Nuptials!

Weddings! Weddings! With grandchildren coming of age, there are nearly always weddings on our horizon! The happy events require much planning for today's "venue" weddings. Although two of our granddaughters' weddings are months away, gowns are already selected, venues reserved, and countless details are being taken care of.

Daughter Amy, mother of bride Corrin, recently spent a day on forays to florists for daughter's meticulous requirements. Both mothers of the future bride and groom have been putting their heads together about the rehearsal dinner menu and reception plans.

All six of my children had church weddings. No venues of barn weddings or antique country houses to be considered. With only two daughters, I managed their lovely, but modest by today's standards, weddings. I didn't bear the brunt of our sons' weddings as much as did the bride's family.

I didn't realize how much is involved in preparations until I heard my granddaughter, Allison, saying they had to get printing and mailing done. I thought it was a little early for a June wedding, but a few days later I received a "Save the Date" card with important details and a great picture of the happy couple.

What if everyone were as concerned for readiness in meeting our heavenly bridegroom as modern wedding planners are today? Someday we will meet Him at the Marriage Supper of the Lamb, Revelation 19:7-9:

"Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready. (8) And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints. (9) And he saith unto me, Write, Blessed are they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb. And he saith unto me, These are the true sayings of God."

We don't get a "Save the Date" card, but we have the Bible, which says no man knows the day or the hour of our Lord's return, so it pays to be ready!

A Present Help in Time of Need!

Coming home from town one day recently, we suddenly heard a very loud noise in our van. Mystified, we soon discovered it was a broken fan belt! Not sure of the implications, we continued down the road only to realize our power steering was not working! Thankfully we made it home, but we barely got into the drive way when we could go no farther.

"It's okay, Dad," our son Greg assured us. "I can fix it." Knowing that he is very capable and mechanically inclined, we relaxed, glad that we had an oldie but goodie to get us around. But before Greg had a chance to work on the van, he was called out of state for a 3-week work assignment.

Surprisingly, our son's work was finished early, and he spent the next two days at home working on our vehicle. At one point he despaired of the difficulty of the repair and was ready to call it quits, while we deliberated on putting it in the shop for what would be an exorbitant expense. Regaining his resolve, Greg tackled the job again. Shortly he burst in with the great news that it was fixed!
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Unbelievably, the very next day he was advised that he was needed in California, messing up plans for church and a few days R and R. He had put in a call for one day's extension, via a Dallas connection. Howard and I felt so bad about his hurried departure, that we prayed that God would intervene for a little extra time. Turns out all flights from Dallas were grounded due to weather, so Greg got his reprieve for a day with family!

Looking back, we couldn't help seeing God's hand in both situations--his getting our car fixed in the narrow window of time that he was home, and the delayed flight plans! Thank you, God, for answered prayer!

Hand in Glove

Gloves! I don't know how many I have lost! I bought a new pair to take on our trip to Georgia awhile back. We were enjoying the flight with the amenities of a screen and ear phones in front of us to watch a movie or track our flight. We even had a seat near the front.

After a (mostly) smooth landing, we joined the line exiting the plane. Half way up the aisle, I felt in my pockets for my gloves, and one of them was gone! I probably dropped it as I was getting out of my seat! There was no way I could back-stroke through the massive line behind us! Shopping with my daughter the next day, I got a pair which I am holding on to!

My husband is the same way. "Where are my gloves?" he calls, as he is preparing to do his animal chores. New, sturdy work gloves were bought recently for him, but where are they? I searched in a drawer and found some mismatched ones for him, then I was surprised to see him going out with a great-looking pair!

"Are those my gloves?" I demanded when I saw what looked like a familiar pair.

"No," he smiled cheerfully, "These came in the mail!" What? I wondered what was in a bulky mailing envelope addressed to him! He is always getting flimsy t-shirts from some charitable organization he contributes to, and I thought it was one of them. Apparently, this was a new one!

But they came at the right time! Almost as he was walking out the door! It almost seemed like God granted his desire and need! When Howard came back in, he exclaimed how good the gloves felt and how warm they kept his hands!

"God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in time of trouble," Psalm 46:1. Some versions say "...in time of need." He certainly was that day!

Reading for Meaning

My One Year Bible came in recently, so I have had a lot of catching up to do, since the reading selections began with January 1. Thankfully, I am now current on today's date of January 21!

I have just finished reading the saga of Joseph's life, and the overwhelming account of his revelation to his brothers that he is now a ruler in Egypt! Although it is a well-known story, it was so gripping I had to read ahead to tomorrow's portion. Feeling the emotion they shared brought tears of my own!

I love reading this way! It keeps me on track as I delve into perhaps what might be neglected parts of the Word. It is heart warming to come across familiar verses. such as, "And Isaac went out to meditate in the field at eventide: and he lifted up his eyes, and saw, and behold, the camels were coming." Genesis 24:63.

Or Jesus saying, "And why take ye thought for raiment? 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." Matthew 6:28-29.

Also, Psalm 8:4, which ponders, "What is man, that thou art mindful of him? And the son of man that thou visitest him?"

