Every Girl: “The Gold Medal on the Left Hand”
Many young Christian girls are searching for Christian husbands. This is a very important task. It is an idea that begins to form at a very young age. Girls may picture their prince charming with blue eyes, brown eyes, smart, funny, tall, and maybe muscular. These lists can become endless. As you begin to mature, the spiritual attributes and personality become more important. The spiritual requirements on your list should never be compromised. Choosing a husband is one of the most important decisions you will ever make. I can understand how some of you may believe that it is very difficult for one to find a Christian man. It may be difficult but not impossible. We believe this because God’s word assures us. In Matthew 7:7-8 Jesus says, ” Ask and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: For every one that asketh recieveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.” These words should give you comfort. As His faithful children we know that God takes care of our every need. All we need to do is ask. When I was younger and in search of a husband myself, I encountered this same worry. Growing up in San Antonio and attending a Spanish speaking congregation made it difficult to find my Christian mate because the girls outnumbered the boys. I remember talking to my parents about how I was afraid of never finding the strong faithful Christian man I was in search of. Living in this world may make this seem very difficult but God’s word assures us that it is achievable through perseverance and remaining faithful ourselves. My parents comforted me by telling me to keep a close relationship with God in prayer and they assured me that He was preparing someone for me. Prayer is very instrumental in this process. As young girls you don’t realize that your parents and grandparents are also asking the Heavenly Father for your same petition. “They would have no greater joy than to hear that their children walk in truth” III John 1:4. Make sure you always keep God very close in your dating years. Always seek Him first. Psalm 37:4 tells us, “Delight thyself in the Lord; and He shall give thee the desires of thine heart.” Where do we find ourselves looking for a mate? Are we going out with ungodly people into ungodly places where a faithful Christian should not be found? Do we show ourselves to be faithful on a daily basis? What type of a mate are we attracting? My mother use to always tell my sisters and me, “Remember who you are and who you represent.” These were and are words that constantly remind me to always stay true to His word. These are words that I am passing to my children. The men that you should be in search for need to fear God. How often areRead the Rest…
SPRINT TO THE FINISH LINE – “NO TIME TO RETIRE”
My husband was a faithful Gospel Preacher. He and I talked about his dream to be in full time mission work when he retired. That did not work out. He became very ill and passed away in October of 1978. At his passing, I was 47 years old. I moved to Howe, Texas and began working for Bealls department store in Sherman, Texas. During the 1980s, I had the opportunity to go on three Campaigns for Christ to Montego Bay, Jamaica with a group that Brother Andy Kizer, preacher of the Howe Congregation, arranged. I would use part of my vacation time to do this. The Montego Bay campaigns were very successful as the congregation there grew and was able to move from meeting in a rented hall to having a building of their own. In 1995, I started going to Jamaica with a group directed by Brother Eugene Jenkins. Brother Jenkins also directed one of the sessions at the Little Blue Bible Camp each summer. He asked me to be a teacher and counselor there. For several years each summer I would go to Jamaica two weeks and camp for another. In June 2007, on one of the campaigns to Jamaica, Brother Fred Rhodes and I were out knocking doors. As we walked along, I mentioned that I wished I could do this full time. At that time, Brother Fred was in mission work at the Marshalltown Iowa congregation. With Brother Fred’s help and the Lord’s guidance, I realized the dream my husband and I had had. It was time to “sprint to the finish”! In November of 2007, I retired from Bealls department store and began working in Marshalltown under the oversight of that congregation. I stayed there for a few weeks and then came back home to prepare for going back in April. Brother Fred and his wife, Dorothy graciously let me live with them for six months out of each year for the next three years. I would go up there in April and return to Texas in November. In 2011, I turned 80 years old and my children felt I needed to “work from home.” So now, my work is overseen by the elders in Leonard, Texas and I work in and from my own home. I still go to Jamaica twice a year, Mexico once a year, Costa Rica once a year and travel in the states to various congregations for door knocking and Bible studies. Places in the states include Lebanon, Tennessee; Davis City, Iowa; Kinder, Louisiana; Mt. Pleasant, Texas as well as my home congregation of Ivanhoe, Texas where I also teach Bible class in quaterly rotation. I have also attended various lectureships around the country like the one in Independence, Missouri. When to retire? There is no time for retirement in the work of the Lord. John 9:4 says “I must work the works of him that sent me, while it is day: the night cometh, when no man can work.”Read the Rest…
