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PSALM 119: 90 "Your faithfulness continues to all generations; you

established the earth, and it endures."

This Psalm of David is from his heart as he looked backward and to the

future for Israel. The summer of 1942 Dad moved our family from Southern Missouri to Michigan. World war two raged and every person in our nation worked to help in the war effort. By early 1943 we were all working. Dad found work in a large chain food store that had stores in most of Michigan's large cities including Saginaw where we settled. Elizabeth worked in a restaurant, Georgia at F W Woolworth variety store and I attended Saginaw high school and worked at the soda fountain of Culver-Diesler pharmacy after school and weekends.

One night after everyone else had gone to bed I was working on my studies when Dad cried out about the pain in his chest. I was scared since our mother had died before my first birthday and now our Dad was writhing in pain. What will happen to us if he dies, I wondered? He suffered for two days while we tried to find a doctor to come help him. We were new in the city so no one would come until Elizabeth mentioned to one of her customers that Dad was suffering with chest pains and we had no way to take him to the doctor and none would come to our home. The customer owned a funeral parlor and told my sister he would use his hearse to take Dad to the Hospital. We were thankful to get Dad to someone who could ease his pain. After he came home from the hospital he rested a week or so then felt good and wanted to go to work. He came home after work that night very tired and went to bed immediately.

An hour later he had another heart attack that took his life. The night of December 9,1943 is forever sealed in my memory.

After the funeral we took Dad back to Missouri where he was interned beside our mother. God was faithful to Dad and Mother's next generation. I continued to attend school and work. My sisters worked but in our spare time we'd see a movie or ride a Greyhound bus to the amusement park in Flint. August of 1944 I met my future husband who was in the U S Navy. In January He came to Michigan on furlough to see me and asked me to marry him. We traveled to his home in Norman, Oklahoma and married January 13, 1945. Georgia met her husband after I left Michigan and they married June 29, 1945. On her vacation Elizabeth came to Oklahoma to visit me. Her Greyhound bus stopped in Kansas to allow a

group of military men to board. The soldier who sat beside Elizabeth became her husband when he was out of the military service in November 1945.

Father God, thank you for providing we three teenage orphans with husbands and their families to love and protect us only one year after our Dad's death. Amen

HOLY BIBLE BOOK DIVINE

BY

John Burton, Sr. 1773-1822

William B. Bradbury 1816-1868, Music

Holy Bible book Divine,

Precious treasure thou art mine;

Mine to tell me whence I came,

Mine to teach me what I am.

Mine to chide me when I rove,

Mine to show a Savior's love,

Mine thou art to guide and guard;

Mine to punish or reward.

Mine to comfort in distress,

Suffering in this wilderness;

Mine to show, by living faith,

We can triumph over death.

Mine to tell of joys to come,

And the rebel sinner's doom:

Oh thou holy Book divine,

Precious treasure, thou art mine.

Heavenly Father, thank you for the Bible, your holy Word.

We are so blessed to have it.

Help us remember and be grateful for all the people

who sacrificed their lives to preserve your Word

so that today we know you personally. Amen

September 2008: Grace Sufficient

2 Corinthians 12: 7-9 "To keep me from becoming conceited because of these surpassingly great revelations, there was given me a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. But he said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.' Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me."

Since apostle Paul never mentions his thorn again leads me to know his

ministry for Christ remained unhindered. Though he knew the thorn was still there, God's sufficient grace made it as though it was not.

Dear Readers, A modern day example of God's grace exemplified by His people happened in a sleepy little community located in the southeastern United States. A woman with three young children lived in a shack at the edge of town. This mother made her living taking men into her home. A man would stay awhile and move on. The woman would take in another man, then another and another.

Saturday night before Thanksgiving the shack burned when a curtain too near a space heater caught fire. The family was saved with only the clothes on their back. The police called the pastor of a nearby church who arranged a motel room for the family until other living quarters could be found. Sunday morning the pastor told his congregation what had happened. "The church doors will be unlocked all afternoon. I have the family's clothing sizes. If you have something you want to share bring it here to the front of the church."

Because the pastor was new, he didn't know how his people would respond to the disaster but when he arrived at the church for the evening worship hour, he opened the door and stared in amazement and shock. All across the front of the church was everything the family needed and much they had never had. A real estate agency gave the family an apartment with three months free rent. Someone else found the mother a job. With caring enthusiasm the children were enrolled in the Sunday school and auxiliary programs of the church.

