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)
Say it Beth! Say it! Amen sister!(From an African American siesta from OCBF!:) Kirk has a new album out … My sister and I just love to hear you speak on your worship experiences ..
Oh my dear Beth, Thanks for sharing of yourself with us! I so appreciate your transparency! You really are the real deal: real person, real teacher, real woman madly after God’s own heart. I praise God for your today!
The old hymns mean so much more to me now than when I was growing up. The beautiful words coupled with the echoes of singers of the past make my heart swell.
I can almost hear my Grandmother, mother and my neighbors growing up singing all of the wonderful Fanny Crosby hymns. Talk about edifying. How Great Thou Art and Amazing Grace still bring tears to my eyes and chillbumps to my arms.
My heart overflowed with joy by reading this post. I have noticed lately during our song service that my eyes fill with tears and my throat closes up because of the way it moves me. I think a song service prepares many hearts for Christ.
I am so glad Keith enjoyed the service.
Oh yes! Amen! How Firm a Foundation! I had the same words posted on my desk bulletin board for ages. The words are so uplifting and does bring the praise and worship out of my soul….now, let me go find some kleenex to wipe the tears.
I’m so glad that you shared about your husband. I was called into full time ministry last year. My husband is not into going to church every Sunday. Because I go to school full time now, I have to work a lot of Sunday’s. It’s important to me that he goes even when I’m not there.
Oh, I have come to love hymns! My husband, when we first met, very much disliked praise music. He only liked the hymns (yes, he was only 21 yrs old!) Anyhow, because he was so strict, I began to become familiar with them, and found their amazing meanings. And, after we were pronounced husband and wife, we walked up the aisle to a jubulant “A Mighty Fortress.” I think he is still the only one who knows what a bulwark is!
As I’ve said, we have just moved and are struggeling to get used to the size of church out in the southwest. We are praying God will show us the place, but for now we are visiting around and getting used to the size and style out here. It is much different than the Bible belt of Georgia. But, I know our Lord, and I know He is at work out here, too. We just need to find out where He wants us to join in serving Him here!
Well, I am so glad your different kinda Sunday was fabulous! Keep on rockin’ Siesta!
Love,
Holly in NM
Oh Beth! Thank you for sharing your amazing day and the words to that hymn! I started off just saying it, got to singing it, and by the end was just crying it. What a blessing to my morning! Thank you!
Oh Beth! Thank you for sharing your amazing day and the words to that wonderful old hymn. I started by just saying them, then singing them, and finally just cried them. What a blessing to my morning! Thank you!
Oh Beth. Thank you. Thank you.
The old hymns become more precious to me every day. I love the “Amazing Grace” that is off the soundtrack to the “Amazing Grace” movie. My chains are gone.
A home away from home it sounds like!! That Keith gave it an A+ wi mean a lot for Melissa!!
Sweet Beth,
You remind me that back in the day many people learned their theology from hymns (e.g., I Surrender All, Have Thine Own Way, Lord, etc.).
I attend a contemporary Christian church that sometimes sings an old hymn…many times they modernize it. (Sometimes that’s a good thing, sometime not so much.) For those of us who grew up in church, there is something about those old hymns that can stir your soul.
Personal old hymn favorites…How Great Thou Art, Great is Thy Faithfulness, It is Well with my Soul. (With my evangelism passion, I must add…Just as I am 🙂
Fellow hand-lifter, but not distracter :-),
Susan
Bless you lady!! Thank you for tenderly sharing about Keith. My dad is very much that way too – and he is one of the Godliest men I know in his own way.
I would have bawled watching that couple too – I love to see older people in love and loving the Lord.
Have a wonderful week!
Beth I just noticed that there is another blogger called livinbeyondmyself – your study has inpacted us!!
Last week we watched Kindness and Goodness – just wonderful – this week we have our discussion week about it and I cannot wait.
Thanks again,
Shelley
Oh, please somebody stop me from laughing. Throwing your shoe? Throwing your shoe?! I’ll never be able to get out of my head the picture of you throwing your shoe in church (and perhaps someone even throwing it back). I think the Lord God Himself must still be laughing over that one. Pray for me that I don’t start thinking about it during service next Sunday morning. I’ll have to leave.
Good Morning Sister- I am such a blessed woman this morning I just have to share it – I don’t respond much to this blog – I normally just enjoy everyone else and being a part of the community. I have shared with you that my husband was paralyzed almost two years ago and this has definitely changed our entire lives, some for the good-other things not so much. But today, today my husband rededicated his life to the Lord – he is finally free of his anger at God for this situation and I am so thankful! God is so awesome and faithful. Thank you for sharing your awesome Sunday with me – I jsut had to share mine with you. I am so thankful for your ministry and for this community of siestas!
