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| Our sweet Bell at Coosa River Farm (photo by my Ben)
"...We must celebrate, for this son of mine...was lost, but now he is found." (Luke 15: 23-24)
Three years ago, sweet Bell was lost and then she was found by our family.
Beloved, on this Good Friday, give all glory, honor, praise, and thanksgiving to Jesus, the One who suffered and died and rose again. We all were lost, but now we are found because of Him!
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| Lloyd's Restaurant "You shall rise up before the grayheaded and honor the aged, and you shall revere your God; I am the LORD." (Leviticus 19:32)
The Schoolhouse was written as a children's book.
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| the grands "Happy" Easter, 2010 (I love this picture!)
"We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ." (2 Corinthians 10:5)
In Genesis 2, the LORD God clearly warned Adam, "You may freely eat the fruit of every tree in the garden except the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. If you eat its fruit, you will surely die."
It's a cryin' shame, but Adam did not obey. For there was this serpent, you see...
The shrewdest of all the wild animals asked the woman, "Did God really say you must not eat the fruit from any of the trees of the garden?"
"Of course we may eat from the trees of the garden," she answered. "It's only from the tree in the middle of the garden that is forbidden. God said that if we eat it or even touch it, we will die."
"You won't die!" hissed the serpent. "Au contraire mon soeur. You're lovely eyes will be opened, and you will be like God!"
PICK.
BITE.
SWALLOW.
"Try this, honey. It's delicious!"
And Adam also ate the devil's lie - hook, line, and sinker.
What is Satan whispering in your ear, beloved? What is he tempting you to do that God says don't? Well, DON'T!!! The consequences will be deadly.
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| Granddaddy and grandboy
"Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others above yourselves." (Philippians 2:3)
As a high-schooler, he wrestled a weight class 20 pounds below his normal size for "the good of the team."
Across 29 years with RMS, he has denied self glory and worked for "the good of the company."
Over his 40 years as a husband, 36 years as a dad, and 12 years as a granddaddy, he's put himself aside for "the good of the family."
That's my superman.
Beloved, don't push your way to the front; don't sweet-talk your way to the top. Put yourself aside, and help others get ahead. (The Message interpretation of Phil. 2:3)
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| photo by my Rebecca
Jesus said, "Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life...Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?" (Matthew 6:24-26)
The calendar says its spring yet snow still covers midwestern cornfields like powered sugar over donuts. Last week, after my Rebecca asked Jesus to make a little bluebird pose for a portrait, she snapped this red, white, and blue "Masterpiece."
Almighty God of the universe who cares for birds of the air and a young woman's prayers cares for you, beloved. Learn to lean on Him.
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| My Ben and Pawpaw (my daddy) 1984
"Pay close attention, friend, to what your father tells you; never forget what you learned at your mother's knee. Wear their counsel like flowers in your hair, like rings on your fingers." (Proverbs 1:8-9 The Message)
My Ben recently posted on FaceBook: "Whose granddaddy taught them to make an airplane out of an egg carton and a paperclip?" (Ben's pawpaw taught him.)
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| grandboy "talking" to granddaddy and memaw
"Wounds from a sincere friend are better than many kisses from an enemy." (Proverbs 27:6)
Dan the man: "Hey, Mama, I have a challenge for you. I've noticed lately that you're a little distracted by your phone. I challenge you to put your phone down and fully engage with the person you're with."
Ouch! Wise challenge.
A good friend doesn't tell you what you want to hear; he tells you what you need to hear. Are you listening, beloved?
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| My daddy reading to my niece 1986
"For momentary, light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison, while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal." (2 Corinthians 4:17-18)
The Roman government exiled John to the prison island of Patmos to shut him up because he preached the word of God and Jesus. But man cannot silence the mouth of God. Jesus appeared to John on that grisly island and gave him the book of Revelation, which 2,000 years later still speaks loudly. (Read Revelation, chapter one.)
