Grandsons Joshua and Jaden ~~ Our Day Together

But the mercy of the LORD is from everlasting to everlasting upon them that fear him, and his righteousness unto children's children. Psalm 103:17

I haven't kept my grandchildren much this summer. Amy was
home for her 6-week break and, of course, wanted her children home with her as much as possible. Since she returned to work 2-1/2 weeks ago (or was it 3-1/2 weeks ago?) I have kept some of of the grandkids here and there. Next week is their last week of summer vacation so I will try to keep more of them more often as my schedule allows. I think I can accomodate them on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday. I have a lunch date with friends on Thursday and then have the Bible Study on Friday mornings. Anyway, I asked for Joshua (8) and Jaden (2-3/4) today and have enjoyed them immensely. We hung out here at home for the first part of the morning but at around 10:00 we loaded up and headed off for a stop at the post office and then on to a McDonald's clear across town ~~ the only one I know of that has an inside AIR-CONDITIONED PlayPlace. The boys had fun playing, and we enjoyed our lunch. The boys wanted an ice cream after lunch, but the line at the counter was long so we decided to come home and eat ice cream sandwiches as I had some in the freezer. We ate our treat, I bathed Jaden and got him down for a nap, and now Josh and I are watching Animal Channel. (Well, I AM watching it with one eye!) I love my GRANDS and have very much enjoyed Joshua and Jaden today.

Our Missionary Guests This Week ~~ The Schuler Family

Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Matthew 28:19

{teach: to make disciples, or Christians of all nations}

Richard and I are so very blessed to have a missionary family staying in our home this week. Bro. Mark, Susan, and their son Joel (age 16) arrived on Tuesday evening and will be with us through Saturday morning. We have so much already enjoyed our fellowship with them. They are missionaries to Roatan which is an island off of Honduras. They are coming on board as missionaries with GoForth Baptist Missions and are here this week attending candidate school. I am sharing their missionary card (front and back) as well as a pic I made of them this morning. If you would like to mention them to your pastor, Mark and Susan would be blessed to come share their heart for ministry with your church. Their contact information is on the back side of their prayer card which is shown above. May God bless them as they continue their established work in Roatan.

P.S. If you click on the pic of Mark and Susan at the top of this post, they are standing on the deck of their home in Roatan and that beach scene is what they view daily.... God's gift to them as they minister to the Roatans!!

Grandson Jarrett Was Baptized on Sunday Night, August 5, 2007

Romans 6:4 "Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life."

When we went out to Sunday dinner with Brian, Amy, and the kids after church on Sunday, Jarrett (age 14) had a special surprise announcement for Grandma and Grandpa. He was going to be baptized in the Sunday night service. What a joy that announcement was.

For those of you who don't know, Jarrett was adopted from Ukraine at age 10 in June 2003. In January 2004, Jarrett came to his parents and said he wanted to be saved or born-again. They talked to him at length about it and when they were "convinced" that Jarrett understood that he was a sinner, that Jesus died on the cross for his sins, and that he could pray confessing his sins and ask Jesus to come into his heart and save him, they led him through the sinner's prayer that evening in their home.

It has been Brian's and Amy's practice to let each of their saved children come to them requesting to be baptized. They want to make sure that the kids understand that it isn't baptism that saves them (as they have already prayed to receive Christ) but that their baptism is in obedience to the Lord's command to be baptized as a means of identifying themselves with Christ to the world.

Jarrett, along with about 12 other teenagers, was baptized last night in the evening service by Rev. Russell Baker, one of the men on our church staff . Jarrett's Grandma and Pappy Y and his Great-Grandma-Goldie (pictured with Jarrett below) came for the service. Afterwards, we were invited over to Brian's and Amy's for supper together to celebrate this special time in Jarrett's life.

Well, that is three down and one to go. Jarrett, Isabella, and Josh are all saved and have been baptized. We are praying for Jaden to come to know the Lord at an early age~~ whenever it is that he comes to realize that he is a sinner and needs the Savior. We are thankful for God's special Gift of Salvation through His Son, JESUS CHRIST.

FRIENDS ~~ special gifts from God

Proverbs 18:24~~ A man that hath friends must shew himself friendly....