Consider Proverbs 3:27, "Withold not good from them to whom it is due, when it is in thy power of thine hand to do it."

Not to forget Jesus's words in Matthew 12:50, "For whosoever shall do the will of my Father which is in heaven, the same is my brother, and sister, and mother."

All found in the Bible, in whatever version you choose!

My

Higher Ground

Our small electric heater that takes the chill off the bathroom, after never having a problem, unexpectedly stopped working the other day and was returned to the store. It was replaced, and all was cozy again until one frosty morning this one died, too! Enough was enough, so another trip to the store was necessary. You guessed it, same scenario!

Before they took it back this time, the men in the family unplugged the heater from the bottom of the duplex outlet and tried it in the upper outlet. Presto! It worked fine! It was the connection all the time! And to think we kept exchanging the perfectly good heaters! LOL!

Seriously, though, sometimes it seems our prayers are like the unproductive outlet. They aren't going anywhere. They are not making a connection! They may start out well, full of warmth and power, then they cool with a feeling of disconnect. It's time to check our connection! Take it from the lower level into the upper outlet!

The Bible tells of how the shepherds took their sheep to a higher table land. The 23rd Psalm says, "Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over. Verse 23:5.

"Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever." Psalm 23:6.

We just need to go a little higher with our prayers!

Compassion

I couldn't believe what I saw out the kitchen window the other morning! Down in the corral, a young goat (we call it a baby goat) had its horns caught in the fence that separates them from the pigs. An older goat was ramming the helpless baby's side with all her might, over and over! I thought she was going to kill him!

Still in my pajamas, I left the sink and ran out on the frosty grass, grabbing a broom and jamming the big goat through the fence. She stopped momentarily, then began her attack again. Surely she wasn't trying to free the little one, I wondered.

When I couldn't stop her, I hurried back to the house and found my gentleman farmer getting his shoes and coat on. He was able to get inside the pen and free the victim, who staggered to the shed and collapsed, lying there for a long time before he got up again.

Animals! They are such animals! Not that we don't see that trait in people sometimes, when they are mean or unkind to their fellow man. Jesus tells the story of the good Samaritan in Luke 10:25-37. A lawyer had questioned Jesus as to how to have eternal life, then after he gave the right answers to Jesus, including "Love thy neighbor as thyself," he asked, "Who is my neighbor?"

After Jesus gave the examples of the priest and the Levite who passed by the wounded traveler, He says in verses 10:33-35, "But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was: and when he saw him, he had compassion on him. (34) And went to him, and bound up his wounds, pouring in oil and wine, a set him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn and took care of him.

(35) And on the morrow when he departed, he took out two pence, and gave them to the host, and said unto him, Take care of him; and whatsoever thou spendest more, when I come again, I will repay thee."

Finally He asks who was a neighbor to the wounded man. The answer was the one who showed mercy. Then Jesus said, "Go, and do thou likewise." A good example for man or beast!

Long Distance

Returning home after a nice lunch out after church, I wanted to make a phone call and reached for my purse. My phone wasn't there! I checked my coat pocket, even going outside to look in the car. I was starting to feel panicky, realizing my phone was missing. I was about to tell my husband that I must have left it in the restaurant when my grandson Adam came down stairs.

"Dad just called," he announced of our son who had gone to Louisiana for work. "He said Perkins called him and said they had your phone." What? They had seen his name on my call list, and he in turn called Adam, since he couldn't call me! What a long way around!

Once before I had left my phone at a book store in Houston! Such a terrible feeling it is to be disconnected from your phone, your means of communication, your information and all your important numbers, let alone feeling your privacy has been invaded! Thankfully the book store held the phone for me until I could pick it up, and the restaurant did the same.

Sometimes we can feel disconnected even when we are surrounded by people. Maybe we have something on our mind and/or are oblivious to what others may be experiencing. It's almost like a missed call or a wrong number!

The old song "The Royal Telephone" from the early sixties, makes comparisons of our heavenly communication and the phone. It says the line is never busy and you can feel the current moving! And you can't be disconnected!

The old phones couldn't be mislaid, either, for they were attached to the wall instead of being in pocket, purse, or automobile! Sometimes I mislay my Bible. Not that we don't have several, but it is distressing when I can't find a favorite one.

Thankfully, our communication with God need not be lost. As the song says, "You can hear from heaven almost any time!" All we have to do is to tune in, for He will be listening!

Secret Code

We finally got Howard's DNA kit ready to mail, which our clever son, Benjamin got him for Christmas. (He said he wanted to know if his father really is of Native Indian descent, which Howard had heard from relatives.)

After we finally figured out the instructions, we hit a new snag. Hubby had a hard time getting enough saliva to fill the small tube which held a mysterious substance that would bring forth results. "Spit!" I urged him, but under pressure, he was having trouble with a dry mouth. After about three tries, it seemed sufficient. We will see.

I couldn't help thinking of the incident in the Bible when Jesus healed a blind man. John 9:6 tells us, "When he had thus spoken, he spat on the ground, and made clay of the spittle, and he anointed the eyes of the blind man with the clay."

