Because superman had to have minor surgery a few weeks ago, we postponed our September anniversary trip to October.
With that delay came sweatshirts and jeans, splashes of red, yellow, and pumpkin-orange under bright blue skies, and goldenrods and Black-eyed Susans waving in the meadows.
Sometimes, beloved, delay is better than on time. Father God knows best! Trust Him.
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| cross at Hope Haven "For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life." (John 3:16) "Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved." (Romans 10:13) "...You are a God of forgiveness, gracious and merciful..." (Nehemiah 9:17) On Wednesday, I told you that the salvation of a soul in his last hour was at the tiptop of my prayer list. Yesterday, just in the nick of time, he called on the name of Jesus! Yesterday, Jesus saved that lost and dying soul! Praise the Father! Praise the Son! Holy Spirit, three in One! Wonderful merciful Savior Precious Redeemer and Friend Who would have thought that a Lamb could Rescue the souls of man Oh You rescue the souls of man, Counselor Comforter Keeper Spirit we long to embrace You offer hope when our heart have Hopelessly lost our way Oh we've hopelessly lost the way. You are the One that we praise You are the One we adore. You give the healing and grace our Hearts always hunger for Oh our hearts always hunger for. Oh mighty infinite Father Faithfully loving Your own Here in our weakness you find us Falling before Your throne Oh we're falling before Your throne.1 1 WONDERFUL MERCIFUL SAVIOR. Eric Wyse and Dawn Rodgers, 1989. |
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| Our Daniels, 1986 L-R my nephew Daniel, my son Daniel ("Dan") "In the first year of Darius son of Xerxes (a Mede by descent) who was made ruler over the Babylonian Kingdom...I, Daniel,...turned to the Lord God and pleaded with Him in prayer and petition, in fasting, and in sackcloth and ashes." (Daniel 9:1-3) In 1985, my sweet sister-in-law and I were expecting babies at the same time and had the same boy name picked out: Daniel. (In those days, you didn't know if you were having a boy or girl until the birth day.) Because our baby was due first, I boasted, "Well, if we both have boys, whoever has the baby first gets the name." When their Daniel came early and our baby was late, I asked Phillip, "Now what are we gonna do if we have a boy, too?" My superman said, "Name him Daniel. One will be Daniel Watson in Kentucky and the other Dan Glassco in Louisiana. It won't be confusing for anybody but your folks." Now, on to the point of the post. After overthrowing the Assyrian Empire and its capitol of Nineveh in 612 B.C., Babylon led by King Nebuchadnezzar defeated the Egyptian armies in 605 B.C. and moved on to besiege Jerusalem. Young Daniel was among the captives carried back to Babylon. In chapter 9 of the book of Daniel, some 70 years have passed and the Babylonian empire has fallen into the hands of the Medes and Persians. Still in captivity, now old Daniel prays for his nation: "Alas, O LORD, the great and awesome God, who keeps His covenant and lovingkindness for those who love Him and keep His commandments, we have sinned, committed iniquity, acted wickedly and rebelled, even turning aside from Your commandments and ordinances ... Righteousness belongs to You, O Lord, but to us open shame...All this calamity has come on us; yet we have not sought the favor of the LORD our God by turning from our iniquity and giving attention to Your truth...we have not obeyed Your voice...So now, our God, listen to the prayer of Your servant...and for Your sake...O my God, incline Your ear and hear! Open Your eyes and see our desolations...for we are not presenting our supplications before You on account of any merits of our own, but on account of Your great compassion. O Lord, hear! O Lord, forgive! O Lord, listen and take action! For Your own sake, O my God, do not delay, because...Your people are called by Your name." And today, over twenty-five hundred years later, O Lord, we pray Daniel's prayer for the United States of America. O my God, hear! O Lord, forgive! O Lord take action for Your own name's sake and Your people who are called by Your name! |
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| sunset fishing Coosa River farm "Do you believe that I am able to do this?" asked Jesus. "Yes, Lord." "Then according to your faith let it be done to you." (Matthew 9:28-29) Three things at the tiptop of my prayer list are: 1. Salvation of a marriage. 2. Salvation of our nation. 3. Salvation of a soul in his last hour. Ten years ago, I watched the Lord save a marriage when the couple obeyed God's word. Over three thousand years ago, God saved Israel from Egyptian slavery when His people cried out to Him. Two thousand years ago, Jesus saved a thief on the cross in his last hour when he asked for mercy. Oh, yes, beloved, our God is more than able. The question is: Are we obeying, crying out, and asking? |
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| grandboy "We will not hide these truths from our children; we will tell the next generation about the glorious deeds of the LORD, about His power and His mighty wonders." (Psalm 78:4) Recently, I pulled out an old, blue sweatshirt hidden in the cedar chest (that I'd painted for my Dan in the 80s) and passed it onto his little boy. In Psalm 78, Asaph urged his people to pass their stories, beliefs, and hope in God onto the next generation: "Oh my people, listen to my instructions. Open your ears to what I am saying, for I will speak to you in a parable. I will teach you hidden lessons from our past— stories we have heard and known, stories our ancestors handed down to us. We will not hide these truths from our children; we will tell the next generation about the glorious deeds of the LORD, about His power and His mighty wonders. For He assured His laws to Jacob; He gave His instructions to Israel. He commanded our ancestors to teach them to their children, so the next generation might know them— even the children not yet born— and they in turn will teach their own children. So each generation should set its hope anew on God, not forgetting His glorious miracles and obeying His commands." (Psalm 78:1-7) Is Jesus the Lord of your life, beloved? Pass Him on to the next generation. |
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| 4-year-old grandboy "Children are a gift from the LORD..." (Psalm 127:3) Friday night, our 4-year-old grandboy played his first soccer game ever. Before the game, I told him to score a goal for Memaw. He did and ran to the sidelines grinning. "I got you a goal, Memaw. Sunday afternoon, as soon as the almost 2-year-old grandboy got to the farm, he ran to the ski shed, found his life jacket, handed it to me to put on him, and said, "Boat!" Sunday evening, our other 4-year-old grandboy told his parents, "Mama and Daddy, you need to make a dinner plan, 'cause you take too long and then I'm starving!" Beloved, have you thanked God for your kids and grands today? |