Passing the Baton
In Hebrews 12:1 we find the words, “and let us run with patience the race that is set before us.” This passage indicates the Christian life is like a race. And in 1 Corinthians 9:24 we see there is a prize at the end of a race and we are to “run, that ye may obtain.” When we attend track meets we see different kinds of races. As we look at the Christian race, we see that it can resemble many of those kinds of races. There are straight easy stretches, curves, hurdles and relays. Let’s look at the relay race. In the relay, we watch with intense anticipation as the baton is passed from one runner to the next. If the baton is dropped or not passed in time, that team is out of the race. Even though the starting runner or leg, as it is called, may have gotten off to a great start and may have passed the baton successfully to the second leg, if the baton is not passed successfully the next two times, the race has ended for that team. The Christian race is similar to this in that it is our responsibility to successfully “pass the baton.” The baton in this race is the Bible, the inherent Word of God. Romans 10:17 says “So then faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the word of God.” As a child growing up in a Christian home, I had the blessing of having a mother who loved teaching Bible classes. I watched diligently as she spent many hours in Bible study and in preparing visuals. I also was blessed to be in her Bible classes for many years. The baton was being passed to me. You see, children learn what they live. A Christian mother is so important to the family, the church and society. We are reminded in 2 Timothy 1:5 of the influence of faithful mothers and grandmothers such as Timothy’s mother Eunice and grandmother Lois. My mother continues to be a faithful influence spending many hours in Bible study and Bible class preparation. At the age of 82, she is in full time mission work teaching not only in several places in the United States but also Jamaica, Mexico and Costa Rica. Her influence has not only been passed to me, her daughter but also to her granddaughters and great granddaughters. In the book of Ruth, we find the example of a faithful woman named Naomi. Because of famine, she and her husband and two sons went to the land of Moab. There her two sons married and now she had two daughters-in-law. But sadness came at the death of her husband and sons. Naomi decided to return to Bethlehem and told her daughters-in-law to return to Bethlehem and told her daughters-in-law to return to their people. However, one daughter-in-law, Ruth refused to return to her people. Ruth knew she had a faithful mother-in-law, “thy God shall be my God.” She knew sheRead the Rest…
I Didn’t want to be a Preacher’s Wife!
When my husband, Mike, and I were dating, we discussed many aspects of life. One main topic was that of careers and personal goals. The subject of Mike becoming a preacher was discussed. Mike’s dad was a preacher. His uncle was a preacher. He even had cousins who were preachers! So, wanting to be upfront and honest, I let him know right away that I had no desire to be a preacher’s wife. To this Mike replied, “That’s good. I don’t want to be a preacher!” I was so relieved! But why? Why didn’t I desire to be the wife of a gospel preacher? Well, let’s see…. Preacher’s wives were outgoing, helpful, available for anything and everything. They always had kind and uplifting words for the women of the congregation. They were to be the example of a good Bible class teacher. They were never discouraged or depressed in any situation. Preacher’s wives were to have enough Biblical knowledge to sit down and write a sermon or help her husband write sermons. I can think of many women who fit this description. I had great respect for each of these women who were preacher’s wives. But, I didn’t put myself into this category. I was not someone who could fill this role. The responsibility was too great! What set these ladies apart? Little did I know that after only 41/2 years of marriage, I would find out what being a preacher’s wife really meant. Mike was asked to be the preacher for the Ivanhoe Church of Christ. He and I prayed and discussed this request at great length. Mike accepted the position and suddenly, I was a preacher’s wife. What?! Ok. I will try. I began asking other women who had been or were currently preacher’s wives for advice. They were wonderfully helpful and here is what I learned. Galatians 5:22-24 “But the fruit of the spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.” This passage described my image of preacher’s wives perfectly. This is what made one successful. This is the driving spirit behind a preacher’s wife. It was not because of some position they held. It was because they were faithful Christian women; women who were striving to be pleasing to God. They were godly examples because of their love for God. I knew this. I loved God as well. However, I needed to look further. What could I do to grow to be a stronger more faithful woman? In II Peter 1:5-8 we learn what is needed. “And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, and to virtue knowledge; and to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness; and to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity. For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of on. Thankfully, the Lord blessed us with a congregation whoRead the Rest…