Dear, Dear Ones, I hope you’ve had such a blessed Lord’s Day. I have had the kind you hope for all week long. One that started way before I meant it to because I had a birddog home from the lease still on hunting time that thought she needed to check the backyard for wild game at 5:30 AM. I was so annoyed. I tried to go back to sleep but I so dearly love the morning before the sun – or anyone else in my house – rises. I just couldn’t resist it. I slipped out of a very cozy bed, turned on the coffee pot, made a fire, got my Bible and my Breaking Free workbook and headed to Keith’s leather chair, the place closest to the fireplace. I had time enough to do two whole lessons (no small feat, considering the author is very wordy and we must have looked up somewhere between twenty and thirty passages. For the love). Then I had my prayer time and told Jesus what was on my mind.
I thought Keith was going to sleep the day away so I finally awakened him at 9:00 AM and asked him if he wanted to go to church with Melissa and I. (He goes when he wants. I gave up trying to make him. If I pressured him to go when he didn’t want to, he did lots of huffing and puffing and squirming and sighing during the service and I’d start feeling responsible for the whole thing and begin having psychosomatic symptoms – panting, lip-chewing, coughing, itching, nervous giggling – doubling the distraction for those sitting unfortunately close. Keith also has trouble keeping his thoughts to himself in church. A fact considerably complicated by his increasing volume. He’s shot so many guns in his ears he’s a tad hard of hearing so he doesn’t realize how loud he’s talking sometimes. But only at church, come to think of it. I need to meditate on that later. Therefore, if he wasn’t happy with something – like the length of the service and how long the line was going to be at lunch – our entire section could well know about it. Hence, I no longer pressure him. Haven’t for a good long time. Don’t have to much anymore, anyway, because he’s pretty taken with our pastor. Which means he comes to church now a couple of times a month – Keith, not Pastor – which makes me a very happy girl. When he doesn’t, sometimes I guilt-trip him but I always wait until after I get home from the service. That way he doesn’t decide to go but in a huff.
Keith wasn’t in a Sunbeam Sunday School class as a small child like I was where the Scripture we most often chanted was, “I was glad when they said unto me, let us go into the house of the Lord.” Keith is not that glad. Says God isn’t just in a house. He’s also out in the wild. You can debate that one with him till the cows come home but all he’s going to hear is a gosh-awful mess of mooing. All said, if attending is his idea, we have a much more cheerful experience.) So, perhaps now you’ll understand how happy I was this morning when Keith said he wanted to join us.
Especially considering we were doing something different today, which he’d of been less likely to do. Melissa called me last night and asked if I wanted to go with her to a church she’s passed many times in her neck of the woods. She said, “I have a feeling it’s such a good church and I’ve been telling myself I was going to visit before I moved. My time’s running out. Wanna go?” And I did! So, after enjoying a leisurely morning of John Martinez coffee and Jimmy Dean Sausage with toast (50% less fat sausage and whole grain toast. I’m a health conscious woman), we headed out the door to fetch our baby daughter who will be married and move off a month from Wednesday. I was filled with inexpressible joy, feeling like the most blessed woman in the world. It was a gorgeous, cool and DRY Sunday morning in Houston, Texas, my husband was going to church, and, frankly, I was having a terrific hair day.
When we drove up, Melissa was standing in the parking lot, smiling from ear to ear, with a blouse and jumper on, tights, and black shoes. Her eyes sparkled in the morning sunshine like dewy blades of greenest grass. She looked about ten. Till you saw that Greek New Testament clutched in her right hand. The three of us headed in no time over to BridgePoint Bible Church and actually got to park up close in the “Visitors” section. Were we ever elated! The church was beautiful – modern architecture – and looked almost brand new. People were smiling, chattering, and either making their way into the sanctuary or out of the sanctuary, depending on whether they were in the first service or second. I was delighted to see everything from children (who departed at the end of worship for their own service) to senior adults in the service we were attending.