My 11 year old daughter is reading through the one year Bible with our church this year, which excites me beyond any other achievement in her life. The first two lines “How firm a foundation, ye saints of the Lord, is laid for your faith in His excellent Word” encourages me that she is laying a foundation for faith at an early age that I waited till much later to start laying. What a great reminder of one of the hymns of MY faith.
I’ve done lots of your bible study’s and really enjoy your teaching— but the thing that has helped me the most, is listening to youtalk about your husband.
I have the greatest, most loving man. I love him dearly. If I could change one thing, i would want him to be more passionate about Christ.
Your teaching has helped me to love him as he is, and not try and change him. I have learned through you to love him as the gift God has given me– that has made all the difference!
Beth,
Thank you again for reminding us what worship is all about!!! Isn’t it wonderful we can all worship in our own styles! I loved your post! It’s wonderful how the old hymns can still have fresh messages that touch us so deeply! God bless you, Beth!
I just love you to pieces!!! You are a dear sister in Christ. Rarely do I struggle like I am today, and the Lord used your sweet, honest, testimony to put
my “hind’s feet back on high places.” Thank you sweet Beth. I love you and pray blessings on you
and your family. . .
Hi Beth,
I sat on a pew by myself for many years because my husband would not go. He doesn’t like to be reminded of that now and wouldn’t miss church for anything. The Lord has done a work in both of our lives and brought us thru many trials, praise His holy name. Our pastor started a new series on the book of Mark and it was excellent. Thanks for sharing so much of your life with us.
Good thing you said “cry if you must”, because here I sit with tears running down my face reading anew the words of this great old hymn. I woke up this morning determined to find a magazine picture of a fit and slender woman to put in my calendar as motivation for losing weight (I can’t even believe I dreamed about lapband surgery!! – I’m getting that frustrated.) I’ve decided it will be much better, more motivating and far less guilt inducing to carry the words to this hymn in my calendar. Amazing love, how can it be…
Beth, Manda, Melissa and the rest of the LPM Team, I am praying today for a holy anointing to fall on you as you prepare to greet thos who continue on the journey of Breaking Free tomorrow! I am so looking forward to the testimonies Lord as I know you have prepared the answer in advance! Glory upon Glory belongs to YOU! May it all be done to His holy will.
On other fronts, I am not sure I am with BooMama and her bacon fat on Toast, but I sure do like me some gravy made out of cracklings – yum, yum!
Blessings.
THE JOURNEY CONTINUES ~
I just want to thank all the women & siesta’s that have posted such heartfelt stories. Beth,Amanda, Melissa and LPM thanks for allowing us to share our hearts, pains and loves.
Dee ( 7:07 blog) made me cry,as did many others on your post as they shared such amazing journey’s.
Just remember ladies, WE ARE BLESSED to be able to share our FAITH WITH OTHERS in this GREAT COUNTRY THAT WE LIVE IN! WE MUST CONTINUE TO VOTE TOO.
I need another kleenex to blow my nose after reading all the posts that were listed. I am starting to feel like I know some of you personally. Thanks to the ones that have left messages with my blogspot.
WITH “HEAVEN BOUND” BLESSINGS,
KIM SAFINA
I’m rejoicing with you in your wonderful Sunday. P.S. I think my husband and your husband may be related. :o)
Thank you for this post and the reminder of who my Jesus is to me, and how my God is my firm foundation. (eyes are springing a leak)I am going to make it!
Oh sweet siesta! Thank you for this sweet reminder of my Firm Foundation!!
Like you, I’m overcome with emotion remembering my sweet grandfather leading these old hymns and also my daddy (both were choir directors)!! I, like you, can clearly remember their strong, masculine voices beginning to quiver when they sang of the strength found in our Savior!! Thank you again for sharing this!
BTW – girl, I’m right there with slingin’ my shoes off in church too!! (I’d have to get mine back as well – girl can’t live without some good shoes now can she?) haha
Val
NC
I LOVE “How Firm a Foundation.” I grew up hearing it (my mom was a big fan of “Through the Bible with J. Vernon Magee” and that was one of the theme songs) and it brings tears to my eyes as an adult. I especially love Fernando Ortega’s version. 🙂 Anyhow … I was so blessed by this entry, dear Beth. I really appreciate your openness with discretion about your marriage. As a relative newlywed (17 months and counting!) I have much to learn about relating to my husband spiritually, and what place the concept of “accountability” has in marriage. So I so appreciate your example and sharing with us how you’ve learned to handle these issues. Thank you.
And wow, hard to believe your “baby girl” is so close to marriage! Where will she be moving to?
Thank you for sharing such sweet memories with us! My Sunday was not filled with sweet memories, but I know the Lord was there. He kept me grounded!
