Prone to Wander

The grands and lego Darth Vader of the "Dark Side"
Chicago, Illinois

"So the trouble is not with the law, for it is spiritual and good. the trouble is with me, for I am all too human, a slave to sin. I don't really understand myself, for I want to do what is right, but I don't do it. Instead, I do what I hate...Oh, what a miserable person I am! Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin and death? Thank God! The answer is in Jesus Christ our Lord." (Romans 7:14, 24-25 NLT)         

       What a grand trip to Chicago with the grands last week - grand weather, grand fun, and grand memories. In our hustle and bustle schedule, however, I failed to make daily time for Jesus and  quickly wandered toward "the dark side" in thought, word, and deed. 

O to grace how great a debtor 

DAILY I'm constrained to be!

Let Thy grace, Lord, like a fetter,

Bind my wandering heart to Thee.

Prone to wander, Lord I feel it,

Prone to leave the God I love;

Here's my heart, O take and seal it;

Seal it for Thy courts above.1

Lord, I need You every day, hour, and minute! 

Have you and Jesus visited today?

1 COME, THOU FOUNT OF EVERY BLESSING. Words, Robert Robinson, 1758. 

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A Day of Make Believe

Family Fun at Legoland


"A merry heart...

The grands at LegoLand


does good...

Lego Chicago

like a...

"The Brothers Grimm"
Children's opera performed at Whitney M. Young Magnet School
(Alma mata of Michelle Obama)

medicine." (Proverbs 17:22)

dinner at the Rainforest Cafe

May you overflow with laughter and love today!

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Chicago, Chicago, That Toddlin' Town!

Downtown Chicago

"You are the light of the world - like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden." (Matt. 5:14)

The Bean

Millennium Park

"No one lights a lamp and then puts it under a basket. Instead, a lamp is placed on a stand, where it gives light to everyone in the house." (Matt. 5:15)

Our Rebecca and precious grandson

Lake Michigan

"In the same way, let your good deeds [light] shine out for all to see, that everyone will praise your heavenly Father." (Matt. 5:16)

Are you shining today?

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Happy 113th Birthday, Grandmama!

L-R Claude Russell Robison, Sally Beason Robison Watson, and
Jessielee Robison Watson Nance (my grandmother: 1901-1992)
early 1900s

"She looks for wool and flax and works with her hands... She girds herself with strength and makes her arms strong. She senses that gain is good; her lamp does not go out at night." 

(Prov. 31:13,17-18)

              Because jobs were scarce in Alabama in the 1920s, my grandfather Watson took his young family to Akron to find work in the automobile factories. He died of pneumonia that cold, Ohio winter - leaving a young bride, one preschool son (my daddy), and a baby on the way.
             Grandmama traveled by train back to Collinsville, Alabama, moved in with her parents, Frank and Viola Robison, and earned a college degree in education to support her children and herself. Several years later, she married my step-granddad, Floyd Cleveland Nance and would continue to teach well into her 80s on Lookout Mountain at Fischer Elementary School until the school board eventually forced her retirement. 
             I remember her gnarled hands - not from arthritis, mind you, but from several broken fingers - her softball badge of courage. G-Nance was the children's pitcher.
             The last words I heard her utter before Jesus ushered her into heaven were "I love you" to me and "How long, Jesus, how long?" to her Savior. She was ready and eager to walk through those pearly gates into forevermore.

              Thank you, Grandmama, for teaching us hard-work ethics and the hope of heaven - eternal life through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ!

What are we teaching our children and grandchildren?

       

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Pink Hummers

Local police department's "Pink" Hummer





"I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith; and in the future there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord [Jesus], the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day; and not only me, but also to
all who have loved His appearing." (2 Tim. 4:7-8)

       One of my kids snapped this shot of a local police department's pink hummer. Normally, pink and Hummers go together about as well as honey on a juicy, medium rare, T-bone steak; but when it comes to breast cancer awareness, even burly, NFL linebackers and courageous policemen wear pink. Did you read the slogan?

Support the FIGHTERS

Admire the SURVIVORS

Honor the TAKEN

And never give up HOPE!

            In chapters 11 and 12 of the book of Hebrews in the New Testament, heroes of faith in Jesus Christ "conquered kingdoms, performed acts of righteousness, obtained promises, shut the mouths of lions, quenched the power of fire, escaped the edge of the sword... put foreign armies to flight...

and others

were tortured... stoned, sawn in two... put to death with the sword... men [and women] of whom the world was not worthy."

             Yesterday, on Christian radio, I heard the astounding statistic that more followers of Jesus Christ were martyred in the 20th century than in all previous centuries combined. Fellow soldiers of the cross, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us fix our eyes on Jesus as we... 

honor the MARTYRS, 

take up the whole ARMOR OF GOD, 

continue spreading the GOOD NEWS 

of life eternal through faith in Jesus Christ, 

and never give up HOPE in God, 

our FATHER, 

SON, 

and HOLY SPIRIT!

