Afresh and Anew

Jesus said, "Put out into the deep water and let down your nets for a catch." (Luke 5:4)

My Phillip and I paddled across our flooded pond at the farm yesterday to retrieve a 70-pound tire press that had floated into the neighbors' yard! (It reminded me of the Old Testament story of Elisha and the floating ax head in 2 Kings Chapter 6.)

Five years ago, through a New Testament Bible story about Jesus and some fishermen, I believe God instructed me to put out into the deep sea of humanity to tell others about Him through storybooks, this blog, and women's Bible studies. Through the recent flooded Coosa River, the Lord refueled afresh and anew His "deep-water" charge.

Today, beloved, I pray that you hear the voice of Jesus saying, "My child, put out into the deep sea of humanity and tell others about Me! For we must work the works of Him who sent Me as long as it is day; night is coming when no one can work." (John 9:4)

Read more...

Seven Ways to...

My superman
Sanibel Island

"May the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart be pleasing to You, O LORD, my rock and my redeemer." (Psalm 19:14)

December 1975, American singer-songwriter, Paul Simon, released "50 Ways to Leave Your Lover." This morning in Bible study, the ladies and I brainstormed to come up with a much better list: seven ways to show our husbands respect. And the list is (drum roll, please):

1. Compliment him in front of others.
2. Do NOT criticize or tear him down in front of others.
3. Express gratitude often.
4. Acts of service and kindness.
5. Listen to him.
6. Value his opinion.
7. Follow his lead (with a good attitude).

And all the husbands say, "Amen!"

Read more...

Praise Him

illustration from the Good News Bible
Psalms 149 and 150

"Hallelujah! Sing to God a brand-new song, praise Him in the company of all who love Him...Let them praise His name in dance; strike up the band and make great music!" (Psalm 149:1,3, The Message)

Our elderly, widower friend, Dan, called bright and early this morning from the veterans' nursing home where he lives. All he could talk about was Jesus—how good He is to him. 

Thank you, Dan, for reminding me that no matter the circumstances, there are always reasons to praise Jesus! Have you praised Jesus today, beloved?

Hallelujah!

Praise God in His holy house of worship,

Praise Him under the open skies;

Praise Him for His acts of power,

Praise Him for His magnificent greatness;

Praise with a blast on the trumpet,

Praise by strumming soft strings;

Praise Him with castanets and dancing,

Praise Him with banjo and flute;

Praise Him with cymbals and a big brass drum,

Praise Him with fiddles and mandolin.

Let every living, breathing creature praise God!

Hallelujah!

(Psalm 150, The Message) 

Read more...

Narrow-minded

North Captiva Island

Jesus said, "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 gateway to life is very narrow and the road is difficult, and only a few ever find it."  (Matthew 7:13-14)

In His sermon on the mount, Jesus proclaimed that the way to God's Kingdom is narrow and difficult. In John 14:6, He told His disciples, "I am the [only] way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through Me."

The world points a broad finger and shouts, "Narrow-minded!"

Does narrow, however, make something less true? 

The law of gravity is extremely narrow—what goes up will come down—but, nevertheless, its 100% true.

Physical birth of a baby always begins with the union of an egg and a sperm. Always. No other way. Narrow process but absolutely true.

God's word through the Apostle Paul proclaims that Jesus is the only way to the Father. "There is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved." (Acts 4:12) The Bible clearly teaches that spiritual birth is as limited as physical birth—always and only through the door of Jesus Christ, God's Son.

Narrow, yes, yet all-inclusive: 

"For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same LORD is Lord of all, abounding in riches for all who call on Him; for whoever will call on the name of the LORD will be saved." (Romans 10:12-13)

Father God extends a broad invitation to the whole, dead-in-sin world. Tragically, only a few will believe, call on the name of Jesus, and made alive in Christ.

"And you were dead in your trespassed and sins, in which you formerly walked according to the course of this world...But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even though we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ...For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast." (Ephesians 2:1-9)

Beloved, do you believe? Do you have faith in God's narrow way: Jesus Christ? 

Read more...

Gulp

grandboy

"How sweet are Your words to my taste! Yes, sweeter than honey to my mouth!" (Psalm 119:103)

I've learned a secret to staying physically hydrated: don't sip that water—gulp it! And the secret to staying spiritually hydrated is the same: don't just sip on the Word of God—gulp it down! 

John 1:1 reads: "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was  with God and the Word was God." Jesus is the Word. The more Word we take in, the more Jesus we have.

