It's been awhile since I wrote here! Summer is fading (still sizzling, tho!) into the fall season....with the pace picking up in our families....six grandsons playing football at different levels! Yikes! It's getting harder each year for us"70-somethings" to keep up with them all! And now there's even one out of state! Will is at Harding University, Searcy, Arkansas, in his freshman year. He has been 'red-shirted' this year.....which he probably hates!....he wants to PLAY! But perhaps next year we will get to go and watch him play over there in Searcy! Colt, our oldest grandson, plays at UT, his brother Chance at ACU, and Case is a senior in high school, the starting quarterback at Graham, Tx. Will's brother, Wes, is playing high school football (receiver) at Shallowater, and Zane, Michael's oldest, is a freshman football player at Brownwood, Tx.! The only two not playing are Michaels youngest, Ben, and of course his daughter (our only grandaughter!!) Kylee! Who knows......I think some girls are playing football these days, also! But we hope not our Kylee!! She is a darling 11 year old, all girl, tho she can hold her own with her brothers and cousins!
Sunday night at church at Merkel we were visited by Parker and Donna Henderson, long-time missionaries to Thailand and Trinidad...such a treat to see them, because Burl led singing many times in meetings for Parker when they started out as young men at ACU years ago! I recall that Parker is the first person who taught us to sing "I Know The Lord Will Find a Way For me."
"I know the Lord will find a way for me!
I know the Lord will find a way for me!
If I walk in heaven's light, shun the wrong, and do the right,
I know the Lord will find a way for me!"

"Won't it be grand to hear Him say, "well done!"
Won't it be grand to hear Him say, 'well done!"
If we walk in heaven's light, shun the wrong, and do the right,
Won't it be grand to hear Him say, "well done!"

And won't it though?!!! You Be There!

Hello...I heard a visiting preacher today who was very inspiring and sharp in presenting the word of God. He was talking about the old law and it's implication for our lives under the new covenant of Jesus Christ. In talking about "right and wrong" he made the statement "right is right because it reflects God, who God is." That surely stands up with the new testament teaching that we are to become like Christ. For Christ himself told his followers that he was "showing them" God in his nature. Isn't it a great blessing that He gave us His Spirit at our immersion, so that we would be enabled to become more like Christ? Without that divine help, there's no way I could become "holy" in my conduct and attitude, for I am a poor, weak sinner! But Praise be to God.....He has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of his son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins!
May God so so bless your day and coming week!

Hello! Long time since I entered anything here, but today I cannot resist hoping someone will read this daily "entry" I quote here that comes from the old classic "My Utmost For His Highest," by Oswald Chambers. It is so "right on!" when held up against God's written word, the Holy Bible! Let me pass it on to you in love.......

"God saves men by His sovereign grace through the Atonement of Jesus. He works in us to will and to do of His good pleasure; but we have to work out that salvation in practical living. If once we start on the basis of His Redemption to do what He commands, we find that we can do it. If we fail, it is because we have not practiced. The crisis will reveal whether we have been practicing or not. If we obey the Spirit of God and practice in our physical life what God has put in us by His Spirit, then when the crisis comes, we shall find that our own nature as well as the grace of God will stand by us.
Thank God He does give us difficult things to do! His salvation is a glad thing, but it is also a heroic, holy thing. It tests us for all we are worth. Jesus is bringing many "sons" unto glory, and God will not shield us from the requirements of a son. God's grace turns out men and women with a strong family likness to Jesus Christ, not milksops. It takes a tremendous amount of discipline to live the noble life of a disciple of Jesus in actual things. It is always necessary to make an effort to be noble.

May God bless us all as we come honestly into His presence through prayer, and each day walk in the light of His Word! May He bless you, give you peace, make His face to shine upon You! Much love, GranJan

