A Blessed Sunday

Just a note to say what a blessed Sunday this has been. We went to Exeter Bible Chapel today where Jack speaks about twice a month on Sunday mornings. We have grown to love the people that attend there. Today there was a pot luck after church. This past Friday night there was a banquet held at the Chapel for Key Bible Clubs and there was a lot of food left over, so we all got to enjoy the leftovers. The fellowship is always better around food, especially when you don't have to prepare it. You also make all kinds of excuses for a fuller than normal plate of food, going up for seconds, trying more than one dessert.

I have made some wonderful friends and do enjoy working with them in the kitchen, laughing over the everyday things that come into our lives. It always seems to be easier and more fun to work in the kitchen at church with the other women than it is to work in my own kitchen, alone. Two of the women have grand daughters the same age as our Maddie (5 1/2) and we share the fun things they do and say. It seems these little girls are more mature now than we were at that age, more aware of what they will or won't wear, etc. What a delight they are to us. Isn't it amazing that as many friends as we each have, there is always room for another friend or two.

Two years ago this month we left Guelph. I had always been involved in the music aspect at church and loved it so much. I was begining to think that part of my life was over. Age and circumstances do change things. But I've been asked to play the piano for the morning service several times and this morning was one of the times. The Lord is good to us.

Tonight we went to the other Church we work with. It is in Stratford, Cornerstone Bible Fellowship. They had two of their men give a report on their trip to Africa. This church encourages their members to get actively involved in going and helping out on the mission field whenever they can. Since the first of the year 2 of their women have gone to Equador and 1 other woman has gone to Africa on mission trips. We truely are blessed to work with two churches that are growing and showing their love for the Lord in their lives.

After Humility comes Piety

Yesterday I wrote about gaining a little humility. Tonight I thought I would write some thoughts on piety. One definition of piety is "devout fulfillment of religious obliations". Everyone knows that we christians should have piety in our lives. Of course, just when you think you have gotten this piety is when you are in danger of loosing it.

From 1976 to 1985 we lived in Thessalon. We were working with Thessalon Bible Chapel. Alysa was 7 and Lenn was 2 1/2 when we moved to Thessalon. It was a very good move for us and we loved it there. It was a great place to raise chidlren.

The "piety" incident happened one Sunday morning. We usually sat on the right hand side of the church on the back row. Alysa must have been around 9. She was on my right. Instead of pews we had metal chairs. We stood up and sang the first song and then the chairman had prayer (we were still standing). You know how you try to block out the things of the world so you will be ready for the message. I was trying to do this. At the end of the prayer, just as I was opening my eyes, getting ready to sit down, I felt a slap across my face by Alysa. She had started to sit down and missed the chair and her arm went up and caught me across the face.

Can you imagine my first reaction at being hit across the face by my daughter! It wasn't one of piety. All Mothers will know what I was feeling and what I wantied to do to my child. Thankfully this only lasted a few seconds, until I realized what had actually happened. Then I wanted to laugh, but couldn't because my piety would certainly be gone for good.

My Humility and how the Lord helps me get it

Humor has helped me in so many instances of my life. There have only been a hand full of times that I couldn't at some point laugh about what has happened to me. I credit most of this to my Mother. She loved to laugh . We had a lot of laughs together, from my telling silly jokes to paying games with her to just doing fun things together.

It helps in embarrassing situations to be able to laugh (if you can). There have been two very embarrassing situations in my life that I found it very hard to laugh about, when they first happened.

Music has been a very big part of my life. I sang in the "cherub" choir in my church growing up, the junior choir and the teen choir. Music has continued to be a very big part of my life. In Guelph I sang with the Praise Team and loved it. One Sunday morning I was to sing with the Team. In the group was Jim Smith, Dan Chapman, Janis Woodcock and myself. I think Jean Earls was on the piano. We had practiced the day before and were all ready to do a good job.

Jean played the introduction to the song and we all should have started to sing, but I was the only one to start to sing. For some reason no one else on the team sang a note. Since I had a microphone in my hand close to my mouth, it came out pretty loud. What was so mortifying was the fact that everyone in the church laughed (they weren't being mean, just thought it was funny). Even the other members of the Praise Team laughed. Of course, I didn't think it was very funny (at the time), since it was me that had made the blunder. I was so embarrassed that I could hardly keep going, but I did. It was hard to keep a smile on my face when I was so humbled inside.

The Lord used this in "my process of growing in humility." When I think of His humility of taking on the form of man and laying aside His glory for me, I am humbled. What is my small embarrassment compared to the humility He suffered on the cross, dying for my sins, when He had no sin. His love for me and the world is so great. I do praise Him for allowing things to come into my life so that my focus will be on Him. I thank Him also for helping me to laugh about this now.

