My Hope is in the Lord

This is a necessary thing to state at this point in time.  Let it be known that regardless of the awesomeness of Mayo Clinic (and it IS an awesome place…very intentional in their application of good medical practices), our hope is not in the doctors, or the procedures, or the great nursing care.  It is not in the stem cell transplant.  Our Hope is in the Lord. 

The Lord is the one who manages the ordained days of our lives.  Not a “successful” stem cell transplant.  Now, He may choose to use the stem cell transplant to give Daryl his ordained days. He may choose fewer days than we would want.  His goodness is not dependent on doing what we want. His goodness just IS. At the end of the day, it’s all the Lord. 

Just had to be said! 

Thankful for my heritage…

I’m thankful for my heritage.  Every part of where God leads you, every person He allows you to be related to, contributes to who God has made you.  I come from a very loving family.  They love the Lord.  No matter what anyone does or doesn’t do, they love you.  I was born in Indiana (NORTH of the Mason-Dixon line!) and grew up in the deep south of East Tennessee.  Our Dad left us, but our Mom took good care of us.  We escaped the baggage of a Dad who wouldn’t have been a good influence.  I married into a loving family.  God has taken it all, and used it to His glory in my life, and I appreciate all those wonderful influences of my heritage!

Thankful for Scripture

Tuesday’s Post:

I’m so thankful for Scripture. 

It convicts me when I sin.

It tells me what sin is!

It comforts my heart.

It led me to salvation.

It tells me how to treat others.

It tells me how NOT to treat others!

There is no situation in my life to which Scripture does not speak. 

It has given our family a rock to build on, the rock on which, when the storms come and the winds blow, it stands firm.

Thank you, God, for Scripture!  The living, breathing, Word of God!

Thankful for computers

I’m thankful for computers.  I’m thankful for the way they have allowed us to do our work more efficiently.  I’m thankful for the way they let us communicate with each other…email, facebook, skype…what marvelous inventions!  I’m thankful for Word and Excel programs, for printers, for photo editing, for all those programs that make our lives more fun.  Yes, for all the headache they can be at times, I’m thankful for computers!

Thankful for our Church and Sound Doctrine

I am so thankful for our church, and for all those churches out there who are unashamed to teach the sound doctrine of the Bible. My son Daniel teaches sound doctrine at his church in Illinois.  I am thankful for his adherence to the Word of God.  There is still a remnant of men who are willing to teach God’s Word.  We aren’t alone!

The elders at our church are careful to teach sound doctrine, to shepherd the flock with truth and not with opinion, or “I think” statements.  Doctrine determines how we live, and how we flesh out the gospel.  Doctrine determines our perspective of heaven, life, Jesus, salvation, etc. Good doctrine gives us hearts of mercy and compassion.  Good doctrine makes us think less of ourselves, and more of God.  It trains us that our lives are meant to glorify the God who made us.  Yes, I’m very thankful for our church, and its sound doctrine!

Thankful for Medicine

I’m so thankful for the medical care that we are privileged to have.    Daryl spent the last week ill with a high fever.  We have a great doctor, and he was given a prescription, and then a different prescription when that one didn’t work.  Our doc called us back, after hours, and listened to our needs on his own time.  God has blessed these medical personnel with great knowledge, and hearts that care. He’s starting to get better now, and I’m so thankful!

A Month of Thankfulness...

I think I'll see if I can post a thankful thing for every day in November.


November 1: I'm thankful for all the little babies who have been born healthy the last couple of weeks. Our church and family and friends have had several births...and they have all posted beautiful pics of adorable little ones. As "Uncle Gus" always says as he lays his hand on their heads, "This one for Jesus!"


November 2: I'm thankful for the Lord's grace in my life. He has saved me, given me life, granted me salvation.


November 3: I'm thankful for the peace and grace God gives in times of trouble...a dear young couple found out yesterday that their baby is not alive, on the day they were to discover the gender. They are trusting God for His sovereign good in their lives. They are hurting, and trusting.

November 4: I'm thankful for Daryl. He's such a wonderful husband, dad, and friend. He's courageous and keeps going even when he doesn't feel good. He's my real life hero. Every season of life together is a fun, interesting trip!

A Link to a Great Lesson

One Saturday recently Daryl had the privilege of speaking at a Men’s Conference on his favorite topic, men leading their families in the Lord.  As an elder, he and his fellow elders have been in all sorts of counseling situations.  In those situations, he will tell you that all except for perhaps one of those situations could be remedied, at least in part, by a husband/father taking seriously the task of leading their family in the Lord. 

