So Long Daniel

(Most of our ladies "Daniel" Bible study group. Some of them could not be there today)

A special group of ladies met together this morning to finish a journey we had started together back in February. It's been a fun trip and I think most all of us are sad to see it end. Today was the last of our twelve weeks of Bible study about Daniel. What a man! But more than that, what a God he served! Of course Daniel's gone but his God is still here and ...awesome thing....he's my God too!

From the beginning of Daniel 1 to the ending of Daniel 12 it's been exciting. From watching Daniel as a young man stand up and declare that he would not do certain things because he had "Purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the portion of the king's meat, nor with the wine which he drank;" to seeing him cast into a den of hungry lions at the age of approximately eighty because he would not stop his daily prayers to God. What a wonderful example he is even still today. A man who loved God not only just as a young man, nor one who waited until he was old to serve God, but one who was faithful to follow his God from his youth to his grave.

Because of the faithfulness and obedience of Daniel and his Hebrew friends Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, God gave them ten times the knowledge , skill in learning and wisdom than all the other wise men in the land. And unto Daniel he gave understanding of visions and dreams. Which, of course, really came in handy to save the necks of him, his friends and all the other wise men in Daniel 2. .... VERY interesting reading!

And of course there was the deliverance of his three friends....whom we all know better by their Babylonian names of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego....from the fiery furnace. Thrown into a fire so hot the soldiers with the task of putting them in the fire died from the heat. Bound hand and foot. No hope it seemed. But then from the king's own lips we hear him say he sees not three but FOUR men walking in the fire...loosed...and the fourth man is like the Son of God! They came out alive with nothing being burned except the ropes that had bound them. Scripture says they didn't even have the smell of smoke on them! It's a God thing people! He is able!

And then there's the prophecies of Daniel about end times. And folks, it sure looks like we're getting near the end. Don't lose hope. Just look up for our redemption draweth nigh!

One of the main thoughts I came away with from this Bible study is this: If I am to be a godly woman it will have to be on PURPOSE....because no one is ever accidently a follower of God!

To all my fellow Bible study students....it was a fun trip and I hope we get to take a few more before this thing is over! :)

God bless you!

Marilyn

(FYI.....about the green Tee-shirts. Today is National Pro-Life Tee-Shirt day. Ours were green with the words "Let There Be LIFE" on the front)

How Sweet It Is To Be Loved.....

Today as my husband and I sat in Ryan's Steakhouse eating a wonderful lunch a song came to my mind that I had not thought about in perhaps years. It was a big hit when I was barely a teenager. The title was, "How Sweet It Is To Be Loved By You".

A couple of things made me think of this particular song. Thinking about how sweet it was for my hubby to take the biggest part of a day to take me out to eat and shopping. But also as we sat enjoying our meal a family came in and caught my attention. There was an elderly gentleman whose back had succumbed to either illness or age or both and was all stooped over. He had to very, very slowly walk using a walker. Maybe a daughter or possibly a granddaughter walked behind him making sure he didn't fall. His beautiful white-haired wife..frail in her own way as well...trying to reach around the younger women to help make sure her soul mate didn't fall. She did this as one who most likely is used to taking care of him as much as possible.

The two younger women were so kind and gentle to the older couple. They smiled at them and patted their shoulders as they got them comfortably seated at a table near us. I watched as one lady took her mother and helped her get her food from the buffet while the other lady fixed a plate for her dad. When the older couple had their plates and were sitting at the table they all bowed their heads and "Daddy" asked the blessing. Afterward smiles and happiness radiated from everyone's faces. Now the younger women went and got their food and returned to eat and visit with the older couple.

It just made my day! The couple reminded me so much of my Daddy and step-mom. At times I had to stop eating and swallow back the tears . I wanted to tell this little family how they had touched my heart but knew if I tried I would probably cry and make no sense at all. So I got out my little notepad (thanks again Evelyn!) and wrote them a little note saying what a blessing they had been to me. As I walked past their table on the way out I gave it to one of the daughters. And I thought...."How Sweet It Is To Be Loved...." by your family.
All families don't have this close sweetness. Especially with their elderly relatives.