What did God accomplish in John's dire state of affairs? He revealed the happy ending to every believer's story.
In dreadful circumstances, believer? Take heart! Your story has a happy ending.
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| brother, Mark, and me 1959
"Three different times I begged the Lord to take it away. Each time He said, "My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness." (2 Corinthians 12:8-9)
When I was three, I begged and begged and begged my parents to let me spend the night in the treehouse.
 (treehouse in the background)1961
They finally consented - sort of. After I fell asleep, Daddy carried me down the ladder to my bed. The next morning when I woke up inside instead of outside, Mama and Daddy heard me muttering, "I'm mad this time. I'm really mad this time!"
Not getting what you're begging for, beloved? Trust God. Father knows best.
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| Grandboy reading to 2-year-olds 2016ish?
"Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes and clever in their own sight." (Isaiah 5:21)
Every Sunday morning, our three older grands help their mom teach two-year-olds. Yesterday, after a little girl clobbered a little boy over the head, he cried and said, "That was NOT a good idea!"
Thought for the day:
The next time an impulse pops into your brain, beloved, check with God before you act. Gemstone idea comes from Him, but ideas from within can lead to sin.
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| my first buttercup of spring (February, 2018)
Jesus said, "Yes, I am the vine, you are the branches. Those who remain in Me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from Me you can do nothing." (John 15:5)
O man, I don't wanna be here, I whined to myself.
"Take your eyes off of yourself, Jill," the Lord answered. "Make the most of this opportunity to love and focus on others. Bloom where I plant you."
"Yes, Sir. Please help me."
Up to your neck in rocky ground, beloved? Bloom where God plants you.
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| Our three oldest grand Clifty Falls State Park
"As they talked and discussed these things, Jesus Himself suddenly came and began walking with them." (Luke 13:15)
Instead of the beach, for spring break, our oldest grands and their mom and dad went to Clifty Falls State Park and hiked twenty-one miles in three days - an average of seven miles each day - in snow! Woo-hoo, guys!
On the very first Easter morning: Resurrection Sunday, two of Jesus' followers took a seven-mile hike from Jerusalem to the village of Emmaus. As they walked along and talked about all the things that had happened, Jesus suddenly appeared and walked with them, but they did not recognize the risen Messiah.
Jesus said, "Wasn't it clearly predicted by the prophets that the Messiah would have to suffer all these things before entering His glory?" Then, He took them through the writings of Moses and all the prophets, explaining from all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself. (Oh, to have been a fly on the wall and listened to that discourse!)
At the end of their journey in Emmaus, Jesus took bread, blessed it, broke it, and gave it to them. Immediately, their eyes were opened to know Him, and Jesus disappeared.
"Were not our hearts burning within us while He was speaking to us and explaining the Scriptures?" the two exclaimed. So, they hurried seven miles back to Jerusalem and found the disciples. As they told their story, Jesus suddenly stood among them and said, "Peace be with you!"
And the point is? As you stroll through your day, beloved, don't miss Jesus, the One who walks beside you everyday.
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| Small group, last night
"I would have despaired unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living. Wait for the LORD; be strong and let your heart take courage; yes, wait for the LORD." (Psalm 27:13-14)
At last night's small group, we studied the story of courageous, young David and his victory over the Philistine giant, Goliath. (This remarkable, yet true, tale is found in 1 Samuel 17:3-51.)
David confidently shouted to his foe, "The LORD who delivered me from the paw of the lion and the paw of the bear, He will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine! You come to me with a sword, a spear, and a javelin, but I come to you in the name of the LORD of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have taunted!"
Points to Ponder:
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| My girl and grandgirl (and illustrator) "Finishing is better than starting. Patience is better than pride." (Eccleciastes 7:8) |
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| Back L to R: Mary and Angela Front: me at my 11th birthday party, DeSoto State Park, 1967 "May He remember all your gifts and look favorably on your burnt offerings. Selah." (Psalm 20:3)
I ate a scrambled egg sandwich for lunch today.