Richard and I hosted a dinner party last night. We had met a new couple in Sunday School three weeks ago who are new here and have come to enter into the ministry of which we are a part. Having moved here just 5-1/2 years ago from my hometown of where I lived my first 50 years, I remember that one of my biggest concerns was "would I be able to make any new friends ~~ real friends." I thought that might be a concern for this new couple who moved here from out-of-state just 4 weeks ago so we had a "Welcome Jerry and Peggy Party!"

In addition to Jerry and Peggy, we invited 4 other couples which made for a total of 12 people. That way, I was able to seat the men at our kitchen table and the ladies at our dining room table. The men were able to chat with Jerry and the ladies were able to chat with Peggy. It certainly sounded like our ladies table had the most fun. :) Except for Peggy, our guest of honor, the other 4 ladies each brought a dish so that made for some good eating! We had chicken cordon bleu, squash casserole, slaw, cheesy potatoes, bread, and 3 different desserts. I want to thank James and Ann, Ed and Arda, John and Jeanette, and Jeff and Sandra for coming, bringing a dish for the dinner, and showing themselves friendly to Jerry and Peggy. It was good food, great fellowship, and a special time of sharing prayer requests and closing our evening in prayer. Welcome to our new friends!!!!!!!!!!!

I am so thankful for the DEAR friends with which God has blessed Richard and me here. He is so faithful in every area of our lives. Here is a cute story that was read at the party last night. You might enjoy a chuckle from it....

DINNER FOR EIGHT

A group of country friends from the Cottonwood Baptist Church wanted to get together on a regular basis, socialize, and play games. The lady of the house was to prepare the meal.

When it came time for Al and Janet to be the hosts - Janet wanted to outdo all the others. Janet decided to have mushroom-smothered steak. But, mushrooms are expensive. She then told her husband, "No mushrooms. They are too high." He said, "Why don't you go down in the pasture and pick some of those mushrooms? There are plenty in the creek bed." She said, "No, some wild mushrooms are poison." He said, "Well, I see varmints eating them and they're OK. So - Janet decided to give it a try. She picked a bunch, washed, sliced, and diced them for her smothered steak. Then she went out on the back porch and gave Ol' Spot's (the yard dog) a double handful. Ol' Spot ate every bite.

All morning long, Janet watched Ol' Spot and the wild mushrooms didn't seem to affect him, so she decided to use them. The meal was a great success, and Janet even hired a helper lady from town to help her serve. She had on a white apron and a fancy little cap on her head. After everyone had finished, they relaxed, socialized, and played 42 & Mexican dominoes.

About then, the helper lady from town, came in and whispered in Janet's ear. She said, "Mrs. Williams, Ol' Spot just died." Janet went into hysterics. After she finally calmed down, she called the doctor and told him what had happened.

The doctor said, "That's bad, but I think we can take care of it. I will call for an ambulance and I will be there as quick as possible. We'll give everyone enemas and we will pump out everyone's stomach. Everything will be fine. Just keep them calm."

Soon they could hear the siren as the ambulance was coming down the road. The EMTs & the doctor had their suitcases, syringes, and a stomach pump. One by one, they took each person into the bathroom, gave them an enema, and pumped out their stomach. After the last one was finished, the doctor came out and said, "I think everything will be fine now, and he left."

They were all looking pretty weak sitting around the living room, and about this time, the helper lady came in and said, "You know, that fellow that ran over Ol' Spot never even stopped!!!

The Big Red Truck

We are the happy new owners of a 1995 Ford Powerstroke dually truck. Richard and Brian (along with Jarrett) traveled to Lousiana today to get it. The truck was purchased from my online friend, Jan. It is great and will serve us well. It will be a good utility truck for the projects around here, and it will be great for the kids for pulling their travel trailer.

We all traveled to LA last weekend to see the truck (and I got to meet my sweet online friend, Jan!) and ever since, Jaden has been asking about the truck. On Wednesday night, he told Grandpa and me, "I want to go to Miss Jan's and get the big red truck!" so you can imagine how excited Jaden was when the big red truck "came home" this evening. We thank God for His blessings upon Richard, Brian, and Jarrett during their 700-miles of travel today and thank Him for the big red truck!

God's Sovereign Protection

For he shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways. They shall bear thee up in their hands, lest thou dash thy foot against a stone." Psalm 91:11-12

This afternoon, Richard and I (along with Brian, Amy, and our 4 GRANDkids, returned home from a travel-trailer trip to Louisiana. We left on Friday evening and 44 hours later we were back home. We were a day late in returning due to circumstances beyond our control, but enjoyed our get-away so very much. We didn't see any accidents in all of the 700 miles we covered in less than 48 hours.

