Wonderful Storybooks: July 2018

>> Tuesday, July 31, 2018

Superboy
(grandboy #3)

"But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing." (James 1:4)

Upon "outburst" of frustration when things don't go his way, superboy's sweet mama says, "Patience, mi amor. Be patient."

During this morning's visit with Jesus, I "heard" the Lord say, "Write patiently, Jill. Don't hurry through this new book."

Galatians 5 tells us that patience is fruit of the Holy Spirit. Need patience, beloved? Tell flesh to scoot over and let the Holy Spirit take the wheel.

>> Monday, July 30, 2018

Grandboys

"And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of His return is drawing near." (Hebrews 10:25)

My Rebecca recently posted on Instagram this photo of her boys and entitled it: "Discovering Together."

In a few short weeks, fall small groups and Bible studies kick off. What a picture-perfect place to "discover together."

What about you, beloved? Are you consistent or negligent in meeting together with fellow believers in Jesus Christ?

>> Friday, July 27, 2018

"Isaac" from Mr. Greenleaf's Unforgettable Summer
by talented artist Dawn Copeland

"For the Holy Spirit will teach you in that very hour what you ought to say."(Luke 12:12)

"And he puts spiders in Halloween candy," whispered nine-year-old Isaac.

"No way," Logan whispered back.

"Tell him, Jacob."

Moon-shadow cobwebs hung heavily over the three-story mansion. Out of the darkness, a whippoorwill crooned a lonesome tune.

Because I'm fully aware that my own abilities are incapable of writing this new book assignment, I'm hanging on to Jesus in every paragraph.

In the Old Testament book of Exodus, Moses received a beyond-his-capabilities assignment from the Lord and argued, "O LORD, I'm not very good with words. I have never been, and I'm not now, even though You have spoken to me. I get tongue-tied, and my words get tangled."

But the LORD answered, "Who makes a person's mouth? Who decides whether people speak or do not speak, hear or do not hear, see or do not see? Is it not I, the LORD? Now go! I will be with you as you speak, and I will instruct you in what to say."

Beloved, ask God for an assignment far beyond your abilities, then stick to Him like glue. He will be with you and instruct you every step of the way.

Bridge Out

>> Thursday, July 26, 2018

Kalmulga Covered Bridge
Childersburg, Alabama

"Finally, all of you should be of one mind. Sympathize with each other. Love each other as brothers and sisters. Be tenderhearted, and keep a humble attitude. Don't repay evil for evil. Don't retaliate with insults when people insult you. Instead, pay them back with a blessing. That is what God has called you to do, and He will grand you His blessing." (1 Peter 3:8-9)

My natural attitude toward someone acting unkind, foolish, hateful, or sinful is critical. Jesus' natural attitude toward someone acting unkind, foolish, hateful, or sinful is compassion.

He explained it like this: "Jill, think of that person as someone running in the dark down a road toward a canyon and the bridge is out. Wouldn't you do everything in your power to save them?"

Beloved, the next time criticism spews from our heart, let's cap it with bridge-out compassion and pray rather than criticize!

DING

>> Wednesday, July 25, 2018

Mrs. Willowkins from Mr. Greenleaf's Unforgettable Summer

"Ask Me and I will tell you remarkable secrets you do not know about things to come." (Jeremiah 33:3)

Yesterday, I asked, "Lord, will there be a new book in 2019?"

The words were barely out of my mouth when - DING! - a story idea popped into my brain along with the advice, you'll need your grandkids' help to write it.

Got a question, beloved? Ask Jesus.

Secret Lantern Society

>> Tuesday, July 24, 2018

Grandgirl up high in the sky

"The heartfelt counsel of a friend is as sweet as perfume and incense." (Proverbs 27:9)

At last year's church camp, our grandgirl was one homesick little puppy; however, this summer, she swang from the trees with the greatest of ease.