So, beloved, don't just sip on a verse today, gulp a whole chapter! 

(Romans 8 was Phillip's Uncle Hoyt's favorite. Psalm 91 is close to Phillip's heart. Philippians 2 is one of my best-loved. What's your treasured chapter?)

Read more...

Believe

North Captiva Marina

"...if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses resulting in salvation." (Romans 10:9-10)

When I booked "Reel Laxing," I believed with all my heart that this gorgeous beach house with a private pool sat amongst the swaying palms on the north end of Captiva Island and was accessible by car. I was totally, absolutely, 100% wrong. The consequences of my wrong beliefs were temporal.

Myriads of people around my city, my country, and the world believe with all their hearts in a god accessible without Jesus. Tragically, they are totally, absolutely, 100% wrong. The consequences of these wrong beliefs are eternal. 

Jesus said, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me." (John 14:6)

Oh, Lord, open their ears that they may hear Your voice. Open their eyes to know truth. Open their hearts to believe that You so loved the world - you so loved them - that You gave Your only begotten Son, Jesus, that whosoever - red, brown, yellow, black, white, male, female, rich, or poor - believes in Jesus shall not perish, but have eternal, everlasting LIFE.

Jesus did not come to make bad people good; He came, lived, and died to make dead people alive!

Read more...

Full House

grandboys
living-room football game

"...flourishing within your home. Your children will be like vigorous young olive trees as they sit around your table. That is the LORD's blessing...May you live to enjoy your grandchildren!" (Psalm 128:2-6)

Full house, full heart last night. Thank You, Lord Jesus, for the colossal blessing of children and grandchildren.

Beloved, have you thanked the Lord today for your family?

Read more...

In the Shadow of the LORD

shadow of our bicycle built for two
Sanibel Island

"Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the LORD, 'He is my refuge and my fortress, my God in whom I trust.'" (Psalm 91:1-2)

We're back home to sweet home Alabama. Safe and sound. The island adventure now a shadow of my mind. 

Thank you, Lord Jesus, for Your guidance, protection, abundant blessings, and immeasurable love. We called to You and You answered. You covered us with Your feathers. You commanded Your angels to guard our way and satisfied us with Your goodness. Great are You, LORD, and greatly to be praised!

Read more...

Divine Appointment

Miss Donna with
The Schoolhouse

"He Himself fixed beforehand the exact times and...places where they would live." (Acts 17:26b)

"Happy Valentine's Day," I said and handed her the last copy of The Schoolhouse that we brought on the trip. Later, I would learn that Donna from Minnesota was also celebrating her 80th birthday. By-chance meeting? Nah. Divine appointment. 

Thank you, Lord Jesus, "for You are great and do marvelous deeds." (Psalm 86:10)

Read more...

Off Track

my superman

"You're blessed when you stay on course, walking steadily on the road revealed by God." (Psalm 119:1 The Message)

After weeks of walking the extremely-healthy-eating trail, we skidded off track today...

island gopher tortoise

Tarpon turtle ice cream in a sugar cone for lunch and reservations at The Sandbar restaurant for dinner tonight (Phillip never eats after 3 p.m.).

Back on track tomorrow. Smile.

Read more...

Extravagant Love

Waterside Inn
Sanibel Island
Today



"Dear children, let's not merely say that we love each other; let us show the truth by our actions."  (1 John 3)

I've never felt more loved than Phillip has made me feel this week. Early this morning, when we agreed that our island adventure on North Captiva had not measured up to the wonderful vacations in the past on Sanibel, my superman said, "Pack up and book a cottage at the Waterside Inn. We're headed to Sanibel Island."

So, after another hour and forty-five minute trek across rough open waters, we're now at Sanibel Island riding a tandem from Billy's Bikes, buying groceries at Bailey's Store, and enjoying delicious seafood at the Island Cow.

Thank You, Lord Jesus, for my man that loves extravagantly!

Read more...

Exploring the Island

"The sea that He made belongs to Him....

along with the dry land that His hands formed...

Let us worship and bow down; let us kneel in 

the presence of the Lord, who made us. " 

(Psalm 95:5-6) 

Read more...

Bon Voyage

my superman

"...He gave the sea its boundaries so the waters would not overstep His command..." (Proverbs 8:29)



We set sail from Sanibel Island at 1300 hours.

Spotted the accessible-by-boat-or-plane-only island at 1341 hours. (Look closely at the horizon.)

And arrived at ours-for-the-week, beautiful beach house at 1500 hours...only to discover that it had no water! 
None. 
Zilch. 
Zero. 
Nary a drop. 
Oh, my. What an adventure! 

