"When I Am Through With This Book" - Updated

This was originally posted on 6/8/2016, but I thought it would be appropriate to revisit it this week in honor of Mother's Day.  Please read on...

Original Post 6/8/2016:

The above is a picture of the flyleaf inside my husband's grandmother's Bible. The back story on why he has this Bible in his possession is another story, but it is kind of a story within the story. First things first...

Please notice the little inscription at the bottom of the right hand page:

"For Vivian R. Steiner

Whin I am throu with this Book

July 31, 1956

Mother"

Pearl Sarah Elizabeth Waters Martin

Vivian is my husband's mother. Pearl Martin is her mother.  Pearl (we called her "Nanny Martin") wanted to make sure that her youngest (of four) daughters would receive this Bible "Whin I am throu with this Book".  She wrote that on on July 31, 1956, but she was not "throu" with this Bible until almost twenty seven years later, when the Lord called her home to heaven in January of 1983.  I am thinking that she may have felt like her time to go home would be much sooner, hence the inscription so early on.  

You see, her husband, John Martin,

John Richard Martin

had passed on a couple of years prior to that in 1954 after sustaining serious injuries in a tragic automobile accident.  He was only about 62 years old when he died.  So I'm thinking that Pearl didn't believe she would live too many more years after that.  But she did...even long enough for me to become a part of the family when I married her grandson in 1969...and even long enough to meet her great grandsons that we brought into the world in the subsequent years.





I also wanted to point out the  presentation message written above her inscription, to: 

"Mrs. Pearl Martin, 

With Appreciation from E.F.D., 

Zellwood, Fla. 

August, 1930

and especially note the scripture reference of Matthew 25:40, which says:

"And the King will answer and say to them,

'Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, 

you did it to Me.'"

Now, I have no idea who "E.F.D." in Zellwood, Fla. was. However,  knowing my husband's grandmother from all the wonderful stories I have heard throughout the years, I can only imagine that this was someone to whom she had ministered in some way, possibly in her home. My husband's grandparents often held worship services in their home and many ministers and fellow brethren in Christ  spent many Sundays studying God's Word and breaking bread together in their humble home.(You can read more about that HERE)

My husband's grandparents did not have much of this world's goods...but what they did have was eternally valuable.  This little Bible that Pearl wanted to be sure went to her youngest daughter, my mother in law, was the most valuable gift she could give.  In looking through the pages, it is obvious that she was a serious student of God's Word, and she passed on that love of God and His Word to her children and to her children's children...especially my husband, who later became an ordained minister of the Gospel and has taught and preached God's Word for over forty years now.

My husband recently received this Bible from his mother, who is now almost 93 years old.  We are in the process of cleaning out her home and putting things in storage so that her house can be sold. For the past couple of years she has been living between our home and her other son's home as she is no longer able to live alone.  

But the real story here is not about things, books, or even the Bible.  The real story is the legacy that has been passed on from generation to generation.  A legacy of serving God, sharing in the fellowship of His Kingdom, and passing on the message of His love and salvation to everyone who will listen.  That is what my husband's grandparents did...and that legacy was passed down to us...and we hope it will be the same legacy that will continue in our own children and children's children for generations to come.  

This is how we want to be remembered...and "whin I am throu with this Book", it is our prayer that the message will go on and on and on until Christ comes to take all His children home to heaven.

Excerpts from Psalm 78:

1.  "Give ear, O my people, to my law;

Incline your ears to the words of my mouth...

4.  We will not hide them from their children,

telling to the generation to come the praises of the Lord,

And His strength and His wonderful works that He has done.

6.  That the generation to come might know them,

The children who would be born,

that they may arise and declare them to their children,

7.  That they may set their hope in God,

And not forget the works of God,

but keep His commandments..."

This is certainly something worth thinking about. Exactly what are we leaving for our children?  Will it be a pile of worthless things that will ultimately go in the trash or to a thrift store because our kids have no use for it? (Yes, that is what often happens to our earthly "treasures"...I've already seen that at my parents' home and also as we clean out my mother in law's home. Our children often don't appreciate our collections of "stuff".)   Or will we leave for them a legacy of truth, love and hope for their future generations? 