Richard and I were getting ready for evening church late this afternoon when our phone rang. It was my dear friend, Ann P, telling me that her daughter, Julie, had just been in a car wreck while on her way to attend a Sunday School teacher's meeting. James and Ann were on their way to the hospital as Julie was being transported by ambulance. Richard and I immediately changed out plans and headed off to the hospital to be with James and Ann.

We spent two hours in the ER room with the family as Julie laid on her gurney. She was taken out several times to have an x-ray, cat scan, and other tests made. We were there when the Highway Patrolman who "worked the wreck" came in to talk to Julie and her parents about who hit her ~~ causing the accident. He was a young man (22 years old). He did not have a valid driver's license. He was driving under the influence. He jumped out of the car and fled the scene of the accident. In all there were ten charges against him after he was apprehended, handcuffed, and taken to jail.

As we stood there in that little room inside the ER chatting with James and Ann and encouraging Julie during the trying hours following the accident, I was so very much reminded of the brevity of life. James and Ann testified after seeing Julie's car that God had truly preserved Julie's life. She is a beautiful 23-year-old ~~ a dedicated Christian ~~ a girl who would never hurt anyone. And there she lay in a neck brace and feeling the bumps and bruising taking place on the outside and not yet knowing what has happening on the inside. I am blessed to report that Julie checked out okay and was later discharged from the ER to go home and recover from the frightening event. She will have to shop for a new car, but she is okay. PTL!!!

And then there is the young man ~~ perhaps an illegal who declared that he doesn't speak English ~~ drunk on a Sunday afternoon, driving illegally without a license while under the influence, who wrecks not only his car, but his life. He is the real loser in Sunday afternoon's accident. He is now behind bars with 10 charges against him. He is probably feeling very helpless and hopeless. He most likely does not know Christ as His Savior. Who will share Christ with him? Without Christ, what kind of future does he have? A very bleak one at the moment for sure. He is just one of the millions who are searching and need to be told of our Savior's love and of His free gift of salvation so that their lives can be changed. Who will tell them??

The Sovereignty of God and the Responsibility of Man ~~ by Chip

Our son, Chip is a youth pastor in Indiana. He said he has had people ask him about his position on calvinism, election, predestination, and God's sovereignty in the work of salvation, so he wrote a brief article on his "thoughts, positions, and humble opinions." I was blessed to read it and received his permission to share it on my blog.

The Sovereignty of God and the Responsibility of Man

I fully believe that the inerrant Scriptures teach the sovereignty of God, the Lordship of Jesus Christ and the responsibility of all humanity. At times, these can seem to be contradictions in Scripture because of the extreme views that some hold to when trying to adhere to one without the others. I do not believe that there are any contradictions in Scripture since it is God-breathed (2 Tim 3:16-17), and it is impossible for God to lie (Heb 6:18). I believe we must be faithful to all of Scripture. This can be the danger in holding wholeheartedly to any theological system developed by man. There is a temptation to shape Scripture to fit into our systems rather than allowing Scripture to shape and mold us into the image of Christ (Col 3:10). While Scripture does not ever contradict itself, I believe we must affirm that there are tensions in Scripture that our “un-niscient” minds cannot perfectly wrap around or be able to understand where the truths meet in the middle. We must be careful to not interpret Scripture differently than the context that it has been written in. We are called to be faithful to interpret all of Scripture even if there are tensions that we cannot easily iron out ourselves. We do this with great faith in the omniscient God and great humility towards our “un-niscient” brains. I really try not to commit to a theological system. I am certainly not a Calvinist since I do not fully agree with John Calvin on many things. My goal is to be a disciple of Christ, and for His mind to be in me (Phil 2:5).

I fully believe the Scriptures teach the sovereignty of God. God is ultimately in control of all things and His will can never be thwarted (Job 42:2). When it comes to the doctrine of salvation, I agree with the book of Jonah which declares “salvation belongs to the Lord” (Jonah 2:9). Ultimately, salvation is an act of God which was decided by God, initiated by God, fulfilled by God, called by God, and finished by God (Rom 8:30). I believe that salvation is not of any work of man so that none of us could ever brag that we have done anything ourselves (Eph 2:9). Therefore, the reason I uphold the sovereignty of God in salvation is because I believe God gets all of the credit. The point of affirming God’s sovereignty over salvation in Scripture is never for the purpose of debate or pride. Far too many holding only to the sovereignty of God in salvation are using these truths as an area to endlessly debate over or as some t-shirts say “proud to be a Calvinist”. But these attitudes are completely contrary to the purpose of God’s sovereignty over salvation. God’s sovereignty over salvation should only grow thankfulness, humility, comfort, and unity within the church. By no way do I believe in double predestination. It says no where in Scripture that God has elected or predestined anyone to hell.