The worship service seemed to be a blend of contemporary and traditional. It began with a modern version of “Victory in Jesus” which made it a sure pleaser to both kinds of worshippers. The familiarity exuded a deep, almost palpable sense of happiness in my soul. I took a deep breath of the Spirit and sensed Him invite me to make myself at home there this morning. The congregation was so dear. Similar to mine in a lot of ways. Very warm and very worshipful but not overtly demonstrative. (Myself, I’m a dyed-in-the-wool hand-lifter and I certainly feel some freedom of expression at my church and felt that freedom this morning at theirs BUT I also believe in not being a distraction if that’s not necessarily the norm around you. I can dance my heart out before the Lord in my den or on the back porch all I want. I’ve learned along the way that we don’t have to save all of our worship for Sunday morning.)
Then I saw the sweetest moment between a senior adult couple sitting two rows in front of us. It almost put me over the edge. The woman – so gorgeous and so radiant in the Spirit – was familiar to me from Bible study years ago. I’m supposing her husband had battled health problems because he appeared very physically weak, though clearly joyful. Someone told Melissa that they’d been married for sixty years. He sat during praise and worship as she stood beside him, often lifting her delicate right hand before the Lord Jesus from an obvious overflow of love. At one point as the worship leader led us in the stone-melting song “Amazing Love,” the praise was so moving that the man, bent with age and confined to the chair by weakness, lifted both his hands. Just seconds later, his beautiful wife, standing closely to his right, slipped her left hand under his elbow to support what was very likely the sweetest, purest act of worship I may have ever seen. I could not keep from crying.
By this time, the entire congregation was ready for the Word and that is precisely what we got. The senior pastor, Tom Douthit, opened up 1 Corinthians 5 with us and taught us with love, compassion, and well-prepared-for precision, “How To Handle a Scandal.” Utterly fantastic. During the sermon is when Melissa and I almost forgot we were visitors. She and I kinda “do church” like our African American brothers and sisters do at my beloved Franklin Avenue Baptist in New Orleans. When someone’s preachin’ it up, we like to “talk back.” The good kind. Like “OK, now. That’s good. Yep. That’s good. That’s it now. Uh-HUH. Oh, yeah.” I’d go so far as to throw my shoe if I’d be sure someone would give it back. After all, I love my shoes. I nearly had myself worked into a Word-frenzy by the closing prayer. Keith was very quiet for a change. I couldn’t tell how he was taking all of it. Didn’t even hold my hand like he usually does. (And, oh, yeah, I forgot to tell you earlier that he usually not only talks loud during the church service. He also feels compelled to PDA. Light obviously. It somehow brings out the affectionate side of him and he likes to hug me a lot. Go figure.) At the very end of the service, he simply leaned over to me, took my pen out of my hand, and wrote on my program, A+. Yes, indeed.
It was a wonderful morning followed by a wonderful lunch, a nap, time with a novel on the porch, then a sweet – if lop-sided – conversation with you. My beloved Siestas. On the Lord’s Day. I want to close with words to a hymn we also sang this morning in the service. A song I had not sung in corporate worship in a while and the lyrics were so tender and dear to my heart that I fought back the tears the whole time. My memory swung back like a pendulum to my childhood as I could picture my family of eight sprawled down the pew. My grandmother was down to my left, just like usual, and in my memory, I could hear her singing, voice quavering with a mixture of emotion and age. We’d sung “How Firm a Foundation” often in that red-brick church nestled in the Ouachita Hills of Arkansas. As I sung them this side of an adult lifetime of God’s faithfulness, I was nearly overcome with emotion. That buck-tooth little girl with the battered and bruised heart – already long-since abused and deeply confused – had no idea how the words of that hymn would spring to life for her. I share them with you now, not because of what they mean to me but what they may mean to you. Today. Right now. Amid whatever you’re going through. Read every line. Ponder the truth of it. The hope of it. The promise of it. If you know the tune, sing it. Say it, if you don’t. Cry it, if you must.
How firm a foundation, ye saints of the Lord,
Is laid for your faith in His excellent word!
What more can He say than to you He hath said—
To you who for refuge to Jesus have fled?
“Fear not, I am with thee, oh, be not dismayed,
For I am thy God, and will still give thee aid;
I’ll strengthen thee, help thee, and cause thee to stand,
Upheld by My gracious, omnipotent hand.
“When through the deep waters I call thee to go,
The rivers of sorrow shall not overflow;
For I will be with thee thy trouble to bless,
And sanctify to thee thy deepest distress.
