Oh, the Places You Can Go...

Ever heard of Muskogee, Oklahoma?  We were just there yesterday! How did we get there?  Jessica had a diabetic seizure and went into keto-acidosis while visiting Joy Britt in Eufaula, Oklahoma.  On Thursday evening she was fine.  She woke up with hypo-glycemia (low sugar) on Friday, corrected it, we thought, and went back to sleep.  Joy was calling and keeping me updated throughout the morning, so I believed all was well and I went about my business...
...stop by Mimi's alterations and deliver Sunni's "welcome home" doggie treats...
...stop by bank...
...take Alyssa candy selling, sell one case, get a Sonic lemonade....
...text Scott and keep him updated on our progress for the day...
...get a call from Joy, Jessica is unconscious, called 9-1-1, no response...
What do I do now?  I looked at Alyssa, who had a case of candy on her lap counting dollar bills, and told her that we had to stop and pray.  We put the dollars away, pulled into the parking lot of the industrial rental center, and prayed for Jessica.  I looked up at Alyssa and tears were shooting out of her eyes.  In the ten years that we've dealt with diabetes we've never had to call 9-1-1.  We've been able to "manage" the crises as they came to us.  This was totally out of our hands and five hours away.  I texted my husband, my daughter, my family, and my pastor and his wife.  I knew those next moments were so critical to her health and future.  I tried to concentrate on driving and decided to take my time and be as calm as possible for Alyssa's sake.
The small hospital in Eufaula was not equipped to handle Jessica in her condition.  They stabelized her as best as they could but could not restrain her.  He blood glucose level was 39 when they arrived.  We learned that she had to be transported to Muskogee, Oklahoma - wow! what a big town - 38,000 population, but we were grateful that the hospital had a great reputation.  When she arrived there her blood glucose level was over 2,000 and she was uncontrollable.
Scott and I called back and forth and decided to go as soon as he left work at 5:00 p.m.  The Big Five tire shop kindly put a rush on my car to service it for the trip and sent their best wishes for Jessica.  Victoria ran errands, packed, and planned for our needs.  Alyssa started drawing a picture and writing a note for her sister.  Bachi went to prayer and I planned by prayer/panic-attack.  You know, the one where you pray, fall out, cry, pray, argue with God, cry some more...
As I started getting ready and planning my attack, I decided that I was just going to pray and trust.  Something refreshing and different...I cried as the vision of my daughter ending up in a nursing home or cemetery came into my head, but thought - "You're borrowing trouble, take one step at a time, just pray."  Then I just kept singing "Just Pray" in my mind.  Jeremiah 33:3 wouldn't leave me either.  I kept thinking that we'll get through no matter what and "Even in the Valley God is Good."  I'm thinking like a musician...
Scott finally got home and we were on our way.  We made the best of the trip, talking and praying, and having a good visit with Victoria.  Scott looked at me and said, "This is your vacation, so enjoy it."  So, I took advantage of him, while my hands and heart were trembling with fear.  I thought about my sister and brother-in-law, and how they came through the death of Candace and I knew that if we had to, we would by God's grace and we'd be thankful for the twenty-three years we had with Jessica.  Yes, their example comforted me.
When we arrived at the ICU the doctor and nurses were concerned and let us know that she had to be sedated.  She was flailing and hitting and biting anything in her reach.  She was restrained with elastic bands on her limbs and shoulders and had a tape on her forehead that read "patient bites!"  I had to chuckle when I saw this because I new they had to "call it as they sees it!"
I remembered God's "Amazing Grace" and started thinking about how God has brought us this far without our help - I'm just along for the ride.
God helped us stay calm and cheerful and hopeful throughout the three long days.  I have to say that when she finally became alert and her blood glucose numbers were fine, I was feeling "Pentecostal".  God didn't have to come through the way He did, but He did and He has perfect timing.  We thought the hospital would move her to a regular room and observe her for day or so, but the doctor decided to release her on Sunday afternoon, to our surprise!
We gladly brought our daughter home and I praised the Lord all the way home.  Oh, the places you can go - up, down, around, even Muskogee, Oklahoma - and God is there.

Psalm 84:5 - Blessed is the man whose strength is in thee; 
in whose heart are the ways of them.