Water repaired at 1700 hours. Day is done; gone the sun. Thank You, Lord Jesus, for an unforgettable day.

Read more...

On the Road

my superman

"Go in peace...The Lord is watching over your journey." (Judges 18:6)

Island Adventure Day #1: 

Smooth sailing from Alabama to the Hampton Inn in Port Charlotte, Florida via I-75. We finished Kate DiCamillo's The Illuminated Adventures of Flora and Ulysses and are three-quarters of the way into Wish by Barbara O'Connor. Trek to the island via the Bayliner: 1300 hours tomorrow.

Read more...

Island Adventure

Sanibel Island 2015

"Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go." (Joshua 1:9)

When superman gave me a trip to Sanibel/Captiva Island for Christmas, I booked a beautiful beach house at North Captiva - the northern end of Captiva Island, right? WRONG! Yesterday, we discovered that North Captiva is a completely separate barrier island accessible only by boat! And we're scheduled to leave tomorrow.

Mousy me cried, "Let's just chunk the really expensive, nonrefundable rental fee and make a reservation on the "real" Captiva."

To which my Robinson-Crusoe husband replied, "No way! We need a boat. We have a boat. We'll just take the ski boat. It'll be great!"

Not fully convinced by any stretch of the imagination, I asked the Lord, "Lord, is crossing 8 miles of open water in a small ski boat driven by someone who has never navigated the open seas a good idea?"

Then I read: "You will be blessed if you obey Me. If you obey what I command you today." (Deuteronomy 11:27) 

Then I read two daily devotionals: 

First,"Never look ahead to the challenges of life in fear. Instead, look at the challenges with full assurance that I will deliver you...Do not look ahead to what may happen tomorrow. I will take care of you tomorrow and everyday. Be at peace. Set aside anxious thoughts and worries...I am your Shepherd on Sunday, on Monday, and through every day of the week." 1 [It really said that!] 

Second, "Do not fear change. I am making you a new creation. New things are on the horizon. When you cling to the old ways and sameness, you resist My work within you...Find your security in Me alone. Don't try to force fit today into yesterday's mold. Ask Me to open your eyes so you can find all I have prepared for you." 2 

So - a bag is packed. The Bayliner is gassed up. Tomorrow we head south in a Chevy pickup pulling a ski boat, and Sunday we cross Pine Island Sound to North Captiva.

Stay tuned, beloved, for daily, adventure updates. If you don't hear from me next week, perhaps there's no internet service. If you never hear from me again, we sank. (smile)

1 STREAMS IN THE DESERT. L.B. Cowman.

2 40 DAYS WITH JESUS. Sarah Young.

Read more...

Set Free

Ray, the Cooper Hawk
photo by our Rebecca

"...you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free." (John 8:32)

I'm free! Yesterday, my orthopedic surgeon set me free from that uncomfortable, confining arm brace. Thank You, Jesus!!! (I actually fixed my own hair today for the first time since December 30, 2018.)

In the gospel of John, Jesus told the Jews that believed in Him, "If you continue in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine, and you will know the truth and the truth will set you free!"

No matter what's happening in your life or in the world around you, beloved, you can be truly free in Jesus if you'll walk daily in the truth of God's infallible word.

"The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God stands forever!" (Isaiah 40:8)

Read more...

It's a Mystery

Professor Sparrow
by talented artist: Forrest Walker

"Can you fathom the mysteries of God? Can you probe the limits of the Almighty? They are higher than the heavens above ...deeper than the depths below..." (Job 11:7-8)

"From times gone by, a mystery lies, a secret to unveil..." Prof. Benjamin Sparrow's mysterious riddle has remained unsolved for forty years. When college freshman Mark Williams teams up with seventh-grader Jacob Fickle, will they be the first students to decipher the clues and uncover the university professor's long-kept historical secret? 

Are you hooked?  Professor Sparrow, my eighth children's book is  a mystery scheduled for release in 2019. I'm so excited!

Did you know that the Holy Bible holds a plethora of crystal-clear truth along with a bushel and a peck of unsolved mysteries? One such puzzle debated among theologians is: who are the twenty-four elders prostrate before the throne of God in Revelation 4:10?

I may have found a clue this morning. Open your Bible, please, and turn with me to Matthew 19:28:

"And Jesus said to [His disciples]. 'Truly I say to you, that you who have followed Me, in the regeneration when the Son of Man will sit on His glorious throne, you also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel."

