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| Beach Church "Then all of you can join together with one voice, giving praise and glory to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ." (Romans 15:6) A highlight of the family beach trip was the kid-friendly Sunday worship service led by Stephen and Rebecca. Praise God from whom all blessings flow! "I could have no greater joy than to hear that my [13] children are following the truth." (3 John 1:4) |
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| Phillip and Jill Glassco Family |
"Now unto Him who is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, unto Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen!" (Ephesians 3:20-21) The drive through Tropical Storm Claudette was challenging, but the sun was shining when we got to Orange Beach.    |
What a wonderful God!
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| Orange Beach (photo by my beloved nephew, Daniel) "When you pass through the waters, I will be with you." (Isaiah 43:2) We're packing up — Granddaddy, Memaw, and thirteen kids and grands — and headed into the storm tomorrow. Of all the storm Bible verses, our favorite today is Psalm 107:29: "He made the storm be still, and the waves of the sea were hushed." Sometimes God says yes to our prayers. Sometimes no. Sometimes trust Me, there's sunshine on the other side of the storm. Beloved, may Jesus hide you under the shelter of His wings and bring you safely through your storm. |
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| granddaddy, kids, and grands "I urge you, first of all, to pray for all people. Ask God to help them; intercede on their behalf, and give thanks for them." (1 Timothy 2:1) Last evening, two of the grandboys raced in the Hammies Bike Competition at Hearmont Park. While parents and grandparents strapped helmets and numbers on the little racers, the master of ceremonies prayed for the children's safety. You're in the race of life, beloved. Don't forget your helmet of salvation and prayer at all times (Ephesians 6:17-18)! |
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| grandboy tonka race June, 2020 "Then you will call on Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen." (Jeremiah 29:12) Because two of the past four family vacations were dampened by tropical storms, we've prayed for months that next week's beach trip will be storm free. Guess what's brewing: "Potential gulf tropical depression or storm to pose heavy rain threat to U.S. Gulf Coast." Yesterday, an offspring and I got into a theological debate. I said: "God has good reasons for saying no to our prayers." He said: "God didn't say no; storms are just part of life." The Bible said: "The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears . . . " (Psalm 34:17) "This righteousness is given through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference between Jew and Gentile, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God and all are justified freely by His grace through redemption that came by Jesus Christ." (Romans 3:22-24) "The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous and His ears attentive to their prayers; the face of the Lord is against those who do evil." (1 Peter 3:12) Charles Spurgeon said: "Every prayer of the Christian, whether for temporal or spiritual blessing, will be fully answered if it meets certain biblical requirements: prayed in faith, prayed in accordance with God's will, prayed in the name of Jesus, and prayed under the influence of the Holy Spirit. Delayed answers to prayer are not only trials of faith; they also give us opportunities to honor God through our steadfast confidence in Him even when facing the apparent denial of our request." My conclusion: God listens to the prayers of the righteous. Who are the righteous? Those who have received the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ. God answers every one of His children's prayers with YES, NO, or WAIT by His will, wisdom, and good purposes. (Out of Tropical Storm Cindy in 2017, came the Christian children's book: Sea Billows.) I rest my case. |
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| grandboys 2017 "Pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere." (Ephesians 6:18 NLT) This snapshot of the grandboys back in 2017 is one of my all time favorites. It looks like they're praying. They were actually playing. A well-known passage in Ephesians 6:10-18 is commonly called "The Armor of God." In his letter to the church in Ephesus, Paul urged believers to be strong in the Lord and the power of His might, putting on the full armor of God so they would be able to stand against the wiles and schemes of the devil. Paul compared God's armor to that of the Roman soldier to which he was chained. "Stand your ground," he wrote, "putting on: Belt of Truth, Breastplate of Righteousness, Boots of the Gospel of Peace, Helmet of Salvation, Shield of Faith, Sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God, Prayer in the Spirit, which is praying by God's power according to His will. Today, beloved, pray. And when you pray, pray in the Spirit, asking God for His power, His guidance, and His will to be done. |
