God is able. No matter what your situation may look like, no matter what you have been told, God is able. Ephesians 3:20; God is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think according to the power that works in us.
Are you lonely this morning? God is able to comfort you and give you companionship.
Are your finances pulling you under? God is able to supply your need.
Hungry? God is able to feed you.
Afraid? God is able to protect you.
Is your marriage falling apart? God is able to restore love and your broken marriage.
Are you sick? God is able to heal you. He is our Jehovah Rapha.
Are your children in trouble and away from God? God is able to draw them back.
Are you anxious for the days ahead? God is able to control the future.
Is your heart burdened with a deep desire that you haven't shared with anyone? God is able. He knows your heart and He is able to give you your deepest desire.
Trust in His promise, believe with all your heart that He is able. Don't quit, don't give up.
God is able.
Penny
Thursday, July 18, 2019
Tuesday, July 9, 2019
My Remembrance Book
I am a fan of Little House on the Prairie. Each Monday night at 7:00 my little boys and I would sit in front of our big ole box tv and watch as the writings of Laura Ingalls Wilder played out on that screen. Most Monday nights David was working and each fall and winter when a new episode aired I made sure homework was done, baths were over, the popcorn popped and we were ready for each new adventure. Of course I had read every single book she'd written and even though most episodes weren't actually in the book, the theme was the same each week; good wins. In the very first episode of the tv show, and in the opening page of her first book, Laura says, "If I had a remembrance book."
In a recent conversation with a friend, she shared the very real struggle she was having with depression and anxiety. As a woman I could relate. Studies show that women are more prone to suffer depression and anxiety than men, and while I am certainly not qualified to speak from a clinical perspective, I want to share with you something that helps me when I feel myself slipping into that dark pit of self absorption and lies of the enemy; my remembrance book.
I have loved writing since I was a little girl and for most of my adult life I have kept a daily journal. I also love to keep a journal of my daily Bible readings and even writing down on paper my prayers. But I have one special arrangement of writings that reminds me of God's love, His mercy, His faithfulness, His goodness, and the truth of who I am in Christ. It is my remembrance book and it has truly been light in the darkness, my shelter in the storm, because it is God's perspective of me.
You see, for me, a remembrance book cannot be written in the dark; it can only be written in the light. So I prepare for the dark, while I am in the light. So how do you make your own remembrance book? Today, begin remembering the good things, and writing them down. It's good to put a date beside them if you can. Write a scripture with a promise, write what you feel the scripture is speaking into your life, write about a special memory, a fun adventure, those you love. While you are in the light, look for God's activity in your life and your family. Look for the little things like a sunset, your granddaughter's laughter, a gift from your son, a dinner with your husband, a special hymn that touched you deeply. The point is....remember something good, then write it down because when the darkness comes, it's hard to remember the good times of the light. And when the fear, the dread, the depressing thoughts come to your mind, get your remembrance book and begin to read.
Many times in the scriptures God encourages us to remember the good. In Genesis 9:13 God gave Noah a rainbow to help him remember His promise not to destroy the world again by a flood. When we observe the Lord's Supper we are to remember what Jesus did for us on the cross. The most important memory anyone can have is when she accepted Jesus Christ as her personal Savior. And each time I remember the good, the darkness is beaten back just a little bit farther because nothing dark can exist in the light.
This is by no means the answer to all forms of depression or anxiety. It is simply something that helps me keep a balance in my thinking. Remember the good, write it down, choose to read it when you feel the dark creeping in. Laura Ingalls Wilder had no idea that her remembrance book would have such an impact on the literary world. What could your remembrance book do for you and maybe others?
Penny
One of my "Remembrance" books.
In a recent conversation with a friend, she shared the very real struggle she was having with depression and anxiety. As a woman I could relate. Studies show that women are more prone to suffer depression and anxiety than men, and while I am certainly not qualified to speak from a clinical perspective, I want to share with you something that helps me when I feel myself slipping into that dark pit of self absorption and lies of the enemy; my remembrance book.
