Mark 4:37)

The Calm.

We had a wonderful vacation on Sanibel Island last week. Blue skies. Upper 70s. Gentle breeze. Delicious seafood. No exaggeration, we probably rode forty miles on a tandem bike exploring the island and watching the wildlife (including two alligators). A highlight was seeing parent ospreys "encouraging" their teenagers out of the nest. And for icing on the cake, our last evening there, we eye-witnessed the "green flash." (Every once in a while on this island famous for beautiful sunsets, just as the sun slips under the western horizon, a one-second flash of green light appears.)

The Storm.

Monday, our daughter-in-law was hospitalized for health complications. I was keeping the two-year-old and came down with appendicitis and was also hospitalized for surgery. I'm here to tell you that my Phillip and son, Dan, are supermen at taking care of sickly wives and a very energetic toddler.

In three of the four gospel, the story is told of a trip across a lake that began on smooth waters that quickly changed to a raging sea. Terrified, the disciples woke Jesus and said, "Teacher, don't you care that we're going to drown?" Jesus got up and rebuked the wind and the sea, "Peace, be still." And the wind died down and it became perfectly calm. To the disciples, Jesus said, "Why are you afraid? Do you still have no faith?"

In a storm, beloved? Call to Jesus, the one that even the wind and sea obey.

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Grace and Glory

Glorious back-porch view
Island Inn
Sanibel Island, FL



"For the LORD God is a sun and shield;
The LORD gives grace and glory;
No good thing does He withhold from 
those who walk uprightly."
(Psalm 84:11)

I met a lady named Glory today and asked her, "Do you know your verse?" 

She looked puzzled.

"Your Bible verse. Psalm 84:11: 'For the LORD God is a sun and shield; the LORD gives grace and glory...'"

She picked up a pencil and jotted down the reference. "I didn't know that," she said.

Know a Bible verse or two beloved? Share the word with someone who doesn't.

O LORD God, I pray that Your word sent forth today will sprout, bear fruit, and accomplish all You desire for Your glory! In Jesus name I pray, Amen.

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Lighthouse

My Phillip and me
Sanibel lighthouse
2018



"The Word gave life to everything that was created, and His life brought light to everyone." (John 1:4)

Instead of a prayer walk this morning, we took a six-mile, tandem bike prayer ride to the Sanibel Lighthouse.

Jesus is the Light of the world, beloved. Have you talked to Him today?

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Let Me Call You Sweetheart

Sanibel Island sunset



"Arise, my darling, my beautiful one, and come along...
My beloved is mine, and I am his."
Song of Solomon 2:13,16

Superman brought me to Sanibel Island to celebrate our 47th Valentine's Day together. On this same island in 2012, I wrote...

Cordage of the cares of life twine

‘Round about this heart of mine,

Creep into my thoughts at night

Invade my soul and choke it tight.

Then one day my toes touched sand

Along the shore beside my man

And rode a bike built just for two

Then watched the sun drop out of view.

In one short while I was astounded

My vines of woe could not be founded.

Somehow, they slipped away from me

And silently drifted out to sea.

Ahhh…

How grand ‘twould be to go about

With no fears, no woes, no doubts,

With heart at peace and mind at rest -

 My disposition at its best.

Then these words I did recall

An invitation for one, for all.

“Give Me your cares,” my Jesus said,

“Lie down in peace upon your bed.”

“For I am greater than the sea.

Let go.

Let woes

Drift up to Me.”

Happy Valentine's Day, beloved. Jesus is ours and we are His.

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Deadline

Another beautiful, art-competition entry
by Briarwood Christian High School student, Julianne Lett

"All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. It is by His great mercy that we have been born again, because God raised Jesus Christ from the dead. Now we live with great expectation, and we have a priceless inheritance - an inheritance that is kept in heaven for you, pure and undefiled, beyond the reach of change and decay." (1 Peter 1:3-4)

The deadline for entering the Sea Billows' student, art-cover competition is midnight tonight - a window of time rapidly closing.

DEADLIINE.

What a curious term! According to Wikipedia: the term "deadline" in the sense of "due date" may be connected with the use of the term in prison camps during the American Civil War, when it referred to the physical line or boundary beyond which prisoners were shot.

According to the truth of the Bible, Jesus is the One and only LIFELINE.  All people are prisoners to sin. For "all have sinned and  come short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23). But God loved the people of the world so much that He sent the Lifeline - Jesus Christ, His Son - that whosoever believes in Him steps out of death into eternal life. Jesus, the Way, the Truth, and the Life, through which prisoners are free and heirs of never-ending LIFE.

Where do you stand, beloved? Dead in your sins or alive in Jesus? Grab hold of God's LIFELINE, today.

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O Ye of Little Faith

one of the beautiful art-competition entries
by Briarwood Christian High School Student: Jordan Martens

But [Jesus] said to them, "Why are you fearful, O you of little faith?" (Matthew 8:26)

Last fall, we offered art students the opportunity to participate in a cash-prize competition (an idea I believed to be God-inspired) for the cover art of my new children's book: Sea Billows. 

Art teachers from a number of schools responded enthusiastically, but as the February 12th deadline rapidly approaches, we had NO art entries. You better believe that I was scrambling for cover-art plan B until twenty-three beautiful entries poured in yesterday and today from talented students at Briarwood Christian High School and Restoration Academy. Jesus gently whispered, "Why were you fearful, Jill, O you of little faith."