The following Sunday during testimony time the mother stood and with tears said to the people, "I don't understand how you could care about me and my kids, but I thank you for all you have done to show kindness and love to us." She later made her profession of faith and was baptized into the church. Due to this manifestation of God's grace by His church when disaster struck, the woman's life changed. The church and community also changed. God's Spirit ignited the fires of generosity and the church came alive. The people prayed asking God to help them become aware of other needs for change in their community.

Lord God, it's your amazing grace alone that brings the needed changes in life's circumstances, changes that would otherwise never become reality. Thank you. Amen

Leviticus 25: 2-5 "Speak to the Israelites and say to them: when you enter the land I am going to give you the land itself must observe a Sabbath to the Lord. For six years sow your fields, and for six years prune your vineyards and gather their crops. But in the seventh year the land is to have a Sabbath of rest, a Sabbath to the Lord. Do not sow your fields or prune your vineyards. Do not reap what grows of itself or harvest the grapes of your intended vines. The land is to have a year of rest."

God is interested in the up keep of all His Creation. He expects us to be

good stewards of everything: water, electricity, oil and gas, animal life,

plant life and the land itself.

Once when I was very young I took my Dad a drink of water to the field where he was plowing. With his mule team and turn-plow he was plowing under the entire field.

"Dad, what are you going to plant in this field?" I asked. "Vernie, I won't

plant anything here this year. The land needs a year of rest. Giving the

land a year of rest will produce a better crop the following year," he told

me. Well! I accepted what he said because I thought my Dad knew everything and figured that he was the originator of the idea that his LAND needed rest. However, years later when I decided to read the bible through, I came across God's words in Leviticus. It says in the verses above that God is the One who had the idea for crop rotation not my Dad!

Dear Readers, God has addressed in His word the things we need to know. We are blessed when we read all He has to say and follow His instructions.

Thank you Lord for helping us listen when you are telling us how to care for your Creation since it is for your glory and our benefit. Amen

Psalm 67: 4 "May the nations be glad and sing for joy,

For you rule the people justly and guide the peoples of the earth."

AMERICA

By

SAMUEL FRANCIS SMITH

FIRST SUNG IN 1831 AT AN INDEPENDENCE DAY CELEBRATION

My country! 'Tis of thee,

Sweet land of liberty,

    Of thee I sing.

Land where my fathers died!

Land of the Pilgrims pride!

From every mountain side,

   Let freedom ring!

My native country, thee

Land of the noble free---

   Thy name I love;

I love thy rocks and rills,

Thy woods and temple hills,

My heart with rapture thrills

   Like as above.

Let music swell the breeze,

And ring from all the trees,

   Sweet freedom's song;

Let mortal tongues awake

Let all that breathe partake;

Let rocks their silence break---

      The sound prolong

Our fathers' God! To thee,

Author of liberty,

    To thee we sing;

Long may our land be bright

With freedom's holy light;

Protect us by thy might,

   Great God, our King!

Thank you Lord our God, for America. Though flawed because we, her people are all flawed, help us work toward perfection through your power and love. Amen

I Timothy 3: 4a "He must manage his own family well."

Growing up the youngest of three daughters, I felt like the ugly duckling of our family. My sisters Georgia and Elizabeth both had chestnut brown wavy hair. The kids at school carried their hurtful teasing to extreme by calling me names like "Blondie" because my hair was pale blonde, "Snaggle tooth" because of the congenital space between my upper front teeth and "Two Ton Tony" because I was chubby. They told me often that Georgia was prettier than me. One day I asked, "Dad, is Georgia prettier than I am?"

"No, she is not prettier than you," he said. From my question though, Dad must've concluded that my self-image was in the pits for at age nine he got enough money to take me to the hairdresser in Campbell. She gave me the new machine permanent wave that used electrical heat to curl hair. This new technique appeared on the scene in the nineteen thirties.

In the beauty salon Dad introduced me to the hairdresser who I figured would be an absolute genius at her craft if she permanently curled my straight, stringy hair! Obviously Dad had discussed with the hairdresser what I needed prior to our entering the salon. He gave her money and left me for a couple of hours while he did his errands.

First, the hairdresser cut and blocked my hair into one-fourth inch strands and drew each strand through small cotton scalp protectors. She then wrapped each strand on two-inch long rollers. The permanent wave machine resembled an umbrella at the top of an electrical pole on a pedestal that had rollers When my hair was ready she rolled the machine close to my chair. Suspended from inside the machine's top were the electrical wires with clamps on the ends.