I have loved writing since I was a little girl and for most of my adult life I have kept a daily journal. I also love to keep a journal of my daily Bible readings and even writing down on paper my prayers. But I have one special arrangement of writings that reminds me of God's love, His mercy, His faithfulness, His goodness, and the truth of who I am in Christ. It is my remembrance book and it has truly been light in the darkness, my shelter in the storm, because it is God's perspective of me.
You see, for me, a remembrance book cannot be written in the dark; it can only be written in the light. So I prepare for the dark, while I am in the light. So how do you make your own remembrance book? Today, begin remembering the good things, and writing them down. It's good to put a date beside them if you can. Write a scripture with a promise, write what you feel the scripture is speaking into your life, write about a special memory, a fun adventure, those you love. While you are in the light, look for God's activity in your life and your family. Look for the little things like a sunset, your granddaughter's laughter, a gift from your son, a dinner with your husband, a special hymn that touched you deeply. The point is....remember something good, then write it down because when the darkness comes, it's hard to remember the good times of the light. And when the fear, the dread, the depressing thoughts come to your mind, get your remembrance book and begin to read.
Many times in the scriptures God encourages us to remember the good. In Genesis 9:13 God gave Noah a rainbow to help him remember His promise not to destroy the world again by a flood. When we observe the Lord's Supper we are to remember what Jesus did for us on the cross. The most important memory anyone can have is when she accepted Jesus Christ as her personal Savior. And each time I remember the good, the darkness is beaten back just a little bit farther because nothing dark can exist in the light.
This is by no means the answer to all forms of depression or anxiety. It is simply something that helps me keep a balance in my thinking. Remember the good, write it down, choose to read it when you feel the dark creeping in. Laura Ingalls Wilder had no idea that her remembrance book would have such an impact on the literary world. What could your remembrance book do for you and maybe others?
Penny
One of my "Remembrance" books.
Tuesday, May 7, 2019
What Are The Consequences?
The day began well. The sun was brightly shining, the air was warm and I had big plans to fill my flower pots with beautiful, colorful flowers and enjoy a day on the patio reading and writing. I love May in Kentucky and I read a statement many years ago that I recite each May; there is no place like Kentucky in May. This was one of those May mornings in Kentucky that make the long, gray winter worth the wait. But then, seemingly out of nowhere, I had a decision to make about something and without thinking any further than the moment, I hurriedly decided to.........
Have you done that? I knew better than to be so hasty in my decision. I knew to pray, think it through, weigh all the options, even chuck my pride and ask advice from someone much wiser than me..Oh how many times I have said, "If only I could go back and do that differently." And for the zillioneth time I was reminded that every decision has a consequence. Every word, every action, even our very thoughts have consequences.
As a Mom I tried to prepare my children for the consequences of their decisions. I often reminded them that they were responsible for their actions and words. I often cautioned them to think about what the consequences might be if they don't do their homework? What will the consequences be if you drive too fast, or if you drink alcohol? And what might be the consequences of choosing the wrong friends or the wrong wife?
The Bible has much to say about making a wise decision and thinking ahead to what the consequences might be for the right decision and even for the wrong one. So today I simply encourage you to:
1. Think it through. Ask God daily for wisdom and spiritual discernment, and when the time comes to make that quick decision, the Holy Spirit has already been preparing your heart and mind with "the mind of Christ." 1 Corinthians 2:16.
2. Ask the tough question: what are some consequences if I do this? Who could be hurt?
3. Fast and pray. There will be many decisions we will be called to make that are minor in nature; what to have for dinner, which color looks best on me, should I go to the gym today? Then there are those decisions that have big consequences. In Matthew 17 a man had brought his epileptic son to the disciples for healing, but they could not heal the boy. The father then brought him to Jesus and asked Jesus to heal his son, stating that he had brought his boy to the disciples, but they were unable to heal him. Jesus healed the man's son and the disciples asked Jesus why they could not heal him. Jesus replied, " This miracle could only be done after you have fasted and prayed." (my paraphrase) I believe Jesus had been fasting and when He added His prayer to His fast, a miracle occurred. Making the right decision in a critical situation demands something from us; something that shows God we mean business, we are serious and fasting says to God what our prayers alone cannot.
