On Your Mark

Grandboys
L-R: ages one, three, three, and five

"Let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the Champion who initiates and perfects our faith." (Hebrews 12:1-2 NLT)

On Saturday at the farm, our one-year-old grandboy ran his first of many Tonka races against his older brother and cousins.

Life is a marathon, beloved, not a sprint. Keep running, and keep your eyes on Jesus, who for "the joy awaiting Him, endured the cross, disregarding its shame. Now He is seated in the place of honor beside God's throne. Think of all the hostility He endured [for you]...then you won't become weary and give up." (Hebrews 12:2-3)

Read more...

Fishers of Milk

grandboys and granddog

"And [Jesus] said unto them, "Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men." (Matthew 4:19)

Yesterday, when our sweet daughter-in-law was teaching her two boys the fishers-of-men, Bible story, the three year old pipes, "No, Babe, it's fishers of milk." Then, instead of a fish, he drew a milk jug on his sheet of paper.

One day, while walking along the beach of the Sea of Galilee, Jesus saw two brothers—Simon (later called Peter) and Andrew—throwing their nets into the water. They were fishermen. Jesus called to them, "Come with me. I'll make you a new kind of fishermen. I'll show you how to catch people instead of perch and bass." Without a question, they dropped their nets and followed Jesus.

What's Jesus calling you to do, beloved? Will you question Him or follow?

Read more...

Whip Me Mama

L-R me, Uncle Frank, (brother) Mark
1961

"Whoever loves discipline loves knowledge, but he who hates reproof is stupid." (Proverbs 12:1)

When I was five, my brother, Mark, stood near the waterfalls in the woods of our neighborhood on Lookout Mountain, throwing rocks over the ledge. Unbeknownst to him, the neighbor boys and I were sneaking along the bluff below to pop up and surprise him. All was well until Mark chunked a fist-sized stone toward the valley and...

BONK! 

The rock conked me right on top of the head, leaving a one-inch gash. I started bawling like Mama Cat (a black and orange stray that had shown up at our house one Halloween night in a rainstorm). Mark scrambled down the hill, picked me up, carried me all the way to the backyard,  dropped me by the back door, and ran inside yelling, “Whip me, Mama! Whip me!”

In the meantime, our older brother, Rocky, heard all the commotion and opened the door to a blood-soaked me. Then, he started yelling, “Mama! Mama! Come here, quick!”

That afternoon was one of the few times in my childhood that I can remember Mama calling for reinforcements. Daddy sped home to stay with my distraught brothers, Mama drove me to Dr. Igou’s office for stitches, and Freddy and Steve tiptoed up the road to their Grandmother Eberhart’s house in the neighborhood looking as white as ghosts. She said they both sat down on the couch and didn’t say a word.

Hebrews, chapter 12 tells us do not take lightly the discipline of the LORD, nor faint when He reproves us, because the Lord, our heavenly Father, disciplines those He loves. All discipline for the moment seems not to be joyful, but sorrowful; yet to those who are trained by it, afterwards it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness.

Lord Jesus, here we are. Train us up in the way we should go!

Read more...

River of Life

Phillip, our boys, and grandboys

"Then he showed me a river of life, clear as crystal, coming from the throne of God and the Lamb." (Revelation 22:1)

It's that time. On Saturday,  Phillip and the "boys" played Tom Sawyer and floated the jet-ski dock down the Coosa River to a boat ramp to take out the "raft" for winter.

In the new Paradise described in the book of Revelation, a river will flow from the throne of God and the Lamb [Jesus Christ]. On either side of the river, the tree of life will grow, bearing twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit every month, and the leaves of the tree are for healing the nations—God's maintaining the redeemed. 

No curse. No death. No mourning. No pain. Simply serving Almighty God face-to-face for all eternity.

Nothing unclean will live there, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb's book of life.

And Jesus said, "Yes, I am coming quickly."

Amen. Come, Lord Jesus.

The grace of the Lord Jesus be with all the saints. Amen. 

Read more...

Fall Harvest

Phillip's Fall Garden Harvest

"Then [Jesus] said to His disciples, 'The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore beseech the Lord of the harvest to sent out laborers into His harvest.'" (Luke 10:2) 


Because we've been on the road and on the go, Phillip's fall garden has been neglected a bit. Nevertheless, Tuesday afternoon, under the weeds, he found a harvest of vegetables just waiting to be picked.

In Luke's Gospel chapter 10, Jesus sent forth 70 servants of God into the fields of the world to harvest the lost and neglected and downtrodden. The amplified version reads: "The harvest is abundant [for there are many who need to hear the Good News about salvation], but the workers [those available to proclaim the message of salvation] are few. Therefore, [prayerfully] ask the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into His harvest."

Beloved, "lift up your eyes and look on the fields, that are white for harvest" (John 4:35). GO! Tell! Pray! The harvest is waiting.

Read more...

What Should I Do

superhero grandboys

"Peter's words pierced their hearts, and they said to him and to the other apostles, 'Brothers, what should we do?'" (Acts 2:37)

While I kept these two superheroes a couple of weeks ago, we  talked a lot about daily choices between good and evil, obedience and disobedience, and the good or bad consequences that our choices bring upon us.