After applying the curling solution to my hair the hairdresser carefully

placed the clamp of each wire over each roller then turned on the

electricity. The curls started to warming. Staying near by, the hairdresser asked often if any curl was getting too hot

or if my scalp was burning. I was so fascinated by it all while anticipating

my new curly hair look that I felt no discomfort during the entire

procedure. When the time was up she took off the clamps and put on another solution. At the proper time she rinsed my hair well, took off the rollers and combed my curls! I was thrilled when I looked in the mirror and I wasn't still ugly!

I felt comforted that regaining my self-image was important to Dad.

My curls lasted until my hair grew long and they were cut off. By age eleven I was dressing my own hair and decided that when I grew up I'd be a professional cosmetologist. That's what I did! After my children were in school I enrolled in the Santa Fe College of Beauty. The next twenty-eight years I enjoyed helping women feel good about themselves by styling their hair appropriately.

Heavenly Father, Help parents listen to their children thus becoming aware of their child's total needs and provide comfort when they are hurting. Amen

May 2008: DO UNTO OTHERS

Matthew 18: 32-35 "Then the master called the servant in. You wicked

servant," he said, "I cancelled all that debt of yours because you begged me to, shouldn't you have had mercy on your fellow servant just as I had on you? In anger his master turned him over to the jailers to be tortured, until he should pay back all he owed."

Dear Readers, Most of us have had opportunity to extend mercy to a fellow traveler on our journey home to God. I recall an incident early in my life in which I was the recipient of gossip. Some years later I had opportunity to do to my acquaintances exactly what they had done to me under similar circumstances. However, I simply could not inflict on another the same hurt that I suffered because of the things they said. Instead God enabled me to extend to them mercy and forgiveness.

Father God, Continue to instill in my heart streams of mercy that will make me a peacemaker in your kingdom. Amen

April 2008: Worry

John 12:23-24 "Jesus replied, 'The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the

ground and dies, it remains only a single seed but if it dies, it produces

many seeds."

As Jesus stated, in plant life a seed must first die. Then when conditions

of soil and moisture are right the seed germinates and new life begins.

So it is with the soul. We must die to self then through faith in our

resurrected Lord Jesus Christ, God resurrects us into new life, from within

our new life His seeds germinate and grow.

May 10, 2000 one third of my hometown Los Alamos, New Mexico burned. The fire started from a forest service controlled burn that went out of control due to a wind velocity of sixty miles per hour. Though our house did not burn, the trees, shrubs and grass in our yard did.

Later that summer we noticed a strange plant growing in the center of our back yard. No other plant was nearby and no grass had grown because of the burn. The flowering plant turned out to be a hollyhock. The wind carried the seed from no telling where and dropped it in our yard. The seed found a small spot of soil in which to become alive and grow. The single three foot tall plant with beautiful bright pink flowers in the center of a burned yard ignited the embers of hope for a new beginning in our family like the resurrection gave to the world hope for eternal life.

Lord God of the resurrection, overpower the enemy that seeks to hinder us from planting the seeds of redemption so your Spirit can germinate those seeds and so produce a harvest of born again souls. Amen

January 2008: GOD IS WORKING

John 5; 17 "Jesus said to them, 'My Father is always at his work to this

very day, and I, too, am working."

At what is God working you may ask?

First, he is maintaining His creation. He didn't create the world then leave

its management to chance!

He is recreating mankind every time a baby is born. He is promoting love and peace wherever His Spirit finds a listening heart. This is some of his work.

His work in me is constant because I need Him every minute of every hour to keep me from failing or falling. He's constantly working in the hearts of His people helping them to see other people both far and near who need to know that God is real and who need to believe in His son Jesus Christ for salvation.

The words of an old hymn says it all:

To the work! To the work!

We are servants of God.

Let us follow the path that our Master has trod

With the balm of His counsel our strength to renew,

Let us do with our might what our hands find to do.

Toiling on, toiling on,

Let us hope,

Let us watch,

And labor till the Master comes.

Lord, I know idleness is not your will for us. I thank you when I am

sometimes overwhelmed with too much to do. Help me to have a sense of pleasure in accomplishment as you strengthen me to do the work you set before me. Amen

Dear Readers, I pray you will have a strong sense of God's Presence guiding you through out 2008. HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Matthew 11:4 "Jesus replied, 'Go back and report to John what you hear and see: The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cured, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is preached to the poor.'

John the Baptist was awaiting his death at the hands of King Herod. He

needed affirmation that he was indeed the forerunner for the long expected Messiah of Israel. Mark:7-8 "And this was John's message; 'after me will come one more powerful than I. The thongs of whose sandals I am not worthy to stoop down and untie. I baptize you with water, but He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit."