⁶ Who passing through the valley of Baca make it a well; 

therain also filleth the pools.

⁷ They go from strength to strength, every one of them 

in Zion appeareth before God.

⁸ O LORD God of hosts, hear my prayer: 

give ear, O God of Jacob.  Selah

⁹ Behold, O God our shield, 

and look upon the face of thine anointed.

¹⁰ For a day in thy courts is better than a thousand. 

I had rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God, 

than to dwell in the tents of wickedness.

¹¹ For the LORD God is a sun and shield: 

the LORD will give grace and glory: 

no good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly.

¹² O LORD of hosts, blessed is the man that trusteth in thee.

Value of church friends

(Pictured: Jacob and his parents)
I'm sitting here overstuffed from going to graduation parties!  This week is our school's graduation and there are parties scheduled almost every night.  We started at Stephanie Pettrey's party at the Greggton Community Building.  Stephanie was overwhelmed with guests (no telling how many) and her mom had to run out and get more food!  She had veggie trays, chips and dips, sandwiches, cake, and much more.  I mentally treated this as the appetizer course and behaved, until I got my cake.  One of the guests said, "Mrs. Petticoffer, aren't you going to Jacob's party later?  You better saved some room!", as only church friends can do.  I sat there and told her I didn't want to be rude and was saving room for later.  I wasn't even offended, I thought, "We've gone to church together for over a decade, she can say whatever she wants!"  I took pictures and visited from table to table. I felt right at  home with each person and I believe I can say that they felt the same way.  I held some babies and joked with some college students, asked about people's health and family and just enjoyed myself.  I thought about it more as I drove the next party, my friends at church are so valuable to me.  I need someone to say "watch out" every once in a while and for people to give me advice and tidbits of information I don't think that I need, that may come in handy! :)
Well, on to the Roche' house.  Boy, was there a spread of Oriental food and other treats. My mom cooked all afternoon and made two large containers of fried rice (about 15 lbs!)  I started taking pictures and watched as the guests arrived.  It was like one big happy family.  After the musical prayer (a cell phone went off), we lined up for food.  I was beside another one of my friends.  She said, "Jennifer, you're really packing it on.."  I looked at her plate and it was just as full as mine! Hey, but I figured she'd been my church friend for over twenty years and she can say whatever she wants to say.  It was true, but she had never really seen me eat.
As I went back for seconds she said "Girl,  you've got an appetite!"  Later I noticed her gnoshing on something else and I said, "What you got there?"  She laughed and said she couldn't help it.   Who cares?  We're church friends and that's just fun. For the record, I only had one piece of cake at each party...
I sat down and drank a bottle of water to balance all of the food I'd consumed.  I watched as people who normally don't sit together at church talked and fellowshipped and had a great time.  I thought, "People are missing out when they don't stay in church."
The men found a place to gather (around Denise Dean's fudge cake) and the ladies were grouped in the kitchen and living room.  Mrs. Withers didn't sit down as she helped hostess and visit with the ladies.  Kids were running in and out and playing outside until they were filthy, having a great time.
There was no alcohol, gossip (to my knowledge...), immodest or inappropriate dress, smoking, or vile language.  The only activities were basketball for the boys and fellowship for the rest of us, I'm sorry, I failed to mention eating as an activity.
I hope the graduates felt loved tonight and can realize that this love comes from the Lord and from parents who sacrifice and pray for them.  I am praying that these kids can catch on to the value of church friends and tie their heart strings to the church family and those that love them.
It's taken me a while to enjoy graduation time, I used to think of it as a overrated event, but it's really an opportunity to make a difference and it's about wrapping our kids in so much love that they couldn't imagine a better way to live.  Tomorrow we're celebrating with Jarhett Wenger, grilled hamburgers...I guess I will be skipping breakfast and lunch!

Philippians 2

¹If there be therefore any consolation in Christ, 

 if any comfort of love,

 if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any bowels and mercies,

²Fulfil ye my joy, that ye be likeminded, having the same love,

being of one accord, of one mind. ³Let nothing be done through

strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other

better than themselves. ⁴Look not every man on his own things,

but every man also on the things of others. 

