Well, we’ve had quite a whirlwind finish to 2011. Life happens and changes so quickly. My grandfather lived to be 96 years of age. He had observed a lot things in his time. For instance, he said you could tell how old a man is by how high he wears his pants. At 96, he said he had to unzip his just to see out! He had four philosophies of life. Number 1: Always drink upstream from the herd. Number 2: Never squat with your spurs on. Number 3: The fastest way to double your money is to fold it over and put it back in your pocket! Number 4: Nearly anything can happen at anytime. I’m not totally sure about 1-3 (though they make a lot of sense), but # 4 he had dead on. My grandparents missed the great “Hymns vs Praise & Worship” wars. The music of the world changed many times during their lives, but the music of the church remained a constant. Constants are not a bad thing, especially when they are adorned with truth. One of their most loved hymns has come to me this week. Sometimes a song comes to my mind for a few moments or a few hours, but occasionally one will find lodging for a while. For a day or a week. Possibly just for however long He thinks I need it. This one came early today and is still melodically filling my heart and mind.
“My hope is built on nothing less, than Jesus blood and righteousness,
I dare not trust the sweetest frame, but wholly lean on Jesus name.
On Christ the solid rock I stand, all other ground is sinking sand,
All other ground is sinking sand.”
The whole song doesn’t play in my head, just this verse. The other verses are great, but maybe this is the one I need today. “Thank you Lord for coming to us in our need and comforting us in a way that no one else can.”
We normally send out a Christmas newsletter at this time of year. The time has been eaten away from us by surgeries and doctor visits. We thank you for your support this year, both in prayer and financial help. Finances are tough for everyone this year and we thank you if you have shared or plan to share with us. We will be good stewards of God’s provision. Also, many think that I’m not taking work because of the circumstances of Bettys’ cancer. NOT SO! Please, all you preacher guys that are reading this, let us come and minister. Call your preacher friends and tell them I’m available. That’s what I do. It’s my calling! It’s my livelihood. Preachers tell me all the time, “Well I called Bro. John Doe cause he’s real good but he couldn’t come so we settled on you!” Hey, that’s OK. I’ve made a career out of being settled on. Let us help if we can. We’re going to take a break from the blog this week. We’ll start back after the first so you can know how to pray for Betty. Thank you for checking on us and keeping up with us here. We hope your Christmas was wonderful and pray the new year will be blessed. We’ll talk next week. God’s love to all!