His answer may come at dusk, beloved, but rest assured, no  promise of God will fail. All will come to pass in His good time.

(Cover-art winner to be revealed February 19th-23rd. And yes, the book title has change. It's a God story.)

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You Raised Me Up

My boy and his boy
Coosa River farm




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

One of our kids commented the other day that if he hadn't been taught God's word as a child, (quote): "I might not ever have turned back from my wildness."

One way we trained our kids was through "Bible time." From infants in arms to rowdy college students, every night before going to bed, we gathered as a family, read the Bible, and prayed. (A good reason I write Christian storybooks is to help parents bring up kids in the way they should go.)

Do you read the Bible and pray with your family, beloved? It's never too late to start.

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Marching Orders

my grandgirl reading Mr. Greenleaf's Unforgettable Summer
and Lucy

"Trust in the LORD with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek His will in all you do, and He will show you which path to take." (Proverbs 3:5-6)

When I started the book-writing journey seven years ago, I knew zero, zilch, naught, none whatsoever, absolutely nothing about writing, publishing, and marketing books. Yesterday, a budding author emailed for my advice. I told her that, first and foremost, you must seek the Lord daily and obey His every instruction.

Faith Foundation

Lesson #2

Read 2 Samuel 5:17-25.

When the enemy attacked, David ________ the LORD and His instructions.

What evidence supports David's trust in God? His ___________

David gave ________ credit for the victory.

When the Philistines attacked a second time, David _________ the LORD again.

Were God's instructions the same for both battles?  YES   NO

Many scholars believe the sound of marching was God's _________  ________ marching into battle before David's army.


What is God telling you to do that you don't understand why?

Will you obey in faith?

Hide Proverbs 3:5-6 in your heart: "Trust in the LORD with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek  His will in all you do, and He will show you which path to take." 


Answers: sought, obedience, God, sought, NO, angelic army, (personal answers)

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American Idol

illustration from Secrets of Shiloh
by award-winning artist: Donny Finley

"You must not have any other god but Me. You must not make for yourself an idol of any kind or an image of anything in the heavens or on the earth or in the sea. You must not bow down to them or worship them, for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God who will not tolerate your affection for any other gods." (Exodus 20:3-5)

Thought for the day:  An idol is anything that occupies my heart and mind more than God.

Period.

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Beautiful, Sweet Gabbi

Ben and Gabbi, 2008

"Your people will be my people, and your God will be my God... May the LORD punish me severely if I allow anything but death to separate us!" (Ruth 1:16)

Dear Gabbi,

This passage from the book of Ruth is often quoted for brides and grooms, but, actually, it's a loving conversation between a daughter-in-law and her mother-in-law. To me, you and Ruth (one of my most admired Bible characters), in many ways, are like two peas in a pod - leaving family and homeland to follow God's plan.

I can't imagine the challenges you've faced in living thousands of miles away from your own family and adjusting to our backwoods, southern culture. I know that God has ordered your steps and that you lean on Him for strength, grace, courage, wisdom, and guidance. I'm so very thankful that He led you to us.

The day you married our Ben, Gabbi, God blessed me with a second daughter (minus painful childbirth and teenage calamity - thank Goodness). I hope you know how much I love you, admire you, and how proud I am of you!

Thank you for being a committed wife to Ben and for putting your hard-worked-for career on hold to mother two precious, very energetic, rambunctious, preschool boys - our grandboys. 

Happy birthday, sweet Gabbi. May you continually delight in the Lord and may He give you the desires of your beautiful heart.

Much love and many prayers,

Memaw

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Ends of the Earth

"Elsie"
by talented artist, Cami Monet Webb
illustration from The Schoolhouse

Jesus said, "But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be My witnesses, telling people about me everywhere - in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth." (Acts 1:8)

I'm thanking the Lord this morning that a case of The Schoolhouse storybooks (that I feared had been lost) arrived in Kenya, Africa - an opportunity to tell children at the ends of the earth that God loves them so much that He sent them a Savior, and His name is Jesus.

You are God's witness, beloved. Tell people everywhere about His Son, Jesus Christ.

From The Schoolhouse:

Elsie prayed, "Father God, please help me overcome my fears. I desperately need You to grow my faith and help me to trust You no matter what troubles I face. Lord, You are my refuge and strength. There is none like You, who rides the heavens to my help: the eternal God who shelters me in everlasting arms. You gave me a job to do, and, by Your power, I’ll finish it! Let me who loves You be like the rising of the sun in its might and help my soul to march on with strength."

The remainder of that week and the next were uneventful at Shady Grove. I moved with greater vigilance on my daily walks to the schoolhouse and found myself frequently looking out the front door during class time. At recess, I constantly surveyed the roadway and the woods surrounding the schoolyard, keeping a watchful eye for unexpected prowlers. 

The children had little to say about the frightening visit from the strange woman, because, as I soon learned, she was an aunt to three of my students and no one wanted to embarrass them.

As I called roll one Friday, the woman suddenly appeared in the doorway. Every eye locked upon her. The boys and girls froze into silent stone statues, and no one spoke or moved. My hands shook so fiercely that I clasped them behind my back in an effort to hide my fear from her as well as the children. I tried to speak, but no sound came from my mouth... 

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