To reassure him Jesus gave to John a sign by quoting a scripture he was

familiar with that told about how life would be when God came. Isaiah 35:

5-6 "Then will the eyes of the blind be opened, the ears of the deaf

unstopped, the lame will leap like a deer and the mute tongue shout for

joy."

Dear Reader, at this time in your life do you need a sign? Do you need

reassurance that God cares about you? This will be the sign unto you "you will find a Baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger." (Luke 2:12) He is here. The Baby Jesus, God's gift to you. He's the only sign you really need--God's love, lying in a manger.

Lord of Heaven, Let Your Spirit bring a refreshing new zeal and hope to your world today like You brought to Your people many years ago. Amen

October 2007: A PLACE TO WORSHIP

1 Chronicles 16:29 "ascribe to the Lord the glory due His Name. Bring an

offering and come before Him; worship the Lord in the splendor of His

holiness."

Traditionally our church sent members elected to leadership positions in the church to Glorieta conference center to train and equip themselves to perform the duties of their elected position. As a young woman I was elected director of the Woman's Missionary Union and as such I attended the five-day training time at the conference center. I stayed in one of the dorm rooms with two other ladies who were from the church in Red River, New Mexico. At specified times on the program I attended the worship services in the Chapel for inspiration and more information.

It was a wonderful experience for me to worship the Lord with women from all over the world. I not only learned how to be the Director of our local WMU but also discovered some spiritual things about myself. As I encountered God in worship I experienced the sense of completeness that I needed.

The final day in the Chapel the women who were en route home from the

Baptist World Alliance meeting in Brazil, changed their flight itinerary to

include a stop at the WMU week at Glorieta Conference Center and appear during the worship time. I can still see them standing single file across the full width of the stage wearing their country's native costumes. We sang praises to God together, they in their own language, we prayed and worshipped Jesus Christ each in her own way. I thought it was like heaven will be when our Lord makes a roll call of the nations.

I came home a different woman. I had worshipped my God with at least a

thousand American women plus those from other nations. It was hard to keep my feet on the ground I was ready to fly away and be with my Lord.

Thank you, Lord Jesus, for the wonderful experiences you have brought to my life that have drawn me closer to You and made my life rich and productive! Amen

September 2007: My Special Teachers

Ephesians 4: 32 "Be kind to each other, sympathetic, forgiving each other as God has forgiven you through Christ."

All of my elementary teachers were women and I loved them because they were the only women in my life. They treated my sisters and me with kindness but some affected me in very needed ways. I was pleased when Miss Mereda prayed each morning before classes began for our men and women on the front lines in World War 11. She also started a sewing club for those of us who were interested in learning to embroider. The club met during recess so we wouldn't miss any studies in the required curriculum.

Another teacher I loved was Miss Rena Jay. She was my first grade teacher. I had learned to read my sisters First Reader books so Miss Rena Jay let me start first grade at five years of age. Miss Rena Jay and her sister Miss Ione lived in a house that was just around the bend where two country roads intersected a short distance from our house. They were away at college when I was born and when my mother died eleven months later.

At that time in my school life there was a rule that teachers had to remain single so when Miss Rena Jay married she had to resign and her sister Miss Ione became the teacher at our Sunnyside rural School. I remember going home with Miss Ione to spend the night. They went to a movie in town so they took me along. We saw a western movie and to keep from being scared when the gun fighting began I laid my head down in Miss Ione's lap.

After my own children grew up I started taking creative writing classes at

the branch of UNM in Los Alamos. Without exception the professors treated me with kindness and respect though they did not always agree with the theme of my stories since most of the stories reflected my relationship with Jesus Christ. One time there was some negative discussion by class members regarding a story I wrote and the professor reminded the class that at the beginning of the semester he had told everyone they could write on any subject they desired.

Thank you Lord for putting into my life kind teachers who sincerely cared

about me as they tried to prepare me for my future and even a career change later in life. Amen

MY WALK

Hebrews 11:1 Faith assures us of things we expect and convinces us of the existence of things we cannot see.

I walk each night

But not alone

My Lord is here

He guides me on.

He gives me faith

To find my way

Through the night

Till comes the day.

He stays my steps

Lest I should fall

Faith conquers fear

He is my all!

July 2007: Small Town America

Numbers 35:3 "Then the people will have towns to live in and pasturelands for their cattle, flocks and all their livestock."

