Proverbs 17-20: Yesterday was an emotional day for me. I am fine, just walked through lots of sweet memories. Yesterday we cleaned out my Granny Lois’ house in Coffeeville Ms. Granny was a chosen grandmother. She and Papa Spearmin her husband were only children and never had children. So early in life they “adopted” my mom as their chosen child. She would go to Coffeeville and spend a couple of weeks each summer with them. They owned the movie theatre there in Coffeeville so to go to Granny’s was a highlight! They treated my mom as their own child in every way.
Fast forward 30 years and when I was in college I went to live with Granny one summer to be the youth minister at the church there. That summer we too laughed and had a great time. The theatre was closed by then, but Granny was open for business in the match making department. She had a grocery store assistant manager she wanted me to meet. Yep, it was Les Hughes and well you know the rest of that story… but our courting was done at Granny’s. I wept yesterday as I stood in the spot where Les called me the first time. It was the same spot months later he would receive a call that his grandfather had died. That house held so many sweet memories. As we parceled out the last of the furniture and collectables my heart was so sad. It wasn’t about the stuff. Though nice, the value is not a great amount. It was the sadness of losing the memories. My sister Dawn Beam too had her years of living with Granny and her match making magic. lol. She has her own stories to tell. All three of us mom, Dawn and I sat there yesterday on the porch weeping our own tears of missing Granny and the many wonderful memories shared there. When I read this verse
Proverbs 17:6 Grandchildren are the crown of the aged,
and the glory of children is their fathers.
I could not help thinking even chosen grandchildren can be that crown of the aged. Granny has been gone now for many years, but as long as we had the Coffeeville house it was as though we had a part of her. Any of you who have lost a loved one and been through this, I know you know what I am feeling. I come away just so grateful to have had a Granny who loved us. Who showed her care. Who was much more than stuff and yet the stuff makes me think of happy days and her vibrant spirit. Lord, thank you for Granny and for the many people who have chosen children just like me. Thank you for precious people who make you know you are special and loved.

Song of Solomon 1-5:1: Those of you who know me well know I struggle with this book. I say it every year as we read through. I don’t struggle because of the beauty of Biblical “Hallmark” story. I struggle knowing that Solomon had so many wives and concubines. Marital love is meant to be shared by one woman and one man for a lifetime. If we wear those glasses as we look at this love story I can sure understand how two young lovers long for each other. In the middle of the story a couple of times the woman warns, “don’t awaken love before its time.” I want to shout that to the young and old today. I wonder how many people watch television programing, not just Hallmark and long for what they see on screen. The problem with comparing our lives to these shows is that no one ever does laundry, really works, has real life families on them. If they showed any of these it would really be reality TV and few people would really want to get married. The reason why? Because married life and even dating years can really be tough and messy. When you get two real people with real struggles together it is not always a highlight real.
Therefore I would say, wait on the Lord to bring the right one. When He does, keep your eyes wide open and learn to work through the hard things. Don’t just sweep conflicting opinions or beliefs under the rug to enjoy the “fun” of being together. Choose moral purity knowing that when the time is right and you have said I Do that part of your life will be even better. When you choose to commit to one another for a lifetime you will be ready for love to awaken and chase out the “little foxes” that try to wreck and ruin a marriage and love story. God’s plan is good and He wants good for you!

1 Kings 1-2; Psalms 37, 71, 94: With today’s reading came a rush of emotions. The month of May over the last 5 years has come with some serious life changing events. We resigned from Highview in the month of May breaking my heart. I was fearful with no place to go and leaving the pastorate for the time. We were battered and bruised, but God was so gracious and gave us what we needed at the time. The job Les eventually accepted was in the business world working with a company that wanted to help people see how to live their faith while being a christian businessman or woman. The work was new and different, but Les was able to build with the help of many good friends and supporters an organization to meet the needs of many business people. That was until May a couple of years ago when the owner of the company called to say they were taking the company in a different direction and money used to pay his salary was no longer there. Though he had signed a contract that would have given us severance he informed us that week’s check was the last we would receive. WHAT???? I remember so clearly laying in bed reminding the Father that we had been faithful in both instances and people who were supposed to walk with Him had let us down. We had done nothing ungodly or unethical and now we were once again facing joblessness and possible financial ruin which brings me to Psalm 37 where David writes:

Psalm 37:1 Fret not yourself because of evildoers;

be not envious of wrongdoers!

