Just Right!

my view while driving his tractor






"Then the LORD God said, 'It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper who is just right for him.'" (Gen. 2:18 NLT)

I'm unquestionably, irresistibly, appealingly attractive in my superman's eyes when I'm working by his side helping do the things he loves. Truthfully, this gal prefers the great outdoors any day over a shopping mall, because God designed me just right for him.

Beloved, you are fearfully and wonderfully made. God knit you together in your mother's womb, and His workmanship is marvelous. You're just right. This I know very well.

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He Opens the Flood Gates

"Joe" from Hoot Owl Hollow
Illustration by my son and talented artist, Ben Glassco





"...I have opened a door for you that no one can close. You have little strength, yet you obeyed My word and did not deny Me." (Revelation 3:8 NLT)

Me thinks my Lord is up to something great. 

My little blog normally averages about 50 page views a day, but after a favorable review from Readers' Favorite, today that number leaped to 513!

Beloved believer, our strength may be small but our God is not. Put your hope and trust in Him!

Review Rating:     4 stars

Reviewed by Rich Follett for Readers' Favorite

Hoot Owl Hollow by Jill Watson Glassco is a pleasant, educational, Christian-centered family tale that will delight children and adults alike. Set in rural Georgia, Hoot Owl Hollow is the story of a veterinarian who leaves Atlanta to join the practice of a country doctor in the rural hollow of the title, the friends she makes there, and her experience of coming into the Christian faith as she is supported by the members of the community.

Glassco's tale is as educational as it is heartwarming - along the way, references to the writings of Ella Wheeler Wilcox and Cherokee culture color the narrative, interspersed between familiar Bible stories retold with the folksy charm of mountain culture. There is also a touch of mystery to propel the story forward; as any further mention of this element might spoil enjoyment, this mystery is best left for readers to discover on their own.

Jill Watson Glassco's Hoot Owl Hollow would be a perfect story for young adults to read and discuss as part of a youth group or church curriculum. At the end of each chapter, a Bible verse and designated space for writing "petitions from your heart to Jesus" encourage reflection and discussion. The story is written in a colloquial style with short, easily understood chapters entertaining enough to hold the interest of experienced readers but short enough not to prove daunting for reluctant or beginning readers. Hoot Owl Hollow by Jill Watson Glassco has all the elements of a classic family tale and will no doubt entertain and educate readers for years to come.

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Watching and Working

L-R standing: My Rebecca and friend, Amy
Seated: friend Nikki
 1999 school play "Oklahoma"




"But you, Daniel, keep this prophecy a secret;
seal up the book until the time of the end,
when many will rush here and there,
and knowledge will increase."
(Daniel 12:4)

Our Rebecca has donned the stage since age two...

And thanks to "increased technology knowledge," yesterday, we watched live her monologue drama of the woman at the well on a 500-miles-away stage.

In the fascinating Old Testament book of Daniel, an angel of the Lord (most probably Gabriel) visited the old prophet and said, "O Daniel, you are very precious to God, so listen carefully to what I have to say...I am here to explain what will happen to your people in the future, for this vision concerns a time yet to come." 

At the conclusion of the detailed prophecy, the angel revealed that a monumental increase in travel and knowledge will mark the end of time. In the past 50 years, increased travel and knowledge include a man on the moon, microwave ovens, jet liners, industrial robots, smoke detectors, cellphones, laptop computers, MRI, GPS, and DNA fingerprinting just to name a few.

Although Jesus said that no one knows the day or hour of the end of time, not even the angels in heaven or the Son Himself - only the Father knows. He also commanded that we:

keep watch, 

read the signs, 

and 

quickly carry out the tasks assigned us

by the One who sent us. The night is coming, when no one can work.

Beloved, are you watching and working?