I remember a family reunion that took place several years ago in my aunt's farm home located a few miles from the town where I was born in Southern Missouri. Present were five out of seven sisters, (2 had died several years earlier) numerous aunts, uncles and cousins. Following lunch on Saturday my sisters and I drove to the cemetery where our parents are buried. We knelt in a circle around the headstone and arm-in-arm we silently remembered  and shared a moment of devotion for them and each other.

We than drove into the town that still consists of one square block of

businesses. It was the hardware store we were interested in because as kids we accompanied our dad when he bought farm equipment and tools there. Curious, we ask the current owner (a clerk in Dad's time) if he remembered Dad. He said he did remember helping our Dad with his purchases. He thanked us for stopping to visit since it stirred up memories for him too.

As we left the store I looked across the highway to the city park and my

mind flashed back to the city wide annual Fourth of July picnics that were held there. I could  still see the long row of No. 3 galvanized tubs filled with homemade lemonade. I'm talking hand squeezed fresh lemon juice , sugar and water added lemonade, with a block of ice in each tub. The result was a refreshing drink that tantalized the taste buds of both kids and adults.

Along with the lemonade there were long tables laden with all kinds of home cooked meat, (especially my favorite, fried chicken) fresh from the garden vegetables, homemade bread, pies and cakes. I was enticed to leave the lemonade and food only when the person in charge of games announced the sack race. We children were placed inside a waist-high gunnysack. When the whistle blew we were to reach the finish line anyway we could as long as we were still on our feet. I didn't win because being a klutz I did well to walk, much less run in a sack. The next event was catching and holding the greased pig. A sight to behold as the pig was covered with lard. At the sound of the whistle, the pig was released and participants were to catch the pig and hold it for the allotted time. Finally, after the pig had slipped through his hands time after time, the winner lunged forward, while his whole body covered the pig, he grasped the pigs forelegs with both hands. The pig was squealing at the top of its lungs with the winner holding on through it all!

"Lets go," one sister said as my memories faded. In the car we were having such fun talking about our afternoon adventures that we missed the turn onto the road leading to Auntie's house. We realized it only when we saw a road sign that read, "Welcome to Arkansas." It was then I finally discovered the small town in Missouri where I was born was located only six miles from the Arkansas Line.

Heavenly Father, thank you for some happy memories about my own small town in America. Amen

Ephesians 6: 4 "Fathers, do not exasperate your children; instead, bring

them up in the training and instruction of the Lord."

FAITH OF OUR FATHERS

Faith of our fathers! We will love both friend and foe in all our strife:

And preach thee, too, as love knows how, by kindly words and virtuous life: Faith of our fathers! Holy faith, we will be true to thee till death!

Dear Readers, Mother died before my first birthday so my dad was the person who  cared for me. Dad was a strict disciplinarian and my relationship with him during my growing up years years was one of fear.

However, I knew he loved me by his faithfulness to his responsibility of

rearing three daughters alone. On the farm Dad protected us from harm. He put our safety first and insisted that we do the same. We all had to work hard doing chores as well as working in the fields but my two sisters and I were never left alone at night. When the bank in our small town closed during the great depression of 1929 Dad had to travel by public

transportation to another town to do his banking. He always managed to get home to us before dark. Sometimes it would be dusk and he would be walking at a fast gate up the  lane to our house in his effort to keep us from being alone and afraid after dark. Dad, along with many other men of his day, was not affectionate so I lacked the tenderness and affection of a Mother. Never the less God supplied everything I needed to grow into a responsible adult citizen and rear my own children to honor and glorify God.

Thank you Lord for leading my dad and all Dads who trust in You to be Your kind of Dads. Amen

Luke 13:34 "O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone

those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing!"

Growing up on the farm, I witnessed some very touching scenes. One was the way a mother hen protected her baby chicks from predators. In the spring when the baby chicks hatched there were Hawks flying over the barnyard waiting for the opportunity to swoop down and fly away with one of the chicks. The mother hen watched and when she saw a Hawk flying low she went "cluck, cluck, cluck," and her babies ran to her. She spread her wings and her babies hid under her wings until the danger was gone.

The words of an old favorite hymn UNDER HIS WINGS expresses our faith and confidence in our Saviors ability to care for us.

Under His wings I am safely abiding;

Though the night deepens and tempests are wild,

Still I can trust Him;

I know He will keep me;

He has redeemed me, and I am His child.

Under His wings, what a refuge in sorrow!

How the heart yearningly turns to His rest!

Often when earth has no balm for my healing,

There I find comfort, and there I am blessed.

Under His wings, O what precious enjoyment!

There I will hide until life's trials are o'er;

Sheltered, protected, no evil can harm me;

Resting in Jesus I'm safe evermore.