I have often wondered if it was the spittle containing Jesus's DNA that healed the blind man, or was it the clay that came from the earth He created? John 1:3 teaches, "All things were made by him; and without him not anything made that was made."

In a sermon recently, our pastor emphasized how Jesus cares for us, even knowing when a hair falls from our head. "But the very hairs of your head are numbered," Matthew 10:30. Luke 12:7 states, "But even the hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not therefore: ye are of more value than many sparrows."

From today's science and technology, we know that every strand of hair carries one's DNA! No matter how long someone has been dead and unidentified, their DNA in the hair identifies them. So my supposition is, each hair is not only numbered, it is coded! Jesus knew this all along, since He is the Master of creation! And He also knows the answer to Howard's ethnicity!

Read it Through!

Ever since last Sunday when the pastor encouraged everyone to get a "Read Through in a Year" edition of the Bible, I have been trying to find one. I'm pretty sure I have one in storage with other books, because I used it one year and did read it through. But since it is bedraggled, I wanted a new one and went to the book store.

I found a couple, one a NLT, and the other a chronological edition. Since that was all they had, the lady at the desk offered to order me one, and asked what version I wanted. I told her I preferred a KJV, although I had considered the New Living Translation.

"That's about as far as you can get from a King James," she said. So I had her order the KJV.

"What is your name?" she asked as she filled out the order. I told her, and she surprised me by saying, "Oh, you're one of our authors!"

"Yes," I said, because I had just seen one of my books malingering on the shelf. A few years ago I kept them stocked, but somehow I got discouraged and let it go.

Anyway, my Bible is supposed to come in today, and although I'll have some catching up to do, I'm looking forward to reading passages from the Old Testament, New Testament, Psalms and Proverbs! I love the variety, and change of pace it gives! Somehow it reminds me of a church service: Old Testament, announcements; Psalms, song service; Proverbs, preaching; and New Testament, altar call!

Blessed!

For some time, Howard had been concerned about a medication he has to take for diabetes. His regular meds had become prohibitively expensive. The doctor prescribed a new drug, also costly, but they happened to have free samples that he could have every month. He gladly accepted, and this was satisfactory for several months, when this courtesy was discontinued.

He had no choice but to buy the medication at the exorbitant price of $20 per pill, which would be $60 for 3 pills. Then last Sunday at church, our pastor invited all who had prayer needs to come to the altar at the close of the service. We went and prayed earnestly about the meds.

The next day, Monday, we went to the pharmacy to buy 3 of the pills. The pharmacy tech gave him the bag containing the prescription, and he did a double take when he saw the price. $4.00! He couldn't believe it, but she showed him that the insurance had kicked in and covered it! God had heard and answered our prayer! Now he will spend only $40 monthly instead of $600! Praise God!

We told the pastor about it last night at our Wednesday pre-service meal. He was thankful and asked if he could share the testimony with the church, which he did. The congregation exploded with clapping and praise at our miracle!

This morning I saw a message on Facebook from a friend who posted, "The sunrise this morning is gorgeous! Hurry and go look!" I noted that that was 15 minutes ago, but I jumped out of bed to look out the window. The sky was still rosy-red, coloring the heavy gray clouds that would soon lose their luster when they blanketed the sky for the rest of the day.

God's blessings are infinite, not only giving us answered prayers, but also panoramic scenes of beauty in His creation! He is worthy of all praise!

Christmas Past

What a wonderful one it was! Christmas Day found us at our church helping in the church's annual outreach in feeding hundreds of people a delicious Christmas dinner! We thought we had never seen so many pumpkin pies we sliced and packed in styrofoam containers going with the meal to hospitals, shut-ins and nursing homes. When all was complete, we ate and visited with delightful strangers across the table!

The next night, our innovative son Greg kept the Christmas spirit going by starting a fire in the fireplace where we roasted chestnuts, reminiscent of the "The Christmas Song." Our oldest son, Mark, and Rhonda, our daughter-in-love, were here to take us home with them for a week in Austin, Texas. Besides shopping, eating out, and exploring, the greatest treat was visiting their church and hearing Pastor Mark's message.

A special surprise came in the form of youngest son, Jamie and family from Houston dropping in! How sweet to see the grands, Anne-Marie, 12; Maddie, 9, and Isaac, 5. We all piled in cars and went to an amazing outdoor light show at a water-front coffee shop, the two-level patio full of people strolling, enjoying hot chocolate and coffee while a gifted pianist pounded out hymns and carols. Flashing lights flickered overhead with scenes of shepherds, the nativity, stars and angels, interspersed with Santa and reindeer to the tune of old Christmas favorites.

Besides the wonderful gifts we received, there was one caveat. Howard was to receive it in the mail, which he did when we got home. I laughed when I read the label on the box: Ancestry DNA. Jamie said he wanted to find out once and for all, if his dad was or was not of American Indian heritage, which Howard has always stated. Now we wait with bated breath for the test outcome!

No matter if he is Indian or not, all who believe are God's children, for Jesus gave his life for our sins. Coming to earth as a baby was His Christmas gift to us!