Hello to you all on this beautiful spring day. I've been away from my home and computer so much lately, I've let this blogging attempt lag badly, I'm afraid! But just wanted to wish you God's blessings...tell you I have one grandson graduating from high school in about two weeks, and what a wonderful young man he is. In today's world he stands out as a bright and shining light...and he does it without 'fanfare' and loudness or foolishness in his manner. He is a dedicated child of God, and professes that as his first love and the thing he is devoted to in his daily life. He will go to Harding University in the fall, where, hopefully, he will daily experience his college education with a group of many like-minded Christian young people. He is a quiet and rather shy young man....but we notice he has many friends and is a favorite in his graduating class. I know the Lord is going to bring out the very best in him as he matures in his college years, and also bring into his life those who will be 'signigicant' throughout his lifetime.
I wish you could know this young man....he is tall, with light-brown hair (I always thought it was red, but his mom says no! it's brown), and the bluest eyes you have ever seen. He is so handsome...a combination of his mom and his dad, and quite a likeness to his younger brother, too! The sterling quality of this grandson is his quiet, unassuming, yet intelligent, manner, his humility, and genuine love for others, his helpfulness and his kind heart. Did I mention he's a really good and smart student?! (:>) That should help in college work, shouldn't it?~ Yesterday he participated in a Texas High School
regional track meet, where he was in the high jump. He did well, but missed going to state based on number of 'misses' at the 6ft. 6in. height! I think it's amazing that anyone could get near jumping over their own body height. He is 6ft6in tall, and a little over, I believe! So, way to go, Specially Loved Grandson!!! (I specially love them all, you know!)
I know his mom and dad are going find it impossible to prevent weeping as he goes across that space to receive his high school diploma. He has been a comfort and a blessing to them. Even his younger brother has told me that he is really going to miss him! That says a great deal for this young man, don't you think?
I've entered this before...but I will do it again, as I know this is his mom's feelings as has always been mine when my own children grew into adulthood:
"Mother's Covers"
When you were small and just a touch away,
I covered you with blankets against the cold night air.
But, now that you are grown and out of reach
I fold my hands and cover you with prayer.

You can be sure we will all be covering Will in prayers to our Father as he graduates, goes to Harding, and makes a difference in this world for the good Lord!
And may the good Lord bless and keep you! With love from 'GranJan'

Hello on this lovely Tuesday morning! I hope the day is going great for any of you who check in here today!
My "hobby" (if I can call it that: it's really a gift the Lord has blessed me with, and I love using it!) is hymn-writing. I got started doing this when I dreamed 'snippets' of a song quite a few years ago, got up and wrote it down, and the next day put it into complete song form. We are so blessed to have a family that loves to sing and so we began singing these songs, as I began to write more and more.
This morning I was thinking of probably the last time I got parts of a song in a dream...while we were at the Red River Family Encampment in New Mexico. I actually got nearly all the words in a dream, and the gist of the melody! I woke up just elated and wrote it all down. I felt it was an "affirmation" of Christian parents and those who teach children the way of the Lord, and I wanted to share the words with you today, and pray they will bless your life as you parent your children!

"I Won't Go Away!"

I won't go away! I'm here to stay!
You mean too much to others who trust you each day
To explain all the wonders they see.....
Like the birds in the air, like the fish in the sea,
And I want you to know, I love you so,
I will be with you everywhere you go!
I will never give up on you now!
I will be there to cheer, and I'll never give up on you, now!

For I am your loving Father above!
I will lead you to teach all your children My love!
They are all so important to me!
More than birds in the air! More than fish in the sea...
They are made in My image, with My breath of life!
Lead them to me so that I can delight in the
Journey they make back to Me!
I will be there to cheer, and I'll never give up on you, now!

May God bless your day! May you have a heart for Him! And seek His will prayerfully, absorbing His words in the Bible.....and thank Him that we still are free to have this wonderful book available to us in America!

Good Monday morning! I was up very early this morning, sitting in my wonderful, comfy chair with my Bible (One Year Bible, great for reading thru the whole Bible in a year!) a good cup of coffee, my notebook, and thinking and praying about all my dear family.....I dozed off (hmm...why do we do that? Does age have anything to do with it?! The Lord understands, I know!) when I awoke the first lights of dawn were showing out my windows, so I flipped off the lamp and watched the day "break!" It was lovely to behold. And I had the thought run through my mind, "....thank you Lord for the wonderful daybreak....it is breaking on a 'broken world." Before I could continue I sort of got caught up in thinking about that idea...(it's sort of poetic and I wondered about words to a song, perhaps?) but anyway....I continued to pray then, acknowledging that the Lord made this world and everything in it, and He can fix it! I know His eyes are on it constantly...His word tells us, thru the voice of Jesus, "Come unto me, all you who are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn of me. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light!" What a comfort. We also know that He is watchful over all those who are put in place as leaders of nations and kingdoms! So, we can have peace in our hearts and concerning our loved ones, even though we do know this is indeed a "broken world" we are living in. Broken by sin...and man insisting on going "his own way" rather than the way his creator leads him!
Please keep praying, keep trusting, keep hoping, and stay in His Word daily and in prayer! You will be given this wonderful peace that the world can't understand.