“When through fiery trials thy pathway shall lie,
My grace, all-sufficient, shall be thy supply;
The flame shall not harm thee; I only design
Thy dross to consume and thy gold to refine.
The last stanza nearly put me over the edge:
“The soul that on Jesus doth lean for repose,
I will not, I will not, desert to his foes;
That soul, though all hell should endeavor to shake,
I’ll never, no never, no never forsake.”
(John Keith, 1787; Public Domain)
A+.
Beth: Thank you for letting us into your world and sharing your special Lord’s day with us! What a dear mom your are to try something new (and Keith you too)!
The part that brought tears to my eyes was the part about the couple worshipping together! Oh, Lord if you don’t come back soon, that’s what I want for my marriage!
Hello Beth,
This post was absolutely charming… I would love to see you throwing your shoes at church!
Now I know a lot of old hymns, but, and even I can’t quite believe this, I have never heard this one. But I love the words, which are so powerful and moving. I’m going to look it up in our hymnal this week (yep, we still have hymnals at First Baptist Church in Whitwell, TN) – perhaps I can suggest to our choir director that we sing it…!
A note to Siesta Cathy – I loved what you said about speaking in front of your church THREE times – “I’ll never do it again. Until God tells me to.” Amen to that Siesta!
Love and hugs,
Adrienne
I also needed to hear the words of the old familiar hymn today. I had tears streaming down my cheeks at the end. Thanks for your excellent description of a beautiful day!
Beth, I love to read all you writings. I read them many times to see if there is something I might have missed. You writings are real for me. And I really love how Keith is not religious, for some reason that speaks to me. It’s honest, real. I’ve thought that maybe I am too much of just a “church goer” with many times no real honest heart in it. Surround myself with so much Christian stuff and yet be so far away. It is not honest for me. I like Keith’s honesty.
Allison
I enjoy the contemporary services we have today but I feel sad for losing so many of the beautiful hymns we grew up on. What a beautiful message of God’s love and our need for him and his forgiveness is written into them. Thank you for sharing this one.
Oh, Beth. Please pray for this pastor’s wife who so needed to read that this Monday morning. I enjoyed hearing your “bird’s eye view” of another church. It seems like lately I have gotten in a rut with my worship/Bible study/prayer life and I’m just tired of church. Yesterday I watched my husband preach his heart out and nearly beg for people to come to the altar and pray. Only a few responded. Lord, please help me to trust you, to remember that you are our firm foundation, and to forget about visible results.
Thank you Beth for the reminder.
Much love and prayers.
I so desperately needed that word/song today. Frankly, I didn’t know how I was going to make it through today due to mistakes I’ve made in my past that are rearing their ugly heads. God is faithful!!!! Amen!!!! Amen!!!! Thank you for sharing…..
PRAISE JESUS!!!! And yes, I couldn’t get through much of that blog entry without crying. And I didn’t know that anyone could’ve had as good a Sunday as I did yesterday.. but you did, too! Our Pastor preached in the SPIRIT from the book of Acts on the conversion and baptism of the Ethiopian eunuch, and man.. was it ever good! So good, in fact, that he asked the question to the congregation, “Why should YOU not be baptized?” and offered the invitation to come and be baptized right then & there – just like the Bible tells us to. Five people came.. one of them a woman with very gray hair. That always puts me over the edge, to realize that it’s NEVER TOO LATE as long as we have breath to decide to follow Jesus. I lost it. Oh praise HIM!!! Love you, sister!
Linda
Beth,Your words are so powerful.I was able to go to church yesterday for the first time in a very long time. It was so awesome to be with people who are so sweet and wonderful.I love the praise and worship.I’ve learned to just sing my heart out and be heard.It feels great. I can’t sing a tune in a bucket but it’s okay God loves it. Thanks so much for your encouraging words as always. You are an awesome person as well. Have a great week. Mary Anne
Oh, Amen and Amen! **tears**
We had a most blessed worship service yesterday as well.
