Cheese

grandboys

"Today I have given you the choice between life and death, between blessings and curses....Oh, that you would choose life, so that you and your descendants might live! You can make this choice by loving the LORD your God, obeying Him, and committing yourself firmly to Him. This is the key to your life...." (Deuteronomy 30:19-20)

Last night -

Dad: "Okay, boys, say cheese!"

"Cheese!"

Dad: "Keep saying cheese."

"Cheese!"

"Cheese!"

"Cheese!"

Dad (to the little one) : "So what kind of animal are you?"

"Cheese!"

Dad: "You're a puppy. What does the puppy say?"

"Cheese!"

(You told him to keep saying cheese. C'mon, dad!)

Oh, beloved, that we would be as unswerving in obedience to our Father's voice!

"That is why the Holy Spirit says, 'Today when you hear His voice, don't harden your hearts...'" (Hebrews 3:7-8)

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Haunting Tug-O--War

"Alfalfa" grandboy
October 31, 2016

"Don't copy the behavior and customs of the world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God's will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect." (Romans 12:2)

"Memaw, wanna go trick or treating with us?" asked the 3-year-old grandboy over the phone.

"I'm sorry, buddy, but I've got Bible study with the girls," I answered.

"Okay. Wanna go trick or treating with us, Memaw?" he repeated.

Years ago, with our own kids, we decided to stop celebrating Halloween, but now with grandkids on the scene, the tug-o-war is on again. This year, the Lord settled it for me: the older grands' church trunk-or-treat was rained out last Friday night, and I'm leading Bible study tonight while the younger grands are trick or treating.

In a haunting, Halloween tug-o-war, beloved? Seek the Lord and pray that His will be done. Period.

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Faithful or Fair-weather Friend

grandboy #13

"...no one came with me...Everyone abandoned me...But the Lord stood with me and gave me strength." (2 Timothy 4:16-17)

It was brrr-willy cold at the grandboy's Saturday soccer tournament in Indy.

our Rebecca and another grandboy

Nevertheless, we faithfully stood our ground and cheered him on from the sidelines. 

grandgirl and me

(They made it to the finals, by the way, but lost in overtime 4 to 3.)

Pastor Larry Stockstill wrote: "Whether a 'clear' day or a 'cloudy' day dawns, [God's] mercies truly 'begin afresh each day.' Great is His faithfulness."

What about you, beloved? Are you a faithful friend to Jesus in the sunny skies of life as well as its bitter winters? 

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Spurring On

grandgirl and me




"Let's see how inventive we can be in encouraging love and helping out, not avoiding worshiping together as some do but spurring each other on, especially as we see the big Day approaching." (Hebrews 10:25 The Message)

Yesterday, an outpouring of friends, tall and small, from her church and school (even the pastor and 5th grade teacher) showed up to cheer on my illustrator/grandgirl in her first book signing.

Got friends, beloved? See how inventive you can be in encouraging them and spurring them on to good works as we joyfully anticipate the big Day of Jesus' return.

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Bring the Children

children's choir practice: "Jesus is alive!"

But Jesus said, "Let the children come to me. Don't stop them!" (Matthew 19:14)

I'm searching for right words to describe to you the burning fire in my heart. Last night, I crossed paths with some very messed up young-adult lives, and today, I'm speaking to elementary-school children about God's love and plans for them. 

Oh Lord, teach them - the messed up and the little ones - Your ways that they may walk in truth. Give them undivided minds to fear Your name!

Let's get to work, beloved! It's a matter of life and death. Teach God's ways! Give your complete attention to these matters. Be an example to the world in the way you live, in your love, your faith, and your purity!!! 

 

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In Order

 Disorderly M & M cookie

"But be sure that everything is done properly and in order." (1 Corinthians 14:40)



I could be the "in order" 1 Corinthians 14:40 poster child.