Hello, again! Today is Friday, March 20, 2009! Where have the years gone? I was born in 1935 and it seems such a short life! But the Lord has richly blessed me with three wonderful children, and eight special grandchildren! They all are choosing to serve Him with gladness and faithfulness....making my heart rejoice and be glad! There is no greater joy for a Christian mother and grandmother than to know her children are faithful to the Lord God! I give Him praise and thanksgiving daily for them all! I take advantage of His great gift of prayer...interceding for them all daily...and many times daily, depending on their circumstances! (:>)
I want to encourage you to be people of constant prayer! It takes prayer to defeat Satan and all that he is throwing our way every day! Our young people especially are his targets, and we need to keep them covered in prayer to the One who made them, and can keep them safe, and turn their hearts to keep being faithful to Him!
About 42 years ago (yes, really!) a group of eight ladies in our city bonded together in a commitment to pray for one another daily. Little did we know that the Lord would bless us to still be meeting together every week in the year 2009! But meet together we do, every Thursday at noon, sharing a light meal, and our prayer needs and thanksgivings, and praying together. We are "six" in number, now, with the circumstances of life changing us. We have lost two in death, and one moved away, and years ago we added a precious sister who seems like she was with us from the start! Needless to say, we have come through a lot....the loss of one spouse tragically, the growing up of our children, the birth of our grandchildren and all the concerns connected with those "marriages and births" through the years, praying about the choices our children made and still are making, the choices of our grandchildren now, their college, work experiences, their marriages, their friendships, their struggles with Satans temptations. Now, at this time of our lives we are praying so regularly about the health of our spouses and ourselves! We are all getting much nearer the day the Lord will take us home to be with Him in eternity, and we are excited about that!
And we are praying diligently for the leadership of our country, and that God will choose to bless us and see us safely through the upheaval in America about morality, and honoring Him, as our forefathers have done. We pray for our freedoms to continue, but we know that God knows what is best for us, and is in control, no matter what happens to a country anywhere in the world. Romans 8, at the close of the chapter says that "nothing can separate us" from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus....and it names many things that could be called "crisis" saying these can never separate us from His love! What a comfort!
I encourage you to read this great chapter, and to become more and more a person of consistant, constant prayer to our Father, in the name of Jesus, His son, who is present in heaven at God's throne, pleading for us as our high priest! (Read the book of Hebrews to become more excited about this wonderful fact!)

God bless your day! Love you! GranJan

Hello! here is a great scripture for us all to think about!

Psalm 7:9: "O righteous God, who searches minds and hearts, bring to an end the violence of the wicked and make the righteous secure."

As we have stated in earlier posts, a Christian is only "righteous" because he has been baptized "into" Christ, and Christ becomes our righteousness~~in other words, God, the Father, sees us through the precious shed blood of Jesus, His Son!

So, the scripture for today fits us wonderfully even in these times, tho it was written by the inspired "sweet-singer of Israel," David, in the Psalms! So let us rejoice and be glad in it! And let us pray without ceasing that God will give us this resue and security in these difficult times for our nation! God bless you today...may you have a heart that is truly seeking God with honesty! He will bless it! Love, from GranJan!

Hello, this is a new day the Lord has given us! We will rejoice and be glad in it!

There's a wonderful scripture found in Zechariah 4:6, where the Lord, speaking to Zechariah affirmed His (the Lord's) power, as they were trying to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem. These words we should remember today as we grow concerned about our own country and the doings all over this world:'
"So he said to me, 'this is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel: Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,' says the Lord Almighty."
Let us prayerfully remember that the Lord, the maker of heaven and earth and all that is in it, is the powerful One in control! Let us trust Him, praying with great conviction that He will lead, direct and care for us and for our nation! God bless you today!

March has come in and here in west Texas we are very, very dry! We pray for the Lord to send us rain from His heavens! I can remember past times when the wonderful rain finally came after a long dry spell, and how refreshing and revitalizing it was! Our stock tanks are getting very low and murky, the dried winter grasses are even deader and drier looking as each day goes by. We are so thankful that we have hay to feed our livestock! And are they hungry! They practically knock my husband over when he's loading the troughs with the hay!
The other critical concern in this dry weather is the threat of wildfires. We have had one really bad one in our area in the past two weeks, destroying about 2,000 acres of pastureland and fences and some structures, though no one lost their home, thankful to say!