Beth – Guess what I started yesterday? Hope Encounters. I asked for it for Christmas but for some reason hadn’t gotten to it until yesterday. Started listening to it and didn’t want to hear a word you had to say. NEVER before have I not hung on your every word as you have made Jesus so much more real to me, you were the first person I heard talk of “loving God” and I instantly wanted that too. You have been a friend ever since. But this topic is hard…and it makes me wonder if I’ve dealt with my “stuff” afterall. I’m afraid all I’ve ever done is push it down. Oh, yuck. Well, I’m plugging through it and I may have to do it a second time…but I’m kind of at the place you mentioned about just being willing to let Him even ask me the question of do I really want to deal with it. Mercy. There’s a lot of “stuff”…sexually abused by an uncle and a neighbor and physically abused by my single mother. I don’t say that for an ounce of pity…my Lord Jesus Christ has done AMAZING things in my life and I have been blessed beyond words! I just hope if He and I have more “dealing” to do, that we can get on with it and do it quickly, Amen? Thanks for being you and being so dear! But thanks more to a Savior who has delivered me and set my feet upon a rock that I may not be moved! Lisa
Beth,
Captured by this post wouldn’t even describe how I feel right now. I can’t thank you enough for always being so transparent with us. I struggle with the “formalities” of a relationship with Christ with my husband ALL the time….and although just because he doesn’t have all the “formalities” that we as southern baptist MUST have, it has changed my heart to allow him to experience God the way HE does…..just like with your Keith in the “wild”…..my man has his own unique ways of developing his relationship with the Lord through his running. For so long I didn’t understand his need for running SO MUCH. I was so pleased as I tuned up his IPOD one day to discover it was full of inspiring “run the race with jesus” songs!! No wonder he’s so good!! =)
You are SO real and we need this…..thanks so much!!!
Wow oh wow! Yesterday was just like that for me. I am involved in the Stepping Up Bible study and yesterday during the service I strongly felt God saying kneel at the altar. I was..”ok LORD, during the invitation” but He kept saying now. My response was “I’ll just kneel right here by my seat” I felt the LORD saying, “Get to that alter now” Our order of service was a little different than normal and right then our worship leader stood and began singing Be Still. Oh I couldn’t be physically still. I stepped out and kneeled at the altar. I was the only one moving and I knew that must have thrown some for a loop in our conservative church but your instructions of going face down before the LORD in the study has become so special to me.
Then, I do my homework for week 2 day 1 about the church and lo and behold what is on this blog? The firm foundation and joy of going to the house of the LORD. Oh my heart is overflowing. Can’t wait for what God has for the rest of the day.
Completely speechless and loving Him all the more!
Beth – Amen, yes sister, that’s good now, uh-huh, you got that right, go on now, oh yeah, I hear ya! I’m “talking back” to your post! 🙂 Thank you thank you thank you, sweet woman – for this post. I loved it – and I love you.
As the wife of a Minister of Music for 30 years (I married young – I’m just 50) this post was especially dear to me. We sing what we believe – and the doctrine of the old hymns is rich and much needed for future generations. I think that’s what I love about Travis COttrell so much – his gift of blending the worship. In fact, we sang “In Christ Alone” yesterday and it was soooooo good.
I loved hearing about the senior adult couple worshipping. Reminded me of Mr. Dees and his wife at my church. Mr. Dees hobbles down to the altar (assisted by his cane), and then gets on his face to pray. Some of our precious men have learned to be on watch for him to “finish,” and then literally pull him up and help him back to his seat. Humbling to watch, but such a blessing too.
Thank you for the good word about not insisting or attempting to make Keith go to church. You’re a wise woman indeed and I imagine that lesson was sure hard to come by.
My husband is loud at church and at restaurants, and at home. I know it is because he is also a tad hard of hearing – but it’s from the trumpets in the church orchestra blaring in his ears as he directs the choir and orchestra. He also deer, hog, and bird hunts, so it’s probably a combination!
Another good word from you too is how you explained about not being a distraction and not saving all our worship for Sunday – I needed to hear that.
And I cried and sang through “How Firm a Foundation.” I learned it when I was in the 5th Grade at a little Baptist church in Parris Island, South Carolina (my Dad was a Career Marine). We sang it at one of our GA’s inaugurations (is that what they were called?)
You are so very special to me and I love you dearly, my special friend.