In my concrete-sequential mind, "properly" baked M & M cookies always have every "m" face down and no cookie has two M & M's of the same color. But with kids and grands tearing through the house this weekend, I kicked orderly out the window and slapped those suckers on hot cookies with no thought, rhyme, or reason as to right-sides up or well-ordered color schemes.

Is your world topsy-turvy, beloved? Look to Jesus - the 1 Corinthians 14:33 Lord, Almighty God, steadfast in order and perfect, never-ending peace amidst a world of chaotic children.

"For God is not a God of disorder but of peace - as in all the congregations of the Lord's people." (1 Corinthians 14:33)

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A+

Our Ben, late 1980s

"Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or rude.  It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged." (1 Corinthians 13:4-5)

Our Ben came home from 1st grade with his first report card and announced, "Mama, I got an "A" in everything but actin'."

"What's acting?" I asked.

"The way you act," he explained.

View Sunday's outstanding message on "A+" Christian "acting"  by Pastor Chris Hodges:

The Daniel Dilemma part 4

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10-Day Forecast

grandboys feeding the deer

Thought for the day:

"Look at the birds. They don't plant or harvest or store food in barns, for your heavenly Father feeds them. And  aren't you far more valuable to Him than they are? Can all your worries add a single moment to your life?...So don't worry...Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and He will give you everything you need." (Matthew 6:26-27,31,33)

10-Day Forecast:

A 100% chance of increased kid, grandkid, and storybook activities over the next 10 days with increased chances of occasional, scattered posts across the wonderful family storybooks blog. 

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4 to 1 - Money-back Guaranteed Workout Plan

grandboys on the run

"Physical training is good, but training for godliness is much better, promising benefits in this life and the life to come. This is a trustworthy saying, and everyone should accept it." (1 Timothy 4:8-9)

Because the Bible says that physical training is good, but spiritual training is much better, I practice the 4 to 1 daily workout plan: 60 minutes with God and 15 minutes of exercise.

Oswald Chambers said, "The great enemy of the Lord Jesus Christ today is the idea of practical work that...insists upon endless energy and activities, but no private life with God. And if you waste your time in overactivity, instead of immersed in the great fundamental truths of God's redemption, then you will snap when the stress and strain do come. But if this time of soaking before God is being spent in getting rooted and grounded in Him, which may appear to be impractical, then you will remain true to Him whatever happens."

Take the challenge, beloved. Try the 4 to 1 workout plan - God promises that you'll benefit in this life and in the eternal life to come!

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Cake and Greens

grandboy's peanut butter, chocolate chip 12th b'day cake
compliments of Memaw

"The LORD is slow to get angry, but His power is great, and He never lets the guilty go unpunished. He displays His power in the whirlwind and the storm. The billowing clouds are the dust beneath His feet...He will sweep away His enemies in an overwhelming flood. He will pursue His foes into the darkness of night. Why are you scheming against the LORD? He will destroy you with one blow; He won't need to strike twice!" (Nahum 1:3,8-9)

At the women's Recreate Conference 2017, Charlotte Gambill taught that we relish the sweet Scriptures of the Bible, but we also need to consume it's greens - truths that save us and make us strong and spiritually healthy.

Sitting among the smorgasbord of:

 "God is love"

"God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son" or

 

"God is your refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble"

are truthful warnings:

"Anyone who does not have the Son, does not have the Father, either"

"the Day of the Lord's return will come unexpectedly, like a thief in the night" 

"throw the useless servant into outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth."

Tim Mackie in the Bible Project's book of Daniel said, "Humans become beasts when they exalt themselves and don't acknowledge God as King." 

There will be a day of reckoning, my friend. O people of the nations, who sits upon your heart's thrown? Yourself or Jesus?

Seek the LORD while He may be found; call upon Him while He is near! (Isaiah 55:6)

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All the King's Men

Washington DC vacation with dear friends 2001
(three on right are my kids)

"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 may live peaceful and quiet lives marked by godliness and dignity. This is good and pleases God our Savior." (1 Timothy 2:1-3)

A house-rule when our kids were little: you don't have to understand or agree, but you do have to obey your parents.