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| Granddaddy and grandboys, 2019 "But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, He saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of His mercy." (Titus 3:4-5) Today, I'm thanking God for His kindness. When we came home from the farm yesterday, both AC units at our house were down. We figured we'd have to replace the upstairs one and buy a new thermostat for the downstairs. We figured wrong! The repairman had both units up and running in less than an hour for much less cost than what we had anticipated. Thank You, Lord Jesus, for Your kindness! "For God is love and love is kind, the kindest that you'll ever find, the kindest that you'll ever see, that's something else, don't you agree?"1 Beloved, have you thanked God for His loving kindness today? 1 I Love Ruthie by Phil A. Smouse, 2002. |
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| my wildflower garden "And if God cares so wonderfully for wildflowers that are here today and thrown into the fire tomorrow, He will certainly care for you. Why do you have so little faith?" (Matthew 6:30) Last year I ordered a packet of wildflower seeds and sowed them in my garden. This year's rainy spring has made my garden EXPLODE! Chapters 5, 6, and 7 of the Gospel of Matthew are commonly called the Sermon on the Mount. One day, Jesus saw crowds gathering. He went up on a mountainside, sat down, and began to teach them about forgiveness, prayer, kindness, generosity, treating others the way you want to be treated, and trusting God and His provision. In Matthew 6:30, Jesus used wildflowers to illustrate His point. In Israel, because it was so arid, wildflowers grew only a few weeks, but God dressed them with splendor. When they died, the dry vegetation was used for tinder to light home fires. Jesus taught that God should be trusted to provide for His people whose value far exceeded pretty flowers. Beloved, God is the same yesterday, today, and forever. He does not change. Have faith. Jesus will take care of you. |
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| our boy and his boy "Each time the Lord said, 'My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness." (2 Corinthians 12:9) After Saturday's rain showers, Ben took his boys kneeboarding — on the grass river. He was the motorboat. In his letter to the Corinthians, the Apostle Paul gave testimony that three different times he had begged Jesus to take away a "thorn" in his flesh. Each time, God answered no, that He would not remove the thorn; however, He would supply Paul in his weakness with grace to minister powerfully in spite of affliction. God is good all the time. God is in control all the time. God works everything for good every time for those who love Him. Pray, beloved, and trust God when He says no. For in your weakness, Papa God's grace will empower you. |
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| grandboy and granddaddy "Diligent hands will rule, but laziness ends in forced labor." (Proverbs 12:24) When the 5-year-old grandboy was at our house the other day, I asked him if he'd like to go bike riding. He answered, "No, I wanna work. I like work." And work he did! All afternoon. Pulling weeds. Trimming bushes. Watering flowers. Folding clothes. When we were done, he said, "What else to you have for me to do, Memaw?" According to the Proverbs of Solomon, that boy will rule one day. Beloved, have you thanked God for the work of your hands today? |
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| grandkids, granddog, and legos "We always thank God for all of you and pray for you constantly." (1 Thessalonians 1:2) On January 20, 2004, the Lord instructed me to fast and pray Scripture for one of my children who was struggling at the time. I started a prayer journal that day. The last entry is dated January, 2015. Looking back over that eleven year journey, there were high peaks and very low valleys, but God built a godly man. Praying for a struggling loved one, beloved? Keep loving. Keep praying. Keep hoping. Rome was not built in a day. |
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| Coosa River campfire "The people of Nineveh believed God's message, and from the greatest to the least, they declared a fast and put on burlap to show their sorrow." (Jonah 3:5) Since The Window at Willow Springs hit the market a couple of weeks ago, a line from Kurt Kaiser's old hymn "Pass It On" has been my prayer: "Lord, it only takes a spark to get a fire going. Will You please spark interest in the book to a roaring blaze?" In the Old Testament book of Jonah, God used one reluctant witness to spark revival fires in the wicked city of Nineveh. Beloved, will you be God's spark, proclaiming His love and Good News in our evil land? "It only takes a spark to get a fire going. And soon all those around can warm up in its glowing. That's how it is with God's love once you've experienced it; You spread His love to everyone; You want to pass it on." |
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| Walter Sommers award-winning art by our fourteen-year-old granddaughter, Anya "The LORD does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outside of a person. But the LORD looks at what is in the heart." (1 Samuel 16:7) Our granddaughter just won second place in a national "Unsung Hero" art competition. Her report accompanying the art reveals the beauty behind the work: |
Walter Sommers was a Jewish witness of Kristallnacht (the Night of Broken Glass) on November 9-10, 1938. Almost instantly after that, Walter’s family migrated to the United States in hope of a safer life. While it was a safer life, there was still plenty of racism in the United States and the Sommers family experienced unfairness because they were Jewish. Walter joined the American Army to fight in World War II, and retired shortly after the war was over. Eventually, he moved to Terre Haute, Indiana, where he found segregation of white and black people everywhere.