⁵Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: 

(Stephanie with her mom)

Gifts from the Garden

 (this article was written in 2005 - about my garden on George Richey Road)

I hadn't been gardening for more than a few months before I began to realize that something was happening. 

I thought I was growing my garden.  I thought I was the one in control, when actually the garden was growing me, teaching me day by day. 

I used to garden just for the end results.  I liked the showy plants, bright flowers, and the way the front yard looked from the street.  But I have changed from enjoying the results, to enjoying the entire process.  The planning, preparation, and physical work used to be "have to's", but now they are “get to’s”.  

I didn’t understand how an older couple could constantly be out working in the yard or in the garden.  I thought, “How bored they must be.  They need to get a real life.  What makes them want to be out working?”.  But I have lately discovered that the garden is a school and the plants and flowers are God’s beautiful visual aids. 

Jesus used visuals relating to plants many times, “Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin: And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith?  Matthew 6:28-30.  He knew that we need an earthly picture of heavenly truths. 

The Gift of Hope

“To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven: A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted;”,  Ecclesiastes 3:1, 2

I have been blessed by being part of a very close-knit Christian family.  There have been an abundance of joyful times, but there was also a three-year period when we experienced the deaths of three family members: a child, a father, and a grandfather.  Being surrounded by death teaches you to embrace hope.  My father’s tombstone reads - “Christ in you, the hope of glory “, Col. 1:27.  When we bury a loved one, seemingly dead, into a dark hole in the ground, we can be assured that there is hope in the resurrection of the saved.

Have you ever looked closely at a tulip bulb?  How can something so beautiful and colorful come from a dark, dried up object like that bulb?  Every dried up, shriveled seed you plant in the earth is a statement that you have hope in what God can do with something seemingly dead. The Lord gives you a tiny visual aid of your sprout of hope in about 2 weeks. Even then, you may not be sure if it is a weed springing up or what you actually planted.  If your “hopeful seed” fails, you try again! 

The Gift of Faith

“For as the earth bringeth forth her bud, and as the garden causeth the things that are sown in it to spring forth; so the Lord GOD will cause righteousness and praise to spring forth before all the nations.“ Isaiah 61:11

I started gardening because I saw the faith and the fruit of experienced gardeners.  You don’t have to be old to be experienced.  When little Robbie Mixon came to our church baseball games with gallon buckets of the best blackberries in the world, (that he grew himself) I thought that I could try it, too.  The Mixon family graciously brought me some root stock of their blackberries and gave me instructions on how to plant them.  The last thing they said was, “They need to be in the ground within the next week”.  Well, this was the Saturday before our National Soul-Winning Clinic.  Sunday passed.  Monday passed.  Tuesday passed.  Wednesday....I walked out of the house in my choir outfit, manicured nails, and high-heeled shoes and saw the pile of blackberry roots.  I remembered Robbie Mixon’s wonderful blackberries that he had cultivated, picked, and sold.  If a six-year old could do it, I was going to do it.  I went to the shed, got the shovel, and followed the Mixon’s instructions.  It took me 30 minutes, a broken fingernail, muddy shoes, and scratches from the thorns, but I did it!  Today, there is a blackberry patch anyone would be proud of.  The example of a little boy’s work in a garden taught me so much about faith.  Even after I took my step of faith by planting the roots, I had to wait and watch God do the rest.  Faith is not faith until you step out and try. 

The Gift of Reaping More Than you Sow

Another parable put he forth unto them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is like to a grain of mustard seed, which a man took, and sowed in his field: ³²Which indeed is the least of all seeds: but when it is grown, it is the greatest among herbs, and becometh a tree, so that the birds of the air come and lodge in the branches thereof.   Matthew 13:31,32

I have always considered myself above average in intelligence.  But gardening has helped me with that consideration, I am dumber that I appear to be.  There are instructions attached to the little seedlings you purchase at the home improvement center.  There are also instructions on the little seed packets.  These are written by horticultural experts.  They know what they are talking about.  When I saw some peppermint seedlings, I thought it would be nice to have some to use for tea.   I bought several to plant around the house.  The instructions read - “Hearty grower.  Plant in a container or in an enclosed flower bed.  Invasive.“   I thought, “How in the world could these little scrawny plants be invasive.  I love peppermint,  you can’t have too much peppermint.  Well, I learned.  Read the instructions and obey them.  Before six months passed, my husband was mowing peppermint in the middle of the yard!  Peppermint was everywhere.  It was in all of the flowerbeds.  It moved to the backyard.  I could smell it when I opened the windows.  I learned that Preacher was right.  “You reap what you sow.  You reap after you sow.  You reap MORE than you sow!”.