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| South Carolina sunrise photo by my dear friend, Nancy "Jesus said to them: If you have faith as a grain of mustard seed, you shall say to this mountain, 'Remove from hence to hither,' and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible to you. But this kind [of evil] is not cast out but by prayer and fasting." (Matthew 17:20-21) Election Day is one month away. Beloved, if we truly want the evil in our land to move from hence to hither, we must do what Jesus told us to do: PRAY and FAST in FAITH in HIM! |
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| first graders, Dawn, "Mr. Greenleaf," and me 2015 "I thank God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now." (Philippians 1:3-5) Ding from Dawn: "Good morning. 🌞 Do you have time to visit for a while this morning?" Me: "I sure do! Would you like to take a walk?" Dawn: A walk sounds nice.💕 Dawn and I met several years ago in Bible study and later worked together leading inner-city Bible studies and creating Mr. Greenleaf's Unforgettable Summer, a Christian children's book published in 2015 by Deep Sea Publishing. Dawn illustrated; I wrote.  What a blessed way to start today, walking and talking and praying with my beloved friend and co-working in the gospel of Jesus Christ. Beloved, what are you thanking God for today? |
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| a sampling of my boys Coosa River Farm "I urge, then...that petitions, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgiving be made for all people—for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness." (1 Timothy 2:1-2) This morning, I heard a dad say that when his little girl walked into the room during the presidential debates, she said, "So, those two are all we have to choose from?" (LOL) Pray, beloved. Make petitions, prayers, and intercessions for those in authority; the Bible tells us so. Always remember: our hope is in God not man. |
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"...and the wife must respect her husband." (Ephesians 5:33) One of the irritating things I do to my superman is put away things he puts down. How do I know it's irritating? Because more than once, he's told me so. Yesterday, after I moved his sunglasses, keys, wallet, and baseball cap from the kitchen counter to the laundry room, the Holy Spirit whispered: "Show respect. Put it back where it was." It took choosing his druthers over mine, but I did it. Minutes later, a friend called needing encouragement to love and respect her husband. How could I have encouraged her to respect her husband if I had refused to respect my own? The LORD gives wisdom, beloved. Listen and obey! |
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| my North Avondale Bible Study ladies and me 2014 "She is clothed with strength and dignity, and she laughs without fear of the future. When she speaks, her words are wise, and she gives instructions with kindness." (Proverbs 31:25-26) "Brave and Kind" was this year's theme for Girls' Night at Church of the Highlands. Charlotte Gambill of LIFE Church, UK in England taught us, and the award winning gospel artist CeCe Winans lead worship. Friday night's message in a nutshell: "dress" yourself, your family, and your world with words of encouragement, affirmation, and faith in God through His Son Jesus Christ. Likewise, in a letter to the Thessalonians, the Apostle Paul wrote: "Now, brothers and sisters...you are all children of the light and children of the day. We do not belong to the night or to the darkness...Therefore, encourage one another and build each other up!...Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus. Do not quench the Spirit...May God Himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul, and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. The one who calls you is faithful, and He will do it!...The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you." (1 Thessalonians 5) Be brave, beloved. Be kind. Encourage one another in the Lord Jesus Christ and build each other up. |
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| grandboy 2015 "A final word: Be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power. Put on all of God's armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil." (Ephesians 6:10-11) Last night, I tripped over Satan's "what-if" snare for a man-child of mine. (I'll withhold the name to protect the innocent, but those of you who know my children's careers can easily guess which job comes with the temptation for his mama to fear.) My defense: raising the shield of faith in our faithful Almighty God, quoting aloud the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, and singing hymns of worship and praise to the Lord. And today's word to you, beloved: "Put on every piece of God's armor so you will be able to resist the enemy in this time of evil. Then after the battle you will still be standing firm. Stand your ground, putting on the belt of truth and the body armor of God's righteousness. For shoes, put on the peace that comes from the Good News so that you will be fully prepared. In addition to all of these, hold up the shield of faith to stop the fiery arrows of the devil. Put on salvation as your helmet, and take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. Pray in the Spirit at all times on every occasion. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere." (Ephesians 6:13-18) Got it? |
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| Our Rebecca and Stephen 2004 ...But there was no helper just right for [Adam]...Then the LORD God made a woman from the rib, and He brought her to the man. "At last!" the man exclaimed... (Genesis 2:20-22) When Rebecca was a young bride, God told her: "Your job is to be for Stephen, and when you are not for him, you are against Me." Selah. |
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| grandboys (4-year-old unloading washer) (1-year-old loading dryer) "Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven." (Matthew 6:10) My goal for today: do the will of God! "Now [beloved] may the God of peace—who brought up from the dead the Lord Jesus, the great Shepherd of the sheep, and ratified an eternal covenant with His blood—may He equip you with all you need for doing His will. May He produce in you, through the power of Jesus Christ, every good thing that is pleasing to Him. All glory to Him forever and ever! Amen." (Hebrews13:20-21) |
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