Refreshed. And Heartbroken.

Sitting in a beach chair with my toes in the sand. Listening to the sounds of waves crashing onto the beach. Hearing the sounds of family.

Those are just a few of my favorite memories from last week.

What a relaxing week it was. No particularly agenda. No appointments. No chores. Just relaxing. Laughing. Talking. Making memories.

Relaxed.  Refreshed.  Renewed. That was last week.

But last week also carried a great cloud of sadness.

Last Monday morning we received word that our dear friend Ted Neeley had lost his battle with cancer, and our hearts were broken. Then came Tuesday and the devastating news of the murder of Deputy Austin Aldridge, and the heartbreak became overwhelming.

Ted had lived a long and full life. For nearly 45 years, Ted had been a part of our lives. We had laughed together and cried together and prayed together. It was Ted and his wife Maida Sue who helped us move from West Columbia to Rock Hill. And it was Ted who helped us move back to West Columbia again. Ted was there to help us move Al’s mom into memory care. Birthday parties, youth trips, so many memories with Ted. And we are grieving the loss. Grieving for his family and for all of us who knew and loved him.

I did not know Austin well, but I loved him. I love his family. He often sat on the row behind us in church. As I listened to family and friends talk about him yesterday at his memorial service, I wanted to know him better. Austin was the best of the best. A young man who loved being a Sheriff’s Deputy. Who loved his family. Who loved to laugh. Who was a little goofy. All across Spartanburg County, and all across South Carolina, we are grieving. We grieve for the young man whose life was cut short. We grieve for his wife and their unborn child, for his family, for our church family, and for all who knew and loved him.

Ted and Austin didn’t know each other. But they had something in common. They both loved Jesus! And even in the midst of grief and tears, as I sat in these two funeral services, one on Saturday and one on Sunday, I was refreshed. It is refreshing to hear people boldly speak of their faith. It was refreshing to hear our Sheriff, as well as others who spoke yesterday at Austin’s funeral, boldly speak the name of Jesus. 

One of the great reminders from this last week is that we don’t know when our life will end. We don’t know how much time we had left. Because that is true, we need to be sure we are in a right relationship with Jesus.

Because we don’t know when our time will come, we need to tell people that we love them. We need to make time for the important things and the important people in our lives. Don’t ever assume you will have time for that later. Because you don’t know.

Last week Ted Neeley and Austin Aldridge closed their eyes in this life. And they opened their eyes to see the face of their Savior.

They are gone from this life. And we grieve. But we do not grieve as those who have no hope.

“For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, [we also believe] that through Jesus God will bring with Him those who who have fallen asleep in Jesus. For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we shall always be with the Lord. Therefore, comfort one another with these words.”  (1 Thessalonians 4:14-18 NASB)

Time for a Vacation

 I'm so excited! Just one more day, and then we head to the beach for our family vacation!  

I love being at the beach. Having my toes in the sand. Listening to the sound of waves as they break on the shore. It's a happy place for me.

Even more than the sights and sounds of the ocean, I'm looking forward to time with family. Being with my family, having all of us together in one place, is one of the things that makes me happiest in this life.

We don't live in the same town. We don't even live in the same state. That makes getting all of us together at the same time a bit complicated. So when it does happen, this Mom/Nana is very happy indeed.

I'm looking forward to hearing the sounds of the ocean next week.

Even more, I'm looking forward to laughter. And giggles. And silly jokes. And all the sounds of family.

It makes me happy.

I'll be on vacation with my family next week. Relaxing. Being refreshed.  

I’ll be back after the break.

Your Password Is Incorrect

Yesterday it happened again. More than once.

How many times a day are you asked for your password? We live in a world that requires a password for everything. Access to your smart-phone. Or to Facebook. Or to Twitter. Or to online banking. Or online shopping. Or to retrieve your voice mail. There's a password for everything.

Have you ever forgotten a password? Oh, the frustration! And if you forgot the password and you also forgot the answers to the security questions that would help you retrieve and reset the password........

It's a nightmare!

All that frustration reminds me once again how thankful I am that, when it comes time for me to enter Heaven, I won't need some combination of letters and numbers and special characters.

Because Jesus paid it all, and because I am in a personal relationship with Him, there is no other password needed. I will enter Heaven, as the old gospel hymn said, in the merits of Jesus who for sinners bled and died.  

No other password needed. Thank You, Lord!

"Christ died for sins once for all, the just for the unjust, so that He might bring us to God, having been put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the spirit."