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To Have and To Hold

My Phillip and me, 
September 10, 1977

"Let us rejoice and be glad and give glory to Him, for the marriage of the Lamb[Jesus] has come and His bride has made herself ready. It was given to her to clothe herself in fine linen, bright and clean; for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints...Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb." (Rev. 19:7-9 NASB)



From the cradle, my parents ingrained in my brain: "you go to college then you get married, you go to college and then you get married, you go to college and then you get married."

So when the tall, strong, handsome, and sixteen-year-old Phillip Glassco asked fifteen-year-old me to marry him, I responded, "You go to college and then you get married."

Even by finishing Auburn University on the three-year fast track, Superman and I waited six looooooong years to have and to hold until death do us part.

~

Although believers have waited for over two thousand years for our Lord's return, in John 14, Jesus promised, "Don't let your hearts be troubled. Believe in God, believe also in Me...I go to prepare a place for you...I will come again and receive you to Myself, that where I am, there you will also be [to have and to hold, from this day forward, forever and ever and ever and ever].

Therefore, beloved of Jesus, on this Valentine's Day, "let us draw near [to Him] with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed in pure water. Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful" (Heb. 10:22-23).

For God

              so loVed the world,

                    thAt He gave His

onLy

          bEgotten

soN,

               thaT whosoever

    belIeves

                                   iN Him shall not perish,

                but havE everlasting life.

John 3:16

Happy Valentine's Day!!!

     

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Hidden Treasure

My grands' latest treasure hunt, 2015
photo by my Rebecca

"If the Good News we preach is hidden behind a veil, it is hidden from people who are perishing...For we do not preach ourselves but Christ Jesus as Lord, and ourselves as bond-servants for Jesus' sake...But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us." (2 Cor. 4:3,5,7)

I "borrowed" this picture from my daughter's blog of my older grands most recent geocache (an outdoor recreational activity where participants use GPS devices to hunt hidden containers or caches.)

As Christians, we carry within us the most valuable treasure on earth: the Gospel Good News of salvation through faith in Jesus Christ. 

Beloved Christian, is the treasured Good News of Jesus hidden within you or clearly visible and shared with others?

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Unlimited Talk, Text, and Data

"Elizabeth" from Mr. Greenleaf's Unforgettable Summer
Illustration by my friend and talented artist, Dawn Copeland

"Don't worry about anything; instead, PRAY about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank Him for all He has done. Then you will experience God's peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus." (Phil. 4:6-7 NLT)

Our God truly is the Genius. Not only did He design the perfect Way to cleanse away sin and grant never-ending life, but the Lord also developed the very first unlimited talk, text, and data plan with 100% coverage from every location on the planet, 24/7, every day of every year, forever: PRAYER.

You may be thinking, but, I don't know how to pray. Well, do you know how to talk, write, or think? Then you know how to pray!  Now, just talk, write, or think to God. He'd love to hear from you.

Sneak-peak into soon-to-be-released

Mr. Greenleaf's Unforgettable Summer

           "Well, it's bedtime, children. Elizabeth would you like to talk to God tonight?"

             "Sure," said Elizabeth.

            Next, all the he, she, and wee-humans bowed their heads and closed their eyes, so Mr. Greenleaf did too.

            "Dear God," said Elizabeth, "thank You for letting us come to Alabama to visit Papaw and Mamaw Willowkins. Thank You for guiding us and taking care of all the animals. Thank You for our new friend, Mr. Green Jeans, and please keep him safe. Amen."

             "Amen," said the Willowkins family.1

1 MR. GREENLEAF'S UNFORGETTABLE SUMMER. Copyright 2015, Jill Glassco.

          

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Like Father Like Son!

My Ben, 1989




Like Father

My Ben and babygrand, Feb. 8, 2015

Like son!

"But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as from the Lord..." (2 Cor. 3:18)

           Since boyhood, my Ben has loved fishing, and babygrand is  conforming to dad's image in catching his first crappie at the tender age of 8 months.