Walter, along with many others, helped encourage desegregation throughout Indiana. One day, Walter and some of his friends went to have lunch together. One friend happened to be African American. The young man warned Walter that the people in the restaurant wouldn’t serve him because of his race. Walter responded to him saying, “If they won’t serve you, then they won’t serve us, and we’ll never go back.” In the restaurant, their waitress told them, “the way you are seated I cannot serve you.” And Walter told her that if she couldn’t serve them the way they were seated, then they would have lunch some place else. The lady got her manager and told him the situation and he told her to go ahead and serve them. Very soon, as a result of Walter’s stance, many of the restaurants in Terre Haute were desegregated. Encouraged by his impact on Terre Haute Walter attempted to make an impact at other restaurants around the state of Indiana. He and his African American friend repeated the same thing they had done in Terre Haute, making the same impact on segregation. Walter could have been beaten for what he did, yet he did it anyway. Not only did he display kindness through peaceful protests, he also displayed bravery and determination.
The most inspiring part about Walter’s story to me is how he stood up to racism in a peaceful way. He was not fighting against racist people, but against racism itself. He stood up to bullies by standing with the victim. In my art, the darkness framing the picture represents prejudice and how it is not a person, but a monster that tries to turn people against each other. The darkness circles around the broken glass and the Star of David represents how racism was the cause of Kristallnacht and how Walter had experienced an extreme amount of racism. Walter Sommers is in the center of the picture holding a broken “colored” sign. The broken sign symbolizes how Walter broke the tension between white and black people by inviting a black person into a white restaurant. Lastly, Walter is standing with protesting people. He’s not holding a gun or a sword; he’s simply standing with people, presenting them as his equal, peacefully fighting for his beliefs.
One of my takeaways from this project is that the most effective way to fight prejudice, whether its racism, sexism, ageism, religious prejudice, or something else, is to stand up for the victim by standing with them and presenting them as your equal. I want my art to remind people of two things. First, I want people to know that racism is not a person. It’s not a fight between people and people, it’s a fight between people and prejudice. Secondly, I want people to know that the best way to fight prejudice without hurting someone is to stand with the victim. It will have an enormous impact on everyone.
My art will be displayed in the CANDLES museum where Walter speaks once a week. It will also be put on the B-TV website, as well as my teacher’s Milken Fellow page. A copy will be put up at Batchelor Middle School and in the B-TV classroom to inspire students. It will be posted on B-TV’s social media and a copy will be sent to Holicost survivor Eva Kor’s son, Alex Kor. Lastly, my art will be shared with filmmaker Ted Green.
Walter says, “Love your neighbor as yourself, number one, and treat everyone the way you want to be treated. That was the way I was brought up.” Walter impacted Indiana in simple ways, that led to a huge difference. I think that Walter’s story is incredibly inspiring and worthy of recognition.
Amen, Anya! I'm so very proud of your talent and your heart!
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| our Dan and his boys "To the one who overcomes, I will give some of the hidden manna, and I will give him a white stone, and a new name written on the stone which no one knows except the one who receives it." (Revelation 2:17) Sunday afternoon at the farm, the two-year-old grandboy found a granddaddy long legs (that according to the internet, by the way, is neither poisonous nor a spider) and said, "Wook! Memaw-granddaddy legs!" Throughout Scripture, God gave new names: Abram to Abraham, Jacob to Israel, Sarai to Sarah, Simon to Peter, Saul to Paul. In His message to the Church of Pergamum, Jesus promised a new name to those who heard and heeded what the Spirit said. A new name was more than a title; it was a testimony of God's transforming work. God changed Abram (high father) into Abraham (father of a multitude of many nations). God changed Sarai (argumentative) to Sarah (princess). He changed Saul (murderer of Christians) to Paul (author of 13 books of the New Testament). If you belong to God by faith in His Son Jesus, one day He will give you a new name and a new body. "In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet; for the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. For this perishable must put on imperishable, and this mortal must put on immortality (1 Cor. 15:52-53) Beloved, may this great news give you strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow. |
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| grandboy first time kneeboarding "Speak encouraging words to one another. Build up hope . . . " (1 Thessalonians 5:11 The Message) On Memorial Day, the seven-year-old grandboy refused to try kneeboarding until his friends said, "Come on, Colt! You can do it!" "A word of encouragement during a failure is worth more than an hour of praise after success." ~ unknown ~ Who will you encourage today, beloved? |
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