The White Coat

The White Coat

"And if you give even a cup of cold water to one of the least of My followers, you will be rewarded." (Matthew 10:42)

Once upon a time, there was a white coat.

Beautiful.

Soft.

Name-brand.

Expensive.

For a long time, the beautiful, soft, name-brand, expensive white coat hung on the rack in a very, nice store. One exceptional day, Mrs. Willowkins walked into that store. (For normally, you see, Mrs. Willowkins only shops at Walmart.)

"I think I'll buy that beautiful, soft white coat," said Mrs. Willowkins. And she did.

Mrs. Willowkins was careful to only wear the beautiful, soft, name-brand, expensive white coat on special occasions to keep it beautiful, soft, and white.

One winter day, Mrs. Willowkins walked into her closet and felt the soft material of the beautiful white coat. "I think I'll give this white coat to my granddaughter," said Mrs. Willowkins.

Mrs. Willowkins imagined the sparkle in Elizabeth's blue eyes when she would hand her the beautiful, soft, name-brand, expensive white coat. Mrs. Willowkins smiled.

Mrs. Willowkins imagined how pretty Elizabeth would look in the white coat on her way to church. Mrs. Willowkins smiled again.

Finally, the big day came, and Mrs. Willowkins gave the beautiful, soft, name-brand, expensive coat to her granddaughter. "OOOOHHH," said Elizabeth. Mrs. Willowkins smiled and smiled and smiled.

The next day, Mrs. Willowkins joined her family at the park to watch Elizabeth's younger brother, Isaac, practice baseball. Elizabeth carefully laid the beautiful, soft, name-brand, expensive coat on the bleachers and skipped off to the playground to swing.

A brisk, April breeze shook the chain-link fence around the baseball diamond. "Brrr willy!" said Mrs. Willowkins, and she pulled on a second coat and black, sparkly gloves. 

Behind third base, a little boy in a blue t-shirt shivered in the cold wind.

"Hey, little boy," shouted Mrs. Willowkins' son-in-law, Stephen Fickle, "you wanna wear this jacket?" And he picked up the beautiful, soft, name-brand, expensive white coat and tossed it over the the fence.

"Thanks," said the little boy, now all snuggly in the beautiful, soft, name-brand, expensive white coat.

Mrs. Willowkins' jaw dropped.

Mrs. Willowkins' brown eyes bulged.

Mrs. Willowkins glared at Stephen Fickle in disbelief.

Oops, the little boy in the beautiful, soft, name-brand, expensive white coat missed a fly ball. 

"Hit the dirt and give me five!" hollered the coach.

Mrs. Willowkins leaped to her feet and yelled, "Not in that white coat!!!" Rebekah Willowkins Fickle pretended not to know the strange Mrs. Willowkins - her mother. 

At the end of practiced, the little boy handed the beautiful, soft, name-brand, expensive, dusty, white coat back to Elizabeth.

And the moral of this true story is: be careful what you put into the hands of a compassionate son-in-law who cares about little boys more than beautiful or soft or name-brand or expensive.

The End.

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Eucatastrophe II

Grandbaby #7
13 weeks in the womb



"...We have placed our confidence in [Jesus], and He will continue to rescue us." (2 Corinthians 1:10)

I can't stop thinking about eucatastrophe - how over and over and over again, God makes a way when there seems to be no way. 

The Israelites stood between the raging Red Sea and an angry Egyptian army, BUT GOD made the waters into dry land and marched His people to freedom. 

Sarah's womb was dead as a doornail, BUT GOD made her the mother of Isaac at 90 years of old age. 

Not one, not two, but three armies marched against King Jehoshaphat, BUT GOD annihilated the enemy as God's people sang praises to His holy name.

In our own family, we lost job and home, BUT GOD restored seven-fold. 

We wept over prodigal teenagers, BUT GOD brought them to their senses and back onto His path. 

Our children were told they couldn't have children, and baby #2 is on the way.

Ponder the eucatastrophes in your life, beloved, and praise Jesus - the Way-Maker. What He has done before, He is able do again and again and again and again.

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Eucatastrophe

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

"When the people heard the sound of the rams' horns, they shouted as loud as they could. Suddenly, the walls of Jericho collapsed, and the Israelites charged straight into the town and captured it." (Joshua 6:20)


Listening to radio host Chris Fabry and his guest, Andrew Peterson,  yesterday, I learned a new word: eucatastrophe - a term coined by English writer J. R. R. Tolkien referring to a sudden turn of events at the end of a story, i.e. a happy ending. 