Jan, Your Georgia Siesta
PS: Last night in Session 1 of “Stepping Up,” my class just hollered out in glee when you told the “Bravo” story from attending the orchestra in D.C. at the Kennedy Center. I’m saying it to YOU and Amanda and Melissa (and Keith) now:
BRAVO – BRAVO – BRAVO
Beth, if you were having an amazing day yesterday, I was having one of the worst. I have these fits of depression that sometimes paralyze me. I was so deep in prayer during worship yesterday, that I only caught the second to last stanza of a worship song– my ears perked up as the congregation at First Presbyterian Church of Colorado Springs sang
“When through fiery trials thy pathway shall lie,
My grace, all-sufficient, shall be thy supply;
The flame shall not harm thee; I only design
Thy dross to consume and thy gold to refine.”
It’s so lovely to know that that song meant something to you in Texas at the same time God was working with me with the same words in Colorado. Thanks for the reminder this morning of how present God is in our lives.
I love it when they take the old hymns and update them some!
Where is Melissa moving to?
Is she still going to work for you?
I hung on to every word of this post. Thank you, Beth!! I feel like I can go out and conquer this Monday.
I have to add that I am not a girl that is partial to hymns. WOW!!! What powerful words! I have never heard that sung before, but have deep respect for the author.
Sweet Beth! Thank you for this post. It was just what this heart needed on this Monday morning,(which happens to be my birthday). I was feeling a tad sad, and out of sorts, but the Lord sent His love to me through your reminder that He will never, never, never, no never forsake me!
Praise Him!
Teresa
Braden, TN
Beth– Praise Jesus! A co-worker of mine who really bolstered me in the faith when I started working here a year ago has been stumbling away from Jesus over the past 10 months. I nearly cried when I saw her walk in today with Breaking Free! I said– So, you’re ready to deal? She said– yep! I’m ready to deal with my stuff. I thank you for your faithfulness to do this study, and help lead us to freedom in Christ! Blessings on you as you work through your memories again. Let us remember how good our God is!!
Thank you, thank you! How I need to be reminded, spurred to take another step, fully depending on our Faithful Father, our Sure Foundation.
The joy of worshipping (young and old) together always fills my cup to overflowing! My church is struggling to find its identity right now and Beth’s description of the church she visited made me long for one like it. Bless you Beth for putting words and descriptinos to what we all love, long for, and admire… true worshipers… regardless of age, music style or denomination. Won’t heaven be great?!! I can hardly wait!
Beth, Thank you so much for sharing your wonderful day with a fresh view of worship. I am so glad you included the description of the older couple, that is priceless. Thank you also for sharing the words to that great hymn- I want to share them with a dear family who’s husband/dad is battling cancer. She (wife/mom) already has her ticket to come see you in March here in Jacksonville. Thank you for letting God use you to encourage us.
With Love
Beth
WOW- you have encouraged me so much! I too am a very demonstrative worshipper and hubby is more laid back and adores me just one step behind His God….. it’s so healthy for women to see that while Keith may be different than you, you adore him, you love him, you don’t need him to be anything other than how GOD made him… amazing. I needed that today! and Bridgepoint looks amazing too! When you are in the Indiana neck of the woods I think you’ll feel quite at home with Nappannee Missionary Church http://www.nmc1.org. There are 300+ women doing Believing God this quarter!! When we moved here 5 months ago my first day here was like your visit to Bridgepoint. ONLY God can do that!
Have a super MON!
Sandi
I’ve been reading for a long time, but this is my first post ~
I have always had very strong faith, but am working my way back to church after a (too) long abscence. I’ve been trying to get my wonderful husband to go with me, but he seems resistant right now. I know it’s not a faith issue, so I hope that if I start to attend regularly, eventually he will too.
Now all I have to do is work up the courage to go by myself…….I’m almost there 🙂
Hi Beth. This is one of the best postings you have ever written! I laughed(easy for me) and I cried(not usual for me since I always feel like I have to be so tough- especially when life is pitching me curve balls). What a wonderful morning you had- I love perfect days like that. I have never heard that hymn so thank you so much- I’m going to print it out to post in my home! I’m so thankful to know who Jesus is and I will never forsake Him!
All my love Beth!