Under His wings, under His wings,

Who from His love can sever?

Under His wings my soul shall abide,

Safely abide forever.

--Copyright 1924 G.V, Sankey

John 20: 14-15 "having said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, though she did not know it was Jesus.

"Woman," Jesus said to her compassionately. "why are you crying? Who is it you are looking for?" Supposing He was the gardener, she replied, "Sir, if you've removed Him, tell me where you've put Him, and I will take Him away."

I love the beauty of devotion and love Mary had for her Savior. I've heard stories about people who had strength to lift unusually heavy objects when saving a life. Like the man that was driving by our neighbor's garage just as our neighbor's car fell from a jack pinning him beneath it. The man stopped his car and ran to help. He alone lifted the large car off our neighbor. Our neighbor was not seriously injured and was so grateful to the man who rescued him.

Here is Mary with every intention of doing the impossible: carry her

Savior's body to another resting place. It makes me question how much of my Savior's load am I ready to carry? How much are you ready to carry?

Savior, help me be the person you want me to be and do what you want me to do. May my life glorify your name. Amen

Lord Jesus, I come before you today

Thanking you for my life.

For loving me enough to give your life

On the cross at Calvary making possible

Our Father-child relationship.

You are my strength,

You give me faith to hope

For a better world,

As I continue my journey

Home to you.

Thank you for your beautiful creation,

I gaze in awesome wonder at majestic

Mountains that frame the azure blue sky,

And tall stately trees that number the years

And time in your created order,

Through teary eyes I see this great nation

And hear the bells of freedom still ringing over

Fields that burst with ripening grain.

The sun, moon and stars, your celestial lights,

Held suspended in space by your mighty hand,

Offer proof of your unchanging love and provisions.

Thank you Lord for my family. The gleeful squeals

Of my small child discovering clusters of

Wildflowers on the hillside and together we see the

Miracle of a red sunset as breezes caress her

Face and sift gently through her golden hair.

I praise you Father for your church, it is there,

By your Spirit's wooing that I found you, from

Reading your Holy Word, I know you, and in the

Sanctuary of quiescence, absent from earthly cares,

I meet you and find fulfillment, a mission, and rest!

Remembering that all I have and ever hope to be

Is because I know who you are and that you are worthy

October 2006: God's Faithfulness

Psalm 92:1-2 It is good to praise the Lord and make music to your name, O Most High, To proclaim your love in the morning and Your faithfulness at night.

A FRIGHTENING ENCOUNTER

Early morning the twentieth day of September my husband, Ray, my sister Elizabeth and I left Elizabeth's home in Cordell, Oklahoma in route to Greenville, South Carolina  and a visit with our sister, Georgia and to

attend her son's wedding.

We were driving the seventy-mile an hour speed limit  and making excellent time while anticipating our joy-filled excursion. Bright sunshine and leaves in transition from summer to autumn colors adorned the panoramic scene along interstate 40.

We stopped for our midday lunch but by three o'clock in the afternoon we were ready for a pit stop that included coffee and dessert. The news on the restaurant radio repeatedly announced impending changes in the weather due to the hurricane that had hit the Florida coast. However serious it sounded the news didn't dampen our spirit because we were hundreds of miles inland and the sky was bright blue and cloudless as we were back on the road.

We had traveled for approximately thirty minutes and were east of Knoxville, Tennessee when suddenly like from nowhere we encountered strong winds blowing walls of water across the interstate hitting our car with such force that Ray grasped the steering wheel and struggled to control the car in order to keep us in the proper lane.

As we continued our journey we came upon a large semi truck that had

obviously jack-knifed and was lying on its side in the ditch. Fear gripped

us as we strained to see the highway ahead where another semi-truck that was barely visible had rolled over into the ditch. Other wrecked vehicles were lying along the highway also. We prayed to God to keep us safe.

The time was four o'clock in the afternoon but due to the hurricane winds and heavy rain clouds, darkness hovered over the already treacherous I 40. We ask God to provide us a refuge knowing that, according to the travel guide, there were no motels for more than one hundred miles ahead.

Suddenly, through the darkness the bright lights of a Scottish Inn loomed

before our faces. We made a beeline for the exit that was barely

distinguishable but trusted the Divine Presence that we sensed was guiding us to a safe haven for the night.

Inside the office we were told the Inn had only been open three weeds. We received the last available room. Feeling secure again we were comforted by a delicious dinner served family style while offering our thanks to God for His faithfulness and were reminded that, as His children, wherever we journey we are never outside the watch care of our loving heavenly Father.

