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A little more to this “Ideal Family”

26 Jun

You know, there is one other question Paul answers, both in Ephesians 6 and elsewhere, about this Ideal Family thing.  What if one spouse serves God with all of their heart, and one does not??  What is that one to do?

The answer is STILL SERVE UP TO YOUR PART OF THE BARGAIN.  Yes, this really goes against the values the world has taught us about protecting ourselves and being careful.  HOWEVER … if you are married, you can either go “all in” or not.  And if your answer is “not,” then you are not planning to succeed anyway.  Paul writes on in Ephesians 6, telling slaves to obey their masters and do the best they can do, and in this they might show their masters Christ.  I’m not saying a Follower married to a non-follower is a slave, but the same principle is true.  Live your life according to the Holy Spirit as well as you can … God can use that to shine the light of Christ THROUGH you and to that spouse.

Test and SEE if the word of the Lord is true!!  

A Very Special Message

5 Nov

A friend of mine sent this email today … It was one of those emails that has been forwarded to the ends of the earth and back, so I almost didn’t even read it.  Something drew me to open it and I am so glad I did.  I’ve never seen this one before, and it is a great message!

I have no idea who wrote this, so my apologies to the author.  But this story needs to be read:


Subject:  Pennies
You always hear the usual stories of pennies on the sidewalk being good luck, gifts from angels, etc. This is the first time I’ve ever heard this twist on the story. Gives you something to think about. 

Several years ago, a friend of mine and her husband were invited to spend the weekend at the home of her husband’s employer… 
my friend, Arlene, was nervous about the weekend. The boss was very wealthy, with a fine home on the waterway, and cars costing more than her house.. 

The first day and evening went well, and Arlene was delighted to have this rare glimpse into how the very wealthy live. Her husband’s employer was quite generous as a host, and took them to the finest restaurants. Arlene knew she would never have the opportunity to indulge in this kind of extravagance again, so was enjoying herself immensely. 

As the three of them were about to enter an exclusive restaurant one evening, the boss was walking slightly ahead of Arlene and her husband.
He stopped suddenly, looking down on the pavement for a long, silent moment..
Arlene wondered if she was supposed to pass him….. There was nothing on the ground except a single darkened penny that someone had dropped, and a few cigarette butts. Still silent, the man reached down and picked up the penny.
He held it up and smiled, then put it in his pocket as if he had found a great treasure. 
How absurd! What need did this man have for a single penny? Why would he even take the time to stop and pick it up? 

Throughout dinner, the entire scene nagged at her. Finally, she could stand it no longer.. She casually mentioned that her daughter once had a coin collection, and asked if the penny he had found had been of some value. 

A smile crept across the man’s face as he reached into his pocket for the penny and held it out for her to see. She had seen many pennies before! What was the point of this?

“Look at it,” he said. “Read what it says.”
She read the words, ” United States of America .” 

“No, not that. Read further.” 

“One cent?” 
“No, keep reading.” 

“In God we Trust?” 
“Yes!” 
“And?. … .” 

“And if I trust in God, the name of God is holy, even on a coin. Whenever I find a coin, I see that inscription. It is written on every single United States coin, but we never seem to notice it! God drops a message right in front of me telling me to trust Him. Who am I to pass it by? When I see a coin, I pray. I stop to see if my trust IS in God at that moment. I pick the coin up as a response to God; that I do trust in Him. For a short time, at least, I cherish it as if it were gold. I think it is God’s way of starting a conversation with me. Lucky for me, God is patient and pennies are plentiful!”

When I was out shopping today, I found a penny on the sidewalk. I stopped and picked it up, and realized that I had been worrying and fretting in my mind about things I cannot change. I read the words, “In God We Trust,” and had to laugh. “Yes, God, I get the message!” 

It seems that I have been finding an inordinate number of pennies in the last few months, but then, pennies are plentiful! And, God is patient.

Workin on a new look, and a new location

20 Apr

Yes, if you are reading this, you’ve found the NEW home of my blog, WordPress. I LOVE IT!! I am getting everything ready for a grand unveiling, including a new domain name. But, for now, this is where I am!!!

Close to the Finish Line

19 Apr

Yes, the Wikes took another road trip this weekend. Drove to Easley Thursday night after Drew’s track meet … Worked like CRAZY for two days … (We DID go pick Krissy up after her last Friday class so she could JOIN us in the madness) … Spent some time with Dad each afternoon … Drove back to Florence LATE Saturday night.

It’s another Monday and I sit here wondering where the weekend really went?? We got lots of furniture moved, a couple of little ramps built, and several other things done. But there is so much more to do and Dad is coming home on Thursday …
I AM thrilled that he is coming home, even in spite of the circumstances. Is he ready??? Really not sure about that one. But his rehab days are running out and the case worker strongly advises us to save some. AND Mom is very close to the end of her rope concerning staying in Greer every night and day, with only a quick trip home to wash clothes, take a shower, and feed the dog.
Dad IS doing somewhat better. But he really has seemed to plateau. Hopefully home will make a big difference. He is so close to the finish line of THIS particular race. Hope he has a good week!!!

Dad Update

15 Apr

Well, it looks like Dad will be coming home NEXT Thursday (April 22). woo hoo. I guess. I AM excited that they are getting out. I am afraid Dad is not quite ready yet. And Mom really doesn’t know what she is up against. I don’t think any of us will know that until we walk through it. And walking through it with Mom from 3 hours away will be tough.