(1 Peter 3:18 NASB) 

A Lasting Impression

Some books are read and then quickly forgotten. Others make a lasting impression.

In that second category, one such book is a book I read many years ago. Safely Home by Randy Alcorn is a book I have thought of often, particularly in recent weeks. Sadly, I don’t remember the entire story line. What I do remember was a group of Christian’s living in remote areas of inland China. They were forbidden to meet for worship, except at state-approved “churches”. Yet they would walk for miles, leaving hours before dawn, to gather in secret places with other believers for worship and Bible study, knowing that if they were caught, they would be imprisoned. And this is the part that really had an impact on me: each member of this house church kept a few pages of Scripture, safely hidden away from the prying eyes of the secret police, guarded with their very lives, which they would bring with them each Sunday morning to worship. They divided the pages of the Bible among the group so that if one were caught and arrested, the entire Bible would not be lost. They valued the Scripture that much. That’s what made the impression on me. It’s a fictional story, but it made a lasting impression.

Thinking of that reminded me of a woman I read about some time ago, whose name I don’t remember, who had copied the entire Bible, in her own hand. Slowly and carefully, so as not to make a mistake, she filled several binders with hand-written copies of God’s Word. She valued the Scripture that much. That made an impression on me.

I have recently been rereading A Place of Quiet Rest by Nancy DeMoss Wolgemuth. It’s another book that made a lasting impression. My copy is well-worn and highlighted, and reading it is much like sitting and having a personal conversation with Nancy about the things that are most important. Things like an intimate personal relationship with Jesus. A vibrant daily devotional life. Spending time in the Scripture. Consistently.

This book has stuck with me through the many years since I first read it because not only is it encouraging, but it is also very practical. She addresses things like “I’m too busy” and “I just know how to get started having a good quiet time”.

These are the kinds of questions that, if we are honest, we have all said at one time or another. And rather than dance around the subject, she deals with these issues head on with some practical tips. Some “here’s how to get started” and some “this is what I do.”

This book made a lasting impression on me. It’s one I would recommend to you, particularly if you find yourself struggling with the “I’m too busy”.

With a strong emphasis on spending time in the Bible, having a consistent plan for Bible reading, and for memorizing Scripture, I suspect this book will make a lasting impression on you, just as it did on me.

“Make me know Your ways, O Lord; teach me Your paths. Lead me in Your truth and teach me, for You are the God of my salvation; for You I wait all the day.” (Psalm 25;4-5 NASB)

Offended

Much has been said and written in recent months about being offended.

People are offended by skin color and sexual preference. By flags. By politics. By almost everything.

It seems that everyday, we find something else that offends us. It borders on the ridiculous, really. What ever happened to the days when, if I disagreed with you or you disagreed with me, we just agreed to disagree?  

Those days are long gone, apparently. It seems we prefer to be offended.

But what about this kind of "offended":

"Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. Point out anything in me that offends You, and lead me along the path of everlasting life."  (Psalm 139:23-24 NLT, emphasis mine)

Something to think about.


"Our society strives to avoid any possibility of offending anyone - except God."  - Billy Graham

Another Anniversary

We celebrated our 50th wedding anniversary a few days ago. Today marks another anniversary. This is the anniversary of the phone call I had dreaded, but knew would one day come.

It's hard to believe that 13 years have passed since Daddy went to heaven. On that Saturday morning, life was normal. And then it wasn't.

Brandon, Stephanie, and AJ were visiting for the weekend. We were making plans for our day. And plans to visit Daddy the next day. Then the phone rang and all our plans were changed.

If Daddy and I could have had one more conversation, I wonder what he might have said. If you knew you were leaving this world, what would you say to those you love most?  

We didn't get to have that conversation. His heart attach stopped his life suddenly, in an instant, with no warning and no time for last words. And so I remember previous conversations we had.

He often would say He that tooteth not his own horn heareth not the sound thereof.  He always said that with a twinkle in his eye!

When talking about money, he would say things like You need to diminish your wants or augment your means.  Or he would say You're old enough for your wants not to hurt you.

He said things like Top 'o the mornin' to ya! and Can't never could!

He loved to talk about baseball and poetry and politics. And he loved to tell jokes. Oh, how he loved to tell jokes!

The last time we talked on the phone, the day before his passing, he said, "I know you don't want to talk about it, but I'm ready to go. I've got my bags all packed and ready."

When I got to Daddy's house on that Saturday afternoon after "the phone call", I found his Bible and devotional book on the table next to his chair, open to the passage he had read the previous morning, Colossians 3:1-3, before the heart attack took his life.