God is so good, isn’t He to give you such a special Sunday with your daughter and husband and great worship with Him on top of all of that.
I started crying when you described driving up and seeing Melissa standing there. So sweet!
I had a great Sunday too and am very blessed. I called my daughter Sat. night and invited her and her husband to go to church with us and eat lunch. (they live about 45 miles away) I fried a chicken, had mashed potatoes, green bean casserole, salad & bread. Way too much for just the two of us. I invited my mother-in-law over too. My mom ate with my dad and then came later for cookies and coffee. It was a great day.
I love my church and love the wonderful people who faithfully attend. I help with the youth of our church each Wed. and I’m in charge of refreshments. We have several ladies in our church who either give me money for this or they prepare food each week. There is an older couple and about once a month the lady scoots over and hands me a rolled up $20. Neither are in good health, but love coming every Sun. and may come in late, but never miss. It just blesses my soul when she does that. I think being there for each other and lifting each other up in prayer is a very important part of being in church. Someone may not even know how much THEY are blessing others by just being there.
My husband’s dad used to do the offering in the center aisle of our church. He passed away in 2001 and my husband took his place. It is so sweet to see him do that each Sun.
He reminds me SO much of Keith in so many ways. He is so real and not a put-on at all. I can relate to many of the things you say about him. Don’t you love having a “real” man though?
Please pray for my dad. He is going to turn 74 this Thurs. and he is still senior pastor of our church. He has been preaching for nearly 50 years and is still going strong, but yesterday preached standing off the stage b/c his back was a little out and he didn’t feel like he should climb the steps. He has a huge responisbility and I would covet your prayers for him and for our church.
Thank you again for sharing your Sunday blessings with all of us. You are precious!
Love,
Valerie
What a day sent from God!Complete with ribbons attached via a sunny spring day in our Houston area. Mayby because its one of the last days w/ your girl just as your little girl. Even though good times are still to come- just of a different sort.
Memories attached to growin up i the Lord hymns are my undoing as well. Thank you dear friend once
more for another connecting heart string!
Love & gracious prayers for you
& yours from LaPorte !
Oh friend, thank you so for sharing your day; especially the words of that hymn. Which broke me in to near hysterics at how wonderful our Jesus is…today has been a mixed morning of praise and trust. My husband and I have struggled financially almost our entire marriage of 7 years. In our first year of marriage he got laid off and was without work for 1.5 years. During which we found out we were pregnant. And the Lord was faithful and provided a job for him in my 7th month. But we have struggled ever since to make ends meet.
And just this morning we received from our church in the mail our contribution list for tax purposes and I had JUST finished telling my husband on the phone – through tears – how THANKFUL I was that the Lord provided enough for us to give back to Him. No matter how hard it has been for us, we still were able to give. How I praised Him fr his faithfulness and in the same breath asked for an increase in faith as I trust Him to provide yet again for another blessed life He has chosen to give us coming in May.
And then reading the words of that hymn “I’ll never, no never, no never forsake”…ahhh friend, bless YOU today.
~Jody
Beth- you know how to speak your soul, and that ministers to the hearts of all these lovely Siestas! Thank you!
I so enjoyed the Lord’s Day. After church and a lovely italian lunch with the man of my life, my 4 year old son, I sat at the kitchen table with a pen in hand and journaled “What God did in my life in 2007.” And wow… what He did! It’s amazing the things brought to mind when you take the time to recollect His goodness. After recalling 2007, I made a list of “Prayers & Expectations of what God will do in 2008” and that was even MORE exciting! Knowing that I strive to understand Him more and fall more in love with Him daily… Christ Jesus will bless those desires. Oh, the joys that await us in 2008!
Love ya Beth!
Joy
Didn’t know if you knew this, but Bridgepoint is actually Spring Branch Community Church. They moved about a year ago. I thought you would appreciate that since I know you spent your teenage years in Spring Branch.
Am I crying because I just had a baby?
Or am I crying because my coffee is all gone?
Or do I just really, really love how much you and the Siestas treasure our Jesus?
Probably a combination of all three.
This post will resonate in my heart all day.
