Putting My Prayers Into Action

In my post, "I Prayed to Marry a Preacher," I mentioned how I prayed for my daddy while he was living a sinful life. Daddy spent his money on the bottle and we didn't have much as we grew up. As I listened to him snoring in his drunken slumber, I knelt by my bed and prayed that he might not die in that condition. I loved him and didn't want to see my daddy die lost. Here is the rest of the story.

Daddy became sick and was admitted to the hospital. He had been in there several days in the small town of Elba, AL. I worked with the Mayor and City Clerk and our office was located right off the city square. Dr. Bancroft Cooper's office was within walking distance and he was caring for daddy. One day an idea came to me concerning my daddy. I knew Dr. Cooper. He was my doctor too. I called his office and made an appointment to go and "talk" to him about daddy. I don't recall how long it was until the appointment, but it wasn't too long. I remember walking into Dr. Cooper's office and him inviting me to sit down across from his desk.

"Dr Cooper," I said, "My daddy is in the hospital and you are caring for him. All my life, all I have ever known is my daddy drinking. I wouldn't ask you to lie for anything in the world, but if you could tell my daddy something to make him, or scare him, so he would stop drinking you would make our house a home."

I don't remember what Dr. Cooper said to me, but my mission was over and I returned to my office.

Daddy got out of the hospital in a few days and on a Wednesday morning I stuck my head into his room before leaving for work. Daddy said, "I thought I would get to talk to that little preacher, but I never did." I knew he was talking about our local preacher, Raymond Elliott. He probably had visited with Daddy every day he was in the hospital. He was so good to visit people.

I went on to work and the city of Elba closed at noon on Wednesdays. That morning brother Elliott called me at work and asked how daddy was doing. I told him he was at home and better, but I did not tell him what Daddy had said to me that morning before I left for work. We hung up and I went home at noon.

I had mowed the yard that afternoon, came in the house and got a bath, and washed my long hair. Raymond Elliott came to visit Daddy and I felt like I had to be in the living room with them because mother was gone to work. Daddy was seated on the sofa, Raymond on a matching chair, and I was on the swivel rocker. I really wanted to get out of there and go roll and dry my hair.

To anger my Daddy was not something I liked to do. He had a bad back hand slap up side of the head that I didn't like to receive. I decided I would take a chance, and I said, "Daddy, didn't I hear you say this morning that you wished you could have talked to the preacher?" The pause and the silence was long. Daddy looked over at me and said, "Yes I did." Whew! Raymond was up off his chair ushering me out of that room, and closing the door behind me, in no time flat! I went to do my hair.

I was sitting under the old bonnet type dryer on the side of my bed when I heard daddy coming down the hall. I was so afraid of what he might say to me and how angry he might be. He came to my door and stopped.......and said, "Glenda, you have company." A friend from Enterprise had come to visit me. I was so relieved I didn't know what to do.

Daddy asked to go to church with us the following Sunday, and that is the day I will never forget. Douglas and I were seated in the center section half way to the front, when during the invitation song I looked over to the left aisle and saw my daddy walking to the front. He confessed living in sin for over 30 years. I had lived 21 of those with him at that time. Daddy laid down his smoking, his drinking, his cursing and our house became a home. God answered my prayers. Daddy died in 1985 as a Deacon in the Elba church of Christ. He made the statement after he returned to the Lord that he couldn't understand why anyone would want to drink.

For years I didn't know what Dr. Bancroft Cooper said to daddy, and one time I was telling this story to my older brother, Hoyt Williams. He said, "Well, I know." I asked, "You do? How do you know?" He said, "Because Daddy told me." Anxiously I asked, "Well, what did he say?" Hoyt said, "Dr. Cooper walked into the room one morning and said, 'Mr. Williams,' and daddy said, 'Yeah Doc.' 'Do you want to live?' Daddy replied, 'Yeah Doc, I want to live.' 'Then you have to give up your drinking. We have found a spot on your liver.'

This is just another time that I know God answered my prayers and I am so thankful He did. One day I believe I will be reunited with my daddy on the other side.

Gifts to Give God this Year

This morning I was checking email and found an article written by Tim Hall about gifts we can give God this year. Recently I have been thinking about what I would call a wonderful sermon for a preacher to present at this time of the year. My Douglas is a preacher and I like sermons that have good illustrations with them. That may be because of the artistic ability in which God has blessed me.

At this time of the year people are thinking about giving gifts. Visualize walking into the auditorium and seeing several beautifully wrapped Christmas gift boxes across the front of the stage. Inside each box would represent a certain gift we could give the Lord this year. The preacher would be down on the floor (always miked) and start on one side and talk about the gift in that particular box, working his way to the last box.