Psalm  47:1--2 "Clap your hands, all you nations; Shout to God with cries of joy.

How awesome is the Lord Most High, the great King over all the earth!"

Lord Jesus, break down walls

       Between Nations of earth.

Let your Holy love filled Word

       Cross borders in freedom.

Passing from person to person

      That every individual may hear

And accept your gift of salvation

        Before You return. Amen

Dear Readers, join me in praying specifically, now through December 31, that God will save America.

Time

It's my morning,

As out to play I go.

I climb the trees, then

Slither down,

And frolic around some more.

I sing with delight and play pretend,

I hurry as though this time will end.

I'm free and happy in the morning glow,

My God is here to see me grow.

I have arrived at my mid-day,

Oh! What is this I see?

A child, then two, I look again,

Alas, there is three!

I give my freedom to these young,

Fulfillment its place has taken,

I now will sing another song,

For sunshine or joy I've not forsaken.

From the embrace of these small arms,

Much love to me does flow,

My God is here, together

We see THEM grow.

My evening time is come,

That love I feel remains secure,

As the embrace from bigger arms,

Give strength instead of fear.

I still sing while days rush by,

They're filled with peace that I now know,

My God is here but in His realm,

There's no more need to grow.

June: Dad's Legacy

I bolted upright in bed startled awake by a blast of thunder that made the welkin ring. The Big Ben clock on the lamp stand said midnight but the world was as bright as noonday due to the uninterrupted flashes of lightening across the sky.

Through the open curtain I could se the silhouette of my dad standing in the pouring rain, face turned upward, and lips moving as he prayed asking God to keep us all safe during the storm. The scene was familiar because you see, my dad was terrified of the tornadoes that were a reality in Southern Missouri where I was born and grew up.

As a lad of eight, Dad himself was orphaned. Since he experienced the insecurity of being shifted from family to family, he was determined to keep us together after Mother died. Regardless of any sacrifice he made, Dad fulfilled his commitment well despite the years of financial hardships brought on by the economic depression that hit our nation in 1929. If loneliness and responsibilities ever caused his faith to waver we were unaware of it. He never implied we were a burden. It seemed he didn't have anything in mind he'd rather be doing and told us often, "I'm thankful for you girls, you are all I have."

Dad was a strict disciplinarian and I wanted to play, so you can see I had a problem. The farm chores required a bunch of work and had to be finished before I had time for myself. One summer Sunday afternoon my sisters and I wanted to go visit our friends. Taking a shortcut through the woods it would be about a quarter of a mile. Dad was in the barnyard and we got his permission to go by assuring him the chores were done. "I'll expect you home before dark," he said. We forgot the time and were home at dusk. Dad was splitting firewood. We knew by the scowl on his face he was angry. "After supper I'm going to skin you alive," he threatened. I was too scared to eat supper. I kept trying to imagine what I'd be like without my skin! "Will Dad really remove our skin?" I ask my sister, Elizabeth. "I don't know," she said. The subject was not mentioned after supper, or ever again but I got his message; I'd better be obedient.

Dad taught us to go to God for answers when we had small or major problems. Like the problem I confronted him with when I was age seven. I was the youngest of Dad's girls and didn't want to be the baby. I wanted to act big like my sisters but I sucked my thumb. Oh, not in the daytime but when I woke up each morning my thumb was always in my mouth. I'd be so angry I'd go away by myself and cry. Finally, after trying all sorts of things like wrapping my thumb or putting bitter stuff on it, which never worked, I sought Dad's help. I found him resting in the shade of a giant sycamore tree in our yard. I told him my problem and ask him if he could help me stop putting my thumb in my mouth while I slept. He became very thoughtful then said, "Yes Vernie, I can help. Before you go to sleep tonight ask our Heavenly Father to help you stop sucking your thumb while you sleep. Within myself I knew God answered my prayer because I didn't get upset the next morning or ever again. I fell in love with God because He did something for me that I couldn't do for myself and loved Dad for showing me what to do.

The rural schoolhouse where we attended classes was a multi purpose building. The building accommodated year round Sunday school, summer revival services as well as community affairs like ice cream socials 

and pie suppers. The summer I was eleven Dad took us to a revival meeting. The  Southern Baptist pastor came from the church in town and preached several nights.  The last night during the decision time my sisters and I made our profession of faith in Jesus Christ. Later a neighbor member of the church took us to be baptized into their membership.