Grandgirl on the Big Swing

When a couple of homesick little boys came to her attention, she wrote them notes of encouragement signed "Secret Lantern Society."

See a down-hearted someone, beloved? Let Jesus shine through you, and brighten their day.

Free Give-away

>> Monday, July 23, 2018

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

This week, the LittleFreeLibrary is offering free copies of The Schoolhouse based on the true story of Elsie Thomas as told in a 1955 letter she wrote describing her adventures as a young teacher at a one-room schoolhouse in the 1916 Tennessee Mountains. Despite the fact that the book is a free gift, only a handful of folks will take one.

What sorrow God must feel when His free gift of eternal life by faith in His Son, Jesus, is refused.

Rejected.

Declined.

Turned down.

Brushed aside.

Given the cold shoulder.

Jesus explained: "You can enter God's Kingdom only through the narrow gate. The highway to hell is broad, and its gate is wide for the many who choose that way. But the gate to life is very narrow and the road is difficult, and only a few ever find it (Matthew 7:13-14). For I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me (John 14:6)."

Pastor Chris Hodges: "Heaven is where people choose Jesus to pay for their sins. Hell is where people choose to pay for their own."

Have you taken Jesus, God's free gift, to heart, beloved?

Happy Heart Story

>> Friday, July 20, 2018

Grandboy

"A miserable heart means a miserable life; a happy heart fills the day with a song." (Proverbs 15:15)

Smile for the day:

Our two-year-old grandboy has been waiting months and months for his baby brother, Luke, to arrive. At the library, when a lady set a newborn in a carrier seat beside his mother, our grandboy exclaimed with joy, "Mama! Baby Luke!"

Beloved, I pray that your heart is filled with "happy" and many songs of praise to the Lord. Have a joy-filled weekend!

Shrink, Shrank, Shrunk

>> Thursday, July 19, 2018

Our little super-hero and his Uncle Dan
2014

"He must increase, but I must decrease." (John 3:30)

Pastor Larry Stockstill once said something to the effect that the minute the puffed-up thought comes to mind, I'm something!, know that the devil has told you a lie. God is something; we are nothing.

Beloved, there is no limit to what God can do through you, provided you do not seek your own glory. ~ from Streams in the Desert

"All of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because God opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble. Humble yourselves, therefore, under God's mighty hand, that He may lift you up in due time." (1 Peter 5:5-6)

Outside the Box

>> Wednesday, July 18, 2018

My Rebecca and grands
Neighborhood VBX (Vacation Bible Experience) 2018

"I have become all things to all men, so that I may by all means save some." (1 Corinthians 9:22b)

Rather than inviting kids to a church building for Vacation Bible School, why not take a Vacation Bible Experience to their neighborhood?

In addition to selling Christian books in a store, why not give them away on the streets, in hospitals, schools, prisons, and nursing homes or even set up a Little Free Library somewhere?

To offer the Gospel, the Apostle Paul worked outside the box. He wrote in 1 Corinthians, "To the Jews I became a Jew, so that I might win a Jew. To the weak I became weak, that I might win the weak."

Wanna share the love of God with others, beloved? Go outside the box into all the world and proclaim the Good News of eternal life through faith in Jesus Christ, God's Son!

The Fire of Love

>> Tuesday, July 17, 2018

My Phillip and me
Sanibel Lighthouse, 2018

"As the Scriptures say, 'A man leaves his father and mother and is joined to his wife, and the two are united into one. This is a great mystery, but it is an illustration of the way Christ and the church are one." (Ephesians 5:31-32)

We dated six years and have been married within a stone's throw of forty-one. O how I love that man!

Solomon wrote: "...The fire of love stops at nothing - it sweeps everything before it. Flood waters can't drown love, torrents of rain can't put it out..." (Song of Solomon 8:6-7 The Message)

Paul described marriage as a picture of Christ and His church.

Married, beloved? Stoke the fire of love for your mate. A believer, beloved? Stoke the fire of love for Jesus, your Savior.