Often we are compelled to make a quick decision and there is no time to fast; my son chooses one specific day each week to fast his lunch and pray. The disciples did not have time to fast, the man's son needed healing at that moment. But if they had been fasting regularly they would have been "fasted and ready" to pray for a miracle.
I was able, with God's help, to "fix" my decision that May day. The consequences were not as bad as they could have been. Maybe you're waiting on the results of your consequences; while you wait ask God to do what I often ask Him: "Lord, subdue the consequences of my sins." This is biblical and I have seen Him work on my behalf to lessen the consequences, while still teaching me the lesson.
Even if you aren't in Kentucky, enjoy this beautiful May day; think through your decisions, ask some tough questions even when you don't like the answers, and learn the spiritual power of fasting and praying. God will help you through it, I know He will because He helps me.
Penny
Have you done that? I knew better than to be so hasty in my decision. I knew to pray, think it through, weigh all the options, even chuck my pride and ask advice from someone much wiser than me..Oh how many times I have said, "If only I could go back and do that differently." And for the zillioneth time I was reminded that every decision has a consequence. Every word, every action, even our very thoughts have consequences.
As a Mom I tried to prepare my children for the consequences of their decisions. I often reminded them that they were responsible for their actions and words. I often cautioned them to think about what the consequences might be if they don't do their homework? What will the consequences be if you drive too fast, or if you drink alcohol? And what might be the consequences of choosing the wrong friends or the wrong wife?
The Bible has much to say about making a wise decision and thinking ahead to what the consequences might be for the right decision and even for the wrong one. So today I simply encourage you to:
1. Think it through. Ask God daily for wisdom and spiritual discernment, and when the time comes to make that quick decision, the Holy Spirit has already been preparing your heart and mind with "the mind of Christ." 1 Corinthians 2:16.
2. Ask the tough question: what are some consequences if I do this? Who could be hurt?
3. Fast and pray. There will be many decisions we will be called to make that are minor in nature; what to have for dinner, which color looks best on me, should I go to the gym today? Then there are those decisions that have big consequences. In Matthew 17 a man had brought his epileptic son to the disciples for healing, but they could not heal the boy. The father then brought him to Jesus and asked Jesus to heal his son, stating that he had brought his boy to the disciples, but they were unable to heal him. Jesus healed the man's son and the disciples asked Jesus why they could not heal him. Jesus replied, " This miracle could only be done after you have fasted and prayed." (my paraphrase) I believe Jesus had been fasting and when He added His prayer to His fast, a miracle occurred. Making the right decision in a critical situation demands something from us; something that shows God we mean business, we are serious and fasting says to God what our prayers alone cannot.
Often we are compelled to make a quick decision and there is no time to fast; my son chooses one specific day each week to fast his lunch and pray. The disciples did not have time to fast, the man's son needed healing at that moment. But if they had been fasting regularly they would have been "fasted and ready" to pray for a miracle.
I was able, with God's help, to "fix" my decision that May day. The consequences were not as bad as they could have been. Maybe you're waiting on the results of your consequences; while you wait ask God to do what I often ask Him: "Lord, subdue the consequences of my sins." This is biblical and I have seen Him work on my behalf to lessen the consequences, while still teaching me the lesson.
Even if you aren't in Kentucky, enjoy this beautiful May day; think through your decisions, ask some tough questions even when you don't like the answers, and learn the spiritual power of fasting and praying. God will help you through it, I know He will because He helps me.
Penny
Monday, December 31, 2018
A New Beginning
This past Sunday David and I, along with our son Jeff and his family had the privilege of worshipping with our son Kyle and his church in Cadiz, Ky. My spirit was refreshed as I listened to Kyle's message and I was reminded again that God delights in giving His people "new beginnings."
As many of you have shared with me in the last few weeks, "2018 has been a very difficult year." I cannot remember when David and I and our family have faced so many battles, but we have also seen God's faithfulness in each and everyone. And today, December 31, 2018, as I look back over this last year I can only stand amazed at His mercy, His faithfulness, His goodness.