I remember my very first scrambled egg sandwich.
I remember that Mrs. Igou, my best friend's mother, made it.
I remember that she put ketchup on it, because Mary liked scrambled egg sandwiches that way.
I remember that Mary and I sat on the marble floor in their sunny playroom while eating our scrambled-egg-with-ketchup sandwiches.
I remember that Mrs. Igou and my mother were two of the sweetest and kindest women that ever walked the face of God's green earth.
In years to come, when people think about you, beloved, or me, what will they remember?
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| Granddaddy and grandboy
"This is how the LORD responds...'If you return to Me, I will restore you so you can continue to serve Me. If you speak good words rather than worthless ones, you will be my spokesman.'" (Jeremiah 15:19)
I love, love, love times with the heavenly Father, like today, when He does most of the talking.
Because it's taking me a bit longer to bounce back from an appendectomy than I had anticipated, I'd fallen into the muck and mire of stinkin' thinking - focusing on the "I can'ts" more than the "I cans."
Through Pastor Larry Stockstill's daily devotional, Father God spoke loud and clear, "Think large: Conquest...good report...well able!"
So, in my journal, I personalized these verses:
Conquest: "In all these things I overwhelmingly conquer through Jesus who loved me." (Romans 8:37)
Good report: "I will be taught of the LORD; and my well-being will be great!" (Isaiah 54:13)
Well able: "Now unto You, O Lord, who is able to do more abundantly beyond all that I can ask or think, according to the power that works in me, to You be the glory in me, in the church, and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever. Amen." (Ephesians 3:20-21)
No, this post is NOT a positive-thinking ploy; it's a sincere plea, beloved, for us to focus on the truth of God's word over self-pity and enemy lies.
"Believe God's word and power more than your own feelings and experiences. Your Rock is Christ, and it is not the Rock which ebbs and flows by your sea." ~ Samuel Rutherford
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| Our Dan and two of the grandboys Indiana walking trail, 2017
"I have no greater joy than this, to hear of my children walking in truth." (3 John 1:4)
DING!
DING!
DING!
DING!
DING!
DING! sounded my phone as I stood in the checkout line at Hobby Lobby.
I checked messages when I got to the car and found praise songs and prayer requests my kids had texted to one another on our family GroupMe.
My eyes stung with tears. My heart leaped with joy as I remembered the years-ago promise God made a storm-tossed mother of teenagers: "All your children will be taught of the LORD; and the well-being of your children will be great" (Isaiah 54:13).
You did it, Lord Jesus! Praise God from whom all blessings flow! You are the God of great wonders. With You, everything is possible! Through Your mighty power, You accomplished infinitely more than I asked or imagined. Thank You.
Beloved, Jesus is the amazing God who accomplishes the seemingly impossible. Look to Him in wondrous expectancy.
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| Our boys, tall and small Coosa River Farm "...The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away. Blessed be the name of the LORD." (Job 1:21)
After a couple of trying weeks in our family, what a blessing it was to go down to the Coosa River farm last Saturday and just play in the dirt, and what a "coincidence" that last week's small group Bible lesson "just happened" to be a study from the book of Job.
In a trying season, beloved? Look to God and the Bible. They are good for the soul.
1. Read Job 1:1-22.
2. Read Job 2:1-10.
3. Are you in a season of loss, trial, or sorrow?
YES NO
4. Will you choose to trust God no matter what?
YES NO I WANT TO, BUT IT'S HARD.
5. Fill in the blanks. 2 Corinthians 12:9 - "Each time He said, 'My __________ is all you need. My ________ works best in weakness.' So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through ____."
Answers: God, permission, limits, praised, NO, wrong, impossible, perfect, wrong, troubles, encouraged, good, sorrow, (personal answers), grace, power, me.
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