"A good marriage is like an incredible retirement fund. You put everything you have into it during your productive life, and over the years it turns from silver to gold to platinum." ~ Willard Scott

Ray

>> Monday, July 16, 2018

Ray, the Cooper Hawk
(photo by my Rebecca)

"For the LORD answered Job from a whirlwind: 'Who is this that questions My wisdom with such ignorant words,' says the LORD. 'Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth?...Is it your strength that makes the hawk soar and spread its wings toward the south?" (Job 38:1,4,26)

A Cooper hawk family returned to Rebecca's yard this summer, and one of the males, Ray, is quite the entertainer. He runs across their grass, jumps on the grands' trampoline, and even tries to stick his toe in the swimming pool.

Scientists dole out theories of how a Cooper hawk finds its way back to its birthplace, but the simple secret is revealed in Job, the oldest book of the Bible. Almighty God, who laid the foundations of the world, kept the sea in its boundaries, commanded the morning to appear, directed the movement of the constellation, provided food for the ravens, gave the horse its mane also made Copper hawks and gave them the innate ability to soar to their birth home every summer.

What wondrous things You have done, O LORD! I praise Your glorious name!

Beloved, have you praised Jesus today?

A Very Present Help

>> Friday, July 13, 2018

Last weekend's sunset over the Coosa River farm

"God is my refuge, and God is my strength, a very present help in trouble." (Psalm 46:1)

Oh, Lord Jesus, for my sad and lonely friend living his first week in a nursing home, for my loved one who this morning lost her stepdad to a heart attack, for the brokenhearted one I love grieving over a rebellious child, today, be their refuge and strength, a very present help in their sorrow and trouble!

What Father God does Best

>> Thursday, July 12, 2018

Our Rebecca and new nephew in Stephen's family

"Your goodness and unfailing mercy chase after me all the days of my life..." (Psalm 23:6)

Rebecca's Tuesday text: "Hey! I am recruiting prayers. Tomorrow I am going cold turkey not drinking coffee. Asking the Lord for MERCY."

Me today: "How u doing?"

Rebecca: "Great! I feel like I am experiencing a miracle! I'm floored! God has been over the top kind!"

Me: "Thank You, Jesus!"

God's GRACE is His giving unmerited blessing. God's MERCY is His withholding deserved consequences. Need mercy, beloved? Ask Jesus. The Lord is forgiving and good, abounding in mercy to all who call on Him. Therefore...

"Let us then approach God's throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need." (Hebrews 4:16)

MERCY is what God does best!

"He saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of His mercy. He saved us through the rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit." (Titus 3:5)

Praise God from whom all mercy flows!

Serve Day this Saturday

>> Wednesday, July 11, 2018

"As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God's manifold grace..." (1 Peter 4:10-11)

This Saturday, July 14th, hundreds of churches around the globe will send thousands of volunteers into their communities to show God's love in practical ways and meet the needs of others. Our family plans to give away juice boxes and children's books at the Piggly Wiggly in Childersburg, Alabama.

Come join the fun, beloved.! To find a work group near you, click "Serve Day" at:
www.churchofthehighlands.com

(No group in your neck of the woods? Then gather your own team and serve your community with simple acts of personal kindness.)

God's Messenger

>> Tuesday, July 10, 2018

Collin

"Therefore encourage one another and build each other up." (1 Thessalonians 5:11)

I found a jewel in my mailbox last weekend - a handwritten note of encouragement from a twenty-year-old friend. Collin wrote: "I encourage you to keep following your dreams as a writer and a teacher, to keep loving and serving Christ as your Lord and Savior, and to keep bringing joy to your friends and your family."

Collin, I thank you thank you thank you from the bottom of my heart, and I encourage you to keep sending to others God's heartfelt messages of encouragement and love. Well done, young man. Well done!

Today, beloved, let's encourage another and build them up!