In women's ministry, I often hear the question, "What should I do?" from wives and mothers facing financial difficulty or marriage problems or the heartache of a wayward child. My answer mimics Mary at the wedding at Cana when she told the servants, "Do whatever He (Jesus) tells you."

Financial difficulties? Begin with Malachi 3:10: "Bring the full tithe into the storehouse...put Me to the test, says the LORD of hosts, if I will not open the windows of heaven for you and pour down a blessing until there is no more need."

Marriage problems? Begin with Ephesians 5:22-27: "Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord...Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved he church and gave Himself up for her."

Wayward child? Begin with 2 Timothy 2:24-26: "And the Lord's servant must not be quarrelsome but kind to everyone, able to teach, patiently enduring evil, correcting his opponents with gentleness. God may perhaps grant them repentance leading to the knowledge of the truth, and they may come to their senses and escape the snare of the devil, after being captured by him to do his will."

Oswald Chambers wrote: "It is a matter of obedience. If we turn away from obedience for even one second, darkness and death are immediately at work again. All of God's revealed truths are sealed until they are opened to us through obedience. If you obey God in the first thing He shows you, then He instantly opened up the next truth to you."

Beloved, are you asking, "What should I do?" Open the word of God for His perfect instruction, then trust and obey. 

And obey. 

And obey. 

And keep trusting. 

And keep obeying. 

God's word is the true lamp unto your feet and the bright light unto your right path (Psalm 119:105).

Read more...

Change Direction

Joyce and a California sea lion

"So the disciples went out, telling everyone they met to repent of their sins and turn to God." (Mark 6:12)

Have you ever taken off for one place but, surprisingly, landed somewhere totally different? Today, my friend, Joyce, and I headed downtown for a Bible study but (for a good reason) ended up at the Birmingham Zoo. 

In the Gospel of Mark, chapter 6, we find Jesus calling the Twelve together and sending them out two by two. Everywhere they went, the disciples preached the message of John the Baptist and Jesus: REPENT, i.e. turn from sin toward God, change direction and your way of thinking.

In Revelation, the last book of the Bible, the Lord begs His people to change direction: 

"Turn back to Me and do the works you did at first. If you don't repent, I will come and remove your lampstand from its place among the churches." (Rev. 2:5)

"Repent of your sin, or I will come to you suddenly and fight against them with the sword of My mouth." (Rev. 2:16)

"Go back to what you heard and believed at first; hold to it firmly. Repent and turn to Me again. If you don't wake up, I will come to you suddenly, as unexpected as a thief." (Revelation 3:3)

Beloved, are you running with the wrong crowd headed in the wrong direction? "Therefore repent and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped away, in order that times of refreshment may come from the presence of the LORD." (Acts 3:19)

Read more...

Best Advice You'll Hear Today

grandboys
Orange Beach

"Listen, beloved! The Lord is our God, the Lord alone. And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your strength. And you must commit yourselves wholeheartedly to these commandments that I am giving you today. Repeat them again and again to your children. Talk about them when you are at home, and when you are on the road, when you are going to bed and when you are getting up." (Deuteronomy 6:4-7)

Got it?

Read more...

What's Happenin'

L-R me, my  brother, Mark, and his two, sweet grandgirls

"And now this Good News has been announced to you by those who preached in the power of the Holy Spirit sent from heaven. It is all so wonderful that even the angels are eagerly watching these things happen." (1 Peter 1:12)

We had a wonderful visit with my brother, Mark's, family over the weekend. I nick-named my two-year-old great-niece Curious George, because her pet response to everything is: "What's happenin'?"

In the New Testament book of First Peter, according to the Moody Bible Commentary: Peter lingers over the word salvation and the Old Testament prophets who marveled over God's grace. The prophets made careful searches and inquiries because they did not understand who would fulfill the predictions or when He would come...The prophets also understood they were not writing these things for themselves, but for those who would follow many years later. The Gospel was declared, accompanied by the Spirit's work. This salvation is something the angels long to look into [what's happening?]. Unfallen angels do not need salvation; fallen angels (demons) are confirmed in wickedness. They learn about salvation by observing earthly believers.

Jesus began His ministry by declaring, "Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand." The Old Testament prophecies were fulfilled in Jesus Christ, the Messiah, who took away the sins of believers in Him. 

With each invitation to trust and follow Jesus, angels watch with bated breath and burst into joyful songs when even one sinner repents (Luke 15:10).

Beloved, have you made the angels sing? Are you washed in the blood of the Lamb?

Read more...

Let US Pray

My family
Washington D.C
2001

"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. Pray this way for kings and all who are in authority so that we can live peaceful and quiet lives marked by godliness and dignity. This is good and pleases God our Savior, who wants everyone to be saved and to understand the truth." (1 Timothy 2:1-5)

O heavenly Father,

We praise You. We acknowledge that You are God, and we are Your people. We enter Your gates with thanksgiving and Your courts with praise. You are the great and awesome God. You are our Lord. You are our Savior. You are the only hope.