And ultimately I thought...."How Sweet It Is To Be Loved..." by my heavenly Father! I'm so unlovable some of the time and yet He loves me anyway! Thank you Father for the sweetness of your love!

"Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins." 1 John 4: 10

I hope you feel the sweetness of His love today in your life!

Marilyn

Walk His Way

(Mama, Daddy & me when I was 2 years old)

Psalm 37: 23

"The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD: and He delighteth in his way."

I've been walking at the "Young at Heart" gym for a couple of months now. Every time I go...without exception....I think about all the miles my Daddy and Miss Trudy walked around that same red tile path around the gym. Of course they didn't start going until they were well into their 80's. Until then they stayed so busy they didn't have time to go and walk at a gym! :)

Last week as I walked I thought about how I was walking...literally... in my Daddy's footsteps. On the very same path he walked so many times. On days he didn't feel like walking. On days he sometimes had to sit down for a few minutes to rest and get his breath because of his asthma and heart condition. Oh, he was one determined person! When he set out to do something he stayed at it until his goal was accomplished. I would like to be able to walk in those determined footsteps of my Daddy.

My Daddy left all his kids a little bit of money....our inheritance so to speak. Not much at all by this world's standards but to me it made me feel like a millionaire because I knew how he must have done without a few things so that he could leave his seven children something. I used a bit of it a couple of weeks ago to buy myself an iPod so I can listen to music ...or even some of my nephew Jay's sermons....while I walk.

So as I was walking last week and thinking about my Daddy, what song do you think came on just about that time? It's called "Walk His Way" (words & music by Patty Hawkins). The chorus goes like this:

It's your walk with God, that will get you where you're going
It's your walk with Him, that will matter day by day
Let every step you take, be a step of faith
Let Him light your path, seek His face....Walk His Way!

My Daddy was a good man. I would love to follow in his steps. But my Heavenly Father is the best! It's Him and His footsteps that I must follow if I am to be a mature Christian. I'm not very graceful so I know there are going to be times when I stumble and fall in my Walk with God. How comforting to know that my Lord is holding my hand and will pick me back up and put me on the path again! That's what He says in Psalm 37: 24 "Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down: for the LORD upholdeth him with His hand."

So today if you're His child....Walk His Way! And if you're not His child, what a better time to be born into the family of God and be carried along in His strong arms?

Happy Journey!

Marilyn

"My Soul Says He Won"

One of my now favorite Easter songs ..."My Soul Says He Won"...has been running through my mind for several days now so thought today...Good Friday....might be a good time to share it with y'all. I wish there was a link for you to connect and listen to it but there's not that I could find. It gives me chill bumps and makes me want to shout when I hear it sung! So without any more words from me here it is:

MY SOUL SAYS HE WON

(Words & music by Patti Hawkins, Nettleton, MS)

Opinion and rumor, spread far and wide
When the word came that Jesus, had been crucified
Ones who had loved Him, were stricken with grief
Those who had feared Him sighed with relief.

Some cried “It’s over, I guess we were wrong.”
Some proudly boasted that they knew all along.
But the story continues, and to make it complete
I now can tell you, things weren’t as they seemed.

Chorus:
The crowd said “Defeated!”
The world said, “He’s gone”
Satan said, “I’ve conquered
This world as my own”

The cross said, “It’s finished”
Death said, “It’s done”
But the tomb said, “I’m empty!”
And my soul says, “He won!”

Now when opinions spread through the land
Saying that Jesus was merely a man
I’ll stand as a witness, for I know for sure
His life giving power forever endures.

When the crowd says “Defeated!”
And the world says, “He’s gone”
And Satan thinks he’s conquered
This world as his own

At the cross it was finished
Death thought it was done
But the tomb STILL stands empty
And my soul says, “He won!”

Amen and Amen! My soul certainly does rejoice that Jesus WON over death, sin and the grave to give us the opportunity of everlasting life! "Amazing grace how sweet the sound! That saved a wretch like me!"

Happy Easter to everyone! May you feel His power in your life!

Marilyn

(empty tomb picture courtesy of www.padfield.com)