IMMEDIATELY, there are things that need to be done to make this work. I am trying to find someone to pour a concrete pad in front of the house for wheelchair use. Trying to figure out how we are going to modify a bathroom to be wheelchair compatible. How do we find a wheelchair accesible van?? (We’ve had some good advice on that one, just working through it)
Much to do before next Thursday ….

This is gonna be one of THOSE Mondays

12 Apr

I can already tell. Yesterday was one of the longest Sundays on record. I think it was a 26 hour day. When I woke up this morning, I felt like someone had beat me senseless with a bag of nickels. Come to think of it, Diana did have a huge smile on her face while still sleeping.

And there is already much on the docket for today. Several in the hospital. Funeral home tonight. Heaven knows what else in between.
So bring on the coffee and KEEP IT COMIN!!!!

The Sunday after Easter

11 Apr

Ebenezer, you surprise me … Usually the Sunday after Easter is the LOWEST attended Sunday of the year. And you almost couldn’t find a seat at the 8:30 service. THAT IS AWESOME!!

It COULD have something to do with the fact that I almost DARED you to show up today …

It COULD have something to do with the fact that Florence School District One had its Spring Break the week BEFORE Easter, so everyone is back and settled into their routine …

It COULD be a sign of great things to come …

or

It COULD have something to do with the fact that a huge combined Children’s choir sang today.

Who am I kiddin?? I KNOW its the KIDS!! But it is GREAT to see a FULL HOUSE on the Sunday after Easter!!!

What’s going on with Dad THIS WEEK?

7 Apr

Dad had a follow-up visit to the neurosurgeon yesterday. I was unable to be there, but DID fax some questions in …

Our basic problem now is that Dad has only had one really good day since his surgery over two weeks ago. He has been n a rollercoaster, with very few peaks since then. He seems to be losing ground in every way. His rehab days are almost up and he actually is worse off than he was when he first GOT to rehab.
I wonder if the shunt is working properly … (Dr Nelson does, too. He ordered a CT scan and a recheck next week) I wonder if we have reached the ceiling of recovery, if things really aren’t going to get any better.
Ever since Christmas Day, this has been our lot: Tons of questions and very few answers. Hurry up and wait.

Conviction VS Venom

5 Apr

YES … sounds like a Marvel Comics double issue!! But it’s not …

After a little chat with a friend today, the idea of exploring the difference between conviction and venom was born. I hope thinking about all of this benefits us all!
CONVICTION:
A FIXED OR FIRM BELIEF. We know character is DOING WHAT IS RIGHT, NO MATTER THE COST. When the Holy Spirit shows us clearly what we need to do, CONVICTION is that still small voice leading us to actions of character. Conviction is a key component in DOING THE RIGHT THING.
VENOM:
A “bad guy” in the Spiderman comic book series. Uh …. no … wait a minute … Venom is a poison, ejected with the intention of harming or killing another. When we think about venomous creatures, certain snakes and spiders come to mind. But venom comes from PEOPLE, TOO. A venom with no chemical makeup, but just as poisonous and just as deadly.
OUR VENOM consists of slanderous words and actions, meant to harm our fellow man and woman. Our venom resides in rumors, gossip, and lies, spoken to bring others down. Venom is born in ungodly thoughts, selfish thoughts about others. At times, we inject venom into situations that frighten us or towards people by whom we feel threatened.
We don’t like to admit this, but ALL OF US, at times, have spewed venomous words that came from venomous thoughts we had about individuals or organizations. AND IT IS TIME FOR ALL OF US TO GROW UP, EVALUATE OURSELVES, AND STOP.
In other words, “Check yourself before you wreck yourself.”
When we spew venom, we only reveal ourselves to be people of questionable character. And when those of us who claim Christ as Savior do it, we not only bring ourselves down, we do damage to the witness of His Kingdom.
What we are talking about here REALLY IS Conviction VS Venom …
WHICH WILL WIN IN YOUR LIFE?

A blog about a lot of stuff

5 Apr

I haven’t had the time to blog lately … So here goes the MEGA UPDATE:

DAD
Dad did pretty well in his recovery last week at the beginning of the week. Was walking more and more, did not let gout get in his way. As the week went by, he seemed to plateau a little. He has not had a good weekend. Mom is starting to realize that she will need help to take Dad home, and his rehab window is running out. Much prayer is needed for this, because lately he won’t let her out of his sight.
EASTER WEEKEND
Immediately after Maundy Thursday service, Diana, Drew and I drove to Easley. We got up early Friday morning and completely emptied Mom and Dad’s bedroom to clean the carpet. We then went to Clemson to get Krissy and came back over to Easley, then Greer. Drew and I took Dad out for a long walk around the campus and sat on the porch for a long time. We went back in, had supper with Diana’s family, and went back to the house to paint one of the bedroom walls that desperately needed it.
On Saturday morning, we put the furniture back in, headed over to Clemson, then to Greer. Then home. (MAN I WAS TIRED)
Sunday was AWESOME at Ebenezer. I count myself grateful to be part of a REAL NEW TESTAMENT CHURCH. NO ONE can match my Ebenezer family.
FRIDAY’S TWEET
I tweeted Friday about being tired of Southern Baptist bashing going on in Florence and was amazed at some of the responses, both on Facebook and in personal emails. I KNOW GOD WILL DEFEND HIS CHURCH. That is all I need to say about it!!!
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