Baby Steps

Recently, a winter weather event took place that knocked the power out for my daughter and her family.  They wound up spending a night with us and, as per usual for Steve and me, the next morning we read a devotion from the Jesus Calling by Sarah Young book I had received for Christmas, before everyone left for the day.

I had asked my oldest gson if he'd read, and as he perused through the page, barely had he read the first line when he exclaimed "This is the first verse we learned when we did our Bible Studies, Granny!"  He asked his brother if he remembered and then he described the card we'd used.  How my heart glowed as they reminisced about that day so many days ago when they'd sit with me and Lisa in my Pretty Purple Room on the days I'd get to keep them when she was over and we'd do our daily devotions.

Don't you just love it when all thing work together for good, when you see those seeds planted from three years past showing good, solid roots?   Sure, my grandsons are young.  Their formative years are in front of them now and soon their tiny little minds will be filled with so much fluff.  Truthfully, they already are, so I am particularly happy that the times I was able to spend with them a few years ago had some effect on the things they are learning now.

Two of the boys are in school now so we don't get to do those Bible Studies like we used to.  This chart shows some of the cards we did when we started back in January 2013.  My youngest grandchild often walks by this wall hanging and looks at it with curiosity.  I can't wait to do his first study, hopefully soon, and do some more sowing!

Let's pray!

Dear Lord, how I thank You for the opportunities to spread Your Word to these precious boys You allow in my care every so often.  Such sweetness and simplicity they reveal to me as I myself study Your Word.  You have used them mightily to reveal so many of Your gentle attributes and I thank You for children, Lord.

Today, as Sunday School Teachers all around are preparing their lessons and wondering perhaps if it really matters, please reassure them it does.  These lessons matter.  The results might appear to go in one ear and out the other, but Lord?  In between those ears, there is a tiny little brain that absorbs and retains these teachings and one day, one sweet day, that lesson will come back to these little ones.  You promised us that Your Word would not return void: that Your Word endures forever.  You were right!

May we all take the time to teach our children well is my prayer today, Father.  Teach us how to best teach them, in the name of Jesus is my prayer.  Amen.

So Easy Even A Granny Can Do It!

"Philip ran up and heard him reading Isaiah the prophet, and said, 'Do you understand what you are reading?' And he said, 'Well, how could I, unless someone guides me?'"  Acts 8:30-31

This morning I was up around 3:00. I just couldn't get my ol' body to stop aching and my mind to stop wandering. So, I came in here to my Pretty Purple Room and began the process of binding my blogs. It's something I have been wanting to do for a while and for various reasons kept putting off. Happily though, I have been working on them for the past couple of days and thought myself ready to get out my new machine.

Hmn. Looks easy enough--even for a ditz like me. How hard could it be? Besides, not only are there instructions, but there are pictures to walk me through each step. Yeah: I can do this!

Emboldened in my thoughts were also the reassuring words the lovely Myra Beck posted yesterday in her vlog about failures (http://www.myrabeck.com/failure-leads-to-success/) and since I am so good at those I figgered it was time for a success of my own.  So, ahem, almost two hours later I did it!  I kid you not.  Yes, I had the instructions.  Yes the pictures helped but...but my one lone copy surely was not supposed to take this long to put together.  I started on the next one and yep, you guessed it:  it still wasn't going smoothly.  So, I did what any other normal, harried woman would do:  I waited for the alarm clock to go off and for Steve to get up.  Of course he came to see what I was doing and spent the next ten minutes showing me the right way to do it.  You see, even though I had the book, I had the directions, it still was just not making any sense to me.  I needed a teacher to show me and once he did, it all made sense.

Do you think that is the way the Ethiopian felt?  He had the words of life and the ability to read.  Yet it wasn't until Philip came his way that he was able to have the light bulbs go off in his head.  It wasn't until someone sat patiently with him and explained things that the story really came together.  

October is Pastor Appreciation Month.  What a great time to honor the men who spend countless hours learning from God so that they may turn around and teach us sheep what we just aren't sure about.  What a great way to honor your Sunday School teachers and ministry leaders as they endeavor to honor God with their labors.  And let's not forget those pastors' wives either who understand more than their hubbies often do.  They all work together for good because they love God, they are the called, and us?  We get to reap the benefits!

Here's a picture of my book, all nicely bound.  Thank you Steve for showing me the way.  Thank you Pastor Dale, for expounding on the Word.  Thank you Charmeyne for often pointing out the obvious, and for all of those who are too numerous to mention here but have impacted my growth, thank you.  I'm a visual learner and you have shown and told me what's best with your gentleness and your compassion.  I appreciate you all!

Let's pray!

Dear Father God, the greatest Teacher out there, I want to say thanks for all of the souls You have sent my way to teach me more about You.  I once heard an expression that basically said "Preach the Word all day long.  Use words if you have to."  Thank You, Lord, for those whose lives epitomize Your Truths and Your love without preaching man's words but instead by modeling Jesus. 

Continue guiding me and molding me into His image, I ask, so that I too may be counted amongst the teachers You use to further Your kingdom.  It's in His precious name I pray, amen.