Do you remember the story in the Bible where Elijah prayed that it not rain and the Lord withheld rain for three years? And then he prayed again, and God sent the rain! There are many scriptures that refer to the rain coming from God....one referring to the water pots of heaven! And who could forget that rain of all rains....the flood in Noah's time!! Everytime we see a rainbow in the sky we can remember and trust God's promises following the flood that never again would He destroy all life with a flood! The rainbow is a precious, beautiful testimony of God's presence, His love for us, His promises!

If you are reading here today, I hope you will join me and many others in prayer, asking the Lord to send His wonderful rain to quench the thirst of these dry lands and water tanks and lakes! Just as His wonderful Spirit fills our dry hearts and refreshes us, His wonderful rain can fall upon our dry lands and bring revival!

On the lighter side....thinking of rain....it made me think of a little silly song
we used to sing when we were young. The words went like this:
"There was a toad sat in the road
resting from many hops!
When to his pain, the cold wet rain
Came down in great big drops!
But soon he spied a toadstool wide
And quickly crept in under!
'Hooray!" he cried, I'm free from rain,
And also safe from thunder!"

And just as the Lord cares for the little creatures in any circumstance, we can be sure He cares for us! And He hears our prayers! So pray with me for His rain! James chapter 1 teaches us to pray with faith, not doubting! God bless you tonight!

Good morning! It's the Lord's Day....we look forward to worshipping this morning with fellow-Christians as we sing heartfelt praise to the Lord and remember the death of Jesus on the cross and His resurrection and His promise to come again!

A year or so ago I wrote the following piece about 'faith.' I am going to print it here, hoping that you will check out these things in the Bible to see if they are so!
You can use a concordance, look up the key word or words, and find the scripture reference. I believe each statement is based on scriptures! (please read Romans
1:17, which says: "For in the gospel a righteousness from God is revealed, a righteousness that is by faith, from first to last, just as it is written:"the righteous will live by faith.")

"Faith's Eyes"
By faith we believe that God made everything from things unseen.
Then He created us from the 'dust' of His creation!
He breathed into us the breath of life!
We are made "in His image!"

By faith we believe that we are destined for eternity...either in the place God has prepared for those who obey Him, or in the place He has prepared for the devil and his followers. So I say, Choose Faith! Or as the prophet said, "Choose life."

Faith's eyes believe in Jesus Christ as the son of God, though having not seen Him.

Faith's eyes see the wisdom of this belief in Christ leading him to put Christ on in baptism, in the likeness of Christ's death, burial, and resurrection.

Faith's eyes joyfully accept with confidence the gift of God's Holy Spirit which comes to dwell in him as a gift of baptism!

Faith's eyes acknowledge the help the Holy Spirit gives him in choosing to live for Jesus!

Faith's eyes see beyond this earthly experience to view that city that is to come!

Faith's eye see beyond the outside appearance of another person to view the possibilities in them that God sees!

Faith's eyes see the intrinsic reward of it being "more blessed to give than to receive."

Faith's eye see the hope that lies behind Jesus' words when He said "he that loses his life for my sake will find it."

Faith's eyes see the importance of leading little chldren to know about Jesus' love for them!

Faith's eyes see the urgency of the call of the lost in this world as they cry out for the salvation God offers.

Faith's eyes play out again and again the stories of faithful men and women told in the word of God, which in turn strengthens faith!

Faith's eyes look into eternity and visualize the throne of God and the myriad of angesl praising and adoring Him, and longs to be there, too!

Faith's eyes look into the face of Jesus her loving Savior, and sees in Him the compassion He showed to His followers while He walked on this earth!

Faith's eyes see Jesus at the right hand of God's throne, faithfully interceding for His children with empathy and understanding of their humanity and trials.

Faith's eyes see the compassion of the Lord when this physical body becomes infirm and is wearing out.

Faith's eyes see the hosts of angels who will carry him away to the Father and eternal comfort some day!

And Faith's eyes see the hand of Jesus who will reach across that big gulf and help!