There's a sense in which these are Daddy's final words to me. And to my brother. Because, in his own words, I believe this is what Daddy would have said to us if he had known he was leaving that day. This is how he lived, and this is how he wanted us to live too.



"If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth. For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God."  (Colossians 3:1-3 KJV)
 

50 Years and Counting…

It was a beautiful summer day, not too hot. There had been a shower of rain late in the morning, just enough for things to be refreshed.

The ceremony was held at eight o'clock in the evening, the perfect time of day to get just the right amount of evening sun through the stained glass windows of the church.

The church was full of family and friends. The music was perfect. There were flowers. And candles.

So began our life together as husband and wife.  

There was a reception following the ceremony. It was a simple affair with punch and cake, held in the church fellowship hall.

Afterward, we drove away from the church listening to the Carpenters singing We've Only Just Begun.

That was our song then. It is our song today.  

On June 10, 1972, we began our journey through life together as husband and wife. Neither of us had any idea what a journey it would be!

In these 50 years we have moved around a lot. Traveled a lot. We were blessed with two sons. We watched them grow up into fine young men. We watched as one went off to serve his country and as the other went off to college. We celebrated as they married and had children of their own. What a blessing this life has been!

Who knew back in 1972 that we would live in six different states, at nineteen different addresses? Who knew that we would travel together all over the world? Who knew all the mountaintops and valleys, smooth roads and potholes, all the adventures this journey would hold for us?

God knew. He knew exactly what He had planned for us, even though we had no idea. This has been quite a journey. Richer and poorer. Sickness and health. And the journey continues. We've only just begun!

I had no idea that all this would be part of my life journey, but I wouldn't want to do life with anyone else. And I would do it all again!

Happy Anniversary, sweetheart! I love you more!

 

"Grow old along with me!  The best is yet to be....."

(from "Rabbi Ben Ezra" by Robert Browning)

Through It All

We have been doing a lot of celebrating and reminiscing this week in anticipation of our 50th wedding anniversary on Friday, as well as celebrating the 50th of our dear friends Mike and Cathy earlier this week.

Looking at photos, and talking about all the places we have been and the the adventures of our life, has brought an old song to mind.

Through it all, through it all,

I’ve learned to trust in Jesus, I’ve learned to trust in God.

That’s a perfect description of the story of our lives. These 50 years have been quite a journey.

These last 10 have been particularly challenging.

We moved. Again.

I had a stroke. And I survived.

Al had 3 major surgeries. Two of them in 2020.

We both survived Covid.

And we’ve made it through all the other challenges to life as we know it since 2020!

What a journey this life has been!

And through it all - through the good times and the bad times, the happy times and sad times, and all the in between times, I am so very thankful.

Thankful that “He who began a good work in you will be faithful to complete it.” (Phil. 1:6)

Thankful that “My God will supply all your need according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus.” (Phil. 4:19)

Thankful that “My God is able to do exceedingly abundantly beyond all that we ask or think.” (Ephesians 6:20)

Thankful. Through it all.

*Through It All - words and lyrics by Andrae Crouch

Of This I’m Sure

“The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God stands forever.” (Isaiah 40:8 NASB) 

We're living in a world where everything is changing. Our world no longer recognizes absolutes. Truth, in our culture, is an elusive concept. And that's true in the little things as well as in the bigger things.

If you have lived as long as I have, then you've been told that eggs are good for you, then that eggs are bad for you, and now eggs are good for you again. Milk is good for you, but it's bad for you. Eat wheat; don't eat wheat. Coffee is bad for you; coffee causes cancer; coffee is good for you and prevents certain diseases. Which is it? Where is the truth?  

As for the coffee, I'm going to drink it no matter what! About the other things, I'm as confused as the rest of you.

It's difficult to navigate our way through the ever-changing science and maintain our physical health.  We're confused. We don't know who or what to believe.

The culture and the government continue to attempt to alter our perception of other standards as well.  Standards that have been recognized as absolute for millennia are now being tossed aside as obsolete.

Because this is true, because we live in a culture that no longer recognizes the authority of the Word of God, it is more important than ever that we know what we believe. That we know Whom we believe. It is more important than ever that we not only believe in God, but that we believe God. It is more important than ever that we saturate ourselves in the Truth. That we be disciplined to spend time in the Word of God.  

And it is more important than ever that we stand firm for Truth.