Lamentations 3: 21-25;
This I recall to my mind, therefore I have hope. It is because of God's mercies that we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning, great is Thy faithfulness. The Lord is my portion says my soul, therefore will I hope in Him. The Lord is good unto those who wait for Him, to the soul that seeks Him.
2019 will hold many things for all of us, but this one thing I know and am assured of; God is sovereign over all His creation. That means absolutely nothing can enter our lives unless He allows it and if He allows it, it is something He can and will use for our good and His glory.
In his message Kyle encouraged us to commit to four things for 2019;
1. Read the Bible everyday.
The word of God is powerful, it is alive, it will direct us, change us, convict us, love us, help us.
2019 will be a year of much wisdom when we read and apply His word.
2. Share your faith.
We all know someone who is lost. Invite them to come to church with you. Tell them about when you were saved and then share the Roman's Road with them.
3. Grow closer to your church family.
Be faithful to each service. Reach out to those you don't usually fellowship with or know well. Commit to knowing your church.
4. Give more.
Whether it be more money, time, effort, prayer and study, love, mercy, compassion, kindness, goodness, praise, just give a little more.
Thank you so much for your love and support of the blog. I enjoy hearing from you. May 2019 be your best year ever and with love and hope I say, "Happy New Year. God bless you. God be magnified and glorified and exalted. And may this be the year that Jesus returns for His bride, His church."
Your new beginning is about to begin.
Penny
As many of you have shared with me in the last few weeks, "2018 has been a very difficult year." I cannot remember when David and I and our family have faced so many battles, but we have also seen God's faithfulness in each and everyone. And today, December 31, 2018, as I look back over this last year I can only stand amazed at His mercy, His faithfulness, His goodness.
Lamentations 3: 21-25;
This I recall to my mind, therefore I have hope. It is because of God's mercies that we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning, great is Thy faithfulness. The Lord is my portion says my soul, therefore will I hope in Him. The Lord is good unto those who wait for Him, to the soul that seeks Him.
2019 will hold many things for all of us, but this one thing I know and am assured of; God is sovereign over all His creation. That means absolutely nothing can enter our lives unless He allows it and if He allows it, it is something He can and will use for our good and His glory.
In his message Kyle encouraged us to commit to four things for 2019;
1. Read the Bible everyday.
The word of God is powerful, it is alive, it will direct us, change us, convict us, love us, help us.
2019 will be a year of much wisdom when we read and apply His word.
2. Share your faith.
We all know someone who is lost. Invite them to come to church with you. Tell them about when you were saved and then share the Roman's Road with them.
3. Grow closer to your church family.
Be faithful to each service. Reach out to those you don't usually fellowship with or know well. Commit to knowing your church.
4. Give more.
Whether it be more money, time, effort, prayer and study, love, mercy, compassion, kindness, goodness, praise, just give a little more.
Thank you so much for your love and support of the blog. I enjoy hearing from you. May 2019 be your best year ever and with love and hope I say, "Happy New Year. God bless you. God be magnified and glorified and exalted. And may this be the year that Jesus returns for His bride, His church."
Your new beginning is about to begin.
Penny
Tuesday, October 23, 2018
Is Your Mountain Moving Yet?
A mountain is a big thing. One of our favorite places to vacation in the fall is the Great Smokey Mountains. David and his family had vacationed there when he was a child, but I did not see the Smokies until we had been married for a couple years and when I saw them, I was enthralled. Their beauty and grandeur never grow old. No matter the season, no matter the weather, they are beautiful to me.
We also enjoy the mountains of Eastern Kentucky and West Virginia. As we stood on a ridge in West Virginia one fall afternoon we watched as a mountain was literally being moved. Mountaintop mining was slowly, but surely moving a mountain that contained one of our most valuable natural resources, coal, and in that instance Mark 11: 24 came to mind and I learned a valuable spiritual lesson in what it takes to move a mountain.
In Mark 11:20-24 Jesus teaches His disciples and us an important lesson on the power of faith. The disciples had earlier witnessed Jesus speak to a fig tree: "No man eat fruit of thee hereafter, forever."