Like the sudden turn of events in Joshua 6:20, the Bible is filled with eucatastrophes at the mighty hand of God. The resurrection of Jesus Christ, moreover, is the greatest eucatastrophe in the history of mankind! 

One black Friday, with a loud cry, Jesus breathed His last on a cross and was laid in a tomb carved out of the rock. (Mark 15:37-46) THEN early Sunday morning, an angel in a dazzling white declared, "Jesus is not here. He is risen from the dead!"  (Luke 24:6)

We were hopelessly dead in our sins; THEN God suddenly raised us to new life in Christ, because we trusted the mighty power of God, who raised Christ from the dead. (Colossians 2:12-13)

Therefore, beloved, don't let anyone capture you with empty philosophies and high-sounding nonsense that come from human thinking and from spiritual powers of this world, rather than from Jesus Christ. For in Christ lives all the fullness of God in a human body. So you also are complete through your union with Christ, who is head over every ruler and authority. (Col. 2:8-10) 

No matter what's happens today or tomorrow, be encouraged. God has written a happy ending to every believer's story!

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Willing Hands

Granddaddy and his two, little helpers

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)

Saturday at the farm, two pairs of little hands "helped" Granddaddy remove a fallen tree from Little Piney Trail. What a snapshot of our work for God - His plans, His abilities, His knowledge, His wisdom, His strength, His power, our willing hands.

To the work! To the work!

We are servants of God,

Let us follow the path that the Master has trod;

With the balm of His counsel our strength to renew,

Let us do with our might what our hands find to do. 1

1 TO THE WORK. Fanny Crosby, 1820-1915.

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O What He Has Done

Coosa River bank




"... I sing for joy at the works of Your hand. How great
are Your works, O LORD" (Psalm 92:4-5)

Last evening, my superman and I sat on the riverbank and watched the purple martins' swoop-and-dive mosquito hunt.  

Be still, beloved. Open your eyes. God's marvelous works are all around you. Sing for joy because of all the LORD has done.

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Run Well

The Great Tonka Race
Coosa River farm
On your mark, get set...

"Therefore...let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross...and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God." (Hebrew 12:1-2)

It's Monday morning. Run well, beloved. On your mark, get set...

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The Garden of Business

our grandmother,
Jessilee Robison Watson Nance
1977



"Listen to advice and accept instruction, and at the end you will be counted among the wise." (Proverbs 19:20)

My brother, Mark, recently came across a note of wise advice our grandmother sent him when he was a college student:

The Garden of Business

First, let us plant four rows of peas:

Presence,

Promptness, 

Preparation, 

Perseverance.

Next to those peas, plant three rows of squash:

SQUASH gossip,

SQUASH indifference,

SQUASH criticism.

Then plant five rows of lettuce:

LET US try to obey rules and regulations.

LET US be true to our delegation. 

LET US be faithful to duty.

LET US be loyal and unselfish.

LET US love one another.

No garden is complete without turnips:

TURN UP for meetings.

TURN UP with a smile.

TURN UP with new ideas.

TURN UP with determination to make 

everything count for good 

and worthwhile!

Beloved, how does your "garden" grow?

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Behold, The Winter is Past

My mama's tulips
1990s


"Behold, the winter is past, the rain is over and gone.
The flowers have already appeared in the land;
The time has arrived for pruning the vines.
And the voice of the turtledove has been heard in our land."
(Song of Solomon 2:11-12)

Seasons come, seasons go across a land, across a life. Next week, the three-year season of cooking supper and teaching the Bible to young women on Tuesday nights ends, and preparing for a new season of encouraging mothers of prodigals through God's word and God's promises begins.

Whatever season you're in, beloved, be careful how you live - not as unwise but as wise - making the most of every opportunity. Understand what the Lord's will is and do it! (Ephesians 5:15-17)

~

(NOTE: For those of you who had trouble with the free shipping option at deepseapublishing.com for Sea Billows, I apologize. It's now working! Use the coupon "free ship" when you go to your cart. Thank you for your support!)

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10-Star Good News

"Bull shark"
 by my talented grandgirl
(illustration from Sea Billows)

"Like cold water to a weary souls is good news from a distant land." (Proverbs 25:25)

I'm jumping for joy over the good news that Sea Billows just earned a 5-star review with Readers' Favorite!