As You have commanded, we intercede today for President Trump. We thank You for him and ask that You give him godly wisdom and Your protection. Fill him with the knowledge of Your will and surround him with wise counsel.

We ask that no weapon formed against him will prosper. Please rescue him from every trap and shelter him under Your wings. May Your faithfulness by his protective shield. We pray that President Trump will make You his refuge.

O Lord, be the repairer of the breach in our land. Make us once again one nation under God, indivisible with liberty and justice for all. For we have sinned and done wrong. We have rebelled against You and scorned Your commandments. 

May we, the people, love You, obey You, and hold fast to you as did our founding fathers. May Your people called by Your name—Jesus Christ, the name above every name—humble ourselves and pray, seek Your face and turn from our wicked ways. Hear our prayers, O Lord. Forgive our sins. Cleanse us from all unrighteousness and heal our land.

O God, lean down and listen to Your people. Open Your eyes and see our despair. We make this plea, not because we deserve help, but because of Your great mercy. O Lord, hear. O Lord, forgive. O Lord, listen and act!

Unto You, Father God, Lord Jesus, Holy Spirit, be the glory and honor and majesty forever and ever. 

In Jesus' name we pray, 

Amen and Amen!

Pray, beloved, and pass it on!

Read more...

Story Rising

L-R Uncle Claud, Aunt Sally, my grandmother
early 1900s

"And now, compelled by the Spirit, I am going..." (Acts 20:22)

I haven't finished next year's children's book, yet I feel another story rising: Unity Brown (my grandmother's great-grandmother's story).

It's certainly not earthly success that drives me, because there is little.  It's a compelling heavenly Voice, the Holy Spirit of God—the One who says, "Do not merely listen to My words. Do what I say."

What drives you, beloved? "Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a Voice behind you, saying, "This is the way; walk in it!" (Isaiah 30:21)

Read more...

Unity Brown Beason

Unity Brown Beason
1834-1910
(my 1/2 Cherokee great, great, great, grandmother)

"I urge you to lead a life worthy of your calling, for you have been called by God. Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all." (Ephesians 4:1-6)

We are one in the Spirit

We are one in the Lord.

We are one in the Spirit

 We are one in the Lord,

And we pray that all unity may one day be restored.

And they'll know we are Christians 

By our love, by our love,

Yes they'll know we are Christians by our love.

We will work with each other,

We will work side by side.

We will work with each other

And together we'll spread the News

That God is in our land.

And they'll know we are Christians 
By our love, by our love
Yes they'll know we are Christians by our love.

This 1966 hymn, "We are One in the Spirit," by Peter Scholte kicked off last weekend's Recreate Women's Conference with the theme: One in Christ. 

On Sunday, after attending the conference with my daughters-in-law, I had a lovely visit with a beloved cousin that I had not seen in a month of Sundays. He gave me a portrait of our great, great, great grandmother, Unity Brown Beason, who was half Cherokee Native American. 

How significant that her parents—David Brown and Susan Battles Brown (whom we assume was full-blooded Cherokee)—named their daughter Unity, symbolic of the union between two people groups: the Anglo-Saxons and the Native North Americans.

In his letter to the Ephesians, the Apostle Paul taught that harmony in Christ's body is God's purpose. Christ's body is One Body comprised of many congregations from many different people groups. Thus Christians should live according to God's purpose and strive to maintain unity. 

Beloved, some of us like the old hymns; some like the new praise choruses. Some of us are old; some of us are young. Some of us wear make-up; some of us don't. Some of us are Democrats; some of us are Republicans. Yet, red, brown, yellow, black, or white, we are precious in God's sight, and we must make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of love and peace. Amen? 

Amen!

Read more...

Use Your Man Voice, Sir

Our Dan, front and center
US  Marine Corp Parris Island
2004

"Be on the alert, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be brave and strong." (1 Corinthians 16:13)

They arrive at Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island as boys. They leave as men. 

Near the end of our Dan's basic training, while his platoon stood at attention—chin up, chest out, arms fixed at the side, head and eyes locked in a fixed forward posture, blank facial expression—the drill instructor's voice cracked as he barked out final orders. A new private in the back row cried, "Use your man voice, sir!!" Dan said that every Marine including the drill instructor laughed and broke stance that day.

(Yesterday, superman and I finished the novel, Overcomer, by Chris Fabry. As I read aloud, I remembered Dan's story and used my deep, man voice through the emotional parts. It made us laugh and not cry.)

Are you marching through some hard times, beloved? Stand firm in the faith, be brave, be strong in the Lord Jesus Christ, and use your man voice.

Read more...

County Champ

 Cross-Country County Champs
(grandboy in the gray shirt on the right)

"Don't you realize that in a race everyone runs, but only one person gets the prize? So run to win!" (1 Corinthians 9:24)

Big week for the oldest grandboy. His cross-country team won the county championship and today is his fourteenth birthday. 

Congrats and happy birthday, Bud! We're so proud of the young man you've become. May you grow to be a mighty man of God who loves the Lord, obeys His voice, holds fast to Him, and serves Him with a whole heart all the days of your life!!! 

I love you!!

Memaw

"Grandchildren are the crowning glory of the aged..." (Proverbs 17:6)

Read more...