3 Trust in the Lord, and do good;

dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness.

4 Delight yourself in the Lord,

and he will give you the desires of your heart.

5 Commit your way to the Lord;

trust in him, and he will act.

God was reminding me that none of this was upsetting to Him. He had a purpose and plan for our lives and He had not changed His mind. He would come through. My job was to not fret, trust Him, walk faithful, stay in His word and live out what He said. He would take care of us and our needs.

Psalm 37:23The steps of a man are established by the Lord,

when he delights in his way;

24 though he fall, he shall not be cast headlong,

for the Lord upholds his hand.

25I have been young, and now am old,

yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken

or his children begging for bread.

26He is ever lending generously,

and his children become a blessing.

I found myself quoting these scriptures to the Lord over and over! But you know what…. He is faithful and He is generous to us. He has restored Les to pastoring and my heart sings with delight. We have a deeper compassion for those going through joblessness. Les is still helping people work as unto the Lord and coaching many not just pastors but Christian business leaders wanting to change their world for Christ. Not one hurt has been true loss, but just the way the Father has prepared us to treasure Him not things, His ways not a position or title, and cling to Him for our every need.

Sorry this is so long, but I have a feeling there may be a few of you who read it who have been hurt. Some may be jobless right now and trying to figure out the way. Some may be fretting. Please go read Psalm 37 and find your verses to hold on to. Please also allow me to pray for you. Message me your prayer needs. I will be faithful to pray.

1 Chronicles 27-29; Psalm 68: Freedoms aren’t free. They come with a price that someone before you paid. As we prepare to celebrate Memorial Day again I was reminded that even the freedoms we enjoy in our nation, freedoms so many seem ready to give up quickly because it will cost them something. Those freedoms came at the cost of life for many. Those lives were brothers, sisters, mommas, daddies, and each of them chose to give their lives so that we could live with the freedoms some today would like to take.
In our reading today David’s military leadership is listed. The heads of families are listed, and then David himself is listed as preparing his son and later generations for building a house for God. This generation to come would have freedom to worship as they were led. They would have a temple built by them but paid for by those who valued the God they served. All the next generation had to do was serve the Lord with a whole heart and obey His commands.
Is that not like us in so many ways? We have the freedom to worship afforded by our forefathers who have given their lives. We have beautiful buildings and places of worship. All we are called up to do is keep them in good repair and fill them as we worship with a whole heart obeying what God has called us to do. And yet many choose even before Covid to stay home, go when convenient, obey God when it doesn’t go against our own desires. I pray that one thing this Covid time has done for us all is to help us realize what we truly cherish. I know it has for me. I GET to go to church. I GET to gather with other believers. I treasure the gift of freedom of worship that even now some states are trying to take due to the virus. This Memorial Day I am even more grateful for the freedoms I have because of every life that was given. Today my act of worship is to express gratitude to God and to those who have given so that we might live free.

Psalms 131; 138-139; 143-145: Calm… in light of the last 3 months that is a word many of us has seen as a stranger. Yet Psalm 131 teaches us how to now just see calm as a friend, but a constant companion.
Psalm 131:1 O Lord, my heart is not lifted up;
my eyes are not raised too high;
I do not occupy myself with things
too great and too marvelous for me.
2 But I have calmed and quieted my soul,
like a weaned child with its mother;
like a weaned child is my soul within me.
3 O Israel, hope in the Lord
from this time forth and forevermore.
Earlier this week I wrote about pride and how it is the culprit for so much disobedience. A lifted up heart and haughty eyes that think they know better than God gets us into so much trouble. Choosing a humble heart and complete reliance as that weaned child on its mother is what God desires. Do you and I not think that the One who spoke the universe into creation could not stop a virus He doesn’t want us to have. And if He allows us to get sick do we not believe He is Healer and can heal us from this sickness. Or maybe it is we hold too tightly to earth and long for life here rather than life beyond this world. Our hope is in Him no matter what comes. Therefore we can calm our spirits and rest in Him not fretting or being dismayed but learning to choose to rely on Him.
This truth is sufficient for other areas of life as well. I choose to lay it over hard things coming my way in months to come. I choose to lay these truths over situations I fail to understand. I choose this calm security of trust for my life. I am writing this because in days to come I know I will need to look back at it and refresh my spirit in it. He is in control!