Month: July 2025

Keep your eyes open, hold tight to your promises, give it all you’ve got, be resolute, and love without stopping. 1 Corinthians 16:14 The Message

In the early years of the 1970’s, Randy and I were both attending The University of Georgia. Although, we were friends, we had never dated at this point in our relationship. It was during this time that we watched with great interest as many of our friends gave or received a “promise ring”. The “promise ring” was very trendy, and it offered a way for those who were either too young to get engaged or those who just didn’t want to rush into marriage to continue their relationship.

A promise is defined as a declaration or assurance that one will do a particular thing or that a particular thing will happen. Some who received the promise ring went on to get married, but for some of them, the promise of the ring never came to fruition.

In essence, marriage is a promise between two people built on love, faithfulness, and a mutual commitment which mirrors the relationship between Christ and the church. In the wedding vows, the couple promises to remain faithful in love and commitment by taking these vows:”I take you to have and to hold from this day forward, for better for worse, for richer for poorer, in sickness and in heath, to love and to cherish from this day forward, and forsaking all others remain faithful until death do us part.”

Fifty three years ago this week, Randy and I stood before the altar at Friendship United Methodst Church in Donalsonville, and we took these vows. These are the promises that we made to each other before God, our loved ones, and our friends. At that time, we willingly and joyfully made these promises to each other never knowing what would lie ahead.

One of our minister friends told us on that day, “You think you know today what love is and what a promise means, but you will look back years later and realize that it takes years of being partners in your marriage to truly understand. The love you feel for each other today can not compare to the love you will feel in the later years.” I can attest that there were never truer words.

We started out without a clue where life would lead us, and it has led us in some pretty interesting places, times, and situations. It has never been perfect, but God has never ceased to amaze me! As Randy said when he “proposed,” You will never be rich, but I promise you will never be bored.

If I could add to the marriage vows today, I would use the words of Rob Flood. He says: With these words, I will seek to build you up rather than tear you down. With these words, I will do all that I can do to reiterate what you mean in a way that honors and respects you. With these hands, I will touch you caringly, seeking unity even through the hardest conversations. With these eyes, I will look on you tenderly, avoiding judgment 0r scorn. With these ears, I will listen intently to understand what you are trying to say. With this heart, I will seek to love the Lord first and foremost, loving you all the while. With these words, I will share grace, mercy, and forgiveness as it has been abundantly shared with me by our Savior. And with God’s help, our communication will draw us more closely together for the good of our home and the glory of God.

Someone once said that promises are made to be broken, but God is not like that person. What He says, He does, and that is a promise.

Mark Twain wrote these words about promises entitled These I Can Promise. I cannot promise you a life of sunshine; I cannot promise riches, wealth. or gold; I cannot promise you an easy pathway, That leads away from change or growing old. But I can promise you all my heart’s devotion; A smile to chase away your tears of sorrow; A love that’s ever true and ever growing; A hand to hold in yours through each tomorrow.

Happy Anniversary, Randy. I love you!

I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me!

In the summer of 1975, Randy and I set out to my Granddaddy’s beach cottage on Mexico Beach with two other couples, a dog, and Daddy’s boat in tow. This place was, and stil is, dear to my heart because even though it was small, it was the scene of multiple family vacations with cousins and friends. It had only two bedrooms, an attic room, two baths, no air conditioning, a screen porch, kitchen, eating area, and living room. When two families of our cousins were there, the guys had cots everywhere for sleeping, the adults played bridge on the porch til the wee hours, and they slept in the bedrooms. This left us girls to sweated it out upstairs, but it just didn’t matter because it was fun!!

On our trip in June of 1975, we spent a couple of days enjoying the sun and boating with our friends, but on the third night, we all decided to take a trip into Panama City to eat dinner and see the new movie, Jaws.

It is unbelieveable that this year marks the 50th anniversary of the movie, Jaws! The movie which told the story of a great white shark which is terrorizing the small community of Amity by attacking swimmers was a hot ticket for theater goers. The plot follows a group of fishermen, oceanographers, and the town sheriff who set off to capture or kill the great white. It doesn’t take long for them to realize, as the town sheriff remarked, “We are going to need a bigger boat.”