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Pray for Steven

My Phillip and me, off to the honeymoon, Sept. 10, 1977
Children from top L-R:
nephew Michael, Chris Long, nephew Steven (hand on hip, navy blue jacket),
and my cousin Bryan





"God is our refuge and strength, a very present help
 in times of trouble." Psalm 46:1

        Steven was 4 when I started dating "Uncle Phil". He was the cutest little fellow you've ever seen and quite the conversationalist.

         Today, Steven's critically ill and experiencing unthinkable pain and suffering. In our humanness, it's hard not to wonder, "Where are You, God?"

        Years ago, Phillip and I were up to our eyeballs in financial "misfortune", which in reality was nothing compared to Steven's illness. One dreary, cloudy day, I looked out a window and asked, "Lord, where are you?"

 

           At that very moment, the clouds parted, a ray of sunshine hit me full in the face; and then as quickly as light had come, the clouds closed, and the sun was gone again.

            In my spirit, I heard the Lord say, "Jill, I'm here; you just can't see me for troubles' clouds. But as certain as you know the sun is still in the heavens, know that I am with you all the time."

              Jesus warned, "I have told you these things so that in Me you may have peace. You will suffer in this world. Be courageous! I have overcome the world" (John 16:33) and "I will never leave you, nor forsake you" (Heb. 13:5b).

Please pray for our Steven today. Thank you.

I need Thee every  hour, most precious Lord;
No tender voice like Thine can peace afford.

I need Thee, O I need Thee;
Every hour I need Thee,
O bless me now, my Savior, I come to Thee.

I need Thee every hour, in joy or pain;
Come quickly and abide, or life is vain.
I need Thee, O I need Thee;
Every hour I need Thee,
O bless me now, my Savior, I come to Thee.1

1 I NEED THEE EVERY HOUR. Annie S. Hawks, 1835-1918.

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Just Passing Through

"War Eagle" Cousins:
My niece, Virginia, and my Ben
2006




"So two good things will result from this ministry of giving - the needs of the believers...will be met, and they will joyfully express their thanks to God." (2 Cor. 9:12 NLT)

        "Conduit" is defined as a channel for conveying water or other fluid; i.e. the thing the water passes through. I got to be a "conduit" today! 

      A few weeks ago, I blogged that we were blessed with two free tickets to the Auburn vs. LSU football game; and today, I had the joy of passing the blessing onto an overjoyed, praising-the-Lord, Church of the Highlands' brother.

What's in your hand? Lord, make us conduits of Your blessings.

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Raised from the Dead!!!

Church of the Highlands' Dream Center -
where Jesus makes dead people alive!

"You were dead in your trespasses and sins, in which you formerly walked according to the course of this world, according to [the devil] the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience... But God, being rich mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ, by grace you have been saved!" (Eph. 2:1-5)

            At Church of the Highlands last night, Pastor Louie Giglio of Passion City Church in Atlanta preached a message in three powerful statements that's worth repeating and repeating and repeating :

"Sin does not make us bad people. Sin makes us dead people."

"When we are dead, we can't do one thing to help ourselves."

"Jesus came down from heaven not to make bad people better; Jesus came down from heaven 

to make dead people alive!"

"For by grace you have been save through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not a result of works, so that no one may boast." (Eph. 2:8-9)

Isaiah 66:24 graphically describes the destiny of the dead, "their worm will never die and their fire will not be quenched; and they will be an abhorrence to all mankind."

Are you dead or alive? 

"Whosoever calls on the name of the Lord [Jesus] will be saved [made alive]." (Rom. 10:13)

This is the Gospel! 

Pass is on!

To hear Louie Giglio's full message: 

• Go to: www.churchofthehighlands.com
• Click media
• Click Midweek Messages 
• Click "The Fuel of Life" by Louie Giglio

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Blessed Children

Our eldest grandson
Sporting his new SLIDES

"How blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, nor stand in the path of sinners, nor sit in the seat of scoffers! But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in His law he meditates day and night. He will be like a tree firmly planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in its season and its leaf does not wither; and in whatever he does, he prospers." (Psalm 1:1-3)



                 Years ago, the Lord taught my Phillip the power of blessing. When our children were small, oftentimes, each rested his/her little head on their father's knees; then he placed his hands on that head and prayed blessings over them. By God's power and grace, those words of God did not return void! 

                 Today, I carry a picture of our family of now twelve in my journal. Each morning, I place a finger on each of their heads and pray blessings over them; and by God's power and grace, the words of God are succeeding where they're sent.

So, have you blessed your children today?