Second Corinthians 5:20 states that we are ambassadors for Christ, as though [Father] God were making an appeal [to others] through us. Beloved Christian, as we encounter people today, will they see, hear, and perceive the image of God? 

(Oh, be careful little tongue what you say)

(Oh, be careful little hands what you do)

(Oh, be careful little feet where you go)

(For the Father up above,

Is looking down with love)

(It matters how we act, don't ya know!)

J

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A Steadfast Tongue

The finches on my bird feeder this morning

"And so blessing and cursing come pouring out of the same mouth. Surely, my brothers and sisters, this is not right! Does a spring bubble out with both fresh water and bitter water? (James 3:10-11)

           This morning, I was quite the self-contradicting paradox - feeding finches on one side of my deck and shooting at woodpeckers with my Daisy BB gun on the other. (Never fear animal-lovers, I didn't hit them - just scared them away from our chimney that they're pecking full of holes!)

            

            In the New Testament, James, son of Mary and Joseph and half-brother of Jesus, addressed the problem of the paradoxical tongue, which pours forth both blessings and cursing:

"Dear brothers and sisters...If we could control our tongues, we would be perfect and could also control ourselves in every other way...A rudder makes a huge ship turn wherever the pilot chooses to go...In the same way, the tongue is a small thing that makes grand speeches...Sometimes it praises our Lord and Father, and sometimes it curses those who have been made in the image of God...this is not right!" 

Word check! Beloved, today, let's consistently, resolutely, steadily, unchangingly, uniformly, invariably, unfailingly, persistently,  unswervingly, whole-heartedly speak life-giving, uplifting, edifying blessings, and STOP every offensive, down-grading, angry, sarcastic, destructive, faultfinding, condemning, hurtful syllable before it spews through our lips!

"Set a guard over my mouth, O Lord; keep watch over the door of my lips." (Psalm 141:3)

              

           

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Quiet as a Church Mouse

"Barnabas Fieldmouse" from Mr. Greenleaf's Unforgettable Summer
Illustration by my friend and talented artist, Dawn Copeland

"The whole earth will acknowledge the Lord and return to Him. All the families of the nations will bow down before Him...Our children will also serve Him. Future generations will hear about the wonders of the Lord. His righteous acts will be told to those not yet born. They will hear about everything He has done." (Psalm 22:27,30-31 NLT)

At the N. Avondale Bible study yesterday, our wise and valiant Miss Evelyn said, "My heart is burdened for lost people, especially the young men and women, because Christians are so quiet and the devil is so noisy!"

In the tenth chapter of Romans, the Apostle Paul wrote: "But how can they call on [Jesus] to save them unless they believe in Him? And how can they believe in Him if they have never heard about Him? And how can they hear about Him unless someone tells them?"

Open your mouth, O Christian, and talk to somebody about Jesus!

Sneak peek into soon to be released 

Mr. Greenleaf's Unforgettable Summer:

           When he awoke the following evening, Mr. Man-in-the-Moon sat in his normal star-studded sky, and the cricket choir crooned their normal merry tune; but Mr. Greenleaf's circumstance didn't resemble normal by any stretch of the imagination - waking under an ivy leaf instead of snug in his tiny cave by the goldfish pond. He moaned,

"With tear-flooded cheeks,

I weep bitterly in the night.

For no one's here to comfort me

Or help to make things right."

              Unbeknownst to Mr. Greenleaf, Barnabas Fieldmous sat nearby nibbling sunflower seeds spilled from the new bird feeder Mr. Willowkins had hung by the screen porch and heard the pitiful lamentation.