You can imagine my surprise when I received the email early this morning with an article that would go perfectly with my Christmas gift sermon idea. Since today is Christmas day, it is too late to use it now from the pulpit. I decided to go to my Adobe Illustrator program and illustrate the lesson. I sent it to a missionary friend in Brazil who in turn has forwarded it to Tim Hall. The lesson could still have more work done to it, like listing scriptures to go along with the thoughts on the gifts, but check it out above. I'm sharing it with you. Maybe we can all profit from the idea even now. Enjoy!

New Year 2010 - New Goals

My goals for this year, or at least one of them, was made the first of October, 2009, when we had a visiting preacher come to do a seminar at the Geneva church of Christ. Carl S. Sims of Manchester, TN came to teach us the 3 lesson Ivan Stewart Bible Study course. I had volunteered to videotape the sessions, edit and make DVD's for him to give away. I was seated behind the camera, center aisle of the church building and not too far back. You might say I had a "ring-side seat."

Brother Sims began his introduction and I was watching closely the viewer on the camera, trying to listen to him and keep him in view. I almost yelled, "Stand still!" Not really, but he certainly kept me on my toes in keeping him centered in the viewfinder. Pretty soon in his lesson he made a life-changing statement for me. Maybe it will be for you too! He said, "I have been reading through the New Testament from one to two times a month for more than twenty years. I read in the Old Testament too, but have concentrated my reading mostly in the New Testament. I do this by reading nine chapters a day. Sometimes I read more than nine chapters but by doing the nine chapters a day a person will finish reading the New Testament a little before the end of the month."

Whew! I tried to remain calm but that was the most wonderful thing I thought I had ever heard. For years I have tried to read through the whole Bible and every time I have tried to do it, I have bogged down in the Old Testament and failed to finish it completely.

Brother Sims statement seemed to give me permission to read just the New Testament, and in the Old Testament as I choose, but I determined that I would also try to read it through in a month. So in October 2009, I shared my goal with friends and I began. By the end of October I was finished!!!! November came and I started reading it again. By the end of November I had read completely through the New Testament and also the book of Genesis, the first book of the Old Testament. Here it is December and I am on target for my monthly Bible reading. It amazes me the things I continue to find that I haven't noticed before in my earlier readings. It is fresh to me each month and grows sweeter with each reading. I have found when I want to read something, my Bible is my book of choice these days. Isn't that wonderful? By the way, I learned about an easy reading Bible by Hugo McCord, Th.D., "The Everlasting Gospel" which is the New Testament with Psalms, Proverbs and more and ordered two of them from Freed-Hardeman University bookstore. It is praised as being the most accurate translation of the Holy Bible on the market today. I ordered Douglas a copy and me a copy. I didn't want to share my Bible with Douglas because he might be using it when I would want to read it. He was as proud of his copy as I was mine.

We serve an awesome God. How do I know? The Bible tells me so!

May I challenge you to try this for one month. Start the first day of the month and read nine chapters. Do this every day and see what a feeling of accomplishment you will have at the end of the month. You will be so pleased with yourself and God will be pleased with you too! "Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needs not to be ashamed rightly dividing the word of truth" (2 Tim. 2:15).

My special goal for next month is to have a notebook to make notes in as I read. I have noticed the sin of fornication is mentioned often as the first word in a list of sins and I want to count the times it is mentioned, not just as the first in the list, but in general. The penalty for such is terrible!

Join me. Won't you? It would thrill me to know you are going to try to read with me. Post a comment to let me know if you will accept this challenge. It is a wonderful way to start the New Year off right! God bless you in the New Year.

Ramblings - Where have I been?

I didn't realize it has been so long since I posted on my blogspot. You would think I didn't really care, but not so. My time has been devoted mostly to caring for my 98 year old mother, who has lived with us six years last September 22. It is such a joy to care for her at this particular time in her life. She is loving, meek and gentle and kind and makes it very easy to love her. I am so much her security blanket so to speak. Seldom do I get a sitter and go anywhere, but when I do she is asking them when I am coming home. She sits in her chair by the large glass window in the family room and watches for our vehicle to come and park in front of the house. I always wave to her and she waves back. Sometimes she is overjoyed to see me and wants to hug and kiss me and hold me tight, all the while telling me how glad she is that I am home. Not many people are that happy to see me coming in a door, you know what I mean? Ha. Now with all that explanation of why I haven't written sooner, I am ready to write a very important blog entry now. Read on.