Since 12+12=24. Could the twenty-four elders be the twelve apostles (the eleven original disciples plus Paul, the apostle chosen by post-resurrection Jesus after Judas' betrayal) and twelve representatives of the twelve tribes of Israel? Maybe. Only eternity will tell.

Deuteronomy 29:29 says, "The secret things belong to the LORD our God, but the things revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we my follow the words of the law." 

Beloved, God's given enough crystal-clear truth to keep us busy for a lifetime, so don't get too hung up in the mysteries - except the Professor Sparrow mystery, of course. (smile)

Read more...

Super Soup

"And the angel of the LORD came to him a second time and touched him and said, 'Get up and eat, for the journey is too much for you.'" (1 Kings 19:7)


Because we're really into healthy eating these days, last weekend, Phillip and I made "super soup" - a creamy chicken soup loaded with nutritional "super" foods like bone broth, asparagus, spinach, kale, and okra. Delicious and good for you, too.

In chapter 19 of 1 Kings, when Jezebel threatened to kill Elijah, he was afraid and ran for his life. A day's journey into the wilderness, the weary prophet sat under a broom tree, prayed: "LORD, I've had enough. Just take my life," and then fell asleep.

Suddenly, an angel of the LORD appeared bearing "super" food: bread baked over hot coals and a jar of water, which, after two servings, gave Elijah the strength to travel forty days and forty nights straight. 

Is the journey of life getting to you, beloved? Find strength in the Lord Jesus. (And eating healthier and getting some good rest might do you good, too.)

Read more...

What in the World Should We Do

my boy and grandboys

"...pursue righteousness living, faithfulness, love, and peace..." (2 Timothy 2:22)

What in the world should a lover of Jesus do in a nation where a Virginia lawmaker proposed two bills: one to terminate the life of a child up to full-term, mid-delivery and another to protect the life of a cankerworm! Unbelievable.

Through the writings of Paul, beloved, God makes our instructions crystal clear: 

My children: "Pursue righteousness living, faithfulness, love, and peace...with those who call on Me with a pure heart. Don't get entangled in foolish, ignorant arguments. Do not quarrel. Instead, be kind to everyone, able to teach, and patient with difficult people. Gently instruct those who oppose the truth. Perhaps I will change those people's hearts and they will learn the truth. For they have been held captive by the devil to do whatever he wants." (2 Timothy 2:22-26)

"You should know this, My children, that in the last days there will be very difficult times. For people will be lovers of self and money, boastful, proud, scoffing at Me, disobedient to parents. They will consider nothing sacred and have no self-control. They will be cruel and hate what is good." (2 Timothy 3:1-3)

Therefore, My children, "work hard to show the results of your salvation, obeying Me with deep reverence and fear. For I am working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases Me. Do everything without complaining and arguing. Live like bright lights in a world full of crooked and perverse people. Hold firm to My word of life." (Philippians 2:12-16)

Finally, have hope, My children. For as I foretold Daniel over twenty-six hundred years ago, "one day I will finish the rebellion, put an end to sin, atone for the guilt of My people, and bring in everlasting righteousness." (Daniel 9:24)

Got it, beloved? Fear and obey God. Be kind. Be gentle. Love. Teach truth. Have hope. Shine!

Read more...

Whatever

Grandboy teaching 2-year olds
2016ish?

"He made David their king. God testified concerning him: 'I have found David son of Jesse, a man after my own heart; he will do everything I want him to do." (Acts 13:22)

When we moved to Shelby County in 1994 and joined Valleydale Baptist, I told God, "Lord, I'll teach any group over 5 years old." 

I heard Him chuckle and say, "No, Jill, you'll teach wherever I want you to," upon which He quickly dropped me into a 3-year-old Sunday School class. 

The book of Acts in the New Testament is the account of the "acts" of the apostles after Jesus' death, burial, resurrection, and ascension back to heaven. In chapter 13, Dr. Luke records that Paul and his companions sailed to Perga and then on to Pisidian Antioch. On the Sabbath, they entered the synagogue, and the leaders asked, "If you have a word for us, please speak!"

Paul promptly stood up and recounted Jewish history from the time of slavery in Egypt to the Good News of salvation through Jesus Christ, the recently murdered Savior. In his sermon, Paul described David as a man after God's own heart who did whatever God wanted him to do. Thus King David served God's purposes in his own generation.

Oh Lord, today, please help us to do everything You want us to do and to serve Your purposes in our own generation - in Jesus' name and for Your glory!

Read more...