Wedding Ring of Christianity

>> Monday, July 9, 2018

Our son-in-law and grandboy

"And now what are you waiting for? Get up, be baptized and wash your sins away, calling on [Jesus'] name." (Acts 22:16)

Our grandboy has believed in Jesus for a number of years, and recently said, "Why am I waiting to be baptized?" Yesterday, we witnessed the joyful event.

Our pastor often explains that baptism is the wedding ring of Christianity - an outward sign of inner, new life that belongs to Jesus.

Got Jesus, beloved? Get baptized and show the world that you belong to Him. What are you waiting for?

Uninvited Guest

>> Friday, July 6, 2018

Grands and an uninvited garden guest

"The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. May the grace of our Lord Jesus be with you." (Romans 16:20)

When the kids were teenagers, in my alcohol ignorance, I bought a pair of Corona flip-flops. (Hey, I just liked the blue rhinestones.)

The kids laughed, "Mama, you're wearing beer flip-flops."

"Nope," I retorted. "I'm crushing Satan and alcohol under my feet!"

In Genesis, the devil weaseled into the Garden of Eden uninvited and wreaked havoc. In the Gospel of John, Jesus warned, "The thief comes to steal, kill, and destroy." That old dragon can weasel into a family in many forms: alcohol, drugs, immorality, even slither through a cell phone, TV, or computer. Don't let that uninvited guest stay one more minute, beloved. Trample him with the word of God in Jesus' name and resolve to live life God's way!

Family, Food, Fireworks, and Fun

>> Thursday, July 5, 2018

grandboy

"The LORD gives strength to His people; the LORD blesses His people with peace." (Psalm 29:11)

Thank You, Lord Jesus, for a good-food-and-tons-of-fun 4th of July at the Coosa River cabin with my sweet family.

Beloved, I hope you had a happy and blessed Independence Day. I thank God for you!

God Bless America

>> Wednesday, July 4, 2018

grandboys

Lord Jesus, how can we ask You to bless a nation that has turned her back on You and Your ways? Oh, Lord, may Your people who are called by Your name humble themselves and pray and seek Your face and turn from our wicked ways. Please hear from heaven and forgive our sins and heal our land (2 Chronicles 7:14), so that once again we may boldly say, "God bless America!"

This 4th of July, beloved, shoot fireworks and fervent prayers heavenward.

Whoops!

>> Tuesday, July 3, 2018

sad grandboy

"For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God's glorious standard." (Romans 3:23)

This snapshot captures my sentiments exactly when I discovered an error on p. 12, paragraph 2 of my new book, Sea Billows. It's hard being a perfectionist when you make so many mistakes!

Yes, we all make mistakes. Every person around the globe has sinned, and the paycheck for sin is DEATH!

YIKES!

But the free gift of God is eternal LIFE through Christ JESUS our Lord (Romans 6:23), who causes everything to work together for the good of those who love Him and are called according to His purpose (Romans 8:28).

Today, God changed the mistake of transposed words into humble pie and thought-provoking material for a blog. Isn't God good!

Got sin, beloved? Repent. Ask God's forgiveness, and praise Jesus that He is able to work our mistakes for the good.

Bucket List

>> Monday, July 2, 2018

2 of our 6 grandboys + 1 grandgirl

"He took the child [Jesus] in his arms and praised God saying, 'Sovereign Lord, now let your servant die in peace, as you have promised. I have seen your salvation, which you have prepared for all people. He is a light to reveal God to the nations, and He is the glory of your people Israel.'"

At the top of my bucket list is witnessing the baptism of each of our seven grands - a testimony of their faith in Jesus Christ. Our one and only grandgirl was baptized four years ago, and our oldest grandboy will be baptized this Sunday. Two down and five to go!

Got a bucket list, beloved? What's at the top - temporal pleasures or eternal treasures?

View Pastor Chris Hodges "Dream Again" at: www.churchofthehighlands.com

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