Lord, give me the courage to speak truth to my children and grandchildren...

"that they may set their hope in God" 

Amen.

Pearl Sarah Elizabeth Waters Martin
4/4/1897-1/7/1983

Previous post about memories of "Nanny Martin"   

Postscript 5/10/2018:  My hubby's mother, "Vivian", also known as "Nanny Steiner" to our family, is still thriving at the nursing home where she resides. She will be 95 this coming July. We look forward to celebrating Mother's Day with her this weekend. Here's a recent photo of her with her son, my hubby...

Thankful for the Rumble Strips of Life

Have you ever been driving down the road and found yourself drifting off to the sidelines...or perhaps accidentally crossed the center line...and thankfully there were rumble strips or bumpers there to "wake you up" and help you get back on course?

Today we were traveling on a recently repaired highway in our neck of the woods, which takes us north to the next city...and the closest Walmart.  On the way home my husband sort of drifted off to the side a little, and there were rumble strips built into the white sidelines of the road, which quickly made us aware that we were drifting off the road.  We also realized that there were the same rumble strips down the center line of the road, which will alert you to the fact that you are drifting into the oncoming lane.

Now, make no mistake, my husband is a very careful and skilled driver.  He actually used to be a state trooper many moons ago, and has always been an excellent and safe driver.  But even the very best drivers sometimes drift off to the side or across the center line if they become distracted, or to avoid debris in the road or perhaps another not so careful driver.  On this particular road, it is very straight and somewhat boring if you are not totally "awake"...not much out there to keep you alert as there are only woods and more woods to look at for many miles.  So it is much too easy for drivers to begin to "drift" with the monotony of the trip.

I, for one, am very thankful for these rumble strips.  They helped us to stay on the straight and narrow path and not accidentally run off the road or into the path of an oncoming car.  As a matter of fact, I was so thankful, I pulled out my camera and took these pictures above, because I immediately thanked the Lord for the rumble strips, and also began to think about other kinds of "rumble strips" in life....you know, things that keep us on the straight and narrow path and protect us from veering off course.  I mentioned this to my hubby as we continued our journey homeward, and we both tried to think about other kinds of "rumble strips" in life.  Here's some of what we came up with...and perhaps you might think of a few more:

• The laws of government and highway safety
• Parents, Grandparents,  and other guardians
• Teachers and school leaders, coaches, administrators
• Employers
• The Bible and the Ten Commandments
• Preachers and Evangelists, Youth leaders, Sunday School teachers
• Police, Military

For me, as a Christian, the most important one is the Bible...God's Holy Word.  Without His Word to guide and teach us, we would have no true "rumble strips" to keep us on the straight and narrow path that leads to heaven.  

Jesus taught us in Matthew 7:13-14 about the narrow gate...

13.  "Enter by the narrow gate; 

for wide is the gate and broad is the way 

that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it.

14.  Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which

leads to life, and there are few who find it."

Psalm 1 tells us about two ways and two destinies in life:

1.  "Blessed is the man 

who walks not in the counsel

of the ungodly,

nor stands in the path of sinners,

nor sits in the seat of the scornful;

2.  But his delight is in the law of the Lord,

and in His law he meditates day and night.

3.  He shall be like a tree

planted by the rivers of water,

that brings forth its fruit in its season,

whose leaf also shall not wither;

and whatever he does shall prosper.

4.  The ungodly are not so,

but are like the chaff which the wind drives away.

5.  Therefore the ungodly shall not stand

in the congregation of the righteous.

6.  For the Lord knows the way of the righteous,

but the way of the ungodly shall perish."

Yes, I am so thankful for those "rumble strips" that lead us in by the "narrow gate", and helps us to prosper in our lives...spiritually, emotionally,  and physically.  I want to be like that tree by the river of water ...and not like the "chaff which the wind drives away."    

Thank You, Lord, for placing these marvelous "rumble strips" into our pathway to keep us on the right path that leads to life everlasting.

Amen.