If you are curious, or interested in any way, click on the link below and follow the trail to Daryl’s lesson.  I’m sure all the other lessons are good, too, but Daryl’s is the only one I’ve listened to.  :-)

Media: Men - Saturday AM - Countryside Bible Church

(Click on the lesson by Daryl Bennett on Being the Spiritual Leader in Your Home)

Teaching your Kids...

Today Daryl gets to teach a class for Men at our church on being a Leader at home. Not the "wife under the thumb" kind of leadership, but the kind where a man leads his family in the Lord. Talking to young ones (or old ones) about how to lead their families in the Lord may be in his top 5 things to do.

His favorite part of the lesson is telling Men how to have quiet times with their family. It isn't hard. You open your Bible and read a chapter. You talk about it. You pray together. If you have younger children, then you gear part of the quiet time for their age...younger Bible stories, tweak down the story to their age level.

What it does, is to train you and your children together that God's Word is the standard, regardless of the age group or gender. Then, as you raise your children, or have "discussions" with your mate, the standard is not opinions or moods or emotions: it's God's Word. It's pretty hard to come before the Creator of the Universe and stay mad at the mate sitting beside you...it forces you to settle issues and talk things out, because you know where you aren't meeting God's standard, whether your mate is or not!

A friend of mine came to me this week and told me that she and her husband had started having devotions from God's Word with their newly blended family. She was amazed at how much the kids loved their new Bibles, which each had been allowed to pick out for themselves. She and her husband are amazed at the differences in the kids' attitudes. I could have shouted for joy...one more family has discovered the power of the simplicity of God's Word.

God’s faithful servant, Daryl

Preamble:  This missive may not be completely perfect in progression of thought, but hang in there with me.  I’m not sure I’ll explain this well, but I’m gonna try. 

I’ve often wondered why God does not heal Daryl.  I have never met a more humble, honest, godly man than Daryl.  I have met men as godly, but never more so.  For the 36 (almost) years of our marriage, and the year before when I met him, his life has consistently been characterized by a faithfulness to the Word and to prayer.  He shepherds his flock at Countryside, and his flock at home.  So, of course I am amazed that God does not heal His faithful servant Daryl of his cancer.  And foot pain.  And fatigue. 

I thoroughly understand that God does not heal everyone of illnesses, and that His glory is the ultimate goal of all things in our lives.  I understand that nothing He does is wrong, and I don’t waste time on the “Why, God?” stuff.  I trust Him.  But I DO wonder sometimes, why did Jesus heal so many people, but not Daryl. 

I’ve even  gone the (wrong) route of, “is my faith too small?”  “Am I the holdout?”

So, I’ve been reading Matthew (not the son, the Bible book) 9. Jesus started by meeting people’s physical needs at the feeding of the 5000 back in chapter 6.  Free food gets people to listen.

Then, over and over Jesus healed people…masses of people…people who just touched Him…family members of disciples.  And He did it willingly, not sparingly.  It’s always been hard for me to read about all those healings, and not extrapolate it into Daryl’s need.  Today, I think I began to get the picture. 

After healing the masses, Jesus healed the demoniacs, and sent the demons into the herd of swine.  Okay, that affected the area’s economics, so the locals told Jesus to please depart their region. They didn’t get all excited about the man who was now well and in his right mind.

After that, the paralytic was brought to Jesus by his friends.  Jesus saw their faith, and said, “Son, be of good cheer; your sins are forgiven you.” Of course the Scribes yelled “Foul!  Only God can forgive sins, you’re blaspheming!”

Jesus (who is taking things beyond the shallowness of the “heal me next, heal me next” cries of the people) says, “okay, which is easier?  To say ‘your sins are forgiven you’ or ‘arise and walk’.  To let you know that the Son of Man has power on earth to forgive sins,” (turning here to the paralytic) “arise and take up your bed and go to your house.” 

That’s where I always miss the point.  The focus of the people was on the healings.The emphasis Jesus was trying to project in training his disciples here was His power to forgive sins. Jesus started off tending to physical needs. The healings were out of both Jesus’ compassionate heart, and His plan to train his disciples to focus on the eternal.  Matthew is showing us the progression of a plan to take those who follow Christ from self centered to seeing God.  

Then comes the point of it all…Matthew 9:8  “Now when the multitudes saw it, they marveled and glorified God”

The healings were not the point.  They were an avenue to bring the disciples' thinking from Point A to Point G.  God’s Glory.  To take us from the self-centeredness of “this will make me happy.  Being well will make my heart be of good cheer” to the point of understanding that my concept of happy is not eternal.  It is temporal.  God wants me to grasp and embrace the eternal.  Salvation, a right heart with God, is eternal. 

