Wandering Back and Forth

Musings . . .

“For where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them.” Matthew 28:20
“We are family; I got all my sisters [and brothers] with me.” Sister Sledge

One of the aspects I enjoy the most about summer is reading, and this summer has been a great one. I have read or listened to a few detective novels (my favorite), one sappy lie-on-the-beach, soak-up-the-sun book, and three non-fiction works. I also decided that this would be a summer of brain reading—the type of reading of which I have to truly pay attention to what I read, digest it, and apply it to my life. Thus, I decided to take on C.S. Lewis. Unfortunately, Lewis has never been a favorite of mine since I have always associated him with fantasy writing such as the Chronicles of Narnia and The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe. Notice I wrote unfortunately because this summer I introduced myself to Lewis’ spiritual writing, especially those that argue the existence of God and of Satan. His work Mere Christianity is a compilation of his talks over the BBC radio network during WWII. The other work that has fed me is The Screwtape Letters. I have a confession: I was supposed to have read this text sometime when I was in college, and I have come to realize I cheated in more ways than one. Obviously, I cheated by not fulfilling the requirements of the course, but more so by not reading words of profound spiritual foundation. However, I believe I was not ready for Lewis’ wisdom then as now.

What does this expose on my summer reading have to do with us as the body of Christ? In The Screwtape Letters one of the minions of Satan tells a young trainee that he must beware of the strength of the body of the Church, that it is “heavily defended” (33). On Sunday morning as I sit in the pew and look at all of you, I am overwhelmed by our body of Christ. (This musing was intended for the members of my church, Inverness United Methodist Church, but it also applies to all of us who share in the membership of the boby of Christ.))We are a family that has been through so much together. We have rejoiced and mourned together; we are talented and gifted; we are loving and caring; we are spirited and wise. In essence, we are a family. We may not always agree, but the one constant in our lives together is our love for Christ and his work on this earth. For the last year, we have experienced a revival; we have had an increased attendance at activities and there are new folks worshiping with us on Sundays. Let it be our prayer that we continue to feel the strength in our growing body, that we serve as a beacon in our community, and that we continue to love Christ with a fervor that will make Satan pass us by as he “[roams] through the earth and goes back and forth in it” (Job 1:7).

"Five Whole Days"

This past week William came to stay for, in his words, "five whole days." It was a wonderful five days, and he is really growing up so fast. Here are a few pics of our time together.

On the football field at CDA where he somehow got it in his mind his mama use to play football. I remember cheerleading but never football.

Making grandmama's spaghetti sauce with Kakki

Visiting the puppies at the Poindexter's house with Grace Tackett

Doesn't William look like such a big boy here? It was quite a feat to get him to hold the puppy since he is afraid of dogs in general.

You don't have to worry about Grace being afraid of dogs. She is a farm girl at heart.

Teaching Grace the finer points of how the Bulldogs play football

Being such a gentleman pushing Grace in the swing

Easy Rider?!

Learning the finer points about golf from the # 1 seniors golfer at the CC

Relaxing in the CC pool

"This is my Father's world . . . "

Every summer Lance plants a garden. Some of you have seen posts before of his garden and how productive it is. This year was no exception. We had an abundance of beans, squash, okra, eggplant, tomatoes, watermelon, peppers, and cantaloupe. The last couple of years he has planted zinnias and red sunflowers to humor me. We had a beautiful bed of zinnias this year also, no help from me other than to drive out to the garden to see them. Anyway, thought you might like to see some of the beautiful blooms. Enjoy!

Note to Jay: I know these are nowhere near the size of your beds but are pretty as some of yours.

The Way of the World

The Lord does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart. 1 Samuel 16:7 NIV

July is gone and according to all the television coverage so is Michael Jackson. Somehow or the other I missed out on the Michael Jackson phenomenon and was taken off guard with all the coverage of his death. For the week after he died, it seemed the only television coverage was about him and his unusual life. Bizarre is the word that comes to my mind, but I heard some much worse descriptions as others talked about him and all the coverage. I suppose he was a talented musician, but I clearly do not see him as the icon or the champion of black civil rights he was eulogized to be, and obviously he had “issues.” Finally, much of the coverage has settled down, and for the most part Michael Jackson’s name has disappeared from the headlines. Isn’t that the way it is with the things of this world?

Jesus became the celebrity of his time. He was on the cultural radar as early as his birth. He became well-known as he traveled around Israel with the disciples, preaching, teaching, and performing miracles. He had a following, and many relied on him to change their lot in life. Even in his death, there was confusion, mocking and sadness. But, unlike Michael Jackson, Jesus did not disappear. He was not of this world. He offered and still offers something that no mortal man can, eternal life. We must be careful of the “Michael Jacksons” of this world that get in our way of understanding what God deems as important while we are here on this earth. God will not disappear. Michael Jackson will be called to account for his life and so will we. Are we more concerned with the outward appearance or the condition of our hearts?

Time Will Tell

Well, I came home yesterday, leaving the Henson clan on their own. I had only one child and had an easy time of raising her, thank goodness. I can't even begin to imagine what it takes to take care of three children, especially three boys, on a daily basis. I know after I keep them for a while, it usually takes 24 hours for me to recoup and regroup, but they are such a blessing that I can't help but thank God for my precious family and pray for them daily. Here a few new pictures.

Enjoying some pallet time

Sweet Dreams

Look out world. Here they come!!!!

Welcome to Our Family

What you see here is the first official family portrait of the Henson family just after the birth of Reed Chase Henson. He is a week old today, and if you will indulge a grandmother's pride, I must say he is the most beautiful baby I have ever seen along with his brothers. He was born July 9th at 12:59, weighing 7.6 pounds and measuring 19.5 inches.

Less than an hour old

In the nursery after getting cleaned up and taking all the statistics

Excited big brother William

Proud grandparents

Head full of blond hair

Big brothers William and Wes welcoming Reed home

WOW! Can we keep him?!!!

I returned home yesterday after a time of cooking, washing, and playing. I am in a recharging mode to return next week, and then I think the Henson family is on their own. What can I say?!! God is so good and we are so blessed!!!!

The Path of Truth

“Your word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path.” Psalm 119:105

Several weeks ago the “little people” were visiting us for a few days. One of the mornings William and I were sitting on the patio swing, I saw a bird splashing in the bird bath. I told him to look at the red bird taking a bath. He looked at the bird and then replied, “Actually, Kakki, that is a male cardinal.” Well, excuse me I thought, but said, “You know, William, you are right.”

As I thought about our conversation that morning I could not help but think, “That’s my grandson, the little smarty britches.” That night after I read my Bible, I got to thinking about how William is like God. God knows the truth and He wants us to know it, too. Many times we convince ourselves that what we think or say or do is okay. We do not measure our actions by God’s truth. But if we are in tune with God, He will eventually get our attention and begin with, “Actually . . .” We can choose to listen and admit He is right, or we can go on our hard-headed way, refusing to listen.

I heard Beth Moore speak on II Timothy 1:7 that says, “For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline.” That self-discipline thing is a concept that often can trip us up. It truly takes self-discipline to seek God’s truth and to live our lives by it. Where do we find that truth? In the study of His word. The scripture tells us that God’s word lights our path. Let us make that path the path of truth.