"Rise and Stand Upright!" Updated and Recycled to Give You HOPE

This post was originally written on 4/23/2016, and I see that many of my friends had some excellent supportive comments at the end.  I was looking for something this morning to share about the word HOPE, and even though that word is not necessarily used or highlighted in this post, it is certainly implied and a very big part of what it means to "Rise and Stand Upright!"  Our HOPE is in the Lord, and because of Christ, we as believers have every reason to RISE and STAND UPRIGHT in the face of sorrow, disappointment, grief and fear.  It is my HOPE that you will find encouragement and HOPE as you read this post today.  It encouraged me to re-read it after almost a year.  God's Word is ever-active, always appropriate, and  easily recycled to meet whatever situation you may be facing today and in the future.

1.  "May the Lord answer you in the day of trouble;

May the name of the God of Jacob defend you;

2.  May He send you help from the sanctuary..."  Psalm 20:1-2

Original Post 4/23/16~

This evening I was skimming through my Bible, looking at different verses here and there that I had highlighted in some way, or circled, bracketed, drew arrows pointing to, and in some cases, wrote a date in the margin.

I noticed that particularly in the book of Psalms, almost every page or Psalm had some kind of personal markings scattered throughout.  Probably because the Psalms are my favorite go-to verses in the whole Bible.  I've often thought they were written especially with me in mind...and perhaps they were. (See note card peeping above the Bible, which says, "Because you're so special...")

Anyway, tonight's "special" Psalm that I have zeroed in on is Psalm 20. There is an arrow pointing to it with the date 7/24/96 written in the margin.  Now, where were YOU on the date 7/24/96? Can you remember? Was it in any way significant? If so, please fill me in.  I do not quite recall why this particular Psalm was so important to me on this specific date in my life...(makes me wish that I had kept a journal during that time...but for various reasons I did not...probably because of the busy-ness or stressfulness of that time period,  I just wasn't able or in the mood to write it down.  However, I dated these verses in my Bible because they were speaking to my heart for some reason...and so perhaps the ancient words written in God's Word are journal enough.  God's Word, or in this case, God's inspired Word written down for us in Psalm 20 by the Psalmist David, was subtitled "A plea for help from the sanctuary".  

Let me quote a few of the verses here for you...the ones that I believe were speaking directly to me at that particular time in my life:

1.  "May the Lord answer you in the day of trouble;

May the name of the God of Jacob defend you;

2.  May He send you help from the sanctuary,

and strengthen you out of Zion;

3.  May He remember all your offerings,

and accept your burnt sacrifice.

4.  May He grant you according to your heart's desire,

and fulfill all your purpose.

5.  We will rejoice in your salvation,

and in the name of our God we will set up our banners!

May the Lord fulfill all your petitions." 

Sifting back through the cobwebs and corners of my mind to that time period almost 20 years ago, I can vaguely remember that we were in a time of transition. Without going into specifics, I know that it was a time of great distress and unrest in our hearts and lives. We had left the pastoral ministry due to issues beyond our ability to "fix" on our own.  Only God could help us get back to where we needed to be in our lives.  Our hearts were broken, our spirits were sorely troubled and needed supernatural healing from on high.  Our greatest desire was to be healed and restored to what we believed was our purpose in life...but it was going to take Divine "help from the sanctuary"...and strength that could only come from "Zion"...the city of God.  

As I read through these verses at that time, I know when I came to verse 6 that I claimed it for our situation:

"Now I know that the Lord saves His anointed;

He will answer him from His holy heaven

with the saving strength of His right hand."

I wish I could say that the answers came immediately and that we were rescued spontaneously from our "day of trouble".  But it was not that simple. Some parts of our lives...our "purpose", was not fulfilled completely for some time. There were still many days...and even years of waiting and wondering when God would intervene on our behalf.  Now, don't get me wrong...God truly heard my plea for help...and He did send ministering angels from the sanctuary to give us strength and guide us through the maze of uncertainty in the days ahead.  But the depth of the wounds that were still "bleeding" took time to heal and oftentimes the scabs would form and would somehow get scratched off and have to start all over again in the healing process. 

Today I can say as I look back on that time that God was surely with us. He never left us helpless.  But we had to learn to trust Him all over again.

Verse 7-8 says 

"Some trust in chariots, and some in horses;

But we will remember the name of the Lord our God.