There are many things in this life that I am unsure of.  But of this I am sure:

"Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever."  (Hebrews 13:8 NASB)

"I the LORD do not change."  (Malachi 3:6 NASB)

Cultural standards change. The grass withers. The flower fades. What is popular today is gone tomorrow.  What we have known as truth is no longer recognized as such. Even so, I know Whom I have believed and am persuaded that He is able to keep that which I have committed unto Him against that day. (2 Timothy 1:12 KJV)



"Be on the alert, stand firm in the faith."  (1 Corinthians 16:13 NASB)

Let’s Make a List

 "Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens, 

Bright copper kettles and warm woolen mittens......

These are a few of my favorite things."

 

 

If you're a fan of The Sound of Music, those are familiar lyrics. Even if you're not particularly a Sound of Music fan, the lyrics are probably at least vaguely familiar.

 

These days it seems the world is just falling apart. It's hard to find any good news to talk about any more.  If we let it, all the gloom and doom that is part of our world can really drag us down.

 

Today seems like a good day for a change of focus. I don't know how things are where you are today, but here in the Upstate of South Carolina, we’re having a fair to partly cloudy day. Another warm one, with the prospect of afternoon thunder storms.  I have the usual aches and pains that come with this season of life. I could find all sorts of reasons for complaining if I really tried. And I wouldn't have to try all that hard!

 

Instead, I'm choosing to focus my attention elsewhere. To be thankful. To make a list of a "few of my favorite things."  Using the song as a starting point, here's my list:

 

• Raindrops on roses. I love roses. And hydrangeas. And gardenias. And daisies. And I love to see raindrops on those roses. It makes me happy.
• The next line of the song doesn't really make my list. I'm not a fan of kittens or their whiskers.  Kittens grow up to be cats, and I'm really more a dog person than a cat person. Whiskers on puppies. That I can get excited about!
• Bright copper kettles. I love copper pots of all shapes and sizes.
• Warm woolen mittens. Again, as with the whiskers on kittens, I'm not a fan. Mittens, yes. Woolen mittens, not so much.
• Coffee. Hot, strong, black coffee. That definitely is on my favorites list.
• Friends. Definitely thankful!
• Books. Big books. Little books. E-books. All books. I love books. I love reading. It's one of the great pleasures of my life!
• The smell of rain.
• The smell of freshly mown grass.
• A big juicy steak.
• Pimento cheese, homemade by my husband. The best there is! (The husband AND the pimento cheese!)
• Strawberries
• Peaches
• Pancakes
• The beach

These are a few of my favorite things. I'm thankful for these things and for so much more. This only scratches the surface.

 

What's on your list today?

 

"Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body; and be thankful."  (Colossians 3:15 NASB)

 

 

*My Favorite Things - songwriters:  Oscar Hammerstein and Richard Rodgers

It's Anniversary Week!

Several of my friends have celebrated wedding anniversaries recently, and others will be celebrating in the next week or so. I'll just give them all one big "Happy Anniversary!" shout-out rather than mentioning each of them by name, since I would inevitably leave someone out.

On a more personal note, Friday will mark another milestone in the journey of my life. 50 years ago - June 10, 1972 - I said "I do". For the past (almost) 50 years, my life has been shared with the man of my dreams. And what a life it has been!

We began our married life in a little house in the "Avenues" of West Columbia, SC. (If you're from Cayce/West Columbia, that will mean something to you. Otherwise, probably not!) When I say it was a "little" house, that's exactly what I mean. It was a very small house, about 900 square feet. We have since lived in apartments that were larger than that house!

We had some expectations when we married. We expected to live out our days in West Columbia. Or maybe we might move to Cayce! Certainly we expected to live out our days in the Midlands of South Carolina. We expected that we would someday move to a larger house. We expected that we would have children. I'm sure that back then we had other expectations as well.

In many ways, life has far exceeded our expectations, even our wildest dreams. Over the years we have moved far beyond the boundaries of Cayce/West Columbia. Far beyond South Carolina. To Colorado and to Connecticut. To Minnesota and to Florida. (How’s talk for climate extremes!). We lived in the mountains of North Carolina, and now we find ourselves back in our home state.

We have traveled to places we once only read about or dreamed of visiting. All across these United States. Thanks to our road trip in 2015, we have now both been in all 50 states at least once. We've visited such far away places as Tokyo and Paris. Sydney and Cairo. Edinburgh and Jerusalem. And numerous other spots in between. What an amazing journey we have had together!

I've said many times before that every journey has hills and valleys, smooth roads and potholes. Sometimes the scenery is beautiful. Sometimes not so much. Sometimes the road is straight. Sometimes there are curves. Bends in the road. It's all part of the journey. And we've experienced some of all of it!