I’m not sure why we saw this movie while we were at the beach, but I will say that the ocean was never the same after that scene where the shark suddenly comes out of the water with his Jaws wide open! It was a jaw dropping moment, which made me jump straight up, and it made us realize that if we were going back out in the ocean on Daddy’s boat, we might need a bigger boat!

There are so many jaw dropping things in this life. Some are awesome, and some are disturbing. Last week, we had the misfortune of being scammed. As we worked to clear it all up, I couldn’t help but find my jaw dropping in disbelief of the ways in which our identities can be compromised these days! It’s pretty disturbing and jaw dropping!

The wars and civil unrest we are experiencing everywhere are jaw dropping especially when we think of the number of innocent lives lost. There is so much bad news these days; however, there are awesome moments in life as well. The wedding of a couple in love, the birth of a brand new baby, the baptism of a new Christian, or the celebration of a birthday just to name a few. These are jaw dropping events!

During the short time He was on this earth, Jesus performed many jaw dropping miracles! In his first miracle, He turned water into wine at a wedding feast revealing his glory and power over creation. In Capernaum, he healed a paralyzed man who was lowered through a roof by his friends and in that moment, He demonstrated His ability to forgive sins and restore health!

Jesus miraculously fed five thousand with just two fish and five loaves of bread highlighting his compassion and ability to provide abundantly. He walked on water, and raised Lazarus from the dead demonstrating his power and solidifying his claim as the resurrection and the life!! He rose from the dead as the final confirmation that He is the Son of God and He offers hope for eternal life for us. Jaw dropping!

Sports writers are sometimes known for their unique ways of describing things. There is one phrase that catches my attention each time I hear it. It is the expression, “Snatching victory from the jaws of defeat.” The expression is usually used when a team is down, the odds are impossible, and there is no way under normal circumstances that they can win. Yet, despite the odds, somehow they manage to find something extra within themselves and fight back to claim victory.

The Christians in this world are in a position right now to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat because nothing is impossible with God. We have a Savior who loves to provide us with jaw dropping moments of love, grace, and mercy.

Be cheerful no matter what; pray all the time; thank God no matter what happens. This is the way God wants you who belong to Christ Jesus to live. 1 Thessalonians 5:17

In the wee early morning hours of July 4, the first reports of flash flooding began to come in from local officals in Kerr County, Texas. Around 7 am, people were being evacuated from the Guadalupe River in light of catastrophic flooding and multiple fatalities. By early afternoon, it was reported that this “devastating and deadly flood”, had far surpassed the flood of 1987 making it the highest flood on record.

The flood was even more devastating because it came at a time when most people were asleep. Camp Mystic, the “girls only” camp along the Guadalupe River lost power and wi fi capabiites. In a letter to parents, the camp told them that if they had not been personally contacted, their daughters were accounted for. What about the parents who got no such communication?

The mayor of Kerrville asked the nation for prayers during this dangerous time as he reported the death of 59 people, 21 of them children. It was heartbreaking news, but it was brought close to home when we heard that the grand daughters of two of our friends were at Camp Mystic. There were tense hours before it was confirmed that their girls had been rescued by helicopter. Finally, this family could take a breath, but there were so many others still missing or confirmed dead.

On Sunday, the news only got worse as we learned of more and more families who had still not heard the fate of their loved ones. We went to church with mixed emotions as we faced the reality of this devastating disaster. Even though we had been praying, deep down I’m sure many of us were wondering if all these families could feel the love and prayers we were sending.

The service proceeded, then the beautiful ladies of the choir’s ensemble took the microphones to sing the anthem. The name of the song was Somebody’s Praying, and from the first verse, we felt as though we had the answer to our questions.

The song was written by John Elliott, but it was Ricky Scaggs who made it popular when he included it on his 1991 album. The following words tell the story.

Somebody’s praying, I can feel it; Somebody’s praying for me. Mighty hands are guiding me, to protect me from what I can’t see. Lord, I believe. Lord, I believe, Somebody’s praying for me.