And Faith's eyes steadily sees events unfolding at that time that will turn his "faith" into "sight" as he gains first-hand knowledge of our glorious Father and Savior, Jesus Christ!

May God bless you today!

Hello, again! I pray your days are going well!
Continuing in the business of "coming out of darkness into the light..."

If a person has a heart (desire) to know God and what God wants him to do to be saved "from the darkness of sin" he needs to absorb, by reading, all of the word of God. As much as he can! This can be done by reading some of it every day. For all God's dealings with mankind from the beginning of time lead to the coming of His Son, Jesus Christ!

When followers of Jesus asked Him one time....."what must man do to do the works of God?" he replied, "...the work of God is to believe in the One He has sent." (John 6:29)

A searching reading of the New Testament will reveal many things about salvation:

1) Faith comes by hearing (reading) the word of God. (Romans 10:17)

2) God is a 'rewarder' of those who diligently (earnestly) seek Him! (Hebrews 11:6...it would be great to read this whole wonderful chapter!)

3) The "gospel" of Christ is the power of salvation! (Romans 1:16)

4) The gospel is the good news of Jesus' life, death, burial, and resurrection! (1 Corinthians 15:1-6)

5) The process of becoming a Christian or getting "into" Christ is like a re-enactment of His death, burial, and resurrection. (Romans 6:3-4)
This happens when a person accepts (believes) that Jesus is God's Son, and surrenders himself to being baptized into Christ (the water representing the burial and resurrection to a "new life," a life "in Christ.") In this act of faith and submission
three marvelous and wonderful things happen:
---our sins are forgiven! (Acts 2:38)
---we are clothed with Christ! (Galatians 3:26-27)
---we are given the gift of the Holy Spirit! (Acts 2:38)

6) The Bible confirms that our "hope" is in Christ alone! (Colossians 1:27, which says "..Christ in you, the hope of glory...")

7) Christ is our righteousness, holiness, and redemption! (1 Corinthians 1:27) (That is what makes Him our perfect "plea" when we approach God!)

8) All this "gospel" describes the "amazing grace" of God the Father! Because Jesus is called the "grace" that came to all men in Titus 2:11-14, and I want to write that here, and pray you will let it "soak in" to your understanding!

Titus 2:11-14: "For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men. It teaches us to say "no" to ungodliness and worldly passions and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in this present age, while we wait for the blessed hope...the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, who gave Himself to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for Himself a people who are His very own, eager to do what is good."

As I write this blog entry, I pray that there are diligent (earnest) seekers of God....even one!...who will read it some day and be led to come out of darkness into the wonderful light of the kingdom of God!
Acts 2:47 says the Lord added to the number those who were being saved (this was on the day the first gospel sermon was preached! Please read this entire chapter to confirm these things!) I believe this is when our names are entered in that book in Heaven! (Revelations 20:11-15)

MAY GOD BLESS YOU TODAY! PLEASE JOIN ME AGAIN SOON!

HELLO! This is a "loving granma" who wants to reach out to anyone who has a heart seeking the truth about how to be rescued from sin! First, I would say, I believe that Jesus Christ is the son of God! My hearts desire is to help others to come to belief in Him! I have seen how wonderful God's blessings are on my family, and others who are honest before Him, and I have a yearning heart to share that with you!

In an old book called "The Christian's Secret Of a Happy Life" by Hannah Whitall Smith, she gives a formula tried and true when one approaches the Bible to find it's truth:

1)fact 2)faith 3)feeling.

She explains that most people will only accept something as true if they "feel" it first..if they don't they won't consider it and look further. But, going on, she explains that if one read's the Bible, finds the facts stated, chooses to accept that fact in "faith", then the Lord provides the "feelings" to go with it or affirm it! I have found this to be absolutely true in my experience!

We all know we live in a very dark world! But, the Bible calls us to come out of that darkness by accepting God's gospel of salvation! In the resulting blessing of walking daily in His light we become changed people in so many wonderful ways! My scripture today to share with you: Colossians 1:13: "For He has rescued us from the dominion of darkness, and brought us into the kingdom of the son He loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgivenss of sins."
(New Internation Version of the Bible)

My "blog" is prayerfully dedicated to reaching out to you, from my personal convictions and experiences, using the Bible as the word of God that has stood the test of time for it's authenticity! I pray you will return to this blog site, be led to consider these facts further, and do your own checking into the Word to see if these things are not so! God bless your day!