My dear cousin is now with the Lord

Less than three weeks ago, a very dear cousin, Bill, died with cancer. Through the years of our childhood, I wasn't able to be with him very often, but the times I was are so special to me. He lived in Tennessee. His father was a farmer and the whole family had to work very hard and quite often had to do without. My Aunt Ruth was a wonderful Christian woman that loved her family and made sacrifices for them. I only have good memories of her, her laughter and her love.

Each time I have gotten together with my cousins we have told the same funny stories over and over and laughed like it was the first time the stories were told. My first memories of being with them is when they lived on a farm only about a mile from Shiloh National Park. A battle was fought there during the war between the states. I always played with Bill, David, and Tommy. Bill is my age. Once when we were roaming the woods, we found a dead bird. We decided to make a graveyard for it and anything else that we could find. There seemed to never be an end to the things we found to do outside and in the barn. At night we would put up a sheet in a doorway, stand in the lighted room and act out stories by using our shadows on the sheet. The other room would be dark. Aunt Ruth would make the best butter and sugar biscuits.

One other visit stands out for me. They had moved to another farm. Mother and my Aunt had gone somewhere, so the four of us went to the back of their farm where there was a small creek, with banks about 6 feet high (at least they seemed that high). There were grape vines hanging from the trees on the banks and we decided we should swing across the creek. Since there seemed to be a little danger to it, we convinced Tommy (who was the youngest) that he should go first. Finally he agreed. Because he hadn't held up high enough on the grapevine, he wound up getting wet. Seeing that he was alright, the rest of us started swinging. What fun we had. Because it was such a hot day it didn't take our clothes long to dry. I think we purposely would let ourselves be drug in the water. Later we found out from Aunt Ruth that there were poisonious snakes that swim in that little creek. The Lord does take care of us.

This past October I was able to see Bill after close to 40 years. We were at my Aunt Lessie's 88th birthday party. It was a precious time for me to renew our friendship and laugh once again about old times. Bobbie, his sister and David, a brother, were also there. How I thank the Lord for the comfort of knowing that one day I will see Bill again. My heart does ache for his family that misses him so. Aren't you thankful that our Hope is in the Lord!

Two Important Memories from Childhood

During my life there have been a number of things that have happened to me that have helped to mold my character or have pointed me in the direction that the Lord would have me go. I grew up going to the First Baptist Church of Helena, Arkansas. They had a very good children's program. During the school year I went to G.A. (Girls Auxilliary), a weekly children's Bible Club. The summer I was nine I went to camp for a week. The camp brought in missionaries from all over the world. I remember clearly the missionary I heard was from Thailand. I don't remember her name, but remember how the Holy Spirit touched my heart and made me want to be a missionary. From that time on, I wanted to be in the Lord's work. A child's faith is so simple and trusting and wonderful. The Lord has had His hand on me all of my life, and I do praise Him for His faithfuless to me.

Another memory stands out for me. My brother, Bob, had started going to Mid-South Bible College in Memphis, Tennessee and he had come home for a weekend. I was 17 at the time, in the 12th grade. The Baptist Church in West Helena was having evangelism meetings and Bob wanted me to go with him. The speaker was Angel Martinez. He was speaking on John 10. As I mentioned, a child's faith is so simple and for whatever reason, I had always believed (from my salvation) that I belonged to the Lord and was going to heaven. I didn't know verses in the Bible to prove this, however. Anyway, Angel Martinez read and spoke on John 10:28-30 about "Jesus' sheep hearing His voice and He knows them and they follow Him, and He gives to them eternal life and they shall never perish and no one shall snatch them out of His hand. No one is able to snatch them out of the Father's hand." I remember the joy that I felt when I realized what He was saying, that no one could take me from my heavenly Father's hand. Driving home I talked with Bob to make sure I understood it correctly. We do have a Mighty and Awesome God!

Thinking Outside the Box

Getting older sometimes causes you to be more timid about starting new things. I certainly would never have thought about having my own blog, but my daughter loves doing new things and gets those around her involved. I tend to be on the conservative side on most things, so it is good to have a daughter, Alysa, and a son, Lenn, who encourage me to try new things and get outside my box.

Alysa came last Friday and left this morning to go back to Chicago. She loves writing her daily thoughts on her blog site and I have enjoyed reading them. It has motivated me to want to write down things also. Typing them is so much easier and quicker than doing it in longhand. So here goes!