The Gift of Patience

In Matthew 13, Jesus teaches the parable of the man who sowed good seed in his field.  At night, the enemy came and sowed tares among the good seed.  His servants suggested that he pull up the tares.  The master responded with a solution that took more time.  He told them to wait until the plants were full grown, then separate them - the good plants going into the barn and the tares to the fire.

Gardening teaches patience.  There is nothing instantly beautiful.  Even when every plant becomes mature, they won’t all blossom at the same time in the season.  You also have the elements to contend with, along with little insects and ornery weeds.  Could that be why many gardeners live longer?  They take care of each day’s problems, pruning, and plucking, and then look forward to the next day.  Patience is a gift learned while your'e on your knees for the umpteenth time doing the same old thing in the garden.  Mrs. Mary Gray , my pastor’s mother, is one of the best examples I know of a Christian lady.  She is 93 years old and is actively serving the Lord.  What does she do for a hobby?  She gardens on a grand scale.  She has beautiful vegetables and flowers.  You’d be in great company if you’d put on your gardening gloves and get out into the garden! 

The Gift of Friendship

One of the most important things I have experienced as a gardener is being part of a fellowship of growers.  If I could walk around my first cottage garden I would not only see plants and trees people have given to me, but I would remember friends of a lifetime who invested in me. 

A few examples of plants in my “Friendship Garden”.

v Jean Netherton’s famous bus barn irises.  The irises were being dug up to make space for a sidewalk, so she brought some over to share with me.

v Mrs. Martha Duckett’s Rose of Sharon Trees. 

v Grandpa Clennon McGee’s prickly pear cactus patch.

v Scott and Brenda Tolleson’s wood fern hedge (surrounding the back deck).

v Sherry Mann’s blue lobelia and rose geranium plants.

v Grandma Peggy Duckett’s red-berried nandina bushes

v Jean Netherton’s fragrant four-o’clock bushes (surrounding my front porch.)

This may seem unimportant to some, but as I walked around my yard I felt surrounded by God’s loving care through the friends I had made while gardening.  Each of these Christians had taught me more about giving and taking time for others than any book I could have read.            Taking time for people and giving some that gives back is a lovely way to be remembered.

The Gift of Growth

I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman. Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit.  John 15:1,2. 

What does God do when he wants his children to bear more fruit?  He prunes us.  As a gardener, I didn’t like the idea of pruning, cutting back, or separating plants.  I worked so hard to get them to grow.  I liked them large!  I would read the instructions not wanting to believe they actually meant for me to obey them:   “After first bloom, cut back to half the height of the plant to increase bloom and keep plant compact and healthy”.  Cut back half of the plant?  My yard would look like it was mowed over!  Well, after three years of unhealthy, leggy-looking, plants, I decided to try obeying the instructions.  After I took the first painful cuttings, I understood the concept.  The plant would not receive all of the nutrition it needed if I kept the old blossoms on the long stems.  The plant would actually “go to seed”.  It would quit producing the blossoms and start the seed making process. 

Some plants must be divided to grow.  You can fill your yard with perennial plants by doing this yearly.  Some plants must be thinned out on a regular basis so they won’t choke each other out.  This is hard to do for the new gardener.  How do you know which ones to pull up?  Look for the weakest areas first. 

The Lord does this to His children.  He must cut us back, prune us, separate, or divide us so we can have the energy to produce more in the long run. 

The Gift of Beauty

The beauty of a garden can be seen in the rose, the lilies, and even the blossoms of a squash plant.  Neatly planted rows of vegetables remind me of the love our grandparents had for the land and for the families they worked so hard to care for. 

God made functional things beautiful.  So many times in our hurried world we only want to “get to the point”.  A trip is point “A” to point “B”, but what about the journey in between?  God made and designed every little flower, plant, bird, and giant landscape for our enjoyment.  He put beauty all around us so we would be thankful and remember His great love for us and His power in creation.