A God house-rule: you don't have agree with them, but you must pray and give thanks for kings and those in authority. "Ask Me to help them," God says, "for I control the course of world events; I remove kings and set up other kings" (Daniel 2:21).

Daily, I pray for Donald Trump, President of the United States of America and Kim Jong-un, Commander of North Korea. Do you? It's a God-obeying, God-pleasing thing to do, you know.

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To Russia With Love

a treasured gift in 1994

"But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be My witnesses, telling people about  Me everywhere - in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth." (Acts 1:8)

Dear Russia,

I don't know your name or the name of the city or town or village where you live. I do know, however, that over the five-year lifespan of this little blog spot, you, dear Russia, run second only to the United States of America in numbers of views. Thank you!

In 1994, my Phillip visited your "neck of the wood" (as we say in Alabama), and a lovely gentleman gave him a figurine from an otherwise bare cupboard - a gracious gift of hospitality that we humbly treasure.

Before writing a post, I ask the Lord Jesus what He will speak to the nations. Today, I believe He said, "Tell Russia that I love her. Tell Russia that I came to earth for her men, women, and children, died on a cross in their place for their sins, and rose again. Tell them to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and receive God's free gift of eternal life."

And so I did.

Your friend in Christ,

Jill 

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Pollyanna Perspective

silly grands

"What a beautiful thing, God, to give thanks, to sing an anthem to You, the High God! To announce Your love each daybreak, sing Your faithful presence all through the night." (Psalm 92:1-2 The Message)

You may recall that one of our favorite empty-nest pastimes is reading children's fiction together. Last weekend, we finished Nim's Island and this week, we started Pollyanna Grows Up - the 1915 sequel to Pollyanna by Eleanor H. Porter about a little girl who is glad, glad, GLAD in everything.

If you think about it, a good day is built or torn down by our own attitude. 

In Paul's New Testament letters, he wrote: "Celebrate God all day, every day. I mean, revel in Him. Don't fret or worry. Instead of worrying, pray. Let petitions and praises and thanksgivings shape your prayers. Learn the secret of contentment. What happens when you live this God-way? God brings out the fruit of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, humility, and self-control."

Francis de Sales once said, "Search your heart several times a day, and if you find something that is disturbing your peace, remember to take the proper steps [before God] to restore the calm."

How ya feelin' today, beloved? Glad? Sad? Mad? Why don't you have a little talk with Jesus?

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For the Love of People

kids and grands
North woods at the farm

If anyone boasts, "I love God," and goes right on hating his brother or sister, thinking nothing of it, he is a liar. If he won't love the person he can see, how can he love the God he can't see? The command we have from Christ is blunt: Loving God includes loving people. You've got to love both." (1 John 4:20-21 The Message)

On my book-writing journey, I'm following God's roadmap of instructions:

Starting point: 

It's time to write her story. Spend time with Me and do what I tell you to do.........

Point A: 

Make the story a children's book that teaches Biblical truths to help parent bring up kids in the way they should go...........

Point B: 

Cast the books into "deep waters" a.k.a. Deep Sea Publishing.......

Point C: 

For book #3, make it smaller with black and white illustrations to be more affordable for families..........

Point D: 

For book #4, write stories of your own family's adventures and leave your grandkids a legacy.

Point E:

Read to school children and senior adults wherever I open a door.

Point F: 

Give away copies of The Schoolhouse. Yes, for free.

Point G: 

For book #6, your grandgirl is your illustrator...........

Point H: 

For book #7, offer a cash-prize student art competition for the cover art..................

Did you spot that the outstanding landmark beside each and every point on my map isn't book sales or fame or fortune? The object of God's pointed instructions is simply the people He loves.

And the object of this post, beloved, is: whatever we do in word or deed, do all for the glory of God and the love of His people.

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