Angels are watching, I can feel it; Angels are watching over me. There’s many miles ahead ’til I get home, Still I’m safely kept before your throne. ‘Cause, Lord, I believe; Lord, I believe, Your angels are watching over me.

Well, I’ve walked the barren wilderness, where my pillow was a stone; And I’ve been through the darkest caverns where no light ever shone. Still I went on ’cause there was someone who was down on their kness. Lord, I thank you for these people praying all this time for me.

Somebody’s praying, I can feel it; Somebody’s praying for me. MIghty hands are guiding me, to protect me from what I can’t see. Lord, I believe. Lord, I believe; Somebody’s praying for me!

As of this writing, over 170 souls are still missing and 120 deaths have been recorded. As the numbers of the missing increases and rescue missions become recover missions, we will probably never know the number of folks in Texas who are being touched and strengthened by the prayers of so many. However, we can be assured that God is seeing to it that they feel those prayers and the strength they bring to them.

In times of crisis such as this, prayers can be our source of comfort, strength, and guidance. This week as we continue to pray, remember to petition God for His intervention and trust His power to handle it. As we move forward, remember to trust His promises and find peace through faith.

Let me tell you why you are here. You are here to be salt-seasoning that brings out the God-flavors of this earth. Matthew 5:13 from The Message

The dining table at most dinner parties which I have attended, and habitually at my own, are always equipped with salt and pepper on the table. We do it because different people have different tastes, and it is just common sense to provide seasonings. It never occurs to most of us that the hostess might be insulted if those at the table needed extra salt because the conversation around the table usually includes the phrase, “Please, pass the salt.“

Lately, I’ve noticed that restaurants have taken away the salt because of concerns about hygiene and the desire to maintain a cleaner aesthetic look on the table. In order to solve that problem, we have learned to ask for it immediately when our food arrives.

We add salt to food because it adds flavor. I have to say that there are certain foods that I wouldn’t eat without it. Things like fresh homegrown tomatoes, french fries, corn, eggs, and the list goes on just require salt. It is said that as people get older, and their tastes change, the two things they require most in their diet is salt and sweets! I am in favor of both!!

As Christians, it is imperative that we pass the salt to those in this world of today who need to hear about the goodness of God. When we exemplify Christ in our daily lives, the flavor the salt of His word adds to lives can make a miraculous change in those lives.

I think we can pass the salt in several ways. The first is through our words. Jesus said, “Out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks.”

John Grisham is one of my favorite authors, but he has been called, “a straight arrow making his way along a very crooked path.” His novels often depict sleazy lawyers, corrupt politicans, and trigger happy cops, but his heroes are generally the innocent around us or children, such as the 11 year old boy in The Client. He refuses to write anything that would offend his mother or his children. He passes the salt as is instructed in the scriptures. Let your speech always be with grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how you ought to answer each one. Colossians 4:6

Next, we can pass the salt by being preservers in the world of today. One of the most important characteristics of salt is that it is a preservative. Just as salt was used to preserve meat, fish, and other items in years past, we are called to preserve the faith as Jesus taught it. We are here to pass it on, pure and unaltered to those who come after us.

Finally, we can pass the salt by being influencers to others. In most bars and some restaurants, the owners make a habit of providing peanuts, chex mix, or something salty upon which customers can nibble. The reasoning behind that is simple, salt makes us thirsty. The more salt one eats, the more one drinks! Just like the people in a bar or restaurant, once someone has tasted salt, they develop a thirst, and I think that’s what God is doing through Christians. Once others see the reality of Jesus in our lives, they develop a thirst to know more.

The most important thing about salt is that it does nothing if we don’t pass it. If we only share the salt with other Christians, then the flavor will be wasted. If the french fries are already salted, we don’t need to add more; however, if we pass the salt to those who have never had it, what a difference it can make!

Pope Francis said to Christians, “You must be salt and light but never self serving. Salt must add flavor and light must illuminate the other.”

When we pass the salt, we are deliberately seeking to influence the people in our lives by showing them the unconditional love of Christ through our words, and our deeds.