We also use the language of flowers to be remembered.  When a young man sends thoughts of love and affection, he doesn’t send an electronic gadget, like a toaster.  Instead, he sends something seemingly useless and impractical - flowers.  Flowers that will die, flowers that cost a lot of money, flowers that have no reason for existence, except to say “I love you”, or “I think you are important”. 

God’s gifts of beauty comfort the bereaved, adorn the joyful, feed the hungry, and decorate the smallest cottage to the largest mansion. 

Go outside, sit in a garden, and think about God’s gifts.  Or better yet, get a small shovel, work the soil, and plant a seed.  You might learn to like it!

Teatime with Timothy - "Chari-tea"

"Chari-tea"

About twelve years ago I was asked to give a devotional at our Ladies' Fall Tea.  I love teapots and teacups and saucers and so I thought of how I could incorporate some of my collection into the presentation.  

At the time I was reading through I and II Timothy and some words started "popping" out at me - words ending with the suffix - "ty" or translated for my purposes as "tea".  These words were helpful to Christians, especially myself.  I thought this made sense for the ladies of our church.  I did a word study on each and attached these words to tea bags.  During the devotional I pulled them out of the teapot one at a time and gave a short lesson on each.  Since then, I've been able to use the lessons for elementary ladies and high school ladies.
This "tea bag" devotional will be about "Chari-tea".

I Timothy 1

¹Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the commandment of God our Saviour, and Lord Jesus Christ, which is our hope; ²Unto Timothy, my own son in the faith: Grace, mercy, and peace, from God our Father and Jesus Christ our Lord. ³As I besought thee to abide still at Ephesus, when I went into Macedonia, that thou mightest charge some that they teach no other doctrine, ⁴Neither give heed to fables and endless genealogies, which minister questions, rather than godly edifying which is in faith: so do.

⁵Now the end of the commandment is charity out of a pure heart, and of a good conscience, and of faith unfeigned: ⁶From which some having swerved have turned aside unto vain jangling; ⁷Desiring to be teachers of the law; understanding neither what they say, nor whereof they affirm. ⁸But we know that the law is good, if a man use it lawfully; ⁹Knowing this, that the law is not made for a righteous man, but for the lawless and disobedient, for the ungodly and for sinners, for unholy and profane, for murderers of fathers and murderers of mothers, for manslayers, ¹⁰For whoremongers, for them that defile themselves with mankind, for menstealers, for liars, for perjured persons, and if there be any other thing that is contrary to sound doctrine; ¹¹According to the glorious gospel of the blessed God, which was committed to my trust.

Paul started at the end - "charity out of a pure heart, and of a good conscience, and of faith unfeigned."  He went on to explain how people get off track from the goal.   Chari-tea is the ingredient that is missing from those that follow "vain jangling" and those who don't understand what they're teaching about.

Charity -  ἀγάπη - agapē (ag-ah'-pay); love, that is, affection or benevolence; specifically (plural) a love feast:—(feast of) charity ([-ably]), dear, love.

As Christian ladies we can sometimes take on the personality of a cat.  Yes, those spoiled little animals that people are often allergic to.  I do love cats, but I know that they have issues.  As long as you give them their way, keep them comfortable, and give them their space they are adorable.  But, try to do something they aren't ready or willing to do and watch out! The claws come out!!
We are so reactive.  When things are going our way we are all "sisters in the Lord."  When someone crosses us, it all changes.  We eliminate them from our email list, our contacts on our cell phones, and we cross them off the Christmas card list.  Ladies, we need to make a conscious effort to make "chari-tea" part of our every day lives and try being Christians.  Charity is affection, benevolence, and love - regardless of the way other people treat us.  Charity is also called a "love feast" - it sustains you, it gives you energy to do the other tasks in your daily schedule.
Charity is more than an emotional feeling of love, it is benevolence.  Maybe you're not the giving or doing type - obey the Lord.  Do the actions, the love will come.  Charity leads to action, so then it is a cycle of giving and loving.  Jesus is our ultimate example in word and deed.  He loved us first and did all for us, and loves us more.  This little story illustrates what love does.