After years of hard work and stress Dad's health failed and late one night he suffered a heart attack. Elizabeth walked a quarter of a mile to a neighbor with a car and told him Dad was ill and for him to get the doctor to come quick. The doctor examined Dad then talked in hushed tones. In those days children were not told much but we knew the situation was grim because Dad stayed in bed for several weeks. It was strange since I had never seen Dad in the bed during the daytime. Dad regained his strength and spent the next two years liquidating his farm and household possessions. He then moved our family to Michigan to be near our extended family. I attended school and worked at a drug store soda fountain after school. My sisters found full time employment.  One year after our move Dad suffered two more heart attacks which took his life. He left for us his legacy that is more valuable than financial wealth or material possessions: a heritage of Faith!

Thank you Lord for our dad's faithfulness. He was with us a short time, but despite ill health, You let him stay with us long enough to be sure we had trusted You as Savior and Lord of our Lives. Amen

May: My Mother's Faith

Mother died before my first birthday, leaving my dad to rear three daughters alone. I wanted to know everything about my mother, so as a child I hounded Dad with questions while he did farm chores. I learned that my mother could look at a garment in a store window and sew one like it without a pattern. And when she baked pies to supplement the family income during the Great Depression she was overwhelmed with orders.

I desperately wanted to be like my mother. I knew from her portrait I looked like her; we both had fair skin and bright blue eyes. But it was Mother's faith and attitude I most wanted to emulate. According to Dad, Mother refused to waste her life blaming others for hard times or unpleasant circumstances. Instead, she gave those who were hurting comfort and guidance from the Bible. Mother's prayer life strengthened and encouraged her family and others. And when she was dying, she relied on her Lord's redeeming love to keep her daughters and their dad safe.

I've felt the effect of my mother's love and deep faith all my life. When I've been hurt in my marriage or career or when my children have been in distress, I've been keenly aware of God's Spirit giving me comfort and peace. I praise my Lord for my Mother's faith that continues to impact her family.

Some time ago during my evening prayer walk I said in my prayer, "Lord Jesus, you took my mother before my first birthday and my dad when I was age fourteen. Then I said, "Lord Jesus, in their place you have provided for me kazillians of people who through the years have loved and cared for me and were attentive to my needs. Thank you Lord, for your never failing and complete provision. I have always had a strong sense of your presence hovering over me in the presence of life's challenges! I love you, Lord! Amen

April: What Happens, Lord?

March: WHO WAS ST. PATRICK?

As a child, celebrating St. Patrick's day meant helping my dad plant Irish potatoes. Whether Dad was familiar with the story of St. Patrick or not I never knew, but I knew It was the day in Southern Missouri to plant potatoes.

According to history, Saint Patrick was born sometime between 373-389 and died between 461-493 which was  before record keeping was accurate. Where he was born is questionable, also, but it was probably off the southwest coast of Britain, near the Irish Channel. His Celtic name was Sutic but since he was brought up Christian, the name of Patricius was added.

Patrick's father was a native of Briton and was a man of influence in the community there. His grandfather was a presbyter. When Patrick was age sixteen, he was taken prisoner by some Irish who made a raid on western Britain. He was carried into slavery in Ireland near the western Sea. After six years, he succeeded in making his escape to the Continent: an uninhabited country. The small group of escapees suffered many hardships during the thirty-eight days they traveled to find the inhabited country.

Patrick found refuge in a monastery where he remained for some years before returning home to Britain. It was there he said he had a vision of himself going as a victorious apostle of Christianity to the Irish. He considered this vision a divine call. After a period of study and preparation he was ordained priest along with two other prospective missionaries to Ireland. After some fourteen years: in the hear 432 he became Bishop of Ireland on the death of Bishop Palladius. Patrick was filled with enthusiasm as he ministered to the Christian communities, mostly south and west of the Island. He took serious his job of gaining the goodwill of the various local rulers. His command of the Irish and Latin language was an asset in his work as was his six-year experience so he was able to minister to the people effectively. His main work as missionary was on the Southwest side of Stangford Lough in the wooden barn given to him for religious purposes by an Irish convert  known as Dichu, a chief and a man of importance in that part of the Island.

Patrick preached and tried hard to convert the rulers to Christianity. Some of the heads of state did embrace Christianity and contributed land for a church. History records that Patrick visited Rome in 441-443. He saw Pope Leo and was granted approval for the Irish work. He founded 360 churches, baptized with his own hand 12,000 converts and ordained a great many priest. History has given Patrick credit for bringing Christianity to Ireland.

Thank you, Lord, that down through the ages you always called someone who was willing go for you to deliver to mankind your message of love and hope.  Amen