God is using Daryl’s illness to glorify Himself.  I knew that, and embraced it.  But I still wondered why God doesn’t heal Daryl, His faithful servant.  Like the people Jesus was teaching, my focus was on the healing. For whatever reason, Daryl with cancer glorifies God in a way that Daryl healed wouldn’t.  I’ll continue to ask God to heal Daryl.  But now, I’m confident that when He says “wait”, then it is for His own glory, and not because I lack faith.  My faith is, and always has been, in the right place.  :-)  And that, dear ones, makes my heart “Be of good cheer.”

What I have learned as a Mother…

Being a Mom has been good for me. The experiences of Motherhood have been way beyond what I ever expected. 

I remember the night I went into labor with Daniel.  My overwhelming thought was, “There is NO way out of this!!!”  (Delivery, not motherhood.)  I’m so glad there wasn’t, or I’d have missed the ride of my life!

I’ve learned to sacrifice and love it, I’ve learned to stay up late, I’ve learned that I have to trust God to lead you, I’ve (almost) learned to listen and choke down words, I’ve learned that being a good parent on your own strength isn’t possible…leading your children in the Lord is.  I’ve learned it takes a church to raise a child.  I’m so grateful to all those in our church body who invested in our children and their spiritual growth. 

I want to thank you, Daniel, Andrew, Matthew, and Emily for taking me down a wonderful, interesting, full, rich path.  Just some of the memories along the way…in no particular order:

Scouting, camping, Debate (both between me and each of you, and when Daniel was on the Debate Team), Church plays, band, choir, home schooling, private schooling, public schooling, PTA, Skateboard Hill, Friblings, picking up the front line of the Varsity Harwood football team and keeping the van door open from the smells, reading books, movies, UHF, Pyromaniac’s Love Story, Princess Bride, art, the Giant Smiley Face, Computers, making dresses together, “girl time”, Peak, Odyssey of the Mind, 11 pm talks and tears, hashing out life together, reading stories, fun in the cul-de-sac, boyfriends, girlfriends, finding the love of your lives, weddings, funerals, births, being part of the friends from SACS in San Antonio, the River Walk, the Alamo, Ben Dog, Birthday Parties, swimming, swim team, Grandaddy’s Lake, cousins, editing papers, baking, mealtime, talking biscuits, my ability to garble words, sand box fun, building the swing set, BB guns, machetes, raking leaves, Cardboard Boat Races, Quiet Times, young heads in my lap trying to both grow up and not grow up, hugs, partings, coming together again, chalk drawings on the driveway, driving you to youth group, clay-mation, making movies, editing movies, Christmas Parties, Omega Virus,

…and watching you grow into 4 of the finest young men and lady I’ve ever had the privilege of knowing.

I love you, kids, and love the life we’ve shared together.  On this Mother’s Day, I want to thank YOU for being fun, for being the godly persons you are, and for your love for me. 

Happy Mother’s Day!

W is for Whitney

I think Whitney is the last of the family members for the alphabet.  Whitney is my son Daniel’s wife.  My mother-in-law taught me that there does not have to be a protagonistic relationship between mom’s and their son’s wives.  My mom has a good relationship with Daryl.  So it followed that I when I gained my first daughter-in-law, it was with the anticipation of a pleasant relationship.  Whitney has blessed our family in countless ways.  She and Daniel used to come to me while they were courting, and ask questions on spiritual issues, so I was allowed to get to know her on a deeper level early on.

Whitney loves our Daniel, and does an incredible job of travelling the terrain of being a pastor’s wife.  God has granted her great wisdom and insights as a parent, and as a counselor to others. 

Thanks, Whitney, for loving Daniel and being a great Mom to 4 of our grandkids and for being a great daughter in law!  Blessings today and always!

V is for Vacations

We have had some fun vacations over the years.  I would say we actually had two kinds of vacations.  Most often, when we left the house, it would be to head for Arkansas to visit Daryl’s family.  We would go to Heber Springs, Arkansas, and play in the “Swimming Hole” at the lake and eat watermelon and enjoy time with siblings and cousins.  We’d stay up late, and at night, the cousins would sleep in the living room floor, spread out side by side in sleeping bags.  Oldest cousin got the couch, youngers were on the floor.  Granddaddy had a Ben Franklin stove in the garage, and during winter months, he’d have a fire going and would roast peanuts.  He had a huge garage, and about half of it was dedicated to pool.  This huge pool table came with the house, and generation after generation of kids grew up playing pool.  There were lots of times, when there were young ones, that the men and older boys would be playing pool, and the younger ones would be pulling a red wagon around the pool players.  There was a playground out back where the kids could play on swings and a spinning Jenny.