Even so, there's joy in the journey. Joy because we're right where our LORD wants us to be. Joy because we're taking the journey together. 

As we have been for almost 50 years. Through thick and thin. In good times and in not-so-great. Through it all. Together.

These last few years have certainly put the "for better, for worse; in sickness and in health" to the test! My stroke was definitely not on our bucket list! Even through all that, there is joy in our journey. 

And I wouldn't want to take this journey with anyone else!

“I am my beloved’s and my beloved’s is mine.” (Song of Solomon 6:3)

What’s Your Favorite?

Favorites. We all have them. But to really answer the question what's your favorite?, we need categorize a little bit.  Because we have so many favorites!

We have favorite foods. In my case, there would be a list of favorite foods, since I think it might be impossible to narrow my choice to only one favorite! My list would, of course, include pancakes. And chocolate. And coconut cream pie. And watermelon. And strawberries. And a really good steak. See what I mean? There's no way I could come up with just one favorite food!

A favorite beverage is an easier choice.  For me, that favorite is coffee.  Your favorite might be tea.  Or Diet Coke.  Or some other beverage.  But we all have a favorite.

We have favorite colors.  Or favorite vacation spots.  Or favorite sports teams.  Favorite books and favorite movies.  Favorite TV shows.  Favorite restaurants.  So many favorites.

Has anyone ever asked you to name your favorite Scripture verse?  For me, that's a difficult question to answer, because I have so many favorites.  And even if I try to put my favorites into categories, I still have a hard time!

I've asked that question of several people lately, and have found that I'm not the only one having trouble narrowing the list to just one favorite!

There are favorite verses I turn to when I'm having a bad day or some kind of crisis in my life.  There are verses I turn to when I'm in need of encouragement, or verses I turn to when I want to offer encouragement to others.  There are verses I often recall when I'm praying, and there are verses that come to mind when I'm praising.  So many favorites!

If I had to point out one favorite chapter in the Bible, it might be Psalm 119.  I love the Psalms, and I particularly love that Psalm!  I have so many favorite verses in that favorite chapter.

"Open my eyes, that I may behold wonderful things from Your law."  (Psalm 119:18 NASB)

"Establish Your word to Your servant as that which produces reverence for You."  (Psalm 119:38 NASB)

"Forever, O LORD, Your word is settled in heaven.  Your faithfulness continues throughout all generations."  (Psalm 119:89-90 NASB)

"Oh, how I love Your law!  It is my meditation all the day."  (Psalm 119:97 NASB)

Do you see what I mean?  I can't possible choose just one verse from that chapter, and that's just a sampling of my favorites!

One of my favorite verses, and the first thing I could remember following my stroke, is found in Isaiah. “Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on Thee, because he trusts in Thee.” (Isaiah 26:30). That verse got me through the difficult months of stroke recovery.

But if I were forced to nail down just one favorite verse, or the most favorite of all my favorites, I probably would choose Hebrews 12:2, in the New American Standard translation. I choose that translation because of the way the first phrase is translated. Most translations say "looking to Jesus" or "looking unto Jesus".  The NASB is even more specific.

"fixing our eyes on Jesus,  the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God."  (Hebrews 12:2 NASB, emphasis mine)

That's my favorite.  

What's yours?

Welcome to June!

Today we turn the calendar page and welcome a new month. It's June already! Where does the time go?

I'm happy to welcome June. It's a month I look forward to each year.

This is a month of celebrations in our family. Toward the end of the month we will celebrate a son's birthday. Before that, we will celebrate our wedding anniversary. I just love a good celebration, don't you?

June is also the month for our annual family vacation. Some years we have gone to the beach, and some years to the mountains. This year we're heading back to the beach. But no matter where we go, it's something I look forward to every year because it's a week of being with my family. All of us together in one place. It doesn't happen nearly often enough to suit me, so I'm excited to turn the page on the calendar and begin the countdown!

June marks the beginning of summer. Even for those of us who no longer mark time by the day school is out for summer vacation, June is a time to look forward to a slower pace of life for a few months. Peaches and watermelon. Sunshine and supper on the porch. Flowers blooming and birds singing. All the simple joys of summer. One blessing after another.

According to the calendar, summer doesn't officially begin for about three more weeks, but in my mind, today's the day.

Welcome to June! Welcome to summer!


"From the fullness of His grace we have all received one blessing after another."  
(John 1:16 NIV)