The next day they saw the same fig tree dried up from the roots and Peter pointed to it and said to Jesus, "Master, the fig tree which Thou cursedst is withered away." And Jesus said, "Have faith in God." Then Jesus gave this promise: if we will look at the mountains in our lives and say,
"Be thou removed and be thou cast into the sea" and if we will not doubt, but believe in our heart, we shall see the mountain moved.
Many times in my life I have told a mountain to move and when it didn't immediately move, I stopped telling it to move. I had faith in God that He could and would move the mountain, I tried not to doubt, but when I saw no movement, I gave up. But over the course of the last several months I have begun praying for a mountain in my life to move and this time, I will not give up. And even though some of it is still there, it has been moving, chunk by chunk for quite a while now. It isn't as big a mountain as it once was, it didn't move immediately, but little by little my mountain is moving. Someday soon I believe I will see the rest of it "cast into the sea."
Maybe you have a mountain that is so big and seems so hopeless that you just can't believe it will ever move. Is it a mountain of debt? Is is a mountain of pain and hurt in your marriage, in a family relationship, in your church? Is it a mountain of regret over past sins and mistakes and failures? Maybe it is a mountain of disease that threatens your health or even your life. Jesus would never have told us to tell a mountain to move if it wasn't possible to move it. All He asks is that we have faith; and for me, the patience to watch it move slowly, just a little at a time, but moving just the same.
Because you see, the slower the mountain is moving, the more God is refining me, rebuking me, cleansing me, and preparing me to live the abundant life He has promised without that mountain in my way.
So today I encourage you to say to your mountain, "Be thou removed, be thou cast into the sea." "Have faith in God." Don't limit God by giving up too soon. Keep praying, keep believing, don't doubt His power to move your mountain, watch daily for evidence that the mountain is moving, even if it seems to be moving ever so slow. And here is the most important thing to do while you are waiting/watching your mountain move; even when it doesn't "feel" like it's moving one little bit, say "Thank You Lord for moving my mountain." God is exalted and honored each time we thank Him in advance for answering our prayer, for moving our mountain.
Because of His promise that faith can move our mountains, I will never look at the Smokies again without thanking Him and praising Him for the mountains in my life that He moved, that He has cast into the sea. And it all begins with faith. Have faith in God.
Blessings,
Penny
We also enjoy the mountains of Eastern Kentucky and West Virginia. As we stood on a ridge in West Virginia one fall afternoon we watched as a mountain was literally being moved. Mountaintop mining was slowly, but surely moving a mountain that contained one of our most valuable natural resources, coal, and in that instance Mark 11: 24 came to mind and I learned a valuable spiritual lesson in what it takes to move a mountain.
In Mark 11:20-24 Jesus teaches His disciples and us an important lesson on the power of faith. The disciples had earlier witnessed Jesus speak to a fig tree: "No man eat fruit of thee hereafter, forever."
The next day they saw the same fig tree dried up from the roots and Peter pointed to it and said to Jesus, "Master, the fig tree which Thou cursedst is withered away." And Jesus said, "Have faith in God." Then Jesus gave this promise: if we will look at the mountains in our lives and say,
"Be thou removed and be thou cast into the sea" and if we will not doubt, but believe in our heart, we shall see the mountain moved.
Many times in my life I have told a mountain to move and when it didn't immediately move, I stopped telling it to move. I had faith in God that He could and would move the mountain, I tried not to doubt, but when I saw no movement, I gave up. But over the course of the last several months I have begun praying for a mountain in my life to move and this time, I will not give up. And even though some of it is still there, it has been moving, chunk by chunk for quite a while now. It isn't as big a mountain as it once was, it didn't move immediately, but little by little my mountain is moving. Someday soon I believe I will see the rest of it "cast into the sea."