                 "Hey now," said Barnabas, "what's all this blubbering about?"1

1 MR. GREENLEAF'S UNFORGETTABLE SUMMER. Copyright Jill Glassco, 2015.

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Leap of Faith

"Orville McNutt" from Mr. Greenleaf's Unforgettable Summer
Illustration by my friend and talented artist, Dawn Copeland

"You don't have enough faith," Jesus told them. "I tell you the truth, if you had faith even as small as a mustard see, you could say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it would move. Nothing would be impossible!" (Matt. 17:20 NLT)

        

Years ago, when the destructive affects of "devil's brew" almost killed one of our children, I prayed, fasted, and bought a pair of Corona flip-flops. No, I'm not Looney-Tunes! In a leap of faith, I stomped around in those shoes, praying fervently that my mighty God of peace would soon crush Satan [in the form of alcohol] under my feet (Romans 16:20) and away from our family. And guess what, by God's amazing grace, mercy, and power, that mountain moved!

Beloved, take a leap of faith. Lift extreme prayers to Jesus - the One who can move mountains and crush the devil under your feet!

           

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Crazy-desperate for Him

"Mrs. Willowkins" from Mr. Greenleaf's Unforgettable Summer

Illustration by my friend and talented artist, Dawn Copeland

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 NLT)

              I believe that every now and again, the Lord pulls His hand back just far enough to remind me of what I'm really like without Him: selfish, prideful, judgmental, fretful, i.e. sinful. That stark awareness makes me crazy-desperate for Him! 

             In the Old Testament, Israel, God's chosen people, confessed, "You disciplined me, and I have been disciplined like an untrained calf. Restore me, and I will return, for You, Lord, are my God." (Jer. 31:18 HCSB) 

Beloved, are you feeling like an untrained calf? May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God the Father, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit hold you ever so close today!

    

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Confirmation!

Our babygrand and Uncle Dan

"Let the favor of the Lord our God be upon us; and confirm for us the work of our hands; yes, confirm the work of our hands." (Psalm 90:17 NASB)

               With the manuscript of Mr. Greenleaf's Unforgettable Summer now in the publisher's hands, I'm working on storybook #5. After about seven tries of writing and rewriting chapter one, I pleaded, "Lord Jesus, please tell me this story."

                   The Lord answered and last week, as He "talked", I recorded the first three chapters of Chancellor Ferry's Praying Hyde: the tale of a little, brown mantis that lived along the Coosa River during the Great Depression of the 1930s. 

                  You're probably thinking, Jill, why do you believe the Lord is telling you this story?

                       Well, I'm glad you asked. On Monday, I typed:

          On a hot July day in the little town of Childersburg, Norman  Hyde climbed up the whitewashed siding onto a windowsill beside the Estey pump organ (his regular seat on any given Sunday at the Mt. Pisgah Missionary Baptist Church) and peered inside. The little, brown insect saw a middle-aged man in a worn, black suit standing in the pulpit wiping rivulets of sweat streaming down his brow. In the pews, menfolk mopped their faces with white handkerchiefs, and the womenfolk fanned red-cheeked babies. The blistering, summer heat of 1935 felt hotter than sizzling grease in a frying pan, and a breeze through the open windows was as rare as pocket change in the offering plate.

           Americans were struggling to keep their heads above water in the worldwide economic typhoon; and folks in the south - Alabamians in particular - were hit harder than a Babe Ruth home run. With men out of work and families out of food, a single egg became so valuable that a farm boy could trade it for all the candy he wanted at the local grocery store. I reckon, in some ways, the bug-kind got by easier than mankind in those days, since they could catch supper instead of having to buy it or grow it. 1

                  And then on Friday, I "just happened" to meet an older gentleman in Childersburg that grew up along the Coosa River, had ridden the Chancellor Ferry as a child, and whose daddy owned a grocery store that carried fans used in the local churches on hot summer days.

Beloved, pray today to the Lord who really does answer prayers and will indeed confirm the work of your hands!

old fan from Dunlap Grocery

back of fan

    Our God is an awesome God!
(By the way, I changed "local grocery" to Dunlap Grocery.)

1 CHANCELLOR FERRY'S PRAYING HYDE. Copyright Jill Glassco, 2015.

                    

          

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