The words of that hymn mean a lot to me today. We’re burying a friend tomorrow. I said goodbye to her on Saturday just a few hours before she drew her last breath on this earth. Cancer had ravaged her body leaving her bald, bloated, and barely recognizable. Yet, when I close my eyes, that isn’t the image I see. Instead, I see her smiling and with Jesus. God is indeed a firm foundation!
I absolutely LOVE Sundays, the Lord’s Day, too! Thank you for sharing that hymn….God is so, so good ALL the time….even when our circumstances are not. My man doesn’t always go to church with me, so what you said about Keith encouraged me. I learned the hard way that I can’t “make” him do what I want and he’s actually more likely to do it if I quit trying to push. Hard, but valuable lessons learned….sometimes it’s so hard (but always better) to let God be in control and not me! Anyways, thank you for your constant encouragement and insight.
Thanks so much for this. I really needed this today, and I do mean “needed” it. We, not long ago, started a new church plant and yesterday I was having one of those “what in the world are we doing” kind of days. The words of that old hymn, however, remind me that as a church are striving to uphold that great foundation to every person that comes through our doors. It is and must be all about Jesus. The hymn may be old, but thankfully the words are like a fresh wind blowing over my heart. Thank you for sharing.
Ms Beth,
Thank you so much for that post today. My spirit needed it so desperately. With out going into detail my church has been through some hard times over the past 6 months and now the effects are being felt at the school (it is part of the church).
There is so much hurt that for the first Sunday in forever I told my husband – I am not going to church. I am sick of it and I just want to rest at home with my God and His word.
So thank you for reminding me that God IS everywhere and that sometimes we don’t have to go to church to worship Him (although I usually want to ).
I also loved the visual of that dear elderly couple embracing their Lord with such passion -that was so touching.
The words of the song you posted will be with me today as I continue to pray for God to lead our little family and these issues before us according to His will.
Thank you!
Kim
can I just say thank you for talking to me like I am an old friend – cherished, loved and accepted? I know this post if for hundreds if not thousands precious women of God and precious women searching for God – but it reads as if we just say down for a chat over a cup of coffee and I LOVE that. You are just so precious – thank you and have an amazing week. Sunshine
Oh Beth,
Thank you for loving your siesta’s well. You are so sweet to share in such a personal intimate way.
The hymn, well I cried through it. It was as if you asked him to speak directly to my heart, with such an amazing assurance.
My heart is overwhelmed with tenderness at the sweet couple you were able to observe. Oh that if HE tarries my man and I would be in that situation. I am so glad that you were able to have such a wonderful time with Jesus in a new environment with the ones that are dear to you.
I am learning to know HIM and He is delightful to be with. Oh I love Him so.
May your week be blessed with HIS presence.
Love
Celeste
Beth,
Thank you for that Hymn. I’ve not heard it before. It was lovely and goes along nicely with Ps. 121 that I’m trying to memorize.
We had a trio sing this morning at our church. It was a mom and her two daughters. One is about 13 or 14 and the other is about 9. They sang, “By His Wounds” from the Glory Revealed album.
Anyway, I was fine until that little one sang, “He was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our sins; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him… and by his wounds, by his wounds we are healed.”
I began to cry like a baby. Something about hearing that child share the gospel of Christ was so sweet and precious. The joy of it just overwhelmed me.
LOL All of the singers know to not even look at me when they’re up there. We tend to sit in the front rows (you know, the ones most people avoid) and I most often end up crying when they sing. Especially if it’s a song I know.
Love, Anna in MO
I just LOVE how the Word lives!
It’s truth is perfect in all situations…thanks for sharing that oldie but goodie hymn!
Oh, that was timely!! Thank you.
I’ve been teaching my little ones over the last few days about fear and we’re reading from Isaiah 43. May they keep those words hidden in their heart.
Beth,
Your posts are always so timely for me. When we came home from visiting our families in AR & OK, we arrived home just in time for the massive storm in northern CA. We had no electricity for four days. Anyway, when I finally caught up with your blog, I was blown away with what you wrote on New Year’s Day and also the one about Breaking Free. I did that study several years ago and it was life changing.
I feel like I started 2008 in a funk; just cranky nearly every other day. I loved you saying we are only 18 inches away from a fresh start. How appropriate and needed it was for me to read that. Yes, what a firm foundation He is, and thanks for the reminder of that as well.
Love,
Kelly
Oh Sweet Lord! Oh, Dear Beth! I KNEW God had something He wanted me to see on the blogsite right now. I’ve been procrastinating all sorts of things I need to do (study, prepare for Stepping Up on Wed.) Instead, I’ve been reading and re-reading the news and I was just about to turn off the computer and I knew I needed to check your site.