Maybe you have a mountain that is so big and seems so hopeless that you just can't believe it will ever move. Is it a mountain of debt? Is is a mountain of pain and hurt in your marriage, in a family relationship, in your church? Is it a mountain of regret over past sins and mistakes and failures? Maybe it is a mountain of disease that threatens your health or even your life. Jesus would never have told us to tell a mountain to move if it wasn't possible to move it. All He asks is that we have faith; and for me, the patience to watch it move slowly, just a little at a time, but moving just the same.
Because you see, the slower the mountain is moving, the more God is refining me, rebuking me, cleansing me, and preparing me to live the abundant life He has promised without that mountain in my way.
So today I encourage you to say to your mountain, "Be thou removed, be thou cast into the sea." "Have faith in God." Don't limit God by giving up too soon. Keep praying, keep believing, don't doubt His power to move your mountain, watch daily for evidence that the mountain is moving, even if it seems to be moving ever so slow. And here is the most important thing to do while you are waiting/watching your mountain move; even when it doesn't "feel" like it's moving one little bit, say "Thank You Lord for moving my mountain." God is exalted and honored each time we thank Him in advance for answering our prayer, for moving our mountain.
Because of His promise that faith can move our mountains, I will never look at the Smokies again without thanking Him and praising Him for the mountains in my life that He moved, that He has cast into the sea. And it all begins with faith. Have faith in God.
Blessings,
Penny
Saturday, August 4, 2018
Jehovah Shalom: God of my Peace
My younger grandchildren love the tv show Peppa Pig. And one of the songs Peppa and her family sing is: Peace and harmony. Peace and harmony. And as a family of 16 David and I enjoy those times when we all get together here at our house and there is "peace and harmony." But....in a large family with grandchildren, ministries, strong wills, lots of opinions, lots of noise, lots of advice flowing freely, well, you know what I mean. David and I pray that peace and harmony will always co-exist in our home.
The Jewish word for peace is Shalom. I love that Hebrew word and I love to hear it spoken. When the Jews prayed for peace they would address God as Jehovah Shalom: God of my peace. Maybe today you are experiencing a lack of peace about something in your life. Maybe it is in your marriage. Maybe one of your kids is doing something or....not doing something that causes you to feel a lack of peace. Maybe your job isn't going so well or maybe your health or finances has robbed you of that peaceful feeling in your heart and you find yourself actually dreading the day. Well ladies, the same God of peace that the Hebrews called out to in their times of stress and trouble is the same Jehovah Shalom that you and I can call upon to make things right in our life and restore our peace.
In Ephesians 2:14 Paul reminded the Ephesians and us that Jesus is our peace. No matter what is going on around me, when I speak the name of Jesus in my heart, or if possible, aloud, I begin to sense His peace and His presence. His name calms me as nothing else can: it is my shelter in the storm, the place I run to when I am afraid, confused, stressed. In Isaiah 9:6 He is called the Prince of Peace and He preached "the gospel of peace." The four gospels are filled with peace and reconciliation because Jesus came to bring peace between us and God and it is His peace that reconciles people to Himself.
So ladies, the next time the stresses and pressures of your life steal your peace, pray Ephesians 2:14 back to God: Jesus you are my peace; You are Jehovah Shalom. Jesus, give me your peace today.
Peace and harmony are only One word away: Jesus.
Penny
The Jewish word for peace is Shalom. I love that Hebrew word and I love to hear it spoken. When the Jews prayed for peace they would address God as Jehovah Shalom: God of my peace. Maybe today you are experiencing a lack of peace about something in your life. Maybe it is in your marriage. Maybe one of your kids is doing something or....not doing something that causes you to feel a lack of peace. Maybe your job isn't going so well or maybe your health or finances has robbed you of that peaceful feeling in your heart and you find yourself actually dreading the day. Well ladies, the same God of peace that the Hebrews called out to in their times of stress and trouble is the same Jehovah Shalom that you and I can call upon to make things right in our life and restore our peace.
In Ephesians 2:14 Paul reminded the Ephesians and us that Jesus is our peace. No matter what is going on around me, when I speak the name of Jesus in my heart, or if possible, aloud, I begin to sense His peace and His presence. His name calms me as nothing else can: it is my shelter in the storm, the place I run to when I am afraid, confused, stressed. In Isaiah 9:6 He is called the Prince of Peace and He preached "the gospel of peace." The four gospels are filled with peace and reconciliation because Jesus came to bring peace between us and God and it is His peace that reconciles people to Himself.