I also fully believe the Scriptures teach the Lordship of Jesus Christ. If I have any agenda as a pastor in any church, it is certainly not election, predestination, or Calvinism by any means. My agenda for teaching is the glory and Lordship of Jesus Christ. I believe all Scriptures point to Him, Jesus of Nazareth, the God-man. Salvation is ultimately about Christ: that we might gain Him and know Him (Phil 3). Humanity must have faith in Christ and fall under His Lordship.

I also fully believe the Scriptures teach the responsibility of all humanity to respond to the calling of Christ through the offer of the gospel. There is never any hint in Scripture that humanity comes to Christ kicking and screaming or against their will. Every sinner must respond to the gospel willfully in order to be united in Christ through repentance and faith. I preach the gospel passionately as I plead with people to repent of their rebellion against God and to turn to faith in the Lordship of Christ for salvation. If you have further questions, please ask.

Amy ~~ Report from Eye Doctor Appt. This Morning

"And Jesus went about....healing all manner of sickness and all manner of disease...." Matt. 4:23

Amy was examined by her regular ophthalmologist as well as the retina specialist in the group. The iritis is better. She had a second injection in her eye to keep the meds flowing. She is to see her laser surgeon on Monday for follow-up. Her vision is improved, and she is able to drive again. The picture is of her and the kids headed out this morning. Thanks for your continued prayers. God is so faithful to hear and answer according to His will. ~~Susan

Update on Annika ~~ Nita's Granddaughter

We don't understand why these things happen ~~ and especially to little children ~~ but these verses shed some light on God's perspective of suffering... "And as Jesus walked by, he saw a man which was blind (physical difficulty) from his birth. And his disciples asked him, saying, Master, who did sin, this man, or his parents, that he was born blind? Jesus answered, "Neither hath this man sinned, nor his parents: but that the works of God should be made manifest in him." John 9:1-3

Here is Nita's update on Annika following after this morning's procedure: They did not do the balloon or the stint on Annika, it is still too small for them to try, it had to be 50 percent blocked for them to balloon or put a stint in. It was 40 % last time and is 30% this time which means it has opened up some since they last checked it. But the kidney is no better, and after looking at it, the blockage is not what is causing the problem with the kidney. The don't know what is causing the kidney problem or the blood pressure problems and will have to do some other tests to determine that. The other kidney looks good and healthy. Annika is doing well and will be going to recovery soon.

Prayer Request for Carol in GA

"And the prayer of faith shall save the sick..." James 5:15

It is amazing the "avenues" God uses to bring dear friends into our
lives. Richard and I have participated in the "Freshman Hospitality Club" of the college here for the past five years. Each fall, we have had 3 or 4 freshman girls who have become our "campus daughters" for the year and who remain our "daughters" for the duration of their college years. We have found it to be so much fun to open our home and our hearts to each of them. One special blessing of our ministry has been to invite the parents of the girls to stay with us when they come from their out-of-states homes to visit their college kids. Such is the case of our dear daughter, Becky. Her mother (Carol) stayed with us a couple of times during Becky's college years (Becky is now graduated and married!) and we became fast friends. Today, I have heard from Carol in GA asking for prayer for a health concern. I asked Carol if I could share it on my blog and received her permission to do so. May I please thank you in advance for praying for my friend, Carol? Here is her request .....

Please pray for me as I have been having serious headaches. It started with stabbing pain on the right side Saturday evening and kept on intermittently all weekend. I went to the Dr. yesterday as it was still hurting and also started having chest pains. The EKG came out fine and they immediately sent me for a CAT scan. Don't know about the results of that one yet. They put me on 2 medicines (for migraines) and I see the Doctor again next Tuesday. I go back to the ENT tomorrow so I will also tell him what is happening. I notice that it hurts more when I breath in so not sure if there is something on that side. Thankfully it is not so bad today - though if I move my head wrong it gets me. Phew.... I'm at work and just trying not to move wrong.