"John 3:16"

In the city of Chicago, one cold-dark night, a blizzard was setting in. A little boy was selling newspapers on the corner; the people were in and out of the cold. The little boy was so cold that he wasn't trying to sell many papers. He walked up to a policeman and said, "Mister, you wouldn't happen to know where a poor boy could find a warm place to sleep tonight, would you? You see, I sleep in a box up around the corner there and down the alley and it's awful cold in there,

of a night. Sure would be nice to have a warm place to stay."

 The policeman looked down at the little boy and said, "You go down the street to that big white house and you knock on the door. When they come out the door you just say John 3:16 and they will let you in." So he did, he walked up the steps to the door, and knocked on the door and a lady answered. He looked up and said, "John 3:16." The lady said, "Come on in, Son." She took him in and sat him down in a split bottom rocker in front of a great big old fireplace and she went off. He sat there for a while, and thought to himself, "John 3:16... I don't understand it, but it sure makes a cold boy warm." Later she came back and asked him, "Are you hungry?" He said, "Well, just a little. I haven't eaten in a couple of days and I guess I could stand a little bit of food." The lady took him in the kitchen and sat him down to a table full of wonderful food. He ate and ate until he couldn't eat anymore. Then he thought to himself, "John 3:16... Boy, I sure don't understand it, but it sure makes a hungry boy full." She took him upstairs to a bathroom to a huge bathtub filled with warm water and he sat there and soaked for a while. As he soaked, he thought to himself, "John 3:16...  

I sure don't understand it, but it sure makes a dirty boy clean. You know, I've not had a bath, a real bath, in my whole life. The only bath I ever had was when I stood in front of that old fire hydrant as they flushed it out." The lady came in and got him, and took him to a room and tucked him into a big old feather bed and pulled the covers up around his neck and kissed him goodnight and turned out the lights. As he laid in the darkness and looked out the window at the snow coming down on that cold night he thought to himself, "John 3:16... I don't understand it, but it sure makes a tired boy rested." 

The next morning she came back up and took him down again to that same big table full of food. After he ate she took him back to that same big old split bottom rocker in front of the fireplace and she took a big old Bible and sat down in front of him and she looked up at him and she asked, "Do you understand John 3:16," and she began to explain to him about Jesus. Right there in front of that big old fireplace he gave his heart and life to Jesus. He sat there and thought, "John 3:16. I don't understand it, but it sure makes a lost boy feel safe." You know, I have to confess I don't understand it either, how God would be willing to send His Son to die for me, and how Jesus would agree to do such a thing. I don't understand it either, but it sure does make life worth living.

Amazing Grace

So many times we think of God's amazing grace only in relationship to our salvation.  I'm all for that and see the value in applying it that way.  Because I thought of it only in that light, I grew sort of bored of the song.  Sorry, just thought of it as something I didn't really need to make it through the day.  As I've grown in the Lord, my waistline, and in my trials of life I can now "see" that it is only God's grace that has held my life together.
I am sitting here after recalling the past five weeks of my life.  It has been the most amazingly difficult time of my forty-seven years.  I cannot disclose all that has happened but things have come to pass that I NEVER have thought I would experience.  When you are saved, love God with all of your heart, sincerely live for Him, and make Him your best Friend every thing's supposed to be alright.  Right?  Well, God says that "all things work together for good", so I'm trusting that these different events are mixing up some good.
Romans 8:28 - "And we know that all things work together for good 
to them that love God, 
to them who are the called according to his purpose."
This is where the "Amazing Grace" comes in...I am sitting here calm, happy, contented, and amazed!  This is God's amazing grace, this is the fruit of salvation and walking with the Lord.  I was given a piece of news that I had dreaded to hear.  As I listened, took in the information, processed it, prayed about it, thought about...I then thought, this is where I'm supposed to fall out and have a fit.  But that did not happen, "Amazing Grace" happened.  A fervent desire to pray happened and a humbleness of soul happened.  I really don't deserve any of the blessings I have.  If bad news comes, that's life, and God is all about what's going on in my life.
I found a card the other day, bought one for myself and a stack for my closest friends.  It reads-----"R-R-Ring, this is God, I will be handling all of your problems today.  I don't need your help!  Have a good day!"
I put this card in my Bible.  If I will let go of my problems God can help me.  He doesn't need my help like I think He does.
I spoke to my husband, who is a "rock" of faith and example to me.  I asked him if I was being hard-hearted or if I was in shock.  He told me it was God's grace - he was experiencing it himself, it's the only explanation for our continued peace and happiness in our home, despite happenings going on around us.
Now I've got you wondering - what's going on in her life?  Well, I'll keep you guessing, you can pray for me, but I'm doing great - God's "Amazing Grace" is still "saving a wretch like me".