So ladies, the next time the stresses and pressures of your life steal your peace, pray Ephesians 2:14 back to God: Jesus you are my peace; You are Jehovah Shalom. Jesus, give me your peace today.
Peace and harmony are only One word away: Jesus.
Penny
Friday, May 18, 2018
The Greatest Good, The Deepest Hurt
One hundred years ago today, May 18, 1918, my paternal grandmother passed away due to complications of childbirth. My Dad was one month shy of his third birthday. My grandfather was a good man who had married later in life to a young woman who was the love of his life. In rural areas of Kentucky in the early 1900's jobs were scarce and he moved his family often as jobs became available. But the day he buried his beloved wife, his moving days were over because you see, he could not leave her in that church cemetary, all alone. He stayed close by, visited her grave often, and never married again. He and his two little boys began attending the church that sits right beside her grave, and eventually began sweeping the floors, building the fire, filling the water bucket, locking or unlocking the doors, simply put, his new home away from his home became the church beside her grave.
In time, he became a Christian, a very respected man in the church and the community and his youngest son, my Dad, married a local preacher's daughter and they began serving together in that country church. My parents were married 70 years, had 10 children, never lived anywhere else but in this same small community and as of today, exactly one hundred years later, I'd like to share with you what God has done with that great loss, that great sacrifice.
7 of their descendants are ordained Baptist preachers.
One of their sons-in- law is a Baptist preacher and my sister is a preacher's wife.
There are deacons, Sunday School teachers, musicians, song writers, published authors, and a group of gifted and talented believers who would not be here today if that beloved wife and mother had not lost her life, if she was not buried in that cemetary beside Nelson Creek Baptist Church.
It was a tragic loss, it was heartbreaking and a loss that my Dad never forgot. And only Heaven will reveal the multitude of stories that are yet to be told and written because God had a plan much bigger than our finite minds could understand.
Today, you may have experienced a tragic loss that makes no sense, that cannot be explained. There is no way my grandfather could have comprehended what God would do with his loss, but in heaven today he can say, "It was worth it all."
God has a plan, and when you become discouraged by circumstances you cannot control, by things that hurt so deeply you feel you will not live through it, press into the God Who loves you beyond measure and remember this: God views our lives with eternity in mind, He uses the most unlikely of people, the most difficult, heartbreaking of circumstances to accomplish His sovereign plan, and He will always bring the greatest good from the deepest hurts.
Penny
In time, he became a Christian, a very respected man in the church and the community and his youngest son, my Dad, married a local preacher's daughter and they began serving together in that country church. My parents were married 70 years, had 10 children, never lived anywhere else but in this same small community and as of today, exactly one hundred years later, I'd like to share with you what God has done with that great loss, that great sacrifice.
7 of their descendants are ordained Baptist preachers.
One of their sons-in- law is a Baptist preacher and my sister is a preacher's wife.
There are deacons, Sunday School teachers, musicians, song writers, published authors, and a group of gifted and talented believers who would not be here today if that beloved wife and mother had not lost her life, if she was not buried in that cemetary beside Nelson Creek Baptist Church.
It was a tragic loss, it was heartbreaking and a loss that my Dad never forgot. And only Heaven will reveal the multitude of stories that are yet to be told and written because God had a plan much bigger than our finite minds could understand.
Today, you may have experienced a tragic loss that makes no sense, that cannot be explained. There is no way my grandfather could have comprehended what God would do with his loss, but in heaven today he can say, "It was worth it all."
God has a plan, and when you become discouraged by circumstances you cannot control, by things that hurt so deeply you feel you will not live through it, press into the God Who loves you beyond measure and remember this: God views our lives with eternity in mind, He uses the most unlikely of people, the most difficult, heartbreaking of circumstances to accomplish His sovereign plan, and He will always bring the greatest good from the deepest hurts.
Penny
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