England's Mamta Madhavan wrote:

"The story is wonderful as it weaves the glorious work of God and protecting an endangered species together seamlessly, and both topics are given equal importance as the story progresses. The reflections at the end of each chapter reintegrate our faith in God and His protection during adversities. The characters in the story are real and relatable, and young readers will find it easy to connect with them. The sea turtle facts are good for children to known, and these are interesting to read as they are knitted into the story.

I will not forget this vacation taken by Elizabeth and her family. It is definitely a book for children as it helps them understand the importance of prayer, having faith in God, and taking care of the environment by protecting endangered species."

~

In these bad-news times, we have a mission by the mercy of God to bring weary souls the 10-star Good News of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Let His Light shine through you, beloved, into the darkness, giving the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ! 

Now available:

amazon.com

barnesandnoble.com

deepseapublishing.com

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Big Parade

Granddaddy, Memaw, and grandboy

"The Right and Justice are the roots of Your rule; Love and Truth are its fruits. Blessed are the people who know the passwords of praise, who shout on parade in the bright presence of GOD!" (Psalm 89:14-15 The Message)

Coming into our subdivision on Friday, we drove down the hill and ran into this:

From the backseat, our three-year-old grandboy piped, "Oh, man! Look at that BIG parade!"

Close to the middle of the book of Psalm, we find a prayer by Ethan the Ezrahite. According to the NASB study Bible, Ethan mourned the downfall of the Davidic dynasty and pled for its restoration, but not before singing of God's love and faithfulness:

Your love, GOD, is my song and I'll sing it...

Let the cosmos praise Your wonderful ways...

GOD-of-the-Angel-Armies, who is like You,

powerful and faithful from every angle...

Blessed are the people who know the 
passwords of praise, 

who shout on parade in the bright 
presence of God...

They cannot keep quiet...

All we are and have we owe to GOD!

Beloved, all that we are and all that we have we owe to God.  We cannot keep quiet. Today, let us shout on BIG parade praises to Jesus, our God of angel armies!

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Absolutely FREE

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


I'm very excited to announce that Deep Sea Publishing has released my new children's book: Sea Billows! Out of the generosity of my publisher, Eddie's, heart, he's offering FREE shipping for a limited time. Please order your copy today at: 

www.deepseapublshing.com

Out of the goodness and generosity of God's heart, He offers the absolutely FREE gift of forgiveness of sins and eternal life for whosoever believes on His Son, Jesus, and calls on His name. Have you received God's FREE gift, beloved? 

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Foot-Stomping'-Hand-Clappin'-Shoutin' Day

Is the bird in the grass an egret?
Coosa River Farm

"But you are a chosen people...God's special possession, that you may declare the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light." (1 Peter 2:9)

It's a glory-hallelujah day!

The grass is green.

The sky is blue.

Spring has sprung.

Jesus, I praise You!!!

Beloved, I tell you: today, if you keep silent, the rocks will cry out in praise to God!

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P.A.L.O.

my grandgirl, 2015

"If My people would only listen to Me...[and] follow My ways." (Psalm 81:13)

When a new friend asked my advice on writing and publishing children's books, I answered, "Pray, ask, listen, and obey."

"P.A.L.O.," she said.

Need direction, beloved? P.A.L.O. - Pray to Jesus, Ask His advice, Listen to Him, and don't neglect to Obey!

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bumbleBEE

grandboys on the run

"Submit yourselves to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you." (James 4:7)

The way one of our two-year-old grandboys says "bumbleBEE" is the cutest thing ever. Yesterday, when our three-year-old grandboy spotted red wasp around the park slide, he ran, stood beside his younger cousin, and told him, "Say bumbleBEE, and they'll go away."

Is the devil buzzing around you, beloved? Humble yourself before God. Resist that ol' dragon in Jesus' name, and he'll fly away from you. 

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Set Aside

photo by my Rebecca





"...My faithful love for you will remain..." (Isaiah 54:10)

Yesterday, I was feeling a bit set to the side. I picked up a personalized Scripture card a sweet friend gave me and read: "For the mountains may move and the hills disappear, but then my faithful love for you, Jill, will remain...says the LORD, who has mercy on you" (Isa. 54:10).

Later, I got a text from a new friend with much more severe set-aside blues and passed the nugget onto her.

Feeling that someone's put you on the shelf, beloved? Be encouraged. Jesus is your faithful friend!

