Friday

Good Mornin' Ladies of Grace! I'm leaving sometime this morning to go to Louisville to see Grandaddy and Grandmother. Mom and Andy are going with me. I'm kind of amazed and dumbfounded this morning. I read 3 devotional books this morning, and I'd like to share some with you.

Responding to Hardship
When you face a trial, what is your first response? You probably would like to run away as quickly as possible to escape it. Though this is a normal feeling, God has a different way.
It is not the trials in your life that develop or destroy you, but rather your response to those hardships. How, then, should we react when difficulties feel overwhelming?
First, trust God. Believe His Word and reflect on ways he has been faithful in the past. He assures us that He limits our trials and enables us to endure.
Second, persevere. Even when we don't understand and the pain seems too great to bear, we should never quit. Continue seeking the Lord through His Word and prayer. Cling to hope in Christ, and praise Him in the midst of the pain.
Third, remember that our sovereign God is in control. He's allowing this adversity for a reason and will demonstrate His sustaining power through it. Even though the pain might feel intolerable, the Lord will prosper us. Scripture compares our growth to gold, which is refined through fire (1 Peter 1:7). Often, I hear believers reflect on a difficult time and admit that despite the intense hurt, they wouldn't change the situation. They see the beauty God created through the struggle and realize it's value.
We will encounter difficulties-sometimes intense and painful trials that seem too much for us. Yet we can rely on our heavenly Father to deliver and grow us in ways we could never imagine. He doesn't demand that we endure on our own, but He does allow us to respond and trust Him.

In Touch Magazine, Charles Stanley

Devotional #2

The Lord is My Shepherd
It was a cool February evening in California. My 88 year old Jewish Auntie's hospital room had it's lights dimmed to gray. It had been a few days since I had seen her. We had had such a nice visit then. She was alert as we talked about family and how she missed Uncle Hy, who had passed away nine moths earlier. Now she lay there so thin and frail. Her breathing was heavy and irregular.
As I sat by her bedside, holding her cool, clammy hand, I thought of the other times I had seen her in similar situations. Auntie had had surgery 25 years earlier, and because of complications, she almost died. A few years later she was a passenger in a car that rolled down a steep hill and hit a power pole. Her face had been smashed, her jaw and nose broken, and other complications set in. Again, she almost died. As life went on, illnesses came and went, but mostly came. The doctors had already told us three times in the past year that Auntie wouldn't make it through he night. But she always did. Was this February night going to be any different? The doctor had been in to check on her and just shook his head. The rabbi arrived to look in for a visit with no response from Auntie. Would this be the night she would give up her fight for life?
On the other side of the curtain that was three-quarters drawn between us and the bed on the other side there was a charming, late-middle-aged Jamaican woman who was almost blind and suffered from diabetes. She spoke eight languages and had a sweet sense of peace and joy about her in spite of her pain. We enjoyed talking with her and found out that she was a Christian believer who grew up learning to read from the Bible. Every night before she closed her eyes to sleep she would recite Psalm 23. On sleepless nights she would repeat it over and over again. As she talked, I felt our spirits meet, and she would tell me how Auntie's day had gone. In only a few hours with her I knew I loved that woman.
Bob and I were both tired as the clock read 11 p.m. that February night. We'd had a busy day in the office and had driven almost tow hours through Los Angeles traffic to be with Auntie.
By now Auntie's breathing was very labored. I leaned over to pat her forehead and give her a last hug goodbye. My lips ere by her ear when the Spirit of God began to speak from my lips, "The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want." Then the angel from"Bed B" joined me: "He makes me lie down in green pastures." It was like the sound of a million voices surrounding the room. "Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me." That precious black woman and I dueted to the end of the psalm. "You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever."
With a last kiss Bob and I walked out of the hospital room forever. Thirty minutes later Auntie died, with the words of the Twenty-third Psalm surrounding her room.

Father God, I do want to trust in You during all the various times of my life. Help me to realize in good health that you are my shepherd so that in bad times I can trust You to take care of me. You are such a wonderful guardian of all of my life. Amen.

Emile Barnes

I won't bore you with the other devotional. But it was about Mary and Martha and when Lazarus died. I was so overwhelmed by these 3 devotionals. How could it be any more fitting to me right now? You see, Andy and I talked about this last night. They've told us several times that this might be it for Grandaddy. But, only the Good Lord knows the time.

I love ya'll! Thanks for your prayers. I will be back for Sunday! See ya then!