 They have bowed down and fallen;

But we have risen and stand upright!"

Yes, we had to learn to keep our eyes on the Lord our God and not in the strength of men.  Those who trust in men or principalities or chariots or horses, or jobs or positions..."They have bowed down and fallen"....but when we learned to keep our eyes on Jesus, the Author and Finisher of our faith (Hebrews 12:2), 

"We have risen and stand upright!"

Praise God!

I hope this will be an encouragement to you today.  When you are going through various trials and difficulties in life, whether they be self-inflicted, or brought on by the cares of this world...put your trust in "Name of the Lord our God", and when all the others around us may have bowed down and fallen, you will rise and stand upright!

Is Your Bible a Treasure or an Ornament?

  Click on this link to see a Video of people in China receiving Bibles for the first time in their lives.  This is a link to Facebook, and you may not be able to open it if you don't have a facebook account. I do hope you can see it, but if not, let me tell you about it.

In this video a group of Chinese young adults have received packages that contain new Bibles.  As soon as they open the packages and see what it in there, the people all rush to the center and start reaching for the Bibles as quickly as they can.There is a shout of joy coming from their hearts as each person receives his or her very own brand new Bible.  Then the shouting of joy turns to awe and amazement as they each grasp their Bibles in their hands and hug them to their breast. Many put the Bibles right up to their lips and kiss them and smell them and caress the Bible as if it is the very best gift ever received.  Some begin to weep softly as they hold this priceless treasure and realize that it is their very own Word of God, written especially for them and to keep and cherish forever.  I noticed some eagerly taking off the outer wrappers and opening their Bible, already searching for the Words of Life.

This 1 minute video touched my heart so deeply.  I cannot get it out of my mind, and that is why I had to share this with you.  Actually, this is a theme that has been on my mind for a little while.  The wonderful treasure that we have...God's Word, written as a love letter to His precious children....you and me...a message so powerful that kingdoms have been created, others have been conquered, lives have been changed so radically that the whole world has noticed. There is no other Word by which men's lives have been saved and changed....I could go on and on and on.  This book is THE INSPIRED WORD OF GOD, written for us,

"the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.  All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work." 

II Timothy 3:15-17

I recently was listening to a conversation among some church leaders who made the comment about an individual whom they considered to be a real Christian...he even brought his Bible to church.  I piped up and said, "and that's unusual?"  The reply was, "Well, yes, for a _______." (name of denomination).  I had to bite my tongue to keep from commenting further, but this is what I was thinking:

To not expect or encourage a person to take their own Bible to church with them is like telling a soldier to go into battle without his weapon. It's like telling a Doctor to go into surgery without his instruments. Like expecting the carpenter to build a house without any tools.  Like telling an expert violinist to make music without his violin and bow. It's like telling a student to take a test on a subject without him ever having read the book. It's like telling a believer that he's on his own in the world without any guidebook.

We wonder why denominations are having difficulty maintaining their churches and reaching the lost when they haven't been reading the instructions given to them by God...the whole foundation for establishing the church in the first place. When the average church member doesn't know how to find the book of John or Isaiah or Genesis or Ruth or Revelation or Matthew or Daniel or Micah or Zephaniah or Deuteronomy or Job or Psalms or Proverbs or Leviticus or Acts or Romans or Ephesians or Galatians or Philippians or Numbers or Nahum or Esther or Jeremiah or I Chronicles or I Corinthians or James, Jude, I Thessalonians or II Timothy or Hebrews....need I say more...?, then how can they expect to stand up against the foes of this life and have the Word of Life hidden in their hearts that they might not sin against God? (Psalm 119:11)
How will they know how to find words of comfort and peace when they are afraid or dying or lost or sick? How will they know how to "Train up a child in the way he should go, so that when he is old he will not depart from it?" (Proverbs 22:6).   How will they know the only way to heaven..."For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life?" (John 3:16).   Will they know that Jesus said, "I am the way, the truth, and the life.  No one comes to the Father except through Me?" ( John 14:6 )

Oh, dear friends, we cannot take this book, the Bible, God's Word, for granted.  Take one look at the faces of these precious Chinese children of God.  Listen to the joy in their voices as they received the Word of God into their hands.  Take note of the tears trickling down their faces, tears of joy, as they give thanks to the Lord for the gift of His Word, given to them so that they might find "the way, the truth, the life."