Dangerous Mottos

(Photo: with my Dad on my wedding day, December 26, 1981)

1. "It's easier to ask for forgiveness than it is for permission."
2. "It's better to do your own thing as long as you're happy."
3. "I will marry the man of my dreams and live happily ever after, even if my dad is not happy."

I've heard these sayings more than once in my fourteen years of working with college ladies.  For some strange reason young ladies believe that if they get the ring and man of their choice they will automatically be happy.  If they man causes their heart to "skip" or "race" and they have things in common, it must be right...right?

I married the right man, at the right time, with the right people present, with God's blessing, and a heart that was as full of love as possible at that age.  It did not make me automatically happy - did I say that?  I was just about as happy as I was before I got married.  Marriage did not change my character, it revealed the "leaks" and "weaknesses" in my character.  I was basically selfish, unrealistic, and spoiled.  Because we were in God's will, we were able to grow in the Lord and in our marriage without having to overcome obstacles of our own making.

1. It is easy to ask for forgiveness, yes, the Lord will forgive if we just confess and ask.   I John 1:9, Psalm 86:5 -   For thou, Lord, art good, and ready to forgive; and plenteous in 
mercy unto all them that call upon thee.  The problem is that every action causes a natural reaction.  Your illegal actions have their own consequences.  God will forgive you for going 55 mph in a 30 mph speed zone, but you will have to pay the fine.  If you cross "lines" you will carry a burden of guilt, bad memories, and regret. Don't accept this philosophy - it is immature and not scriptural.  Asking for permission, a blessing, or approval from authority is the wise way.  Your life is too precious to make decisions upon "whims".


2. I've seen young ladies run away from home or leave home without their parents' consent for reasons of "happiness."  The devil is so deceitful!  I've NEVER heard a lady tell me that she was glad she ran away, left home, or hurt her parents.  NEVER have I heard a godly lady brag about eloping in the night.  I have always heard, "I wish I had a big wedding with my daddy giving me away" dozens of times.  I remember the weeks after I was married.  I was young and naive, the "happily ever after" idea was in my mind.  I was up to my elbows in dirty dishes, my laundry was piling up and I didn't have a washing machine, I was exhausted and sick, and I was bewildered.  I thought to myself, "This is not judgment.  God is in this.  My parents are 100% for this, my preacher is 100% for this, his parents were 100% for it, and his pastor was 100% for it. My grandparents are happy, his are happy."  Because I had no guilt or regret, a peace came over me that this is "normal", this is life.  Wake up and smell the coffee, girl!  If you do wrong in order to do right, this "peace" will be a long time in coming or may not come at all when the trials and regular troubles of life come.


Proverbs 15:20 - A wise son maketh a glad father: but a foolish man despiseth his 
mother. ²¹Folly is joy to him that is destitute of wisdom: 
but a man of understanding walketh uprightly. ²²Without counsel 
purposes are disappointed: 
but in the multitude of counsellors they are established. ²³A man 
hath joy by the answer of his mouth: and a word spoken in due 
season, how good is it! ²⁴The way of life is above to the wise, 
that he may depart from hell beneath.


3. When your parents are not happy it is cause for pushing the "pause" button.  The wise young lady would push the "stop" button until the Lord pushes the "start" button.  Your dad has so much more experience, he knows you and knows what it takes to care for you and ensure your best interest.  If your parents have a good marriage and love the Lord and love you, why would you reject their input or their advice?
I recently was reminded of a great quote, Miss Rainey would always use this in class: "God always gives His best to those who leave the choices up to Him."  When you relinquish your will and submit to the Lord, through his authorities in your life, you will ALWAYS end up with the best.  Sometimes it may not be a matter choice, but of timing.  The problem is that you don't know what you don't know - but the Lord does!

definition  of submit - accept or yield to a superior force or to the authority or will of another.