I have to tell you a story. I am blessed to be a member of a wonderful church and I am blessed to be able to lead women’s Bible study on Wed. nights. Last winter we began Daniel. We had women of all ages in our room (Praise God!). One sweet lady came for the first time since I had been leading, although she used to be our Women’s Ministry Coordianator. I didn’t know her well, but I found myself intimidated and nervous (as usual) during the first night. By the time we got to Wk. 3 and studied about the Fiery Furnace, we had all ‘settled in’ and I just fell in love with her.
At some point, I had discussed some of the debate around the authorship of Daniel, and someting about the Aramaic language, etc… She came to me one Sunday with some copies about the language and with a copy of the hymn, ‘How Firm a Foundation’. She said it had been one of her favorites her whole life and that during our study of the Fiery Furnace she couldn’t get this one verse out of her head. She has been a Christian for years and years and years and was so moved and amazed about the portion of the study where their ropes were burned from their wrists, but not even the smell of smoke was on them. OH….I get chills just writing about it! The good kind too!
Fast forward to Nov. or Dec. This preicious woman found out she had breast cancer. She has THE best outlook and attitude! However, she opted to get a double mastecotmy. All I could think of was the delivery of wk. 3 in Daniel-he’ll deliver your from the fire, through the fire, or by the fire, as I thought of her. Not long afterward, as I was cleaning my office I found those copied pages she had made for me last year and I read the words to her hymn! Words cannot express! I’ve been meaning to write her a note and attach it to the copy of the hymn she gave to me. I’ve been feeling like she just might need to remember. It’s been weiging on me heavily for days now.
Thank you for your words, Thank you Lord for using the Living Proof Blog to bring her to the forefront of my mind so that I will quit procrastinating!!!
With that…I’m signing off ! I’m sorry for the length…I just wanted you to know and see how clearly and quickly and precisely God uses you in so many ways!
Your honesty about your man attending church is just what I needed to hear – again. Especially today. Thank you for your encouraging words regarding this. My man is so similar to yours in his thinking and know that I am still believing God for some huge things. My SS class has just barely gotten our feet wet with Daniel – but I have been so encouraged not only by you, but God to do Breaking Free. (I already had the Breaking Free VHS tapes – but had not started it). Since Daniel is moving at a slower place, I am getting started on the Breaking Free last night) in a much faster pace. Today was a total eye opener (Week 1, Day 1) and I believe it goes hand in hand with the things I am believing God for. Cannot thank you enough for your encouragement about my man as well as breaking free. I plan to break free this year from some things – of course, it’s all because of God and His incredible working and leading through you. Never would have been on this road – this soon had I never heard about you/your ministry. I am a forever grateful and changed heart because of the sacrifices you and yours have made. I can so identify – pg. 10 sums it up, I used to be funnier and life used to seem funnier, but until a person sees it that way, it’s really hard to understand the seriousness we Bible junkies feel for God and His word. Mind, I love a good laugh and I am just learning again how to have fun – but more than not, my mind is so steadfast on the word of God that little else seems to matter. I praise God for you and yours – thank you, love you all so much.
Alisa in Cheraw, SC
YES!
Dear Beth,
I never want to leave anything that’s a downer but your comments about church touch my heart and make me want to ask you and other siestas to pray for the spiritually needy churches in America. We’ve always been blessed to be in churches like you described. Now we find ourselves in a situation that is very sad. No emphasis on Bible study and just not the joy and caring environment we’re used to. How do we know when to go where we can be fed and when to hang in there with a church? The area deperately needs this church to survive.
Signed, hurting
Beth, It is just pure joy reading your posts. You truly have a special gift! You absolutely are a inspiration to me. Thanks for being so much fun! Your attitude on life is awesome! The light of Jesus shines bright through you and your precious ministry!
Blessings forever!
I love a contemporary praise song, but I also love an old hymn! When you can see that someone in 1787 had the same feelings that you have and God was just as faithful to them as He is to you…it just gives me chills!
Thanks for sharing such a precious word.
Thanks for sharing your Sunday with us, Beth! I just love Sundays…have ever since I was a little girl. Glad yours was a good one! Prayers for a great week for you.
Thanks Beth for sharing your Lord’s Day with us. I so much enjoy reading your blogs. I to was blessed with an awesome Lord’s Day. I teach the junior high girls in Sunday School. There are about 7 or 8 regular and it is such a joy to see the desire to know more about the Lord every Sunday. The calling that God has put on my life is a true blessing and one that I will thank him for everyday.
Becky
Attalla, AL
Thank you.
Thank you Beth. And glory to our God. I enjoyed your humor – having a great hair day not that that is humorous but that you told us. And doing 2 days of homework with that wordy author!!! And I loved hearing about Keith. And then adding in your love of Jesus through the hymn. What a great day. I didn’t think of taking a nap yesterday. I should do that more often. Have a good evening tomorrow night. We get to do Stepping Up Intro with Travis singing My Passion. Can’t wait!