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Homecoming Dress

Our beautiful Lila
First Homecoming Dance




"Let us rejoice and be glad and give the glory to Him, for the marriage of the Lamb 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."
(Rev. 19:7-8)

             Yesterday, I received this picture of our beautiful "niece" (by love, not blood) all dressed up for her first homecoming dance.

             In the book of Revelation, we're told that the Church, the lovely bride of Christ Jesus, will be dress in her finest - her acts of righteousness.

O child of God, be careful how you "act" today. After all, you're weaving what you'll wear to The Wedding.

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the High and Exalted One says

L-R - my friends Sunitha, Debora, Dawn,
my aunt, Mary Grace, me,
my daughters-in-law, Gabbi and Mandy
ReCreate, 2014





"For the High and Exalted One, who lives forever, whose name is Holy says this: 'I live in a high and holy place, and with the oppressed and lowly of spirit, to revive the spirit of the lowly and revive the heart of the oppressed.'" (Isa. 57:15)

          Before the ReCreate Women's Conference this past weekend, I'd prayed for my family and friends to personally hear the Lord's voice and be refreshed. God, indeed, spoke clearly to each of us. All praise to Jesus, the High and Exalted One!

       From the beginning, Satan's oldest trick against mankind has been and continues to be the temptation to doubt God's voice. In the Garden of Eden, the beguiling serpent hoodwinked Eve by saying, "Has God indeed said?"

Have you heard God's voice? Welcome the message with joy, search the Scriptures to make certain that voice aligns with God's Word, close your ears to all other voices, and then stand firm on the promises of God!

Standing on the promises of Christ my King,

Through eternal ages let His praises ring,

Glory in the highest, I will shout and sing,

Standing on the promises of God!

Standing on the promises that cannot fail,

When the howling storms of doubt and fear assail,

By the living Word of God I shall prevail,

Standing on the promises of God!1

1 STANDING ON THE PROMISES. Russell K. Carter, 1886.

ReCreate Women's Conference, 2014

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Oh Happy Day!

My Phillip, our granddog, Gabe, and Superman's treasured dump truck


"You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self,
which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires;
to be made new in the attitude of your minds;
and to put on the new self, created to
be like God in true righteousness and holiness." (Eph. 4:22-24)

         My superman's one of the most content fellows I know; and at the farm in his dump truck, he's happier than a piggy in a Mississippi mud puddle.

        Proverbs 23:7 states "as [a man] thinks in his heart, so is he." More than circumstances, it is the thoughts of our minds and attitude of our hearts that determines our well-being. Ella Wheeler Wilcox, an American author and poet, once wrote, "Tis the set of the sails and not the gales that tells us the way to go."

      In Scripture after Scripture, the Lord teaches the beneficial or destructive impact of thoughts and attitude. 

Sarah Young in her "40 Days with Jesus" said:

      "Do not listen to voices...not from [God]...
Let the Spirit take charge of your mind,
combing out tangles of deception.
Be transformed
by the truth
that [God] lives in you!"

Having a happy day? Check your thoughts and attitude and "whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence, and if anything worthy of praise, let your mind dwell on these things"(Phil. 4:8). 

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J & J Red Cab Express

Jill & Jane's red car "taxi service"





"The Lord appointed seventy others also, and sent them two by two ahead of Him to every town and place where He was about to go." (Luke 10:1)

         Because we combined the Woodlawn and N. Avondale women's Bible study groups to meet together at the N. Avondale Library, the Woodlawn saints need transportation. The Lord gave Jane, my friend and "ana duo" (companion in the work of the Gospel), the grand instruction for us to transport the Woodlawn ladies back and forth between the Dream Center and library each week.

          In the book of Luke, Jesus sent His disciples ahead of Him by twos (in the Greek: "ana duo") to prepare the way of the Lord.

So, dear friends, grab a partner in the Gospel of Jesus Christ - your "ana duo" - and y'all get to work today! It's so much fun!

"They got the church together and reported on their trip, telling in detail how God had used them to throw the door of faith wide open so people of all nations could come streaming in." (Acts 14:27 The Message)

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Manifold Grace

My Rebecca and my Ben,
Summer, 1986?





"As each one has received a special gift,
employ it in serving one another as good stewards of the
manifold grace of God." (1 Peter 4:10)

         This photo of Rebecca and Ben in their colorful Native American headdresses was taken in my parent's flower garden following a vacation to the Great Smoky Mountains. Could you guess?

      After reading 1 Peter 4:10 this morning, I researched    "manifold" and learned that the Greek word "poikilos", translated as manifold, literally means "of various colors." Thus, God's manifold grace is His unmerited favor (grace) demonstrated in numerous different ways - like the multicolored facets of an exquisite diamond.

May the light of God's beautiful, manifold grace radiate through us today as we serve one another as good stewards of His undeserved favor.

"Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify the Father which is in heaven." (Matt. 5:16)

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