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Joyful God

Brother Mark and me
atop Lookout Mountain, Easter 1961

"But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!" (Galatians 5:22-23)

Smile for the day:

Two well-remembered, old-maid school teachers at Forest Avenue Elementary School were the Deware sisters. One taught first grade and the other fourth. After fourth-grade Miss Deware chose my brother, Mark, as Frosty the Snowman for the Christmas play, she demonstrated his black-top-hat-and-candy-cane dance around the stage.

Little Mark watched the eye-opening performance and blurted out, "You go glamor girl!"

When play day arrived, Miss Deware accidentally (maybe) turned on the 45-record: "Rudolf, the Red-nose Reindeer" and pushed Frosty onto the stage as he blubbered, "But, but Miss Deware, it's the wrong...." (Daddy said that it was the longest dance he ever sat through.)  

What character trait is rarely used to describe our God?  JOYFUL. But truthfully, JOY is second only to love in the Holy Spirit's fruit list.

Today, beloved, I pray that you are filled with the JOY of our joyful God. "Go forth! Celebrate! The joy of the LORD is your strength." (Nehemiah 8:10)

 

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Happy Birthday to Me

L-R brother Mark, me, brother Rocky
My 2nd birthday, April 6, 1958



"And God blessed..." (Genesis 1:28)

I'm 62 today. It's 11:09 a.m., and God has already blessed my socks off with happy birthday texts, emails, phone calls, cards, and even a solo "Happy Birthday to You" serenade from my amazing son-in-law!

But a morning highlight for me was speaking God's message to 4th and 5th graders at Briarwood Christian Elementary School: 

"Children, when I say no to your prayers, trust that I love you, I am with you, and I am up to something good - even when sorrows like sea billows roll."

And, beloved, His message is for you as well.

Coming soon!

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Sagged and Bagged and Crook'd and Crinkled

My Phillip, my grandmother, and me
1977

"Even in your old age and gray hairs I am He, I am He who will sustain you. I have made you and I will carry you; I will sustain you and I will rescue you." (Isaiah 46:4)

Years and years ago, my little cousin watched our grandmother rub cream on her face and pat her cheeks and cover her neck and pat under her chin. In fascination, Vicki asked, "What are you doing, Grandmaw?"

"I'm getting my wrinkles out," Grandmother explained.

"Grandmaw," said Vicki, "there a-comin' back."

Now, I look in the mirror and see Naomi from Phil A. Smouse' beloved children's book, I Love Ruthie. Naomi whined...

"Just look at me! I'm old and wrinkled,

sagged and bagged and crook'd and crinkled,

crumpled, puckered, nooked and crannied,

Rip-Van-Winkled, grayed and grannied!"

Today, beloved, let's turn our eyes from the mirror and onto Jesus.

O soul are you weary and troubled?

No light in the darkness you see?

There's light for a look at the Savior

And life more abundant and free.

Turn your eyes upon Jesus

Look full in His wonderful face

And 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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Powerless

the grandboy and his Tonka

"O our God, will You not judge [our enemies]? For we are powerless before this great multitude who are coming against us; nor do we know what to do, but our eyes are on You." (2 Chronicles 20:12)

I'm working on the laptop this morning because the electricity went out in our neighborhood. I keep flipping the light switches, but nothing happens because there's a disconnect to the power that makes them shine.

Up against a mountain, beloved, with no power to get up the hill? Plug into Jesus and God's supernatural power to get the job done. 

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New Every Morning

Chancellor Ferry Farm

"The LORD's loving kindnesses indeed never cease, for His compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness." (Lamentations 3:20-21)


Jeremiah was an Israelite priest in Jerusalem called by God to be a prophet. His God-given assignment: Call out his people's sins, admonish them to repent, and forecast national doom. Talk about an unpopular job description! How did the people respond? They horrifically attacked him.

In the book of Lamentation, Jeremiah wrote: "My splendor is gone and all that I had hoped from the LORD. My soul is downcast within me. Yet this I call to mind and therefore have hope: because of the LORD's great love we are not consumed, for His compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness!" 

In hard times, beloved? Keep looking to Jesus. His mercies are new every morning. Great is His faithfulness!

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New Life

babygrand #7

"But because of His great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions - it is by grace you have been saved." (Ephesians 2:4-5)

Grandbaby #7 is on the way. Thank You, Jesus, and praise You,  Lord! This morning, through modern technology, our Dan and Mandy watched their little miracle wiggle in the womb. 

Two thousand years ago, Jesus did not come to make bad people good. He came to make spiritually dead people alive! 

Beloved, are you dead or alive?

Watch "Believe Again:" www.churchofthehighlands.com

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