These Chinese Christians are most likely in an underground church, hidden away from the Chinese Government that forbids them to have their own Bibles, * and forbids missionaries from teaching God's Word to them. But they are willing to risk their lives for the sake of having this treasure that we so take for granted. It ought not be so.  If you have a Bible...maybe you have more than one or two...where is it? Do you read it daily?  Do you treasure it and hide its Words in your heart?  The day may come when we are no longer permitted to have our own Bibles in our country. It could happen...don't think it can't. (* Click on link above for more information on this.)

Okay, I'll get off my soapbox for now. This sure made me look at my Bible differently.  How about you?
Is YOUR Bible a treasure, or just an ornament on your table or bookshelf? Something to think about.

Old Tools vs.New Tools

My sons love to collect old tools.  Not any particular type of tool...just old...something that has been used by a true craftsman, a proven and trusted instrument to get the job done right! They have been blessed to have come from a long line of woodworkers and carpenters on both sides of the family tree, so they come by this interest honestly.  It would do their ancestors proud to see that their progeny have shown such a keen interest in the things that they also loved. 

By contrast, these sons enjoy brand new tools as well.  They find it difficult to walk away from the lure of the brand new shiny modern tools, built with the latest technology and materials, having all the newest features to make the job easier. 

Great-Grandaddy Martin's old wooden tool caddy, with
various old tools from his collection, along with additional old
tools from Grandpa Mursch's toolbox. Quite a treasure-trove!

The thing I have noticed about the newer tools is the fact that they seldom last very long.  I wonder if they are built with the same strength of steel as their predecessors, or with the quality of materials in the handles and knobs and joints.  Unless one spends a large amount of money for the well-known name brand of tools, it seems as though it isn't very long before that tool breaks and needs to be replaced.  It doesn't have the endurance of the old tools...it hasn't passed the test of time and strength.  Quite often it appears that these new tools just can't hold up under the stress and strain of the job for which it was created to complete. 

I was thinking about the difference between old tools and new tools today...but in a different way.  If you ever have watched a true master craftsman, you will notice that even though he may try some new tools to see how they work, he will most likely always go back to the good old tools he knows and trusts in his toolbox.  He loves the way they feel in his hands, the handles are worn smooth by years of use and they fit his grip perfectly.  The old hammer seems to be an extension of his hand as he hammers away at the nails like a well-oiled machine.  He knows exactly which level is true and exact, and has a favorite screwdriver or set of pliers that always turn the screws and nuts and bolts without twisting and stripping them.  He loves his old tools, and is reluctant to set them aside for the new. They are like his old friends, tried and true.

I wonder if God looks at His "old tools" that way...you know, His old servants and trusted workers who have stood the test of time and never gave up under the stress and strain of the task set before them. The ones who didn't have all the "new-fangled" methods and technology to make their job easier, like laptops and blackberries and the world literally at their fingertips via the internet, but they had to do things the hard way.  They literally had to "Go into all the world" and seek the lost souls who would never hear about a loving God any other way.  They only had one book in their back-pack...God's Word, the Bible, well worn and smooth by years of turning pages and searching for the exact word of truth to share with someone dying without hope. Pages that were dog-eared and marked with lines and notes written in the margin to help reinforce the power of the message to his own heart.  The only amount of memory in their "hard-drive" was what was placed there by years of study and practice.  There were no instant answers by "asking jeeves" or "Google".  The answers that were sought came through prayer and faith and trust...and waiting on God to respond...sometimes for years, but always on time. 

Yes, we love our new "tools", our computers, cell-phones, modern appliances that make our lives easier.  But there is one "old tool" we should never give up...God's Word, The Bible. Whatever shape or version or size you may prefer, just use it...don't put it on the shelf and forget it in favor of your new-fangled "tools"...keep it handy...take it with you wherever you go...memorize its contents...and you will always have all the tools you need to get through life in the best possible way. 

"Your word I have hidden in my heart, that I might not sin against You."             Psalm 119:11