The other kind of vacation was when my folks came to see us.  My folks lived a 2-day trip away, which meant that by the time we spent 4 days on the road, our vacation time was spent, so my folks came to see us, usually for 2 weeks at a time.  I wasn’t working at the time, so I was home, and able to entertain and play with them.  They generally came at Spring Break or summertime, when the kids were off.  What fun we had!  No matter what city we lived in, we’d do the touristy things that our family seldom did without company.  In San Antonio, we’d do the River Walk and River boat rides.  We took picnics to the playground.  Mom would read to the kids, or do crafts.  In Bedford, we’d often find our way to things we had never done alone.  Once, we went to the Mesquite Rodeo.  Dub had such a good time!   I remember once, Mom went to the kids’ schools and told stories to their classes.

So, I’d say we have a history of some very fine vacation times.  We made lots of memories with lots of family members. 

U is for Underestimated

Something Daryl and I learned is that most people are underestimated.  For example, Daryl went on a campout with some men and boys.  He knew most of the men there, and considered some of them to be okay, but a bit shallow.  As they sat around a campfire and shared things about themselves, he realized that some of the men he thought to be shallow were men who had been through some deep troubles, or had served as missionaries. Their lives had depth. He realized that they were much deeper spiritually than he thought.  He had underestimated them. 

It’s an easy mistake to make.  We have surface relationships with people, and fail to take time for deeper conversations, in which we learn more about the real lives of people we come in contact with.  Sometimes, just one or two questions showing sincere interest will open up a person to share themselves. 

Since that time, I have tried not to underestimate people as much. Everyone has a story.  Everyone needs someone to show a sincere interest in them, and to have the Love of the Lord expressed to them.  Most always, I’m the one who walks away encouraged and awed by God’s work in others. 

T is for Teresa

Teresa is my sister.  There are just the two of us (so far as siblings go).  She is married to Tom, who is an awesome husband and friend to her.  He’s a good friend to us, too.  But, let’s get back to Teresa.  This isn’t about Tom!  :-)

When we were little, and in elementary school, I remember that she entered school when I was in 3rd or 4th grade.  There were dance “twist” contests at recess, and I didn’t want her to catch me, so I made her go away and not watch.  (I figured she’d tell Grandma, who had NO use for dancing!)  That’s a mistake I still regret…I should have gotten her into the contest too, so we’d both be in trouble, and join forces in keeping our secret! 

We lived with my grandparents for a few years, while Mom was in college, and had great times with our two boy cousins, who would spend the week during summers when their parents both worked.  We had so much fun playing monopoly and outside games, and just generally enjoying being cousins.  That’s when I developed the belief that cousins and siblings are the best thing to have for a kid! 

She has been through the loss of a child and cancer.  Those are big things in life.  Yet, through it all, she will tell you that God is good, and that He is always good. 

My sister is now a best friend.  Even though we’re far apart geographically, our hearts are ever soldered together.  We share history and memories and heritage that I will never be able to share with anyone else.  We are making new memories as adult friends.  I count her as one of my greatest treasures. 

Love you, Sis!

S is for Sarcasm

I’m not much on sarcasm.  The rest of my family are all adept at the art of sarcasm…however, when I try to be sarcastic, it just sounds mean.  Therefore, I swore off sarcasm decades ago. 

As a result, or perhaps I was this way anyway, I don’t enjoy sarcasm coming toward me, either, so I informed my kids years ago that I am not an available target.  I’ve never gotten the hang of the gracious deflection.  So, I admit that I don’t enjoy sarcasm when it’s aimed at a person.  It is, however, fun to sit by someone who has the art of gentle sarcasm that doesn’t sting or hurt, and they mutter little comments under their breath.  (I’m thinking of you, Andrew!) 

You’d think I could have come up with something more creative for S than this!  :-) 

R is for Ruby

Well, well, well!  Another family member!  :-) 

Ruby is my Mom.  She is a courageous lady, who has faced adversities, hardships, and difficulties.  She’s a lady who has traveled, and made friends everywhere, and enjoys life. 

I’m glad Mom is finally living in Texas.  It’s nice to have her close.  To get to have her at family events, instead of having to call long distance and say, “Wish you were here!”  It’s nice to have her great-grandchildren be able to see her more often.  In spite of my incredibly busy life, it feels good having her close. 