Oh Beth, I usually don’t leave a long comment or even a “known” comment. But I must on this one 🙂
First, we also tried out a different church yesterday, one closer to home. It’s really funny or sad, (not sure yet), but our small town has 15 churches (no exaggeration) and we are having a difficult time finding one, that is “biblical” without major strongholds of dress or biblical foundational quirks, like “behavior control” (man molding not God molding) issues. I came out of a “very religious” upbringing, but have been set free, and am anxious to be planted in a church that Jesus would like. I know there is no perfect church, but you know, once you’re brought into freedom, going back into goofy strongholds is repulsive 🙂
And regarding the song “How Firm a Foundation” what a precious group of words. And they most definitely are powerful.
In August 1999, my children were 5 and 7 then, when their father’s brand new house exploded. From a gas leak, and incompetent builder and incompetent subcontractors. It was a domino effect of incompetency ranging from plumbers to the Gen. Contractor to the County that passed a final inspection on a house not really “inspected”. Did I mention my ex husband is a General Contractor??
Anyway, The GRACIOUS Lord, saw it fit to protect and heal my children in such a miraculous way, that ONLY HE can do, and I have my children whole and healed and well “compensated” today ~ PRAISE HIM ~, But while in the ICU w/my precious 5 year old little boy, (my 7 year old dtr was so miraculously spared that all she needed was stitches on her ear, and a 48 hour “surgery watch” stay. She was released on day two!!)
Somehow, I don’t exactly remember, but I had never even heard the song, before, but I had written this (what I thought was a poem) on a piece of paper and had it tacked to the bulletin board in his hospital room, that when ever I got “overwhelmed” or if procedures churned up so much anxiety or fear, I would say this “poem” outloud to me and him. It proved to be a source of comfort over and over and over, and then weeks after he was released and well on the way of healing, I heard the “song” and the words that I had memorized by then were so familiar, I just melted.
Thanks for reminding me how precious, “How Firm a Foundation” we have. 🙂
Also, Is Miss Melissa moving “away” far?
Blessings to you all 🙂
k
I do dearly love to go back to my childhood days with an old hymn! This one takes me right back to my grandfather’s church in Grenada, MS. Sitting with my grandmother and holding her hand. Both sets of my grandparents have gone on to be with the Lord, but their influence on my life is still so real. Thanks for the memory!
Beth, thank you for your sweet words, and the reminder of a hymn I haven’t heard in years. Sometimes we need to get back down to the foundation for the Lord to do a great work in and through us. Love you big! I do not always comment but I ALWAYS read the blog.
Oh goodness, you hit the nail on the head. I too went to a new church this weekend with a girlfriend–just for a change up. We enjoy our home church and God hasn’t told me to leave yet but I know of a new church just down the road that is almost entirely African American and I desperately wanted to go. (In fact they had to FIGHT to even be allowed to build in my part of town. Thank GOD, they won.)
Dena and I had a GRAND time—two of four white women—praising with a very enthusiastic and Spirit-filled church of my own brothers and sisters in Christ. They were a lively bunch and there was not a single opportunity to nod off. I was so tickled by the littlest boys and girls and their joyfulness at giving at offering time (which included cheering and plenty of Amens!). I also was so blessed by Rev. Jason’s message of God’s contract to free us from bondage. It was an inspired message and I know God is going to do wonderful things with those gorgeous people.
On the flip side, what does my husband decide to do when I go off to a different church instead of our home church? He gets all dressed up, cleans and dresses my two kids and TAKES them to church! I about had to bite my tongue in half since he will hardly EVER go to church with me. But apparently, if I don’t go, he feels welcome to go. A true Catch-22. Do we need to become a two church family or do I need to just sneak in after the fact? And how many times do you think that will work? :^)
Bless you Beth and Melissa.
N@
Thanks for sharing so openly and honestly, Beth. Your words are such an encouragement and blessing! I tried to change my hubby for years and when I finally gave up I realized that I found just the man I needed right in front of me all along! Praise God for a new perspective and ditched expectations! Glory!!
thank you for sharing how you love on your Keith. i find myself wanting to drag my hubs to worship and today was a reminder that i can simply encourage and then let go.