Our church is a little far, and the people live over a very broad area, so it’s hard to visit back and forth.  Mom has found a sweet congregation just down her street where the pastor does expositional preaching, and the folks are friendly.  She’s already joined the choir and sung in a special Easter service, on the backup teacher list for her Sunday School class, and going to dinner with a bunch of new friends on Monday nights.  They have a Wednesday night Church Dinner.  Her friendliness helps her quickly become part of a group.  Anyone who meets my Mom always says, “She’s so cute!” 

Mom is always willing to be a help to those in need, and doing for others is her passion.  May God give her a pleasant life here, and many years to enjoy her family!   Love you, Mom!

Q is for Quick and Quiet

I have had to learn to be quick about some things in life.  I can make a really fast rest stop now, after all those years of traveling.  I eat quickly, I guess since elementary school.  I suspect that I spent all my time talking, and had to gulp down food fast to get to eat!  :-)  I tease Daryl that he is so far ahead of me on any given day, that I have to rush just to catch up!  Even with cancer, sometimes he can work faster than I can think…he’s mastered the art of focusing.  He will focus on what he’s supposed to be doing, and gets it done.  I’m his “butterfly” as he calls me…flitting from one thing to another, getting distracted along the way….which probably, once more, leaves me with a small amount of time to accomplish a task, since I waste all my time flitting around!  Hence, I get it done quickly at the end! 

As for quiet, I love quiet.  Oxymoronically, I LOVE the noise of children playing.  I guess it isn’t so different…I don’t usually enjoy music or electronic sounds as much as I love quiet sounds…birds, crickets, children, breezes, ocean noises…but not those CD’s of nature sounds.  There’s no duplicating the noises I love.  I love the quiet of rain hitting a tin roof.  I love the little snuffling sounds sleeping babies make.   I love the sound of Daryl’s heart beat when I snuggle my head on his chest.  The sounds that are Quiet to my soul!

Patience, Priorities and Pools

Have patience, friends and family!  It’s been a busy week…and I just couldn’t think of what I wanted to write.  Eventually, even my sister was tapping her nails, waiting…thus, the topic, Patience! 

Patience…I’m a fairly patient person.  I generally don’t mind waiting for things I want or want to do.  I think I learned that lesson first in college, when we had to stand in line for the card you wanted pulled to allow you a spot in a certain class. (I guess I really dated myself there…now registering for classes is done online!) I realized that waiting is just part of the process, and I may as well endure with patience. 

Priorities….I have a hard time with priorities.  I very often go to Daryl with a long list of things I have to do, and ask him to help me prioritize things.  I also let him know that I am asking for recommendations, and it doesn’t mean I’ll follow the “recommendations.”  :-)  He’s incredible at prioritizing…he can separate the emotional part of his head from the practical, and look at things honestly and analyze them.  He’s a lot of help to me on this part of life. 

Pools…which I why I haven’t been able to think about the A to Z challenge…everyone of the Environmental Health Staff have been assigned to do an hour presentation on some aspect of Swimming Pool Inspections. I drew the assignment of teaching about the Virginia Graeme Baker Act, and pool suction, skimmers, and  outlets.  I’m down to the wire (as usual) and MUST get this presentation finished this weekend…Pool Seminar is on Tuesday.  I get the slot right after lunch…so I’ll have to wake everybody up after a good lunch together!  :-) 

More letters to come, folks!

O Great God

Daryl has been having fun helping me think of things to write about on the A to Z challenge. Problem is, he's a bit too creative! :-) I can't even begin to remember some of his ideas!!!

This morning we were singing this song in church, and I knew it was just what I wanted to say for my O day. Text and Music is by Bob Kauflin, Copyright 2006 by Sovereign Grace Music. It can be downloaded in mp3 format from www.sovereigngracestore.com for 99cents. It is on an album called "Valley of VIsion", and you can hear the tune before purchase. Awesome song!

O great God of highest heaven
Occupy my lowly heart
Own it all and reign supreme
Conquer every rebel power
Let no vice or sin remain
That resists Your holy war
You have loved and purchased me
Make me Yours forevermore.

I was blinded by my sin
Had no ears to hear Your voice
Did not know Your love within
Had no taste for heaven's joys
Then Your Spirit gave me life
Opened up Your Word to me
Through the gospel of Your Son
Gave me endless hope and peace

Help me now to live a life
That's dependent on Your grace
Keep my heart and guard my soul
From teh evils that I face
You are worthy to be praised
With my every thought and deed
O great God of highest heaven
Glorify Your Name through me.