What a glorious word. Thank you. I can hardly hold back my tears as I type. I had an A+ day yesterday as well. God is so gracious. How amazing is he. Amen. C L
Thanks Beth
I too have a hunting husband, who also works a lot on Sundays keeping the power going to homes and churches. He also chooses often not to want to go to church. He does know and love Jesus and when our children were growing up he did go and make sure they got to church. Lots to be thankful for! Thanks for the reminder to just go myself and not nag.
Married 31 years in a week!
Your honesty is a blessing
Erin
That brought tears to my eyes – especially the visual of the older couple. And for some reason your comment about throwing your shoe has tickled me to death!!
thank you for sharing beth! I needed that. you are so special in how you take the time to minister thru this blog.
Thank you for sharing your beautiful day so artfully with us, Dear Friend. It made me smile, and tear up not a few times!
Thank you for this blog. I have read all of the January posts this morning and have been SO blessed by the reminders of how good our God is and how he will aid me and be there for me if I will only ask. Thank you for the reminders that we are to be bold and not have a spirit of timidness.
Thanks
Oh my goodness, Ms. Beth. I, too, have a good, big and wild man myself who loves to hunt. I dreamed for years of being that “got-it-together family” that goes to church together every Sunday (am & pm) and Wednesday. But my husband would have none of it. It is very important to him to make sure he misses church at least once a month. Says it’s good for him. Also, tends to let everyone around him know when he is there not of his own accord. Oh don’t I now thank God for this man who never let me make our family pretend to be on Sundays what we were not every other day of the week.
This may not be what you intended for us to get out of this blog, but there is such comfort in knowing I’m not the only one with a maverick. They can be quite a handful at times and very unorthodox at the time when most people are listening. I think you’d like my maverick (though not as well as your own). He is a 6’10”, rough around the edges, mighty-fine lookin’ (if I do say so myself), hunting man who refuses to let this woman make him into something he was never meant to be. Thank You Lord.
How Firm a Foundation is my pastor’s favorite hymn of all. So we do it often for a contemporary worship kind of church. The words are sooo good. Kara in Oklahoma
That does sound like a wonderful day, Miss Beth!
I recognized the name of that song, but I do not know the tune, so I just read it and took it all in. Ooo; powerful stuff, hey?
I grew up like your dear Keith did, in the same faith background, if I am not mistaken, where there is no Sunday School for children, but CCD later on in the week. But, I did somehow still end up liking going to church, but did not learn what Jesus’ Love truly meant to me, personally until 2003,
just a month before my sweet salvation in Christ Jesus. =)
I struggle with singing in church these days, due to some involuntary movements that I have in my jaw, head, and neck, but I still love to sing, especially when the Spirit just “moves me” like He seems to do with you. However, many times, as I am trying to sing, these involuntary movements [called tics], cause me to stop singing, or my head start swinging back and forth as I sing, but if I can sing, I generally just let that ole’ head swing, even though I know that a major neckache will be coming onto me soon after church. But, I just cannot help but praise our marvelous God !!! And, yes, sometimes I cry when I cannot sing a particular song, but I know that the Lord knows that my heart is singing along with the others. And, sometimes, I just stop and sit down and listen ever so carefully to the words of a song, especially when I am not familiar with it, and take them in to cherish in my heart. 🙂
Thanks for sharing your precious day with us.
In Christ’s Love,
Jennifer
Southern Wisconsin
I wonder if you know how much of an encouragement it is to hear that Beth Moore’s husband/soul-mate doesn’t gush over church?! I just wonder. Because it’s so what many of us experience on a regular basis…and the shame and junk that is heaped upon us by our enemy often robs us of any joy we might have on any given Sunday. My man goes with our family faithfully every Sunday. But he’d rather be somewhere else…like Home Depot. I don’t take it for granted that he goes with us. I have friends who’s husbands will not go to church with them unless it’s for a special program their kid is in. If I’m honest, I want my husband there with us so folks don’t judge me and think he’s less spiritual. It’s all about me most of the time. Anyway…I just thought you ought to know that I appreciate how real you are with us. And I had to cram three days worth of Breaking Free homework into one session awhile back. I was a noodle by the time I was done. Snot and tears everywhere. Thank you very much!
I forwarded this post to a friend of mine who struggles with her husband, and especially, his church attendance.
The words you shared about Keith will be an encouragement to her.